If she really was away from her captor, she wanted to get rid of the clothes she’d been wearing for days on end. She looked at the fire burning cheerily at the end of the room. Burning them would be a great start, but she wasn’t free. She was still being held by these men and she had nothing else to put on. Until she was safely home again, burning her clothes would have to wait.
Derian looked at Keegan, who was holding up the wall near the door, and asked, “Do you happen to have something Cassandra can put around her? She’s starting to shiver.”
Keegan lifted a dark eyebrow, but nodded. He didn’t say anything as he went to an adjoining door which opened into a bathroom. He returned and handed her a black terry robe.
Standing, she slipped her arms through the sleeves as Keegan crossed the room to lean against the door she assumed led to the rest of the house. The heavy sleeves hung way past her hands, and if she tried to run, she’d just trip herself. But it was warm and smelled enticingly of the man who’d held her in his arms. She felt a delicious shiver run up her back.
No, no, no she could not get distracted, she had to think, had to get out of this. She hadn’t been able to get out of anything for days, how many days she had no idea, had lost all concept of night and day. Looking at the floor to ceiling window beside her, she saw it was night, but for once she felt strong and surprisingly not drugged. If she were smart, she stood a better chance than ever of getting out of this. For the first time since she’d been grabbed, she actually felt a stirring of hope that she might survive this intact.
CHAPTER TWO
Cass studied Keegan as he stood, arms crossed, guarding the door like a sentinel. When he stared back without comment, she turned to Derian with his friendly eyes. Now that she was warming up, and the pounding in her head was subsiding, she started to look at things clearer and realized she had to have been mistaken.
These men hadn’t kidnapped her, neither of them could have been her captor. Although the height was right, the build wasn’t. The man who’d kidnapped her had been much softer, heavier. Unless he’d been padded, the man who’d taken her hadn’t been in as good a shape and had to have weighed a good fifty pounds more than either of the men in the room with her. Not to mention his accent, his had been snooty British. Reminded her of Henry Higgins. Derian’s voice was elegant and cultured, whereas Keegan’s Irish lilt was almost a living thing, stroking her with its deep timbre.
The most convincing argument she could come up with? During the days of her capture, there were many things about the man she’d learned. She was a good judge of people, which was what made her bookstore successful. She always knew what kind of book a person would like just by talking with them a few minutes. The same was true of her kidnapper. He was possessive. She’d figured that out early on when he’d practically ripped her grandmother’s engagement ring off her hand saying no one else would ever have her. She’d been almost too drugged to understand him, but the fear he’d raised in her had been real.
There was no way he would have willingly handed her over to these guys. Ever. They were both too good looking. If on the very slim chance he’d thought to hand her over to them, he would be here with them. His possessiveness would never have allowed her to be alone with two other men. Especially not these men.
All that didn’t stop the nagging doubt she’d escaped him completely. Was he even now trying to figure out how to get past her new guards and take her again? “You said I ran in front of your car, did you see anyone following me?”
Keegan shook his head. “No, as far as I could tell you were alone. Were you escaping from whoever had you?”
“I don’t know, I don’t remember how I got here. The last thing I remember was being taken to the man’s lab, or at least I think it was a lab. All I remember about the room was a table he made me lay on, it was too dark to see anything else.” Saying it out loud brought it all back. The smells. The terror of being hauled into that room again. Although she fought to keep her voice from shaking, she didn’t succeed. “Beyond that, I remember nothing.”
A thunderous scowl fell over Keegan’s face, and Cass could have sworn she heard him growl. “Lab? He was experimentin’ on you, then?”
She shook her head, how she wished she knew exactly what he was doing to her. “I don’t know, all I remember was being given something in a syringe, and then I never remembered anything else until I woke up back in the room he kept me in.”
The men exchanged looks, but didn’t say anything. There was something going on they didn’t seem to want to share.
“Keegan, my friend, this young lady could probably use a bath and some clean clothes. Why don’t you get her started on that? We can wait for her in the other room.”
Bingo, there was something going on and now Derian wanted to talk with Keegan alone. Forget that. She had more questions and she intended to get some answers before they just walked out on her and left her in the dark once more. “Why don’t I need my glasses?”
Okay, perhaps not the most important question she could ask, but it was the one she seriously couldn’t understand. Why she thought they knew the answer, she had no idea, but what the heck, maybe they could answer it since she still hadn’t come up with any good reason.
To her surprise, Keegan rather than Derian answered. His voice flowed over her like a warm gentle breeze. Jesus-jenny, was she crazy? Yup, being locked away had finally pushed her over the edge.
“Your eyes have healed themselves.” He looked at the man sitting next to her and continued, “Another reason besides chickenpox to convince me she hasn’t been immortal her entire life.”
Cass couldn’t stop the gasp at his off-hand comment as fear surged through her. They’d fooled her into believing they didn’t know who’d taken her. They did know who she was, they were in it with the madman who’d kidnapped her. Her eyes flew to the door, but she saw both men tense and knew she’d never make it again. They wouldn’t let her go any more now than earlier. Perhaps she’d make it through the window. There was a straight-backed chair next to it, if she grabbed it up and broke the window she should be able to run through since it came so close to the ground.
She jumped from the bed as panic won and she ran until she saw nothing but darkness beyond the window. Her palms slammed into the cold glass as she caught herself against it. Vertigo from seeing only the black hole caused her to sway as she tried to back away. The room must have sat along the edge of the mountain they’d told her she was on.
She was grabbed from behind and pulled hard against Keegan’s chest. The feel of his hard body and spicy scent were already as familiar to her as an old comfortable blanket.
“You little fool,” he growled in her ear, his accent heavy as he ground out the words. “Don’t you ever be tryin’ to get through that window. No matter how immortal you are, you’ll most likely die, or wish you could for quite some time to come.” Was that fear she heard among the anger?
Defeated, her voice was rough when she spoke. “How do you know I had chickenpox?”
He spun her in his arms to face him. One look at his dark eyes and she knew she’d been right, he was terrified for her. Her other question about what he meant by immortal died on her lips, all but forgotten. She stared at him and for the first time she saw the smattering of freckles that crossed his nose and cheeks. Just visible through his long silky hair, something red caught the light. Was he wearing an earring in his left ear that had a red gemstone in it? She fought the urge to push his hair back to see.
Keegan raised his hand and tapped the skin beside her left eye; his warm finger feeling like a caress. “You have the scars.”
“Oh. Well, that’s feasible. I didn’t think about my scars.” She was too wired. She’d been through too much and Keegan was too close. Suddenly there wasn’t enough oxygen in the room. He was big and imposing, and his dark eyes were filled with something that closely resembled desire. A desire her traitorous body was more than willing to answer. She licked her lips. His gaze drop
ped to her mouth, and his eyes widened. Heat spread through him hot enough for her to feel, his hands were warm through the heavy robe where he gripped her.
Cass shook from head to toe as she took a deep breath and glanced off to the side, refusing to look in his eyes again. She should apologize, and then maybe he’d move back. “I’m sorry. I thought you knew me because you said that.” She had so little breath left she wondered if he could even hear her.
When he didn’t move, didn’t answer, she pushed against his hard chest, his warmth heating her palms. She resisted the urge to rub her fingers against the soft textured material that lay on top of hard muscle. “Please, let me go.” She barely recognized her voice.
As though he realized for the first time that he held her, his arms swung wide releasing her and he stepped back. “Stay away from the window, darlin’.”
She nodded as she moved back to where she’d previously been sitting on the bed, her legs threatening to give out. Keegan, returned to his station by the door. This time he crossed his hands in front of his fly, not across his chest. Apparently, he was no more immune to her than she was to him. She forced the smile back. She was not happy he was attracted to her. She wasn’t and that was the end of it.
Taking a deep breath and trying to get the conversation back on track, she asked, “Why would my eyes heal? And what do you mean by immortal? No one’s immortal, that’s just a wish by fiction writers and movie makers.”
Before she could blink, Keegan bent and pulled a knife from the sheath strapped to his ankle beneath his jeans. He threw it straight at Derian’s back, hitting him squarely between the shoulder blades. Derian’s eyes grew wide with shock, his voice already breathless as he pushed out “You bastard!” through gritted teeth.
Cass screamed and jumped off the bed, running across the room as the man who’d just been sitting next to her fell to the floor. Dead.
“Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod.” She stared at Keegan who calmly crossed the room to remove his knife from the other man’s back. He was freaking crazy. All desire for him vanished as one thought penetrated her terrified mind.
Run!
Her feet followed the command as Keegan wiped the blood off his knife on his bed. She almost made it to the door when she felt his hand gripping her arm. Her heart skidded to a stop as her scream pierced the room.
***
“Stop your screechin’, woman! Bloody hell, you’re making my ears bleed.” Keegan hauled her back against his chest wrapping his arm tightly around her waist as he turned her so she was facing the man on the floor. She fought him like a wildcat, pushing and clawing against him forcing him to brace his legs before she sent them both sprawling to the floor.
He was just short of wrapping his hand around her mouth when he saw Derian rising.
“Just watch, he’s not dead,” he whispered against her ear, resisting the urge to kiss the tempting peach colored shell peeking through the tangled mess of hair. He wanted to make sure she heard him, but he didn’t want to startle her any more than he already had. Kissing her anywhere was a bad move no matter how he looked at it. He was hard enough as it was, and she was scared enough. She didn’t need him coming on to her. He bloody well didn’t need to be coming on to her.
The sudden silence was almost as deafening as her scream. She stopped fighting him to watch the Greek use the bed to help himself stand.
Okay, so not his wisest move in the world. He’d known he would frighten her even as he was pulling the dagger from his ankle holster, but he hadn’t meant to scare her into running. He most certainly hadn’t wanted her to start screaming loud enough to pull the mountain down around them. Apparently, he’d lost some of his people skills over the years.
Then again, touching her hadn’t been in his best interest either. It was even worse than the last time two times he’d grabbed her. This time her struggles had caused her to rub against him and although she’d quieted down, he was about to burst into flames. How the hell did she do that? He hadn’t desired a woman this much in years, not even the ones who threw themselves at him. Now, of all the most inappropriate times, he wanted a small slip of a woman who shouldn’t by rights even be alive. He’d always suspected it, and now knew for sure, he was a sick bastard.
But damn him he wanted nothing more than to bury himself deep into her softness and heat. He’d seen her arousal earlier in the high color that had brushed across her cheeks.
A stab of guilt pulsed through Keegan as Cassandra started shaking in his arms. He ignored it, she had a lot to learn and he didn’t have time to be subtle.
“You damn black Irish bastard. What the hell did you do that for?” Derian growled as he glared at Keegan. If looks could kill, even Keegan’s immortal self wouldn’t rise from the fire burning in the Greek’s eyes.
To his amazement he found himself fighting a full-blown smile as he answered Derian. “I thought it was a quick, efficient way to get my point across.” The look on the Greek’s face was worth every form of retribution the man was going to come up with. No matter how hard he tried, Keegan couldn’t stop the pull of his lips into a small smile. “Besides, it felt good.”
“You will pay to have my tailor remake my shirt,” Derian’s accent was stronger with his anger. Everyone knew the pride he took in his looks and putting a bloody hole in his silk shirt was inexcusably worse than the blade that had pierced his skin.
No longer able to hold it back, Keegan smiled. “Absolutely.”
The smile disappeared as he felt Cassandra sag against his arm. He thought for a moment she’d fainted. Instead she exploded with anger, rising in his arms, her delectable butt once more rubbing against him, her soft breasts brushing over his arm. Keegan was torn between letting her go and pulling her tighter. In the long run, he forced himself to stay where he was.
“What’s going on here? I was leaving my bookstore when some tall, chunky guy in sunglasses and a hat came from nowhere, threw me in the back of his van and drugged me. Then he kept me locked up in a room with nothing more than a couch.” Her body tensed and her voice began to shake, losing its hard edge of anger. “That is except for when he was hauling me off to another room where I have no idea what he did with me since he always knocked me out.”
To Keegan’s horror, she stopped fighting him. He felt her tears as they hit his arm where his sleeve had ridden up. He turned her so she was facing him and pulled her close, holding her in his arms. What the hell had the man done to her?
She wrapped her arms around his waist, holding him tight, her face snuggled against his chest, her head didn’t even reach his chin. Christ, even her tears made him want to bury himself inside her and take away the pain. Sick, he was sick.
He absently stroked her long hair that was matted with leaves, rain and blood. He looked at Derian over her head, the ancient’s impotent anger mirrored his own. They wanted to kill an enemy they didn’t know and at the moment couldn’t get their hands on.
“What has the bastard done to her?” Derian asked as he came over and put a comforting hand on her shoulder, rubbing back and forth in a manner that would be used to comfort a hurting child. And sick shite that Keegan was, he wanted to growl at the man and pull the hand off the woman who’d suddenly become his responsibility. He would protect her from any and all threats from this point forward. Including himself.
Keegan shook his head in answer to Derian’s question. “We’re bloody well going to find out.” Reaching up, he put his hand under Cassandra’s chin and lifted her face to look at him. The tears swimming in her forest green eyes were almost his undoing. “Did he rape you, little one?”
She sniffed and he couldn’t stop himself from brushing his thumb across her soft cheek, wiping at least some of the tears away.
Derian handed her a tissue he’d gotten from the box on the dresser behind him. Keegan loosened his hold to allow her space to wipe the tears from her eyes. She blew her nose, loudly. Keegan wanted to smile. No dainty nose blowing for his little one.
&n
bsp; What. The. Bloody hell? She was not now or ever going to be his anything. He’d only given his heart once in all his long life. Even then, if he were honest with himself, it hadn’t been completely. His past had made it impossible for him to give himself heart and soul to anyone. Ever. He knew deep down, that was precisely what the woman in his arms needed. Nothing less would do for the proud woman putting aside her fear and grief as she wiped her eyes for the last time.
Cassandra pulled him out of his messed up thoughts as she answered. “I don’t think so. I never woke up sore. In fact, when I came to, I never felt anything. The only thing I ever noticed was that my fingertips would have cuts in them.” She lifted her hand and looked at her fingers. “They’ve healed.” Her voice was filled with confusion.
She looked at Keegan, her beautiful emerald eyes begging him for answers to something she was going to have a very difficult time understanding. “How…how am I healing like this?” She looked over her shoulder at Derian standing behind her, his hand once again on her shoulder, and asked, “Why are you up and alive?”
Gaderian reached out and put a tender hand on her cheek. “You didn’t know it, my dear, but there’s magic in the world after all.” With a sad smile he moved away and leaned against the wall.
She turned back to Keegan, searching his face for answers. “I don’t understand.”
Keegan sighed. At the moment it didn’t matter how it’d happened, the woman was immortal, and someone had somehow succeeded in making her that way. There was a lot to understand, and it was going to be very hard for her. “Will you trust me?” he asked as softly as he could. He didn’t want to scare her again, he’d already done that enough for one evening.
Forever Love (Circle of Ghadan Book 1) Page 2