"No, I belonged with the Adrian I buried. The one I loved is dead. You had my heart, but you played it. You left me for them, not because you needed it. Not because of me," I swallowed and turned to Ryder, "Did you know he was alive?"
"No," Ryder replied with honesty.
I turned to face the Undead King, "You have my attention. I'm walking out of here in about two seconds, so if you have something to say I suggest you say it now."
Vlad searched my face intently before he spoke. "You might be a target for the serial killer. He sent us a female child. She's in the back of my club hidden. We have had nine born Vampires turn up with missing pieces. Your face was all over the news coverage for the Fairy that was killed. Adrian said you were different than the Witches at the Guild, was he wrong?"
I narrowed my eyes on Vlad, "Describe different."
"You are currently owned by Ryder, no coven has ever given one of their own over to the Fae and yet the Guild leader didn’t hesitate to hand you over, which is curious to say the least. I heard you signed a blood contract, which means if Ryder told you to not disclose information to the Guild you would have to comply with his wishes," he turned and watched Ryder nod his reply.
"You're point?" I inquired carefully wondering where he was going with this.
"She seems to know you, she said your name and Adrian showed her a picture and she just replied with Synthia Raine McKenna. She was with the killer for an entire night and yet she is completely whole. Someone is killing immortals and your name just keeps popping up," Vlad continued.
"That makes no sense. I just found out about this case, just started to investigate it. The murders have been happening for a while and as best as I can tell it had nothing to do with me," unless someone was hiding the facts from me.
"Seems you're involved whether you know it or not Synthia." Vlad purred before nodding to a man who had been standing in the doorway that led to the rooms where Ryder had been with the serving girl.
The guy stepped aside and pushed the small girl's shoulders gently encouraging her to move forward. She opened her vivid green eyes and tilted her small cherubic face bouncing her burgundy curls out of her face as she did so.
Everyone watched as she took small steps until she stood directly in front of me. She was dressed in a small pink summer dress that had short sleeves and she was barefooted in a Vampire club. Her eyes took me in and found me lacking. I almost laughed, I found this outfit lacking as well.
"She looks human," I blurted feeling brilliant.
Vlad choked and looked horrified. "For someone hanging around Fae, you don’t know dick about them." He flicked a quick nervous glance to Ryder who almost nodded imperceptibly. Vlad knelt down to the child's level. "They look human until somewhere about twenty or twenty two and then they go through the "Transition—it's a bit like puberty…but a helluva lot more violent as they come into their full powers. At this age they could be mistaken for Witches' children—cute as all get out—with a lotta magic." Ryder chose that moment to growl, cutting anything else Vlad might have said off.
When the child indicated for me to come down closer to her level I winced.
Ryder had taken up a position to my right and Adrian was on the left, Adam and Larissa were still rooted to the spot they'd taken since coming in and finding Adrian undead. I pushed the vinyl closer to my skin as I bent my knees trying to keep some resemblance of modesty while getting low enough to be eye level in the heels.
"Synthia," she said barely audible even at eye level, "I have a message for you."
I swallowed and nodded wondering what this child had seen at the hands of the killers. I hadn't noticed Ryder's men coming inside but every one of them made a semi-circle around us, which I was gathering was for protection more than just looks which they all had since they were immortal Fae or Demon.
"Which is?" I asked the child in a firm voice that belied the emotions running through me at being singled out by the killer.
"We know what you are. Nothing can stop what is coming. Not even you Synthia. What we did to those who hid you is nothing compared to what we will do to those protecting you now. You cannot hide from destiny, you are a missing piece."
I almost fell over from my perch. "Who told you that? How do you know my name?"
"You can't stop him, can't stop them from coming—they know what you are. What is coming cannot be stopped," she said softly as if she wasn’t aware of what she said at all.
"Who sent you?" Ryder interjected pulling me up and against him as Adrian growled at his actions.
The child chose that moment to crumple into Vlad’s arms as we all watched in silence. I felt the power, putrefied by evil, slither over my skin. My knees buckled as I recalled the last time I had felt an evil this powerful. It had been when my parents had been murdered.
"Breathe Syn," Ryder growled against my ear as I took strength from his warm body pressed against mine.