Lover At Last tbdb-11

by J. R. Ward

  In which case, a certain business associate of his was going to learn new lessons in pain.

  And Assail was going to be the man’s teacher.

  EIGHTY

  Layla stayed in the Mercedes. It was warm in the interior, and the seat was comfortable, and she felt safe within the confines of the great steel cage around her. And she had a landscape of sorts to ponder: The headlights shone brightly in front of the car, the beams reaching out into the night quite some distance before fading.

  After a while, flurries began to float downward through the illumination, their lazy, circuitous routes suggesting that they didn’t want their descent from the clouds above to end.

  As she sat in silence, cycling the engine on and off as Qhuinn had taught her to do during cold weather, her mind was not blank. No, her mind was not empty at all. Although she stared straight ahead and took note of the silent snowfall, and the straightaway of the road, and the peaceful farmland…what she saw was that fighter. That traitor.

  That male who seemed always with her, especially when she was by herself.

  Even as she sat alone in this car out in the middle of nowhere, his presence was tangible, her memories of him so strong, she could swear he was within reach. And the yearning…dearest Virgin Scribe, the yearning she felt was nothing she could share with any of those whom she loved.

  It was such a cruel fate to have a reaction like this to one who was—

  Layla jerked back in the seat, a shout breaching her lips and resonating through the interior of the car.

  At first, she was unsure whether what had materialized in the beams was in fact real: Xcor appeared to be standing with his boots planted on the road ahead, his huge, leather-clad body seeming to absorb the twin beams of light as a black hole would.

  “No,” she barked. “No!”

  She wasn’t sure who she was talking to, or what she was denying. But one thing was clear—as he took a step forward, and then another, she knew that the soldier was not a figment of her mind or her terrible desires, but very much real.

  Put the car in gear, she told herself. Put it in gear, and hit the gas pedal hard.

  Flesh and blood, even as terrifyingly fierce as his, was no match for an impact like that.

  “No,” she hissed, as he came ever closer.

  His face was exactly as she had remembered: perfectly symmetrical, with high cheekbones, narrowed eyes, and a permanent frown between his straight brows. His upper lip was twisted up, such that he appeared to be snarling, and his body…his body moved like a great animal’s, his shoulders shifting with barely restrained power, his heavy thighs carrying him forward with the promise of brutal strength.

  And yet…she was not afraid.

  “No,” she moaned.

  He stopped when he was but a foot from the car’s grille, his leather coat blowing out to the side of him, his weapons gleaming. His arms were down at his sides, but they did not stay that way. He reached up, moving slowly….

  To remove something from his back.

  A weapon of some kind. Which he laid upon the vehicle.

  And then his hands, those black leather-clad hands, went to the front of his chest…and he took two guns out from under that coat. And daggers from the holster that crossed his pectorals. And a length of chain. And something that flashed but which she didn’t recognize.

  He put it all on the hood of the car.

  Then he stepped back. Held his arms aloft. And turned in a slow circle.

  Layla breathed hard.

  She was not of a warring nature. Never had been. But she knew instinctively that within the code of the warrior, to disarm yourself before another was a kind of vulnerability not easily taken. He remained deadly, of course—a male of his build and training was capable of killing simply with bare hands.

  He was offering himself to her, however.

  Proving in the most visible way possible that he meant her no harm.

  Layla’s hand went to the row of buttons on the side panel beside her and froze there. She was not still, however—she breathed heavily, as if she were in flight, her heart pounding, sweat dotting her upper lip….

  She unlocked the doors.

  The Scribe Virgin help her…but she unlocked the doors.

  As the punching sound reverberated around the interior, Xcor’s eyes closed briefly, his expression loosening, as if he had been given a gift he had not expected. Then he came around….

  When he opened the far side, cold air rushed in, and then his big body folded itself into the seat beside her own. The door shut solidly, and they turned to each other.

  With the interior lights glowing, she was able to get an even better look at him. He was breathing heavily, too, his broad chest pumping up and down, his mouth slightly open. He looked harsh, the thin veil of civility stripped from his features—or more aptly, it had likely never been there. And yet though others would have called him ugly because of his deformity, to her…he was beautiful.

  And that was a sin.

  “You are real,” she said to herself.

  “Aye.” His voice was deep and resonant, a caress in her ears. But then it cracked, as if he were in pain. “And you are with young.”

  “I am.”

  He closed his eyes again, but now it was as if he’d been struck by a body blow. “I saw you.”

  “When?”

  “At the clinic. Nights and nights ago. I thought they had beaten you.”

  “The Brotherhood? Why ever—”

  “Because of me.” His eyes opened, and there was such anguish in them, she wanted to comfort him in some way. “I would never have chosen for you to be in this position. You are not of the war, and my lieutenant should never, ever have brought you into it.” His voice grew deeper and deeper. “You are an innocent. Even I, who have no honor, recognized that instantly.”

  If he had no honor, why had he disarmed himself just now, she thought.

  “Are you mated?” he said roughly.

  “No.”

  Abruptly, his upper lip peeled back from tremendous fangs. “If you were raped—”

  “No. No, no—I chose this for myself. For the male.” Her hand went to her abdomen. “I wanted a young. My needing came, and all I could think of was how much I wanted to be a mahmen to something that was mine.”

  Those narrowed eyes closed again, and he brought up a callused hand to his face. Hiding his irregular mouth, he said, “I wish that I…”

  “What?”

  “…I were worthy to have given you what you desired.”

  Layla again felt an unholy need to reach out and touch him, to ease him in some way. His reaction was so raw and honest, and his suffering seemed rather like her own whenever she thought of him.

  “Tell me that they are treating you well in spite of your having aided me?”

  “Yes,” she whispered. “Very well indeed.”

  He dropped his hand and let his head fall back as if in relief. “That is good. That is…good. And you must forgive me for coming here. I sensed you, and found I was unable to deny myself.”

  As if he were attracted to her. As if he…wanted her.

  Oh, dearest Virgin Scribe, she thought, as her body warmed from the inside out.

  His eyes appeared to latch onto the tree out in the field beyond. “Do you think of that night?” he said in a soft voice.

  Layla looked down at her hands. “Yes.”

  “And it pains you, does it not.”

  “Yes.”

  “Myself as well. You are e’er on my mind, but for a different reason, I venture to guess.”

  Layla took a deep breath as her heart pounded anew in her ears. “I’m not certain…it is so different from your own.”

  She heard his head snap around.

  “What did you say?” he breathed.

  “I believe…you heard me quite well.”

  Instantly, a vital tension sprang up between them, shrinking the space they inhabited, bringing them closer even though neither o
f them moved.

  “Must you be their enemy,” she thought aloud.

  There was a long silence. “It is too late now. Actions have been taken that cannae be undone through words nor vows.”

  “I wish it were not so.”

  “On this night, in this moment…I wish that as well.”

  Now her own head turned quickly. “Mayhap there is a way—”

  He reached out and silenced her with his fingertip, laying it ever so gently upon her mouth.

  As his eyes focused on her lips, a nearly imperceptible growl vibrated out of him…but he didn’t allow it to continue for long, shutting the sound off as if he didn’t want to burden her, or mayhap frighten her.

  “You are in my dreams,” he murmured. “Every day, you haunt me. Your scent, your voice, your eyes…this mouth.”

  He shifted his hand around and brushed her lower lip with his callused thumb.

  Closing her lids, Layla leaned into the touch, knowing that this was all she would ever get from him. They were on opposite sides of the war, and though she knew not the particulars, she had heard enough in the household to know that he was right.

  He could not undo what he had done.

  And that meant they were going to kill him.

  “I cannae believe you let me touch you.” His voice grew hoarse. “I shall remember this for all my nights.”

  Tears speared into her eyes. Dearest Virgin Scribe, for all her life, she had waited for a moment like this….

  “Do not cry.” His thumb went to her cheeks. “Beautiful female of worth, do not cry.”

  If any had told her someone as harsh as he was capable of such compassion, she would not have believed them. But he was. With her, he was.

  “I shall go,” he said abruptly.

  Her instinct was to beg him to be careful…but that would mean she was wishing Wrath’s dethroner well.

  “Lovely Chosen, know this. If e’er you need me, I shall be there.”

  He took something out of his pocket—a phone. Facing it toward her, he lit up the screen with the touch of a button. “Can you read this number?”

  Layla blinked hard and forced her eyes to focus. “Yes. I can.”

  “That is me. You know how to find me. And if your conscience demands you give this information to the Brotherhood, I will understand.”

  He couldn’t read the numbers, she realized—and not for lack of visual acuity.

  Whatever kind of life had he led, she wondered sadly.

  “Be well, my beautiful Chosen,” he said, as he stared at her with the eyes of not just a lover, but a hellren.

  And then he was gone without another word, leaving the car, picking up his weapons and arming himself…

  …before dematerializing into the night.

  Layla immediately covered her face with her hands, her shoulders beginning to quake, her head sagging, her emotions overflowing.

  Caught in the middle, between her mind and her soul, she was torn asunder even as she remained whole.

  EIGHTY-ONE

  “Come in.”

  As Blay spoke up, he glanced over the top of A Confederacy of Dunces—and was surprised to find Beth walking into his room.

  One look at the queen’s face and he sat up from the chaise, putting the book down. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

  “Have you seen Layla?”

  “No, but I’ve just been here since I got back from my parents’.” He glanced at the clock. After midnight. “She’s not in her room?”

  Beth shook her head, her dark hair shining as it slipped around her shoulders. “She and I were going to hang out, but I can’t find her. She’s not in the clinic, or the kitchen—and I looked for Qhuinn down in the training center as well as up here. He’s gone as well.”

  Maybe they were having a romantic dinner, like, sharing a plate of pasta and meeting in the middle thanks to a strand of frickin’ linguine.

  “Have you tried their phones?” he asked.

  “Qhuinn’s is in his room. And Layla isn’t answering hers if it’s with her.”

  As he got to his feet and started to get a little hyped, he thought, calm down—this was not a national emergency. In fact, this was a big house with a lot of rooms, and more to the point, they were grown adults. Two people should be allowed to go off together and have it not be a crisis.

  Especially if they were having a young together…

  The sound of a vacuum off in the distance drew his attention.

  “Come with me,” he told the queen. “If there’s one person in this place who’ll know? He’s down the hall with a Dyson.”

  Sure enough, Fritz was working in the second-floor sitting room, and as Blay walked in, he got slapped in the face with all the memories of him and Qhuinn doing it up but good on the rug by the couch.

  Great. Just fabulous.

  “Fritz?” the queen called out.

  The doggen stopped the back-and-forth and killed the machine. “Well, hello, Your Majesty. Sire.”

  Lots of bowing.

  “Listen, Fritz,” Blay said, “have you seen Layla?”

  Instantly, the butler’s face became downcast. “Oh. Yes. Indeed.”

  When he didn’t fill anything else in, Blay prompted him with an, “Annnnnd?”

  “She took the car. The Mercedes. It was about two hours ago.”

  What the hell, Blay thought. Unless…“So Qhuinn was with her.”

  “No, she was alone.” As a boatload of uh-oh hit Blay’s stomach, the butler shook his head. “I tried to insist that I take her, but she would not let me.”

  “Where was she going?” Beth asked.

  “She said she had no destination. I knew that Master Qhuinn had taught her to drive, and when she ordered me to tender upon her palm the keys, I knew not what to do.”

  The queen spoke up. “You are not at fault here, Fritz. Not at all. We’re just worried about her.”

  Blay took out his phone. “And there’s GPS on the vehicle, so this is going to be fine. I’ll just hit up V and he’ll be able to locate her for us.”

  After he sent the text, the queen reassured the butler some more, and Blay hung around, waiting for a response.

  Ten minutes later? Nada. Which meant the Brother with the IT skills was in the middle of some business downtown.

  Fifteen minutes.

  Twenty.

  He even called, and didn’t get an answer. So he could only assume that someone was bleeding—or that V’s phone had gotten shanked during fighting.

  “Qhuinn’s not in the gym?” he said, even though that question had already been answered.

  Beth shrugged. “Not when I checked.”

  Blay put in a quick call, got Ehlena, and a moment later was informed that the workout room was empty, Luchas was asleep, and there was no one in the pool or on the basketball court.

  The guy wasn’t in the house. And not in the field, because he was off rotation. That left only one other conceivable place.

  “I know where he is,” Blay said gruffly. “I’ll go get him while we wait for V to check in.”

  After all, that female was carrying his young—so if she went AWOL into the big world by herself, he had a right to be involved in locating her. And sure, maybe Qhuinn knew where she was, but Blay had a feeling he didn’t: hard to believe he would have left his phone in his room if he was aware that she was going out in the car. He’d want some way for her to get in touch with him.

  On that note, why had he left his cell behind at all? Not like him.

  Unless he thought Layla was doing okay…and he didn’t want to be interrupted.

  Great.

  Looping back to his room, Blay picked up a gun—because you never knew when you might need one—and a coat that was only to cover his hardware. Then he jogged down the stairs and went out the vestibule…and dematerialized into the night.

  He resumed form in the back parking lot of the Iron Mask, and when he got to the club’s rear door, he hit the bell and showed his face to the sec
urity camera. Xhex opened the way in.

  “Hey,” she said, giving him a quick hug. “How you been? Long time no see around here.”

  “I’m looking for—”

  “Yeah, he’s at the bar.”

  Of course he was. “Thanks.”

  Blay nodded to the bouncers, Big Rob and Silent Tom, and pushed out of the staff area into the club proper. As he emerged on the far side, the bass drum of the music went right into his sternum—or maybe that was his heartbeat.

  Annnnd there he was: Even though there were a hundred people crowded around the bar, Qhuinn was a neon sign to him, standing out from the rest. The fighter was sitting at the far end, his back to Blay, his elbows splayed on the black varnished wood, his head hanging low.

  Blay exhaled a curse as he thought, here they were, back at the beginning. And yup, before he could even make it over, a woman closed in, her body sliding up to Qhuinn, her hand lingering on his arm, his head turning so he could get a good look at her.

  Blay knew what was next. A quick up-and-down with that mismatched stare, a slow smile, a couple of drawled words—and the pair would go off to the bathrooms—

  Qhuinn shook his head, and put his palm out in a stop. And though she was inclined to make a second appeal, it just got her a another round of talk-to-the-hand.

  Before Blay could get moving again, a guy with hair down to his ass and a pair of sprayed-on velvet pants made an approach. His smile was brilliant white, and his lean body seemed made for acrobatics.

  A sudden nausea blendered Blay’s gut—even as he reminded himself that after their last run-in, Qhuinn would not be looking for sex from him ever again—so why should he care who the fighter fucked. And God knew the male had a sex drive—

  Mr. Lounge Suit with the extensions was given the heave-ho as well.

  After which, Qhuinn just refocused ahead of himself.

  An abrupt vibration went off in Blay’s pocket, his phone letting him know there was a text. Taking the thing out, he saw that it was from Beth: All good—Layla home safe. Just went for a joyride, and is going to watch some tube with me.

  Blay texted back a thanks, and returned his cell to his inner pocket. No reason to stay and bother the fighter with what had been a nonevent…although this was a chance to do a little damage control on his H-bomb delivery from a week ago.