by Karen Lynch
Good, I wrote back. I made dinner plans for us.
Where?
I smiled. It’s a secret. Now get your pretty behind back here.
She sent a smiley face. Now who’s being bossy? Love you.
Love you.
I laid my phone back on the desk and caught Nikolas’s knowing smile. I’d been distracted since we sat down to work. I’d tried to focus on the job, but my mind kept going back to my plans for tonight.
If I could, I would have whisked Beth off to some romantic location where I’d spend days doing nothing but making love to her. She deserved that and so much more after all she’d been through. But I couldn’t take off in the middle of a crisis and leave Nikolas to deal with it. It was either wait until the Lilin threat was over, or create a special night for her here.
This morning, I’d informed Mason he needed to find somewhere else to sleep tonight. He hadn’t needed an explanation. He’d just laughed and said no problem. What I hadn’t told him was that I planned to move back into the guesthouse and he was moving to my room in the main house. I figured it was as close as Beth and I could get to privacy for the foreseeable future.
I had also called the French restaurant I knew Beth liked and ordered a three-course meal to be delivered this evening. I’d enlisted Sara’s help, and she had run out to buy a cheesecake from a bakery she and Beth loved. Beth hadn’t gotten to eat the piece of cake I’d bought her the other night, and I wanted to make it up to her.
The desk phone rang, pulling me from my thoughts. Nikolas answered it then put it on speaker.
“Go ahead, David,” Nikolas said.
“We think we found him,” David said in a rush. “Or at least his current identity.”
Nikolas and I sat up straight, sharing a look that was part disbelief and part hope.
David continued. “Charles Prescott turned up in New York City in the eighties under the new name Jonathan Wells. We just found this an hour ago, and Kelvan is still digging, but we have photos.”
“Photos?” I asked.
This was the biggest lead we’d had since we’d discovered there was a Lilin at work here. With a name and a photo, we could probably track him down in a few days or less, depending on how well he’d covered his tracks here.
“Actually, it’s photos from a big society gala Jonathan Wells attended,” David explained. “Kelvan’s not positive, but he thinks the Lilin is in them. One second. I’m sending them now.”
Nikolas opened his laptop and turned it so the two of us could see the screen. It took a minute for David’s email to arrive, and I held my breath as Nikolas clicked on the attachments.
The first photo showed a group of men and women in black and white evening wear. They were talking and seemed unaware that someone was taking their picture.
I scanned the male faces, even though I didn’t expect to recognize the Lilin. He’d be careful to keep his distance from us when he knew we were hunting him. But we could have Dax run facial recognition on every male in the photos and see what came up.
“See that man standing by the fountain in the second photo?” David said.
I studied the two men closest to the fountain. They were tall and handsome like all Incubi, but there was nothing to distinguish them from every other male in the photos.
“The blond man?” I asked.
“The dark-haired one. We think he’s your Lilin.”
“Great work,” Nikolas said as he forwarded the email to the head of security at Westhorne. “Can you find out if Jonathan Wells has property in Los Angeles?”
“Already on it. I’ll let you know as soon as I find something.”
David hung up with a promise to call with an update in a few hours. I continued to stare at the man David had singled out as if I’d suddenly see something new to identify him.
“I’m going to send these to Celine,” Nikolas said, opening a new email. “I think she’s going to that charity event tonight.”
“Good idea.”
Celine, after she’d calmed down from her run-in with Beth, had informed us she’d come at the request of the Council. Unlike most of us who avoided human social events, Celine loved them, and she rubbed elbows with the social elite all over the world. It had taken her less than half a day to insert herself into the Los Angeles social sphere and get invites to all the big parties.
Lilin were wealthy, and the likeliest place to see one in public was at a party or event thrown by someone equally rich. That’s where Celine came in. Lilin had no distinctive physical characteristics, but she could look for suspicious behavior or try to match a face to a photo.
Much to Nikolas’s and my relief, Celine had informed us she was staying in a suite at the Beverly Wilshire. I would have gladly given up my room to her, but sleeping arrangements were the least of our worries. Sara disliked Celine from their past encounters at Westhorne, and Beth hadn’t exactly made a new friend by punching Celine before they’d even been introduced.
Although, I had to admit seeing Beth’s little jealous rage had been a major turn-on. And kissing her after had left me wanting more. If just making out with her could affect me that way –
“Chris?”
I looked at Nikolas, who wasn’t trying to hide his grin.
“Sorry. What were you saying?”
“I said we have a call with Tristan in ten minutes. Are you going to be up for that?”
I smiled sheepishly. “Yes.”
He rested his elbows on the desk. “It gets easier. Your Mori will settle down once you complete the bond, and you won’t be quite so…”
“Distracted?”
He chuckled. “I was going to say obsessed.”
“God, I am.” I scrubbed my face with my hands. “Okay, I promise to focus on work and not think about Beth for the next hour.”
He smirked. “Good luck with that.”
Beth
“You’re texting him again?”
I stuck my phone in my pocket and met Mason’s amused gaze.
“Just letting him know we’re done shopping. We are, right?”
He held up the shopping bag that held the birthday present he’d picked out for his mother. She loved glass blown art, and we’d spent the last hour looking through the glass displays in the cute little shop he’d found in Long Beach.
“Got a hot date or something?” he teased as we left the shop and headed for the rear parking lot where we’d left our bikes.
“Maybe.”
My body grew warm as it did every time I thought about being alone with Chris. Since our make out session yesterday, all I could think about was his promise that we would make love soon. He hadn’t said exactly when that would be, but something told me it was tonight. My insides quivered every time I tried to imagine what it would be like. Soon, I wouldn’t have to imagine it anymore.
We reached our bikes, and I couldn’t resist checking my phone one more time before I donned my helmet. Mason snickered, and I turned to glare at him.
“Mason,” I cried when I saw the four Incubi sneaking up on him.
Mason spun as the nearest Incubus swung his fist, and Mason’s head snapped back under the force of the blow. He went down, and a second Incubus kicked him hard in the ribs.
“Stop,” I screamed.
I fumbled in my coat pocket for the Taser Chris had given me. I had it in my hand when one of the Incubi came for me. Before he could grab me, I struck, shocking him twice.
A fist glanced off my cheek, and I staggered backward into someone. Terror gripped me when an arm came around my neck and tightened, cutting off my air. Blood roared in my ears and blackness crowded the edges of my vision as I fought to stay conscious.
My body started to go limp from lack of oxygen. The Taser slipped from my fingers and clattered against the pavement. And then I felt nothing.
Chapter 20
Beth
MY BODY FELT like someone had used it for a punching bag. There were so many aches I was afraid to open my eyes an
d see what I looked like. Chris was never going to let me go on another job with him after this one. How had I not seen that Incubus sneaking up on the SUV?
I forced my heavy eyes open and stared at a pale gray ceiling. Wait, that didn’t look right.
“Chris,” I croaked and winced as pain shot through my face. But it was only half as bad as the raw burning in my throat.
I swallowed, and a coughing fit hit me. Rolling to my side, I tried to catch my breath.
I stared in confusion at the white dresser against the far wall, which was covered in gray and white striped wallpaper and looked nothing like the wall in my bedroom.
My eyes moved from the dresser to a silk upholstered chair I’d never seen before. Was I in a bedroom in the main house? Why would they put me here?
“Chris?” I called hoarsely again. “Mason?”
A chill went through me when I said Mason’s name. Something was very wrong, but I was too disoriented to figure it out.
I sat up, closing my eyes against a wave of nausea. It passed, and I was able to open my eyes and survey my surroundings.
I was on a bed in a bedroom I’d never seen before. The room was tastefully decorated with white furniture and soft lighting. It looked like any other bedroom except for one thing: there were no windows.
It all came back to me then in one huge rush of memories. I’d been shopping with Mason and the Incubi had ambushed us. I’d seen Mason fall.
“Oh, God. Mason.”
I threw back the thick down comforter that covered me. Shock rippled through me when I saw I was wearing only my bra and panties.
I jumped off the bed like it was on fire. My feet hit the rug, and I took a step, only to trip over something. It made a loud clinking sound as I fell to my hands and knees. I looked down at my feet and gasped at the thick chain attached to a padded shackle around my left ankle. The other end of the chain was connected to a bolt in the concrete floor.
Sitting on the rug, I grasped the chain in both hands. It looked like an ordinary chain, and I should have been able to break it. I pulled on it as hard as I could, and the effort left me panting like I’d run ten miles. I dropped the chain and lay back weakly on the rug.
I heard the door open, but I was too exhausted to move. I watched warily as a man came into view, and I had to stare at him for several seconds before recognition set in.
“You,” I rasped in disbelief.
Adam Woodward’s smile faded into a hard line as he took in my appearance. He turned on his heel and went to the door. A second later, there was a scuffle and he was back, dragging the Incubus I’d shocked with the Taser.
He gripped the Incubus by the throat and pointed at me with his other hand.
“Why is she bruised? I specifically told you she was not to be harmed in any way.”
The Incubus swallowed nervously. “It was an accident. She had a weapon, and we had to subdue her before she hurt herself.”
“Four of you couldn’t do that without bruising her?” Adam shouted.
“We had to deal with the male she was with.”
Mason. Fear for my best friend overrode everything else.
“What did you do to Mason?” I screamed. “Where is he?”
The Incubus darted a look at me before addressing Adam. “He lives.”
Adam pushed the cowering Incubus toward the door. “I’ll deal with you later. Leave us.”
“Yes, Father.”
Father? Coldness spread through me as Adam turned his attention to me again. Adam was the Lilin? It couldn’t be. I would have known, wouldn’t I?
“Let’s get you off this floor.”
He leaned down and picked me up as if I weighed nothing.
“Don’t touch me,” I cried.
My Mori shrank away from the touch of a male who wasn’t my mate. Revulsion made my skin crawl, and I struggled to get away from Adam.
“Shhh,” he crooned as he laid me gently on the bed.
I scrambled away as far as the chain would allow, which was only to the middle of the bed.
“What did you do to me?” I demanded, hating how feeble I sounded. “You drugged me.”
He pulled the comforter up over me and tucked me in. Then he sat on the edge of the bed.
“Incubi power doesn’t work on your people. My sons had to give you a sedative so you didn’t wake up before they got you here. It has no lasting effects, I assure you.”
I hugged the comforter to my chest. “Where are my clothes?”
I was chained in a room, almost naked, with a sex demon who was ten times stronger than I was. Panic rose up in me, and I tried to swallow it down.
He smiled apologetically. “Unfortunately, my sons had to remove your clothing before they brought you here, in case you were wearing a tracking device. I know how much the Mohiri love their technology.”
“They undressed me?”
Bile rose in my throat at the thought of four Incubi taking off my clothes and touching me while I was unconscious and helpless.
Adam held up his hands. “Beth, you have no reason to fear me. I’d never hurt you or allow my sons to hurt you.”
“Tell that to your son who nearly choked me to death,” I spat.
His expression darkened. “I apologize for that. It will never happen again. You’re my honored guest.”
“Do you always chain your guests?” I laughed bitterly, and it turned into a dry cough.
Adam stood and went to a table that held a carafe and two glasses. He filled one of the glasses and brought it to me.
I stared at it suspiciously. I was so thirsty, but for all I knew he could be trying to drug me again.
“It’s just water.”
He took a sip and held the glass out to me again.
Giving in to my thirst, I accepted the glass and gulped the cool water greedily. When I finished, Adam took the glass and went to refill it. I drank half of the second one before I’d had enough.
Adam sat on the bed watching me, looking like the nice college boy I’d met, and nothing like the powerful, ruthless demon I’d learned about. I stared at his blue eyes, looking for some sign he wasn’t human. There was nothing.
“I don’t have the eyes of an Incubus, if that is what you’re looking for,” he said, sounding amused. “I did once, but my eyes changed when I became what I am now.”
“A Lilin.”
“Yes.”
His simple confirmation sent a shiver through me, and my hand holding the glass trembled. Adam reached out and took the glass from me.
“Why don’t you try to sleep some more? You’ll feel better when you wake.”
He was talking as if I really was a guest and not his prisoner. I couldn’t hold off any longer. I had to know why I was here.
“What are you going to do with me? Are you using me to get the Mohiri to back off?”
I didn’t know how the Council handled hostage situations, or if there even was a policy in place for something that happened so rarely. But Chris would do anything to get me back.
Adam shook his head. “You are not a bargaining piece. I’d never devalue you that way.”
I rubbed my temple, which still throbbed slightly. “I don’t understand. Why am I here then?”
He smiled without a hint of menace. I’d almost call it tender. For some reason, that unsettled me more than his anger.
“I brought you here for me.”
My stomach dropped. “What?”
“I never planned to take a Mohiri female, until I met you that night at Luna. You were so beautiful and charming. I was completely enamored of you. I wanted to take you that night, but Weston pointed out how reckless and dangerous it would be. I was forced to wait and watch you from afar until all my chosen females were gathered.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. Silently I cried, NO, NO, NO.
Adam continued as if he hadn’t just dropped a bombshell on me.
“I’ve been alone for too many years. Even surrounded by my sons, my li
fe is a lonely one. I’ve wanted to take a mate for a long time, but I never found someone I wanted to share my life with. You’re immortal, so I’d never have to worry about losing you. And you’re strong and beautiful. We will make magnificent sons together.”
“No,” I uttered, swallowing back the nausea that threatened. “I’m Mohiri. We can’t…”
“You forget my power is much stronger than that of an Incubus. I’ve bred with other demons to see what our offspring would look like. As long as I feed the mother my energy every day, the baby is born strong and healthy, and a pure Incubus. Ours will be even stronger, and we’ll raise them together.”
“I won’t,” I cried shrilly. “I’ll kill you if you touch me.”
I expected my declaration to anger him, but he merely smiled.
“You’re upset right now, and that’s understandable. But you’ll feel differently with time, and you’ll come to love me.”
I recoiled at the thought of being with anyone but Chris. I could never love anyone but him, and I’d die before I let another male have me.
Adam seemed to care for me in his own twisted way, so I appealed to that side of him.
“Please, don’t do this. I have a mate, and I love him.” My voice broke. “If you care about me at all, let me go back to him.”
Annoyance flashed in his eyes for the first time. “You may love him, but you haven’t mated him. I can tell you are still pure just by being near you. It’s the other reason I chose you.”
I fought back a sob. If I hadn’t pushed Chris away for so long, we would have completed the bond, and I wouldn’t be here wondering if I’d ever see him again.
Adam’s face softened. He reached for me, but I flinched away, which made him sigh. “You don’t have to fear me. I’d never hurt you.”
“You are hurting me.”
“Once you’ve fed on my power, you’ll change your mind. And then you’ll see how happy we’ll be together.”
I clutched the comforter tightly. “Incubus power doesn’t work on me. You said so yourself.”
He smiled indulgently. “You keep forgetting I’m not a normal Incubus. It will take several feedings to weaken your resistance, but you’ll come to want me as much as I want you.”