Dark Promises 2: Demonic Obsession

by Elisa Adams

  “I’m not leaving Ellie,” Charlotte said, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “Leave.” Sam’s eyes glowed red as he spoke the word. Charlotte squealed and turned, running in the opposite direction.

  “Go after her before she hurts herself,” Sam directed.

  Eric stayed only long enough to watch Sam pull a dagger out of a sheath on his belt before he took off after Charlotte, trying not to think about what Sam planned to do with the dagger.

  * * * * *

  “You should have stayed with her,” Sam told Eric as they settled Ellie into bed several hours later. “Or put someone on her. She’s too strong-willed for her own good, going off like that.”

  Eric looked at him, ready to tear his throat out. “Don’t you think I know that? I would have, if I hadn’t had a job to do.”

  “If you’d called sooner, I would have sent someone to help. You know damned well you can always call if you need me. It isn’t like you to be so impulsive.”

  “I didn’t realize how bad it was until this happened.”

  “Aiala set her up.” Sam paused to tuck a strand of Ellie’s hair behind her ear. The small gesture made jealousy rise sharp and strong in Eric. “She set us all up.”

  Eric nodded.

  “Is Ellie going to accept what I’ve made her?”

  “She’d better. She doesn’t have much choice.” Eric sat on the edge of the bed and ran his fingers down Ellie’s cheek. She was so cold. “She’s strong. She’ll be okay.”

  Sam nodded. He started to walk out of the room, but turned back when he reached the door. “You love her, don’t you?”

  Eric sighed heavily. “Yes, I do.” That was something he hadn’t even admitted to himself, not until he’s seen what Antonio had done to her. Now he knew for sure that there was no way he was ever going to let her go.

  “It will be fine, Eric.” Sam spoke slowly and carefully. “Everything happens for a reason.”

  Eric thought about the charm Ellie wore. Something clicked inside him for the first time since he’d met her. “You knew, didn’t you?”

  Sam didn’t speak, just frowned.

  “I don’t know how you knew, but you did. You knew Ellie was my mate. That’s why you sent me to do a job that should have gone to Liam.”

  “Yes, I knew. I’ve known for years.”

  Eric closed his eyes and fought back the urge to ram Sam’s face into the nearest hard object. In cat-speak, Sam was what was known as a Keeper—a cat who was given visions of the future of others, along with the means to manipulate fate to see that things happened the way they were supposed to. It chilled him to think that Sam had known all along what the outcome of this situation would be. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

  “I couldn’t. It wasn’t time.”

  “How can you be so calm about this? She died, Sam.”

  Sam nodded slowly, remorse filling his gaze. “If I’d known the way this would come about, I would have told you. But I didn’t know it would be this bad.” He sighed, turning his attention to Ellie’s motionless body. “She was chosen for you years ago, when she was just a child. I know you won’t believe this now, but together you’re destined to do great things for humanity.”

  “Yeah, sure.” Eric turned his attention back to Ellie, wishing she’d just open her eyes and give him a sign that she was okay. He knew it could be days before she woke, but that didn’t make waiting any easier. “Come on, sweetheart.” He kissed her forehead. She didn’t even stir.

  “She lost a lot of blood.” Sam said. “A lot. She’ll wake up when she’s ready.”

  Eric looked up at him.

  “She’s been pretty much drained. Doesn’t have much human blood left. It’s going to get violent.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “We’ll have to tie her down once it begins, or she might kill herself with her thrashing.”

  Eric shook his head. He couldn’t believe this was happening. He’d seen terrible things in his life, and they’d never affected him. With Ellie, everything seemed new. He didn’t know if he could handle watching her change. Seeing her in the throws of so much pain would kill him. “What am I supposed to do? How can I help her?”

  “You just have to wait it out. I’ve done what I can, and you just have to let the curse take care of the rest.”

  Eric nodded. He hoped like hell that Ellie would fight her way through this.

  “Can I do anything to ease the pain for her?”

  Sam shook his head slowly. “There’s nothing. She may heal, and she may not. Most people would die after a wound like that.”

  “Can you do something?”

  “No.” Sam shook his head sadly. “I wish I could, Eric, I really do, but she’s going to have to get through this on her own. Right now, you need to take a break and get something to eat. Your girl’s going to be a cat by the time she wakes from this. She’s going to need you, and you’ll have to be strong.”

  With that, Sam walked out of the room, leaving Eric to stew in his own guilt yet again.

  * * * * *

  “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  Eric snapped awake at the sound of the voice next to him. He blinked his eyes, trying to focus on the small form. He smiled when he realized who it was. “Hey, Merida.”

  “Sam told me you brought your woman here, and that she was sick. What’s going on?” Eric’s sister pulled a chair next to his and sat, crossing her legs on the seat. Her auburn hair was pulled back into a high ponytail, making her look about twenty years old.

  “She’s not sick. She died.” He knew his voice sounded desolate, but he couldn’t help it.

  “But Sam brought her back. If he hadn’t, she wouldn’t be here.”

  He laughed bitterly. “Yeah, right. We’ll see how she feels when she wakes up and realizes her former life is over. She’s very much a creature of habit, Merida. She’s not going to accept this.”

  Merida smiled and wrinkled her freckled nose. “I think you may be underestimating her. Give her time. She’ll need it. But she’ll come around. How can she not when she has a guy like you guiding her?”

  He hoped that would be true. He allowed her a small smile. “You’re just biased.”

  “Not everyone would do what you did to raise an annoying baby sister, Eric. Don’t ever forget that. Now back to my original question. What do you need me to do?”

  “Nothing. Stay here, stay safe.”

  “I want to go to Stone Harbor and get that jerk.”

  Eric shook his head. “I’m not going to put you in that kind of danger. Antonio’s long gone. He’d already taken off before I could get to him. Aiala isn’t someone I want you messing with. Even wounded, she’s a nasty bitch.”

  She scoffed at that in typical Merida fashion. “It’s not your decision to make. Sam’s already okayed it. I’m leaving soon. I just wanted to come and see her before I left.”

  “I absolutely forbid—”

  Merida held up her hand to stop him. “Think before you forbid, Eric. You have enough going on. You don’t need to add a couple of broken bones to your list.”

  He nearly laughed aloud. She was serious. And she could do it. His sister didn’t look like she could defeat a housefly, but he’d seen her take down men three times her size with relative ease. He knew she could—and would—defend herself, but he still didn’t want to see her get hurt. He’d tried to forbid her to work for Sam when she’d gotten old enough, but she’d reacted the way she always did. She’d laughed at him. He had to admire her strength of character, but he still didn’t want to see her get in over her head.

  He also didn’t want her subjected to Antonio and Aiala, but what could he do? She was already set to go, and as much as he hated to admit it, he really had no control over her. None at all.

  “She’s pretty,” Merida said absently, twirling a curl that had escaped her ponytail around her finger. For a Panthicenos, her light coloring was unusual. It was close to albino, as far as cats w
ent. The coloring combined with the underlying sense of power was an intriguing combination. When she’d been a teenager…he hated to even think of that. Men noticed her wherever she went. Even Sam had noticed, but he knew Eric would beat him to within in inch of his life if he laid one finger on Merida.

  “If you insist on going, I guess I can’t stop you.” He smiled sadly, hoping the tragedies had stopped, at least for a little while. “Be careful, though. Don’t do anything stupid.”

  She laughed at that. “Stupid is such a relative word. I’ll be careful. You take care of your woman. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be in touch.” She kissed him softly on the cheek before she turned and walked out of the room.

  Chapter 17

  Ellie opened her eyes slowly, gradually becoming aware that something pressed against her lips. She moaned softly and forced her eyes open. It was a straw. She took a sip, and the salty taste made her nauseated.

  “Drink. It will make you feel better.”

  “Eric?” Slowly he came into focus.

  A smile spread across his handsome face. “Hey. I was beginning to think you’d never wake up.”

  “How long have I been out?”

  “A couple of days. You’ve been in and out of it, awake enough at times for me to make sure you got fed.”

  She managed a small laugh, her voice rusty from disuse. “I thought I was dead.”

  He was silent for a long time. Too long. When he spoke, she had to strain to hear him. “Actually, you were.”

  She swallowed hard. She must have heard him wrong. She couldn’t have died—she wouldn’t be here now if she had. It simply wasn’t possible. “Am I in the hospital?”

  “No. There was no time.” He tried to force the straw between her lips again. “Please drink some more, Ellie. You need all the nourishment you can get. You’re healing well, but it’s still going to be a couple of days before you feel like your old self.”

  Well, that relieved her. She couldn’t believe she’d thought he said she’d died. Whatever happened to her must have affected her hearing. She sucked on the straw, but the taste of the liquid was strange. She coughed as it hit her tongue. “What is that?”

  Eric stood up and set the mug on a nearby table. He sighed heavily. “It’s soup. Just chicken broth.”

  “Why does it taste funny?”

  He glanced at her quickly before he looked away.

  “What is it that you’re not telling me?”

  It took a while for suspicion to sink into her injury-fogged mind, but when it did, it hit with the force of an explosion. “What did you do, Eric?”

  “I did what had to be done, in order to save your life. I had to make the decision quickly, and I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you when I could have prevented what happened.”

  “Did he really hurt me that badly?”

  Eric nodded, his mouth set in a grim line. “Unfortunately, yes. He tore your neck apart.”

  Her hand flew to her neck to feel for an injury. What she felt was the smooth line of a scar. “I thought you said I was only out for a couple of days?”

  “That’s all it takes for you to heal now.”

  She drew in a deep breath, catching the scent of the soup in the mug. How could she smell that from this far away? “How? What did you do, have Royce or Marco turn me into a vampire?” She braced herself for the answer, not sure how she felt about it all. If she’d wanted to turn, she would have asked Marco years ago. But what other explanation could there be?

  “I wish it were as simple as that.” He paused. “No, Ellie. You’re not a vampire.”

  “Then what am I?”

  “You died that night, Ellie.” He shook his head. “I would have given anything to save your human life, but fate obviously had other plans.”

  “My human life?” Her mouth went dry and her pulse sped up, the blood pounding in her ears. “What am I?”

  “You’ll be weak for a while. Your body didn’t react well to the change. I had to restrain you to keep you from hurting yourself.”

  She looked at her wrists, lightly bruised with ligature marks. It sickened her.

  “I didn’t want to do it,” he said softly. “I wouldn’t have done it if it wasn’t a necessity.”

  Every muscle in her body ached. “I can only imagine.”

  He shook his head. “Not in your wildest dreams. It nearly killed me to watch you go through it and know I couldn’t do a thing to ease your pain.”

  “I was told it wasn’t painful at all.” Her mind drifted to what Amara had told her.

  “The change from human to vampire is not. The change you’ve undergone is very different.” He smiled sadly. “Sam saved your life.”

  “Sam?” This was entirely too dreamlike for her to accept. “What exactly did he have to do to save me?”

  “He had to bring you back to life.” Eric sighed heavily, and she wished he’d just get on with it. “He had to…in order to save you, Sam had to curse you.”

  “Curse? Oh, okay.” She was still waiting to wake up from this incredibly strange dream. “So I’m a zombie or something? Living dead?”

  “Humans cannot become Panthicenos unless they are cursed,” he blurted, but his admission didn’t make her feel any better. “You’re a cat now, Ellie. I’m sorry.”

  “No.” He had to be lying. She didn’t want this. She wanted her old life back—her house, her family, her painting. This couldn’t be happening.

  “We’ll talk about it a little more when you’ve had a chance to recover,” Eric said, his voice breaking through her hysteria. “I want you to know that I never would have consented to this, if it hadn’t been the only way.”

  She shivered at the thought. “Do you want me to thank you or something?”

  The darkness in his expression frightened her. “No, I don’t expect your thanks.”

  “Tony meant to kill me.”

  Eric stared at her for a few seconds before he stood and paced the length of the room. “No, I don’t think he did.”

  “He took most of my blood!”

  “Antonio isn’t in control of himself. Aiala meant to kill you.” He paused again, looking at her sadly. “He called me, Ellie. He told me exactly where I could find you.”

  “Why would he do that?”

  “He did as he was told. Aiala wanted revenge, and this was her way to get it.” He shook his head. “I’m so sorry I dragged you into all of this.”

  “It wasn’t just you. He told me she wanted to hurt you, but also Marco and Royce.”

  “And you’d be the perfect victim.” He came back over to the bed and sat down, brushing his fingers through her hair. “How are you feeling?”

  “Tired.” Her life had changed so thoroughly and completely she didn’t think she’d ever recover.

  “We’ll give you a couple more days to rest, but then we’ve got a lot of things to discuss. You’ll have to learn to control yourself so you don’t slip into other forms unknowingly.”

  “Other forms? Excuse me. I think I’m going to pass out.” She took a deep breath. Why did she feel like she’d been sucked into one of Amara’s horror movies? “I can’t handle this. I don’t want to change into anything.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be there for you, for whatever you need. Or Sam could show you, if you want him to. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind. All you’d have to do is ask.”

  She didn’t miss the disdain in his voice when he said Sam’s name. “What’s the problem you have with the man? Didn’t he save my life?”

  Eric nodded, jealousy flashing in his eyes.

  “Oh, I get it now. You think because he saved my life, I’m going to run off with him.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “You didn’t have to. Sometimes you’re entirely too easy to read.” She shifted in the massive bed. “I’ve never even met the guy. I talked to him on the phone once. There’s no chance of me leaving you for him.”

  Eric looked a little relieved, but she still s
aw worry shadowing his gaze. “You’ve got a lot to learn, sweetheart. You’re going to have to stay here with him for a while.”

  “What about you?”

  “I’ll stay, too, if that would make you happy.”

  “Let me put it this way. If you don’t stay, I won’t stay, either. I go where you go, Eric Malcolm, so you’d better get used to it.” That, at least, earned her a small smile. He really was worried about Sam.

  He laughed uneasily. “We’ll talk so much more about this a little later. Now you need to eat a little and take a nap.”

  “I’ve been napping for days,” she protested even as fatigue hit her hard. “I’d rather get up and get moving.”

  “No. You stay in bed for at least another day.” His smile this time was genuine.

  “How much longer do you think it will be before I’m well?”

  “Not long at all. You’ll heal much quicker now, in any situation.”

  She did feel different, but she couldn’t quite explain it. It had something to do with her energy, and the way it moved through her body more noticeably now. “Why did you say you had to give Sam consent to save me?”

  He took a deep breath. “We haven’t known each other that long. I don’t want to rush you.”

  “Please tell me.”

  He smiled. “I can’t imagine being without you. When cats find their true mate, it’s for life. It’s a stronger bond than marriage, than even love.”

  “And that’s what you feel for me?”

  He didn’t answer, but his eyes said it all. “We’ll talk more about it in a couple of days. Now I want you to get some rest.”

  He stood up and brushed a kiss over her forehead. The thought that he planned to leave her alone made her suddenly panicky. She clung to his arm, not wanting to be by herself with what he’d just told her.

  “Where are you going?”

  “I have some things to take care of, and you really do need to sleep.”

  “No. Please stay.” Even as she spoke, she felt herself begin to fade. Her body had been through a lot, and it was starting to go into standby mode without her consent. “Come back soon, please,” she said as her eyes drifted closed.