Escaping The Beast: A Darkhills Romance (The Darkhills Series Book 2)

by Elizabeth Greene

  Practical things. That’s what he needed to focus on, Lucian told himself as he continued along the corridor. It was easier than thinking about the hurt he had caused to the most beautiful of souls. The sadness in her eyes had felt as though his own heart were being attacked, his harsh and cruel words had broken her spirit and that was something that he would never be able to forgive himself for. She would recover and rebuild herself once again. His beautiful darling was a survivor and stronger than she might believe. But he would never be able to forget or come back from that moment. He was an abominable creature of pure darkness and he had acted accordingly.

  It would be easier for Katherine to get on with her life if she could think of him as such.

  She could hate him and dismiss her professed love for him as an untruth, convince herself that the man she had fallen for didn’t exist. Her heart may have been broken by him but she would recover and would build her defences twice as high as a result. That was of some perverse comfort to him. In the future, only the most worthy would make it into her heart, which was as it should be. A vampire had no place there to begin with, he had been a fool to pursue such a position.

  Even without knowing her rare blood type, he should have known better than to have sought her trust and affections. However, knowing what he did, he needed to act accordingly to ensure her safety. Alerting the elders of her existence would most likely result in her having her mind wiped of all and any memories of him and she would have her life picked up and moved somewhere else so she could carry on as if nothing had ever happened, only she’d be under strict surveillance. Lucian himself would face punishment. Most likely a term of isolation in the ground. That was acceptable. But he wouldn’t have Katherine’s dreams and ambitions interrupted any more than they had already been by him.

  He cursed his stupidity for agreeing to Kyle Daxton’s proposal. He had been detached from humanity for too long and his judgment had been skewed as a result. After less than two weeks with Katherine, he had seen the error of his ways. Although if he was honest he had felt the guilt and regret of his decision immediately upon her entering his home. He’d just been too stubborn and blinded by his own selfish interest in her to set her free sooner.

  All of this was his fault, had he not been so foolish, none of this would’ve happened and Katherine would have walked away unharmed. Although her blood type still would’ve guaranteed a target on her back. It would only have been a matter of time before she was discovered, and potentially not by those who would honour the laws against drinking from O negative humans.

  He couldn’t change the situation now, however, so he would do what he could to make things right for his beautiful darling. Cayden would protect her, he reassured himself. The brief phone call he placed to Benson Pines now meant she would continue to have protection while in the city. The bear shifter would remain there to shadow her as required.

  The last person he needed to visit was Etienne.

  Asking for the dragon’s vow of protection might result in some unwelcome complications and so he would have to handle the situation delicately. Dragons were extremely possessive by nature, if Etienne vowed to protect Katherine he would likely begin to view her as his, and Lucian wasn’t too happy with the creature getting too attached. It would require some careful negotiation and his mind and heart simply were not up to the task that night. He would make the journey to the dragon’s lair tomorrow evening.

  The halls were silent around him. There was no light tapping on a keyboard or sound of distant music playing that he had become accustomed to hearing while Katherine had been in residence. He looked up from where his eyes had remained glued to his own feet as he had paced the halls and found he was outside her room. He drew in a deep breath and stepped inside, willing the lights to flick on with his mind.

  The emptiness hit him like a physical wall as he looked about the space. Her bed was neatly made, the office chair and desk he had bought her and all the other gadgets sat upon it in the corner of the room. The roses hung their heads sadly in the vase, a few petals lay in shrivelled stillness at its base. He walked to the closet and peered inside; her own clothes were gone. Those that he had provided her were left to haunt the space.

  All traces of her were gone. Her scent lingered and Lucian breathed it in with gluttonous desperation, hoping to find some echo of her to ease the ache in his chest. He walked to her desk and looked at all the gifts he had given her. He would have them sent to her apartment in the city. They were gifts after all. Then again, perhaps it would be best to let it be. A small note lay folded against the vase of roses. He picked it up and immediately screwed his eyes shut as he read the simple words written in her hand.

  Lucian,

  Thank you, I’ll see you soon.

  Katherine, x

  She had written this before she left to give her presentation. He had earned one of her kisses. He remembered how jealous he had felt of Mr. Jones receiving one of those small crosses, and he had longed for his own. There it now was, innocently penned by her in a simple thanks. He folded the note and tucked it into his inner jacket pocket. It would be the one thing he would keep of her. One kiss from a time when he had made her happy, to last him for the rest of his long and lonely existence.

  His phone vibrated in his pocket. It was Cayden. Fear gripped him immediately.

  “What is wrong? Where is Katherine?” He answered harshly.

  “She’s here with me, well she’s in the kitchen with Rose and Judy.”

  “Good,” Lucian felt his entire body relax at the news, “what is the problem then?”

  “I thought you might want to tell me,” Cayden replied.

  Lucian remained silent and considered hanging up on him.

  A sigh sounded down the line.

  “Look, I know there is a reason why you want her protected. I’d like to think you knew you could trust me with that information, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say it has something to do with you having feelings for her.”

  “That is not your concern,” Lucian snapped.

  “Well, it kinda is, considering I have a heartbroken human who smells like you took her to pound town a time or two, sitting in my kitchen drinking vodka with my grandmother-in-law.”

  “Do not speak with such vulgarity Mr. Greystone, especially when it concerns Katherine,” Lucian hissed, “and for the love of God, get rid of the vodka. I don’t want her getting drunk and making herself ill.”

  “I’ll apologise for being disrespectful but I won’t take away the woman’s drink,” Cayden replied, “You sent her away Lucian, I can give her the protection of the pack as promised, but I can’t control her choices. Nor can you.”

  Lucian hissed his frustration. Cayden was right, he knew it but it didn’t mean he was happy about it.

  “Look, Lucian, it’s obvious you care for her but for whatever reason things went sour,” Cayden sighed heavily, “I won’t push on it anymore but what I will say is that a wise man once told me that love was worth fighting for. He was right, and while it might not always be easy, the reward is always worth the struggle.”

  Lucian grit his teeth together. The wolf was smart to quote the words he had once spoken back to himself.

  Cayden sighed again, “just think about it.”

  “Take care of her, Cayden,” Lucian choked out, his voice sounding hoarse.

  “I will.”

  The call ended and Lucian stared blankly into the room. The heavy shadows of his lonely existence clawed at him from every dark corner, threatening to snatch at him and pull him down into the endless web of nothingness that he had feared for so long. Giving in to his love and fighting for a life with Katherine might have been the only way to save him from the void, but Lucian just couldn’t believe that she would choose him over the life she was so determined to pursue.

  He continued to stare out of the windows down into the rose garden below until he heard the resident crows begin to call to the coming dawn. As he drew the heavy drapes c
losed, Lucian knew he wanted to win her back. Cayden was right. He himself had been right: Love was worth the fight. He might not succeed, he had treated her so cruelly, but he owed it to them both to make things right if nothing else.

  He sent a message to Cayden asking he keep Katherine within the Darkhills another day, and then retired to his dark chambers to seek whatever fretful rest he could. Once the sun set, he would fight for her.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Katherine

  The smell of smoky, salty bacon greeted her nose as she screwed her eyes tightly shut. Katherine’s head was pounding and the soft singing coming from the kitchen sounded like a foghorn going off between her ears. Rose was a cheerful, proactive morning person apparently. Normally, Katherine would’ve been fine with that, but not today. Not while she was nursing a killer hangover and a bruised heart.

  “Rise and shine Katherine,” Rose singsonged, “time to fix that sore head of yours.”

  “Do you know the magical cure?” Katherine grumbled from under the thick blanket she had tucked herself up under on the sofa last night, "wait a second, is there a magic cure? Like made by fairies or something?”

  Rose chuckled and placed a heavy mug of something bitter and dark smelling. Katherine’s mouth became drier upon smelling it. Dammit, the wolf had presented her with her only addiction.

  “I’m afraid there is no magic potion to undo the damage of too much booze, but I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve that might help.”

  Katherine sat up and rubbed her groggy eyes, not bothering to stifle her hippo-like yawn. She eyed the coffee with need and reached for it only to have her hand tapped away.

  “Hey!”

  “Soon,” Rose tutted, “first, you need to down this OJ and take some pain meds.” She handed her a tall, bright, and angelic-looking glass of juice and a couple of small pills.

  “Fine. But I prefer coffee to fix the dreaded curse.”

  “I know, trust me there isn’t much I won’t do for a good strong cup, but your body needs to rehydrate and could do with the vitamins. Then it’s going to need a healthy portion of greasy calories,” she bounced up from the edge of the couch once Katherine had thrown the pills and orange juice back.

  “I’ve got bacon, sausage, eggs, fried potatoes, and waffles,” she hollered from the stove in the kitchen.

  Katherine’s stomach groaned, she wasn’t sure if it was in eagerness or revulsion but she grabbed her coffee and stumbled dutifully over to the kitchen counter.

  “Can I help at all?” She asked doubtfully, by the looks of things everything was ready.

  “You can grab the sauces from the fridge if you’d like and butter the toast,” Rose replied, casting her a kind smile.

  “On it.”

  Within a couple of minutes, the two women were sat at the counter silently devouring the delicious feast. After her fourth slice of bacon, Katherine had to slide her plate away.

  “I think I’ve reached my limit,” She smiled, patting her stomach, “I’m not used to so much protein on one plate, but I guess for a wolf it’s a requirement.”

  Rose nodded in agreement, her mouth full of waffles and eggs. She swallowed hastily and swept the remainder of Katherine’s bacon and sausage onto her own plate.

  “Protein is life.”

  Katherine laughed and stood to grab the coffee pot to top them both up. Rose shook her head and pointed to her softly rounded stomach.

  “Ah, not too much caffeine for the baby,” Katherine nodded her understanding, “got it.”

  She placed the pot back and leaned back against the counter, thinking back on the past twenty-four hours. She’d awoken in Lucian’s arms in his penthouse, they had driven home to Tumbricane, they’d made love, she had confessed her feelings and then been shoved aside like yesterday’s news.

  Her heart still hurt. Deep down she knew it would always hurt. But she had somehow been swept up into a warm and welcoming safety net by near-strangers, only they didn’t feel like strangers anymore. She would miss Lucian after she returned to the city, she already did, despite his harsh dismissal. And she’d also miss her new friends who had caught her as she fell with a broken heart.

  “Thank you, Rose,” she said quietly, staring into her steaming black coffee. The resemblance to a certain someone’s dark gaze was too strong to ignore. Her eyes watered and she looked at her friend instead. She’d rather let her see her pain than face the painful reminder of the man she loved.

  “For what, hon?” Rose asked, putting her knife and fork down upon her plate.

  “For everything. You hardly know me, and I turn up here out of the blue and disturbed your night, and yet you’ve shown me nothing but kindness. You all have. I’m not sure what I’ve done to deserve it, but I’m grateful. If I can make it up to you in any way,”

  Rose held up her hand to silence her.

  “Why wouldn’t you deserve it? Why should you need to earn kindness or make up for it?”

  “Kindness just doesn’t happen. There is usually a price to pay for it or an ulterior motive. I learned early on to look for the real reason behind someone’s motives. Most people are out for themselves, and it pays to remember that,” Katherine explained sadly.

  Rose stood and came to stand in front of her, taking the coffee from her hands to hold them in hers.

  “Not everyone is selfishly motivated, more often than not, people show kindness purely on instinct. Wolves are pack animals, we stick together to protect and support each other. It makes us stronger,” she explained, “I’m sure you’ve got a lot of reasons for feeling the way you do, but from now on you don’t have to try to be strong on your own. You can accept kindness, you can accept someone’s help, you can get hammered with a shamefully horny, old lady,” Katherine snorted out a laugh at that, “because you’ve got a pack now. And your back is covered, just as I know you’d have mine.”

  Katherine choked back a sob as she threw her arms around the petite woman and hugged her tight.

  “Would it be weird if I asked you to be my friend?” Katherine whispered as she squeezed Rose.

  The woman laughed, “Yes. But only because I already am.”

  Katherine finally let go and stood back, her cheeks pink from embarrassment. She hadn’t expected to become so emotionally soft, just at the prospect of friendship.

  “Come on, let's clean up before we figure out when you can head back to your place in the city.”

  “Oh, I was going to head off this morning. It’s quite a drive and-”

  “No can do, I’m afraid,” Rose shook her head sadly, “sorry hon, Cayden went and picked up the truck this morning and it was a non-starter. It’s in the shop now. We’re trying to find a wolf willing to do the journey and drive you.”

  “This morning? How early do you guys wake up?” Katherine screwed her face up. She thought she was bad, getting up for morning runs before her classes began.

  “Are you kidding? This is the first time Cayden has slept in since he took over as Alpha. It’s two in the afternoon hon,” Rose chuckled.

  “Afternoon?!” Katherine’s heart suddenly kick-started.

  “Yeah, why is that so bad? You kinda needed the rest so I let you sleep.”

  Shit, Shit, Shit.

  “My father. He’s coming to Tumbricane. He’s going to try to blackmail Lucian.”

  Panic swelled within her and she leapt over to her bags to hunt for her phone.

  “What? Why would he do that?” Rose asked.

  “Because he’s a crook, it’s what he does, I was supposed to help him,” Katherine said bitterly.

  “OK, so I know I’m missing a lot of details here, but why would you do that? I thought you had feelings for Lucian?” Rose, folded her arms over her chest.

  “Because I was scared, and stupid and desperate to just escape him and what I was feeling. When my Dad said it would be the last thing I had to do for him, I just panicked,” Katherine explained, “but I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t do that to Lucian.�
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  “So you are scared of Lucian and you wanted to escape him and yet you are heartbroken over him telling you to leave?” Rose scrunched up her nose in confusion.

  Katherine finally found her phone and swiped at the screen. Five missed calls from her father, two voicemails, and three texts. Shit.

  “It’s complicated,” Katherine replied, “I’m not scared of him, I’m scared of what he makes me feel,” she stuffed her phone into her jeans pocket and turned to face Rose, “I need to get back to Tumbricane. Now.”

  “Woah, calm down. Why do you need to do that?” Rose asked, trying to shepherd her into a corner by the couch.

  “My Dad is going to try to blackmail him, he’s going to threaten to expose him for what he is. He’s got a journalist with him, he’s going there today. I need to get to Lucian, to warn him.”

  Katherine’s heart felt like it was ready to break free from her chest. This was all her fault, she should’ve told her father no, she should’ve told Lucian last night what he was planning. Even if he had still rejected her, he would’ve at least have been safe. Right now, during the daytime, he was a sitting duck.

  “A journalist? OK, that does sound bad, but Lucian is not defenceless, he can more than hold his own. He is a vampire after all,” Rose reasoned, holding her hands out in a soothing gesture, “breathe hon, you need to calm down. Crazy is not going to help right now.”

  Katherine focused on her breathing. Admittedly she felt like she couldn’t get enough air to her lungs and her head was spinning.

  In through the nose, out through the mouth.