Bound By Vengeance

by Shannon K. Butcher

The luceria glistened, seeming to catch and hold the dim light. A chorus of blues spun lazily through the necklace, swirling like smoke on the breeze. Once those colors stilled, if she left him it would mean his death. That reminder made the seconds fly by even faster.

  Before the movement in the luceria froze, he either had to part ways, or bind her to his side forever.

  No pressure.

  But for now, none of that mattered as much as seeing to Dakota’s needs, and at the top of that list was sleep.

  Liam sent a trickle of power through their tiny link, urging her to slide more deeply into sleep so he wouldn’t disturb her. He didn’t like staying out here in the open when safer walls were only a few feet away, but she needed her rest.

  He found the hidden key to the little house and unlocked the door. As he lifted her from the car, she made sweet, sleepy sounds, purring against his chest.

  His feet stilled and he came to a complete stop. She had no idea how special she was, how precious. He should have taken more time to explain the way things were supposed to be between them—how their lives were to be inextricably linked together—but his pain had made him impatient. He’d been careless, which was an unforgivable sin, but even worse, he’d been selfish. His thoughts had revolved around her ability to take away his pain and save his life. He hadn’t considered how she would feel once they were joined.

  At least the damage wasn’t permanent. She’d been smart enough to give herself a way out. He tried to convince himself that was good, and while part of him was relieved that she’d made the right choice, the deeper part of him—the one concerned with self-preservation—was trying to figure out how to tie her to him forever.

  A cold wind lifted his hair, reminding him that he was standing out in the open, staring down at the woman he’d sworn to protect with his life. He hurried inside and tucked her into one of the upstairs beds.

  He allowed himself to stroke the soft curve of her cheek only once before he left the room and went downstairs to figure out the key to a puzzle he had to solve.

  Jake picked up his phone on the second ring. “Tell me you stopped her.”

  “Dakota is with me. She’s safe. But there’s a situation.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” asked Jake, worry clear in his voice.

  “Did you know she’s a Theronai?”

  Jake snorted. “That’s not possib—” He cut his word short, going silent for a moment. When he spoke again, his tone was less certain. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. Was she adopted?”

  “No. I remember her mother being pregnant. There was some kind of scandal around it, but I was just a kid at the time and didn’t pay much attention.”

  “Her father wasn’t human.”

  “Wow. That sure as hell explains a lot of family picnics.”

  “What do you mean?” asked Liam.

  “Dakota’s dad never treated her and Daren the same. He was more distant with her. Colder. I figured it was because she was a girl, but Dakota’s mom was pregnant before they married. Maybe he wasn’t the father.”

  “He couldn’t have been. Would they have told Dakota?”

  “I don’t know. We’re not exactly the kind of family that shares openly. I always thought the secrets were due to us being Defenders and having to hide that from the world, but maybe there’s more to it than that.” Jake let out a long, weary sigh. “This has all got to be a hell of a shock. Her dad hasn’t spoken to her since Daren’s death.”

  “He blames her, doesn’t he?” asked Liam, already knowing the truth.

  “No more than she blames herself. Where are you? I need to talk to her.”

  “Let me do it.”

  “No offense, man, but you’re not family.”

  “She’s wearing my luceria. That makes her more than family.”

  “Holy fuck.” Jake was silent for a moment. “I don’t know how this is possible, but I swear to God, if you get her hurt, I’ll make you pay. She’s been through enough.”

  “I will protect her with my life.”

  Jake’s voice was hard and demanding. “Where are you? I need to see her. Talk to her. Make sure she’s okay.”

  “She’s sleeping.” And the urge to go watch over her was hard to ignore. “Back off, Jake. You trusted me enough to ask me to help her. Trust me enough to keep her safe.”

  “I’ve looked out for her since she was tiny. It’s not exactly a habit I can easily break.”

  “Good. Don’t. Just give me some time with her to help her get used to the idea of being a Theronai. Whether or not she decides to stay with me, she’s still one of us. We need her.”

  “What you need doesn’t matter to me. What she wants does.”

  He said it as if what she wanted didn’t matter to Liam as well. It did, but the stakes were higher than one person’s desires. Jake knew that, but he was letting his emotions get in the way.

  Hell, Liam was, too. He was being territorial and possessive, claiming Dakota for his own when he had no real right to do so. At least not yet.

  “I’ll call you later,” said Liam. “Try not to worry. I’ll take good care of her.”

  He hung up and turned off the ringer so it wouldn’t wake Dakota when Jake called back. Because he would. He was a good man who cared about his cousin. And while Liam couldn’t fault him for that, he could ignore Jake’s calls.

  Liam locked the door and took the steps two at a time, anxious to be back by her side.

  The lights were out, but he could smell the spicy scent of her skin as he entered the room. The sound of her deep, even breathing reassured him. Ever since the vision, since seeing her in danger, he’d been tense. He hadn’t realized until just now how much it had affected him.

  Faint light from outside filtered through a gap in the curtains, but it was more than enough for him to see her lying there, snug under the blankets.

  She was so pretty. Her curls spilled over the pillow, calling to his fingers. The lovely curve of her neck, graced with his luceria, was more than a mere temptation. He knew how soft her skin was and how the scent of it went to his head. He wanted to feel that skin against his lips and taste her.

  His body warmed and his cock began to throb with need. He shed his jacket in an effort to cool off, but heat continued to blast out of him as his blood pounded through his veins.

  Dakota could cool that inferno. Her touch could soothe his raging body and calm the hunger clamoring inside of him. All he had to do was get closer.

  The urge to crawl into bed with her was nearly overwhelming, but he knew what would happen if he did. He wanted her too much not to take advantage of her. He’d touch her, and while he wouldn’t intend it to be anything more than comfort, his intentions wouldn’t matter much once his hands were on her.

  He’d find a way to justify it, find a way to assuage his guilt, but in the end he’d go too far. And while he would do everything in his power to ensure she enjoyed his touch as much as he enjoyed doing the touching, she was helpless in her sleep. Taking advantage of her like this would prove that he wasn’t worthy of her.

  Liam wanted desperately to be worthy of her.

  He closed his eyes to block out the tempting sight she presented, and then shed his shirt and drew his sword. He knelt beside the bed, between her and the door and shoved himself into the deep, meditative state that had given him brief respites from his pain.

  If danger came, he’d be able to snap back into alertness, but until then, he needed to calm his mind and remember what was important. He only had two days to convince Dakota to save his life, and he wasn’t going to fuck it up.

  Chapter Four

  Dakota had no idea where she was when she woke. The room was dark. She was lying in a bed, still wearing her shoes and jacket. The covers tucked in around her had become too warm, and it had been that heat that had woken her.

  She tossed the blankets back and sat up to clear her head while she stripped out of her jacket.

  Liam knelt on the fl
oor a couple of feet away, beautifully naked from the waist up. His sword lay at his knees, catching glinting bits of dim light streaming in from outside. With each breath he took, his shoulders rose and his chest expanded, giving the illusion that the image of the tree clinging to him was swaying.

  Fatigue hung on her. She hadn’t slept much in weeks, and while she was still tired, she’d slept more deeply tonight than she had in a long time. If her guess was right, Liam had something to do with that. What, she had no clue, nor did she really care. The haze of sleep was still thick in her head, urging her to lie down again and close her eyes.

  But if she did that, then she wouldn’t have the pleasure of staring at Liam.

  His eyes were closed. His big hands rested on his thighs, his fingers as relaxed as the rest of him. There was a sense of peace about him that drew her in.

  Peace was no longer a part of her life, and she missed it. She missed a lot of things. So many people had abandoned her after Daren’s death. She didn’t blame them for needing their space. His death had been her fault, and it wasn’t fair of her to ask them to face her every day.

  Mom hadn’t wanted to leave her, but Dad had insisted. They’d packed the camper and headed out the day after Daren’s funeral. There’d been no body to bury, just a picture on an easel to remind them all of what they’d lost.

  The house was so empty without them. She hadn’t realized how lonely she’d been until now, staring at Liam and finally feeling connected to someone again.

  She tried to tell herself that she shouldn’t get sucked in—that she didn’t really know him. But she felt like she did. That vision she’d seen when she’d put on the luceria had shown her what kind of man he was. Not only was he kind and selfless, he was also lethal.

  That combination called to her on a level no one else had ever touched before. Maybe it was some kind of trick or illusion, but she felt close to him—at least close enough to know that he was the kind of man who would kneel on the hard floor when there was a perfectly good bed right here.

  He hadn’t moved, other than the steady rise and fall of his chest. There was a restful quality that seeped out of him, calming her and easing the nagging feeling at the base of her skull that she’d forgotten something.

  Maybe this was the way his kind slept, though he’d said she was like him and she’d never once slept kneeling like he was now.

  If she touched him would he wake? Or would she be able to touch him freely, the way she was dying to do?

  Only one way to find out.

  Dakota knelt on the other side of his sword, mirroring him. Nervous excitement fluttered in her belly.

  His face was tilted down, hidden in shadows, but what little light there was shone on his wavy hair and left delicious pools of darkness along his muscles. Even relaxed like this, his body was a glorious display of masculine perfection that made her feel both weak and powerful all at the same time.

  Her fingers barely brushed his dark hair, and she was shocked by how soft it was.

  He didn’t so much as twitch, which made her bolder in her exploration.

  She let her fingers trail down his long hair onto his shoulder. Her touch was light, and she kept her gaze fixed on his face, searching for signs that he was awake.

  The smooth heat of his skin drew her in, making her need more contact with him. Every time her bare skin met his, a storm of hot tingles raged along her spine, melting away all thoughts and reservation. Now, those tingles seemed to congregate around her throat, snuggling beneath the luceria before spreading out over her limbs.

  Dakota closed her eyes and reveled in the sensation. There was something there—something faint and illusive that she was missing.

  Something important.

  Whatever it was, it could wait until he woke, when the opportunity to enjoy this moment was gone forever.

  There was still no sign that he was aware of her touch, which made her more courageous. She gently pressed her hand over his heart, over his lifemark. The image of the tree swayed as if the branches were seeking her out. And it was no illusion caused by his breathing, either. She could hear the faint creak of branches, feel minute sparks of energy spilling from his skin, easing into her palm. The sensation was strange, but so good it made her head spin.

  She swayed on her knees and instinctively reached for him to steady herself.

  Liam’s pale eyes opened, and he looked down at her hands splayed across his chest. There was no sluggishness or hesitation; he was instantly awake and alert, his gaze so intense she wondered if she’d done something wrong by touching him.

  He swallowed. A muscle in his jaw bunched. His nostrils flared and his chest expanded beneath her hands.

  Power roared out of him, both in the form of heat and sparking electric current. It sank into her skin, filling her with a buoyant sense of weightlessness. She wanted to float here forever, feeling whatever magic he possessed slide into her cells.

  Dakota could no longer keep her eyes open in the face of so much pleasure. It was like nothing she’d ever known or ever even thought possible. Like bathing in light or swimming through peace, it wrapped around her and held her close.

  More. She needed more.

  A soft moan fell from her lips and was answered by a deep rumbling growl in his chest that she felt more than heard.

  “You tempt me,” he said, his voice quiet but filled with hunger.

  She looked up at him, shocked by how dark his eyes had gone. Anger? Desire? She couldn’t be sure.

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  “Yes and no.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  His hands flattened hers against his chest, and until now she hadn’t realized that she’d been kneading his flesh, pressing her fingers into the hard contours of his pecs.

  “What do you want, Dakota?”

  She blinked in confusion, her foggy mind struggling to figure out what he was getting at. “What do you mean?”

  “When I first saw you tonight, you wanted only one thing. And now here you are, touching me in a way that makes me think you want something else even more. I want to give you what you want, but I no longer know what that is.”

  She wanted a hell of a lot more than one thing. She wanted all of him, laid out before her like a feast. She wanted to lose herself in the magic surrounding him. But most of all, she wanted the peace she’d sensed within him only seconds ago. She needed that peace—that inner sense of calm he had.

  And there was only one way she was going to get it. She had to slay the demon that had killed her brother.

  As soon as the thought entered her head, she went cold and shoved herself to her feet. Her head spun, so she put her back to a wall and rode out the inconvenient wave of dizziness.

  How could she have forgotten about Daren? How could she have let a man—no matter how hot he was—get in the way of what she promised herself? She’d never once let a man control her before, and while she didn’t think Liam was doing it on purpose, he was definitely exerting more than his fair share of control.

  “We need to go,” she said, her voice sharp. “The trail only lasts for a few hours every night. I don’t want to lose it.”

  Liam rose to his feet in one smooth, fluid movement. “Trail?”

  She hadn’t meant to tell him about that. She’d never told anyone about the freakish ability that had appeared out of the blue the night Daren was killed.

  “It’s nothing.”

  “Apparently it’s something worth mentioning. The more I know, the more I can help you.”

  Her gaze roamed over his chest and abdomen, and for one crazy second she wished she hadn’t remembered her need for revenge. She would much rather have stripped him the rest of the way and seen if all of him was as delicious as the part that was bare. Deep grooves arrowed down below his waistband, and her tongue seemed to swell with the need to follow the trail they created. Right to the thick ridge bulging under his jeans.

  “Eyes up here, Dakota,” said Liam.
“Before I forget my manners.”

  She dragged her gaze away from his impressive erection and looked at his face. He made it so easy for her to become distracted, which wasn’t at all normal for her. She was no genius, but she wasn’t a ditz, either.

  “Tell me about the trail.”

  She shook her head, trying to think of how to describe it. “Have you ever seen the northern lights?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s like that, but it’s a line of light that I’m sure leads to the demon that killed Daren.”

  “What makes you say that?”

  “It appeared that night. When the demon . . . dragged Daren’s body away. At first I thought I was just seeing things—that it was shock or grief or something. But then it came back the next night, and the next. It went away for a month, but came back again when the moon was darkest. I’ve followed it a couple of times, but I was never able to find the end of the trail before it disappeared.”

  “And you’re sure it leads to this demon?”

  She didn’t know how to explain that she had a gut feeling—that she just knew what the light was. “As sure as I can be. It was definitely leading to a moving target.”

  “Okay,” he said as if that settled it for him. “You need to learn how to wield my power. Put on your coat. We’re going outside to see what you can do.”

  “And then?”

  “We follow the trail. We kill the demon, and then you’ll fulfill your end of the bargain.”

  Chapter Five

  Liam had to walk away from her before he forgot his good intentions. Dakota wanted him. He saw it in the way she looked at him, felt it in her touch. Even the memory of her fingers against his skin was enough to make him break out in a sweat. His cock ached with need, cursing him for not taking what she would have so willingly offered.

  He could have made her forget about her brother and her need for revenge. It wouldn’t have even been hard. One kiss. One stroke of his hand. That’s all it would have taken to convince her that pleasure was better than vengeance.

  If it weren’t for what he stood to lose, he wouldn’t have found the self-control to resist her. But if they didn’t kill the demon who’d murdered her brother, then their bond would soon be undone and his soul would begin to decay once again. He couldn’t let that happen. He had to remember his task now. Later he could give into his desire for her.