Shattered Skies: Beginning's End (23 page)

“Hello Cat. Tell me? To what do I owe this unexpected visit?” He hadn’t even looked up from his
papers. 

“How did you know it was me? You didn't see me come in.”

“Once again, Cat, I will tell you, this is all new to me, but I didn't have to see you to know it is you. I just feel you. I don't know how to explain it.” He sounded so exhausted. I didn't even know that exhaustion was possible for a Dominus.

“Not that I really care but what is bothering you? You look like hell.” I did care; I cared way more than I should, all things considered. 

“Wow. I should put you on the payroll as a professional abuser; you really know how to kick a man when he is down, don't you Cat?” I realized then that it was really something serious. Even more so, he wasn't touching me and I still could feel what he was feeling. “Do you have any idea how bad those damn humans made me look? How was it even possible for that many of them to be hiding among us for this long undiscovered? I mean, I know that it helped them to have that traitor with them. I am sure he taught them all the things that kept them safe, but the possibility that at least one of them should have been found, outweighs anything that he could have taught them by fifty percent.” 

I couldn't make my head stop spinning; there was nothing that I could say to that. It was just sheer luck that Akia took my reticence as a sign that I was listening to him and
that he should go on instead of what it really was. It was my world being spun upside down; it was a man that I was inexplicably attracted to analyzing the death of my family and hating himself for not finding and killing all of us sooner. 

“There are still three of the posers out there that we know of. It is hard to tell if other small societies of renegade humans are out there living and walking among us every day. We don't know who they are or where they are. I do know however that the three that are missing are two males and one female.” 

That snapped me back to reality. That was way more than I thought that he knew. If he knew that much, then there was no way for the three of us to stay together anymore. If we continued to be around each other, people would begin to question us. 

“How do you know that?” I said and to me, my voice sounded intrigued and not devastated.

“The idiot old man didn't get all his records out. He left a notebook in a wall safe; he didn't have time to get to it before they dragged him out. Besides, that isn't what is important right now. What is important is that I find these three renegades and make a sorry spectacle out of them. I plan to drag them out in front of the entire town, call a press conference, and televise it
all. I will, of course, kill them slowly in a way that will horrify the humans; that will be the best way to do it. It will scare any other turncoat humans into giving themselves up. I will tell them that their lives will be spared and they can walk willingly into the life of slaves, like they were born to be.” 

“I think that you are right. Everyone is thinking that you are incompetent. I mean, stupid, pathetic humans out smarted the Regent himself?”  I should have just left it at that but I couldn’t. “What happens if it is someone that you know? I mean if they were living this close to you they could be anyone. For example, what if Drake is one of them? What would you do if you had to kill someone that you were close to?”  I should have never asked it.
I could be drawing suspicion in my direction, but I had to know what he would say. 

“I would have to kill him in cold blood then.
My ass is on the line here Cat. If the Vampires don’t think I can handle this they will kill me and give my job to someone that they think is more fit to handle it.” That wasn’t at all what I wanted to hear. It really was going to come down to me or him and there was no way to get around it.

As soon as I finishe
d speaking I knew I had made a mistake. I was supposed to be making him want to take me to see Dr. Walker so I could mentally map the layout of the basement, not making him more upset and causing him to act faster to track us down. I needed to change the course of where this conversation was going or I was going to end up being tortured to death on a mandatory- to-watch program. The thought of it actually gave me goose bumps. 

Before he had the chance to say anything else, I did the only thing that I could think of that would be good enough to distract him and take his mind off of his vengeful plotting. I closed the distance between the two of us and touched his hand with my fingertips. Just the mere brushing of skin sent jolts and tingles through my body. It startled me; I thought by grabbing his hand it would surprise him just enough that it would throw off his thought process. Instead, I looked up from our hands and saw him staring right through me.

“I am sorry I didn't mean to... I umm.” Well it wasn't the least intelligent thing I‘d ever said. 

“Catalina, tell me, why are you here? I am sorry to be blunt with you but first you insult me, then you insult me some more, and then you just had the urge to touch me. Normally, I would love the challenge of trying to figure you out, but I have a lot more pressing things to do than worry about why you are here and what I am going to say next that is going to send you running for the door.” 

That was fine, he wanted to be blunt. I was done beating around the bush. I couldn’t tell him it was to say goodbye for good; I couldn’t even remotely try for closure. “I want to go down and see him. I have never seen what happens when they deny themselves blood. I know it is morbid, but I’d like to see him suffer up-close.” Wow, nothing like completely going off plan and pulling words out of midair. 

“Cat if that is all
you want, you didn't have to ask. I have told everyone to give you access to almost every room in the place.” Akia sounded bored with the whole situation. I should have just left it at that. I was on a mission and I had been trained my whole life how deadly distractions can be, but I just had to know. 

“Why?”  I don’t know if I wanted him to say that he was in love with me or if I wanted to have a reason to yell at him for being so trusting and stupid. I guess I just needed him to say something that would make me think him less of a fool.

“I am sorry Cat have I done something else wrong? I thought that would please you, and besides it is only fair; after all, I let the flower lady mafia loose on your apartment to wreak havoc, so I thought my hospitality would make up for it.” 

His little attempt at humor was lost on me. I wasn't in the mood to be carefree and laughing. “How do you know tha
t you can trust me?” I asked. OK so I was being stupid and I didn’t know what I was hoping to gain by my personal challenge to his judgment, but maybe, just maybe I thought that he would wise up. “Your kingdom and my apartment are on opposite ends of the spectrum. I would never allow anyone to freely roam around my home, and yet, you just let people come and go on a whim.” Counterproductive words maybe, but the Regent was clearly lacking in the security department. No wonder we had been successful as long as we had. It was mean but he deserved it. I didn’t know why I was trying to help him, and I am sure he didn’t see it that way, however, after I disappeared I wanted him to be safe, and if I had broken security so easily than any pretty face could too. Akia trusted way too much. 

“Cat, if you want to debate with me how I run my kingdom; that is fine. I cannot however, do it with you right now. I will tell you this; you are the only person other than my staff that I allow to roam freely as you put it. I trust my staff and as strange as it sounds, I trust you. I have to trust you. I don't have a choice. I don't know what the pull is that you have over me, but I do know that I have never felt the way I do when our skin touches. You can fight and deny it if you want to, but you feel it too.” I had never thought about it that way. Maybe I was really just that special to him. I hoped that the memories of my touch kept him warm at night because he killed everyone I loved and I would never, ever forgive him for that. “What saddens me the most is that I can't explore
you; I have to walk on careful ground around you because you are frightened of me. I just hope that one day we can work through whatever it is that so bothers you about me. I don't know what it is about you, but I do know that if stealing a touch here and there is all I can get from you, then that is what I will take. I am addicted to you and that scares me.” 

The look in his eyes and the need in his voice was all it took. I had to get as far away from this monster as I could and quickly. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that he would kill me if he knew the truth of what I was, but that wasn't what threatened to send me running. It was the fact that I knew exactly what he was talking about. This man had killed my family. This man was going to be the death of me and my last two friend
s if I didn’t get away. Yet all I wanted to do was sit with him for just one more moment. I needed to feel him; I need to give myself that more then I needed to give it to him.

I reasoned with myself. If I could talk to him and convince him that I was going away for a while, then he wouldn’t come looking for me in a day or two after I disappeared. If I told him that I was leaving for a month or so, then he would be less consumed with looking for me because he would know when I’d be back. With that justification, I turned around to face him.

“Akia, I have to talk to you.” I didn’t touch him. I waited for him to look up. Is there somewhere a little more private where we can go?” There were guards everywhere and I knew that they could hear me. I didn’t need any more witnesses to what I was about to do.

“Kitten, I am sorry but I really can’t do this with you now.”

When I didn’t yell at him for the name, I guess he figured that I was serious, and that was all I needed. Five minutes later we were in his chambers, all the guards were sent away, and we were truly alone. I needed this; I couldn’t bring my family back; I had to accept that. But I still needed to try to get a little bit of closure with him. I sat down on the couch opposite the bed. I patted for him to take a seat next to me but after a moment he perched uncomfortably on the edge of the bed. That was probably better anyway.  Leave it to him to be practical. I guess he thought that the way I acted when I left had something to do with what happened before Drake busted in on us.

“I came here to tell you that I have to go away for about a month. There is some business that I have to take care of.”  The look on his face was almost enough to make me change my plan.

“You aren’t coming back are you?” he said.” There is something that just doesn’t feel right. I don’t know what it is, but I know you aren’t coming back.” 

“Akia, don’t be ridiculous. This is my home. I am coming back. I will be gone a month at most.” I sounded believable but I could tell that I was only convincing myself.  I didn’t know if I could handle leaving him, but I knew that Darien and Jaden were way more important to me than coming back to him.

“Kitten, can I tell you something?” I wasn’t sure that I wanted to hear what he had do say, but
since I was lying to him; it was the least I could do. 

“Sure you can tell me anything you want to.”

“I know you are leaving because I am the King and that bothers you. I didn’t ask to be King, Catalina. I didn’t ask to be King any more then you asked to go to that room with me the night of the ball. If there was a way that I could walk away from it all and spend the rest of my life feeling the way that I do when I am with you, I would. I never believed in love; it is what fairy tales and stupid human myths are made of. The people that say they have soul mates were always so funny to me. Then you showed up, and I can’t explain what I feel. I would leave everything to be with you and that scares me. I know that you aren’t coming back; I can feel it Cat. Please tell me why.” 

My plan was backfiring. This was only going to work if he thought I was coming back. If he thought I would be gone forever, he would have someone follow me. I had to make him believe that I was coming so I did the only thing that I could think of. I believed with all my heart that I was coming back. I filled my mind with images of returning to him, to letting him hold me as soon as I returned. I believed my own lies so much that I knew I could make him believe them too.

I quickly stood up and closed the gap between us. I knew that my movement caught him off guard, which was good. I needed every advantage that I could get. When I grabbed his face between my hands and he didn’t pull away, I threw all of my thoughts and false images into his mind. I had to make sure that he was getting it and I knew that kissing was the way that we could be closest to each other. So I kissed him; I kissed him so hard and so passionately that I was sure that he could see the images. I concentrated as much as I could on making sure every thought I had was returning back to him. I kissed him a lot longer than I needed to, but I couldn’t break free. I knew this was the last time I would ever feel his lips against mine. I had lost so much already, I wasn’t ready to lose him too just yet. 

Never once did he loosen his grip on me; his fingers were intertwined in my hair, making sure that I couldn’t get away. I wanted nothing more than to stay there with him. I knew however, that our kiss had to end. I could fee
l or maybe see in his mind however it worked, that he believed me. I had convinced myself that I would return to him. I knew it was a lie, but all that mattered is that he didn’t. When our kiss ended, it took me a minute to open my eyes. I etched the feel of his lips, the touch of his skin, and even his smell into my memory. I wanted to remember him if for no other reason than I wanted to hurt every time I thought about letting my guard down with anyone else. I couldn’t find words, they just weren’t there; he was looking at me like I was saving him. I wished everyone would stop doing that. I couldn’t save any of them; if anything, I was the reason they were all in danger.