Colorblind (Moonlight) (29 page)

Penny had made sure of that by savaging his throat. He looked frantically around the room, his eyes stopping at the door. He’d barely taken a step before she pounced. She leapt, teeth sinking deep into his shoulder and her weight pushing him forward.

He fell to the floor, screaming his silent screams as she savagely attacked him. When she pulled away, his shoulder was bloodied and mangled. She could see his bones poking through the shredded flesh of the arm and felt satisfaction that he would never use it again.

He pushed to his knees once she left him, terror giving way to a burst of adrenaline. Penny allowed him to get to his knees, moving directly before him as she waited. As he used the wall and his undamaged arm to push to his feet, she leapt again, this time going for his throat.

Her teeth punctured once more, deeper this time. He tried in vain to push her away and fell backwards. Penny bit down and remained in place, ensuring the puncture wounds were deep, targeted to specific arteries. When she was satisfied that he was in sufficient pain to keep him from moving, she stepped back and changed, unmindful of her nudity.

“You killed my parents,” she hissed down at him.

He gurgled. It was all he could do. Fear and pain looked out at her from his eyes.

“You deserve to suffer much more,” she continued, shaking her head. He would bleed out eventually, but it would take long minutes, perhaps an hour.

Her clothes had disintegrated with the change so she looked around for something to wear. She used the bed sheet to wipe the blood from her body, and because she found nothing else, draped herself in Ryder’s shirt and trousers.

Grabbing him by the hair, she dragged him under the bed. The puddle of blood he left she wiped with the sheets before tossing them under the bed with him. In the event that someone entered the room before he bled out, which was unlikely since it was still dark out, she didn’t want him seen.

Before she left, she knelt beside the bed and spoke. “If there is a Hell, I hope you burn there for eternity. If not, I hope you’re reborn as a slave and live a long life with the whip at your back.”

That said, she stood and stealthily made her way into the hallway. It was as unfamiliar as the bedroom.

“Étienne,” she murmured softly, wondering what had happened to Leon’s brother. He would have tried to protect her from Ryder. Had the bastard killed him? She felt heavy with sadness as the thought accosted her. Leon loved his family, and she would never be able to get away from the guilt of making him lose a sibling.

A sound touched her ear, a whisper of her name, and she followed it slowly. It led to an office, growing stronger as she made her way there. She pushed the door in, her eyes easily adjusting to the dark, and almost collapsed in relief.

Étienne was alive.

Chapter Eighteen

Leon and Armand arrived at Patrick Ryder’s Savannah plantation a few hours after dawn. After Armand had located Ryder’s address, they’d taken one of his closed carriages and set out. Leon had wanted to take individual horses as they were faster but Armand had pointed out that they would need something that allowed for secrecy if they were to remove Penny.

Before the carriage could turn down the long drive to the medium-sized plantation, the scent accosted him.

Death.

Leon realized it was Ryder, and felt anger roll through his body at being denied the opportunity to torture the man. Instead of dwelling on it, he sniffed again, searching out his mate’s scent. It was there but very faint, as if she’d left recently.

“Who’s dying?” Armand asked curiously, his face bunching at the offending scent.

“Ryder.”

“Étienne’s scent is faded.”

“They must have left recently.” Which meant they couldn’t have gone far. Again, Leon tried his mental connection to his mate, something that had not worked, either because of her drugged state or their distance from each other.

Penny?

When there was no response, he tried again.
Penny, where are you?

Leon was about to cut the connection when her thoughts rushed him. Fear, anxiety, hope all flowed his way. She was moving with Étienne. They were staying hidden. Somewhere.

Penny
?

Leon! Leon, we’re in Georgia somewhere. Étienne’s hurt. He’s pretty bad. And I can’t get him food or water because I’m—

She didn’t have to finish. She was colored. A snarl curled his lips up. His mate would be turned away from any white establishment because of her skin color, unless she had a note from her master.

Where did you go when you left Ryder’s plantation?

We left through the back and moved through the woods. I wanted to get as far away as possible.

Tell me what’s around you. What can you see?

We’re in a cluster of bushes. I couldn’t find anything else. I can see stores. Marshall’s and Company? Richter’s Blacksmiths?

Leon repeated the names to Armand, whose eyes lit up as he began nodding.

“I know where they are.”

A scream split the air and Leon looked back to the plantation. It was followed by another, and then another. Someone had found Ryder. Within moments, he could hear harsh whispers coming from the room that housed the dying man. Slaves, from the dialect they used. Sorely tempted to enter the house and see to the man’s death himself, Leon resisted. The smell of death was high, which meant Patrick Ryder had minutes, perhaps less, before his heart stopped.

Don’t move,
ma louve
. We’re coming for you.

Armand had already turned the carriage, and the horses were moving off in the direction from which they’d come.

***

Penny looked down at Étienne, who lay prone on the ground next to her. He was pale and drawn, and still bleeding. Even the clothing she’d stolen for him could not hide the dark stain of blood on his trousers.

“Étienne,” she murmured softly, wiping the sweat from his brow. When they’d left Ryder’s plantation, the sun had been rising. As they’d traveled, the heat had not been great. The sun hadn’t attained its peak. But now, close to midday, the sun’s unbearable rays beat down against them, even hidden as they were among these short bushes.

He did not respond, but she’d expected it. Étienne had stopped responding hours ago. Even as he’d held on to her, and she’d practically dragged him, he’d been silent.

His lips were chapped worse than hers, something she attributed to his blood loss. Dehydration was more severe for him. His heart worked slowly, but the beat was there. If she could just get some water.

Pushing up slowly, she eyed the store across the way. A dark-skinned girl wearing rags stood before it. Next to her was a bucket of water, no doubt for cleaning. As desperate as she was, Penny was tempted to leave her semi-secure hiding place and go over to the girl. She could live with her dehydration until Leon arrived, but Étienne needed water. Even if she were just to douse his head and face, he needed some form of liquid.

Realizing her plan was too risky, she was about to lie back down when the girl suddenly looked directly at her. Penny saw her eyes narrow, then widen. She then froze.

The owner of the store stepped out and Penny dropped down, hoping that she hadn’t been spotted.

Leon. Hurry.

She hoped he was close. Through the leaves, she watched as the white man pointed in her direction. Heart in her throat, she saw the girl walk over to her, bucket in hand.

When the girl stopped, only feet away, she began emptying the water in the bushes next to where Penny and Étienne lay.

“Please. Over here,” Penny said softly.

The girl did not respond, but she carefully began dousing them with water. Penny covered Étienne’s nose and mouth with her hands as the cool water washed over them. It was a great relief from the stifling heat.

“Thank you.”

Once more, the girl did not respond. She turned and headed back to the store.

***

From the moment he entered the town square, Leon knew where she was. Although the heat was making it difficult to pinpoint anything, her scent was in a cluster of bushes on the left side. Armand pulled the carriage beside the bushes and Leon jumped down directly as she pushed Étienne up. His heart sank as he took in his brother’s condition, but he quickly lifted him into the carriage. Penny came up next, and he barely resisted the urge to hold her steady and check her from head to toe as he quickly deposited her in the seat. Within moments, he was inside himself and Armand was directing the horses to move.

Penny threw herself at him as soon as the carriage door closed. Leon gripped her tightly, nuzzling her cheek and neck, before pressing a kiss to her lips. He suddenly pushed her back.

His nostrils flared and he looked down at her clothing. Men’s clothing.

“Leon, I—”

“These belong to Ryder.” It wasn’t a question.

“I took them,” she said softly, deciding now was not the time to explain the circumstances behind it.

“His scent is all over you.”

At that moment, Étienne moaned. Leon released her though his eyes clearly said the conversation was not over.

“Étienne?” he asked, pulling his brother up and slipping his hand under his head. “When was the last time you ate?”

The question was directed at her.

“Before I left with Étienne.” Her stomach growled.

“Same with him?”

“I think so.”

“Armand,” he called, raising his voice a bit. “We need meat and water now.”

In minutes, the carriage had stopped moving. Moments after, the door opened and Armand presented them with large cuts of smoked beef and ham.

Leon handed them to her first, and although her stomach almost crawled out of her mouth to get it, she shook her head.

“Give it to Étienne. He needs it more.”

“Eat,
ma louve
. This is for you.” Her confusion cleared up when Armand presented Leon with almost dripping slabs of beef.

She watched as Leon diced up one slab with his claw before placing the meat directly against Étienne’s lips. A little groan escaped as the weaker man tried to turn away but Leon wouldn’t let him. He held his brother’s head in place, keeping the meat there until finally, Étienne opened his mouth.

As Étienne chewed, Penny took her first bite of smoked beef, which tasted better than anything else she’d had in her lifetime. She ate quickly, watching the careful way in which Leon fed his brother. Every so often, he glanced at her to make sure she was eating as well.

At those times, she gave him a smile and nod, letting him know she was fine.

***

It took over an hour to arrive at Armand’s plantation and during that time, Étienne had eaten enough of the meat and drank enough milk to satisfy Leon. Though he still looked weak, his color had returned, and the wound in his leg was disappearing as the skin knitted back together. At the moment, Étienne was resting while Armand watched over him.

“Why do you smell of him?” Leon asked from his position against the wall of one of Armand’s guest rooms. He watched as Penny rubbed the wet, soapy cloth over her shoulders. In the sunlight streaming into the room, her skin and hair glistened with water from the bath.

He did not have to clarify the person to whom he referred. The look his mate gave him stated she understood.

“Penny,” he began, trying and failing to mesh his mind with hers once more. From the moment he’d smelled Ryder on her, she’d closed herself off to him. It only made him more suspicious. In a way, he dreaded what she would say. But he had to know. “I won’t blame you.” He paused and drew in a ragged breath, forcing himself to remain calm. “Do you understand me? I will never blame you—”

“I killed him.” Her voice was low and bland. She looked into the sudsy water around her. Her words had halted anything else he’d intended to say.

Penny sank further down into the tub. “I killed him, Leon.” She shuddered. “He deserved it, but I…
I
killed him.”

Long strides took him to her in seconds. Within the next, he was lifting her from the tub and wrapping her in a towel. Penny had once confided that she’d spooked Adam Thorn’s horse, in turn leading to the man’s death, but she’d never killed someone in a premeditated state.

Leon enfolded her in his arms. “You’re right,
ma louve
. He deserved it.” Kissing her forehead, he tightened his grip and continued, “But taking a life is never easy. I would have spared you that if I could.”

She nodded jerkily against him. Silence filled the air between them before she spoke once more. “I don’t regret killing him. He killed my parents, and he would have hurt me. Étienne too.”

“Did he touch you?” Even as his voice came out soft, Leon fumed. Was that why she smelled of him? Had Ryder tried to rape her? He knew the bastard hadn’t succeeded because the bath had fully washed Ryder’s stench from her, which meant it had only been in the clothes. If the bath hadn’t, Leon wasn’t sure what he would have done.

“He tried,” she said softly, pulling back a bit to look into his eyes. What she saw made her eyes widen, and Leon drew a deep breath, and willed himself to be calm.

“Leon?”

His lips brushed her forehead again. “I’m not angry with you. Please continue.”

She swallowed and in soft words, conveyed to him what had happened between her and Patrick Ryder. He learned she’d awoken next to the bastard, that he’d touched her, tried to rape her, that she’d tricked him, bitten into his neck but not killed him, because she wanted him to suffer.

When she was finished, he released a deep breath, nodded, and kissed her. “Thank you for telling me.”

“I didn’t want you to think he…
touched
me.”

“I know he didn’t, and even if he had, I wouldn’t have blamed you.”

Her hands went about his neck and she pushed onto her toes, meshing her lips to his. As her tongue slid into his mouth, Leon gripped her hips through the towel.

“I love you,” she murmured softly.

He’d been hard for her the moment she’d stepped from the tub. Now with her lips, tongue, and words stimulating him, his shaft only grew thicker. She stepped back suddenly and the towel fell to the floor, revealing her high breasts with budded nipples, and the thatch of soft curls he enjoyed running his fingers through.