SEDUCTIVE PREY

LITTLE SIS LISTENING DEVICE

My eyes flutter open and I am greeted by Ethan's baby blues. His smile awakening me from more than my sound slumber. And he leans in to kiss me.

"How long was I out?" I ask.

"Two years." He replies.

Shooting up into a sitting position, I squawk, "What?!"

I'm about to leap off the sofa when he bursts into laughter. "I'm joking. Its only been twenty minutes."

I'm going to kill him.

"Thanks for the heart attack."

Pushing to my feet, I stretch my limbs and massage my sore neck. Ethan was a bit rough this time, taking more than he needed, and I don't know if it was hunger or hormones.

"We're ready." Celeste walks over to tell Ethan and then disappears.

With a frown, I turn to him and ask, "Ready for what?"

"We've received word the other members of the Syth were captured." He informs me. And my eyes rocket to his. Waiting to hear the outcome. "They were ambushed. And now, because of their stupidity, the numbers are not on our side. We must put our plan into motion sooner than expected, which means I must leave at once, and you must get Zola to tell you what she knows."

"Are you going to tell me where you're going or what you're doing?" I ask. Realizing I don't know what his grand plan is.

"It's best if I don't." He tells me.

Flashing me an apologetic smile.

"I don't like this."

"I don't like it either, but it is a necessary evil."

"You better come back to me in one piece." I tell him.

Smiling, he replies, "Always."

With a kiss to my lips, Ethan vanishes. Leaving me alone with Celeste and Tristan who look worse for wear. I want to ask them why the Syth would do something so stupid, but I have a feeling I already know the answer. Just like I know Tristan and Celeste have been designated my baby-sitters to make sure I don't do something stupid.

Not one to waste time, I head back to Zola's room to see if I can get any closer to the truth. And she smiles genuinely when she sees me walk in.

"I'm sorry for lying to you." She apologizes.

"No need to apologize, Zo. I get why you did it, but I'm in a bit of a pickle. I need to know where Zayd is. He has my grandfather, my sister, and my best friends."

"He has your brother too."

Alarm rocks through me as I try to think back to when I last saw Kyle. Then it hits me... he must have gone along with the other members of the Syth. Now, Ethan's determination to do something and his reluctance to explain anything what that is, makes sense. It was to hide the fact that Kyle sided with the Syth.

That he doesn't agree with my decisions.

My eyes rocket back to Zola, and I ask her, "How do you know this?"

"You've forgotten so much, sister." She flashes me a pitiful smile.

My mind searches for the unspoken meaning of her words until a gear inside my head shifts to unlock the puzzle piece I'm looking for. And my heart drops into the pit of my stomach. Because Zayd knew where she was this entire time. He was just using her like a little sis listening device to find out what we were up to and who was involved. To gather intel on us like we tried to gather intel on him.