Dangerous Lovers (208 page)

“Audrey.” Stone’s longer black hair looked totally disheveled and his eyes looked slightly wild. “I’ve been looking for you all night. Jacobs is demanding answers and we need to get you out of here.” Stone looked at the doorway and Elijah stood watching us.

“Elijah, I swear I will kill you if you try to stop me.”

“What is your decision, Audrey?” Elijah’s eyes met mine.

Stone had sounded frantic and slightly deranged, but he offered an out, while Jacobs offered more imprisonment. Something that I wasn’t sure I could survive again.

“I would very much like to be…free.”

“Then I shall help you.” Elijah moved past Stone who was standing with his mouth agape, and brows furrowed.

“Excuse me? You’re going to help us?” Stone moved a little closer to me, I didn’t think he even realized he had picked up my hand and now clutched it. It started to feel reassuring.

“Not you. I will help her. There are things you do not know about her. Things that I will not share with you. And she needs more protection than just you.” While Elijah spoke, Stone’s grip got tighter.

“Is that why Jacobs wanted to see her?” Stone growled.

“Calm yourself shape-shifter. Yes, but it is too dangerous to allow anyone to know her secrets, before she knows them herself.” Elijah moved around his room picking up seemingly random objects and placing them in a duffle bag.

“I would recommend you get an overnight bag. We may be gone for a while. Her memories will return at their own pace. I will not allow anyone to push her. Meet me in the garage. I will be waiting.” Elijah’s words were monotone and uncaring, but his eyes watched Stone for a reaction. I was too scared to look into Stone’s eyes and read what he might be feeling.

“She is mine to protect.” He held out a hand to me. I peeked up at him, his jaw was tight and his eyes were locked with Elijah’s. I slipped my hand into his. He nodded once and started to pull me from the room.

When we left Elijah’s room, he continued to drag me along the building, stopping every so often to listen or check around a wall. I remained quiet and tried to be as small as possible. When we arrived at his room, he pulled me in, but as soon as he shut the door, he pushed me against it. It wasn’t a rough move, but it scared me. He moved close so that our bodies were barely touching. His strong muscles tensed against my soft skin. He pressed his forehead to mine. I looked up at him.

“I thought…”

His eyes were shut tightly and his hand moved to tangle in my hair behind my neck. I don’t know why, but I couldn’t stop myself from bringing my hand up and smoothing the tight lines around his eyes.

He relaxed under my touch and opened his eyes. They were a stormy grey color that I had never seen before. His hand left my hair to touch my face. He ran his thumb across my lips.

“I…” He straightened suddenly. “I need to get some stuff then we will head down to Nixie’s.” He pushed off from the door and headed to his bedroom. I remained where I was, trembling.

Stone grabbed the things he needed while I waited on the couch. My heart still raced when he came out, his hair was shorter than before, his eyes were a calm grey now. My heart moved faster again.

Stone and I carefully made our way through the hallways and we made it to Nixie’s room without any problems. When we arrived though we heard shouting from inside.

Stone stopped me and listened for a moment.

“It’s Dallas.” He grabbed my arm and pulled me to the next corner. Within a few seconds the door opened and Nixie’s voice screamed out.

“You’re an asshole Dallas! Fuck you!”

Then the door slammed shut. We heard Dallas growl a few things under his breath as he headed in the other direction. Stone looked down at me with a smile.

“If Nixie hadn’t had him all riled up he would have scented us. Come on.” Stone grabbed my hand and I realized how okay I was with the contact now. He somehow made it bearable to be touched. To almost feel like I was safe.

“Nixie. Get a bag ready for yourself and for Audrey. I am not letting Jacobs have her.” Nixie came out of her room already holding two of her bags.

“What? Do you think I am stupid? Why do you think I was fighting with Dallas? I would have thrown his ass out of my room the moment he walked in here if I wasn’t trying to get more information from him. Hi, sweetie.” She rushed over to me and gave me one of her quick hugs, but quickly backed away knowing that I didn’t like to be touched that much. I think she understood that her attempt at comforting me might hurt me more in the end.

“Audrey, you need to tell us exactly what Jacobs said.” Stone turned to me. I told them what Jacobs had said. I knew his intentions. I saw the look in his eyes, he would be willing to do anything, go to any lengths.

“Nixie, did Dallas give you any information?”

“No the blowhole just came in here acting like he owned the place. Demanding this, demanding that. Blah, blah, blah. Said something about Audrey being unstable. Then I of course replied, ‘Well aren’t we all bit crazy?’ then he went all wolfy on me and started to growl. I threatened him with a newspaper to the nose.” Nixie was getting geared up to talk some more before Stone cleared his throat.

“Alright. Well, being that I know exactly what Jacobs will plan if he gets his hands on her, we need to move.”

“Let me grab one more bag.” Nixie disappeared back into her bedroom.

“I want you to know that I don’t agree with what Jacobs wants to do.” Stone was watching me. I could read the slight guilt in his eyes, the murky green swamp color, and the light red of being ashamed.

“Have you done this before? Tortured to get answers.”

“Never with someone who hasn’t deserved it.” His eyes were now a cold distant silver. “No one innocent.” He added.

“Not everyone is innocent.” I answered looking away from him.

“No I suppose not. But there are better people out there than me, and there are better people out there that I have tortured. And you are one of those people.” Stone started to move around in this kitchen space. I didn’t look at him.

“No. I really am not.” I whispered, thinking of everything that I had done. My biggest crime was leaving behind Aiden. He’d never forgive me. I would never forgive myself. I stared at my hands, while I waited for Stone. He appeared in front of me in his black jeans. I slowly looked up. His eyes were a beautiful shade of violet.

“You should not think so little of yourself. Your crimes may not be as horrible as you assume.” He pulled me up, his eyes drifted down to my lips. I felt the need to both move forward and away. We did neither, just stared at each other for a while longer. “You will be safe.”

I looked at Stone, his eyes had shifted to a light grey almost blue color. I could tell that he was calming down yet his hold on my hand hadn’t changed. It remained as tight as before, but not tight enough to hurt.

“Why would you do this for me?” I watched as Stone’s back tensed.

He didn’t turn toward me, though. “I already told you. No one innocent deserves to be tortured.”

“And who is to say that I am anymore innocent than the people you claim are deserving of being tortured?” It was the first time I felt fearless talking to him. To anyone. I wanted to understand completely why he believed this. I did not mean to challenge him, but when he turned to me, his eyes blazing red, I knew that I had.

“Would you look at me so differently if you knew that deep down I was as bad as the ones who tortured you? The one who put those scars on you? To think of me like them and find reasoning in your fear?”

“I want to know if they thought I was truly evil as well.” I whispered. I looked away from Stone. He moved closer and pushed my chin up so I looked him in the eyes. Flecks of the stormy grey swam in their depths, telling me he was both angry and disappointed. I wasn’t sure who he was disappointed or angry with.

“You are not evil. You were not deserving of any of the torture that you got. You have done nothing wrong.” He moved closer to me. My eyes tighten with the threat of tears, so I shut them. His breath fanned my cheeks.

“All right I got the last bag!” Nixie announced. Stone looked at Nixie with both anger and annoyance.

“Five bags? Are you kidding?”

“A girl, paranormal or not, can never be too prepared. Actually, paranormal girls tend to be the most prepared.” She started to grab her bags, on the fifth one she looked up at Stone. “Well, get a move on catfish I can only carry so much.”

“Ever heard of being discreet?” Stone asked as he lifted the last bag off the ground.

“Ever heard of, I’m a siren and if we run into anyone I will just sing them away?” Nixie danced around him and pulled me up from the couch. “Come my little guppy, we are going on a vacation. Hopefully somewhere by a lake!”

Nixie headed for the door.

We only had a few incidents where Nixie walked right up to someone, stared into their eyes, and they simply walked away.

I was nervous at the exit doors thinking we’d be going outside. I hadn’t been outside in years. Instead we were inside another dark, stone, grey building. I tried to recall the name of the structure; it was on the tip of my tongue.

In the parking garage, Elijah waited with an undistinguished car. It was a black number with slightly tinted windows. Elijah said nothing as Nixie and I slipped in the back. Stone slammed the trunk and I jumped. I twisted, looking around feeling oddly exposed and trapped. Nixie tried to hum a tone near my ear, but I felt uncomfortable and uncertain.

I felt the stitching of the seats. I closed my eyes. I touched the stitching again. One. Two. Three.

The car rumbled and we moved, my hand remained steady to my count. Twenty. Light exploded before my tightly shut eyes. I pulled my eyelids closer. I pulled everything closer, but my counting hand. Thirty-nine. The breeze I could taste it, smell it, feel it. Forty-three. I was safe. I was free. No more concrete cages. Fifty-seven.

“Audrey…” Nixie’s humming was interrupted by a masculine voice. Not his. Never this again. Eight-two. “Audrey…” Eighty-seven. “Don’t you want to look outside?” Ninety-six. It’s a trick, the breeze–the smell of it, the feel of it, the taste. The flashlight. I knew all their tricks. One hundred and twenty-one. I knew them all. But the heat touching my eyelids, the unwavering truth in his voice. One hundred and thirty-four. How could I not believe him? I opened my eyes and lost count.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Stone

It was like a newborn opening its eyes for the very first time. Untainted and eager. Even her seemingly dead eye shone bright. Her wild maroon hair flew around her head by the gust of the cracked window. Finally her lips twitched, before I knew it, her entire face lit up with a full smile. I didn’t think I’d ever seen anything as painfully beautiful. She wasn’t even aware she was unfolding and stretching her long lithe body.

“Beautiful.” The word slipped out before I knew I said it. Nixie heard me, giggled and punched the back of my seat. I had the urge to turn around and snarl at her but refrained from doing it. Audrey remained next to the window. When her eyes weren’t rapidly taking in the sights, she would close her eyes and let the breeze brush against her face. In those moments she looked truly free.

A few times during the drive, she flickered back to the scared, damaged, woman we just rescued. Then, she would touch the stitching in the seats and her lips would move. I knew she was counting. Watching her during those moments was like watching a beautiful piece of art melt away.

I wanted her to be able to hold onto the free, majestically natural and open woman she was becoming. Not the broken, dangerous, harsh girl she was. I couldn’t stand to see her so broken.

Thinking of her that way only reminded me of my own sins. How many times had I killed in the name of Braden, my clan’s family name? How many times had I tortured men and women alike to get a simple answer?

I looked forward, feeling wholly unworthy to look upon Audrey, an innocent to me, guilty to another only because she had no answers to give.

“She is no saint. And if you keep painting her in that light she will not thank you.” Elijah’s head was tilted toward me slightly, but with his eyes completely black it was hard to tell where he was really looking.

“No one is a saint. Some of us are just better than others.” I answered, watching as we passed another state line. We were headed north on the coast, I wasn’t sure where Elijah would take us, but I hoped it wasn’t near the York’s land. The York’s were one of the biggest, strongest families in the world, with a bit of marked land on each continent. They weren’t too fond of the Braden clan and on occasion worked with the Vedenins.

Hours later, after Nixie, Audrey and I had fallen asleep at least once, and after two stops for food, gas, and bathroom breaks, we arrived. I’d fallen asleep three hours before and I wasn’t sure what state we were in. We’d all ditched our phones and Nixie reluctantly parted with her iPod knowing Jacobs had tracking devices in all of them. Since I’d never seen this car before, I was guessing Elijah obtained it somehow. I wasn’t going to ask and I knew he wasn’t going to tell.

“This is my cabin. Only one other person knew about it and he is dead now.” Elijah rarely ever smiled and I was glad for it, cause he was smiling at me now, his sharp dagger like teeth made him look deranged. “There are two bedrooms, a kitchen, and a living room with a couch. You can all take the rooms.” Elijah didn’t even look at any of us.