“I’d love to kill her,” he said, “but don’t you think she knows that? She’s not going to let me get close to her unless she knows I’m not a threat.”
Kusuma Ila stroked the cat’s head, her brow furrowed thoughtfully. “Give me a few days,” she suggested. “And I might be able to help you.”
* * *
Chapter 31
Kay was dreaming of Gideon when someone shook her shoulder. Murmuring, “Go away,” she tried to find her way back into her dream, back into the warmth and safety of Gideon’s arms.
“Wake up, Kiya!”
At the sound of Victor’s voice, she came fully awake, all her senses alert as the horror of the previous week returned full force. If he dared laid a hand on her again, he’d lose it!
Victor yanked the covers from the bed. “Get up.”
“What time is it?”
“What difference does that make? Your father is here.”
“My father’s here?” She blinked up at Victor as he switched on the light.
“Didn’t I just say that?” Victor stood over her. For once, he didn’t glare at her. Instead, he looked uncharacteristically subdued. “I wouldn’t keep him waiting, if I were you.”
Kay sat up, reaching for the robe at the foot of her bed. “What’s going on?”
Victor didn’t answer, merely turned on his heel and left the room.
Something was wrong.
She stared after him a moment; then, drawing her robe tightly around her, she followed Victor downstairs. When she entered the living room, her father turned away from the window. Kay felt her stomach turn over at the somber expression on his face.
Something was definitely wrong.
“What is it?” she asked, unable to keep the worry from her voice. “What’s happened?”
“I’ve come to take you home.”
Arms wrapped around her waist, she stared at him. What wasn’t he telling her?
“Get whatever you need for overnight. Victor can bring the rest of your things tomorrow.”
She didn’t argue. She was all too happy to leave Victor and his taciturn parents behind. All too happy to go home because Gideon was there. Somehow, she would find a way to see him. The thought made her smile inside; had she been alone, she would have laughed with the joy of anticipation, but that would never do, not with her father watching her.
Hurrying back upstairs, she grabbed a change of clothes and a pair of shoes. She was going home!
Returning to the living room, she glanced at Victor. He stood next to the fireplace, his arms folded over his chest, his expression sullen. He remained mute when she followed her father out to the car.
Once she was settled, her father put the car in gear and drove out of the compound. He refused to tell her why he was spiriting her away from the Rinaldi home place in the middle of the night, leaving her to imagine the worst. Her first thought was that something had happened to Gideon, but her father wouldn’t come after her in the middle of the night because of that. The only other thing she could think of was that her mother was sick, dead, dying… .
Kay felt an immense sense of relief when her mother, clad in nightgown and robe, met her at the front door. But one look at her mother’s face and Kay knew something was terribly wrong at home.
“Your old room is ready,” Dorothy said, not quite meeting Kay’s eyes.
“Mom, are you all right?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Dorothy, go to bed,” Russell said curtly. “I need to speak with Kiya.”
Kay frowned when her mother lowered her head and hurried out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
Kay sank down on the sofa, the clothing she had brought with her clutched in her hands. “What’s going on?” She was suddenly certain that something awful had happened to Gideon. It would explain why he hadn’t opened the link between them, why she couldn’t feel him. She bit down on her lower lip to keep from asking about him, knowing it would only make her father even angrier than he was already.
“You’ll be staying here for a while,” her father said.
Kay nodded. She wished he would just say whatever he had to say and get it over with.
Taking the chair opposite the sofa, he regarded her with hooded eyes.
It made her nervous when he looked at her like that, as if he was trying to see into her very soul.
“The witch managed to escape from Rinaldi’s,” her father said at last.
Kay stared at him. Verah was free? Of all the things he might have said, that came as the biggest surprise. Why had no one told her?
“That’s not all. Tonight, your mother took it upon herself to free that damn vampire.”
Gideon wasn’t here? Kay shook her head in disbelief. “What happened? Did he hypnotize her or something?”
“No.”
She couldn’t imagine her mother doing anything so daring on her own. And if it was true, and Gideon was no longer a prisoner, then why hadn’t he contacted her?
“If she wasn’t compelled, why would she do something like that?” Kay asked. She had to know, although she didn’t really care. The only thing that mattered was that Gideon was free. If her mother had been in the room, Kay would have kissed her.
Russell cracked his knuckles. “Until we find him again, you’ll be staying here, where I can keep an eye on you.” He stood, his gaze capturing hers. “You will not contact him,” he said, and it was no longer her father speaking, but her Alpha. “If he gets in touch with you, you will let me know. Are we clear?”
“Yes, Father.”
“Go to bed.”
Kay stood as well. “What have you done to my mother?”
His eyes narrowed. “Are you questioning my authority?”
She refused to be cowed by the tone of his voice or by the way he stood there, bristling. “I want to know what you’ve done to her.”
“I taught her a lesson she should have learned a long time ago.”
“You broke her spirit!” Kay exclaimed, remembering the vacant expression on her mother’s face, the way she had bowed her head, as if she were a servant instead of a member of the family. “How could you do such a despicable thing? She’s as good as dead inside!”
“I will not have anyone who resides under my rule defy me.”
Kay felt her anger rise up, as bitter as gall. “You’re her husband, not her master. You’re supposed to love her, protect her… .”
“I am Alpha here,” he said, his voice a low growl. “As such, I will be obeyed. By my pack. By my daughter. By my wife. I do not need your approval, Kiya, only your obedience. I will not be judged by you or anyone else. Do you understand?”