Page 52 of These Deadly Dreams

A vein pulses in Kennedy’s forehead, but he smirks smugly. “You have no proof, girl. Although, I’m interested to learn where you heard this from?”

Ellis smiles back. It’s the first time I’ve seen her smile with that tint of darkness to the twist of her lips. It’s fucking hot as hell. She holds out her hand, and I pull the paper from my back pocket, never breaking eye contact with the bastard across from me as I place it in her palm.

“Actually, I do have proof.” She slides the DNA results across the table and sits back. Nerves once again flutter to life and pulse against my shield. This is the big moment.

Kennedy snags the paper and glances at it. As his eyes scan back and forth across the page, red infuses his face. The thread of anger quickly grows to a raging torrent. He says nothing, though, knowing he’s been outmaneuvered.

“I think we’re done here,” I say cooly. “The contest is over. There will be no more contact between you and Ellis. She’s free of you. Let me hear you say you understand.”

Kennedy’s jaw clenches, a muscle feathering under the surface. “I understand,” he grounds out.

I smile, fangs on full display. “Excellent.” I go to stand, but Ellis remains sitting, staring at Kennedy with a furrowed brow.

“I don’t get it,” she says. “You never wanted me, so why are you so angry that you don’t have to deal with me anymore? Wasn’t that always your end game?”

“My end game was to get Sam in the company,” he sneers. “He only agreed if he could have you.”

Ah, that was it. Kennedy didn’t know about Sam’s side hustle, and Sam only wanted to get close to Ellis to see what powers she was hiding. Ellis nods and stands, but there is something in the way she holds herself that tells me a weight has been lifted. I push her ahead of me, making sure to stay between her and Kennedy as we walk out of the restaurant. With my heightened vision, I can see Cade keeping watch from the bookstore, and we quickly make our way up the street.

He joins us as we pass the front door, a brown bag in his hand. “How’d it go?”

“It’s over,” I say. Ellis flexes her hand in mine, and I loosen my grasp, realizing I’m probably squeezing too hard. “Let’s get back to the cabin. I won’t feel safe until we’re back in the safety of your wards.”

20. Ellis

“What’s in the bag?” I ask Cade after we’re pulling out of the city.

He turns around to face me with his classic sweet smile. “Just a little something for you. For a celebration. We have one less thing to worry about.”

I smile, but it feels forced. “Yeah. But in a way, it just gives us another problem. Kennedy isn’t my dad, but Noah is. And he wants me dead.”

“Eh,” Cade shrugs. “I feel like he goes along with our bigger problem of this warehouse. I’m taking this one as a win.” He hands the bag back to me, and I take it. My heart thumps happily as I pull the book from the bag. “It’s not much, I didn’t have a lot of time, but I think you’ll enjoy it.”

I run my fingers over the cover depicting a beautiful red-headed woman sitting in a forest. My eyebrows raise to my hairline as I read the blurb on the back of the book. “She’s a witch, with an eccentric grandma, and … four men?” Looking up, I catch Cade’s grin.

“Seemed appropriate. Maybe you can pick up some pointers and we can act out some of the scenes?” He waggles his eyes, making me giggle.

“As long as you’re not adding any more guys to the group,” Kai chimes in. “Also, why the fuck am I driving?”

“It’s your car, asshole.” Cade turns back around, leaving me to flip through the pages.

“Yeah, but my eyes hurt.” It’s not quite a whine, but it's damn close. And if anyone ever tells Kai he’s whining, they’d find themselves missing their throat.

Cade heaves a sigh, and slouches down in his seat. “Quit being a baby.”

What is this? There is a lightness in my chest I haven’t felt in years. It’s like, my lungs have room to breathe and my heart can beat freely. I’m almost scared to let myself sink into it. I know this won’t last. I know there’s more coming. Sterling is still gone, Sam and Noah are still out there, I’m still a harpy. But Kai and Cade are with me. And that stupid contest is done. I never have to deal with Thomas Kennedy again.

Kai glances in the rearview mirror and he smiles. Whatever emotions I’m putting out there, he’s obviously picking up on. “Enjoy it, baby girl. You’re allowed to.”

Fighting my own smile, I settle into my seat and open the book. I’m halfway through the third chapter when we pull up to the cabin. Looking out the window, I spot Drew on the front porch, naked, as if he flew here. All the light and fluffy feelings drop straight into my stomach.

“What’s he doing here?” Cade mumbles as he opens his door.

I beat both Kai and Cade to the porch, heart pounding erratically in my chest, fear making my stomach roil to the point I think I’ll be sick. “Where is he?” I gasp.

Drew swallows, his eyes not meeting mine and I’m already shaking my head. “He was captured.”

Kai catches me around the waist as my legs give out. Captured. It echoes in my head, bouncing from one side to the other. Sterling. My mate. My Shield. He left for me. He went to the Warehouse to help me. And he got captured. The initial fear, the roiling of my stomach, slowly ebbs away as a spark fans to a flame in my chest. Each second I stand with Kai’s arms around me, the hotter the flame becomes. It grows, burning like a wildfire through my veins, lighting me up and wiping away all coherent thought.

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