It howled around them, slapping Fernando’s long hair into her face. Natalie stared at Chessa whose gaze had lifted beyond them.
A cry like a wild animal’s howl rose above the wind and something large and heavy barreled into Fernando’s back, pitching them both forward. But when Natalie’s knees hit the concrete, Fernando’s body didn’t follow. Instead, his blue jeans flapped around her ankles, empty, sodden. She untangled them and lunged away, not understanding what was happening behind her but knowing she needed to flee.
When arms closed around her back, she rolled and fought, clawing with her hands at the face above hers, until she saw that Rene held her.
She drew back her fingers and stared in horror at the rivulets of blood she’d scratched along his cheeks. “I’m sorry.”
He captured her hand and pressed a kiss into her palm. “Don’t worry about it. I’ve had worse.”
She let her head rest on the concrete and waited for her heart to slow its frantic beating. “Where did Fred go?”
“You don’t wanna know.” He cupped her face with one large hand, and she leaned into his warmth. “You all right?”
She nodded and blinked to clear the tears gathering in her eyes. “It was close.”
Rene rose and helped her to her feet. “Let’s get you back to our room. Simon’s there. It’s why I came lookin’ for you.”
“Simon?” Oh, yeah. He was going to help her leave. She didn’t even have the rest of the night to spend with Rene.
Forcing back an inner wail, she let him take her hand and lead her out of the room with the wind still howling from the open doorway and water pooling on the floor.
Chessa preceded them, both weapons held at the ready, but the black-uniformed security team from Ardeal had pretty much cleaned the place out.
Clothing lay in little hillocks around the room as though the bodies that had filled them simply melted away. Rene was right—she didn’t want to know where they went.
Chessa lifted her chin to Nicolas, whose gaze swept Rene and Natalie. As though satisfied they were unharmed, he turned away and shouted. “I want two men to follow them. Post outside their door while they pack until we can bring the van around.”
The van? No! Natalie started to pull away, to make another dash for freedom, but Chessa gave a sharp shake of her head. Something in her eyes reassured her everything would be all right.
The trip to their room was made in total silence. Chessa stood aside as they entered, then closed the door, leaving the guards posted outside.
As soon as they were alone, Chessa tossed her weapons to the bed. “Simon, you can come out now.”
Simon strode out of the bathroom, his sodden T-shirt clinging to his lean chest. He gave a half-hearted smile to Natalie, and then turned to Chessa. “How much time do we have?”
“About five minutes.”
When his gaze returned to Natalie, he reached out both hands to grasp hers. “You have two choices, Nat. You can accept the protection you’ll find at Ardeal until you deliver, or I can send you someplace they can’t ever touch you or your child. The problem is, you won’t be able to return.”
Neither choice held any appeal. At Ardeal, she’d have to give up her child, perhaps forever. If she took Simon’s offer, she’d never see Rene again.
There really was no choice. She sighed. “How do you propose getting me past those guards?”
His smile held a hint of regret. “I’m going to miss you.”
Natalie forced a smile. “Thanks for everything. Thanks for being my friend.”
His gaze searched hers then he nodded. “You’re going to be okay, you know. Say your good-byes quickly.”
Natalie stepped toward Chessa whose expression was shuttered, her lips a grim line. Only her eyes betrayed what she was thinking. They glittered with tears.
“Chessa, I’ll miss you.” She cupped her cheek and leaned in to kiss her mouth. Chessa’s clung to hers for a moment before she backed away. Natalie cleared her throat. “I’m curious though. That phone call—”
“That was Nic, telling me he was on his way. The birds, those rats—he found some in a crypt his men patrol. The creature that dwells inside—well, it sent the animals.”
“The rats left me alone this time—just as quickly as they surrounded me. Why?”
“You don’t have to worry about creature attacks anymore. You’re already pregnant.”
Natalie shook her head, knowing she didn’t have time for her to fully explain what she meant. “Then I won’t worry anymore.”
She drew in a slow breath, preparing herself for her final farewell. Rene stood with his fists clenched at his sides, his face all harsh angles, his jaw flexing. His dark gaze scanned her face as though committing it to memory. Like she was doing now.
“I’m going to be okay,” she said. “Trust Simon on that.”
He didn’t move. Didn’t respond to her words in any way.
Not wanting to make a scene or let him see how badly she hurt, she reached up and kissed his cheek. “Good-bye,” she whispered and turned back to Simon.
Only Simon didn’t stand behind her. In his place stood a rugged, handsome, much older man with brown hair and a beard. Only the crooked smile he wore told her it was him.
“I’m starting to think the whole world’s crazy,” she said. “Is nothing what it seems?”
“Not in your life, my dear. Ready?”
“What do I do?”
“Nothing, yet. I’m going to open a portal. When I tell you, you’ll step through it and you’ll be somewhere else. No turning back. There will be a trail in the forest. Follow it to a church. Say my name to the priest who opens the door. You won’t be able to communicate with him, but trust him. He’ll lead you to sanctuary.”
“I’ll never see you—any of you, again—will I?”
“Perhaps. If you live long enough.”
Natalie stood still, feeling hot and cold at the same time, light-headed, and near to tears. So much she didn’t understand, but she couldn’t really think and didn’t know what other questions to ask.
“Take this,” he said and handed her a leather pouch that she nearly dropped due to its surprising weight. “It’s gold. You’ll need it to start your new life.”
Then Simon held out his hands and made a motion for all of them to move back. He turned and reached for a bag on the bed and emptied its contents onto the mattress. Round, colored stones, like polished crystal balls, rolled out. He picked up a yellow and a pale blue stone and spread out his arms with one crystal orb resting on each of his open palms.
Natalie gave Chessa a questioning glance. Chessa smiled and lifted her chin. “Watch,” she mouthed.
For a long pregnant moment, nothing happened. Then a flicker sparked inside the yellow stone—a small, wisp of flame that brightened then nearly winked out. But it flared again, this time brighter, and it burst to cast a golden light into every corner of the room. While they watched, the blue stone erupted, its radiance more brilliant than the first and seeming to draw the yellow rays into its aura.
Simon began an intonation, his deepening bass murmuring words in a language she’d never heard that sounded soft and liquid, like water burbling in a stream.
As he chanted, the stones brightened into the intensity of two tiny suns, the rays they cast bending and curving, yellow and blue, interweaving until they seemed to melt together in a brilliant green braid, forming a circle. Looking through the center of the circle, the bed seemed to stretch and curve until it swirled into a vortex, leaving only a smooth, glinting surface, like that of a pond in sunlight.
Simon’s incantation faded, but the shimmering, vertical pool remained.
“Now, Natalie,” he said softly. “Step through the portal, love.”
Natalie looked back one last time at each of them, her gaze resting finally on Rene. I love you. She couldn’t say the words aloud, didn’t want to leave him with a burden. Turning back to the portal, she took a deep breath and straightened he
r shoulders.
“Oh, hell no,” Rene muttered behind her.
Natalie glanced back to see him striding toward her, and her heart stopped as she read the determination in his squared jaw as he pinned her with a glare.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m not letting you go alone to wherever the hell he’s sendin’ you.”
“You don’t have to,” Natalie said, although gladness already had her heart thudding against her chest. “I’m going to be safe.”
Rene’s fingers tipped her chin up and his mouth slammed down on top of hers, taking her breath away. When he lifted his head, he said, “You’re not going anywhere without me, chère.”
“How’s your French?” Simon asked, standing at his elbow.
Rene’s head swiveled to aim a glare at the man who now shared a similar size and ruggedness. “I’m Cajun. It’s shit.”
Simon grinned. “It’s about to get a whole lot better. And you’ll need to learn to ride a horse.”
“Where are we going?” Rene asked, wrapping an arm around Natalie’s shoulder as though afraid she’d disappear if he didn’t hold her tight.
“What? And spoil the adventure?” Simon said, with a waggle of his eyebrows. As his gaze came back to Natalie, his smile faded. “You’ll be among friends. They’ll teach you. Help you assimilate. You’ll be safe for a time.”
Rene let go of Natalie and glanced back at Chessa. Tears welled in her eyes. “Come here,” he said, his voice gruff.
Chessa stepped toward them. When she stood in front of Rene, her face crumpled and she reached out.
Rene’s arms enfolded her, pressing her head to his chest. He kissed her hair. “I guess you’re gonna be lookin’ for a new partner,” he said, his voice roughening with emotion.
“You just watch your ass.” Chessa’s words were muffled against his chest. “I won’t be there to cover it.”
Rene grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her head back and planted a hard kiss on her lips. When they drew away, tears spilled down Chessa’s cheeks.
“You know, you’re going to have to turn,” Chessa said. “The only way we’ll ever meet again is if you live a long, long time.”
Rene nodded, and took Natalie’s hand. “Ready to roll?”
Together, they stepped toward the shimmering portal.
Natalie reached out to touch the surface and watched it ripple outward as though a stone had dropped in its center. When she drew back her finger, no moisture clung to her skin. A light, cool breeze wafted from the other side, along with the inviting fragrance of lush vegetation.
“Why are you doing this, Rene?” she asked, keeping her gaze straight ahead.
“Why do you think?”
“I don’t want you with me if it’s only because you feel you have to.”
Rene sighed beside her, and pulled her to face him.
Reluctantly, she raised her gaze.
“Oh, I have to, all right,” he said, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her hips flush with his. “If I let you leave, I’ll never see you again. Never touch you. I won’t get to see that baby they say you have growing in your belly.” His forehead furrowed with a fierce frown. “And I won’t get to love you.”
“There’s a lot of ways a girl could interpret that last little bit,” Natalie murmured, her body warming with arousal.
“Want me to make it clearer?” he said, his voice a low, tender rumble. “I’m saying I don’t want to be here, in this world, if you aren’t in it.”
“Sounds good enough to me,” Chessa said softly.
It did to Natalie, too.
“Time’s a wasting, you two. This spell won’t hold much longer.”
Rene kissed her, brushing his lips lightly over hers. A promise in the blessing. “I’ll die for you, chère,” he whispered.
Natalie slipped her arm around his waist, and together they stepped through the portal.
The portal flickered then winked out. The hotel room was as it had been before, except the bed was no longer there.
Chessa wiped away her tears with the back of her hand before turning to face Simon. She aimed a scowl at the mage. “Don’t start thinking you and me are gonna be buddies.”
Simon sniffed. “As if. Don’t darken my doorway too soon.” With a grin curving his lips, he turned to gather the stones into his bag.
A knock sounded at the door, and Chessa went to answer it.
Nicolas leaned indolently against the door frame, the guards no where in sight. He looked beyond Chessa to Simon and tilted his head to the corridor. “Coast is clear. You can leave, now.”
After Simon strode out of the room, Chessa’s gaze fell beneath Nicolas’s.
“Got him out of your system?”
The deep rasp of his voice made her shiver with awareness they were alone. She shrugged, pretending she wasn’t affected. “Doesn’t matter now.”
“We’ve got an hour until daybreak,” he drawled.
Chessa raised her chin. “I still have the scent of him on my skin. Want me to shower?”
His nostrils flared. His gaze darkened. “We haven’t time, if I’m to punish you properly.”
Chessa’s body flooded with heat. “Got one little problem. No bed.”
Nicolas snagged her wrist and pulled her hard against his chest, his mouth hovering just above hers. “You’re going to have one nasty rug burn.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This book was a labor of love—and not just mine. I have so many to thank I know I’ll forget to mention someone!
Thanks to my critique partners for putting the polish on this project: Jo-Ann Power, Layla Chase, Myla Jackson, Megan Kerans, and Mary Fechter.
More thanks to “Team Delilah,” my friends and readers who kept the story “real” and encouraged me all along the way: Heather, Di, Icia, Patti, Joy, Erin, Sharon, Jenn, and Serena.
A shout-out to my biggest fan: I love you, Mom!
And last, to my editor: Thanks, May, for believing in this story!
About the Author
DELILAH DEVLIN resides in South Texas at the intersection of two dry creeks, surrounded by sexy cowboys in Wranglers—she likes living dangerously! To Delilah, the greatest sin is driving between the lines because it’s comfortable and safe. Her personal journey has taken her through one war and many countries, cultures, jobs, and relationships to bring her to the place she travels now—writing sexy adventures that hold more than a kernel of autobiography and often share a common thread of self-discovery and transformation.
She has e-published numerous books which have garnered her awards and rave reviews. Into the Darkness embodies her wildest, erotic fantasies. To learn more about Delilah Devlin, visit www.delilahdevlin.com.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
By Delilah Devlin
INTO THE DARKNESS
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
INTO THE DARKNESS. Copyright © 2007 by Deliah Devlin. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
ePub edition February 2007 ISBN 9780061745218
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