Dream Under the Hill (Oberon Book 8)

by P. G. Forte

  “Cara–”

  “No.”

  “Yes!”

  “No, Liam. I’m not going anywhere. Now stop it.”

  And then Liam really did lose his mind. Just like when he’d first seen her face, and again when he’d kissed her, he could think of only one thing. This time, it was fear for her safety, the need to protect her from harm, that drove every other consideration from his mind. Nothing else mattered. Nothing. “That’s it,” he growled. “I’ve had enough of this crap. You’re under arrest.”

  Cara frowned at him, obviously perplexed. “I’m what?”

  “You heard me. I’m an undercover cop, I’ve been here trying to gather evidence against Gregg and, right now, I’m arresting you.”

  She stared at him as if he’d just sprouted fangs and horns and maybe scales. Bat wings. Cloven feet. “A cop?”

  It was hard not to take a look like that personally, but he ignored it as best he could. “Oh, good. You’re not deaf. Now, let’s move it!”

  “You don’t kiss like a cop.”

  Liam felt his jaw clamp down hard, any harder and his teeth would have crumbled. “Oh? Had a lot of practice with that, have you?” He wanted names, damn it. He wanted badge numbers. And when this was over, he wanted to bust every other cop who’d even thought about kissing her. Those sons of bitches. She was a minor, God damn it. Even worse, she was his.

  Cara’s forehead crinkled up again. “Well, no, actually, I haven’t, but– Hold on. What are you arresting me for?”

  He put a hand on her arm and propelled her through the swinging door into the kitchen. “What’s the matter? You think you haven’t done anything?”

  She turned her head and scowled at him. “That’s not a charge. You can’t do that. You can’t just arrest me on... on potential.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Liam groused. “I’ll think of something on the way. But, one way or another, you are leaving here tonight. Right now, in fact.”

  “You can’t do this,” she repeated still struggling furiously. Finally, she succeeding in shrugging off his hand. She dove across the room, put the kitchen island between them and frowned at him from across the butcher block top. “You have to read me my rights and... I dunno, all sorts of shit. Is this like your first time arresting someone? Don’t you know how this stuff is supposed to go?”

  Liam sighed. “Look, all I care about is keeping you alive. I don’t know why I have to fight you on this. I don’t want to lock you up, but I will if I have to. I’ll do whatever’s necessary. And I’ll worry about how it’s supposed to go afterwards.”

  “So, what if I promise to leave?” she asked cautiously. “What if I say I’ll leave now, and, and, never come back. Would you trust me?”

  “Of course I trust you. But, what do you mean leave and not come back? You don’t mean you’d actually– Oh, please, tell me you’re not stupid enough to come back here? I’m not kidding. This guy will kill you.”

  “All right,” she said quietly. “If that’s what you want…I-I’ll go.

  He breathed a sigh of relief. “Great. Thank you.”

  “But only if you come, too.”

  Liam thought about arguing, but decided it wasn’t worth it. He reached around the island and took hold of her hand. “Come on. We better go out this way,” he said, turning toward the back door. “There’ll be less of a risk of running into anyone.”

  “Wait. What about the gate? It’s locked, remember.”

  “So?” Liam frowned. “You’ve got the remote, don’t you?”

  “Not on me,” Cara replied. She nodded toward the front of the house. “I left it on the table by the front door.”

  Great. Liam bit his tongue to keep from railing at her about the delay. He had a bad feeling about drawing this out any longer than they had to, but he supposed, when it came right down to it…they had no choice. “Fine. Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

  Cara shook her head. “No, I’ll go. It’s my remote. If anyone sees you, it’ll look weird if you have it.”

  It wouldn’t really matter, since they’d be gone in another minute anyway, but he supposed she was right. No sense looking for trouble. “Okay. Just... be careful?” He gave her hand one last quick, squeeze, and then held on.

  She turned and smiled at him, looking lovely and luminescent and shyly uncertain, all at once. Her face glowed, her eyes searched his questioningly. Time stood still. The moment etched itself into Liam’s brain.

  Then the moment was gone. Cara frowned. “Liam, let go,” she murmured as she slipped her hand free of his grasp. “I’ll be right back.” She turned and pushed through the swinging door, and then she was gone, as well.

  “All right,” Liam muttered, sighing impatiently, trying to still the racing of his heart. “All right, all right, just relax now.” But he knew it was useless. He wouldn’t be able to relax until he got Cara out of here. Until he got her far away from Gregg. Until he made certain she was safe.

  * * *

  Cara was still smiling to herself as she passed through the dining room and into the hallway. Her legs were shaking. Her heart was pounding a mile a minute. She felt just like she always used to, whenever she was on the brink of trying something new or different. Or scary. Not that running away with Liam should be more scary than staying here, but it was.

  There were a lot of ways of being hurt, and getting hit once in a while wasn’t the worst way she could think of, either. Liam hadn’t promised her anything beyond a ride into town. He hadn’t said one word about supporting her, or buying her food, or clothes, or anything. He hadn’t even offered her a place to stay. She was taking an awfully big chance, going with him.

  A big chance based on nothing but one toe-curling kiss, and the hope that she could somehow convince him to go farther next time. She sure wished Seth could see her now. Always playing an angle, huh? Well, not this time, she wasn’t. This time, she was acting on instinct alone. Instinct and sheer stupidity. Or something worse. Something like Love.

  She was headed for the front door, about to cross the foyer, when voices on the landing above her head alerted her to the fact that she was not alone. She skidded to a stop, plastered her back against the wall and held her breath, praying that whoever was up there would go back in their rooms. But, instead–

  “Better wait until it’s dark,” she heard Gregg’s voice say. “That way, even if you’re seen, you’ll be harder to identify.

  “Yes, Sensei,” Steve murmured in reply.

  “Here’s the address,” Gregg continued. “Remember, he lives in an apartment over the garage, so you shouldn’t have any need to go near the house at all. Knock him out as quickly as you can, and don’t leave any signs of a struggle. I want it to look like he left on his own. Understood?”

  “Yes, Sensei.”

  “I’ll leave the basement door unlocked. Bring him in that way when you come back. Tie him up and leave him there. And don’t talk about this to anyone. I don’t want anyone else to know he’s here.”

  Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God. Slowly, Cara inched her way back into the dinning room, barely daring to breathe. They were talking about Seth. They had to be talking about Seth. And, omigod, they were going to kidnap him!

  She breathed another silent prayer, thanking God that she’d found out in time. Thanking God she was leaving here anyway. She didn’t even know if she believed in God—what had he done for her lately, anyway? But, if He got her out of this mess, if she could make it to Seth’s house in time…she’d be ready to believe in anything.

  She’d tell Liam they had to stop at Seth’s house first, so they could warn him. That was only fair. She forced herself to breathe, forced herself to calm down. Forced herself to remember that it was all gonna be okay. And after they warned Seth? What would they do then? She had no idea.

  Cara waited until she heard footsteps coming down the stairs. The front door opened and shut, and she sighed in relief. Okay, good. Time to go.

  She hurried out of hiding. T
he coast was clear, but just the same, there was no time to waste. She needed to get her remote, get back to Liam and go.

  The remote was on the table where she’d left it. She picked it up, took her bag from the hook in the front closet, turned back toward the kitchen, and ran smack into Gregg.

  “Going somewhere, pet?”

  Cara gasped in surprise. Gregg was downstairs, something he rarely did these days, unless there was a meeting. And he was dressed in regular street clothes, which he never, ever wore, unless he was going outside. Seth. Oh, God, I’m too late. He’s going to get Seth. He’s leaving now. There’s no way to stop him.. “Wh-what’d you say?”

  Gregg pointed at the remote in her hand. “I said, are you going somewhere?”

  “Oh. Yeah. I, I, uh, the grocery store?” she said, grasping at the first thing that came to mind.

  “Now? It’s a little late, isn’t it? It’s almost time for dinner.”

  Cara nodded, nervously tucking her hair behind her ears. “I was just in the kitchen, and I didn’t realize we were out of so much stuff. I need to go get some. Food. And, and stuff. Other stuff. Not food, just... ” Just what, you idiot? Think of something. Quick!

  Gregg frowned. Cara’s breath caught as his hand reached toward her. Gently, he rearranged the hair she was sure she’d just tangled. Pulling the locks she’d just tucked away, out from behind her ears again. “There. That’s better,” he murmured. He looked at her questioningly. “Can’t it wait? Can’t you make something else? We can’t be completely out of food?”

  “No, we’re not. But I, I…well, I guess I c-could. It’s just that you were so mad this morning, and I thought... I thought I could make you something special?”

  “Something special, huh?” Gregg’s lips curved upward in an eager smile. “Okay. What?”

  “It-it’s a surprise,” she said, hoping to stall. She knew the real surprise would be if he bought that lie. And an even bigger surprise would be if she could dream up an actual answer before he demanded one.

  Gregg narrowed his eyes, he traced over the marks on her face, much like Liam had done earlier. Cara felt her throat close up as the image of herself in the mirror flashed across her mind.

  “Gregg, stop,” she whispered, blinking back tears and cursing Liam for making her see herself as he did. And as Gregg must have done this morning. “Don’t.” How could Gregg hurt her like that and laugh about it, not five minutes later? You’d have to be insane to act like that. And, if that were the case... he didn’t love her. He couldn’t love her. Crazy people didn’t love anyone. Which meant she’d been fooling herself, all these months. Which meant... oh, God... he really could kill her, someday. There was no reason to think otherwise. And no way at all to stop him.

  “You make things so hard for yourself,” Gregg murmured softly. “Don’t you?”

  “Yes, Gregg.” Cara whispered obediently.

  “I thought you were learning, but it still has to be the hard way for you, doesn’t it, pet?”

  “Yes, Gregg.”

  He pulled his arm back. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited. Nothing happened. After a moment, she opened her eyes.

  Gregg was smiling at her fondly. “Only kidding.”

  She stared at him in amazement. He really was crazy, wasn’t he?

  “You better get going.”

  “Going?”

  He pointed behind her, toward the front door. “To the grocery store? For my surprise?”

  She bit her lip, trying to determine what her next move should be. Gregg was standing between her and the kitchen. Between her and Liam. Cara knew there was no way she could pull this off. She could either leave now, alone, through the front door. Or she could pretend to change her mind about dinner, go back into the kitchen... and wait for another time. And that was exactly what she knew she should do. What she wanted to do. Except for one thing. Seth.

  I won’t be responsible for anyone else getting involved with Gregg. Liam’s words came back to taunt her. Or for anyone else getting hurt. Particularly not someone I consider a friend

  What kind of friend would she be to Seth, if she did nothing to help him now? It was her fault if anything happened to him. She’d put him on Gregg’s radar and now... now she had no choice but to warn him of the danger he was in. If she did nothing, and something bad happened, she wouldn’t be able to live with herself. And Liam was sure to despise her.

  “Oh, right,” she mumbled, swallowing hard, trying to force herself to do what she had to do. To walk away and... and leave Liam behind.

  No. That was stupid. She couldn’t think that way. She wasn’t really leaving Liam. She’d just have to go back on her word about that. She’d drive into town, warn Seth, pick up some groceries – and maybe, by the time she got there, she could even figure out something special to cook – and then she’d come back.

  Gregg would be happy. Seth would be safe. And she and Liam could leave here together, later tonight.

  “Pet?”

  “Yeah, yeah. I’m going.” She turned away from him, turned toward the door. Everything was okay, she reassured herself. Everything was fine. Just fine. Practically perfect.

  Chapter Thirty Two

  Adam gazed out the hospital window, blind to the scene before him, seeing only the look on Sinead’s face, her eyes hard with anger, wet with tears. It was a look he’d never thought to see there, and certainly not directed at him.

  “So, what are you going to do?” Scout’s voice was low, hesitant. Her question caught him off guard.

  “Do about what?” he asked, without turning around, still staring unseeing at the small wooded park adjacent to the hospital grounds, at the redwoods that rose above the surrounding pine and dogwood trees. They seemed so serene, steadfast and sturdy, untouched by the day-to-day stress that humans were prone to.

  “About what Sinead said. About undoing what you’ve done. The spells, or whatever they were.”

  “I don’t know.” He did turn then, and was surprised by the bleakness in her eyes. “I’m not really sure what I can do. Wait it out, I suppose? Our Lamaze coach did say that women in transition can become somewhat irrational.”

  Scout frowned as she dropped her gaze from his face. For a minute, she appeared to study her hands, which were locked around her knees once again. “Come on, Adam. Don’t play dumb with me. You know that’s not what this is about.”

  The note of suppressed anger in her tone made Adam’s stomach roil. He glanced involuntarily at the bed where Nick lay. “Scout, you’re not saying you believe she was right about... well, about what she said. About Nick.” About it being my fault. “Are you?”

  “Why not?” She raised her head and looked at him and he was shocked once again by the cold emptiness in her eyes. “It makes as much sense as anything else I’ve heard.”

  “He’s not gonna die,” Adam blurted. “You can’t think like that. It’s–” Ridiculous. Impossible. Scout gazed at him so sadly, his heart ached for her. Too cruel.

  “You don’t know that, Adam. None of us can know for certain what’s going to happen. But something has to change, or…or I think he will.”

  “Scout... ” Once again Adam couldn’t help glancing at Nick’s face, at his bland, flaccid expression. Okay, could be she had a point. But, even so– “Please. You can’t believe this has anything to do with me?”

  “You?” Anger flared in Scout’s eyes. She glared at him. “This isn’t about you, Adam. I don’t care if it’s your fault, or not. I’m not looking to blame anyone. I just– I just want him back.”

  Adam rubbed his hands over his face, shutting out the scowl on his sister’s face. How would his losing Sinead help anyone? Would it restore Nick to health? Would it erase the anguish in Scout’s eyes, or do anything to end the hell she was going through? No. Adam sighed. All it would do was break his heart and end his chances to achieve the life he’d dreamed and schemed and worked so hard for.

  He looked at her, pleadingly. “Even if it is my fault,
even if it’s all related to those spells I cast last Fall, what makes you think removing them now would change anything?”

  “I don’t know. But if there’s even a small chance it could make a difference, it would be worth it.”

  Not to me, it wouldn’t, Adam wanted to shout. “Even if it means dissolving the only bond I know for sure I have with Sinead?” he asked instead. “Or sacrificing my entire relationship with her?”

  Scout’s eyes widened. “So what are you saying, Adam? That there’s nothing between you two but magic? Is that really what you think?”

  “No, it’s not that.” Not exactly, anyway. “It’s just–”

  “Then, do it! Where’s the problem? Quit jerking everyone around.”

  Adam turned back toward the window, stunned by her sudden vehemence. “It’s complicated,” he said, not wanting to go into it. He should have known better than to think she’d let him leave it at that. Of course she’d press for more. More words, more information, a few more pieces of his soul.

  “You told me you cast two spells. That’s not very much, is it? How complicated could it be?”

  “More complicated than you think.”

  These were no mere wards cast to protect Sinead from some external danger, like a shell or a suit of armor, something easy to take off and discard when it had outworn its usefulness. What would be the good of that? What was the use of barring the gate when the enemy was already within the city walls, burning and looting? He’d needed something that would work from the inside, from within her body and mind, and within their daughter’s body, as well. So he’d crafted spells that would allow him to do just that. Then, just in case that wasn’t enough, he’d woven himself into the strands, adding his strength to theirs, using his health, his love, his will, to steady their minds and bolster their bodies’ natural defenses. And now, it wasn’t simply a matter of removing something that had stayed separate, that floated like a layer of cream on the surface of sweet milk. This was more like…like taking the red out of red wine. Even if it could be done, what would you end up with? Something barely potable, worlds removed from what you wanted.