by Eden Ashley
It’s like I hurt him, she thought with mixture of confusion and dread.
Deciding to test her theory, she moved carefully toward him. With each step she took, Rhane retreated another two backward until he was against the wall and could withdraw no further. She cornered him, refusing to back down. Rhane finally looked up. And a shock went through her blood. She had been wrong. There was no fear. The tension between them came from another source. Raw desire. Rhane’s eyes were burning with control.
She started to reach for him. Something in those eyes made her stop. “Who are you?” she whispered.
He said nothing. His heart was pounding audibly.
An exhilarating sense of empowerment swelled in the wake of his vulnerability. She was a lioness. He was her prey.
“Don’t.” It was almost a plea.
She ignored the warning and placed both hands on his chest. A storm of distorted images hit her, flashing through her mind with disorienting intensity. She heard a voice. A whisper at first, it grew louder until she recognized the song. Drums thudded in the background, rattling her brain. She pressed her head into his chest.
He grabbed her shoulders. “Kalista, stay with me,” he said thickly.
Kali shut her eyes. She concentrated on the light and the images gained a degree of clarity. She saw Rhane. He was standing with her in a moonlit clearing, on a carpet of lush grass that appeared black in the night. Their naked bodies shimmered silver in the light.
Another flash: his face was above hers, looking down. The pavement was cold. She was stunned, dizzy with fear. Shards of glass surrounded her head.
Another painful blaze: More darkness. She was running. Her torso heaved from lack of air. A malevolent force pursued her through the forest. Its earsplitting howl tore through the air, followed by an excited shrill of capture. Hot breath was at her back. She doubled her effort, but the thing was too quick, and overtook her in one leap. She flew forward as the creature slammed into her. Its claws sank into her flesh. She screamed. The creature climbed atop her, pushing her body into soft mud. She screamed again, but the cries were hindered by mouthfuls of earth. With a furious snarl, the creature jerked her body around. She lay on her back, staring into eyes peppered by rage and hatred. Her attacker had no discernible shape, but she knew it was the wolf. She opened her mouth to scream again. A slap took her breath away. She didn’t, couldn’t move again.
The wolf’s wooded eyes began to slowly melt away. Human orbs of a brilliant jade hung in their place. Kali exhaled in astonishment. The eyes belonged to Rhane. He slid away, wisely putting space between her body and his.
“What just happened?”
He hesitated. She could tell he was weighing an answer. “What did you see?”
She was scared out of her mind. Fear presented in the form of anger. Kali exploded. “I just took a major freaking acid trip! Who are you?”
He winced. “Kalista, I need you to take it easy.”
“Did you have sex with me?”
“No.”
“Did you slap me?”
He nodded contritely. “I did it to bring you back. I’m sorry.”
“From where?”
Chapter 25
Rhane was silent. None of what she threw at him could capsize that serenity. He was a battleship anchored against a deadly storm, withstanding the waves of her assault. He slid both hands into his pockets and slouched against the wall. “I can’t say.”
His demeanor, though frustrating, helped calm the tempest. Kali stopped shouting. “Did I hurt you?”
His expression was briefly pained. “A little,” he admitted.
Regret welled up inside of her at the thought of hurting him. The life she drained, the power she felt, had all been from him. He could have died. She took a shuddering breath. “Can I see?”
“It’s not a big deal. I’m fine.”
“Let me see,” she insisted.
Rhane didn’t move, didn’t flinch away when her hands drew up the soft black cotton of his t-shirt. Ugly marks began at his waist, and carved the length of his torso and chest. The jagged wounds were covered by fragile scabs. She touched them with timid fingers, gently tracing the bright pink flesh. Her hands were a perfect match for the spacing between the scars. She had done this.
“How?” she asked, on the verge of tears.
He didn’t answer, but his expression was tender. No blame or fear was evident in his gaze. He should have been running for the hills.
“It’s never been this bad.” Her voice was shaking. She watched his face, searching it for answers. “You’re not afraid of me.”
“I could never fear you, Kalista.”
The conviction in those words gave her the courage to take the next leap. She had never shared her secret with anyone. But Kali wanted to, needed to show him. She knew he was the only person to share it with. She could make him understand that she was still human. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
He took her hand, gently guiding it away from the marks that should have condemned her in his eyes. “Let’s go downstairs first and get you some breakfast. And if there’s a need to, we can talk about this later.” Brushing his hand against her cheek, he offered her a reassuring smile. She accepted it.
#
Rhane turned out to be an excellent cook. He and Kali were situated in front of bay windows at a dining table piled with an assortment of omelets and French toast sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar. All the goodies enticed Kali’s senses with their mouthwatering aromas. She ate eagerly, not realizing how physically hungry she had been, until the first bite melted in her mouth.
Rhane sat across from her, his dark hair glistening in the afternoon sun. She longed to touch him. More so, she wanted to talk to him. Kali tried to resume the conversation from upstairs several times. With each attempt, he simply shook his head and gestured to her unfinished plate. She ate, but her thoughts centered on him in some way or another. A time or two, she thought of her parents. Kali wasn’t quite ready to step into that minefield yet.
Even for a guy, Rhane had an extremely healthy appetite. At first, Kali was certain it was way too much food for just the two of them and wondered who the heck was supposed to eat it all. Then Rhane finished second helpings of everything. And piled on even more food for a third. Her doubt vanished.
“Do you usually eat so much?”
“Not always.”
“Where are you putting all of it?”
He smiled around the fork already halfway in his mouth. “I guess you have that effect on me.”
She gasped. “So this is because of last night?”
“Eat.”
Enough of this. Kali pushed back from the table. Stretching her arms overhead, she let a small moan escape. The black dress shirt borrowed from Rhane had been barely modest within her normal confines of movement. Mid-stretch, it showed off more than enough skin to tease his eyes. Recoiling back into the chair like a satisfied cat, she licked her lips. “I’ve had plenty.”
Rhane’s eyes flashed. Then he got really still. “Come here.”
As self-possessed as she was, that look of raw hunger made her nervous. Hesitantly, she went to the other end of the table. Using only his foot, he shoved out an adjacent chair, spinning it to face him. “Sit down.” She sat obediently. He pushed his plate aside and leaned forward. “Tell me what you saw upstairs.”
“When I touched you?”
He nodded.
She blew out a breath. “I saw things from Friday night…when I was attacked.” Her hand went to her forehead. “And then you and I were standing in a forest…in a clearing.” She glanced at him. “We were naked. Our skin turned silver in the moonlight.” Her hand started to tremble. “Something terrible happens. I don’t see it. I just feel it…Afterward, some horrible creature is chasing me. Just like in my dreams. It’s happening every night.”
“It’s alright,” he soothed as her tremors increased. “You�
��ve seen this before?”
“Yes. Usually a dark horseman appears to save me. But there was no horseman this morning. It was you. You became the wolf.”
“I’m sorry.” He wiped at the tears wetting her cheeks.
She sniffed. “Why—why are you apologizing?”
“Because you had to be so afraid. For that I am sorry.”
“That’s not your fault. It was a bad dream.”
Sighing, he pulled her close and stroked her hair. “You had something to tell me earlier.”
It was the point of no return. Whatever she revealed, whether through action or word, could never be taken back. Anxiety and trust wove a knot of conflict inside her. Rhane had gone from complete stranger to someone more familiar than anyone she had ever known. But her secret could cause her to lose him forever. It was a risk she was committed to taking. If he’s still here after last night, she reasoned, there’s little more harm the full truth could do.
Kali took a very deep breath and leaned forward. “It’s easier if I show you.” She reached for his face but stopped short of contact. The heat from his skin already rippled across her fingertips. His spirit called to her eagerly. “May I?”
Several long seconds stretched by where it seemed as if Kali was the entire focus of his intense green eyes. Then Rhane replied. “As you will.”
Chapter 26
Kali pressed her hand against Rhane’s cheek. Pulling him closer, she wrapped her mouth into his. His lips were cool and gentle, yielding to her touch. Her tongue slid across his teeth, pushed inside his mouth in slow-burning exploration. She bit his lip playfully. And then harder. At the brink of inflicting pain, Kali let go. Her body ached for more.
Weaving a hand into his thick hair, she brought her mouth to his shoulder, and then his neck, and then his lips. She reached for him, and his spirit answered, surging to her query. Bright and unblemished like nothing dark had ever touched it, she wanted to stay lost in its folds. The spark filled her. She drank at its edges, savoring its pureness. And when her fingers grazed the raised scabs of his healing back, she abandoned her spell and released him.
She sat breathless. Rhane’s eyes were closed, so he couldn’t see the dazed expression that had to be on her face. She was certain there was something different about him. The connection between them could not be denied.
“I lied to you before.” His green eyes fluttered open at the sound of her voice. “I do kiss random guys…usually teenage boys. It’s gotten worse. These cravings. It’s hard to describe, but basically when the hunger gets too bad to ignore, I find and isolate some hormonal kid. Then I take what I need from him.”
“Who else knows about this?”
“No one. I’ve always been careful not to be seen. And the boys don’t remember anything but a euphoric high.” Except in the case of Trevor, she added silently. His girlfriend, Stacy, had stumbled upon them mid-makeout and witnessed her boyfriend collapse to the ground.
“But have you told anyone, maybe a close friend or confidante?”
“I don’t have many friends, Rhane.” In fact, I don’t have any. She wondered if Wes would count.
“Have you told anyone?”
Though she realized she had never answered the first question, it irritated her that he’d asked again. She had trusted him with something huge. Couldn’t he trust her the same? Kali frowned. “I haven’t told anyone. No one has seen me.” Okay, maybe that last part was a lie.
“I’m sorry. It’s just that this is very important.”
“Why? What do you know about it?”
He answered her question with another. “How many people do you know who can do what you do?”
“None.”
“That’s right. And others wouldn’t be very accepting of how extraordinary you are.”
His reasoning made perfect sense. She began to relax. Then her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Why do you react differently? I’ve never been able to feed so strongly without causing harm. And you’re not afraid.”
“There’s not much that scares me. And I’m not saying this to make you feel guilty, but last night was painful.”
She shook her head. It seemed that he was intentionally missing the point. “But anyone else would be dead or at least in the hospital. But you…you woke up before I did and made breakfast.”
“Next time, I won’t cook. Satisfied?”
“I’m not kidding, Rhane. Why do you react differently?”
“I can’t say.”
“You can’t or you won’t?”
“You decide.”
Recognizing when she was being politely stonewalled, Kali sighed. “Just tell me who you are.”
His face became impassive. “You know who I am.”
She rested her chin in her hand. “Sometimes it feels like I do,” she said mostly to herself.
“You’ve had a very rough night. Take it easy. What you know will come back.”
“Maybe you’re right.” She surveyed the huge kitchen, thinking she might as well change the subject. “This is a really big house.”
“Yeah. It needs work, but I think she’s got a lot of potential.”
“The third story was redone recently, right?”
“That’s actually the fourth. There’s a basement level below this one.” He tapped his foot against the floor.
“Wow.”
“I’ll show you around later if you like. Right now, I think you should call your parents. Let them know you’re safe.”
“Right,” she agreed half-heartedly and searched for something to delay that very undertaking. Her eyes trailed to the counter. “What’s that?” She left the table for a closer look. “It’s a map of some sort,” she said before he could answer. “An extremely old one.”
Worn leather trimmed the edges of a very delicate piece of parchment. Kali ran her fingers across the surface. The writing was totally foreign to her eyes. “What does it say?” She looked at Rhane who was watching her steadily as he stood and moved to her side. Not knowing what to make of his expression, she turned back to the map.
He peered around her shoulder. “It says…” He narrowed his eyes and read slowly as if struggling to make out the faded print. “Inquisitive woman, I cost a fortune. Please put me down.”
Laughing, she smacked his arm. “If it cost so much, then why is it lying around here for anyone to walk in and steal?”
“I’m not worried about that.”
Kali put the map back. It was obvious that he wasn’t going to reveal anything on the subject. He was practically useless in the information department.
When she took a seat back at the breakfast table, he came right behind her “Are you going to call your parents?”
She couldn’t get the aged map off her mind. “Are you a pirate?”
“Arrgh,” he said from the side of his mouth.
Kali laughed so hard she snorted. The infectious sound took hold and soon Rhane too was at least smiling without reserve. “Alright then, mystery man, I was this close to taking mercy on you and doing the dishes. But now that charitable feeling is gone. I guess I’ll call my folks instead.”
He let out an exaggerated groan. “I cooked. I shouldn’t have to clean too.”
“If there’s one thing learned from infancy on, it would be that life’s not fair. But…” Kali stood and strode away a few paces, one hundred percent aware of the provocative view delivered by her borrowed attire. She returned to him quickly, leaning to rest her palms against the table. “Maybe you can change my mind about those dishes.”
Dark amber mixed with the green of his irises. “Five minutes and I probably could,” he agreed evenly.
She looked down. Though his features were smooth, all ten fingers dug into the table. Several devilish thoughts sparkled in her mind. Kali wondered if she could get away with any of them. His tormented gaze raked over her body, and she leaned closer.
Then someone whistled long and hard. The sound stopped her
cold. “What a nice piece of jailbait,” the unfamiliar voice said.
Kali whirled with the idea to confront the intruder but shrank back on seeing his size. The unwanted visitor was a burly guy, broad shouldered and taller than most men.
Rhane didn’t move. When he spoke, his tone was more than a little wary. “What are you doing in my house?”
The big guy smirked. “Enjoying a really, really nice view.” Considering how large he was, it was reasonable to think such a man would not have much to be afraid of. But when Rhane stood up, the smirk vanished and the big guy put his hands up palms out. “Take it easy. I just need to talk to you.”
Chapter 27
“I’m in the middle of something.”
The visitor dared another grin. “Yeah, I noticed.”
Rhane glared. “Wait outside.” The big guy retreated through the kitchen doors. Rhane started to follow, but Kali grabbed his shirt.
“He’s huge.” The warning came out in a stage whisper.
Rhane’s expression showed no worry. He brushed a finger across her cheek. “I’m just going to talk to him,” he assured her. Then he moved away, while nodding to a recessed stairwell she hadn’t noticed before. “I’ll be a minute. Use the other door. Go upstairs and put on a pair of my shorts of something.”
“What about my clothes?”
He scratched his head. “Not going to happen.”
“No?”
“No,” he repeated.
She hurried to ask one more question as he backed away, “Are you going to tell me about this later?”
He shook his head. “No. I’ll come find you, and then you are going to call your parents.” He disappeared into the other room.
Kali frowned at the door. Turning to the stairwell Rhane had indicated, she shrugged. Maybe it was time to do some exploring.
#
The burly visitor stood before the hearth observing portraits of Holsenbeck Hall’s previous owners with mild interest. He was oblivious to Rhane, already in the living room and creeping up behind him. Pausing a few feet away, Rhane crouched low, viewing the man with a blend of affection and annoyance. He had hoped things wouldn’t get any more complicated. Now it was certain they would. York’s presence could only be a harbinger of trouble.