by Kensie King
They burst out of nowhere, startling me as much as him. So much that I forgot I was supposed to be running. Fire was my only weapon, and now my best chance at escape.
Gage jabbed the needle into my arm at an angle, but it went in deep. Then he shook his arm back and forth to try to put out the fire. It blurred before me as I slid out of the bed. My legs gave out, the medicine or whatever he’d given me already kicking in.
After a moment, the fire was out, and Gage bent over me. “Impressive,” he said as the rest of the world blurred around me. “But I’d rather you save your power for later when you’re really going to need it.”
I tried to speak, to answer him back. To tell him to fuck off, but my mouth wouldn’t form words. My body went boneless and I started to slide to the floor.
Gage scooped me up again, gentler this time, and placed me in the bed—the bed I suddenly realized might be his.
He tugged off my shoes and pulled the covers up before backing to the door.
“I’m sorry,” I heard him say quietly as he pulled the door shut. “See you tomorrow.
And then I was sucked into unconsciousness for the second time today.
#
When I woke this time, the room was sunnier. It was morning and the day I was supposed to leave town.
The full moon was tonight.
Remembering that was enough to get me up. Quick. I walked to the bathroom and splashed water on my face. My reflection was pale and my hair waved over my forehead in an unruly fashion. A few scratches were still on my cheeks from my dash through the woods yesterday.
Screw Gage. The last thing I expected when I came to Knob Creek was that I’d be trapped in a vampire’s house. But once I got out of here, Gage was going to get what was coming to him.
I’d make sure of it.
Which meant I just had to figure out how to get out of here.
I tied my shoes and tried the door again. It was still locked with no sound outside.
Maybe Gage was still gone.
I paced to the window, searching my brain for the best way to escape. I thought of the book, wished I had it up here, and then tried to recall the last thing I read in there.
Commune Without Being Present.
It was a spell, which I’d never done before. But something that seemed relatively easy. I pulled out Dylan’s card again. It was worn at the edges, ripped slightly on one corner, but it would work. All I needed was my own power and something of his.
I cupped my hands around the card and tried to picture Dylan. I conjured up his stubbled jaw, serious gray eyes, the broad expanse of his chest. Even the muscles in his arms. I tried to picture him in his house, the last place I had seen him. Sitting at the table in his kitchen, maybe even eating breakfast.
The more details I added, the more it felt like my current surroundings dissolved.
Then, in an instant, it was like being yanked out of my body. A whoosh of color blurred past me and then, suddenly, I was in Dylan’s kitchen.
I wobbled, almost falling into the counter. I was actually here, and though I knew I couldn’t be physically, it certainly felt like that. I had control over my muscles and my limbs. I could move.
But unfortunately, Dylan wasn’t here.
I swiveled and walked to the hall. Then the living room. Then upstairs.
But he wasn’t anywhere. I jogged back downstairs, feeling as light as air, and reached for the curtain on the front window to check for his truck in the driveway.
“Holy shit,” I murmured when my hand went straight through the material.
In fact, I didn’t have much of a hand to begin with. I was nearly transparent, unable to see much more than an outline of my fingers.
Instead of reaching out, I tried to peer through a crack in the material, searching for his truck. It wasn’t there. Which meant he might have already left to meet me.
Now what?
I had to try something else. I looked around, feeling stuck. How did I get back?
I pictured the room my real body was in and it worked like a charm, transporting me back in a split second.
I rocked back in the seat as my spiritual body joined my physical body.
This time when I looked at my hands, I could see them clearly. My real hands.
The business card was crinkled slightly, but still intact. All right, now I just had to figure out where Dylan was.
Probably in his car driving or at the motel waiting for me.
So instead of picturing a place, I pictured the person. Dylan. Not in his car, not in his house, just him—wherever he was.
I closed my eyes and floated away, and when I was able to see Dylan, I found him parking his car outside the motel. It was like I was floating above him in the air, watching what he was doing without him knowing he was being watched.
I dropped straight through the roof of his truck and into the passenger seat right as he got out. I whipped to face him, to grab him, but he didn’t see me. Didn’t hear me because no words came out.
Fuck. No. Dylan.
I swiveled to grab the door handle, but my fingers went right through it. I stared out the window as Dylan looked around, probably trying to find my car, and then frowned. He jogged up the stairs to my room and banged on the door. It was loud enough for me to hear from inside the cab of his truck.
I also heard him swear before he banged again.
Judging by the look on his face, he figured I’d left. Just not to leave town. He looked pissed.
He ran to the office and was gone for a brief ten seconds before he jogged back to his car.
When he hopped in, I said his name. It came out like a whisper, but it was enough to make Dylan stop.
He angled his head like he was listening.
I put all my energy and focus into reaching out, and this time my fingers collided with his arm.
He yelped and whipped to face me, eyes wide.
“Fuck!” he said, and then just stared at me. “Lincoln?”
“I need help.”
He reached out immediately, trying to make contact. When his fingers went through my arm, he yanked back. “What the hell? What’s going on?”
“Help,” I managed again. It was like pushing through mud—even speaking. So hard I couldn’t get out anything more.
Dylan reached for me again. “Where are you? What…?”
I could see he was struggling with the idea that I was here but not really here.
“Knob Creek,” I forced out.
My body shuddered, like it didn’t have enough power to stay here.
“You’re still here?” Dylan asked. “Where? What—”
My body flickered this time and he reached to grab my arms, looking frantic. I opened my mouth, trying to hurry to tell him where I was. But I was yanked away, vanishing from his truck and slamming back into my real body.
I opened my eyes slowly, disorientation surrounding me. But I wasn’t too out of it to hear a noise at the door. The lock came undone and in the next moment Gage was there again, and I had no clue if anything I’d done would really help me get out of here.
CHAPTER 11
“Good morning,” Gage said, strolling inside the room.
He didn’t look suspicious and I wasn’t going to push my luck by running for it. It made more sense to bide my time and make sure I had a clear escape plan—and maybe even learn something about the curse and a spell in the meantime.
When I had a chance, I’d contact Dylan. I couldn’t deny it was a rush of power and independence being able to contact him the way I had. It was the first time I’d used my power—aside from the fire, which didn’t really count. That was more like the fire using me since I couldn’t control it.
Play nice, I reminded myself when Gage shut the door behind him. It wasn’t the time to kick him in the balls. But there would be time for that later.
And, the more I studied Gage, the more I wondered if a kick in the balls was really what he needed. His eyes were tired and his hair was
mussed on top like he’d run his hand through it more than once.
Get a grip, Link. Was I actually siding with the enemy? Feeling sorry for him because I knew he was stressed? No, it was just plain old-fashioned compassion. When a confident man like Gage looked like he was torn in a thousand directions, one wondered what he was really after in all this.
What was the bigger purpose besides just to be evil and wreak havoc on an unsuspecting public?
“Is this your bedroom?” I asked him.
He nodded. “Thought if I was going to…force you to stay, I’d at least give you the best accommodations.”
“How thoughtful.”
Gage smiled, looking much more like his usual self. “I thought so. And I appreciate that you can see the light side in a bad situation. You know, Link, you and I are a lot more alike than you realize.”
This time I laughed out loud. I was still pissed as hell at what he’d done, but at least I’d gotten a decent night of sleep. I could see things from a new perspective. “Let’s see,” I said, propping my shoulder on the wall next to the window. “Am I a vampire? Nope. Have I ever kidnapped anyone?” I shook my head. “No again. Oh, and the whole evil take over the world ploy? Yeah, I’m going to have to go with a negative on that one also.”
Amusement lit his eyes. “Nice assessment. But my motives aren’t as evil as you think—and definitely more complicated.”
And for a moment, I thought he might tell me. That he might open up and give me such a phenomenal reason for going against everything the other paranormals in this town wanted that I might see some sort of speck of reasoning.
Then he continued with a smile. “Besides, this will benefit you, too. It’s not like our bloodline was the only one who suffered.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The curse affected every single paranormal being. It diluted their powers and made them—us—less than we truly are. It’s power you can probably never imagine—until tonight. Then you’ll see. You’ll be able to do things you never thought you could do.”
Control the fire. That was what I wanted. Yes, I wanted answers, but I also wanted control.
I wanted to know when the fire was coming. I wanted to know I couldn’t hurt people anymore. Or maybe…that I could if I needed to, like I’d needed to more than once over the last few days.
But then I balked at the idea. If I got power I didn’t know I had, what about everyone else? Grace and Dylan? What kinds of things would they be able to do?
Or would they even want to considering they were trying to stop what Gage was trying to make happen?
Gage moved in front of me, eyes locked on mine. Not dark, not persuasive, just appealing. “See? You’re considering it. You know how much that would change your life.” He reached out, but his fingers stopped a breath from my cheek when I straightened.
“If everyone else is trying to prevent all this, I’m not sure it’s worth it,” I said.
He dropped his gaze, staring at the floor for a long moment. “There are things you don’t understand.”
“Then tell me,” I murmured, my heart squeezing a little. What the hell was going on in his head? Why was he soft, vulnerable Gage one moment and then master of all evil the next?
He stepped back abruptly and gave his charming—fake—smile. “I made breakfast.” He walked to the door and opened it, then angled back and held out his hand. “Hungry?”
Fuck. Why couldn’t we just talk like two reasonable men? Maybe we could figure out a solution that didn’t involve an age-old curse that clearly had repercussions.
But I could sense he wasn’t going to say anything more at this point, so I walked to the door. He touched my back softly, guiding me out, and then walked with me down the stairs.
“I hope you slept well,” he said as we reached the main floor.
“Didn’t have much choice.”
His voice was neutral when he answered. “Sorry about that but I had to do what was necessary. On the bright side, I have all your bags and whatever else you might need from your hotel room.”
“My computer?” I asked with a snarky smile. “Cell phone?”
He gripped my arm and turned me in the direction of the kitchen. “Not that.”
Of course. I tossed him a glare, but instead of accepting it in stride, he stopped and squeezed his fingers on my elbow.
“Gage—”
“Hold on for a minute.”
He shifted so he was in front of me. My gaze was level with his nose, and I kept my eyes locked there so he wouldn’t have a chance to try to influence me in any way.
“Link,” he said softly. He reached out, the backs of his knuckles brushing my cheek.
“No.”
“No, what?”
“I’m not…” I clenched my jaw and tried to force calm. If I explained this to him rationally, maybe he’d get it. Maybe he’d see that we were, in fact, two adult men who could understand the need to be in control and not be controlled by someone else. “I don’t want you to do that to me.”
“Do what?”
“That thing. With your eyes.”
His chest moved up and down with slow breaths, close enough to me I could feel the heat from his body. We weren’t even looking at each other or touching each other but there was still a hum of electricity, a spark of attraction, and longing inside of me to understand him in a way I shouldn’t want to.
“Look at me,” he said.
“No.”
Gage put his finger under my jaw and guided my face up. My eyes flashed to his and there wasn’t anything there but a clear, deep blue gaze. No pretenses, no sign of him trying to influence me. Just Gage.
“I’m not trying to influence you. I’m trying to do this the only way I know how,” he said. Before I could reason that statement, he added, “I want you to kiss me.”
“Gage.”
“Hold on. I want you to kiss me because you want to. No influence, no persuasion.” He leaned in and his lips brushed my ear, making a chill shoot down my spine. “Just you and me and how much we want each other.”
He closed the rest of the gap, joining our bodies together so our breaths were like one. So I could feel hardness and muscle.
I swallowed hard when he kissed my cheek, then moved to my jaw, and then finally gripped my waist with one hand. Fuck, I wanted him—and at the same time I wanted to shout at him to grow up.
But there was something inside of me that just couldn’t back away. He wasn’t influencing me, and I still didn’t want to stop.
Gage’s voice came out rough when his words echoed my thoughts. “I want you.” His hand moved under my shirt and smoothed along the warm skin of my back. “Lincoln.”
I couldn’t help the way my body responded to his. My cock twitched and then rose between us, seeking relief. I could tell the moment he felt it because his gaze dropped just slightly and he groaned.
“Fuck, Link,” he bit out.
His teeth nipped my lower lip while his free hand moved between us, his palm rubbing my cock. My eyes dropped shut automatically at the feel of it. I wasn’t thinking about consequences or fire right now, all I could feel were his hands on me and how amazing it was to finally be touched by someone again.
I wanted more. I wanted his hands on my bare flesh. I wanted to forget why I was here so I could enjoy what I could have. But something far back in my mind was screaming at me to stop. I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, and if I kept going in this direction, things might get out of control.
When one of his hands curved around to my ass, I froze. Fuck. I had Dylan’s card in there. Sure, Gage might not notice. But he might take it away from me, too, and then I’d have no link to the one person who knew I was in danger.
I pressed my palms against Gage’s chest. “Stop. I can’t do this.”
His eyes met mine, cloudy with desire. His breathing was out of control and I wasn’t faring much better. But, to his credit, his grip loosened.
I s
tepped back, forcing my hands to stay at their sides. For good measure, I took another step until my back was flat against the wall.
Gage propped his hand there, right by my shoulder a minute, but didn’t make a move to touch me. Instead, he stared down at his shoes to get himself under control. When he looked up again, his expression was smoothed out, even if it looked a little pained underneath the façade.
“Okay,” he said with a nod. “That’s your call. I can be patient.”
Which meant he still wanted more. I couldn’t lie, I did too. But it had to stop right here.
“How about breakfast?” he asked.
“Good. Yes.” Not the most eloquent, but the best I could imagine with my cock still straining against my zipper and the very real knowledge that I’d almost just gotten very intimate with my kidnapper.
I knew there was a term for that, and I didn’t want to be part of that statistic.
I followed Gage to the kitchen, remembering it briefly from our tour yesterday. Tall and wide windows overlooked a nice view of hedges and a garden, and inside the space there was a cozy round table and a large island. The cabinets were black, but the rest of the paint was cheerful. Welcoming.
On the island was a vast spread of fruit and food. Enough to make my stomach grumble.
Gage smiled vaguely and gestured to one of the stools that surrounded the island.
“You made all of this?” I asked, taking his direction and seating myself. I angled toward the windows, keeping the outside world in sight.
Before this day was over, I had to get back out there. And then somehow get myself out of Knob Creek. From the little that I knew, I had to bet that leaving Knob Creek, like Dylan and Grace wanted—like my mom had already done—was a good idea. It took a member of each of the original families who had made the curse in the first place, and we were all here. If I left, then the curse couldn’t be broken.
But if it was that easy, why hadn’t Dylan or Grace left? That would have been the easiest solution instead of putting it all on me.
They had to have a reason to still be here.
