Caleb gave her a crooked grin. “No, baby, I think that’ll do it.”
Flo flushed at the endearment, smiling broadly at Caleb. “Okay, I’ll check back with y’all in a little while. Enjoy your meal.” She practically skipped away from the table.
“Did you see that?” He looked at Desiree. “Some women like my attention.”
She rolled her eyes. “I don’t dislike you, Caleb. But I will admit you are starting to wear on my nerves.” Then a thought struck her and she smiled. “If you like Flo so much, ask her out. She seemed to like you. Get all this out of your system.”
“Aw, you’re just jealous.” His eyes sparkled and he laughed. “You don’t really want me to ask Flo out.”
“I am not jealous.” Clenching her teeth, she locked eyes with him. “Tell me, Caleb, what’s it going to take to get you to stop this nonsense?”
“This isn’t nonsense,” he remarked defensively. “I told you I’m not giving up.”
“I’m starting to lose my appetite.” She closed her eyes. “Please just eat your breakfast before it gets cold.”
“I’m glad you’re starting to see things my way.” Picking up his fork, he dug into his breakfast.
She took slow breaths in an effort to keep her composure, and then she squeezed Mica’s hand under the table and whispered, “I don’t know what I’m going to do about him.”
Mica took his hand back, and put his arm around her shoulders. She opened her eyes and looked at him as he leaned down to whisper into her ear. “We’ll just have to stop hiding things from him. He’ll have to give up sooner or later.” She nodded. “Eat your breakfast while it’s still hot.” He squeezed her shoulders.
Caleb narrowed his eyes. “We’re not supposed to be keeping secrets.”
She met his eyes from across the table, glaring. “You’ll find out exactly what we just said as soon as we get back to the cavern.” The irritation rang sharply in her tone. “I say the sooner the better.” She picked up her fork to eat, pointedly ignoring Caleb.
* * *
They all left the diner, walking into the convenience part of the building. Caleb visited the cooler and grabbed two cases of beer. She watched him, crossing her arms over her chest, and gritted her teeth together.
He held out the two cases, shrugging. “What?”
“Jason’s out there somewhere,” she whispered loudly. “And, besides, didn’t you drink enough last night?”
“You sound like you care.”
She looked at the ceiling, counting to three. Mica placed his hands on her shoulders and she leaned back into him. “Can we go out to the van before I lose my temper?”
He nodded. “It sounds good to me. It’s been a trying morning.”
“Yes, it has.” Pushing past Caleb to the glass doors, she came to a screeching halt. Her mouth dropped open. She snatched off the poster on the door, staring at it in disbelief. The anger built until she shook all over. “Mica, God help me, but I’m going to kill him.”
“Caleb’s being a pain, but he’s not that bad. He’ll get over it.”
She looked up into his eyes, handing him the poster. “Not Caleb. I’m going to kill Jason.”
Mica looked at the poster.
Wanted Dead or Alive.
Desiree Dupuis.
Huge Reward.
She is traveling with two accomplices
Also wanted: Mica Sinclair and Caleb Jenkins.
Consider them armed and dangerous.
Mica read the poster to himself in a low tone. It sported a picture of all three of them on the front. He crumpled it in his fist. “You’ll have to get in line.”
“Mica, you don’t understand.” She wrinkled her brow, pointing to the crumpled poster. “This picture was taken today—here at this truck stop. See, I’m holding my bag. He must have taken these when we first got here.” She scanned the room cautiously. “He’s still here, and he’s been watching us the entire time.”
“We’ve got to get you out of here, now. Stay close to me; we’re going back inside first to tell Caleb.”
She twined her fingers in his, letting him lead the way back into the store. He found Caleb by the chips. He stopped, carefully looking around the room for some sign of Jason. Finding none, he nudged Caleb’s shoulder. “Caleb.”
Caleb looked up from the chips. “Hold your horses, buddy. I want to grab a couple more bags of chips.” Mica nudged him again. “What’s the rush?”
Mica shoved the crumpled poster at him and whispered, “Jason’s here, and he left another calling card. Take a look at your smiling face.”
Grabbing the poster, Caleb’s mouth dropped open. “Where did you get this?”
“Desiree pulled it off of the front door. There’s no telling how many people have seen it. We’ve got to go, now.”
“Sure thing.” Caleb reached blindly for two more bags of chips. “I’m headed to the cash register now.”
“Forget the chips.”
“I’m not forgetting the chips. That cave is seriously boring. I need this.”
She rolled her eyes. “Mica, just let him get the chips, or we’ll never get out of here.”
Caleb flashed her crooked smile. “Thanks, Dez, I knew you loved me.”
“Don’t call me Dez!” She clenched her teeth when she realized what he said. “Just buy the damn chips, Caleb.”
He laughed, taking the food to the register. She put her arms around Mica’s waist, placing her cheek on his chest. He held her tight. “Caleb is going to be a real problem for us,” she whispered. “I’ve never seen anyone so persistent.”
“We’ll get this all worked out. He’s not generally this big of a pain. I can sense something is up with him, but I’m not sure what it is yet. I don’t think he’s a danger to us, but it feels like he’s up to something, or worse, hiding something. Just keep a close eye on him.”
“I don’t think I’m going to have much of a choice. He said he wasn’t giving up. I am assuming that to mean he’s going to continue to be annoyingly persistent.”
Mica squeezed her tighter, kissing the top of her head. “Until this is all over, you’re not going to be left alone with anybody but me. It looks like Caleb is finally finished and ready to go. Let’s get out of here.”
She stepped back, smiling. “Let’s go get this over with. I have a feeling it’s not going to be pretty.” She headed to the front door with Mica in tow.
He chuckled. “It might get downright ugly.”
They caught up with Caleb at the front door. He leaned into the door to open it, holding it for them. She stepped out first, stopping so suddenly Mica ran into her. She barely noticed. “Desiree, I’m sorry. Are you okay? Why did you stop?”
“Uh…oh God—Mica, look.” She slowly looked around. Every vehicle, every light pole, and every window within viewing distance had their wanted poster taped to it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Desiree stood at the cave entrance, staring into its inky blackness. She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. There was no way she would voluntarily step into that endless void without a lantern. She felt like a coward.
Caleb brushed past her carrying the two cases of beer and chips. “Come on, Dez.” His laughter echoed in the cave. “It’s just a little darkness. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
“Don’t call me Dez,” she grumbled under her breath. Mica slipped his arms around her from behind and pulled her to him. She leaned into his body, closing her eyes, and smiled. Their bodies molded perfectly together. She felt warm and content in his arms. “It’s been a long time since I’ve had someone to lean on. This feels nice.”
“Yes, it does.” He nuzzled her neck. “You can lean on me anytime.”
She turned around in his arms, wrapping her arms around his waist, and placing her cheek on his chest. “I prefer that you hold me.”
“Holding’s good, but I want to do more than hold you.” She didn’t look up, but she grinned, hugging him tighter. He placed his f
inger under her chin so he could look into her eyes, and smiled.
“You are oh so tempting.” She bit her bottom lip flirtatiously.
“Tempting—I like the sound of that. Let me see if I can tempt you more.” He brought his lips down on hers in a searing kiss that buckled her knees. She slipped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer, entwining her fingers in his hair. He could smell her desire, which almost pushed him past the brink of reason. He could not seem to get enough of her, driving him to seek more. The kiss grew more demanding as he slipped his tongue inside her mouth and stroked hers with his. She moaned, trembling in his arms.
Caleb tapped Mica on his shoulder in alarm. “Mica, what do you think you’re doing?”
Mica ended the kiss, looking into her passion-filled eyes. “Go away, Caleb.”
“Mica…”
Desiree narrowed her eyes to Caleb at his tone. “Go away, Caleb.” She looked back in to Mica’s eyes, smiling.
“Someone’s been inside the cave.”
That got their attention. They whipped their heads around, staring at him in disbelief. “What?” they said in unison.
“Things are tossed everywhere like they were looking for something.”
“Oh no, not the amulets,” she cried in alarm. “I hid them before we left. I need to make sure they’re still safe. They’re my ticket to freedom.”
Mica grabbed her shoulders. “Are you in that big of a hurry to get away from me?”
She flushed, looking back into his eyes. “No, I want my freedom from Drake, not you.” She grinned. “Being held captive by you might be interesting.” He grinned and held her tighter.
Caleb rolled his eyes. “Are you two going to check out the cave or not?”
“We are.” Mica lifted Desiree into his arms; she smiled, kissing him on the cheek.
“What are you doing now?”
“She’s still afraid of the dark. I’m going to carry her through the cave.”
Caleb ground his teeth, looking away. “I forgot about that.”
She smiled, resting her head on his shoulder.
“Are you ready?”
She nodded, closing her eyes. She felt a brief gust of wind and then he placed her back on her feet.
“Thank you.” She tore her eyes away from his to look at the cave. Her mouth dropped open. “Mica…” She gulped. “It’s Jason; it has to be.”
He sniffed the air and grumbled. “It’s Hargrove. I can smell him.” He sniffed the air again. “The scent is faint, which means he’s no longer here. Desiree, check on the amulets.”
Grabbing a lantern, she rushed into the other room. Running to the corner, kneeling down on her knees, she moved a large rock, and then breathed a sigh of relief. “They’re still here.” She closed her eyes. “Thank the gods.” She looked up at Mica. “Either Hargrove didn’t know what he was looking for, or he was stupid enough to think I would hide something valuable with my things.”
Mica crossed his arms over his chest. “What I’d like to know is how Hargrove knew where we were staying.”
Caleb backed silently out of the room.
“Who knows where he gets his information. I told you he was sneaky.” She put her hand in Mica’s and he helped her to her feet. Looking around at the wrecked room, her shoulders slumped. “I guess I better start picking up this mess.…When I’m finished, I’m going to write a spell to take care of Jason once and for all.”
She walked over to her stone Altar that was pushed off its base, shaking her head. Mica picked it up and placed it back. “Thanks.” She smiled at him. “I’ve got it in here. Why don’t you go check around and make sure there are no more surprises for us.”
“I don’t want to leave you alone and unprotected.”
“I’ll be fine.” She placed a kiss on his cheek. “Anyone who is a threat will have to get past you first.”
“Okay, I want to check outside to make sure Hargrove isn’t hiding out somewhere around the outside of the cave. I’ll be back shortly.”
She smiled. “Okay, I’ll be here.” She put her hands on her hips, looking around, shaking her head in disgust. “Jason is going to wish he never heard my name by the time I’m through with him.”
Mica laughed. “I might beat you to it and kill him first. I’ll be back.”
She resolved herself to the task of picking up the mess. Bending down, she picked up the scattered tarot cards, stacking them neatly on the table. She picked up the heavy cauldron to put it on the table when she felt a pair of arms circle her waist. She looked down cautiously. It definitely wasn’t Mica.
“We’re finally alone,” Caleb whispered in her ear.
Desiree swung the heavy cauldron over to the table. “Caleb, what do you think you’re doing?” She tried to pull away from him, but he had a strong hold on her waist. “Let me go.”
“No, not until you listen to me first.”
She turned around to confront him and he backed her into the Altar. She pushed at his shoulders to get away from him. “Caleb, I’m warning you now, let me go.”
He grinned. “No,” he remarked playfully. “I told you I wasn’t giving up, and I meant it. I’m going to show you what you’re missing.”
“Let. Me. Go.”
“No.”
She clenched her teeth, glaring at him. “Don’t make me have to defend myself.” She couldn’t believe it. He actually had the nerve to laugh. She balled her hands into fists, ready to strike, when he grabbed her by the shoulders and tried to kiss her. She turned her head to the side, and then he froze.
“You let him mark you.” He clenched his teeth, and his eyes started to change into the eyes of a large cat.
Catching her breath, her eyes grew wide in sudden fear of Caleb. “M-M-Mark me?” she stuttered. “I-I—don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He held her in an iron grip, yanking the top of her shirt away with the other hand to expose the bite marks on her shoulder. “Those marks.” He jerked her shoulder hard. “He’s marked you as his mate.”
She looked down at the marks. She barely remembered it happening at all. She looked back up at Caleb. His eyes had returned to normal, but he was still angry. She raised her chin defiantly. “So what if he did?”
He shook her in anger. “You were supposed to be mine!” The absurdity of the situation struck her as funny and she actually laughed at him. He shook her again, jarring her teeth.
She stopped laughing and glared at him. “My will is my own. I am a grown woman and I alone choose who I wish to be with, not you. For the final time, let me go.”
“No.” He gripped her arms tighter. “I will make you forget him. I will prove to you that I’m the one you want.”
She laughed. “That’s pathetic, Caleb. I’m sorry. I have made my choice and it’s not you. Deal with it.”
The feline growl that erupted surprised her as he brought his mouth down firmly on hers and tried to force her lips apart. She relaxed in his arms and when his grip lessened, she brought her knee up into his groin. He backed up in surprised pain, releasing her arms.
She straightened her shirt, raising her chin. She brought her trembling hands up, brushing her tousled hair out of her face. “Don’t ever do that again.”
He was on his knees; his hands were braced on the ground, his head hung low. “You are mine.”
“No, I’m not.”
He raised his eyes to meet hers. They had changed into cat’s eyes again. His hands were transforming into paws, and she tried to back up again, but the Altar stopped her. He let out the scream of a jungle cat, inching his way forward.
“Caleb!” Mica shouted. “Stop!”
Caleb turned his head, narrowing his eyes at Mica. He let out another piercing scream. “She’s mine!” He morphed totally into a panther.
Mica braced himself for attack, his fangs dropping. “Desiree, run!”
She hurried to the other side of the Altar to get away from both of them.
“Caleb, I don’t wa
nt to hurt you, but I protect what is mine.”
Caleb lunged for Mica’s throat. Mica caught him in midair, slamming him into the rocky wall. He slowly stood up, shaking his great head. Letting out another piercing scream, he lunged at Mica again. He slammed him into the wall again. “Stay down, Caleb. You’re not thinking straight. I don’t want to hurt you.”
He lay on the floor, morphing back into human form, refusing to look at Mica. “How could you? You marked her.” He hung his head. “I don’t understand you.”
Mica glanced at Desiree, and then he put his full attention back on Caleb. “I don’t understand you! What were you thinking attacking Desiree?”
“She was supposed to be mine.” He shook his head slowly. “You marked her as your mate.” He raised his eyes to defiantly meet Mica’s. “And to make it worse, she was just as surprised about the marks as I was.”
She stood back in shocked silence. Her eyes met Mica’s in silent question. Mica directed his attention back to Caleb. “She declared herself as mine by her own words,” he announced, glancing back at Desiree. She nodded as she remembered.
“She doesn’t even know vampire ways,” Caleb scoffed. “She doesn’t know what that declaration even means. That hardly seems fair.”
Mica glanced uncertainly at Desiree. She smiled, stepping forward. “Caleb, if what I declared makes me his mate, then so be it. I meant it when I said it, and I mean it now. I belong to him, just as by his own words, he belongs to me.” She looked into Mica’s eyes and he smiled. “There is nothing you can say that will change that.”
Courting the Darkness Page 14
