“Chase, do you ever want to travel again?”
“I travel a lot already.”
“I mean for fun.” She glanced up and saw him watching her. “Have you ever traveled for fun?”
He shook his head. “Everything I’ve done was either for the army or my work. I’ve seen a lot of things, but traveling just for the fun of it? No.”
“Would you ever want to?”
He was quiet for a few minutes as they walked. “I think it would be fun to take someone who hasn’t been places and see their reaction.” He looked down. “I’ve been in this park a hundred times and I guess I take it for granted. New England is naturally green. But compared to where you grew up, compared to the Middle East . . . I’ve never thought about its beauty like you see it.”
“I think Arizona’s boring to look at.”
Chase chuckled. “The desert has its beauty.”
She shrugged. “I guess. When it’s rainy. But you have this all the time.”
“Maybe you appreciate it more because you don’t have it all the time.”
“Maybe.”
They went quiet again and Sabrina looked around in awe at things she’d only seen in pictures. She wasn’t paying attention to where she was walking and tripped on a tree root. Before she could fall, though, Chase caught her in his arms and she found herself gazing into his wonderful gray eyes.
He smiled and pushed a lock of hair out of her face that had come loose from her braid. Her heartbeat sped up as they gazed at one another. When he bent down to kiss her gently on the lips, she sighed. He smiled and they began walking again. She walked a little closer to him, less focused on the environment around her and more on his presence next to her.
*****
Chase had never imagined that a simple walk with a woman through a park could be so wonderful. They talked occasionally, but after Sabrina almost fell and he kissed her, they were quiet. He loved the simplicity of holding her hand and being with her in his favorite place. He glanced down at her every once in a while and his chest swelled with warmth. She was here. She was safe. And she was his. Well, almost. She seemed as content as he felt. He was confident that they were well on their way to a solid relationship.
Whenever possible, they walked on the path right next to the river, rather than the one next to the busy street. Boats would pass by occasionally, and he wondered if Sabrina would like to go on one someday. Since they officially met on a yacht, maybe it would be an appropriate date. He’d have to look into that.
When they passed through a shady spot beneath the trees and she shivered, he used it as an excuse to wrap his arm around her shoulders.
“Why is this your favorite place?” she asked.
Chase thought about her question. “We lived here off and on when I was growing up. When my dad was deployed, we’d come back here. His parents were here, and Mom’s weren’t really supportive of her marriage to an army guy. When he’d come to visit, if the weather was nice, they’d bring me and my brothers here for picnics and concerts.” He motioned to the open area ahead of them. “They have concerts over there and we’d come whenever possible. I guess it reminds me of my dad.”
“How old were you when he died?”
“Thirteen.”
“I bet that was hard.”
Chase nodded and pursed his lips. Yeah, it was hard. He remembered his mom calling him and his brothers into the living room that day. They’d moved to North Carolina a few months before. She was sitting on the couch, straight back, lifted chin, but her eyes were red, and Chase’s heart had dropped. Something inside told him what had happened. He wanted to throw himself onto the floor and sob, but he didn’t want to freak out his brothers. He straightened his back, lifted his chin, and sat silently as his mom explained what happened. There weren’t a lot of details at that point, but that didn’t matter. Their dad was gone and wasn’t coming back.
His brothers all started crying and clung to their mom. Chase wrapped his arms around his mom’s shoulders and hugged her tightly. “It’ll be okay, Mom. I’ve got you.” It was something his dad said to his family and army brothers a lot. It was short for “I’ve got your six.” It meant he would stop at nothing to take care of them. It meant they were loved.
From that moment on, Chase became the man of the house. He took on the responsibility to make sure his mom was okay and his brothers behaved. Mom had told him repeatedly that he didn’t need to take care of her, but he couldn’t not take care of her. He swore that day that he would. It was part of the reason he had Casey, who had gotten injured and discharged the same time as Chase, be his mom’s assistant. It was the condition he gave her when she encouraged him to start his own business. It was dangerous work and people could come after her because of what he did, so she agreed to let Casey do his thing.
“Chase?”
Chase blinked and realized Sabrina was looking at him expectantly. “What?” he asked, confused. Had she asked him a question?
“You seemed lost in your thoughts.”
He shrugged. “I guess. It was a hard day when we found out he was gone.” The day that changed his life.
Sabrina nodded. “I can imagine.”
“Were you—” He hesitated to ask about her parents’ deaths. He’d read everything he could about it, but there was so little information. “Were you there when your parents . . .”
She pressed her lips together and nodded. “I saw the whole thing.”
He guided her over to a nearby bench and they sat. “I’m so sorry that happened.”
She looked out over the water. “Khyan was there when we got home. I had no idea who he was, but my parents knew. They argued with him, and my dad tried to . . . attack him or something, I guess. Khyan threw him across the room like he weighed nothing.” She swallowed, tears welling up in her eyes. Chase took her hand and squeezed gently. “Threw him against the fireplace.” She was quiet for a moment. “At least he didn’t have to see what happened to my mom.”
Knowing Khyan had done it, the police reports made more sense now. There had been a suspicion that Elena’s death had been some sort of ritual killing because she’d died from internal injuries resulting from something being pushed into her body through her vaginal canal. Chase now knew that it was simply an Immortal raping her to death.
“Did Khyan hurt you, too?”
She shook her head, still staring out over the water. “No. He did plenty later, but that day, he just picked me up and carried me out of the house.” She squeezed her eyes shut and hung her head. “Terric said he was ‘removed from this world.’” She looked up. “What does that mean?”
He hadn’t heard the phrase before. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s how an Immortal is killed.”
A hard look crossed her face. “I hope it hurt like hell.”
“Me, too.”
She leaned back and curled up against his chest. Chase held his breath as she rested her head against him. His heartbeat sped up as she sighed. Put your arm around her, dumbass! When he did, she sighed again. He ran his hand over her silky hair and smiled. This has to be what heaven is like.
*****
“I had a really good time today, Chase,” Sabrina said with a smile as they stopped in front of her apartment door. It had been a wonderful afternoon. A simple afternoon, but wonderful nonetheless. After the park, they’d gone to dinner at a small bistro and talked about everything and nothing.
And now they were home.
Chase smiled. “I have something for you.”
Sabrina looked around. “You do?”
“I gave it to Ethan to hide when I came to pick you up.”
She smiled up at him and unlocked the door to the apartment. Chase followed her inside and she saw a small wrapped package sitting on the table. She glanced back at him. Chase nodded.
She picked it up and stared at it for a
long moment. How long had it been since she’d gotten any sort of present? Since she’d unwrapped any sort of package?
Five years.
Carefully, trying not to rip the beautiful silver wrapping, she slid her finger beneath the tape and loosened it, one piece at a time.
“Do you always open things so carefully?” Chase asked, sitting down on the chair next to where she stood.
She felt her cheeks warm and shrugged. “I don’t want to ruin the paper. It’s so pretty.”
He laughed. “Next time, I’m wrapping it in a brown paper bag.”
She giggled and slowly tore the paper until a book was revealed.
She gasped. It was a first edition of The Last Unicorn. “Oh! Oh, Chase! Oh, it’s wonderful!” She beamed as she hugged it to her chest. “You remembered!”
He looked pleased. “Your story about it inspired me. I thought, if you liked, we could read it together.”
Tears filled her eyes as she looked at the most wonderful man in the world sitting next to her. He looked a little embarrassed, so she hugged him hard. “I’d love to.”
Ethan appeared from the living room. “She like it?”
Chase laughed. “I think so.”
“Can we start now?” she asked, running her hand over the cover, tracing the ornate letters with her finger. “It’s beautiful.”
“Absolutely.” Chase stood. “Is your room okay?”
She nodded, eager to begin.
They walked into her room and settled at the head of the bed, him leaning against the wall and her leaning against him. “Do you want me to read first, or do you want to?”
Sabrina loved his deep voice and how his chest rumbled as he spoke. She could only imagine it would be even better to hear the words from her childhood as she cuddled next to this amazing man. “You first.”
He smiled and opened the book. “‘Chapter One. The unicorn lived in a lilac wood . . . ’”
Chapter Fifty-Two
All I see is white. A thick fog. I feel its warmth surrounding me, soothing my lungs and fear. A dim yellow light appears in the distance and I walk toward it. The whiteness fades as the light draws near. After a few minutes, I find myself in a small room. Sconces mounted on the dark-paneled walls allow just enough light for me to see that the room is empty, save a long wooden bench along one wall. The cold stone floor under my feet contrasts sharply with the warm air.
Naked, I stand in the center of the room, wondering how I got there and what I should do. After a moment, I sit on the bench and wait for . . . something. I hug my knees to my chest and try to push aside the growing fear in my chest.
The door opens and a man walks in, holding a riding crop. He has long, white-blond hair and wears only a pair of black leather pants. His toned chest is bare.
I press my back against the wall, hoping he won’t notice me.
He looks right at me, though, icy-blue eyes boring into my own as he walks toward me. “There is nowhere to go, Sabrina,” he says in a low, even voice.
He stops right in front of me, placing the end of the riding crop under my chin and tipping my head up. I stare into his eyes. “You’ve been a naughty girl, Sabrina,” he continues in an almost hypnotic tone. “You ran away from me.”
Though his tone is soft, I hear the anger in his voice.
He moves the crop gently down my neck and onto my shoulder. The leather caresses my skin. I close my eyes as he moves it across my clavicle. “You like the crop.” It’s a statement, not a question.
He trails it over my knees, down my shins to my feet, then back up along my inner thighs. I moan softly as he caresses me. My arms loosen their grip on my legs and my hands drop to the bench. My knees open slightly. He smiles.
“Good girl,” he murmurs.
He takes my hands and pulls me to my feet, then helps me stand on top of the bench. His hands slide around to my ass and he caresses the flesh. He brings his knee up to the bench, resting it in front of his body, and leans forward to dip his tongue into my swollen folds.
“Mmmm, Sabrina. As sweet as always,” he says softly. His tongue dips deeper as he presses his hands against my rear, making me flex my hips forward.
I sigh as he licks and caresses me with his tongue. He pulls at my right leg, bending it at the knee and placing my foot on his shoulder. I’m completely open to him. My fingers scratch at the wall behind me, searching for something to hold onto as he feasts on my flesh. Nipping, biting, sucking, licking. I moan and cry out as he makes me come over and over.
“Yes, Sabrina,” he says, looking up at me, his eyes bright. “Give me your pleasure. Give me your powers.” He resumes his feasting and I scream out in ecstasy. He is consuming me, taking me into himself. I want to give myself to him for he is worthy of me.
I whimper as he pulls away suddenly. His eyes glitter as he pulls me down to the bench, pressing me to lay down. He moves my hands above my head and spreads my legs with his knee. I feel him at the entrance of my body and he leans down to kiss me, the sweetness of my essence on his tongue.
As he pushes forward, he leans back, eyes boring into mine once more.
“Mine,” he growls hypnotically as he enters my body. “Always mine, Sabrina.”
I want to fight him, even though his thrusts feel incredible. Something deep inside resists his intrusion, but he leans down and kisses me once more. I succumb. Over and over, he presses himself deep into my body. I moan loudly and cry out as I come. A moment later, he lets out a low moan, then pauses to catch his breath.
He smiles and stands, looking down at me with the same glittering eyes.
I struggle to move, but my body won’t cooperate.
*****
Sunday morning, Chase was up early. He went for a jog along the river, then headed back to his condo to work out in his home gym.
In the middle of a bench press set, his phone rang from across the room. He ignored it, but when it immediately started ringing again, he carefully placed the weight back into its cradle, grabbed his towel to wipe his sweaty face, and hurried to his phone. It stopped ringing as he reached for it, but he saw it was Richard. When it started ringing again, he hit the speaker button. His face dripped with sweat and he didn’t want to push a piece of plastic up against it.
“Richard? What’s wrong?”
“Have you seen the news?” he asked.
“No. Why?”
“Aiden Lang is dead.”
“What?” Chase stared at the phone in shock. “Dead? How?”
“You didn’t have anything to do with it?”
“Richard!”
“I didn’t think so, but I had to ask. It wasn’t your style.”
“What happened?”
“Car accident, but Brandon said it was rather suspicious.” Brandon Saey was the Elder of Los Angeles.
“Suspicious how?”
“Well, Brandon was supposed to meet with Lang yesterday evening in Los Angeles, but Lang skidded off a mountain road in Malibu. There was no reason for him to be there. His house is in Beverly Hills.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Chase hated the guy, but didn’t wish him dead.
“How do you think Sabrina will take it?”
Chase sighed. She seemed to think everything was her fault. “I have no idea. I’m supposed to see her this afternoon.”
“Things are going well then?”
Chase’s chest warmed at the memory of spending the past two days with her. “Yeah.”
Richard laughed softly. “I remember those early dating days. Nothing gives you quite the same feeling.”
“It is pretty spectacular.”
“Do you know who Martin picked to replace Lang?”
“Matthew Broadbent.”
“Interesting choice. I liked his movies when I was a teenager.”
Chase s
miled. He’d watched a few with his mom. They were cheesy, but fun to watch. “I guess he does a lot of Broadway stuff now. Producing and directing. He jumped at the chance to come here and work with the company.”
“Have you met him?” Richard asked.
“No, not yet. He starts tomorrow. I know Sabrina’s nervous about it. Can’t say I blame her.”
“Agreed. I’ll let you go. Let me know how she takes it.”
“I will.”
Chase hit the phone’s screen and wiped his sweaty body with the towel, contemplating the best way to tell Sabrina. He hoped she wouldn’t take Lang’s death too personally.
He glanced at the time. Eight-thirty. Ethan would be up by now. He tapped Ethan’s contact information and waited for his friend to pick up. He didn’t.
Chase’s heart sped up as he tried again, but there was still no answer. He stared at his phone, anxiously wondering why Ethan wasn’t answering.
Maybe his phone died or something. I’ll call Jayson.
His friend answered on the fourth ring. “Hello?” He sounded out of breath.
Chase was momentarily distracted from his anxiety, wondering what would make Jayson be out of breath so early on a Sunday morning. “What are you doing?”
Jayson didn’t answer right away. He could almost hear the guilt in the silence. Had he slept with Sabrina again? “Nothing.”
Anger boiled up in his chest. “Who are you fucking?”
Silence again. “How did you know?” He could hear the guilt in Jayson’s voice.
Chase ran his hands through his wet hair and laced his fingers on the top of his head. He took a deep breath. Sabrina needed sex like normal people needed oxygen. At least it wasn’t a stranger. He wished they’d talked to him first, though. His chest felt hot.
Fuck.
He heard shuffling through the phone’s speaker. “Chase, we didn’t think—”
“Wait. Ethan?” Relief spread through Chase’s body like cool rain on a hot day. “You and Jayson?”
“Who did you think he was with?” Ethan asked.
“Dude, you didn’t think I’d sleep with Sabrina, did you?” Jayson’s voice came through the speaker.
Master of My Heart Page 39
