Tyrant (Scars of the Wraiths #2)(85)

“Get out of there,” Roarke ordered. “Where are you? I’ll meet you.”

“I’m at the Scars’ house.”

“Rayne, we can’t hold them off much longer. You need to get out. Go to the gallery. Delara will meet you.” It was Keir speaking telepathically to me. He was upstairs fighting with whoever was after me.

“Talk to me,” Roarke shouted into the phone.

I shoved on my shoes. “They want me to go the gallery. It’s on—”

“I know where it is,” he interrupted. He did? “I’ll meet you in the park a block away. Do not go inside the gallery without someone with you. Got it?”

“Keir said Delara will meet me.” There was a loud roar and then glass shattering.

“Meet me at the park gates. Now, get out of there. Use your Ink, Rayne. She’ll protect you.”

My Ink. My Ink no longer rose to my calls. I ran to the window and shoved it open just as I heard footsteps thump down the stairs. “Oh, God. They’re coming.”

“Rayne. Get out of the house and call your f*ckin’ Ink. Anton didn’t kill it. He’d never do that, he was a scientist and that’s the last thing he’d do. It lives.”

I hung up the phone, slid it in my pocket, and then climbed up and out the window. I turned and shut it before crawling on my hands and knees between the house and the bushes. Then I peered around the corner. There were two SUVs in the driveway and two men standing beside them—men who looked scary and I didn’t recognize.

I leaned back against the wall. Roarke was right. I needed my Ink.

“Serafina, wake,” I whispered. “Sleep no more. Rest no longer.” I placed my palm on my right shoulder where my tattoo was and closed my eyes. My mind focused on Serafina’s form. Then I repeated the words over and over again. “Damn it, Serafina, it’s your move. You don’t want to lose, do you?” Nothing. Not a tickle, a slither, or a hint of heat. “Serafina.” I dug my nails through my shirt into the tattoo. “Checkmate.”

I gasped as a hot stabbing sensation went up my arm to my shoulder. “Damn it, Serafina,” I moaned. “Be nice.”

“I am being nice,” the featherlight voice replied.

My eyes flew open to see the stunning woman standing in a brilliant white light, her eyes beaming a turquoise hue from their thin, dark-lined rims. Hair hung in a black-and-lavender blanket down her back to the floor, with tiny pearls interwoven within the strands. Face pale, lips thin, and nose matching her features, slender and narrow. Regal, sexy, and yet my Ink had a childlike attitude.

The link between us remained, a thin string of light connecting us together, and yet Serafina could and did walk on her own. Often when I was a child, Serafina would drag me along like a puppy dog and refuse to go back to sleep when told.

We’d been best friends. My only friend and I had missed her so damn much. A tear trailed down my cheek as I stared at her in front of me.

“Damn you, Rayne-drop,” Serafina said in a whispered voice, which sounded raspy. “Leaving me locked up for so many years. I nearly died a few times, thanks to you.”

“Serafina, I’m sorry. It was too dangerous at first, and then Anton had put a—”

“Oh, fart on you. Look at me.” She gestured to her thin five-foot-nine form. “I’m a disgusting skinny piece of brittle wood because of you. Run your body into the ground again, and next time you need me, I’ll be dead.” Serafina took a step forward then smiled, revealing her white teeth that held two sharp fangs. “My beautiful little Rayne-drop. How are you? You feel better, look stronger.” She held out her hand and I took it. Then she yanked me to my feet and wrapped her arms around me and squeezed—tight. “I’ve missed you. I’ve missed our games and adventures. Can we play chess? Oh, pretty please. I’ve been sleeping so long my brain needs stimulation.”

“We don’t have time. I need your help. There are people after me, Serafina. I need to get out of here. They are—”

Serafina’s nose twitched. “Scars, like you. Interesting. You’ve been busy. Finally, others I can meet and play with. Let’s go play dodge ball or oh, oh, I’m good at hide and seek.”

I grabbed her hand when she went around the side of the house “No.” I softened my voice when I saw her disappointment. “There are others inside who want to hurt me. The Scars are fighting them. We have to leave and I need you to protect me.”

Serafina scrunched her nose. “Pooh, I’m finally released from prison and no playing. I want to play, Rayne-drop.”

The only way to work with Serafina was bribery, ‘cause she had a weakness—chess. “I swear we will play a game of chess as soon as we’re able.”

“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” Serafina gasped and her eyes widened. Then she moved closer to me and sniffed. “You smell like…” She giggled with her hand over her mouth. “A man. You were with a man, Rayne-drop. You’ve grown up since I last saw you. What was he like? Is his cock big?”

I groaned. Serafina had changed since I’d last seen her, too. She was still childlike, yet she spoke with adult words, which she never used to do. “Serafina! Please.”

Serafina sighed. “Okay, Rayne-drop. Chess. And I get to meet your man.”