Chapter Forty-Two

Selena

Guarded Indecisions and Mocking Concerns

Like a projector running out of film, the vision ended with nothing but white. The kind of white that felt hot behind the eyelids. I groaned, fluttering my eyes open. I lay below a large chandelier. Vision doubling, I rubbed my eyes with heavy hands. What the hell did Sebastian do to me? Everything about my body felt heavy, especially my stomach. Last thing I remembered was him rescuing me, then nothing.

Staring up at the impressive crown molding on the ceiling until my vision cleared, I took a couple of deep breaths. Then I closed my eyes and counted to ten. When I opened my eyes again, I turned to the right. Chocolate upholstery. Turning to my left, a low coffee table with several coffee-table books about flowers and a crystal vase with white lilies, orchids, and roses sat in silence. The hellhound brought me to Valley View and somehow I ended up in the living room. Then purring: a deep rumbling that could only come from one source.

I looked straight down my body. Constantinople lay curled up on my stomach. His tail flicked impatiently while he watched me with his lime-green eyes. That explained the heaviness.

“You’re getting fat,” I said groggily and reached for the cat, giving him a friendly scratch on the forehead. He closed his eyes in appreciation, like he allowed me to touch him and not the other way around. Arrogant cat. Very like a blue-eyed boy I knew. “Remind me to smack Sebastian with a rolled up newspaper for knocking me out. Bad, hellhound.”

I sat up when I heard murmuring coming from the far side of the room. Constantinople gave me an annoyed meow for being moved off his perch. He leapt to the floor and slinked his way toward the voices. I followed the cat with my eyes and watched him rub against Dillan’s jean-covered legs. He looked down at him, and then, moved his eyes to me. My lungs squeezed. I flicked my gaze to Kyle, who stood with him and turned to look at me, too. In my periphery, I saw Riona enter the living room. I turned my head and gawked at her.

“You’re finally awake,” she said.

“I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen you in leather pants and a T-shirt,” I managed to say.

She handed me the glass of water she brought. “Just prepared for a fight, that’s all.”

I accepted it and drank deeply then put the half empty glass on the coffee table. “Riona?”

“Yes, sweet?” She took a seat on one of the armchairs adjacent to the couch I was on and crossed her legs. I had a hard time fully believing the gorgeous woman was a mercenary. Whatever that meant.

“Did you lie to me, too?” I traced the patterns on the upholstery, afraid of what I might see on her face if I stared at it too long.

Soft lips brushed my forehead. I looked up.

“I’m sorry.” She touched my cheek before she sat back down.

The sincerity in her eyes almost broke me. I sighed and looked around the room for a clock. “How long was I out?”

Both Dillan and Kyle looked in our direction. They finished their conversation and joined us. About time.

“Only a few hours. It’s about eleven now.” Riona let Constantinople jump up on her lap. She waited for the cat to get settled before gliding her fingers over its silky gray fur.

“Et tu Brutus? Et tu?” Dillan said when he reached us.

“My sentiments exactly. That cat has no sense of loyalty,” added Kyle as he sat beside me. I forced myself not to move away. He took my hand in both of his, a gentleness in his steely eyes. “Feeling okay?”

I wanted to pull away, but didn’t. We still hadn’t aired things out, and the contact felt awkward. So, instead of confronting Kyle, I jumped to what needed to be done.

“Penny,” I said before I stood up and started pacing. “We need to get her back. Who knows what that thing is doing to her right now?”

Dillan came to my side and grabbed my arms before I walked into a side table. “No point in working yourself up. If you sit down—”

“How can all of you be okay with this?” I interrupted him.

He ran his hands up and down my arms before he continued with the patience of a monk, “As I was saying, if you sit down, Kyle will fill you in on the plan we’ve come up with to save her.”

The honesty and something else—worry maybe—in his clear-blue eyes soothed some of my panic. Ugh! What I would have given for a snarky Dillan Sloan right now. When he nodded, I deflated and sank back down on the couch. I drank the rest of the water Riona had brought in one gulp.

“What’s the plan?” I asked.

Kyle faced me. “We’ll storm Greenwood.”

“Who are we?”

“Garret, Dillan, Sebastian, and me,” he said.

I looked at Riona. She smiled and said, “Oh, I’ll be there.”

“But Ormand is after me,” I insisted. “I need to be there with you.”

“No, you don’t,” Dillan commanded.

“Yes, I do.” I stood up and moved toward him. “There’s something you should know.”

He waited, staring straight at me.

Kyle pushed off the couch. “Selena, don’t do this!”

“I’m done lying.” I shook my head at my best friend.

“Selena, please.”

“I’m sorry, Kyle. He has to know.”

My best friend turned his back on me, his hands in tight, trembling fists.

“Dillan, remember when we were trying to figure out why they were after me?” I paused, choosing my words carefully. “I didn’t want to believe that I was a target because of what I can do.”

“What can you do?” he asked in a voice so quiet it frightened me.

“I…” I gulped. “I have visions of the future.”

At first, my words didn’t seem to register. His face stayed expressionless until what I said finally sank in. First he covered his mouth then rubbed his hand up until it reached his hair, tangling his fingers there.

“You’re like Katarina,” he whispered. Pain and confusion entered his eyes. He stared at his hand. “A Seer. No wonder Ormand wants you.”

I came forward, wanting to touch him. To soothe him. Something.

“Don’t!” He jerked away. “Don’t come near me.”

I stopped. “I didn’t mean to lie to you.”

“Who else knows?”

“Does it matter?”

“Who!”

I flinched. “My grandparents, Kyle, Penny…Sebastian.” I glared at Kyle. “And apparently Garret and Riona, too.”

Kyle didn’t even have the decency to look repentant. I would have hit him if Dillan hadn’t distracted me.

“Sebastian knows, too?” he staggered, clutching his forehead. “Of course. Damn you, mutt.” He barked a bleak laugh before his features hardened. The infamous Dillan mood shift. It still gave me whiplash. To Kyle, he said, “We’ll stick to the plan.”

“Ormand won’t let Penny go if he doesn’t see me there. An exchange has to be made. We can use Rainer as back up. Surely he can still fight.”

Dillan opened his mouth as if to say something then closed it again. He took out his phone and tapped a quick message. “He’ll be there. But I’m still not convinced you should go with us.”

Eyes wide, I said, “The moment you leave you know I’ll just follow.”

“Not if we tie you up.”

“Like that’s going to stop me.”

“Why can’t you just do as I say?”

I grinned. “Because you’d probably do the same thing if you were in my shoes.”

“Okay,” he finally said, exasperation in his tone. He checked his phone for what I assumed was a reply from his uncle. “Rainer is on his way to Greenwood, but we’re closer so we’ll get there first. Kyle…you, Garret, Riona, and Sebastian go in and distract Ormand while Selena and I make a grab for Penny.”

“That’s insane!” Kyle ran his hands through his hair, disheveling the strands. “You have to hear yourself. We can’t run interference while you hand Selena over to Ormand. I won’t allow it.”

“Kyle” —I touched his chest— “Dillan’s plan makes more sense.” It did sound crazy, but if it could give us a chance to get Penny back, I’d go with it.

“I’m not sacrificing you,” he said through his teeth.

“You don’t have a choice.” I tried to smile, but failed. “I’m who he’s after. Penny, Bowen, and whoever else, was used to get to me. If I don’t go, then there’s no guarantee Ormand will stop.”

“And since it’s a Hunter’s Moon tonight we won’t have to worry about being able to see in the dark,” Dillan said.

My gaze darted to Kyle for an explanation.

“Brightest night of the year,” he answered. “I still haven’t agreed to this insane twist in the plan!”

“What about a weapon. I’ll need one too,” I said.

“No!” they both shouted at me.

“No fighting for you!” Kyle added.

“As much as I hate to do it, I agree with Hilliard,” Dillan said. “You’re untrained. Protecting you will be easier if we don’t have to dodge your nonexistent weapon handling skills.”

I resented his superior tone. This was the Mr. Rock Star National Geographic I knew how to handle. “But I don’t want to be defenseless. Give me a bat at least,” I argued. “I know how to swing a bat.”

Kyle sighed. “I still don’t want you with us.”

“We don’t have any other options,” Riona finally said. “Think of what your parents would do in this situation.”

“They wouldn’t sacrifice anyone to get what they need!” He glared at his guardian. “I’m not willing to risk losing her.”

“Who said anything about losing me?” I tried to put as much confidence into the lie as I could. “Dillan will be there to back me up.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” He settled his glare at me.

Dillan wouldn’t meet my eyes when I looked to him for reassurance. I had a hunch as to what he was thinking. “He’ll know what to do.”

My words snapped his eyes up to meet mine. “Selena—”

“What’s everyone waiting for?” Garret asked as he walked into the living room with a grin, holding a mean looking sword. He wore jeans, a T-shirt, and a motorcycle jacket.

“What?” he asked when all eyes stared at him. “Did you expect me to come out in armor?” He kissed his sword’s scabbard. “This baby’s more than enough to keep me safe.”

My eyes went to Kyle. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

“Are you worried about me?” he mocked.

“I just don’t want you to die before I get a chance to kill you for spilling my secrets to Riona and Garret.” I crossed my arms and frowned.

He smiled and hugged me.

I didn’t return the gesture, even if I appreciated the contact. “Please, just be careful.”

“Always am,” he said into my ear before letting go. “Are you sure I can’t convince you not to go?”

I shook my head. “Short of tying me up like Dillan suggested, no.”

“Don’t tempt me.”

“Let’s get a move on,” Garret boomed. Riona unfolded herself from the chair, carefully setting Constantinople down, and joined her husband.

Dillan made a move toward the foyer along with the rest of them.

I hurried to his side. “We need to talk.”

He stopped and gave me a hard stare.

“You guys coming?” Kyle asked from the front door.

“Go on ahead. We’ll be five minutes,” Dillan answered him without breaking eye contact with me.