Golden's Rule

by Billi Jean

  “Okay. Just do it, Torque.”

  Bloody hell. He pulled her down gently to sit across from him, facing him. She peeked up at him but didn’t say a word, just nibbled her lip, looking so young she gave him mild chest pain. The sun chose that moment to fill the room with light, flooding her face with a golden radiance, and she damn near had him changing his mind. This was the only thing to do though, he knew it. For now.

  “All right. Just relax. I’ll sink us deep, don’t fight it, just let me guide you.”

  She nodded.

  Damn, this sucked. Slowly he eased his breathing and just as slowly lowered his mental barriers while he dived down their connection, soaking in her warmth like a man finding ambrosia after years on a deserted island. She stiffened, only relaxing her hand in his after several long, tension-filled minutes. Trusting.

  He took the cue and pressed deeper. Recent memories skimmed by until he found the lodge. Suddenly he found a memory of him, a surprisingly handsome and big warrior-like image of him. Not bothering to hide his pleasure in seeing how Beauty saw him, he bent and found her mouth for a brief kiss.

  Through the bond, he felt a warm laugh tingle along his spine. Yeah, he was a sucker for her. Damn, it was sweet too, her vision of him. To hell with it, he savoured her. Her hand softened even more in his. He carefully threaded her smaller fingers in his and sent her a soft warm caress before gathering his resolve to deal with the problem at hand.

  She squeezed his hand, reassuring him she was good. One more deep breath and he focused on the deep, dark curtain closing her past off from the fresh here and now. Mentally moving back, he circled her memories from that first day waking at the lodge to now with a safe cocoon and then began the spell. The words flow from his tongue with power he forced into each syllable, more serious about this spell than any other magic he’d ever spun.

  Gold, soft and sultry, sparkled along every inch of her aurora. He gathered it up to use to strengthen the spell. The wall he built grew, shoring up against her mind, reinforced with their bond. She gasped and some of her worry, a constant ache she’d kept from him, drained on her exhale.

  Jerked out of the bond, he narrowed his eyes on her face. “Stop keeping things from me.”

  “Okay.” He couldn’t stay pissed at her. Soft laughter threaded through their connection. He loved her. And she hid shit from him to save him the worry.

  Nothing could have stopped him from gathering her willing body against him. “Damn it, don’t hide shit from me.”

  Several minutes of just holding her later, she sniffed and raised her head to meet his eyes. “That was sorta cool. In an ‘I’m the boss’ kinda way.”

  “Brat.”

  “You love me.”

  Did he ever. If the damn alarm announcing company hadn’t sounded, he’d have shown her just how much.

  “Torque, we never have visitors, don’t be so mean.”

  He liked not having visitors. What was the point of having a hidden-from-every-freakin’-Tom-Dick-and-Harry-out-there place if not to be alone? With Beauty.

  “We just had Sorcha over here nosing around.”

  “That was because I was hurt!”

  “Yeah? What about Jaxon?”

  “Torque!”

  He liked being alone. Still he sent out a thought to the intruder and a frown shoved his brow down. Jaxon. What the fuck? His phone rang a second later.

  “Why are you outside my house?”

  “Why aren’t you answering your door?” Jaxon demanded.

  “Just shift in.”

  “Fine, thanks for the invite.”

  Jaxon hung up and Torque grumbled. Tricky vampire. “Jaxon is here. Again.”

  When his vampire buddy turned the corner, Torque shut up. Jaxon looked like shit. His dark hair looked unwashed, his jaw had blood on it and his eyes were bloodshot with dark circles under them.

  “Oh! Jaxon, what happened to you?” Beauty stood and rushed to his side.

  Jaxon jumped and moved away, rubbing his face. “I tried. I’ve tried everything. Different blood, everything. Nothing is working, Torque.”

  “What? What is he talking about?” Beauty asked.

  “He’s talking about a human hurt in the raid. That night, he saved her, only she’d been bitten.” Torque turned to Jaxon. “Have you tried draining her, then giving her the IV?”

  Jaxon frowned and tilted his head. “Do you think that will work?”

  Torque shared a look with Beauty and she shrugged, clearly unsure. “I don’t know, but what do you have to lose?”

  “Her life! That’s what I have to lose.”

  “Is she your bonded?”

  Jaxon jerked like he’d hit him. “No.”

  The one word came out like an angry growl, but when he glanced at Beauty, Torque noticed she frowned thoughtfully.

  “Well, if you try to drain her blood, then give her the IV it might help. Or try a salve on the site where she was bitten. I can make something.”

  Jaxon jumped on the idea like Beauty had offered him a prime rib. “Really? It will aid with the infection?”

  “What infection?” Torque asked.

  “Vampire bites carry infections too, not just the trace amounts of their blood that can work on a human’s blood and make them sensitive to light, but toxins in the bite can eat away at the skin and make healing harder.”

  “How does she know this shit?” Jaxon asked when Beauty led the way out of the room and into her section of the library which she’d stocked with herbs and oils.

  “She reads,” Torque said with a smile.

  Jaxon grimaced, thinking he was kidding, then his eyes widened when he realised Torque wasn’t. “That’s cool, man. I like to read,” he offered, quietly, watching Beauty with an intensity that would have normally pissed Torque off, but he knew the vampire was worried over Joey.

  “So why are you so certain she isn’t your bonded? I gotta say”—Torque held up his hands when Jaxon turned to give him a narrow-eyed glare—“you act it, man.”

  “I just know. I don’t want a human dead, okay? Is that so wrong?”

  “No, no it’s not, Jaxon. Here, this might help. Apply it inside the wound and outside of it. A lot, not like a glob, but here, let me show you.” Beauty unscrewed the little white cap and took Jaxon’s arm, smeared some of the lotion on and looked up at him. “See? Just like this. It is good for the skin, so it won’t hurt you or her.”

  It smelt like basil and maybe thyme, but Jaxon simply nodded seriously and took the jar like she’d given him gold. “Thank you. Both of you. I appreciate it, really. Glad you are better, both of you. Maybe stay away from Dark Lords, huh? Your man freaked me the hell out.”

  “Yeah, well, I’ll do my best,” Beauty said, hugging Torque around the waist.

  “Yeah, you do that, ‘cause I thought I’d have to knock the big bastard out. Later, Torque. I’ll see you at the meeting.”

  “Wait! What meeting?” Torque demanded.

  Jaxon’s brows rose in surprise. “The meeting. I thought you called it? It’s today, or in a few hours, I’m not sure. Council, the team that hit the Death Stalker Stronghold will be there, along with Alrick this time, and Aidan.”

  Shit. “The kings, huh?”

  Jaxon looked off into the distance for a minute before nodded absently. “Yeah, storm’s drawing closer. Hold yours tight.” With that he vanished.

  “Wow, he knows how to leave a room, huh? Storm?” Beauty said. “And kings?”

  “Aidan and Alrick. I doubt they’ve been in the same room before.”

  Beauty looked stunned and then groaned. “Oh man, can’t we skip this meeting?”

  He laughed. “If only we could, sweetheart, if only we could. I think we might stop and pick up the kid though.”

  “The kid? The young mage?” she asked, sounding impressed.

  “Yeah, he needs to get back into things and now that he’s refused the curse, he’ll need to help us every chance he gets, or he might not ever get ac
cepted.”

  “You’re so cute,” Beauty said and tiptoed to kiss him on the mouth.

  “Cute is not a term you should use with a man, sweetheart. I’m just trying to think of how to use him.”

  “And save him.”

  “I think we should go back to bed.”

  “I think we should go prep the poor kid. He’s not going to feel okay with going in front of Sorcha, Aidan and Alrick. That’s for sure.”

  Torque broke off the kiss and met her eyes. “You might be right. Maybe we stop off there and then hit the meeting?”

  “And get a cappuccino first?”

  “Of course. Would I dare suggest otherwise?”

  Laughing she hugged him tighter and they were suddenly shifting.

  “Seriously, you’re not dressed!”

  “I changed.”

  Two seconds later she shifted them to the now familiar witches’ shop, dressed in a V-necked vertical-striped wraparound dress and brown calf-high boots. “Shit, I liked the yoga pants better and a long jacket.”

  “I don’t look okay?”

  “You look edible.”

  She scratched her nails in his goatee. “You always say that.”

  “I always will.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Four hours later, two of which Torque took with the mage, who ended up only being twenty-two human years old, they ended up, all three of them, at the council’s headquarters. Eric, the young mage, was so nervous Beauty sent him a calming vibe, regretting sharing her cappuccino with him.

  “I’m not so sure this is a good idea,” Eric said.

  His bruises remained and he had some trouble talking but he clearly didn’t want to be at the council headquarters facing half the covens and the king of the vampires and Lykae.

  “Yeah, there is going to be a lot of people, just ignore them, and answer Torque’s questions.”

  He shot a panicked look at Torque but quickly focused on Beauty. He seemed to think she was easier to deal with than her mate. She could get that.

  “And Sydney? Where is she?”

  “She’s safe. That’s all we need to know right now.” Torque sounded gruff but she knew he was worried more for Eric.

  “She is safe. I’ve looked into it. Trust me, she’s going to be fine. But you know she’s a vampire now, right?”

  Eric grimaced but nodded. “Yeah.”

  “Just concentrate on being honest, kid. That’s all. You have to make up for your shit, now, man up.”

  “Torque!”

  “It’s true, baby and you know it.”

  “I won’t let you down,” Eric murmured so low they almost didn’t hear him.

  Torque slapped him on the shoulder, scaring her but Eric took it well, even gave Torque a crooked smile. She guessed he looked up to Torque. He’d not known his own father. He’d said he raised Sydney alone. So, no mom or dad. Beauty felt sorry for him.

  “Good, good man. Now, come on. Let’s go see if Sorcha is here ahead of the crowds.”

  They turned down a hallway and suddenly three women strode towards them. One caught Beauty’s eye, a black-haired beauty with amazing blue eyes and dressed in a light brown sweater pulled over her pregnant stomach. She glanced over from talking to Tabithia, Beauty thought, then her eyes snagged on blue ones that hit like a shot to her head. Her eyes. Those blue eyes.

  Memories crowded in, burning through Torque’s walls, knocking over the spell hiding her memory and crashing into her with the force of a blow. She felt the floor reach up and her back turn to fire, burning so badly she couldn’t scream past the pain.

  Torque felt the spell around Beauty’s mind shatter. The next instant she went down. He barely caught her in his arms. As if from a distance, a woman yelled at him.

  He glanced up long enough to see Samantha, the witch from the Lykae stronghold, Derrick’s mate, yelling at him.

  “That’s my sister. Get your hands off her!”

  Stunned, he couldn’t manage to make sense of what was being said for a few precious minutes. “Sonofabitch! What are you talking about? You’ve been looking for Beauty all this time?” he demanded. “Eric, get her the hell out of here! You’ve just hurt her. The spell I put on her to help with the memories is down!”

  She staggered back, but when Eric stood to move her aside she struck at the boy and knocked him aside.

  “Don’t. That’s my sister…” She trailed off seeing Beauty in his arms.

  Torque jerked his bangs off his face and shook his head hard. “We didn’t know, we—I didn’t know. She’s hurting, the spells are collapsing.”

  “Settle the hell down, man,” Derrick called, running up behind Samantha and pulling her back a little.

  Beauty shuddered in his arms. He could feel her shudders grow harder, as if someone were whipping her. Her fists clenched so tightly he saw blood drip from where her nails dug into her palms. His heart raced and he tried to calm down, he had to calm down.

  “What is happening?” Samantha cried.

  “I don’t know, give me a minute—” Torque swallowed and shook his head.

  “Torque! Mind link with her. Don’t let her go!” Gregory stalked towards them, dark and imposing in black from head to toe.

  “You knew? You knew she was alive? And with him?” Samantha demanded.

  Gregory shook his head. “No, no, Samantha, I knew only she had escaped, not that she was with Dominic, but it is good, they are strongly bonded.”

  He didn’t have time for this. “We didn’t know who she was! You all need to back the fuck up! She’s…she’s in pain.”

  “Dominic, watch your mouth, man,” Derrick growled.

  “She’s already in pain!” Torque pushed Beauty’s sweaty pale hair off her flushed face and grimaced. He had to do something. Now. Torque swallowed.

  “Torque, damn it. You are linked to her man. Save her. Call her back,” Derrick said, taking hold of Torque’s shoulder and giving it a squeeze.

  Torque nodded.

  “Beauty?” Torque murmured in her silken hair. He felt like someone was pulling him down in quicksand, sucking him in and his mind just wouldn’t work.

  “Torque! Damn it, focus on the bond, help her and I will aid you.” Tabithia met his eyes when he could tear himself away from Beauty’s face.

  “No, let me.” A small hand touched his arm and he froze. “I am Bethany, this is my sister. Let me take off the spell I used to protect her, first. Then you can aid her.”

  Blue eyes, so similar to Beauty’s met his.

  Samantha, Beauty’s sister, knelt so they all encircled him and Beauty’s limp form in his arms. Derrick met his eyes with an intense look. “Dinna worry. This was meant to be. You’re her mate. Save her.”

  Tears clogged his throat. Like some pussy, he had to swallow several times before he could talk, so he just nodded instead.

  “Good. Now, pull her back, Torque. Save her once more, eh? My mate, she needs her sister, safe and whole,” Derrick said.

  Torque spared a glance at Samantha and saw her grimace, tears reflecting in her blue eyes. Derrick cupped her stomach and Torque realised with a start that she was pregnant. Near her time, even. Shit. Shit.

  In his arms, Beauty was weak and bleeding. He could feel the wetness of Beauty’s blood against his arm. “Focus, Torque. I have heard you are strong and brave. Focus on her. Don’t let her go.” Samantha’s blue eyes met his, clear and misted with emotions, pain, grief, and hurt so deep he reached up and touched her softly on the face. She had never stopped looking and he had her sister safe all this time. Even when she went to the stronghold in search of her, Beauty was already safe, with him. Sonofabitch.

  “I can’t lose her now. We didn’t know…she had no memory of her past.”

  “We can see that, now listen to us and do your part,” Samantha said.

  “Let me release her first. Then you must hold her spirit while my sister Samantha heals her, Star will help. I will aid as well. Gregory, too?” Bethany’s little voi
ce carried, everyone nodded and as Torque watched her, she closed her little-girl eyes, and leaned over to kiss her sister once, like Sleeping Beauty, then straightened. With her eyes still closed, she began murmuring her spell.

  After a few moments, she stopped and opened her eyes. “Now, Torque. Now take your binding off but hold her tightly to you,” she murmured and sat back.

  Torque took hold of what was left of his spell and broke it completely, letting it dissolve as he pushed into their bond, strengthening her as he felt her come to in his arms. Sharing her mind, he also took her pain, her experiences, and tried to soothe her. Agony filled her small frame, completely swamping her back and arms. It hurt her to breathe, to think. It hurt. All this time she’d tried to keep this from him, what she felt each time a memory surfaced, yet now, completely bonded with her, he felt it all, the harsh, gut wrenching pain, the helplessness and under that, hidden away, a constant worry she wasn’t enough for him. Her love was so deep he felt unable to respond until he could mentally pull his act together.

  “Always, you’ve always been more than I ever dreamed, Beauty. More than I ever deserved. How could you ever doubt my love for you, sweet? You’re mine. Now. Always. Forever. Come back to me.”

  Her mind registered shock, then love flooded him, love and peace, and such happiness, he cradled her closer. The next breath he felt a memory hit them, attacking her with such force he wasn’t ready. Couldn’t stop it and experienced the flood as if they shared the same event.

  Thank the three she was alone. He hadn’t got Bethany or Samantha, but he had her. Her father. Her mother’s rapist. The beast she had within that called to her, hungry for her, wanting her to give in, be evil. They’d planned so long, he screamed at her. So long and now, she denied his seed, the planting of the future. Torque grunted with the effort to shove the memory away, push it out of her and beyond her reach so that it couldn’t keep attacking them. Her father, damn it, her father had done this? Father? No, not father, rapist. Her mother? Her mother suffered through a rape and now, now, his beautiful mate remembered discovering that awful truth as well.