The flow of images nauseated her. Her head spun. She held on to the bed, but even that solid support did nothing to pin her in place.
She tried not to panic, but terror was clawing at her, tearing at her resolve until it lay in tattered shreds. She had no control, nowhere to hide. All she could do was sit here while the visions slammed into her, driving her closer to the brink of madness.
Chapter 4
Cain’s world was engulfed in agony. He’d never felt anything like it before—not even on the night he’d nearly died—the night he’d failed his duties, and Sibyl had been stolen from her bed.
This was different. Deeper. It was more than merely physical pain. It was as if his soul were being wrenched from his body—pried out by a red-hot crowbar.
He held his breath and waited for it to pass, but the longer it went on, the harder it became for him to remain calm. The pain should have begun to fade by now. It should have loosened its grip enough that he could pull in a breath. And yet it went on, strangling him and robbing him of his strength.
And then he heard something weaving between the pounding beats of his heart booming in his ears. Rory. She was making a gut-wrenching sound of frustration and defeat.
Cain lunged toward her, the need to make her pain stop driving him to act.
“No,” said Logan. “Not yet.”
Someone held him back physically. It took Cain a second to realize that it was Hope who was blocking Cain’s progress. She was much stronger than seemed possible, and that shock was the only thing that kept Cain from fighting his way back to where he was touching Rory’s skin.
With an effort of will, he forced his eyes open. The edges of his vision were cloudy, fogged with pain.
“Breathe, Rory,” said Logan. “You’re okay now.”
Rory pulled in a stuttering breath, but it was deeper than before. Her dark eyes were open wide, terror stark and pale as it haunted her expression. As he watched, some of the color came back to her cheeks, driving away the ghostly paleness.
“Good. That’s it. Just like that.”
Cain, once again in control of himself, looked down at Hope. His voice was calm, even though everything inside of him was roiling in chaos. “Let me go.”
The woman lifted her hands. “Don’t touch her.”
It was the only thing he wanted to do, but he knew better. He couldn’t walk around holding on to her for the rest of his life. They had to take care of her wound. That had to come first before anything else.
Cain stepped back and shoved his hands in his pockets to remind himself not to touch Rory. But that didn’t stop him from watching her and making sure she was okay.
Her eyes were open, but she didn’t appear to be able to focus on anything. Her stare was distant, as if she were blind. The silver rings piercing her skin glittered as she shook under the bright fluorescent lighting. Logan laid a long, elegant hand on her brow, and it was all Cain could do to keep from drawing his sword.
Logan was a friend. A healer. Rory needed him, which meant Cain could not lop off the other man’s hand, no matter how much of a possessive statement Cain wanted to make.
Slowly, the distant vacantness in her eyes faded as she looked at him. As soon as her gaze connected to his, he felt it all the way through him, warming places he hadn’t known were cold until just now.
There was desperation in her gaze, as if she were drowning and he was the only one who could extend his hand to save her. The thought puffed him up, driving away the lingering effects of his battle with the pain of losing her touch. He felt stronger, more solid, like he could go on for years with no rest if that’s what she needed him to do.
That sudden flood of purpose left him shaking all the way down to his boots. He hadn’t had that in a long time—not since his little girl had grown up and left him. Since then, he’d been floundering, flailing around for some reason to keep on pulling in his next breath. The way Rory was looking at him now, he no longer questioned what it was he needed to do. It was clear.
She needed him to save her from whatever it was she’d just endured.
His luceria vibrated frantically, celebrating her nearness, clamoring for more.
She looked so small sitting there, so vulnerable. Her bright pink hair, glaring under the fluorescent lighting, was hard to see past, but he did see. Believing was the hard part. Despite her size and appearance, power radiated out of her gaze. He couldn’t stop staring.
Her dark eyes sucked him in, making him forget all about the world spinning around them. He knew there were things he should be doing. He simply didn’t care. He was content to stay here, staring into her eyes for as long as she’d let him.
She licked her lips. His gaze dropped to watch the path of her pink tongue. He couldn’t have stopped himself if he’d tried.
Hot, fast need gripped him. He tried to shove it away before it got a toehold, but he was too slow. His body heated, and sweat prickled along his spine. It was only through a sheer effort of will honed by decades of self-control that he was able to keep his cock from swelling.
He couldn’t let himself want her. Whatever inconvenient reaction he was having was simply a trick the luceria was playing on him—a way of forcing him to get closer to her and convince her to tie herself to him.
The idea was compelling, and he had to take another step back to remind himself that it wasn’t going to happen. He’d been through this once with Jackie. He knew how it ended.
Logan’s voice cut through Cain’s fog, reminding him they weren’t alone. “I stopped the bleeding, but there’s some damage to her joint I must heal.”
“How did you do that?” asked Rory.
“Magic. Now hold still. I need to cut away the bloody cloth and burn it.”
“What happened to you?” asked Hope.
“I fell on a nail,” said Rory.
“She was attacked by demons,” said Cain.
Hope gave Rory a comforting smile. “You’re going to be fine. I’ll find you something else to wear. Be right back.”
Logan sliced the leg of Rory’s jeans off at her thigh and removed her shoe and sock. He wiped away the smears of blood, leaving whole, smooth skin.
Cain should have averted his eyes and given her some privacy, but even that small act was too much for his depleted willpower. The pale curve of her thigh teased him, making him wish he could see more of her. He wondered how her skin would feel, and how far up she’d let his hand slide before she stopped him.
He hated seeing Logan’s hand on her. In fact, he didn’t like the Sanguinar anywhere near her. If Cain didn’t distract himself, he was going to do something violent and unseemly.
She caught him staring at her leg, and he watched as a blush darkened her cheeks.
The idea that he was making her uncomfortable got his brain moving again. “I’m sorry,” he said as he looked away, searching for something—anything—that would hold his attention away from her.
He needed to leave and ensure her future, but he couldn’t do that yet. He had to stay and make sure that Logan didn’t take her blood. “She’s already spilled enough blood tonight. If you need to fuel your efforts, take mine.”
“Thanks to Hope, I have no need of it, but Ronan does. He’s nearby. Pay him what you would have given me.”
“I will,” said Cain, feeling the fluttering weight of his vow settle over him, binding him to his word.
Logan addressed Rory. “This may hurt a bit. Try to hold still while I heal the joint. I’ll do this as fast as I can.”
Logan covered her knee with his pale hand, and it was all Cain could do not to rip the man away from her. This raging possessiveness wasn’t normal for Cain. He didn’t usually impede someone who was only trying to help the way Logan was.
And then Rory let out a small whimper of pain, and Cain’s vision flashed red. He had just wrapped his hand around Logan’s arm when she let out a long breath and sagged in relief.
“Better?” Logan asked her, giving Cain a hard sta
re.
“Yes. Thanks. How the hell did you do that?”
Cain let go and stalked across the room away from her, his body vibrating with his struggle to regain control of his raging emotions.
“Magic, as I said. How does it feel? Any pain?”
“No. It’s not even stiff.” She jumped off the table and looked up at Logan. “How much do I owe you?”
Hell no. Logan would want blood, and Cain wasn’t going to let that happen. “I’m paying your debt.”
“No, you’re not,” said Rory. “I can pay my own way. How much?”
Logan opened his pretty mouth to answer her, but Cain cut him off. “He gets paid in blood, Rory. He’ll bite your neck and drink your blood. Is that what you want?”
She blanched and took a step back, bumping into the gurney.
Logan shook his head, giving Cain a disappointed frown. “There’s no need to scare her like that. I would have thought better of you.”
And just like that, Cain felt like an ass. Logan was right. She’d already been through too much tonight, and here he was, heaping another dose of fear on her.
“I’m sorry. I should go.” He looked at Rory. “You’ll be safe here. Logan won’t hurt you. He’s going to take you to a place where the demons can’t find you.”
“Uh. No, he’s not,” said Rory. “I’m not going anywhere. I have a job to do. I appreciate you saving my life, and the whole magical healing thing, but I need to get back out there.”
“The demons are still out there,” said Logan. “I obscured your scent trail, but they won’t leave the area until dawn. They’re still looking for you.”
“I’ll find them and kill them,” said Cain. “Stay here tonight. It will be safe to travel to Dabyr in the morning.”
“Wow. You two must have given up your ability to hear in exchange for all those magical powers. I’m. Not. Staying. There’s something I need to do.”
“Let us help you do it, then,” said Logan. “What is it?”
Her full lips pressed together, a clear indication that she intended to remain silent.
“She’s looking for someone,” said Cain.
“Way to keep a secret,” snapped Rory.
“You didn’t say it was a secret. Besides, Logan is good at finding people. I’m sure he’ll be able to help.” Cain gave Logan a hard stare. “But if you touch her blood, you and I are going to have words.”
Rory dug in her purse. “You know, this macho bullshit is cute and all, but a little goes a long way.” She tossed some cash on the gurney and grabbed her shoe and sock.
“You can’t leave with that. Your blood is on your shoe. They’ll smell it.”
She let out a long sigh of irritation. “Those stupid little scorpion fuckers.” She dropped the shoe and began unlacing the one still on her foot. “It’s not bad enough that the big demons try to eat my face, but the little ones have to go and stab me and ruin a perfectly good pair of shoes, too.”
“You were stabbed?” asked Logan, shocked.
“Yeah. They had these barbed tails and one of them got to me before I could squish it.”
“I didn’t sense any poison.”
She frowned at Logan. “That’s good. Neither did I, seeing as how I’m still alive and junk.”
“You don’t understand,” said Cain. “If one of them stabbed you, then you could be poisoned.”
What if it was something Logan couldn’t heal? They’d seen that before. Just the thought of her going through what Torr had endured made Cain’s hands shake.
“I’ll go out immediately and find one of them, in case you need to devise an antidote.”
Logan shook his head. “I’m telling you that there was no trace of poison in her. I would have sensed it.”
“What if you’re wrong? What if it’s something you can’t detect?” asked Cain. “I won’t let her end up like Torr. Or worse.”
“Uh, guys. You’re freaking me out.”
Hope came back into the room with a change of clothes in her arms. “What’s going on?”
“Cain is needlessly upsetting our guest,” said Logan.
Anger swelled in Cain’s gut, and he had to work to keep from bellowing. “Needlessly? Can you say with one hundred percent certainty that she wasn’t poisoned? That it wasn’t something new we haven’t seen before? That there is absolutely no chance that what was done to her tonight—done to one of our own—isn’t going to harm her?”
Logan said nothing.
“That’s what I thought,” rumbled Cain. “I’m not willing to take the chance that you’re wrong. I’m going out there to find one of these things so that you can dissect it and make sure. Understand?”
Hope went to Rory and cupped her shoulders. “Listen to me. You’re going to be fine. There’s nothing to worry about. We’re going to make sure of that.”
“Sure,” said Rory, her voice heavy with sarcasm. “Gigantor there probably freaks out like a little girl all the time. I mean, sure, he faced down a bunch of demons without breaking a sweat, but I bet that’s a first for him. He’s probably a total head case that screams when he sees a mouse.” She pulled in a long breath. “There’s nothing to worry about? Are you fucking kidding me? If Cain says there’s a chance I’m poisoned, I’d really like to know if he’s right.”
“Of course,” said Logan. “Whatever you want.”
“Good. Then it’s settled.” Cain looked at Rory, wishing he could touch her, comfort her. But if he touched her, he’d have to stop touching her again, and he wasn’t sure he could take that kind of pain again tonight. He had a job to do, and for one glorious moment, he felt like his old self again—driven by purpose and the desire to do what was right. It was a gift he would not squander.
“I’ll be quick,” he told Rory. “Stay here.”
Cain picked up her bloody shoe and headed out to go hunting.
* * *
Rory didn’t want Cain to leave. That thought hit her upside the head, surprising the hell out of her. At least Hope was here, and the last time Rory had seen her, she’d been sane, unlike the dueling testosterone brothers.
Brilliant flashes of light filled her head. There were people close by, and some of them were awake. Even those who slept were still a problem—sending her random little slits of sight that weren’t her own. The visions were now stronger than they’d ever been, but at least she wasn’t sick. “I don’t feel poisoned.”
“I’m sure you’re fine,” said Logan. “Cain is simply being careful. It’s understandable, given the situation.”
“And what situation is that, exactly? You guys keep giving each other these looks like you don’t want me to know what’s going on. I thought I was the one keeping secrets from the world about demons and monsters, and here I am feeling like I’m the queen of clueless.”
“Logan,” said Hope, “why don’t you go and find Rory something to eat. I’ll help her get cleaned up and make sure the clothes fit.”
Logan nodded. “As you wish, love. I won’t go far.”
The door shut behind him, leaving the women alone. Rory hurried to change, not sure how long he might stay away. “You’re going to tell me what the hell is going on, right?”
“I know what it’s like to be the outsider. I can’t claim to know everything, but I will tell you what I know. If you promise to stop hiding.”
“I’m not hiding.”
“The night we nearly died, you slipped away. You didn’t even say good-bye.”
Guilt hit Rory, twisting her stomach. “I know. I’m sorry. It was just too much to handle. That fuckhead Krag. Being tossed into that den of monsters. Sister Olive.”
Hope’s amber eyes closed for a minute in sorrow. “I understand. Truly. But we only want to help.”
“Cain said I was one of you. What did he mean?”
“Do you have a ring-shaped birthmark?”
Rory paused in the act of sliding on clean jeans. She reached around to make sure there wasn’t a hole in her underwear or s
omething. “On my ass. Does it show through?”
“No. It’s a mark that identifies you as a Theronai.”
“I don’t even know what that is. How can I be one?”
“Did you ever meet your father?”
An image of long, elegant fingers opening a can of soup flashed in Rory’s head. Logan’s fingers. He was making her food.
“No. He was a one-night stand. Mom did a lot of drugs for a lot of years before she OD’d. Nana said she didn’t even know my dad’s name.”
Hope winced at the ugliness, but had the decency to keep her pity to herself. “Chances are he was from another world. Another planet.”
Rory’s hands stilled at her zipper, as that insane idea shoved every other thought, and every flashing vision from her head. “You’re telling me that my dad was an alien?”
Hope took Rory’s hands in hers. “If it helps any, my mom was, too. In fact, I was raised on a different world before I was sent here.”
A different world? Rory pulled away, unwilling to believe something so obviously false. “That’s an interesting fairy tale and all, but unless you can come up with a more believable lie, I really need to go.” Away from the people who believed they were aliens.
“Is it really so hard to believe that after what you’ve seen? Demons? Synestryn lords like Krag? Men who can heal with a touch like Logan or kill with the power and ease that Cain can?”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
Um. Just because she couldn’t think of a good reason didn’t mean there wasn’t one. “I don’t know. It just is.”
“Please, Rory. Just listen to me. If you are who we think you are, then you can’t go out there alone. You’re in terrible danger.”
“Of that I’m acutely aware. I’ve run from these things my whole life. I’ll keep running until they catch me.”
“You said you were looking for someone. Who?”
“I don’t know who. Yet.”
Hope shook her head, making her blond hair sway around her shoulders. “I don’t understand.”
Falling Blind: The Sentinel Wars Page 5