Exile: Sídhí Summer Camp #3 (15 page)

“Yes,” she said gently, caressing the hard
muscles of his shoulder. “I couldn’t tell you. You were so angry
and I just couldn’t take the chance of the empire finding out my
first assassination target had been faked.”

“It’s okay,” he said as his entire body
shuddered with emotion. “It’s all part of a charade, isn’t it? Your
sadistic reputation is somehow connected. It’s all a way to keep
your people safe.”

“Yes,” she said, a worried frown covered her
face. “Nick, I’ve wanted to tell you everything for a long
time.”

“But I’ve been a jackass,” he said, snarling
through clenched teeth.

Her body tensed against his. If he hadn’t
held his ice princess so close, he would never have noticed.

“Sarah, I’m not snarling at you. None of this
is your fault. I’m chastising myself for not trusting you sooner.”
He paused, trying to think of a better subject, something that
would make her smile. “What’s my brother up to?”

Her eyes brightened as a ghost of a smile
hovered around her lips. “When I laid it out on the table for him,
he asked to join my guard.”

He snorted. “Why does that not surprise
me?”

“For several years, he worked in an outlying
area. When his superior realized he had an affinity for animals,
she noted it in her evaluation report, and I asked him if he’d like
to become one of my trainers.”

“Trainer?”

“Wyvern, werewolf, sasquatch, khatts… You
know how intelligent Sídhí animals are. Raised properly, and with a
good trainer, they make amazing additions to our standing army.
Surprised?”

He snorted and shook his head. “No, more
like, I’m stunned. He always considered working with animals as a
hobby, not a career choice.”

Her stomach growled.

“Hungry?”

“Starved,” she admitted, gazing hungrily at
his neck before looking away quickly.

“You don’t need to ask. Anything I have is
yours, including my blood,” he said, tilting his neck to better
expose his jugular. The rate of his heart kicked-up a notch as
anticipation rushed through him.

Leaning forward, she kissed the vulnerable
area. “No blood, not yet, but thank you.”

“Why?”

“It’s not that I don’t want your blood, but
ever since I was a baby, my body has been on a strict diet of
blood. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve cheated here and there, but not
enough to turn my eyes black. Since I’ve been on a blood diet for
so long, my body needs time to adjust. If I start drinking blood -
even after my eyes turn black - I’ve been told they might revert to
red at the drop of a hat.”

He growled, hating himself. “Red or black,
you’re beautiful with either eye color.”

Her eyes widened, and she blinked in
surprise. No doubt, remembering the numerous times he had ridiculed
her red eye color. “Thanks, that means a lot to me, but I actually
have another reason. The longer my eyes stay red, the longer I burn
in the sun. It would be great to go swimming or ride a jet
ski.”

Nodding his understanding, he pulled her to
her feet and they headed toward the shore. When they reached the
trees, he curled his large hand around her delicate one and her
face filled with joy. He promised himself, he’d never again
intentionally hurt her, never.

Halfway to the cabin, Nick urged her toward
the lake. She seemed hesitant, but finally agreed. Stepping from
the forest, they walked along the beach under the shade of the tall
trees.

When a few teenagers appeared along the
deserted section, she tensed and tried to pull her hand from his.
The move made him realize why she had wanted to stay hidden within
the trees.

“Even a scary, badass exile can have a
boyfriend,” he said, holding her hand in a firm grip.

She hesitated.

Looking deep in her eyes, he saw a flicker of
yearning. She wanted to agree with him. “Holding my hand doesn’t
have to change your ice princess face.”

She snorted so softly he nearly didn’t hear
her. “You try holding a gorgeous guy’s hand, one that you love
beyond rational thought, and not show emotion. Not easy,” she
grumbled, fixing her face in an immobile mask, showing less emotion
than a marble sculpture.

Not daring to hope, his breath caught in his
chest. Earlier, she had completely avoided the L word. Now, under
the scrutiny of a handful of teens he didn’t dare comment. If she
believed her mask to the world was necessary then he would do
everything to help her maintain that pretense.

“Totally not into gorgeous guys,” he said
with a snort, “but thanks for the compliment.”

At the sound of his deep voice, one of the
teens turned toward him. The older woman she was with frowned at
them. “Nick!” Shelby, his ex-girlfriend, shouted enthusiastically,
eyes dancing with excitement. “I heard you and several of the
Andrews cousins would be here.”

He sidestepped, avoiding the hug the girl
obviously wanted to give him. “Sarah, this is Shelby. We dated a
while back.” When it came to his exile, he didn’t want any type of
misunderstanding between them.

“Yeah, we had a lot of fun,” Shelby said
wistfully.

The woman with Shelby grasped the teen’s
shoulder with a gentle hand, while offering her free hand to Nick
in greeting. “I’m Eve, Shelby’s cabin mother.”

He briefly shook her hand.

Sarah gave the woman an icy stare, refusing
the polite contact.

“Nick, I’ve really missed you,” Shelby said
in an unsteady voice.

Ignoring Sarah, the girl stepped boldly up
beside him. “You know we really clicked. I was hoping we could get
back together.”

Frowning, Nick pulled away from her
outstretched hand, putting several feet of space between him and
the dark haired girl.

Sarah’s hand clenched his fingers. If he
hadn’t been looking at her face, when Shelby made her move, he
would have missed the slight snarl curling her upper lip. Her eyes
never wavered from the girl. Her intense gaze reminded him of a
hunting mega-grizzly.

“Sorry, Shelby, I’m not available.”

“Oh,” the brunette sounded unhappy. Glancing
at his and Sarah’s clasped hands, she added, “Well, maybe another
time.”

“Not later, not ever,” Sarah said softly,
deadly. “He is mine.”

“Sarah is my mate,” he said emphatically,
thrilled with Sarah’s adamant claim. “There will be no other
time.”

“Mate?” Shelby questioned in a hiss of
disbelief. Her eyes flashed with temper, her fangs lengthened.
“She’s lying to you! The only Sarah I’ve heard about is a
white-haired halfling. Your synth would never sing for a filthy
exile that has killed hundreds of people.”

“All right, everyone needs to calm down,” Eve
said firmly. The fair-eyed woman looked to be in her late-twenties.
From her protective stance, she took her cabin parenting duties
very seriously.

“No problem,” Nick said, nodding to the
woman.

Ignoring Shelby, he turned to go, gently
tugging on Sarah’s hand.

“No, wait,” Shelby said in a pleading
voice.

For a split-moment, Sarah refused to move.
Her eyes changed from emotionless orbs to bottomless pits of fury,
an entry into her soul opened, a passageway that lay filled with
the promise of death. She blinked and her mask dropped into place
once more, as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

^____________

“You screwed up,” Clarabelle said, snarling
at Eve.

In jerky, uneven steps, Eve paced around the
small grove of trees. A gust of wind rustled through the trees. The
Dyrst’Lye swung into the breeze, inhaling the various scents.

“Are you listening to me?” Clarabelle
demanded snappishly, pushing away from the blue trunk. She hated
when people ignored her.

“Did you smell that?” the woman asked
nervously, rubbing her palms down the sides of her beige shorts.
She didn’t just appear uncomfortable, she looked out of place.

In a trendy, silk outfit, the woman looked
dressed for a day at the mall instead of a summer camp located
miles from civilization, smack in the middle of Dragon Valley’s
largest forest. “What did you smell, furble trees and the
werewolves in the preserve just east of here?” Clarabelle asked
with snort of mockery.

“No,
them
, did you smell one of them?”
the woman demanded quietly as her gaze darted to a pocket of dark
shadows.

“You and my mate would make perfect partners.
Both of you are more worried about shadows than jeopardizing our
plans,” she said with a sniff, wishing she could induce that kind
of fear.

“Of course, I am worried. You should be too.
If we fail them, they will take our heads and we’ll never see the
blow coming.” On the last word, her voice trembled.

“This isn’t getting us anywhere. Explain your
failure,” Clarabelle snapped.

“I didn’t fail,” she said haughtily.

“That boy destroyed everything!”

“That is not my fault. Lawrence…” her words
strangled to a halt. Her eyes bulged with fear.

Spinning around, Clarabelle came face-to-face
with a mouth full of sharp teeth.

The first blow hit Clarabelle in the back of
her head, knocking her to her knees. Through blurry thoughts, she
realized there was more than one of them.

Remembering her earlier words, she shuddered
and felt her stomach cramp in terror. Bile rose in the back of her
throat. They would never let her words go unpunished.

Several shapes stepped from the shadows.

“It wasn’t my fault!” Eve shrieked, looking
around wildly. The white of her eyes grew bigger as she frantically
jabbed her finger toward Clarabelle. “It was her plan!”

“Well, now, why don’t you let me decide whom
is actually at fault of being a failure,” a sinister voice said
from the shadowed tree line. “Until that time, the beautiful
Bruxcilla will bring Chi’Kehra’s mate to me.”

A tall, willowy figure stepped from the
trees. The appearance of her pebbled skin, the color and texture of
a bright green avocado, sent a shaft of warning through the two
women who visibly cringed away from the arrival.

“Witch!” Clarabelle hissed is disgust. No
one, but the most depraved of dhark lords worked with the
witches.

“Of course, Master, but I might need a little
energy boost in order to control the lamia,” the woman said
hungrily, eyeing both dragons.

The monster from Clarabelle’s worst nightmare
chuckled, motioning the witch toward the cowering women. “Take what
you need, but don’t kill them.”

Mixed screams of fear rocked the clearing.
Clarabelle jumped to her feet, but a harsh kick to her back sent
her sprawling. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Eve receive
the same treatment.

Clarabelle’s mate suddenly ported into the
clearing. His deadly growl stopped instantly. Dropping to his
knees, he bowed his head.

“Councilman, did you require something?” the
monster asked, never taking his eyes off Clarabelle.

“No, Master,” Maynard said. He shuddered.
“But whatever has displeased you, I would be honored to receive the
punishment in place of my mate.”

The harsh sound of the creature’s grunt mixed
with the witch’s quiet laughter.

“You admit she is at fault? That she is a
failure?” the dark voice asked.

At Maynard’s nod, Clarabelle gritted her
teeth. She knew Maynard had no choice, but seeing her mate blame
her, when it was Eve’s fault, was more painful than swallowing
metal shavings.

“You will not interfere,” the nightmare said,
waving Bruxcilla forward.

Moving forward with the speed of an attacking
rat, the witch smiled, revealing a mouth filled with sharp, pointed
teeth. The green haired freak-of-nature grabbed Clarabelle’s arm
and sunk her teeth into tender flesh. Blood streamed down her
chin.

Agony ripped through the dragon as the witch
sucked, pulling synth energy from Clarabelle’s blood.

^____________

Dinner and a movie, the hours passed quickly.
Near midnight, Nick found himself propped against a giant furble
tree watching Sarah throw her shuriken with deadly precision. Each
target he pointed out, whether shrouded in shadow or highlighted
under brilliant moonbeams, she hit with unerring accuracy.

Pushing away from the trunk, he nodded to the
sharp throwing star in her hand. “Will you teach me?”

“Really?” she asked.

At her look of unguarded pleasure, a sharp
wave of possessiveness raced through him. He chuckled. He would
never grow tired of her smiles. Sweet, yet mysterious, they sent a
shaft of yearning through his body. “You act as if I’ve given you a
present when I’m the one who’ll benefit.”

“I know how much honor a Clan vampire puts on
his training. I know you don’t think so, but the warriors in
Trellick Valley do as well.” Her soft voice trailed off, caressing
his soul with its honesty.

“I know they do.”

Disbelief flickered through her eyes.

“I know they do because you just told me.”
The tips of his fingers skimmed gently down her cheek. “As I said
earlier, I may question why, but I vow I will never doubt you
again.”

Understanding flickered across her face.
Another slender thread snapped tight, connecting them. For the
first time, true hope flared in the depths of her clear, blue
gaze.

She tilted her face toward him.

His lips met her halfway. The kiss was a
gentle affirmation of their words, strong and unbreakable. Within
seconds, he felt the liquid fire of desire burn through him. With
each caress, he wanted her more than ever before.

Who was he trying to kid? With Sarah, a
single touch was all it ever took.

Sighing, he pulled away. “Unless we want our
first time under the stars, I think we better stop.”

“Might be interesting,” she said, eyes
sparkling with dancing lights of mischievousness.

“You’re killing me,” he said with a groan,
shifting his jean shorts to a more comfortable position.