Midnight Savior: The Watchers, Book 4

by D McEntire

Marie was tired, both mentally and physically. Nothing had gone as planned since she left Georgia. Her entire life hadn’t gone as she would’ve liked. Right now, her mind insistently whispered she was not going to get out of this place alive. The man hadn’t given any signs of letting her walk out of here. In fact, he had grown more and more violent each time they had spoken.

  He had asked her repeatedly when the doctor, whom he thought was her employer, was going to return. She had no idea since she’d never met the man. No matter how hard she had tried to convince him she was telling the truth, he wouldn’t believe her.

  Her grandmother had been MIA since she had entered the lab. Even now her life was in danger, and she felt alone. One thing nagged at her. She could not push aside the feeling this man had a purpose, which quite possibly was the reason she had been sent to save him. But, what if he killed her? What would it do to him?

  He would lose what little is left of his soul.

  Marie didn’t know if the answer which popped into her head was from her grandmother or her own thoughts. Either way, it was the truth. She felt it, and it meant she could not let her death be on his head.

  She had no idea how to open the lab’s door. If the man knew, he would surely have left after being held in this horrible place for eight months. Wouldn’t he want to alert the authorities as to what had happened to him?

  Not if he wanted to kill his captor, Marie told herself. He was going to stay and wait for the man to return, thus the reason he repeatedly asked her that question.

  Marie’s rational side spoke, pointing out the only way she was going to leave the lab was if someone opened the door from the other side. And, since the entry to the tunnel was behind a secret panel, only a person who knew the lab existed would make an appearance. The doctor would be the only person walking through the lab door, then a blood bath would ensue. If the man returned, she was going to be caught in the middle. If he didn’t and they could not find a way out of the lab, they would either starve to death, or she would find herself once again with Kern at her throat. The thought catapulted her into panic mode.

  Kern took the first-aid kit from the woman’s backpack and walked down the hall. He needed to tend to the wounds on her foot, and if she was conscious, they needed to have another talk.

  Kern blew out a long breath. She kept referring to dreams and visions. He’d also had dreams and visions, but could it be true? Was it possible they had dreamed of one another? Had she truly followed her dreams to find him?

  When he stepped into the room, he froze. The woman was standing in front of the wall with a screwdriver pointed at her chest. The look in her eyes made Kern’s breath catch in his throat—despair, hurt and anger. He saw it all swirling in their depths and swimming with her tears. If the woman was acting, she was a damned good actress, he told himself.

  An emotion pulled at him, one he hadn’t felt since being locked away. Guilt. Something inside had opened and recognized what the angry part of him had been trying to hide. Guilt at harming her weighed on him. He should have been thankful for her presence and the fact she had willingly released him from his chains even after he had attacked her.

  Kern inwardly winced, remembering how brutal he had been when she had entered the room. He had intended to inflict pain, and he had succeeded, more than once.

  “Put the screwdriver down, Marie,” he said in a soft tone, hoping talking would diffuse the situation. The thought of her killing herself made his chest tighten. The fact he had driven her to this point made it worse

  “No.”

  Her voice trembled as she slowly shook her head and winced at the pain.

  “You don’t believe a word I’ve said, and sooner or later you’re going to kill me”

  He watched her adjust the position of the screwdriver so the point rested above her heart.

  “I’ve lost everything—my job, my boyfriend, my home and even my parents, so no one will miss me, but you will be greatly missed. I can feel it. I have done what I had set out to do. You are free from your chains, but now it’s up to you to free your heart and soul from this horrible nightmare.” She shrugged a shoulder. “My job here is done.”

  When she moved the screwdriver, Kern was on her in a blink of an eye. He spun her and pinned her against the wall with her hands above her head.

  Listening to what Marie had said, and seeing the pain in her eyes was too much. Kern felt her anguish as if it were his own. It hit him like a tidal wave, crashing through his chest.

  “Marie, drop the screwdriver.”

  When she didn’t move, he pleaded. “Please.”

  Her fingers relaxed, and the screwdriver hit the concrete with a clank.

  “I’m sorry I hurt you, Marie. You have my word I won’t do so again. I’ve been down here for so long, enduring hell every day, I don’t know what I’m doing anymore. I don’t know what’s real and what isn’t. I found your backpack and know. You are Marie DeVeux from Athens, Georgia.”

  Kern felt his heart shrink, deeply sorry for what he had done to her. He had dreamed of her as well. He knew that now, or at least a part of him did. She had been with him during his times of agony and pain. She had been his support, his angel of mercy. Her payment had been a taste of his thirst for vengeance.

  As soon as the screwdriver fell to the floor, Kern eased back slightly so Marie was no longer doing a face plant on the wall. He had tried his best not to handle her roughly, but in his panic to subdue her and remove the weapon, not to mention his size in comparison to hers, he had pushed her into the wall harder than he had intended.

  After releasing her wrists, he watched Marie’s shoulders sag as she lowered her arms. She rested her forehead on the wall and seemed to fold in on herself. A moment later, her body shook. She was crying.

  Kern turned Marie from the wall, ignoring her resistance. Tears streamed down her cheeks from under lowered lashes. Kern ran his thumb across her trembling lips. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s all going to be okay.”

  He pulled her into his arms and gently rocked her back and forth as she sobbed. Kern knew what it was like to have the dam break on emotions and they all came tumbling out at once, but he had refused to cry. He would not break. He would not give that bastard the satisfaction.

  Kern rocked Marie gently until she quieted. When he thought she had stopped crying, he walked her over to the cot, sat and pulled her down to sit beside him.

  Marie sniffled and lifted the hem of her shirt, but before she could use the fabric to wipe her nose, Kern got off the cot and grabbed the roll of toilet tissue sitting beside the small commode in the room. Her quiet, “Thank you.” warmed him slightly. She was talking and no longer sobbing, for which he was thankful. He had no idea how much more of the heart wrenching sound he could take before he broke down along with her.

  Kern reached an arm around Marie’s shoulders and pulled her to his side, resting her head on his shoulder. “I know there’s no excuse for what I’ve done to you. I can’t even believe it myself. I feel as though I’m losing my mind.” Without thought he turned his head and placed his lips on her temple. Her face was damp from tears, and her skin tasted salty, but the electricity that flowed through him when his lips touched her flesh captured his breath. He needed that spark. It made him feel alive once again.

  Marie was seeing a side of Kern she never thought she would see. He held her close and rocked her like a wounded child. The churning emotions in her head started to lose steam, winding down to dull roar. She felt as though she had blown a mental fuse. Though numbing calm began to claim her, her mind warned her situation had changed little, if any. Kern could suddenly hit critical mass again without warning, but she decided to cherish the comfort he was offering at that moment. Whether he had stopped her from killing herself because he thought he would lose what he believed to be a vital link to the person who held him here, or he had opened his eyes to the fact she had no involvement whatsoever and had only been trying to help him, she had no idea.

  His h
and stroking her back was soothing, calming. Marie could not believe the sudden change in him. Though a part of her understood the reason for his state of mind, she prayed she never again saw the man who had attacked her, not once, but twice.

  “I just ask that you trust me. I have nothing to do with your being in this place. I only knew you were in trouble, and I had to find you. That is the honest truth.”

  Warm lips pressed against her temple. It was the second time Kern had kissed her there as they sat together on the cot. The sensation was followed by a rumble in his chest. Marie pulled back to look at his face. His gaze was intense as he stared at her. She saw mixed emotions within them. There was still a hint of anger etched in the lines of eight months of agony, but the hunger, the need had her heart racing.

  Suddenly, he moved away and stood, and Marie’s chest squeezed; he had shut down again. He paced a moment, facing away from her as he ran a hand through his hair. She didn’t know what was going through his mind, but she had felt something between them and wasn’t going to let it go.

  Marie slid off the cot and grabbed his forearm.

  The desire to feel more of that spark beat at Kern. So much so his thoughts spun wildly in his head. Eight months of hell had changed him, made him into the monster the doctor had claimed him and every one of his race to be.

  He wanted Marie, but not because he had been alone for so long. There was something about this woman, something he had felt every time she had been in his dreams. But, did he dare trust that feeling? He didn’t know how much trust he had left in him.

  What was he thinking? Marie had been close to killing herself because of him and now all he could think about was taking her ten ways to heaven? He knew he had to back away.

  Her hand landed on his arm. The connection burned his skin, and he closed his eyes, savoring it. He felt his fangs elongate, wanting to be put to use─to taste her.

  “Kern. I know what you want.”

  Kern’s heart jumped in his chest, but before he could react, he heard her soft voice again. “I want it too.”

  Those four words broke through his struggle, disintegrating the mental chains working hard to lock down a desire as sharp as his fangs. Grasping the hand on his arm, he spun her around, returning her to her earlier position facing the wall with her arms above her head. Her body beneath his, he stepped in close, as close as he could get without crushing her.

  A growl of anticipation escaped his throat. He used his teeth to bite through the elastic band of her ponytail holder, and buried his face in her hair as it fell across her shoulders. Her scent was fresh, clean, heavenly and his body responded.

  “Marie.” He could only breathe her name, at a loss for words because of the intense need for her. He had wanted her for so long.

  The fabric of her sweatshirt pressed against his bare chest, and his thighs settled into the backs of her legs. The hardness of his growing erection found the seam of her ass, and he pressed in further.

  Kern leaned to the side and lowered his mouth to the angry red marks he had left on her throat. When she flinched he stilled.

  “I’m not going to hurt you. Let me heal what I’ve done.”

  He waited, and when she relaxed he moved slowly, first kissing the wound several times, then running the tip of his tongue over the area. He heard her moan and felt her lean into his body, and onto his throbbing erection.

  After his ministrations to her neck, Kern released his hold on her arms. “Don’t move.” He made his demand in a soft, but stern voice.

  Kern’s hands slid down her arms and ribs, brushing the sides of her breasts and loving the sound of her sudden intake of breath at his touch.

  Grasping the hem of her shirt, Kern slid his hands underneath, feeling her silky skin before releasing the front clasp of her bra. Firm breasts greeted his hands. Massaging them, he kneaded their weight and circled the nipples with his thumbs to bring them into stiff peaks.

  She shifted her body slightly. Kern could tell she was enjoying his touch. He moved his hands lower, making short work of the button and zipper of her jeans. Pulling both sides down her hips and pushing her panties off as well, he let them pool at her feet.

  Her bare bottom was against his pants, he wanted the material separating them gone, but held firmly to his control. This was about her, making her feel wanted, hungered for. He wanted to dim the memory of his horrid actions against her.

  Using both hands, he splayed them on her thighs and gently nudged her legs apart, widening them.

  Kern’s fingers found her opening, slick with arousal. He spread her lips apart and made small circles around her clit. Marie moaned. The sound vibrated through him, and his body answered with a jerk of his erection. As liquid covered his finger, he widened the circle, smearing it over her sex. She was so wet his fangs pulsed. He wanted to taste her everywhere.

  Her head lay back on his shoulder. The smell of her hair filled his nostrils as he kissed and nipped his way across her neck, tasting her salty skin.

  Marie had fantasized about him many times. Now, this was real and not a dream. She was feeling his touch. Her heart beat a fast rhythm in her chest, and her breaths came in short pants. His hands moving over her body had every nerve-ending ready to explode. A throbbing ache between her legs had her moving against him, wanting his touch to make its way there.

  When he had removed her jeans and panties in one smooth move, her want heightened until she thought she would beg. Her prayers were answered when his hands found her core.

  The friction of his fingers circling her lips and clit heightened her arousal. She rocked against his hand, making love to his fingers, spreading her legs further and bending her knees, opening herself wide for more.

  One finger teased her entry, entered then retreated and spread her cream around her sensitive flesh, only to return and repeat the torture.

  “Please,” Marie begged for completion. She was on the edge of the cliff, ready to leap into oblivion, but she wanted him inside of her when she did.

  Suddenly, he spun her around, lifted her into his arms and carried her to the cot.

  Marie lay there, feeling as though she was going to go up in flames if he didn’t hurry and take her. As he undid the button of his pants, she reached for the fabric and yanked hard, pulling them off his hips.

  He chuckled, his laugh soft and low. The sound washed over her as she stared at his beautiful face. His eyes were no longer dark and seething with anger as he looked at her. She saw eyes the color of the sky on a clear day. Eyes as blue as the ocean below the warm sun.

  As he settled between her legs, she shifted, no longer able to wait. She wanted him, and she wanted him hard and fast. Never had she felt this primal. Never had she wanted sex so badly. Never had she cared.

  His face loomed above hers. “My name is Kern. Say my name, Marie. I want to hear you say my name.”

  “Kern,” she breathed.

  Entering her in one swift surge, Kern groaned aloud, matching the sound of her own pleasure. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him in deeper, readying herself for the ride she knew he would provide, giving her what she craved.

  The cot squeaked and groaned under their weight and the relentless strain on the material. Marie tuned it out, hearing only the sounds from his throat and the sound of their flesh meeting.

  A low growl reverberated against her chest when he slowed, then took her mouth. He licked along her lower lip, nipped and sucked, then slid his tongue inside and swirled it around hers.

  After releasing her mouth, he increased his pace, returning to his urgent surges. Marie felt the fire deep inside heat to boiling. She relaxed her inner muscles, opening herself further. The friction grew intense, and her panting tried to match the frantic beating of her heart.

  Euphoria exploded through her body. Her release came hard, stealing her breath. She rode the waves as they ebbed, then skyrocketed again. Marie did not want it to end. She held on to the feeling as long as she could, savoring it, will
ing every muscle and nerve ending to remain open and alive until the last tingle faded.

  Kern could not stop himself from letting loose his hunger for Marie. He had sensed her need and gave her all he had. She fit him like a glove—her warm, slick core gripping his hard erection, sheathing him completely. Her body was incredible, squeezing, then releasing as he moved inside of her. Her moans, sighs and whispers of urging, were music to his ears.

  Kern knew when she neared the height of her arousal. Her inner muscles relaxed and allowed him in deeper. Her cries of ecstasy brought him closer to his own peak. Another surge, and the look of rapture on her face while in the throes of climax sent him over the edge.

  The orgasm ripped through him. He convulsed and shuddered, emptying himself into her heat until he could no longer move. Collapsing to the side, he tried desperately to breathe through a constricted chest.

  Kern closed his eyes while he tried to catch his breath and regain the ability to feel his body. He was drained from the intensity of what they had shared.

  When his heart returned to a normal rhythm and his head cleared, Kern realized what he had done. The side of him that had warned not to get too close gave him more than a little tsk tsk. It scoffed and told him how foolish and weak he was. He slid off the cot, picked up his clothes and walked out the door.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Marie lay on the cot, still stuck in her wow moment and wondering what was going to happen next. She and Kern were trapped, but what if they got out? What then? Would they go their separate ways? Kern was now free to do whatever he wanted. He was free to return to his former life, whatever it was.

  Her thoughts making her heart ache, she rose from the cot and gathered her clothes. When she had told her grandmother she would take this journey, she had never thought about what was next if she had found the man. It was as if her mind had assumed there would be the happily ever after.

  Kern had left the room rather quickly, but she figured he had headed for the shower, just as she was about to do. When she reached the end of the hallway, she saw Kern walking around the lab. The pained look on his face as he gazed at the beakers and various liquids made her want to reach out to him, but she knew he needed time to think and come to terms with his ordeal.