SEDUCTIVE PREY

LOVE AND LOYALTIES

"Explain." I glower at Lucas. Still deciding if I'm going to kill Zayd or not.

Or maybe even Lucas for that matter. Because WTF?!

"I'm surprised you two haven't put it together by now." Lucas scoffs.

"Put what together? Bestie. And how many more secrets are you hiding from us?" I ask. Getting in his face. "How did your sister get inside me? Was it you?"

"No. I would never subject anyone to the likes of her."

"Why not give me a heads up then?"

"Because the less you know, the better. My father may be intelligent, but he hasn't put all of the pieces together. And the less he suspects, the better off you are. Now do the world a favor and get him," Lucas tips his head to Zayd, "out of here. I will take care of the rest."

Zayd lunges at him for his role in Zola's demise, and I'd like to bury my fist in his face too, but Lucas and his daemons disappear without another word.

I'm about to make a suggestion of what we should do with Zayd when a loud thud sounds and his body crumples to my feet. I turn to find Ethan standing over him, fists bawled, with rage simmering in his baby blues.

"Told you I'd find you."

"Okay. I was gonna suggest we subdue him somehow, but I guess knocking him out also does the trick." I deadpan.

Ethan motions to the remaining members of the Syndicate who make quick work of wrapping a suppression collar around Zayd's neck. Which is fitting since he's literally being incapacitated by his own device.

Not that I think he'd put up much of a fight.

Ever since he watched Zola's head leave her shoulders it's like a piece of his soul has been extinguished. With all the pain and suffering he's caused being for nothing because he didn't get Kira back. Instead, according Lucas, he released something much worse for the devil himself.

A plague upon the world whose name I didn't catch. But Lucas has a lot of explaining to do, and I'll be damned if I let him wriggle his way out of this one. He needs to start talking and fast because something tells me our little dance with the devil isn't over.

"We can't trust Lucas," Ethan echoes my thoughts. "He's kept too much from us already. He's not dependable."

"You think?" Celeste scoffs.

My gaze goes to Eden who hasn't said a word. She's caught in the middle of all this being mated to Lucas. And she knows what his betrayal might mean.

One day we may have to put him down.

My gaze flickers back over to Celeste and Tristan with untrusting eyes because they betrayed me too.

I literally can't trust anyone.

Well... except Ethan.

"Take Zayd and the others back to GA. I'll meet you there as soon as I'm done." Ethan instructs.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going after Lucas." He tells me without looking me in the eyes.

"Then I want in." I tell him. "And before you tell me all the reasons I shouldn't, you should know I'm going to find him, with or without your help. I also know him better than you do."

Ethan mulls over my words in his head before the corners of his lips curl up into a heart-stopping smile.

"You've got a point."

"I've got more than a point and you know it."

"Okay... more than a point then." He closes the distance between us.

"We don't have time for this. The longer we wait, the further away Lucas will get." I place my palm against his chest to stop him.

"I haven't been able to hold you in my arms for weeks. We can make the time."

"Besides," Eden interrupts, startling us both. "Lucas won't go far as long as I'm here. His instincts may tell him to run, but our mating bond will keep him here."

I've seen the way he is with her, firsthand. And my instincts tell me she's right. Wherever he is, he'll make sure to be close enough to keep an eye on her.

"Do you think you can lure him to us?" Ethan asks.

"That depends," her eyes lower sheepishly to the ground.

"On what?"

"Whether you plan to hurt him."

Understanding sparks in Ethan's eyes, and he briefly glances at me before answering. "I won't kill him, but I may have to hurt him a little." Ethan admits.

"How much is a little?" Eden asks.

She may be pissed off at Lucas, but she's not about to lead the love of her life to slaughter. And I can't blame her. If I were in her shoes and it was Ethan on the line, you'd have a better chance of getting a smile out of a colicky baby.

"Enough for him to pay for what he's done. If it will make you feel better, I'll leave his punishment in your hands." He offers.

After thinking long and hard about it, Eden finally nods and pulls out her phone. She leaves the room for privacy and Ethan, and I wait to find out if she's successful in luring him to us. In the meantime, Ethan closes the distance between us and wraps me in his arms.

"We need a moment alone." He whispers to me.

"Do you really want to get caught with your pants down?" I quirk a brow at him. "The moment she's able to lure him to us, we'll have minutes to get in place."

"I can make it quick."

My mouth drops open, and I playfully swat him across the arm.

"We'll have plenty of time for that once this is all over."

"I think I just threw up in my mouth." Kaia makes a gagging sound leaning against the doorjamb. "As much as I can't stand that walking waste of human flesh, Lucas is right about how gross the two of you are now that you've... never mind."

"Be nice." Tristan warns her.

"This is me being nice. In fact, I'm so nice, that I'm going to help you all out."

"How?" I frown.

"I'm going to help you catch Lucas." Kaia smiles.

Ethan perks up and gives her his undivided attention. "I'm all ears."

While Ethan and Kaia discuss their plan for capturing Lucas and trying to get information out of him, I check in with Celeste, Tristan, and the rest of the Syth.

"Should I be worried about where your loyalties lie?" I confront them.

"No, your majesty." Celeste kneels before me. Her head bowed and her forehead touching my feet to show both her regret and her submission. "Please forgive us. We had no choice."

"No choice but to turn on the person you were sworn to protect."

"We were wrong, your majesty. We made a mistake, and we will not make it again. You must forgive us and allow us to prove our loyalty to you."

I guess I haven't exactly been the best queen. So, I can't really hold it against them, can I? I've been putting everyone and everything above the needs of my people.

"You're forgiven as long as you and the other member of the Syth can forgive me for not putting the needs of our people first. I'm not good at having the world rest on my shoulders, but with your help, I'm hoping to learn." I humble myself and say.

Celeste, Tristan, and the Syth all smile and bow to me. And now that some order has been restored to our dysfunctional house of siphoners, I'm feeling a hell of a lot better about our chances of coming out of this war with the devil alive.