King of Darkness (12 page)

Brayden nodded quickly. “I’d be happy to provide for her if you like.”

“I’ll do it,” Lee said abruptly. “Just tell me how you wanna play it, doc. Should we move her first?”

“Better we give her the blood first. We’ll get her settled when we’re done with that.” He paused to look up at Lee. “You want a scalpel?”

Thad noticed Brayden reaching for the medical bag sitting between his feet. So much for the theory of him sleeping with a penlight.

Lee pulled an unnecessarily large knife from his boot. “Got it covered, doc.”

Lee held his wrist above Alexia’s mouth and drew the tip down as Brayden tipped her head back and gently pulled her chin down. After a bit of blood had drizzled in, Brayden massaged her throat to force a swallow and then held up his hand.

“I think that’s enough for now.”

Lee drew his brows together. “It wasn’t much at all.”

“You’re one of our oldest, Lee. Your blood is so strong that we don’t need a lot, and she’s not conscious so I don’t want to risk aspiration. Let’s go ahead and move her. If she comes to soon, you can give her more. If not, I can try to transfuse her.”

Lee licked the score on his arm and stepped back, turning to Thad. “I’m going to go clean up and then check in with Siddoh. See how things have been going since we left.”

“Sounds good, man. Just follow up with me before dawn, if you would.”

Lee nodded again curtly and stalked down the west hallway toward his room.

Thad looked up at Tyra, who had been a silent observer on the periphery. “You’ve been awfully quiet.”

“I guess I’m trying to analyze the whole thing, you know?” Tyra cocked her head to the side. “Just doesn’t make sense… I don’t know.” She waved her hand. “No matter. Maybe I’ll pop in later when you have your powwow with Lee. We can talk about it then.” She smiled kindly at Isabel. “I’m sorry we had to meet on such difficult terms, sweetie. I’m sure we’ll talk more later.”

Turning back to Brayden, Tyra rubbed her hands together. “All right, doc, let me help you get her down the hall before I go.”

Brayden gestured toward the east hall, from where he’d originally come. “I think Ivy usually puts guests in the rooms next door to hers. We can put her in one of those.”

Watching them go, Thad reached again for Isabel’s hand. He so wanted to help her make sense of things, to sort out the confusion for her. That said, he had a lot of unanswered questions himself. “Come on, let’s get you settled. We can talk more if you want, or you can just get some rest. I’ll put you right next door to Alexia.”

She bit her lip and nodded. Her face bore the vacant expression of someone who was too shaken up to process anything. “Yeah, sure… that would be… good.”

***

Isabel floated down the long hallway, aimless and clumsy but for Thad’s grip on her hand, like one of those giant parade balloons they always showed on television. She was so shaky, and her head swam with confusion.

Who would have thought that things could get worse
after
being told that she was destined to be queen of a race she’d never known?

Inviting Thad and Lee back to their place had been such a mistake. Alexia might never have been harmed, and both she and Isabel would have gone back to their boring but safe little lives by now.

They stopped at an open doorway, as the female named Ivy stepped out of the room. With her gorgeous mane of black hair and tan skin,
she
looked like the type who could be queen. Not Isabel, with her Halloween mask of a face.

“There are fresh towels and a robe, and if you leave your clothes out here by the door, someone will come by to wash them for you.” The female reached out and touched Isabel’s arm gently. “Brayden is still with her, and her color looks better already.”

Isabel barely managed to command her tongue. “Thank you.”

Ivy turned to Thad. “What else can I do for you, sir?”
Sir
. It was so surreal. Thad wasn’t a “sir.” He was some guy Isabel had met at a party.

He shook his head. “You go do whatever you need to do, Ivy. I’ll handle it from here.”

“Brayden asked me to help keep an eye on the human, so I’ll be right next door if you need anything.”

“Great. Thanks.”

She bobbed her head and left.

Thad pushed the open door a bit to widen the view into the room. It was much bigger than Isabel’s own, but somehow not austere or cold. Cute little tables flanked the queen-sized bed, and the walls were an unassuming eggshell color, accented by an attractive border of brown and teal that matched the duvet. A comfortable reading chair sat in the corner to her left, and one of those elegant but clunky tall dressers dominated the corner to her right. Dim lights glowed, and the bed was turned down. Isabel had to admit that it was awfully inviting.

Thad’s hand was on her arm. “I know it’s still early in the evening, but you and I didn’t sleep at all during the day, and I know that this has all been a lot to handle. I figure maybe you want to just get some rest.”

Isabel worked her lip between her teeth. Glancing back and forth between the two rooms, she was plagued by indecision. Leaving Alexia alone didn’t feel right, but damned if her adrenaline hadn’t just crashed and left her running on fumes. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could remain upright.

Thad squeezed her hand, like maybe he got it. “I promise you, she’s in great hands.”

Isabel bit her lip again. “I am really tired.” As if on cue, her eyelids drooped to half-mast.

“Go ahead and rest. I’ll make sure you know as soon as anything changes with her.”

Leading Isabel into the room, Thad grabbed a plush terry robe from the bathroom and laid it on the bed. “In case you want to shower or change clothes.”

She nodded but remained rooted to the spot where she had stopped, just inside the room. It was funny how times of stress could either spur you to action or leave you frozen in place. When her parents died, she had had no choice but to run. To survive. Now, she was sort of adrift and unsure. Empty. Something as simple as whether she should go put on the robe or get straight into bed was a monumental decision that she just couldn’t manage to make.

Thad decided for her. His large, reassuring hands pulled aside the covers and guided Isabel gently by the shoulders over to the bed. She started to get in and then hesitated once more. “Thad?”

“Yeah, is there something else you need?” He snapped his fingers and pointed at her. “I should get you something to eat. All you had today was doughnuts and coffee.” He started toward the door. “I’ll run to the kitchen myself.”

“No.” Isabel hesitated, shaking her head slowly. She hated herself a little for what she was about to ask. Just then, she was numb and freaked out enough to admit the reality that she needed comfort. That she couldn’t be alone.

“No, Thad. I just—I was wondering if maybe you could stay with me for a while?” When he stopped and turned toward her, she went cold. She shouldn’t have asked. “Or not. I mean, I know you have… stuff to do probably. So listen, just never mind.” She sat on the bed and noticed ten toenails polished in the color of “Grand Canyon Sunset” peeking up at her from the floor. God, she had never even put on shoes.

The lights in the room dimmed. Thad removed his jacket and came toward her. He nudged the door closed with his boot. “I’d be happy to stay with you.”

Isabel’s relief was immense, and it pushed her over the edge of exhaustion. She quietly swung her legs onto the mattress and curled onto her side. Thad’s boots hit the floor and the mattress shifted as he lay beside her and pulled the covers over both of them.

And then… there it was. Easing into the warmth of his sturdy body against hers was even better than she’d remembered. Comforting. Safe. A muscular arm came around to tuck her against him. Isabel sighed deeply, weak but appreciative.

As she placed a tentative hand over Thad’s, Isabel tried to get a handle on the wild leap her knowledge of the universe had made. Somehow she had gone from just another night at the club to hearing that she was the king’s destined mate and being invited to move in with him, and then to being attacked in her apartment by something that she’d only heard of in childhood stories. All of that before teleporting to some big-ass mansion she didn’t even know the location of with her sister-in-law. No, no. Thad’s sister. God, she was even more fried than she thought.

Worry about Lex was really cooking her noodle. On top of everything that had come before, the idea that she could lose her best friend to an attack that had been her fault… she just couldn’t live with that. She stroked her thumb over Thad’s but if he was awake, he didn’t move. Didn’t speak.

She had so much more to think about, but ultimately the only thing she could do was go back to basics and wait until Lexi was better. The rest could wait. Allowing herself to bask a bit more in the peace of Thad’s touch, she closed her fingers around his and let her weariness pull her into sleep.

A long, hot shower was supposed to be relaxing. Nevertheless, Lee found himself leaving his bathroom even more tightly wound than when he had entered. He made a half-assed effort to ignore the cold weight in his chest while he pulled a fresh pair of fatigues and a clean T-shirt from his dresser drawer.

He was bugged about giving Alexia his blood. Minor physical attraction aside, she was human, and he didn’t like humans. The disturbing truth he’d run up against while rinsing dried wizard gore from his skin was that he
had
wanted to, and for reasons that went beyond his duty to Thad. He needed to nip that shit in the bud. A quarter-century since his split from Agnessa, and he still wasn’t right in the head. He didn’t go out of his way for any female. Not anymore.

He yanked his clothes on without finesse and was donning his boots when a knock on the door interrupted his contemplation. “Lee?” Tyra.

The door swung open, and she marched into the room without waiting for an invitation. “I need to talk to you,” she muttered, settling herself in the large leather armchair by his dresser.

“How’s it going, Tyra? Would you like to come in? Please, have a seat,” he said flatly. He ignored her eye roll; she doled them out like treats on Halloween. After closing the door, he sat on the side of the queen-sized bed, facing her. “What’s up?”

“I need to talk to you about that wizard thing. It’s been bothering the hell out of me.” She paused awkwardly and rubbed her temples a little. “And I, uh, was hoping to catch you before you went to talk with Siddoh.”

Frustration made Lee drop his chin to his chest. “Christ, Tyra. What the hell is wrong with you?” He was getting the urge to roll his own eyes, juvenile though the gesture was. “I gotta be honest. I don’t see how the two of you can fuck like bunnies and yet be unable to tolerate each other’s presence otherwise. You work together, for goodness sake. You’ve gotta be able to deal with him.”

“I actually prefer the bonobo ape as an analogy.”

Lee sat straighter on the bed. “What the hell are you talking about?”

She smiled. “They’re one of the only animal species to have sex for reasons other than procreation. Including conflict resolution, I might add. And I’m pretty sure they have sex even more than rabbits.”

Oh, for the love of—
“Ty, I don’t want to know how you know that, and I definitely don’t want to hear any more about it.”

“What? I like trivia. Anyway, I don’t know that it’s so far-fetched.” She tilted her head sideways and gave him a smug smile. “You’ve never been physically attracted to someone you didn’t particularly like? Not even, say, very recently?”

He stood up, fists clenched. “Stop reading me, Tyra. You know that pisses me off.”

She shifted positions in the chair and met his stare. Amusement made her brown eyes sparkle. “I wasn’t trying to pry, but all sorts of inner conflict were pouring out of you when we were bringing that human back earlier. I’m sorry. I won’t bring it up again.”

“Good.”

She chuckled. “All I’m saying is that it’s not as cut and dried as you might think. Anyway, I told him it’s over.”

Again? “How many times would that make it?”

Ah, yes. Now her amusement was fading. “I know, I know. I tell myself all the time I should be smarter than this. Thing is, you know I’m not much for relationships. It started out to piss off Dad. Then it became a convenience, and eventually it was just kind of a bad habit that I had trouble breaking. I’ve finally gotten sick of it, though.”

“I just hate to see you get dicked around, sweetheart.” Tyra was the closest thing he had to a sister. She was a fully grown and capable female, but Lee was still oddly protective. And he had never liked Siddoh much.

Tyra straightened in the chair and threw her shoulders back as if she had a point to prove. She lifted her chin. “You don’t need to worry about me. I can handle myself. Tell you what: you don’t ride me about Siddoh, and I won’t bug you anymore about that tiny human girl down the east hall.”

“You already said you wouldn’t.”

“Yeah, well, now I’m attaching strings. You mind your own business and let me take care of mine.”

“Fine, but if Siddoh pulls some kind of dumb shit, I reserve the right to rip him a new one.”