Wicked Memories (CASTLE OF DARK DREAMS) (26 page)

By the time Rolf walked into the kitchen, Kayla was well on her way to completing her list of the one hundred most likely ways Thorn Mackenzie would break her heart.

Thorn’s father didn’t sit down. “I’m leaving for now, Kayla.” He smiled. “My son warned me that you’d react badly if I continued to refer to you as his woman.”

She started to rise. “I’ll see you out.”

“No, you won’t. I’ll see myself out. You have somewhere more important to be. Thorn is anxious to see you.” He started to turn away and then paused. “Words can never tell you how grateful I am that you gave my son back to me.”

Then he was gone in a blur of motion that startled her. Kayla took a deep breath of courage and headed for the stairs. She hesitated at the bottom, though. What would he say? Her stomach churned at all the possibilities.
Calm down.
Why was she so freaking nervous? He’d probably just ask her to heat up some blood for him.

Well, nothing would change just because she couldn’t work up the courage to face him. Straightening her back, she climbed the steps and walked into his room. Then she stood there and waited.

He was propped up in bed and looked as breathtaking as the first time she’d seen him. His expression gave nothing away.

“Did everything go okay?”
Don’t fidget
. Kayla tried to look calmly interested but not obsessively so.

“Why don’t you come over here?” He patted the side of his bed.

The bed not the chair? That was a good sign. Kayla offered him a friendly smile. She made sure it didn’t say, “I want to bite your butt.”

Kayla perched on the edge of the bed down near his feet. “I saw your father on his way out. He seemed happy.”

Thorn cocked his head and studied her. “You know, if I didn’t know what a fearless spy you were, I’d say you were nervous.”

“Nervous?” Were her eyes too wide? She narrowed them. “Definitely not.” She forced herself not to chew on her lower lip.

His smile was crooked and sexy and irresistible. “Come closer, Kayla. I’d say I don’t bite, but I do.”

She inched her way up the bed until she was next to his stomach. And when he just stared at her, she finally broke.

“This is stupid. Where do you want me to sit? And when I get there will you please tell me what happened? And then—”

“And then . . . ,” he mocked.

He grabbed her and tucked her in beside him before she could take her next breath. She’d gotten used to thinking of him as fairly helpless. Her mistake. Kayla had forgotten exactly how strong and fast he could be. He was recovering more quickly than she’d expected, more quickly than she
wanted
. Yes, she’d enjoyed having him need her. Kayla couldn’t regret this time with him.

“And then we’ll talk about how much I love you.” His words were a bare whisper next to her ear.

Everything stopped—her heartbeat, her breathing, her life. Because a moment like this deserved to be savored in complete stillness.

By the time she gasped for that next breath and her heartbeat gave a mighty ker-thump, she realized her cheeks were wet.

“You’re crying? Here.” He pulled a tissue from the box on the nightstand and shoved it at her. “This would really be tearing up my ego if I hadn’t already heard you say you loved me.”

Kayla shook her head and sniffled. “Tears of joy.”

“Oh.” He sounded relieved. And then he chuckled. “A thousand-year-old vampire who’s nervous about saying three words. My street cred is shot.” He lowered his gaze. “You’ll marry me?”

“Marry?” Words tumbled around in her head, but none of them seemed awesome enough for this moment.

Thorn wasn’t smiling when he looked up. All the passion and love he felt for her, enough for countless lifetimes, shone in his eyes. “It’s a human ritual. Your family will expect it.” Finally he smiled. “And surprisingly, I find that even though our love will bind us together without them, I want to hear the words,
say
the words so everyone will know.” He raised one brow. “So?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” She didn’t give him a chance to say anything more. Gripping his hair, she pulled him to her and kissed him. The kiss was long and deep and arousing. “Are you sure you can’t . . . ?”

“I damn well can.”

And he did.

* * *

It had been one week, two days, and four hours since Thorn had said he loved her. Not that Kayla kept track of that kind of thing. And if Sparkle kept them waiting much longer it would be five hours.

Kayla looked at the clock on the conference room wall. “I wonder why she called this meeting?”

Thorn sat beside her. Beneath the table, his hand rested possessively on her thigh. She placed her hand over his and wished they were home in bed. Or on the couch or the pool table or the fluffy rug in front of the fireplace.

“Did you tell Sparkle about your plans?” She glanced at the door. Still no Sparkle.

“No. I’ll try to catch her after this meeting.” Thorn looked distracted. “You know, I suddenly recalled something I wanted to talk to you about. Remember when you bit my ass in the shower?”

Beside her, Klepoth showed sudden interest in the conversation.

“Shh. Keep your voice down.” Frantically, she searched for a way to detour around this subject. Nothing came to mind. Panic was a great mind eraser. “Yes, I remember.” It wasn’t something she’d ever forget.

Thorn was looking at her now, eyes narrowed and lips thinned. “You said it was practice. Practice for what?”

Now he was annoying her. “You’ve already guessed or else you wouldn’t be wearing that scowl. Practice for when I’m a vampire.”

For once he seemed speechless. Good. Because she had a few things to say before he exploded all over her plans. “We’re marrying. And somewhere among all those promises are the words ‘until death do us part.’ Well, death is going to part us pretty quickly if I stay human. That’s not an option for me. I refuse to die and leave you crushed by grief.” She thought about that for a moment. “Of course, after spending fifty-plus years with me, you might just throw a party. Anyway, I know you can’t make me vampire, but Dacian isn’t a Mackenzie and he can. I’ve asked him.”

Thorn’s expression was thunderous. “No letch of a night-feeder is going to put his fangs into the throat of the woman I love.”

Kayla controlled her eye-rolls. “He’s not a letch, and he’s married to Cinn. Wrist, not the throat. There will be
no
sexual thoughts on either side. Besides, I’ll expect you to be there.” She was trying to sound in control and sure of herself, but his anger bothered her. She really wanted this, wanted to share everything in his life.

He closed his eyes and she could almost see him reeling in his anger and storing it under the seat. When he opened his eyes, she almost cried with love and relief.

“Are you sure this is what you want, Kayla? It’s not something you can take for a trial run and then return if it doesn’t make you happy.”

Didn’t he know that
he
would always make her happy? And what he was, what she would be, was part of that happiness. “Yes.”

He nodded. “We’ll talk to Dacian later.”

Kayla felt as though she’d climbed Mt. Everest and planted her flag on the summit. All her other problems were little ones. Talking about little problems . . .

“I called my father before you woke tonight. I told him I quit and that I’d never be joining the family business. I also told him I was marrying a wonderful man.” She smiled. “He yelled, threatened, and generally blustered a lot. Then he got all emotional about his little girl. I promised to send him a wedding invitation.”

Thorn looked thoughtful. “Will he try to recruit me for the family business? If so, you’ll have to explain that I drink on the job.”

Kayla didn’t have a chance to answer, because just then Sparkle entered the room. All conversations stopped.

Sparkle wasn’t sparkling tonight. She wore plain jeans stuffed into plain boots topped off by a plain black sweater. Her nails were color free and her hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

This never-before-seen phenomenon caused a rush of whispers.

Kayla nudged Thorn. “Look. There’s a rolling suitcase by the door.”

Sparkle went to the chair at the head of the table but didn’t sit. She looked around at all the faces. Then she spoke.

“I’m leaving the Castle of Dark Dreams tonight. I don’t know when I’ll be back. I might never return. I’ve arranged for Live the Fantasy to continue on in my absence.” She held her hand up to stem the shocked exclamations. “A large section of the Great Wall of China disappeared tonight. I suppose we should be thankful Mede left some of it standing.”

Kayla had always thought that Sparkle was the most beautiful woman she’d ever seen. Sparkle was still beautiful, but tonight Kayla could see the millennia she’d existed in her eyes.

“I received a call from the Big Boss tonight. He said he can’t ignore the chaos Mede is visiting on Earth any longer. He’s decided to destroy him.”

No one moved. No one spoke. But disbelief was a sonic boom as her words sank in.

“Mede and I saw the pyramids rise and Rome fall. I’ve loved him throughout the centuries even though we weren’t always together. Now, he needs me.” Her lips tipped up in a small smile. “Although he’d be the first one to claim that all he needed was a container of ice cream and his remote.”

The silence was a living breathing thing.

“I’m going to search for him and hope that I find him before the Big Boss does. Wish me luck.” She didn’t stop to talk with anyone as she walked to the door, retrieved her suitcase, and headed for the lobby doors.

Thorn rose to follow her. He glanced at Kayla and she nodded. She understood that this was something he needed to do alone.

He caught Sparkle just as she reached her car. “Have a few minutes?”

“Not if all you intend to do is heap more abuse on my head. I’m already having a bad hair night. I don’t need you making it worse.” She lifted her chin and glared at him.

“Don’t worry. I’m fresh out of abuse.” He forced himself to meet her gaze. This needed saying. “I’ve hated you for almost a thousand years.”

She frowned. “Look, this isn’t the time—”

He held up his hand to stop her. “I was wrong. You didn’t sell me into slavery. Yes, you dumped me, but that didn’t deserve the kind of vengeance I wanted to hand out.”

Sparkle smiled, and Thorn remembered why he had thought there would never be another woman for him those many centuries ago.

“Well, it took you long enough.” Her smile faded. “I’m sorry for what happened to you and your family because of that night. You’re not the only one who was wrong. I’m a thousand years older and a little bit wiser. I wouldn’t ask someone else to do my dirty work now.”

He nodded. “Fair enough. Oh, and I’m rebuilding Nirvana. My father will be my partner in the new park.”

Sparkle shrugged. “Guess I’ll have to get used to staring at another freaking Ferris wheel.” Left unsaid was
if she ever returned
.

Thorn smiled for the first time. “Not really. We’re building the new park farther up the beach. You’ll have your view back.”

She didn’t say anything, just stood on her toes and kissed him on the cheek. “I hope that you and Kayla live long and well. And tell her to dress sensually. I expect her to be Asima’s new slut queen.”

He put her suitcase in the trunk and then held the door as she climbed into the driver’s seat. Thorn could see the rest of the castle’s nonhumans peering through the glass doors at them and waving.

Just before Thorn closed the car door, Holgarth joined him.

The wizard touched Sparkle’s shoulder. “If you should need help from anyone here, just call. We’ll come.”

For one of the few times that Thorn could remember, there was no snark in Holgarth’s voice.

Sparkle reached up and patted the wizard’s hand. There was a sheen of tears in her eyes. She said nothing as Thorn shut the door. He watched her drive away from the Castle of Dark Dreams for maybe the last time.

Thorn and Holgarth didn’t speak as they entered the castle.

Kayla wrapped her arms around his waist. “That’s it?”

He nodded. “Sparkle Stardust has left the house.”