by Nina Croft
She crossed the room, picked up the phone, and called Caleb’s office.
***
The electric gates were wide open. Caleb’s hands tightened on the wheel, and he drove through at breakneck speed, slamming on the brakes and screeching to a halt outside the house. He leapt from the car. Regan stood on the steps, her beautiful face expressionless, her eyes cold, hard as ice.
“Where are they?” he said.
“You’re too late,” she replied. “They’re both dead.”
Rage roared through him. He charged up the steps and past her into the house, coming to an abrupt halt as the heavy, acrid scent of fresh blood filled his nostrils.
He found them in the sitting room where he’d treated Jason’s wounds. Kelly sprawled facedown across the sofa in a pool of crimson, Jason on the floor beneath the window.
Crouching down beside Kelly, Caleb turned her gently and swore under his breath. Her head fell back, revealing the jagged open wound at her neck. Her jugular vein had been severed with one deep claw cut across the throat—his father’s classic method of dealing with anyone who stood against him. For a minute, guilt warred with the rage burning inside Caleb. This was his fault.
He viewed the room through a red veil as the fury rose up inside him. And as his fury rose, wolf stirred in the deep recesses of Caleb’s mind. He woke and stretched, scented the fresh blood, and threw back his head and howled.
Mine.
The word screamed through Caleb’s head, and he realized something then. It wasn’t only Caleb who had offered his protection to Kelly and Jason. It was his wolf as well. And wolf was howling for revenge.
“Are you satisfied now?” Regan asked.
Caleb fought for control. He gave a silent promise to wolf that there would be a reckoning for this. Ethan had gone too far, and he would pay the price. With the promise, wolf quieted, and Caleb glanced up from the body. Regan stood in the doorway, leaning against the wall, arms folded across her chest.
“No,” he said.
She stared at him, and he allowed his outrage to show in his eyes. She nodded once. “So, are you willing to do something about it?”
“Ethan will pay.”
“Good. I saw them,” she said. “They were leaving as I got here.”
“Who was it?”
“Two men. Both tall, dark-haired, one had a scar down his right cheek—”
He recognized the description immediately. “Stefan and Dave—they’ll be my father’s seconds now that Tom is gone.”
“I’m surprised he didn’t do it himself.”
Her voice cracked, and he looked at her closely. He’d thought she was cold, feeling nothing, but now he saw the pain in her eyes. He considered lying, but the time for lying was over. He’d told Ethan that these two were under his protection, and his father had killed them anyway. Or maybe anyway was the wrong word—maybe they died because Caleb gave his protection. Ethan was making a point, and Caleb wasn’t too stupid to get it, but Ethan had also made a big mistake. Caleb could no longer stand on the sidelines and pretend this was nothing to do with him.
“He couldn’t,” he said now. “Ethan was with me.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“He came to my office this morning.”
“What did he want?”
“He said he wanted Kelly and Jason, but I’d bet he was checking I was out of the way.” He paused for a moment, and then continued. “He also wanted you, and when I wouldn’t give you up, he warned me against you.”
“Warned you against what?”
He shrugged. “Actually, he was very cryptic, but he did tell me not to trust you. That when it all came out, you were just as likely to be on their side as mine.”
She frowned, then turned her head to gaze out of the window. Caleb could almost see her turning the thoughts over in her mind, and she was not happy with the results.
“Do you want to tell me what he’s talking about?” he asked.
When she turned back, she’d wiped all expression from her face. “I have no idea.”
“Why do I find that hard to believe?” he asked.
He glanced down. Kelly’s blood stained his hands. He stared at them in disgust, then walked past Regan, through the hall and into the bathroom. He washed his hands then went to the linen closet and pulled out two blankets.
“What are you doing?” Regan asked as he came back and stood over Kelly’s body.
“I’ll take them out and bury them away from the house.”
“I can—” she paused, and he looked at her curiously. “I can get rid of them for you.”
“What? You mean magic?” He thought about it then shook his head. “No thanks. They have friends who might like to know where they rest.”
“They’re gone, Caleb.”
“I know, but some people get comfort from a grave.”
***
Regan watched him as he laid one of the dark red blankets across the back of the sofa, and then wrapped Kelly’s body in the other. He picked up the bundle with ease and carried her, cradled against his chest, from the room. Blood had pooled beneath her and dripped onto the cream carpet. Regan whispered a word, and the blood was gone.
She moved across to Jason, picking up the second blanket. Crouching down, she rolled the body onto it and wrapped it tight around him, then sat back on her heels and stared at the shapeless bundle that had been a living person only a short time ago.
She should be elated. Caleb had finally agreed to help her and go up against his father. With Caleb’s help, they would find Ethan and finish him off forever. But the price of these two lives was too high, and she couldn’t rid her mind of the misgivings. Something was wrong.
She hadn’t lied when she’d told Caleb she had no clue what Ethan was talking about when he questioned her loyalty. She could think of no one who would believe they possessed the power to claim her allegiance. Well, no one living.
A nagging thought hammered at her mind, refusing to be dismissed. But it couldn’t be Sardi. He’d been utterly annihilated two thousand years ago. In her mind, she could see his face as she’d spoken the words that destroyed him.
Not for the first time, she wished her mother were here. The Morrigan was the only other person who knew what happened so long ago, had been there with her at the time. But what was the point of wishing for her mother. She hadn’t listened in the past; why should she come now?
She was still staring at the body without really seeing it when Caleb returned.
“Tell me,” he said.
“Tell you what?”
“You know something.”
“I don’t—honestly, Caleb.” He looked skeptical, and she knew she had to give him something else. “I was thinking about someone, that’s all.”
He tilted his head to one side and regarded her. “Thinking about who?”
“Actually, I was wishing my mother was around.”
“You know, I find it hard to imagine you with a mother. Is she a witch as well?”
Regan grinned. “No, she’s not a witch.” He raised an eyebrow and she thought—why not? “She’s a goddess.”
His eyes widened. “A goddess?”
“Hmm. The Morrigan—goddess of war and pestilence, among other things.”
He looked at her closely. “Well, that figures. Right, so your mother is a goddess. And your father?”
Regan shrugged. “I don’t know. My mother isn’t the type to kiss and tell, but I do know she has atrocious taste in men.”
“So, where is she?”
She shrugged again. “Who knows? The last time she was seen was just before Gina was turned. Darius asked our mother’s help, and she came.”
Regan was surprised at the bitterness in her voice. That her mother should listen to the prayers of a blood-sucking vampire, but refuse to hear her own daughter, was hard to accept. She suspected her mother had always felt an element of guilt for her part in the whole Sardi affair, and the Morrigan did not do well with
guilt. It was far easier to ignore her than to face it.
“Could she help us here?”
“She probably could, but whether she would is another matter.”
He looked at her then shrugged. “Okay. I’m going to bury Kelly and Jason. You rack your brain for anything that could help. Anything.” He reached down and picked up Jason’s body. “I know you have something else on your mind. So get ready to spill it.”
He walked from the room, carrying his burden as though it was weightless. When the front door slammed, she rose to her feet. She opened her mouth to speak the spell that would clean up the pool of blood congealing on the carpet, and then clamped her lips closed. The blood would serve to remind her of why she wanted Ethan Stone dead. Not that she needed much reminding. She rubbed her shoulder where he had bitten her to the bone.
Sinking into one of the armchairs, she stared at the stain, trying to decide what she should tell Caleb. She still didn’t really believe all this could be anything to do with Sardi. Nevertheless, she was going to have to bring it out. Maybe there was no direct connection; on the other hand…
The shrill ring of the phone broke her concentration. She reached across and picked it up.
“Caleb?”
She recognized Ethan’s voice straight away. “I’m afraid not. He’s out burying bodies.”
He was silent for a minute. “It’s the witch, isn’t it?”
“Right first time. So, would you like to leave a message for Caleb, or can it wait until we come and see you? We won’t be long.”
“Aren’t you curious as to who I’m working with?”
“Oh, I’m very curious, but I’m sure I can summon up a little truth spell when we meet. Or maybe we’ll do it the old-fashioned way.”
“You think you could get me to talk.”
“I’m sure of it. And I’m sure Caleb will help—you’ve really pissed him off this time.”
He was silent for a minute, then he spoke again. “You know, I get the impression that Caleb cares about you.”
“So?”
“And do you care about him?”
“That’s none of your goddamn business. I think you gave up the right to fatherly interest a long time ago.”
He sighed. “I’m just warning you, if you have any feeling for my son, you’ll leave him out of this.”
“If you’d had any feelings at all, you wouldn’t have tortured a five-year-old boy.”
“He told you that? My, aren’t we getting cozy.”
She sighed. “Caleb won’t stay out of it. Not now.”
“You could make him.”
Regan frowned. “Not that I couldn’t take you on my own, but why would I do that?”
“Because I’m telling you this for his good—he’s my son, and whatever he thinks, I love him, but you bring him anywhere near my ally, and you sign his death warrant.”
“Are you sure you aren’t just a little bit afraid of your son?”
“Maybe, but I won’t be facing him alone. And there’s no way Caleb can take on this thing and survive. Are you willing to risk that?”
Was she? At the thought of anything happening to Caleb, her gut clenched in protest. She wished she had more information. She wished that thoughts of Sardi didn’t keep clouding her mind. Sardi, who it had taken the combined powers of Regan and her mother to bring down.
“Who will be with you?” she asked.
“Why don’t you come and find out?”
Her hand tightened around the phone. “You’ll tell me where you are?”
“If you promise to leave Caleb out of this, then yes, I’ll tell you.”
She sat for a minute thinking it through. She could sense the truth in his words. He really believed that Caleb would die.
This ally of Ethan’s wanted her for something, and she guessed that something was to do with her ability to open the portals between the worlds. That suggested the underworld, which suggested demons, which brought her back to Sardi.
God, it all came back to Sardi. She closed her eyes and pictured him, lying beside her, whispering words of love.
She forced the memory away and concentrated on the present. Caleb would never forgive her for doing this, but that had to be better than dead. Besides, despite his readiness to go up against his father, she suspected he might balk in the face of actually killing him. And Ethan was going to die. She would make sure of that.
“Are you still there?” Ethan’s voice jolted her out of her thoughts.
“Yes, I’m here. I’ll make sure Caleb can’t follow. Now, where are you?”
She put the phone down a few minutes later and sat staring at the bloodstain on the carpet. She should move, she wanted to be away but there was something she needed to do first.
Ethan thought her arrogant, and she’d played up to that. But she wasn’t a fool and knew when she needed help. She picked up the phone again.
Time to call in the cavalry!
Chapter Seventeen
Caleb got to the end of the drive and slammed on the brakes. He sat, gripping the steering wheel. His mind had been fogged by grief and rage; now it cleared slightly, allowing his brain to function once more.
Regan knew something. He was sure of it. He also suspected that even after his demonstration, she didn’t accept that his father possessed the power to control her. Regan was arrogant enough to believe she could go up against Ethan alone and win.
Suddenly, he was filled with a conviction that he needed to get back. That he shouldn’t let her out of his sight.
He turned the truck around and headed back to the house.
He was aware, as he strode through the front door, that she was still here, and some of the tension oozed from his body. He found her sitting in the seat where he’d left her, with the phone clutched in her hand. She glanced up as he entered the room, a look of resignation settling on her features, and he knew he’d been right.
“I thought you’d be longer,” she said. “I meant to be gone.” She put down the phone, stood up and walked toward him. “Why did you come back, Caleb?”
“Because I realized I don’t trust you.”
A small smile curled her lips. “I would never hurt you.” She reached up, stroked a finger down over his cheek, and his skin tingled under her touch. “But you’re probably right not to trust me. I wouldn’t hurt you, but I can’t promise to protect you from everything else out there.”
“I don’t need protecting,” he growled.
She ignored him. “And I realized that you don’t need to be involved after all. Go back to your normal life, Caleb.”
“How can I?”
“Easy,” she replied. “Now sit down.” She put a hand against his chest and pushed gently.
He resisted. “Why?”
“Because you may as well be comfortable.”
“I’ll sit, if you tell me what’s going on. Why have you changed your mind?”
“Okay.” She nodded, and he sank into the seat behind him.
She looked down at him, her expression rueful. His instincts went on instant alert, but before he could move, Regan whispered a word, and every muscle in his body locked in place. Shock ripped through him, quickly replaced by outrage. She’d put a spell on him!
He could move his head slightly, and he glared at her.
“Let me go,” he ground out. “Now.”
“Don’t worry, the spell will only last a couple of hours, but I’ll be long gone by then, and you’ll never find me.”
Rage poured through him. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to calm down. He had to persuade her to listen. “Why are you doing this?”
She shrugged. “Ethan phoned. I know where he is, so I no longer need your help.”
“He told you?”
She nodded, and his brain worked furiously to make sense of it. “The only reason he would tell you is because he knows he can take you, but he can’t take us both.”
“I did consider that, but I think he’s genuinely concerned
for you.”
Panic was rising inside him. “Regan, listen to me. You can’t trust him.”
“I know that.”
“He can call your wolf.” She frowned, and he pressed the advantage. “You’ve seen it for yourself. He can turn you.”
“I won’t give him the chance.”
“Don’t be so bloody arrogant. You can’t do this alone.”
“I have to finish it.”
Caleb struggled to move, but his body refused to obey him. Finally, he rested his head against the back of the chair and stared up at her, his mind working furiously. There had to be some way to get through to her. “I love you,” he said.
Her eyes widened in shock. “That’s not very sensible.”
“I’ll never forgive you if you get killed.”
She leaned down and put her lips to his, kissed him. “I’ll be careful.”
Straightening up, she whispered a word and the air in front of her shimmered. She turned to look at him one last time, then vanished.
The time passed incredibly slowly. He watched the clock, after half an hour—the longest half hour of his life—he was ready to explode.
He’d told her he loved her. He was a fool. Why had he done it? Why did he think for one moment that it would make a difference to her? She didn’t love him—he was an inconvenience that she planned to put behind her as soon as she was able. She was incapable of love.
But why was that? Was it just a response to having lived so long and seen so much? He didn’t think so. Which brought him back to this past admirer of hers.
Regan had said she’d loved once, and that she had killed her lover, but why, and if so, then how could he be back now and in league with his father?
He needed to get out there and find her. Then he had an idea. He closed his eyes and allowed his wolf to the surface, willed the change, and suddenly, he was free. Wolf bounded up from the chair and out of the room. The front door stood open, and he raced out onto the steps as a black van pulled up outside. He stood poised, ready to run, every instinct screaming to hide. Instead, he stood motionless as Catrin climbed out of the van. She stood staring at him.
