Changing Beauty (The Deadly Beauties Live On 2)

“Kimber saw me, but she might not have realized it was me. Everything happened fast,” the dark user rushes to say.

Weak. Pathetic. Utterly useless.

“And now I can’t use the visionary anymore because you let the wolf brand her.”

Yes. My visionary holds a very good point. The visionless visionary girl was our eyes into their operation, and now she’s protected. I really don’t like that sort of failure.

My hand slides over the blade of an anointed dagger, watching as my fingertip bleeds from barely a graze. This one is too sharp. It’ll hurt him less.

“Master, please understand. It wasn’t my fault. I did as I was told to do. No one warned me she’d know how to free or protect Kimber.”

My visionary stands and walks over to the pointless dark user. “We lost two important things today—our eyes into their circle and our tracker. We still have a first night stalker on the loose, and we need him back before they find him.”

I move over to the werewolf’s claws that are strapped to a paddle, and I feel them. So many times these raked across the chests of my Gemini twins before the anointed weapons came back to life.

The claws have been dull for a while, useless for inflicting quick pain. But I’m not looking for quick pain at the moment.

“And my Geminis? The wolf was the only way we’ll ever find them. She’s had their blood, and now she can find them for the queen’s circle.”

Silence falls as my words echo off the stone walls, and I pluck the claws away from the paddle before holding them in my hand. With one squeeze, they slowly slide over my fingertips, and the skin binds with the claws, holding them in place like they’re my own.

“I can still get her back. Just give me another chance,” the dark user cries in panic, stammering half his words.

Weak. Weak. Weak.

“I keep losing people to them,” I tell my visionary. “It’s time to use Morgana again.”

“You said she was pointless.”

“I said she was pointless because Gage no longer cares for her. But Gavin does. If Gavin is within their flock somewhere, he’ll see he has no choice but to come back.”

“You know how risky that is,” he argues.

“I do know. We’re not ready to fight them right now. The Princess is much stronger than we anticipated. Which is good for us later. Much later. Not now. I feel as though we’re being rushed, and you know how I hate that. Morgana can tilt the tables.”

The dark user is knocked to his knees by my visionary, and he cries out as his knees hit the floor. I’d almost think he was human for being so pathetic.

“No, please,” he whimpers as I rub the dull edges of the claws across his face, over his trembling lips. “I can still help. Gavin isn’t with them. I d-don’t know w-where he is, but he’s not with them. Neither are the Gemini. Morgana won’t be of any use.”

I withdraw my hand while looking at my visionary, and he tightens his lips.

“They do have the night stalker Gavin infected with power,” he says after a beat, while the dark user continues to sniffle, forgotten at our feet.

“What about him?”

“He can’t have control of his power

yet. He’d need a guide, and I’m sure it’s not easy to get help from a bunch of power-happy beings, such as they are. Morgana could be of use there. She could befriend him, offer to help him learn. Seduce him, even. It would put us inside the circle.”

Brilliant. Why can’t everyone be so helpful?

“Zee,” the dark user chimes in, reminding me he’s still here. “His name is Zee. He owns a club where bitten fey or blood drinkers of any kind go to snack without alerting humans. They hide in plain sight. I-I could get you in. Show you where it is. Not just anyone can show up and be allowed access.”

The cowardly always beg and bargain.

“What about my demon hybrid?” I ask him. “Where is she? With them?”

“N-No,” he stammers out. “Only the twin sister is with them.”