CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
L
eigh left her akh's death with a feeling of accomplishment. It took some work, but she finally had both of them out of the way. Her only regret was she didn't think of this 300 years ago. They both had been so easily played, easily manipulated. She looked over at the mansion where her bent amty lived, family she’d never met and didn't care for. They’d stolen from her parents what was rightfully theirs. That alone meant they deserved to die. She had heard about Zayn, his dark hair and yellow eyes. Should she care that their people loved him? No. Why would she? She was going to be a more powerful leader, wouldn’t let her people live as second class citizens, hiding in the shadows. She would lead them out against the humans. Leigh knew the risks, but who the fuck cared if some stupid humans came after her? She could wipe them out in a matter of seconds. Who did they think taught them about the military technology? She supplied the humans with a vast wealth of knowledge, and she sure as fuck didn't need them dictating where and how she would live. Humans were like cattle, hers for the feasting. They bred like rabbits, not like taking a million or two out would really make any kind of impact.
"Dominic, we need to talk. Do you know what Derrik has been doing?"
Dominic looked at his okht with hesitation. "What do you mean? What has he been doing?
“He is useless." Leigh walked around her akh circling him like prey. "He is going to try and sabotage the mission that abb sent you on. He knows how important this is and that one more fuck up and Abb will kill you. Why do you think he is so obsessed with Nikole? He wants her for himself. You cannot let him win. You have to prove to him you are the better ebn’. How many beatings did you take because of him? How many times did you cry and bleed because of his useless life?"
Dominic listened carefully to his okht. What she said made sense; Derrik WAS a prick and was acting strange. "How do I know you are not lying?"
She wrapped her arms around him pulling him into her embrace, a hug she had never shown anyone. Leaning down to his ear she whispered, "Because on our omm’s death bed she made me swear to take care of you and let you rule our people. I am just living up to her dying request." Placing a kiss on his cheek she released him and turned to leave. "But don't believe me. See if he doesn't come after you in the end. You never know who you can trust."
She couldn’t help but laugh at how easy it had been. Pity they were gone. Not. Now she was going to have to find new minions to toy with. Leigh pulled into the airstrip just as his plane landed. She watched it taxi to the end of the runway, coasting to a stop. She pulled the car next to the plane and parked it. Releasing the trunk, she stepped out and onto the tarmac. She could smell the jet fuel in the air; the scent always excited her for some reason. Leigh heard the hatch open and watched as the stairs from the plane fell to the ground. Haydar stepped out, his tall and muscular build taking up the entire opening of the plane. She smiled up to her abb as she walked towards the stairs, his presence always overpowering. She greeted him at the bottom of the stairs; Haydar embraced her in a tight hug. “Bent, aren’t you looking just splendid? Who did you kill to get that glow?”
She smiled up at her abb. “Well, only a few humans, but that was for breakfast. Really only thing they are good for is draining.”
Haydar laughed at his bent’s words. She never liked the filthy creatures, just like her parents. They walked to the car, watching Haydar’s guard put his bags in the trunk. He settled in the car observing Leigh’s behavior, looking over at his bent. The only pride he had ever felt was for her. His other children gave him nothing but strife, but Leigh, she was a true warrior, one he could be proud of. “Did he suffer?”
She looked over at her abb and let a slow grin appear on her face. “Yes, it looks like he was alive as the dogs tore him apart; the blood splatter was very wide.” She let herself smile thinking back on the memory, her worthless akh, dead. She loved him, but love wasn’t everything when you were weak and pathetic. The weak always needed to be killed off. It was only because she was Dominic and Derrik’s okht that she didn’t kill them herself, but now, now she was free of both of their useless resource draining bodies.
“Shall I take you to the mansion first, or do you want to meet up with our people gathering in the foothills?” Leigh asked as she pulled out onto the highway.
“Foothills, I want to see what kind of mess my idiot ebn’s made, then, my dear bent, we will extract our revenge.” Haydar pulled out an envelope from his breast pocket, showing it to his bent. “One of your akhs sent this to me before they died. I haven’t opened it yet as I wanted to share this honor with you. The man who delivered this letter to me said that your akh had been begging forgiveness to someone. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?”
Leigh looked at her abb, the approving smirk on his face telling her he already knew. “Derrik wanted to let the bitch go. I told him no. He begged like a little coward. I simply told him if he begged again, I would take his balls, nothing unreasonable. He was acting like a female, so I was going to make him one.”
Haydar rolled the window down crumpling the letter up and tossing it out onto the pavement. “Have I told you how proud I am of you? I still do not know how those two akhs of yours were my ebn’s with the horrible success rate they had in combat and torture, but you, my dear,” he said, reaching over and clasping her hand, squeezing it and smiling at her, “you make an abb proud.”
Leigh took them down Interstate 24, and then pulled off onto a dirt road leading to the base of the mountains. Passing through three checkpoints, she finally entered a small compound and pulled up to the cabin house.
“I like the security; good job on that, Leigh. You were always my most paranoid General,” Haydar said while getting out of the car and walking toward the steps.
“You know, Abb, Zayn and his men are everywhere, and I’m careful and keep everyone questionable out. I want to maintain the element of surprise. Besides, they don’t even know about me. Unlike the other two idiots I never let my presence be known. We will be able to come in and attack swiftly and efficiently.” She climbed the steps two by two then opened the cabin door. Silence filled the air as she entered, her men always too scared to speak right away.
“Attention!” she called out as her men jumped to their feet, the sound of hands falling to their sides echoing around. She looked out across the room, fifty men lined up for her disposal. She loved the smell of the testosterone filling the air. The power, desire, and hunger to kill always caused her to lust for battle. Leigh watched her abb walk in between the men, inspecting each as he walked by. Her men always wore properly pressed uniforms, clean shaven and hair styled properly. She refused to have anyone serve under her who didn’t tend to themselves accordingly. All her men were single, childless, no strings attached. The moment they fell for a woman she kicked them out of her ranks. She turned to her abb and motioned for him to start, taking her place at the front of the lines.
“Men, we will be taking the throne back! We will be killing the last of that traitorous family. They do not deserve to rule, and they are ruining our people.” The men started to cheer as Haydar spoke of overthrowing them. “Remember, this is not going to be an easy battle. We will have challenges, and some of our akhs in arms have died, but we will avenge their deaths. My two ebn’s gave their lives to the cause and now it’s time to show Zayn who the true King is!” The room echoed with applause and hollering as the men cheered for victory. Haydar looked at Leigh and extended his hand to her. Walking up to him and grabbing it, he presented her to the men. “My bent and I will take our people into the future. We will wipe out the humans and rule this world.” Her men cheered for her and her abb. She knew their loyalty, their dedication to the cause. No one would be able to take this away from them. No one.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
T
he sunlight broke through the blinds of the living room of Zayn and Nikole’s home the next morning. Nikole’s eyes fluttered open as the light hit her face. She moved her neck around, loosening her body, her muscles still sore. Off in the distance she could hear servants preparing tasks for the day. Closing her eyes, she thought back to last night and her fight with Zayn. Yes, that mental connection was, at times, the worst torture created. Adjusting to get off the couch and go for a walk, she noticed that she was wrapped in a blanket. Looking around the room she saw a white rose was placed on the table. Zayn must’ve come and tucked her in overnight. What was he trying to do? Make up for being a total ass? He knew she had a soft spot when he did things like that. Only he could get away with that. Nikole sat up on the couch and reached for the rose, pulling it to her nose, inhaling the sweet scent. Sliding the blanket off and standing up from the couch, she started walking out into the foyer. What was she going to tell Zayn? What was she going to say to Adara? The overwhelming sense of betrayal was still too fresh and potent for any decisions to be made.
She made her way to the front door and slipped outside, letting the cool morning breezes brush over her skin, cooling down her temper. She always enjoyed the smell of the fresh air right at dawn. Stepping off the porch and onto the lawn, she leaned over, stretching her body and muscles, loosening everything up. Deciding to head around the house a few times, Nikole moved slowly at first, half out of habit for the injury and half because she was contemplating Zayn and Adara. She could feel the betrayal deep in her gut, the knot as big as a grapefruit. She had to move on and she had to get over this. Her akh was sorry for his actions last night, showed her he was, but her mind didn’t care. All he could focus on was her, HER. There had to be a better way to find comfort than this. Taking the rose and letting its smell calm her nerves, she pressed the stem to her chest as if giving it a hug.
“Enjoying my present, Nikole?” She spun around to see Alec standing behind her. Looking up into his eyes, she remained speechless as she took him in. His skin shining from the sun’s rays made him look positively breathtaking.
“What are you doing here?” She couldn’t believe she was looking at him.
He reached out and moved a strand of hair from her face and let a grin creep across his face. “I felt your anger and panic. I got worried about you. After about twenty minutes of it I left my cabin and headed out here. I was ready to kill whoever it was who got you so worked up.”
Nikole watched him intently as he leaned in, lifting her hand to his lips and pressing a kiss on top of it. “You were worried for me? I don’t know what to say…” She caught a whiff of the rose’s scent. “You left this?” A light pink coloring flushed her cheeks again, thinking of him wrapping her in the blanket.
“When I arrived, your akh greeted me at the door, we shared a few words and I just knew you were cold. I haven’t shared my blood with anyone in over 300 years, it was very nerve racking knowing you were in some kind of pain and not being here to help you.”
She focused her eyes on his thumb rubbing her hand, the inside of her palm. Kevin had never been worried for her like this after they shared blood, yet this man she just met cared, he really cared. “What did you and my akh talk about? Was he mad that you came to our home?”
Alec led Nikole over to a bench where they sat down. He looked at her, running his finger over her cheek. “You know, some of this and that. He didn’t want to let me in. He said you were sleeping, but I could feel you were cold. Finally I just pushed my way through. Your servant showed me you were on the couch, sleeping with a book. I hope you do not mind.”
How could she mind? “No, Alec, thank you. That was very sweet of you to be so concerned for my wellbeing. You have done so much for me already. I wish I could repay you somehow.”
Alec’s hands felt good holding hers; she was enjoying his warmth. “A kiss, you could let me give you a kiss,” he said to her.
She blinked up at him, smiling. “A kiss, only one?”
He shook his head at her smiling; she couldn’t help but enjoy his splendor. She reached up to his face with her left hand. Cupping his cheek, she leaned in. He met her half way as her soft lips pressed against his cool mouth. Her tongue teased and guided his mouth open, brushing against his fangs, sending chills up her back. Alec let her tongue explore his mouth as his pushed against hers in a dance of seduction. Fifteen seconds went by before he released her. “Debt paid, my sweet Princess.”
Her hand dropped from his face but landed on his arm, running down his bicep. “I think I like being indebted to you. I really can’t thank you enough for everything you did for me.”
She stood up from the bench and took two steps forward then turned back to him. “I am going on a walk, please join me.” Reaching her hand out to him, he grabbed it. While standing and interlocking their fingers, they started walking around the grounds. They watched the sun rise over the mountains, the orange and reds coloring the sky.
“Do you want to talk about what had you so angry and hurt last night? Sometimes it helps to talk.”
She let his question go unanswered for a few moments; a few heart beats of dreaded silence. “My akh found himself a girlfriend, and it’s just not any old girl; it’s my best friend. And what makes things worse is they found each other while I was off being tortured.”
Alec squeezed her hand a bit as they kept walking across the lawn. “Don’t you think that’s good? That way you get along with your akh’s woman? I’m sure the timing wasn’t planned, Nikole. Maybe it just happened.”
No one understood what she was going through. How could they not see what had her so angry?
“Princess, I feel your anger; please stop. I’m not trying to upset you, just comfort. I get it, you are mad that you were suffering and they were back home finding love.”
She turned her head and gave him a pointed stare. “It is not love.”
Alec stopped them there on the lawn and pulled her to him. Their bodies pressed against each other, his hands pressing on the small of her back, holding her in place. “I know he loves you and was worried while you were gone. We spoke about the efforts they took to try and find you. They actually would have saved you had I not shown up a few hours ahead of them. You would have never had to come to my home even. So maybe things happen for a reason.” He took his forefinger and pressed it under her chin lifting her head up. “I, for one, am glad I found you and not your akh.” Alec leaned down and placed a heated kiss on her lips.
She let her hands explore his hard body, the muscles in his arms, his abs, the muscles he had running down his body. Nikole could feel his blood inside her veins, the cells heating up with his excitement like they knew it was him she was kissing. She moved her arms around his neck, her hand resting in his hair. Pulling back from the kiss, she looked up at him, smiling. “I am glad you rescued me as well.” They heard the dogs coming up along the side of the house breaking the serenity of the moment. She looked over Alec’s shoulder as they rushed them. What did they have on their coats? Did they get into something last night?
“Alec, does that look like blood on the dog’s coats?” Alec turned around and looked at the two dogs approaching them. Walking toward them, he leaned down, running his hands over the sticky substance, and brought his hand to his nose, smelling it. Wiping his hand on the grass cleaning the blood off of it, he looked back to Nikole.
“They probably found a deer or something to eat, most likely no big deal.”
Nikole started to walk the path the dogs just came from. “Let’s check to make sure it’s dead then. I hate to see creatures suffer needlessly.” They walked a hundred feet, taking the curve of the path, when Alec saw the body off in the distance.
“It wasn’t a deer.” He pointed to the body by the fence hanging off the metal rod. “Dear Gods…I always hated those things, but I guess Zayn was right for installing them.” Alec reached the body first, assessing the damage of the trespasser. He heard Nikole gasp when she saw what was left of the man’s face.
“It’s Dominic. The man who wanted me dead, the one who, who hurt me.” Alec put his arm around her and pulled her into his body away from the carcass. “Come; let’s go tell your akh. We don’t need to stand here and look at this any longer.”