Authors: Cindy Paterson
When she finally spoke her voice was really quiet. If he hadn’t had enhanced hearing there was no chance in hell he could have heard her. “I don’t know.”
Okay, she was fucked up. She was a machine, emotionless, no fight, no passion. A dead fuck. Not that he’d even consider such a thing with a carcass. He liked woman with curves, thighs that could wrap around him and an ass he could grab.
He heard of woman starving themselves. Restricting food intake because they thought they were fat. He had no clue where something so demented could stem from. Shit, he didn’t give a damn either.
He found himself saying, “Have you considered eating?”
She ignored his question.
“It’s really very simple
. Open fridge, see food, take food out of fridge and place in mouth. Chew. Swallow.”
Her eyes looked directly at him and didn’t even flinch at his cold stare. Then she laid her head back on her knees.
Well at least she wouldn’t be complaining about being hungry for the next twelve hours that they’d have to remain here. A lock of hair fell down in front of her face and his hand reached out instinctively to push it back. He stopped himself inches before he touched her. What the hell was he thinking? She was going to be dead by his own hand in mere hours.
“Lie down and sleep,” he said.
When she stayed as she was, he grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to lie down. Unfortunately, her head was inches from his thigh. Her scent wafted into him and he tensed. He shifted away and then leaned his head back against the tunnel.
It took ten minutes before he heard men running down the corridor. Doors were slamming and men were shouting in panicked voices. So, they were looking for her? He wondered if she was a scientist. They wouldn’t be so frantic if she was the janitor. Who the hell had he caught?
He glanced over at the woman lying quiet beside him. If she gained thirty pounds, she might be considered beautiful. A few freckles graced the bridge of her small button nose and her long eyelashes were black as his heart.
She was feigning sleep, but he saw her flinch every time she heard footsteps out in the corridor. No doubt praying that they’d stop right outside the vent and discover them.
Although he was surprised she had kept her trap shut. One small scream would instantly give them away.
Maybe she wanted to live. There was no question he’d kill her if she opened her mouth. Intelligent, he’d give her that.
His senses went on high alert. He knew that smell and it reeked of CWO. What the hell were they doing here? He instantly shut his mind off from Danielle. The CWOs could pick up on telepathy and their use of powers. One wrong move and they’d be tearing this duct apart.
He was surprised to find them here
, and he wasn’t often taken by surprise. He’d staked out this place for days and not once had he picked up on them. How the hell had that happened? He had used his vision to scan every guard he’d seen and not one had the aura of a CWO. Where had they come from?
The biggest question was how the hell was he going to get Ryker out of this place with psychotic
, power-hungry Others on his ass? Patience, he told himself. They had no idea he was here; all they were doing was looking for the woman. The search had to end at some point and then he’d have his chance.
****
It was hours later when he heard her moving back and forth. She clutched her arms around her breasts and her body rocked. He shook her shoulder, attempting to wake her, but she reacted to his touch and became irrational, fighting him, her arms pushing at him. He easily controlled her movements like holding a fuckin’ toothpick. He grabbed her by both shoulders, pulling her up against the wall and then gripped her jaw with his fingers and forced her head still.
“Blast it
, woman. Keep still or I’ll slit your throat.”
She instantly stopped struggling. Her eyes flew open and looked directly into his bottomless depths.
“Do it,” she replied.
Kilter stiffened, eyes narrowing. Her heartbeat raced faster than a cheetah running at full speed. “You want to die?”
“Yes.”
His fingers tightened on her chin, but she refused to waver under his direct gaze. He was rather impressed
, if that was at all possible. He gave pain with ease. She took it well.
“How long have you been here?” Kilter asked. When she refused to answer he put his knife to her throat. “One warning, I never repeat myself.”
Her thoughts plowed into him for one brief second—
and how many times have you told people that?
He didn’t take well to ridicule either. Nor did he take it easy on any
who decided they’d take that chance. Kill her, he said to himself.
“Seventeen years, three months and two days,” she replied.
Odd how she’d remember that, or was she just being a smartass? “What’s your specialty? Torturing innocent people or do you just like to watch?”
Her eyes flashed fire for a sp
lit second, coming alive for the first time. If he ever smiled, he would’ve at that moment, but it took too much effort and he had no inclination to waste it.
“I watch,” she said.
He dropped his hand from her jaw with disgust. She was probably one of the ones who were doing experiments on Ryker.
He should just get her to tell him where Ryker
was and kill her now. Except sitting in an air duct the rest of the night with a dead body was an unappealing thought. Besides, the smell might give him away.
He ignored her as she gradually shifted further away from him. She stopped at three feet and he allowed it. It wasn’t
as if she could escape.
“So you enjoy experimenting on innocents,” Kilter said. He should keep his mouth shut. But he wanted to hear her explanation why she allowed others to suffer.
“You know what they do here?” When he failed to answer she continued, “I don’t enjoy being—”
“Yeah, because you’re a coldhearted bitch.”
She jerked her eyes to him, and he saw that flash of anger again. But as fast as it came, it was smothered. She shrugged like it didn’t matter what he called her.
It would matter if she laid her frail
hands on Ryker in any way. Or maybe it didn’t. She was right. He’d kill her whether she did or not. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back. A few more hours and he’d be gone, she’d be dead and Ryker would be safe.
****
The water crashed against the rocks below like a constant drum. It was at least ten stories down from the top of the cliff, and there was no forgiveness in its vertical angle. He disliked that one mistake and you’d become a bunch of broken puzzle pieces.
The location was perilous for any
one who had no climbing experience and that included Danielle.
“I don’t like it,” Balen said frowning.
“We have to be close enough to the compound for the amulet to work when Kilter gets Ryker outside. This is the place with the best cover,” Keir pointed out.
“Yeah, well
, I’d feel a hell of a lot better if she stayed back at the hotel.” Balen looked over the edge for the tenth time, and a few pebbles crumbled beneath his feet and fell into the black depths below. “There is no escape here. If she’s discovered, the only way out is down, and that is out of the question.”
Danielle’s hand touched his arm. “I want to do this. I have good balance and
, unlike the small-spaces issue, I have no fear of heights. I can do this, Balen.”
He looked at her intent eyes and his insides swirled like a whirlpool. Shit, she had more confidence than he did in the plan. But he had enough experience to know that anything could go wrong. All it took was one guard glancing over the edge of the cliff and she’d be spotted.
If all hell broke loose—and it was a high probability, considering Kilter would raise hell—the guards would swarm the immediate area. He’d been over this a zillion times, and this was the closest he could hide her to the compound unless she came with them, and that was doubly out of the question. Fuck, Kilter was an asshole for putting her in this position. But she had to be the one with the amulet in order to communicate with Ryker.
Christ,
Balen thought, kicking a stone off the edge of the cliff.
“Delara and Jedrik will lead them away from here if it comes to that,” Keir pointed out. “Which I suspect it will, knowing Kilter. Being subtle is not his style.”
“Yeah,” Balen muttered. “And if we can’t get back here?” She’d be all alone and literally hanging on for dear life.
“We don’t have a choice,” Keir said. “We’re out in the open, no cover anywhere except down there. At
least, she’s out of any possible crossfire.”
Danielle took a step closer to the edge and peered over. Balen gra
bbed her arm and hauled her back. “Careful,” he ground out.
She laughed and raised her hand to stroke his jaw. He loved the feel of her fingers on his skin. They weren’t soft like butter, instead had a slight roughness to them that made his heart do a double beat. “Stop being so overprotective. Keir’s right, I’ll be safe and I have full confidence that you won’t leave me behind.”
He checked his watch for the tenth time—just before eleven. “Let’s go. We have five hours and Danielle needs to rest.”
From the corner of his
eye, he saw her roll her eyes and wanted to laugh, but he was too tense to do anything but frown. If he had his choice, he’d have her back in Toronto at her apartment and in bed. Preferably, with him beneath her succulent body. Not happening. Maybe never happening. The most he could hope for was that their plan worked and he’d be able to take her home before he was spirited off to the Wraiths’ realm of imaginary hell.
****
He leaned up against the wall of the dingy hotel room, arms crossed as he watched Danielle sitting on the bed, relaxed and at ease as if she were going on a camping trip with a group of friends. Delara and Jedrik were talking quietly with her, and he let the corner of his lips curve upwards when he heard her soft laughter at something Jedrik said.
Her unruly strands were consistently in disarray, she avoided makeup like it was a disfiguring adhesive
, and paint on her clothes was a customary occurrence. God, he adored her. And loved her. Just the thought of waking up in the morning to her in his arms awakened his loins. He loved everything about her—her candid nature, liberal words and most of all her smile. It made her eyes light up like diamonds, sparkling so bright and filled with warmth that it was infectious. She was quick to anger, her nose scrunching up button-like, eyes flashing with intensity; just as quick it could disappear. No grudges. Forgiveness; she had that in spades.
Commitment issues were a hitch. He understood her apprehension about becoming too close to anyone. Shit, her mother dies and then her father blows his brains out. Even though she was going full steam ahead with him, he sensed her hesitation, that inkling of dread that weighed heavy on them both.
He’d never leave her, at least not willingly, and if fate decided that he’d leave this earth then she was strong enough to stand alone. She wasn’t her father. She’d survived torture and drowning, for Christ’s sake.
He sighed as he twisted the gold bands on his wrists. Who was he kidding? Being sent to Rest was imminent. Danielle had every right to be tentative about jumping with both feet into a relationship with him. Fifty years in
exile—that was if they didn’t execute him—unable to communicate with her, touch her, smell the sweet scent of her skin. It was too long, even for an immortal to live without passion, love. A sharp pain clutched his chest at the thought of another in Danielle’s arms. A grumble emerged from his throat.
“What’s up?” Danielle asked
, coming up beside him and taking his hand in hers.
Nothing much, just thinking of another man in your arms.
“You should rest,” he said with too much force in his voice. He squeezed her hand and kissed the tip of her nose, which was already scrunching up. He had to curb that habit.
He was uneasy with the whole situation. Waiting. Uncertain where the hell Kilter was or what
he was doing. The guy was blocking Danielle from his mind because she’d tried several times to reach him with no response. Either he was dead or was blocking her.
She managed to contact Ryker, but he’d not heard of anything regarding Kilter. He guessed that was good news.
“Lie down with me,” Danielle said.
Keir was talking to Anstice on his cell
, and Jedrik and Delara looked far from catching some shuteye. Lying down for a few hours with Danielle in his arms sounded like heaven.
She pulled him towards the adjoining door. “I’m tired and I need your lips on my skin,” Danielle whispered.
Balen groaned. He’d like nothing better than to taste her tantalizing curves. He glanced over at Keir as Danielle opened the door.
“
Your woman needs you,”
Keir said. “
If I had Anstice here, I’d be locking the door and taking advantage.”