Caged in Darkness (18 page)

“You said that nothing in here would hurt
me! Why is there a freaking panther in the middle of the floor?” I
demanded angrily. Several scenarios were spinning through my mind,
but the worst was that they might want to sacrifice the animal.

“He’s part a gift to you from the coven. We
wanted to surprise you. Before you even ask, we’re not going to
hurt him.”

“Then why is he here and what exactly am I
supposed to do with a panther? Maye would flip if I brought it home
and that’s assuming it doesn’t rip my throat out first!” My fingers
lifted to my throat. I had never considered it before, but I would
really like to keep my neck intact.

“My mother will explain.”

“Ah.” called a voice from the group, “There
you two are. I was beginning to worry.”

Liam’s mother, Diamante strode forward in
one of the most beautiful dresses I had ever seen. A flowing
emerald colored gown, which fell off the shoulders in layers of a
darker green. The dress was embellished with emerald stones around
the waist and neckline.

“We have been waiting for you.” Diamante
said, as she stepped towards Liam and gestured to me.

“Why is there a panther in the middle of the
floor?” I forced the question before I lost my nerve.

Diamante smiled. “He is a gift for you. He
will help to show you the world, as you have never known it. There
is no need to be frightened. He will not harm you, and he knows
that he is with friends”

“Who…what are we going to do?” I
stammered.

“We are going to bond you with a spirit
animal my dear,” replied Diamante. “Come, we must begin soon.”

“What does that mean?” I turned to Liam and
asked, as Diamante led me to the circle.

Diamante replied softly, as she moved me
into the circle. “This beautiful creature will be with you always,
as your friend and protector. Once you have bonded, you will be
able to take his form.”

A warm tingle of excitement ran down my
back, as I knelt down besides the panther’s head, but ice quickly
followed. “What happens when he dies? Will I die too?”

Diamante shook her head. “No, you don’t
understand. He is already close to death. This is called a bond for
a reason. His spirit will become a part of you, and his soul will
live on inside you.”

Diamante held out her right hand, palm up
and white smoke wisped from her finger tips. The smoke twisted
together, tore apart into strands of smoke, which extended to
transform into wings. Finer wisps merged into the shape of a head
and beak.

In a matter of seconds, a falcon make of
smoke appeared above Diamante’s hand. The falcon’s eyes were deep
green to match the stones on her dress. “This is Celeste.” The
falcon opened its beak, and although there was no sound, the air
vibrated with its call. Diamante closed her hand and the falcon
faded into mist.

I reached out to brush my fingers down the
back of the panther’s head and he shifted to lay his head in my
lap. I smiled as I stroked his fur, and a deep rumbling grew in his
chest.

Diamante spoke at my ear. “Excellent, he
likes you.”

“Will this hurt him?” I asked with worry
building inside me.

“No, you will be easing him from pain. He
lived a hard life before he came into our care.”

“What happened to him?” I asked and looked
up.

“You will see.” Diamante said softly, as she
motioned for the rest of the coven to take their places around the
circle. “Remain calm Savannah. I promise you this will not hurt,
but it will be like nothing you have ever experienced before.”

I looked down into the big cats eyes, and
murmured, “What’s his name?”

“Kit,” replied Diamante before beginning a
slow chant. One by one, the rest of the group matched her
rhythm.

I remained looking down into the panther’s
dark eyes. They grew larger, until his eyes filled my field of
vision and my world went black. Seconds creped by and a speck of
light appeared. It expanded until it was all I knew.

I reached out to touch the colors within the
light. Suddenly, I was being taken from my mother to be placed in a
box. When I tried to jump free and run back to my mother, something
grabbed my neck and pushed me towards the darkness.

I jerked my hand back from the colors. What
I had just felt, were Kit’s memories and he had been terrified. I
knew what it was like to be young and afraid, but Kit’s yearning
for his mother was unfamiliar to me. I sank my fingers into the
colorful array once more.

I was trapped in a cage, while each day new
people came to stare at me. When all the people had gone, the man
with the stick would hit me, before throwing a few meager scraps of
meat into my cage. I was hungry and tired.

A tear trickled down my cheek at what this
poor animal had endured. I knew what it was like to be caged and
tortured each day. I could relate to feeling lost and alone, while
being surrounded by a darkness that threatened to consume me

I was in Kit’s cage and could barely move. I
had no energy and my body ached. A tall woman handed the man with
the stick a thick envelope and walked over to the cage. She knelt
down and looked me in the eyes. I saw the woman’s compassion before
she spoke.

“You are safe now, little one. My name is
Diamante, and you will be part of my family now. No one will ever
hurt you again.” My chest rumbled, but for the first time in my
life it was not because of fear or anger. It was hope.

My hand dropped to my side and tears fell
freely down my cheeks. The light faded, and distant chanting grew
louder. The darkness faded into color and I was again within the
circle. Kit's body was gone, but his memories were imprinted on my
soul.

LIAM

I opened the door and Savannah walked
through before me. “Do you want something to drink?”

“Um, do you have any soda?” I nodded and
headed to the kitchen to grab a sprite. When I came back into the
living room, I found Savannah fidgeting.

“Afraid I might bite? Please tell me you
don’t think I’m some kind of monster that is going to pounce on
you?” Her silence confirmed her worry. “Princess, I have never
needed to pounce on any female. They usually pounce on me.”

“What females?” She gave me a sour look and
I had to laugh, which seemed to anger her.

“Princess, how could you believe that there
are any other females in my life right now? It’s just you.” I
deposited a chaste kiss on her lips.

I meant to restrain myself from anything
other than friendliness, until I knew for sure that she wasn’t
still hurting over Izzy’s mother’s death. However, having gone an
entire week without her, I couldn’t help myself. I pulled her into
my arms and ravaged her mouth. I rained kisses along her neck and
back to her lips, but when I moved my hand to caress her breast,
she stiffened.

“I’m sorry. I should have asked.” I wasn’t
in the habit of asking, but Savannah wasn’t a promiscuous woman.
Kali was right, when she said that Savannah was not the type of
woman I was used to.

“It’s not that. It’s…” She paused. “I’ve
never done anything more than kiss a guy. I don’t know what I am
supposed to do.” Her brows furrowed and she looked embarrassed. “I
want to, but I just don’t know
how.
”

Grabbing her face, I looked her directly in
the eyes. “You don’t have to learn
how
right now. We can
take it slow. I don’t want us to do anything you aren’t ready for.”
I kissed her forehead and smoothed back her hair. “I’ll be right
back.” I walked into my bedroom, closed the door, and attempted to
pull myself together. I wasn’t used to reining myself in, but until
I gained my composure I needed to take a breather.

SAVANNAH

I watched Liam retreat into his room. I
couldn’t believe how understanding he was being. It was a relief,
because as much as I wanted him, I wanted to figure a few things
out before our relationship progressed.

I walked over to the coffee table and picked
up the soda, Liam had left there. As I took a sip, his phone
beeped, and his mothers’ name lit the screen. Worried that it might
be important, I lifted the cell phone from the table to see what
the text said. My soda dropped from my hands, while I reeled from
the content of the extremely detailed text.

I hope you plan to take my advice from
earlier. She has already gone through her ascension. It won’t be
long before the coven will want her to take her initiation vows. If
we have any hope of luring her into our coven, you need to seduce
her now. You can’t keep putting it off. I know that you didn’t want
this assignment, but the Cross girl is powerful and an alliance
with her will be mutually beneficial. Seduce her and give her the
ultimatum. Once she has joined our coven, you can go back to
sleeping with as many humans as you would like.

I was shocked. Liam had been pretending this
entire time? I was an
assignment
? I tossed his cell phone on
the table and looked back at the door to his bedroom. I felt torn.
One piece of my soul insisted on confronting him, while the other
desperately wished to flee. I felt raw and betrayed. How could I
have thought I meant something to him? Why had I been so stupid? I
left the apartment and ran down the street before opening my cell
to text Izzy.

Izzy picked me up a short while later to
take me home. I knew she could see how upset I was, but for once
she didn’t push me to talk. She let the silence soothe me and I was
grateful for it.

Izzy stopped in front of my house, and said,
"Savannah, if you need anything or just want to talk… call me,
okay?” I nodded and bolted from the car. My feet couldn't move fast
enough to propel me towards the house. I was fleeing a tsunami that
threatened to wash away the safety net I built around my core.

I ran into the house with tears streaming
down my face. I came to a quick stop in the hall, when Ash bared my
path. Backing up, I tried to avoid him, but he wouldn’t allow it.
His arm snatched out to grab me around my waist and lifted me into
his arms, to cradle me.

“What’s wrong?”

I struggled in his arms, kicking my legs and
wiggling to get free. When that failed, I started pounding on his
chest with my fists. “Let me down!”

Ash laughed. “Well, this seems
familiar!”

“What is that supposed to mean?” I crossed
my arms and pouted, while giving him a cold stare.

“The first day we met I carried you into the
house and you struggled just like this. Remember?”

I became more pliant and my tears stopped.
“Put me down, Ash.”

His face became serious as he lowered me
gently to the ground. He kept his arm wrapped around my waist and
my body pressed to his. His body protected me from the rogue wave
that massaged my emotions in a turmoil. The safety net Liam
endangered was now more solid than ever before. Ash held it
together, he pressed the rope, and maneuvered it to a placement
that allowed me to breathe once more.

“I’m not letting you go until I know what’s
wrong. Did Liam do something to you?” My face froze. Ash’s arm
dropped and he growled. The house shuddered as the noise echoed
against the walls. “I’m going to kill him!”

Ash pushed past me. I rushed to stop him,
but he spun around to push me away. Throwing my arms around his
neck, I massaged his lips with mine. At first his body was still,
but then he relaxed and pulled me closer. He was like a starved
man, using my mouth to sate his hunger. It was an passionate kiss
fueled by his anger. My blood simmered at the contact, forcing my
body to be instinctively wanton. Ash tried to slow the kissing, but
I pressed harder and gyrated against his hips in a sensual dance.
He groaned and backed me up until my heels hit the staircase.

Ash didn't falter at the inconvenience the
stars proposed. He lifted my legs to straddle his waist, climbed
the stairs, while kissing me with renewed passion. I couldn’t
think, breath or deny the electric charge between us. Suddenly,
every aspect of myself was desperate to have him; all of him.

Ash kicked his bedroom door open, slammed
the door behind us and pushed my back against it. His hands slipped
up my thighs to gently push my dress up a few inches. This evoked a
purr from deep within my chest.

Against my lips, Ash spoke. “Did you just
purr?” I laughed, and pressed my breasts against his chest. I held
onto him, chaining him to the fervor, forcing him to succumb. The
rhythm of my heart beat faster to match his. I didn't want anything
between us; I just wanted him.

Tearing at Ash's shirt, the buttons
scattered across the floor. His shirt soon followed. His lips moved
away from mine, but before I could protest the lost contact, he
rained kissed down my neck to my shoulder. He slipped the strap
down and held it to reveal my milky skin.

I felt overwhelmed and pulled him back to my
lips. My hands skimmed across his chest to lay flat against his
firm abdomen. He groaned, while I nibbled on his lower lip. My
hands lowered to unbutton his jeans, but he pulled away. I grabbed
his neck to pull him back, but he took my hands to pry them away
with a determined intensity. “Maye will be home any minute.” He
took my left hand and kissed the palm before putting more space
between us.

I stood still, trying to understand what had
just happened, and failing to dispel the energy surging through me.
Ash's face was flushed and his chest gleaned from our efforts. I
had an urge to lick the moisture that trailed down the planes of
his stomach.

“What did Liam do?” I shook my head to beat
out the sexual thoughts and focused entirely on his words.

“Ugh, I don’t want to talk about it.” I
walked to the adjoining bathroom, but he pulled me back against his
chest.