Dentelle (39 page)

Stepping back, I swiped the walkie-talkie out of
Aiden’s hand, cleared my throat, and spoke into it. “Yes, Kieran,” I said
sweetly. “I’m sorry. Sort of. But Aria attacked me first. I figured I’d better
defend myself. I mean otherwise, she could have ruined this beautiful dress and
messed up my hair. But more importantly, I didn’t think you’d want your new
partner to show weakness. You said I needed to be strong – that we were going
to be strong together, right? And although I’m not linked, and therefore not at
my best, I’m obviously a lot tougher than Aria.”

For the first time ever, Kieran was silent. I
guess he didn’t know how to respond. Was I full of crap or telling the truth?
He had no way to know, but it didn’t take a genius to figure out I was full of
it. Unfortunately for him, he had tunnel vision right now. His judgment where I
was concerned was clouded. I smiled smugly at the surrounding Ray-pacs, all of
whom were glaring at me with white hot fury. Finally, Kieran mumbled something
about that being true, but I need to learn some self-restraint. Clearing his
throat, he barked orders at Aiden about getting me to the compound in one
piece. He also forbade them from provoking me again.

The smile on my face must have been priceless. I
wish I could have seen it. I’d just royally pissed off my enemies, but it had
been so worth it. I needed an ego boost before heading into this duel to the
death with Kieran. As they shepherded me to the elevators and down to the
ground floor, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Aria. She was unaccustomed to being
on the receiving end of a fight and looked like a newborn fawn trying to walk
for the first time. Kieran would probably make me heal her, but that wouldn’t
diminish the pleasure I’d already gleaned. Our group was silent from that point
on, and I had a moment to touch base with Ash and update him on my current
status.

“Must have
felt good to slap her around,”
Ash responded after I filled him in.
“She and Aiden were the ones who met us at
the airport. She’s a real piece of work. At least now we know for sure that
Kieran is unlinked and vulnerable.”

“Yeah.
That’s good, but why do you think Aria hasn’t linked with Dakota yet?”

“Who
knows? Maybe Kieran is planning to include them in part of his show. Another Guardian
and Ray-pac linking allows him to flaunt his stuff. You did say he was
expecting quite a crowd. I just wish we knew how many Ray-pacs we’re talking
about here.”

“And I’m
hoping Dakota hasn’t died.”

“Let’s not
go there,”
Ash said with an edge to his voice.

“Hard not
to. I’m worried about her. And I’m double worried that if something terrible
happened to Dakota then Aria might have to use you as a back-up plan. That
would be bad for our business.”

“There’s
no way Kieran is going to allow me to live. He’s sweet on revenge.”

At that moment, my escorts and I stepped
outside. The night was clear and the moon was bigger, brighter, and more
beautiful than ever before. Or maybe it was simply my appreciation for it.
Tonight was the first time in seven months I’d been thankful and relieved my
link with Ash had not broken. What a disaster that would have been. The
Ray-pacs led the way to the compound, and I realized we were about to enter
through the same door I’d used when sneaking in behind James.

“Any idea
when they’re going to move you? I’m about to enter the building.”

“Nada. No
action here. Yet. I’m still in the holding cell. One interesting side note is
that they covered my window a few hours ago so I can’t see out. Don’t know what
that’s about. ”

“Doesn’t
sound good.”

Aiden opened the door, and I followed him in.

“Okay,”
I
said to Ash,
“let me know if that
changes. I’ll keep you updated from my end. Gotta go.”

We walked no further than 20 feet down the dim
corridor when Aiden stopped beside one of the many bolted doors; they all
looked the same to me. A heavy duty lock, in the form of a long orange bar,
stretched the entire width of the door. It reminded me of one of those funky
steering wheel locks, only this was a serious piece of equipment. Definitely bolt
cutter proof. Once he had the bar off, he opened the door and shoved me inside.

Nothing could have prepared me for the sight
before my eyes. I couldn’t decide which was more daunting: the ominous
warehouse room or the sheer number of Ray-pacs gathered within its concrete,
steel-reinforced walls. I’d never sensed so many links all at one time. Fear
seized me by the throat, and I fought for a breath. My hands turned to ice, and
the only part of my body that continued moving was my eyes. I was going to die today.
And so was Ash. I’d never see Jason or my family again.

“At least
50, Ash.”
My words were shaky. I could feel the fear in them.

“Huh? 50
what?”

“Ray-pacs.
Here. In the room with me.”
Some of the Ray-pacs were standing about, and
others were sitting in chairs which had been placed in rows off to the sides.
The group as a whole made the outlaws on
Sons
of Anarchy
look like hospitable neighbors from next door. This was a
gathering for Satan’s wild beasts. It was no place for Guardians of the peace. The
vibe in the room was extremely dark, foul, and demonic.

“What?”
Ash replied.
“That can’t be right. How
the heck are we…? Hey, someone’s here. Back in a minute. Don’t do anything
stupid.”

“Like
what? Run?”
I said, wishing that’s exactly what I could do. Trying to
lessen my fear, I turned my attention away from the intimidating horde of
Ray-pacs and looked around. We were standing in an abandoned warehouse, which
was strange, because from the outside it appeared to be nothing more than a
condo building under renovation. My mouth dropped as I gazed upwards. This
place had been gutted and redone in a weird way. There were levels above us,
but they were a series of metal grated floors you could see through. And there
were ladders and huge pipes that you could travel along to move from one level
to the next. It was like a maze, and the fixtures resembled scaffolding but
were permanent. Like the multi-leveled metal walkways you’d find in an
industrial building. Strangely, it reminded me of a scene in one of Ben’s video
games, where you made your way through an old factory, killing zombies along
the way. How uncanny, I thought. Only I had to kill Ray-pacs and would have
gladly welcomed zombies. I could see straight to the ceiling, ten or so floors
up. A few opaque skylights glowed from the moonlight, but other than that,
there were no windows.

“Welcome, Lexi.” Kieran’s excited voice broke
through the crowd. It was amplified, almost like he was speaking into a
microphone. “Welcome to our training room.” Makes sense, I thought. This
impenetrable room was where they tested their Flairs. That’s why this main
level was filled with stacked barrels, rectangular metal-plated sheets standing
on end, mounds of rubber tires, and huge galvanized steel culverts – a perfect
setting. And by the looks of scattered red stains on the concrete floor, people
died here. “Sorry it isn’t fancier,” Kieran continued, “but this is the only
place that would hold all our guests. We don’t want anyone to miss history in
the making.” There were shouts of agreement.

Even though I could hear Kieran loud and clear,
I hadn’t caught sight of him yet. But as the crowd to my left parted, he came
into view, and I gasped. He’d actually dressed for the occasion. Sort of. His
casual black suit jacket and white shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.
The top few buttons of his shirt were undone, and his loosely fitted purple tie
was a perfect color match to my dress. Along with his black jeans, he wore one
of his signature D ring chain belts. I hadn’t seen one on him since Bellingham,
but in a weird way this one was rather trendy and eye-catching. Despite all his
efforts, Kieran’s savage face and ugly pug nose weren’t any prettier to look
at.

Striding briskly towards me, he stopped only
inches away. He smelled musky, like lavender. I hated lavender. Always had.
“You are a beautiful creature.” Tentatively, he reached out with both hands and
touched my face. I flinched. He sighed and closed his eyes. A dreamy smile,
like that of a love-struck idiot, passed over his face. “You feel amazing,” he
crooned.

He felt like poison.

His eyes popped open and his creepy, glowing
amber eyes devoured my face. “Oh! To be able to touch you without getting
burned. It’s a rush! You’re my addiction but you work faster than an intravenous
injection, and I just can’t get enough. I crave you. I want to taste you.”
Without warning, he pulled my face towards his and covered my lips with his
entire mouth. The wet sensation of his mouth sucking my face was beyond
repulsive. This was not a kiss. Now I knew what the term suck face meant. He
bit both my lips and tugged. Shocked and appalled, I made a gurgling sound of
protest. Luckily, instinct kicked in right before I lifted him off his feet and
body-slammed him onto the floor. I couldn’t let him know I was still linked.
Instead, I jerked my head back and pushed him away. But he’d clasped onto my
lip so tightly with his teeth, pain streaked through my mouth as we separated.
I wiped my mouth on my arm and then spit on the floor.

“How dare you –” I started to say.

“No. How dare you act like this in front of
everyone,” he hissed. “Don’t do it again.”

I knew he was going to slap me, but I made no
move to deflect his hand. A shocking tingle ran through my face, and my head
swung sideways. Recovering quickly, I lifted my head and glared at him.

“Missing your Flair right about now, aren’t
you?” he said placidly. “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get something better when
we link.” Turning to the crowd, he said, “She will learn obedience over time.
But I must admit, I like a sassy, arrogant woman who’s not afraid to put up a
fight. She has the true qualities of a Ray-pac. She will make a perfect mate.”
At his words, clapping and cheering erupted.

Without further ado, Kieran commenced the
ceremony. In a matter of minutes, most of the Ray-pacs were seated, and Kieran
even had a chair brought in for me. Well, actually it was more like a throne –
a red velvet one at that – and one that looked like it had come straight out of
an antique store. Sitting there, uncomfortable, nervous, and irate, I puzzled
over the three empty chairs sitting opposite me. They were about 15 yards away
in the center of the room, but there was a good distance between those chairs
and the Ray-pacs seated on either side.

“I have a surprise for Lexi,” Kieran announced
loudly. “One that all of you will find highly entertaining.” He looked at me
with mirth-filled eyes. “I’ve invited a few special guests to join our party.
They might not find it as enjoyable as the rest of us, but it will be
fascinating all the same.”

Uh-oh! I thought. I knew he was talking about
Ash and Dakota, but who was the third seat for? Izzy? Had he tracked her and
Ava down since the last time we’d talked in my bedroom? I sat taller, gripping
the padded armrests. When Aiden and Zola dragged Ash into the room and sat him
down, Kieran watched me closely. I jumped to my feet, but Kieran grabbed hold
of me. Using restraint, I pummeled his chest and called him all kinds of names
before begging him not to hurt Ash.

Ignoring my request, Kieran smiled triumphantly
and shoved me back onto the throne before ordering me to calm down. Then he
introduced Ash to the Ray-pacs, naming him as a traitor – one who’d betrayed
Kieran and joined the Guardians. The noise level rose quickly as the Ray-pacs
jeered.

“You
didn’t tell me you were on your way here,”
I criticized Ash.

“Thought
there’d be a better chance you’d look surprised if I didn’t warn you.”
We
stared at each other, and tears started accumulating in my eyes.
“Hey, don’t cry.”

“Trying
not to. I’m so sorry about everything, Ash.”

“Me too.
But hey, at least you look drop-dead gorgeous for the occasion.”

“Very
funny,”
I said almost cracking a smile.

Once Kieran had everyone quieted down again he
called for Rafe and Rose to bring in the next guest. Only this time I didn’t
have to act surprised, I was totally stunned and beside myself with terror and
insanity. As Rafe and Rose dragged a struggling, bound and gagged Jason across
the floor with a rope, I went hysterical and flew out of my seat.

Jason was here. The love of my life was here in
this hellhole. And he was going to die with me. Screaming, I tried to run
toward him, but Kieran caught me and wrapped his arms around me possessively,
holding me tightly, almost intimately. I wanted to kill him right then. Right
there. With my bare hands.

Ash must have seen the look of murder on my
face, because I faintly heard his voice.
“Not
yet, Lexi. Not yet.”

Soon enough, Rafe had Jason roped into the
chair. I could tell by looking at Jason, that he was no longer linked. He was
completely defenseless. I ignored the cheering voices and stomping of feet that
filled the room around me. For one moment in time, I shoved aside my desire to
kill Kieran, and I ignored his evil Essence flowing into me as he pressed his
body against mine. Instead, I fixated solely on Jason. When my eyes met his, I
wanted to weep. Weep for the enormity of emotions I saw there. I wanted to
touch him, hold him, love him, explain myself to him. I could read his fear,
sense his anxiety, and feel his pain. But more importantly, his eyes expressed
the deepest of all emotions: love. And they did so with honesty and
vulnerability. Those beautiful aqua-marine eyes were windows to his inner soul,
revealing the true nature of his heart. In spite of my lies and everything that
had happened, he still loved me. Thank God he still loved me.