C.A.R.M.A

9

"The beige of the dress is beautiful.  Really accents how pale you are", Taylor smirks with her arms crossed, leaning against the side of the elevator as it rushes down.

"You really are the queen of the backhanded compliment", I mimic her tone and expression.

These are the first words we've spoken to each other since I spotted her waiting by the elevator on the floor of my room, and since I won our fight.

She scoffs, and eyes me up and down, "I'm queen of many things."

I drag my gaze to her, "For now."

The air in between feels incredibly thick. Like the words and blows from the past few weeks have swirled to create a thundercloud between us, with each of us too afraid of the lighting to step underneath it and attempt peace.

I hate that things are like this between us. This woman built me from scratch, rescued me from a childhood I wasn't destined to live. I would be nothing without her. And therein lies the problem. Taylor knows this too.

I look over at her as we hit the ground floor, "What is it you came to say?"

She follows me into Witch's Brew, completely empty and to the rest of the world, closed. When she doesn't say anything, I stalk off to the car waiting for me, my nude heels clicking with every beat of irritation I feel.

"Thea", Taylor calls, joining me outside the coffee shop.

I pause with my hand on the car handle and peak over my shoulder at her. My lips are clamped in a hard line so I don't spit the stupid sarcastic remark I want to.

She steps forward and places a hand on my shoulder, "Remember your power tonight, and remember to come to my office at the end to debrief the night." With that she turns around, her dark red hair swinging in the middle of her back. Affection and sorrow sweep into my heart as she crosses the threshold, turning to face my one more time. "And if he's going to hurt you tonight, kill him."

My head nodded in a curt nod, letting her words wash over me. I step into the car giving myself a physical shake. With one sentence Taylor has accomplished exactly what she intended to. Because I did remember; remembered the love I have for her and the control she has over me.

Cursing myself soundly enough that my driver looked at me startled in the rearview mirror, I attempted to shake this off. I tried to focus on my task ahead as I started at the setting sun over the Olympic mountains. Max and I had been working on our game plan for a week and a half.

I would arrive first, alone. With any luck, Tyler would see this as an opportunity to ease me up to his hotel room and show his cards.

At least that's what Max thought he'd do. He thought it was suspicious that none of our dates had been at the hotel Tyler stayed at, claiming this was a tactic to gain my trust. I rolled my eyes then and now. It worried me how fixated Max was on Tyler being our target. Could his jealousy be clouding other suspects?

I stopped that question in my head, caught it and chained it to the ground. Because if I dared ask it Max would counter with his own.

Were my feelings getting in the way of this case?

Tyler wasn't like any man I've been assigned to follow. He was kind hearted to his core. Two weeks ago, there had been a mix up with the reservations at the restaurant he selected and they'd double-booked our table. The restaurant was incredibly apologetic, claiming this was only their third week open and they were still working out the scheduling. Immediately, they offered the table to Tyler, realizing who he was. But Tyler asked the other couple why they came tonight, and the woman told us it was their ten year waiting anniversary.

Tyler smiled and gave them the table. He then told the hostess to send them over the most expensive bottle of champagne they had, and put their bill on his tab.

We ended up going to a bar down the street and played darts till 1 a.m., drinking beer and talking about our favorite parts of Seattle.

It was after this date that I suggested to Taylor and Max that we might have the wrong man. Max rolled his eyes and told me what he always does.

Every man has a side he's hiding, Thea. How can you not see this is an act? I thought you were smart enough to tell when someone is lying.

God, if he was here I'd punch him in the face just from the memory of that conversation.

I smoothed my dress and fixed my curls over one shoulder as I forced my mind back to tonight.

Max would arrive about a half hour after me with Quinn on his arm, and monitoring every move Alexia made in response to that.

I've watched her eyeing him over the past few weeks, and I knew we were getting close to our goal there. We needed her to trust Max, we needed her to want to tell Max everything.

Max's personality overflowed with negative traits in my book, but I'd be lying to myself if I didn't recall him as a generous and talented lover.

A blush crept up my neck and I had to give myself another physical shake to stop another memory from replaying.

Becca would arrive around the same time, with a team of other Revealers, following a lead on another assaulter. I practically begged her to bring that lead up during our last meeting, and I could've kissed her when she did.

But there was no time left to go over the plan in my head or think of any other past conversations.

Years of training kicked into my veins along with adrenaline as my car stopped in front of the First Annual Red Wolfe Seattle Gala. Cameras flashed as people exited the cars ahead of mine in the line. By the looks of it several celebrities had turned out tonight, causing me to raise my eyebrows.

A man opened my door, and I was too busy gawking at the large and decorated tent warding of the Seattle rain to register who it was.

It was Tyler's hand who reached down to help me step out of the car. He smiled as I looked behind him where cascading vertical banners with Red Wolfe's logo framed the entrance to the hotel. With my heart fluttering like a fool, I took his hand.. The cameras went wild.

Seeing the cameras flash had sent a thrill through me. I'd already been photographed with Tyler twice, splashed in the tabloids where reports wondered who his mystery girl is.

But it was a reminder. Each flash and exclaimed question hurled at us reminded me of the price I'd pay if I failed. Sentenced to be a Vixen before I hit twenty years old.

"I wouldn't want to be here with anyone else", Tyler whispered and secured his hand on my waist with his arm around me. He guided me under the lights of the tent into the lavishly decorated hotel.

My heart fluttered again and I prayed I wasn't making a ridiculous mistake. Whether that mistake was falling for him or killing him remained to be seen.

But for the moment, I pushed onto my toes and kissed him, underneath the Red Wolfe banners.

Tyler took a step back and peered down at me with a cool expression on his face. But then he took my face in his hands and thoroughly kissed me.

Lights flashed around on us as I felt the stacks of the game I was playing raise. Felt it roll and boil in my very blood.