by Eve Langlais
“Then I’ll eat them.”
Startled, she peered up at him, only to see him grinning. “That’s not funny.”
“Eating should never be amusing.”
“I don’t understand you. Why are you helping me like this?”
“Can’t a guy help a friend?”
Adara snorted. “You met me only a few days ago and only because you were saving me. Why? Why would you risk yourself to help a virtual stranger? You almost got arrested yesterday because of it.”
“I don’t mind because I’d like to get to know you better. There’s something about you that calls to me. I crave you, honey. You’re like this thing that was missing in my life, and now that I’ve found you, I need to be near you. I want to protect you.”
The hope fluttering in her breasts sank like a rock in a bucket of water. “So you want to be my bodyguard?”
“That, and more.” He hugged her closer, the heat of his body radiating in waves that made her shiver in response. He stood so close, his face bent toward her, that their lips almost brushed and she wished she dared move that last inch. To touch him.
He did it for her.
His hands came to rest on her waist and drew her up to him. She trembled as she gazed up into his face. His green eyes blazed, and her breathing hitched at the wild passion she read in them. He pulled her against him, and his hard lips found hers.
Awareness tingled through her, setting off a chain reaction that began in her lips, tightened her nipples, and honeyed her sex.
His lips slid over hers sensuously, and she reveled in his touch.
Tied, I cannot stop them.
The quick flash only made her hesitate briefly, and she opened her mouth against the probe of his tongue.
They pry my mouth open, and I gag as they force themselves upon me.
Graphic, violent images flickered in her mind, and she pulled away from Logan with a cry of horror. She dropped to her knees and grabbed her head, keening.
“Shit! Adara, what’s wrong? Talk to me, honey.”
But she couldn’t answer as her mind played a slideshow of depraved acts with dark and horrifying creatures that left her moaning and shaking.
Apparently, I wasn’t just beaten. The knowledge shouldn’t have surprised her, but it did, and she felt violated. And vulnerable.
She cried with hiccupping sobs and tears rolling down her cheeks.
“Ah, honey, don’t cry. I’m sorry.” Logan knelt in front of her, his hands fisted at his sides, and she understood he was afraid to touch her.
He probably thinks I’ll flip out. And who knows, he might be right. While a logical part of her mind realized she had nothing to fear from him, the babbling, terrified side wailed.
Forget.
The cool words blew across her mind.
Forget.
The images faded to black and buried themselves deep, wanting to be forgotten.
It took her several moments to compose herself. She took deep, shuddering breaths and braced her hands on her thighs. “Sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kissed you. You’ve been hurt—”
“No, I’m glad you did.” Even with the horrific revelation, it warmed her to know Logan liked her, wanted her even damaged as she was. “I, um, remembered something.”
His brows rose in surprise. “You didn’t forget again like you usually do?”
“No. Weird, huh?” And even more irritating, of all the memories she chose to remember, she recalled the foulest, the one that should have remained buried. She took several shuddering breaths. “I—I was raped, Logan. Gang-raped by monsters.”
“Demons,” he confirmed sadly.
Her head shot up. “You knew?” she accused.
“When Titus rode your dream last night, he saw them attack you. He didn’t see everything, though. Just the fact that they were demons—lots of them. We guessed at what might have happened.”
“I wish I’d never remembered,” she whispered. The horrific images hovered in the back of her mind, and she feared sifting through them or inadvertently calling them forth. Logan appeared just as shaken, his face gray and his eyes full of anguish. She understood he cared for her and that her reaction to something as simple as a kiss had devastated him. While she wished she could comfort him, she feared even more that touching him would replay the sick video of her abuse.
I’ll become the most chaste of nuns before I live through that again, even if only in my mind. Her decision to hide from her painful past didn’t stem the regret at what she might have had with Logan.
But he’ll find someone better. Someone not broken like I am.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Upon waking, Titus quickly prepared himself before he called Stefan to him.
“What are you looking for?” Stefan asked.
Halting in his perusal of the titles in his personal library, Titus turned with a frown. “Demons. I need more information on them.”
“What do you want with those scurvy bastards?” Said in a joking tone.
Anyone who didn’t know Stefan well would only see the smile. But Titus had worked with his Renfrew servant for a long time, long enough to see the tension in his eyes. The man had good reason. As an incubus, Stefan was the progeny of a demon—a horrible beast with claws, teeth, and not an ounce of compassion—and a human. Incubi and succubi were rare, most human females not surviving the rape by the savage, demonic creatures. Having been born of a mother who cried every time she saw Stefan until she was locked away, Stefan obviously had issues with his father’s race.
“It would seem Adara was attacked by them.”
“She told you?”
Titus shook his head. “I saw it. In her nightmare.” The haunting of it left a trace he couldn’t shake. “They called her a name. The shining one. And then they tortured her over and over.”
Stefan frowned. “And she didn’t die?”
“No. Yet she should have. Her injuries…” Titus paused. “She should have died. No one, not even the strongest vampire, could have survived those injuries. But what I don’t understand is how she escaped.”
“Maybe she didn’t. What if someone released her?”
The very idea seemed ludicrous. Then again, nothing about this situation made any sense. “To what end? They had her prisoner. Why let her go?”
“To act as an example to someone?”
“Then why make her forget?”
Stefan shrugged. “You’re asking the wrong person.”
“What do you know of demons?”
“They’re nasty fuckers. They can’t be trusted. They’re violent and prevented entry into this world.”
“Which might be why she was hidden here.” Titus rubbed his chin. “Perhaps someone saved her but worried she would be recaptured and thus put her on this plane.” Because Earth was only one of many dimensions.
“So who’s the puppet master, and what’s the end game? Because whoever did that obviously has some kind of plan for her. Why else go through all this trouble?”
That was what Titus needed to find out. “I want you to bring me every book on demon lore you can get your hands on. Beg, borrow, steal if you must. I need to research them.” Maybe find a hidden answer.
“Where are you going?”
Where else but Adara’s side?
He had his driver drop him at the curb with orders to remain nearby. He didn’t have a clear plan for the evening other than a need to see Adara.
Passing the wolves lounging outside, pretending to throw a football, Titus walked in to find Logan and Adara sitting in strained silence.
“What happened?”
“She remembered something,” Logan answered stiffly.
Weighing the tension in the air, Titus said, “I take it, it wasn’t a nice memory.”
“How’s getting gang-raped by demons sound?” Adara said bitterly, wringing her hands. “I don’t know if it’s such a good idea anymore to go looking for my past.”
T
itus didn’t wince, but only because he’d expected it. Demons wouldn’t have stopped at mere torture. “You survived, though.”
“Only because I couldn’t remember.” She turned anguish-filled eyes on him. “They violated me. This body is tainted.”
“You would give them that much power?” Titus said. “Your body is your own. They hurt you. Yes. There is no denying that. But they only win if you allow that to consume you.”
“Says the man who wasn’t gang-raped and beaten,” she said bitterly.
“Who says I wasn’t?” He could see he’d startled her. Titus dropped to his knees in front of her, his gaze intent on her. “I’ve lived through many events that would horrify you. Things that made me wonder if I could go on. If I wanted to even live.”
“How did you get past it?” she whispered.
“By hunting down those who dared harm me and killing them. Killing them slowly and painfully. Letting their dying screams be a balm to my wounded soul.”
Her eyes widened. “Vengeance?”
“Some would say turn the other cheek. That would be the words of a victim. I am not a victim. I don’t let those who harm me get away with it.” Titus could see he’d captured her attention.
“Did it work?”
“I’m still here, aren’t I?” He gave her a lopsided smile.
“Your solution is great except for the fact that I don’t know how to kill. And you’re talking about monsters.”
“Demons are just beasts. They bleed like any other creature. Don’t forget, you have us to help you fight. Let us be your champions.”
“What if you’re hurt?” Her lips trembled.
“I would give my life to make you whole again.”
Their eyes were locked, the moment fraught with something indefinable but powerful, as if a bond was formed in that moment, tying them together. Did she feel it, too? Was it even real or just wishful thinking?
She averted her gaze. “I need to think about this. Do you mind if I go upstairs for a bit? I need a shower. I feel dirty.”
“Take as much time as you need, honey,” Logan said softly.
Adara left them, and Titus turned to Logan with an accusing look. “What happened? How did she recall the demons? Did she have another nightmare?”
“Not exactly. It was my fault.” Logan’s visage twisted into a grimace. “I kissed her, and she remembered being raped.”
“Ouch.” Even Titus could appreciate the blow to a man’s ego, which somewhat countered his anger over Logan’s attempt at seduction.
“Yeah. I guess we know for sure now that she wasn’t just beaten. Argh.” Logan’s inarticulate cry of rage burst from him, and he bounded up from the couch and slammed a fist into and through the wall, the plaster no match for his fury.
“Aerating your home won’t aid the situation,” Titus announced dryly.
“If you know of a better way to vent, let me know,” grumbled Logan, pulling his fist from the plaster.
“We have an appointment with Giselle.” A powerful witch Titus knew. “If anyone can shed some light on the situation, it will be her.” And securing her help had required the promise of a favor, plus a valuable treasure he’d acquired in the Middle East.
While Logan advised his beta by phone that he’d be out for the evening and quickly attended to other pack tasks requiring his attention, Titus wandered upstairs and waited for Adara in the hall. She emerged from her bedroom smelling delightfully fresh and scrumptious. She hesitated when she saw him, and Titus held up his hands.
“You needn’t fear me, dearest. I just came up to advise you that we will be going out, so you might wish to wear a sweater or a coat.”
Adara looked down at the T-shirt she wore, drawing Titus’s gaze. He swallowed hard as he noticed how her wet hair dampened the fabric of her top and molded to the curve of her breasts. Then he just about died again as, under his perusal, her nipples shriveled into tight buds that poked through the material.
He turned his head lest his rapt gaze bring back uncomfortable memories for her. To his amazement, she stepped forward and put herself in his line of sight.
“You want me, too?” She said the words with wonderment. “Why? I’m not beautiful or brave or anyone special. I’m broken.”
Titus slowly raised his hand and cradled her cheek. “In my eyes, you are exquisite. And you are brave, I’ve seen it. It’s just hiding for the moment. But not gone. Never that. One day, I hope my heart and soul will prove to you just how special you truly are. You are one of a kind, Adara, and worthy of love.”
For a moment, her eyes remained glued to his, their warm shine fighting with uncertainty. She moved away, and a pink hue suffused her cheeks.
“I’m not ready for this.”
“I can wait.”
“And if I’m never ready?” she queried.
“Then fate is even crueler than I ever thought.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Stuck between a vampire and a werewolf. It sounded ludicrous to even think it, yet that was Adara. Sitting in the middle of the front seat of the truck, smooshed between Logan and Titus, who each took up an awful lot of room.
Initially, when she’d clambered into the truck, and their bodies brushed hers, she’d expected her earlier panic attack to grip her again. To her relief, all she felt was warmth and comfort—and yes, even a slight tingle of excitement—which only served to confuse her already addled emotions. Odder still, she couldn’t have said which man inspired it more.
In the course of the last week, her whole world had turned upside down and then spun with dizzying speed. There were times she expected to wake up to the sterile whites of the hospital ward, the indifferent face of a nurse bending over her, because surely, recent events were a demented fabrication of her mind. However, each time she awoke, it was to find that, as fantastical as her life appeared, it was real and true.
The discoveries of the last few days still blew her away. Zombies attacking her at the behest of necromancers. A drop-dead gorgeous man who could turn into a beautiful wolf. And a darkly elegant gentleman who fed off humans.
What about me? What made her so special that these men took her under their wing and protected her? Why would demons—repugnant, vile creatures—hurt and torture her? Who am I?
She knew the horror of the recent discovery of her rape should have sent her into a catatonic state, and when the images had flashed into her mind, it almost had. No one should ever survive such a degrading, painful experience. But once she got over the initial shock, to her surprise, a burning spot of anger grew in her.
How dare they? A fury centered in her, one that steadily grew, granting her a courage that made her feel strong, less of a victim. Perhaps Titus had something with his suggestion of vengeance.
But there was a more astonishing thing that occurred as a result of remembering. She’d discovered something horrible. Truly terrible. Something to crush anybody. She could choose to run from it, to pretend it never happened and cower, or she could continue to strive for answers. Because, really, how much worse could it get? She could think of nothing more horrifying than the rape, and she’d already survived it. Wasn’t there an expression that what didn’t break a person made them stronger?
I am alive and getting braver every day. She no longer wanted to end her life. She wanted answers. Perhaps some vengeance. Oh, yes, some sweet revenge. She trembled with the anticipation of it.
She found each of her hands clasped in a strong one as her protectors mistook her tremor for fear. She allowed it even as part of her sneered in contempt and called her weak.
Adara ignored that voice. For now, she would take the friendship and safety they offered her, but only so long as they remained safe. At the first sign that she’d put them in danger… Well, she’d cross that bridge when she came to it.
The car slowed down and pulled to the curb in front of a building covered in mirrored glass. Titus slid out of the truck and offered her his hand to help her out. She stood on the
pavement and gazed up with a wrinkled brow.
“The witch lady lives here?” She’d imagined some rickety old house, not a modern, gleaming edifice.
Titus choked. “Um, yes, but you might not want to call her that. She’s been known to do nasty things to those who disrespect her.”
Adara bit her lip at the warning. “Understood.”
Titus led the way into the building—a condominium of sorts but on a larger scale than she’d ever seen on television. Logan placed his large hand in the middle of her back to guide her behind Titus, and she relaxed a little under the warm pressure.
They said not a word as they ascended in the elevator to the penthouse level. The ding as they arrived almost startled a scream from her as tension wound her tightly. Would this Giselle person know the answers to her past?
They exited into a large sitting room area with an immense, metal-plated double door facing them. Titus never had a chance to knock. The portals swung open as if pulled by ghostly hands. They entered, and Adara shivered as something tickled her skin.
“That’s her power you’re feeling,” Logan murmured into her ear. “Ignore it. She’s trying to frighten you. It’s something she does to newcomers.”
“Well, it’s working,” she muttered.
They walked down the length of a long corridor lined with fat candles whose flickering light cast shadows on the pale walls. The doors on either side were closed. After what seemed like an eternity, and for far longer than she’d imagined a hall would have stretched, they spilled into a vast area. The wall facing them appeared comprised entirely of glass, the windows overlooking the city. More candles lit this space, and Adara peered around with curiosity, disappointed by the lack of other adornments or furniture.
And no witch.
Titus frowned as he craned around, looking. “Giselle, I’ve brought the one I spoke of.”
“Leave.” The voice whispered from all around them, and Adara moved closer to Logan, who wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“I am not leaving until I get some answers.”
“You won’t find any here.” The reply trembled from the very air.