Unchained Beauty (The Deadly Beauties Live On 5)

“I like you even less than Drackus liked me when he learned I was drinking from his daughter’s body,” he says with a scowl. “But I clearly don’t have a say in the matter.”

“Where’s Gavin?” I ask him again.

He groans. “Swear you won’t kill him or return to kill him or kill him any time during his stay in our custody,” Kane says on an exasperated breath.

“No. But I swear I’ll try not to,” I concede.

He gives me a dubious look.

“How are you going to convince him what you say is true when none of us could?”

“Let. Me. See. Him.”

He studies me for a moment, then he leans over, picking up his phone. I hear him call Gage, and the dark user appears in the room, arguing animatedly right in front of me.

I use the free time to close my eyes again and watch as Ella lies on the ground, her body curled, denying another shift as her eyes flicker from black to silver.

She’s exhausted even the darkest parts of her. Her eyes seem to find my direction and stare right at me again, haunting me with that helpless, hopeless gaze as her eyes stop flickering and stay a dull silver.

My eyes open just as Gage glares over at me. “Don’t make me regret this. You don’t get to do that to Ella too.”

“You talk like you could actually hurt me, when we both know you don’t stand a chance,” I say with a dark smile.

He takes a step forward, and I remain seated, leisurely propping my feet up.

Kane pulls him backward, and Gage blows out a frustrated breath as he turns his back on me.

“Taunting is a little inappropriate under the circumstances, don’t you think?” Kane bites out.

“I’m not the good guy, remember?” I point out rhetorically.

Gage stalks out of the room, banging the door against the wall on his way out, and I swing my gaze back to Kane.

“Nice chat. I’ll let you know where the battle will be. Do no prep work on the location when we have it. Plan from your safe house. Relay all messa—”

“Are you seriously telling me what to do right now?” he asks.

“If you want to beat Hannah this time, you’ll listen to me. Relay all messages through physical people behind soundproof walls. No phones. And don’t tell a soul until the battle is actually here.”

“What if Gavin knows where to find her now? We could ambush her,” he points out. “He’s somehow free from his blood oath, but he’s not talking until he’s sure Morgana will be one of our priorities. It’s his only bargaining chip to save her.”

“Hannah wouldn’t be stupid enough to do that, but some things she can’t change. He’ll know how she thinks, and he’ll be able to pinpoint the location based on the information I have. Clock is ticking.”

I turn to walk out, and he calls to my back, “What happens to Ella when you die during this battle?”

The words are quiet, barely spoken, but it feels just as electric as a venom-tipped whip cracking on my back. I shouldn’t be so surprised that he’s gathered this information.

He’s a far more calculated and knowledgeable male than I’ve credited him thus far.

Looking over my shoulder, I arch an eyebrow. “She has all of you.”

“I couldn’t live without Alyssa,” he answers, eyes staying on mine.

“You’ve had longer to bond,” I state, bristling as I walk out and hurry my steps to the angry dark user who is leaned against a wall. “Make sure to tell her I helped betray her when she learns about all this,” I add without turning around.

Gage glares at me as he grabs my shoulder, and we dematerialize. When we reform, we’re in a cell, and I fight to remind myself it’s not my cell.

Then my eyes land on Gavin who is chained just like I once was, and his eyes come up to meet mine. He doesn’t even seem surprised as he looks over to Gage, and I focus on not killing him now, remembering I have a much bigger end game than him.