Dark Deceiver

by Pamela Palmer

  The smaller man opened the door to a small, crowded, unlit storage closet and ushered them inside. Kade again touched his neck. “You will command the others to tell no one we’re here. Not even the police. The fate of the world is at stake.”

  Again, the man bowed and backed out of the closet, closing the door.

  Kade tried to move and kicked a large heavy can.

  “It’s a little tight,” Autumn whispered at his back. “What did you tell him? And how did you learn Chinese? For that matter, how did you learn English?”

  He blinked, having to think about it as he turned and pulled her against him. “I don’t learn language. I understand the words spoken and use the language of the speaker. Or in this case, of the one I’m controlling. It’s not intentional. It just happens.”

  “Another of your Esri gifts?”

  “It would seem so. I believe all Esri have the ability.”

  She slid her arms around his waist and pressed her head to his shoulder. “What are we going to do?”

  “If we’re not captured?” He’d actually been giving this some thought as he ran, terrified a bullet would find her. “We’ll go back to the houseboat, get your lead-lined box and see if that last stone arrived in your mail. Then I’m taking you and the stones to Jack.”

  She stiffened in his arms. “Why?” He heard the well of hurt in that single word.

  “Because I have to go after Ustanis to get the stones, and Ustanis is often with Zander. I’ve put you in too much danger already. I won’t take you into a situation where you will almost certainly die.”

  He felt her sigh and heard the soft expelling of air. “I guess. But what if we need to raise our power again?”

  “Raising the power hurts you. No, you’ll be safest with Jack.” And she’d stay that way only if he could get the stones from Ustanis and keep them out of King Rith’s hands. Unfortunately, Ustanis now knew the Punisher could be bested. If he fought him—and he almost certainly would—Kade feared he, himself, would lose.

  The sounds outside the door changed. A shout. A command. Autumn turned rigid within his arms.

  “Cops,” she whispered.

  He released her and turned toward the door, pushing her behind him, his pulse leaping. But the Chinese-restaurant owner protected them and the door never opened. His pulse began to slow and the tension drained from his muscles.

  “How long do you think we should wait?” Autumn asked. “No, this is my world. I’m the one who should know the answer to questions like that. The cops will be searching for us all up and down this block. We’d better stay put for a while. Maybe until dark.”

  Kade nodded. “I was thinking the same thing.”

  They stood in silence for what seemed like hours. Behind him, Autumn began to fidget.

  “Tell me about your world, Kade. Is it so different from this one?”

  “Yes.” She slid her arms around him from behind and he covered her hands, holding her even as she held him. Whatever came of his life, he would never forget these moments, chased by those from both worlds, yet less alone than he’d ever been in his life. They were in the most dire of circumstances, yet never had he felt happier. Autumn believed in him. She trusted him, even knowing what he was. This was the greatest gift anyone had ever given him.

  He stroked her hand. “Yes, my world is different. There’s no sun in the sky, no clouds that fill with rain, no wind.”

  “Is it underground?”

  “No. We have trees and grass, animals and people, as you do. Small creeks and streams, though no great bodies of water. I’d heard legends of the human realm, of the sun and the moon, the rain and snow, and they seemed too fantastic to be real.”

  She chuckled silently against his back. “It sounds so funny to hear you put it like that. Tell me more.”

  He thought of the land he knew so well and what he could share of it that might make it a little more real to her. “Our world is far smaller than yours, though I’ve never seen all of it. Some parts are forbidden. Others are to be avoided.”

  “Like that place where the princess is held?”

  “The Forest of Nightmares. Definitely that place.”

  She lifted her fingers, sliding them between his in a sensual move that made him wish he could be certain they wouldn’t be interrupted.

  “Do you have family in Esria?”

  “No.”

  “But…you’re immortal. Don’t immortals have parents?”

  He chuckled, but there was no humor in it. “I had parents. I just never knew them or knew what happened to them.”

  “They abandoned you?”

  “I don’t know. Babies are rare in my world and are usually met with great joy. Why I wasn’t, I can guess readily enough.”

  “Why?” Her tone was soft and kind.

  “My dark blood made me something of an outcast. No mother would have welcomed such a son.”

  “You don’t have the same magic they have, do you?”

  “No. I have little true power. I quickly learned to use my size, my looks and my physical strength to keep others at bay. I taught them to fear me. Those who fear me give me a wide berth.”

  “So making them fear you kept you safe.”

  “Yes. But Zander knows the truth. He doesn’t fear me. He has, in fact, always hated me. His mate was killed by humans in the days before the gates were sealed. He’s never forgiven the humans. I think he’s waited fifteen centuries for his revenge.”

  “That’s why he’s killing so many.”

  “Yes.”

  He felt her cheek press against his shoulder. “I’m sorry. Your life must have been very hard.”

  “I found a place. And a reason.” And then lost them here, in this world. He could not go back to being the Punisher, even if King Rith allowed him to. He could not go back to driving fear into other’s eyes after knowing such warmth.

  Her cheek rubbed back and forth against his leather jacket. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Anything.”

  “How old are you?”

  He chuckled for real this time. “Older than you.”

  He knew she smiled. “Is that a terribly rude question?”

  “No. I just hesitate to tell you when I know it’ll only make me seem more strange.”

  “I know you’re immortal. I know Zander and Princess Ilaria are more than fifteen hundred years old. Are you, too?”

  He pressed his lips together, knowing how different it would make him seem to her. But he knew, somehow, it would be okay. She would accept it as she accepted him—a thought he wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to.

  “Yes. I was born shortly before the sealing of the gates.”

  “Wow. Was Tarrys right, then? Do you still have thousands of years left to go?”

  “Yes.” But the thought brought no happiness. Thousands of years to remember these few days, these few moments. Thousands of years to miss the one light in his life.

  His one love.

  Autumn shifted from foot to foot within the small, dark closet. She was afraid to move out of her tiny space for fear she’d knock something down or fall over one of the myriad cans of food. She rifled through her purse in the dark and found her phone, checking the time.

  “It’s been almost two hours, Kade. It should be dark by now. Even if they’re still out there, we can lose them in the dark.”

  He said nothing, but after shielding her for two hours he turned and pulled her into his arms, kissing her with a restless passion that instantly heated her blood. Their mouths opened as one, their tongues colliding and sliding over one another as desire flowed thick and hot through her stiff body. Even after standing against him for two hours, the feel of his hands on her shoulders and the taste of his kiss overpowered her senses.

  She would never get enough of him and realized, in that instant, that she still loved him. Human or Esri didn’t seem to matter. He was Kade.

  As they pulled apart, she stopped him from turning back to the door. “When
you said you’d turned traitor…does that mean you’ll stay here?” The hope filled her so completely she was afraid to hear his answer.

  His hands found her face and he kissed her again, a sweet, sad kiss. “No, I can’t stay here. I may not approve of my king’s plans for your world, but Esria is my home and I must return there tomorrow night, no matter what happens.”

  Her heart ached at his words. “I wish you’d stay.”

  “We couldn’t be together even if I did. The Sitheen can’t allow an Esri to remain in this world, Autumn. You understand that. And I won’t condemn you to a life of running.”

  “But you’re not like the other Esri.”

  He kissed her again, slowly and thoroughly. “I can’t stay.”

  Her heart ached, tears stinging her eyes, but she refused to beg. He was right. This wasn’t his world, as much as she wished it were.

  “I suppose we’d better get going,” she said, sighing.

  “Let’s go out through the front. If we sneak out the back, we’ll look like fugitives.”

  “And if they’re waiting for us in front?”

  “They we’ll run.” The prospect made her pulse skitter.

  Kade nodded. “Let me go first. We’ll attract less attention apart than together. If the police catch me, don’t try to escape them. Go with them and have them call Jack.”

  The knot of tension in her stomach was making her nauseous. “I don’t like this.”

  “I know. If you don’t hear a commotion, come on out. Walk to the Metro station. I’ll be a short distance behind you, protecting you.”

  Autumn felt the warmth of that knowledge ease the edges of her fear. “Okay. We’ll head for the Metro.” A sudden thought had her digging through her purse. “I’ve got half a dozen fare cards in here somewhere and I think they all have enough money on them for this trip.” She came up with one and handed it to him.

  Kade kissed her one more time, then turned and eased the door open a crack. Apparently satisfied, he took her hand and pulled her after him.

  “Wait here,” he said, just inside the kitchen door.

  The restaurant workers ignored her as if they didn’t even see her. When no commotion erupted, she left the restaurant, feigning a calm unhurriedness at total odds with the chaos of her pulse. The sun had set while they waited in the closet and, if there were any cops looking for them, she never saw them as she strolled down the busy sidewalk to the Metro station. With a sigh of relief, she ducked inside to take the long escalator ride down.

  She’d always attracted attention for the wrong reasons. Now, she tried her best to appear small and forgettable as she watched for police. There was an odd comfort in knowing she was being followed, her every move tracked by the man who’d stolen her heart. Her mind shied from the knowledge that a little over a day from now he’d be gone where she could never follow.

  How could she have fallen in love so quickly? So thoroughly? And to the one person she could never, ever spend her life with?

  She switched trains in L’Enfant Plaza, then took the green line down to the waterfront. Kade got on the same train, but sat in the back of her car, lending her the strength and comfort of his presence.

  When they reached their destination, they left the train from different doors, then moved separately through the crowd along the platform in the cavernous, space-age-like tunnel. The crush of people remained thick as business travelers headed home for the night.

  Autumn took the escalator to the main floor, but as she shoved her fare card into the turnstile slot, Kade caught her eye as he silently passed her in an adjacent line. He wanted to go first this time. She knew why. Everyone after them—cops, Esri and Sitheen—knew she’d been staying at the houseboat. Anyone could be waiting for them here.

  With each foot the escalator rose, her pulse pounded harder. Fear tasted dry in her mouth. She had a sudden and overwhelming desire to tell Kade he was right. This was all too dangerous and all she wanted to do was head to the airport to catch the next flight to nowhere.

  Her hand clenched the escalator’s rail as her heart thudded in her chest. If she left now, she’d never see Kade again. And that scared her most of all.

  The chill air raked at her face as the escalator climbed to street level. Ahead of her, Kade stepped off and walked briskly toward the entrance as if his only concern were getting home in time for dinner.

  Autumn forced herself to breath as the escalator neared the top of its ascent. Two steps left. One.

  “Police! Put your hands up!”

  Autumn froze, her blood turning to ice as she stumbled off the escalator. People scattered, giving her a clear view of the two uniformed cops approaching Kade from either side, guns drawn. They couldn’t hurt him. Bullets couldn’t hurt him. But even as her mind chanted the words, her throat closed with fear.

  Kade calmly raised his hands.

  Autumn eased to the exit with the surging crowd trying to escape before they caught sight of the red beacon of her hair. Kade would get away. She had to do the same.

  She hunched over, trying to minimize her height. Nearly to the entrance, she hazarded a glance up and caught the gaze of yet another cop. She knew the moment he recognized her.

  His gun raised to her face. “Hands up! I’ve got her!”

  Hells bells.

  Autumn raised her hands, staring down the barrel of the gun as cold sweat broke out on her scalp. Get away, Kade. He was the one that was important. Not her.

  “Turn around and put your hands against the wall.”

  She did, quaking with fear as she waited for her arms to be handcuffed.

  “Release her.” A man’s voice. Not Kade’s.

  Autumn turned her head to glance over her shoulder…and froze. The cop was standing as still as stone while another man reached for her—a man as white as snow. Terror raked sharp claws through her heart as she recognized the Esri who’d tried to attack her in the houseboat. Kade’s nemesis.

  Zander.

  Chapter 15

  Kade watched in cold terror as Zander reached for Autumn. He’d thought to submit to the two police, luring them close enough for him to touch and control. But at the sight of Zander, all he could think of was getting to Autumn before Zander stole her life. He struggled to escape the cops’ hold, but one shot him with a Taser that roared through his body like Zander’s hand of fire. When his head cleared, he was on his knees, the cuffs snapping behind his back, his wrists bound.

  With a roar of rage born of fear for Autumn, he surged to his feet and flexed his arms to rip the cuffs apart. But nothing happened. He wasn’t strong enough.

  As his gaze wrenched to Autumn, he saw Zander’s hand land on the head of the cop who was getting ready to cuff her. The cop pulled out his gun.

  “The draggon stone for your lady, Kaderil!”

  Kade again tried to lunge but felt an answering blow to the back of his head that nearly drove him to his knees, but he stayed standing and grabbed the arm of one of the cops. “Release me.”

  The second blow did drive him to his knees.

  Sweet Esria. His power was gone. The virgin’s power had already waned.

  He had to get to Autumn.

  The sound of gunfire exploded in the escalator tunnel. Screams rent the air. One of the bullets pierced his forehead, burning, but he barely noticed it as he struggled to escape the cops’ hold and go after Autumn. She wasn’t on the floor, thank the spirits. She wasn’t there at all. And he could only feel relief that Zander hadn’t already killed her, though he knew if he didn’t reach her soon, she was as good as dead.

  He felt the bullet ease out of his forehead and watched as it fell past his eyes.

  “Holy shit!” The cop who’d hit him stared at him in horror.

  The second cop fell at his feet, shot, drawing the other’s attention from him. Kade ran for the exit. He had to reach Autumn before Zander destroyed her.

  Outside was chaos as humans scattered into the night, running from the violence. Tho
ugh he ran, his speed was hampered by his hands being cuffed behind his back. He ducked into the shadows and bent over, sliding his bound hands behind his hips and knees. He had to roll on the ground to ease his feet through the circle of his arms, but he finally succeeded in moving his bound hands to the front, and lunged to his feet.

  As he ran, Kade tried over and over to break the cuffs, to no avail. His newfound power was truly gone. Just when Autumn needed him most. Fear for her pounded through his body.

  By the time he reached the marina, he was sweating and terrified he was already too late. Terrified he wouldn’t find them on the boat at all. But as he raced down the dock, he knew he’d guessed right.

  A sight met his eyes at once glorious and terrible. Autumn stood in perfect balance upon the back rail of the houseboat, silhouetted against the nearly full moon, in nothing but her sweatpants and a lacey bra, her unbound hair lifting in the breeze. The woman herself was glorious, but her perch, a hair’s breadth from the water, terrified him. Clearly, she was enchanted. His sweet Autumn could never maintain such a balance on her own.

  He lunged onto the boat. “What have you done to her?”

  Zander blocked his path. “What do you think?”

  Ustanis had never fully lost his fear of the Punisher. He ducked his white head then looked up. “She’s not been touched, Punisher, by either of us. There wasn’t time.”

  Zander waved Ustanis to silence, his face in shadows. “One word from me and she falls into the river, Malcolm. To sink. To drown.”

  Kade’s eyes narrowed. “Why do you call me Malcolm?”

  “Malcolm was the human who killed my mate, my Pensia. In the moonlight, you could be him again. I never killed him. I’ve rued that fact for fifteen hundred years.” Zander thrust out his pale white hand. “Give me the draggon stone, Punisher, or she dies.”