“Why do you want him dead?” Lexi inquired as she studied the beautiful woman across from her.
Her aunt had called her Kaylia. The name tugged at Lexi’s memory. She’d heard it in one of the many stories Sahira used to tell her about the different realms and the immortals who resided in them. She couldn’t remember what Sahira said about this woman, but she had spoken of her.
“Because witches are about life and prosperity; the Lord represents nothing but death and destruction. If he has his way, he’ll kill us all and destroy everyone and everything I love, and I won’t allow that.
“I may have withdrawn from the witches’ realm and most immortals, but I will not allow him to destroy us all when I can help stop him. And I believe you are the key to bringing him down.” Her gaze flicked from Lexi to Cole. “You both are.”
Lexi frowned at her as she glanced at Cole. She sensed something darker about him; it was as if something had slipped into him… or maybe it had broken free.
Slipping her hand into his, she squeezed as she tried to will the darkness away. When he met her gaze, his eyes crinkled, and the familiar twinkle lit them again. His face softened, and though he would still kill Kaylia as quick as she could blink, he finally relaxed a little.
Then, Kaylia shifted her stance, and the twinkle left his eyes. Silver flashed through their Persian blue depths as the lycan half of him briefly broke through the composed dark fae half. Then, the silver vanished, and he collected himself once more.
When he returned his attention to Kaylia, a muscle twitched in his jaw. His short, neatly trimmed black beard covered the bottom half of his face, but it didn’t hide that jumping muscle.
The dark fae part of him retained control, but not by much. It would only take one small thing to push him over the edge.
“I can help you learn your powers and how to control them,” Kaylia said. “But I have to return to the crone realm before I can help; if I don’t, they’ll hunt you down.” She stared pointedly at Cole.
He laughed, but the sound was far from amused. “Let them come for me.”
“Cole,” Lexi said quietly.
“A war between the dark fae king and the crones and witches will not go unnoticed. I’m sure the Lord would be very interested in learning why it started. If he somehow hears that I gave you the harrow stone, then he’ll figure out why you used it. He’ll come for you and your brothers.”
Lexi almost recoiled when Cole released a sound somewhere between that of a man and a wolf ready to pounce. His hand contorted in hers; the bones popped as the fingers bent into something different. Claws grazed her flesh before they retracted.
“Don’t threaten me,” Cole growled.
“It’s not a threat; it’s the truth. They expect me to return. They know who I left with, and they saw what you could do. They know you are the Shadow Reaver, and they will come for you if they believe you hurt me.”
“Shadow Reaver?” Lexi asked as her father stepped forward, lifted his hands in a placating gesture, and spoke.
“No one is going to fight anyone,” her dad said. “Kaylia could be a very valuable resource for us, and we are all on the same side of this. Or, at least we all want to see the Lord taken down. Working together will benefit us all, and fighting each other will most likely ensure the Lord wins.”
“And none of us want that,” Brokk said.
“No, we don’t.”
A ripple ran across Cole’s skin as his thick, corded muscles tensed. She couldn’t tell if it was tension, power, or something more vibrating through him. When his gaze shifted to her father, they stared at each other for a long while.
“This is a battle, Cole. It’s going to be a long battle, and not only will it require a plan, but it will also require help,” her father said. “And the first step in our plan has to be teaching Lexi how to use and conceal her abilities—”
“Conceal?” Kaylia interrupted.
“Oh yeah, she’s going to be a great help when she’s not even aware of what Kitten can do,” Orin drawled.
Lexi gave him the finger. Kaylia may not exactly know her abilities, but he was well aware of how much she hated when he called her Kitten. He brushed some of the black hair out of his dancing black eyes and smirked at her.
“You’re not helping,” Brokk told him.
Orin rolled his eyes, but his smile never faltered as he waved a hand at Kaylia. “And neither is she.”
“We need a plan,” her dad said. “Kaylia is a start to that.”
“I don’t plan with vampires,” Kaylia retorted.
Lexi’s eyes narrowed on her as, for the first time, the woman irritated her. Until recently, she believed she was half vampire, and her father was full vampire, while Sahira and Brokk were half.
“Then you can’t help us,” Lexi said, her voice colder than she’d anticipated. “I told you, these are my friends and family, and I won’t let you treat them badly. I don’t know what your issue with vampires is, and I don’t care, but everyone here is to be treated with respect.”
“That settles it then,” Orin said brightly. “When do we kill her?”