KnightForce Tres (La Patron KnightForce Book 3) (20 page)

“Will she kill the child?” Jasmine asked, her heart in her throat after that snapshot of Elyria’s instability.

“If the child becomes a hindrance, yes. Chances are she’s controlling her with a necklace, which will end only with the death of one of them. If the child’s collared, she’s little more than a zombie, her thoughts won’t connect, she can’t think coherently or offer resistance. It’d never occur to her to do so. She’s a prisoner of both the mind and body.”

Something in Mélange’s tone hinted that she’d experienced the horrors she just described. Jasmine wondered if Mélange’s nightmares were similar to Asia’s.

“Thank you, I appreciate you talking to me and putting my mind at ease over my sister. Seriously, you hurt her, she’s very upset. It was painful to see and something I never want to see again,” Jasmine said.

“I hope this isn’t going to be a pattern, my mate and I don’t need you or anyone interfering in our relationship. If I mess up, I’ll correct it. Don’t come between my mate and I again. If you hadn’t called and asked –”

“You’re right,” Jasmine said, clamping her hand over Silas’ mouth to stop the growls erupting from his lips. “That won’t ever happen again. No one should come between mates. My mate would rip anyone in half who dared, but you’re not mated to Renee, not yet.”

Mélange sighed. “I know, and it worries me that she won’t accept me.”

“When she calms I can explain a few things to her if you’d like,” Jasmine said.

“No!” Mélange said. “No, thank you. We’ll do this on our own. My mate is proud as am I and we’ll work through our problems, you’ve done enough already.”

Jasmine smiled at Silas, who glared at the phone as if he could see the woman. “Okay, bye.”

Silas grabbed her around the neck and kissed her hard. “Brilliant, Sweet Bitch,” he murmured against her lips.

She and Silas repeated the conversation to Tyrese, who wrote notes before leaving to continue the search for Elyria. Silas wrapped his arm around Jasmine’s shoulder and pulled her close. “You’re one tough Sweet Bitch, that turns me on, and makes my dick harder than a fucking slab of concrete.”

Turned on by his words, she cupped his hardness and squeezed.

Silas threw back his head and moaned as she continued working him over.

“You’re right, you are hard.” Releasing him she ignored his sigh, pulled him close and kissed him hard.

Chapter 34

Rain hammered against the windows, thunder clapped in approval of blinding sheets of water moisturizing the soil. Slivers of gray stretched across the room like clawed tentacles reaching through the cracks for unwary prey. The solitary lamp barely brightened the room; the dim glow matched her mood perfectly.

Mélange stared at the phone for a few minutes, the conversation with Jasmine raced around her head. Her beast howled her displeasure at being separated from their mate. She dropped her face in the palms of her hands. Had she reacted out of fear and accused Renee of being someone else?

Yes.

For the past few hours, the entire conversation with Renee replayed in her mind on a loop as she reexamined her beloved’s reactions to everything she said.

Renee had spoken the truth, she had no idea what the chameleon was or what it did. “Goddess, what have I done? Why can’t I get this right? Why’s it so hard?” Should she call Renee? Apologize?

No, Renee needed space, at least that’s what she said. But what if she didn’t mean it? Is that why Jasmine called? To suggest she make things right with Renee? No, Jasmine loved her sister, but wanted information on Elyria. Confirmation that her mate had been the one in the hotel earlier was a fair exchange. Besides, everyone knew Mélange could never deliberately hurt her mate.

Regardless of what Jasmine thought of her, they both recognized Elyria as a real threat. Mélange hadn’t been completely honest. Elyria would hurt, or try to destroy Renee if she could. That was the reason Mélange followed Renee to West Virginia, to protect her.

When the child went missing, Mélange didn’t give it much thought, it had nothing to do with her or the plan she and Elyria discussed. Children were never used, it was something they both agreed early on.

After she cut Elyria off, she didn’t realize her former lover would carry out some type of plan for the chameleon, although it seemed her focus changed from the bracelet to what? Mélange had no idea, and that was the true danger of dealing with Elyria, she changed constantly for no apparent reason.

Even though she was positive Elyria was no longer in the area, her wolf demanded they remain close to protect their mate. It had been years since she and Elyria fought a dominance challenge. Elyria was a fierce competitor and shouldn’t be taken lightly, even though she couldn’t defeat Mélange.

Whatever happened in her past created demons she fought on a daily basis, but never shared with Mélange no matter how bad they became. In some ways they were strangers even after spending a decade together. They owned properties together in several locations around the world, but none in the Pennsylvania Mountains. Elyria must’ve purchased something and used some old dummy corps to hide it. Which wasn’t the smartest move since that particular set wasn’t supposed to ever be used for any of their personal transactions.

If Elyria decided to attack Renee, Mélange would kill her or die trying, which would be a shame given their shared history. As long as Elyria left Renee alone, Mélange wished her the best and would do nothing more to assist in her capture. She headed to the shower to keep from calling Renee.

“Mélange
?”

She stopped and rested her forehead on the cool tile beneath the shower spray.

“
Mélange
?”

“
Elyria
.” Mélange tried to infuse happiness in her voice but failed miserably. Talking to her former lover at this point would cause more harm than good.

“
Hi, how’s everything going?”

“The same, not a whole lot
,” Mélange said, rinsing off and then stepping out. She needed to speak carefully.

“
How’s your mate? Have you done the mating dance yet?”
Elyria didn’t try to hide her disgust and it riled Mélange’s beast.

“
No, not yet. Working on it, takes time
.” She kept her tone even.

“
Hmm, you didn’t ask how I’m doing or if I’m okay. Sounds like you don’t care anymore.”

Mélange rolled her eyes at Elyria’s patented diva move. “
I care, I’ll always care. How are you doing? Painting the town red? Leaving a trail of broken hearts behind?”

Elyria giggled. The sound grated on Mélange’s nerves.

“
Not yet, that’s next. I’m at our place in Canada, didn’t want to stay in his country
.”

Mélange knew Elyria referred to La Patron. “
That’s why we have those other places, so we can do as we please when we please.”

“Which reminds me, what are we going to do about the property we share? I’m telling you I don’t want another woman in our homes. We can sell them if you want.
”

At this point Mélange wanted nothing she and Elyria shared. Her beast would never allow her to re-enter those places again. “
Yes, if that’s what you want
.”

“
I don’t want to do that, I want our life back the way it was before, but I can’t have that, can I!?”

Mélange closed her eyes, took a breath and spoke calmly. “
No, the fates decided differently. I’m sorry this happened to us.”

“You loved me,
” Elyria whispered through their link. “
Understood me, never tried to change or tie me down.”

“You did the same for me.
”

Elyria sniffed. “
You’re right, we were perfect for each other, I don’t know why the fates or whoever does this shit doesn’t see that. We, you and I, belong together. Not some human
,” she spat.

Mélange fought her beast to remain calm and spoke a few seconds later. “
I hear you. But it’s done, and I’ve accepted it.”
She stressed the last point.

“
Truly, you’ve accepted this human as your mate?”

“Yes, I have
.”

“
What about me?”
Elyria asked. “
What am I to do without you? You were the brains and brawn of our duo. I remember some of the things you taught me, but I get them wrong sometimes
.”

“
Maybe it’s time to settle down in one place or a few places. Spend time on the beach, listen to your favorite musicians, something calm that doesn’t require the skills we used for our jobs.”

“Boring,”
Elyria said, refusing to grow up. “
The only reason I agreed to retire was for you. Together, life’s exciting no matter what we do. But without you, there’s no reason to stop, is there?”

“What about forgetting critical information to cover your tracks?”
Mélange said.

“They haven’t caught me yet. And they’re supposed to be the best. So I must be doing okay,”
Elyria said in a sing-song voice that concerned Mélange. A cocky Elyria was an unstable Elyria.

“
No? What’d you do?”

Elyria laughed, a high pitched sound void of warmth and humor. “
You already know, don’t you? That’s why you haven’t asked any questions. I appreciate that. You can’t tell what you don’t know.”

“True. I don’t want to know. But I wish you the best. Keep them out of your head and do your thing.
”

“
Awww, Mellie, you really mean that. Glad to hear the sincerity in your voice.”

“I hate when you call me that.”

Elyria laughed. “
I know.”

Mélange smiled and lay on the bed staring at the ceiling. Elyria would eventually wind down and get to the reason for contacting her.
“Sounds like you’re enjoying yourself.”

“Oh, I am, truly. For the first time in a long time, I’m tapping into the skills of my birthright. I’ve slept on them for a long while. No longer. I’ll take my place by force, if necessary.”

“Birthright?
” During their time together Elyria mentioned being a black wolf and what that meant to her but not her early beginnings. Mélange knew nothing about Elyria as a child. Mélange often wondered if Elyria suffered as a pup or had been abused as a teen.

“
Yes, I’m a black wolf, from the mighty Black Wolf Clan, didn’t know that did you?”

“
Yes, but that’s all I know. You never shared your past with me
.” Mélange sat on the bed reeling. Black wolves were like royalty, even though their clan was poor. As a female Black Wolf, Elyria could have a seat of honor within her clan. Why hadn’t Elyria returned to her pack? Furthermore, why had she separated from them in the first place?

“
I didn’t? Oh well, that’s all behind us now. You’ve left me and moved on with La Patron now.”

“What?”

“Your mate is related to him? His mate?”

“What does that have to do with anything
?” Mélange growled, disliking anyone thinking she was on La Patron’s team. That’d never happen unless it had something to do with her mate.

“
Nothing I suppose. Do they know my name yet
?”

“
Yes, thanks for using my name on those dummy corporation papers, sent them knocking on my door,
” Mélange said.

“
I wasn’t sure how that worked, you normally handled that end of it.”

“But you didn’t want me to know about your place in Pennsylvania? You’re experimenting again?”
It wasn’t a question as much of an acknowledgement.

“Yes, and yes. I promised you I wouldn’t, but I couldn’t ignore the call to work with the crystals, it’s in my bones, like a drug. Say you understand
.”

Mélange no longer cared, but now was not the time to say so. “
I guess so. Too much talent not to be used
.”

“Exactly, you always understand me. I miss you. Why didn’t you tell me about KnightForce? Didn’t they show up in your research
?”

Mélange wasn’t fooled by the soft, silky voice. Like the Sirens of old, it was a tool leading unwary prey into a trap.
“I did tell you, we talked about it for a few hours last month on the patio in the New Orleans cottage. I didn’t know until yesterday they were in West Virginia for training, from what I heard there’s a lot of them.”

“New Orleans…oh yes, I forgot about that lively discussion, but not what we did afterward. However shall I replace you, my love?

Mélange bit back a groan. They’d had this conversation several times already.
“Elyria, I’m mated, there’s nothing I can do about it. What if your mate searches for you as we’re speaking? Perhaps you will meet her at your destination.
”

“That would be interesting indeed
.” Elyria’s tone hardened.
I wanted to share my greatest coup with you, but feared you were no longer interested. Can I share my brilliance with you? Please, I have no one to talk to that I can trust
.”

“
You know the way it works with mates, she will have access to my memories as I have access to hers. It’s not safe to tell me your personal triumphs right now. Focus on winning the gold ring, they are searching for the child everywhere.”

“The child? What about me? I thought they know I’m involved.”

“Just your first name, but that’s not a lot to go on.
” Mélange paused. “
Do you want them to know more about you? To find you?”
Whatever Elyria’s end game, she no longer focused on the chameleon bracelet, which had been the catalyst for starting this journey.

“Yes and no. Truly this isn’t turning out to be half as much fun as I thought it would be. I can’t share what I’ve accomplished. I’m on the run with a kid
.” Elyria sighed. “
Maybe I’ll go to the beach.
”

Mélange closed her eyes and shook her head. Classic Elyria, sticking her head in the sand to avoid working out the bugs in her flawed plan. Except this time, Mélange wouldn’t be there to clean this one up. Things were too shaky with Renee to even suggest solutions to Elyria’s problems. “
Be careful my friend. You’ve done well so far, don’t get caught unawares.”

“I won’t, I had the best teacher. I miss you always and hope to see you again one day,”
Elyria said.

“Perhaps, but if not, safe journeys,”
Mélange said to end the conversation on a positive note.

Mélange sat on the edge of the bed going over the conversation in her mind to make sure she didn’t mistakenly leave an option for any type of reunion with Elyria. None, she’d been firm and resolute in her commitment to her mate. Now she prayed to the Goddess that Elyria heard the conversation the same way she did.