by Eliza Gayle
Grae would be pissed at him. He’d been given a job to do. One he had demanded. Now he stood out in a forest about an hour or so from Boston. This definitely was not the way to impress his family. He looked around the trees, listening for the cars on the nearby highway. Not hearing anything, he realized just how far away he'd gotten from Selene. A sudden sense of something not right came over him. Pain flared in his chest at the sudden leap of his magick. His instinct to protect and defend what was his overwhelmed him.
Danger.
Something or someone not unlike him was close. And getting closer and closer every second as pressure built in his magick, seeking release.
Selene.
Cash turned back in the direction he had come and took off at a dead run. Selene was in danger and he had left her alone. Fucking hell.
Unsure of what to do, Selene paced the area, debating whether to leave Cash stranded here or to wait for his return. That he'd walked off in the first place left her cold and angry. She could still feel his mouth and hands on her body, stirring up her heat once again. Her sex pulsed with the need for more of him, throbbed at the memory of being in his arms.
Lost in thoughts of Cash, Selene didn't notice the interloper moving in on her. Feeling the displacement of the heat around her and the familiar dark emotions, she whirled around, coming face to face with her nemesis.
“Hey, Selene. Getting kind of soft these days, aren't you?”
She so desperately wanted to wipe that smirk off his face. “Hey, Merc. How the hell did you find me so fast this time?”
“Pretty easy when you leave a trail of fire behind you. That kind of thing is going to land you in a lot more trouble than you have with me. For someone who seems so desperate to get away, you sure are behaving recklessly. If I didn’t know better I’d think you wanted me to find you.” He was trying to lull her to him with friendly, casual conversation, but she could still see the deadly menace in his eyes. She suspected he was dying to finish this once and for all.
“What ever you think,” she shrugged. “Shit happens. You've found me again. Now what?”
“That depends on you, sweetheart. We can do this the easy way or the hard way. Which do you prefer?”
“How about my way?” She laughed, noticing that the wind surrounding them had picked up. So much so that her hair whipped around her face. Selene watched Merc's bald head as he too looked around the clearing, watching the wind.
“Looks like a storm is coming, Selene, we don't have time to play tonight.” He raised his right arm, showing the gun that he had trained on her. “And no, I may not be able to kill you, but no one said anything about not maiming you. So think twice, darling.”
With no time to consider her options, Selene pulled her heat, using the psychic energy to form a small fireball about the size of a softball.
“Don't even think about it, Selene. I can fire off a shot quicker than you can hit me with that.”
“Who said anything about hitting you with it?” She hurtled the flaming ball into the night sky above and beyond Merc's head, traveling down the side of the road about a quarter of a mile. With a precision she had perfected over many years, it hit his black Mercedes right underneath the engine, catching the car on fire immediately.
“You little bitch. Was that really necessary? You think I can't control you on your little bike?”
Selene knew she wouldn't be getting away from him right now. No, she would have to wait for a better opportunity. But she was nothing if not patient. Something else she had learned with years of practice. Yes, she would go with him for now and bide her time for later. At least Cash wasn't here right now. Merc may have orders to keep her alive, but he wouldn't hesitate to kill someone else who got in the way of his mission.
Merc walked up to her with rage contorting the features of his face into an ugly mask. It gave her a great deal of satisfaction to drive him insane. She smiled sweetly at him. “I'm ready to go.”
Instead of grabbing her by the arm, he fisted his hand around her hair, yanking her against him. Pressing his lips right up against her ear, he spoke. “I've had about all I'm going to take from you this time, you little whore. Any more trouble from you and I'm bound to twist this pretty neck of yours. Or, if I decide not to kill you, maybe something I might enjoy even more.” As he trailed his lips down her neck her stomach heaved. For months she had evaded him without hurting him, but right now, with his big hard body pressed into hers and his clammy lips touching her, she didn't care anymore if he lived or died.
Her power built again, this time a little wild and a whole lot bigger. Both hands burst into flames as she jerked out of his grasp. As he leveled the gun at her again, the already gusting winds pitched her backwards, pulling her away from Merc. As she fought to gain purchase on the road, a sharp pain shot through her leg.
The son of a bitch had shot her. Lucky for her the wind knocked off his aim and she was hit in the leg. She looked down to see it wasn't a bullet he'd gotten her with—oh no, the bastard used a tranq. Trying to reach for the dart, her arm wouldn't go where she told it to. She glanced again at her leg and saw more than she was supposed to, there were several darts sticking out of her leg. Whatever he'd shot her with was already working. She wouldn't last long. Her thoughts became fuzzy and thick and she couldn't form a flame in her mind. No way to use her power to save herself this time.
The wind screamed in her head as she looked for Merc. He had landed on his butt on the road and… wait—she tried to focus her vision. Scrunching her eyes, she saw too many people. Was someone on top of him? Fighting him? Her legs gave way as she fell to the ground, succumbing to the darkness.
Selene opened her eyes to soft burning candles and the smell of cooking food. Her head pulsed and stomach growled at the same time. Looking around the room, she took in the antique dresser, expensive art on the walls, and an odd New Age collection of Tarot cards, crystals, pendulums, and chalices. Strange.
Where the hell am I? Did I fall down the rabbit hole? This was definitely not the compound.
She tried to sit up, struggling because her body and limbs felt weighted down as if they were made of lead, especially her leg, it hurt like a bitch. Looking down at her body, she found herself dressed in only her tank top and some baggy sweat pants that looked five sizes too big for her. She forced her body to move, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.
Her fuzzy memory began to clear and she remembered Merc hitting her with a tranquilizer and could only imagine where he had taken her this time. The organization had hidey-holes placed strategically all over the country, and since she didn't know how long she’d been out she could be anywhere by now. She needed a plan for escape and pretty damn quick.
First things first. Food and decent clothes. She rifled through the drawers in the dresser to find only men's clothing. Nice stuff, too. Expensive designer T-shirts and undergarments, even the workout gear looked and felt incredibly luxurious. Now if only she could find some of this stuff to fit her. She padded across the room to the closet to find only more menswear. There were several nice suits with shirts and ties but there was also an equal amount of leather. She slowly breathed in the familiar rich scent.
Her thoughts immediately flashed to Cash and the way his lean, muscular body had filled out his leather pants and jacket. Yum. A little dark cloud settled over her at the realization that she’d never see him again. She hadn't even gotten his last name, let alone any other personal information about him. She suspected, though, that she would never forget the affect he had on her or be able to ride her bike again without thoughts of his hard cock pressing against her backside.
Selene sighed and yanked herself back from her wayward thoughts, she closed the closet door and started to search the room for a way out. Walking to the door, she bent down to examine the lock to see if it could be picked. Testing the knob, her eyes widened in surprise when the door popped open. Slowly she peeked outside the doorway, looking for a guard or camera that would be watch
ing her. Spying nothing, she stood up and eased out the door, her bare feet making no sound on the hardwood floors.
Pressing her back against the wall, she waited for any clue that someone was nearby. Hearing no sound and only smelling the food and—dear God—coffee, she hurried across the landing to the stairs. Until she got to the bottom of the stairs she would be completely vulnerable to anyone who walked into the area. She considered turning around and investigating ways out of the house through other rooms, but damn that food smelled good and she was hungry, starved actually since she hadn’t eaten at all the day before. She quickly moved down the stairs, trying not to cause any creaks. She heaved a sigh of relief when she reached the bottom without incident.
With a fresh flood of adrenalin coursing through her body, her limbs were no longer heavy or slow.
Something isn't right here.
Why would Merc allow her free reign of the house? It would only take a few minutes for her to have the whole place crashing down on them in flames. A test maybe? Some sort of new trap? She'd figure it out and eventually find her way out. She always did.
Following the scent of freshly brewed coffee, she headed to what she assumed would be the kitchen. The layout of the house prevented her from seeing the interior of the room without actually stepping inside, or at the very least poking her head in the door. She debated the smart course of action, but when her stomach growled again she decided to go for it.
She moved into the kitchen, coming to an abrupt halt. Expecting Merc to be waiting, she nearly fell over in shock at the sight of the man cooking at the stove. Dressed only in faded jeans, she followed the curve of his spine up and out across his broad muscular shoulders. Tanned, smooth skin, except for a small scar below his right shoulder blade. The faded color of the skin around the scar indicated the injury was from a long time ago. She might not have known him long but she’d memorized that physique from the moment she met him.
Cash.
His dark hair stood mussed around his head like he'd just rolled out of bed. An image of him lying naked in a bed, teasing her with his broad hands and strong fingers, ran through her head. Him lying over her skin to skin as he pushed himself deep within in her warm willing body.
Whoa. Get a grip, Selene.
Truth be told, she was just happy and relieved to see him. She wanted to rush forward and wrap her arms around his waist. Holding on to him like she would a life preserver.
“What the hell is going on here, Cash? How are we—? Where are we?”
“Well, good morning to you, sunshine.” His voice rumbled through his body to hers, soothing her frazzled nerves despite his attempt at sarcasm. “It's about time you got your lazy butt out of bed. You hungry?”
She nodded, unable to speak again. She wasn't sure she could without crying or doing some other crazy girly thing while feeling so swamped with this unexpected and unwelcome emotion.
He put the spoon down on the edge of the pan full of eggs and turned to face her, his hand touching under her chin to tilt her face upward to meet his gaze. “I think we have a lot to talk about, don't we?” Selene blinked fighting tears and simply nodded her head again. “But first we eat. You've been out for quite a while and have to be starving. Go. Sit. While I finish this up.”
Needing a moment to focus on something else, she turned away. Looking around the kitchen, Selene imagined if she was much of a cook she’d be in heaven in this place. Tall, oversized stainless steel appliances filled the room, large countertop workspaces gleamed, and there was even a beautiful brick oven in the far corner. Not to mention the smooth wood floors under her feet someone lovingly polished on a regular basis. Curious to know more, she leaned over the counter and peered through the window over the sink. Outside she found a lush and manicured small lawn with a tall privacy hedge wrapped all the way around it, hiding the house from prying eyes as well as blocking the view from the inside. The owner had created the ultimate private retreat. A small garage stood in the far corner of the yard, connected to the house by a covered walkway.
“Cash, whose house is this? And more importantly, where is it?” She moved from the window and sat down at the scarred wooden table against the far wall. Running her fingers over the aged wood, she thought the table should have been out of place in this elegant kitchen, but instead something about it fit and made the kitchen feel like a home. There were many nooks and cuts in the wood, indicating this table had seen its fair share of use. She even found some initials carved in the corner. Her fingertips ran over them. C.S.
“I see you’ve already found the carvings of a bored teenage boy.” He set down a plate in front of her with a heaping amount of food on it. Her mouth watered at the sight of eggs, bacon, toast and plump red strawberries.
“C.S., is that you?”
“Sure is. Cash Scott, bored teenager and all around troublemaker.” He grinned down at her.
Selene laughed. She could definitely picture him exactly that way. All dark and broody, dressed in leather even back then. Probably drove his parents crazy.
“So this is your house?”
“It's one of our family residences. My brothers and I lived here for a few years as teens, but for the most part the place stays empty now except when one of the family passes through town.”
“Only one of your residences?” she asked.
“Well, not mine personally. My family, however, does own several.”
“Who the hell are you? Should I already know?”
“Not necessarily. We aren’t celebrities or anything. Just richer than God.”
She rolled her eyes. “Greaaat. I’ve been kidnapped by a psychopath.”
“A rich psychopath, thank you very much. Although I think kidnapped is a little strong for picking up an unconscious woman and bringing her here until she recovers.”
“Where exactly is here?”
“Boston. We're in Boston. Not all that far from where we stopped yesterday. Maybe forty-five minutes or so. And don’t worry. Your bike is tucked safely away in the garage around back.”
“How—who—when?”
He laughed. “Slow down. Eat your breakfast and I'll fill you in on what happened. And then you can answer some of my questions.”
She nodded picking up her fork and digging into the fluffy eggs. She had more than a few questions for him as well.
“You must have gotten shot in the leg right before I tackled your stalker guy, 'cause you went down fast after that. Scared the hell out of me, by the way.” He laughed at the dark look she threw him. “To say I was angry and scared for you, Selene, is probably a bit of an understatement. I went ballistic on the freak who tried to hurt you.” Fear settled in her gut when he turned away. “I thought he was trying to kill you, or at the very worst already had. He deserved no mercy.”
She gasped, causing him to flinch. “Did you kill him?”
“Does it make a difference?”
Her ensuing silence spoke volumes. She obviously cared for the asshole who drugged her. Maybe he was an ex boyfriend or something. Pain lanced through his chest as he imagined the two of them together. That idiot’s beefy hands caressing her perfect ivory skin, touching her berry red nipples and fucking—
“Uhm, Cash. Why is the wind blowing in here? There aren't any windows open. What the hell is going on?”
He twisted to face her again, watching the wind whip her russet hair around her face as she bent over gripping her stomach, her face going pale.
“What's wrong, Selene?”
“I'm not sure. I’m all of a sudden sick to my stomach. Damn it fucking hurts,” she groaned.
Her answer took him by surprise. The wheels turned in his head. No it can’t possibly… Could she be empathic as well? Feel his magick every time he used it? He forced a deep, calming breath into his lungs, willing the power to rest within him again. How had he not realized what the fuck he was doing? As peace quietly returned to the room he debated on how much to tell her. Her face relaxed and she sat upright ag
ain. He doubted she was ready to wrap her mind around the whole witch thing. Very few ever were. But if she physically felt his magick she would need an explanation.
Implications tore through him as he realized he didn't sense the constant anger welling just under the surface like he normally did. In the last twenty-four hours he'd had to use a lot of strong magick. So why didn't he feel sick and angry? How did he feel? He searched for the right word to describe what he felt or should say didn't feel.
Calm. He scrubbed his face with his hands. No, this can't be. He'd already resigned himself to his all too soon fate. Meeting Selene now had him indulging in a hell of a lot of ridiculous wishful thinking. His course could not be changed, he'd taken it too far.
“Like you, Selene, I too have an ability. You have control over fire and I have control over air.”
She backed away from the table. “How much do you know about me? Who are you? How did you find me? What do you want from me?”
“Whoa,” Cash held up his hands to halt her barrage of questioning, “hold on. I only know what I’ve seen. Considering how we met it's a little hard to hide the fact that you can control an element. And I told you who I was.” He pointed to the carvings on the table. “Cash Scott. As in Scott Enterprises. You've probably heard of my brother Graelen.”
She shook her head, still standing a good distance away from him.
“So Merc is dead?”
Again with the boyfriend. Fuck. “No, your boyfriend is not dead. In fact the sp—uh, the ropes I used to bind him with have probably already been worked loose and I imagine he is already in pursuit again.”
“Then I need to leave. Now. I need to get as far away from here and as fast as I can.” She tried to dodge by him, but he grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her to him. He pulled her hips against his own with one hand and with the other fisted her hair, tugging her head back to look at him.