Liam nodded. “Of course.”
Jasmine strolled to the elevator, pressed the button, and turned to peer over her shoulder as the doors opened. “Don’t torture the poor girl too much, Liam. She’s like a daughter to me.” She winked at me then laughed as the doors slid closed behind her.
ANSTICE WALKED OUT OF Kilter’s bedroom and everyone stood, if they weren’t already. Jedrik continued to smash the balls around on the pool table without a cue or using his hands, instead using his mind.
“How is he?” Keir asked as he approached her. He snaked his arm around her waist and she sagged into him.
“Unconscious still. I’ve healed his wounds, but he lost a large amount of blood.” I watched as Anstice put her palm on Keir’s chest and bit her lip. “I saw what happened. I saw what she did.” She glanced at each of us then said, “Rayne gave herself up in exchange for his life.”
Shit. Kilter was going to be a loose cannon when he woke.
Anstice continued, “I felt his anguish. God, I heard him beg her. He begged her. After losing Gemma and her betrayal… this will put him over the edge.”
“Gemma was a treacherous bitch and we searched the goddamn world for him. He knows that now,” Tye said.
“We don’t leave a Scar behind?” Keir said.
He was right, we’d never leave a Scar in the hands of our enemies. Rayne was one of us now.
Keir whispered something to Anstice and she nodded then made her way upstairs. Then he looked at Balen. “We need Danni’s telepathy. She may be able to reach her,” Keir said then chin-lifted to his brother. “Hack, get on your computer and check the city’s security cameras. We need to know where the Lilac took her.”
“Already done,” Hack said. Keir’s brows lifted as he nodded his head with respect. “I followed them to Liam’s penthouse.”
Shit. That was good and bad. I could get into Liam’s place, the security guys knew me. But there’d be no way to get Rayne out of the penthouse without a keycard. “I’ll go,” I said, pushing away from the wall. “I can find out what he’s up to.”
“No,” Keir said, shaking his head.
“I can—”
“Delara!” Jedrik ground out. “You need to stay clear of that bastard.”
I’d learned something about Liam by sleeping with him—he was clever as hell, persistent as a badger, and patient as a lion. The Lilac I knew nothing about, except Lilacs were Waleron’s worst enemy.
“Anyone hear from Damien?” Keir asked. When no one said anything, he continued, “I’ll call Waleron and find out what is going on with Abby. In the meantime, we keep quiet. I don’t want any yahoo shit like with the Ryker scenario, so keep Kilter calm. We take turns watching him.”
“He’s going to blow his lid,” Jedrik said, whipping a ball across the green felt into a corner pocket.
“We’re going to have to lock him up with Ryker,” Tye said. “None of you were there when he came back from Ulrich’s clutches. He can’t lose Rayne. He’s already fuckin’ unstable.”
“We find out what Liam and the Lilac want,” Keir said. “Then we get her back.”
“Even if it means sacrificing Abby?” Damien said as he strode down the hallway toward us.
The only place that hallway led to was the sub-basement where Ryker was held. What was he doing here? He was supposed to be with Abby. Shit, was Abby dead? Liam would kill Rayne if Abby died. I had to talk to Liam.
“Damien,” Jedrik said, then winced. “Whoa, man, you look like shit.”
He ignored Jedrik’s comment and stood to the side of the room, back to the wall, so he could see all of us. He did look like shit—black lines under his eyes, pale, and his cheekbones more prominent as if he’d lost weight.
“Abby is below,” Damien said. “Waleron is with her.”
Relief poured through me. Abby was alive.
“We don’t sacrifice one for another, Damien. Even if Abby isn’t a Scar,” Keir said. “We find another way. How is she?”
I wasn’t so sure about that. Waleron might think differently, but I remained quiet.
“She Turned,” Damien said.
Oh fuck.
“Fuck,” Jedrik muttered, rolling a stripped ball back and forth under his palm. “Trinity is going to have a spell-fart.”
Keir nodded. “Abby is a witch. We all knew her chances were slim at best to fight the vampire blood. And now that we know who she is and what she’s capable of, well, she can’t live with vampires with her gift of turning water to blood. With Liam alive, the moment she is released, she will go to him. Ending her life is—”
Damien’s eyes flashed with fury and he raised his hand, sending Keir backward into the wall.
“Damien.” I dove in front of his line of sight to Keir. “Save your anger for Liam. If he dies, Abby won’t be drawn to him any longer and she may have a chance.”