Touch of Temptation

by Rhyannon Byrd

  Chloe stared, more than a little amazed by the primal, predatory beauty of his beast. He looked as if he could tear mountains apart with his bare hands, his glowing green eyes burning with visceral rage…and on the other side of the clearing, Sienna cried out in pain.

  Tearing her gaze from Kellan, Chloe looked toward the witch, who was screaming, “Gregory, hurry! I don’t think I can hold him any longer! He’s too strong!”

  “You have to!” the Casus roared as he fought to take a step forward, struggling to work against the fiery wind blasting from Chloe’s hands. “Don’t let him go until I’ve got her!”

  “Never!” Kellan snarled, and suddenly one claw-tipped arm was wrapping around Chloe from behind, pulling her tight against the scorching heat of his chest. As if his touch was the thing she’d needed to fully charge her Mallory powers, she shuddered with an electrifying jolt, suddenly feeling as if she could blast Gregory to hell and back. But just as she was opening her mouth to warn Kellan and the others to brace themselves, he set her aside and charged across the clearing, tackling Gregory to the ground. They skidded across the snow-covered clearing, disappearing into the edge of the trees. Their graveled snarls filled the air, and Chloe lowered her hands, fear twisting her insides as she stared into the shadowed woods. She started to head toward the trees, when Kierland, who was still locked in place by Sienna’s power, roared for her to stay back. The primal, savage sounds of the battle continued, and then Gregory came crawling into the clearing, and it was clear from the Casus’s bloodied form as he struggled to get to his feet that the Lycan was winning the fight. With his claws dripping red at his sides, Kellan stalked from the trees, his bright eyes burning with determination as he headed toward the Casus, and Chloe had never seen anything so mesmerizing in her entire life.

  “Get up, you bastard.” The snarled words were garbled within the muzzled shape of Kellan’s mouth, but Chloe could still understand what he’d said. The Casus curled his lip over his jagged fangs and finally staggered to his feet, only to drop down on a knee as Kellan stalked closer. The Lycan raised one powerful arm, the moonlight glinting against his deadly claws as he prepared to deal the deathblow, when the ground began to shake with a violent, roaring tremor. Gregory’s ice-blue eyes went wide with panic, and he lurched to his feet…trying to run, but his body seemed frozen in place as a thick, black smoke billowed up from the ground beneath him, encircling him as it wrapped around his legs.

  “What’s happening?” Chloe yelled, watching as several hideous-looking black claws materialized out of the smoke, sinking into Gregory’s leathery flesh, stark cries of pain ripping from his chest as the claws sank deep into his body.

  “He’s dying, and the Casus shades are trying to pull him back into Meridian before the witch can save him again,” Gabby shouted. “Kellan, you need to be careful! Move back!”

  He growled, starting to step back, but Gregory reached forward with his long arms and grabbed one of Kellan’s wrists. Chloe started screaming, terrified that the Casus would drag Kellan into the ring of smoke with him. While the Lycan ripped his claws across Gregory’s arm, fighting to break free, the heat in Chloe’s body intensified to a molten, pulsing fire, a breathtaking wave of power building inside her, climbing higher…and higher, until she suddenly lifted her hands again, flexing her fingers toward the Casus. And this time, instead of a powerful wind, she blasted him with white, blinding beams of light. They were like some kind of supernatural laser that scorched his leathery flesh, the power of the beams knocking him away from Kellan and deeper into the smoke, the claws now ripping into his chest.

  “Sienna, help me!” the Casus screamed, reaching toward the golden-haired witch, but she shook her head, taking a step back…and then another.

  “You can’t help me now,” she said flatly, her gaunt face devoid of emotion. “I’ll have to find another.” Then, in a flash of light, she vanished.

  “You bitch!” Gregory roared, while the black claws pulled him deeper into the smoke, digging into his leathery skin.

  “Tell your buddies in the pit we’re coming for them,” Kierland growled, and as he stepped forward, Chloe realized the witch’s hold on the others was now gone.

  “This isn’t over,” the Casus sneered, locking his hate-filled gaze with hers.

  “You’re wrong. It ends now,” Chloe told him, and in the next instant her power shot out in an explosive, shocking blast of light that knocked everyone to the ground, her own body thrown back nearly twenty feet, until she slammed painfully into a tree. As she struggled to lift her head, she saw that Gregory had vanished, nothing left but a scorched, smoking ring of fire that circled the place where he’d stood. With a shuddering breath, she managed to shift her gaze toward Kellan, who was already running toward her, but her eyes slid closed…and then there was nothing but the darkness, as soothing and calm as a tropical breeze wrapping around her….

  As if listening through a thick veil of fog, she could hear a raw sound tear from Kellan’s throat as he clutched her body against his chest, her head lolling back over his arm. “No! This isn’t… Damn it, she’s not supposed to die!” His hoarse, broken words were little more than a ravaged scrape of sound. “I’m the one meant to die. Not her!”

  “She isn’t dying,” Gabby murmured, her voice so close that Chloe realized the vampire must be kneeling on the ground beside her. Gabby’s cold hand touched her cheek, and she said, “It’s just going to take her body a few days to recoup from the strain. That was a helluva jolt of power she experienced. It would have shocked anyone’s system.”

  “Where did it come from?” he croaked, sounding as if he was crying.

  “It was her Mallory powers. Either the curse was ending on its own, or her determination to save you burned it out of her. Whatever the answer, you’re a lucky man, Kellan Scott. To create the kind of power she just did, she must love you more than her own life. And Lycan, a love like that never dies.”

  Kellan shuddered, a low groan vibrating through his body as he crushed Chloe against the heavy beat of his heart, and though she wanted to comfort him…to tell him she was okay, the darkness pulled her deeper…and she drifted away…the calming waves rolling over her head, taking her under….

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Harrow House, England

  Monday night

  IF THERE WAS ONE THING on earth that couldn’t be done, it was separating a Lycan from the woman he loved. Though the others had continuously pestered him to get some sleep and let one of them sit with Chloe for a while, Kellan refused to leave her bedside. They’d arrived back at Harrow House late the previous night…and while Olivia and Saige had been ecstatic to have their men back at home, they were all sick over Jamison. After months of conflict, the war had finally taken its toll on their group, and no one could quite believe that the young archaeologist was gone. They’d known it would only be a matter of time before they suffered casualties, but it didn’t make Jamison’s loss any easier to accept.

  And Kellan could only thank God that he hadn’t lost Chloe.

  After she’d lost consciousness in the clearing, Kellan had carried her back to the Sabin compound and placed her on the bed in his room. The next morning, when Kierland had come to check on how she was doing, he’d shocked the hell out of Kellan with a bone-crushing hug, his brother’s deep voice hoarse with emotion as he’d said, “I meant to give you one of those before, but I was too pissed at you for scaring the hell out of me.”

  A crooked grin had touched the corner of Kellan’s mouth. “And now?”

  “Still pissed,” Kierland had replied with a gritty laugh, “but happy as hell that you’re alive.”

  The group had set off for England later that morning, thanking Juliana Sabin for her help and promising to send her some much-needed supplies, then had parted ways with the Grangers once they’d made it out of the Wasteland. Just before they’d arrived back at Harrow House, Morgan had said, “Just to let you know, if you ever pull a stunt like this again, Kel
l, there’s a good chance that I’ll kill you myself.”

  Aiden and Quinn had seconded the playful threat, and Kellan had hugged Chloe closer to his chest as he said, “Don’t worry. I plan on keeping myself in one piece from here on out.”

  Though the little witch had yet to regain consciousness for any significant amount of time, she would open her eyes every now and then, giving him a tired smile before softly drifting back to sleep, her body slowly recovering from the extreme exertion of the attack she’d waged against Gregory DeKreznick. But for the past five hours, she’d been waking up more frequently, and Kellan was hopeful that it wouldn’t be long now before she had fully recovered. And in the meantime, he was enjoying their brief conversations. Just a few hours ago, she’d opened her eyes and looked around his bedroom as she’d asked, “Where am I?”

  “You’re in my room at Harrow House, honey.”

  “Sweet,” she’d murmured, her eyes already drifting closed as he’d pressed a smile into the palm of her hand.

  She’d woken up a few more times since then, and each time she’d asked a question that Kellan had done his best to answer. So far, he’d explained that they were still waiting to pick up the tracking signal for Spark, which meant that the assassin was most likely still in the Wasteland. He’d also told her that they’d heard from Garrick, and the soldier had managed to get Raine’s family safely to the Watchmen compound in Rome. She’d even asked about the death journal that they’d taken from Spark, and he’d told her that Kierland was trying to find someone who could decipher the passages that had been written in that strange, archaic language.

  But each time they talked, Chloe would drift back to sleep, and Kellan was currently praying that she would wake up for good, because there was so much he wanted to tell her. So many things he wanted to share with her. Hell, he was even excited about taking her downstairs and showing her around, knowing she was going to love living at Harrow House as much as he did. She might have been a loner for most of her life, but he knew that was only because of the curse. The time Chloe had spent with his friends in the Wasteland had shown him that she was hungry for contact with others, and he had no doubt that she was going to make strong friendships among the Watchmen. And of course, she’d have Olivia and Jamie there with her, her sister and niece nearly as desperate as Kellan was for her to fully regain consciousness.

  Sitting in a chair that he’d pulled up close to her bedside, Kellan had just taken hold of her hand, when she lifted those long lashes again, this time revealing clear, luminous eyes that no longer held that hazy veil of exhaustion. “You’re still here,” she whispered, her cheeks warming with a beautiful rush of color.

  “I’m insulted you look so surprised,” he teased with a lopsided smile. “And just so you know, I’m never leaving.”

  “Oh.” She licked her bottom lip and blinked those long, dark lashes, her provocative scent rising with the heat of her body. “You…um, look like you want to say something.”

  “I’m ready to say a lot of things,” he murmured, rubbing his thumb over her delicate knuckles, her small hand shaking in his. “You ready to hear them?”

  Her shallow breaths were starting to come a little faster. “I…I don’t know.”

  “Too bad.” Wanting to be closer to her, Kellan sat beside her on the edge of the bed and took her precious face in his hands. “God, there’s so much I want to say to you, Chloe, but I guess I’ll start with this. What I wanted to tell you before, but couldn’t, is that you’re the only woman I’ll ever want. The only one I’ll ever need. And I don’t just want you for now, like I told you I did. I want you forever. That’s what I’ve wanted all along.”

  Tears glistened in her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

  “Because I knew I was dying, and I didn’t want you to care about me.” He looked away, pulling a hand down his face as he blew out a rough breath. “Hell, that’s not true. And I refuse to lie to you. The truth is, I wanted you to care about me. I wanted it more than anything. I just…I didn’t want to make you think we had a future together, when I didn’t believe I was going to be around much longer. I thought it was all over for me, and I didn’t want you to get hurt.” He cleared his throat, and another deep, ragged breath slipped past his lips as he locked his gaze back on hers, his voice shaking as he said, “The truth is…I’ve fallen in love with you.”

  He’d expected to have an argument on his hands, thinking he would have to convince her, but she simply gave him a shy smile and whispered, “I know.”

  His brows lifted. “You know?”

  With a nod, she said, “I know it sounds crazy, but I…I saw into your heart when we were in the clearing. I saw exactly how you feel about me, Kell.”

  “What you saw inside of me,” he rasped, his heart pounding to a deep, resonating beat as he took hold of her hand again, “it’s real, Chloe. Every ounce of it. I swear it’s as real as it gets, and it doesn’t have a damn thing to do with that bloody curse.”

  “Don’t worry. I know the curse has ended, so I won’t keep throwing it in your face. But, are you sure this is what you want?” Using her free hand to push his hair back from his brow, she said, “You’re only twenty-seven, Kell. And I’ve heard it can take a Lycan years to finish sowing his oats.”

  A wry smile touched the corner of his mouth. “Trust me, honey, I got an early start. Compared to you, I’m an old man.”

  She bit her lip, looking away. “I just don’t want you to have any regrets.”

  “Chloe, look at me.”

  “I am,” she told him, bringing her gaze back to his.

  Kellan moved closer, surrounding her with his heat as he leaned over her. “No, I mean really look at me.” He waited until she was staring deep into his eyes before saying, “I love you, Chloe Harcourt. As in till death do us part. As in my fangs in your throat, the second you’re out of this bed, so that you’re marked. As mine. As something that belongs to me. Something I will kill for. Something I’m willing to die for, and I wouldn’t change anything about you. Not a single thing,” he vowed in a husky voice, his mouth suddenly kicking up with a crooked grin. “Hell, I even love it that you can kick my ass if I ever piss you off. You are one powerful little badass, sweetheart.”

  She gave a soft, breathless laugh. “Only because of you. You were my strength.”

  He gave her a quizzical smile, and she explained. “It was what I found inside of you when I looked that fully unleashed my Mallory powers. It was you, Kell. Your love was what gave me the strength to blow that jerk away.”

  “Wow,” he breathed out, his throat tight with emotion. “That’s…intense.”

  Her mouth curled with a wobbly grin. “I know.”

  “And you finally believe the curse has nothing to do with my feelings for you?” he pressed.

  “What happened in that clearing was proof that it’s over, Kell. But, even without proof, I wouldn’t have let some stupid curse keep us apart. I trust you, and I believe in you. So no matter what life throws at us, if you’re sure that you want me, I’m yours.”

  “I want you, Chloe. But…” He swallowed, then forced out the bitter words, knowing they had to be said. “But there are going to be times when you’ll hear about things that I’ve done in the past. And you won’t be proud of them. It could make a difference.”

  She shook her head, the look in her eyes damn near stealing his breath. “Anything I hear will only make me proud of the man you’ve become. No one is perfect, Kellan, and I wouldn’t want you to be. So long as you can be faithful to me, we can get through everything else.”

  “Trust me, sweetheart. Fidelity is never going to be a problem. When Lycans truly lose their hearts, they lose them forever.”

  Softly, she said, “You know, I never gave you any reason to think I didn’t find you worthy.”

  He snorted. “Yeah, well, I had plenty of reasons on my own.”

  “But all that matters is the now, Kell.”

  “Speaking of the now,�
�� he said in a low voice, his pulse suddenly picking up speed, “isn’t there something you want to tell me?”

  “Is there?” she asked, giving him an innocent blink.

  “The others, they…uh, they think you love me.”

  She smiled, but didn’t say anything, and a deep groan vibrated in his chest. “Damn it, I’m not too proud to beg,” he rasped, staring deep into her beautiful eyes. “I want your love, Chloe. I want it more than anything. And I know…I know I might be flawed as hell, that you deserve better, but damn it, I can’t let anyone else have you, because there’s no one else who’s ever going to love you the way that I do.”

  Her smile trembled, her eyes flooding with tears. “Then it’s a good thing I fell madly in love with you days ago.”

  Kellan’s head spun in reaction, and he had to press his forehead against hers, his breathing choppy and hard as he tried to take it all in. Despite what Gabby had told him, he’d been afraid to let himself believe that Chloe might actually love him, too. It was simply too good to be true—and yet, he’d seen the truth shining in her eyes just now, when she’d given him the breathtaking words. It’d been there before, but he’d been too blind to see it. Too stubborn. But not anymore. “God, you have no idea how good it feels to hear you say that.”

  “Why are you surprised?” she whispered, gently placing her cool hand on the hot skin at the back of his neck. “I would have thought it was pretty obvious how I feel about you.”

  “You never said anything,” he grunted, fighting for control, when all he wanted was to rip the sheet away from her sweet little body…and show her just how badly he wanted her, his cock already hard and aching.

  “Well, I’m saying it now. I love you, Kellan Scott. I love you so much it hurts.”

  “God, that sounds sweet. Don’t stop now,” he rumbled, pulling her into his arms as he lay down beside her. “Keep it coming. I could live off this stuff. It’s like manna from heaven.”