“Of course, when Carrick asked me to go on an adventure with him for the Blood Stone, I couldn’t believe the fortune that had fallen in our laps.”
“Why not just take the Blood Stone when we came out of Micah’s realm?” I ask, my tone pissy. “You had it in your hand.”
“It wasn’t the right time. I’m no match for Carrick, and he would have killed me had I tried to abscond with it then. Patience prevailed.”
“You must be so proud of yourself,” I snap in sarcastic irritation.
“Why yes, I am,” he says with a feral grin, rising from his chair. Clearly, he’s not happy with my tone. He honestly expects me to be impressed with him.
With a wave of his hand, I’m back on the floor with my chains in place. The food, water, table, and chairs are gone.
“Kymaris is right, you know,” Pyke says as he walks up to me, giving a light kick to the side of my leg in an almost playful manner.
“About what?” I ask, tipping my head back to see him.
“You’re nothing special,” he murmurs in contemplation. “We’re still a bit stumped why you’re the key to this prophecy, but it doesn’t matter. Once we get the Blood Stone, you’ll be less than nothing special.”
I give Pyke a sweet smile. “You flatter me. But what makes you think you’ll get the Blood Stone?”
“A message has been sent to Carrick offering you up,” Pyke says as he turns away and heads toward the staircase. “I can’t imagine he won’t jump on that, then we’ll have the Blood Stone in hand by nightfall.”
He stops at the base of the stairs, looks over his shoulder, and smiles. “And when the new moon comes, the world is going to change for the better.”
I don’t respond, just stare at him impassively as if his words don’t mean anything to me.
The problem is, they mean far too much.
CHAPTER 3
Carrick
Carrick wasn’t the type of man to get frantic over anything, but Finley had been gone for almost five hours, and he had not one fucking lead. He’d never felt so lost.
After visiting Nimeyah, Carrick and Zaid returned to the condo. It wasn’t long before Maddox returned, having gotten Rainey and Myles settled into their secret hiding place. After apprising Maddox that Pyke was after the Blood Stone and had taken Finley, Carrick sent his brother off to find Deandra.
She might have been in on it, but, more than likely, she knew nothing about what her brother had done as they were not close. Regardless, that angle had to be checked.
After Maddox left, Carrick didn’t need to think about it much since he knew what Finley would want him to do. She would have wanted Rainey and Myles to know what happened. She had repetitively promised to keep them in the loop, and he felt they had a right to know their friend had been kidnapped.
Carrick made the call to inform them. From wherever Maddox had taken them, they assured him they would head back to Seattle immediately. Luckily, Maddox had left his Hummer with them.
Next, Carrick had put a call in to Titus and left a voicemail message. Regardless of what realm he was in, he would always go somewhere to check his messages a few times a day, so Carrick knew he’d be arriving before too long.
While Carrick waited for everyone to arrive, he and Zaid sat at the kitchen island and tried to figure out what the fuck was going on.
“And Pyke never gave any indication as to why he wanted the Blood Stone?” Carrick asked.
For the third time.
Zaid was patient, though, as he knew Carrick was furious and fearful at the same time and allowed him to work this through however he needed. “No. Only that he wanted the Blood Stone. The last thing I heard before I left was Finley telling him that you had the stone. So if he really wants it, he’s going to offer Finley in return for it.”
Carrick’s expression was grim, but he nodded in understanding. That was the most logical conclusion, and he assumed Pyke would send him a message at some point. Carrick just wished it were soon rather than later.
“What could he possibly want with the Blood Stone?” Zaid pondered, drumming his fingertips on the countertop.
“To have more power than his mother,” Carrick fathomed a guess. “He never did like playing prince to the queen. Felt he was always destined for something greater.”
“I thought that was just his ego,” Zaid muttered, his distaste for the Light Fae evident.
“It is mostly his ego,” Carrick replied with a scoffing laugh. “But he has some ambition in him. I’m wondering if the power of the Blood Stone was just too great of an opportunity to pass up.”
“What if he wants it for gain?” Zaid suggested. “Maybe he’ll sell it to Kymaris.”