Page 43 of Kingdom of Chaos (Creatures of Chaos #2)
Twenty-Six
“Don’t you ever do that to me again!” Ensley cries, yanking me into a hug so tight it knocks the air from my lungs.
Talon and I walked the rest of the block to the hotel and up the stairs in complete silence, only to find a red-eyed Ensley and stoic-faced Titus awake and waiting for us.
Ensley was mid-pace across the room to us when we entered, and she immediately swallowed me in the world’s tightest hug before I had a chance to get a word out.
“I thought you were dead,” she wails, squeezing me harder.
Guilt crashes over me. “So sorry,” I wheeze.
She finally releases me and steps back. Her eyes are glassy with tears, and the sight only makes my guilt worse.
“Where were you? What happened?” she asks, her brow furrowed with worry.
“I saw him, Ens. He’s alive.”
Her hands fly to her mouth as the tears shimmering in her eyes finally spill over. Titus steps in behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and gently pulling her back against his chest. She leans into him, visibly trying to steady herself.
“Tell me everything,” Ensley says, her voice thick with emotion.
I glance at Talon, wondering if he wants to take the lead, but the moment our eyes meet he looks away and crosses the room to sit on the edge of one of the double beds.
I wonder what he’s thinking, what he’s feeling, but I push the thought aside.
Now isn’t the time. Ensley and Titus have clearly been waiting for hours, likely fearing the worst the entire time. They deserve my full attention.
We spend the next hour telling them what happened at the Order’s headquarters.
How we decided to sneak in—Talon is quick to give me the “credit” for that—and then got caught.
Meeting Kade and how the vibe changed the moment he realized I was the one who opened the portal between the creature and human world.
We also fill Titus in on everything he didn’t already know about me, namely, that I’m human and have been accidentally siphoning Talon’s powers since the final Chaos trail.
He doesn’t seem overly upset that we kept him in the dark.
If anything, he seems satisfied to finally have an explanation for why he can suddenly read me now when he couldn’t before.
And of course, I tell them about seeing Becks.
Just like when I told Talon, I hesitate before telling them that Becks has lost his powers, but ultimately I do. Ensley’s eyes fill with sadness, then she straightens her spine and says she’s just happy he’s alive, we’ll find a way to get them back.
By the time we finish recounting everything, the sun has started to rise, and it’s only a few hours until we’re supposed to meet with Kade again.
I apologize and tell them I need to get a few hours of sleep.
Ensley understands, and Titus agrees, adding that we all need rest before heading back to the Order.
He and Ensley insist on coming with us this time.
“Where’s Imogen?” I ask, only now realizing she’s not here.
Ensley and Titus exchange a look. “She never came back,” Titus says, pressing his mouth into a hard line.
I glance at Talon and he shakes his head. “She’ll come back when she’s ready,” is all he says, but I don’t miss the hint of concern that shadows his gaze.
“If anyone can take care of herself in this city, it’s her,” I say, mustering what I hope is an encouraging smile.
Talon returns the small smile and nods, but sadness lingers in his eyes. I have to turn away because it breaks my heart.
I blink open my eyes and scream. There’s a face hovering inches above mine.
Talon and Titus burst into the room, and Ensley tumbles out of the bed beside me in a tangle of blankets.
I lay a hand over my chest, my heart thundering in my chest even though I know I’m not in any danger.
“Imogen!” I snap. “What the heck?”
Her face was so close when I woke up, she nearly scared the soul out of me.
“What? I thought it would be funny,” she says as she flops down on the bed next to me.
She is the most annoying creature I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet.
Annoyed, I fling the covers off me as Ensley moans from the ground. Titus walks over to help her up, scrubbing a hand over his eyes and mumbling about how that wasn’t the way he wanted to be woken up.
“Where have you been?” Talon asks his cousin, his voice sharp.
When I glance over at him, I lose my train of thought. His hair is tousled from sleep, his cheeks still flushed, and he’s very shirtless, only a few bandages covering his sculpted chest. And those sweats are slung far too low on his hips.
Only Talon could look half asleep and still manage to resemble a character out of a forbidden fantasy. He’s the perfect mix of sweet and sinful, and I can’t seem to tear my eyes away.
Imogen snorts a laugh, snapping me out of it, and I find her smirking knowingly at me.
“You have a little something right there,” she says, miming whipping drool off her face.
I duck my head, warmth blooming across my cheeks as I scramble out of bed and make a quick escape to the bathroom. The only consolation for my flustered state is hearing Talon rip into Imogen as I shut the door behind me.
Imogen is suspiciously chipper as we make our way back to the Order.
Whatever funk she was in yesterday after feeding from Titus seems to have evaporated overnight.
Her cheeks are flushed, her eyes sparkling.
She looks like someone who had a very good night.
The kind of “good” I don’t want any details about.
Not that she’d offer them anyway.
Even after Talon tore into her, all she gave us was a vague, “I was out learning the city.” Which, honestly, is fine by me. What Imogen does in her free time is her business. Still, for Talon’s sake, I’m just relieved she made it back to the hotel in one piece.
“So, this is it?” she asks, eyeing the unmarked three-story building tucked between a pawn shop and a pizza parlor otherwise known as the NYC Order’s headquarters.
Her lip curls in clear distaste. “What is it with humans and their obsession with setting up shop in glorified dumpsters? I’ll give it this: it’s a step up from that swamp shack, but still, I’m not impressed. ”
“If you knew what real estate prices were like in Downtown Manhattan, you would be,” comes Kade’s deep voice from behind us.
I turn to find him standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. Imogen gives him a slow once-over, then runs her tongue along her bottom lip, looking like she’d love nothing more than to take a bite out of the tall human.
Kade doesn’t miss the look. Rather than appearing nervous or put off by the way Imogen so blatantly checked him out, he simply arches a brow.
“These must be your friends,” he says to Talon and me, holding Imogen’s gaze without flinching.
We had texted him on one of the phones he gave us to let him know they’d be coming with us today.
“Ensley and Titus are,” I say. Imogen breaks eye contact with Kade to glare at me, so I add with a grin, “That’s Imogen, Talon’s cousin. She wasn’t invited but tagged along anyway.”
She sticks her tongue out at me.
Kade greets Ensley and Titus, then acknowledges Talon with a nod. “Let’s go inside and we can talk.”
We push through the front doors, and the moment we cross the threshold an alarm blares. The shrill so piercing I lift my hands to cover my ears.
Ensley and the others cry out in pain, and all of them, even Talon, drop to the ground. Talon manages to stay upright on one knee, but the others are sprawled on their sides.
What’s happening?
I run to Ensley. Tears stream down her face as she clutches her ears, curled into the fetal position. The high-pitched alarm is deafening, but not incapacitating.
Not understanding what’s happening, I lift my head to look for Kade, only to see members of the Order flooding into the entryway. They surround our group, guns raised and pointed at us.
“Stand down!” Kade barks, loud enough to be heard over the alarm. “And someone turn that blasted noise off!”
The humans around us exchange unsure looks.
“But, sir,” a young blond male starts. Kade cuts him off by yelling “Now!” authority booming in his voice.
Reluctantly, the group surrounding us lowers their weapons and backs off. The man Kade snapped at runs to the far wall and slams a button, cutting off the alarm.
My friends get shakily to their feet. Titus immediately checks on Ensley. Talon slowly, but smoothly, gets to his feet, his gaze icy as he stares at Kade with accusation in his eyes.
“Not cool,” Imogen says, brushing imaginary dirt off her pants and glaring at Kade.
I glance at Kade, wanting an explanation to what just happened, when suddenly Titus slams into him, shoving the large male into the wall.
“What was that?” he spits, murder in his eyes. “Locklyn said you wanted to be on our side.”
Titus and Kade are evenly matched in height, but Kade has at least thirty pounds of muscle on him. Still, Titus is a powerful fae with some wicked magic, so in my mind he holds the upper hand.
All around us, I hear the cocking of guns again, sending a spike of anxiety through me.
Kade could probably fight back, but instead he holds up his hands in surrender.
Titus has his forearm pressed up against his throat as he holds him in place. He must not be putting too much pressure on him because Kade can still speak.
“I’m sorry,” he begins. “That was all just a misunderstanding.” He glances over Titus’ shoulder at his men. “I told you all to stand down!” he snaps.
When they lower their weapons again, Kade orders them to return to their normal duties. A tense ten seconds pass before the group finally begins to disperse. Once they do, Kade’s gaze shifts to Imogen.
“I’m going to guess you’re the vampire?”