Fear the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity) (16 page)

Once clean, she dried off in front of the window that overlooked the pond. The sun was shimmering on the water and the wildflowers danced in the breeze. A perfect invitation for a picnic, she decided.

With a smile of anticipation, Cassie pulled on a pair of khaki shorts and a scoop-neck white shirt. She shoved her feet into her own sneakers and combed her hair into a ponytail. Once presentable, she headed for the stairs.

A step away from the door, however, she staggered to a halt, her balance precarious as a vision slammed through her with shocking force.

She hissed in shock.

Usually, the visions flowed through her to appear as a floating hieroglyphic that she could decipher later. Sometimes she understood them. Sometimes she didn’t. But only rarely did she actually see her predictions in full-fledged living color as they seared through her mind.

Pressing her palms to her aching temples, she watched in confusion as the vision of herself came into focus. She was standing alone in the middle of a white fog that was so thick she couldn’t see through it. She sensed there was something lurking in the fog. Something so powerful that its mere presence was flaying the skin from her body.

Oh, Lord. She whimpered in pain. She wanted to curl into a tiny ball and pray the lurking thing wouldn’t notice her. But she couldn’t. The scent of Caine was drifting through the air and she knew she had to reach him.

He was in trouble.

Deep trouble.

Then, as if on cue, the fog slowly parted.

She cried out in shock as she caught sight of Caine. Oh, please blessed mother, no.

He was lying in the mist, his body twisted and deformed as if he’d been caught midshift, trapped between human and wolf. Impulsively she stepped toward him, only to come to a halt as he bared his fangs in warning.

Only then did she notice the sapphire eyes were filled with a feral insanity.

He didn’t recognize her.

The thought had barely flashed through her mind when he was awkwardly shoving himself upright, his savage howl echoing through the creepy fog. Frightened, Cassie backed away.

Precisely the wrong thing to do.

Lost in the savage instincts of his wolf, Caine tracked her movements with the cunning of a predator. In this moment she was his prey.

And he was preparing to attack.

Cassie didn’t fear for herself. She’d always assumed she was destined for an early grave. She was, after all, the only known prophet. The most desired and feared creature in the world.

No. She’d prepared for years to die. But if Caine came to his senses and realized what he’d done . . .

A gut-wrenching dread lodged in her heart. He would never, ever be able to forgive himself.

Or worse, what if he was stuck in that hideous state between wolf and man? What if he was forever trapped as a monster?

As if sensing her fear, Caine crouched, no doubt excited by the scent of her panic. But even as she braced for the impact, the vision vanished as abruptly as it had arrived.

Reeling in reaction, Cassie fell to her knees, her head bowed with the sheer horror of what she’d been shown.

Oh, gods, she had to stop this.

But how?

She didn’t know where the two of them had been, or how they’d been taken, or even what evil had been lurking just out of sight.

“Think, Cassie, think,” she muttered, wiping away the useless tears.

Though she didn’t know where they’d been, she sensed that it would happen soon. And if they were both in the strange fog, then they’d obviously been together when they were taken.

So . . . she had to make sure they weren’t together.

Ever.

She ignored the brutal pain that sliced through her at the mere thought of spending the rest of her life without Caine. It would be a barren, lonely existence, but she could survive if she knew that Caine was alive and well.

And more importantly, she ignored the whispered warning that she’d never been able to alter the future. No matter how often she tried.

This time it would be different.

It
had
to be different.

With an effort she forced herself to straighten, her knees still weak and her head aching. She would worry about the future later. For now, she had to get away from Caine.

Something that was easier said than done.

She was under no illusion that she could simply give him a kiss good-bye and stroll away. Caine had declared himself her protector and nothing short of death was going to pry him from her side.

Which meant she would have to slip away.

Her gaze turned toward the window. Although she couldn’t shift, she was still as strong and as fast as other Weres. If she jumped out the window and took off at top speed there was a fifty/fifty shot she could reach the Jeep before Caine realized she was trying to escape.

Of course, she’d only have one shot.

Caine would chain her to the wall if she failed.

Sucking in a deep breath, she was actually in the process of crossing the floor when she was struck by a sudden thought.

Crap. She couldn’t just leave. The hexes surrounding the cabin would fry her if she left the house alone.

Which meant she’d have to find a way to have Caine escort her past the barriers and
then
escape.

She squeezed her eyes shut in frustration. Yeah. No problem.

“Cassie?”

The sound of Caine’s voice calling from the kitchen jerked Cassie out of her dark broodings. First things first. She had to convince Caine to leave the house. She would worry about escaping later.

“I’m coming,” she called, heading reluctantly down the stairs and stepping into the kitchen.

She was greeted by the scent of waffles fresh from the toaster and warm syrup. Her stomach rumbled in approval, even as her heart sank to her toes at the sight of Caine mixing frozen orange juice into a pitcher.

It all looked so wondrously homey. Like a scene from her deepest fantasies.

Caine turned at her entrance, instantly sensing her distress despite her forced smile. Setting aside the pitcher, he moved across the tiled floor, grasping her hands in a tight grip. “What’s wrong?”

She hesitated. She might be the world’s worse liar, but this was for Caine. It was her turn to step up to the plate and do whatever was necessary to protect him. Just as he’d always protected her.

“I had a vision,” she admitted, sticking to the truth for as long as possible.

“Damn,” he muttered, the contentment leeching from his magnificent eyes. “Now what?”

“We have to leave.”

“Okay.” Her heart nearly shattered at his ready nod. He was prepared to follow her no matter what new disaster she was leading him into. Without question, without hesitation. How had she ever earned such steadfast loyalty? “Do you know where we’re headed?”

She forced her eyes to meet his searching gaze, fiercely reminding herself that Caine’s life hung in the balance.

“West.”

“That’s it?” His brows lifted, but he looked more confused than suspicious. Thank the gods. “Just west?”

“For now.”

“Do we at least have time for breakfast?”

Say no
, a voice whispered in the back of her head.

The sooner she was away from Caine, the sooner she could hope she’d managed to avoid his fate. But, the need to spend just a few extra moments in his company overcame her common sense.

Surely a half an hour wouldn’t make any difference?

“Yes.”

“Breakfast in bed?” he murmured, his fingers brushing over her cheek. Then, noting her strained expression, he gently tapped the end of her nose. “Come on, your waffles are getting cold.”

Squashing her prick of guilt at her selfish need to savor just one meal with the man who’d rescued her from hell and filled her heart with joy, Cassie joined him at the breakfast table.

They ate in near silence, but Cassie was content to absorb the pleasure of his leg pressed against hers, and the delicious musk of his wolf that spiced the air. These memories were going to have to last her a lifetime and she intended to enjoy every moment.

All too swiftly they were finished with the waffles and Caine had cleared away their dishes.

With an effort, Cassie crushed the urge to find some excuse to linger and instead allowed herself to be carried out the front door and down the walk to the waiting Jeep. She had already dared fate enough. She had to get away from Caine before destiny took matters out of her hands.

Settling her in the seat, Caine moved to take his place behind the wheel. Then, with an ease that made her shake her head in rueful resignation, he had the vehicle shifted into gear and they were hurtling down the dirt path with a steady speed.

Her lips parted to tease that he would have to give her driving lessons so the next time she had to save his butt she wouldn’t embarrass herself, only to snap shut as she remembered there would be no next time.

She clenched her hands, something deep in her heart slowly withering and dying.

Was it hope?

Stoically, she watched the overgrown meadows being replaced by well-manicured fields, the road widening to a paved street that eventually became a four-lane highway.

Beside her she felt Caine’s concerned glances, while inside she was increasingly tormented by the urgent need to travel north to Caine’s lair outside of Chicago. She’d known for weeks she would eventually have to return to the farmhouse. Now it was an imperative demand she wasn’t going to be able to fight for much longer.

Still, she’d hoped to lead Caine as far west as possible. Once she managed to escape him, she wanted him convinced that she would be fleeing toward Kansas City. It would hopefully give her the necessary time to disappear before he could pick up her scent.

“You’re quiet.” Caine at last broke the thick silence.

She turned to meet his worried gaze, pasting a fake smile to her face. “I’m distracted.”

“And that’s all?”

She pressed her lips together, trembling with the effort to deny the powerful compulsion to leap from the Jeep and head north.

“Can we pull off here?” she rasped, pointing toward the narrow road just ahead.

He automatically exited, his brow furrowed as he studied the empty parking lot that framed a small park with public bathrooms and a handful of picnic tables.

He pulled to a halt beneath a shade tree, his eyes skimming the park in confusion. “A rest stop?”

“There’s something in the woods.” She pointed toward the distant line of trees. “Something you need to see.”

He jerked his gaze toward her, his jaw clenching as if sensing he wasn’t going to like what she had to say. “Me?”

She drank in the bronzed beauty of his face, memorizing every angle, every line and curve until it was branded on her heart.

“Yes.”

“What about you?”

“I need to stay here.”

He shook his head, returning his gaze to the empty countryside. “I don’t like this.”

“I’ll be fine,” she assured him.

“If something attacks I’ll be too far away to protect you.”

“Nothing will attack. It’s daylight.”

He didn’t look reassured. In fact, he looked downright pissy. “There are more dangers than just leeches.”

She trembled, struck by another urgent need to be traveling north. “Please, Caine.”

Clearly sensing her distress, Caine muttered a curse and reached beneath his seat to pull out a small handgun. “Here.” He pressed the weapon into her hand and wrapped her fingers around the grip. “Shoot anything that moves.”

Knowing that this was most likely her last moments with the man who would haunt her for the rest of eternity, she leaned forward to brush her lips softly over his mouth.

“Take care of yourself,” she whispered.

He nipped her bottom lip before pulling back with a rueful smile. “I’d rather take care of you.”

Oh . . . Lord.

She battled back the tears as she pushed him away. “You have to go.”

“Fine,” he sighed.

With one last scan to make sure the park was empty, Caine crawled out of the Jeep and took off at a swift trot. She waited until he reached the edge of the woods, knowing he would glance back before disappearing from view.

Once certain he wasn’t going to come charging back, Cassie hastily clambered into his seat and put the Jeep into neutral. She clutched the steering wheel, gnawing her bottom lip as she resisted the urge to stomp on the gas. Caine would hear the change in the engine even from such a distance.

Refusing to glance back, Cassie concentrated on keeping a straight line as the Jeep rolled with excruciating sluggishness across the parking lot and back onto the access road. Only when she was near the interstate did she offer a silent plea for the fates to keep Caine safe, and shoved the gearshift into drive, taking off with enough force to lay rubber.

Chapter 10

Despite being shifted into his wolf form, Caine could feel the panic claw through him as he reached the end of Cassie’s trail and realized that it had doubled back.

God dammit. He’d wasted nearly an hour running along the highway, desperate to catch up with the Jeep and massacre the bastards who’d kidnapped his female.

Now he was forced to halt and reassess his limited choices. With a snarl of impatience, he padded behind a hay bale and shifted, careful to remain hidden from the passing cars. For whatever stupid reason, humans were far more shocked to catch sight of a naked man standing in a field than a massive wolf.

Sucking in deep, shuddering breaths, he wiped the sweat from his brow and tried to think through his mind-numbing fear.

When he’d first heard the squeal of tires he’d been terrified that Cassie had accidentally knocked the Jeep out of gear. He’d burst out of the woods expecting to see her driving in circles around the parking lot or, gods forbid, crashed into a tree.

What he hadn’t expected was to find she was gone.

Just . . . gone.

The parking lot was empty, with no scent of any intruders and no sign of a struggle.

For long minutes he’d stood in the center of the parking lot, baffled.

If Cassie had been attacked, why hadn’t she fired the gun? Or at least screamed for help?