Fear the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity)

by Alexandra Ivy

  Wise, of course. Being hunted by the King of Weres was a lethal sport. Still, she couldn’t resist teasing him. “Always prepared?”

  “That’s my motto. Just like a Boy Scout.”

  She snorted. “I can’t imagine you were ever a Boy Scout.”

  “No,” he readily agreed, “but there was a time when I aspired to become an altar boy.”

  “An altar boy?” She couldn’t disguise her shock. “You?”

  “I had a life before I was turned into a cur, you know,” he said dryly.

  She kept her gaze trained on the narrow path, hoping that nothing darted out of the thick underbrush that had replaced the cornfields. “Tell me.”

  He tensed at her request. “It was so long ago I barely remember.”

  Cassie hesitated. She might be socially inept, but not even she could miss the I-don’t-want-to-talk-about-this vibe he was sending out. Which, of course, only made her more determined to discover what he was hiding. “Where were you born?”

  She heard his faint sigh. “In the gutters of Paris in the year 1787.”

  “Paris?” She sent him a startled glance. “Really?”

  “Eyes on the road, pet,” he reprimanded, gently grasping her chin until she was facing straight ahead.

  “Sorry,” she muttered. “I’m just surprised.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m not certain. You seem very . . .”

  “What?”

  She considered, trying to find the perfect word for his blond good looks, his hint of swagger, and the devilish charm that sparkled in his sapphire eyes. “American,” she at last said.

  “Not surprising.” She felt him shrug. “I was barely thirteen when I signed on as a deckhand to the first ship that would take me. I foolishly thought nothing could be worse than starving in the streets.”

  She had read enough about history to suspect that being a young boy on a ship wasn’t the dashing adventure that the poor kid no doubt hoped it would be. “But there was?”

  His fingers drummed a restless tattoo on the door handle. “We’d been out to sea less than a month when the ship was taken by pirates.”

  Oh . . . gods. She slowed the vehicle to a mere crawl. “Did they hurt you?”

  “Yes.”

  And that was all he was going to say on the subject, she ruefully acknowledged. Not that she needed the gory details. A young boy in the hands of brutal, lawless pirates . . . it was all very self-explanatory. “I’m sorry.”

  The tapping halted as Caine sucked in a slow, deep breath, no doubt battling back the memories of those bleak years of misery. “I survived and eventually they sailed close enough to land for me to risk throwing myself overboard and swimming for shore. I ended up in New Orleans.”

  “How old were you?”

  “By then I’d lost track, but I think I must have been around seventeen.”

  “So young,” she breathed. “How did you survive?”

  “I begged or stole. Occasionally, I sold my body.” His voice was bland. Too bland. “You can’t afford pride or morals when you’re hungry.”

  “I understand,” she said softly.

  He reached to brush a stray curl from her cheek. “Do you?”

  Cassie nodded. She’d never been beaten or starved or raped. But she’d been held against her will by one of the most evil creatures to ever touch the world. She knew the toxic combination of anger and frustration and fear at being at the mercy of others. And the strange sense of guilt at not being strong enough to take control of her own destiny.

  “How long were you in New Orleans?”

  “For five years.” He smoothed the curl behind her ear as she kept her gaze on the path, which was becoming increasingly more difficult to see beneath the weeds. “I might have stayed there until I died, but one day I was caught in bed with the wife of the mayor. The bastard put a bounty out on my head, so I thought it might be a good idea to leave Louisiana for a few years.”

  She chuckled. It didn’t surprise her at all that he’d been run out of town by a cuckolded husband. What female wouldn’t try to lure him into her bed?

  “Where did you go?”

  “St. Louis.”

  “And?”

  His fingers outlined the shell of her ear before trailing along the line of her jaw. Cassie shivered in anticipation. She hoped his lair was near. Once Caine was fully rested, she intended to have her wicked way with him.

  “And I had barely stepped foot in the city when I was attacked by a strange animal. I thought it was going to be the end of my sorry life.” He paused, his hand cupping her nape in a gesture of pure male possession. “Instead it was just the beginning.”

  Caine stroked his fingers down the elegant curve of Cassie’s neck, his thumb lingering on the steady beat of her pulse. A part of him felt . . . raw at having exposed a past that he’d devoted over two hundred years trying to erase from his mind.

  Not that it had ever truly been forgotten, he wryly conceded.

  He didn’t have to be a shrink to know that his obsessive search for a way to become a pureblooded Were came from an overwhelming need to climb the evolutionary ladder. He’d spent his entire life at the mercy of others. He’d been determined to become the master, not the slave.

  But a larger part of him was relieved to have unburdened his darkest secrets. It was like lancing a wound that had been festering for far too long.

  A faint smile touched his lips as he studied Cassie’s profile, which was tense with concentration. She’d accepted his confession without judgment or disgust. And for once, he hadn’t been insulted by the knowledge he was being pitied. Her sympathy was as pure and untainted as her heart.

  At last it was the call of a robin that jerked him out of his dangerous preoccupation with his beautiful companion. He swallowed a curse as he glanced toward the overgrown hedge, realizing his distraction had nearly allowed him to drive right past his lair.

  “Stop.”

  Caught off guard, Cassie stomped on the brake, nearly sending him through the windshield. Wisely, he reached over to shove the gearshift into park and switch off the key.

  “Why are we stopping here?” she asked in confusion.

  “My lair is just beyond the hedge.”

  She grimaced. “It’s not a cave, is it?”

  He gave a soft chuckle. “The house is hidden behind an illusion.”

  “Oh.”

  Crawling out of the vehicle, Caine was relieved to discover he was nearly healed. A shower, some food, and a few hours of sleep and he would be as good as new. He stretched, getting the kinks out of his muscles before moving around the hood of the Jeep and pulling open the driver’s door. Then, with one smooth motion, he was scooping Cassie out of the seat and cradling her against his naked chest.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “The hexes that guard the house are specifically cast to recognize me,” he warned, halting to place his hand flat against the hedge.

  There was a silvery shimmer in the air that revealed a narrow opening that would be invisible to all but the most powerful demons.

  He stepped past the magical barrier, halting to run a searching gaze over the large, wooden cabin set among the thick trees. It wasn’t nearly as large as many of his lairs, but the simple structure with the A-frame roof and large windows offered a panoramic view of the small pond in back and was fully equipped with every modern convenience as well as Internet service. There were also sturdy cells beneath the house to hold his prisoners and a dozen escape tunnels.

  He continued up the stone pathway, pausing at the foot of the railed porch, placing his hand against the invisible barrier until it briefly parted to allow him to step through.

  Cassie leaned her head back to send him a puzzled frown. “There are hexes around the house as well?”

  “Yes.” He climbed the wide steps and skirted around the hot tub. “They’re particularly nasty, so don’t leave the porch unless I’m with you.”

  “Wouldn’t it
be easier to turn them off?”

  He snorted, pulling open the glass door to enter the living room, which was spotlessly clean. The L-shaped room was paneled in a glossy cedar with an open-beamed ceiling and matching wood floors. A huge stone fireplace consumed one wall and at the back of the room was a staircase leading to the open loft above. Traditional leather furnishings were scattered over the handwoven rugs and priceless Turner oil paintings were framed on the walls instead of the usual mounted animal heads.

  “I could also send an engraved invitation to every demon hunting you and request them to creep up on us while we sleep, but I’d rather not,” he said, crossing the room to enter the kitchen.

  “I don’t think hexes are going to protect us from the vampire, no matter how nasty.”

  He set her on a stool next to the breakfast bar and folded his arms over his chest. “No, that’s something we need to discuss.”

  She wrinkled her nose, no doubt sensing what he was going to say. “Dinner first.”

  “Cassie . . .”

  “Or we could shower,” she interrupted, the wicked invitation in her eyes making him hard in an instance. “The last one was fun.”

  “Shit.” He turned to yank the frilly apron off the peg near the stove and wrapped it around his waist to cover his thickening erection. “Are all females born knowing how to manipulate men?”

  She batted her lashes. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Convenient.”

  Her dimples flashed, stealing any ability for him to be annoyed. “I truly am hungry.”

  “Fine. Let me check the pantry.” He conceded defeat. Or maybe he was just as reluctant as Cassie to discuss what had to come next, he acknowledged as he entered the large pantry and opened the stand-up freezer. He reached for the nearest box. “Pizza?” he called out.

  “Sure.”

  He returned to the kitchen, pulling the pizza out of the box. “I’ll get this in the oven, if you’ll set the table.” He slid the pizza on a cooking tray and popped it in the oven. “The plates are in the cabinet over the sink and the cutlery is in the drawer near the fridge.”

  He was choosing a bottle of wine from the rack on the marble-top counter when he heard her give a choked laugh. Turning, he discovered she’d pulled open the wrong drawer to reveal the skimpy aprons, maid’s uniforms, and edible panties that his playmates enjoyed.

  “Do you keep all you lairs so well stocked?” she asked with an overly innocent smile.

  He moved to shove the drawer shut and yanked open another to pull out two forks and the corkscrew. “Some better than others,” he muttered.

  She laughed, moving to collect the plates, and placed them on the breakfast bar along with linen napkins. Then, ignoring his warning growl, she moved to peer into the oven.

  “Mmmm.” She sucked in a deep breath. “It looks odd but it smells yummy.”

  In the process of pouring the wine, Caine glanced toward his companion in surprise. “You’ve never had pizza?”

  She smiled, moving to stand in front of him, her hands boldly exploring the bare width of his chest. “There are a lot of things I’ve never tried,” she reminded him, her fingers circling his beaded nipples.

  He choked back a groan, his hands gripping her wrists to halt her bewitching seduction. “Keep that up and we’ll burn down the house. Literally,” he groaned, grimly stepping back to reach for the wineglasses. Christ, this female was going to be the death of him. “Here.”

  She took the glass he offered, sniffing it with a frown. “What is it?”

  “A very fine Château Margaux,” he explained, sipping the delicate bouquet with the appreciation of a true connoisseur.

  Cassie hesitated, watching his obvious enjoyment. Then, taking a reluctant sip, she grimaced as if he’d shoved a lemon down her throat.

  “Bleck.”

  “Bleck?” He lifted his brows in amusement. “It cost five hundred dollars a bottle.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “It still is bleck.”

  “I guess it’s an acquired taste.” He moved to gather an oven mitt to take the pizza from the oven, swiftly running a knife through it before returning to divvy up the slices.

  “Why would you want to acquire a taste for something that costs a fortune?” Cassie asked as he settled on a stool next to her.

  He shrugged. “Because it costs a fortune.”

  “I may have just crawled out of a cave, but even I know that’s stupid.”

  “Maybe.” He watched as she picked up a slice, studying the chunks of sausage and mushrooms. “Be careful, it’s hot.”

  She leaned forward, taking a small bite as Caine watched. Her teeth sank into the cheese and sauce, her eyes closing in pleasure. “Mmmm.”

  He chuckled, attacking his own food with gusto. He’d expended energy at an alarming rate. First to fight off the damned curs and then to heal his wounds. He needed serious calories to regain his full strength.

  “I take it that the pizza meets with your approval?” he asked between bites.

  She demolished her first slice and chewed her way through another. “Much better than the wine.”

  “Wait until you taste my famous lava cake.”

  “Lava?”

  “Molten chocolate paradise.”

  She popped the last of the pizza in her mouth and shoved the plate away. “It sounds delicious, but not tonight.”

  “Hold still.” He leaned sideways to brush his thumb over her lower lip. “You have cheese right . . .”

  He forgot what he was going to say. Hell, he forgot how to think as the feel of her lush lip sent a blaze of heat through his body.

  Dammit.

  He’d struggled so hard to leash his driving lust for this female. He wanted to be noble. Chivalrous. Cassie was all that mattered, and he wanted to do what was right for her. Even if it meant denying what he desired with every breath, with every beat of his heart.

  With every fiber of his being.

  Unfortunately, he couldn’t get his body on board with the whole Dudley Do-Right plan. It wanted to knock the plates aside and take her right there on the breakfast bar.

  Or against the fridge . . .

  Or...

  As if to add to his torment, Cassie parted her lips to suck his thumb into the warm wetness of her mouth. He jerked, feeling like he’d just been struck by lightning.

  “Cassie, don’t,” he breathed.

  She nibbled the tip of his thumb, her eyes darkening with a desire that pulsed deep inside him.

  “Why not?”

  Yeah, why not?

  His entire body clenched in agony as he struggled to think past his painful erection.

  A tug—just one little tug—and she’d been in his lap, her legs spread wide and her innocence his for the taking.

  “We have to talk,” he hissed between clenched teeth.

  She shook her head, leaning so close he could feel the heat from her skin. A scalding promise of lavender temptation. “I don’t want to talk.”

  “Cassie, listen to me.” He reached to grasp her shoulders, hanging on to the last shreds of coherent thought. “I can’t protect you from the vampire.”

  “You already did.”

  “We both know that was nothing but shithouse luck.” His lips twisted with regret. Some hero he was turning out to be. “Christ, I led you straight into the trap.”

  “We couldn’t possibly have known that the vampire could shape-shift.” She lifted her hands to skim them down the bare skin of his arms in a soothing motion. “Or appear and disappear.”

  “All the more reason for you to be protected by your sister and their mates,” he forced himself to admit, trying to disguise his bitterness. What did it matter if he couldn’t be the one to protect her? So long as she was safe, he should be satisfied. “They could make sure that you’re surrounded by enough guards to keep away any danger.”

  She shook off his hands, which held her at a crucial distance, leaning forward until they were nose to nose. “No
.”

  He shuddered, becoming lost in the drowning emerald of her eyes. “Dammit, why do you have to be so stubborn?”

  “I’m not being stubborn, Caine,” she said softly, her hands shifting to frame his face. “I had a foretelling.”

  And that was that.

  He bit back his protest as his heart sank to his toes. Did he want to be the one protecting Cassie? Hell, yeah. Was the future of the world more important than his pride? Hell, yeah.

  How was he supposed to keep her safe when he didn’t have a clue how to stop the vampire and his trio of doom from attacking whenever they felt the urge?

  He leaned his forehead against hers. “Did this foretelling happen to mention some magical means to keep us from becoming leech food?”

  She brushed her lips over his mouth. “No. But we have to return to your lair in Chicago.”

  As far as foretellings went, it could be worse, he wryly conceded. He wouldn’t have been surprised if he were expected to haul her to the nearest hell dimension and fight off an entire army of demons.

  An unnerving shiver of premonition inched down his spine and with a curse, Caine shoved aside all thoughts of looming foretellings, of vamps with crazy-ass abilities, and traitorous curs.

  Just for a few minutes he wanted to be a man alone with the female who set him on fire.

  “Now?” he rasped, spanning her waist with his hands.

  “No.” She gave a small shriek as he lifted her to set her on the edge of the bar. Then a slow smile of anticipation curled her lips. “Soon, but not tonight.”

  Rising to his feet, he stepped between her legs and skimmed his hands beneath her shirt.

  “Good.”

  Chapter 8

  Gaius’s lair in Louisiana

  Arriving back at his private lair, Gaius dumped the two unconscious curs on the porch. Then, ignoring the witch’s demands that he wait and listen to her babbling, he headed up the stairs and into the cell holding the human female.

  Still under his enthrallment, she willingly went into his arms, tilting her head to offer her throat for his hungry fangs.