Changing Beauty (Book 2) (The Deadly Beauties Live On) (31 page)

Chapter 40

ROSLYN

Thad cries out in pain, and fury rattles inside me. How are they hurting him? His lips have left mine, and I can’t find him. He was just in the bed with me, but now I feel his pain as though it’s mine.

I search blindly, feeling trapped by darkness, and force my eyes to open as I glance up to see my father looking around a corner, hearing him curse whatever he’s seeing.

Why is this changing? I don’t want fear and angst. I want my peaceful place back.

My body feels healed, but my mind is still fuzzy, clouded. I don’t know what’s real and what’s not, but I feel the chains still on my wrists, telling me that I’m still locked up.

The monster grows tired of the wait…

Pushing up from the ground, I decide the monster wants to play. Apparently my dream has me ready to fight back, and I’m more than ready. I try to shift, but I can’t, and I remember the collar isn’t on me. Even now they’re controlling what I can and can’t do, and that shouldn’t be allowed in my mind.

But this can’t be real.

“You’re awake!” Dad gasps when his eyes dart to mine. He jerks me to him, hugging me so tight that it feels so real, and the confusion only grows as I hug him back, ignoring the rattle of the chains that protest the movement.

Glancing down, I see the stone bits still attached, and I curse my escape world. I can’t use magic in these shackles.

“Well, those dumbasses! They’re not blocking the power of an incubus!” Dice exclaims, reading my cuffs before suddenly jerking one off. “That’ll fucking teach them to forget about me. I’m the motherfucking little engine that could. Hashtag—incubuses rock.”

Now I know this isn’t reality, even though Dice does a good job at staying true to his agenda of being weird. Dice is my hero and Dad is wearing rodeo attire—complete with cowboy boots and the tightest jeans I’ve ever seen.

My head is so fucked up.

But at least this dream allows me to fight.

The other cuff breaks off, and I grab both chains, ready to have some fun as I turn the corner. It’s my fight. It’s my mind. It’s my mind fighting back, to be more specific.

So why the hell is Ella here and looking like a crazed madman on the loose? She’s fighting the horde of dark users and the Gemini, and he’s fending off her attacks while managing to keep the swarm off him.

Her dark laughter grows louder as the walls around us quake, and I hear Slade curse from here like he’s struggling.

A blast of power is knocked away by my barrier, and I look down just in time to see Thad trying his best to get up, his eyes on the fight and not on me. My lips curl into a smile as the fury bubbles up inside me.

The monster is finally here.

Dad joins my side with a sword just as Dice shakes me, forcing me to look into his eyes. “They could probably use you going a little crazy right about now. And I don’t mean in the talk-to-yourself kind of way.”

The top of the prison is torn away suddenly, and blinding light blares down on us as Ella’s power rumbles free from her. With a wave of my hand, I toss aside several of the unsuspecting dark users, bashing their skulls into each other as I walk through death alley.

Thad manages to get up, and his wide eyes meet mine as screams emerge around, terror rising and feeding the darkness that surrounds our souls. The fight doesn’t matter anymore, because I’ve found him.

“Get her out of here!” the incubus yells to someone, but I’m too busy staring into the honey-colored eyes.

“Be prepared to run!” I hear Slade yell back.

Grabbing Thad by the back of the neck, I pull him down to me, enjoying the way he immediately grips my sides and kisses me back with the same abandon as all hell breaks loose around us.

Even as the light dims around me and I go limp in his arms, I feel the peace wash over me despite the nightmare.

Chapter 41

THAD

“Probably not the best time for a make-out session, you fucking cliché,” Dice says while shoving a sword through the chest of a dark user just after a blast of power misses my head by inches.

Roslyn drops, but I scoop her up and cradle her to me, before glancing up to the thirty-feet between us and freedom. Reese is right. This place really is toxic to my girl.

“How good are you at jumping?” I ask the incubus as I squat, preparing to launch us up as orbs, streaks, and madness flash all around us. Something slices against my side, and I curse while staggering.

“I guess I’m about to get really fucking good,” Dice groans, and I leap, barely clearing the top, but I manage to land on my feet without dropping the unconscious girl in my arms.

Dice yelps before plummeting back down after an epic jumping fail, but Reese pops up with the incubus in his arms seconds later. Dice curses while jumping down, dusting himself off, just as Gage and Kimber leap out.

“Hope your mojo works at full potential now,” Dice tells Kimber as she struggles to open a portal.

Something explodes from behind us, and my heart sinks to my toes as Kimber screams for Ella. Gage grabs her before she can rush back, as smoke and flames race toward the sky.

The ground rumbles beneath us, and Reese shoves me through a portal before I can attempt to go back. I land with a
thud
, still clinging Roslyn’s limp body.

Gage stumbles through the portal as Kimber sobs and fights hysterically, and I drop to the ground as Dice turns pale beside me. The silence becomes deafening, because the portal is gone, and there’s nothing but woods surrounding us. Even the creatures are too scared to make a sound right now.

The only sounds are Kimber sobbing and our hearts thudding in our chests. Gage holds Kimber to him, as I hold Roslyn closer to me, now clinging to her to keep myself from falling apart as tears fill my eyes.

Dice breaks down, sobbing wildly as he lands on his hands and knees, and my legs try to give out. But then suddenly, the wind stirs and Slade materializes, walking toward us with a limp, unconscious blonde over his shoulder.

“Take her. I had to knock her out,” he says, acting as though we haven’t just been freaking the hell out that she was dead.

He pretty much shoves her toward Gage, like he can’t wait to be rid of her. Dice stands, quickly clearing his throat as he wipes away the proof that he was just a wreck.

Gage takes her, as Slade averts his eyes from Ella.

“How’d you knock her out?” Gage asks. “She was ready to kill you.”

Kimber is all over Ella, investigating her limp body, while quietly chanting
thank you
over and over.

“Not something I care to discuss,” Slade grumble. “She wasn’t trying to kill me.”

“She really was,” I tell him, clearing my throat from all lingering emotion.

Slade narrows his eyes on me just as Gage says, “Thank you for helping.”

“Don’t thank me,” he tells Gage, then returns his attention to me, dropping his gaze to Roslyn for a beat before meeting my eyes again. “I hope you know what you’re doing. We’re not friends. We’re not allies. We’re nothing. Stay out of my way, and I’ll stay out of yours. All of you.”

He turns and vanishes into the air, and I roll my eyes at the dramatic exit before bending and kissing Roslyn’s forehead.

“He’s a bit of a douche,” Dice points out. “Hashtag—douche. That’s what we shall call him from now on.”

I look over at his red-rimmed eyes, and I cock an eyebrow. “That was a fast recovery from your—”

“I had blue sand in my eyes. It hurt like a bitch. I knew Ella wasn’t dead,” he snaps, turning around and moving toward the cabin. We’re not too far away from Gage’s house—well, what’s left of it.

No one seems to be particularly chatty as we trek through the thick of the forest, eyes open and alert for any movement. There’s still so much shit we have to tackle, but not today. Not right now.

Roslyn moans in her sleep, smiling happily at whatever thoughts are playing within her mind.

“How long do you think she’ll be out?” Reese asks.

“Hell if I know. It’s like her body heals faster than her mind is ready for. Same thing happened when that anointed bitch stabbed her. Not to mention she was out of it back in that place.”

Even the gashes on her face have healed without a mark.

“You fucking assholes!” My head snaps up at the sound of Zee’s voice, and I see him and Chaz walking toward us like they’re ready to kill.

“There wasn’t any time,” Gage says, still holding Ella in his arms.

We keep walking, and they join us as Zee continues to gripe. “A phone call, jackass. We could have been there in no time.”

No one was really thinking about anything other than hurrying. Which means Roslyn has earned a spot within the family, since everyone was willing to risk everything.

Kimber’s gasp finds my ears, and I look up as we walk out of the woods, seeing what’s left of Gage’s house—a few shards of timber and a foundation.

“What the hell happened?” Kimber gasps as Chaz takes Ella from Gage’s arms.

Gage rubs the back of his neck as Dice answers. “Gage woke up a wee bit pissed when he found out you were gone.”

When Kimber jumps up to straddle him, and they start acting like horny teenagers, I move toward the left, heading back to my place.

“Stay at Kane’s,” Reese calls out, causing me to pause. “It’s best if everyone stays together for now.”

No way in hell do I want Roslyn to wake up in a house full of people.

“I know you want her to yourself,” Reese goes on, “but you’re safer in numbers, and I have to return to my pack. She’s safer with you than she is with me, but only if you all stay together.”

“He’s right,” Kimber says, moving off Gage as she looks at me.

“That way we don’t get left out again,” Zee adds, glaring at me. “We went all the way to that cabin. Roslyn left them all in a panic. Drackus is doing damage control to keep Alyssa, Calypso, and Kane from finding out what’s been going on. He has them researching all this first shit in that book Chaz has. Maybe we’ll get a clue as to who the damn master is.”

“I should call Sadie,” Reese says while pulling out his phone.

“Tell them to slim their search by only looking at women,” Dice announces.

I don’t want to stand out here and talk all day, so I start walking Roslyn toward Kane’s, even though I’d rather be in my own house.

“So if my mother and her mother are slapping skin, that means technically she and I are close to being brother and sister,” Dice quips, jogging up beside me.

I groan as a few chuckles emerge.

“You guys get over near-death shit too quickly,” Kimber grumbles, staying close to Ella.

“Which means,” Dice adds, ignoring Kimber completely, “you and I are on the road to being brothers.”

I glare over at him as we come around from the back side of Kane’s house, but I just shake my head, deciding it’s not worth the argument. He gets off on that shit.

As everyone fills in Chaz and Zee on what went down, I head up the steps, walking by the smirking incubus as he holds the front door open for me.

As soon as I have Roslyn upstairs and on the bed, my phone goes off, chirping in my pocket.

DICE:
#Brothers #BrotherlyLove #YouKnowYouLoveIt

Why did I even look?

I move into the bed beside Roslyn, pulling her to me. I’ll be with her when she wakes up.

“Text me back, brother!” Dice calls up the stairs, and I glare at the door I shouldn’t have left open.

Laughter filters up, and I roll my eyes while nestling in closer to my girl, just when my phone goes off again.

DICE:
#Family #TakeCareOfMySister #ThatSoundedDirty

All of the sudden,
We Are Family
starts playing loudly, and I curse while getting up and slamming the fucking door. But I slam it too hard, and the damn thing breaks off the hinges and half of it collapses to the floor, while the other half dangles by a screw.

Motherfucker.

Another stupid text comes through.

DICE:
#EpicFail

Turning off my phone, I grab a pillow and pull it over my head while curling back up next to Roslyn.

Chapter 42

ROSLYN

“Monster Evil! It’s way better than Master. I refuse to call any woman master ever again.”

My head pounds as voices gather in my ears, and I struggle to open my eyes.

“You don’t know it’s woman,” Karma drawls. “But I do know that I’d better not get left behind again.”

“Same here,” two guys say at once.

“Someone owes me a thousand dollars when it turns out to be a woman.” I know that voice. It’s Dice.

Dice and Karma?

I try to sit up, but my head just pounds. But it feels like I’m moving. It also feels like someone is holding me as I move.

“Calypso and Drackus are on it. They’ll find something in either Drackus’s books or in Chaz’s book. Kane knows a lot of people who were older than his dead sire, so he might be able to shake down some leads too.”

“And we twiddle our thumbs?” Ella asks.

“You twiddle your fucking thumbs,” Dice tells her. “Every time you try to help, you go a little too wild. What happens when Slade isn’t there? He said he’s done with us.”

Tense silence fills the air, and I try harder to move, but no such luck.

I feel my body being lowered, but someone is still holding me. Not just someone. It’s Thad. He smells so good, and I really hope I’m not still dreaming.

“So what if he’s done?” Ella mumbles. “I can learn control. Mom did. Dad did. So will I. It just takes time and practice. At least I contribute more than a pretty face.”

“Hey!” Dice yells. “I contribute, damn it. Considering most of you motherfuckers go insane after using too much power, I’d say I’m a damn fine asset.”

Why is he so loud?

“You just gonna carry her around everywhere until she wakes up?” Dice asks, even though it seems completely random.

“Yep. I don’t want her to wake up alone.” At the sound of Thad’s voice, it’s like my body finally responds to my desperate attempt to wake up, and my eyes fly open to see the bottom of his chin.

“Is it weird you dated her mother and now you’re dating the daughter?”

What? Sure he didn’t—

“For the last time, I didn’t fucking date her mother.”

“If you say so. New question: Am I supposed to start being all overbearing and protective? And what happens when you two fuck? The sexual energy finds me whether I want it to or not,” Dice says, confusing the hell out of me. “Is it creepy to feed off my own sister’s sexual energy?”

Several spurts of laughter follow that, while Thad drops his head back to stare at the ceiling. He starts running his fingers through my hair, a soothing motion that feels so good.

“She’s not your sister just because your moms are fucking,” Thad grumbles, sounding exhausted or exasperated.

Whoa. Wait. They’re talking about me?

Ohhh.
Suddenly Liza’s attention to my mother makes so much more sense. And so does the fact that my father didn’t seem too happy about being around Liza.

“Technically, since she’s Sadie’s daughter and Sadie comes from Freya’s bloodline, she’s also related to Ella and Alyssa. Which makes me all the more tied to the family,” Dice proudly boasts.

“I don’t claim you,” Ella says playfully, just as Thad drops his head and our eyes collide.

He blinks several times, and his fingers pause their ministrations in my hair. It takes a lot of effort, but I finally find my voice.

“You’re here,” I whisper.

It takes him a second, but he gently pulls me up until I’m sitting in his lap, and his lips crush mine. My arms and legs decide to move, and one of my hands fists his hair, pulling him closer as I taste the proof this is real and not a delusion.

“See? This is what I was worried about,” Dice says flippantly, but I ignore him and so does Thad. I never want to let him go— “I’m already feeling her sexual energy, and it just feels wrong. Dirty.”

Thad grins against my lips, picking me up until I’m forced to wrap my legs around his waist. I vaguely notice I’m wearing different clothes. Not that it matters. They won’t be on for long.

“You’re finally awake,” he breathes against my lips.

My entire body flames with desire, pooling inside my blood as it rushes around inside me.

“We’re supposed to be strategizing,” Chaz calls out as Thad starts carrying me up the stairs.

“Catch us up when we get back,” Thad mumbles between kissing me and nipping my lower lip.

“Don’t break the fucking house this time,” Dice yells.

I giggle as a tear falls out of my eye, and Thad leans back, lifting one hand to wipe the tear away.

“You came for me,” I whisper softly, still half terrified that this is all a dream.

“Usually don’t give up things I love without a fight, sweet girl,” he says softly, but his wicked smirk doesn’t go with his gentle tone.

Love. He really does love me.

“I love you, too.” My cheeks heat the second I say the words, because they sound so stupid coming from me for some reason.

His grin blooms, and he eases me down on a bed before covering my body with his. As his fingers gingerly toy with strands of my hair, he brushes his lips against mine.

“Good. Now promise me you’ll never run again, and I’ll promise to never give you another reason to run.”

I can’t help but smile, but it fades quickly.

“You sure? I love my mother, and I know—”

He kisses me, silencing the rest of my sentence, and his tongue teases mine as I melt against him. When he breaks the kiss, I’m a little dizzy and breathless.

“Yeah. I’m sure. I can’t apologize enough for that, but you know as well as I do how fucked up our world is. We didn’t have the facts. Now we do.” He groans as though something is wrong before adding, “You’re making me sound like a fucking human.”

His grin forms again, and I smile back at him before his lips brush mine so softly. With very little effort, our clothes suddenly disappear, and he tugs my bottom lip between his teeth as his body slides against mine, teasing me even more.

“You’re going to have to let me take your clothes off sometimes, sweet girl.”

“Some other time,” I murmur just as he slowly slides inside me, stretching and filling me, but taking his time.

“I love you,” he says, but I don’t get to say it back before his lips are on mine again, and I kiss him back, reveling in each and every sensation he provokes as his hips rock.

When I whimper, he growls, speeding up just a little. Then that damn incubus has to yell at us.

“You could at least fix the fucking door before fucking my sister so loud!”