He pulled her into his arms. “I want you, only you. I can’t commit to you, to us, until I am free.”
“This has turned into a huge mess. I never should’ve allowed anything to happen between us. I don’t need or want a boyfriend, Gabe. I chose to be a career woman many years ago. I can only be happy with no strings. No commitments. No relationships. This hotel is my life. I want to be mad at you. But I can’t. Everyone has secrets. Everyone has the right to choose what to share, what to hide, what to accept, and what to reject. You’ve rushed into some dangerous situations to save me rather than save yourself. I will never forget you, but I don’t want to see you anymore. I can’t. For some reason, I’m a sucker for you, for everything about you. It’s like just being around you intoxicates me.”
“Don’t give up on us.”
“What us?” She shook her head. “There is no us. I want you to stay away from me. I hope you can respect my wishes enough to do it.”
“I can’t stay away from you. I won’t.”
“You don’t fit into my life, Gabe. You dominate every aspect of it. I need to get my head back on straight before it’s too late. I really need to get back to work.”
“Larissa…”
“Stop. I can’t stand here and…I have a million things to do today.”
“Come away with me.”
“Where?”
“Anywhere. You name the location. I will take you anywhere.”
“You’re running away from something?”
“I would do anything to keep you.”
“You’re not the type of man to run from anything. And, just to be clear, you never had me.” She held her hand up when he opened his mouth to respond. “I don’t even really know you.”
“I need time. I need to straighten things out.”
“Take it. I need to get back to work. We can talk later if you still want to.” When the elevator door opened, she walked out and turned to take one last look at him. “Goodbye, Gabe.”
****
Gabe should’ve swallowed his pride and told her the truth. He should’ve told her about his arrangement with Adam. He should’ve made her understand that he couldn’t claim her because he cared about her too much to force her into a life of bondage.
He couldn’t breathe. A fire in his belly, burned out of control. His heart pounding, thundering in his chest felt as if it would burst. He should’ve taken her away. He should’ve made her understand. He didn’t. And now she was lost to him. She didn’t want anything to do with him.
Desperation and rage exploded in him, bringing his dragon to the surface. He couldn’t hold his human form for much longer. The finality in her eyes, in her voice would haunt him long after he took his last breath.
His firedragon roared, commanding him to go after her, to stop her. He didn’t dare go to her. Not now. He feared hurting her in his dragon form.
He felt Adam’s mind touch his. You can stop it. You control your dragon.
Not this time.
Find your center.
I don’t have one. I lost her. The building began to shake as his fury grew.
Her?
He wasn’t going to say anything else. If he didn’t get out of the elevator, the entire building would burn to the ground.
You would never hurt Larissa. Not even in your dragon form. Go to her, Gabe. Go to her. Claim her. You need to end this before you truly lose it.
You know damn well I won’t fuck her over by claiming her.
What are you talking about?
Drop it.
Do you need me? He felt Adam searching for answers.
No! he roared, shoving Adam from his mind.
His dragon was in control. He needed to get out of the building. He needed the open sky. He shifted from the elevator. In his firedragon form he moved through the sky, he traveled hundreds of miles an hour. He’d never burned so hot. His fury became all-consuming as his need to claim her clashed with his need to protect her freedom.
****
“Oh. damn.” Adam winced, pressing his hand to his forehead. “This is bad. Really fucking bad. I need to go.”
“That had better not be Gabe,” Joseph said.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll go after him and calm him down.”
“He’ll fry your ass if you approach him now. You told me he had it under control.”
“He does. He did. Did you order him to stay away from Larissa?”
“No. That would be stupid. I don’t want my ass fried over a losing battle. She’s his mate. He makes her happy. And he’s been damn good about watching over her and protecting her.” Joseph shrugged. “Besides, despite the fact he’s a firedragon, I like Gabe. You’ve done a pretty damn good job raising him.”
“Why is he making himself miserable? I don’t understand what’s wrong with him. Why is he refusing to claim her?”
“Have you ever had a heart to heart with him?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Have you ever told him the truth?”
“What does…oh, fuck.” Adam realized Gabe would never condemn her to a life of slavery. “He has to know better, doesn’t he?”
“When you love someone, you’ll sacrifice everything, including your chance to keep them, to protect them.”
“I’ve never treated him badly. I’ve made him my equal.”
Joseph shook his head. “All that says to him is that you value his contributions to your army of heathens.”
“I need to go to him. I need to fix this now.” Adam stood up. “Right the fuck now.”
“No. Sit down. Let him blow off some steam. He obviously needs to do it. He’ll come back.”
“If he doesn’t?” Adam sat down.
“Are you kidding me? She’s here. You’re here.” Joseph laughed. “He needs to come back to kill you to be free to claim her.”
“Shit.”
“You can consider the little squabble you had with him at the club a warm-up.”
“I should’ve told him the truth when I realized what was happening. I never thought of him as property. I thought he was resisting the urge to claim her because of what his father did to his mother.”
“That might be part of what’s stopping him. Don’t worry about it. You’ll get your chance to tell him everything soon.”
Adam and Joseph stood up as Hanna and Mia walked toward them.
“Who had the tantrum?” Mia asked.
“I don’t have a clue.” Joseph smiled. “It wasn’t me.”
Adam pulled Hanna’s chair out for her to sit and pushed it back up to the table. When he took his seat, he moved his chair, so his leg was touching hers. She reached down and placed her hand on his thigh.
Mia took her phone from her purse and handed it to Joseph. “The alarm at the boutique was triggered by it. It happened at several businesses and car alarms going off in the parking garage.”
“It was a meteor, Mrs. Payne.” A waitress began to place glasses of water on the table. “It’s on the news. They’re saying it was huge and right over the city.”
“Do they have video?” Joseph asked.
“Sure. It’s blurry. It looks like a ball of fire. It was moving too fast for anyone to catch a clear image. Are you ready to order or do you want me to come back in a few minutes?”
“Give us a few minutes,” Joseph said.
“Sure thing.”
“Thank you,” Mia said.
“He wouldn’t allow anyone to get a clear view of him,” Adam said.
“Who?” Mia looked at Joseph.
“Gabe.”
“I thought you didn’t have a clue. It looks like Uncle Liar, Liar, Pants on Fire, hasn’t learned to tell the truth,” Mia said.
“What are you talking about?”
“You lied to me twice today. And apparently, despite promising to always be there for her, you refused to take Megan’s call when she really needed you. That’s three lies. How many more have you told recently?”
�
�I didn’t have my phone on me.”
“That’s another lie. She mentioned in her blog post that she watched you send her call to voicemail.”
“How? I would’ve known she was around.”
“Now, since she also posted a short video of you sending her call to voicemail, it’s clear you’re also lying to yourself.”
“Damn it. That little girl is getting sneakier every day. Something needs to be done about her. What’s wrong with Haden? I can’t believe he caved to her demands.”
“What are you talking about?” Mia asked.
“Why did he give the computer back to her? She’s never going to learn if he keeps spoiling her.”
“You’re the one who decided it would be a good idea to give her the computer.” Mia smiled. “But, you don’t need to worry about Haden’s parenting skills.”
“Someone needs to.”
“You shouldn’t be so judgmental. He didn’t cave in.”
“He didn’t?” Joseph asked.
“She didn’t use her computer to post today.”
“How do you know?”
“She included an incredibly adorable selfie while sitting at your desk in your office.”
“She can’t sign in to my computer. She doesn’t know my password.”
“If her blog post is fact rather than fiction, you are the one who no longer knows your password.”
“She didn’t…she’s…that little girl is evil.”
“I think she’s funny,” Adam laughed.
Mia frowned at Joseph. “Why are you calling her evil?”
“Because she is.”
“You’re the one who sent her call to voicemail after promising to always be there for her. I bet she would never miss a call from you. I guess I should warn you about the special little surprise she left for you in your office.”
“What did she leave?”
“I am sorry. I really wish I could warn you. I mean, I wish I could tell you, but I don’t have any idea.”
“You’re lying.”
“Not at all. She wasn’t specific.”
“What about clues?”
“She mentioned something about the undead.”
“That’s it?” he asked.
“And you would never find it until you started smelling it.”
“You don’t think she resurrected roadkill again, do you?”
“I need to recruit her,” Adam said.
Joseph shook his head. “She scares me.”
“She’s sweet as can be if you don’t ignore her or lie to her.”
Joseph frowned. “I can’t always answer her calls.”
“If that’s the case, I guess you shouldn’t have given her a phone.”
“I only gave her the phone, so we could track her when she shifts.”
“And yet, after she disabled the GPS, you allowed her to keep it just to piss Haden off.”
“No. She blackmailed me.”
“With what?”
“I can’t say.”
~ TWENTY-THREE ~
Hanna struggled to focus on the conversation. Her thoughts were jumbled. Her mouth was dry, and her throat burned. A stinging sensation traveled from her scalp to her feet. She knew it was the demon, Erebus. Her vision slowly became increasingly blurry.
Adam pressed her palm against his thigh. What’s wrong, babe?”
She opened her mouth to tell him, but she closed her mouth without saying a word when Erebus walked past the table. It’s time for you to kill Adam for me.
Tell me what’s wrong, babe.
How will he protect you from me when he can’t even see me?
Hanna?
Nothing is wrong. Her vision became completely distorted. Colors were spinning as objects in the dining room contorted. Even the walls appeared to be melting.
Again, Erebus walked past the table. Let my hatred for him be yours. Let it fill you until it consumes you.
She couldn’t stand to be near Adam, breathing in his scent made her feel sick. The feeling of his hand on hers caused her stomach to roll. She needed to get away from him. Far away. Touching him became increasingly unbearable. She pulled her hand away from his.
He looked at her. “Do you want to leave?”
She felt his leg move against hers. “Please, don’t touch me.” She moved her leg away from his. “It hurts. I can’t stand to have any part of your body touching mine.” She turned to the side, and preparing to stand up, she placed her hand on the table to steady herself.
He placed his hand over hers. “It’s okay. I’ll take you back to our suite.”
Sharp, bone deep pain traveled from her fingertips to her shoulder as she looked down at his hand over hers. “I told you that I don’t want you to touch me.” Rage and hatred filled her, consumed her. “I told you it hurts.” She lifted her gaze to his as she pulled her hand out from under his.
“It’s okay, Hanna. We can get rid of him. Let me help you. You know what to do. Take my power and use it to…”
“Shut up,” she blurted. Keeping her gaze locked onto his, she reached to the side, picked up the first thing her hand touched, and thrust it into his hand. “You’re making it worse.” She turned to the side, got up, and walked away from the table.
****
“Holy crap,” Mia blurted.
“I didn’t see that coming,” Joseph said.
“That has to hurt bad. Really bad.” Mia looked down at Adam’s hand. “I can’t believe she just stabbed you with a fork.”
“Not a fork.” Clenching his jaw, Adam gripped the handle and pulled it from his hand. “A spoon.” He tossed the spoon onto the table and got up to follow Hanna.
“A soupspoon. Oh, my god,” Mia pointed. “It went all the way through the table. How’s that possible? It was a spoon. What’s going on with her?”
“She moved too fast for being human,” Joseph remark. “And she used too much strength.”
“You think? She just shoved a spoon through his hand and the table. What is going on?”
Joseph shook his head slightly. “I’m not sure, but we’re about to be attacked. I can’t locate the threat.”
“She started to act strange a few minutes after the waitress walked away. Did you recognize her?”
“No.” Joseph reached over and grabbed Hanna’s glass of water.
“What are you doing?”
He took a drink of the water. “She was drugged.”
“And you just drank it?” She smacked the back of his head. “What the hell is wrong with you, Joseph?”
“It can’t hurt me. Not really. And it’s the fastest way to figure out what’s in it.”
“What’s in it?”
“I’m not sure. It’s some type of hallucinogenic.”
Joseph reached for Adam. It was the water. She has been drugged.
With what?
I’m trying to figure it…oh, shit. Joseph stood up. Stop her, Adam. It’s not just a drug. There’s a compulsion in it. Not an ordinary compulsion. It’s fucking powerful. He looked at Mia. “Go now. Find the waitress. Don’t approach her. Let me know when you find her. We’ll want to question her. But don’t get too far away from me. Stay merged with me.”
****
The instant Adam felt Hanna become anxious, he tried to touch her mind to figure out what was happening. He hit a brick wall. He pushed. But it was too solid for him to get past it.
He sent a call out to his soldiers. We’re about to get hit hard at the restaurant.
I’m coming. He wasn’t surprised to hear from Gabe so fast. Gabe believed his firedragon ruled him. He didn’t fully understand that he was his dragon. He didn’t understand his power.
He looked at Joseph. We’re about to get hit hard. And Erebus is in Hanna’s head.
I know.
I am going to try to get her out of here.
He got in front of her and held his hand out to her. “We need to leave. Come with me, Hanna.”
She placed her hand in his and started
to walk with him. Then, she stopped, forcing him to stop rather than drag her. “Please, Adam. You need to let go of my hand. It hurts.”
He wrapped his arms around her, planning to shift with her, but he instantly realized his powers were being blocked.
Obviously, realizing what he had planned, Joseph merged with him. Don’t try to shift with her through the spells. It’s too dangerous.
“Tell me what’s happening, Hanna.”
“Nothing.” She turned her back to him, stumbling a bit. “I just need to get away from you. It hurts when you touch me.”
He took her hand, unwilling to let her fall or walk away from him. “You know what’s happening. It’s Erebus. He’s in your head. We defeated him before. Remember? Take all that I have and use it to kick him out.”
“You’re hurting me.” She pressed her free hand to her head. “Let go.”
“We need to get out of here.”
“I’m going to be sick.” Wrapping her arm around her waist, she hunched over a bit. “I need to find the restroom.”
“I’ll walk with you.”
“No.” She shoved away from him “I can walk all by myself. “This isn’t my life. I want to be free.”
“We will figure it out.”
“No. It’s you. I can’t be with you. It feels wrong.”
“It’s the compulsion.”
“You want to do the same thing. You want to control me.”
“That’s not true.”
“I know you’re controlling me, making me want you. I hate you, Adam. You’re no different than the others.”
“Let me help you. I can protect you.”
“I wouldn’t need protection if I’d never come across a demon. I had a life. I had a…I had a family. My family. Oh, no. I killed them.” She turned to face him. “I killed them, Adam. I killed my family.”
INSATIABLE BREATH OF DARKNESS Page 25
