Endless Night (Fate's Intent Book 3) (24 page)

Time went by fast.

It felt like I only fell asleep for a moment but when I opened my eyes, it was already morning. I sat up and looked around the room. Troy and Darius were awake but no one else was here.

“Where are they?” I asked.

“They haven’t come back yet.” Darius said.

I immediately got right out of bed. “What?! What do you mean, they haven’t come back yet?! Where are they?!”

Troy shrugged. “We don’t know. We’ve only been awake a few minutes longer than you.”

This didn’t sound good at all. I was ready to go there and just make sure that they were okay but before I could take a step towards it, the door opened. Adele and Ruby stumbled into the room and landed on the same bed together, laughing hard with Jaylyn walking in and sitting normally next to them.

I was a little relieved to see them back but it still didn’t explain what took them so long.

“Where have you been?”

Adele looked up. “Out! What’s it matter?”

I went over, looking over her unusually happy behavior after hearing her slurred words. “Are you drunk?”

“Yup. I might say that we are a little. Wait a minute, did I say might?”

Jaylyn smiled and rubbed her leg. “Yeah, sweetie, you did.”

“What I meant to say is that we are. Yup. We are.”

“So, you’ve been out all night drinking?” Darius asked. “What a minor distraction.”

It was but there was one thing that I noticed. “You don’t seem drunk, Jaylyn.” She didn’t because she wasn’t acting like them. She seemed rather normal.

“I can’t get drunk because it’s like an illness. Healing thing, you know. Besides, it’s a foul state to be in. It’s not good for anyone.”

“But she still had a great time with us.” Ruby said. “You should have been there.”

“And there’s good news.” Jaylyn said.

“What?” Troy asked.

“We made quite an impression on Kanon that he booked us to do a show for tonight.”

I was surprised. “How did you pull that off so quickly?”

“It was easy.” Adele said. “All we had to do was have incredibly super crazy sex with everyone in the pub. It was fun.”

I instantly became hit with anger. “You what?!”

They paused for a moment then all laughed together. “I was just kidding but you should have seen the look on your faces!”

I sighed and blew off that short second of steam. That wasn’t funny at all. “So, how did you do it then?”

“Look at us. He couldn’t say no.” Jaylyn smiled.

“That’s it?” Darius asked.

“Yeah, and we were there the entire time talking about what is expected of us.” Ruby said. “Which brings us to the bad news.” She paused and stared off at nothing.

“So, what is it?” Darius asked.

“I’m sorry, what were we talking about?”

“You said there was bad news.” Troy said.

“Oh yeah. Adele, what was that bad news?”

“Um—bad news? Oh, I remember now! It will be hard to get any kind of weapon near him so it’s pretty much just up to Ruby to touch him and watch his life wither from his eyes like the soulless being he is.”

“Okay, so how is that bad news?” Troy asked. “It seems like it will be easy.”

They paused again and were acting completely off, waiting for their brains to catch up to them and Ruby laughed. “You’re right! I guess there is no bad news!”

Adele laughed too.

“I apologize for them.” Jaylyn smiled. “They tend to get a little stupid.”

“It’s okay.” I said. “I’m at least glad one of you were able to remain normal.”

“Me too actually or things could have turned out really bad. The worst part was trying to keep Ruby in her coat without making it obvious to everyone. You know, because she tends to think her skin needs to breathe. That’s why she’s always showing it off.”

Ruby sighed loudly from her outburst laugh and threw herself back on the bed. “I need a nap.”

“That’s actually a good idea for all of you.” I said. “You have to be at your best for later.”

Ruby and Adele agreed by just closing their eyes where they laid.

It was cute but I shook my head and walked over to Adele. “Perhaps more comfortable will be better.” I picked her up and she was so out of it that she didn’t fight it. She laid limp in my arms and I brought her over to another bed and set her down while Darius moved Ruby to a different bed as well.

“You should think about getting some sleep too.” Troy said, moving himself so he sat next to Jaylyn. “You have been up all night.”

“I hope I didn’t make you worry.”

“Only a little but it’s okay. You should still sleep.”

“Okay. I probably could.”

“How about making sure they get to sleep first?” I suggested. I had Adele laid down but she wasn’t so drunk she’d be ready to pass out.

“That’s probably a good idea.” Jaylyn rose to her feet. She was obviously tired but she took to my suggestion, placing her hand on their foreheads for just a moment until we knew they were really out. “That should do it.”

“Okay. Come on. You’re next.” Troy helped lay her down, staying close with a hand on her at all times.

“You probably can’t put yourself to sleep, can you?” I asked.

“No but I won’t need to. All I need is this.” She kept her hold on Troy and her eyes closed.

It only took minutes but she was out. I guess it helped she was up all night.

“You don’t really think they slept with every guy there do you?” Darius asked.

I laughed to myself to try and be quiet about it. “No. I’m sure Jaylyn wouldn’t have allowed that and even if they did, they would have come back a lot drunker than that. You saw what the guys were like in there.”

“I guess that’s true. What was I thinking?”

“Maybe it had something to do with you not sleeping with Ruby again.” Troy said.

“It was a rhetorical question. I wasn’t looking for an answer and no, that has nothing to do with it.”

“Are you sure?”

Darius took the time thinking about it while his eyes were down on Ruby in her bed. “I don’t know, maybe.”

I smiled to the fact that he didn’t even know the answer and we waited with them, giving them the time they needed to sleep.

Chapter 36

Adele

My head felt like it weighed a hundred pounds but the time was nearing and I knew we had to get ready. “Come on. Let’s not put this off.”

“I wish we could.” Ruby sighed.

“I know but I’d like to leave more.”

We got the clothes we would wear from the pub the night before and set them out on one of the beds.

First, before we got dressed we had to conceal the Black Wings of Death. We couldn’t be in our coats this time and everything had to be perfect if it were going to work at all.

We stripped down into our under clothing and I stood first while Jaylyn and Ruby were on their knees in front of me, applying the cream and powder to cover my mark. This was a much easier process. I could fade them myself with my gift but to get them back, they would have to be done all over again and I didn’t have any ink with me. This was the quickest way. The cream and powder should just wash right off when we’re done.

“Good. You’re awake.”

The Great Seni Fighters walked into the room just as Ruby was last for this process and I saw Zayden basically for the first time since we had that fight.

“What are you doing?” Darius smiled.

“What’s it look like?” Ruby said. “We have to cover our mark, remember?”

“Yeah, I know but I guess I just pictured it being done another way.”

“Well, if you have a problem you can leave.” I replied.

“Are you kidding? I could watch you do that all day and I think I will.” He went over and sat on a bed, facing our direction.

“Okay, so here’s what we’re going to do.” Zayden explained. “Once you get there, Kanon will bring you to the lounge downstairs where the Pirate Lord will be and you’ll be left alone. Once that happens, you need to stall the kill for at least ten minutes in order to make this look real.”

What just happened? Who was he supposed to be, our leader? “We know what to do. We don’t need you to tell us.”

“Well, I just thought—”

“Well, don’t. We can handle it. We don’t need you.”

He turned away like he refused to say anything else to me and I agreed. I need to be focused on this, not worrying about what’s happening with us—though I did worry.

“So, ten minutes?” Ruby asked. “That’s a long time to wait. A lot of unpleasant things could take place in those ten minutes.”

I felt Jaylyn shiver next to me. “I hope it doesn’t come to that. I didn’t agree so I could actually be a hooker.”

“Don’t worry.” I said. “It will be done quickly.”

“Love, you have to make this look real. You can’t just do it and get out. They’d get suspicious.”

“It’ll be fine. I never said we would do it and leave. We can stay for the remaining of the time, you know?”

“Well, sure if you don’t mind being around a dead body during that time.”

“Why would that matter? I’ve been around worse for longer.”

Everyone in the room reacted together. “Ooh—”

“All right, that was good but can we fight later? You have a job to do and I’m going to make sure it ends smoothly.”

“Oh really? So, what is it you plan to do?”

“Well, if anything is to go wrong we’ll be waiting for you with the horses so if you have to rush out of there, we’ll be ready.”

It made me laugh. “Sure. Unless, of course, you get distracted. Kanon was hoping you’d come back.”

“Well, we are going back but not for what you think.”

“Yeah, we’ll see. Okay. I’m done with you, Ruby. Jaylyn, how’s your side coming?”

“Wait, almost there.” Jaylyn took the moment to conceal the last part. “And done.” She stood up and turned to the guys. “So? How does it look?”

Their eyes found their way to her hips where the marks appeared inexistent.

“Good.” Troy replied. “But I kind of miss it.”

“Don’t worry. It’s only temporary.”

“You better get dressed.” Zayden said.

I agreed but said nothing and we walked over to the clothes we had laying out and started to put them on. We each had a flowing sheer skirt with four slits, one in front, one in back and one on each side at the thighs that was tied in a knot at the top with a solid seven inch band going around the hips. We each also had a strip of sheer fabric that was used to go across our breasts in whatever manner we chose. It wouldn’t have completely mattered, they would still be seen.

Jaylyn was ready first by simply just putting the fabric top around her and tied it in the back. I was ready next by putting the fabric top around my neck and crossed it over me and tied it in the back. We stood there and watched Ruby for a moment while she continued to get ready and it really didn’t look like she knew what she was doing.

“What are you doing?” Jaylyn asked.

“Why do you have to be so complicated, Ruby? Just put the damn thing on so we can leave.”

She stood with her back to the guys as she hung her head, looking down at the cloth and speaking softly. “I’m sorry, I’m just having a hard time concentrating, I guess.”

I knew it. I stepped closer with a soft voice and casually glanced back at Darius from some things we found out last night. “I know. Just remember, nothing happen.”

Ruby huffed like she didn’t believe me and held up her hands, dropping the sheer cloth. “Just stop! I can’t do this. I’m not going to be much help to you like this. You’ll have to do it without me.” She walked to the door with one hand covering herself, grabbing her long coat along the way and put it on while she left the room.

“What just happened?” Troy asked as the three of them all stood up from the bed.

This was not helping my mood. I sighed, turning to Darius specifically with a voice that struck sincere hate. “That’s just great! You had to pick now to want to sleep with some old hooker rather than Ruby and completely ruin everything!”

“How did you know about that?”

“If you seriously think that we wouldn’t find out by going there then wow, you have more problems than you think! We still need her so you are going to fix it!”

“How do you expect me to do that?!” Darius asked, getting a little mad himself.

“Maybe you could actually tell her the truth! That sounds like a pretty good idea to me!”

“No way! I can’t! I’m trying to change that! I don’t want her to know and have a different opinion of me!”

“Then go ahead and lie! I don’t care! You seem to be pretty damn good at that! Maybe she won’t know the difference!”

Zayden stepped in front of Darius and faced me. “Okay! That’s enough! Stop acting like you know! You don’t understand why he’s this way!”