Cullen shook his head. When he looked at her, his eyes reflected a deep, piercing pain. “For so long I wished he had. But something or someone scared him off before he could. A light, like a comet, came streaking through the sky toward us. The vampire hissed and turned his head toward it. It was like watching a repulsive reptile move, that slow, undulating way snakes have. Then he literally dissolved in front of my eyes and streamed away from the light coming at us. I watched it chase him across the sky toward the ocean. He was the coldest, crudest thing I’d ever seen. I wanted revenge. I wanted to hunt him down, hunt down anything that even resembled him.”
“I can understand that,” Tempest murmured gently.
Cullen shook his head. “No, you can’t, and that’s the point. You remind me of her. She had great compassion, the way you seem to have. She’d never seek revenge; she’d try to find a way to forgive him. I think that’s what you would do.” He sighed and moved the food around on his plate. “They’re going to torture you for information. Even when you give it to them, they’ll kill you. God, Tempest, don’t you see? I can’t live with that.”
Tempest shook her head. “Darius won’t let them take me.”
Cullen’s eyebrows shot up. “Darius? He must be the bodyguard. I’ll admit the man is good, but it won’t matter how good he is. They’ll get you. They’ll find you and kidnap you. You don’t understand—these people are dead serious.”
She leaned forward to stare directly into his eyes so that he would know she spoke the absolute truth. “No, Cullen, you’re the one who doesn’t understand. They don’t understand. Darius would come for me. No one could stop him. Nothing on this earth could stop him. He is utterly relentless. He’s merciless. He’s as silent as the leopard and moves like the wind. They wouldn’t see him, wouldn’t smell him, as he sped through time or space. And he would never stop, not until he had me back and had removed any threat to me for all time. That is who they’d be dealing with.”
Cullen sat back as if she had struck him. His face paled visibly. “He’s not human? You’re saying this bodyguard is a vampire?”
“Mr. Tucker, you have vampires on the brain. Of course Darius isn’t a vampire. Do I look like the kind of woman who’d go out with a vampire?”
“The bodyguard is your boyfriend?” Cullen asked, incredulous. “He—” He forced himself to stop abruptly. “Are you sure you know what you’re doing? He sounds dangerous, Tempest. Very dangerous. I thought maybe he was involved with the singer.”
“He is. Darius is Desari’s older brother.” Tempest pushed at her hair, suddenly wondering what she must look like. She had been working all morning and hadn’t thought to clean up before coming into town. She was tired, too. She had stayed up all night with the band and Darius, and now the sun was getting to her. She even felt as if it were burning her eyes and skin. Sunburn wasn’t unusual for a fair-skinned redhead, but this burning was different. Deeper. She tried not to be alarmed. “The bodyguard is not invincible, Tempest,” Cullen said, “even if he does seem pretty amazing to both you and the vampire-hunting society.”
“I want to thank you for risking so much to warn us,” Tempest said softly, and she laid her hand gently on Cullen’s. “I’m terribly sorry for your loss, but please don’t worry about me. Darius will take care of all of us.”
Take your hand off that man now, Tempest!
Raw fury, black rage made the velvet voice menacing.
If you value his life, do as I say.
Tempest snatched her hand away from Cullen and ducked her head to hide the fire in her eyes. You have no right to
order me around. You have no idea what’s
going on
here, Darius. I know you are with a male. Well, gee, what a crime.
Sarcasm dripped from her voice.
“Tempest?” Cullen brought her attention back to him. “What’s wrong?” He couldn’t help but notice she had stiffened, her mouth tightening as if she were annoyed.
She shrugged. “Not much. I just have some weird organization of vampire-hunters wanting to kidnap, torture, and murder me. Not too big of a deal. I can handle it. Mostly I’m worried about Desari. She doesn’t deserve any more trauma.”
“I wish you’d listen to me. What if I come with you and talk to the bodyguard myself? If he’s as good as you say he is, he might be able to use the information I can give him,” Cullen ventured, not certain why he offered. He knew he would follow Tempest, try to protect her as best he could. Even if he didn’t actually go to the camp, he would try to guard her against others coming after her.
Tempest was already shaking her head.
Bring him back with you,
came Darius’s order.
I won’t do it, Darius. I have no idea what you’ll do to him. This man has suffered enough. You should trust your lifemate. I would if I had one,
she sniped back.
All I have is some bossy male who thinks he can order me around. Go back to sleep. You are very brave when you think I cannot touch you, honey.
All anger was gone from his voice, replaced by amusement. She felt the brush of his fingers around her throat. His touch sent the familiar wave of heat curling through her bloodstream and butterflies fluttering in her stomach. No one else could do that, touch her physically without being present. She knew Darius was far away; she felt the distance between them.
“Tempest?” Cullen was afraid he was losing her. She kept turning inward, focusing on something other than the danger she was in.
Tempest tilted her chin. “Why would you want to put yourself in more danger, Mr. Tucker? Aren’t you taking an even greater risk by joining us? Your people might not find out that you warned me today, but if you actually came to the camp, they’ll think you’ve changed sides.”
“I know,” Cullen admitted, suddenly weary. “I feel I owe the singer something. I didn’t know they’d ordered a hit on her until it was too late, but I was a part of that wacko group for a time, and I feel guilty.” His eyes jumped to the window, the door, continually checking in case Brady Grand had sent someone after him.
“Guilt isn’t a very good reason to put your life on the line,” Tempest pointed out.
Quit arguing with the man and bring him back. I don’t want him hurt. If he is telling the truth, no one will harm him,
Darius assured her.
“I can’t let these people kill you, Tempest,” Cullen argued. “Matt Brodrick had your picture in his camera when he died tracking your band. They know what you look like, and they’ll come for you.” Cullen Tucker paused. “How did he die, anyway? It appeared he shot himself, but weren’t you there?” Cullen tapped the picture one more time. “This is the exact same spot where his body was found.”
“I have no idea. I had no idea he was even taking my picture. He must have been hiding in the bushes close by. It’s a heavily wooded area.” Tempest tried to throw Cullen off track with the improvised explanation.
“It doesn’t stand to reason, Tempest,” Cullen said quietly, “that Matt would take your picture and then blow himself away. The police bought it because there was absolutely no evidence of anyone else being around, but I knew Matt. He was a sadistic son-of-a-bitch. He never would have killed himself.”
For a moment she couldn’t breathe, remembering the way the reporter had looked at her with his cold, calculating eyes.
I am here, baby,
Darius reassured her.
This man asks many questions, but I do not sense a trap.
She took a deep breath and began telling Cullen Tucker the truth. “I didn’t see him kill himself. He was going to shoot me, but I fell backward off a cliff and down a ravine. I heard a gunshot, but I have no idea what actually happened.”
“No one else was there?” Cullen prompted.
“I didn’t see anyone,” Tempest reiterated truthfully.
Cullen sighed softly. “Let’s get out of here. The longer we stick around, the more likely it is we’ll be spotted. Why did you hav
e to drive such a distinctive car?”
“You’re right,” she agreed. “No one would have noticed the touring bus with the huge block lettering on the sides.”
He grinned at her, and Tempest realized it was the first time she had seen the man smile. “I bet you give the bodyguard more trouble than the entire band put together, don’t you?” he teased.
She tilted her chin, ignoring Darius’s silent laughter. “Why in the world would you say that?”
“Because I know the bodyguard type. And this one is clearly powerful, maybe even deadly. I’d say he’d be dominant, aggressive, and the extremely jealous, possessive type if he ever fell for a woman.”
“What an interesting assessment.”
Take that, Darius,
she added happily.
He hasn’t even met you yet, and he
knows
exactly what you’re like. Rather interesting description, don’t you think? What I think is, you had better bring your lovely little butt home fast, honey, or I might be tempted to spank it. You’re welcome to try,
she said haughtily, knowing she was perfectly safe.
Cullen Tucker stood up, tossed some money onto the table, then held her chair. She sighed. Her nice, solitary existence used to be so simple, so quiet. She heard Darius’s low growl of aggression when Cullen guided her toward the door with his palm at her back, and she sighed again. The words echoing in her mind were in another language, one she was unfamiliar with, but the blistering tone told her Darius was swearing.
Step away from him. He has no business putting his hands on you. He’s simply being polite.
Cullen yelped, removing his hand from her to bring it to his mouth. “Something stung me.”
“Really? I didn’t see a bee.” Tempest looked as sympathetic as she could under the circumstances, but she felt an unexpected urge to laugh.
Spoiled little king of the castle. Learn same respect, honey,
Darius ordered.
Cullen opened the car door for her, then yelped a second time when he held her elbow to help her in. He frowned at her. “What the hell’s going on?”
Tempest was fumbling for dark glasses. The sun seemed to be sending shards of glass into her eyes. Almost at once they were swollen and red, streaming in response to the burning light. “I can’t think what you mean,” she told Cullen.
She drove back to the campsite at a much more sedate pace than she had used heading for the town. Aware that Cullen was following her, she took care to keep to the speed limit, annoying though it was. The road was made for the sports car-winding, narrow, climbing upward, sheer drop-offs on one side, the mountain rising on the other. She had to fight the inclination to let loose and enjoy what the car could really do.
Once in the forest itself, she moved through the network of dirt roads like a professional. Cullen needn’t know she had practiced driving the route so she wouldn’t get lost. She maneuvered through the maze of narrow tracks, selecting one bearing to the right. At once she felt a curious, mood-wrenching sensation, the dark oppression of entering a time warp of evil-the perimeters Darius had set around the camp to keep others out. She was more sensitive to them than she had been before. It wasn’t so bad that she couldn’t drive through the barricade, but she feared Cullen might have a problem.
He pulled up behind her, not quite to the barricade. “What’s the hold-up?” he called.
She pulled her car forward, waiting for him to see what would happen. Cullen drove toward her a few feet, then stopped abruptly, slamming on the breaks. Tempest glanced in her rearview mirror and noted that he was trembling, beads of perspiration dotting his forehead. Can
he make it through the safeguards? Does it get worse? For a mile or so. He can take it. Can you get rid of it? Lead him through it.
Darius was implacable. He would not lower the barrier when he knew they were hunted, when he was aware Tempest could be in imminent danger.
Muttering about stubborn men, Tempest got out of the sports car and walked back to Cullen. His breathing was labored, his hand clutching at his chest.
“I think I’m having a heart attack,” he managed to get out.
“Move over,” she said. “I’ll drive. It’s just a kind of security measure Darius dreamed up. He’s a genius, you know,” she said briskly. “It drives people away from the area.”
“It feels evil, like something is waiting to drag us into hell,” Cullen said, but he obediently moved over.
“Yeah, well, after you meet Darius, you might think that’s just what happened,” she replied grimly. “God help you, Cullen, if you’re not on the up and up. Darius is no one you want to try to lie to.”
“If he designed this particular security system,” Cullen said with a certain degree of admiration and awe, “I believe you.”
“Is it letting up?” she asked hopefully. She didn’t want to leave the sports car where someone might find it and give away their location, and it was too hot to drive him to camp and walk back to retrieve the car.
“Enough that I know I’m not having a heart attack. I can follow you. Just get us out of this as fast as you can,” he pleaded.
Tempest patted his shoulder and slid out of his vehicle and back into hers. They made good time weaving in and out of the trails, Cullen practically tailgating her.
The camp appeared deserted when they arrived. Tempest knew the band and Darius were sleeping somewhere in safety. The cats, scenting a stranger, immediately started roaring their opposition to such an invasion. Cullen refused to get out of his car, hearing what sounded like a den of leopards, hungry and determined to have him for lunch. Tempest spent a few minutes silencing the cats, exasperated that Darius had chosen that moment to bow out and leave her on her own.
“Where is everyone?” Cullen demanded, finally emerging from his car and gingerly looking around the deserted camp. He followed Tempest to the truck.
“Darius is somewhere in the woods. He likes to string a hammock between two trees far away from all of us and have what he affectionately refers to as his quiet time.”
Very funny, honey. You are the worst liar I have ever met. And stop touching that man. If I get any more jealous, I will be the one to have the heart attack. Go back to sleep. You’re annoying me,
Tempest said severely. She smiled sweetly at Cullen. “He’s so moody, you know.”
“And Desari? Where is she?” He glanced uneasily at the motor home.
Tempest caught his look and burst out laughing. “She’s in a coffin in the bus. Would you like to see? I can let the cats out while you take a look around.”
Cullen looked sheepish. “I guess I am being pretty silly. But those cats are another reason Desari was marked by the society.” He absently handed Tempest a tool she pointed at. “Vampires supposedly have some animal from hell looking after them in the daytime. Those cats fit the description.”
Tempest laughed with him. “Actually, the bus is empty except for the cats. I use it more than the others. They’re up a great deal at night, either rehearsing or performing or driving to their next destination. I take care of the vehicles, so I go to town and do the shopping and take care of business. Desari and Julian are probably up already,” she improvised. “They like to hike. Personally, I think that’s their excuse to make eyes at each other with no one around.”
“Julian Savage? He’s high on the society’s hit list. He has quite a reputation. Some of them think he’s the reason Desari escaped the hit,” Cullen confessed.
Tempest banged her knuckles, muttered a few choice words, and bent back to her task. “The way I heard it, he did save her life.”
“Did he kill the entire squad?” Cullen asked, curious.
“I don’t know. I never even knew they were dead. I rarely read the newspapers.” She said it almost absently, as if she were barely listening.
“I don’t think it was Julian,” Cullen said carefully, watching her closely. “I think the bodyguard killed them.”
She not
only banged her knuckles this time but her forehead as well. She turned to glare at him. “I have work to do. Get out of my hair for a while, will you? Go check the woods for the band. Dayan has one of those little tent things. Don’t wake him up if he’s sleeping, though; he’s a grouch if you disturb him before he gets his eight hours. Syndil could be in the bus with the cats if you want to look,” she offered, knowing full well he wouldn’t take her up on it.
Cullen shook his head. “That won’t be necessary. I don’t want to get anyone riled up. I’ll just look things over to see if I can figure a way to tighten security around here.”
“Oh, yeah, that’s all we need, one more bossy male telling us what to do,” Tempest muttered under her breath.
I am impressed with your ability to give the illusion we are all out roaming in the sun. See? I’m an accomplished liar when I need to be,
she said.
Guess it comes with living the kind of life I had when I was a kid. It might come in handy if these maniacs get their hands on me.
Darius could hear the faint echo of fear in her voice. She was trying valiantly to pretend the things Cullen had revealed to her didn’t frighten her, but he was dwelling in her mind, and he knew she was afraid.
Torture and kill.
Those were the words Cullen Tucker had used, and Tempest had a vivid imagination.
You are under my protection,
he reassured her gently.
Tempest smiled at his arrogance. She knew that his comment was supposed to make her feel instantly better, but she was used to relying on herself, not on the protection of some man.
Some man?
Darius echoed.
She could hear his soft laughter, the gentle teasing that always managed to melt her heart.
I’m trying to work here, Darius. Go away. You really do have trouble with authority figures. And you have trouble with anyone saying no to you, don’t you?
she countered and promptly banged her knuckles again.
Damn it, Darius, you’re distracting me. See what you made me do? Pay attention to your work, and stop looking at that male. I’m not looking at him,
she denied hotly, glancing up to see just where Cullen was. She didn’t want him snooping around the bus and being eaten by the two leopards, may be even at Darius’s command.
Dark Fire (Dark Series - book 6) Page 23