by Cynthia Eden
Ah, the cloud of dark smoke…from their plane crash. Right. She was sure the crash would be creating all sorts of trouble. Human authorities would swarm soon to the scene.
“We need a ride,” Cass said. “We’re gonna need that truck.”
The old man blinked. “What?”
Her gut clenched. She put her lips near Cass’s ear. “Do not kill that man.”
Cass’s head turned. His lips brushed hers. “I was going to pay him.”
Oh. Awesome.
He looked back at the man. “How much? For the truck…and to forget you ever saw us?”
Wait…was Cass forgetting that they had nothing on them? They’d just left a plane crash for goodness sake!
“Five grand,” the driver spit out, looking shocked that he’d even made that statement.
“Give me your name and your address.”
“J-John Parker. I live at 5808 Glendale…”
“Start walking, John. I’ll see that you get the money.”
John’s face reddened. “You think I’m leaving you with my truck? Oh, hell, no.”
Cass sighed. Then he sat Amber down on her feet. Before she could even blink, he had his scythe in his hand.
And the human was backing away—fast. Not just backing away—running. Running down the road so fast she would have thought he was a kid.
“Guess that means we get the truck.” Cass looked back at her. “But don’t worry, I’ll send him the money. I’m a man of my word.”
Or he had been. But if he was really going to betray Luke…
She glanced back at the dark smoke billowing in the air. “How fast do you think that truck can go?”
“Let’s find out…”
***
Luke Thorne slammed down into the middle of the wreckage, his heart racing and a scream still echoing in his ears. “Amber!”
The still flickering flames vanished in an instant but the thick, black smoke kept billowing. He rushed to the left, to the right, searching those twisted chunks of metal. Fear was an acid in his throat. Fear…he hated fear.
Luke! Leo! Amber’s voice had been in his mind, her terror so real that it still flooded him.
“What did you do?”
Luke stiffened. He knew that voice—it could have been his own voice. He turned.
His voice. His face.
His twin.
“Where is Amber?” Leo’s wings were out, the scales seeming to glow. Fury had twisted his face. “What did you do to her?”
“Nothing.” Why was he always the bad guy? Oh, wait…
Leo grabbed him, his fingers digging deep into Luke’s shoulders—not fingers, but claws. When Leo’s emotions got the better of him, his true form often emerged. “I know you hired the Reaper to find her. Why? You were supposed to let her go! We both were!”
“I changed my mind.”
Leo threw him into the air and Luke slammed into what he thought might have been the plane’s wing.
“Is she dead?” Leo’s voice was quieter now. And with the Lord of the Light, quiet was a danger signal.
Just as it was for Luke.
Luke took a slow, deep breath and rose to his full height. His wings weren’t out. Neither were his claws. Yet.
Leo looked away from him. “She always chose you. Why the hell would she do that? You were worthless. You guarded the dark. The monsters. She didn’t need them. She needed—”
“You?” Luke tossed back. It was an old argument. “You with your judgement and your coldness? You kept everyone away, you still do. You think you know what’s best. That only you can say what’s right, but believe me on this, brother…you’re wrong.”
Leo’s hands had fisted. Because his claws were still out…blood dripped from those fists. Leo had shoved his claws deep into his own palms. That was an old habit, one that only Luke knew about.
Leo hurt himself when bad things happened—sometimes, it was the only way he could feel.
“She is light and she is dark. Amber always was. And that was what ripped her from us both.” Luke eased out a slow breath. “But no, to get back to your question, she’s not dead.”
Hope flashed on Leo’s face, and, for a moment, Luke remembered when they’d been children…before the world had said that…one day…one twin would kill the other.
That day hadn’t come. Not yet.
Leo kept ruling the so-called “good” paranormals.
And Luke ruled the “dark.”
“How do you know she’s not dead?” Leo rasped.
“Because I hired the Reaper. And I told him that she had to be brought to me alive. He hasn’t failed me before. He won’t fail me now.” Luke nodded. “He has her.”
“Then summon him! Get that bastard here!”
Unfortunately, things didn’t work that way—at least not with the Reaper. Luke couldn’t control him. Another deal, long ago. But he didn’t reveal that truth to Leo. Instead, he said, “Summon him? Why? So you can try and take her away from me? Try and convince her—once more—that she should fear me? Hate me?”
Leo stared him straight in the eye. “She should. She should fear you. She should hate you.” His shoulders sagged. “Just as she should hate me.”
Because they both knew the truth.
“We will destroy her,” Leo whispered.
And, one day…each other.
“Sometimes,” Luke said as he tipped back his head and glared up at the black smoke. “I fucking hate prophesies.”
Chapter Ten
“Summon the fucking hunter,” Leo snarled.
His twin was always so impatient. Didn’t he get that was a major character flaw? One of many that Leo possessed?
“Stop jerking me around. He’s one of yours, so call him.”
Luke sighed. “Yes, the Reaper is one of mine.” Which meant he should be able to control the bastard. But…Doesn’t work that way. So instead of a big confession about how he’d made a previous deal—or a few previous deals with the Reaper, Luke lied. He was good at lying. “I think her magic is affecting him.”
Leo stood in the middle of that wreckage. “What?”
“I suspected it would happen when I sent him after her.” Luke tapped his chin. “Only to be expected really. I mean, she paid for magic to hide herself from us.”
Leo growled. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
There’s plenty you don’t know, brother. “We can’t find her unless we’re ten feet in front of her. That’s the spell she crafted.” He’d learned that after a lot of careful research. “Well, since the hunter is with her now, her magic is acting like an umbrella, covering him, too. When he’s near her, I can’t see him, either. She cloaks him.” Luke thought that sounded like a good enough excuse. Better than…So, yeah, once upon a time, I gave him a few magical upgrades.
Leo began to pace. “I had her, in New Orleans. Couldn’t believe my eyes. It had been so long. And he stood there, putting himself between us. He was so determined to get her back to you.”
Luke nodded, satisfied. “And he will bring her to me. I’m betting Cass has no idea that Amber called out to us. If she hadn’t been scared as all hell, she wouldn’t have.” And that pissed him off. He’d told the Reaper to take care with her. Amber should have known no fear. “But she’s okay. He has her, I’m sure of it. And he will complete the mission for me.”
“You don’t know that.” Leo turned and paced to the left. “He could walk away from you. If he stays with her…hell, you’ll never be able to control him. They could go anywhere.”
“He won’t do that.” Luke crossed his arms over his chest. “Have a little faith, would you?”
That got to Leo, just as Luke had known the taunt would. Leo surged toward Luke. “What makes you so sure?”
“Because I promised him the thing that he wants most in the world. And he will trade Amber to get that.”
“What? What do you have?”
Luke smiled grimly. “Someone he can touch, with his own hands. Someon
e who won’t be afraid of his monster. He wants a mate, and he made a deal with me. He won’t go back on that deal.”
But Leo’s eyelids flickered. “Love? Is that what this is about?”
“It’s about a great many things…” He looked up at the sky. “That plane up there has been circling us for a quite a while now. You know what I want to do? I want to find out who’s spying on me.” So he spread his wings, let them shoot out of his back, and then Luke flew straight up into the air. He reached the plane in seconds and saw a familiar figure inside.
Gregory? Gregory Cethin? Why in the hell was the vamp circling him like a vulture? Luke ripped open the small door and wind whipped inside the plane.
“Luke?” Fear shook Gregory’s voice. “Wh-what are you doing here?”
Luke’s wings flapped. “I was going to ask you the same thing…”
***
“I need to shower off the blood.” They were in some no-tell motel, after having driven hell fast for hours. They’d made it to Florida, and taken refuge in the first quiet spot they’d found. Cass knew they wouldn’t have long to rest, and he was fucking sick of having his own blood soaking his clothes. His body had healed completely, but the blood still stained his skin and garments. Trying to keep his voice soft, he said, “Why don’t you just rest a bit on the bed?”
Her lips quirked. “Sorry, but I think that bed is more than five feet from the shower.”
Shit. The magical link. “Amber…”
“I want to shower off, too,” she said, tilting back her head and the thick mass of her hair slid over her shoulders. “Think it will be big enough for two?”
He stopped. Just—stopped breathing. His heart stopped beating. Everything in him just stopped for a moment.
“Unless…that’s a problem for you?”
Fuck me. His heart raced in a double-time rhythm, his breath came too fast, and his cock shoved against the front of his jeans. “Not a problem.” Not at all. “I can wear the gloves. I can keep my hands off you—”
“Do I have to keep my hands off you?”
He took a step toward her, then caught himself. His control was razor thin. Razor. Did she have any idea…any clue how much he wanted her in that moment? “You know what I am…” His voice was too rough.
“I know who you are.”
Who, not what.
He frowned at her. “You…you want to touch me?”
“I want to touch every single inch of you.” She licked her lips. “You know I want you.”
He was going mad for her.
“So can I come into the shower with you? How many times does a lady have to ask?”
A lady had never asked him before. Didn’t she get that? Women—even those who’d come to his bed—had been afraid. They’d barely touched him at all. They’d just wanted the dark thrill of saying they’d fucked Death.
Vampires had enjoyed that particular thrill. Vampire females could be fierce and demanding. Their desires so dark…
She isn’t like them. He still didn’t know just what kind of paranormal she was. And he… “I’ll be careful with you,” he promised her.
Her full lips curled. “I know.”
He lifted her into his arms. She seemed so light. She fit against him, or at least, she seemed to.
“You don’t have to carry me, you know. The bathroom is like ten feet away.”
He liked holding her. She didn’t understand just how starved he’d always been for physical contact. And when he touched her, Amber didn’t flinch away. She didn’t look at him as if he were a freak.
He put her down on the bathroom tile. He turned on the shower, making sure to get warm water pouring out for them. The shower was small, and it was going to be a tight fit—and he didn’t care.
Amber, naked in the shower, touching him?
Fuck, yes.
His hands reached for her shirt, but he caught himself and stopped.
“Cass?”
He cleared his throat. “Do you want me to…take off your clothes?”
“That depends…do I get to take off yours?”
He grabbed for the counter and held it so tightly he thought it might shatter. That razor thin control? Nearly gone. He wanted to rip her clothes away. Wanted to put his mouth all over her.
He wanted to see her face when she came for him. How much pleasure could she stand? He was ready to find out.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” She reached for him. Her fingers curled around the bottom of his shirt and she pushed it up. He grabbed for the fabric and nearly ripped it off as he jerked it over his head and dropped it to the floor. Her hands pressed to his abdomen and then her nails were raking down…down to the snap of his jeans.
Cass sucked in a sharp breath as she popped that button free. Then she slid down the zipper.
He grabbed her hands. “Sweets, you are about to drive me right over the edge.”
She rose onto her toes. She nipped his lower lip. “Good.”
Fuck…
He grabbed the hem of her shirt and she helped him to toss it aside. She’d already kicked off her shoes, so it was easy to get her jeans off and to throw those aside, too. When he saw her in her bra and panties, he just wanted to take a second to admire her, but his dick was aching and hard and he just had to touch her—
His shaking fingers slid under her bra strap. He still had on the gloves. He wouldn’t risk her, not ever. He hoped she understood that.
“You’re being so careful.” Her long lashes swept down to cover her eyes.
Yes, he was. He could show her that he wasn’t just some monster—
Amber licked her lips. Her lashes rose. “Don’t remember asking for that.” Then she unhooked her bra and tossed it at him. Her hands went to her panties, and she pushed them down her perfect legs.
He reached for her, but she’d slipped into the shower. Amber lifted her hand and crooked her finger toward him. “What are you waiting for?”
Nothing. He stripped, making sure to carefully unstrap the knife’s sheath from his ankle. He put the knife on the floor and stalked into the shower. Her back pressed to the tiled wall and his hands slammed against the tile on either side of her head. His mouth took hers. Hard and deep and her taste just drove him even wilder. He wanted her. All of her. Her breasts pressed against his chest. Her nipples were tight, hard, and he just had to taste…
His hands moved to her hips. He lifted her up, holding her easily, and he brought her breast to his mouth. His tongue curled over the nipple, and she moaned. He took that nipple into his mouth, sucking deep, and she gasped. Her hands locked around his shoulders. Her nails bit into him.
He sucked her harder. He sucked her deeper. He kissed, he licked, and her moans were making him frantic. Cass kissed a path to her other breast, then gave it the same sensual attention. The water pounded down and he didn’t care.
He needed Amber. Needed in her. And there could be no more waiting.
“Wrap your legs around me.” The words came out guttural.
She locked those silken legs around him. His cock pressed to the entrance of her body. She was so hot. So…
Amber arched against him, taking his cock deep inside.
So hot. So tight. So perfect.
For a moment, he couldn’t even breathe. And that control that had been sliced so thin? It vanished.
He pinned her to the shower wall, kept her legs locked around his hips, and he thrust into her, pounding hard again and again. Her head tipped back against the wall, and he kissed her throat. He sucked the skin, then bit lightly.
“Cass!”
His gloved hand was between their bodies. He stroked her clit, needing her to be as wild as he was.
Her nails clawed at him.
She is as wild.
Her hips slammed against his. They were fighting for their pleasure, neither of them holding back. She was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.
Want all of her. Will take everything.
He felt her sex contract
around him and her face went slack with pleasure. Her eyes burned at him as she choked out his name.
He kept driving into her, the pleasure so close. But he hated for it to end. He wanted to freeze that moment. Wanted to keep fucking her forever because nothing in his life had ever felt this good. This right.
This perfect.
But then the pleasure hit. It slammed into him and the whole world seemed to go dark for an instant. His body shuddered, his heart thundered, and the climax reverberated through every cell in his body. The pleasure ripped him open—he couldn’t breathe it was so intense. He could just hold on for the fucking best ride of his life.
Chapter Eleven
Slowly, Cass withdrew from Amber’s body. He lowered her legs back to the shower floor. The water was still pounding down.
Amber slipped past him and let the water wash over her. When she moved, her back was to him, and his gaze fell on her scars.
His hands lifted and he touched those scars, two round scars on each shoulder blade. She stiffened beneath his gloves.
“When you touch them, I feel a warmth.” She looked back at him. “Heat. Like magic pouring into me.” Her gaze seemed so dark and deep. “Do you know…what are those gloves made out of?”
He didn’t know. “Luke gave me the gloves. I’m not even sure what all magic he put into them. I just…I needed to touch without killing.”
Her gaze held his. “And what did Luke require for this little gift?”
“Four bounties.”
“Alive…or dead?”
His hands fell away from her back. “Dead. They were…they were vampires who’d gone rogue. They’d found a way to resist Luke’s powers and they were trying to rebel against him. He was furious—wanted blood. Nothing would stop him from having their heads.” Fucking literally.
Her face paled. “Four vampires…”
“That was when Gregory turned against me. He said I shouldn’t hunt his kind. But those weren’t the same vampires who’d taken me in. They were sadistic bastards who were torturing humans. Led by a vampire werewolf hybrid named Hycim, they left blood everywhere they went.”