Expecting Darkness

by Mandy M. Roth

  “It’s really hot in here,” she said, tugging at the top of her dress-shirt thing.

  “About me being around you more,” he said.

  She groaned and pulled at her cheeks in a dramatic fashion. “I’m about to agree to go to the tower thing just to end this conversation.”

  Searc laughed. “You’ll find a tower willnae keep me from you, lass.”

  Her eyes widened. “Daddy, aren’t you going to threaten him?”

  “He’s free to do as he pleases,” returned Cormag, watching him.

  Jessie’s gaze whipped to Searc. She gulped and her hand went to her stomach.

  Searc leaned in, drawing her toward him, making her chair scrape on the floor as he did. She yelped. He laughed and put a hand over hers on her stomach. “You’ll find I’m verra hard to shake.”

  The smallest bit of energy began to buzz near their joined hands and for a second Searc thought it was their doing. That whatever Jessie had tapped into to knock him on his ass was meeting up with his vampire magik.

  Cormag stood, looking pleased as he nodded to Searc before walking away.

  Jessie stayed close to Searc, their hands on her stomach. Her stomach picked then to growl.

  He grinned. “Yer hungry.”

  “I just ate a couple of hours ago,” she said before tipping her head. “Okay, I pushed the food around on my plate, fighting the urge to be sick from the smell of it.”

  “Come. I’ll take you to get what you crave.”

  She tensed. “What is happening between us?”

  He found himself caressing her stomach lightly. “I do nae know. Do you want it to stop?”

  “No. You?”

  He shook his head.

  “I need to get my car from my dad’s house,” she blurted. “Can you take me to get it?”

  He fought to avoid smiling too wide. He didn’t want to look like a creep. “Aye. I need to have a quick word with yer father first. Can you wait here?”

  She nodded.

  Chapter Eight

  Jessie moved toward the entrance of the nightclub, ignoring Searc’s request to stay put. She needed air and knew he would find her with ease when he was done talking to her father. She was almost to the door when she spotted Islay talking with a man she recognized from the university. The very man she’d been terrified of for months, but she wasn’t sure why.

  Professor Rudy.

  The guy Meena was dating.

  The same fear she’d felt whenever she was near him since she’d blacked out returned tenfold. She backed up; the urge to flee was great. She’d ignored the warnings for months, dismissing the nightmares as nothing because Islay and Rudy didn’t know one another; why would she dream of them being together—of them hurting her?

  As she watched them in what looked to be a heated argument, it was painfully clear they knew one another. How? She’d never introduced them, and Islay had never followed her to classes during the day. Doing so would have required him to be out in the sunlight, something he couldn’t do. And she’d never told Islay of her fear of Rudy—of her dreams.

  Run.

  Her body screamed at her to make her legs move and to put distance between herself and the men, but nothing happened. Nothing worked. Nothing moved.

  “Jessie?”

  She turned to find Tyler, Rudy’s assistant, close enough to touch her. Every inner alarm she had went off instantly. The blood drained from her face as she stood there, unable to move.

  Tyler reached out and touched her arm, his blue gaze narrowing slightly. There was something in the way he smiled that made her think of a snake charming Eve into biting the apple. Tyler had never truly given her a reason to fear him, but that didn’t stop her from doing so. A scream was there, perched on the edge of her tongue, as her mind raced and her pulse sped.

  “Want to dance?” he asked, easing closer to her.

  Her entire body shook, but no words formed on her lips. It was as though her body was stuck in quicksand and her mouth was glued shut.

  Tyler managed to get even closer to her. He skimmed the back of his hand down her arm and she felt as though bugs were crawling all over her. Jessie wanted to lash out at him and push him away, but she couldn’t get her body and her mind to do anything—she was that frozen in fear by the man.

  Why?

  It had never been this bad around Tyler before.

  Instantly, she thought of the nightmares and when they’d started. That had also been the time her fear of him had grown to epic proportions.

  “If you want,” he said, leaning in, his lips close to hers. “We can take off and go somewhere more private.”

  She opened her mouth to yell for her father, but that wasn’t what came out. A yell didn’t happen. A tiny whisper did, and it wasn’t for her father. “Searc.”

  “What?” asked Tyler, drawing Islay’s and Rudy’s attention. Time seemed to slow as Islay’s gaze moved to her. He stiffened and then said something to Rudy, who looked in her direction as well.

  A slow, calculated grin spread over the man’s face and he said something she couldn’t hear to Islay.

  Islay grabbed Rudy by the shirt collar and lifted him nearly off the ground before releasing him quickly, his glare moving to Tyler. Thankfully, Tyler stepped away from her then, giving her space. He backed up more, looking unhappy about doing so. She didn’t care. She just wanted him gone.

  He raked his gaze over her. “See you soon.”

  A threat hung in the air with his words.

  A powerful arm slid up around her waist, chasing away the panic and fear. She felt protected and safe.

  “Lass, you do nae listen well. I told you to stay at the table, upstairs. How am I to…what did you call it? Ah, babysit you if you do nae listen worth a damn?”

  She glanced back to find Searc there. She couldn’t help but smile at him. “I’m sure you’ll find a way.”

  He waggled his brows. “Aye. I’m guid at my job.”

  She laughed. “I don’t know. You have a high bar to live up to. Whitney was pretty awesome in a not-really kind of way. And then Erik and Shane were like my shadow for weeks. Good luck topping that.”

  He eased in closer to her, his lips finding her ear. “Tell me what had you scared, lass. I felt yer fear lance through me as if it were my own. Who or what caused it?”

  She wasn’t fast enough to shield her response and glanced toward Islay, who looked ready to spit nails as he watched her near Searc. Rudy and Tyler were nowhere to be seen.

  Searc moved his body in front of hers, blocking her ability to see Islay any longer or to see if Rudy or Tyler were anywhere close. He touched her chin. “Lass, we’ve much to discuss, but I cannae think clearly if I sense yer fear. It makes me want to kill things.”

  A tremor raced through her and she found herself pressing closer to him. “I want to leave here. Now. Take me. Please.”

  “Aye. I’ll take you wherever you want to go,” he said softly. “But you should know I spoke with yer father and he thinks it’s best you come and stay with me for a spell. Just long enough for him to look into a few things and assure you’re safe.”

  Her fear raced away as she thought of what Searc was saying. “What? He actually said he wants me to go to your house, with you?”

  “Do nae look so shocked. I’m a verra capable operative. And I do nae live in a shack. I know yer accustomed to high-end things, but I do nae think you’ll feel as if yer slumming it with me. I do okay on my own.”

  “This has nothing to do with money.” Her gaze skimmed down the length of him. She didn’t doubt his capabilities in the least. It was her willpower around him that was in question. Didn’t her father sense she wanted to jump the man’s bones? She wanted to fling her virginity at Searc like it was a hot potato. She had a strong suspicion most women had the same reaction around the man.

  “Jessie,” said Islay, his voice acting like ice water and cooling her desire.

  Shivering, she stepped into the protection of Sea
rc’s powerful frame. He wrapped his arms around her and rocked her in place as Islay stepped out from behind him, his green gaze hard.

  “Jessie, can I speak with you?” asked Islay.

  She found herself pressing tighter to Searc. “How do you know the professor?”

  “Who?” asked Islay, something in his gaze saying he knew exactly what she was talking about.

  “Rudy,” said Jessie softly. “How do you know him?”

  “I don’t.”

  The lie hit her in the face with a force that made her whimper. She trembled more as she clung to Searc.

  A low growl rumbled from him and she realized he was glaring at his cousin, as if warning him to back away.

  Islay ignored him and reached for her.

  A second before his hand would have made contact, Searc batted it away, snarling as he did. “Do nae touch her!”

  She stiffened.

  He caressed her arm with his free hand, staying close, his front to her front, in a way that almost suggested he was using his body to shield hers from Islay.

  “She is terrified of you right now,” said Searc, a warning note to his voice. “Can you nae sense it rolling off her? Tell me why she’d be scared of you, cousin?”

  Shame filled Islay’s eyes. “Jessie, please. I have to speak with you. In private.”

  She shook her head. “How do you know Rudy? The truth.”

  “Jessie, please,” begged Islay.

  “If you do nae remove yerself from my line of sight, I will kill you. I do nae care whose second you are now. My woman is scared of you and I’ll nae have you near her or my family.”

  His woman? His family?

  Jessie shook her head, unsure of what was going on.

  Islay’s gaze moved down her and settled on her stomach. “They lied to me, Jessie. They lied and now yer in danger because of it. Because of me.”

  “Islay,” said Cormag, appearing behind Jessie and putting a hand on her shoulder. “Lass, go with Searc. Do nae fight him on this. He has my full blessing.”

  “No!” shouted Islay, his eyes widening. “Do nae do this. Do nae give her to him like an offering. I was wrong. I can fix it. Let me explain.”

  “It would appear you and I have much to discuss,” said her father to Islay. “Like why it is you would tell me all was well with my daughter when I phoned home four months ago, telling you I had a frantic Searc contacting me that she needed him. That he could feel her fear.”

  Jessie stared up at Searc, confused. Four months ago was when she’d blacked out for days. When she’d woken up scared and confused and wanting…Searc. She gasped.

  He took her hand in his. “Cormag, allow me to ask Islay questions in private. I will get the answers you seek.”

  “You’ll kill him the second I turn my back and you well know it,” snapped her father. “Go. Take my daughter and do nae let her from your sight. I’m trusting you with her.”

  “Aye.” Searc tugged on her hand, forcing her to follow even though she felt like her legs might never move again.

  She glanced at her father. “Daddy?”

  “Trust him, lass,” he said. “All will be well here.”

  Islay looked at her and a lone tear dripped down his cheek. “Jessie, please just listen to me. You’ve spent four months shutting me out. I need to talk to you. I need to explain what’s happening. I need to make this right.”

  “You can explain it to me,” said her father as more of his men moved in on the area, surrounding Islay. “Searc, take my daughter from here at once.”

  Searc gave her no choice. He dragged her from the club, out and into the parking lot. The air was warmer than she was expecting, as the humidity had not yet died down.

  As she spotted Rudy near a parked car, she tensed and pulled Searc to a stop. The driver of the car became visible and a scream nearly tore free from her. It was Tyler. He licked his lower lip and then made a crude gesture at her before winking, making her yelp. Rudy got in the car with Tyler and they sped away, but not before she found herself shaking once more.

  Searc forced her to move again and then led her to a large black SUV. He opened the passenger door and loaded her in with great ease, before belting her in as though she were a child. She let him, her gaze meeting his momentarily. A level of trust was there. She knew he was safe. That he’d never harm her. More importantly, she knew he’d get her away from the men who struck fear in her.

  He closed the door and she gasped, reaching up, her fingers skimming the window. She didn’t like losing contact with him. Within a second he was sitting behind the steering wheel, starting the SUV.

  Her mind was still swirling with why Rudy and Tyler were near Islay and her father’s club. What had Islay meant when he’d said they’d lied to him? Fear held her in its grip as Searc peeled out of the parking lot. She reached for him and he grabbed her hand, holding it tight.

  It was several minutes before she could talk. When she did, what she said surprised her. “I think something bad happened to me right after Dad left for Scotland.”

  He held her hand tighter. “What do you think happened?”

  She couldn’t go into it all now. Mostly because she wasn’t entirely sure what had happened. All she knew, deep down, was that something bad had occurred.

  She swallowed hard. “Is my father in danger?”

  Searc lifted her hand and kissed the back of it as he drove. “Lass, his worry is nae for himself. It’s for you.”

  “I worry for him,” she said.

  He laughed. “Think about yer father.”

  She did and gulped. He was a man most feared. “He’s going to kill someone over all of this, isn’t he?”

  “Do you want the truth or some pretty story?”

  “The truth.”

  He kissed each of her knuckles, one by one, gently. “Aye. I suspect many will die if he discovers any harm has befallen you.”

  She tensed. “I know I asked you to take me to get my car, but…”

  “Lass, I’ve no intention of letting you go off on yer own,” said Searc. “I’m going to take you to my home. I’ll call in my team. We can keep you safe while yer father speaks with Islay.”

  She stiffened. “Will Daddy kill Islay?”

  “Honestly, it depends on what comes to light. For you, yer father would kill anyone.”

  She closed her eyes. “That’s what I thought. Searc?”

  “Aye?”

  “I know you want to take me to your house, but…” She swallowed hard.

  He sighed. “Yer scared to be alone with me?”

  She gasped, staring at his profile as he drove. “No. That isn’t it. It’s just, well, do you ever get a strange feeling that you can’t explain?”

  “Aye. Yer father taught me long ago to never ignore those feelings. Mine told me you needed my help four months ago. I allowed another to talk me out of it. I regret that now. What is yer gut telling you?”

  She kept hold of his hand. “That you think your house will be safe, but it won’t. That they know we have a bond.”

  “They who, lass?” he asked.

  She trembled, her head feeling fuzzy. “I don’t know. I just know you’re a target too in all this. And that your house isn’t safe. Not yet anyways.”

  “Do you trust me, Jessie?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Yes.”

  “Then trust me to take you somewhere safe for now.”

  He drove for just over an hour and then pulled into the underground garage of a hotel. She slid her gaze in his direction as he withdrew his cell phone. “Auberi, listen, I need to talk with the team in person. I know the sun will rise soon so first thing this evening.” He paused and then gave the name of the hotel. “Tell no one where I am, okay? I’m removing the sim card from my phone to avoid being tracked. I’ll check in tomorrow.”

  Chapter Nine

  Cormag Buchanan watched his second-in-command, his demon beating at him from within, wanting free to teach the vampire before him a lesson.
He didn’t even know the depths of Islay’s betrayal just yet, only that there had indeed been a betrayal. His gut told him so, as did his demon. While he had only been alive just over three centuries, the demon he carried within was far older, and had seen a great deal in regards to treachery. It had warned him something was amiss upon his early return from Scotland. He’d thought his senses had been off due to worry for his daughter and missing her.

  He knew there was more to it now. Far more, and he would get to the bottom of it, regardless of how much blood needed to be spilled in the process. Jessie was everything to him.

  Everything.

  He’d never thought he’d be blessed with a child, as he hadn’t found his mate. When Jessie arrived on his doorstep, his entire world had turned on its head. He’d once lived for power, for control. He now lived for his daughter—his family. And he’d kill for her too.

  The blond vampire lowered his head, shame evident in the way his shoulders fell forward. “Master, I dinnae know it would happen the way it did. They told me one thing but did another. When I learned what they were doing, I intervened. I stopped it. I’ve tried to protect her since then. But her trust in me is shaken.”

  Cormag’s fingernails lengthened as his demon rose within him. He circled the man and then pointed in the direction of the club’s side entrance. The entrance that led to the basement, an area reserved for questioning and detaining supernaturals. Islay knew it well. After all, he’d interrogated his fair share of them down there. Much to Cormag’s surprise, the vampire did not protest as he marched slowly toward the side entrance.

  He glanced back at Cormag, his green gaze looking defeated. “I never meant for her to be hurt. Know that I love her.”

  That caused Cormag to pause in his step. “You’ve deep feelings for my daughter?”

  “I do,” confessed Islay. “I love her. And nae like family.”

  “Yet you’ve done something you shouldnae have done?”

  “Aye.”

  Pointing, Cormag watched as Islay walked through the doors. He followed the man down the stone staircase, to the oversized metal door there. Islay withdrew a key and entered, seeming resigned to his fate.