“I’m scared, Elijah,” she finally said, wiping away the tears from her cheeks.
The sound of his name coming from her lips for the first time sent a wave of pure bliss to the centre of his heart. He turned and glanced at her. He desperately wanted to pull the vehicle over to the side of the highway, pull her into his arms, and kiss her deeply. Allow his tongue to taste every inch of her mouth and let her know how desperately he had started to care for her. He smiled at the thought of bringing her pleasure from his mouth, kissing her down her beautiful smooth neck.
“I know, sweetheart, but we will be at the compound soon. My brothers and I will ensure that they will not have another chance, I promise,” Elijah said softly.
His words sent some comfort through her but she still felt petrified, not only from the men that were following her but also for the men she was about to meet. She sighed. This was going to be a very long day and she was already exhausted. She laid her head against the headrest and closed her eyes as she let the sun warm her, trying desperately to hold onto any sense of reality that was fast escaping her.
Chapter 10
James was livid as he ran through the trees and across the path that led up the right side of the building. His boots exploded against the concrete as he stormed toward the SUV. Tyler had taken a shot at her and he was going to kill the bastard. As he approached the vehicle, he raised his hand and landed a full on punch straight into the guy’s face, sending him crashing against the vehicle and onto the floor.
“You fucking idiot, what did I say!” James shouted, his voice loud and laced with vengeance.
“What! Just thought I would have a bit of target practice,” Tyler replied with a smile as blood oozed from the corner of his mouth.
James saw red, anger flaring at how close the man had come to shooting her. How dare he go against orders. He could have killed her and James would never have been able to live knowing she was dead. He grabbed hold of Tyler’s T-shirt and pulled him up until he was almost touching James’s face.
“I told you not to fire. Harvey wants them alive and you could have blown it all, just for your own gratification, you sick bastard!” James spat at him, trying his best to keep any sign of his own distress from showing to the guy.
“What’s the problem? Dead or alive, means nothing to me,” Tyler said flippantly.
James threw the guy to the floor. He felt sick at the thought that he may have hurt her.
“She’s a pretty one isn’t she? Wouldn’t mind showing her some of my action,” Tyler boasted as he picked himself up off the floor.
James pulled his gun from his holster and shoved it right into the guy’s face.
“You so much as lay a finger on her and I will blow your head right off your shoulders,” James threatened, knowing that he was just in the mood to take his frustration out on him without a moment’s hesitation.
“Fancy a bit of her arse yourself, eh?” Tyler chided James as he wiped the blood from his mouth with his jacket.
James turned and walked back to his SUV, knowing that if he stayed anywhere near the sick bastard that he would pound him to a pulp. He was such a twisted son of a bitch it disgusted him. He opened the door to the SUV and reached for the small black box. He opened it and watched as the red light flashed. At least she had gotten away safely. He would now have to call Harvey and explain that they had escaped. He drew in a long breath as he picked up the cell and dialled The Phoenix Headquarters. He held it close to his ear as he heard the voice of his superior.
“She has made contact but they got away. I have fucking idiots working with me, Tyler tried to shoot them!” James spoke, trying to void his tone from any emotion.
“Use the tracker and follow her. Let me know where she has been taken,” Harvey replied, his anger evident at yet another failed mission.
“What shall I do with Tyler?” James asked, fully aware of Harvey’s views on idiots such as him.
“Send him back. I will deal with him directly,” Harvey stated and James had an idea just how Harvey would deal with that particular problem. James had no doubt in his mind that he would not be seeing Tyler again and good riddance. He had put her in danger and James didn’t want anyone on his team that would not follow his orders. He climbed into the SUV and placed the box on the passenger seat as he started the engine and turned the SUV in the direction that she had gone. He would find her and protect her no matter what it took. He had to. She meant everything to him.
* * * *
Harvey sat at his desk, reading through the latest data from the labs. There had been some progress in separating the samples but they had still not succeeded in transferring the genes without causing severe side effects to the hosts.
It frustrated him at the amount of time and money this was taking and not affording him the results he so desperately wanted. He would have to make another visit there and put on the pressure, but that took time, time that could be better spent tracking the female. He laid the data sheet back on the desk.
James’s call earlier that morning was just another example of his failure to trust others to do the job right. In his frustration, he had thrown the cell across the room, smashing it against the wall, leaving a nasty hole in the plaster. He had cursed at the guy’s complete incompetence in capturing them both and bringing them to the Headquarters. If they continued to fail, he would have to go and get her himself and that was not something he wanted to do unless he had to. He had to ensure that they never found out who he really was. It could cost him his life and he wasn’t prepared to die after all this time because of some asshole who couldn’t keep control of his own desire to kill.
He leant back in his chair and stared at the door. Tyler would arrive soon and he had spent the day considering how he was going to deal with the asshole. Tyler had gone against direct orders and Harvey was not going to let that go without making the guy pay. She was the link that he had been waiting for and Tyler had nearly blown it all because of his stupidity.
Tyler arrived back at the Headquarters just as the sun set behind the tall, snow-covered cedar trees that lined the back of the Headquarters. The journey had been long and boring, the roads treacherous, and he ended up taking the main roads to avoid snow drifts that had formed over the last couple of days. James had given him instruction to return and explain his actions to Harvey and he was more than a little worried as to what was going to go down. He had known that firing at her had probably not been the best idea he’d had of late, but the desire to fire at them had been too much for him to fight. He would have to try and make Harvey see that it was just a stupid mistake that he had no intention of repeating. He entered the Headquarters, made his way up the long, winding staircase, and walked down the corridor that led to Harvey’s office. The floor of the corridor had a smooth, deep oak varnish that created an echo which resonated around him as his boots made contact with the surface. The large heavyset door to the office had been left open as he approached and knocked.
Harvey looked in his direction with a cool stare as he entered the room.
Tyler stood, waiting for Harvey to speak. “Sir, James sent me back to talk to you about the incident this morning,” Tyler said, unable to read the look on Harvey’s face.
“Do you think I give orders, just so you can make a choice as to whether to follow them or not?” Harvey asked, considering whether Tyler would try and justify his actions.
“Look, I know it wasn’t the wisest decision to fire at them but they were trying to get away,” Tyler replied, knowing it was not the best excuse he had come up with.
Harvey continued to stare at Tyler as he stood from his chair and walked around the edge of the desk. The guy was such a weasel and had no honour. “I don’t think you fully understand the importance of your orders. You were told to bring them to me,” Harvey said, his voice deep and threatening.
“I know, but you were going to kill them anyway. I thought I would just do the job for you. Save you some time, you know,” Tyler st
ated, aware that Harvey was moving closer to him.
Before Tyler could take a step backward, Harvey crossed the room and grabbed Tyler by the throat, lifting him clean off his feet. Tyler gasped, clawing at the strong muscular arms that were dangling him three feet from the floor, his eyes bulging in fear as he fought for breath.
“You think an insignificant piece of scum such as yourself can make decisions for me and ruin plans that I have spent years organising, just for you to go and fuck things up at the last minute? You are here to carry out what I tell you to. Don’t ever forget that!” Harvey warned as he threw Tyler through the air, sending him crashing into the wall beside the door.
Tyler landed hard, smashing his back against the solid wall. He gasped for air as pain flooded his head from the contact with the doorframe. Feeling dizzy and disorientated, his throat throbbed and he coughing violently. Pain seared through his shoulders as he tried to sit up and winced at the stabbing sensation that travelled down into his ribcage. He couldn’t believe the strength of the guy. He had moved so fast and lifted him off the floor with such ease that it shocked him. The guy was dangerous and could have killed him with his bare hands. He bent forward and tried to get up, wavering slightly as he lent on his knees to try and regain his balance.
“I wasn’t trying to ruin any plans. I thought I would just help out,” Tyler spoke, coughing.
“I need people I can trust, people who can carry out my orders without question. I will not tolerate anyone who takes things into their own hands. Do you understand me?” Harvey stated, not concerned that he had come close to cutting off the guy’s air supply.
Harvey walked back to the desk and leant against it, watching as the pathetic excuse of a soldier stood up and rubbed at his throat. Harvey hoped that he had made his point and next time, if Tyler tried to think for himself, Harvey would kill him outright.
“I have been thinking about what to do with you. You may be a loose cannon but you do have a thirst for fighting, which I could use for what’s about to come,” Harvey said as he walked around his desk and sat down in his chair.
“What do you want me to do?” Tyler asked, feeling lucky to be alive but aware that this was not going to be a choice he could walk away from.
Harvey opened the left drawer of the desk and pulled out a small black box. He threw it at Tyler, who winced as his left arm raised to catch it. His back still hurt from the impact with the wall. Tyler opened the lid and watched the small red light flash.
“I want you to find the female. This time I want you to bring her and the male she has with her to me. Do you think you can follow this very simple instruction?” Harvey asked, his voice hard and condescending.
“But I thought that’s what you had sent James to do?” Tyler replied, a little confused as to why he needed him to go, too.
Harvey stared at Tyler with annoyance. The guy’s questioning was getting on his nerves and if he didn’t turn around and walk out the door then Harvey would go over there and finish the job he had started.
Tyler sensed that the conversation was over and turned, walking hastily out of the office. He’d had a lucky escape and the pain that continued to pound in his head reminded him of the mistake he had made going up against Harvey. Not a mistake that he would consider making again. He walked down the stairs and out onto the ice-covered parking lot, back to his SUV, as he mused over Harvey’s orders. Why did he want a second search for the woman? It made no sense, and Harvey wasn’t exactly forthcoming with answers to his questions. Maybe he didn’t trust James to do the job properly. Whatever the reason, this was a good result for him. Now he could get his hands on the woman, show her a good time, and get revenge on James for the lucky punch he had delivered earlier. He started the engine and drove through the security gate, out onto the main road. As he opened the little black box to check on the direction of the small flashing light, he smiled. Time to start having some fun.
Chapter 11
Jasmine woke feeling stiff as she twisted in the seat of the SUV. She hadn’t been able to get comfy or rest her knees against anything without feeling sharp, stabbing pains from the bruising that was beginning to make an appearance. She had dozed on and off, listening to music, and her stomach had even rumbled on several occasions, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten at all. She was now absolutely starving and couldn’t wait to grab something to eat.
She stared out of the window at the changing scenery. When she had fallen asleep, they had been on the highway, the sun strong and high in the sky, but now the sky was covered with the grey heaviness of snow clouds. They were driving down a winding forest road that was curving its way through tall, snow-covered pine trees that seemed to cover the ground in all directions. Snow lay in mounds at the side of the road, obviously having been pushed there by the snowplows, and small pools of water lay on the tarmac where salt had been laid to melt any ice made in the overnight frosts.
The wintery view of the forest had surprised her, a stark difference from the beautiful ocean near the boathouse, and it looked bitterly cold. Goose pimples crept across her skin, making the soft auburn hairs at the back of her neck stand on end. The thought of stepping outside in the skimpy shorts and vest-top she was wearing made her shiver as she pulled her arms around to hug herself and she glanced across at Elijah.
He was purely stunning. Even in the fading light his short, dark hair and amazingly strong facial features made her groan with desire. He could make it as a top model in New York any day with those looks. She felt a slight air of jealousy at the thought of women throwing themselves at him. His piecing blue eyes that were fixed on the road ahead glinted with such clarity it took her breath away, but it was his lips that drew Jasmine’s eyes. The sexy curve of his smile had her melting inside. God, she wanted to kiss those beautiful pink lips, lick them, and taste him in her mouth. The thought had her shifting in her seat as heat began to build in her pussy, tingling her clit with a desire to be touched by him. Heat flushed her skin as her cheeks began to glow.
“Hi, beautiful. You okay?” Elijah spoke, glad that she had managed to get some rest.
Jasmine smiled. She felt much better, was much more relaxed, and didn’t feel as scared now that they were far away from the incident at the boathouse.
“Yep, feeling much better after that doze. A bit hungry now though. How about you?” Jasmine asked, hoping that there would be somewhere to stop and grab a bite to eat.
Elijah smiled. It was sweet of her to ask how he was but he wasn’t going to let her in on the fact that he had spent the last several hours berating himself over the danger that he had allowed her to be in. He had failed her and he felt angry that he had not protected her, not woken her earlier so they could have left the boathouse before the males arrived. He would make sure that it didn’t happen again, ever, and that was all there was to it.
He was glad that she seemed more relaxed, and it wouldn’t be long before they arrived at the compound and into the safety of his home. “Definitely could manage some food right now. Your stomach has been telling me it requires some food for a while now,” Elijah joked.
Jasmine giggled. “I’m so sorry about that. When it’s neglected it makes a right fuss and is not quiet about it either.”
“That’s okay, sweetheart, we’ll get you something to eat shortly. We will be at the compound soon,” Elijah said with a laugh.
It was lovely to hear Elijah’s laugh and it made Jasmine smile. She didn’t quite understand the feeling that was building inside her but his joy and pleasure meant a lot to her.
“How far away are we?” Jasmine asked, her stomach growling again in protest at the starvation that it was being subjected to.
“About fifteen minutes away. Don’t worry, everything will be okay,” Elijah said softly, knowing that she must be feeling anxious at meeting the other members of The Order.
“I’m okay, really I am. If they’re anything like you then I know I will be safe. Thank you for saving my life, Elijah,” Jasmine s
poke from her heart.
Elijah’s heart melted at her gratitude. She had thanked him with such conviction that Elijah felt humbled. He would do anything to keep her safe and even put his own life on the line if that’s what it took. His need to take care of her was something that had overtaken him, controlled him, and became the very core of his existence.
The connection between them that had built in such a short space of time was beyond anything that he could have understood, but it was there, strong and fierce, and nothing was ever going to break it. He wanted to be with her always, to be close enough to breathe in that sweet alluring scent of hers, to touch her soft satin skin, and taste every inch of her body. He wanted to share his life with her, his history, and learn everything about her.
“The members of The Order are all males. We have no females at the compound. They are all very much like me, tall and muscular, but they are kind and loyal,” Elijah explained, hoping that a bit of information about them would make them less scary for her when she met them.
Jasmine considered her next question carefully. She didn’t want to offend Elijah but she was curious. “Do they all speak like you?” she asked, hoping he wouldn’t take offence.
Elijah chucked. He understood her curiosity and it had not been the first time he had been asked. When Luca had arrived at the compound, he’d pretty much said the same thing, that Elijah spoke funny and spoke like he came from a different time.
“I have been around for quite a time and have seen many changes in the way others speak. I have learnt many different languages, including some old dialect from my people. They spoke in a unique way and I suppose that I have picked it up over time,” Elijah explained. He hadn’t taken offence and found it quite sweet that she had noticed such a small detail about him. It wasn’t something that he ever thought about.
Carlisle, Abbie - Elijah's Vow [The Order of the Mist] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 7
