Stolen

by Ella James

  “A couple,” he said, deadpan.

  Looking at his face, she couldn’t tell how he felt. She stepped back instinctively, distancing herself. “Did you really…you know… Like me? I mean, was any of it real? Or was Memphis and…everything just some kind of, I don’t know…vacation, until you remembered. And after that maybe you couldn’t leave because you knew I’d be by myself.”

  She swallowed against a teary feeling in her throat and blinked because her pulse was thrumming in her eyes.

  She felt his hand close over hers. “I wish you didn’t feel the need to ask. But…yes. I think that you should know…I’ve cared about you very much. Too much,” he murmured, reaching up to stroke her cheek with the back of his fist.

  Julia closed her eyes, savoring the precious words.

  Then she drew him close, so close she could almost hear his heartbeat, so close she could smell the sweetness of his breath and feel his trembling. She twined her arms around him and he bowed his head, his warm lips resting in her hair.

  She rose on her toes and kissed his scruffy jaw, feathering kisses toward his ear. When she neared there, she whispered, “You’re forgiven.”

  It was impossible to say who initiated the kiss. But it was frenzied. Hungry. A kiss turned into kisses, and she couldn’t breathe. Her head roared with pain but her heart didn’t care.

  “Cayne. Cayne. I missed you.”

  And she knew how much he’d missed her, too, because when he finally pulled away, it was to bury his face in the curtain of her hair. For the longest time they stood there, clinging to each other under the mighty shadow of the Highlands.

  Until finally he whispered, “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” she said, and kissed his chin.

  They held hands on the way back to the cab, and when they reached the overgrown path, Cayne leaned forward and opened the door for her. Her body felt shaky—horrible and achy, like she was getting the worst virus she’d ever had. But she managed to croak, “No more lies.”

  “Never,” he promised.

  They climbed inside, and his hand found hers again, squeezing lightly, as if to say I’m sorry.

  “Strange thing, it is,” the cabbie said.

  “Strange indeed,” Cayne said.

  He passed the man a few more bills, and turned to Julia. His mouth was half open, and a peek at his aura revealed uncertainty.

  “This is good,” she would later remember telling him. She snuggled up against his side and let his stroking fingers lull her into sleep.

  Chapter 21

  It was wrong. Of that he felt positive and just as positive that he would, again, do what was wrong. The justification: this time, he was doing it for Julia—who, to his eternal disbelief, genuinely seemed to want him.

  For the duration of their drive back into Glasgow, he allowed his eyes to close, his nose to find her sweet scent, his hands to touch her smooth, smooth skin… His chest to tighten like his heart was in a fist…but it let him go, and the feeling was one of release. He wondered if this was happiness. Decided that it was.

  He stroked her forehead, and couldn’t resist pressing his lips against her cheek, her mouth.

  And it was when he kissed her mouth that he noticed it: the heat of her—unnatural. Alarming.

  As the driver turned the streets near their hostel, his worry grew. He shook her, and she didn’t rouse. The cab rolled to a stop and he pressed a wad of bills into the driver’s hand. Cradling her close, he pushed out of the car, stepped up a curb, and flew across the sidewalk, where he mentally ordered a college-aged girl to hold the door open. He used his persuasion to prompt the woman at the front desk to open Julia’s room.

  It was warm inside—too warm for her. Moving quickly, he laid her on the bed and glanced around, searching for a thermostat. Not seeing one, he dropped to his knees beside her. He fumbled with the hem of her shirt, flinching as his knuckles brushed her hot skin.

  Not wanting to move her, he simply rolled the shirt up, exposing her smooth, slim belly. Pushing back the ache he felt at the sight of her, he leaned in close and cradled her face in his hand. “Julia. Julia, do you hear me?”

  Her eyelids fluttered, gradually lifting enough so her eyes could find his. “Yes?” she groaned. She clutched her head and curled her knees up to her chest. “My head hurts…sobad.”

  She started to cry, the sound of it wrenching. He stroked her arm as his mind spun with questions. What could have happened to her? What should he do for her?

  “Cayne…” Her hands reached out for him, and he scooted closer, sliding one cool palm gently behind her neck.

  “It’s okay. I’m here. I won’t leave you.” Her casted hand wove through her hair, the fingers pulling at her dark locks.

  “It hurts. It hurts.”

  “I’m sorry, heart. Shhhhh. Shh, Julia.” She was sobbing now, and he felt crazy with uselessness.

  “What do you think it is?”

  “I don’t know. It hurts. Cayne, it hurts so much!”

  Just as he felt insane with impotent worry, Meredith flew through the door. She ran to Julia’s bedside, nudging Cayne out of the way as she fought to see her friend’s face.

  “Julia!” Her voice was sultry, probably from drinking, he thought. “Julia, honey! I heard you out in the hall. What’s wrong?”

  “My head hurts.” By now she was weeping softly. She reached an arm out, waving her hand. “Cayne? Where did he go?”

  “I’m here.” He clasped her hand again and looked at Meredith. “What happened to her? Was anyone watching her at the bar?” A growl formed in his throat. Fucking Edan.

  Right on cue, the motherfucker stepped through the door. He didn’t look surprised at all by the scene in front of him, at least not until Meredith ran at him and threw her arms around him.

  “Edan! We have got to help Julia. Something’s wrong with her!”

  “What kind of something?” he said casually. As he stepped to the bed, Cayne caught the sweet scent of tobacco.

  Julia’s eyes opened, her gaze hazy. “My head…hurts. Really bad,” she panted.

  Edan shut his eyes and touched her arm. A second later, he bumped Cayne lightly with his elbow and an awful bolt of pain exploded in Cayne’s head. He curled down on himself, struggling not to make a sound.

  When the pain receded enough for his awareness to return, Julia’s wet eyes were open and Meredith was holding her hand.

  Cayne’s eyes found Edan’s, and in a quiet voice, he said, “What are you?”

  Edan’s mouth quirked. “What are you?”

  Cayne clenched his jaw; clearly, the guy wasn’t one for disclosure without a fight. Eventually Cayne would give him one. To Julia, he asked, “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” she said shakily. “I feel totally fine again.” She touched her head gingerly. “What was that?”

  She wasn’t asking anyone in particular, but it was Edan who answered.

  “A leash.”

  Absolute silence as all heads turned to him.

  “Care to elaborate?” Cayne asked, clenching his teeth.

  “Julia, remember how I told you the big guys wanted to see you?” She nodded, wary. “That’s because they think you’re The One. And what you’re experiencing, it’s their way of keeping tabs on you.”

  Cayne felt sucker-punched. Julia was white; her friends were aghast.

  “Please say you’re kidding me.”

  Edan shook his head, for once serious. “’Fraid not.”

  “And the leash?”

  “If they don’t let go, it will kill you.”

  Julia and Cayne’s story to be continued

  in Chosen, expected for release in June!

  ***

  Check out Here, first in a mysterious YA sci-fi romance series.

  Milo Mitchell's life used to be charmed, but that was before her family dissolved, she went a little crazy, and her best friends started acting more like strangers. Spending Saturday morning in a treehouse with a stun g
un for company and a herd of deer for friends is the only exciting thing in her life...until she shoots a fawn and finds her dart stuck in a guy.

  Her gorgeous victim is dressed in a Brioni tux and armed with a hanky. He has no idea who or where he is. Afraid her dart caused his amnesia, Milo takes him in, names him Nick, and vows to help him solve his mystery. Soon the pair find Nick's face in a newspaper obituary, and Nick begins to have strange, ethereal memories of Milo--who is sure she's never met him. Suddenly Nick knows things he shouldn't know and is doing things he shouldn't do. When the Department of Defense shows up, Nick and Milo run--toward a shocking conclusion that could destroy both their worlds.

  ***

  Have you read Before You Go?

  Margo Ford just became an heiress. Not the Paris Hilton kind. Her billions came after her father died and her insanely wealthy, insanely absent mother officially claimed her. Unfortunately, some terrorists noticed, and they hatched a plot to kidnap her. After a news report goes awry, reporting that Margo *has* been kidnapped, and her mother offers the humiliating sum of $500,000 for her return, Margo doesn't want anything to do with her *#$!@ of an egg donor. Then she is sentenced to a summer of "protection" on her mother's private island. Not the Oprah Winfrey kind. This one has an astronomical observatory filled with scientists, including Logan Greer, a super hot, super infuriating planet-hunter. Hiding out from kidnappers has never been so boring... until suddenly it isn't anymore.

  Friend me on Facebook to participate in contests, win swag, and stay updated on my upcoming books. You can also visit me at my blog, ellajamesbooks.blogspot.com