by K Loraine
“Let me help you. I can get rid of Olivia. She won’t be a problem for you if she doesn’t exist.”
“No!” I shouted the word and instantly regretted it. “The Queen wants Olivia in her possession. Not dead.”
She dragged in a long, unnecessary breath. “Fine. I won’t kill her…yet.”
I threaded our fingers. “Come, love. We need to get you safely hidden from the sun. Come to my room. Stay the day.” My gut twisted with the wrongness of being with her. But she needed to believe my lies. If she’d been spying on Olivia, that meant she’d easily be able to harm her. “We have a lot of lost time to make up for.”
Olivia
Roses. Always roses. As I slipped the charm over my head, the heavy weight of the pendant settled between my breasts and filled my nose with the scent of the flower I’d come to loathe. I shoved my possessions into the backpack Hector had given me after my first week at the camp. A few meager supplies, a compass, flashlight, matches, socks, and a first aid kit. There would be no hiding from vampires if I got injured and couldn’t tend to myself.
My heart raced, and the familiar chokehold of a panic attack threatened to work its way around my throat. Not now. I’d been so in control. I couldn’t fall back into this trap. Closing my eyes, I forced my mind to a calm place and willed myself to remove everything that was bearing down on me. I needed to go somewhere in my consciousness where I was safe and happy. Calm. Peaceful. Free.
But it was Cashel I saw in my thoughts. Eyes dark and hungry, fangs dripping with blood. My mother at his feet. My breath came in sharp, thin gasps, and I had to curl into a ball as I worked to find my freedom from this anxiety-ridden cage.
“Liv?” Logan’s hand was on my shoulder, his warmth bringing me back from the cold, dark place I’d been.
I breathed deeply and slowly as he wrapped his arms around me and held me tight to his chest. When my pulse reached a healthy pace and I was able to speak, I looked up at him with tears in my eyes. “I have to get out of here.”
His dark brows furrowed. “What? Why?”
“Cashel was here. He found me.”
Every muscle in Logan’s chest tensed. “When?”
“While I was sleeping. I think. I’m not sure. It might have been a dream. I…I could smell him. It felt so real.”
He gripped my chin and turned my head from right to left, inspecting me. “Did he bite you?”
“No.”
“What happened?”
“It was…it felt real.”
“He touched you? He assaulted you while you were asleep?” The rage on Logan’s face couldn’t be contained. He pulled me to a standing position and stared into my eyes, the only light between us the soft glow of the moon that managed to seep in through the thin tent.
I didn’t want to tell him the truth—that he licked and sucked me, that he’d put his fingers inside my very willing body and made me come around him. But also, the more I thought about it, the more I realized he couldn’t have been here. That my mind was a traitor and my body reacted viscerally because no matter what Cashel lied about, he trained me to crave him. “I think it was a dream. I said I wasn’t sure.”
I had asked for him. I’d told Cashel I wanted him. I’d begged for him. If it was real, he definitely hadn’t assaulted me. But then why hadn’t he killed the hunters and taken me with him?
“It wasn’t real.” I had to backpedal. Logan didn’t stand a chance against Cash. Even with a stake and silver. “If he had been here, he’d have taken me with him. You all would be dead.”
“Then why do you want to leave?”
“Sorcha. She promised others would find me. She’s not lying about that. Until we figure out a way to ruin my blood for them, I’m a target. I’m endangering everyone here.”
He heaved a sigh and glanced toward the opening of the tent. “Not tonight. We leave when the camp migrates. They won’t realize we’re gone until it’s too late.”
“Logan. I have to go now, before Hector or any of the others are awake. They can’t come after me.”
“You’re not going without me.”
“You don’t have to be part of this.”
“I’ve been part of this since the first day I saw you.” With a curt shake of his head, he took my bag. “Trust me. We’re leaving in two more days. We can split off from the caravan.”
I shook my head. “Hector will track your car. You can’t think he won’t.”
“Wait here,” he said, stepping out of my tent.
But he came right back and gripped the back of my neck, pulling me close and claiming my lips with his. I could taste the determination and tension in his kiss before he let me go.
Within a few minutes, he was back with a map and a flashlight. Then he took my hand and squeezed. “There’s a town fifty miles west of here. We’ll stop when we get there and get a room. Then we can dump my car and get a new one. You’ll stay in my tent with me until then. No one will get to you without me there to fight.”
I nodded, and relief flooded me. “Thank you, Logan.”
“I promised you one day you’d have a normal life. I’m not going to abandon you now.”
I slept in his arms the rest of the night, my traitorous memories flashing back to the dream of Cashel. In the morning, we hatched a plan to leave false trails of my scent for any vampire searching for me. We hiked for hours, zigzagging through the brush before finally coming to rest at a creek bed. The sun was on its way toward the middle of the sky, and my legs ached from the rough terrain we’d been cutting through.
“I think that’s enough, don’t you?” Logan asked.
I nodded, taking his offered hand and letting him heft me to my feet. I didn’t want to keep going. I wanted to take my boots off and let my tired feet rest with the cool water of the softly babbling brook running over them. He pulled out a bottle of rose oil and the pendant he’d given me. Using the dropper, he filled the charm with the oil and handed the chain to me.
“You said you got this from a witch?” I asked, taking the pendant between my fingers and studying the intricately designed ball.
“Yeah. She owed me a favor.”
“We should go see her. Maybe she’ll know how to fix this. Maybe she can ruin my blood for them.” Hope lit in my chest. “If they don’t want me, Cashel can move on. Maybe he’ll let me go.”
As soon as I said the words, they burned to ashes in the air between us. Cashel would never let me go. I could feel it in my bones. And I wasn’t sure I wanted him to, even though I knew I should. Frustrated with myself, my weakness for him, my desperate desire, I dragged a hand through my hair and gathered the strands until I could occupy myself with braiding them. I needed something a distraction.
“Liv, you aren’t his anymore. You got away. You made the right choice and came with me. He has no claim on you. When are you going to see it?”
“You should let me go alone from here, Logan. Go back to the camp and I’ll keep moving. You don’t understand anything. The Blackthornes won’t ever give up. They’ll find me and take what they want. That’s what they did to my mother, and it’s what they’ll do to me.”
“Not if I have anything to say about it. Your dad might’ve abandoned you and your mom, but I won’t do that to you. If you guys hadn’t been alone, maybe things would’ve been different. You’ve got me by your side. I’m ready to fight.”
“That’s exactly what I’m worried about. You’ll fight for me, and the Blackthornes will kill you. Don’t you remember what they did to the band of hunters you brought to the manor?”
“We took down one. Shot Cashel. If you hadn’t gone back with him, I’m pretty sure he would be dead right now.”
“One. You killed one. They destroyed the rest of you. You’d be dead if I hadn’t stopped them.”
I stared at this man, so strong and sure, ready to protect me. Some of the light left his eyes at the truth in my words. His confidence was shaken, I could see it all over his face. “Liv—”
&n
bsp; “I don’t want to be responsible for your death, Logan. I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to you.”
He cupped my face and dropped his forehead to mine. “We’ll have to look out for each other.”
Then his mouth was pressed to mine, and the world faded away. We had this moment, here by the brook. No vampires, nothing but his lips on mine. I could do this. I could be happy with Logan. If Cashel Blackthorne would only let me.
9
Olivia
“Tomorrow,” Logan said. “We leave at daybreak.”
The sun had been down for the better part of an hour, and all of the hunters were in bed save the few posting guard. “Thank you for doing this with me.”
We sat on the cot together, his fingers twined with mine. “It’s…what you do for someone you love.”
My chest tightened. Love? “You love me?”
“Of course I do. How could I not?”
“I just…it hasn’t been—”
“That long? It’s been long enough. You captivated me the first time we met. You’re strong, a fighter, grounded and smart. You’re everything I admire.”
“And I’m a mess. A disaster. A danger.”
“You’re worth every bit of danger.”
He leaned in, a brush of lips, a promise of more. “I want you, Liv. I understand if you’re not ready, but I need you to know that.”
I broke our kiss and pushed thoughts of Cashel from my mind. It was time to move on. Time to be with a man who didn’t want to own me. I nodded and lifted my shirt over my head. His warm palm slid up my spine as he pulled me close. “God, Liv. You’re so soft.”
He took another kiss from me, this time with more desperate urgency. His tongue pressed into my mouth and I didn’t stop him. I asked for more with the pull of my fingers on his clothes. All we had was the faint light of our dimmed lantern casting shadows across the tent. We went from tentative to frantic, tugging at clothing until we were both naked in the warm glow of the lantern. He laid me on my back before climbing on top of me. The look in his eyes was filled with wonder. “Are you sure?” he asked.
Was I? I needed to move forward, to entrust my body to another man. Logan loved me. “Yes.”
Harsh breaths filled the space, and his tight groan of pleasure when we came together for the first time was loud enough I worried someone would hear us. But then he started moving. Long, slow rolls of his hips. It was gentle and tender, all the frantic need gone. No rush, no fire. We smoldered.
“Liv,” he groaned, clutching me tight to him as he kissed my neck. A sick part of me wanted him to bite down and mark me. He tensed, and his slow thrusts became erratic. “I can’t hold back anymore.” His statement was nearly a plea followed by a low moan as he fell over the edge and let his release take him.
We lay together, breathing heavily, him trailing kisses over my collarbone and shoulder. “This is the beginning of us, Liv. I’ll do everything in my power to make you happy. I promise.”
I ran my fingers through his hair and over his strong back. I should have been happy to have him. I was. But there was something missing that he could never give me. Maybe that was the power your first love held. No one would ever be able to replace the missing piece of my heart that Cashel had stolen.
Slipping out of the bed, I dressed and stood near the opening of the tent, the soft light of our camp lantern leaving everything in a warm glow. Logan came up behind me and took my hand. He’d dressed as well, but I hadn’t even noticed. The two of us returned to the small bed in silence. I turned off the lamp before rolling onto my side. Then I stared at the shadows until his arm wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer against his chest, and I did nothing to stop him as I drifted to sleep in his arms.
Cashel
Olivia wasn’t where she was supposed to be. I could smell her, sense her, feel my connection to her, but she wasn’t in her tent. Hearts beat all around me from inside the multitude of shelters, but I could see the preparations had been made for them to leave. They were moving on—likely in the morning. But would they get away before the council found them?
Closing my eyes, I breathed in the familiar scent of my little bird. Her heartbeat filled my ears, thrumming in time with mine, but there was more. There was a second pulse next to hers. She was sleeping nearby. With him.
I stalked through the camp, homing in on her until I stood directly outside of where her pulse was strongest. Their scents mingled, and I knew what I’d find. They were too close to be anything but wrapped in each other. I was tempted to break through the nylon tent, to rush in there and slaughter him while he was lost to his dreams. Instead, I waited as the two of them slept in each other‘s arms. Every breath she took sealed my heart away a little farther. I was a fool to love her. I should have known.
But in her tent, she had been dreaming of me, begging for me, not him. She let me touch her, taste her, bring her pleasure. Was that all I had been? Was I really just a tool to get her what she wanted?
Movement from inside caught my eye—just a shift in the darkness, shadows in the moonlight. But I knew it was her. I could feel her, her signature pulse, the pull of her as she sat up. Then the flaps opened, and she was there, hair loose and tousled, possibly from her salacious activities in bed with another man. The dark tresses fell across her shoulders, framing her achingly beautiful face. She bit her lower lip and let out a weary sigh as she toyed with the ends of her hair.
My chest tightened with fear as the atmosphere shifted and the power of multiple vampires bore down on us. The council was coming, if not already here. It might be too late. It was then I made my move. Stepping out of the shadows, I rushed her. Her focus snapped to me, irises locking on mine, and there wasn’t a shred of love in them. Fear, hatred, and defiance—those were the only things in the eyes that had once captivated me.
“Cashel.” She whispered my name, so softly the wind almost stole the sound. I heard her though. The one word reminded me of a time I mistakenly thought those two syllables meant something to her. I supposed they had. They’d meant that I was her ticket to freedom, nothing more.
Scooping her into my hold, I ran as fast as I could, ignoring her angry cries for me to stop. I climbed a cliff face until we were high above the camp, out of sight.
“Let me go!” she shouted, but I clamped a hand over her mouth and pulled her close.
“Quiet. Don’t draw any attention to yourself. They’re here, and there’s nothing we can do to stop them. You’re lucky I came for you.”
Her breaths came in harsh gasps, warm against my palm, but I didn’t let her go until I was sure she wasn’t going to blow our cover.
“Who?”
“The council.” I pointed down to a clearing where five vampires in blood-red robes strolled casually toward the camp. “They’re coming for you.”
“We have to help them. They’re asleep. They don’t—”
“No. Have you forgotten what they did to my family? Hunted them like dogs. They killed Brenna. You’re my only concern.”
“No.”
Screams filled the air, flashes of red fabric streaking through the trees, followed by gunshots—lots of them. But I knew the hunters weren’t a match for council vampires. They were chosen and trained specially to be the most skilled of us. Their only match had been the Blackthornes, and even the strongest of us had to fight like hell if we wanted to survive.
“You have to help, Cashel.” Olivia’s plea twisted my gut. I couldn’t risk her to save them.
Hunters ran but were caught by council members, fed on, necks broken and lives destroyed. And then I saw her. Eliana with her hood down, hair trailing in waves down her back. She had Logan in her grip, a wicked smile on her face as she licked a line up his throat.
“Logan,” Olivia whispered, bringing her hand to her lips.
Eliana sank her fangs into his neck and fed until he went limp. Then she let him crumple to the forest floor and skipped over the bloodied bodies littering the ground. “We have
to go,” I said, needing to get us to the small bit of protection Blackthorne Manor would provide.
“She killed him.”
I took a long breath, the metallic tang of blood scenting the air still not strong enough to disguise the scent of Logan on Olivia. “I’m—”
“Don’t you dare say you’re sorry. If you were, you’d have warned them all. You let them be slaughtered.” Tears made her voice wobble, and I hated every one of them because they were for him.
“You’re the only one I care for. They are the monsters we tell our children about.”
“You don’t care. You didn’t come for me…you lied.”
“I found you now, little bird.” A mask of control was the only thing I could do to disguise the despair collapsing my chest.
“Stop calling me that. I’m not your pet.”
“Aren’t you?”
“Don’t,” she said, backing away. But there was nowhere to run. She was caught. Her hummingbird heart raced as she came up against a wall of rock.
“So, this is how it is going to be?”
“How it’s going to be? It is going to be nothing. You lying, cheating—”
“Enough.” Rage made my tone harsh and clipped. I stepped closer, muscles tense and ready for a fight. “You’re coming with me. Back where you belong.”
“No, I’m not going anywhere.”
A bitter laugh rose up in my chest. “Still, she argues,” I muttered. “Did he know?”
“Know what?”
My hand reached for her of its own accord, the fucking traitor, and brushed along the soft skin of her throat. Then, unable to keep my distance, I leaned in close. “About what you let me do to you in your tent. About how much you wanted me.”
Her face paled, and the little hitch in her breath told me she’d been caught. “I was dreaming. I don’t want you.”
“Don’t lie. It doesn’t become you.”