Immortal Craving: Immortal Heart (20 page)

Kat shot Christian a surprised glance before focusing again on the female seated on the bed. Christian shrugged a shoulder and then pulled the door open.

The female reached under the bed, pulled out a small satchel, and smiled.

“I’m ready and so are the others,” she said as she thrust her hand towards them. “I’m Juliette.”

“You knew we were coming?” Kat asked
, eyeing the female’s outstretched hand.

“Yep, I saw you two coming. We’ve been waiting for you.”

“You’re a Seer?” Christian asked.

“Yep,
Darion likes to keep more than
Succubi
as trophies, though admittedly the rest of the females you’ll rescue tonight are your sisters.” Her opalescent eyes shimmered at Kat. “I’m not accustomed to this hand shaking thing but I’m pretty sure you’re supposed to clasp my hand now.”

Kat took the woman’s hand and gave it two pumps before pulling her hand back.

“What a strange greeting,” the Seer mused, “though I saw you come from the Human World and I understand that is their form of introduction.”

“You saw me?” Kat asked.

“Yep, I’ve been seeing glimpses of you since the day Darion plotted to capture you. I only wish I’d been able to find you then—perhaps all of our pasts would have been different.” She smiled, a knowing tilt to her plump, pink lips that Kat swore spoke of her deep secrets. The woman knew more about Kat than she was comfortable with.

“Three days ago I saw you two appear out of my bathroom. We need to hurry—your friends are about to alert the guards that you’re here.” She looked to Christian. “You should flash us to the dungeon so we can stop that from happening.”

Kat chewed lightly on her bottom lip before speaking, “What about the other rooms on this floor? Are there
Succubi
being held in them?”

“Yes, but
Jaylyn knows what she needs to do. She’s expecting her brother and the other Vampire. They’ll get them out. Now come on, we need to hurry.”

Christian looked from the Seer to Kat. “That wasn’t the plan.”

Kat nodded. “I know but if Jake is about to inadvertently alert the guards, we need to stop him”

“Good, it’s settled,” Juliette said as she stepped up next to Christian. “I’ve always wanted to experience what it feels like to flash.”

Christian took both Juliette and Kat’s hands, focused on the dungeon Kat was now thinking of, and flashed them to the dank, underground prison. The scents assaulted Christian’s hypersensitive nose—mildew, blood, and fear wrapping around him to settle somewhere deep within his lungs. Fear along with most emotions had a very distinctive scent to them.

“Kitty?”
Jake whispered from the shadows, telling Kat to open her eyes and hurry to him.

“
Shh,” she said frantically as her group hurried to them.

“What’s going on?” Jake asked as Kat huddled in a dark corner next to him.

“You’re about be found out by the guards,” Kat whispered. “Juliette, what do we do?”

Juliette waved a hand, silencing everyone. Moments later, three guards moved through the sparsely lit hall bordered by multiple cells. The group pushed against a wall inside one of the open cells and waited. Once the guards passed and disappeared around a corner that lead to the stairs and the main floor of the castle, Kat let out a heavy sigh.

“The Vampires could have just compelled them?” Jake spoke softly behind Kat.

Christian shook his head, looking to the other Vamps. “Afraid not, we can’t compel other Vamps.”

Jake looked down the now-empty hall. “Darion has never employed Vampires.”

“I’m afraid a few things have changed since you two were last here,” Juliette offered as she pushed off the wall. “We need to hurry and get to Marie then back to
Jaylyn.”

“Who’s Marie?” Kat asked.

Juliette smiled as she hurried down the hall to a small—very small—cell before the curve in the hall that lead to where the guards had disappeared.

“Marie, sweetie, it’s time to go,” Juliette spoke calmly.

“
Juliette
?” a broken voice spoke up from the back of the cell.

Juliette looked to Jake. “Open the door.”

Jake’s brows rose at the order.

“Yes, you,” Juliette said, motioning him forward.

Kat smiled. “She’s a Seer. We’re working on faith here,” she offered.

Jake narrowed his eyes, then moved to the cell, grasped the bars, and pulled. With a groan of metal, the bars came loose from the door, creating a space wide enough for the cowering female to squeeze through.

Kat held back a roar of anger as the young female slipped from the cell. She couldn’t be more than about seventeen. Kat wanted blood. Darion was going to pay one way or another. Juliette’s eyes went solid white as she took in a deep breath. A wide smile fell over her lips.

“Let’s go;
Jaylyn and the others got out. There is one more Vampire heading back for us.”

Kat almost came out of her skin when Jameson appeared next to her.

The Vampire smiled, his fangs flashing in the torch light.

“We got her,” he said to Christian.

In the next blink, Christian was gone.

****

Kat settled an armload of blankets down on Trevan’s micro-suede couch. The handsome Siren had had tears in his pale eyes when Kat and her group met up with him and the rescued
Succubi
. He held his sister so tight she thought the embrace might break the poor girl. Trevan tossed his keys to Kat, telling her his house was all hers, to take the
Succubi
there. He was headed to his family home to take Jaylyn to see their parents.

Kat let out a contented sigh as she watched the captives they’d saved. She was satisfied that they would be safe now, but
Darion had to be stopped. There was no doubt in her mind he’d strike back and have a new group under his thumb or, more precisely, in his bed. Kat pushed down the sickness welling up in her—some of these girls were barely sixteen years old.

Juliette made it clear that she would be taking care of Marie and the other two youngest. Until they knew they would be safe in the Middle World, they were staying in the Human World and they would have to wait to be reunited with their families.

“I knew when I first stepped into that room that the injustice you’ve suffered would not break you,” Juliette said as she leaned against the wall behind Kat.

Kat stiffened at the knowledge that someone she knew very little about was privy to all of the pain she’d suffered, but still, she trusted Juliette. Had it not been for her, they may not have made it out of that castle alive.

“They’re going to be fine,” Juliette said, approaching Kat. “And when you take them to the black-haired warrior, so will you.”

Kat tilted her head to study Juliette…
Black haired?
Cree or Kale,
she wondered.

Juliette smiled at her.
“The one who loves you more deeply than any woman has ever dared to dream of being loved. He won’t deny you if you return.”

Kat’s heart stepped up a beat and a flutter took residence in her tummy. She
wanted to believe if she went back to Kale he would accept her as his mate, but she feared the knowledge of what she’d just done would force him to walk away. She may have just started a war the Light Fae would refuse to be a part of.

Juliette nodded. “Get some sleep. The girls and I will follow what you choose to do tomorrow.”

Kat arched a brow at Juliette, “But you already know what I will choose.”

Juliette’s head tilted as she shrugged and then turned around to leave Kat in the silence of the living room. Everyone else had migrated to the kitchen for a well-deserved meal. Even Christian was with them along with his mate that he’d been separated from for over two years.

Cree fell to his knees as memories blinded him. Flashes of Kat over the past fifteen years bombarded him. Pain seared through his conscience as emotions flooded him—love, hate, fear, despair, betrayal, determination, and finally, an overwhelming strength. Cree heard Rowan calling to him, but she sounded so muffled. Yet he felt her soft yet strong hands press against his face as she cupped his cheeks.

“Cree, talk to me
. Cree
?”

The voice was panicked. He was scaring the hell out of his wife, yet he couldn’t manage any words through the sights that were flashing at him. Everything he’d missed from Kat was suddenly pouring into his brain, overloading his conscience—her and
Kale by the lake, her in the dungeon in Darion’s castle, her tear-streaked face as her Lord tortured her, her escape, her years in the Human World, and finally, her return to the Middle World and infiltration of the Dark Lord’s castle.

As quickly as the visions came, they ended with Kat and a group of at least thirteen women making their way to Hawk’s Eye headquarters.

Cree blinked as the walls of his and Rowan’s room came back into, focus along with Rowan’s concerned face.

“Ouch,” Cree grumbled.

“Oh, thank you,” Rowan breathed, taking hold of Cree’s arm to help him to his feet.

His knees would be bruised for at least a couple hours. The stone floors had been unforgiving as his legs had crumbled beneath him.

“What just happened?” Rowan asked, moving him to sit on their bed.

Cree let out a light breath and an awed smile came over his face. “I just learned why I couldn’t see Katarina’s future.”

He had Rowan’s curiosity more than her concern now. “Why?”

It had been something that they’d pondered over many times.

“She’s been linked to a Seer for the past fifteen years, who has been blocking her from my sight.” Cree leaned over to Rowan and pressed a kiss to her lips, soft at first then deeper and more passionate before he had to pull back. “We have to go to Hawk’s Eye, now.”

Rowan nodded. She knew when Cree was like this that he had good reason and she should follow.

****

Kale sat in his office; the bottle of Patron sitting next to him didn’t even lift his spirits.

It’d been nearly a week since Kat had left with Jake. Trevan had showed up at Hawk’s Eye with the three other
Succubi
Kat had escaped with. They’d filled out the standard paperwork and were now, according to the Light, residents of the Human World.

Kale asked
Trevan about Kat, knowing he was still in contact with her, but he didn’t get a real answer from the Siren. Trevan still seemed a little twitchy in Kale’s opinion.

Trevan
was on vacation now and Kale hadn’t heard from him in a few days. Kale blew out a heavy breath and reached for his cell. He’d heard it chime at him a little while ago and knew it was Izzy; she and Bain were back at the Castle. She was on an extended leave from work, which Kale was sure Bain was just fine with. It turned out that every magical Fae who had any sort of gift Izzy came in contact with—she could wield their powers for around a week.

Kale unlocked the screen on his phone and read
Izzy’s message.

Just checking in… wanted to make sure we were still on for tomorrow… miss you

Kale smiled and sent a quick message back.

Yep, I’ll be heading home here shortly.

Izzy had been working with Uriah, who was totally healed now from his burns, and Makyle on controlling the powers she siphoned. Kale was to head back to the Middle World tomorrow as her next test subject. That thought did make his lips twitch. The thought of her fiery little disposition wielding actual fire was going to make for a fun day… a day he needed.

Kale shut his computer down and flicked off his desk lamp. Pushing his chair back, he rose and headed out of his office.

A familiar charge electrified the air and the scent of jasmine and citrus lightly filtered into his nostrils. He heard Sienna in the front lobby speaking to a familiar voice.

Kale’s heart squeezed as he dropped down the stairs, his wings catching the artificially cooled air to slow his decent.

Kat’s head whipped towards the thump of two feet hitting the ground a few yards away from her. Her breath
caught at the sight of Kale’s handsome face, his deep eyes wide with surprise.

“
Kitten
?” he said her name softly, as if trying the pet name out on his tongue.

Kat smiled, sparing a glance at Juliette, who smiled lightly and nodded. Taking that as a cue, Kat pushed past the flustered Nymph and ran as fast as her legs would carry her.

Kale caught Kat as she threw herself into his arms, burying her face in the crook of his neck. She stayed settled there only briefly before pulling back, thrusting her fingers through his hair to cup the back of his head, and slanting her lips over his.

Kale held her tight, their tongues frantically meeting in a desire-filled rhythm that spoke of coming home and finding love
that they were both promising to never let go of.

Kale finally pulled back but still held her close.
“What’s going on, Kitten?”

Kat shook her head, a few tears dropping off her long lashes.

“I had one more thing I had to do. I had to save them and I couldn’t let you help. These women,” she gestured to the
Succubi
and Juliette—who was standing rather close to Jake—watching them. “We rescued them from Darion’s castle.”

Kale’s eyes went wide as they stared at her. “You returned to the Dark Lands and broke them out of
Darion’s castle?”

Kat nodded.

“Are you crazy? You know I would have gone with you,” he said as he pushed a few errant blonde strands from her face and tucked them behind her ears. Her emerald eyes glistened with the tears that welled in them.

“I know,” she managed, “but you couldn’t. I had to do this without the help of you or your brothers.”

Kale’s brows pinched slightly. Kat ran her thumb over the strained skin between his brows. “Trust me, you couldn’t help. You needed to stay safe so I could make the last fifteen years up to you. I love you, Kale, and I don’t want to spend one day away from my true mate. So, if you still want me… I’m all in.”

“I want you, Kitten,” Kale said before he slammed his lips to hers.

Cree and Rowan watched Kat and Kale from their perch on the third floor where they had a personal portal. Cree smiled as he looked to Rowan.

Rowan smiled, her own tears threatening to spill over. “Our youngest warrior is going to be fine,” she said as she wrapped an arm around Cree’s waist.

“That he will—we haven’t heard the last of
Darion though. He will retaliate now that he’s lost his
Succubi
.”

Rowan nodded. “It’s a problem for another day. Right now we have a group of
Fae, who deserve better than they’d ever been given, to attend to.”

Cree looked into Rowan’s lavender eyes—he knew what she chose. Things were clearer now, but still he wanted to hear her choice from her own lush lips. “What will you do with the
Succubi
?”

Rowan cast her eyes to the group below them. “I will offer them a choice. Either way, they will have sanctuary.”

Cree nodded… and the Light would have a war, a war he couldn’t know the outcome of. Not yet anyway…

Cree caught the gaze of the Seer who had blocked him. She nodded at him, her fisted hand held over her left breast.