Twilight War (9 page)

“What the
hell?” Flame pulled the towel around her breasts and held it
tightly. “Where did you come from? What do you want? Was that you
in the kitchen, Ian?”

Other than
looking ghastly pale, his appearance hadn’t changed much. He still
had a head full of brown curls but his eyes looked dark and void of
feeling.

“No, that
wasn’t me. You had the privilege of meeting our master first hand.”
He smirked. “Did you enjoy it?”

“Go to hell!”
She snapped. “Oh wait…you’re already there.”

“Ha ha, funny.
I’m here to keep an eye on Von. The master doesn’t really want to
send Raef in as the third Satellite. He went to a lot of trouble
bringing Von back and giving him increased capabilities. If you
beat him a second time then his ass is going into the pit.”

“Noted, now get
the hell out. I’ve been talking to ghosts for too long.”

“Aren’t you the
least bit curious as to all the missing pieces in your emotional
thicket?”

“I have enough
to think about. Go away. I don’t need more lies.”

“No!” Ian swung
his fist and the mirror shattered.

Flame dashed
into the bedroom. The ghosts from Twilight had more abilities than
any wraiths she’d heard of. Her body trembled but she tried to hide
her fear.

“You killed me,
bitch! And you took the life of my precious Cassie.”

“I didn’t start
this war. You opened the door with all your research. You’re to
blame! You and your obsession for revenge.” She curled away from
him and clung to the bedpost. “Get out of Raef’s home. You betrayed
him, too.”

“Raef…” Ian’s
tone of voice sounded sad and somewhat confused. “Raef wants me to
be here.”

Her head jerked
around. “What?”

“That’s the
downside of being dead,” he growled. “There is nothing on the other
side except the truth.”

“What are you
talking about?”

“You need to
know some things. There was never any research. I fabricated the
entire story to draw on your compassion and sense of justice.
Everything I told you about creepers and the Satellite, I learned
from Coop.”

Flame pretended
not to know anything. She simply scowled at him in heated silence,
furious over his deception. Whatever reason Ian had for coming to
her, she forced herself to endure yet another round from the evil
realm if only to uncover the truth.

“What about
your first wife? Did you make that up, too?”

“No! Hell no.
They took her, too, just like they took my Cassie. They used my
first wife as an example, to show me what they were capable
of.”

“I’m sorry.”
She stared warily at him. “Why are you here?”

“I miss my
friend. Raef didn’t deserve to die. I’ve come to tell you the
truth. Raef would want me to.”

Flame eased to
a sitting position on the edge of the bed. “About what?”

“Coop was
ordered to take over Von’s biker group then kill Von. He was slated
as the next Satellite. When Von returned in his immortal form, he
didn’t rejoin the Soldiers as they belonged to Coop by then. The
animosity between him and Coop, well, I’m sure you can imagine what
being dead does to someone. Von was beyond pissed off. He started
the Black Pythons to build a new following.”

“Why did Coop
take over the Soldiers if Von was out of the way?”

Ian arched one
brow. “Oh…I see Von hasn’t spilled his guts. I’m impressed.”

“Von and I
aren’t exactly friends.” She wasn’t about to reveal anything she’d
heard.

“Every
Satellite needs a pack of creepers. They serve as eyes and ears to
their leader. Coop failed but since he was the first, the master
sentenced him to a life of misery on earth instead of the burning
sulfur pits. He believed that Coop would be more useful as a
recruiter and he was right. Coop is ruthless.”

“Coop was the
first Satellite?” She controlled her rage and feigned a shocked
expression. She even added a gasp of dismay for effect, to keep
Von’s confidence.

“Yeah and he
does not have a soft spot for you as Von does.”

“Great, now
there are two Satellites. Thanks for the warning.”

“I’m not
done.”

Flame sighed.
“Of course not.”

“There are more
people involved than you think. The whole thing was a setup, Flame.
I was instructed to lure you out to LA, play on your sympathy, and
persuade you to help me go after the Satellite. Nobody considered
the possibility that you might win.”

“You lied to
me…a lot. What about Raef? Was he in on it, too?”

“No, Raef is
innocent. He truly loved you.”

“Why, Ian, why
did you set me up?”

“I had no
choice. Coop told me what to do and how to run the show. They
threatened to use Cassie as a backup surrogate if I didn’t
cooperate. I knew they’d do it if I failed, after seeing what they
did to my first wife. As you can see, it didn’t work out very well
for me the second time around either.”

“How did you
get hooked into the evil realm?”

“I married the
wrong woman. She was an ancient. They killed her as a warning to
me.”

“Why didn’t you
contact me privately? Maybe I could’ve helped.”

“I couldn’t
risk it. Cassie was supposed to betray the realm and get me out.” A
distant look filled his colorless dark eyes. He was clearly
drifting. “Your ex-husband spread word that Hatch was going to hurt
you.”

“Yeah that
seems to be the story. Von tried to convince me that Aiden
kidnapped me because he thought I was in danger.”

Ian spoke in a
flat tone, no emotion at all. “That story is unclear. I am not able
to sort the facts. Nobody has ever broken free of Twilight.”

“Now why would
Hatch want to hurt me?”

“I wouldn’t
know. But that’s what your ex told Von.”

“Von
was
telling the truth,” she muttered in disbelief. She thought about
what Von had told her on the night he almost won. She hadn’t
believed him and accused him of trying to manipulate her with the
story about Aiden and his crazy ideas.

“They weren’t
supposed to hurt you,” Ian continued.

“Who are
they
?”

“Aiden’s
family. They belong to the Twilight Realm.”

She stifled a
gasp. “Is Aiden in the realm, too?”

“I can’t tell.
Everything around him is shrouded.”

Flame summoned
every ounce of self-control to hide her rage. This was one of the
keys she desperately needed. “So that’s how my ex found out that I
am a sisterhood warrior and how Hatch knew that Von snuck away with
me that morning. They must have been the ones who tipped Hatch
off.”

Ian didn’t
elaborate on Aiden but continued nonetheless. “Their interference
triggered an unanticipated response in Von and contributed to why
he failed with you. That is why the master has given him a second
chance.”

“Does Von know
those people serve the evil realm?” She needed to seek out the
truth concerning Von.
Had he played me all along to make me
think he has a heart?

“I didn’t know
about their connection until I crossed into the Twilight Realm. Von
has never been dead long enough to see the entire truth. If you
really want to know, ask him.”

“Oh, right.”
She scoffed. “And he’ll spill the truth just like that.”

“If you ask him
in this domain he is bound by immortal law to tell the truth.
Raef’s blood compels us to tell the truth here.”

She was
stunned. Apparently, Von had been honest with her earlier. She
thought for a moment then said, “No, I don’t trust any of this
right now…I have a better way.”

Ian studied her
curiously but didn’t respond.

“If Aiden’s
family belongs to Twilight, why would they get in the way of its
plan?”

“Selfishness,
revenge…evil follows no rules.” Ian perched himself on the window
ledge. “I sure miss hanging out here. I miss working on the bikes
with Raef.” A peculiar sadness emanated off him.

His revelation
astounded her but she concealed her emotion. If he had more to say,
she didn’t want to stop him by losing control again. She wondered
what kind of
unanticipated response
had been triggered in
Von. Maybe there was hope for him yet.

“I’m sorry
about Cassie. I didn’t want to do it. I’m really sorry about you,
too, Ian.”

He stared at
her, through her. “I believe you.”

“Are you stuck
between worlds? Can you see Raef?”

“No. Cassie
made her choice and I followed her straight to hell. I am bound to
the evil realm forever unless someone finds a way to break the
chain of events.”

Flame gave him
an inquisitive look. “What would it take to set you free?”

“Doesn’t
matter, it will never happen.”

“Tell me
anyway.”

His stare
became intense. “You’d have to win the war…make Von feel again,
enough that he’d risk his soul to save you and turn to the good.
Those of us without blood on our hands would be free.”

“Killing Coop
won’t be enough?”

“No. But you
should kill the dirty prick anyway. He’s a liar and a bully.”

“And a
killer.”

Ian nodded.
“That, too.”

“What about
Hatch? Was he in on the
setup
, too?” She didn’t know why she
cared. Maybe she simply needed to know how far the chain of lies
had spread. “What is his involvement in all of this?”

“Hatch and I
drifted apart when I met Cassie. I have no clue as to what he knows
or if he even believes in any of this. He stayed in New York most
of the time and never rode with either pack except when he needed
help rescuing you.”

“So you outed
me to Coop after you saw me use my daggers and he was the one who
manipulated my relationship with Hatch to bring me out of hiding.”
She felt the pieces coming together somewhat. “You were just a
pawn, like everyone else in this vicious game.”

“Yeah.” Ian
sighed. “Hatch betrayed Raef by sleeping with his wife. It almost
split up the band so it was easy for Coop to work everyone against
each other. I doubt Hatch even knows that he’s been used and he
probably wouldn’t care as long as he gets what he wants…you.”

She didn’t
respond. Thus far, everything Ian said lined up with what she knew
and also with the details Von had revealed. Some of the missing
pieces to her puzzle came into view, most notably her evil
ex-in-laws from her first marriage. She’d often wondered why they’d
beaten her nearly unconscious that night. Now she knew. They truly
were evil and simply wanted to destroy her. How they became
involved with the Twilight was something she might never know, but
she’d always sensed malevolence in them.

“Do you know
how Aiden’s family ended up in the Twilight Realm?”

Ian shrugged
with open indifference. “Does it matter? Maybe they chose it or
struck a deal. Maybe they screwed up like me. Who knows?”

“Won’t they be
punished for losing control and foiling the mission?”

“You’d think,
but so far they’ve gone unscathed. They must have signed on for the
long haul. Hell, they might be ancients. I wouldn’t over think it.
Twilight uses any willing fool.”

Apparently, the
evil realm had eyes and ears everywhere just watching for her to
show up one day.
Who knows how many families Twilight has
enlisted? Maybe there was even a monetary reward or even better, a
promise of protection or immortality.
She sighed despondently.
I may never get all the answers.
Even so, a few things were
clear now. Aiden’s family needed to die and her father was about to
meet his daughter for the last time.

Why Von
switched gears and decided to save her from the ex-laws was still a
mystery. A part of her wanted to believe there was still good in
him, even enough good to save his soul. Her conflicted feelings
toward the mysterious man troubled her. If she ever discovered that
Von had lied to her, she’d unleash her wrath on his treacherous
soul regardless of the repercussions.

The question of
how
to kill Von sprung back to mind, she studied Ian with
scrutinizing eyes. “You haven’t told me everything. Why?”

“You should be
happy that I gave up as much as I did. If the master finds out what
I’ve told you, my ass is going into the pit.”

“Then why did
you?”

“Raef was my
best friend. He loved you.”

“I was led to
believe that Hatch was your best friend, then Coop and of course
Raef. Who really
was
your best friend since you’re all about
telling the truth now?”

“Raef. He told
you, didn’t he?”

Flame
nodded.

“Raef never
lied. I did my best to protect him from Coop and that whole mess. I
failed.”

“Von told me
that you neglected to mention something very important. Any clues,
Ian?”

“Oh…” His eyes
darkened and a wayward grin touched his pale lips. “When Von used
Cassie and our newborn son to make his flamboyant comeback, I
overheard him tell Cassie that flaming daggers could no longer kill
him. Is that what you’re after?”

“Yeah…anything
else that might help?”

“Nope.”

“Are you afraid
your evil ruler will hear you?”

“Didn’t Von
tell you that this house is now sacred?”

“Just
checking.” She wrinkled her brow in thought. “Then how did he wield
his power over me in the kitchen?”

“You opened a
window. You’d be wise to guard your thoughts and avoid night
mists.”

“I can’t stay
locked up here in fear.”

“Your
choice.”

“So you’re
really not going to tell me how to kill Von?”

Ian let out a
mocking laugh. “Now that would be a conflict of interests, don’t ya
think?”

Sensing the
visit was about to end, she sought one more answer. “Ian, when you
told me that Cassie helped the Satellite return, you mentioned a
connection she carried that empowered her, an exclusive link…did
you lie about that, too?”