Tempest of Vengeance (6 page)

“What did you give him for his help?” Theo
growled in anger, his eyes bleeding back to yellow. “He wouldn’t
have done it for free. And you couldn’t have afforded to pay him
money, not what his going rates are.”

I narrowed my eyes and looked at him. I’d
already said too much. Maybe it was better, saying nothing, because
Theo had already come to his own conclusion.

“That afternoon you went to Hayden!” Theo
said, his voice rising in volume. “It wasn’t to see Serena! It was
to see him, to fuck him as payment! That’s why you were so calm
that night! I thought it was because you believed in me, had faith
in me—”

Stay silent. Let him believe that.
“Theo, I had to save you.”

“You didn’t do it for me, you did it because
you wanted him, just like you wanted him later, just like you
lusted after him when you were pregnant, like you want him
now
—!”

“Yes, I want him,” I screamed. “I love
him!”

Theo’s look of revulsion was terrible to see.
“Say it’s a lie, Sar. Say it now, that you just said that to hurt
me, and I’ll forgive you.”

“It’s not a lie! I’m in love with him!”

“He almost killed you and you love him?” he
whispered. “What is wrong with you?”

“I wouldn’t have died,” I spat at him. “He
would have turned me, if the demon blood didn’t work. He said he
would, that he’d done it before. And I told him to do it!”

Theo roared louder than I’d ever heard him,
and I realized with fear my mistake. “You’d be snake for him but
not cougar for me?” he snarled. “You bitch!”

I tried to jerk free, but he had me too
tightly, his fingers digging into my arm painfully. He was
changing, his clothes beginning to split as he shifted form.

“You’ll never be with him again,” Theo
growled, his words slurred and rough as his canines elongated. “I’m
making sure of that tonight, Wife! Once you’re cougar he won’t be
able to stand the smell of you, no matter what he feels for you!
And you won’t be able to stand him touching you, for the same
reason! But you’ll want me for the rest of your life—”

It was now or never.

I said a quick prayer as I slid my hand to my
belt, flipping open the blade as I yanked it free. I kneed Theo as
hard as I could. He let out a cry, struggling to hold me. I stuck
the knife Lash had given me into his arm, and he snarled in pain,
flinching back from me, but he still had me with one hand. I bit
his wrist as hard as I could, then jerked free. Theo was almost
fully shifted into cougar form, but he was not only injured, he was
tangled in his clothes. I ran out of the room as soon as I’d
unlocked the door, and upstairs to the study, the knife still in my
hand.

Before I reached the top step, I heard a
throaty purr, and heard clawed feet scrabbling on the stairs as
they bounded up them after me. I got into the study just in time to
slam the door and lock it, hoping to God Danial hadn’t moved the
gun he had kept here since the attacks by Manir more than a year
ago. Because I was running to a dead end with no way out, if what
Theo had told me about teleporting was true. But I’d never have
made it out the front door before he was on me. I tried to teleport
immediately, and nothing happened. I tried the phone to call
Terian, and got only static. An extension had to be off the hook
somewhere.

Shit!

The office door shuddered under Theo’s
assault. He roared, and hit it again. Danial, however, had put this
door on after the assault by Manir. The reinforced steel and oak
creaked, but it held.

I wiped the knife off on my pants and folded
it up, clipping it back to my belt loop, thanking God I’d put it on
tonight. Unlocked the hidden safe in the wall, I retrieved a gun
and bullets from inside, swearing because it was a regular silenced
gun, not an explosive bullets gun. At least the rounds were
jacketed hollow points. I had just gotten the first bullet into the
chamber when I heard a key in the lock.

The door opened, and Theo stood there, nude,
his blue eyes determined, a key in his hand. His arm where I cut
him was still bleeding. “I’m not healing, Sarelle. You have
werepoison on your blade,” he growled, advancing slowly. “That’s
Lash’s knife clipped to your belt! I recognize it!”

I trained the gun on him, holding it with
both hands so it didn’t shake too much.

“That’s a regular .38. You shoot me, you’d
better hit my heart,” Theo growled. “Because you miss, and I’ll be
on you in a second. This little chase you’ve led me on is over!
Terian isn’t here to save you! Danial and Lash aren’t here to save
you! And Devlin will be too late!”

“You have one chance to leave,” I said in a
hard voice. “Or I will shoot you, Theo.”

Theo looked at me for a few moments, and then
he lunged for me with a roar. I fired, pulling the trigger, and
Theo was pushed back as the bullet slammed into his torso. He let
out a cry of pain and disbelief, looking down at his bleeding chest
in shock. He slumped to his knees, and then to the floor.

“You told me to practice, Husband,” I said
softly, looking down at him. “I have been.”

I gave him a wide berth, stepping past him
through the door. He’d be healed in a minute or two and I had to
get to the great room. I could teleport from there, I hoped.

I thought for a fleeting second about saying
good-bye to Elle, but told myself I’d call her tomorrow. For all I
knew she’d agree with Theo, and maybe help him turn me. Jenny was
here too, somewhere, and who knew what she thought about this.
We could all be werecougars together, one big happy
family...!

I ran downstairs, near hysteria. Trying to
teleport from the great room failed. There was the sound of a body
moving upstairs, then a groan, and I knew I had no more time.
Grabbing my purse from the dining room table, I ran frantically to
the front door, and unlocked it, stepping outside. I tried
teleporting again, but it still didn’t work. With a frustrated cry,
I darted across the front lawn, now buried in knee-deep snow and
ice, slipping and falling a few times. On reaching the trees at the
far side of the lawn, I tried to teleport again and found myself in
Hayden’s kitchen.

I sank down on the floor, covered with sweat,
my clothes wet through, panting hard. I lay there for a long time
and just breathed, telling myself I was safe. No one came as the
minutes passed, something for which I was very grateful.

Eventually, I stood and slowly made my way to
the gold and green room. After showering, I put on one of the guest
robes, took my clothes downstairs, and got them washing. I was
grateful not to meet anyone, glad it was almost dawn.

Part of me wondered if I should go to Devlin
tonight, and tell him what happened. Right now, I wanted no one
near me, and no sounds. I wanted to think of nothing for a while,
to sleep with no nightmares. But I was sure to, after all that had
happened. With a reluctant sigh, I rummaged in my purse, pulling
out the vial Terian had given to me, and got into bed.

Do I trust him enough to take it?

Terian had given me that potion for sleeping.
He said it wouldn’t hurt me. Titus would be here, in case I felt
odd tomorrow, or had some problem. Screw it. I had to sleep, and
without something to make me sleep, I wouldn’t. Dev’s sleeping
pills also weren’t an option, as I might have nightmares from which
I wouldn’t be able to wake. I needed sleep with only good
dreams.

Just to be safe, just in case I woke up
desiring Theo, I left a voicemail for Titus telling him what I was
doing, so he could stop me going to him. Then I swallowed the
contents of the vial. It was sweet, like chocolate liquor. Easing
myself down on the guest bed, I slipped into dreams.

* * * *

I awoke to find myself in a man’s warm arms.
Lash?

I looked up to greet him happily, even as I
snuggled into the heat of him. But instead of reptilian eyes,
cherrywood eyes were looking down into mine.

“Terian?”

“I’m sorry about Theo,” he said quietly. “He
told me that it’s over between you.”

So you thought you’d come and replace
him?
“What have you done?” I whispered, recoiling from him.
“What is this?”

“Nothing,” he said quickly, lifting his hands
off me and putting some distance between us. “This is no spell,
just a dream, a dream that will fade like any other. You asked me
once what my power was, Sar, what faerie magic I had. It’s mostly
to influence dreams. I didn’t know that, when I made that potion
for you so many years ago. It wasn’t until I told my father what
I’d done that he was able to break your bond. It was my fault,
because I did the spell wrong, with just one added ingredient. But
please don’t worry, this one I did right. You won’t remember this
dream, Sar. But I will. I wanted to dream with you once, even if
nothing happened but this, just me holding you.”

“Why?”

“Because I love you,” he said tenderly,
looking down at me. “Because I’ve loved you for years, and I intend
to be faithful to Sundown, when I marry her. And I wanted to be
with you like this one time, before I give her my vow.”

“Like a last one night stand before your
wedding?”
How nice. Ugh.

“You don’t have to do anything with me you
don’t want to,” Terian said simply. “I’m not asking you for
anything, Sar. It’s enough to be here, dreaming with you. And you
could never mean as little to me as any one night stand. Not after
all you’ve done for me.”

“You’ll hurt her by doing this, even just
holding me.”

“My body is alone, in a hotel room, states
away,” Terian said calmly. “Theo called me a half hour ago, and
told me what happened between you. He was upset, and he’d been
drinking at the Alan’s Creek bar with Jenny—”

“I don’t care about why he did what he did,
or about what he feels now. I—”

“I’m saying there is no one to hear me, if I
should say anything in my sleep. Just as I know you are at Hayden,
and you are most likely alone, too, somehow, because if Devlin knew
what I’m guessing happened between Theo and you, by now I’d have
gotten a courtesy call from Titus about how Devlin was sending him
to kill Theo. This is just a dream. No binding power, no anything.
I made very sure of that, Sar. I’ve fucked up your life enough over
the years with my magic. I’m not going to do it again.”

Yeah, right.
“How do I know that?”

“The spell only gives me access to be able to
enter your dream. You are the one who chooses what happens in the
dream. With Theo and you, you both chose it, and had equal control.
I have no control over what you dream of, none, though I can and
will wake you, if you begin to have a nightmare—”

So that’s what he meant about ensuring
good dreams.
“I’m sorry,” I said, staring up at him. “But
nothing is going to happen between us.”

“That’s fine,” Terian said, patting my hand
with his. “Fall back asleep again and let me hold you, please,” he
whispered. “You’ll either wake up, or go on to another dream. There
are other dreams you can have tonight, Sar. Sleep in this one, and
go on to one of them.”

I eased back down in the bed, though I kept
my distance. I was tempted to ask him if I looked fat, but decided
not to. In a few moments I fell asleep.

I awoke in the flame room, but it wasn’t the
flame room I knew. This room had furnishings, not my sewing
supplies. I was in a full size bed, the same one I’d made up in the
gold and green room. I was dressed, as I had been before with
Terian. And I wasn’t alone.

I looked over to see Lash lying sprawled
indolently beside me, grinning at me as only he could, dressed in
his trademark black. But his weapons were not on his body; they
were beside him on the nightstand within easy reach. He opened his
mouth to say something, but I grabbed hold of him and pulled him to
me and kissed him with all the longing and love I’d been holding
back for weeks. He groaned, and his passion for me seemed to match
mine. He tightened his arms around me, and began taking off my
clothes. I was already trying to strip off his. I made little
noises of frustration, as I couldn’t seem to get his clothes off as
fast as he was removing mine. He pushed me gently back and stripped
off his shirt and turtleneck. I ran my hands over his tanned skin,
hissing a little myself in eagerness. I reached up and kissed him,
and he moaned as he covered my lips with his own. He rolled on top
of me, his erection pressing against me. I groaned, and he chuckled
roughly, the sound mirth mingled with strong desire.

But I’d had enough foreplay. I’d hungered for
him too long, and been through too much shit to wait any longer. I
pushed down his jeans and grabbed hold of him, running my hand over
the head of his penis in a quick rhythm. He let out a loud cry and
his head arched back as he felt me touch him. I moved under him,
spreading my legs as he moved into position above me. Then he
stopped still, drawing a questioning look from me.

“I love you, Sar,” Lash said, his dark eyes
full of emotion, as they had been that day in the hotel room.
“You’re breathtaking, my Love. So breathtaking to behold.”

Tears came to my eyes, and I took his face in
my hands. “I love you, Lash,” I said, looking at him tenderly.
There was a sudden look of shock on his face so strong, and his
eyes flattened, as if he were trying to conceal his feelings.

“No, don’t change, don’t hide from me,” I
said. “I love you. I should have told you months ago, but I had to
work out my life. But Theo’s leaving me, it’s over. And I’ve wanted
you so much for months it’s killing me inside.”

Lash kissed me, and there seemed a sadness in
his kissing that I didn’t understand. “Say it for me again,” he
hissed softly. “Tell me, as we make love, that you love me.” Then
he very carefully entered me and began to move.