King for a Day (The King Trilogy #2)(14)
Author: Mimi Jean Pamfiloff

“They’ve been separated for about ten years,” Mack mumbled, “but they still maintain a relationship; they’re both active members in the Club.”

“You can’t go back to her.” I grabbed Mack’s arm, and he yelped. “Oh, sorry.”

“She hates Vaughn. She’ll help me for the right price.”

I couldn’t believe this. Mack was actually serious. He was leaving. “What are you going to trade?” I hoped that it wouldn’t be sex.

“Vaughn’s head.”

“What the hell?” I blurted out.

He glanced at me, and this was one of those moments when I could clearly see the other side of Mack—his deadly side. This was when I understood why he’d found a home in King’s employ.

“Mia, let me be frank. We’re not going to be able to fulfill King’s debt to Vaughn, and he knows it. So this is only going to end one of two ways: Vaughn wins, and we die. Or we win, and Vaughn dies. There are no other possible outcomes. None.”

“But now we are up to killing two people to survive.” I just couldn’t believe this was the only way. Because like it or not, I did believe in souls. I’d now seen evidence of their existence with my own eyes. And now I knew that something bigger than all of us existed out there in the universe. I didn’t want to tarnish my soul by taking another life, even a life that deserved taking.

Mack stepped toward me, reached for my hand, and held it tightly. “If Vaughn has taken King, he won’t give him up willingly. Vaughn has to die. But don’t worry. I won’t make you do the dirty deeds. I’m going to hell anyway.”

“Why would you say that?”

“Even if I’ve changed who I am, I can’t erase the past. I did things that can never be forgiven.”

I stared into his big blue eyes. “No one is beyond redemption, Mack. No one.”

He smiled. “Trust me. Some people are.” He shrugged. “Look at it this way, at least my past now serves a purpose: I can take a bad person’s life without worrying about the consequences. And…I can save you.”

We stared at each other for a long moment, and I sincerely had to wonder why Mack would want to save me. Frankly, he barely knew me. “Why don’t you just run?”

“Why don’t you? In fact, if I were in your shoes, especially now that you know what it’s going to take to stop the Club, I would be getting the hell out of here.”

“I can’t abandon my family. And why does it sound like you’re trying to convince me to go? ”

“I owe King a very great debt. Plus, I know he’d want me to protect you from all this.”

“I thought King hated me.” Okay, “hate” was too strong a word, but he saw me as his disobedient pet.

Mack smirked and shook his head. “I know if we’re lucky enough to survive, you plan to fight it, but King chose you, Mia. You. To be by his side for the rest of his life. He will never share you. Never trade you. He will never leave you. You’re his.”

Mack’s words poked at the pit of my stomach. Flutters mixed with the knots. “You make it sound like he loves me. That this was all some romantic gesture on his part.”

“Maybe for a man like King, it is.” He glanced at his watch. “Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to convince you to run?”

I shook my head. “I appreciate your concern for me.”

He appeared genuinely disappointed. “All right. I gotta go. I’ll be back in four hours. Can you look for the serum?”

“Wait, why four hours?” That was a huge chunk of time, and it was already ten p.m.

“Miranda lives in Los Angeles. And I know she won’t do deals over the phone. Most members won’t.”

I suppose it made sense given that phones could be tapped.

“What am I searching for?” I asked.

“It’s a vial of blood that says ‘Cleopatra’ on it.”

“As in…?”

“Yes, the Queen of Egypt.”

I lifted my brows. Best not to ask.

“And the poisons?” I still couldn’t believe I was going to do this.

Mack scratched his chin. “I’m not sure.”

“I found King’s catalog; I’ll look through there.”

Mack’s eyes glanced at the thick book on the coffee table. “Excellent. It’s our lucky day, then. Maybe you can find the magic-hand spell and a way to kill Vaughn?”

I made a sour face, trying to hide the actual horror I felt over being in a situation worse than any nightmare I had ever imagined. “Sure.”

Mack offered me a consoling smile. “Not too late to change your mind, Mia.”

I shook my head. “I’m not throwing in the towel.”

He took a deep breath, winced, and then barked out several curses. He sure as hell didn’t look okay to me, but he had no intention of staying put. “Well, I’m off to L.A. to find a hand.”

So disgusting. “Good luck.”

He nodded and disappeared down the stairs.

CHAPTER FIVE

11:15 P.M.

After Mack left for L.A., I found myself standing in the middle of King’s chamber all alone with nothing but my thoughts. I knew I should be focusing on finding the serum, but my eyes kept gravitating toward the book I’d left sitting on the armchair. I couldn’t help but think it was what King really wanted me to find.

And the ring.

Again I glanced at the diamond on my finger. Okay. Obviously, it was no ordinary piece of jewelry. Rings didn’t simply hop on your finger like that. Hmmm. Actually, now that I thought it over, I was able to see King’s place after I’d put it on. Yeah, but so was Mack.

Okay. I had no clue what the ring did. But what I knew for certain was that it was not intended as a romantic gesture. Didn’t matter what Mack said regarding King’s marking me as his “special someone,” because it made absolutely no sense. If I were King, able to select only one woman to give his weird 10 Club immunity to, I would pick someone who wanted me back.

Okay, yes. Some tiny, dark part of my soul desired the man. He exuded an addictive, potent virility. His body was a tribute to all things wholly masculine and sensual, right down to his hard, round, beautiful ass. I’d seen it once along with his other unforgettable unmentionable during one of our “almost encounters.” But the part of me that desired him was not the sane part or the part in control. It was, however, the part I would fight tooth and nail to ignore. Even more so now that I understood King considered my entire body, even the private parts, his.