by Rise of Hope
“I didn’t want this. I didn’t want any of it. I never did,” Seth said quietly.
Devon was still trying to draw enough air into her lungs, was still trying to calm her thundering heartbeat, but she couldn’t mistake the regret in his voice, the resignation. He’d immediately rolled away from her, as soon as he could, and she ached at the loss of contact with his warmth. He hadn’t wanted her, not really, it was as clear as if he’d shouted it at her. He’d told her as much, except…if he hadn’t really wanted her, then why would he touch her at all, why would he—
Oh God.
She sat up. A chill passed over skin that moments ago had been hot and flushed with pleasure, with satisfaction. It couldn’t be. Could it?
Dear God. Had she—?
She looked down at her hands and tried to think back to when she’d come into the room, when she’d first touched him, what she’d said. What she’d demanded.
Touch me.
Harder.
Make me come.
She glanced at Seth. He lay on his back beside her, a forearm across his eyes. She’d forced him. She’d touched him, been holding onto him and forced him with her words to perform a sex act on her. Against his will. Why else would he have done it? She put her hand to her churning stomach, at the ball of ice that crystallized there and swallowed against the bile that threatened to rise up into her throat.
“I’m sorry,” she choked, forcing herself off the bed, away from him, searching and grabbing for her clothes, fighting the urge to look at him again. One last time. “I’m sorry, I’m so very sorry,” she whispered.
This was why she’d been kept separate. This was why she’d never been allowed touch, why they’d never wanted to risk it. They’d been afraid of her and what she could do, what she might do. And look. She’d hurt someone, taken advantage of him, used him. It didn’t even matter that she’d never meant to do any of it.
“Devon…”
“No. Stay back.” She stepped out of his reach when he sat up and would have grasped her arm. She stumbled backward until she reached the door, grappled behind her for the door knob.
“Please, don’t touch me,” she choked, barely able to get the words out. “Don’t touch me ever again.”
Before, the thought of never seeing him again had filled her with regret, a kind of sad longing that came with the realization that she’d never get another chance to be with him, to talk to him, to find out what they were to each other. After experiencing what it was actually like to be touched by him, held by him, the pain almost tore her in two. Yet she’d take it all back in a heartbeat because it was nothing compared to the knowledge that she’d taken away Seth’s choice, his free will, in the most deplorable, despicable way possible. For someone who’d never had the luxury of freedom, it was unacceptable. Intolerable.
And that was a pain she’d never, ever recover from.
Chapter Six
“You’re still here,” Noah commented, not even sparing Seth a glance from the computer screen.
“Yeah, like you didn’t know that,” Seth drawled.
The place was locked down so tight Seth knew Noah was aware of every movement in and out of the house, on and off the grounds. And how could he leave now?
“The money was wired into your account.”
“Yeah. Thanks.” Seth ran one hand around the back of his head. He couldn’t give a shit about the money. He never had, not really. It was a way to keep a tally, and Noah could more than afford whatever he asked for, so why not?
He took a deep breath. The last thing he’d wanted to do was come crawling back, but he wanted information, needed answers. He didn’t know jack about women, except the obvious. And with Devon? Last night? Christ, totally new territory. She’d cracked him wide open with her response and no amount of cold showers or jacking off had been able to satisfy him, not even close. He’d thought the constant need that clawed through his body was bad. This—whatever the hell it was—made that pale into insignificance. But it wasn’t only his body. Something was happening in his head and the intensity of everything he felt when he was with her flat out scared the hell out of him.
“How did you know about Devon, Noah?”
It wasn’t the question he wanted to ask, not even close, but he figured he had to start somewhere. Besides, Noah had been adamant. It had to be her and it had to be now.
Noah leaned back in his chair and looked at him dead on for the first time. Man, he really did look like crap. While Seth might have tossed and turned for hours, at least it’d been on a soft bed. Noah was wearing the same clothes he’d had on the day before.
“I’ve come into contact with a man who calls himself ‘The Broker.’”
Seth frowned. He’d heard the name from Noah when he’d questioned Devon. “So?”
“As far as I can tell he targets and acquires women for The Assembly. Our women. For a price.”
“Devon?” Seth snapped.
“No. He’s too young. My investigations show that Devon’s been in their possession since she was little more than a baby. This guy…he’s more our age.”
“But he knew about her?”
“Yeah.”
“And? He just gave you the information and you trusted him?” Jesus, Noah was smarter than that.
“Not exactly, but everything he said checked out.”
“You paid him for it,” Seth bit out.
“Yeah.”
“He’s working both sides.”
Noah’s jaw clenched. “Maybe. Probably. I don’t know, but I do know he’s hiding something, running his own agenda. I just don’t know what it is yet.”
Yeah or maybe he wanted a piece of Noah’s action as well. “How long have you known about her?”
Noah paused, for a heartbeat, two. “Awhile.”
Seth took a deep breath in a futile effort to control the wave of fury that hit him, and it hit hard. Noah had known she was being held against her will. Yet he’d waited. Jesus, for what?
“Yeah, it’s probably best I don’t know exactly how long.”
Noah sighed. “I have my reasons, Seth and besides…you weren’t ready.”
Weren’t ready?
“Your reasons don’t mean squat,” Seth spat. “Other than what the hell they have to do with me?”
“Are you still going to walk away from this? From her?”
He’d always thought of fate as the bitch that had stuck it to him good, but he couldn’t deny the feelings Devon roused in him, feelings he would have bet he wasn’t capable of. And he couldn’t discount the fact any longer that she’d been made for him. It wasn’t just about the marks. It was her and what was inside him for her. He’d felt connected to someone for the first time in his life, had felt it from the first moment he’d seen her. And once he’d touched her? Once she’d touched him? He couldn’t think of bailing on her. Now he had to figure out what to do about the mess he’d made of things because last night she hadn’t been able to get away from him fast enough.
“You realize she’s the first Vadïm woman the guys have ever seen, Seth.”
“Yeah, so?”
“So, they might get curious, especially if they know you’re relinquishing your rights where she’s concerned.”
It was a warning, plain and simple. First Micah, now Noah. His body tensed. “You’re threatening me?”
Noah shrugged. Seth put his hands on the desk, leaned over and forced his words out through clenched teeth.
“Anyone touches her like that, anyone so much as goes near her, I’ll—”
“She’s gone.”
Both men turned to Micah as he all but threw himself into the room. He hadn’t taken the time to put in the contacts he normally wore and it was still a shock, no matter how many times Seth saw it.
&n
bsp; “She’s probably in her room,” he mumbled. He didn’t want to think about why she’d be holed up in the room. He’d come on too strong, too fast and frightened her. Maybe even disgusted her. And he’d been too much of a fucking coward to go after her, hadn’t known what to say, what he could do. He’d made such a mess of everything so far.
“No. She’s gone,” Micah insisted. “She’s not in the house or grounds. I’m sure of it.”
Seth straightened in a rush, the surge of adrenaline had his mind instantly sharp, focused, ready. The place was crawling with guards. “How the fuck could she have gotten out?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Micah shot back. “A woman with the power of suggestion? What do you think, Einstein?”
Something unfurled inside him, something dark, wild, dangerous. He felt it, the feral savagery that demanded he wreak havoc on anything or anyone that would dare hurt her. And the fury. Not fury at Devon for putting herself in possible danger—that could come later. Not even fury at Micah for giving her the chance to perfect her capabilities. But fury at himself.
“She’s running. From me.”
Noah stood up slowly, his movements deliberate and Seth’s senses went on full alert. “Why would she do that?” Noah demanded.
Seth closed his eyes for a second and scrubbed a hand over his face. What was between him and Devon was private, personal and he didn’t want to share that, not any of it.
“None of your fucking business,” he ground out.
“I beg to differ.” Noah’s voice hardened.
Seth frowned, felt the edge of impatience tug at him. Noah might be getting a God complex lately, but he was a master strategist. He thought of everything, two steps in front of everyone else. He should have anticipated this happening. If Seth had been thinking clearly himself he might have considered the possibility that she’d take off.
“Christ, Noah you had to have—”
“I’ve had Christian watching her.”
Seth’s stomach clenched. If the other man had been watching her, he’d probably seen Devon come to his room. And leave. He swallowed. She’d run out practically naked.
“Then where the fuck is he?”
“Here.”
They all turned when the other man stepped through the door. As usual, the guy seemed to suck the light from the room with his very presence. He projected black—black hair, black clothes and black eyes that reminded a man of his worst nightmares…if you looked at them too closely.
“You lost something, man?” Christian’s voice might have been devoid of emotion, but accusation was stamped onto his harsh features. And knowledge. Knowledge was there too.
Fuck.
“Why would she run, Seth?” Noah demanded again. His voice was low, but that didn’t make it any less menacing. “What did you do?”
When he didn’t answer, couldn’t answer, Christian said, “Seth fucked her last night.”
Seth winced at how sordid it sounded. How wrong. “I—”
“What?” Micah frowned. “Jesus, Seth, you didn’t—”
“Back the fuck off,” Seth snarled. “All of you.” He was done with the accusations. He might deserve it all and more, but it wasn’t anything he hadn’t laid on himself a hundred-fold. And he wouldn’t have anyone talking about her that way. “Nothing to do with Devon is any of your business. It’s nothing to do with any of you.”
“Yeah, see, that’s where you’re wrong.”
The menace in Noah’s voice was almost tangible now. His gaze was locked onto Seth, bleak and steady and despite his dark hair, Seth saw what had been in front of him the entire time, what his legendary observation skills had seen, but hadn’t registered. The resemblance, not so much in the coloring, but the jaw line, the tilt of the eyes, and that look—God that look—it was right there.
Holy shit.
“Devon is my sister,” Noah ground out. “It took me over twenty years to find her, twenty years of looking, chasing down every dead-end lead, hours upon hours sifting through data, research, going off little more than snatches of memory of a baby with soft hair and big blue eyes. And waiting, until the timing was right, just right. Goddammit,” his voice cracked. “I trusted you with her, Seth, because she was meant for you, because she’s yours, I trusted…”
Seth swallowed. In all the years he’d known him, he’d never seen Noah be anything but analytical, cunning and ruthless. Cold. Now, fury and anguish radiated from him. He understood all of it because the same emotions churned through him, threatened to engulf him.
“I know. I fucked it up. Everything. I fucked everything up.”
He didn’t care what happened, not to him, not to any of them, he just needed to know Devon was safe.
He turned to Christian. His dark gaze was a little fixed, a little glazed over. Not many would have even noticed, but Seth knew exactly what it meant, they all did.
“Do you have her? Tell me you have her,” he choked out.
“Yeah, I have her in view right now. I’m staying back out of sight, but she hasn’t gotten far.”
Seth felt something in him relax a little. Christian was an enigma, even amongst them. He kept to himself most of the time and usually didn’t have a lot to say. When he did, sometimes it was just plain weird, but he could literally be in two places at once. Christian could clone himself into two identical men, able to operate independently, but with the ability to communicate telepathically. Seth’d seen it himself once and it was freaky, although probably no more than what he did, what any of them could do.
“We have to get her,” Seth forced out. “Now.”
“And fast,” Noah added. “Because if we don’t—”
“Too late,” Christian rasped. His body stiffened and he drew in a deep, uneven breath. “She was just grabbed off the street.” He winced. “Aw, fuck. And there’s not a lot I can do other than watch.”
* * *
It had actually worked.
God, as if after everything that had happened, she’d needed any further proof. Devon looked down at her hands. She flexed them, tried to stretch the ties on her wrists, but it was useless. They were bound. Tight. Her fingers looked the same, felt the same, but the slight tingle she’d experienced when she’d touched Noah’s guards still sang through her senses. She’d felt a release of energy, an acute awareness, or perhaps it’d been nerves, but she’d been able to get them to do whatever she wanted. Including letting her walk right out the front gate. They’d obeyed without question, without any hesitation at all, even though she knew they would have been given conflicting orders from Noah. And they hadn’t seemed to struggle against the compulsion, had accepted it, acted on her commands.
Effortless. It had been so effortless. Unfortunately. For her. Because the fleeting taste of freedom, true freedom, had been just that—fleeting. Now she was unlikely to ever get the chance to try it again. Ever. Maybe it was better this way. Maybe she was where she belonged, where she deserved to be after all.
To think this was what had been inside her all this time, this tremendous potential, this raw power. To be able to override free choice, on purpose and at will. She swallowed. She could understand the fear and wariness of those who’d known what she was capable of. She could see the logic of keeping it from her, at all costs, of keeping it, and her, contained. She was nothing but a very powerful and dangerous commodity—or adversary—and they’d known it.
She shivered, couldn’t seem to stop the deep-seated trembling. She told herself it was because of the cool air, but she didn’t feel cold. Not really. It was as if the damp, dank air of the warehouse she’d been brought to was sinking into her bones, slowly seeping into every part of her.
Oh God.
She’d been locked away her entire life, had always been surrounded by guards. Before, there’d been a pretense at normalcy at least
—now it was more than clear. She was a prisoner, plain and simple. Oh, they’d treated her with courtesy and respect after they’d bundled her into the SUV, but the restraints on her wrists and the visible weapons were pretty hard to ignore. And the fact that they all did whatever they could not to get too close to her… She drew in a deep breath. Yeah, there was no mistaking that.
If she’d thought her life intolerable before, she couldn’t even hope to imagine what it would be like moving forward. What plan had they had for her all this time? What kind of plan did they have for her now?
They seemed to be waiting for something. Or someone. Maybe she could still play dumb. It might buy some time, although for what, she didn’t know because when the time came? She’d never see the light of day again.
“Why—why do you have my hands tied?”
Several of the guards looked over at her, but none seemed inclined to answer.
“Lance? It’s Lance, right?” It had been awhile, but he’d been on her personal bodyguard detail at some point, she was sure of it. He’d never spoken to her during that time, not once, but he was the only face she recognized. He frowned, looked at her as if surprised, but still ignored her. “Please. Tell me what’s going on?”
Before anyone could answer, there was a large crash as the outer door opened. The kick of extra adrenaline that surged through her was so strong, her knees almost buckled. Her blood ran cold, her whole body went rigid and she began to shake—deep, uncontrollable tremors along every one of her limbs.
She’d been scared before, plenty of times. She’d been scared the whole time she’d planned her lame escape, terrified she’d be discovered. She’d been scared when they came after her with the helicopter and she’d been scared when they’d grabbed her right off the street. But nothing compared to the cold, icy wave of dread that washed through her when she saw Seth. And the guns they had pointed at his head.
Oh God.
