Bad Mouth

chapter Twenty-nine


Someone screamed, and Val realized it was her. Her out-of-body sensation left her and she raced toward Kade. He’d dropped to his knees, and his hands were at his throat. Bloody spray flecked his left shoulder and the side of his face.

“Kade!” She searched frantically for his wounds to apply pressure. “Please open your eyes. Where are you hit?” After surviving a swordfight with an Ancient, he couldn’t possibly die from a mere bullet wound.

Ezra knelt next to Kade. “Dead doesn’t suit you, my prince. Get your lazy ass up and take care of business.”

Val pushed at Ezra’s chest. “You’re not funny. Can’t you do something useful?”

Kade laughed weakly, his pain-glazed eyes opening finally to look between her and his friend. “I thought it was funny.”

Oh God, he was okay. She nearly sagged with relief. Then a wrenching wail reached through the fog of her mind. Evangeline.

Olen’s hands framed Evangeline’s face, and his voice dipped to a whisper. “What have you done? What have you become?”

“No, Olen! We can be perfect again.” She sobbed. “Don’t do this. What will you do without me?”

Don’t do what? Val frowned and then gasped when she realized Olen’s intent. To her horror, Olen gripped Evangeline’s head tighter and with a violent twist, ripped it from her body with his bare hands. Blood sprayed and Evangeline’s body thumped onto the floor. Val’s stomach rioted and shock numbed her body.

“Without you, my Domina? Without you, I will die.” Olen knelt to place Evangeline’s head lovingly on her body. Val had never seen such emotion on Olen’s face. His grief was all consuming, but when he arose, he appeared calm and collected. “Ezra,” he called.

Ezra’s head snapped up. “Yes, my lord.”

“How is the prince?”

“I’m pretty sure I’m still alive,” Kade answered for himself.

“She missed the artery but he needs blood, my lord.”

Olen, his features nearly gray, collapsed to his knees before Kade’s kneeling form, bringing them face-to-face. Tears filled the Rex’s eyes, but never overflowed. He slit his own wrist and offered it to Kade. The darkest, thickest blood she’d ever seen oozed out.

Ezra looked on with a dazed expression. “My lord, you know there are witnesses.”

“I’m aware of what I do,” Olen said without looking away from Kade.

Kade finally found his voice. “Olen—”

“Do not speak.”

Kade obeyed the command without question. His fangs extended, and then he accepted the blood offering from his father after only a slight hesitation. There was no missing the significance of the scene playing out. The other vampires looked on with matching expressions of awe blended with astonishment. After a few moments, Kade withdrew his fangs and bowed his head to the floor before the Rex.

Olen directed his attention to Val. “Ms. Craig, if you have any hope of making him happy, you must become. We aren’t killers. The Domina’s execution should be sufficient to pay for her crimes.”

“Will this heal him?” She gestured toward Olen’s wrist.

“Don’t worry, young one. I give him no choice but to live.” A smile curved his lips, which just about gave Val a heart attack. “Now off to the only adventure left of which to partake. Liaison, you will care for him better than I ever did.” He made it a statement more than a question. A command? Val looked down at Kade’s bowed form. The bullet wounds on his throat were slowly closing. Olen’s blood had to be powerful stuff.

“Val, keep your head down,” Killian whispered at her ear with his slight brogue.

Didn’t he know telling her that would make her look up? So she did and regretted it immediately. Without an iota of sentiment, Ptolomy neatly removed the Rex’s head with Olen’s sword. Bile rose up to the back of Val’s throat, and she turned away.

Killian shook his head. “What did I tell you? Women.”

“Val? Val!” Graham’s shout rang through the foyer. The SWAT officers were dragging him away in restraints. “I did this for you!”

She snorted. As if she’d want a vamp—oh. She did want a vampire, but not simply any vampire. It had to be Kade and only Kade. It wasn’t what he was. It was who he was that made her love him with her whole heart and her entire soul. She needed more time with him, and even that wouldn’t be enough.

He had come so close to death. If she ever lost him, she didn’t know how she’d cope. She turned her attention to the unlikely love of her life. “How are you?” she asked.

“Fine,” Kade growled. “But what the f*ck are you doing here?”

She didn’t care about his anger. She peeled off her vest and launched into his arms. “Kade.” Her lips slammed into his. His response was immediate. She gripped his hair in her fist and then leaned back, bringing him closer as he followed her lips. Locking her arms around his shoulders, she cupped the back of his head and met his gaze. He needed to see what she felt for him.

“I don’t want to wait anymore to tell you.” She stroked his hair, her heart aching with the depth of her emotion. “I love you, Kade.”

His eyes closed, and he groaned. “Val, my sweet.” His arms tightened around her. “You have no idea what that does to me. I’m so out-of-my-mind in love with you.”

He pulled her in for another delicious kiss. In a million years she could never tire of the pressure of his lips on hers, the taste of his mouth, the—whack at back of his head. He nearly bit her lip before he pulled away.

“You’re gonna make me vomit. Time to go, Casanova,” Ian said.

Kade gently placed her on her feet and grabbed his sword out of Ian’s hand. With a blur of speed, he disappeared only to reappear behind his friend and take a bone-jarring swing at the man’s rear with the flat of his blade. Ian yelped.

“You’re a brave man, Ian,” he said. “But you’re right. We have to find Will.”

“Wait. You’re leaving?” Val rushed to him, her gaze automatically scrutinizing his quickly healing wounds.

Kade tossed the sword back to Ian and dragged his fingertips up the sides of her throat. The ruby of his eyes grew brighter. “We won’t be long. Find out what you can from Graham and then call me. He may know where they’ve been keeping the little f*cker.”

She nodded. His hands dropped to rest low on his hips, and his smile faded. The shadows she’d noticed so often in his eyes surfaced in full force.

“Kade?”

“Heya, Val,” Alice said. “Would you please do something about Graham? He’s driving me insane.”

Kade closed his eyes and shook his head. “Go on, Val,” he said softly. “I have some things I have to take care of.”

Alice grabbed her wrist and towed her toward the door. Val freed her arm and twisted around, searching for another glimpse of Kade. He knelt beside Olen’s body with his back toward her and his head bowed. They had been the worst of parents, but they’d been all that Kade had known. Pain jabbed beneath her left breast. How she hated to leave him this way.

The worry didn’t leave her as she climbed into the back of the SWAT van and faced Graham. She didn’t think she’d ever get used to him having red eyes and fangs. She pictured herself with similar eyes and fangs. Could she do that? A week ago, her answer would have been a resounding no. Now she wasn’t so sure. Deep inside, she believed Kade wouldn’t leave her if she remained human, but she would age as he stayed young and fit. He’d be helpless as he watched her succumb to all of the weaknesses of humanity. A shudder hit her spine.

As she sank onto the bench across from Graham, she wanted to verbally tear him apart, but his darn puppy-dog expression held her in check. Vampirism hadn’t done anything to diminish that in him. The van started moving as they headed back toward Seattle, and Val sat quietly watching him for a long while before he broke the silence.

“Do you hate me?”

“You almost got me killed, Graham.”

He scrubbed his face and sighed. His voice was mumbled. “You weren’t supposed to be there, Val. It was only supposed to be him.”

“And you think that makes me any happier?” She yanked his hands down. “You were trying to get the prince of vampires killed. Did you really believe that would fly with the Legion? The Trackers would eat you alive.”

“Evangeline—”

“Was crazy. And stupid if she thought for a second Kade’s murder wouldn’t get her destroyed and you along with her. You’re as ignorant of the politics behind the Legion as the Ancients were.”

He seemed to have trouble making eye contact with her. And then the depth of her ignorance struck her. Graham had turned too quickly, and now he faced execution at the hands of the Immortalis because whoever had sired him had failed to complete his training. He hadn’t learned enough about the castes to function within them. The only thing Graham could be thankful for was that he hadn’t been abandoned to become deranged.

Val rubbed her temple to soothe the ache there. “Do you know who was with Will at the World Journal?”

“I assumed it was one of Evangeline’s subjugates. I don’t get how any human could keep a deranged under control.” He gave a tired shrug. “But I guess we’ll never know now.”

“How’d you figure out Kade would go after Will?” she asked.

“Easy enough assumption. Everyone was looking for Will. Besides, Evangeline said Kade would have his friends searching. I don’t know how she knew. She wasn’t one to share information, only take it. I don’t even know how she led Kade to Will.”

“And what information did the Domina take from you?”

“She wanted transformation applications.”

Val shook her head and frowned. “But she had access already.”

“Only to the ones approved by the VLO.”

She blew out a frustrated breath. “Okay, but we already found staff she had on the inside. She could have gotten them from Ginger or Jenna.”

“No, they were Olen’s insiders.”

“I can’t believe you knew about them.” She stared at him as if she’d never known him before. It killed her that he’d hide such information.

“Stop looking at me that way. I didn’t know until after I…you know.”

“Right.” She turned away, unable to stand the sight of him anymore. “Why wouldn’t she just get them from Olen?”

“You’re asking the wrong guy. She told me nothing, but I know she was hiding a lot from Olen. I kind of think…”

“Think what?”

“I think she was succumbing to the vesania.”

She snorted. “Well that explains a lot.”

More tight silence passed while they swayed with the van’s movement. Graham had to have been desperate for something in order to stoop as low as he had. She’d known him for years and never suspected he’d be capable of what he’d done.

“I didn’t think it’d be a big deal if she had the records,” he said. “What good would they do her? What harm would it do us? It didn’t seem like much of a payment.”

She glared her displeasure at him. “I’d rather not listen to you justify your actions.”

“Val—”

“Just tell me why, Graham. Why would you transform? That’s what I don’t get.”

“I told you. I did it for you.”

“You knew how I felt about vampires.”

“And I saw how you looked at Rollins,” he snapped. “For years, nothing I did caught your attention, and all it took was an Immortalis—”

“Don’t you dare blame me for your mistakes. It’s not his immortality that I love, Graham.” She stood, fighting a wave of fury so sharp she had to leave before she physically assaulted him.

When she headed toward the cab’s window, he called after her. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t tell me it was about love because I know now what love looks like. Nothing you did was about me. It was all about you.”

He shook his head helplessly. “I don’t know how to fix this.”

“You can’t change anything now, and I’m not sure it matters anymore.” Her shoulders drooped. The pain on his face was almost too much to bear.

“If Will had waited just a little longer, none of this would be happening. I never thought I’d say this, but I hope they kill him when he gets out of the cellar.”

“Where is he?” Her hand froze on the barred cab window.

“They were punishing him and buried him in the cellar two nights ago.”

“Graham, he could be free by now. He could be loose in the house!” She pounded on the cab until one of the officers slid the window open. “Go back. We need to get back to the mansion now.”

They slowed the van and swung back around without questioning her. The roads were winding out here, and it took too long in her mind to get back to where they’d started, every minute stretching her patience toward a breaking point. She tried Kade’s cell several times, but the weak signal refused to connect her calls. When they finally arrived, she jumped down from the van and ran full-speed toward the mansion. She hadn’t quite reached the door when she heard that dreadfully familiar enraged shriek.