by Anne Hope
“I don’t care.”
“I do.” He noted the pain on her face, felt it arrow through him. “I’ll call Regan, ask her to send someone to guard her. That’s the best I can do. Getting yourself killed won’t protect anyone you love.”
He quickly dialed Regan’s untraceable cell using the motel phone. “It’s done,” he told her. “A Watcher is on his way to Cassie’s place as we speak.”
Lia’s eyes were two deep pools of misery. “How can I just sit here and do nothing?”
Frustration shot through his veins. Biting back an oath, he stood and stalked the room. “You don’t have a choice, for tonight at least.”
“What happens tomorrow?”
He went to stand by the window, gazing outside, where a hundred lights speckled the black stretch of night. For the first time in his lousy life, he knew what he had to do. “Tomorrow I embrace my destiny.” Regret soured in his throat.
“Which means what, exactly?” The floor creaked as she made her way across the room to him.
Energy passed between them, made every inch of his skin prickle. Fisting his hands, he rested his shoulder against the frame and stared at his blurry reflection in the glass. He was nothing more than a shadow, a shell of his former self, and yet whenever she was near, he felt more whole than it was possible to feel.
How will I ever bring myself to walk away from her?
“You’re planning to join them. Cal and the Watchers.”
The last thing he wanted was to hurt her, but if ever there was a woman who deserved honesty, it was Lia. “The only way to stop this is to take Athanatos down. I can do that. But first, I need to join forces with them.”
Lia bit her lower lip and shook her head. “After everything we’ve been through, you’re just going to walk away from me?”
He turned around, and his heart folded at the sight of her. “Marcus was right.” The words stung, but he had to say them. “I don’t belong in your world. I never did. And you’re not safe in mine.”
A mirthless laugh echoed from her chest. She gestured to the television screen, pain sliding into anger. “Take a look what’s happening out there. I’m not safe in my world, either. No one is. Not with these creatures running free.” She reached out and clutched his hands in hers. “You know why I became a doctor? To help people, to heal them. But this past week I realized I’ve just been fighting the symptoms instead of dealing with the actual disease.”
She squeezed in close and nestled her head against his chest, her cheek to his heart. “I have a role to play in this,” she whispered. “And if I see it through, maybe I’ll help prevent many of the traumas I struggle every day to fix. Don’t shut me out. Please.”
His arms rose to surround her despite himself. She fit so perfectly in the circle of his embrace, as though she’d been born to fill all the empty spaces in his life. He knew he was being selfish in his blind obsession to protect her. He couldn’t place her in a bubble, and she wouldn’t want him to. Lia wasn’t the kind of woman who shied away from life. She jumped in with both feet and fought to make a difference. But after what he’d witnessed today, the thought of her dying plagued him more than ever.
He ran his palm up her back, cradled her head with his fingers. He hadn’t truly known what it meant to be human till he’d met her. Now he couldn’t seem to stop himself. The universe could crash and burn for all he cared, as long as Lia was safe. Not a very noble thought, he knew, but he’d never claimed to be noble.
She inclined her chin, and he had no choice but to meet her brilliant gaze. It sucked him in like a riptide. She was meant for him. He saw that now. Across time and space she’d always been his, waiting for destiny to send her careening toward him.
No more words were spoken, and none were necessary. They were connected at a level that transcended speech. His mouth found hers, soft and supple and sweet enough to hurt. Her halo stretched to engulf him, a silent welcome, beckoning him home.
With a gentleness he never would’ve believed himself capable of, he swept her into his arms and carried her to the bed, where he could love her with a passion born of fear and desperation, and something else. Something he’d never been blessed enough to experience until now. Hope.
Chapter Thirty-Three
At first Cassie had been worried sick. Now she was royally pissed, at the world in general and at her sister in particular. It wasn’t like Lia to go MIA. Her kid sister had always been responsible to a fault, a real stick in the mud.
Cassie wrung the water from her hair and slipped into a black pair of tights and a white silk Donna Karan tunic, aiming a frantic glance at her bedside clock. She was going to be late opening up the store. Again.
She’d never been big on punctuality, partly because she didn’t work well with a gun to her head and partly because she didn’t understand why people allowed themselves to be ruled by something as mundane as a clock. It was an inanimate object, time itself an abstract concept invented by people to keep the world running at a certain pace.
Cassie danced to her own tune, lived life at her own rhythm.
The stupid clock was the least of her worries. She had to figure out what had happened to her sister. The cops were no help whatsoever, especially since the hospital had confirmed that Lia had requested a few days off. But Cassie knew something was up. She felt it in her bones.
She grabbed the blow-dryer and styled her hair in that sexy, windblown look men favored, then seized her purse and a low-fat muffin on the way to the door. No time for coffee this morning.
In case she’d missed a call from Lia while she’d been busy running the hairdryer, she dug out her cell phone and checked her messages. Nothing. Just a babbling come-on from some guy she’d met at that happening bar last night. She considered calling him back, then decided to make him sweat it out a little first. Over the years Cassie had learned to play the game. She definitely knew how to hook a man. It was holding on to him she couldn’t seem to get a handle on.
Her heart gave a painful squeeze as thoughts of Jace slammed into her. She’d had high hopes for him, had truly believed he was the one, but he’d tossed her aside like yesterday’s news. Her stomach twisted at the memory. Why the hell was she always the one who ended up getting hurt? All she’d ever wanted was to matter to someone. Why couldn’t a man come knocking at her door for once?
With an indignant huff, she slid her feet into her high-heeled pumps and yanked the door open, only to stumble back in surprise. A muscular man stood in the hallway, a bramble of spiked blond hair crowning his head. The dark intensity in his eyes should’ve frightened her, but it didn’t. For some reason he reminded her of Jace, though he looked nothing like him.
“I’ll have to ask you to stay in today,” he said in a voice that was as hard as the rest of him. “It’s not safe for you to go out.”
Cassie had always had a thing for forceful, brooding men, but today being told what to do annoyed the crap out of her. “Who are you, and what business do you have loitering in my hallway?”
His gaze didn’t waver. “I was sent to protect you.”
“Protect me? From what?”
He didn’t get a chance to answer. Those dark, glittering eyes glazed over, and he plunked at her feet, a blade lodged in his back. Behind him, a tall, lithe figure stood. Black hair streamed over her shoulders, half concealing her face.
When the murderer looked up, Cassie recognized her instantly.
“From me,” she said.
Lia awoke in Jace’s arms, sweet pleasure dueling with sorrow. It seemed wrong to feel so alive when so many had lost their lives yesterday, but she couldn’t help it. Being with Jace awakened every dormant cell in her body, roused every atom in her spirit.
She ran her palm down his chest, reveled at the combined feel of coarse hair and smooth skin. Everything about him was perfect, from the hard, muscled planes of his body to the depths of his soul. His touched banished the loneliness, completed her in ways she couldn’t have imagined possible. T
heir essences were so intricately fused, she barely remembered who she’d been without him. His presence brought her immeasurable comfort in a world where safety was nothing but an illusion and life could be snatched away in a heartbeat.
How could she stand by and let him join the Watchers? How could she go on without him now that she knew what it felt like to be loved by him? And how would she find the strength to be selfless and allow him do what he knew in his heart he should?
A low buzz disrupted her heavy thoughts, and she reached for her vibrating cell phone, stealing a glimpse of the display screen. Relief momentarily chased away grief. It was Cassie.
Lia’s sleep had been troubled, riddled with disquieting images of violent floods, serrated, blood-drenched blades and creatures of such immense stature they blocked out the sun. One dream after another had scrolled through her mind like a frantic slideshow, ending with a close-up shot of Cassie’s face, her eyes flat and lifeless.
Even though Jace had reassured her that Cal had sent one of his Watchers to stand guard outside Cassie’s door, she still couldn’t help but worry. She’d seen far too many Watchers fall at the hands of the Kleptopsychs recently not to be concerned.
The phone continued to hum. She had to answer it. She needed to hear her sister’s voice and know she was all right. Placing the pad of her thumb on the Talk button, she glanced over at Jace’s slumbering form and hesitated. Rumpled sheets surrounded him, covering his hips but leaving his splendid chest and powerful legs beautifully exposed. A heady blend of desire and guilt buffeted her. By the time she caught her breath, the phone had gone silent. Less than a minute later the screen lit up, signaling that she had a message. Punching in her password, she settled back in bed and listened to the voicemail.
“Hello, Lia.” Diane’s silky voice echoed in her ear. “I thought you’d like to know I just paid Cassie a visit, and we had a nice heart-to-heart. Guess what? I told her all about your little fling with her ex. As I suspected, she didn’t take the news too well. I would’ve had her call you herself, but she’s busy at the moment—standing on the ledge of her tenth-story balcony fighting the overwhelming urge to jump. Listen.” There was a rustle, then Cassie’s broken sobs filled the line.
“If you don’t want your sister to paint the sidewalk red, meet me at her apartment. You’ve got two hours. Come alone. If I sense Cutler anywhere near you, your dear sister will go skydiving without a parachute.”
Lia fought to steady her breathing, to keep panic from invading her bloodstream. If she allowed her emotions to run rampant, Jace would sense them. Somehow she had to close her thoughts off to him or he’d never let her go to Cassie. She couldn’t risk her sister’s life, not for anything.
Not even Jace.
Carefully, her heart thumping in her throat, she crawled out of bed.
Jace awoke with a start. “Where do you think you’re going?” He rumpled his hair, rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
Struggling to shield her thoughts, she forced a smile. “To take a shower. You’re not planning to follow me to the bathroom, are you?”
“Don’t tempt me. If it were up to me, I’d never let you out of my sight.”
She tamped down the fear rushing through her veins, not to mention the remorse she felt at having to deceive him, and ambled to the bathroom door. “I’d invite you to join me, but there’s something I want more right now. Coffee. I saw a fast-food place down the street when we drove up last night. Think you could get us some take-out?”
Obstinate reluctance coated his features. “I don’t like the idea of leaving you alone.”
“It’s just around the corner. I’m safe here,” she insisted. “Besides, if there were any bad guys within a mile of this place, you’d sense it.”
He shook his head. “I’ll wait for you. We can head out together.”
“Please.” She gave him her most supplicating look. “I’m starving. It’ll take me at least half an hour to get ready. I don’t think I could last that long without my morning dose of caffeine.”
He was trying to read her; she could tell by the focused expression on his face. She only hoped she’d succeeded in shutting him out. Blocking access to her mind was an art rather than a science, and more often than not she failed.
But not this time. Eager to please her, Jace hopped into his jeans, tugged on his T-shirt, and barreled to the door. “Stay put,” he ordered, grabbing his jacket from a nearby chair. “The last thing I want is a repeat of the library incident.” With a worried frown, he locked up behind him.
Lia waited a few seconds to make sure he could no longer hear her, then she stumbled into her clothing, clumsily pinning her unruly mass of hair into a ponytail. Scanning the room, she tossed all her things into the backpack Regan had given her, ensuring she left nothing behind Jace could use to track her. The last thing she wanted was for him to come crashing to the rescue and get Cassie killed.
When she was satisfied she’d retrieved everything, she strapped the bag over her shoulder and grabbed her purse and the vial of angel’s blood Jace had left behind. The car keys sat on the nightstand. Fingers shaking, her nerve-endings rubbed raw, she swiped them and sprinted out of the motel room, heading for the emergency exit, which led to the parking lot.
As soon as the voicemail had ended, a plan had begun to form in her mind. She didn’t have any weapons on hand, only the meager vial of angel’s blood. It wasn’t much, barely three ccs, but she had an idea how to make it count. If she blew the speed limit, she’d have just enough time to stop by her place and get what she needed.
She was through hiding. She’d done things Jace’s way, and look how that had turned out. Thousands had lost their lives, and now Cassie was in danger. The time had come to do the only thing her conscience allowed, regardless of the risk it entailed. She just prayed Jace would understand.
Jace squinted against the bright glare of the morning sun and hurried back to the motel room, as fast as he could without drawing undue attention to himself. All around cars whizzed by, the drivers eager to get wherever they were going. A soft breeze blew, and the salt-laden air carried an unmistakable hint of pine buried beneath the predominant stench of car exhaust. He was far more aware of smells since his transformation, could peel away the scents as if they were layers.
Sounds, too, were louder, as clear as a bell. He could hear a car’s motor revving from several blocks away. So when he approached the room, holding a paper bag and two coffee cups on a disposable tray, he knew immediately something was wrong. The place was dead quiet. No faucet gushed, no hairdryer hummed, no footsteps shuffled across the wall-to-wall carpet. Not bothering with the key card, he mentally unlocked the latch and charged in.
“Lia?” He dumped the bag and tray on the nightstand, noticed that the car keys he’d left there were missing. But more alarming was the fact that he didn’t feel her.
Fear fisted in his gut. Had someone taken her by force?
There were no signs of a struggle, and he knew damn well Lia would fight like a madwoman if someone accosted her. He sensed no dark energy in the room, just the mild, soothing thrum of Lia’s lingering essence.
Maybe she’d just gone to get something—a tube of toothpaste, some floss, a pair of pantyhose. But why wouldn’t she have waited for him, and why hadn’t he seen it coming? Her ability to shut him out seriously pissed him off, especially since she seemed to have unlimited access to his thoughts.
And now she’d resorted to lying to him. That was why he hadn’t been able to read her. She hadn’t wanted him to get breakfast. She’d wanted him gone.
Damned if he knew why, but he sure as hell was going to find out. She couldn’t have gone far. He could track her. All he needed was to get his hands on something she’d left behind. Anything would do, even a hairpin. He could probably find her without it, the way he had the night he’d shown up on her doorstep, but a physical object would make the search so much easier, the compulsion so much stronger. He began a sweep of the motel room, looki
ng for a forgotten item. Unfortunately, Lia had been very thorough, only confirming his suspicion that she’d left of her own accord. But most incriminating was the missing vial of angel’s blood he’d stored in the nightstand drawer last night.
Worry and frustration worked hand in hand to aggravate him, but beneath that disappointment began to fester. Lia was the only person he trusted, and she’d purposely deceived him. She’d lain beside him last night, curled up against him like he actually meant something to her. Then in the morning she’d looked him straight in the eyes and flat-out lied.
Maybe she’d finally come to her senses, realized how bad he was for her. What sane woman could love a monster? What woman would readily give up her home, her career, her family, for a life on the run, a life of never-ending war?
No, that wasn’t it. Lia didn’t tuck tail and run. If he knew anything about her, it was that. The missing vial of angel’s blood worried him. Why would she take it, unless she anticipated needing it? Chances were she’d raced toward danger rather than away from it.
The tidal wave of wrath unleashed upon the hospital yesterday was proof that Athanatos was on to her, which made her an even greater target than before.
Jace had to find her, whether she wanted him to or not. Lacking an object to guide him, he had no choice but to rely on instinct and reason. Delving deep within him, he sought out the magnetic connection that would lead him to her.
Come on, Lia. Where are you?
A bolt of energy tore through him. He followed its invisible pull out the door, to the emergency exit, then down to the parking lot. As he’d expected their rental was gone, but a wide selection of vehicles idled in the lot. Briefly, he considered running like last time, then decided to jack a car instead. Most of the vehicles were old, rusted from years of use and neglect, except for one—a ’76 Camaro, which was surprisingly well maintained. With the right level of concentration, he was able to coax the motor to life.