Kyra turned towards Sythe, her face still wet, but her gaze brightened with a defiant sort of despair. “Adeline may have been cruel, but she didn’t deserve this. Don’t ever believe those under Fredrick’s rule ever had any other choice, they’re just as trapped as I was.”
Sythe blinked, hissing out a breath when Kyra’s chi snapped out. He went to respond, but Xander stepped forward.
‘Careful,’he warned his brother.
Sythe sneered, his eyes hardening when they met his. ‘You’re fucking whipped, Xee,’he responded in the same way, their beasts growling at one another through connected minds. Despite the anger that rippled beneath his skin, his beast itching to get out, a smile tipped his lips. The ability to communicate with the other Guardians though a mental bond was helpful, but only if they were in the vicinity of one another.
“Where specifically was the witch found?” he asked aloud, surprised his voice wasn’t gravel-rough when the beast was riding him so hard. He dared look towards Riley, not when his control was fracturing the longer he was around Kyra.
“Outside the door,” Kace responded. “Literally in the hallway.”
Kyra’s face paled. “Eva?”
Sythe snorted, and Kace shot him a warning glare. “That woman must have been a Valkyrie in a previous life. She completely ignored Kace as if–”
“Shut the fuck up,” Kace hissed.
“– he wasn’t there,” he continued, sounding unrepentant. “She also made me cookies. Kace, did you get any cookies?”
Kace glowered, but didn’t comment.
Sythe grinned. “Eva’s fine, she wasn’t even home when it happened. Other than her concern for Kyra, nothing seemed to bother her.”
“She wasn’t supposed to be aware that you were guarding,” Riley said with a scowl.
“Have you met the fucking woman?” Kace growled. “And you call me crazy.”
Sythe nodded in agreement. “Axel and Titus have taken over for now. We will continue to protect her, don’t worry about any threats.”
Kace crossed his arms. “Hopefully she will hit them with a fucking cooking utensil instead.”
Riley ignored the comment. “The dead witch was a warning, one we can’t ignore. According to reports Frederick has suddenly become uncontactable, and Daemonic activity has been quiet.”
“Too quiet,” Jax said as he entered the room, Lucy waltzing in without a care in the world behind him. He winked at Kyra, and Xander had to clench his fists from reacting.
‘Settle down,’Riley said, his voice calming the beast. ‘It gets easier.’
Xander took a second to respond, making sure none of the other Guardians had connected to the mental bond. ‘What gets easier?’
“We need to pull Frederick out from where he’s hiding,” Riley said aloud without responding. “He’s dangerous even without having Daemonic knowledge, but a Daemon with the resources Frederick could provide would be catastrophic.”
“Dirk won’t be working alone,” Lucy added, his tone bored. “I doubt he’s more than just a pawn in the plan.”
“What plan, exactly?” Kace asked, the words seemingly ripped from his tongue. He had become granite when Lucy had entered the room, his gaze low.
“Gain a councilmembers trust and then stab them in the back?” Lucy shrugged. “How am I supposed to know? We don’t exactly meet up for a girly chat and gossip diabolical plans over cocktails and fucking manicures.” He promptly looked at his hands, his nails freshly painted black.
“We need to draw Frederick out,” Alice said. “We can use him to expose Dirk.”
Kyra bit her lip. “I have an idea.”
* * *
KYRA
“I don’t fucking think so,” Xander said, his voice dangerously quiet. “If any of you agree that we use Kyra as bait I will fucking gut you.”
“We’re giving them exactly what they want,” Kyra said, keeping her voice steady, controlled despite her chi pulsating. “We will plan it…”
