Chosen Thief (3 page)

Well, Isa wasn’t the only one lying about her last name. If I was honest, it pissed me off knowing she had lied, but I didn’t really have any room to complain in that department since only a selected few knew my
real name. “My last name’s McKinley.”

“Interesting.” Again, her foot tapped. “And how did you, Caro McKinley, meet my daughter?”

“A club.”
Truth.
Two more steps toward the door. Halfway there. “Look, don’t be upset with her for who she prefers to be with. I know she wanted to tell you a lot differently than the way you found out.” I shrugged, keeping the action slow because the Vampire and Mage
tendrils of magic were starting to become more insistent, irritating the shit out of me. “A lot of Mysticals aren’t straight. Your daughter can’t help who she is, or what gender she prefers. And I know she loves you very much and she wants your acceptance.”

Instant. “She has it. She always has. But, apparently, I need to have a conversation with her that’s been a long time coming.” After a moment
her eyes flicked to the man at the fireplace.

He shook his head, and I noticed his eyes were golden as they peered at me intensely.

I shivered past the uncomfortable feeling prickling along my skin and stated bluntly, “You two can stop. You won’t figure it out.” I stared at the Mage then down to the dark-eyed Vampire. “It feels like sandpaper the harder you push.”

“What are you?” the Vampire
asked bluntly, his magic retreating as he rested his hands on his flat stomach.

I kept my mouth shut. I was maybe five steps away from the door.

“Protected, is what she is,” the Mage interjected, pushing off the wall and making me immediately wary as his magic continued probing even more erratically, feeling like pulsing waves of rough sand grinding against my skin, making my fists clench. “It
feels like…” His head tilted, eyes beginning to glow. “Do you…do you know Richard?” The mystic Mage magic abruptly stopped as all three of them went still at his question, staring at me.

It seemed important, so I went with the truth this time. “No. I don’t know a Richard.”

Isa’s mom asked, “Maybe by the name Elder Harcourt, by chance?”

“No, I have no clue who you’re talking about.” I shrugged,
then I tilted my head toward the door. “I’m sorry we had to meet under these circumstances, but it truly is nice to finally meet you.” And I meant it. I was seeing the woman who had raised Isa to be who she was, giving me a better insight to Isa. “And I’m sure Isa will be less stressed knowing she doesn’t have to hide herself with you, and that you’ll love her as she is.” My lips pursed, hand
on the doorhandle. I again again felt a tiny zap of Mage magic from the constant privacy spell, but curiosity got the best of me, so I had to ask, “And who are you two guys in relation to Isa?” Her mom seemed honest in her sincerity, but these men knew Isa had sexual relations with someone outside of her faction, since I was obviously not a Vamp.

The Mage was still studying me silently, golden
eyes running repeatedly over me from head to toe, so it was the Vampire who stated steadily, “Men who love her and will accept her for exactly who she is and whom she wants.”

Eyeing him, I decided he was telling the truth, so I nodded and turned to go through the doorway.

He continued steadily, “Are you sure you’re making the right decision leaving?”

I swallowed hard, staring out into the well-appointed
foyer, which was not my realm of living at all. “I’ve chosen my path, and I’m trying to do it with the least amount of consequences to everyone.” I gritted my teeth and said the damn lie again. “I cheated on her.” I shook my head. “She deserves better than me.”
Truth.

I walked through the privacy spell and shut the door calmly behind me, thankful none of them had questioned me about the phone
call they had surely overhead.

Coming to a stop in the small parking lot, I got out of my car and popped the trunk, pulling out a large duffle bag of clothes and cash I always had handy. Checking once more over my shoulder, unable to shake the feeling I was being followed, I scanned the overgrown trees and brush and slammed the rusted trunk down, giving it a good shove to make sure it closed
all the way. I set the keys on top of the closed trunk so anyone needing a delicate, vintage car could have it since I wasn’t going to need it any longer.

When the midnight blue sky with grey clouds appearing to have been painted with the quick jerks of a brush afforded me no view of anyone hiding in the woods at this deserted airstrip in New York, I reached behind my back and pulled out my gun,
checking the clip to make sure I had loaded the damn thing with silver bullets this morning when none of this had been an issue. And, like the pro I was, I had.

That still didn’t stop me from double-checking the one in my boot, readjusting the silver and metal knife up my coat sleeve, and checking the catch on the back of my boots, which released the spikes of silver at the toes. Satisfied all
was in order, I hooked the duffle over my shoulder and set off at a fast clip, following the sound of the roaring jet engine, the only sound for miles.

My legs pumped faster at the thought of that fucker not holding up his end of the bargain, but I eventually slowed two runways later, knowing he wouldn’t go back on the deal. No matter how crazy the fuck was, he knew I would end myself if he pulled
a stunt like that.

Fifteen minutes later, buried on the back runway and hidden by another set of trees, I stopped running when I saw the small jet waiting for me. I instantly held my hands up when I heard the cocking of guns, but I kept walking toward my destination. “Now, boys,” I stated loudly since I couldn’t see them yet, “you know it’s impolite to point unwanted objects at a lady.”

“You
show me a lady, and I’ll really show you something I can point,” a seductive voice purred behind me.

“Aw, Dell, it really is a shame you have to lie to get women in bed,” I crooned, glancing over my shoulder at the handsome Vampire aiming a loaded revolver at my back. “I never understood that about you. You go on and on about how well-endowed you are, but any woman I’ve ever spoken to — the pitiful
few who have hopped into your bed — only said…the end game was over way before it had begun.”

He growled behind me, his Vampire pissed as normal with me.

“Bruno,” I glanced to the left where the lion Shifter was exiting from the woods, his gun aimed at me, “maybe you can shed some light on this subject. Why on earth would Dell state he’s so talented in bed when he can’t keep it up for longer
than a minute?”

“Caro!” Jasper, a Mage and my favorite of their unruly group, hollered from my right, flattering me by aiming two automatic rifles at my chest, knowing me the best. “God, I’ve missed that mouth of yours.” His golden eyebrows waggled.

“Keep wishing on that star and it…no, nope, I don’t see that happening in the near future.” I waggled my own eyebrows but tilted my head at the
jet, my hands still up high. “That’s a lot of guards. Didn’t he think you three could handle me?” I paused. “Oh, that’s right. I have gotten the best of you how many times now?”

Bruno grunted. “God, I fucking hate you.”

“Four times.” Jasper laughed heartily. “Although, only once on my watch.”

I stared at the guards, close to thirty men in fatigues, all large Mysticals and very imposing in the
dead of night as they milled around the outside of the jet. “Really, why so many?”

Jasper’s eyes flashed golden. “I got the feeling there might be a little trouble tonight.” His eyes had never left me. “You didn’t do anything stupid, did you?”

“Never.” Never where
his
safety was concerned, since he was my number one priority. And safe didn’t mean pissing off the Bossman once he had his grubby
hands on him. “How did you catch him?”

Dell chuckled quietly behind me. “You’ll be proud to know he’s gone from petty haggling in the Bossman’s ‘neighborhood’ to the big time.” A pause. “He ripped off one of the Boss’s fucking casinos…and left a note.”

Sighing heavily, I raised my voice since the jet engine noise was becoming too loud. “What did the note say and how did it get him caught?”

Bruno started snorting. “Dumbest move the kid ever made…” He shook his head. “Seriously stupid.”

“Bruno.”

“All right, all right, I’ll tell you since I want to see your reaction.” He cleared his throat then stated loudly, “Note said:
The Mostest with your hump-Hostess, all the Green for the Freak Machine.
” He paused, eyebrow quirked. “Too bad he didn’t actually get out the Boss’s hostess that
he was fucking. She spilled the beans where he was…and with a little sedative, and compulsion by Dell, he spilled the beans where you were.”

I mumbled a curse quietly, but Dell still chuckled having heard it with his damn Vampire hearing. I muttered, “There are days that just don’t pay to answer a planted phone.”

Jasper grinned. “Did you like that?”

“No,” I muttered, glaring. “I almost wrecked
my damn car—”

“Shit mobile—”

“—getting to the thing.”

“—and it was perfectly placed.”

I glared. “It was under the passenger seat. How the hell is that perfect placement?”

He chuckled, his eyes crinkling in merriment. “Because I got to see you swerve all over the road until you answered it.”

My scowl intensified. “You followed me?”

“Alas,” he sighed heavily, “only until you got the call
and told the Boss the fun-filled news you’d be joining us again. Although, the Boss is pretty pissed now that we didn’t know where you went directly afterward.” His eyebrows quirked once, letting me know he knew about the second phone conversation. He slanted his head at the black sedan we were approaching at the edge of the woods, which was far enough away the jet would still have take-off room.
“Assume the position, Caro.” He shuddered grandly, his whole body shaking. “This is my favorite part.”

Sighing, I dropped my bag on the ground and bent over the car, hands on the hood, and endured not only Jasper’s professional search, but Dell’s perverted one following, which resulted in all of my weapons being confiscated…including my boots thanks to Bruno’s Shifter nose scenting out the silver
there.

“Ready for your Awakening, Caro?” Jasper asked as Bruno picked up my bag.

“Oh, I can’t wait.” Hopefully I would be powerful enough to kill them once and for all.

“Hey…is that a,” Bruno squinted into the woods lining the runway, “fox? I haven’t seen one of those in the wild in ages. Normally my lion scares them away.”

Dell stilled in that moment, his head cocked. “Company. We’ve got
company.”

Jasper glared at me. “You said you didn’t do anything stupid!”

“She wasn’t lying,” Bruno muttered, eyes training on the woods, utterly alert now.

I got the wind knocked out of me as Dell barreled one of his shoulders into my gut, lifting me over his shoulder and ordering, “Time to go, people!”

I dangled, not putting up a fight; I couldn’t because
he
still wasn’t safe. Jasper threw
a golden protection around the four of us as they raced with me to the jet. The other guards were now racing past us to whoever was coming, just as the sound of guns began firing. I stared at the bouncing ground, hands on Dell’s hips to stop the inevitable bruises to my stomach, but not worrying, knowing Jasper’s magic was strong enough to keep any wayward bullets from penetrating his golden protection.

Dell went up the jet’s stairs first, holding me tight, and as soon as Bruno and Jasper were inside, I was set on my socked feet. I flipped my hair out of my face, instantly scanning the interior of the jet, and saw the object of my worries sitting slumped on a chair, duct tape over his mouth and out cold. “He’s alive?”

“Of course,” Bossman growled, sitting directly next to him and reading a magazine
as if there wasn’t a gun-fight going down outside the jet. “I always hold up my end of the promise, unlike someone who continues to run off in fits of tantrum.” He turned his dark eyes to Jasper. “Should we wait on the others?”

Jasper’s eyes glowed golden, head cocking oddly as he stared up at nothing. “No, they’ll be dead shortly.” He blinked, shaking his head, his eyes returning to normal golden.
“Very shortly. Whoever’s out there is crazy powerful and the distraction won’t last long.”

“Let’s go,” Bossman murmured absently, resuming reading. “Caro, come sit by me.”

Dell blurred to the pilot’s compartment, Bruno lifted the stairs, and Jasper bent, glowing golden while placing his hands on the jet floor, proving he was coating the plane with protection when the windows suddenly glowed
golden. I moved to the Bossman, sitting opposite him, my eyes on the one man I really cared for — the only person I had known as true family — as I buckled in, watching his pulse beat steadily at his throat as Dell piloted the plane safely into the air and to the next leap in my hellish life.

Three years later

There was something to be said about death row.

When you have an episode the likes of which you have never experienced before on the pain scale, they really treated you right, making sure you stayed healthy and hale…just so they can kill you themselves at a later date.

Resting in my lone room lined with silver walls, just returned from my three-day stint in the
infirmary, I still couldn’t figure out what the hell had happened. One minute, I was sleeping peacefully, and the next, I was in agonizing pain. My Core, which holds a Mystical’s power, just felt like it had exploded with…
too much
. That was the only way I could explain it to the physicians as I bellowed in agony, right before they dosed me heavily with a sedative. They kept that up for a few days
as they monitored me in the infirmary with a few armed Mysticals surrounding me. And not one of them had a reason for what had happened, further confusing me.

Staring at the silver ceiling, I gave up trying to figure it out, still feeling too full inside as I rubbed at my chest. I mentally made another tally mark on the ceiling for another day spent here. It had been close to nine months now,
my ‘extermination’ date soon to come. I had grown accustomed to the fact I would soon die, but I still needed to write a letter to the only family I had, Sin, to jot down my final thoughts and words. Oddly, the thought of fully exposing myself on paper and baring any lingering secrets I harbored was more terrifying than the reality of the lethal injection of silver I would be enduring. I knew but
also hated that my thoughts needed to be voiced.