His jaw rigid, he stared at her hand. "It's hard, isn't it?”
"What?”
"Letting go of the ones you love.”
She knew he spoke from his heart. From the heart of a father who missed his children. Though he no longer thrashed about at night, she still heard him whisper their names, and she wondered if he knew how often he dreamed of them.
And she wondered how many times a day he must think of them and ache for the Dark Hunter Series (1) – Fantasy Lover – Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 249 of 340
loss. "Yes," she said quietly, "but then, you know that better than I do, don't you?"
He didn't speak.
Grace let her gaze drift around the room. "I guess it's time I move on, but I swear I can still hear them, feel them.”
“It's their love you feel. It still warms you."
"You know, I think you're right.”
“Hey," Selena said from the doorway, interrupting them. "Bill's calling for a pizza.
You feel up to eating?”
“I think so," Grace said.
"What about you?" Selena asked Julian.
Julian cast a knowing smile to Grace. "I'd love some pizza.”
Grace actually laughed as she remembered him asking for it the night she'd conjured him. "Okay," Selena said, "pizza it is.”
Julian handed Grace her mother's wedding rings. "I found those on the floor.”
Grace started to put them back on the dresser, but she couldn't. Instead, she placed them on her right hand, and for the first time in years, she felt comforted by them. As they left the room, Julian started to close the door.
"No," Grace said softly. "Leave it open."
"You sure?”
She nodded.
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As she entered her bedroom, she realized he'd cleaned it as well. But when she saw the empty shelves where her books had once been, her heart broke again. This time, when Julian closed the door, she didn't argue. Hours later, after they had eaten, Grace finally convinced Bill and Selena to leave.
"I'm fine, really," she assured them for the umpteenth time at the door. Reaching out, she placed her hand on Julian's arm, grateful for the strength of his presence.
"Besides, I have Julian."
Selena gave her a stern look. "You call if you need anything."
"I will.”
Still unable to feel completely at ease, she locked the door and led Julian upstairs to her room. She lay in bed with Julian at her side.
"I just feel so vulnerable," she whispered.
He stroked her hair. "I know. Just close your eyes and know that I'm here. I'll keep you safe.”
He wrapped his arms around her. Grace sighed at the comfort he gave. No one else had ever soothed her the way he did. They lay for hours before she finally fell into an exhausted sleep. Grace came awake with a scream lodged in her throat. "I'm right here, Grace.”
She heard Julian's voice beside her and instantly calmed. "Thank God, it's you," she whispered. "I had a bad dream.”
He kissed her lightly on the shoulder. "I understand.”
She gave his hand a squeeze before leaving the bed to get ready for work. As she tried to dress, her hands shook so badly she couldn't even button her shirt. "Here,"
Julian said, moving her hands away so that he could button it for her. "You don't Dark Hunter Series (1) – Fantasy Lover – Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 251 of 340
have to be scared, Grace. I won't let him hurt you.”
“I know. I know the police will get him and it'll be over." He said nothing as he helped her dress.
Once they were ready, she drove them to her downtown office. Her stomach was so knotted that she could barely breathe. But she had to do this. She wasn't about to let Rodney control her life. She was in charge and no one would take that away from her. Not without a fight.
Still, she was glad for Julian's presence. It comforted her in a way she didn't want to think about.
"What is this called?" Julian asked as she led him into the huge antique elevator in her turn-of-the-century office building. Grace showed him how to pull the door closed and noted his immediate discomfort as they were sealed inside it.
"It's an elevator," she explained. "You press these buttons to reach whatever floor you want. I'm on the top one, which is eight." She pressed the old knob-style button.
Julian tensed even more as the elevator moved. "Is it safe?”
She arched a curious brow at him. "Surely the man who fearlessly faced down Roman armies isn't scared of an elevator?”
He gave her a peeved glare. "Romans I understand, this thing I don't.”
She wrapped her arm around his. "There's not much to it." She pointed up at the trap door. "Outside that door are cables that lift it up and down, and there's a phone." She pointed to the call box below the buttons. "If you get stuck in the elevator all you have to do is pick up the phone and you're connected directly to an emergency staff.”
His eyes darkened. "Does the elevator get stuck a lot?”
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“Not really. I've had my office here for four years and so far it's never once gotten stuck.”
“If you weren't on it, how would you know if it got stuck or not?”
“Elevators let out this piercing alarm when they stop. Trust me, if it got stuck, someone would know.”
He swept his gaze around the wide space of the elevator, and by the light in his eyes, she could tell naughty things were on his mind. "Could you make it stop on purpose?”
She laughed. "Yes, but I really don't want to be caught ftagrantedelicto at work.”
He dipped his head down and kissed her lightly on the cheek. "But being caught flagrantedelicto at work could be a whole lot of fun.”
Grace hugged him close. What was it about him that made her feel better? No matter what, he always seemed to make things more fun. Brighter. "You are bad,"
she said, reluctantly letting go of him.
"True, but you love that about me.”
She laughed again. "You're right. I do.”
The doors opened, and Grace led him the short distance to her office.
Lisa looked up as they entered and widened her eyes. A smile spread across her face as she gave Julian a thorough once-over. "Dr. Grace," she teased, toying with a strand of her blond hair. "You got a hot boyfriend.”
Shaking her head, Grace introduced them, then she showed Julian her office. Julian stood by the windows as she turned on her computer and placed her purse in her desk drawer.
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She paused as she caught him staring at her. "You're really going to spend all day hanging around my office?"
He shrugged. "I have nothing better to do.”
"You'll be bored.”
"I assure you, I'm used to be being bored.”
The bad thing was, Grace knew just how much experience he had in that department. She placed her hand against his cheek as she thought of him inside the book, alone, and encased in darkness.
Rising up on her tiptoes, she gave him a gentle kiss. "Thank you for coming with me today. I don't think I could be here without you.”
He nibbled her lips."My pleasure.”
Lisa buzzed her. "Dr. Grace, your eight o'clock is here.”
“I'll wait outside," Julian said.
Grace gave his hand a squeeze before she let him leave. For the next hour, she barely paid attention. Her thoughts were on the man outside and how much he meant to her. And how much she hated the thought of him leaving.
As soon as she finished her session, she walked her patient out. Lisa was showing Julian how to play solitaire on her computer. "Hey, Dr. Grace," she said. "Did you know Julian never played solitaire before?”
Grace exchanged an amused smile with Julian. "Really?”
Lisa scoote
d away from Julian to look at her appointment book. "By the way, your Dark Hunter Series (1) – Fantasy Lover – Sherrilyn Kenyon Page 254 of 340
three o'clock canceled. And your nine o'clock called and said he'd be a few minutes late.”
“Okay." Grace gestured to the door with her thumb. "While you two play, I'm going to make a dash out to my car to get my Palm Pilot.”
Julian looked up. "I'll go.”
Grace shook her head. "I can do it.”
Without pausing, he came around Lisa's desk and held his hand out for her keys. "I'll go," he said in a voice that let her know he wasn't about to concede.
Not willing to argue, she handed her keys over. "It's under the driver's seat.”
“Okay, I'll be right back."
Grace gave him a military salute. Unamused, Julian left her office and headed toward the elevator at the end of the hallway. He reached for the button, then paused. Gods, how he hated that tight, square thing.
And the thought of being in it alone
Looking around, he saw a flight of stairs.
Without a second's hesitation, he headed for them instead.
Grace was trying to find Rachel's file in her briefcase when she remembered she'd left a couple of folders in her backseat.
"Where is my mind?" she snapped at herself. But then, she knew. Her thoughts were scattered between the two men who had completely altered her life. Aggravated at herself for not being able to focus, she took her briefcase and followed after Julian.
"Where are you going, Dr. Grace?" Lisa asked.
"I left a couple of files in my car, too. I'll be right back." Lisa nodded.
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Grace went to the elevator. She was still rummaging through her briefcase in search of the missing files when the doors opened. Without looking up, she stepped inside, and automatically pushed the lobby button. It wasn't until the doors closed that she realized she wasn't alone. Rodney Carmichael stood on the opposite side, staring at her.
"So, who is he?”
Grace froze as waves of fear and rage tore through her. She wanted to tear him to pieces! But even though he was small for a man, he was still a head taller than her.
And very unstable.
Hiding her rising panic, she spoke calmly. "What are you doing here?”
He curled his lip at her. "You didn't answer my question. I want to know whose clothes were in your house.”
"That's none of your business.”
“Bullshit," he shrieked. He was teetering on the brink of insanity, and the last thing she needed was for him to fall over it while they were trapped in the elevator.
"Everything that concerns you is my business."
Grace tried to take control of the situation. "Now listen to me, Mr. Carmichael, I don't know you and you don't know me. I can't imagine why you're fixated on me, but I want it to stop.”
He pushed the button to stall the elevator. "Now you listen to me, Grace. We're perfect for each other. You know it as well as I do. We were meant to be together.”
"Okay," she said, trying to calm him down. "Let's discuss this in my office." She pressed the button to start the elevator.
He stopped it again. "We'll talk here.”
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Grace took a deep breath as her hands started shaking. She had to get out of here without making him any angrier. "We'd be more comfortable in my office.”
This time when she reached for the button, he grabbed her hand. "Why won't you just talk to me?" he asked.
"We are talking." Grace inched toward the call box.
"I bet you talk with him, don't you? I bet you spend hours laughing and doing God only knows what with him. Now, tell me who he is.”
"Mr. Carmichael—”
“Rodney!" he shouted. "Dammit, my name is Rodney.”
“Okay, Rodney. Let's—”
“I bet he's had his filthy hands all over you, hasn't he?" He cornered her by the buttons. "How many times have you slept with him since you met me, huh?”
Grace trembled at the feral look in his beady eyes. He was slipping. She reached behind her to pick up the phone, but before she could get it to her ear, he grabbed it.
"What the hell are you doing?" he asked.
"You need help.”
He smashed the phone against the buttons. "I don't need help. I just need you to talk to me. Do you hear me? I just need you to talk to me!" He punctuated each word by bashing the phone into the control panel. Terrified, Grace watched as the phone splintered. Then, he started pulling at his hair.
"He's kissed you, I know he has." He repeated the words over and over again as he wrenched his hair out by the handfuls.
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Oh, God! She was trapped with a lunatic. And there was no way out. Julian returned to Grace's office with her Palm Pilot. "Where's Grace?" he asked Lisa when he didn't find Grace at her desk.
"Didn't you see her? She went down to the car a few minutes after you left." He frowned. "Are you sure?”
“Yeah. She said she left some files or something.”
Before he could ask anything else, an attractive African-American woman walked into the office dressed in a conservative black suit and holding a briefcase.
She paused inside the doorway to kick off a shoe and rub her heel. "It's definitely a Monday," she said to Lisa. "I just had to walk up eight flights of stairs because the elevator is stuck between floors. Now what wonderful news do you have for me?”
“Hi, Dr. Beth," Lisa said cheerfully, running her hand down the book on her desk.
"Your nine o'clock is with Rodney Carmichael.”
Julian went cold.
"Oh, no, wait," Lisa said, "that's Dr. Grace. Yours—”
“Did you say Rodney Carmichael?" he asked.
"Yeah. He called to reschedule.”
Julian didn't wait for her to finish. He tossed the Palm Pilot on Lisa's desk, then ran out of the office toward the elevator. His heart hammering, all he think of was getting to Grace as fast as he could.
It was then he realized the buzzing he'd been hearing was an alarm bell ringing. A cold shiver went down his spine as every instinct he possessed told him what had happened. Rodney had stopped the elevator with Grace inside. He was sure of it.
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Suddenly, a muffled scream sounded from behind the closed elevator doors. His vision clouding with anger and fear, he wrenched open the door to the shaft. Julian froze. He couldn't see the car. All he could see was the black cavern. And it looked just like the book. Worse, going down it would feel like being sucked into his hell. Of darkness. Cramped. Tight.
He struggled to breathe as terror washed over him. In his heart, he knew Grace was down there. Alone with a madman and with no one to help her. Grinding his teeth, he stepped back and jumped to the cables. Pushing violently, Grace forced Rodney off her.
"I'm not going to share you!" he snarled, grabbing her arms again. "You are mine.”
“I don't belong to anyone except me." Grace kneed him in the groin.
He sank to the floor.
Desperate, Grace tried to climb up the side rails to reach the trapdoor above her head. If she could get to that
Rodney grabbed her about the waist and slung her back into the corner.
His face contorted with rage, he braced his arms on each side of her. "Tell me the name of the man who has been inside you, Grace! Tell me so I will know who I have to kill.”
His eyes empty and terrifying, he started clawing at his face and neck so fiercely that he made bloody welts. "Don't you know, you're my woman? We are going to be together. I know how to take care of you. What you need. I am so much better than him!”
Grace ducked away from Rodney, then kicked her high heels off
and grabbed them in her hands. They weren't the best weapons, but they were better than nothing.
"I want to know who you've been with!" he shrieked.
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At the same moment Rodney took a step forward, the trapdoor above her head opened. Grace looked up. Julian dropped through the hole and landed in a deadly crouch like some sleek predator. An aura of dangerous calm surrounded him, but it was his eyes that were terrifying. Snapping fire and hell-wrath, they focused on Rodney with murderous intent.
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