Aflame (Apotheosis) (5 page)

“Get the hell out of my house.” Did she sound insane? Without a doubt. Could she stop it? No. Emotion had taken over the driver’s seat and steered her straight toward Crazyville. “Get out. I’ll kill you. I’ll kill myself before I let him get near me.” Clumsily, she pointed the knife at him. “I will not go back to that life.” Head throbbing, she wanted to cry, but she couldn’t. Anger held the tears at bay. “No. No! Tell that sick, psychotic piece of shit I’m not running anymore. He can come after me with everything he’s got, but I’m not running anymore.”

Everything turned red again. A warm glow surrounded her, urged her to continue. “I won’t let him touch me ever again.” Conviction carried that statement through the small apartment. Bravery replaced fear, and damned if it didn’t feel amazing.

Zander’s demeanor changed in an instant. One second he was pleading and bewildered, the next, he radiated stone cold fury. A burst of heat pulsed through the room. In a flash, they were nose to nose. The blade of the knife bent like putty in his fist and flew across the room. Cupping her cheeks, he growled.

“Did he hurt you?” He drew jagged breaths. Attempts at freeing herself from his grip were futile. He wouldn’t budge. “Answer my question, Grayce. Did he hurt you?” His hands seared her flesh. Or was it her cheeks burning his hands? Hard to tell.

“Let go of me. Get the hell out of my house.” She struggled to loosen his grip, to pull heated fingers from her skin, but it was like trying to bend a railway tie. Useless waste of energy.

He released her, and in a split second was gone. A rush of hot air blew her hair up and across her face. Her cheeks burned. Every inch of her skin was hot. She stammered to the couch, threw herself into the cushions and gave in to a full blown snot and tears meltdown.

* * * *

Grayce woke with a jump to a racing heartbeat, spurred by more dreams of the monster. Damn, this had to stop. Peeling her face off the pile of tissues she’d fallen asleep on, she rubbed swollen eyes before she was able to focus on the clock above the television. Thank God, it was only six.

Letting the shower run extra hot, a luxury she rarely indulged in, Grayce curled in a ball under the soothing water. Brushing a finger lightly across her lips, she closed her eyes and replayed the kiss over and over in her head. No revulsion, no compulsion to punch him, no retreating to her dark place. She stayed present. Wasn’t afraid. Wanted more. How was that possible? If anything, she should be more afraid of him for the mere fact he was impossibly large and fierce.

Steam billowed around her as she stepped out. She wiped condensation from the mirror and gasped at the sight. Her face glowed where Zander had grasped her cheeks, like she’d spent a day in the sun. She ran her fingers gently across the sensitive skin. They weren’t sore, but they tingled, and when she closed her eyes to picture his hold on her face, she was disappointed by the warming in her lower belly. Oh my fuck.

Must be getting sick. It was the only logical explanation, because in no known universe would her body react this way to any man. Least of all this beast who could crush Tyr with one strike of his powerful fist. Grind his bones into the pavement.

Shit. Tyr. Why the nightmares? What’s changed? And what’s with the freak-outs and losing control? Yeah, she was sick, no question about it.

She cranked the volume on the stereo hoping it would offer distraction from the fear bubbling beneath the surface of her psyche.

The funny thing about hiding from a monster —at some point, she’d have to strap on boxing gloves and fight for her life or tighten her laces and run like hell. It’d taken her years to realize that running was pointless. Nobody ever really got away, especially from the monsters with money and power. So why run at all? Either way, she’d end up six feet under or wishing she was.

Grayce had settled in Chastain, Idaho because it was large enough that she could blend in unnoticed, but remote enough that she could disappear into the Bitterroot Mountains in any direction if necessary. It was a quaint town, populated by nature lovers, retired military, celebrities and the few generations of mining families that stuck around after the Gold Greek Mines shut down in the early 1970s. Most of the large homes sat on acres of land, were second or third houses to the rich and famous and sat vacant for months on end. She’d squatted in a few of them until she found a job and decided to stay.

The town had grown on her and she hated the thought of leaving. So, she had to keep it together, not let Tyr, or memories of him, ruin her life any further. She was staying put, that’s all there was to it.

Maybe she’d sign up for additional self defense classes. If Tyr did find her, she wanted to fight like hell. She’d probably go down, but fuck it, she’d go down kicking and screaming, hopefully with chunks of his flesh in her hands and teeth.

Heading for the door, she remembered her car had been left at the gym. “Oh shit!” Her scream to nobody echoed through the small room. Could this day get any worse? She grabbed her phone to call a taxi. A bomb burst inside her ribcage when she noticed a text. From him.

Your car is outside. Z

She ran to the window and there it sat, parked outside, just like he said. Holy cow, did he wash it too? It shined. Even the tires were clean. When? How? She ran through the events of the last twenty-four hours in her head. Of course, he must have brought it when he came earlier. Did he steal her keys? How’d he get home afterward? Too much to process. With a huff, she snatched her handbag and headed to work.

4

The bar was busy, filled with rowdy kids, who’d barely reached the legal age to drink, and regulars, who claimed their favorite seats from noon until closing time. The chaos offered comfort. Helped keep her mind off Zander. Maybe she’d scared him off and would never have to see his magnificent face again. Time had allowed ample opportunity for her head to clear and thoughts to be organized. No possible way was Zander working for Tyr. Fuck. She must have looked quite the fool. She’d have to find a new gym, maybe a new job.

“I’ll close up tonight. You go have fun,” Grayce told Jane. She rolled her eyes as her boss perked her boobs and checked her lipstick in the mirrored wall behind the bar. Once again, Jane had hooked up with a stranger from out of town and couldn’t wait to continue her evening with him, for a good romp in the hay, no doubt. Something she did quite often. “Be careful. Men are assholes you know.”

Grayce had tried to despise Jane, mostly because of her wanton ways, but was never able to live up to the task. Jane had always been so gracious; hired her without proper identification, paid her under the table, allowed her to pick up extra shifts. Jane knew Grayce had a past without having to ask, and although it went unspoken, the two carried a deep respect for each other. Grayce often wondered if Jane harbored dark secrets of her own, but she would never pry.

“I’m always careful, Grayce baby.” Jane winked and sauntered through the door toward a black Porsche waiting outside. A horrifying chill crept through Grayce’s bones. She wanted to stop her. Scream for her to come back.

Locking the door, she peered cautiously into the darkness. Looking left and right, then down the alley directly across the way, she sighed and hoped like hell she wasn’t going to read in tomorrow’s paper that her boss’s dead body had been found in a ditch somewhere. As she headed to the back room to finish up, an intoxicating tingle danced across her skin. Oh fuck no. Please no. Not him, not now.

“Grayce.” Her stomach lurched. She looked over her shoulder, half hoping it’d been her imagination. No such luck. There he sat, dark and brooding, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. His lips quivered at the corners, suppressing a smile.

“How did you get in here?” Grayce snapped as she contemplated making a run for the door.

“Grayce.” The word slid off his tongue like chocolate silk. Made her almost feel needed. “We have some unfinished business.”

It should’ve frightened her senseless. Odd. Despite what happened earlier and the shameful embarrassment at her outburst, it felt right having him there. Besides, the determined glare in his eyes was a telltale sign he wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon.

“Thirsty?” she asked.

“Very.” A muscle clenched deep between her legs as his tongue glided across his upper lip. Oh crap, nothing but trouble was coming her way. Pouring his beer, she decided to have one as well.

Strategically positioned on the opposite side of the table, she placed his drink down and tried unsuccessfully to calm her trembling hands. After an intense and uncomfortable stare-down, Grayce decided to start. “Listen, I’m sorry about my meltdown earlier. It’s just—”

“Who’s this man that hurt you?” Zander interrupted. He hadn’t touched his beer. Hadn’t taken his eyes off her, not even for a second.

Buying time while she decided what to say, Grayce took a long drink from her glass. “I knew he didn’t send you. I—I—panicked. It—it—was just—just too much.” Great, now she was a stutterer. She shot a glance to the back door, gauging her chances for escape. Where were her car keys? Could she find them fast enough to make a clean get away? “I was overwhelmed by—”

“Who is this man that hurt you?” he asked again. She noticed a tick in his cheek before his jaw tightened enough to accentuate the muscles in his neck. Fearsome. Still, she wasn’t afraid, not of him. What she did fear were the overwhelming feelings his presence evoked. Those terrified her.

“That’s none of your God-damned business.” Grayce slammed her glass down and crossed her arms. Head cocked to the side, she challenged him with a glare.

“Well, my dear. You’re wrong about that.” He huffed and for the first time tore his gaze away from Grayce. “It’s absolutely my business.” His dark tone offered no apologies. He traced the rim of his glass with a thick finger before he lifted it to his lips and drained its contents in one shot.

“Who in the hell do you think you are?” Boiling anger churned in her gut.

Zander jumped over the table and grabbed Grayce by the arm. “Do you feel that?”

Oh yes, she felt it. The electricity. The life force. Almost painful. Her body absorbed it as if it were a drug. She needed it.

“Tell me you feel it. I know you do.”

After several failed attempts at swallowing, she managed to choke out a “yes.” It took all of her energy, all of her wits to remain strong, be brave, not lose it again. “Please.” A whisper was all she could manage. “I don’t like being manhandled.”
Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry.
“Please let go of my arm.”

He released her. Regret extinguished the fire in his eyes. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to, um…” Scratching his head, he took a step back. “I’m sorry. I need you to understand. I don’t know how else to show you.”

“Understand what exactly?” Hugging herself, she rubbed the warm spots his fingers left behind. “Listen. Just say it. The last couple of days have been insane. I’m going insane.”

Lowering his face to meet hers, an exasperated sigh escaped his lips. “You’re not going insane. We are soul mates. We were meant, no not meant, we were made for each other.” He looked around the room, gnawing on his lower lip. “I’m strong, right? You’ve seen it.”

Grayce nodded. Strong would be an understatement.

“But when you’re near, I’m stronger. I’m more alive. That’s how I knew I’d found you.”

Not the soul mates crap again. Does this work on all the women? “Soul mates, huh? You’re still going with that?” Sarcasm coated her voice and she gasped when a burst of heat pulsed through her body. Did that come from her or Zander? Hot flash. Yeah, had to be it. Could’ve been the beer she gulped. His eyes crinkled at the corners as he glowered at her.

Zander inhaled and held it in. She couldn’t help but revel in his breathtaking features. Strong square jaw, glowing eyes, flawless skin. On exhale, the wrinkles in his forehead diminished. “Tell me something, Grayce. Over the past few weeks, have you felt different? Emotionally, physically or anything?” Straightening his back, he crossed his arms over his chest. Clearly eager for a response, his smirk made her wonder if he already knew the answer.

She knew, but pretended to think about it. Needing some space from the giant super-sexy man stealing her oxygen, she headed to the bar, grabbed a bottle of cleanser and squirted a hefty dose over the stainless steel counter.

“Yes.”

She didn’t look, but his mood shifted, changing the current between them. “I’ve been more pissed off than usual. I’ve had more energy. Also, I’m not as...” She looked him in the eye now. “Afraid.” She refrained from telling him about her fantasies starring yours truly, how horny she’d been, or how the thought of being touched by anyone had repulsed her until he barreled into her life like a crash test dummy.