Struggling against subconscious reminders of reality, Danielle rooted her senses into this forgotten memory, unwilling to recognize the fact that she wasn’t really here. With him.
Careful fingers left her hand, gathered her chin between them, and lifted her face. His mouth covered hers and her eyes slid shut. Instead of watching what he was doing, she simply felt. She felt the warmth of his breath fill her as his lips parted and pressed more firmly against hers. She felt the smile that came to his mouth still connected to hers. And she felt his fingers glide around her ribcage before tracing the length of her spine as though he were carefully counting each one.
When her thought process fogged further with passion, he pulled away and requested, “Have faith in me, Danielle. Have faith in us.”
Danielle had been so lost in this memory that she was a little surprised when she realized they’d apparently been having another conversation. The first part of it, she’d missed and couldn’t recall even as she tried to.
“But how can you know we’ll be able to come back together in life, especially if we’re born in different eras?” she heard herself say, again not remembering it until hearing it.
“Because we’re meant to be,” he answered with a rich conviction in his voice that she was used to hearing from him. His lips touched her temple. The puff of his breath tickled her skin. “I know that what we have isn’t temporary. Alive or dead, in body or spirit. This is forever.”
How can he know that? “Forever is a long time, Ethan. What if you get tired of me? What if I get tired of you?”
Ethan laughed softly and smacked her hip in a punishment that didn’t cause pain. “Forever. I promise eternal commitment.” A vow. His chin dropped against the top of her head. His finger twisted a lock of her hair around it. “And I promise to keep it interesting so you don’t get tired of me.”
As if to prove it, or to seal the deal, he was kissing her again. His arms cinching around her body in a firm hug that showed her instead of told her that he meant what he said.
And how could she question that? Ethan knew every secret wish of her heart, every private fantasy, and every treasured dream of her soul. They may not truly remember this time together, but he’d somehow recognized those personal things about her when they’d met, just as she instantly recognized those things about him also.
The dream shifted from her bright past with Ethan to Lucas, and darkness. Every shadow morphed into him as a vampire and as a werewolf, shifting back and forth between the two. Ethan’s warnings also replayed through her mind. “You should fear him, Danielle.” “Never be alone at night.” “You’re not safe here.” “He’s after you because of me, because of conflicts in our past.” Danielle knew that whatever Lucas had done, it had to have been really bad, because Ethan wouldn’t talk to her about it. Every time she brought it up, he skirted around it and changed the subject. She’d caught a glimpse of his panic when Lucas had revealed his new curse and his continued intentions to do her harm. What was Lucas capable of? Too soon, she’d find out....
An awareness of her aching body, numb fingers, and tingling toes drew her from the dreams holding her unconsciousness captive. Danielle shuddered as if to shake the images of Lucas out of her mind and redirected her thoughts, clinging to Ethan’s words just as she had done to him in her memory. Frowning though, she puzzled over how those memories had been so sensation-rich. How could she feel him if they were nothing more than spirits? She had no way of explaining that, except that perhaps spirits could feel other spirits.
Danielle opened her eyes and covered her yawn with bound hands. She took a moment to frown at the color of her fingers because the circulation was seriously hindered.
“You’re awake,” whispered the voice of her nightmares.
Jolting upright, Danielle automatically tried to defend herself when she recognized Lucas’ dark eyes looking into hers. But she couldn’t get free of the ropes wrapped tightly around her ankles and wrists. Instead she scrambled backward bumping against Nadia who was still asleep. “What do you want?” she snapped, tempering her volume slightly so she wouldn’t wake Nadia. Her friend didn’t need this.
Lucas laughed. “The cure, obviously.”
She felt her eyes narrow. “You don’t want to be cured.”
While sliding a hand through his black hair, his mouth twitched and Danielle suspected she was right. He had to have lied to the other werewolves, and she couldn’t figure out the reasons why he would do that, except that maybe he knew he couldn’t get past her guards without their help.
Lucas wore jeans and a dark gray t-shirt with the scary image of a skull printed on the front. From what she’d seen so far, the other werewolves didn’t dress like him, and she suspected that even though Lucas was socializing with werewolves now, he was still keeping himself separated and not really connecting.
The others clearly wanted the cure from her, but Lucas just as clearly wanted something else. Was it still revenge on Ethan he sought? If that was the case, hurting her now would do it. Ethan would be devastated by the loss, especially since another baby was involved. Swallowing a mouthful of fear without success, she remembered the worry in Ethan’s expression, the concern he tried to hide. Ethan couldn’t hide much from her, just as she couldn’t hide things from him, and so she knew Lucas posed an even greater threat to her than the other werewolves did. That knowledge wasn’t helping her to stay calm at the moment.
An evil amusement filled Lucas’ expression as he sat down on the edge of the bed, drawing closer, his fingers gently touching hers.
Everything inside her recoiled, and she yanked her hands away from his touch. “Back off,” she bit out.
“Or what?” he asked, leering at her, moving closer still.
She couldn’t go any farther back without knocking Nadia off the bed. Another glance in her direction told her Nadia was still out cold and she hoped it stayed that way.
“I said back off,” she repeated. Or I’ll hit you with my elbow. At least they’d bound her arms out in front of her, and there were certain things she could still do, damage she could still inflict.
A cruel hand captured her face, the tips of Lucas’ fingers bit into her skin. His breath puffed against her face. “Ethan didn’t really think he could keep you hidden forever, did he?”
“What happened between you and him that has made you so bitter?”
“This isn’t about the past anymore.”
Danielle swallowed, her eyes rounded.
Lucas continued. “This is payback for taking the vampire curse from me,” he whispered, obviously because he didn’t want the other werewolves to know his plan. And why would he? Ethan had been right. Unlike the other werewolves, Lucas wanted to be cursed. Clearly he’d been quite fond of being a vampire with all of its monstrous advantages. Danielle believed his becoming a werewolf was an act of desperation and only his second choice, because it seemed that vampires had more powers than werewolves did. Lilith, the sorceress who’d created the vampire curse, had chosen to reward her and Ethan for being the first to solve her riddle and discover the cure. Of course, she’d been annoyed with vampires like Beon who’d wanted to stay cursed to maintain immortality, but since he’d also been willing to let it be a choice, Lilith had forgiven him. When Lucas and the other opposing vampires had tried to kill her and Ethan, Lilith had completely removed the curse they’d enjoyed so much, making them instantly mortal again. And if Lucas, or any of those opposing the cure, sought to become a vampire again, they would simply die instead of being turned.
“You did that to yourself when you attacked us,” she pointed out.
“If it wasn’t for you—”
“Lilith made that decision, not me.”
“It doesn’t matter. You’ll pay, and so will Ethan.”
Danielle didn’t need any more motivation than that to strike. Her arms swung up and her left elbow connected with his nose.
Layered strands of black hair flipped up and back as his head di
d the same. Lucas spat out a swear word as his hand shot to his nose. Before he’d covered it, she’d seen the trickle of blood oozing from his nostril. Anger flashed in his expression a split second before he wound back and swung a fist at her face. With quick reflexes she blocked it, but he swiftly redirected. Remembering the baby, she drew her knees up afraid he’d hit her in the stomach. His fist connected with her ribs and she groaned in pain. As a werewolf, he didn’t have the strength of a vampire, but he was easily stronger than any mortal man, and she worried that he may have cracked a rib as the wind was sapped from her lungs.
His fist flew toward her for another hit. This one found the side of her head and stars exploded in her vision before she passed out.
When she woke up this time, her head was pounding out a beat that matched the thumping of her heart.
“You’re awake.” She’d heard that question before, but this time she knew it was Nadia, and relief lifted the tension that was settled on her chest like a heavy brick.
Danielle looked at Nadia. Her eyebrows lifted when she took in the fact that Nadia was kneeling beside the bed with a huge smile on her face. The excitement-filled expression reached into Nadia’s vibrant green eyes and reminded Danielle of happier times. Giving her hand a tug, Danielle winced as the tight strands nipped at her raw skin and the bruised muscles along her ribcage surged with pain. She also felt a throbbing on the side of her head where Lucas had hit her hard enough to knock her out. These were not those happy times.
“I found something,” Nadia said, a tone of pride unhidden in her voice.
Realizing Nadia didn’t know about the visit from Lucas, she rolled to her elbow, pushing up to a more seated position, but it was a little difficult to do with her hands bound and pain rolling over her torso. Even though it hurt, she was fairly sure nothing was broken. Danielle didn’t think she’d be able to move at all if that were the case. “What is it?” she asked, trying to keep her mind on Nadia and not how she was feeling at the moment.
“Something sharp,” Nadia said, beaming.
That drew an interested smile to her face and renewed hope to her soul. “You mean something to cut the ropes?” Even with excitement surging through her veins, a sense of caution tamed it. Her gaze touched on the door. She wondered where their captors were, and even more than that, she wondered when Lucas would show himself again. She hadn’t forgotten his threats, and getting away from here would be a great way to avoid him.
“Here.” Her friend then bent forward and rubbed her wrists against something under the bed. “There are sharp edges on the metal frame.”
Danielle scooted off the mattress to do the same. “Brilliant,” she praised in a hushed voice.
Together they sawed at the ropes until they’d loosened them enough to work them off. The scratchy material still rasped over her scrape, but she clenched her teeth together and bore the pain regardless. They untied their ankles and stood, kicking the ropes free. Danielle stretched, testing her injury. Nope, not cracked, she decided. Good.
“Window or door?” Nadia mimed, pointing at each.
Creeping toward the door, Danielle pressed her ear to the wood and listened. She heard nothing, but her gaze moved to the window anyway. That would be the quickest way out. She stepped to the window and parted the curtains just enough to peer out, but when she saw plaid fabric she dropped the curtain like it had burned her. They had two men posted there to guard them. Nadia made a tiny sound of distress that drew her eyes.
“What now?” her friend lipped without making any noise.
With eyes returning to the door, she reached for the handle, but paused when Nadia’s fingers latched onto her sleeve. “What if there are men there too?”
Then we use karate, was her first thought, but then she remembered the lamps. The idiots had left those in the room even though Nadia had already tried using one as a weapon. Without speaking, she pointed at them. An excited smile lifted Nadia’s cheeks and crinkled around her eyes. Once armed, Danielle again reached for the handle, but as before, she hesitated. What if it was locked? If she tried to open it, they would know they’d gotten free of their bonds when they heard it jiggle.
“What’s wrong?” Nadia asked barely audibly.
“Maybe we need a distraction.”
Nadia cocked her head to the side, considering it. “What if I say I need the loo?”
“That’s not a bad idea, except we were bound.”
With slumped shoulders, Nadia returned the lamp to one of the nightstands and laid down on the bed. “Then tie me up again, and you can clobber them over the head when they come in.”
Considering that, Danielle snatched up the ropes from off the floor. It was a good plan, and it was all they had. “I’ll make them look tight but you’ll be able to slip them off easily and we’ll both run for it.”
“After you dispatch the guards,” Nadia lipped with a level of confidence Danielle wasn’t sure she deserved.
“Right,” she said wondering if she’d really be able to do that with her bruises. But they had to try something before Lucas decided to come back. Thinking of all of the things that could go wrong with this, Danielle decided she needed to say more to Nadia, and they had a volume-less conversation by reading each other’s lips. “This could get violent. I don’t want you to get hurt,” Danielle began.
“You taught me well—”
“Not well enough, these guys are stronger than mortal men.”
“How can you know that?”
Danielle thought of how hard Lucas had hit her, but Nadia was obviously thinking about the exchange between the men before that. “I just know.”
“Are you suggesting we don’t try to escape then?”
“No, of course not. I just need you to promise me you’ll run if you get the chance.”
A soft mocking chuckle came from Nadia. “I can’t leave you behind.”
“You have to. You could get the others to help and lead them back here. Please promise me that if you get the chance to run, you will.”
Nadia sighed, her chest lifting and falling with the quiet action. “Very well. I see your point.”
“Thank you,” she lipped to her friend. As Danielle collected one of the lamps and made her way back to the door, a floorboard creaked and she froze with rounding eyes. When nothing happened after a few minutes of tense quiet, she lifted the lamp up above her head and stood where she would be hidden behind the door when it opened. Trembling in her fingers showed the uncertainty hidden inside. Forcing courage into her spine, she steadied her hands and gave a nod to Nadia.
Watching the muscles work in Nadia’s throat when she swallowed, Danielle waited, every inch of her filling with adrenaline.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when Nadia belted out, “Excuse me, guards? I need a moment in the ladies’ room?”
When the door almost immediately opened, Danielle knew there had been a guard posted there as well as the window. She lifted the lamp higher waiting to see his head move into view, knowing he wouldn’t likely be alone and she’d need to plan her next move now if she successfully took out the first. During her time with vampire guards, she’d learned that if she could get them off balance, she could take them down during the day even though they were still immensely stronger than her when the curse was at its weakest. Danielle hoped that same tactic worked with the werewolves.
It was the second blond guy who entered and she brought the lamp down onto his head. The glass part of the lamp shattered and the blond guy crumpled. She discarded the now-useless remains of her weapon.
“Hey!” shouted the black-haired guy who entered next, his brown eyes swinging her way. Because he was forced to bend forward to see around the door, he was already off-balance and she acted fast. Danielle kicked him in the face. His head snapped back, but instead of crumpling, he just stood there with a dazed look on his face. She kicked him three more times, the toe of her shoe connecting with his jaw each time and finally, he collapsed on top of the other guy
.
Nadia had stayed put, still pretending to be bound, which made Danielle believe there were probably more guys coming. She noticed a flicker of warning in Nadia’s expression before she caught the movement of the next guy’s entrance. Apparently he’d seen what she’d done to his friends, because the first blond guy shot a hand out and captured her wrist. Using that to her advantage, she tugged and swung a roundhouse kick to his head. Her foot connected and it sent his face smashing into the edge of the door with a resounding and sickening crack. He bounced off and almost fell on top of the other men out cold on the floor, but stepped wide, avoiding the obstacle. He came at her again. Three more joined the struggle and when she noticed the unconscious guys waking up, she lifted her fists even though she felt cornered and sorely outnumbered. Luckily, the door wasn’t open all the way, so Danielle threw it wider so it slammed against the wall and shot out into the adjoining room through the gap she’d just created.
A violent wrestling match ensued and Danielle knew she was going to lose even though she’d been successful in causing quite a bit of damage to their house by throwing guys into tables, knocking down and breaking another lamp and a full mug of something that smelled like coffee.
As she ran for the front door, one of them tackled her to the hardwood floor. Danielle threw her arms out to break her fall, but the impact knocked the air from her lungs. Before she’d had a chance to recover, another guy grasped onto the back of her shirt, rolled her over and straddled her hips, pinning her arms on either side of her head. It wasn’t long before a total of six men held her down, and she couldn’t budge. Danielle wasn’t surprised she’d failed, but she’d also noticed, in all of this, that none of the guys has struck her like Lucas had, and she thought perhaps these werewolves didn’t want to hurt her, just as they’d first promised.
“Stop!” an unfamiliar female shouted.
Forever (Book #3 in the Fateful Series) Page 23