Forsaken Talisman

by Ashleigh Raine

  Adrian spoke quietly…forcefully. “I’ve been trying to track her down for two months and now that I’ve found her, I’m not going to leave her in any danger.”

  “Yeah, well, she’s not in any danger with me.” A blanket settled over her, Dusty’s warm hands soothing as they swept down her body. “This woman is my life.”

  “This woman is my fiancé.”

  Dammit, Skylar! Open your eyes! Wake up before Dusty punches someone else this morning! This is your fault. Her whole body felt weak but she needed to stand up and figure out how to make everything right. She choked out, “Dusty, Adrian…I’m okay.”

  She tried to say more but before she could, Dusty pulled her into a tight embrace. For one moment, Skylar let herself pretend everything really was okay. She rubbed her face against his chest, inhaling his sweaty, masculine scent. She loved him, loved his fierce protectiveness, the way he touched her so deeply with his complete honesty and heartfelt words. She knew he’d never do anything to hurt her, just as she knew there was no way she could avoid hurting him.

  Why the hell had she let herself fall into him last night? If she could have kept her wits about herself…

  No, no, no. She’d been in love with Dusty before she’d made love with him. Having her memory back didn’t change the way she felt for him. It just made things a hell of a lot more complicated. How could she be in love with two men at the same time?

  But she was, and she had no idea what to do about it.

  Then Adrian’s voice broke the silence. “Skylar, what the hell happened to you?”

  She lifted her head from Dusty’s chest and met the bitter fear and betrayal lurking deep in Adrian’s gaze. Dusty kept his arms around her, covering her nudity, for which she was grateful. It was hard enough to be staring into the eyes of the fiancé she’d never had intercourse with while she was in the arms of her lover and second fiancé.

  Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive… But what recourse did she have if the deceiving was unintentional on her part?

  She couldn’t hide in the shelter of Dusty’s arms forever. With a sigh, she pressed her hands against the hard planes of his chest. His muscles tightened beneath her fingers and then he stood up just out of reach. The chill he left behind froze a part of her soul. Skylar held the blanket tighter, as though it alone could warm her again.

  “I—I don’t know what to say. I don’t know where to start.” She looked at Adrian, needing an answer herself. “How did you find me?”

  He slipped his hand into his pocket and removed a small gold object. “I used this.”

  Although she’d only worn it a short time, it was instantly recognizable. “My ring…but how?”

  “I became a Shadow Tracker so I could find you.”

  “Un-fucking-believable.” Dusty ran his hand over his hair, then stopped mid-stroke. “Wait, The Order sent a Tracker for her?” His gaze bore into Adrian’s with much distrust and chagrin.

  “How do you know about The Order?” Adrian asked sharply.

  A twisted chuckle escaped Dusty’s lips and he faced Adrian squarely. “I’m a Shadow Walker.”

  Adrian was silently taken aback. The cave grew quiet, the only sounds the harsh breathing of its inhabitants.

  Skylar broke the silence. “A Shadow Tracker? But Adrian…how?”

  A tick throbbed in Adrian’s jaw as he slid her engagement ring back in his pocket. “You know, it might be easier to hold a conversation if you put some clothes on.”

  Skylar blushed as she looked down at herself, then at the nightgown she’d worn last night, still crumpled on the floor where Dusty had thrown it in his haste to get her unclothed. The chill inside settled deeper as she remembered David giving her that nightgown, a gesture of love and respect for Mariah—another act in his little game. There was no way in hell she was going to put that on again. “I—I don’t have anything to wear.”

  “He kept you here naked?” Adrian growled as he angrily advanced toward Dusty. “What the hell kind of cruel—”

  Dusty launched toward Adrian and Skylar threw herself between them. Barely restrained fury resonated from where Dusty was pressed against her back. She clutched the blanket in one hand over her breasts and placed her other hand on Adrian’s arm to keep him still. “Stop. Please. Both of you. I’m trying to get my head on straight, and I can’t do that with you two facing off every thirty seconds. Please.” She licked her parched lips. “Adrian, Dusty hasn’t hurt me. And Dusty,” she turned toward him, “Adrian would never hurt me. So just…I need you two to stand down.”

  “Stand down? You want me to stand down?” Adrian’s words panted from his throat. “I didn’t come here to stand down. I came to take you home.” He took her hand in his, a simple gesture that said so much. It didn’t go unnoticed.

  “Well, then maybe you should go. Alone.” Dusty was still ready to strike, but when he glanced toward Skylar, she begged him with her eyes to just stop fighting. He looked back to Adrian and continued. “Look…Adrian…we’re both here because of Skylar. She’s been through hell already. Let’s not compound the issue ‘cause you know as well as I that if it comes to blows, you’re gonna go down so hard you—”

  “Dusty!” Skylar warned and he immediately shut his mouth although every muscle in his body was tight and ready for release.

  “Hawke,” Adrian said through clenched teeth. “Only Skylar calls me Adrian. Everyone else calls me Hawke…whether I like them or not. And if we do go to blows, do you really want another black eye? I can easily arrange that.”

  A stony silence simmered, nearly drowning out any breathable air. The two men kept their gazes locked, as though the battle would end when the first one blinked. Neither of them would ever willingly walk away from her—that was clearly obvious. She had to separate them before this got even further out of control.

  “Dusty…” Skylar faced him, placing her hand on his chest. “Is there anything here I can wear?”

  He looked down at where her hand rested on him. “I’ll find something,” he said as he backed away.

  “What happened to you, Skylar?”

  Tightening her hold on the blanket, she turned back around. Adrian had stepped closer, within arms reach, and she wanted to go to him, hug him, tell him she was sorry. But even though he stood so close and she knew he’d take her in his arms if she went to him, there was something shuttered and closed off about him that she’d never seen before. He was changed. Still her Adrian, but different all the same.

  She laughed shakily, a nervous reaction, but still hoping to bring a smile to his face or some light to his eyes. It didn’t work. “I’m trying to piece it all together myself. My memory—seeing you brought it back. I hadn’t known anything but my name, and I’d only remembered that last night when Dusty rescued me.”

  “What? Dusty rescued you?” Adrian closed the distance between them but still didn’t touch her. “From—How the—Who?” He shook his head, aggravation clear in every movement. “Shit, I can’t even—I just don’t know where to start.”

  She gave him a half smile. “Me either.”

  He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, then caressed his hand down her face. “God, Skye, I missed you.” His eyes registered all the love she remembered from before. It seemed everything in her life would now be categorized as either before or after she’d been taken.

  An ache blossomed in her chest, closing off her throat, tears blurring her vision. Adrian ran a thumb over her cheekbone, his skin callused and rougher than she remembered. He leaned closer and whispered, “We’ll make this all right.”

  “Put these on.” Dusty thrust an armful of clothing between her and Adrian. Forcibly separated by cotton and denim, Skylar stepped away from Adrian and swiped a hand over her eyes. Breaking down into useless tears wouldn’t make this situation any better. She took the offered clothing from Dusty’s trembling hands. He’d brought her a complete outfit. Jeans, sweater, bra, underwear, socks and tennis shoes. A forei
gn memory surfaced—the clothing was Mariah’s. At least she knew it would fit.

  At some point Dusty had put on a clean white T-shirt, the soft cotton clinging to every tight muscle she’d kissed and loved last night. A pang of loneliness hit her. Why did him getting dressed make her feel like he was pulling away?

  “Tomorrow doesn’t exist without you,” echoed in her head. The words she’d spoken to him last night. The words she still meant with every fiber in her being. How could she walk away from Dusty? She couldn’t imagine a life without him in it. But how could she walk away from Adrian and the life they’d planned out together?

  As though Dusty was reading her mind, he swallowed hard. Ragged pain and raw emotion shone from his eyes suggesting the same betrayal she’d felt from Adrian.

  She looked away, unable to handle all the blistering pain festering around her. There were no simple words that could make everything right. But at least she could get dressed, the clothes providing a simple, flimsy barrier between her and them. Naked, she felt like she was exposing her soul even more than her flesh.

  Unless she walked deeper into the cave, there was no place she could get changed without being in full view. And she couldn’t leave Dusty and Adrian alone together. Although it appeared they had settled into an uneasy truce, if she stepped away, she couldn’t trust things not to change.

  To hell with it. Putting her back to them, she dropped the blanket and, aiming for a dressing speed record, quickly donned the clothing.

  She turned around and sat on the edge of the bed to put on the socks and shoes, sighing as she looked at Dusty and Adrian. She needn’t have worried about them watching. They were sizing each other up. Again.

  This had to stop. Determinedly, she got to her feet. “I can’t do this. I can’t stand here and watch the two men I—” Shut up, Skylar! Now is not the best time to mention you love both of them. “I need time to think. Time to put together the mess my life has become.”

  Dusty faced her, his gaze locking on hers. He opened his mouth to speak, then seemed to think better of it. His hands unfurled and he lifted his arms like he’d given up the fight or just wanted her to run into his embrace, but then they fell back to his sides, defeated. Casting one more glance at Adrian, Dusty stepped back toward the entrance to the cave. Looking down, he shook his head, his jaw tightened and his hands balled into fists like he was going to punch someone.

  But she knew he wouldn’t. He was going to leave instead. Skylar’s heart screamed that she couldn’t let him walk out. That if he did, she’d never see him again. She bolted to Dusty and wrapped her arms around him.

  His arms circled her, but it felt reluctant, like he’d already completely withdrawn from her. “I’ll be at Rare and Unusual Imports if you need me.”

  “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she whispered against his chest.

  “I know.” Then he pulled away from her, turned around and walked out of the cave, never looking back.

  Time stood still and Skylar waited for something to make sense.

  “You love him, don’t you?”

  She continued staring at the entrance to the cave, ignoring Adrian’s question. She didn’t know how long she’d been standing that way, waiting for Dusty to come back. Waiting for the hurt to dissipate just a little bit so she could take a breath without choking on the sharp, burning pain.

  Almost viciously she rubbed her hands up and down her arms, trying to bring some life back into her body. A coldness had seeped so deep inside of her, she figured she’d never be warm again.

  “Well, I can see this won’t be as easy as you coming home with me, will it?”

  Shakily, she turned around, facing the first man she’d ever loved. The tears flowed uncontrollably. She knew it wouldn’t help, but everything hurt too damn much to keep it all inside anymore.

  “Shit, Skye. I’m sorry. God, don’t cry. You know I can’t stand to see you cry.” He closed the distance between them and pulled her into his arms. He stroked her hair, and whispered softly into her ear, “It’ll be okay, baby. I promise. Somehow we’ll make this okay.”

  “How? Adrian, I’m in love with two men. How can that possibly be okay?”

  His whole body tensed at her admission, but when she tried to pull away, he held her tighter. “I don’t know, Skylar. I don’t know.”

  They stayed that way for several minutes. Finally, Adrian broke the silence. “Where do you want to go? What do you want to do?”

  Skylar stepped away from him, looking around the cave and at the memories of a short-lived love.

  As she looked at the rumpled sheets on the bed, fierce anger surged through her body. Anger at David for ripping her away from her life. Anger at the impossible situation she’d found herself in.

  But the majority of her anger was focused on Dusty. How could he have so easily walked away? Had what they shared last night meant so little to him? She didn’t want to believe it, but he’d left her behind. He had given up on them…on her.

  “I don’t want to stay here anymore,” she whispered harshly.

  “Before we leave, do you need anything?”

  She shook her head. “There’s nothing left for me here.” Without another word, she walked out of the cave, Adrian at her side.

  Chapter Eight

  Stephan allowed himself a war cry as he charged the bedroom window with a wooden post. The post splintered, but the window held fast. He walked out of the room, then pulled out his silenced .38 and fired a round at the glass. Peering back in the room, he was pleased to see that the glass was still intact. He wanted to test every window in his and Mariah’s new house with equal vigor to release his anger, but there wasn’t enough time. One bullet to each window would have to do.

  This whole morning had been a string of wickedness. One upsetting thing right after another without enough time for Stephan to get anything in enough order to act on it. It all started when Marlin clicked-in to tell Stephan that Dusty had rescued the woman. Marlin had mentioned that she looked similar to Mariah, but that had been an incredible understatement. Her resemblance to Mariah was uncanny. Either her looks had been altered or there had to be some long-lost relatives Mariah didn’t know about. So where had the mystery woman come from? Why had Craze made her believe she was Mariah? Too many damn questions. Stephan fired another shot at a pane of glass, wishing there was a way to really unleash serious furor just to get it out of his system.

  Right after Marlin’s click-in, Stephan had grabbed the newspaper. Big and bold on the front page had been two photos of last night’s debacle complete with an article. “A kiss is not always just a kiss, at least not when it leads to two prominent businessmen coming to blows over a woman. And how ironic that the charity of the evening was preventing domestic violence…” The photo of David kissing Mariah had made Stephan’s blood boil and the photo of him punching David put everything in a red haze. David had probably paid a good sum to get all that on the front when it should have been buried much deeper within.

  By that point, Stephan had been so incensed, he’d gone to the cave in hopes of getting answers, but instead he’d found his best friend in bed with the woman. What the hell was Dusty thinking? Not only had his best friend disobeyed his direct orders, but now he was irreparably involved with a woman who looked just like Mariah and was stolen from Craze. Nothing about that was going to be okay any time in the near future. All Stephan could do was keep the two women apart until he knew more about what was really going on. There could be no effective countermove until then.

  Walking down the hall to the bathroom, Stephan fired a round at each windowpane in the hall. The puzzle pieces were starting to fit together and it was so huge, he wasn’t sure he had even close to enough pieces to see the real picture. So far, he wasn’t liking any part of the image because everything seemed to be closing in on him. Craze’s game was far too random this time and with too many key players.

  Stephan reloaded his gun and went downstairs. Knowing Dusty was a wildcard and no
t to be trusted hurt very deeply. Not only did Stephan need Dusty’s firepower against Craze, but he needed the friendship. They’d never sparred that hard before. And now their friendship was in tatters.

  Dusty was just too easily addicted. This time, to a woman. The last serious time, it was to the bottle in his hand. Thankfully, Stephan and the guys had successfully forced Dusty out of his daily drunken delirium, and once he’d fired himself back up, he always got Stephan’s back no questions asked. But now there were too many complications. The fool was tangled in Craze’s web for sure. And Stephan couldn’t blame Dusty. It was a mighty beautiful web this time. Dammit. Why’d it have to be Dusty? Any of the other guys could’ve gotten out of Craze’s game without getting insidiously involved. Stephan fired three rounds into a guest bedroom toward the window. This was not supposed to be happening.

  After testing all of the glass satisfactorily, he started to feel like this house could withstand a full-scale nuclear attack. He just wanted Mariah to have a place that resembled the normal life he’d never be able to offer her. The house was his gift to her. He’d been making it ready for the past month and she had no idea of its existence. The idea was to sweep her off her feet and carry her over the threshold. But he wasn’t going to do any of that until the place was absolutely ready.

  Stephan tested the outer walls all the way around the house. No worries just yet. Everything remained solid. Everything except his resolve.

  He walked the perimeter of his yard while staring in the direction of Craze’s house. Stephan couldn’t see the bastard’s house, but he could feel the evil presence all the same. It ate at him that Craze had moved in just around the corner. The cur had clearly done the research before buying that house, thereby crawling under his “bastard little brother’s” skin. But Stephan would give his life to protect his family before he’d let Craze chase him away. No matter how hard he tried, he could never come between Stephan, Mariah and his family. Their love was eternal.