Page 3 of Poison's Kiss
"Sierra ran across her just after the red moon forced her change. She saved her from slaughtering a town, and carried her back home to train her... so to speak. They lock her up in their downstairs dungeon on nights when the dark takes her over - which is often. Her change is still in its early phases, so it'll take her a while to master the control Sierra has.
"Zee and Deke are both night stalkers from powerful sires; though they’re not bonded to them in the respect they can be controlled. Zee's sire is actually missing or dead. Just like Kane, Deke severed almost all his ties. The Dray guy is still a mystery. Whatever he is or does, he doesn't do it in front of eyes connected to mouths that talk. That worries me a little."
I lived with a coven of deadly beauties for a month and never knew it. How stupid am I?
A sigh of disbelief flitters through my lips before turning into an exasperated groan. I soak up all of the information as I drop down beside him. Right now, Gage is the closest thing to a friend I have besides Thad. The only reason I'm not huddled in the fetal position and squalling like a baby is because I don't want to fall apart in front of anyone.
Since he never leaves, I'm forced to stay strong.
"Dray is the one they called the second Kane lost it on Heath. He has to be tied to them somehow. How did you find out all that stuff on them?"
He flips through something on his phone, answering me while continuing to be distracted.
"Personally, Heath is one creep I wouldn't mind seeing a night stalker drain dry. As for the info, I might've broken into their house and done some digging. They're a little careless with their home. They should at least use protective grid stones to keep people out while they’re away.
"The girls keep excellent diaries. I was able to retrieve most of my information that way. I took pictures of every single page."
He hands me his phone and I shudder when I see Amy's diary page open to my eyes. I start flipping through his pictures until my eyes land on one page that holds my name.
Kane just found a girl to play with. Alice or Alyssa or something like that. I know it's temporary. He's fighting our destiny the way Deke fought his feelings for Sierra so long ago.
Sierra keeps me hopeful. She told me Deke wasn't receptive at first, but eventually he fell for her. Kane will fall for me, too. He has to.
Before the rebellion, night stalkers and lycans were united all the time, or so I've read. After the rebellion and the division of immortals, night stalkers began to view us as lesser-than creatures.
It's still hard for me to accept this monster inside me as my fate, but I know it was done with purpose. The hound within me is drawn to Kane, just as the woman within me is. It's not for nothing. It can't be. Fate's not that cruel.
I stop reading and shake my head. At least now I know why they always summoned him to deal with her tantrums. I've heard of the bonds between night stalkers and lycans. Eventually the evil duo will most likely unite.
Bile taints my mouth, warning me I'm close to being sick. It pains me to even think about the two of them together, but then again, I'm the sick freak that fell in love with my mortal enemy... well, immortal enemy, only to learn I was a pawn in his scheme to bring down another woman from his past.Freaking wonderful.
I forward the entire roll of pictures to my phone, and then I hand Gage back his own phone. He frowns as he watches the files being sent.
"I might've had some pictures on there I didn't want you to see," he says jokingly, though his eyes read with seriousness.
"Then you shouldn't have trusted me with your phone. I need to learn what I can about them. Why does Kane think we want a shot at Castine?"
Or is that just the jerk's way of fucking with my head all the more?
He shivers at the mention of her name. I swear her name gives him more pause than my father's. That's obviously a little disconcerting.
"Kane figured out who I was the night of the trap. He saw me with you as Little Red, and then he saw you bleeding at the trap. At the time, I didn't know he was the lead in the rescue expedition. I'm still not sure what that was about. I can only assume it was because of some beef he had with Isolis. To cut to the point, he knows I hunt and trap his kind. He's claiming to think this was all part of a ruse to lure Castine out of hiding. There's a massive bounty on her head. Most everyone wants her dead for their own set of reasons. No one wants her dead as badly as he does, and he doesn't want me to take away his opportunity. He planned to use you to make that possible, but he too is saying he feels used. I read that in Sierra's diary."
"Stop calling them diaries. That seems so... invasive and wrong. Call them... journals or something," I huff, discreetly trying to shift the subject.
He laughs a little, and then he stands up while pulling me with him.
"Come on. We have to get to that party. Then we've got that horrid Halloween masquerade ball to attend in two days."
I roll my eyes, and then I glance out at the setting sun.
"I hate parties. Why do we have to go to either?"
"Because that's where all the good tips and gossip are. The party tonight is hosted by one of the most notorious chanters in the immortal world. I told you this place is a hotspot for immortals. If we can get him talking, he might be able to give us a lead on who took your mother. We need to find out what they wanted. Is she still refusing to talk?"
I nod as tears sting my eyes, and his whole stance softens as he tilts my chin up.
"We'll find them. She's safe now. They can't touch her, and the light may have their faults, but they won't let someone waltz in and take her again."
