Darkest Caress (17 page)

Nice. Even when he should be groveling he gave her half answers.

Leaning back against the pillows, she fought the sting of tears. The bedding still held his scent. She remembered the feel of his weight atop her, his body filling hers, cherishing and pleasuring while he’d watched her with those burning blue eyes. Her neck bore the mating mark, but it might just as well have been the other way around, considering how much she’d come to care about him already. Her body still ached to be with him, despite the way he’d left. “And now you’re in danger because of it.”

“I’ll be fine.”

She jerked upright. “Don’t you lie to me. Not ever.”

She couldn’t be sure, but she thought she heard him curse under his breath.

“Cade told me what could happen. Why didn’t you just stay and explain everything yourself?”

“Because if I had, your body would have made the bonding decision for you. You’d have marked me without thinking twice, no matter what the consequences.”

“And what are the consequences?” She couldn’t bear the thought of anything happening to him.

He gave a long, hard sigh. “When a couple bonds, they’re emotionally linked for life. It’s more than marriage, Liv. They might separate or even divorce down the line, but they’ll always be tied to one another emotionally. For better or for worse. Only with us, it’s for centuries, not decades. I wanted you to be fully aware of the risks before you make your choice. And I was hoping to give you time to get to know me better. I know this has all happened too fast for you.”

She swallowed the bitter laugh that tried to crawl up her throat. “And how am I going to do that, Daegan? After last night, trust me when I say you know me better than anyone else ever has.” Damn him for thinking he was being noble by giving her space. “So what now? Are we going to get to know each other better over the phone until you’ve decided I’ve had enough time? I don’t think that’s fair.”

“I don’t know how else to give you time. I can’t see you right now. It’s too dangerous. I wouldn’t last two seconds around you without being all over you, and then your instincts would take over.”

His words sent an answering rush of heat through her body. She’d never been with a lover half as considerate and skilled as him. “Maybe I want that.” At least she’d get to know him better
that
way. If that were all she could have for the time being, she’d take it.

“God, don’t say that right now.” She could picture him running a hand through his thick black hair in agitation. “I’m trying to
protect
you, love.”

The endearment made her throat ache. “From myself.”

“From you, from me. From anyone who might be trying to come after me.”

She gripped the phone tighter as her muscles tensed. “Has something happened?”

“No, and if anything had I’d have moved you in here with the rest of us. I’m just taking precautions.”

She shook her head. “I don’t understand how you can think being apart is going to help. How much time are you planning to give me before I can see you again? A day? A month?”

“You make it sound like I’m trying to punish you.”

“That’s what it feels like.”

“
No
.” She heard rustling on the other end, then a door opening and a second later the distant cries of eagles drifted through the line. He must have stepped outside onto the balcony off the master suite. She imagined him standing there with the sun setting over the water, the crimson and coral light washing over his face. “I just…I need you to have the choice to say no if this isn’t what you want.”

Liv sensed something else beneath the words. Some ancient fear he wasn’t admitting to. “Maybe this isn’t what
you
want,” she countered. “Maybe you regret being with me and you don’t want me as a mate, but it’s too late for you. Maybe you want me to say no so we can end it.”

“God, no, not at all.”

She got up and went to stand by her window. Thought about leaving the room so she wouldn’t be tormented by his masculine scent. “Then tell me what the hell is really going on here.”

Another sigh, this one full of resignation. “Something happened, a long time ago.”

Her stomach plummeted, like the floor had suddenly disappeared from beneath her feet. Somehow she managed to get the words out of her tight throat. “You’ve been mated before?”

“No,” he said instantly. “Never. But I—” He made a frustrated sound. “I don’t even know how to explain this so you’ll understand.”

“Start at the beginning then.” She wanted to understand. Needed to figure out how to help him.

“It was my parents. They came together pretty much like we have, in the beginning.”

Liv tensed, anticipating what he would say next. When he didn’t continue, she filled the silence for him. “And then it turned ugly.”

“Ugly.” He laughed, a short, harsh sound that filled her with dread. He was quiet for a moment before continuing, as though battling the memories. “In that time divorce wasn’t heard of. For reasons I’ll never understand, she stayed with him, no matter how many times he beat her black and blue or came home with prostitutes just to humiliate her.”

Liv’s eyes narrowed. What a despicable asshole. She couldn’t believe Daegan had grown up with a father like that.

Daegan’s voice was weary, sad. “They hated everything about each other but they were trapped together because of the emotional and physical bonding link. I was too young to understand what they were or what I would become, but I still remember how miserable and broken my mother was. She cried all the time. I could hear her through the wall between our bedrooms at night when she thought I was sleeping. There was no escape for either of them, so they slowly destroyed each other. And when that wasn’t enough they did their best to destroy me too.”

Jesus. Her free hand clenched into a fist. “They hit you?”

“Mostly my da, especially when he’d been drinking.”

Her stomach twisted. Her childhood had been hard because of losing her parents, but her grandparents had treated her well while they’d raised her. At least she’d had people to love and care for her when she was young. Daegan’s tragic upbringing broke her heart.

Liv closed her eyes, aching for the frightened little boy he must have been. She wished she was with him right now. She’d have given anything to wrap her arms around him, to draw the pain away. His words cut her. “What happened?”

“One night he beat her so badly she was bedridden for a week.”

Liv’s skin crawled. “God, Daegan—”

“The day she was well enough to get up I was just coming home from school. I saw her walking toward the cliffs and followed her.”

Her hand flew to her mouth, eyes squeezing tight as she connected the dots.

“I called to her but she didn’t stop. Just walked right to the edge and stared down at the rocks for a moment. The look on her face…I’ll never forget it as long as I live. It was relief. Pure, simple relief.” His voice was raw, hoarse. “She looked back at me and smiled a little. Then jumped.”

Liv bit her lip, trying to imagine how Daegan could have endured such a childhood. “I’m so sorry.”

He made a gruff sound. “Some fishermen found her body and brought her back to the village. Took me two days to dig her grave. My father never came back. He never even came to her funeral.”

He’d dug the grave? “How old were you?”

“Nine.”

She put a hand to her mouth. Nine years old and he’d had to cope with all that on his own.

“My da died a few months later. Stabbed to death over a gambling debt.”

Good, she thought with a rush of anger. She hoped he’d slowly bled to death. Tamping down her emotions, Liv reached out to her mate. She ached to soothe him, bring them closer. They might not have had much time together, but if he gave them a chance she knew without a doubt they’d never end up like his parents. “Daegan.”

“Yeah?”

“I wish I was there right now to hug you.”

He made a gruff sound, almost as though he was embarrassed. “Thanks, but I’m fine.”

No, he wasn’t. His parents’ relationship had scarred him so badly that he’d chosen to isolate himself from her even after marking her. At huge risk to himself and the others.

“Can you see what I mean now? If you bond with me I don’t ever want you to regret your choice. It’s not too late for you to back out.”

But it was. Far too late. She was already falling for him, would always be a part of him. “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Daegan, but I’m a big girl. I won’t be forced into anything I don’t want.”

“Dammit, you’re not listening to me.” His voice rang with frustration. “The pull is too strong—you felt it last night, remember? You can’t fight biology. I’m living proof.”

“We’re nothing like your parents. I already know you’d never treat me like that, just like I know I would never hurt you that way.” How was she going to get through to him? “I’m strong-willed and I can make my own decisions. And right now I want to be with you. I
miss
you.” The blurted words left her feeling vulnerable, but they were the truth.

He didn’t answer.

She waited another few moments, then fought back a sigh. “So are you coming over or not?”

“I told you, I can’t—”

“Then goodbye.”

“No, Liv—wait!”

She hung up and stalked to her closet to snag a sweater.
Misguided, noble idiot,
she fumed. If he wouldn’t come to her, then she would go to him.

And then she’d knock some sense into that thick head, whether he was ready to face her or not.

* * *

The sound of Xavier’s voice coming through the phone irritated Rick on so many levels. He tried to make himself care about what the old man was saying, but couldn’t. He had way more important things on his mind right now as he watched the tidy white one-story house down the street from the comfort of the Pathfinder.

“A woman in Nida is asking a lot of questions about the Empowered,” the OL continued. “Vasilli did a background check and found out she’s an historian working at UBC.”

Rick covered a yawn and glanced at the clock on the dashboard. Ten to nine. Another few minutes and the sun would be down. Then someone in a big mansion on the ocean was going to be in sad shape without his mate, weakened by the effects of the Heat Cycle. It would make him an easier target, and he’d die faster once Rick killed the woman. The perfect time to grab her, if that damn old couple living next to her would ever finish weeding the garden beds out front. He could take care of them easily enough, but he didn’t need to draw any unwanted attention before he could get Olivia. “So?”

“So, she’s connected with the others,” Xavier snapped.

He ignored the irritation in the OL’s voice. “Even if she is, she’s on the other side of the Atlantic. What do you want me to do about it?”

“I want you to find out more about her and the connection. I need to be kept informed about what’s going on. If this woman knows anything important she could be useful to me.”

He rolled his eyes. “Again, what the fuck am I supposed to—” His words evaporated as the delectable Miss Farrell suddenly walked out her front door. “I’m out.”

He hung up as Olivia locked the door and glanced in his direction. He was parked near the end of her street behind a motor home. Had she seen him? She was smart. Maybe he should have switched to a different vehicle.

She glanced in the other direction before climbing into her car. He let out a relieved breath. The sleek silver sedan backed out of the driveway then headed east out of the subdivision.

Rick started the Pathfinder’s engine and followed at a safe distance. “Where are you headed, darlin’?” he murmured as he merged onto the freeway a few hundred yards behind her. Plenty of traffic between them to camouflage his presence. They drove south for a few minutes before she took the Crescent Beach exit.

With a surge of excitement, he realized she was headed toward the water. Was she going to see the Coven Leader? Without a doubt she’d be able to get into the property. He could take her and the leader out in one op, then hopefully any others living there.

Something even better hit him.

What if she never made it there?

Rick’s heart began to beat faster as he formulated a better plan. As far as weapons went, he had a few options tucked away in the glove box and beneath the seat.

A pistol. A rifle. A syringe filled with a powerful sedative. A black matte finished hunting knife.

The Obsidian Lord was a fucked-up old geezer that didn’t know the first thing about executing a hit. He didn’t see the larger picture. This whole problem between him and the Empowered started and finished with the Coven Leader. Why not take him out now and end the war before it began? Yeah, the woman he wanted made an easier target.

But she would make even better bait.

A slow smile curved his mouth as he kept pace with her along the darkening street, back just far enough to remain out of sight. He’d pick his moment when there were no witnesses around, make his move, then take control of his destiny for the first time in two years. Once he had the woman it was only a matter of time before her mate came after her. And Rick knew exactly where he’d take her.

With the OL safely ensconced over in Spain, this was Rick’s show. He’d do this
his
way and make damn sure he killed the Coven Leader on this op.

Then he’d have more than enough leverage to free himself of the Obsidian Lord’s evil grasp the next time they met.

Her phone went straight to voicemail again.

“Shit!” Daegan ran his hand through his hair, fighting the urge to hurl his phone across the room. She wouldn’t answer his calls. He was strung out as it was. The last thing he needed right now was worrying about Liv’s safety. He’d already raced to her house and back but no sign of her, no way to know where she’d gone. He hoped she was on her way over and he’d just missed her, otherwise he’d lose his mind. Maybe she’d taken a different route? Or maybe she’d gone out with a friend to vent. The sense of helplessness damn near tied him in knots.

Fuming inside, he headed for the main staircase. The magnificently finished mahogany walls were filled with oil seascapes he’d collected over the years, but he barely noticed them. In his mind, all he could see was his mother’s swollen, tearstained face the night his father had nearly killed her with his enraged beating.

He’d been hiding in his room, too afraid to come out in case his father came back to take out his hatred on him. When the grandfather clock in the main foyer echoed through the darkened house at two o’clock that morning, he’d crept into his mother’s bedroom.

His heart clenched when she turned her head to look at him. The single candle burning on the nightstand next to the bed illuminated one glistening blue eye, the other already swollen shut. Her thin body jerked with the last traces of her heart-wrenching sobs, her lips battered and bleeding. The front of her white lace bodice was spattered with her blood. Daegan’s stomach twisted as he forced himself to go to her side. But this time his mother didn’t reach for him for comfort or try to ease his fear. Her one functioning eye was glazed with the kind of pain that went far beyond any physical suffering.

“I wish I’d never bonded with him,” she murmured. “I was so stupid. I didn’t even know him. Didn’t know what kind of a monster he was.” Her chest jerked as she began to cry again, soft, plaintive whimpers that cut him inside. She pressed her lacerated lips together, bringing a fresh trickle of blood as her face twisted in a grimace of agony. Crying out, her bruised face blanched as she put a hand to her belly. As though she was trying stop the pain of whatever internal damage his father had finally inflicted with his big fists and heavy boots.

He stood there watching helplessly until the housekeeper came in and ushered him out into the hall. Standing in the shadows as the woman closed the door, his mother’s mournful voice carried out to him. “I wish I’d had a choice. Why didn’t I have a choice?”

They were the last words she’d ever said to him.

That had been nearly two centuries ago, Daegan reminded himself as he stepped onto the main floor. Somehow he had to get past that memory, because too much hung in the balance for him to risk losing Liv. He wasn’t his father. He would cut off his own arm before ever raising a hand to his mate. Still, that nagging voice in his head wouldn’t let up. Liv deserved to choose him of her own free will. He had to give her whatever time he could.

If his body held out that long. The frustration eating at him was quickly turning into an impotent rage. He had to find a way to stay in control. Already his muscles quivered with the need to lash out at something, someone. He hoped everyone steered clear of him until he figured out how to handle this.

Feeling torn in two, Daegan stalked into the kitchen but drew up short. Vaughn stood at the massive granite island, spreading peanut butter on celery sticks. Battling to hold back his aggression, Daegan paused just inside the doorway, stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Hey.”

Vaughn flicked a disinterested glance in his direction but didn’t make eye contact. “Hey.”

In light of his current predicament with Liv, Vaughn’s remoteness bothered him more than usual. “Got any more of those?”

Vaughn shrugged without looking up. “Sure.”

When Daegan stepped up to the island and reached for one, Vaughn drew back to avoid any chance of an accidental touch between them. He did it with everyone, but in his current state it angered Daegan even more. “I wasn’t going to touch you,” he growled.

Vaughn didn’t react to the words or the heated tone. His remote expression and eye-contact avoidance made Daegan feel like he wasn’t even standing there.

Fighting back a scowl, he grabbed a celery stick and took a bite. It tasted like cardboard, but he hadn’t eaten in…damn, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten. He had to fuel his body, keep his strength up. Whatever shit was going on in his personal life, he was still Coven Leader.

Where the hell was she?

While he crunched on the celery, his mind whirled with his current options. His mate was in pain, vulnerable without him. Away from her house, the threat of danger multiplied dramatically. There wasn’t a specific threat to her safety, but his instincts screamed at him to get in his car and keep searching for her. Drag her back here for as long as it took to work things out, even if he had to tie them both to opposite ends of the house to keep their hands off each other.

Yeah, like some rope’s going to keep you away from her.

Reaching for another snack, he caught Vaughn looking at his neck. No doubt checking for the mating mark that wasn’t there. Daegan bit back the sharp retort on his tongue.

Vaughn swallowed his mouthful, keeping his eyes on the plate between them. “What are you doing here?”

Damned if I know.
“It’s complicated.”

“Cade with her?”

“No, he’s out.” He barely refrained from snarling it, but Vaughn understood what it meant. The thought of any single male being alone with her right now made his hackles rise, let alone Cade with his prodigious sexual appetites. “And I don’t know where the hell she is.”

“You mask her place?”

Daegan hesitated. He’d contemplated it, but the spell wouldn’t have been as strong without at least one of the others to help him. The one on the mansion and its grounds had been cast with all three of them, making it practically unbreakable. He’d decided against it because without Liv’s consent it was too much of an invasion of her personal rights. If he’d masked it, no one but an Empowered would be able to find her place. Not her friends, not the mail man. Not even her neighbors, who would think they’d gone nuts when they woke up to find the white single story house missing and the house next to it their new neighbor. The only reason Liv could see the entrance to mansion property was because of her Empowered blood.

Yeah, but if her neighbors couldn’t find her, no Dark Army members would be able to either
, his conscience reminded him.

He cleared his throat. “I had an alarm system installed.” His answer sounded defensive and stupid, even to him, but it was all he had.

Vaughn raised his head sharply, those tormented eyes boring into his from across the island. They simmered with anger and a shitload of resentment. “Are you kidding me?”

Daegan’s jaw tensed. “It’s good enough for now.” At least, it had been until half an hour ago. “And it’s only temporary.”
Until I figure out what the hell I’m gonna do.

Vaughn shook his dark head, his expression turning bitter. “You fucking idiot.”

The disdain in his voice made Daegan stiffen and wrap his hands around the edge of the granite to keep from lunging at him.
No one
spoke to him that way, especially not one of his own men.

He fought back the sudden rise in his temper. “Excuse me?”

Breaking character, Vaughn planted his hands on the island and leaned forward, close enough that their noses almost touched. “You want this?” he demanded, yellow-flecked eyes so cold they burned. “
Look
at me. You want to end up like this too?”

Staring into the other male’s eyes, Daegan couldn’t look away. His were already beginning to turn. If Liv didn’t mark him, how long would it be before he wound up as dead as Vaughn? Would he turn into a monster before he became suicidal and threatened the existence of their kind?

And if anything happened to Liv…

Shaken, he broke eye contact and took a step back. He didn’t know how to respond to the accusation on Vaughn’s face. The male would have done anything to save his mate and avoid his empty existence. But here Daegan was, acting too chicken shit to do what was necessary to protect them all.

Vaughn eased back then looked down at his plate. “Go.” Just one word, spoken in that chilling rasp of his.

Any other time Daegan would have taken exception at being told what to do, especially by someone under his command. But looking into Vaughn’s scarred face, he could still see the hell in the other male’s eyes. An unspeakable pain that came from losing half of his soul when his mate died a hideous death at the hands of some Dark Army members dressed in Soviet uniforms, back in Klaipeda all those years ago.

A death Vaughn felt he should have prevented. Would have, if he’d been with her. But he hadn’t gotten there in time. Instead he’d found her naked, semen-splattered body long after her suffering had ended.

Daegan couldn’t risk anything like that happening to Liv. He wouldn’t leave her unprotected again.

Even as he thought it, a ripple of unease ran down his spine. He had to find her, take her somewhere safe, regardless of how close to the edge of his control he was. Looking away from Vaughn’s ruined face, he headed for the foyer. He wouldn’t ask the Reaper for help yet, since Daegan didn’t know where to begin searching for Liv. Besides, he had to take care of this himself. “I’ll check in later.”

His mate needed him. He was going to her no matter what it cost him.

* * *

Liv ignored her ringing cell phone and turned up the car radio a little louder. She knew it was Daeagn calling, probably to dissuade her from coming to see him. Not happening. Since talking to him was clearly a complete waste of time right now, she hadn’t bothered to put on her hands-free device. Her phone shrilled again from her purse on the passenger seat but she refused to answer it. She’d see him soon enough anyhow. Let him stew for the next fifteen minutes until she got there. He deserved it.

She was still angry and hurt, but more than that she ached inside. The pull toward him was stronger than anything she’d ever experienced, though it wasn’t just physical. She wanted to be with him, figure out who he was, what made him laugh, what his interests were. Find out everything about him and the Empowered. There was a chance they could make this work if they were both prepared to put in the effort required. She was willing to give it a try.

Her headlights cut a bright swath across the quiet stretch of road that wound along the bluff overlooking Mud bay. With the convertible’s top down, the warm, salt-scented air rushed past, bringing hints of freshly cut grass and warm pavement. The beach would be beautiful right now. Maybe she could convince Daegan to take a walk with her, see if she could relax him while they talked.

A car appeared behind her around the last bend. She didn’t think much of it until it began closing in on her. It came up fast, its headlights growing brighter and larger in her rearview mirror. A glance down at the speedometer assured her she was already going above the speed limit. The road had a double solid line, but would the driver pass her anyway? She hoped so. Otherwise she was in for a painfully long drive along this quiet road.

When the vehicle came up close enough for her to see it clearly, her heart jumped. A Pathfinder. Dark color. Unease snaked through her. Too much coincidence that she’d have a run-in with another Pathfinder today. Could it be the same driver from this morning?

She pressed harder on the accelerator. The engine revved as the car picked up speed, smoothly opening up a gap between them. Even if the vehicle wasn’t following her, she still wanted to get away from it. The road was dark and winding with no place to pull over and the next turnoff was still a few kilometers away.

She checked her mirror again. Despite her speed, the Pathfinder kept pace with her, pulled up right on her back bumper. An ominous headache began to tighten around her skull. Though she couldn’t see the driver, this time she understood what it meant.

Oh, God—no.

She wasn’t going to stop. There was no place to go but forward. The road was too tight to attempt a U-turn and next intersecting road was still so far away. Her suddenly cold hands clenched around the steering wheel as she sped up more. The needle on the speedometer climbed steadily, every incremental rise making her situation even more dangerous.

The Pathfinder stayed right on her tail.

“Get away from me!” she yelled. Her heart slammed against her ribs as the engine revved, smoothly accelerating with a rush of power. She had no choice but to keep racing down the darkened road, get to the next turn and pray she didn’t lose control before then.

The headache intensified in silent warning.

Danger. Get away.

She needed help,
now
. Reaching out blindly with one hand, she groped for her purse on the passenger seat to grab her phone.

Her fingers had just found the strap of her purse when the Pathfinder rammed into the back bumper. Metal crunched. The back of her skull hit the headrest as she jerked forward against the seatbelt. A torrent of fear crashed through her. “Shit!”

Liv took her foot off the gas, jerking the wheel to correct it as her car veered toward the rough shoulder. Cold fear filled her. Was this guy trying to
kill
her? The instant she regained control she stepped on the gas, but the SUV rammed her again.

The sharp impact sent her car swerving hard to the right. A scream locked in her throat as the tires skidded, out of control. The vehicle spun hard, heading toward the shoulder and the steep embankment on the other side of it. Her hands tightened like claws around the steering wheel, her foot stomping down on the brake.

An awful screeching sound shattered the air as the tires squealed. Then the sedan sideswiped something—a tree—and plunged down a slope. Her foot pinned the brake to the floorboard. No use.