Fear the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity)

by Alexandra Ivy

  Not that he would ever consider the long room lined with shelves and furnished with a walnut desk and two matching chairs as more than a temporary place to conduct his business. Once Dara was returned to him, he would take her back to their vast palace hidden among the hills of Italy.

  His lavish home possessed a library that was twice the size of this entire house and filled with thousands of precious books that dated back to the invention of the printing press. That did not even include the fragile scrolls that were kept protected in his vault.

  Unfortunately, “beggars couldn’t be choosers” and until the Dark Lord was satisfied that Gaius had fulfilled his side of the bargain, he was stuck in this backwoods swamp.

  And worse, stuck with allies he neither wanted nor needed.

  Leaning against the desk, Gaius smoothed back his dark hair and squared his shoulders as the stench of cur filled the air. There was a sharp knock on the door, but he waited for several long minutes before answering.

  He was a master tactician who knew that the most subtle power plays were the most effective. Anyone could be a bully. It took cunning and patience to be a leader.

  “Enter,” he at last commanded.

  A young man who looked to be thirty in human years entered first. He was built on muscular lines with a square head that was propped on a thick neck. His hair was blond and buzzed in military fashion that was matched by the green T-shirt and cammo pants.

  Behind him was a smaller, female version of him, down to the military buzz and cammo pants.

  Cristo. He understood Sally’s comment that they were a matched pair.

  Strolling forward, the twins halted to stand side by side, their arms folded over their chests.

  “Vampire,” the male said with a respectful dip of his head.

  Gaius slowly straightened from the desk, his expression one of chilly displeasure. “You will call me Commander.”

  Anger sizzled through the cur’s hazel eyes, but he was smart enough to keep his annoyance to himself.

  “Whatever floats your boat,” he muttered with a shrug. “I’m Dolf and this is my sister—”

  “I do not care who you are or about your tedious life stories,” Gaius interrupted in crushing tones.

  The air prickled with the heat of the cur’s mounting frustration.

  “And a big fucking hello to you too.”

  “This is not a social call.” Gaius flicked a dismissive gaze over the two. “Tell me why the Dark Lord believes mere curs can be of service to me.”

  Dolf clenched his jaw. “Because I have powers beyond a mere cur.”

  Gaius ignored the hint of sarcasm in the man’s voice. “What powers?”

  “This.” Lifting his hand, the cur pointed toward the shelves of books, muttering beneath his breath. There was a brief moment when Gaius wondered if the man was demented; then without warning one of the heavy books flew off the shelf to land on the desk with a loud thud.

  Gaius hissed in disgust. Magic. Was the Dark Lord deliberately attempting to test his loyalty by surrounding him with creatures he most detested?

  “You’re a witch?” he spat before he could control his reaction. “How is that possible?”

  The cur shrugged, obviously accustomed to the question. Not surprising. He might very well be the only magical cur on the face of the earth.

  “I was a fully trained witch before I was turned.”

  Gaius narrowed his gaze. “Curs hate witches.”

  “True.”

  “Then how did you get bitten?”

  The cur smiled with a smug arrogance. “I can be very convincing.”

  Gaius wasn’t impressed. “If that is your only skill, then you and your sister can—”

  “Wait,” the cur rasped.

  “What?”

  “Ingrid.” Dolf glanced toward the silent woman at his side. “Show him.”

  Reaching into her back pocket, the female cur withdrew a small cell phone and held it up for his inspection.

  “You’re here to sell me a phone?” he mocked.

  Ingrid pressed a button on the phone that brought up the picture of a blond-haired man with pale blue eyes.

  “I worked for Caine,” she said.

  “Caine?” It took Gaius a moment to realize why the name was familiar. “The Were protecting the prophet?”

  “Yep.” The cur smiled. “This is his direct line.”

  Chapter 4

  Las Vegas

  The penthouse suite of the casino consumed most of the top floor. Tastefully decorated in muted shades of brown and tan, it had a large sitting room filled with long sofas and overstuffed chairs arranged around a wet bar and hot tub. On each side were matching bedrooms with their own private bathrooms that were as large as most spas.

  Such hushed elegance was a welcomed respite from the crowded gaming rooms, but it was the stunning view from the glass walls that attracted most guests.

  Caine included, although it wasn’t for the usual reasons, Cassie wryly conceded.

  The overprotective Were didn’t care that the view at night offered a dazzling display of lights from the nearby casinos, or that during the day there was a breathtaking panorama of the surrounding desert and line of craggy hills.

  His only interest was having the best possible view to make sure that nothing could sneak up on them. And of course, being high enough off the ground to keep anything without wings from sneaking through the window.

  Cassie appreciated his concern. She truly did. It was just...

  Pacing from one end of the sitting room to the other, Cassie struggled to pinpoint the source of her dissatisfaction. Not an easy task. Cassie rarely remembered that beyond her visions she was a normal female who should possess normal female emotions. And she most certainly never took them out to examine them.

  Not until Caine.

  So now she was stuck trying to process the bizarre contradictions that were plaguing her.

  The breathtaking tingles of excitement that raced through her whenever Caine happened to touch her, followed by the achy sense of disappointment when he pulled away. The restless inability to concentrate when he was in the same room and the ridiculous fear the moment he left the hotel suite without her.

  A growingly common occurrence, she acknowledged, halting to stare out the glass wall, barely noticing the streets baking beneath the fierce summer sun or the wilting tourists jamming their way into the buses that briefly halted before moving on to the next casino.

  Over the past four days Caine had spent an inordinate amount of time searching for enemies that he seemed convinced were lurking just outside the door. She sensed it was more than the driving need to protect her that was sending him out the door, but she didn’t have interpersonal experience to know what she was doing wrong.

  Or more importantly, how to halt him.

  She turned, her gaze instinctively searching out the clock set above the entertainment center. It had been three hours since Caine left.

  Far longer than he was usually gone.

  Her strange sense of abandonment ratcheted up another notch. Had he gone for good this time?

  It would be perfectly understandable. Playing babysitter to a female who spent most of her life besieged by glimpses of the future wasn’t a role any man would willingly take on. If Caine had grown tired and decided to cut his losses, she wouldn’t blame him for a minute.

  The brave, noble thought had barely crossed her mind when she ruined it all by breathing a tiny sob of relief as she caught the familiar scent of Caine’s approach.

  He hadn’t abandoned her . . .

  Wrapping her arms around her waist, she forced herself not to leap forward and knock the poor man down as he stepped into the hotel suite and closed the door. Unfortunately, she couldn’t prevent her shaky sigh of relief or the compulsive words that tumbled from her lips before she could halt them. “You’re back.”

  He appeared weary, with a hint of golden stubble on his jaw and his exquisite sapphire eyes sha
dowed. His white-blond hair was rumpled, as if he’d been running his fingers through it, and his muscles tightly coiled beneath the tight white T-shirt and faded jeans.

  Still, he was on instant alert as he caught sight of her pale face. Moving with liquid speed, he was across the room, grasping her shoulders in a tight grip.

  “What is it?” His gaze ran down her slender body, assuring himself that she was unharmed. “Did something happen?”

  “No, you were just gone a long time. I thought . . .” She bit her lip, unwilling to burden him with her ridiculous fears.

  Of course, he easily read her mind. It was one of his tricks that she didn’t particularly appreciate.

  “I’m sorry.” Stepping back, he scrubbed his face with his hands. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”

  “Where did you go?”

  He shrugged. “I made a sweep of the hotel.”

  She frowned. It didn’t take three hours to make a sweep of the hotel. Not unless he was searching room by room.

  “Do you sense trouble?” she asked.

  “Always.”

  She caught the dry edge in his voice. It wasn’t a sense of trouble that was bothering him. Or at least, not entirely.

  “You don’t have to make excuses, you know.”

  “Excuses?”

  “For leaving the room.” She tried to keep her voice steady. “You clearly dislike being here with me.”

  “Dislike?” A raw disbelief darkened his eyes. “Is that what you think?”

  “I can sense your tension.”

  “It sure as hell isn’t dislike.” She could hear his teeth grinding together. “I wish to God it was.”

  She frowned, realizing that once again she’d gotten it wrong. “Then what’s bothering you?”

  “I need a shower.”

  With an abrupt motion, he was spinning on his heel and heading into the bedroom he’d claimed as his own. Minutes later she heard the sound of the shower running.

  For a confused moment she was hurt by his sharp retreat. What had she done now to make him so eager to flee from her company?

  Then she caught the unmistakable scent of his arousal.

  Oh.

  Was that why he’d taken off in such a hurry? Because he wanted to make love to her?

  The thought was thrilling. Intoxicating.

  She shivered as a bolt of desire sliced through her body. Along with a determination to do something about her clawing need. She might not understand why Caine was taking a shower rather than wrapping her in his arms as she longed for him to do, but she knew that she was done waiting for him to make the first move.

  Before she could lose her nerve, Cassie headed across the room and into Caine’s bedroom. She didn’t have experience. But she did have primitive instincts.

  What else did she need?

  Pausing long enough to strip off her clothes, Cassie entered the bathroom, crossing the mosaic-tiled floor to step into the shower stall that was the size of most apartments.

  The air, filled with moist steam laced with the scent of soap and warm male skin, wafted over her like a delicate caress. Cassie trembled, her nipples beading in anticipation as Caine turned to regard her with a wary gaze.

  “Cassie.” He reached to shut off the water. “What the hell?”

  She smiled, slowly advancing even as he backed against the wall, his golden body shimmering with water droplets and his hair slicked from his beautiful face.

  “I’ve come to ease your tension.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut, as if in pain. “A back rub isn’t what I need, pet. Maybe later.”

  Halting directly in front of him, Cassie skimmed her hands over his broad chest, savoring the sensation of his muscles clenching beneath her soft touch. “Then tell me what you do need.”

  His eyes snapped open, his hands reaching to grasp her wrists, although he made no effort to pull them away.

  Thank the gods.

  “I need you out of here before I do something we’re both going to regret,” he rasped.

  “You would regret making love to me?”

  His eyes blazed with a compulsive need, even as his face twisted with an expression of supreme torment. “Are you deliberately trying to drive me crazy?”

  She leaned forward, trailing her lips over the silken smoothness of his chest. He tasted of heat and feral animal. Delicious.

  “I only wanted to help.”

  “Help?” he breathed, his heart thundering beneath her lingering kiss and the scent of wolf suddenly filling the air.

  Cassie felt her own wolf responding. Just because she couldn’t shift she wasn’t any less of a Were. Her animal was prowling just below her skin, restlessly seeking the touch of this man. “To relieve your tension.”

  Unexpectedly, Caine stiffened, his muttered curses warning he wasn’t pleased by her explanation. “So you’re willing to give away your virginity for a pity fuck?” he growled.

  She pulled back, confused by his sudden anger. “I don’t know what that means.”

  He grimaced, instantly regretting his harsh words. “It means that I’m not so desperate for sex that I’m willing to take your innocence.”

  Ah. Relief surged through her. He was simply protecting her.

  Again.

  She reached up to brush her lips along the line of his stubborn jaw. “And what if I am?”

  She felt him tremble, his muscles coiled so tight it was a wonder he didn’t cramp.

  “What if you are what?” he managed to husk.

  “Desperate,” she readily admitted, nipping the lobe of his ear. “Would you give me a pity fu—”

  Caine swooped his head down to end her words with a kiss that sent a sizzling jolt of pleasure straight through her body. She gasped, clutching at his shoulders as her toes curled in the warm water pooling at their feet.

  “Don’t say it,” he commanded against her lips.

  She allowed her tongue to trace the chiseled lines of his mouth, pleased when he groaned in helpless need.

  “You did,” she reminded him softly.

  “I say a lot of stupid things when I’m—”

  “Tense?” she offered when he bit off his explanation, a line of color marking his cheekbones.

  “Yes.” His voice was hoarse, his eyes glowing with his wolf in the billowing steam. “Cassie, you really need to leave.”

  In response, she pressed herself against his naked body, her breath catching at the feel of his hard erection pulsing against her lower stomach.

  She hadn’t expected it to be so large. Not only long, but thick. And hot. It burned against her skin like a branding iron.

  Or maybe that was just her fevered imagination. Not because she was nervous. Or uncertain. But because she was so damned hungry for him.

  She might be a virgin, but she had zero doubt that she wanted Caine. He was, in fact, the only man she’d ever wanted.

  All of him.

  “You don’t want me?” she demanded.

  His hands gripped her hips, his fingers digging into her flesh as if he were caught between the urge to yank her closer and shove her away. “So badly that I can barely think straight,” he breathed.

  She allowed her fingers to skim over his shoulders and then up the curve of his throat. Her touch was tentative. A Were was extremely selective in who was allowed to touch their neck. The fact he made no effort to halt her exploration proved he already accepted her on the most intimate level.

  “Then make love to me.”

  He tensed, his eyes dark with pain. “No.”

  Stubborn man. Thankfully, she could be just as stubborn.

  She threaded her fingers through his damp hair, deliberately rubbing the tight buds of her breasts against his chest, groaning at the tiny darts of sensation that arrowed straight to the pit of her stomach.

  Oh . . . my.

  “Why not?”

  Caine swore, his fingers biting into the flesh of her hips. “I won’t take your innocence because you’re feelin
g sorry for me.”

  She stilled, tilting back her head to study him in confusion. “Is that what you think? That I feel sorry for you?”

  “Why else would you be in my shower?”

  “Because I want . . .”

  He frowned as she struggled to find the words to express the need aching deep inside her. “What?”

  “This.”

  She might not have the words, but she knew what she wanted. Besides, talk was overrated under the best of circumstances. And in this moment, it was completely superfluous.

  Cupping his face in her hands, she went up on her tiptoes, pressing her lips to his in a kiss of blatant longing.

  Caine froze and Cassie felt her heart sink. So much for her awkward attempt at seduction.

  Then, just as she was about to pull back, Caine’s arms lashed around her body and he hauled her off her feet so he could deepen the kiss with a satisfying urgency. Unlike her, the male possessed all the experience and skill necessary to turn the fumbling connection of their mouths into pure magic.

  Sheets of heat blasted through her as his tongue expertly parted her lips and dipped inside. She trembled. Sweet heaven. It was just as wonderful as she’d dreamed it would be.

  The hungry press of his lips. The enticing stroke of his warm tongue. The arms that held her so tightly she could barely breathe.

  But she needed . . .

  What?

  Hell, she didn’t know. Only that Caine still wasn’t close enough.

  Using her innate strength, Cassie wrapped her legs around his waist and they both moaned as her most sensitive part rubbed against his fully erect shaft.

  Oh yes. That’s precisely what she needed.

  The thought had barely drifted through her fuzzy mind when Caine lifted his head, regarding her flushed face through eyes that glowed with sapphire fire. “Cassie,” he groaned, a feverish color staining his high cheekbones. “Christ. You don’t know what you’re doing.”

  She licked her tongue up the length of his neck, capturing the droplets of water clinging to his bronzed skin. “Not yet, but you’re going to teach me.”

  He released a shuddering sigh. “I am?”

  The heavy scent of his musk wrapped around her, his cock twitching against her.