His mouth descends on mine, and our tongues dance in perfect symphony. I rock my hips up, and he moans, grinding against me, demonstrating how much he wants me too. The strength of our emotions powers through the bond, and my heart surges with joy.
We kiss for ages, rocking against one another, hands gently exploring through clothes, and though I want more, and I can tell he does too, Coop keeps it PG-rated, and I love him more for it. We finally break apart, panting and grinning at one another. “Wow,” Coop says, curling his hand around my waist. “Being with you is indescribable. I could get high on your kisses.”
I cup his face, smiling. “I know the feeling. There’ve been so many times since I found out who I was when I’ve felt lost and unsure in my own skin, but being here with you is the most sure I’ve been of anything in weeks.”
True fact.
He presses his mouth to mine again, pouring heartfelt emotion into the scorching hot kiss. “Stay the night, please. I want to hold you in my arms tonight.” The glimpse of vulnerability is back, and I’d challenge anyone to deny him anything in this moment.
“Okay, but I’ll have to clear it with my parents.”
“Leave it to me.”
I haven’t even time to utter any protest when he’s gone. I swing my legs off the bed and go to the bathroom to take a shower. When I emerge ten minutes later, swaddled in a towel, Coop is already tucked under the comforter, my overnight bag resting on the floor by my bed. His eyes drink me in, and the look he gives me almost brings me to my knees. “I fixed everything with the oldies. It’s cool.”
“You’re a fast mover.”
“Oh, baby, you’ve seen nothing yet.”
My cheeks flare up at that, and he laughs. “As much as I love that look”—he gestures toward my towel—“you need to put some clothes on, beautiful. I only have so much willpower.”
I flush again, and he grins. “You’re too cute when you blush.”
“Shut it, assface, or I might change my mind.”
“As if I’d let you,” he scoffs. “Now stop stalling. Get dressed and get your cute butt in the bed.”
Chapter 38
Cooper is the best pillow ever, and I tighten my arm around his waist, pressing a soft kiss to his warm chest. His heart beats steady and strong underneath me, and I curl my body around his, quietly purring. He smooths a hand up and down my spine, and his tender touch helps me relax. Every bone in my body has turned to Jell-O, and I’m like putty in his expert hands. I think I’d murder anyone who tried to pry me away from him right now. A happy whimper filters out of my lips, and I snuggle in closer. I can’t deny how right this feels, and I make a silent vow to stop overthinking stuff, to just go with the flow, and to trust the guys and my feelings.
“Night, beautiful,” he murmurs, and I hear the trace of laughter in his voice.
“Night, Coop.”
His fingers toy idly with my hair, and it doesn’t take long for me to drift to sleep.
Al … in … th …ia.
A haunting, ghostly voice invades my dreams, whispering my name over and over, and I fidget in my sleep. A shadowy, black cloud glides over me, trapping me in place. Invisible hands trace the curves of my body, while the voice continues whispering in my ear. The language is unfamiliar, but there’s a seductive quality to the words that has me spellbound. Combined with the sensual hands caressing my body, I shift in the bed, my body writhing and on edge. The shadow creeps over my face, and imaginary lips brush against mine. The whispering grows in intensity in my ear, and I ease myself out from under Cooper’s arm, sliding out of the warm bed.
The shadow swathes itself around me like a blanket as I exit the bedroom and walk down the stairs. Potent terror waylays me, and I want to turn around and run back to the safety of Cooper’s arms, but I can’t get my limbs to cooperate. A tiny cry sneaks out of my mouth as I’m corralled down the stairs, swaddled by the dark shadow and the eerie chanting in my mind.
It’s like I’m in limbo—I’m aware of what’s happening, but I’m powerless to stop my forward motion, as if I’ve lost control of my mind and my body.
I wrestle with my mind, fighting the invisible enemy within. Shivering as I step foot on the stairs leading to the basement, I grip the handrail tight and command my feet to stop. I stall on the stairs, and the shadow nudges me from behind. My head jerks from side to side as the silent battle rages inside me. Darkness consumes me, and I attempt to scream, but no sound comes out of my mouth. The shadow nudges me more firmly, and the whispering in my head grows more insistent. Without conscious decision, I’m on the move again, my feet descending the stairs one step at a time.
A spine-chilling cackle raises all the tiny hairs on my arms, and I shiver again, snapping my eyes open and blinking in confusion.
“Welcome, esteemed one,” the creature a.k.a. Jack says from the confines of his cell, wiggling his fingers at me in a “come hither” manner. My stomach lurches to my toes. “Closer, precious one.”
I shake my head, staying rooted to the spot.
His beady eyes constrict as he curls his finger in my direction. “Come. Here.” His voice is coarse, low, and guttural, like the sound is pouring straight from the inner depths of his evil soul, and it sends chills racing up my spine.
I attempt to turn around, but my body refuses to cooperate. I open my mouth to scream for help, but my vocal cords are still paralyzed, and only a squeak emerges. My feet start sliding toward the cell, and I try to repel it, pushing against the pull, but the force is too strong. Panic presses down on my chest as the shadowy presence at my back pushes me closer and closer to the cage. I fight, pushing back, but my limbs aren’t fully my own.
Al … in … th … ia.
The ghostly voice wafts through my mind again, and a surge of terror holds me in a vise-grip.
It is futile to resist me. Surrender and you will come to no harm.
“Help!” I project the thought, hoping one of the guys can hear me, although it’s a long shot because I don’t share their ability to telepathically communicate, but I’m desperate and grasping at straws.
The voice in my head chuckles as I draw up to the cage and Jack reaches out, gripping my waist and pulling me flush against the cold, steel bars. His hands dig into my flesh as he pins me in place with his sharp nails. I cry out, and the sound of my panic echoes off the stone walls.
“You cannot fight your destiny,” the creature says, sending a wave of putrid breath washing over my face. I recoil, struggling to free myself, but I’m trapped on both sides. That strange, shadowy force presses against me from behind, and the creature has a tight hold on me at the front.
“You were born to serve a purpose, and it’s time to fulfill your birthright.”
“Let me go!” I fight the forces keeping me hostage, forcing my body to twist and turn, to move from side to side. Little beads of sweat dot my brow with the exertion, but it’s as if I’m caught in quicksand, and no matter how hard I struggle, I’m unable to pull myself free.
“Never!” The creature’s eyes roll back in his head, and a new layer of terror hijacks my mind. He digs his nails into my waist, and I scream, thrashing about, sweat dripping down my back from the effort involved in trying to break free.
He opens his mouth wide, treating me to a close-up of his repulsive mouth. Toxic waves of rancid breath assault me and I almost gag. He sucks in a large breath, and a toe-curling wail emerges from his mangled soul. The air turns icy cold, and my heart starts pounding in my chest. The creature’s mouth extends wider, beyond what is humanly possible, and another scream rips from my throat as a blast of wind shoots from his mouth, slapping me in the face. I gasp, whipping my head from side to side in an effort to shake off the violent force assaulting me. The wind breaches skin, rushing through every orifice in my face, speeding through my body like an invading army. Tightness grips my heart, as if someone has a hand around it, squeezing the vital organ and depriving it of oxygen. I’m gasping for air, choking, and splutt
ering, and I’m more scared than I’ve ever been in my life.
Fear mixes with adrenaline and resolve when images flood my mind, and a tingling starts in my toes, racing up my body. Anger bursts to life, coursing through my veins, and a wave of extreme heat envelops me. A red haze crosses my vision, and a primal howl rips from my very soul. My fingers are red-hot as I break the stranglehold keeping me in place, reaching around and shoving my hand through the invisible shadow trapping my body against the cage.
I can’t see it, but I feel it—the instant the shadow explodes in a fireball of my making.
The creature pulls back in a hurry, and the soul-sucky wind leaves my body in a loud rush.
Gasping and clutching a hand to my chest—grateful the tightness has eased—I narrow my eyes at the creature, and an inner voice tells me to kill it. My fingers twitch at my sides, blood pumping through my veins. The creature straightens up, sending me a taunting look, and I wonder if there is anything of Jack left in there.
As soon as I have that thought, a flash of blue glimmers in his beady eyes, sending a timely reminder. I can’t risk killing it, or even harming it, in case I hurt the boy inside. The decision is made, and the violent urge subsides, replaced with a layer of calmness. I draw long breaths, loosening my limbs as I gain control of my faculties. Backing away from the cage, I carefully sidestep the gel-like substance in a tacky pool on the floor.
My eyes dart to the creature, watching me with that same smug, sleazy expression. “What did you do to me?” I ask, and he cackles, his mirth obvious in the extreme.
“Those fools,” he snickers. “You are so out of your depth, and he won’t stay patient for much longer.”
“Stay away from me,” I warn, moving toward the stairs. “Next time I won’t hesitate.”
He cackles again, and I’m beginning to really loathe that sound. “We both know you will. Your parents thought they were doing the right thing sending you here, but your humanity will be the death of you. Don’t say you haven’t been warned.”
Before I can react, a blast of dark wind erupts from his throat, arching into the air at speed and slamming into my chest.
I feel nothing as a mantle of darkness buries me alive, and I sink into unconsciousness.
Chapter 39
Beckett
The blare of the alarm rings out in my room, bouncing off the walls, instantly dragging me from sleep. I spring up in the bed, fumbling on the bedside table for my glasses, purely out of habit. My eyesight is perfect, but I’ve grown accustomed to the glasses, and now I won’t be without them. Wearing them is like a disguise. As if people can’t see the real me behind the glass that protects me from prying eyes. I’ve always been more comfortable out of the spotlight, skulking in the shadows, and it’s no different since we arrived on Earth.
Grabbing my black sweats off the floor, I pull them as on as I simultaneously scan the camera feeds on my tablet, anxiety almost smothering me when I spot Alinthia prostrate and unmoving on the floor of the basement. I call out in my mind to the others while I teleport to her side. That thing is chanting and pacing his cell as I crouch beside her pressing two fingers to her neck. I almost collapse in relief when I feel her pulse beating steadily against the tips of my fingers.
Cooper appears in the room, dropping to his knees on the other side of her.
“She’s alive,” I tell him.
“What the hell happened?”
“I’d like an answer to that question too,” Dane says, materializing in the cold basement in only a pair of light sleep shorts.
“Fuck, is she okay?” Maddox crouches over her, gently sweeping her hair aside.
“She’s unconscious but alive. I don’t know what happened yet. I only just woke up, and I haven’t had time to check the feed thoroughly.”
Cooper is up in a flash, grabbing the keys out of the drawer and unlocking the cage. He storms inside, grabbing the creature by the neck and holding him up against the wall. The creature thrashes about, legs flailing, tongue poking out as it struggles to breath. “What the fuck did you do to her?” Cooper demands, slamming him against the wall.
“Tell me!” he roars, whacking him against the wall a second time. “Or I’ll crush every bone in your miserable body.”
Then Dane is behind him, pulling him away. “Tempting as it is, throttling the life out of him won’t give us any answers.”
Coop doesn’t put up much of a fight when Dane drags him from the cell. Maddox locks the cage, growling at the creature and gnashing his teeth.
“Why is she down here?” Dane asks in a controlled voice.
“Perhaps she preferred my company to Coo-per’s,” the thing snickers, drawing out Coop’s name for added effect. The creature grabs his crotch, thrusting back and forth, and we all grimace at the sick display. “Maybe she wanted a real male.”
“Fuck you, dickwad.” Coop shows him the middle finger. “She was perfectly happy in my arms until you lured her away.”
All eyes lock on Cooper.
“Care to elaborate?” Dane asks, elevating a brow.
“Sure, but not here.” Coop sends that thought to all of us.
“Agreed. Let’s take this upstairs. Beck, please reinforce those wards. Coop, put Alinthia back into bed and check her vitals to be on the safe side. Maddox, get the coffee on. Let’s reconvene in the kitchen in a few.” Dane teleports upstairs, and I watch as Maddox helps lift Alinthia up into Cooper’s arms. Then they’re both gone, leaving me with the freak.
I check the wards, testing them twice to ensure they are operational, puzzled as to how the creature managed to break through them, because they’re supposed to restrict his powers as well as his mobility. I rub a hand over my jaw as I wonder what the hell is going on.
“Be careful who you trust because your enemy doesn’t always appear as your enemy,” the creature volunteers, sounding lucid and almost helpful.
“What does that mean?” I level him with a serious look.
He cackles, turning those creepy, beady eyes on me. He waggles a finger at me, like a parent scolding his child. “That’s the only piece of free advice you’ll get from me.” He laughs, as if it’s the funniest thing ever, and I shake my head before I get the hell out of there. That basement, and that thing, always gives me the creeps.
I join Coop in Alinthia’s bedroom. She’s on her back, tucked under the covers, deep in sleep. Coop is holding her hand, and the look of abject terror on his face betrays his emotion. “Did you check her vitals?”
“Yes. She’s perfectly fine. No thanks to that freak.”
I wrap a monitoring device to her wrist, my fingers lingering a little too long on her soft skin. “That’ll alert me if there’s any change in her condition.” I slap a hand on his shoulder. “Come on.”
I teleport to my den, copying the camera feed to a USB key and teleport to the kitchen with it and my laptop. Pungent aromas waft through the air, the strong coffee smelling like cloves and toasted nuts, and I join Coop and Dane at the table while Maddox grabs the coffee pot and four mugs.
“Okay,” Dane says, accepting a mug from Maddox. “Let’s try to piece this together.” He turns to face Cooper. “She was with you?”
A hint of tension seeps into the air while we await his reply. We all feel an attraction to Alinthia, but we haven’t exactly discussed it openly. Dane had made his feelings perfectly clear at the outset, but we’re all now privy to what he told her when he came back from his meeting with Zorc, and he was the first one to kiss her, so it changes things.
“Yes. We were asleep in her room, and everything was fine until I felt something unnatural stirring during the night. I tried to wake up, but I couldn’t.”
“What do you mean?” Maddox asks, floating a mug to him and one to me. I continue loading the feed while I listen to the conversation.
“I was awake, but I wasn’t, and then something cold and dark pinned me in place. I couldn’t move, couldn’t stop her when I felt her getting out of bed and leavin
g the room. I tried to call out to you, and I tried to listen to her, to figure out what was going on, but everything was blank. It’s like I was trapped in my own body, frozen out of my mind. I only snapped out of it when Beck called out to us.”
“I’m not liking the sound of this,” Maddox growls, dropping heavily into the seat beside me.
“And I’m not much liking the look of this,” I say, swiveling my laptop around so everyone can see. I replay the entire scene from the moment Alinthia steps into the frame. Her eyes are closed, and it’s clear she’s being propelled by some nefarious force.
“What the hell is that thing?” Coop asks, squinting as he zones in on the ominous dark shadow cloaking Alinthia, compelling her forward.
“Good fucking question.” Dane’s brow is furrowed as he swings his gaze on me. “Any insight on what this might be?”
I scour the vast corners of my brain, scrolling swiftly through ancient text. Jumping free of my mind, I eyeball my brothers. “I’ll need to do more research, but it appears to be the byproduct of some kind of curse.”
“That freaky creep cursed her?” Maddox thumps his fist down on the table.
Cooper’s chair screeches as he jumps up. “That’s it. I’m ending that fucking parasite.”
Dane tugs on his arm, yanking him back down. “We are not going to overreact. We will investigate, find out exactly what it is, what it’s done to Alinthia, and how we rectify this. I’ll contact Zorc. He may be able to shed some light.”
“How the hell is this possible?” Cooper demands to know, glaring at me. “I thought he couldn’t exercise his powers behind the wards?”
“He can’t.” I scratch the top of my head. “I’ve double-checked and triple-checked the wards and they’re solid. I don’t understand it.”
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