Set In Sparks (Morningstars Book 2) (13 page)

“I –”

“Won’t go anywhere with a person we don’t know, especially not alone. You,” Jaden announced, walking towards them as if he owned the place. “You’ll follow the Queen, me and my brother to her office. Everyone else? Get lost.” Jaden was a taking-charge-person, but that moment Maya hated it. In addition, she felt sorry for the Officer. Instead of making a scene, she decided to follow Jaden’s lead, walking next to the officer up the marble stairs.

“Your mate?” he asked in a hushed voice and she rolled her eyes.

“Stop that, Maya,” Jaden snapped and she was tempted to giggle. Her skin tingled and it took a moment until she realized what it meant. Her jaw almost hit the floor. She reached out and tugged on the uniform jacket.

“Handsome, we’ll be there in a second,” she promised, feeling both twins getting angry with her. “It’ll be okay.” She was the Queen after all and here she was, being bossed around.

The twins left, muttering under their breaths, but Maya ignored them.

“So, I think humans liaison is not exactly the best position, huh?” she asked and he rubbed the back of his neck. “When did you join the MSP? Five years ago? Six?”

“It’s been decades ago,” Tristan said, outrage clear in his voice. “I’m a full-blown vampire.”

She touched his arm, making sure he looked at her. “Don’t lie to me. You haven’t been turned yet. How old are you? Twenty-five? You couldn’t have been turned yet.”

“Just let me get through this here, okay? You have a mate up there who’s pretty pissed, a group of warriors down there that want nothing more than to remind me I’m not even worthy their attention. I just wanna get through this, please?” Maya liked Tristan a lot, giving him a grin.

“They’re quite nice if you get to know them,” she tried and he cocked his head, dark eyes radiating doubt.

“I won’t ever find out then. Let’s go. I have some other things to do today as well,” he sighed and she nodded, leading him into her office.

The twins gave her a long look and her heart ached at how handsome they were, standing next to each other like that. She bit her lip, wishing she could slowly take off those shirts and –

“Maya, focus,” Jaden smirked, staring at the floor.

“Of course. Tristan, let me introduce you to Jaden and Kaden, twins and Morningstar warriors. He’s my mate.”

“Who is?” Tristan asked and Maya took a deep breath.

“We both are. Now, what happened?” Jaden asked, surprising everyone in the room. Maya felt grim satisfaction coming through the bond and knew it was Jaden since Kaden was overwhelmed, confused and shocked.

“I can actually explain that. I came to see the Queen because we got a note saying that that her father is still alive and actually well. Tymon used to be my chaperon when I first started training and he’s well liked within the agency. I came to ask her if she knew anything of his whereabouts.”

Just as if had the first time, Maya’s stomach dropped and she only barely kept in a sob. “He’s dead,” she whispered, even though she had said that before already.

“We’ve been there, dude. I’ve smelled the blood. It wasn’t exactly like hers, but close enough. I’ve seen the amount; no one could have survived that. Besides, you don’t think he would have come out of hiding if he was still alive?”

The Officer cleared his throat. “There’s reason to believe that he’s actually being held against his will, so he couldn’t exactly decide what he’d want to do, right?” Tristan asked, defiance clear in his voice.

“Right. What makes you believe that?” Kaden wanted to know and Maya closed her eyes. She had wondered the same, but everyone had come between her and the answer before.

“We got a letter. It’s pretty clear about Tymon. If the Queen wants to see her father again, she needs to fulfill the demand,” Tristan explained and Maya spun around.

“A demand?” she asked at the same time the twins did.

“This is ridiculous. He’s dead. Why would anyone be that cruel?” Kaden asked, but Jaden just shook his head.

“What do they demand?” he inquired and Tristan looked at Maya.

“I’m sorry, my Queen, but whoever sent that letter wants to meet you. Only you. It’s specific about that. There aren’t supposed to be warriors present at the meeting. Don’t get me wrong, we don’t think that you should go there, but we needed to know… I needed to know if you think there was any chance he was still alive,” Tristan whispered, no longer looking at the twins, but at her now.

“I never got a chance to see my father longer than a few minutes after my mother started hunting me. If someone knows, it’s her. You should be inquiring for her. There’s no doubt she’ll be back. She tried to kill Jaden after he turned me, and Destra more than once had the chance to kill me. As you can tell, she didn’t succeed. Her hatred will have only grown after my father’s…” Her voice broke and she blinked, trying to get rid of the tears that threatened to roll down her cheeks.

“Maya,” Jaden whispered and she wanted to cry even more. She missed him calling her cupcake, because it reminded her that they weren’t okay, despite him being there.

“I’m okay,” she promised, wiping away a stray tear. It was a lie, a big one, but she couldn’t help it.

“Maya can’t go anywhere as long as someone’s out there looking for her, pretending to be my twin and wanting to see her dead,” Jaden explained, doing well in ignoring the surprised gasps of his twin and his mate. Tristan though looked as if he was on instant alert.

“There’s a direct threat against the Queen? We didn’t know!” He was taking a notepad out of his pocket, producing a pen from his pocket. “What are we looking for? Did they say how –”

“Your organization is led by idiots that don’t give a damn about the Queen because she’s what? Unusual? That’s probably why you don’t know anything about anything,” Kaden snapped and Maya could feel the pain in him, the doubt. He knew very well that his blackouts could mean he was trying to hurt her. He didn’t know what he was doing during those moments.

“Kaden, stop,” Maya fussed, stepping between him and the officer, but Tristan just ignored her.

“We might be an organization full of older generations, but that doesn’t mean everyone new is thinking in the same tight lines they are. She’s our Queen, beautiful and unique, and she has her heart in the right place. She’s trying to do the right thing and move us forward. Excuse me if you can’t look past what you think to know. I certainly can and I’m worried. So, what makes you think it’s not your brother out there trying to win her?”

“You need to leave right now,” Maya whispered. She wasn’t sure which of the twins would try to hurt him first.

“I’m worrying about you, my Queen, nothing else,” the officer promised, but Maya just shook her head.

“How about I meet you at the station some time this week? It’ll be easier talking there,” she suggested and felt how Jaden more than just disapproved of this plan. He hated it.

“I am sure you can find your way out alone, can you, officer,” Jaden hissed, opening the door. Luckily Tristan didn’t protest and Maya just gave him an apologizing smile, feeling cold the moment the door was closed behind him and she was alone with the twins.

“I wouldn’t hurt her,” Kaden whispered so low that Maya had to strain to hear him at all. She hugged herself to stop her arms from reaching out. She wanted to cradle Kaden close and prove to him that she wasn’t afraid of him. And she wanted to lean into Jaden because Kaden hated himself so much that moment, Maya wanted to cry.

Problem was, she and Jaden still hadn’t solved anything. Right there, they all were hanging in a limbo and Maya had no idea how to get them out of it.

Destra marched up and down in the house Nox had arranged for their meeting. She still doubted that her useless daughter would come, but if there was one thing that made her want to leave the house, it was the chance to meet and hurt her daughter.

Sure, she’d prefer a grand entrance, killing the precious Queen when everyone would be at the ball, but that was still some months in the future and her patience was running short. Nox was becoming a liability, being away from her more often than not. She didn’t trust him any longer. She knew he thought she didn’t realize it, but he had a different agenda. He probably thought, too, that she hadn’t noticed how he refused to sleep with her any longer.

Destra knew it wasn’t her fault since she hadn’t changed. He had changed, and that was something she hated even more. Her revenge now was all that kept her going, even though she was growing weaker by the night. She could take blood. After all, her mate was dead and that meant she could take any vein that suited her, yet she refused. Tymon had been her world and no one else’s blood would ever touch her lips, even if it meant she’d have a terrible future.

Which made her thoughts return to the daughter she hated so much. If Destra spilled Maya’s precious blood, the warriors would put an end to her miserable life and she wouldn’t fight it. In the afterlife, if it existed, she’d meet her mate again. There they could be happy together.

“She will not be here.” Destra closed her eyes, trying to reign in her anger as the runner she had sent came in.

“What do you mean?” she asked, her tone controlled. It was hard not snapping. It had been more than a week since Nox’s note had made the MSP go out and contact the Queen. Destra knew because she had her spies everywhere. There was nothing Destra didn’t know.

“The warriors put the mansion on lockdown. I could hear the Queen screaming. Oh, imagine how that blood would taste with all that adrenaline rushing through it.” The carrier smacked his lips and Destra shook her head at him.

“It’ll burn you until you can’t enjoy the taste anymore since you’re only one big ball of pain. Any idea why they closed the doors?”

“The Queen wanted to leave and obviously even tried to sneak out,” the guy reported and Destra smiled to herself. It was only a matter of time until the Queen would get her way and Destra finally her chance.

Maya paced, being confined to her bedroom, and she hated every second of it. “Let me go,” she called, banging against the door. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been this pissed. Sadly, the warriors were smart enough to not let the twins guard her because they she’d most likely get her way with an Origin’s Plea. At least they’d probably hesitate long enough so she could get out.

“Come on,” she pleaded, cursing. “I just have to take the chance. I need to find out if maybe he’s still alive,” she then sobbed, leaning her back against the door. “Please.” They wouldn’t let her go, she knew that. They hadn’t so far, and she couldn’t exactly bring the right arguments to convince them, either.

“How can you deal with it?” Kaden wanted to know, resting his head on his pulled-up knees. Jaden was sitting next to him, looking exhausted.

“Not at all,” his twin replied and then cleared his throat. “So, since we spent four nights in the last seven days here, listening to her pleading, cursing and crying, I think there’s something we need to talk about,” he then went on and Kaden definitely didn’t like that.

“I didn’t have any more blackouts, and I sure didn’t attack her,” he defended himself before Jaden had even said what he was aiming at.

“There’s a fucking huge pink elephant in the room and we both know it. I just want to talk this over with you before I say anything to her.”
No!
was Kaden’s first thought. Jaden sounded too serious and Kaden knew already that he wouldn’t be able to deal with anymore of Maya’s tears.

“Talk,” he said instead, closing his eyes.

“I can’t be without her. Staying away from her last week proved that without a doubt. I hate that you two lied to me and I’m hurt you thought you couldn’t trust me with this, but I get it. It’s what makes this whole thing so hard.”

Kaden wouldn’t ever be able to pick up the pieces if Jaden walked away, not his own and certainly not Maya’s.

“I don’t think I can do that now,” Kaden whispered, getting up to walk down the stairs into the cool night. Summer was there, providing for hot nights and even hotter days, but the day had been cloudy and the temperature outside was lower than the ones inside the mansion. Vampires didn’t feel warm or cold as humans did, yet the change registered.

“We need to do it some time,” Jaden said, following him. Kaden combed his fingers through his hair, wishing he could gauge Maya’s feelings. Jaden had a clear advantage and tapping into his Origin calmed him down, no matter what she was feeling. He
knew
she was there and healthy.

Kaden didn’t have that advantage.

“Would you be willing to do it?” Jaden wanted to know and Kaden spun around, staring at his twin.

“Do what exactly?”

“I can’t let Maya go. You let her go. She can’t decide for either of us, but would be ready to hurt because I’m a macho. I know how fate is. I know you can’t do anything against it. I know that we all are better together than apart. I’m fucking terrified of everything this implies, but I’m more scared of not ever being able to kiss her again, or hold her, or know that she’s fully happy. And she hasn’t been happy with me, not the way she could be.”

Kaden swallowed in utter disbelief. In fact, he had no idea what to say. “What?” was all he brought out, staring at his twin.

“We used to share women, and it didn’t matter. I’m not gonna touch any of your junk, and this will not be a triangle the way people think. Maya is our link. We know how this works. It’s Maya. We can’t do anything wrong with her. We know she wants us. I want her, and you want her, so I don’t think we have much choice.” Kaden wanted to nod, but sadly he didn’t get that far anymore.

Ryder followed a Hellraise through the city, Matt by his side, and he was glad for the action. Cany had stayed out of his way for the most part during the last time and it was best that way. The talk with his sister ate at him and he worried.

“You know,” Matthew started, his blond spiky hair glittering in the light drizzle that came down and Ryder already hated the words. “Something’s wrong with that courtier. She’s walking around as if she suddenly can’t remember anymore who she is.”

That was news. Ryder had tried hard to not look at her when they actually crossed paths, but it hadn’t worked. He had snuck glances at her and she seemed as stiff as ever, somewhat cute and a lot tempting.

“Fuck, is that…?” Matt suddenly asked, grabbing his arm. Ryder followed his gaze, seeing Kaden walk around the same corner the Hellraise had just passed and the twin was dragging a kicking girl after him.

“This is gonna kill Maya,” Ryder mumbled.

“What are we gonna do?” Matt wondered, carefully walking forward until he could look around the corner while Ryder got his phone out, making the hardest call anyone could imagine. He wasn’t keen on telling Jaden that his twin
was,
in fact, going off the deep end.

“It’s not a good time right now, Ry,” Jaden snapped instantly and Ryder chuckled darkly. He couldn’t remember when there ever had been a good time for calls to Jaden.

“Kaden is here, and he’s meeting a Hellraise.” There was a long pause before Jaden released a deep breath.

“Thank you, dearest Creator,” the other warrior then muttered. “Tell me where you are and make sure that neither of those two is leaving. I’ll be right there.” The line went dead and now Ryder really started to worry. Jaden was too calm and that never was a good sign.

Jaden never had wanted to drop to his knees because he was relieved, but Ryder’s call had erased the last bit of doubt in him. Kaden wasn’t the bad guy on the streets and for now that was all that matters. Following his real twin up the stairs, he wasn’t surprised that the checked-out-version was heading for Maya’s room, unlocking the door and breathing hard.

She stood there, looking at them. Jaden almost smiled. He knew she could feel the emptiness in his twin, but that didn’t matter. There was something he wanted to try before he got Lex and headed to meet Ryder. If there was one thing that could reach his twin, then it was the tiny female in front of them. The moment Kaden’s body saw her; he stopped, breathing as if he had just run a marathon.

“Again?” Maya reassured herself even though there was no doubt that she knew the answer already.

Jaden knew that they had to hurry, yet he walked closer and reached out to cup her cheek, brushing his thumb over her lip. He wanted to devour her, needed to actually, but that would have to wait until all three of the people in this room were in their right frame of mind.