“Get. Her. Out. Of. There,” he ordered once again.
Marcus stood and smiled down into the hole. “I don’t think so,” he said and wandered off toward the shack.
Sean scooted to the edge and extended an arm as far as he could. Too short. Too deep.
“Evangeline, baby. Can you hear me?” he asked desperately.
Again her face flashed upward, a pale moon glowing from the depths. “Where’s Will?” Her voice was small and faint.
“He’s coming. Soon. Just hang on, baby, and listen to me. I’m gonna try to get you out, but you gotta help me.”
“Head hurts,” she mumbled, as one hand fluttered to her brow.
“I know, darlin’. I’ll help you soon. Listen. Do you see any ledges where you can step and lift yourself higher?”
A swaying of her head, followed by bone-shattering retching.
Oh God, she has a head injury
,
he thought with horror. Could she die from it? Marcus had said she could die only by the hand of an immortal. An immortal had hurled her into that twelve-foot hole and bashed her head, not twice but three times within several minutes. Did that qualify as being by his hand?
When she finished, Sean spoke again in a soft yet insistent voice. “Baby, you gotta find a ledge. There’s gotta be a small spot for you to place your foot and pull yourself up.”
“No. Tired. Shaking. Oh God, shaking so bad. Will, where are you?” she screamed. From inside the shack came Marcus’s laughter.
Cold fear snaked down Sean’s spine. He dangled his torso over the edge, digging the toes of his boots into the soft earth to keep from plunging in head first.
“Come on, baby.
Please.”
But she lay beyond his grasp, wracked by heart-wrenching sobs. He watched her for long, torturous minutes until her head lolled on her neck and she seemed to doze. Memories of basic first-aid assaulted him.
“Evangeline,” he called. “Wake up. You can’t fall asleep. Stay with me.”
“Will?”
“Yes. He’s coming. Tell me, what is your name?” Minutes ticked by while she considered his question. Her obvious hesitation spoke of severe head trauma. “What’s your name?”
She looked up at him. The sun was climbing the sky and would soon shine in the hole. “Livingston,” she said faintly.
His heart flipped painfully to hear her use his last name. “All right,” he answered, reaching into the hole futilely. “When is your birthday?” Another long pause. His neck was burning from the sun, and sweat gathered between his shoulder blades.“Birthday,” he prompted.
“February.”
“February what?”
In a fit of agitation, she screamed, “I don’t know. But Will is punching a tree and I want him to stop.”
He could hold back tears no longer so let them fall freely as the past hours weighed on him. Evangeline’s immortal mate was as helpless as he was, and for the moment, Will’s pain made Sean feel worse.
From the hole Evangeline whispered. To Will, Sean thought. If Will were here, could he stop Marcus from delivering this punishment? Sean wracked his brain. How to stop the man? At last, as the sun rose high in the sky and the chickens disappeared into the tall grass to escape it. It finally came to him. He twisted to sit with his legs dangling over the lip of the pit.
“Evangeline, move to a corner. Back up against the wall. I’m coming in,” he said, then dropped. The blackness rushed past his vision, and the shock of the landing jarred his knees, but at least he had avoided colliding with her. Mortal he might be, but he was her only chance.
Will walked through the thick, tangled foliage. He’d landed miles away from where he knew Evangeline to be, and for the past six hours, he'd been forced to hack a path through the jungle. Thank God, he was immortal because poisonous snakes and insects abounded. He’d stepped directly on the back of one deadly snake, and it had reared up and sank its fangs into his calf muscle, making him stiff and sore for hours.
Evangeline sat hunched in the tiny cage with nothing but a water bottle, abusing her hands in her attempt to free herself, her sanity a thin thread. Will spoke to her nonstop.
Until Sean had entered the picture. With her first rush of recognition, Will had spiraled into despair, and when Marcus had released her from her prison to let them be together, Will had sunk into a deeper depression, torn about whether she wanted him to find her.
But, she’d begged his forgiveness even as she’d fallen into the arms of her former lover. Sean’s kisses had enraged Will, and her body’s response had maddened him. Had he ever made her so slick with need? Or heard cries of pleasure such as Sean had wrung from her?
Will arrived at the edge of a great precipice, panting with exertion. Though it was dawn, his body was doused in sweat. He took off his shirt, rubbed it briskly over his face and hair, and then tucked the corner of it into his back pocket. He took off hiking once more along the edge of the cliff, searching for a place to descend or a natural bridge to cross. After ten minutes and nine hundred bug bites, he’d found nothing, and was in a foul temper.
Peering into the ravine, he wondered what harm could come from hurling himself off the edge. This was the most direct path to Evangeline, who at that moment was disentangling her limbs from Sean’s. They’d made love all night, and he’d witnessed things between them that would torment him for years to come.
Sean’s suckling kisses had turned her bones to water, and his touch of her immortal tattoo had sparked instant desire. When Sean's fingers had first touched her runes, a fissure of emotion had opened in her soul, similar to the shock delivered by Will’s touch.
“Damnit,” Will swore now. He collapsed in a heap at the side of the ravine, head bowed in his hands. His chest burned with anger, misery and fear.
Images of their lovemaking played through his mind. Their intimate touches. The feel of Sean’s long cock pressed against the scalding wetness of her pussy. Will had demanded she turn away from him, but, she was too emotionally attached to Sean to gain Will’s permission in this coupling. Her heart belonged to Sean as completely as it did to Will.
The touch of Sean’s fingers between her thighs drove her to a fever pitch, which in turn had affected Will. His mind was too closely linked to hers to be immune to her pleasure. When she gripped Sean’s strong shoulders, Will felt them too. Sean’s weight, his scent, and the faint tickle of his hair on her skin combined with Evangeline’s crazed need.
And when she’d stuck her finger into Sean's ass and brought him to an explosive orgasm, Will had stood in the depths of the jungle trembling with need. He’d stripped out of his clothing, taken hold of his throbbing cock with both hands and worked it to completion. But they’d continued to make love and he’d been lathered to a fevered pitch again and again.
Afterward, he’d lain gazing up at the dense canopy of trees, twisting with desire and remorse. Eventually, Evangeline had ceased talking to him mentally, but he’d experienced Sean’s tender touch on her tattoo as she drifted off to sleep and heard his murmured words:
“I love you.”
Will had thrown back his head and let out a deafening roar into the sky. A flock of brightly colored birds took flight. The darkness was giving way to the purple light of dawn. Deep in his core he felt Evangeline stir and then wake. Sean lay propped on one elbow, gazing lovingly down at her. His kiss was sweet, and she curled into his chest, seeking more.
Through Will’s mind link with Evangeline, he watched them lean companionably against one another as they dressed. He picked his way along the ridge for half a mile before he discovered a place to cross. The descent was precarious. He stepped from one jagged, vine-covered stone to the next. He felt the need to hurry, but knew that a broken ankle would get him nowhere.
About a third of the way into the ravine, Will’s world shattered. Into his mind he heard Marcus’s orders to leave the shack. Then Sean’s struggle for the gun. And Evangeline’s precious skull cracking off the wall, the floor and finally the packed earth. Darkness and pain, the smell of sickness and her tears flooded over him. His knees hit the rocky ground, and he clung to the side of the cliff, crying.
Evangeline’s mind linked with Will’s, bringing a bright flash of love and need.
Will, where are you?
Here, baby. Right here. Keep talking to me.
Where am I?
You’re all right. You’re safe. You're with Sean.
* * * *
Will listened carefully to Evangeline and Sean’s emotional conversation. Sean had jumped into the pit with her, wrapped her tightly to him, and silenced her tears. Sean shared his heat and eased her with whispered endearments, but only Will’s presence could stop her trembling.
I want you, Will. You’ve got to stop this shaking.
Sean was speaking, asking her questions to see if she had a head a trauma. But he kept asking her last name, and she unfailing gave the name of Livingston, much to Will’s torment.
Hold onto Sean, and he’ll keep you safe for me, Evangeline. I’m coming. I’m gaining ground. Don’t you feel me?
A sudden revelation struck Will, and he stopped dead still. At one point Sean had attempted to climb out of the hole with Evangeline, but the toe and hand holds were too narrow and far apart for him to navigate with her. But he could climb out on his own.
Evangeline,
he said, feeling his first surge of hope.
Talk to Sean for me. Tell him to make sure you’re all right, and then climb out and meet me in the forest. I’m almost there, but we can’t let Marcus know my location.
What?
Her childlike confusion filled him with sorrow. He tried again.
Sean needs to climb out and meet me. Together we’ll plan an escape. Tell him now, Evangeline.
Through her eyes, Will watched Sean’s reaction. Sean’s eyes narrowed. His mouth thinned in the black shadow of his beard.
Tell him to meet me so we can plan your escape and Marcus’s demise.
She told Sean, and to Will’s relief, he seemed to ponder it.
“I can’t leave her, Will. Don’t you see the condition she’s in?” he said directly to him.
Will faltered at this strange way of communicating. Never in his immortal life had he thought one day he would speak with Evangeline’s lover through her.
I see it. But if you’re to save her, you must.
Again, she spoke the words as if she was merely a vessel. A speaker system.
At last Sean nodded. He looked deeply into Evangeline’s eyes and asked, “Where?”
* * * *
Will walked due east, heading toward the purple mountain peak, as he and Sean had agreed. His steps slowed as rain began to fall. It fell heavily, washing the day’s sweat and grime from his face and neck, and flooding down to darken his T-shirt. He scrubbed his hands over his face and raked the wetness through his hair, his knees sagging from exhaustion.
He turned a circle, searching the thick leafy foliage for any sight of his enemy. The man who was trying to steal his immortal mate. He groaned with frustration. The rain obliterated all sound, and he wanted to have the upper hand when her lover approached him.Tearing off his T-shirt, he used it to mop his face and stood panting angrily into the foggy air.
“Will.”
The voice came from behind him, and Will whirled to face the man he’d watched making love to Evangeline. He drew up short, hot fire leaping in his veins. Slightly shorter than him, but broader through the chest and shoulders, Sean stood with fists clenched at his sides, prepared to battle Will for the woman he, too, loved. He’d removed his shirt as well, and Will’s eyes skimmed the sculpted chest and the scored abs which dipped into a deep V and disappeared into his low-slung jeans. Rainwater soaked Sean’s shoulder-length black hair and dripped onto his jaw, rough and black with stubble. Will couldn’t stop remembering how Evangeline had felt when Sean had kissed her.
Will had to clear his tight throat to speak. “Thanks for meeting me.”
Sean jerked a broad palm in the air as if practicing martial arts. His eyes were burning. They ran over Will, assessing him. Then he relaxed his fists and cautiously closed the distance between them.
Will’s body instantly responded to the heady scent of Evangeline on Sean. His heart rate increased, his hair lifted in gooseflesh. Her sweet musk mingled with the darker cologne of Sean’s skin. He didn’t know whether to bury his nose in Sean’s hair. Or break his neck. These thoughts were strange and frightening to Will, but mostly he burned to throw him into the dirt and pound the shit out of him for touching Evangeline.
As though he sensed this, Sean’s mouth quirked up on one corner. His lips were wide and generous. A mouth that had given Will’s woman much pleasure. Now, Will would challenge him and see what kind of sense could be spoken from those lips.
He braced his legs wide and folded his arms over his chest. “What are your intentions about Evangeline?”
Sean’s eyes dropped to Will’s hips and then flicked back up. “I intend to protect her until we can get her the hell out of there.”
“I mean after that. She’s bound to me, in case you’ve never noticed my blood medallion marking her while you were making love,” he began with a quiet menace that ended in a growl.
Sean’s mouth pursed as if he were about to smile. Lucky for him, he possessed enough sense to quash the urge. Will felt his blood pressure skyrocket. His hands clenched into white-knuckled fists.
“I’ve noticed,” Sean said with a quiet undertone of rage. “I’ve just disregarded it. I don’t have much respect for the way you immortals steal women from us mortal men.”
Will’s foot fell heavily next to Sean’s, bringing their chests within inches of each other. He glared down at Sean, thinking he'd like to break his nose. “You’d better learn to respect it. In fact, you’d better learn to live with it. Because I have no intentions of making Evangeline choose between us. I’m suggesting we share her.” The words gushed out, hanging in the dense humid air. Too late Will realized he couldn’t pull them back. His rash words had been born from a deep need to give Evangeline whatever she wanted. As the idea sank into his head, he grasped that he didn’t want to take it back.
Sean’s dark eyes flared with shock. Purple anger stained his face, and his fists clamped.
“You son of a bitch,” he roared, hurling himself at Will. They struck the ground with a bone-jarring crash, sending small trees and bushes swaying. The rain-drenched foliage rained down upon them. Sean’s fist caught Will’s jaw, rocking his head even as the other hand clamped around Will’s throat.
Goodwill fled. A red bomb detonated behind Will’s eyes. Sean’s weight pinned him to the damp earth. Will fought to get a leg between Sean's legs, and broke his wrestling hold before punching him in the gut. He grinned through his bloody teeth at the sound of Sean’s grunt.
“Share her,” Sean yelled. “She’s no one’s property. She’s the woman I love.”
“I love her too,” Will ground out, catching Sean’s fist and holding it at bay. Will shook with exertion. Drops of sweat burned his eyes, and he blinked them away. Unable to best Sean’s strength, Will drove a knee ruthlessly into his groin.
Sean twisted at the last minute, deflecting the blow. He gave a huff of laughter and glared. “You’d like to incapacitate me, wouldn’t you, you bastard? You hate that I loved her first and that she’s turned to me again. That she never wanted to leave me in the first place.”