Flawless by Evans, Gabrielle (icecream ebook reader TXT) 📗

When he’d undone half of the buttons, though, Kieran had seen enough. “Lynk,” he called. “Stop.” Lynk’s fingers instantly stilled, though he didn’t look around at him.

“Come here, now.”

The entire audience watched as Lynk turned on his heels and glided across the room, moving quickly but gracefully until he stood directly in front of Kieran.

Cupping his lover’s face in both hands, Kieran dipped his head and pressed their lips together, inhaling the sweet scent that was uniquely Lynk. “Snap out of it, sugar. You belong to me, not that idiot.”

A little shudder worked its way through Lynk’s body, he blinked several times, and then his eyebrows drew together in confusion.

“How did I get back here? Did it work?”

“He’s faking of course!” Zasha shouted. “They planned the entire thing! I demand a challenge.”

“Enough!” To Kieran’s surprise it was Leader Tuesday who spoke, rising from his seat in the front of the room and stepping forward to address the elders. “I apologize.” He gave a little bow of respect. “I only supported Zasha because I believed his claim to be true. It is what a good leader does, and as someone who has lost his own mate, I did not want to see a member of my coven endure that. I can see now that Zasha is mistaken, and so was I.” 124 Gabrielle

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“What?” Zasha gasped. “No! I can feel him. I can feel his soul tugging at mine.”

“Perhaps we should conduct the rest of this meeting in private,” Elder Camdin Maywater suggested in his musical voice.

“No.” Leader Tuesday moved closer to the platform. “We have nothing to hide.”

“We’ll see about that,” Kieran mumbled, taking Lynk’s hand and marching to the front of the hall to stand beside Leader Tuesday. He’d had enough. He wanted answers, and if no one was going to ask the pertinent questions, then he sure as hell would. “Where is Thane Braddock?”

“Excuse me?” The coven leader appeared genuinely perplexed by the question. “Thane Braddock?”

Kieran gave Lynk a little nudge between the shoulders, offering support but encouraging him to speak up with what he knew. “My brother, Thane, is being held in a well on your lands. He’s been there for several months now, being starved and fed from while he wastes away.”

There was no shock, no contempt written in Tuesday’s expression.

There was, however, a cold, hard calculation that chilled Kieran’s blood. Turning to the gatherers, Tuesday pointed one long, slim finger at his guards, Gideon and Axton. “You know the well?”

“Yes, sir,” Gideon answered at once, while Axton simply dipped his head in agreement.

“I want you to check it out personally. Do not tell anyone else what you’re doing or why you are going there. If you meet with resistance, back off and inform me immediately. Do you understand?” One thing was for certain. Whether he was behind Thane’s abduction or not, Leader October Tuesday— what a ridiculous name—was born to lead. Hell, even Kieran wanted to jump to attention and do as the man bid when he used that confident tone.

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“Yes, sir,” both guards answered in stereo before marching down the aisle between the bench seats and disappearing through the double doors at the back of the room.

Kieran wasn’t completely convinced that it hadn’t all been just for show, but the vampire’s actions must have swayed Lynk in some way.

“Thank you,” he said with respect. Tuesday arched one sculpted eyebrow and bowed his head in acknowledgement. Then Lynk turned to Zasha. “I think there is something that you need to know.”

“Does it have to do with why you are pretending that you cannot feel the connection between us?” Each word was forced through gritted teeth, and Zasha looked mad enough to spit nails.

“Yes, actually,” Lynk answered, and Kieran could hear the smile in his voice. “I am not pretending anything, however. I do not feel a connection between us because one simply does not exist. Kieran is my mate—my destined mate.”

Zasha growled and took a step forward, but his leader stopped him with a hand to his chest. “You will calm down and listen to what the boy has to say.”

Lynk didn’t look very happy about being referred to as a boy. He didn’t comment, though, choosing instead to address Zasha with his next words. “Thane is my twin. We share an energy, which means our magic is twinned and more powerful when we’re together. We can even speak telepathically if we’re close enough to one another.” Maybe Zasha was still too angry to follow Lynk’s train of thought to its conclusion, but Kieran could see the dawning enlightenment in Tuesday’s eyes. Instead of interrupting, however, the vampire smiled reassuringly, encouraging Lynk to continue.

“I think you are feeling Thane’s energy flowing from me. I don’t know for sure, but I believe that is why you think I’m your mate while it is really Thane who you should be concentrating on.”

“Thane?” The look on Zasha’s face was priceless and almost comical. “The man you just said was being held captive in a well?

He’s been this close to me for months now?” Then his features 126 Gabrielle

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darkened, his fangs elongated, and the veins around his eyes stood out in sharp relief against his pale skin. “Someone I trusted is hurting him, and that someone will pay for it.” Proving once again why he was leader of their coven, Tuesday didn’t wait to be asked. He patted Zasha on the shoulder, giving him a little push toward the door. “Go get your mate, Zasha, but be smart about it. If you are blinded by your rage, you could do more damage than good.”

Zasha appeared to calm a bit, and he jerked his head in what Kieran thought might have been understanding. “Thank you, sir.”

“I should go with you.”

Lynk had lost his goddamn mind if he thought that Kieran was going to allow him to go traipsing into enemy territory without him.

“No, you’re not.”

“I need to do this, Kieran. If