“I can’t believe you just called me a project again.”
“A poor choice of words.”
“You think?” She turned away from him and headed for the entrance. He managed to get ahead of her to open the door for her.
***
He led her to a corner table with two tall barstools. He helped her up into her seat. Not because she needed help. It was an excuse to touch her.
“It sure is hot in here, isn’t it?” she asked.
Leaning back a few inches she unzipped her sweatshirt and took it off slowly, provocatively revealing the skimpy low-cut tank top she’d been wearing beneath it. She was a tantalizing vision of female sensuality. Lust blasted him, broke him, crumpled his control, burned his flesh.
“And getting hotter.”
She hopped down from the stool. He took her in his arms and bent his head to hers. He captured her mouth with his. He kissed her deeply. A slow, passionate kiss.
She squirmed out of his arms. “I’ll leave you here to cool off.”
She was absolute temptation. He pulled her back into his arms. “You aren’t going anywhere without me.”
“Of course not.” He felt the feathery caress of her lips on his neck. “I just want to have a little fun before it’s time to leave.”
“Be careful.”
“I wouldn’t do anything to get myself hurt.”
“I’m here.” He smiled. “I’m not worried about you getting hurt.” Damn he loved the way she chose to mess with his mind. His need for her defied reason. Need only she could appease. “If you’re feeling the need for entertainment, you can do anything you want to me.”
“What if I want to tie you up?”
“You want to bury me again?”
“No. I want to tie you up and set your bed on fire,” she whispered against his mouth.
“Our bed. And you certainly have the right accelerant to get it done.”
“I’m hoping to have enough something or other to cause you to have an accident and expose yourself, so we can get back in the shower.” She laughed and, leaving him to smolder, she walked over to a group of lycans at a pool table.
She looked so damn hot. Within a few minutes, the entire group was staring him down and getting close to her. Too damn close. She was laughing with them, provoking him to act. He hadn’t expected his anger to rise so quickly. When she leaned over the pool table, a damned wolf came up behind her and leaned over her as if to teach her to play. He was going to kill the son of a bitch. He was too damn close, leaning over her, touching her, his body pressed against hers.
He reached for her, merged his mind with hers. This is going to end with a huge accident.
Good. I am having such a great time. I hope it ends with something spectacular.
Are you sure this is the game you want to play to cause me to expose myself to the pups?
Sure. She turned around to look at him. I’m hoping you join the game soon. I know I am having more fun as a player than you are as a spectator sulking in the corner?
***
At first, since Tobias appeared bored, Jessie didn’t expect him to react. She was deeply disappointed. Then, his t-shirt wonderfully stretched over his muscular chest, he stood up and adjusted his hat.
Sweltering heat traveled over her skin and though her body. He was hot as hell. “Oh, damn.” Teasing him, goading him to react was a wonderful mistake.
He smiled at her, enormous, violent waves of power flowing from him, wrapping around her. I intend to make it the best one you’ve ever made. His voice was low and sexy.
She couldn’t breathe. His gaze was fixed on hers. He looked invincible. And so damn hot. Everyone between them got out of his way. He owned the place.
She lifted the pool stick to his belly. “What are you doing?”
He pushed it aside. “If you feel the need to receive lessons that require so much physical contact with a man,” his gaze moved over her possessively, hungrily, sparking an intoxicating variety of wickedly hot sensations, “I will do the tutoring.”
“Are you sure you’re up to it?” She slowly moved her palms up his broad, heavily muscled chest to his shoulders. Wanting him. Needing him. Burning up for him. “Really sure?”
“I have no doubts.”
She linked her fingers behind his neck and, standing on the tips of her toes, she pulled him to her. His eyes darkened, a low groan escaping his throat.
She couldn’t believe how quickly her desire for him escalated, how ravenous she felt. He was incredibly hot. Sexy. Gorgeous. Dangerous. “I don’t believe I need any more lessons.”
He took his hat off and set it on the corner of the table. “Like it or not you’re getting one.” He captured her bottom lip between his teeth and tugged gently as he gripped her thigh and lifted it to curve around his hip. He kissed her deeply, his mouth making love to hers. A long, passionate kiss that heated her blood with lust.
Then, gripping her shoulders, he turned her away from him. Resting one palm on top of her belly, he pulled her close.
“Tobias,” she breathed his name.
“I love the way your body feels against mine.” With his solid body pressed snuggly against her backside, he used his free hand to gently pull her hair to one side. “I will never have enough.”
With the tips of his fingers he lightly caressed the bare skin of her exposed neck and shoulder for several breathtaking seconds. Every inch of her marvelously responsive flesh begged for even the slightest stroke of his fingers.
“I am so damn hard for you right now.” His deep, lusty voice vibrated against her ear, causing her to ache to feel every inch of his flesh against hers. “I need to be inside you.” He leaned her over the table, his body covering hers, his arm stretched over hers, and his hand over hers.
Suddenly, she remembered they were in a packed bar. “Stop.” Hot. His hard, bulging cock was so damn hot against her hips. It was a wonderfully cruel form of the best damn torture she’d ever endured. Her head was telling her to run, but her body burned.
He released her and backed away. She whirled around to face him, her back to the pool table. She stared at him. She felt so many emotions at once. Too many. He bent his head and pressed his lips to hers.
“I told you to stop.” She pushed him back and looked around, expecting to find several eyes on them. But everything had stopped. Every person was frozen in fear. It was as if time had stopped. She panicked.
He smiled. “Are you done playing?”
“How are you doing this?” She took a breath and let it out. She didn’t wait for an answer, she turned and walked away from him. He caught her arm and swung her around.
“Don’t worry. They’re fine.”
She struggled to get away from him. She felt like she was suffocating. “What did you do to everyone?”
He shrugged. “I let them know what I am.”
“You are too damn powerful.”
“You had them worked up enough that they might’ve tried to defend you. I am not like them. I can’t fight them.” He shrugged. “Not safely. They’re the youngest members of a lycan pack. They’re kids. I could easily, accidently kill them.”
She realized she would never get away from him. “I am sorry.” She was trapped with him. “I shouldn’t have tried to piss you off.”
“I am not mad at you.” Shaking his head, he frowned. “Not at all.”
“This is too much. It’s all wrong. I just want to go away.” She paused, looking to the side to escape his gaze. “Far away from all of this, from you.”
“Calm down.” He pushed his hair back and put his hat on. “I’ve already told you that you’re not a prisoner. When the threat to you is over, I won’t have any reason to stop you from leaving.”
She looked at him for a few seconds. Why the hell did his words hurt so deeply? The statement should’ve made her happy. He planned to let her go. “I need some air.”
“Jessie.”
She glanced over her shoulder. “I’m f
ine. I just need some air and a minute or two alone.”
~ TWENTY ~
THE INSTANT JESSIE STEPPED outside, a noticeable shift of power in the atmosphere stopped her in her tracks. Her vision blurred. She blinked once and, experiencing a strange sensation of weightlessness and disorientation, everything changed. Her surroundings were too silent and too still. Realizing she’d just stepped out into a supernatural trap of some sort, she turned around to go back inside the bar only to discover an empty gravel lot surrounded by a chain link fence.
The entire building, including the paved parking lot and cars were gone. “Oh, shit.”
She reached out to touch the fence intending to test it, believing it might be an illusion. The second her hand came into contact with it, a powerful current of electricity surged through her body. She was thrown back several feet. The back of her head slammed against the concrete hard.
Stunned, she stayed still for a second to catch her breath before rolling over onto her belly. Pressing her palms flat on the ground, she pushed herself up onto her knees slowly.
Adrenaline surged through her bloodstream, causing her heart to race and body to tremble. She tried to scream for Tobias, but no sound came out of her mouth. Tobias! She reached for him and attempted to merge her mind with his, calling him to her in desperation, realizing she was about to face a threat more dangerous than ever before.
Laughter, vindictive male laughter, answered from directly behind her. He will not come to you. Not yet.
She whirled around to defend herself. She didn’t see anyone. A thick mass of pitch black fog moved toward her, growing and spreading out in all directions. Dread latched onto her, an icy grip paralyzing her. A sense of despair and total defeat consumed her. All hope was lost. Forever lost.
Come meet your god, your executioner. A familiar male’s voice, whispered in her mind. She couldn’t give a name to the voice. Come to me.
Ears ringing, she took a step back, fighting the compulsion rather than obey it. She tried to take another step, but she couldn’t move. She focused and tried to move her left leg and then her right, but they were too heavy to lift.
Tobias! A sharp pain struck her skull. Oh, god, Tobias! She gripped her head, watching the fog move closer. She tried to take a step back again, but she couldn’t lift her leg. Please hear me, Tobias. I need you.
Stop begging. He cannot hear you until I allow it. Come to me, betrayer. Suddenly, to her horror, she realized the voice belonged to Guss Eckhart. Come to me, now. It’s time for us to prepare your mate’s sentence.
No! She wouldn’t allow him to use her to kill Tobias.
Do not attempt to defy me unless you wish to draw out your suffering.
The overwhelming stench of death, of decayed flesh rose from out of nowhere and filled her lungs. Stomach churning and bitter bile rising to her throat, she gagged. She bent over, nearly dropping to her knees as she struggled to catch her breath.
I will fight you until I take my last breath.
Not me. You are the furthest thing from a worthy opponent for me to tussle with. I know it’s disappointing. But don’t fret. I have sent my pet to entertain and retrieve you.
A shadow moved in the fog, a creature on four legs with glowing red eyes, pacing back and forth, watching her, waiting for her. The sounds of its growl vibrated over her skin, broadcasting its endless, ravenous hunger for flesh, its unquenchable thirst for blood driving it to a frenzied state of madness. She wouldn’t call for Tobias again. She loved him too much to lead him to his demise.
The foul odor emanating from the fog, now inches from her, burned her nose, throat, and lungs. Eyes stinging and watering, her vision blurring, she squinted to focus on the creature as it continued to pace. It moved faster until it became a blur of motion moving from left to right again and again.
It stopped suddenly. Head lowered, lips lifted in a silent snarl, it stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. Its eyes glowing brighter with each passing second. Then, nearly causing her heart to burst, it lunged for her and disappeared in an explosion of greenish gray flames and smoke.
She noticed subtle vibrations beneath her feet. She glanced down. Her vision narrowed and darkened. Everything began to spin. The strength of the shaking increased, knocking her off her feet. She landed on her backside. Her stomach rolled. As she tried to get to her feet the ground burst open, peppering her with dirt, stones, and other debris as she tumbled uncontrollably deeper and deeper into a pitch-black void.
The sound of her screams, accompanied by high pitched wails, echoed all around. Her body spiraling, spinning, moving faster and faster, crashing repeatedly against hard and jagged surfaces, falling deeper and deeper into utter blackness.
Death seemed certain. She couldn’t possibly survive the impact once she reached the bottom. She felt her flesh being ripped, torn, and bruised as she hurdled out of control at an alarming rate of speed.
***
A few minutes after Tobias watched Jessie walk out the door, he realized he’d made a huge mistake by allowing her to leave after claiming he wouldn’t have a reason to keep her around after the threat to her was over. He knew she was running from him. He couldn’t allow another minute to go by without making things right between them. Prepared to do anything to make her understand how deeply he loved her, he headed toward the exit.
Many thoughts raced around in his mind. Each one centered around her. He had to find a way to mend the damage he had done. If he lost her he would no longer exist. He couldn’t live a day without her. He couldn’t bear an hour without her. He needed to prove to her that loving him didn’t need to end in disaster. “I’m a fucking idiot.”
“It’s good to hear you’re finally coming to terms with it.” Wes smacked the back of his shoulder.
Tobias turned around. “What the hell are you doing here?” he asked, a powerful sense of uneasiness settling over him. He knew Wes was looking for Amber. He was always looking for Amber. And, as a general rule, he was one step behind her. And Amber was looking for Guss. It meant Guss was close.
“I’m doing what I always do with my spare time. I’m chasing after your sister. She merged with me for a few seconds. She was freaking out over a dark spell she’d come across. I told her to stay clear of it and wait for me.”
“And?”
“She was drawn into it by a compulsion. I tried to free her from it. But she fought me. She resisted my help.”
“Where was she when she saw it?”
“I don’t have a fucking clue. She said it was close to here. Then, when I tried to lock in on her, she blocked me. I am so damn sick of her running off and blocking me.” Wes frowned. “Something really bad is happening right now. I can feel it. Have you seen her?”
“No.”
“I tracked her to the parking lot.”
He reached for Jessie but couldn’t detect her presence. “She didn’t come inside.”
“Where’s Jessie?”
“She’s outside.”
“Are you sure? I didn’t see her.”
“She wanted a minute alone.” The instant Tobias opened the door he realized she was gone. Not that she’d walked away. She was gone. All trace of her had vanished.
“Was she mad?”
“I upset her.”
“You don’t give them a minute alone when they’re upset. You know better. You raised your sister. What did you do when Amber was upset with you and insisted on a minute alone?”
“I followed her.”
“That’s right. Because the second they’re upset and out of sight all hells about to break loose.”
He detected fading remnants of black magic, a carbon copy of the trap he’d encountered with Otaktay. “You’re right. It’s bad. Really bad. We have a huge problem.” Absolute terror slammed into him, filling him. He reached for Jessie, using enough force to connect with her even if she resisted. Nothing. He didn’t feel a damn thing. “Fuck.” Not even a hint of her existence. “Do you feel that?”
/> “I know. But I couldn’t pinpoint its origin.” Wes glanced around. “It’s some ancient form of black magic.”
“Do you remember the spell once used by tainted vampires to trap, torture, and exterminate mortals and immortals.”
“They stopped using it for fear of it boomeranging on them. Are you…oh, fuck.” Wes pointed toward the east. “That’s it, isn’t it?”
Lifting his head, he searched the sky. At first, he didn’t see anything. “Damn it.” Tobias’ heart sank at the sight of a dark grayish green vapor moving away from them. “It’s a goddamn nightmare. C’mon.” He took to the sky, shifting into his dragon form, heading straight for the vapor, Wes close behind.
It has been so long. What do you remember about this damn thing?
It hasn’t been such a long time for me. It’s an ever-changing deathtrap.
When is the last time you dealt with it?
Otaktay and I had an encounter with a nearly perfect duplicate of it a few days ago. Can you reach Amber?
No. It’s odd. I can’t detect her at all. Normally, even if she’s blocking me or hiding from me, I can feel her, I can see her surroundings through her eyes. I can even hear through her ears.
It’s Guss.
You’re telling me a demon is generating the damn thing?
Yes.
You believe he has Jessie and Amber inside?
I’m sure of it. I need to kill him if I’ll have any hope of getting Jessie out alive.
We’ll kill him.
No. You need to focus on finding Amber and getting her the hell out of it.
I’m not leaving you to deal with him alone. We’ll all leave together.
Tobias knew Jessie had no real hope of surviving beyond a few seconds after entering it. Her flesh simply wasn’t strong enough. Just find Amber and get her the hell out of it. We’ll stay together until we reach the heart of it. Gus hasn’t had enough time to make any drastic changes to it. Try to stay with me. If we get separated don’t allow yourself to become distracted by anything. Keep moving no matter what happens. Don’t stop, not even for a second, until you reach the belly of the trap.
HOT-BLOODED BREATH OF DARKNESS Page 16
