She humbled him. “You are an amazing woman.”
She sat back with a smile. “I could get used to hearing that.”
“But my mistakes won’t ever go away.” He dragged in a deep breath and bared the last part of his dark soul. “I killed two boys.”
***
The warm feeling in Mara’s belly vanished. She searched Cal’s stony face. He was so good at hiding everything but now she knew how much guilt and pain boiled beneath the surface. “Tell me.”
“They were the teenage sons of a terrorist I was tasked with interrogating and then assassinating. They got in my way.”
The man had made an art of dropping bombshells that made him look bad. “That’s not all of it. You let out bits and pieces but never the whole truth. I know you, Cal.”
He exhaled. “They were taking great pleasure in following in Daddy’s footsteps. They’d detonated a bomb in a busy marketplace in Iraq and killed fifteen women and children. But it doesn’t change the fact that they were kids. They would have had time to realize their mistakes, change—”
“We both know the odds of that were slim. You saved lives.”
“Maybe. They still haunt me.”
Of course they did. Along with all the other ghosts he’d never let go of. “Haven is your penance.”
“Hardly. I created Haven for myself first. I wanted some sort of peace and it gave me purpose. It’s easier to hide from your past if you’re busy.”
She didn’t believe that Haven was just for him. He’d helped so many anomalies and would save many more. She wanted to be a part of that.
“After I killed the boys, I wanted out.” He ran a hand over his head.
“They just let you go?”
“No. I was too valuable. I was their shining success in the Anomaly Program.” His dark gaze moved out toward the horizon. “Luckily one of the scientists working on the project couldn’t stomach what was going on anymore, either. He helped me escape.”
Her hands tightened on his arms. “Gage.”
“Yeah. Between the two of us, we collected enough of Langley’s dirty little secrets to buy some security.”
“I’m glad you got away.”
“It doesn’t change the fact that I’m a time bomb. My powers are dangerous and I have to work to control them. To not be tempted to use them.” Night-black eyes bored into her. “I don’t want you near me.”
Mara tipped her head back. The independent woman in her was indignant he felt the need to protect her, but the lover in her liked that her man was looking out for her. “I’ve been taking care of myself a long time. And I make my own decisions.”
“Stubborn woman.” He kissed her nose then wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. “I couldn’t bear it if I hurt you.”
She slid her hands around his back, stroking hard muscles encased in smooth skin. “And I hate seeing you hurt. I hurt you. At the village.”
“I told you, I expected you to push me away once you knew the truth.”
As she looked at him, she realized how deeply she’d cut him and it broke her heart. “I’m sorry. You should always be able to trust the woman who loves you. To expect that she’d be there for you, no matter what.”
His head snapped up. For the first time since she’d known Callahan, she saw shock on his face.
“What did you say?” he asked slowly.
Her poor, lost soul. “I love you, Cal. All of you. Your single-minded dedication to this place, your strength, your skills. You’ve paid your penance for your past. It’s time to stop keeping everyone out as punishment.”
“Mara.” His voice was choked. His fingers dug into her skin.
“You will never hurt me. And your battle to control your power…why don’t you let me help you? Lean on me when you need some extra strength. In case you haven’t noticed, the two of us are a damn good team.”
“I should push you away…but I can’t.” He tilted her head up. “I want you so badly. Have done from the moment you blazed into my life. I want you. Every hour of every day.”
He wouldn’t be an easy lover. He’d demand everything from her. She smiled. That didn’t matter. There was no other woman out there who could handle him. “I’m not going anywhere. No one, not even a big bad mind raider with lethal powers, is going to chase me off. I’m stubborn, remember?”
“I don’t deserve you.”
She brushed his hair back from his face. “You deserve more than you think.”
He tugged her down onto the sand. “I want to make love to you. Now.”
Mara pushed him onto his back. “No.” She straddled his hips. “I’m going to make love to you.”
He let her push his arms above his head. “I’m all yours.”
Oh, yes he was. The sight of this powerful man laid out beneath her had fire zinging along her veins. The thought of all the naughty things she wanted to do with him…to him, had her breathing speeding up.
She ran her hands over his chest. He was all heavy muscle and lean lines. She leaned down, raked her nails along his jaw and down his neck. A groan rumbled through his chest.
She ground her hips against the hard erection beneath her. The sounds of the waves, the scent of salt in the air, it all blended together with the primal need building inside her. She wanted to mark him, make him hers.
His hands slid to her hips, delving under the breezy dress. He skimmed her thighs, reached the juncture between her legs. Found her bare.
A strangled moan. “Always full of surprises. I might not survive you.”
She nipped his chest, tongue laving over one hard nipple. “I’ll keep your heart beating.” Right now it raced under her palm.
Desire blazed in his eyes. She loved that she affected this big, rugged man so strongly. She slid down past his hips and her hands worked at the closure of his shorts. He helped her skim them off with a lithe boost of his hips.
Her hands wrapped around him, stroking his hard flesh. She lifted her hips, sank down deep.
As she savored the pleasurable stretch of muscles, he reared up, his arms wrapping around her. Electric. Hot. Perfect.
He didn’t try to control her movements, he just held on as she started to ride him. She quickly found a rhythm that had them both gasping and straining against each other.
She sensed the storm gathering, coiling low in her body. Too soon. She slowed her movements to a leisurely drag that drove them both insane. His hands tangled in her hair, forced her to look at him.
God, the intensity of him just shattered her. The pulse of his hunger beat at her, tugged on her own powerful need. She wondered if it would always be like this between them.
“Mara.” His hips surged up and he filled every inch of her. “I love you.”
Those solemn words ripped through her, leaving her bursting. “I love you, too.” Here was a man who’d never abandon her. Never deny what she was.
No, Cal would revel in all of her and while he might drive her mad on occasion with his need to protect and command, he’d always, always love her.
They moved together now, both of them searching for release. One of Cal’s hands dipped low, rubbed her clit and before Mara could draw a breath, the storm crashed over her. She arched her back, her climax bursting through her.
She heard and felt him find his own release and then the two of them were tangled together on the sand, like two shipwreck survivors. She curled into him, trying to catch her breath. His hold on her was tight, like he’d never let her go.
She let the entrancing sound of the waves wash through her, enjoying the feel of the cool air on her skin and the gentle brush of his fingers on her back. “I see why you picked this place for Haven. It’s so peaceful.”
He laughed. “Yeah, it is.” His arms tightened on her. “But with you in my arms, wherever we are, I’ll always have my own private haven.”
<<<<>>>>
Turn the page for the next book in The Anomaly Trilogy, SOUL STEALER, Gage and Cate’s story.
&
nbsp; Soul Stealer
Anna Hackett
Dedication
For Em and Rach
Thank you!
Chapter One
She wanted to kill.
She needed to kill.
With a sob, Cate Hartmann rolled off the narrow bed and onto her knees. More than anything she wanted the ecstasy of taking a life.
A flicker of the old Cate swam through the ugly, hammering craving. She didn’t want to be a killer. She didn’t want to be the monster Gabriel Leven had made her. She pounded the carpet with her fists.
She didn’t want to be a soul stealer.
It was all in her head. She’d been through the detox, knew her physical cravings were gone. But the psychological ones, they were the ones that haunted her in the middle of the night.
She looked up at the door of her room. The shiny lock below the handle mocked her. Who was she kidding? It might be decorated like a guest room with crisp sheets, a cheery vase of yellow flowers and a comfy armchair but it was just another prison.
It had been a month since she’d arrived at the island enclave the residents called Haven. But when she closed her eyes, she was back there.
Leaping to her feet, she paced the small space. Her chest was so tight she could barely breathe. When she closed her eyes, she was back in a small tiled room, chained up and forced to kill.
Cate pressed both palms to her chest, fighting for air. She strained to hear footsteps out in the hall, the sign of the one person who could help her breathe again. But the medical center was silent.
With a sob, she dropped to the floor beside the door and dreamed of being outside, of breathing in the warm night air. She backed up against the door, curled her knees to her chest and closed her eyes.
She deserved to be locked away. She was a killer. She’d sucked the souls of so many people from their bodies—painfully, horribly—and it had felt so good.
Another sob ripped from her throat. She wanted her old life back. She wanted her cozy Melbourne apartment, her jazzy little car, her parents, the loud and energetic kids in her fifth grade class. She wanted all the things that seemed a lifetime away.
Footsteps echoed in the hall. Cate’s chest hitched.
They stopped by her door.
“Cate? You okay?” A deep masculine voice.
The air rushed out of her lungs. And there he was.
Dr. Gage Walker.
She brushed at her short hair then scrubbed a hand down her wet cheek. Now that he was here, she didn’t want him to see her like this. “Just go away.”
She closed her eyes. What the hell did it matter? He’d seen her screaming and puking her guts up when she’d first arrived here. Thank God he hadn’t been directly overseeing her recovery. The island’s other doctor, Dr. Akita, had been the one to see Cate through the worst of it.
Gage had been silent support from the sidelines. A steady presence she’d secretly come to depend on.
There was a click of the lock. She scrambled to her feet and watched the door swing open.
He stood in the doorway in his usual tan cargo shorts and a rumpled white shirt. His raw-boned face was dark with stubble and a pair of silver wire-rimmed glasses balanced on his nose. His brown hair was a shaggy mop in need of a cut. Patience and sympathy shone in eyes that made her think of glossy oak.
No, she didn’t want or need sympathy. She turned away, wrapping her arms around her waist.
“Rough night?”
“You’re a genius, Doc.” She winced at her tart voice. Once she’d been a normal, kind woman. Now she was…not. At least Gage didn’t look at her like she was evil.
He made her want to believe she wasn’t.
But he also reminded her of other things that were far out of her reach.
He sighed. “I can give you something to help you sleep.”
“No.” She spun, shaking her head. She’d been out of control before. She didn’t want to go back to that mindless animal she’d been.
He pushed his glasses farther up on his nose. The move was boyish and…cute. She blinked, shocked that she’d noticed.
“How about some company then? We could play cards.”
Her laugh was harsh. “I don’t want to play games.” The dark part of her, the part that had been suffering since she’d been locked in here, pushed forward. She took a step closer. “I want to press my hands to your chest and rip your soul from your body. They say it’s the worst way to die, the most painful. It forces you to relive all the terrible things you’ve done in your life.”
It was why Leven wanted her. The crime boss used her as a weapon to threaten and annihilate his enemies.
Gage just stared at her. His gaze direct, steady. It inflamed her more.
“Have you done terrible things, Doc?” She narrowed her eyes, studying him. She shook her head. “You probably have nothing to fear. I’d guess you’ve been a boy scout all your life. Helping people, being a do-gooder.”
A moment’s silence. “You’d be surprised.”
She stared at the blankness of his face. Was that pain she heard in his voice?
“Cate?”
When he reached out a hand, she jumped back a step. “Don’t touch me!”
He stopped, holding his palm upright. “Okay.”
Clutching her hands together, she stalked to the other side of the room. She hadn’t touched anyone since she’d arrived. Was deathly afraid that the feel of warm skin would be a temptation too hard to resist.
“You aren’t in this alone,” he said. “Let me help you.”
She turned, a hysterical laugh trapped in her throat. She’d just told him she wanted to kill him and he wanted to help her? “Why aren’t you afraid of me?”
“You don’t scare me.”
Her hands trembled and she shoved them in the pockets of her baggy pants. “Why trust me?” Her words were a whisper. “You know what I’ve done.”
“You survived Leven. You’ve fought your addiction every day for the last four weeks. I know the person you want to be.”
She bit down on her lip. “I want to feel human again.”
“I’ll help you.”
She pressed her lips together. “Can you give me my life back? Make it so I never killed?”
A short silence. “Going back is rarely an option.” He scrubbed a hand through his hair. “You need to accept the past and forge a new future.”
There was no way she could ever accept her past. Being a psychotic killer was hardly a good foundation for building a future.
She turned to the window. She couldn’t see anything but the murky shadows of the night. “Then you can’t help me. So leave.”
At first she didn’t think he was going to go, but then she heard him sigh.
“I brought you something. I’ll just leave it here.” His footsteps were quiet as he left. The snick of the lock sounded overly loud.
Cate had never felt so alone. Tears pricked her eyes. She pressed her hands against her thighs, digging in hard to control the urge to drop to the floor and sob.
She turned and looked at the splash of yellow he’d left on her chair. Drawn to it, she fingered the fabric then picked it up. A yellow T-shirt. Nothing flashy, but the color was sunny and yellow was her favorite.
With a quick glance at the door, she whipped off the plain white shirt she wore and tugged the yellow one on. She smoothed her hands over the cotton. Silly that something so simple could give her such pleasure.
When she heard footsteps again, she straightened her shoulders. She’d act like a normal human being and be nice this time. She kept her gaze on the window as the door opened.
But beefy arms yanked her backward. Her bare feet slipped on the carpet. The scent of salt water and male sweat washed over her. Not Gage.
She tried to scream but a hand clamped over her mouth. She twisted and kicked.
The first time she’d been kidnapped, she hadn’t fought. She’d never fought with anyone before.
This time she
’d fight until her hands bled. This time she’d fight to the depths of her being.
Because now she knew she was fighting for her body, her soul and her sanity.
***
Gage slammed open the door to his office off the main lab.
He flicked on the light. The place was its usual messy disaster. Lab reports, scans and printed articles covered every surface. As head doctor and researcher on Haven, he was always busy. But even a hectic schedule couldn’t keep his thoughts away from Cate.
Frustration made him antsy. He had a genius IQ, so why the hell couldn’t he help one small woman?
Releasing a breath, he sank into his office chair, hands hanging between his knees. Cate was improving, but she still had a long way to go. God, he felt useless.
She reminded him of Theo.
Gage stared out at his darkened lab. It was nothing like the lab he’d run for the CIA where he’d had a massive budget to study the anomaly mutation and the powers that came with it. Nothing like the lab where he’d caused pain and suffering and watched his own brother self-destruct.
Gage ran a hand through hair he’d forgotten to cut again. Cate kept so much bottled up and it would spill over before too long. Just like Theo and the other CIA agents who’d volunteered for the Anomaly Program.
Cate was tough. She didn’t look it with her slim frame, delicate features and enormous blue eyes. Hair of the palest shade of blonde he’d ever seen completed the picture. It had been long when she’d first arrived but two days later, she managed to snatch a pair of scissors during a medical checkup and she’d hacked it off. Now with her short cap of hair, Gage thought she looked even more like a lost pixie.
But there was iron beneath the elfin exterior.
And he was attracted to her.
Hissing out a breath, he stood and paced his office. She was a patient. Not his directly, she was under the care of Dr. Ellie Akita, but he was in charge here and Ellie was busy with the traumatized young time thief they’d brought in the week before. He sighed. Cate was a healing patient, vulnerable.
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