Dark Deceiver

by Pamela Palmer

  “Touch me, Kade. I need you to touch me.”

  Need quaked through him as he held her, a war raging inside him. He’d forced this on her.

  Kaderil’s hands tightened on her back and he kissed her hard, punishing her for his confusion. She met the kiss with equal passion, swamping his senses. He wanted her. He wanted her.

  But the fingers she raked through his hair reminded him too well of the way she’d sought to save him from the injury she’d inflicted. In his mind’s eye, he saw again the gentleness of her eyes as she’d sought assurance she hadn’t hurt him.

  Kaderil wrenched away from her, breaking the kiss.

  “Kade.” Autumn reached for him, try to pull his face back to hers. “I need you.”

  He grabbed her band of holly and shoved it into her hand before temptation got the better of him. Slowly, confusion clouded her face, wiping the look of desperation from her eyes.

  As he turned and stalked to the window, anger and frustration fueled his steps. In returning her sanity, he’d stripped himself of his own.

  He didn’t need her! He only desired her in the most base of ways. And he refused to care that he’d driven to tears the first person to show him true kindness in centuries. He was the Punisher. He demanded fear. Exulted in tears.

  Behind him, he heard the brush of cloth, then the soft creak of the sofa. He tried to ignore her, but his body had a will of its own all of a sudden, and he found himself turning back.

  Autumn sat, her face buried in her hands, her shoulders shaking.

  Foreign emotions raked him. Regret. Pity.

  But to his amazement, the sound that broke from her throat was laughter. She lifted her flushed face and clasped her hand to her mouth. “I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life.” Her eyes, miraculously, brimmed with as much humor as chagrin. “I’ve seriously got to date more.”

  He stared at her, bemused, as something about her tugged at him, drawing his admiration. There was no doubt he’d distressed her. The tears he’d seen in her eyes told him that clearly. Yet she laughed at herself and met his gaze with strength despite her dismay.

  He found himself unaccountably intrigued by her. And uncomfortably drawn to her. He longed for the familiar rightness of the Punisher’s scowl and an end to this pretense of softness. Kaderil the Dark was not a soft man. He was not a kind man.

  Yet there was something about this woman that called to that weakness. That tempted him to be both.

  He fought to conceal his scowl. He could not let this pretense of weakness become truth. She was a means to an end, nothing more. Even if her gray eyes sparkled with an intelligence, a warmth he’d been seeking all his life.

  Kaderil went to sit across from her, resting his arms on his knees, clasping his hands together.

  “We both lost control,” he told her, though it was a blatant falsehood. She hadn’t lost control. He’d stolen it from her.

  Damp lashes swept up to reveal eyes that held both vulnerability and strength. “I…um…don’t suppose we can forget this happened?” She grimaced, her slender nose wrinkling in a way that set her freckles to dancing, pleasing him. A flirtatious twinkle entered her eyes, making his pulse quicken. “At least until we get to know one another a little better?”

  His pulse stuttered at her words. Get to know him better? Overlaying the carnal image was another that left him cold. If she ever truly understood him, she’d know he wasn’t human. And that could never happen.

  He could never reveal his true self to her. Nor did he wish to know any more about her. Autumn McGinn was a pawn, nothing more. Already, he feared he’d long be haunted by the feel of her fingers in his hair and the laughter in her eyes.

  What had she done to him? What had he done to himself by toying with her?

  He’d known the human world could hold any number of potential perils for a dark blood with little power. Little had he expected the greatest danger would turn out to be this female with a smile capable of taming even the fiercest of monsters.

  Him.

  Chapter 3

  Autumn pressed her hands to her overheated cheeks, thoroughly flustered by her mortifying loss of control. The sun’s last golden rays gleamed through the windows, silhouetting Kade Smith’s dark head. He watched her with the bluest eyes she’d ever seen, eyes that smoldered with the memory of the way she’d attacked him. She’d practically begged him to make love to her!

  The hunger he’d stoked with his lips and hands still vibrated along her skin. Never in her life had she felt such an intense desire to be touched. She’d nearly climbed out of her skin with the need to have his hands on her. Which wouldn’t be half as embarrassing if she’d kept the thought to herself.

  If only the ground would open up and swallow her whole. Since it showed no sign of cooperating, she rose, looking for another way to escape until her face cooled.

  “I’ll…umm…I’ll go call Larsen for you.” He looked up at her, his expression unreadable, as he nodded. He must think she was a complete idiot. “Why don’t you turn on the television or something?”

  Without a backward glance, she fled the room to hide in the tiny cabin that was her temporary bedroom, and dialed her friend.

  Larsen answered on the first ring. “Hi, Autumn. What’s up?”

  My blood pressure, my hormone levels, Kade’s…uh… Autumn groaned and yanked her mind from that thought and back to the conversation she’d intended. “I’ve got a guest, of sorts. I think he’s Sitheen.”

  A brief silence answered her announcement, doing nothing for her blood pressure. “Did he tell you that?”

  Autumn sighed. “No. He came looking for you. He said he’s had some dreams about a white-skinned man he needs to warn you about.”

  “Why didn’t he just call me? I’m in the phone book.”

  “I don’t know.” She hadn’t thought to ask. Not real surprising considering what had been on her mind.

  “What if he’s Esri?”

  Autumn tensed, the word jangling through her like a discordant note. “No. He’s not Esri. He’s…gorgeous. Amazing. And he has dark hair…and a bit of a tan.”

  “Autumn…”

  “He’s not Esri, Larsen! I’d know.” But as soon as the words were out, she heard how desperate she sounded. Esri were notorious for hiding their true appearance behind glamour. Yes, she was wearing holly, but who was to say holly worked against all Esri? They just didn’t know the extent of the magic these creatures were capable of.

  Autumn sank to the bed, her pulse beginning to trip with real fear. “Larsen…what if he is Esri? What do I do?” Tackling this man to the ground wasn’t going to be an option.

  Though it might be fun.

  She groaned.

  “Do you feel threatened at all?” Larsen asked.

  “No.” Hot, flustered and thoroughly in lust. But, no, not threatened.

  “All right. I hate to ask this of you, but it’s important, Autumn. It could be critical. If he’s Esri, he’s either after the draggon stone or he’s after us.” The Sitheen. “He’s using you to get to us, so he’s not likely to do anything to give himself away. I honestly don’t think you’re in any immediate danger, Autumn. They may be murdering bastards, but they’re smart. If he’s one of them, we need to turn the tables on him. Are you game?”

  “Yes. Of course.” What choice did she have?

  “I want you to stall him until I can get hold of the guys. It could take me a little while, so maybe offer to fix him dinner or something. I’m hoping it won’t take more than an hour or so.”

  Autumn fell back on the bed, her head swimming, her skin crawling with chills. Kade really could be Esri, as much as she hated to admit it. And she had to fix him dinner?

  “If anyone’s going to walk into a trap it’s going to be him, not us,” Larsen continued. “Autumn…be careful. I don’t like the idea of you alone with a strange man, no matter who he is.”

  A man she’d practically thrown herself at. Her chills intensified. I m
ight have been kissing an Esri. Even now, he stood in the next room, waiting for her.

  God. “Larsen?”

  “Yes?”

  “Hurry.”

  “I will. Be careful, Autumn.”

  She closed the phone and lay on the bed, unmoving. It almost made sense that he was Esri, that he’d somehow fashioned himself to look like every dark fantasy she’d ever had. Tall, dark, dangerously handsome. She tried to imagine what he might really look like—the pasty-white skin and pale hair. Was it possible? No. She’d know. Somehow she’d know.

  He wasn’t Esri. He wasn’t evil. Then again, if he was Esri, he had magic and everything she knew about him was a lie and had been from the start.

  She pressed her hand to her forehead. Dear God, what was she going to do? How in the world was she supposed to carry on a polite conversation with a man who could be plotting her rape and murder as easily as her seduction? She couldn’t let on that she suspected him of being more than he claimed. If he was Esri…if he got suspicious, he might take off. And she couldn’t afford to lose a second Esri. Even she couldn’t be that clumsy.

  With a groan, she forced herself up. Hiding in the bedroom wasn’t an option, however appealing it might sound. She stumbled twice on her way back to the living room and seriously hoped the boat was rocking more than normal. If not, she was losing what little coordination she had. The sun had finally set, leaving the room in shadows.

  Kade looked up from his examination of one of the wall prints, but she kept her gaze averted as she turned on a table lamp, not ready to face him after her mortifying lack of control. And not sure she could keep her doubts about who he was out of her eyes.

  But as she crossed to the kitchen and flicked on the light, she felt his gaze on her, felt it vibrate along her skin, and felt her body warm all over again. Oh, this was not good. What if she lost control and tried to strip him this time? Oh, for heaven’s sake, he could be Esri.

  Taking a deep breath, she rounded the counter into the kitchen, desperate to reclaim some measure of equilibrium. Or at least the pretense of it. With the counter safely between her and the man who literally and figuratively filled the room, she finally gathered the courage to look up.

  He met her gaze, his expression guarded. And what did that mean? That he was hiding something…or that he was afraid she was going to attack him again?

  If only the floor would swallow her.

  The boat swayed, forcing her to grab hold of the counter for support. She swallowed, praying her voice would sound close to normal.

  “I talked to Larsen. She wants to meet you after work. You can follow me over there in your car if you want to wait. It shouldn’t be much more than an hour.”

  “I took the Metro. But if I can ride with you, I’ll wait.” A gleam that might be satisfaction glimmered in his eyes. But it didn’t prove he was Esri. He’d come looking for Larsen. Naturally, he’d be satisfied he was going to get to meet her. And if she doubted every single thing he said, every flick of his eyebrow, she was going to make herself insane.

  “Are you hungry? I thought I’d fix dinner.”

  At the mention of food, that guarded expression in his eyes disappeared. His eyes positively lit up. “I’m hungry.”

  She laughed. “Of course you are.” And what a stereotypical reaction of a male to food. This proved it, didn’t it? He couldn’t be Esri. She’d never heard anything about Baleris demanding food. Virgins, yes. But not food.

  Kade Smith was definitely human. And if she could just keep convincing herself of that, maybe she could manage to get dinner on the table.

  She started the rice, then pulled vegetables out of the fridge with hands that would not quit shaking, despite her insistence he wasn’t a threat. But hormones were as bad as nerves and as long as he was in the room, they weren’t about to settle down. As if she weren’t clumsy enough. She managed to rinse the vegetables without mishap, then grabbed a knife and a green pepper and started chopping.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Kade move to the bar on the other side of the counter. He leaned on it, watching her, shredding the few nerves she had left. Her fingers fumbled the knife, sending it clattering to the cutting board.

  With a groan, she snatched it up and tried again.

  “What are you making?” The rich timbre of Kade’s too-near voice rattled her even as it sank into her pores, sliding over her skin like liquid silk. Was this how he enchanted her? With his sexy voice? Stop it.

  “I’m…uh…I’ve got this great recipe for a Mexican stir-fry. Is that okay?”

  “I like all food.”

  Why didn’t that surprise her? The guy had to be close to seven feet tall. Again, she made the mistake of looking up and found his gaze on her face. Those blue, blue eyes caught her, making her pulse lift and soar at the look of hunger in their depths. Hunger she could almost imagine was directed at her, not her vegetables, though she knew better. The knife slipped out of her agitated fingers and clattered to the cutting board once again.

  With a rueful sigh, she said, “You’d better go watch TV. I’m not doing well with an audience. At this rate, dinner won’t be ready until next Tuesday.”

  His mouth twitched, gentle laughter warming his brilliant eyes, setting a tingling excitement loose in her body like the bubbles from a soft drink. He wasn’t Esri. She simply couldn’t believe magic could create such perfect sparkles in his eyes, or that even through enchantment she could feel the bubbly excitement of a brand-new crush. Because that was exactly the way she felt. Excited.

  Kade rose and took off his leather jacket, revealing a T-shirt that accentuated his hard, muscular arms. Instead of moving to the living room as she’d suggested, he came around the counter and picked up the knife she’d dropped, nudging her aside with his hip. “I have a little experience with cooking.”

  His warm masculine scent washed over her, his overwhelming nearness stole the air from the room. She took a hurried step back, not wanting to be tempted to craziness a second time. She tried to calm her fluttering pulse as she leaned against the counter and watched him wield the knife with expert precision, his muscles flexing and bulging in all the right places.

  “You look like a professional.”

  “I’m not good with sauces and seasonings, but I can handle a knife well enough.” He looked up, capturing her with his gaze as the pepper disappeared beneath his blade. “What else do you need me to chop?”

  Autumn grabbed the counter as the boat bobbed, then handed him the red pepper, onion and tomato. “I didn’t mean to put you to work.”

  His mouth twisted with a wry hint of humor. “I don’t mind.”

  “Okay. Thanks. I’ll…um…get the rest of the ingredients.” They worked together surprisingly well, getting everything into the skillet. Despite Kade watching her, she managed to stir and cook the food without a single additional mishap.

  Dinner was almost ready when he leaned over the skillet and sniffed, a look of sheer pleasure on his ruggedly handsome face. “It smells good.”

  “Thanks.” She felt suddenly shy at the sincere compliment.

  He turned that look on her, pleasure lighting his eyes and playing around his mouth.

  Happiness bubbled out of her throat in a laugh, drawing a full smile from him at last, a smile that was endearingly boyish and a little lopsided, crinkling his eyes at the corners. Her heart flipped over in her chest. She swallowed a gasp and turned quickly back to the skillet. What was she doing?

  She was falling for him. Flat-out falling for him. And she didn’t know how to stop.

  When the rice started sticking to the bottom of the pan, she moved the skillet to a cool burner and turned off the stove.

  “Finished?” Kade asked hopefully.

  “As ready as it’s going to be.” She looked at him uncertainly, wondering how big a fool she was making of herself. He was so out of her league. But as she reached for the plates, something crashed outside, making her stop. The wild clanking of the dock lin
es told her it was just the wind, but in the next instant, a crack of thunder had her running for the door.

  “My laptop!” She’d left it outside.

  The wind buffeted her as she dove out the door. Sea spray stung her face, but she pushed toward the back deck and the small table she’d used earlier. The chair had fallen over, but her computer was where she’d left it, thank goodness. The sky had turned dark fast with the rising storm. A distant flash lit the clouds, followed by a low roll of thunder. She grabbed the laptop, and turned to find Kade right behind her.

  “We’ve got to get this furniture in the hatch,” she said, yelling over the howl of the wind. “It’s here.” She took three steps and tapped the hatch door beneath her foot. “I’ll be right back.”

  She escaped into the relative calm of the houseboat, deposited her laptop on the kitchen counter and grabbed the hatch keys so she could lock up once everything was stored. When she returned to the deck, Kade was lowering the table into the hatch, but the chair that had fallen over was on the move again. Lifted on a gust of wind, it was bounding across the deck, end over end, toward the rail.

  The boat rocked on the swells, making walking nearly impossible, but that chair belonged to Larsen and she wasn’t going to lose it. She lunged for it, lurching across the deck. But as she reached for the escaping furniture, she lost her balance and tipped toward the rail. For one dismal instant, she prepared herself for an icy swim. But at the last moment, a strong arm snagged her around the waist and hauled her against a rock-solid chest.

  “I’ve got you.”

  Autumn collapsed against him, heart pounding in her throat, then noticed the chair tight in his other hand. “Nice catch.”

  A low sound that might have been laughter vibrated against her back. “I wouldn’t let you escape me that easily.”

  The boat bobbed, but held by his strong arm, she didn’t stumble. Couldn’t fall. She felt safe. Protected. And for the first time in years…not alone.