Falling Blind: The Sentinel Wars (18 page)

Rory did. She shoved out the giant coil of power she’d collected, letting it spring out at her target. Heat blasted her face as a blob of fire hit and burst like a watermelon filled with explosives. Weeds and dirt spewed up in a geyser. As the flash of light faded, she could see a small crater left dug into the cold ground. Little fires ringed the area as weeds burned.

A sense of elation filled her, only to be swept away by the grueling weight of fatigue. Her legs seemed to evaporate, but Cain’s grip on her body held her up.

Without that power glowing inside of her, she felt cold and empty, as if something vital was missing. For a moment, she considered pulling just a little into herself, but she wasn’t sure how smart that was. Control had never been one of her strengths, and what if she got sucked back into that high? She didn’t think she was strong enough for another round of magical whack-a-mole right now.

“You did well,” said Cain. “As soon as you catch your breath, we’ll try something else—perhaps something on the defensive side.”

Rory wasn’t sure how much more she could do in one day, but she’d be damned if she let him know that. If the women in his memories could sling magic around all day, so could she.

Right after she found the strength to support her own weight again.

He lowered her to the ground, settling her on his lap. She would have complained, but the fact was he made a great chair—all warm and scented like her darkest fantasies. She leaned back against his arm, letting him keep the cold chill of the ground away from her ass.

“How long does it take to get good at this?”

“Depends,” he said. “Every woman is different. Some take to it faster than others. Some struggle with certain things. There’s no way to know until you try.”

The sky was still bright as the late-afternoon sun tried to break through the clouds hovering above in gray bands. The wind pushed them along at a quick clip, giving Rory a touch of vertigo. She closed her eyes to block out the sight, but it made her only that much more aware of just how cozy she’d gotten with Cain.

She hadn’t known him long enough to be this comfortable with him, and yet part of her felt like she’d known him forever—likely some by-product of being inside his head or having him in hers.

As her breathing steadied, she started feeling more like herself again. More in control and less exhausted. She opened her eyes so she could look at Cain to tell him she was ready to try again, but her words died on her lips as she caught sight of him.

He was watching her, but it was more than a simple act. There was something predatory in his eyes, some kind of silent intent, as if he’d made a decision involving her. Something important. Desire darkened his eyes and lingered around his mouth. His lips were parted and her whole body shifted with every one of his breaths.

She hadn’t noticed before, but there was a faint scar parting his hair just above his left temple. She’d witnessed him throwing himself into the path of danger before, but seeing the scar gave her a sick sense of fear, reminding her that he could be hurt, too. He wasn’t as invincible as he appeared.

For one ridiculous moment, she wanted to protect him—to stand by his side and blow up the demons before they could lay a claw on him. Her protecting a man like him was such a ludicrous idea, she was sure it was proof that she really needed a reality check.

His finger traced over her forehead and down her cheek. It came to rest at her throat, where his luceria lay close to her skin. As he stroked the band, she swore she could feel his touch running along her spine as well, pulling another shiver from her.

“It suits you.”

“Your necklace?”

His gaze hit her again, and this time, that dark, masculine hunger was far brighter. “My power. You like having it inside you. It makes you feel good.”

She couldn’t deny that. In fact, she was aching for more right now, even as exhausted as she was. “It’s not supposed to be like that?”

“Oh, no. It’s perfect. I simply hadn’t expected it. I thought you’d resist using me—that it would make you feel weaker somehow.”

She tried not to snort in amusement, but she couldn’t help it. “Yeah, ’cause I’m so tough lounging in your lap like this, shaking and too flimsy to stand. Besides, it’s just temporary. If I have to use you for a few days in order to stop these visions, then that’s just a blow my pride is going to have to take.”

His smiled faltered, and his hand covered her neck, splaying wide. The magical jewelry connected again, and she was flooded with a rush of energy, like she’d just mainlined some Red Bull.

“Better?” he asked.

It was more than merely better. Tingling clusters of heat and light spread out through her limbs. Fatigue fell away. She felt buoyant. She swore her body even lifted an inch off his lap.

Cain held her down, feeding more power into her until she didn’t think she could hold anymore.

“Stop. It’s too much.”

The flow of energy stopped, and Cain’s hand slid down to rest above her breasts. Her jacket was open in front, giving her no insulation from the heat of his touch. His fingertips hit bare flesh, sliding in small circles as if he enjoyed the texture of her skin.

Rory’s nipples tightened until her breasts ached. She should have moved his hand off of her, but it felt too good. Every one of his fingers was giving off happy little streamers that wove through her, knocking her stupid.

She didn’t let men she barely knew touch her like this, and yet if he tried to move his hand, she would have grabbed it and put it right back where it belonged, just above her heart.

The wacky urge to kiss him unfurled in her chest. He had a nice mouth, and as she watched, a knowing grin lifted the corners.

“You’re in my head, aren’t you?”

“Maybe a little. I only meant to help you channel my power, but I find I like seeing what makes you tick.”

There was no heat in her words, despite her intention to scold him. “It’s an invasion of privacy.”

“For a human, perhaps. For our kind, it’s the way things are meant to be.”

Turnabout was fair play. If he was going to be nosy, she could be, too. She wasn’t sure exactly how all of this worked, but her instincts had been pretty good up to this point, so she followed them.

“So you won’t mind if I—” Speaking became impossible as she succeeded in her task, sinking into his thoughts, hitting a wall of need so hard she was sure she’d break apart upon it.

Desire, potent and seething, boiled below his calm surface. He hid it well, but now that she was facing it, she wasn’t sure how that had been possible.

Images of the two of them together swirled through his mind, teasing her as they danced around. Shadows hid their bodies, but the action was clear. He wanted her, and the idea was so shocking, she found it hard to breathe.

She was prettier through his eyes, with a sultry kind of sex appeal she’d never seen in herself before. She was a dork, not some kind of exotic goddess the way he seemed to think. Her eyes weren’t nearly that big, her skin not even close to that luminous. As much as she liked the way he saw her, it wasn’t real. It wasn’t true.

As she watched Cain’s fantasies, her body began to heat, and a flush spread out over her skin. Her clothes felt too small. An empty, needy ache coalesced in her belly as every feminine part of her perked up in interest.

His vision-self bent to kiss her neck, and she swore she could feel the soft brush of his mouth on her real throat—the one that was not nearly so long and elegant as this fake Rory. But fake or not, watching his dark head work its way down as he layered kisses on her too-luminous skin was intoxicating. Tempting.

A moment later, the lovely images vanished, and she found herself being pushed away from his mind. She fought it, but was too weak from flinging magic around to fight him.

“You weren’t supposed to see that,” he said.

“Oh, I see how it is. You get to barge into my head, but yours is off-limits?”

“No, but there’s no point in subjecting you to my lack of control. Is there?”

Lack of control? That’s what he thought that was?

Her voice was a bit breathless, her mouth dry from what she’d seen. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Once you find your savior, we’ll part ways—in a few days, maybe a few weeks.” His arm shifted. Muscles hardened at her back, and she was lifted closer to him. Almost close enough to reach his mouth. “The things I want to do to you will take far longer than that. Why taste something rare if you know you’re only going to want more?”

Oh. Well. She hadn’t thought of it quite like that. She opened her mouth to respond, but not a single coherent thought came to mind. He’d robbed her of every one of them with the way his eyes lingered on her mouth as if dying for a taste.

The low, quivering heat in her belly was all in favor of giving it a shot. For however long she could have him. “You might not like me as much as you think.”

“Or perhaps I’d like you more. I haven’t been with anyone in a long, long time. It may take me a while to work my extended celibacy out of my system.”

That sounded like the most delightful of challenges to her. “Okay.”

“Is that an offer, Rory?”

She wanted it to be—she wanted to feel just a fraction of what those naughty thoughts of his made her feel—but the huge lag between her brain and her mouth was causing problems. All that came out was a noncommittal squeak.

His head bent over hers, his lips only an inch away from her mouth. And then he stopped. “I couldn’t slow you down like that,” he said. “You have your savior to find. We should probably get going.”

A second later, his mouth was gone and his hot expression froze over, as if they hadn’t just been talking about ending his extended celibacy. With her.

Cain’s pants buzzed, and she realized that his phone was vibrating. For a second, she thought it was some new kind of magic meant to rob her of her last few remaining brain cells. Everything was so messed up, she hadn’t expected something as mundane as a cell phone.

Cain answered the call. Rory wanted to step away from him and give him some privacy, but her legs weren’t cooperating. The sexy images, as well as playing with magic left her shaken and her knees way too weak to go for a stroll.

She heard the muted voice of another man on the line. Cain’s body straightened, and he shifted from relaxed to red alert in seconds. “I can be there by sundown . . . No, it’s my debt to repay. I made a vow.”

The other man spoke again, briefly, and then Cain hung up. “I have to go. It’s an emergency.”

She didn’t want him to leave, which was ludicrous. A few hours ago, she hadn’t even wanted him to know where she lived, and now she was having a freak-out festival over this?

Apparently, all this magical crap caused brain damage.

Rory put on a nonchalant air of indifference. She refused to let him know that anything he did affected her—leaving or otherwise. “No problem. I’ll call a cab to take me into the city to get my car. You can call me if you want to meet up later.”

He didn’t move a muscle, and yet he seemed to grow bigger, scarier. His arm at her back tightened, and she could feel his fingers curl at her hip. “If? You clearly still don’t understand the situation between us.”

“Kinda hard to understand something when no one’s bothering to explain it to me.”

Cain drew in a long breath and let it out slowly. His chest expanded to monumental proportions, and Rory couldn’t help but want to dig her fingers in just to feel all those muscles flex beneath his skin.

So yummy. But she was not nearly woman enough to eat him up. No way. A man like him was too much for her to handle. She’d been with only a couple of guys, and both of them were like children by comparison—all small and stringy. She was not a strong enough woman to withstand the kind of lover Cain would be—especially not after a long time of abstinence.

Though how he’d managed to go more than a week without some woman attacking him was a mystery.

“You’re right,” he said. “I should be more patient with you.”

If he was any more patient, her panties were going to combust. “Just tell me what’s going on.”

“I need to leave now—someone is in danger. I’d like it very much if you’d come with me.”

He would? A small girly part of her did a giddy little dance. “Why?”

“Because you’ll be safe at my side.”

Some of that giddiness lost its shine, deflating her. “I can take care of myself.”

“I’m not suggesting you’re weak, but you have to admit that not being able to stand on your own has its disadvantages. Especially if the demons find you. And if I leave, you have no car, no way to escape if you need to.”

That sounded like a perfect formula for a bad day.

Rory pushed herself to her feet and stepped back well out of his reach. Maybe if she put more distance between them, her brain would start working right again.

Her legs trembled, but held her up, which was all she was asking of them right now.

She’d thought that if she was no longer touching him that her normally adequate brain would start working right again. Instead, she was able to see him better from this distance, which gave him a completely unfair advantage.

She closed her eyes to block out the sight, and Mrs. Wittle’s gnarled hands appeared out of nowhere as she dunked a tea bag in hot water.

Maybe getting out of here was a good idea. She could get her car back and things could go back to normal. Seeing visions at home was just too weird for her to handle. At least when she left her house, she expected to be invaded by the sights. Having it happen here was too . . . intrusive.

“Okay,” she said. “Let’s go. But on the way, you’re going to tell me everything you know about how all this magic stuff works.”

“Whatever you want to know. All you have to do is ask.”

“Let’s start with where we’re going.”

Cain stood up in one smooth, beautiful movement and brushed the dead grass from his jeans. “To save a vampire’s life.”

Chapter 12

C
ain drove as fast as he dared. He was racing against the sun, and if he didn’t make it to Ronan before dark, the Sanguinar wasn’t likely to survive.