She held her mouth shut, but the liquid still managed to sneak down her throat. She tried to pull herself to the surface, but the current was stronger than her.
But it wasn’t stronger than Lucian. He pulled her up until her head was clear, and she coughed as she caught her breath.
“Shh,” he whispered.
One of his arms wrapped tightly around her as he navigated the rushing waters, pulling her slowly to the other side of the riverbank.
She tried to kick her feet to help, but they felt as though they weighed a million pounds. Once Lucian was in shallow water, he lifted her, one arm under her knees and one under her shoulders.
Her teeth chattered as she looked at his beautiful face. He was in human form and he apparently couldn’t teleport. Something was terribly wrong.
“Relax.” He held her closer as he picked up the pace to a trot, her weight not seeming to slow him down at all. “I’ve got you. They can’t cross that river. I took out the bridge and the water is laced with silver. They will have to go a few miles upstream to find the clean water. They can still hear us and sniff us out, though.”
Ella glanced over to the scattered remnants of the bridge. Hadn’t it been there as she jumped from her window? How could one man do so much damage so quickly?
Unless it was rigged. If the water was laced with silver, Lucian must’ve been prepared for a vampire attack. All he probably had to do was push a button.
“Most of them can’t sniff,” she said. “I doused the hallway in perfume.”
Lucian chuckled, but his breaths came faster. Ella furrowed her brows. She’d never heard Lucian out of breath from exertion. He’d always had so much control over himself.
Well, except when touching her. This was different, though. He’d seemed so sure of his ability to keep her safe, but this was the second time since she’d met him she’d almost died.
She ducked her head to his neck, his warmth the only thing keeping her sane. His pace was slow as he carefully considered every step.
She looked over his shoulder, listening for any sign that the vampires had found them again.
Just as Lucian leaped over a fallen tree, Ella spotted something glinting in the moonlight. Unable to form words, she curled her fingers in the collar of Lucian’s shirt and pulled. He stopped and looked down at her, following the direction of her gaze until he spotted it too.
Cade was sprawled on the ground, motionless and covered in blood. His beautiful, human face smashed almost to pieces, his thick hair plastered to his skull.
“Is he...” she croaked out.
“We need to keep moving.” Lucian kicked his speed up to a jog.
He ran with her for miles. She lost any sense of time and direction as he bounded through the woods. The constant jostling and bumping had her already throbbing head hurting even more, and the night got even colder.
Lucian abruptly stopped and set her down on the ground. Ella tentatively stood and pushed away from his supportive weight, but her legs immediately started to buckle.
Lucian caught her before she fell.
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled.
“You’re doing really good,” he murmured against her hair, which had thankfully dried off a little during the long run. He hadn’t said a word about Cade during their run. Neither had she.
What was there to say?
“What are we doing here?” she asked. It was best to keep focused on the “now” instead of what couldn’t be changed.
“There’s a small cave right over there. That’s our Ritz-Carlton for the night.”
Ella looked over the small opening no higher than her waist. “You’re joking, right? How do you know a bear doesn’t live there?”
“There isn’t a bear in there,” he assured her.
“Maybe not right now, but that doesn’t mean he won’t come back!”
“I might not be in peak condition, but I can take on a bear.”
Her eyes widened. “You can’t kill him! We’re the ones invading his home.”
Lucian smiled down at her. “I can’t tell if you are actually joking or if the water has gotten to your head.”
Ella raised a brow. “Well, I can’t tell either, so I think we’re in trouble.”
Lucian wrapped both his arms around her, holding her close. “I’m going to get you out of this, I promise. But we do need to hide.”
When was the last time Lucian had actually had to hide?
Ella leaned her head against his chest. Even though he’d taken the same freezing swim, his body and clothes had warmed up during the run, especially the ones trapped between their bodies as he’d carried her.
She shouldn’t like his support. She shouldn’t like the feel of him holding her. But she did. He was her one hope, even though she knew he’d gotten her into this.
“What about Dean?”
A muscle ticked in the back of his jaw. “Dean is fine. He was still in the city, so he was out of the line of fire.”
Ella finally stopped tiptoeing around the black hole in the room. “Cade died because of me.”
Lucian turned her face toward his and looked into her eyes. “He died because the vampires feel threatened by us. None of this is your fault.”
Ella nodded, but she couldn’t get the image of a battered and bloody Cade lying lifeless on the ground. He would never smile at her again. He would never make fun of her beauty pageant days again.
Just one more person she was supposed to hate but couldn’t.
“Can I go home after this?” she softly asked.
His grip tightened around her. “I need to figure out what the vampires are doing. They poisoned me tonight. I can’t shift and I can’t teleport. I think you might be safer without me.”
Relief spread through her, finally sending warmth through her chilled bones. The warmth was taken away as soon as it’d appeared when Lucian stepped away from her.
“I’m going to make sure there are no bears. I’ll be right back.”
She hugged herself tightly as he left her. A particularly strong wind ripped through the pines and she was suddenly much happier Lucian was able to find shelter.
She heard a rustling coming from the cave, and Lucian crawled back out, pushing a few sticks and brush from the cave. He stood up and held his hand out to her.
She intertwined her fingers in his and let him lead her to the cave.
“It’s a bit cramped in there, but with the cold, the confined space will actually be a bit warmer.”
Ella nodded but wasn’t looking forward to the next couple of hours. “Do you think they’ll find us?”
“I think this is a better option than running and, if you really did mess with their noses, we’ll have a good chance.”
She took a deep breath and mentally went over the events of the night. “I can’t guarantee I got all of them.”
He squeezed her hand. “If they’re looking for us, they’ve probably split up. I’m still as strong as normal and probably smarter than the lot of them.” He placed a kiss on her forehead. “Go inside. Get some rest.”
She looked back at the dark opening. “No bears?”
“No bears. Or anything else, for that matter.”
She knelt on her knees to crawl in but noticed he didn’t move. “You’re not staying out here?” She didn’t want to crawl into that darkness without him.
“I’m going to cover up the opening. It will help keep us hidden and the wind out.”
She nodded, trying to think of any good reason to stay out of the cave. Another gust of wind sent goose bumps along her arms and set off a sudden batch of shivers. Finally resigned to her fate, she shuffled in.
The blackness surrounded her immediately. She only knew when to stop by holding her hand out in front of her to feel for the rock wall. As soon as her fingers touched the frigid rock, she jerked her hand back. She closed her eyes, trying not to focus on the small space or the very real danger of being found and dragged out.
The small amo
unt of moonlight was snuffed out as Lucian covered up the opening. He climbed in backward to arrange the camouflage in the opening before awkwardly turning around in the small space.
Ella moved back to give him as much room as possible and gasped in shock as her back hit the rock that seemed to freeze through her thin shirt.
Lucian moved, and from the sounds of it, he was taking off his shoes.
“Aren’t your feet going to freeze?” she whispered. Somehow speaking in normal tones seemed too loud in such an intimate space.
“They’re already freezing. I bet you can’t even feel your toes anymore.”
Ella frowned. She remembered her feet aching when she’d been pulled from the river. When had the pain stopped? She tried to wiggle her toes and couldn’t tell whether they even twitched. “You might be right,” she muttered.
A hand pulled at her ankle and started untying her shoelaces. Ella shot up. “What are you doing?” she whisper-yelled.
“Trust me,” he said, probably with one of his cocky little smiles.
She humphed at his words but didn’t fight him. When her feet touched the air, it didn’t feel much colder, though the freedom to move did feel good. She was happy her toes weren’t completely numb, considering there wasn’t much she could do about frostbite until sunrise.
“Sit up for a second,” said Lucian.
She could almost sit up completely without hitting her head. Lucian bumped her as he set something on the ground and his bare skin on her arm made her jump. “Where’s your shirt?”
“It’s going to be our bed for the night. Not too comfortable, but better than dirt and rock.” He finally lay down and Ella bit her lip.
Hiding in a cave from vampires was one thing, but this was suddenly much too intimate. “You’re shirtless?”
“You’re braless,” he pointed out. “Don’t hear me complaining.”
For the first time that night, she was thankful for the dark so he couldn’t see the red creeping up her face. She’d been running for her life. She barely had time to grab shoes! “Low blow, Montclair.”
“I’ll be good. Promise. Just lay down before you freeze to death. I’ve been trying pretty hard to keep you alive and it would be a shame if your modesty did you in.”
She fully believed he’d keep his hands to himself. He’d more than proved his control. It was her own control, or lack thereof, that worried her.
Not that she was going to tell him.
She settled down on his sweater, the material not as nice as a mattress, but a step up from the rock bed. Her head was at a strange angle with no pillow and she fidgeted as she tried to get comfortable.
“Here,” whispered Lucian. He turned on his side, setting his meaty arm under her head as a pillow. His other arm curled around her waist and pulled her back fully up against his chest.
This was by far the most comfortable position she’d tried, but his closeness gave her pause. “Now I know you’re taking advantage,” she muttered.
He nuzzled his head into the curve of her neck, and suddenly her shivers weren’t from the cold.
“You’re not the only one who could use some warmth,” he breathed into her hair.
“Well, I know for a fact that parts of you are enjoying this way too much.” She wiggled her hips against the growing bulge of his manhood as emphasis.
“I can’t help it. When you are around, all I can think about is taking you. In a bed, in a cave—doesn’t matter.”
Her body was heated from the inside out with his words. “I thought you said you weren’t going to touch me.”
“I’m imagining touching you. There’s a difference.”
Ella sputtered as she tried to find words. “You can’t say that out loud!”
He chuckled in her ear; his warm breath tickled her throat. “You are leaving me in the morning. Surely you wouldn’t take this away from me. If you won’t let me kiss you, the least you could do is let me think about it.”
“I think there’s a flaw in your logic.”
He smiled into her hair. “You let me know when you find it.”
A few seconds of silence filled the air. Ella couldn’t stop her mind from racing. Should she move away? Was she teasing him by lying right up against him? Would this really be the last time he would ever touch her? Why wasn’t she overjoyed at the thought?
“Just relax.” His fingers started to draw little patterns on her stomach. “I’ve got you for now and, soon enough, this whole cavern will be a little furnace.”
Taking his advice, she stopped her mind. This was her last night with Lucian and she enjoyed laying here with him. She enjoyed his arms around her. She even enjoyed the reminder of how much he wanted her. Lucian was the most beautiful and powerful being she’d ever met. Who wouldn’t be flattered by his affections?
As she let go of her worries, she slowly drifted off. Only Lucian could make her feel comfortable enough to fall asleep in the freezing cave while vampires were trying to kill them.
Lucian sighed a deep breath of relief as the sun started to peek over the horizon. The small cave was still shrouded in darkness, but the throbbing pain in his head finally started to recede.
Thankfully, the poison wasn’t long-term. On the flip side, the need to shift had gotten progressively worse during the night.
It’s not as if he didn’t try. Even with the effects of whatever toxin had wormed its way into his system wearing off, he couldn’t manage the power necessary to push past and change. Instead, he’d just had to endure.
The only plus side was the distraction it had given him. He’d promised Ella he wouldn’t touch her, but actually having her sweet ass brushing up against his rock-hard erection and her breasts just inches from his hand was a brand new type of torture.
Every movement, every twitch, was an erotic brush against him. Why couldn’t she snore or drool like a normal human? Even in her sleep, she looked perfect.
He wanted to test his teleportation abilities but didn’t want to wake her. He had no idea how she’d slept so soundly. God knew the ground wasn’t comfortable and his arm was a bit too big to be a soft pillow.
His hand fell asleep hours ago, but he refused to move. Not until she was finished with him.
What would he do without her? Not that he’d ever truly had her. He stole her. She never wanted to be with him. Even her kisses had been the product of her captivity.
Wasn’t there a word for it? Stockholm syndrome. Would she still look up at him with the same trust and admiration as she did last night?
Even though he was the reason she was in such danger, she’d trusted him to keep her safe. She dove right into the river, even when the cold was unbearable. She’d slept in a dark cave with him, never even complaining about the chill or rocks.
And he had to let her go. He couldn’t put her in danger any longer. Her father had raised her for twenty-five years without half the shit Lucian had put her through in one week.
And now the vampires knew her. He’d left the one alive, desperate to get her away before his friends came to his aid. He heard them running. He might’ve had time to stake the bastard, grab Ella and dive in the river, but he wasn’t certain. When it came to Ella, he had to be certain.
A tiny ray of light penetrated the darkness of the cavern. At that moment, Ella opened her amazing brown eyes and yawned. She craned her head over his bicep to look up at him, and Lucian thought it might be the single best moment of his life.
Until she leaned up and kissed him a second later.
Ella moaned as her lips touched his. His mouth was soft and sweet and felt like silk. Such a strange contrast to the hardness in the rest of his body. At first, he seemed too shocked to move, and she took full advantage, gently teasing his lips with her tongue.
A deep growl sounded from the back of Lucian’s throat and a second later, he flipped her on top of him, adjusting her legs until they straddled his torso.
She laughed at the abrupt motion. “What was that?” she whispere
d against his lips. Her mouth moved down, following the line of his jaw to the thick cords of his neck.
His hands ran up and down her back, touching every square inch he could reach before resting on the globes of her ass and giving a rough squeeze. They both let out a groan at the sensation. “I want you to be as comfortable as possible so you never even consider stopping.”
She laughed against his throat and nipped the sensitive skin. One of his hands traveled up and held her closer. She continued her exploration. It was dark, so she had to feel out the lines and planes of his chest. The collarbones over his large pecs. The sensitive nipples in the light nest of chest hair.
Would it be the same color as his iridescent chestnut-brown hair? Her hands moved over the ripples of his abs, wishing she could fully see his beauty. She pushed herself up, looking down at him and trying to make out the details. “This doesn’t mean anything. I’m still leaving tomorrow, er, today,” she warned.
“Then why are you doing this? Not that I want you to stop. I just want to know what I could’ve possibly done to become the luckiest man on earth.”
She blushed at his praise. He always found ways to make her feel like the only woman in the world. “Because I want to. And you want to. If we’re never going to see each other again, shouldn’t we at least try it once?”
Lucian shot up, grabbing her face between his palms, and pulled her close for a soul-searing kiss. He wasn’t gentle and he wasn’t soft. He nipped at her lips, and she fisted her hands in his hair. Her hips settled over his erection and she rubbed herself against him. The feel of his length stroking her, even through clothes, caused heat to pool and moisture to collect in preparation for him.
“You can try anything you want with me, baby,” he muttered between kisses. His fingers hooked in the hem of her shirt and he pulled it up. She leaned back and helped him strip it from her.
She leaned in for another kiss, but he stopped her. His hands cupped her breasts, and for a second, he just stared at her as though in awe. How well could he see in the dark? She knew it was better than her, but she started to think she was at a heavy disadvantage.
Beauty and the Shapeshifter (Evil Rising Book 5) Page 10