I wish my love life wasn’t in such shambles. I totally fucked up with Aurora. She told me she loved me, and I said she was confused. Who does that? Oh, yeah, dumbasses like me.
Riding on my frustration with myself, I open the doors with enough force that their hinges creak loudly. Everyone stops what they’re doing to stare. I had every intention to say something idiotic, but I’m too busy processing the scene in front of me.
Ronan and Lucca are holding Vaughn and Rikkon respectively by their ankles, using them for weightlifting.
“What the fuck,” I say.
“Oh, great. Now Saxon is here to witness my humiliation,” Vaughn whines.
My friends let go of their … weights, victims, whatever. Vaughn drops onto the tatami like a potato sack while Rikkon gets back onto his feet in a more graceful manner. He doesn’t seem as mad as Vaughn does.
“Hey, Saxon,” he says. “Everything well with you and Aurora?”
The guy seems genuinely interested to know. The little I’ve heard about Rikkon had painted a completely different image of him in my mind. He was a petty drug dealer and junkie who needed his little sister to bail him out. I’d expected him to be this shady guy, untrustworthy, not a friendly, innocent-looking candidate for the most beautiful man in the world award.
“I didn’t kill her fiancé if that’s what you want to know,” I grumble.
“We figured you didn’t. Bad news travels fast, but what’s with the sourpuss face?” Lucca asks.
“I don’t want to talk about it. Now, explain what the hell you were doing with Vaughn and Rikkon.”
Ronan hitches a thumb at the newbie vampire. “Smart mouth here lost a bet. That was his punishment.”
“And Rikkon?” I raise an eyebrow.
He shrugs, glancing at Lucca. “Future brother-in-law bonding?”
He smirks. “Yeah, let’s go with that. If Vivi thinks I’m manhandling you, she’ll have my balls.”
“I thought she already had your balls,” I reply.
Lucca’s easygoing expression vanishes as he squints at me. “What’s up, Sax? Are you looking to hurt?”
“Ha-ha. You’re fucking hilarious.” I crack my knuckles. “I bet domestic bliss has made you soft.”
Lucca curls his lips into a dark smile, showing hints of his fangs. His eyes flash red for a second. “Weapon of choice?”
“Katana, obviously.” I glance at Rikkon, who is standing closest to the table with weapons. “Can you toss me one?”
“I don’t think I should be tossing you anything.” He selects one in the middle of the assortment, holding the weapon almost reverently. “Wow, the pattern on this sheath is incredible.”
I walk over since it doesn’t seem like he’s going to let go of the sword anytime soon. “That’s not even one of the nic—”
“Ugh!” Rikkon bends over, dropping the weapon to the floor. He presses the heels of his hands into his eyes with a groan as his face twists into an expression of extreme agony.
“Dude, are you all right?”
“Fuck,” he answers, and then twists to the side to throw up.
I glance at Lucca. “Maybe holding him upside down wasn’t the greatest of ideas.”
He comes over, stopping next to Rikkon, who is still stooped over, clutching his stomach. “What’s the matter? Did you get vertigo or something?”
“No.” He stands straighter, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “I…” He runs his fingers through his hair. “I think Manu is in trouble.”
Huh? Of all the things we expected him to say, that wasn’t it.
“What do you mean you think she’s in trouble?” Ronan butts in, displaying more aggression than worry.
Rikkon’s face is pale now. His blue eyes are round with fear. “I get … visions. Premonitions. My head feels like it’s going to split in two when it happens. It used to get really bad and the only thing that kept them away was the drugs.”
“Is that a Nightingale thing?” I ask.
“I don’t know.”
Lucca grabs his arm, turning him around. “You have powers? I thought your mother took everything from you and Vivi when she banished you.”
“That’s what everyone keeps saying, but I don’t remember anything about my life before the memory spell wiped my brain clean.”
“You think Manu is in trouble,” Ronan interrupts. “What did you see?”
“It was just a flash. She was surrounded by several males wearing dark clothes; I couldn’t tell what they were. There was blood on her face.”
“Fuck. It must be Jacques and his followers,” Lucca growls.
I wanted Jacques to finally show his hand, but not at Manu’s expense. I was already filled with pent-up aggression. Now I’m on the