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Torrin’s gaze darkened minutely before his eerily creepy smile parted his lips. “The same to you, but we’ll get to that later.” He motioned for Kaien to take a seat. “Tell me, why have you decided to pay me a visit ….”
The other man raised his eyebrows and outstretched his palm as if expecting Kaien to supply his own name.
But Kaien didn’t intend to play ball. “Pleasantries are reserved for polite society, Torrin. You don’t count amongst its numbers. But please, do enlighten me as to your plans. I’d love to know why you’ve taken such an interest.”
“And why should I do that, Raeth? If you’re going to kill me—and even if you weren’t—why should I bare my plans to you?”
“I can be quite persuasive, but I’d prefer, as I’d assume you would, not to stain your carpet red. Pesky bloodstains and all.”
Torrin’s eyes narrowed before he took a pensive breath and inclined his chin. “It seems you already know of what we plan, or you’d have been more surprised by what you see before you.”
“Perhaps.” Kaien casually shrugged. “Can’t hurt to hear it from the horse’s mouth, of course.”
“Why should you care for vampires?” Torrin probed, genuine curiosity in his tone. “Their Houses are none of your concern.”
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”
He supplied no other information and continued to stare into the human’s eyes, undaunted. Truly, Kaien had no qualms with wet work, but he’d prefer the easy way, all things considered.
When Torrin remained silent, Kaien abruptly fisted a telekinetic hand around the human’s windpipe again, watching serenely as he gasped for air once more. Sputtering as Kaien eased off seconds later, Torrin bared a set of shockingly white teeth.
“Lucius was an uncomplicated target,” theCitizen’sleader confessed, having the audacity to look appalled at the treatment. “Easy to track because he doesn’t hide. And given our history, I wanted to send him a love letter in case he’d forgotten about me.”
That’d been easy enough.Too easy.
Disquiet prevailed over Kaien’s thoughts as he contemplated the easy sell. For a man with a clear military background and the arrogance to back it, he’d submitted to torture far more readily than Kaien would have liked.
What was Torrin’s play?
“How sweet.”
A chuckle drummed in Kaien’s chest. When he released the sound, he coughed, but instantly covered the unnerving response with a laugh. Though fleeting, the cough triggered an eerily ominous tickle at the back of his throat that didn’t dissipate.
Swallowing harshly to mute the affect, Kaien swept the sensation under a layer of self-control and refocused on the man in front of him. Showing weakness couldn’t be permitted, especially where Torrin was concerned.
“I’ll tell Lucius you said hello the next time I see him.”
“Friends, are you?” Torrin’s eyebrows shot up, looking pleasantly surprised. “Do you know Blair, as well? His lover?”
Instantly, Kaien’s teeth ground together at the thought of Lucius and Blair being lovers. A flicker of animosity seeped into his features before he could stop it, earning a spark of curiosity from the human male across from him. Squelching the desire to defend his would-be mate, Kaien inhaled deeply to clear his head, but was struck by yet another urge to cough and a lightheadedness that didn’t dissipate.
Try as he might, Kaien couldn’t resist the impulse to clear his throat. A strangled noise followed the simple action, one that even he couldn’t dismiss, and following through on the impulse did nothing—and the violent necessity to cough and breathe harder became much more profound.
Across from him, Torrin’s mouth contorted into a malevolent grin, his eyes gleaming with an unspoken victory.
What had started as annoying now became concerning.
“Blair paid me a visit the other day at the office.” Suddenly quite calm, the tension dispersed from Torrin’s shoulders. “Quite the treat if I say so myself. Too bad she’s wasted on the immortal community. I’d have loved to put her in her place.”
Fury ignited in Kaien’s blood even as his logical mind fought against the urge to strangle the man in front of him. He was trying desperately to keep his calm when his body was betraying him. Belatedly, he noticed his breathing rate increasing, his heart beginning to pulse in his ears. Every breath seemed to stab into his lungs.
A wave of inexplicable nausea hit him next.
“I’m overjoyed you visited me, Raeth.” Torrin stood then, tilting his head to better assess Kaien. “Tell me, how did you find out where I lived?”
Exhaustion, potent and dizzying, swiftly overcame his ability to stand. Kaien retreated backward to press a hand against the arm of the couch he’d been leaning against, dropping eye contact as he dragged air into his lungs. But with every inhale, he found no relief, only suffering sharp pain that knifed into his chest and began burning through his tissues.
Unexpectedly, he faltered where he sat leaning against the arm of the couch, his balance critically compromised. The cushions behind him caught his collapsing form as the air rushed in and out of his lungs, the feeling comparable to razor blades dragging up and down his trachea.
