Alone. He was used to alone, though he didn’t like it. Softening with her words, Max motioned her forward, wanting her by his side so he could protect her. He couldn’t quite get used to someone looking out for him, but if that someone was Sarah, he’d easily adapt.
Still, she needed to learn to listen. He almost laughed at that. She would never listen. Neither Jag’s nor Des’s mate did. Why would Sarah? The Knights drew strong-willed mates.
“I should have known you wouldn’t go back to the hotel,” he commented, moving to meet her halfway.
“I don’t generally take orders well,” she said. “Especially when someone I care about is in danger. I—”
The rest of her words faded as Max saw William dart across the stage and leap off the edge. He was after Sarah and he was well-armed.
“Run!” Max screamed at Sarah as he launched himself forward, a bull after his target. His body collided with William’s not a second too soon, because Sarah was almost in his brother’s grasp. Max and William went into a clench hold, arms locked with arms, and Max’s gun landed in a splash on the wet floor. The two brothers rotated around in circles as each tried to get the upper hand. A battle of wills and strength ensued, the floor slick beneath their feet, leftover chairs crashing around them as they became obstacles.
With each shove, each push, the idea of his brother hurting his mate became the ultimate betrayal for Max. It fed his anger, and he managed to rip himself free of William’s hold and throw several hard blows. He took some, too, but he didn’t feel them. He was driven, angry, in primal fighting mode. And when opportunity presented itself, he seized one of the blades at William’s hip. That same instant, William drew the other blade he wore.
The two brothers sliced the weapons through the air, blades held at each other’s throats. William laughed and dropped his weapon, fearless of Max. “You can’t do it and you know it.”
“Don’t count on that,” Max growled, his hand shaking, his fingers clutching the sword’s handle.
“I’m your brother. If you can kill me, maybe you’re more like me than I gave you credit for. That’s it, isn’t it?” William smiled. “You’re more like me, Maxwell, than you want to admit. Accept it. Seize what you are. The time to accept your true calling has come.”
Max’s gut clenched at those words. He felt dark, he felt dangerous. He felt every bit like the beast who pressed him now to take William’s head for trying to hurt Sarah. He didn’t see his brother. He saw only red, saw only the Beast who wanted to kill his mate. He drew a deep, calming breath. Yet…Damn it! Why? Why had he stopped when he could have killed this Beast and ended this? Dimly, he saw the truth. His beast didn’t have as much control as he had thought. The control that he would have sworn was gone, remained loosely in place. And his human side recognized William, his brother, as the only piece of his past that still lived.
He reached for reason, for rationale. This wasn’t William. This was a Beast who killed humans without concern, smashing them as if they were mere flies. He couldn’t let this Beast live just because it looked like his long gone brother. He had to end this. He had to do this—and not as the beast. He had to do this as Max, as the man who understood good versus evil. Salvador wouldn’t save William. The truth was hard to swallow, but deep down, Max understood why. As a human, William hadn’t known right from wrong. He would never be a Knight. He would always be a Beast.
“You’re thinking about it.” William dropped to his knees, daring Max with his actions. “Do it! Kill me or join me!”
Painfully, Max lifted his sword, preparing to do what he’d always known he’d have to do one day—just accept that William was gone. He would have acted, would have swung his sword, but voices echoed in the hall. Close. Too close. Damn it. They couldn’t do this in front of humans.
Laughter bubbled from William’s lips, and he pushed to his feet, backing away. “Think about what I’ve said.” And then he turned away, taking long strides and jumping up on the stage with agility and ease before detouring to an exit behind the stage.
Sarah swiped at the tears streaming down her cheeks. Emotion welled inside her for Max; she was riveted by the torment she’d witnessed him endure as he’d faced killing his brother. But there was more to what she felt, so much more. As she’d watched Max’s face, the fierce, primal desire to kill contorted into raw human agony. She’d known the minute he’d accepted the loss of his brother. And she’d had a flashback to the day her parents had died. The demon hadn’t spared Sarah’s life. Her friend had. He’d fought that demon possessing him and killed himself rather than Sarah. Her friend had beaten that demon, and he’d deserved the trust she’d questioned all these years. The trust she’d denied everyone around her since that day—including Max. But he had it now. He had her trust, and he had her.
Sarah walked to Max’s side, where she belonged. She touched his arm and his gaze found hers. The angst in his eyes was almost too much to bear. God, how she ached to ease his hurt. To tell him that what he felt made him human.
Instead, she said, “I love you, Max. There was an empty spot in my life that I’ve never understood. Now I do. I was waiting for you. I don’t want to do any of this alone anymore.”
Shock registered in his face before he pulled her close and kissed her. His forehead rested against hers, his arms wrapping around her waist. “You have no idea how much I needed to hear that right now.”
Her hands went to his face, her surroundings forgotten, her heart and body warm with the moment, with the emotion that this man, her mate, drew from her. “I believe in you. Just make sure you believe in you.”
“You won’t ever be alone again, Sarah. I promise. I will conquer this test, so we can be together. I love you and I need you. So damn much. You have no idea.”
Sarah never got to tell him how much she had needed to hear those words. Firemen charged through the door. They were rescued.
Near sunrise, Sarah and Max returned to the town of Nowhere with the aid of Jag’s travel abilities. Hours of searching the tunnels discovered beneath the club had delivered no results. A standoff at the cabin appeared more and more likely.
Sarah walked into the deserted lobby of the inn. Cathy flew down the stairs, obviously aware of their arrival. It took only a moment for Sarah to find herself wrapped in a big hug.
“I’ve been worried about you,” Cathy said, easing back and looking them both over, her gaze taking in their muddy, damp clothing. “You two are a mess. You should clean up and get some rest.”
Max stepped closer, by Sarah’s side. “Any news on Edward?”
Cathy crossed her arms in front of her chest, instantly tense. She wore no makeup. Only faded jeans, a T-shirt and Keds tennis shoes. Dark circles tinted the pale skin under her eyes. “No change. I’m headed over to the doctor’s office now. I took a shower and slept for an hour. Or tried to at least.”
“What happened to you and Marisol trying to combine your magic to expel the demon?” Max asked.
Cathy’s tone went flat. “Nothing. This stuff about me having the ability to use magic beyond what I’ve learned from books isn’t flying. So far, I got nothing.”
“You’ve been focused on expelling the demon from Edward, right?”
“Right,” Cathy agreed.
Sarah continued, “I think we need to give Edward the power to defeat the demon himself. Somehow, focus the magic to empower Edward. Let the man defeat the demon. Don’t use the magic ourselves. Direct it to Edward.”
“Let the man defeat the demon,” Cathy said, repeating the words. “That’s actually quite brilliant. I have to go.” She sidestepped Sarah and Max and reached for the door.
Sarah turned to Max, their eyes locked, warmth spreading through her limbs at the connection they shared. They didn’t speak. They didn’t have to. They knew tonight had been life changing. Each of them had faced their pasts and it had brought them closer. Their fingers linked, and Max eased them into motion, up the stairs. Neither questioned whose room the
y were going to. That they would be together was simply expected.
The minute the door shut to Max’s room and the lights were on, he and Sarah turned to each other, bodies joined in an embrace, eyes locked. There was no doubt in her expression, no fear. Only love, passion, hope. He bent his head, his cheek brushing hers, the contact soft, perfect. His body heated, limbs fired with a burn for Sarah. Pull away, he told himself. She meant more to him than one night. Than this night. You can’t have her yet. Pass the test first.
As good as his intentions were, when her lips brushed his jaw and then his lips, her fingers caressing his neck, he somehow lost himself in the moment. He pressed Sarah against the door and kissed her. Kissed her as if there was no tomorrow because there might not be. She tasted like honey and felt like heaven. His version of heaven. Possessiveness rose from within Max, intense, sudden. Somehow, he reined in the heat spreading through his body, shoved aside the haze of passion threatening to claim control of him. Her tongue slid against his in delicious hungry strokes, her arms wrapping his neck, her breasts pressed to his chest, soft curves melting into him.
“Max,” she whispered, her lips dissolving into his again, her hands pushing his shirt off his shoulders.
When had she unbuttoned it? He let the material fall to the floor, her soft touch pulling him into a seductive spell. He had to stop. Why? He had to remember why. His body defined his mind, his groin tight, cock thickening with the promise of Sarah’s slick, wet heat.
He ached for his mate. To be inside her again, this time with acceptance…but the test. He reached for honor, for reason. He tried to pull away. “Sarah—”
Her hands went to his cheeks, her teeth nipped his lip, tongue tracing it, delving into his mouth and stroking. “Don’t tell me we can’t do this,” she ordered in a raspy reply, answering his unspoken objection. “I need you. I need you so much, Max.”
Urgency resonated in her voice and her hands were everywhere. His nostrils flared with the scent of her desire, with his own desire. She leaned back to look at him, a dare flashing in her eyes an instant before she peeled her shirt off. Immediately, her bra followed. His gaze dropped, eyes devouring the sight of her high breasts and perfect red nipples. He reached out and brushed the peaks with his fingers, watching them respond before rolling them with his thumbs. The shuddered breath she drew told of her pleasure, fueling his actions, begging him for more without words.
He kissed her, filling his hands with her breasts, hard peaks of her nipples pressed against his palms. He bent at the knees, fitting his hips against the V of her body. They fit together perfectly, their limbs molded together, promising pleasure beyond anything either had imagined before now. She arched into the touch of his hands, her hips sliding against his.
She tore her mouth from his. “There’s no reason to wait,” she whispered.
No reason. No reason to wait. A jolt of reality rocked Max. Calling on every ounce of willpower he owned, he leaned back, forcing his hands from the woman he burned to touch, pressing them against the door behind her. His chest heaved with the effort to contain his urges, his burn for Sarah.
“The test, Sarah.” The words came out a tormented hiss. “We aren’t doing this. Not yet.”
“You are going to pass the test,” she said. “Maybe you already have. Maybe that’s what happened tonight with your brother.” Her finger brushed his bottom lip. “We need each other.”
It would be so easy to listen to her, but Max had to love her enough to wait. “It’s not time yet.”
“What if something happens to one of us? I want to know we had one time together without anything between us.”
“Nothing’s going to happen to you, damn it,” he said. “I won’t let it. And there is something between us now.”
Seconds ticked, Sarah’s gaze searching his. “This is what you want.” Her voice held defeat.
“No, but it’s how it has to be. It’s killing me, baby, I swear. But I want us to do this right. I want to make love to you. I want you to choose an eternity with me without regret. You should see the ranch, see my life. Know you want what I can offer you. To be my mate, my wife.”
Emotion rushed into her eyes and she wrapped her arms around him, her nipples pressed into his chest. Her lips brushed his. “I don’t need to see the ranch. Just pass this test and let’s get on with eternity.”
His heart warmed with her words, his hands sliding up her bare back. He kissed her, torturing himself with the sweet taste of her. Knowing a very long, cold shower was as much his destiny as Sarah.
Hours later Sarah lay with her head on Max’s chest. They’d been talking for hours, and she’d told him about how her memory of the night of her parent’s death had sparked the idea to save Edward. How it had given her new perspective on life, on her future.
When finally they fell silent, each trying to sleep, the comfort his arms delivered did nothing to deliver peace of mind. As perfect as lying with Max had become, she couldn’t fight the ominous foreboding that rested heavily in her thoughts. The fact that they had fully dressed after showering, ready for trouble, only added to the darkness clinging to her mood.
She was so close to finding her way in this world again. Would the rug get pulled out from under her? No matter how much she tried to control the outcome of the next few days’ events, she couldn’t. Would she lose Max before she truly found him? No, she promised herself. They would get through this. They had to.
But as soon as she said the words in her head, pounding started on the door. “Sarah!” It was Cathy’s voice.
Sarah and Max darted from the bed at the same time. Sarah rushed to door, Max for a weapon.
Flinging open the door, Sarah could barely believe what she saw. Cathy wasn’t alone. Edward stood by her side. He was okay. She smiled and hugged him. She was taking this as a sign. She’d started to have faith again and she wasn’t going to stop now.
They were winning one demon at a time. Her chest tightened. Too bad it sounded as if an entire army was on the way.
A message from the Underworld had reached Salvador. Innocents would die if Salvador did not meet Adrian immediately. The location of the meeting—a residential home in Nowhere, Texas. In other words, Salvador was being led into a trap. After great consideration, he refused the meeting, with the support of those he answered to. But when the pain of a young child began to play in his mind, Salvador reconsidered.
Salvador appeared on the front lawn of the home designated for the meeting, a child’s cry sounding in his mind. Eager to act, but not foolish, he took a moment to allow the home to speak to him.
The history of the people who lived there automatically came to him. It was his gift of sight, the ability to see the past and the present—though at times, the higher powers withheld information. He didn’t question why. It wasn’t his place to question.
The information flowed freely now. A young couple lived within these walls. They’d lost their youngest child to cancer, and their eldest child, a daughter now ten, became a treasure they feared would also be taken from them. Each night they had prayed for her safety.
Sensing Adrian was at the rear of the house, Salvador disappeared from the front lawn and reappeared in the backyard beside a whirlpool. The child was inside the tub, her face contorted in pain, her body submerged in the Water of the Damned—water that would create such pain in a human, it would rip their hearts to shreds.
The parents were tied to chairs and gagged; a Beast was standing guard, ready to kill. The woman cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. Without hesitation, he pointed at the Beast and sent it flying across the lawn. A wave of his hands and the parents were untied. He waved his hands and flashed them across town, where they couldn’t do anything foolish.
Fire singed the air and Adrian appeared a few feet from Salvador. “If you don’t go in and save her, she will die.”
“You know the rules. You are not to touch a human.” Long ago, the Laws of Existence had been established. The higher power
s allowed evil to exist within limits. It served a purpose well beyond human comprehension. And for those who had crossed over, who no longer held a human essence, there were severe penalties for breaking those laws.
Adrian smiled. Evil. Pleased with himself. “I didn’t. My Beast did.”
Salvador had latitude to undo the injustice done to humans by the evil that visited this realm. But that latitude came with strict guidelines. To abuse his power would come with a penalty.
“Semantics,” Salvador said. “And we both know it. You did this. I can undo it.”
“Feel free,” Adrian offered, motioning to the child. “Save her.”
Salvador showed no outward signs of reaction, though the decision before him tore him up inside.
If he went in after that child, into the water, his powers would temporarily be stripped. He’d be able to transport himself to safety, before Adrian could attack him, but nothing more. The Water of the Damned was the opposite of holy water, a hazard to all those of the higher realm, and this wasn’t his first experience with it. Salvador had worked to build immunity to the water, expecting it would be used as a weapon against him again. There had been a time when the water would have ensured that he was useless for a week. But not now. Now, he would recover rapidly. He might even be ready in time for the full moon. Might. There was always the risk he would not. Not that he would interfere. The rules were clear. He kept the balance of power in proper alignment. He acted to protect the balance and enforce the rules.
Just his presence alone in Nowhere would ensure Adrian didn’t break their laws. He knew it and so did Adrian. Which was why Adrian wanted Salvador out of the picture.
The child cried out, screaming with a sharp pain; the sound wrapped around Salvador and stabbed his heart. He could not let the child die. Salvador fixed Adrian in a hard stare.
“If I find out you have violated the laws of our kind, I will ensure you pay and pay well.” He said nothing more, accepting what had to be done. Salvador waded into the water.
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