Broken Souls (Primani Book 4)

by Laurie Olerich

  “I think I just came.”

  “Without me? How could you? Selfish wench.” He sniffed the air and sighed long and hard. Yep, those last involuntary twitches gave it away.

  The story of his life.

  “Rain check, baby?” He resisted the instinct to slide his hand between them and smear her scent all over his body. Maybe he could beat his chest and roar while he was at it. Probably this wasn’t a good idea with Sean standing on the porch.

  “No guarantees. You’re cute though. I’ll keep you in mind.”

  “Now that’s just mean.” He tugged his shirt over his melon and passed her sweater to her. How they’d come off, he had no idea. Apparently he’d been blinded by lust. He couldn’t help staring as the last creamy curve of breast was smothered under the heavy material. Damn. They had the worst timing.

  Friggin’ Sean. There were some days when he’d happily strangle him, partner or not. Sean was long gone now, but he was still annoyed. Sean reported a few interesting things so that made up for the cold shower. Raine was gone. He’d left the city with all of his stuff. It didn’t seem like he’d be coming back. Dec wasn’t un-happy about this. This Raine guy was honorable and worthy of the new lease on life he’d been handed. He wouldn’t ever regret making that decision. Raine earned it so he got it. Period. Dot. End of story. He sincerely hoped Raine would find his family and settle down some place nice. This ‘some place nice’ should be on the other side of the country if he wanted to enjoy it. Bottom line, it would be healthier if he never came back to see Rori again.

  He was beginning to be a little… territorial about his damsel. He’d be damned if he’d let that friggin’ Dread Head waltz in and sweep her away again.

  Oh, hell, no. Not happening.

  “Why the evil eye?” Rori elbowed him as she slipped into a pretty good imitation of his scowl. Her ability to imitate people was a cool surprise. It was yet another thing he loved about her.

  Was he that obvious? Rearranging his mouth into a smile, he tugged her up the trail behind him. It wound upward, turning into nearly vertical stone stairways that were awkward to navigate. Both were quiet as they picked their way over the odd sized rocks that made walking more than three steps impossible. Rori was breathing hard behind him so he slowed his pace to let her catch up. Even though her cheeks were windblown and her lungs had to be screaming, she didn’t whine. No, she kept her eyes on the ground, carefully evaluating the rocks and selecting the most stable ones to step on.

  “Are you doing okay?”

  Without missing a step, she replied, “Sure! This is awesome! Just don’t want to break an ankle so I’m taking my time.”

  That’s my girl! She was stronger than she ever thought she was. There would be no babying her after today. It was time for her to grab her destiny with both hands.

  The trail disappeared once they reached the top of the small mountain they’d been circling. Thousands of years of wind and rain had scraped it to a bald granite dome. To get to the actual summit, they needed to scale an eight-foot chunk of rock that jutted crookedly from the ground. Hefting himself easily to the top, he leaned over the side with his hand held out. “Take my hand. You’ve got to see this view!”

  After hauling her up, he gestured at a jagged peak in the distance. Storm clouds hovered around part of it, making it appear more sinister than it really was. “See that? We’re going to snowboard down the side of that gorgeous hunk of rock. You and me, sweetheart.”

  “Say what?”

  “Don’t look so shocked! If I can do it, you can do it!” With a sweep of his hand, he declared, “Today you climbed a mountain. This is the first step to the rest of your life. This is what you’ve been missing, what you crave: Peace. It’s what you need.”

  She gazed at him like he’d lost his mind.

  He threw back his head to laugh, the sound whipping away with the wind. “Welcome to your life, Rori Austin! It is guaranteed to be one hell of an adventure, with some life-threatening moments tossed in just to keep you on your toes. But in the end, you will have the peace you crave.” He bowed over her hand, “My name is Declan, and I’ll be your official tour guide and sex toy if you’ll have me.”

  She stomped down a sudden wave of dizziness that smacked her between the eyes when Dec practically launched her over the top of the big-ass rock. Clutching his arm for an extra second or so, she drank it in. Wow! This was the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen. Even with heavy clouds filtering the sunlight, the mountains were heavenly. It was like standing in the middle of the universe. There was nothing for as far as she could see. Nothing but trees and rocks and the occasional black ribbon of highway… There were no buildings, no telephone lines, no people. Not even a bird chirped up here.

  Her calves ached. Her lips were frozen numb. Her eyes were drying out. She closed them and let her mind drift, soaking in the sound of the wind, the sharp pine scent… the feel of his hand wrapped around hers.

  Heaven.

  All of her life she’d searched for this, ached for it, longed for it. In and out of foster homes, she’d been surrounded by people, yet always alone, always so lonely. Haunted by a childhood she didn’t ask for, never understood, and couldn’t run away from… she stood in the grip of a man who wasn’t even human. This man promised her answers, promised her safety, promised her freedom from fear. Who was she to deserve such a blessing?

  “Do you believe in a higher love?” he asked, voice hushed, mouth grazing the curve of her ear.

  Seconds ticked like hours as she stared without seeing. Such a simple question, but she wasn’t sure of her answer. Did she?

  The answer came as a surprise to her, but he deserved to hear it.

  “I believe in you.”

  His plan was working. After she’d woken up, Rori had bloomed like an orchid--slowly, carefully, one day at a time, she filled out; she got her color back, became stronger and more confident. Any day now, her bud was just about to pop.

  Okay, so that sounded a little gross, even inside his head. Maybe ‘popping’ wasn’t the right word… she was very slowly blooming into a rare and beautiful flower with every beat of her heart. That sounded better.

  “What are you grinning at? You look pretty satisfied over there. It’s dinner, not an art project.”

  He tossed her the radish he’d been fiddling with. “What do you think?”

  She studied it with great interest before answering, “Is it a dog?”

  “You never told me you were blind. That explains a lot.” Snatching it back with an injured air, he joked, “It’s a heart!”

  Before he could stop her, she plucked it from him and popped it into her mouth. Around the crunching, she mumbled, “Yeah, I totally see that. A perfect heart.”

  “Everybody’s a comedian. Sure, laugh now. Someday I’ll be a world famous vegetable sculptor, and I’ll pretend I don’t know you.”

  Rori thought she had finally perfected the single brow lift and displayed it now. Some people, like Sean, could pull this off, looking very cool when they did it. Rori wasn’t that coordinated. When she did it, the other brow crinkled off to the side, giving her a mental patient sort of look. It was pretty friggin’ adorable. No way was he telling her she looked ridiculous. She shot him that look and he burst into laughter.

  Dinner was hands down the best meal she’d had in years. Everything was simple but delicious. Between them they managed to pan sear some strip steaks, toss a salad, and throw a couple of potatoes in the oven. Once the steaks were a memory, they lingered at the table, sipping the last of the cabernet. She was pleasantly buzzed after finishing two glasses. Her tour guide had gotten more and more thoughtful as they ate. The silence was comfortable though, as if they’d known each other for years. It was nice sitting here with Dec. She was on the verge of clearing the table when he drained his glass and sat it down with a clink. Startled by the sound, she caught his gaze resting on her face.

  “Why are you staring? You know that makes me nervous. When I
’m nervous, I babble. Do you really want to put us both through that?”

  Snapping out of his thoughts, he said, “We need to talk. I wanted to wait until you were stronger, and I think you are now. It’s important, Rori.”

  Poof! And there goes her buzz…

  “You look so serious. What’s wrong?” She glanced automatically at the window as if monsters were about to climb inside.

  He could’ve kicked himself when her expression flipped to panic. Crap. He was such a moron around her. Trying to backtrack, he took her hands and said, “There’s no one here. Don’t worry. Come on, let’s go for a walk. It’s starting to snow!”

  “Seriously?” Racing to the door, she jerked it open and caught her breath. “Oh! Look at it!”

  The huge, fat clumps made a soft whispering sound when they hit the ground. The wind was calm for a change so the snow looked like a curtain as it fell straight down. The front of the property was working hard to resemble a Christmas card. The pines were already drooping with a thick coating of frosting while the driveway was a smooth trail winding towards the fence line. Bits of taller grass stuck out, but they’d soon be buried under a blanket of white. It really was pretty to look at, but if he had his way, he’d much rather mess it up with a snowmobile. Since they didn’t have any of those handy, he’d just have to enjoy it the old-fashioned way. “Come on, grab your coat.”

  His sneaky redirection worked. She wasn’t freaked out anymore. Of course now, her attention was on everything but him. They really needed to talk. It could wait, but not for much longer. If he was right, they’d have company soon.

  She pirouetted in the middle of the yard, arms spread wide, head back, and tongue out. Her laughter warmed him from the inside out. She had shoved her hair into the purple hat and wrapped a matching scarf around her throat. Floppy purple mittens swallowed her hands. She reminded him of another enchanting snow maiden.

  “You remind me of Mica right now. She is a total snow fiend. She taught me how to make a snow angel once.”

  “Before or after she knew what you are?”

  “After. Definitely after. It was our first Christmas together.”

  “Together?”

  “Not that kind of together! Mica’s always been like a baby sister to me. Trust me--I’ve never thought of her in any other way. She’s not my type.”

  “Oh, really? ‘Beautiful’ isn’t your type?”

  He laughed once and tugged Rori into his arms again. “Beautiful is absolutely my type.” He bent to kiss her, hesitating a centimeter away from her mouth. Pushing her hat away, he murmured, “No particular woman has ever been my type.” Until now.

  A branch creaked under the heavy snow, breaking the spell, leaving an awkward silence. He pulled back and led the way to the narrow road. “Come on, snow goddess, let’s walk.”

  She bit back a sigh but didn’t press him to finish his thought. He meant to say something more but checked himself. He wanted to walk with her instead. This man could lead her to Hell, and she’d happily follow. She’d stopped questioning him days ago. When had she started to trust him? Why was she blindly following him? Snorting at the pointless, rhetorical questions, she mentally pinched herself. Oh, she knew perfectly well why; she just wasn’t going to even think the thought. Her life was complicated enough without that.

  Snuggling close, she stuffed her hand into his jacket pocket to keep him pressed tight against her as they walked. They headed down the lane into the swirling snow. Without moonlight, it should’ve been dark, but the snow illuminated it into a fantasy of white. Had she ever played in the snow? Surely she had… but the memory was out of reach.

  “So... You wanted to talk about something?” she ventured when the silence began to weigh on her.

  “I want to talk about a couple of things. As much as I’d like to stay in this cabin with you, we can’t stay here too much longer. The real world is out there, and it’s more dangerous than you could possibly know.”

  He squeezed her waist in question and she nodded, fully understanding his point. “I get that. But I thought you were going to protect me?”

  “I am, but it’s time for you to learn to protect yourself. I can’t be with you 24 hours a day, every day for the rest of your life. We’d both feel better if you had some mad skills of your own.”

  “Okay, that makes sense to me. What do you want to do?”

  “First off, I’ll teach you some basic self-defense moves, and then we’ll work on weapons. How do you feel about guns? Knives? Spears?”

  “Spears? Holy shit! Are you serious?”

  He laughed and said, “Nah, I’m kidding about the spears. But we all carry guns and knives. I’m not asking you to become an assassin, Rori. I just want you to be able to disarm an attacker if you need to and be able to hit someone without breaking your hand. How do you feel about that?”

  There were so many times a gun might’ve been helpful, starting at about age nine. Sure, she’d learn. She’d be damned before she let another monster hurt her simply because she was vulnerable. Not going to happen again. Next time some asshole decided to target her, she’d be ready. They might still take her down, but they’d bleed in the process.

  “Yes to all of the above. Teach me whatever you think is best. I’m tired of being weak. I think it’s time to yank the target off my back once and for all.”

  “That’s my girl! We’ll leave here in a week or so and head to Plattsburgh for your training. We have a full gym in the basement that’s perfect. Mica wants to help too. She runs a self-defense studio for women. She donates the hours to women who can’t pay and charges a low fee to everyone else. It’s her dream that no females become victims because they’re untrained.”

  They had come to the main road. By unspoken agreement, they made a U-turn to head back towards the cabin. The wind pressed down on them now, scooting them along the snowy road. She slipped and grabbed at his jacket. Her boots weren’t exactly made for tramping through heavy snow. She used Dec for support so she wouldn’t fall on her butt. He was as steady as a statue. It wasn’t fair. After a few minutes, she realized she was warmer than she should be. The heat radiated from his arm that draped over her.

  “Are you doing that?”

  He grinned and said, “What? I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Punching him playfully in the chest, she continued, “You’re using your powers to make me warm, aren’t you?”

  A definite jolt of energy sizzled along her back, heating her skin, buzzing in her mind… like laughing gas… euphoric and lightheaded, she burst into giggles.

  Sweeping her into his arms, he kissed her with a thoroughness that stole her breath. The bubbles in her head popped one at a time as he used that sexy mouth to turn her inside out. The man could kiss God from a nun…

  Carrying her easily, he crossed the driveway. “Next subject. Your visions. Can we talk about them for a minute?”

  “Whoa! Hey! You can’t just kiss a girl into a puddle and then switch gears. No way can I focus on that until the blood comes back to my brain.”

  He stopped and locked his eyes to hers. It was disconcerting. Every time he looked at her that way, she was lost in the sensation of falling, drowning, vanishing… he seemed to see into her soul, and found it beautiful. Her instincts screamed to run, but her body begged her to stay. She could still taste him on her tongue.

  “Maybe we should forget talking altogether and just focus on the kissing part. Like this?” He kissed the curve of her neck. “Or like this?” He dragged his bottom lip over hers in a playful nudge. “Or maybe like this?”

  She shuddered when the tip of his tongue stroked the sensitive spot just under her ear… she didn’t even bother to smother the moan that broke the silence. “Oh, more of that, please.”

  “Your wish, my command.”

  He did as requested before sliding around to her mouth again. Unhurried, he moved seductively, barely touching her, but still grazing every nerve ending in his path. Warmth
surrounded her as he held her more tightly against the broad muscle of his chest. The rest of the world vanished as his mouth moved over her, nipping, stroking, making her dizzy with need. The faint zing of the current flowed under her skin, pulsing with the rhythm of his heartbeat. Her blood quickened, her heart picked up his beat… her head swam with the overwhelming urge to throw herself against him. Animal, primal… the urgency shocked her to the core. Without using his hands, he’d set her on fire.

  He jerked away, eyes glowing cobalt, boring into hers, questioning, searching… before he growled, “I need to be inside you. Now.”

  His raw hunger snapped her control. She nodded only once before the world spun out from under them.

  Rori squinted at the sudden bright light. How did they get into the cabin? She started to say something, but he cut her off by stripping her coat and tossing her onto the king-sized bed. With a wave of his hand, the lights flicked off, and he was kneeling beside her.

  Her heart pounded with more than a twinge of fear as she looked into his face. Gone was the playful man who’d chased her around in the snow. The boyish grin, the sexy dimples, were nowhere in sight. The man who sat stripping his clothes off was a stranger: A smoldering hot, sexy, spellbinding threat to her orgasmic dry spell. Her mouth went dry as all liquid pooled in a much lower spot. Speechless, she could only stare as he stood naked and rock hard. Every gorgeous muscle was taut with the strange energy that flowed through him. She scooted to the center of the bed and patted it. Without taking his eyes from hers, he dragged her into his arms. That energy pulsed between them, soft as a heartbeat, spiked with adrenaline, surrounding them like a web. The more they touched, the stronger the bond grew. She arched her back against the pressure, but it held her steady as an invisible hand pressed her down.

  His brain disengaged the second her saol jumped the barrier to wrap itself around him. The shock of that connection blew his mind, but his senses erupted before he could question it. With their saols entwining them, there was no way he could stop what was happening. The energy flowed too hard, was too demanding; they could only cling to each other while it swept them away.