Free Wicked Memories (CASTLE OF DARK DREAMS) by Nina Bangs

answers I promised.” She opened the door.
    It was a conference room. Kayla was more than ready for some answers. She walked in and sat at the long table while Sparkle paused to talk to the cat.
    “Order something good for us to nibble on.”
    Great. The cat was going to order dinner.
Her adrenaline rush over, Kayla felt almost too tired to keep her head off the table. But she had to ask the question. “What is Ganymede?”
    Sparkle joined her at the table. “Not what,
who
. Mede is one of the most powerful beings in the universe. He’s the cosmic troublemaker in charge of planet-changing chaos—volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, meteor strikes, the big stuff.” She absolutely glowed with pride. “And he’s my fluffy-bunny.”
    Just kill me now.
Kayla didn’t know how many more of these . . . revelations she could take. May as well get it all out of the way at once. “And you are?”
    “I’m a cosmic troublemaker too. Sexual chaos is my specialty.” Her expression said she totally expected Kayla to believe and accept what she said.
    Uh-huh. Sure.
“So I assume if Ganymede is your . . . fluffy-bunny, then he must change into human form.” A shape-shifter.
    “Of course.” Sparkle widened her eyes as though that must be obvious. “When he’s in human form, he’s a golden god.” Her lips tipped up in a sly smile. “He’s a sexual beast in bed.”
    Didn’t need to know that.
Kayla closed her eyes. “How can he talk in my head?”
    “It’s one of his powers.”
    Well, that cleared things up. Kayla opened her eyes. “Anything else you want to fling my way?”
    “Holgarth is a real wizard, and Zane is a real sorcerer. They’re the reason why that disgusting smell is gone so quickly. You saw Klepoth and Eric. Klepoth is a demon and Eric is a vampire.” Sparkle put her hand on top of Kayla’s. “You’ll meet a few other nonhumans, but I think that’s enough for now.”
    “Definitely.” She wanted to jerk her hand from beneath Sparkle’s, but she didn’t seem to have the energy. Would this cursed day never end?
    “I know you want to run away from us, Kayla.” Sparkle’s voice softened.
    “You think?” She could hardly wrap her mind around the possibility that Sparkle, Ganymede, and Will were telling the truth.
But think about what you’ve heard and seen. And Dad didn’t deny the existence of vampires
. She couldn’t explain those things away.
    Just then the door swung open and Ganymede padded back into the room. A waiter rolling a cart followed him in. And for the next few minutes she allowed herself not to think as she watched the covered plates being transferred to the table. Finally the waiter left.
    Kayla ate her way through two servings of everything while Sparkle watched bemused. Ganymede had his own plate and was having no trouble matching Kayla serving for serving.
    Finally, Sparkle didn’t seem able to stand it one more minute. She reached out and whipped Kayla’s plate out from under her raised fork. “I can’t believe you ate that much.”
    Kayla felt a moment of embarrassment before pushing it aside. “When I’m stressed, I eat. You can tell the level of my stress by how
much
I eat.” She’d broken a record at this meal.
    “Time to talk.” Sparkle ignored the cat who was still stuffing his furry cheeks with food. “What can I do to make you want to stay?” She paused, her gaze turning thoughtful. “Besides threatening to sue your father for breach of contract.” She brightened. “By the time I’m finished, I’ll own his company. I’ve never involved myself in that type of business before. It might be fun. Oh, and of course, I don’t think he’ll kick in any money for law school if you run home without getting the job done.” Sparkle smiled as though everything was very simple.
    Food had a calming effect on Kayla, which is why she only called Sparkle a bitch once in her head. She’d save the multiple “bitches” for another time. She decided not to