Her thoughts fired in staccato bursts: Fergus, the charm that linked them, his rantings…a young, unsuspecting fire elemental, the old woman she’d helped torture, Cade, Mara bound in that old hotel room, dying. The tears she’d held in escaped in a waterfall. “I…killed…people. Hurt…you…Cade…”
“Shh. I know.” The understanding in Mara’s voice sent her further into a deep pit of self-pity. She didn’t know how to climb out. Until Mara threw her a rope. “I killed my own sister. I live with that pain every day. I watched the light leave her eyes, felt her essence wither. I still hear her in my dreams. I will never be the same again. Cade and I…we’ve spent months healing, and still…we both struggle with what happened. What we went through. I don’t believe the pain of taking another’s life ever goes away. But what matters to me now is what you’re going to do next.”
Surprise choked back another sob, and Caitlin lifted her head, wiping away the tears coating her cheeks. “I don’t understand.”
“You’re here. I assume you watched to make sure Cade left, but there are at least three werewolves next door who don’t like you very much. Which means you’re brave. A hell of a lot braver than Bella. So what will you do now? Why did you come? If you wanted to warn me or apologize, a phone call or a letter would have been enough. But you’re sitting in my living room. Why?”
Caitlin sniffled, sure of what she had to do, but terrified of her next words. “I have to stop Fergus. And to do that, I have to break the charm that holds us together. But I don’t know how. The only elementals I know live in Phoenix, and they don’t like me much. You know the community in Oregon. Give me a name. Smooth the way for me. If I can break the charm, I can go to Ireland, find Fergus, and stop him. He’s a danger to every elemental in the world. If he finds out how to absorb all four elements, there’s no telling what he’ll do.”
“You’re going to kill him, aren’t you?” Mara cupped Caitlin’s hand between both of hers, her bright green eyes wide. “Please, don’t. Liam—“
Caitlin snatched her hand away. “Liam needs to forget me. I ran eleven years ago because Fergus beat the crap out of a man I smiled at once. What will he do if he finds the man I…loved? When he caught me again after I left Liam in Dublin, he broke me. I killed myself, or tried to, because I knew he’d force me to reveal Liam’s name. Katerina’s charm—I accepted her thrall willingly—protected me, hid me from Fergus and my own terrible memories.
“I’m begging you. I don’t know why you’d ever help me, but I have to ask. If I find a way to separate the elements, I’ll get word so you can escape the darkness that’s coming. I don’t expect to survive Fergus. He’ll hurt me. He’ll wear me down until I can’t resist, until there’s nothing of Caitlin left. But maybe…I’ll hang on long enough to stop him. If I can do that, the pain, everything I’ve been through, will have meaning. But you have to protect Liam. Whatever happens, don’t let him come after me. Fergus will destroy him.”
“How do you propose I do that? If you haven’t noticed, he’s pretty far gone over you, and a werewolf in love…there’s no force in the universe strong enough to fight that. Let him help you. Believe me, I don’t want him in danger. I don’t want any of us in danger. But Cade and I together…we’re stronger than either of us is apart. Maybe with Liam at your side, defeating Fergus—“
“No. I won’t let him risk his life for me. Not after everything I’ve done. He belongs here with his—your—pack.”
Mara rose, retrieved a pad of paper and a pen from the kitchen, and wrote for a minute. “Call Eleanor and give her my name. If you know what’s good for you, don’t mention the name Bella. Ever. You’re Caitlin and always have been.”
“Thank you.”
“I wish you’d reconsider talking to Liam.” Mara held onto Caitlin’s hand, her cool fingers surprisingly strong.
“Fergus knows I’m alive. I feel him, here.” Caitlin ground her fist against her breast. “I’m sure he feels me, too. Without the protection of Katerina’s thrall, he’ll find a way to hurt me. Soon. Flying terrifies him, but he has enough of my element to manage it. I have to run.” Caitlin pressed a folded slip of paper into Mara’s hand. “Give this to Liam tomorrow. And…one day, when he’s ready, tell him I lied.” With a stifled sob, she bolted for the door. Mara called after her, but with her element at her back, she escaped into the fresh air of the morning.
Chapter Nine
The morning passed on autopilot. Caitlin answered calls, returned emails, and booked packages to exotic and romantic locales for customers, all between searching for flights to Ireland. Even with her frugality over the past few months and the nest egg she’d socked away from working at Katerina’s occult shop, Flaming Objects, the ticket would max out her credit card. Once she met with the elementals in Oregon, she’d have to compel an airport ticket agent to book her a flight for free. Lying, cheating, and stealing didn’t sit well with her, but if she didn’t stop Fergus, the death and destruction he’d bring down on the world—and possibly Liam—would be worse than any of her sins. Except for…no. She couldn’t dwell on those she’d hurt now. Not the poor teenage girl, nor the old woman. Now she had to act.
The charred hole around her heart burned anew. Did Fergus feel the same pain? In all the time they’d spent together, she’d never asked. Too frightened to risk his anger, she’d barely spoken to him. Trapped for months at a time between his frequent disappearing acts, she’d cooked their meals, cleaned, worked in the local woolen shop when they’d needed money, and squirreled away a few euros here or there under the floorboards in case she ever got the chance to run.
The memory of her last day in Dublin brought her some comfort. He’d called to her then, used her own element to compel her to him. The crushing weight of the call had stolen her breath, and though she sensed him now, knew he lived, somewhere, the distance between them kept her safe.
The note she’d left for Liam worried her. She should have waited. Mailed it. If Liam read her words before she left town, he might try to stop her. Glancing at her watch, she blew out a breath. If she left now, she could be in Oregon by dusk. With a quick charm, she convinced her boss to request an electronic transfer of her final paycheck and then headed for the apartment. She’d take five minutes—just long enough to retrieve her bags, cleanse the space, and walk through one final time, and she’d disappear.
***
Rain battered the hood of her jacket as she raced from the bus stop to her apartment building. Her supposedly waterproof boots sloshed, and her cross-body bag dripped onto the well-worn carpet. Head down, she smacked right into a steaming brick wall and yelped when a strong arm steadied her.
“Easy, luv. I’ve got ya.”
Oh God. Why? The gentle words warred with the harshness of his tone, and she stared up into his moss and amber eyes, hard and unforgiving.
“Let me go.”
He took a step back and let her pass, waited until she’d unlocked her door to speak again. “Do ya think I’m a proper idiot?”
Of all the questions he could have asked, she hadn’t expected that one. “No.”
“Then why,” he said, thrusting the crumpled note at her, “did ya expect me to believe this?”
“Because it’s the truth. I don’t love you, Liam. I didn’t then, and I certainly don’t now. We had some fun together, I’ll give you that, but there’s nothing between us.”
“Ye’re lying.”
“What? No.” She slipped inside her apartment and tried to shut the door in his face. It caught on his work boot, the steel toe blocking the only way she knew to protect him.
“Prove it.”
“There’s nothing I could possibly say that would prove how I don’t feel about you.”
“Say? No. Let me kiss ya.” The corners of his lips twitched—those firm lips that had worshipped her neck, her breasts, and between her thighs. The nub of her sex throbbed, and she stifled a moan.
“Get out.”
“If there’s nothing bet
ween us, then ya should be able to kiss me goodbye, yeah? One last kindness.” The amused glint to his eyes had her clenching her fists at her sides. Maddening. Fine. He wanted a kiss, he’d get a kiss. And…she’d have something to remember him by once she shut the door in his face. She could hold back the tears for a single kiss.
She tilted her face up and let the door fall open. “Come here, then.”
Liam trailed a knuckle down her cheek, along her jaw, and under her chin. “Ye’re the only woman I ever loved, Caitlin.” His breath heated her lips. His hand pressed lightly against her low back, and a desperate whimper threatened to escape her throat.
No, stay strong.
He twisted a damp lock of hair around his finger and tucked the curl behind her ear. The skin on the back of her neck prickled. Arousal flooded her, and he grinned. Damn werewolves and their keen noses.
“Breathe,” he whispered. She’d stopped, his spicy scent weaving a snare she couldn’t escape. His eyelashes tickled her neck when he dipped his head to nuzzle the spot below her ear she’d forgotten he loved once. His teeth nipped at her ear lobe.
“Liam…” She couldn’t keep her hands still and wrapped her fingers around the lapels of his flannel work shirt.
“I love hearin’ ya say my name.” His hard length pressed against her hip—or perhaps she’d pressed her hip against him. Did it matter? God, she’d loved him once. Could love him again. If only…
“Do ya want this?” he asked, his lips barely skimming the corner of her mouth.
With all her heart, but Fergus’s threat loomed. If she walked away, she’d have his memory. If she let him stay, Fergus would kill him.
“I can’t…”
“That’s not an answer.” He pulled back to meet her gaze, the sudden chill against her skin a physical blow. “Why would ya run, Caitlin? Answer me.”
The loss of his touch, his lips, left an ache no one but Liam could fill. “To save you.”
“I don’t need saving.”
“You don’t know him.” Caitlin turned and stalked into the apartment. Chilled to the bone, she clenched her hands to stop them from shaking. “Fergus Tharp is a crazy bastard who thinks that he owns me. And…he does.”
Liam growled, but Caitlin held up her hand. “He stole my element. Convinced me he loved me so I’d let him work a charm he knew would destroy me. I can’t fight him. All he has to do is turn my element against me, and I’m powerless. He’s fucking huge—bigger than you, even, and he doesn’t give a crap who he hurts to get what he wants. So, yes. If he finds you, you will need saving.”
“And ye’re going off to face him alone. Shite, Caitlin, how the hell do ya expect to survive him?”
Her answer hung in the air. Icy droplets of rain snaked down her collar, between her breasts.
“Fuck me.” Realization clouded his gaze. “Ya don’t.”
Shame bowed her head. “I killed myself eleven years ago. When that failed, I destroyed Caitlin in Mexico—with Katerina’s help. I never expected to be myself again. If I die now, at least my death will have meaning. And I had one more night with you.
“Mo chuisle, mo chroí,” she whispered, and Liam’s eyes widened. “I know what it means now. I remember. I loved you. I died to protect you. And I’ll do it again.”
“The hell ya will.”
She wanted him to yell and scream, to use his fists like Fergus always had. She understood violence, rage. But his quiet determination spoke of care and need and… love.
“I failed ya eleven years ago. If I’d been stronger”—he stopped, cleared his throat, and held out his hand. Unable to resist, needing his touch more than she needed her next breath, she placed her palm in his and gasped as electricity raced up her arm. “I won’t lose ya again. If ya don’t love me, if ya don’t see a future with me, I’ll walk away as soon as ye’re safe. But I am not letting that arsehole take one more minute of your life from ya. Not when I can prevent it.”
“I could make you forget…”
“No. Ya couldn’t.” Liam pulled the cross-body bag over her head and tossed it onto the sofa. Releasing her hand, he eased the rain jacket from her shoulders. Against her thin blouse, her nipples tightened, and Liam purred when he dropped his gaze. “Nothin’ could make me forget ya, Caitlin Brannigan.”
Deft fingers made short work of the tiny buttons, and the creamy fabric parted, exposing her breasts to his hungry mouth. First one nipple, then the other, ached under his ministrations, and his hands slid over her waist, holding her up when her knees weakened.
She tipped her head back with a moan, letting her blouse fall. The catch of her bra released with a flick of his fingers, and the delicate material joined the small pile around her.
“Do ya want this, luv?” He swirled his tongue around her nipple, then blew on the hard tip, sending a jolt of need straight to her core.
Caitlin met his gaze and nodded.
“I need to hear ya. Tell me what ya want.” He sank to his knees, fingers poised over the button to her jeans.
“You.” The single word rasped over her desire, and she tilted her hips towards him.
“That’s not an answer.” He grinned and flicked the button open. The zipper ticked in an agonizingly slow trail. Her pants fell, and he held her steady while she stepped out of them. A single finger slipped under her panties. “Shite, ye’re so wet.”
“Make love to me.” Tears gathered in the corners of her eyes, and Caitlin’s knees buckled. Liam eased her down so they knelt face-to-face, and she had to force herself to breathe under the weight of his hungry gaze. “When you’re here, I can believe everything will be okay.”
Liam wrapped both arms around her, cupping her ass and tipping her slight weight against his body. “I won’t let anything happen to ya, Caitlin. Promise me ya won’t run, and I’ll stay. I’ll give ya everything ya want and more. Please.”
She answered him with a searing kiss, and as their tongues danced and she sunk her hands into his silky locks, she believed.
The buttons on his shirt foiled her still-frigid fingers. “Naked, now,” she demanded and clawed the shirt up and over his head. His skin-tight undershirt drew an appreciative mewl, and she undid his belt. Then he draped her on the couch and tugged her knees so her ass slid down and she opened to him.
“Soon.” He shoved his pants down to his thighs, revealing a bright blue pair of briefs, much too small to contain his erection and then bent to press a teasing kiss to the lace that covered her. Caitlin whimpered, bucking her hips against his mouth, and earned a pinch to her nipple. “I intend to make this last, luv.” He tipped his face to hers, and the churning colors of his eyes captured her in a storm she didn’t want to escape. “Caitlin.”
God, she loved how he said her name. The drawn-out first syllable, the deep sigh on the n. A fresh wave of desire tumbled her over the edge as he slipped a finger past the lace and ground into the sensitive bundle of nerves that throbbed for him. She writhed against the rough, well-worn fabric of the sofa and panted, desperate, the low tones of her element mixing with the grunts and growls and hums he made as he slid her panties down her legs. He lapped at her essence, his tongue drawing patterns, invading, demanding. Helpless against the onslaught of his searing lips, his calloused fingers, the tickle of his hair against her thighs, she set her element free, air cocooning them in a sensual embrace.
Time stretched out into an endless path before her, Liam taking her from one high to the next, never letting her rest as he kissed, bit, and pinched. When she reeled from the overwhelming intensity, he paused, massaged the knots from her legs or her shoulders, or feathered almost chaste kisses over her cheeks. “Ye’re stunning when ya come, luv,” he whispered as he nuzzled the hollow of her collarbone. “Like a tornado—wild and unafraid.”
Somehow—she couldn’t remember how—they made it to the bed, and Caitlin stripped off Liam’s briefs, freeing his erection for her hungry mouth. “My turn,” she said with a grin and ran her tongue along his length.
He tasted of the sea, and she drank him in, kissing the span of a deep scar on his ribs, which brought a chuckle as she found a ticklish spot on her strong, sexy wolf. He groaned when she laid a trail of kisses down the v of his abs, and he thrust his hips towards her as she scraped her teeth against the tender skin of his inner thigh.
“Stop teasin’ me, Caitlin,” he growled when she placed a gentle kiss on the tip of his cock, so she took him deeper. She hollowed her cheeks, and a string of passionate Gaelic flowed from his lips. Too soon, he flipped her onto her back and caged her with his arms. “Enough.”
Her pout drew a kiss, his lips parting, his tongue sliding along hers. Fluttering breezes cooled her overheated skin. Liam palmed her breast, flicking the hard nipple with his thumb, his other hand between her thighs, two fingers scissoring inside her, and her body threatened to come off the bed with her release.
A lingering kiss to her brow, a hand in her hair, and a rustle of foil, and he nudged at her entrance.
“Please,” she begged, grabbing his ass to urge him deeper. When he finally, blessedly, seated himself inside her—with her leg thrown over his hip, his arms tight around her back—she focused on his eyes, seeing the truth she’d thrown away all those years ago.
Love.
Each thrust speared her with more force than the last. Clawing at his shoulder and pulling his hair, she moaned his name, and as he clamped his mouth down on hers, she screamed into him as she came apart, taking him with her.
***
“So what happens now?” she asked, her head resting on his chest. The steady thrum of his heartbeat calmed her enough to risk the question.
“Now? Ya talk to me. I’ve questions. Why’d ya try to kill yerself? What happened in Mexico? How did Fergus track ya down in Dublin? How can we stop him? What do ya need in Oregon?” He raised his head to catch her eye. “I could continue.”
“What else is there? My shoe size? Birthmarks? Childhood secrets?” She ached to break the tension that settled over them, but he shook his head, the seriousness of his gaze silencing her.
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