Guild of Truth 01 - Silent as the Grave (17 page)

Briefly she wondered if it was even her feeling this. Or was it that Mirror Mate bond everyone kept telling her about?

Some of the lust-filled fog left her brain, her mind returning back to her encounter with Collette.

People were after her because there was something they wanted from her. Her stomach plummeted as she remembering thinking Felix and his group could have been some of those people.

Felix propped himself up, instantly aware of her stiffening muscles. “What’s wrong?”

She’d made a huge mistake.

She stared into his eyes, wanting her heart to lay dead in her chest, but it pounded with traitorous fervor. It was already too late. Her feelings for Felix had already grown roots that dug into her very soul. She could lie to any number of people, but the one person she couldn’t lie to was herself. And she was falling for Felix. Hard.

Fuck. What if he has some kind of hidden agenda?

She needed to find out what Niella had Dreamed. She had to know if she was being played for the biggest fool. She didn’t think she could survive the experience twice.

“Cali?” His fingers trailed down her face.

She couldn’t stand being so close to him when she didn’t know his intentions. Fuck Collette. Fuck her and her manipulative comments!

“I — ”

Her phone went off.

Cali shot up from her bed. Felix barely moved away in time to avoid a bloody nose.

Her body protested the movement. Her skin stretched, her wounds stung, and her vision went black for a few seconds. She fumbled with her cell and nearly dropped it when she figured out the number on the ID.

The Kratos Corporation. Her interview!

She ran her free hand down her body as if to smooth out her clothes only to realize that she was still completely naked. “Hello?” she answered hesitantly.

“Miss Crazar?” That same pleasant female voice came from the other end. Cali wanted to sob in frustration. She hadn’t forgotten her interview, honest. She’d been attacked by a psycho bitch.

Somehow she doubted they’d find that excuse acceptable.

“Is everything all right? You had an appointment with Mr. Vander Donahughe at two
P.M.
We were wondering if perhaps you were having car trouble? Were you still planning on attending the interview?”

Cali couldn’t speak. This was too surreal. No company was this amazing.

“You mean I can still come in for the interview even though I’m late by over a half hour?”

“Yes, Miss Crazar. Mr. Donahughe was most concerned that something ill had happened to you.”

Something ill
had
happened to her.

She stared down at all her battle scars. Fuck it, she thought. “I’ll be right there. Thank you so much.”

“My pleasure, Miss Crazar. We’ll see you soon.”

Warmth covered her whole backside. “What was that all about?”

She turned and nearly collided head first into Felix’s chest. Her heart tore as mixed emotions bombarded her. With all that taunt muscle in front of her, she wanted to push him back onto her bed and ride him till her body collapsed. She wanted to hear him call her name as he came. She wanted to take him over and over again until her heart was so full it burst.

But she couldn’t.

She wouldn’t.

She wouldn’t be that girl again, that girl that was used then discarded, who was set up and left behind to pick up the pieces of her ruined life and heart.

He reached for her and she jumped out of range. “They called about my job interview. I missed it — ”
Because we were having amazing sex
. “ — because of Collette. They’re still letting me come in late. I have to leave. Now.”

Felix pulled his pants on. She missed the sight of all that naked flesh. “I’ll drive you.”

“That won’t be necessary. I’ll go on my own.” She slid into her purple pencil skirt with a wince as it scraped her tender legs. As she pulled on her top she asked, “How’d you get here in the first place? I have your car.”

“Joel came over after you left and I took his truck. He’s probably still waiting at my house. I should call him.”

Cali ran to her bathroom. “That sounds like a good idea.”

• • •

Felix watched as Cali raced out her front door without even sparing him a backward glance. He had no idea what the hell had just happened. His body was still stirring after being with her. He’d never experienced anything like when he’d been inside Cali. He could have sworn something had formed between them, but then why was she pulling away from him?

He ran his hand through his hair with a curse.

There had to be something more to her paranoia. She’d been fine when they’d been having sex. Even afterward, she’d run her hands along his body like he was hers. He’d wanted to take her again right there, to push himself to the hilt as her warm body clenched around him, her small injuries be damned.

His cock hardened.

He growled in frustration and readjusted himself.

They’d been fine. More than fine. And then it was like some stray thought had worked its way into her head and frightened her off. She’d jumped from his touch when only moments ago she’d been clinging to him, begging him to give her what she wanted.

Every instinct told him to go after her. To drag her back here and demand to know what the hell had just happened. He knew she was afraid of trusting people. He knew she was wary of every action someone took, thinking it was against her. But Cali wasn’t the type to have sex with someone she didn’t trust or didn’t have feelings for.

She must have heard something.

Or been told something. By someone.

Felix slammed his fist into the closest doorjamb. Pain exploded across his knuckles but it helped focus his thoughts.

“Collette,” he growled. That bitch had manipulated the women in his life enough. He should have known she’d divulge traitorous suspicions along with her truths. It explained why Cali knew so much about her and why she’d asked him about Kevin.

The fact she even believed him capable of killing someone settled like a stone in his chest.

You
are
capable of killing.

He clenched his hands into fists. It was true. Who was he to think he was some sort of saint? When pushed to his limit, he could kill. It was only through fate that Kevin hadn’t been killed when he’d hit him across the head. And at that moment the idea of silencing Collette permanently was starting to sound more and more appealing.

He was never going to fully bond with Cali if Collette continued to get in his way. The worst part was that Collette was the only one that knew anything about Mirror Mates. Niella had only gleaned information to offer support to Collette’s claims. Sometimes he cursed himself for not getting more information out of her all those years ago. He still had no idea how the bonding process was completed, or if it would give him the control he sought with his powers. He never again wanted to fear making someone vanish.

Mirror Mates don’t have to love one another.

The comment haunted him more than he liked to admit. He’d told Cali what she’d been told was a lie, but what if he was the one lying? He couldn’t believe there could be a soul-deep connection between two people and no love. He refused to believe it. Sydney called him a hopeless romantic on occasion, and he guessed she was right.

But deep down he just
knew
love had to be part of the equation. Soul mates couldn’t bond to become full forced without some intimate connection.

He wished he’d asked how Collette had bonded with Kevin, but that ship had long since sailed. He was going to have to flounder around on his own. And the idea of feeling his way around in the dark with Cali was fine by him as long as she was by his side.

He pulled his phone out, his fingers itching to call Cali, but he refrained. If he pushed too hard he’d only frighten her. Instead he called Joel.

“Felix.” Joel sounded relieved. “Where the fuck have you been? Is everything all right?”

“Cali was attacked.”

“What?”

“Collette made her move, but not the one we were expecting. According to Cali she was doing some kind of recon work. She left Cali behind after blowing up half her apartment.”

Joel cursed. “Is Cali okay?”

Felix forced his muscles to relax. “Just peachy,” he gritted out. “She’s already gone to some job interview covered in minor cuts and bruises.”

There was a short pause. “She left? You let her go somewhere on her own after being attacked?”

Felix pressed his already bruising knuckles back into the doorjamb to clear his mind. “She didn’t want me to go with her.”

“Well, fuck that. She’s in danger. I would have told her to suck it up and gone with her.”

Joel’s overprotective forwardness was going to bite him in the ass one of these days. “You didn’t see her, Joel. Something Collette said spooked her. If I had pressed, she would have distanced herself from us even more.”

“How much farther can she get from us? She’s come around the clinic a couple times with you, but she hasn’t exactly extended her friendship. She’s quite the loner, isn’t she?”

That was his Cali, all right. An isolated island for one.

He walked to the kitchen to shove his aching hand into the icemaker.

“Look, I called to let you know everything’s all right. I’ll be home in a bit. Thanks for letting me steal your car.”

“No problem. As long as you don’t Erase it, we’re golden.”

• • •

By the time Cali arrived at the Kratos building off Laguna Canyon Road in Irvine, it was after three. The wind had started to pick up, the salty ocean breeze a cooling balm on her burns.

Cali strapped her heels on after she got out of the Hummer. She’d left her portfolio of art at her apartment so all she had to bring in with her was her purse. She didn’t even have a resume on her. She felt like such a screw up, but at least she was here.

No one can say that you didn’t try.

With her shoulders back and her chin held high she made her way for the entrance, only twisting her ankle in her heels once.

A small victory.

“Wow.” The glass door closed behind her with a hiss. Soft music played from well-hidden speakers, the instrument either a violin or a cello. The entire lobby was constructed of marble. The large Kratos name mounted to the wall in gold script looked as if it was made out of real gold. Cali was tempted to go over and check, but the lady behind the desk on her left stopped her short.

“Good afternoon. Do you have an appointment?”

She made her way over, her eye catching on the short hall off to the side of the desk. Cali tried to gaze around the corner but she couldn’t lean over that far.

The woman eyed her suspiciously. “I’m sorry, do you have an appointment?” she repeated.

Cali straightened, realizing that, in her attempt to see around the corner, she’d been giving the receptionist a pretty good view down her shirt. “I’m sorry.” She gave the woman her best smile. “My name is Cali Crazar. I have a job interview with Mr. Donahughe.”

The woman’s eyes widened, as if she couldn’t believe that Cali would even know who Mr. Donahughe was, much less have an appointment with him. Her gaze paused at the bandage on her cheek.

Cali tapped the white gauze. “Shaving accident.”

The woman frowned. She didn’t get the joke.

Stop harassing the staff
, Cali’s voice of reason chided.

After a few seconds the woman typed Cali’s name into her computer. Her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline when she saw that Cali did indeed have an interview and that it was in fact with the CEO of the company.

“Y-you’re expected right away.” She pointed over her shoulder to the mysterious hallway around the corner that Cali was itching to see. “Take the elevators up to the twenty-third floor. Someone will be up there waiting to direct you. Have a good day.” That last sentence was tacked on like an afterthought.

“You too,” Cali said with just as much dispassion.

She eagerly made her way toward the elevators. The marble continued to dominate every square inch of the place. There were six elevators waiting around the corner for her, along with a couple of locked doors. Not that she tried the handles or anything.

The elevators were mahogany lined and had more of that soft instrumental music playing. There were twenty-six floors total. She hit the twenty-third button and was a little surprised when she arrived with no interruption. No one had gotten on with her.

I guess when you have six elevators it doesn’t get very crowded.

The first thing she noticed as she stepped out was the amount of greenery. Someone
really
liked plant life.

A variety of potted plants stood between every elevator. The hallway only opened one way, and Cali followed the plants along the windows to a reception desk that had more red and orange blooms set on the desk. The secretary caught her gawking and gave an inviting smile.

“Mr. Donahughe loves plants, though I’m told he doesn’t have much of a green thumb.”

“That’s … interesting,” Cali said for lack of a better word.

“You’re Miss Crazar?”

“That’s me.”

She looked behind her, “And did you travel alone? Mr. Donahughe is still attending a meeting, and he didn’t want your party to have to wait for you.”

“I came alone.”

The secretary typed something into her computer. “Very good. You’re going to take this path here and take the first right followed by the third left. Mr. Donahughe’s office is on the left. You can’t miss it.”

Cali smiled nervously. “Thanks.”

The floor was eerily deserted but she didn’t know what to expect when she was on the floor that the CEO occupied. If she were the president of some huge company she’d keep an entire floor to herself too. Once or twice her curiosity had her wanting to venture down some of the different hallways, but she stayed on her path. She could always feign getting lost, but she didn’t want to make Mr. Donahughe wait any longer. She was already getting a second shot at this.

Finally she came to a set of thick, wide, mahogany doors. Two purple-blossomed plants sat on either side, and again Cali wondered at the authenticity of the gold plate with Vander Donahughe’s name on it.