Dark Veil (2 page)

Chapter Two

Gemma’s chest constricted fiercely as she sat in the front seat of Stephen’s car, where he had parked just opposite Cade’s house. She gripped the handle tightly, but didn’t push it open. She just couldn’t bring herself to do it. Twice she had tried and twice she had removed her hand again as her mind screamed at her to tell her brother to drive them home again.

Why did everything have to be so hard? It was okay for Stephen to say what he thought she should do, but she was the one having to do it. “If I’m not keeping it, why tell him?” she whispered, her eyes still on Cade’s place.

“If you abort his baby and don’t tell him, will you be able to look him in the eye? Will you be able to hold that secret inside of you forever?” Stephen put a finger under Gemma’s chin and turned her head so that she faced him. “You know you won’t be able to. You know you have to tell him, or you two are screwed.”

“We’re screwed anyway.” The thoughts played over in her mind. It was like a mental game of ping pong with the argument back and forth with herself. She couldn’t find any reasons good enough to tell him—anything more than what Stephen had said, that was. Would she be able to keep it a secret? No, she didn’t think so. She couldn’t keep anything from Cade, not even small things. It would eat at her until she was completely devoured and then Cade would be gone anyway.

Stephen shifted in his seat, the soft leather rustling as he moved. He drew Gemma closer and rested his lips against her forehead, holding her there. He cupped her face with both hands and Gemma took comfort from his touch. The soft stubble on his chin gently scratched at her skin as he spoke. “I’ll wait right here for you. Okay?”

Gemma covered his hands with hers. She wasn’t raised to seek that kind of comfort, to need touch, but there was something inexplicable with Cade and Stephen … It was like she craved it, and only when they were close did she feel calm. Even Stephen, her big brother—tough, fighter—he seemed to seek out the contact, too. It didn’t make any sense to her.

“I can tell him tomorrow,” she whispered.

Stephen tilted her head back, still cupping her face. “This is tomorrow. It’s yesterday’s tomorrow.

“I can't break his heart. He’s going to hate me.”

Stephen rubbed a thumb lightly over Gemma’s cheek. “How broken will his heart be if you go ahead without telling him, and he finds out after? How much would he hate you then? This is Cade, remember? He won’t ever hate you.”

“Everyone has their limits.” Maybe this would be Cade’s. She had run it through her mind a thousand times and none of them ended up anyplace good. All of them ended with him leaving her—but then maybe that’s what she deserved. What woman aborts her own child?

Stephen glanced over Gemma’s shoulder and let his hands drop. Gemma noticed he was looking somewhere over her head, and she followed his gaze. Phoenix was coming out from the side of Cade’s house. Phoenix … of all people. He was a stark reminder of the father Cade could be—would be. The agony of it lanced through her like an icy spike in her chest, threatening to steal her breath away. Phoenix was sixteen, a
wolf.
Cade had taken him in two years ago when he had found him half dead and beaten in the woods. He was a bitten
wolf
, not a born one, but Cade had taken him in despite all that it had cost him to do so.

“If he fought for Phoenix, he is going to fight for this baby, too,” Gemma said as Phoenix approached them, his face beaming at the sight of them. Gemma opened the door and got out of the car.

“Gemma,” Phoenix said excitedly. He raced over to her and threw his arms around her. She returned his embrace, holding him tighter than he probably would have liked, but right now she needed it. He smelt like Cade, not solely, but enough. The soft musky smell that lingered all around. It slammed into her senses and brought a sob to her throat. She pressed her face into Phoenix’s shoulder for a moment. “Is everything okay?” he asked when she released him.

She nodded and turned from him. She daren’t speak, her voice ready to crack.

“Women,” Stephen said and winked at him. “You’ll learn soon enough. Keep clear of them. They’re more dangerous than the
Humans
.”

Phoenix laughed. He had a good laugh—it was deepening now as he aged a bit, his voice losing that childish squeak that boys had. He’d not lost his accent, though. It was southern and strong. He’d grown a lot in the two years, too, not just in height. Gemma and Stephen’s mother, Emily, had been supplying him with nutrition to bulk him out—that, and him tagging along with Cade and Stephen when they worked out, meant he was developing into a well-built young man, his muscles already firm and showing definition.

“Cade is in his office,” Phoenix said. “I’m just heading out to the library.”

“Need a ride?” asked Stephen, and both Gemma and Phoenix’s eyes snapped to his— both with a hint of fear there. Stephen understood why Gemma looked afraid, but there seemed no reason why Phoenix should be. Something was wrong.

“It’s okay. I can cycle there.”

Stephen walked around the car until he was standing right in front of the boy. He put a hand on Phoenix’s shoulder and studied him for a moment before speaking again. “I have to wait for Gemma anyway. I’ll come with you.” He turned and clicked the car lock before either of them could protest.

Gemma silently cursed her brother. She had no choice now but to go in, and he damn well knew it, too. Even if she wanted to leave, she couldn’t because Phoenix had seen her. He would tell Cade that she had been there. She straightened her back and took a deep breath. She had to face him—face this.

“I won’t be long,” Gemma said.

“We’ll just be at the library.” Stephen gave her a small encouraging smile before turning to look at Phoenix, his eyebrow rising questioningly. Phoenix swallowed and they set off walking—the library wasn’t far. Cade lived in the middle of a lane with no houses around him, but at either end, if one walked far enough, there were houses one way and a small town the other. Phoenix cast Gemma a last glance as they walked away, and the breeze caught his floppy blonde hair, lifting it to reveal the scar across his left eyebrow and a little down the side of his face. It never changed, never faded. It shouldn’t have been there at all really—not with the speed with which
Others
healed. But they had a theory that if the wound inside didn’t heal, then maybe the wound on the outside didn’t, either. That was certainly true with Phoenix and Stephen. Phoenix’s scar was from the car accident that had claimed his mother’s life, and sure as hell that wound was as raw as the day they had all met. Stephen’s scars ran down his arm from shoulder to wrist—scars he had covered with an elaborate tattoo—but he wouldn’t say why they were there or how he had got them.

When they were finally out of sight, Gemma crossed the lane and forced her legs to carry her to the house. The house was silent when she entered, and she hesitated for a moment before closing the door and putting the chain on it. It wouldn’t keep anyone out—not really. If they wanted in, they would get in, but it would at least give warning of someone in the house. With what she was going to tell Cade, she needed to know that no one could sneak in and hear them, no matter how paranoid that made her sound.

Cade’s office was upstairs—a converted bedroom. His house was like a warehouse, filled with bags of plaster, tins of paint and stacks of wood. He still hadn't fitted lights in the place, and so there were lamps propped on chairs in every room. He had bought the house as a shell and was still working on it. He was making it into a home—a home that one day would house his child. She pressed a hand to her flat stomach and her heart squeezed.

But not this child.

“Phoenix?” Cade called just as Gemma put her foot on the bottom step.

She swallowed. “It’s me.”  She dragged herself up the stairs to his office, and even though her mind was yelling at her to go home and forget this idea, she pushed herself forward.

Cade was waiting for her at the doorway when she reached the landing. He stood there with a sensual smile on his lips, his eyes travelling languorously down her body. Her stomach twisted and her legs threatened to buckle from the sight of him. Big, gorgeous, sexy.

“I didn’t expect to see you today. Not that I am complaining.” He pushed himself from the door frame and sauntered over to her.

“I didn’t expect to see you, either,” she said breathlessly, trying to calm her heart as it thumped loudly in her chest. She needed to stay focused on why she was here. She couldn’t let Cade’s animal magnetism distract her.

He stopped just short of her, and before she had the chance to react in any way, his arms slid around her waist and drew her hard against the solid steel of his chest. His mouth came down on hers and, just like that, she was lost.

He didn’t break their kiss as he pulled her into his office, kissing her with such hunger that it called to her
tiger
, pulling it from the depths of her soul. His lips were warm against hers, sweet with a hint of coffee that still lingered there. She moaned into the kiss, welcoming the feel of stubble against her skin—she slowly lost all resolve. She held onto him, dragging him closer as her fingers dug into the hard muscle of his shoulders. Her breathing became ragged as his hands moved up and found the top button to her blouse. He flicked it open and then worked his way down. When his fingers touched her skin, she sucked in a shuddering breath and dug her nails into his back. Oh, god. She knew she had to stop him now or there would be no going back.

“Cade,” she breathed against his mouth. “Cade …”

He wasn’t listening, though. He moved from her mouth, trailing kisses along her neck, sucking and biting as he went. Her mind threated to make an exit at the pleasure that invaded her senses. She clutched at his shirt with tight fists.

“Cade, please. I need to talk to you.”

His fingers froze and his head lifted so he could look at her. His eyes searched hers and she tried to blink away the tears that suddenly sprang forward. He frowned and all at once his hands were gently cupping her face. “Gem?”

The tone of his voice, the concern on his face—it was enough. She leaned into him and buried her face in his chest, unable to hold back her tears any longer. Selfishly, she held onto him as she sobbed.

“What’s wrong?” He held her tightly, the
wolf
needing to protect his mate.

She pressed her face into his chest and pressed closer, wishing she could just melt into him. His heart thudded in his chest, its rhythm calming her somewhat. She felt like such a liar. She was about to break his heart, but she was using him for her own comfort first. His hard chest rose and fell in tandem with his breathing. His concern was evident, and she clung onto him as if he would vanish with the next breath she took—and maybe he would, with her words at least.

“I’m pregnant,” she eventually whispered. The words were spoken quietly, but she knew that he had heard. His body tensed and he froze.

“Really?” He pulled back to look down at her, his face fast transforming into an expression of absolute delight. “I mean,
really
? We’re going to have a baby?”

“I can't keep it,” she said quickly, trying to push away from him now. “You know we can't.”

“Why?” Cade kept a firm grip on her, keeping her from moving away.

“I’m not keeping it.” She tried to put determination in her voice, but it was a feeble attempt. There was none, because she didn’t really want to get rid of it. This was her and Cade’s child. Their baby lay inside her. But she was trying to think rationally—keeping this baby was impossible. She knew what she had to do. She swallowed hard and forced herself to talk. “I’m only telling you because it is the right thing to do. I’m going to call tomorrow to get it fixed.”

“Get it fixed?” He let go of her so abruptly that she stumbled back. “Get it
fixed
?” His voice rose as he spoke. “It’s not a car or a fucking thing. Get it fixed?”

Gemma stepped back from him and wrapped her arms around herself, jumping at the harshness of his words. He had never sworn at her. Not in temper, at least. Not like this. The word cut through her. “We can't keep it,” she said resolutely.

“Why?”

She couldn’t look at him. She hated herself in this moment. “They’ll kill us. They’ll kill the baby.” She raised her eyes to his then. “They’ll kill
you
.”

“We can leave. I have money ...”

“Cade …”

“No. We can do this. We can.” Desperation tinged his voice and tore at her. He grabbed hold of her hands and pulled her over to his desk, but she didn’t sit like he wanted her to. “I can sell this house. We can leave. We can be gone by the end of the week. They won’t kill the baby out there.”

“Become stray?”

“Yes, if we have to.”

“We won’t survive it. You know it. Do you really think we can get away?” She knew they couldn’t. They weren’t like others in the Society. They were children of the Alphas, which meant that they were known to all sides, and they would be targets out on their own—prizes waiting to be caught. “Think about it, Cade. It isn’t possible. Stray life is for the nobodies. Not us. Not
Others
who would be recognised on the spot. What if we did get away? Don’t you think that the
Humans
over there would cash us in? What would my dad give as a reward for your head? Or your dad for mine?”