Fear the Darkness (Guardians of Eternity)

by Alexandra Ivy

  It all looked so wondrously homey. Like a scene from her deepest fantasies.

  Caine turned at her entrance, instantly sensing her distress despite her forced smile. Setting aside the pitcher, he moved across the tiled floor, grasping her hands in a tight grip. “What’s wrong?”

  She hesitated. She might be the world’s worse liar, but this was for Caine. It was her turn to step up to the plate and do whatever was necessary to protect him. Just as he’d always protected her.

  “I had a vision,” she admitted, sticking to the truth for as long as possible.

  “Damn,” he muttered, the contentment leeching from his magnificent eyes. “Now what?”

  “We have to leave.”

  “Okay.” Her heart nearly shattered at his ready nod. He was prepared to follow her no matter what new disaster she was leading him into. Without question, without hesitation. How had she ever earned such steadfast loyalty? “Do you know where we’re headed?”

  She forced her eyes to meet his searching gaze, fiercely reminding herself that Caine’s life hung in the balance.

  “West.”

  “That’s it?” His brows lifted, but he looked more confused than suspicious. Thank the gods. “Just west?”

  “For now.”

  “Do we at least have time for breakfast?”

  Say no, a voice whispered in the back of her head.

  The sooner she was away from Caine, the sooner she could hope she’d managed to avoid his fate. But, the need to spend just a few extra moments in his company overcame her common sense.

  Surely a half an hour wouldn’t make any difference?

  “Yes.”

  “Breakfast in bed?” he murmured, his fingers brushing over her cheek. Then, noting her strained expression, he gently tapped the end of her nose. “Come on, your waffles are getting cold.”

  Squashing her prick of guilt at her selfish need to savor just one meal with the man who’d rescued her from hell and filled her heart with joy, Cassie joined him at the breakfast table.

  They ate in near silence, but Cassie was content to absorb the pleasure of his leg pressed against hers, and the delicious musk of his wolf that spiced the air. These memories were going to have to last her a lifetime and she intended to enjoy every moment.

  All too swiftly they were finished with the waffles and Caine had cleared away their dishes.

  With an effort, Cassie crushed the urge to find some excuse to linger and instead allowed herself to be carried out the front door and down the walk to the waiting Jeep. She had already dared fate enough. She had to get away from Caine before destiny took matters out of her hands.

  Settling her in the seat, Caine moved to take his place behind the wheel. Then, with an ease that made her shake her head in rueful resignation, he had the vehicle shifted into gear and they were hurtling down the dirt path with a steady speed.

  Her lips parted to tease that he would have to give her driving lessons so the next time she had to save his butt she wouldn’t embarrass herself, only to snap shut as she remembered there would be no next time.

  She clenched her hands, something deep in her heart slowly withering and dying.

  Was it hope?

  Stoically, she watched the overgrown meadows being replaced by well-manicured fields, the road widening to a paved street that eventually became a four-lane highway.

  Beside her she felt Caine’s concerned glances, while inside she was increasingly tormented by the urgent need to travel north to Caine’s lair outside of Chicago. She’d known for weeks she would eventually have to return to the farmhouse. Now it was an imperative demand she wasn’t going to be able to fight for much longer.

  Still, she’d hoped to lead Caine as far west as possible. Once she managed to escape him, she wanted him convinced that she would be fleeing toward Kansas City. It would hopefully give her the necessary time to disappear before he could pick up her scent.

  “You’re quiet.” Caine at last broke the thick silence.

  She turned to meet his worried gaze, pasting a fake smile to her face. “I’m distracted.”

  “And that’s all?”

  She pressed her lips together, trembling with the effort to deny the powerful compulsion to leap from the Jeep and head north.

  “Can we pull off here?” she rasped, pointing toward the narrow road just ahead.

  He automatically exited, his brow furrowed as he studied the empty parking lot that framed a small park with public bathrooms and a handful of picnic tables.

  He pulled to a halt beneath a shade tree, his eyes skimming the park in confusion. “A rest stop?”

  “There’s something in the woods.” She pointed toward the distant line of trees. “Something you need to see.”

  He jerked his gaze toward her, his jaw clenching as if sensing he wasn’t going to like what she had to say. “Me?”

  She drank in the bronzed beauty of his face, memorizing every angle, every line and curve until it was branded on her heart.

  “Yes.”

  “What about you?”

  “I need to stay here.”

  He shook his head, returning his gaze to the empty countryside. “I don’t like this.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she assured him.

  “If something attacks I’ll be too far away to protect you.”

  “Nothing will attack. It’s daylight.”

  He didn’t look reassured. In fact, he looked downright pissy. “There are more dangers than just leeches.”

  She trembled, struck by another urgent need to be traveling north. “Please, Caine.”

  Clearly sensing her distress, Caine muttered a curse and reached beneath his seat to pull out a small handgun. “Here.” He pressed the weapon into her hand and wrapped her fingers around the grip. “Shoot anything that moves.”

  Knowing that this was most likely her last moments with the man who would haunt her for the rest of eternity, she leaned forward to brush her lips softly over his mouth.

  “Take care of yourself,” she whispered.

  He nipped her bottom lip before pulling back with a rueful smile. “I’d rather take care of you.”

  Oh . . . Lord.

  She battled back the tears as she pushed him away. “You have to go.”

  “Fine,” he sighed.

  With one last scan to make sure the park was empty, Caine crawled out of the Jeep and took off at a swift trot. She waited until he reached the edge of the woods, knowing he would glance back before disappearing from view.

  Once certain he wasn’t going to come charging back, Cassie hastily clambered into his seat and put the Jeep into neutral. She clutched the steering wheel, gnawing her bottom lip as she resisted the urge to stomp on the gas. Caine would hear the change in the engine even from such a distance.

  Refusing to glance back, Cassie concentrated on keeping a straight line as the Jeep rolled with excruciating sluggishness across the parking lot and back onto the access road. Only when she was near the interstate did she offer a silent plea for the fates to keep Caine safe, and shoved the gearshift into drive, taking off with enough force to lay rubber.

  Chapter 10

  Despite being shifted into his wolf form, Caine could feel the panic claw through him as he reached the end of Cassie’s trail and realized that it had doubled back.

  God dammit. He’d wasted nearly an hour running along the highway, desperate to catch up with the Jeep and massacre the bastards who’d kidnapped his female.

  Now he was forced to halt and reassess his limited choices. With a snarl of impatience, he padded behind a hay bale and shifted, careful to remain hidden from the passing cars. For whatever stupid reason, humans were far more shocked to catch sight of a naked man standing in a field than a massive wolf.

  Sucking in deep, shuddering breaths, he wiped the sweat from his brow and tried to think through his mind-numbing fear.

  When he’d first heard the squeal of tires he’d been terrified that Cassie had accidentally knocked the J
eep out of gear. He’d burst out of the woods expecting to see her driving in circles around the parking lot or, gods forbid, crashed into a tree.

  What he hadn’t expected was to find she was gone.

  Just . . . gone.

  The parking lot was empty, with no scent of any intruders and no sign of a struggle.

  For long minutes he’d stood in the center of the parking lot, baffled.

  If Cassie had been attacked, why hadn’t she fired the gun? Or at least screamed for help?

  And why couldn’t he catch their scent?

  Then, with a growl of sheer fury he’d shifted and gone in pursuit of Cassie’s rapidly fading trail.

  What the hell did it matter who or how or why Cassie had been kidnapped? All that mattered was finding her before she could be hurt.

  Now he had to wonder if he’d been deliberately led on a wild-goose chase.

  And if he had, what now?

  He was debating the question when there was a faint rustle directly behind him. With a snarl he whirled around, his teeth bared in warning.

  The sight of the tiny demon with oblong black eyes and fair hair pulled into a tight braid standing in the hay field did nothing to soothe his desire for blood.

  “You.”

  “Yes, me.” Yannah smoothed her hands down her pristine white robe, her lips pinched in disapproval. “Although I don’t know why I bother. I specifically warned you not to be separated from the prophet. And yet, here you are with Cassie nowhere in sight.”

  Why the aggravating . . . bitch.

  Caine clenched his hands, too infuriated to care he was completely nude. Or that the hay bale was poking his bare ass.

  Instead, he was savagely reminding himself this demon had enough power to destroy him with a thought. And as much as he might want to shake the tiny creature until her pointed teeth rattled, he couldn’t rescue Cassie if he was rotting in hell.

  “Do you think I deliberately left her?” he demanded. “She disappeared.”

  Yannah snorted. “It doesn’t matter how you were separated, only that you find her.”

  “What the hell do you think I’m trying to do?”

  Yannah shrugged. “It looks to me like you’re running in circles.”

  Caine tensed. How the hell had she known he was running in circles? Unless . . .

  “Have you been spying on us? Do you know where she is?” He stepped forward, glaring down at the tiny heart-shaped face. “Has she been kidnapped? Is she hurt?”

  “No and no and no and no.”

  He trembled, his wolf straining to be released to return to his hunt. With every passing second Cassie’s scent faded a little more and the beast didn’t give a shit that this demon might or might not hold information that could help them find their female.

  “Then what happened to her?”

  The black eyes widened. “It would seem that she dumped you.”

  “Dumped?”

  “Isn’t that how you say getting rid of an unwanted partner?” she asked with faux innocence. “Dump, chuck, give the ol’ heave-ho?”

  “Yeah, I got the meaning,” he ground out. “I just don’t know why you think Cassie would dump me.”

  “She drove off and left you at a rest stop in the middle of nowhere.”

  Caine hissed, refusing to allow the smallest suspicion to taint his mind.

  It would kill something inside him if he thought Cassie deliberately abandoned him.

  “She must have been kidnapped,” he said with more force than necessary, reminding himself of their passionate night together.

  There was no way a woman would so eagerly give her innocence to a man she intended to discard at the first opportunity. Hell, they’d still be in that bed if it hadn’t been for the damned vision.

  Caine sucked in a sharp breath, realizing he could pinpoint the precise moment that Cassie had changed from his sweetly generous lover to a distant stranger who could barely look him in the face.

  Clearly sensing his revelation, Yannah narrowed her dark eyes. “What is it?”

  “The vision.”

  “A prophecy?”

  “Yes.” With a muttered curse he shoved his fingers through his tangled hair. “I knew something was wrong. Gods. I should have forced her to tell me.”

  “Hey.” Yannah snapped impatient fingers. “You can wallow in self-pity later.”

  His low growl rumbled through the air. “You are—”

  “Charmingly blunt?” she interrupted with a hint of warning. He was nearing her line in the sand. They both knew he didn’t want to step over it.

  With an effort, he leashed his frustration. “Do you know where Cassie is going?”

  “No, but you do.”

  “Me?” He scowled at the ridiculous accusation. “If I knew, I wouldn’t be running in circles.”

  “I knew you were all brawn and no brain.” Yannah shook her head with profound disappointment. “You’re lucky you’re so pretty.”

  His hand dropped, his fingers curling into a tight fist. He wanted to hit something. Or better yet, kill something.

  “God dammit, we’re wasting time,” he rasped. “Why can’t you just tell me?”

  “Because I don’t know.” She held up a hand as his lips parted with an angry protest. “I only know that you know.”

  “Crap,” he muttered. “You’re making my head ache.”

  “She must have said something,” Yannah said, utterly unapologetic. “Think.”

  Caine bit back his angry words and forced himself to recall what Cassie had said about her vision. For all he knew this Yannah was a crazy-ass demon who was following him around to make his life hell. But if there was even the slightest chance she could help him locate Cassie, then he’d jump through hoops and dance the mambo if that’s what she wanted.

  “All she said was that she had a vision and we had to travel west.”

  “Just west?” Yannah appeared troubled. “That’s a little vague.”

  “You think?”

  A choking power filled the air, wrapping around Caine with enough strength to warn Yannah could easily crush his every bone.

  “Careful, Were.”

  He waited until the power had receded enough he could draw in a breath. Only when he was reasonably confident he wasn’t about to become a mangled corpse did he speak. “She’d obviously decided to take off before . . .” He lost track of his words as he actually considered the time line. “Wait.”

  “What?”

  He stared blindly over the recently mowed field, mentally walking through the morning from the moment that Cassie woke in his arms.

  “She started acting strange after her vision.”

  “And?”

  “The vision must have convinced her that she had some task she had to deal with alone.”

  “Yes, yes.” Yannah waved an impatient hand. “Quite possibly.”

  “So when she said we had to travel west she must have been trying to throw me off her trail.” He frowned, not entirely satisfied with his logical conclusion. “But why the elaborate scheme? Why not sneak away from me while I was cooking breakfast?” He sorted through his chaotic thoughts, brutally ignoring his snarling wolf, which was nearing the edge of a meltdown. “Oh, I’m so stupid,” he at last muttered.

  Yannah flashed her pointed teeth. “You’ll get no argument from me.”

  He ignored the insult. “She had to get past the hexes.”

  The demon blinked in confusion. “What hexes?”

  “The ones I had placed around my lair.”

  “You were holding her prisoner?”

  His brow furrowed in outrage. “No, I damned well was not holding her prisoner. I was trying to protect her. In case you haven’t noticed she has more than a few demons desperate to get their hands on her.”

  “I’m all too aware of her danger. Which is why you must find her.” The demon poked a finger into his belly. “Soon.”

  Caine froze in fear, detecting the worry that Yannah was attemptin
g to disguise. “You know something,” he accused. “What is it?”

  “I only sense that she’s being hunted.” She gave him another poke. “Think, Caine. Where did she go?”

  “Dammit, I don’t know,” he roared.

  Pacing in a tight circle, he wracked his mind for any clue he might have overlooked. Cassie rarely spoke of the future. Who could blame her? Her visions were a crippling burden that she wanted to forget, not dwell on.

  But a niggling voice in the back of his mind whispered that she had said . . . what?

  Something he should remember.

  He continued his pacing, ignoring Yannah’s dark glare and the distant sound of passing cars as he fiercely tried to recall his every conversation with Cassie over the past week.

  Then suddenly he had a vivid image of Cassie perched on the edge of the breakfast bar as the scent of pizza filled the air.

  “Did this foretelling happen to mention some magical means to keep us from becoming leech food?”

  “No. But we have to return to your lair in Chicago.”

  “Now?”

  “No. Soon, but not tonight.”

  “That’s it,” he muttered.

  “You know?” Yannah demanded.

  “I know.”

  “Where?”

  “She’s going to my lair near Chicago.”

  The demon studied him with a frown, as if trying to decide whether or not he could be trusted. “You’re sure?”

  “Yes.”

  “Fine.” Without warning, she reached out to clamp her fingers around his wrist, her grip shockingly strong. “Then let’s go.”

  “Go?”

  Her smile sent a sizzle of alarm down his spine. “Hang on.”

  “Wait.” Caine tried to pull free of the nutty female. Who knew what she was plotting? But it was too late. Before his eyes the world simply melted away, leaving him surrounded by a black sense of nothingness. “Oh, shit.”

  Caine’s lair outside Chicago

  Dusk was painting the sky in vibrant shades of violet and amber as Cassie pulled to a halt near the two-story brick farmhouse. With a shaky sigh, she turned off the engine and allowed her trembling hands to fall into her lap.

  It’d been a hellacious trip.