Chapter 164
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The darts are ready to go again. It’s gross, but I rinsed my mouth out with water a few times, and from that, we were able to get what we needed. Being back in my grandmother’s house makes me feel a little uncomfortable, but I don’t have any room to complain. When she offered, she informed us that Kaylee had gone back to the City with Ivar.
“Did something happen?” I ask Ragnar after I spit into a cup once again.
We’ve been building the darts like their Legos. I didn’t want to be downstairs, so we’ve been in what used to be my study. She didn’t change a single thing; the only difference is that what used to be mine is now gone.
“You’re going to have to be more specific,” he smirks. “A lot has happened.”
“I mean between you and Ivar,” I clarify. He turns his attention back to the basketball game on the screen. “I take that as a yes.”
“Yeah,” he shrugs. “I don’t trust his mate, and no matter what either of you says, it’s not going to change. It has nothing to do with the fact that she hit you. She rejected him. I knew something was up with him, but he kept it to himself for a while, and then he told us not to bring it up.
“You know Ivar isn’t the kind of person who keeps anything to himself. She altered him, and now she’s acting like he’s the one who did something wrong. I can’t trust someone who did that to my brother. It would be easy for her to betray him again. A lot more than their fate is at stake now.”
“Okay, but that’s not Ivar’s fault. You do what every family does. You look the other way and keep her at arms length. You can’t be throwing that in Ivar’s face as if it were his fault.”
“No, it is his fault. I kept telling him to take shit a little more seriously. The way we carry ourselves matters. She didn’t know a single thing about him other than what she’s probably seen in the media. He didn’t listen, and he’s not listening now.”
“That’s not an excuse for what happened,” I say, setting the empty dart down. “Ivar deserves to be himself. He works hard for you. For your father. He’s done a lot for your people. There’s nothing wrong with blowing off
some steam.
“It takes two for a rejection. Repairing that bond is going to take a lot, and you’re not helping. This is more important than your personal opinion of Kaylee. It has nothing to do with what happened between her and Ivar before this. Getting her on your side is key to getting the wolves to do what you want them to do.”
“I don’t understand how you’re not more upset about what she did,” he scoffs, sitting back in his seat.
“I am,” I admit and take a seat beside him. “Trust me, I hate what is happening to Ivar. But being mad at her is making you look like an asshole. You’re talking about image and taking shit seriously, but here you are making an ass of yourself over something you can’t change. You compelled her. Do you think he doesn’t know the overnight change in her?
“If he’s anything like you or your father, Ivar knows Kaylee better than she knows herself. For now, that should be enough for you. She’s not going to be able to help us if you don’t trust that she’s sorry for what she did.”
“I don’t think she is,” he rolls his eyes. I reach over to make him look at me.
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Chapter 164
“I’ve been thinking,” I say, stepping away from him.
:..
“You’re not backing out of this,” the three of them say in unison.
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“I wasn’t,” I growl at them. “I’ve been thinking about how I can probably trigger their shift from a distance. I have to try it, but I think that by channelling the water in their body, I can also prevent them from shifting. Just slow their pulse enough to keep them from doing anything. Then for sure, they’ll lead us back to the Kings.”
“They’ll think they need to top up,” Aurora points at me with a devious smirk.
“Right,” I confirm.
“How do we test this theory?” the vampire king, whose name I’ve forgotten, asks. I glance over at Aurora for help, but she ignores me.
“I don’t think you’d notice,” I tell Ragnar. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes,” he says, but it doesn’t sound very convincing. Aurora catches it and laughs.
“Let’s go outside so you don’t break any of my grandmother’s things,” I smirk.
“Thank you,” she calls out from somewhere.
We make our way out to the garden. I’ve never been out here during the night, and I have to admit that it’s kind of creepy. The cute-shaped shrubs are intimidating in the darkness. The moonlight plays with their shadows, making the illusion of someone standing there.
“That’s the point,” Aurora says. “Your grandmother has a very beautiful garden.”
“Yeah,” I agree.
“You’re going to need a whole lot of sleep when this is over. There is still some swelling in your head,” she comes over to me and tilts my head back to look into my eyes. “Would you say being a surgeon is a gratifying job?”
“Yes, a very gratifying one,” I nod.
“And you operate on what exactly?”
“I don’t yet, but there’s a little of everything in my training so far. Are you thinking of going into neurosurgery?”
“Yes, although I can really care less about saving lives. I just like the complexity of the brain,” she shrugs.
“Neuroscience. The study of the brain sounds more like your field.”
“Mm, I don’t care for dead brains. I want to look more into my abilities by understanding why some minds are louder than others.”
“That’s also included in that. If you guys were to sign a treaty with us, by law, we’d have to share what our
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Chapter 164
mind readers have with you,” Ragnar adds. “Is this the first time you guys get one of these?”
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“Yes,” the King answers. “We can talk about this later. Talking about a treaty after you had us incarcerated is making me want to hit you, Kid.
I take Ragnar’s hand and find the part of me inside of him that calls out to me the most. I speed up his pulse to the point where I feel him start to lose control. He groans, tugging at the collar of his t-shirt. His eyes glow crimson, and I slow it down to see him take a deep breath. I slow it down enough to see him get dizzy. When I release him, he shakes his head and looks over at me.
“Shit,” he clears his throat.
“What did you feel?” the Vampire King asks.
“I couldn’t tell anything was wrong. It just felt like I didn’t have control of myself,” he smiles at me. “Let’s get these assholes.”
AD
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