Kiss of Darkness

by Loribelle Hunt

  Chapter Fourteen

  Gia gritted her teeth as she felt Luke push at her shields again and looked around trying to spot him. He was deep in conversation with Brady, one of the Order’s historians, but jerked his head over to meet her gaze. She felt hunted. No, that wasn’t right. The hunt was over; she was pinned, trapped. How could she have let this happen?

  She wrenched her gaze away and concentrated on helping Winter, but that was wince-inducing too. She shouldn’t have been so secretive about Luke with Winter. Mostly because of their friendship. She’d found a way around the demon’s hold on her soul, and it had been cruel and selfish to keep that secret from Winter.

  His being a nightwalker was almost worse. It wasn’t forbidden by the Order, but she suspected that was because it had never happened before. Or if it had both parties had gone out of their way to keep their relationship private. In all her years in the Order, and she’d grown up with them since both of her parents were hybrids, she’d never heard of one instance. If she’d discovered one of her juniors was involved with a walker, she’d be worried about them compromising the Order. Most walkers were strong telepaths. Luke was certainly a stronger telepath than her—her major power was telekinesis—which was why she’d insisted he not enter her mind in the beginning. Someone with that much power could influence a person’s thoughts, their actions.

  She didn’t blame Winter for being angry and hurt at all, but she wasn’t sure she’d do it differently if she could go back.

  Stop it, Winter said. It’s done now and we have too many other things to focus on.

  Gia sighed. We’re okay then? The last thing she wanted was to screw up that friendship.

  Like a man could mess up a sixty-year-old friendship? Winter’s mental reply was light and breezy. The power of her mind was pure and cool and Gia didn’t argue as Winter siphoned off some of her worry and let it float away. Then she was gone, leaving Gia to her anxious organization.

  Before coming to Charles’s compound she’d stopped at Winter’s office and searched quickly, almost frantically, for a long-forgotten list of Order safe houses, something she should have done as soon as they found out about Winter’s promotion. Every region was required to maintain emergency safe houses, but she bet the other areas had neglected theirs just as badly.

  Gripping the clipboard, she forced herself not to flinch when one of the younger hybrids flashed into being in front of her. She had the younger ones checking out the old houses and reporting which were habitable and not, which were defensible or not. He made his report, she made a check mark next to the address on her clipboard, and sent him off to the next place.

  From the corner of her eye, she saw Winter step closer and get in Robert’s face as their argument escalated. Winter was careful to modulate her voice so it didn’t carry. Robert wasn’t so cautious. Even if she didn’t already know what the fight was about, it’d be impossible to miss now. Robert was this quadrant’s commander and he was pissed. She rolled her eyes. Understatement of the century.

  “When is someone going to intervene in that?”

  She jumped at the voice that came from over her shoulder and she spun around. Marcus. Cocking her head to one side, she studied him. He was a curiosity. He was nothing like Luke. She hadn’t known they were twins, but she did know he was Luke’s brother. She felt bad for not telling Winter but she’d been keeping her…involvement with him as quiet as possible. Luke looked at her again and she scowled back. He’d made it very obvious secret wasn’t working for him anymore.

  Marcus cleared his throat and she looked up at him again. Did they have to be so damned tall? And what did he want? She winced a little when she heard Winter raise her voice, almost yelling when she asked Robert if he thought he could do a better job and the idiot responded yes. She faced their small circle again and answered the nightwalker who stood stiffly at her side.

  “Winter can handle herself. Dupree’s there if she needs any assistance.”

  She nodded to where Dupree hovered nearby, careful not to step into a conversation that should have been private but close enough to help if necessary. If Marcus heard her, he didn’t acknowledge it. He stepped forward and she grabbed his arm to stop him. Luke’s fury rolled over her, but she didn’t turn to look at him until she noticed Marcus concentrating on her. He carefully removed her fingers, which were suddenly gripping hard enough to bruise, from his arm.

  “You should be very careful for the next several weeks. Don’t touch any males, especially where my brother can see it,” he said softly.

  He was gone so fast she didn’t see him move though she knew he hadn’t teleported. When she looked he was standing next to Winter, arms crossed over his chest, glaring at the quadrant leaders standing around her. Gia shook her head. Winter could handle him; she had her own issues. Issue. And she was going to find him and give him a piece of her mind.

  That turned out to be unnecessary because when she turned to look for him he was in front of her. She felt him pushing at her shields again, demanding entrance into her mind, and she sucked in a deep breath while shoring up her walls. He crowded close to her, caught her around the lower back when she tried to retreat.

  “Let me in, Gia,” he whispered, his breath warm against her neck as he spoke, his masculine scent filling her nostrils.

  Her knees went weak as she responded to his proximity but she shook her head no. He’d made the rules clear when they began their affair. He wouldn’t be around long, he’d said. He didn’t do long term, didn’t do commitments, he’d said.

  And she hadn’t cared.

  She’d only been concerned with controlling her demon, with feeding the demands of her demon. A sexy nightwalker who lavished her body with attention was the perfect solution despite being temporary. Neither had realized at the time that his feeding from her, leaching off that excess energy would be as effective as bonding herself to someone. For the first time in years, she’d experienced relief, but had steeled herself against the day the struggle would return, when he decided he’d had enough of her.

  She’d barricaded her heart too, but that was a wall that hadn’t held. If she dropped her shields, let him into her mind, he would see how much he meant to her. See that it was too late for her. She let fury mask her fear of discovery. It fueled the demon, gave her strength and with a glare, she shoved him away.

  They’d agreed in the beginning he wouldn’t have access to her mind. Agreed either one of them could walk away whenever they chose. She wouldn’t, couldn’t do that and knew she’d be shattered when he eventually did.

  “We had an agreement. Don’t try to change the rules now, Luke.”

  He stared down at her with absolutely no expression on his face. She only knew he was deeply angry because she felt it rolling off him in waves. “Things have changed.”

  Exasperated, she threw her hands up in the air and tried to pace away but she didn’t get far. He grabbed her elbow and pulled her back, pulled her to him. Her body pressed close against his and she struggled against the urge to snuggle closer. He had the power to destroy her. She squeezed her eyes shut and rested her forehead against his chest.

  “Things have changed,” he whispered again, his low sexy voice sending tendrils of fire licking through her veins.

  She sighed. They’d had this argument already tonight. Several times. He was like a broken record or a CD set to replay over and over again. She had to end this, had to walk away before he did permanent damage to her heart. Stepping back, she met his gaze not sure if she could, not sure if she had the strength to walk away.

  One of the hybrids she’d sent out flashed back into the courtyard and she exhaled her relief. The conversation could be avoided for a little while longer. She had work to do, even he couldn’t argue that under the circumstances.

  “I have work to do,” she said, already walking away.

  “This conversation isn’t over, Gia,” he said softly behind her.

  Her back stiffened as she moved, as she forced
her heart to harden. Yes it was. It was definitely over.

  The nightwalker called Luke was not for her.

  Not really.

  Not forever.

  Ignoring the knot in her stomach and the small, buried part of her crying out its pain, she went back to work, went back to the things she could control.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Feeling battered by exhaustion, Winter checked her office clock on the wall. 4:00 a.m. The sun would be up in a couple of hours and normally she’d go to bed shortly after that. Demons were night creatures and a hybrid’s schedule followed those they hunted. But not today. They’d relocated to her place hours ago, after the researchers were finished at Charles’s. She stared at the door to her left that led into her bedroom. God, she wanted nothing more but to walk in there and collapse on her bed, but that wasn’t possible. They were here to gather their things and clear out. She rubbed a hand over her face. When was the last time she’d slept? Really slept? Fifteen-minute power naps didn’t count. She didn’t even remember and it wouldn’t be anytime soon.

  Marcus moved up behind her and set his hands on her shoulders. His fingers dug deep into knotted muscles, easing some of the tension. She closed her eyes and leaned back, almost moaned her pleasure. It felt so natural, so easy, to lean into his strength.

  She heard the click of a phone closing and straightened, opening her eyes to watch as Gia sat down in one of the big comfortable chairs in front of the desk. Weariness was evident on her face, in the way she slouched back. She covered her eyes with her hand.

  “That’s everyone but us,” she croaked, her voice nearly gone from all the talking she’d done through the night.

  By us, she meant herself, Dupree and Winter. Every other hybrid in the region had been placed in a safe house. If someone was betraying them, and she didn’t believe that for a minute, it wasn’t an ideal solution, but it was all they could do for the moment. The good news was everyone outside of Charles’s and Benjamin’s compounds were accounted for. The bad news was only half the safe houses were usable so people were packed into them without a room to spare. She was tempted to just let the three of them stay at her place, but knew that would be inviting disaster akin to daring the cosmos to come after them. She might be going a little crazy, but not that crazy.

  “We’ll have to see if we can find a suitable hotel,” Gia said.

  “There’re always the caves,” Dupree added. She shivered. No way. The demons wouldn’t go near them and neither would humans except for one specific purpose. The caves were connected to the basement that was the local source for demon souls. She had no interest in sleeping near that.

  “No. You’re all coming back to our house.”

  Winter looked across the room where the nightwalker leaned back against a bookshelf. Luke. His casual pose, ankles crossed, hands stuffed in his pockets, didn’t match the determined glint in his eyes. Kadall stood a few feet from him, but Winter still couldn’t read him. She had no idea if he approved or disapproved of the suggestion. She met Dupree’s gaze and he shrugged, as curious and in the dark about Gia’s relationship with the nightwalker as she was.

  Life was stranger than usual. After having little or no contact with walkers for her entire existence she was suddenly surrounded by them. Mitchell and Baron had headed home, but Marcus, his brother and Kadall had come with them.

  She wasn’t sure why. Was too damned tired to care at the moment and as much as she hated to take Luke up on the offer, as much as she knew she shouldn’t trust these walkers, she was going to accept.

  Good. There was too much satisfaction in Marcus’s voice, but she didn’t have the energy to explore it. She was going to crash, and crash hard, soon. Leaning forward so that his hands no longer touched her shoulders, she spoke to Gia and Dupree.

  “Pack a few things so we can get moving. Don’t forget the computers.”

  They nodded and everyone left the office. She was surprised to see Kadall following Dupree, but didn’t say anything. Dupree would run off the nightwalker if he didn’t want company. He was good at getting rid of people.

  She closed the laptops on her desk and unplugged the power cords. After retrieving a bag from the closet designed to hold both computers, she put them inside, rolling up the cords and shoving them into a side pocket.

  Marcus was a steady if quiet presence. He followed her into her room, didn’t say a word as she pulled a small duffle bag from under the bed and placed the bare minimum inside. She didn’t see the point in taking much with her—she wouldn’t be staying long.

  You’re going to need more than a couple of changes of clothes.

  She started at the voice in her head, surprised he used telepathy to communicate with her when he was standing right on the opposite side of the bed from her. She scolded herself. Don’t even think about the bed, she told herself. Don’t think about the sweaty athletic things you could be doing in it. She wasn’t going there right now, as much as her body protested. Even if he was willing, and so far he’d been more interested in mental acrobatics than reality, she was too worn down to get the most out of it.

  He moved behind her, once again kneading sore muscles with his magic fingers. She felt his smugness as he pressed his hard body against her back. Don’t worry, baby. I have every intention of making full use of a bed when you’ve rested.

  He slid his hands down her arms. Tiny goose bumps rose in their wake and she groaned, her body stirring into life despite the fatigue that rode her. He whispered in her ear.

  “The others are ready.”

  Nodding and stepping away from temptation, she finished with her bag and stepped back into her office where the others all waited. Marcus took both bags from her and one by one they all flicked away. She and Marcus were the last two to leave.

  “Ready?” She swayed a little as she asked, but he caught her, steadied her.

  “After you.”

  Concentrating on the foyer in his house, she pushed herself there, felt her molecules move as she shifted through space. It was empty when she arrived, Marcus right on her heels. He took her hand and led her up the stairs, down a long hall into a dark room that smelled like him, looked like the kind of place he would sleep. She didn’t consider the implications of being led there. Ignoring him she quickly stripped down to her bra and panties and crawled into the inviting bed, welcoming the oblivion of sleep as it wrapped her in its embrace.

  Marcus closed the door softly behind him and went to join his brother and Kadall. They were both waiting in his office and Luke silently handed him a glass filled to the rim with scotch. He considered ribbing his brother, reminding him he’d sworn never to take a mate, but held back when he noticed the lines bracketing his mouth and the angry look in his eyes.

  “Everyone settled in?” he asked instead.

  “Yes.” Luke gritted his teeth.

  “His woman insisted on her own room,” Kadall added.

  Ah, that explained the irritation.

  “At the other end of the hall no less,” Kadall went on. Teasing, confident that his own mate was upstairs doing what she was ordered to do no doubt.

  Marcus wondered if she would be influenced by the two female hybrids now in the house. He’d seen a flash of ire more than once in Marelle’s eyes when Kadall had asserted control. He shared the thought with Luke, who smiled slowly in response, a smile full of anticipation that made Kadall narrow his eyes and swing his gaze back and forth between the two of them.

  “Whatever you two are planning, forget it.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about, old friend,” Luke said good-naturedly, slapping Kadall on the back.

  “Yeah, right.”

  Marcus laughed. Things were changing, his drab boring day-after-day existence looking much more interesting with every new development. He drained his glass, refilled it with considerably less liquid than his brother had added and sat behind his desk. Time to get down to business.

  “What do we know?”

 
Kadall sat in one of the armchairs near the desk while Luke pulled the shutters closed and dropped into his customary spot on the couch in front of the window. “Not much.”

  A shadow darkened the doorway. “Anyone welcome to join this little pow-wow? Or is it nightwalkers only trying to figure out who’s targeting hybrids?” Dupree drawled sarcastically. Marcus reached out to make sure Winter was really asleep. “Don’t worry. She’s out cold. Gia too. I checked on them before I came down.”

  Dupree strolled into the room and went straight for the liquor cabinet, looking for all the world like he didn’t realized he’d just enraged two possessive nightwalkers in the thrall of the mating hunt. Marcus wasn’t sure how, but he knew it was an act. The hybrid waited, watched, for their reactions even if it didn’t show, even though his mind felt tranquil. He turned around and leaned against the wall, ankles crossed, one hand in his pocket while the other lifted his glass. He took a long swallow.

  “Heard you warned Mitchell away.” Dupree met his eyes and Marcus got a glimpse of the steel in him. “Not the smartest move, man. Gonna piss Winter off.”

  “I can handle Winter,” he ground out between clenched teeth.

  Grinning, Dupree lifted his glass in salute. “Good luck with that.”

  They were the exact words Mitchell had used and just as irritating when delivered by the hybrid. Dupree turned to Luke. “Gia’s not as bad, but I wouldn’t try to push her around either.”

  Luke stood, his aggression radiating off him. Marcus knew Winter had never been involved with Dupree and was able to rein in his possessive instincts a little, though he didn’t want to share her at all with anyone even an old friend. He didn’t know if Gia and Dupree had ever been involved though.

  The other man held his hands up, all casual grace and easy charm. “Hey, man, don’t look at me like that. I’ve never been involved with Gia like that. With either one of them. I like my women a little more…tractable.”

  Kadall snorted. “Those two sure as hell aren’t.”