Darkest Caress (26 page)

“I can’t believe how fast you’re healing.”

Daegan smiled at Liv as she passed him a mug of fresh, hot coffee, absently rubbing Ebony’s ears. The mutt had her chin propped on his thigh, staring up at him in anticipation, as though she hoped he might accidentally drop a piece of his toast. It was obvious how much Vaughn’s gift meant to his mate. That rare glimpse of thoughtfulness gave him hope they’d somehow be able to bring Vaughn back from the brink of destruction. “Fast healing’s one of the perks of being our kind.” God knew there were enough negatives that came with it.

A door slammed shut downstairs. Then running footsteps came up the steps. He glanced at the head of the stairs in mild interest at what the rush was about, but tensed when he saw Cade. The naked alarm on his cousin’s face made Daegan come out of his chair so fast it crashed to the floor behind him.

“What?” Daegan demanded, reaching his good arm toward Liv. Cade’s expression screamed threat, and he didn’t want her facing another one.

Cade ran a hand over his mouth. “The DNA specialist knows too much. I tried to scrub her but it didn’t work. Not even a little.”

He didn’t like the sound of that. “What do you mean, she knows too much?”

“She knows about our lineage, about the Empowered. She even found out about the goddamn prophecy.”

“What?” He couldn’t hide the alarm in his voice.

Liv moved closer, pressing against his side. She glanced between them uncertainly, but didn’t interrupt.

Cade nodded. “She even figured out Trident Group is a reference to Neringa’s Trident, and the three Empowered warriors mentioned in the prophecy.”

Daegan’s stomach clenched. “That’s impossible.”

Cade’s hard stare said it wasn’t.

“How could she know all that?” he demanded, pulling free of Liv. They had to find this woman, fast.

“She’s a scientist. A geneticist. I guess she’s good at research.”

“No one’s that good. She has to be getting help. Do a background search on her.”

“I already did. Came up with less than zero. Not even a decent picture of her so I can tell what she looks like. All I know is, she’s in Nida right now.”

“Hell. Then get over there and scrub her in person.”

Something flickered in Cade’s eyes. A flash of dread, then it was gone, back behind the calm mask. “What if it doesn’t work?”

“It’ll work.” It had to.

His cousin swallowed, his Adam’s apple moving visibly. “No, I mean—what if it doesn’t work because she’s not…mortal?”

Daegan’s jaw almost fell open. Holy shit. “Are you serious?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know what to think right now.”

“Then get your ass on a plane and find her A-fucking-SAP so we
do
know what’s going on.” This unknown threat might put them all at risk. She could be one of the Lost, or a DA member posing as a scientist. Who knew how far the Obsidian Lord’s network stretched?

Cade shoved a hand through his mussed blond hair and nodded, but he didn’t look happy about the order. “Okay. Okay, I’ll get on the first flight out—”

“
Daegan
.”

He whipped around at Liv’s sharp voice. She’d risen from her chair. Her fingers were pressed to her temples, her face drawn into lines of pain as she gazed past him at the kitchen door.

“Liv?” He reached out an arm toward her but she rushed past him to stare out the window set into the bronze door.

Her sharply indrawn breath was loud in the quiet room.

Cade was right behind him when he stalked over to join her. When Daegan put a hand on her shoulder she exhaled in relief, her pinched expression easing. He knew what the sudden headache meant, but he couldn’t quite believe it. No one could’ve gotten into the compound. Not with the masking spell still holding.

Before he could ask her anything more, Liv unlocked the door and stepped outside. The yard was quiet. Empty, except for their cars parked under the porte-cochère.

“Liv, what—”

She stopped him with a brusque shake of her head, staring up the long, curving driveway. “Someone’s coming.”

Daegan’s nape prickled. Cade cursed under his breath, sharing a long look with him.

He needed a weapon. “I’ll—”

“No. You stay with Liv,” his cousin replied, then jogged off in the direction of the front gate.

Daegan grabbed her arm to tow her back inside while he got a gun, but she resisted his hold and pulled away.

“Look,” she said shakily.

He turned his head in time to see Cade skid to a stop in the middle of the cobblestones. An instant later, Vaughn appeared in the center of the driveway, towing a man in front of him.

Liv gasped. Daegan immediately took her hand, relieved when her eyes cleared, the lines of pain disappearing from her face. “It’s one of them,” she said softly.

“One of whom?”

“The Dark Army.”

He tensed. “Are you sure?”

She nodded, never taking her eyes off the man Vaughn held. He looked average enough. Clean-cut. Medium height, average build, dressed in jeans and a dark hoodie. But Liv seemed adamant. “His aura is red, edged in black. He’s Dark Army.”

Daegan swallowed the territorial growl trying to work its way up his throat and gripped her arm tightly. “Inside. Now.”

“No,” she said, squeezing his hand harder, resisting his pull. “I need to know.”

He narrowed his eyes, making it clear he was not to be messed with. Opening his mouth to order her to stay put, he realized he couldn’t leave her. She needed his touch to anchor her through the pain of the DA member’s presence.

Shit.
“Stay behind me.”

He walked out to meet Vaughn partway. The Reaper frog-marched the struggling man toward them, but stopped when Daegan did. He didn’t want Liv any closer to this asshole than necessary. And if the bastard so much as made a move in her direction, Daegan would kill him with his bare hands. Not that it would be necessary. Vaughn or Cade were closer and would take care of it before he ever reached the man.

“Found him wandering around outside the gates,” Vaughn said with a lethal edge to his rough voice. “Perimeter’s still solid. He never found a way through.”

So their spell was still holding. “How did you find us?” he demanded in a cold, hard voice.

The DA member glared up at him out of his swelling right eye. “Screw you.”

Liv edged closer to him and Daegan could sense her unease. He pulled her up tight against his back to reassure her, protect her. This piece of shit was no threat to her anymore. They’d make sure of that.

He clenched his hands into fists, staring the DA member down.
“How?”

When he didn’t answer Vaughn yanked up on his immobilized arms, sending him up on his toes with a muffled howl.

“The listing,” he finally gritted out. “I found it in Rick’s bags.”

He looked at Cade. “Who’s Rick?”

“The sniper. Found his ID in a duffel hidden on the property where Liv was taken.”

“And this clown had this in his hand when I found him,” Vaughn said, passing something to Cade.

Daegan took the photograph from his cousin, stared in disbelief at his WWII British Army picture. “What the hell?” He couldn’t believe it. He’d been thorough at erasing all of his records. Anything that could be traced back to him or the others. On paper he barely existed, and only as a faceless businessman. Yet someone had found him anyway. He glared at Cade. “You knew they had our address and you didn’t tell me about it?”

Cade looked uncomfortable. “We thought we should wait until you’d recovered more.”

Bullshit. Fucking bullshit.
Reining in his temper, he nodded to Cade. “Search him.”

Cade moved forward to pat the DA member down while Vaughn maintained his hold. At last his cousin turned around, holding up an unfolded piece of paper. “It’s the listing.”

Daegan set his jaw. He didn’t want Liv hearing or seeing any of this, but what choice did he have? “Who else had access to this?” he said coldly.

No answer, until another hard jolt from Vaughn ripped a cry of rage and pain out of the prisoner. “I dunno! Me and the others, I guess.”

He
guessed
. “How many?” A demand, not a question.

He twisted and strained in Vaughn’s grip. “You’re gonna break my fucking arm!”

“He’ll do worse than that if you don’t tell me what I need to know.”

“The four of us and Rick,” he panted, his face glistening with sweat.

Five of them. They’d killed four the night Liv was taken, so if he was telling the truth this asshole was the last of them. “Who recruited you?”

He stilled. His lips curled in a bitter sneer. “
Recruited
?” His eerie laugh sent chills down Daegan’s spine. “The Obsidian Lord doesn’t recruit. He fucking
owns
us.”

Yeah, he was well aware how it worked. An invisible hand squeezed his stomach. “Who is he?”

“Xavier. His name’s Xavier. That’s all I know. C’mon man, ease up.”

“Where is he?” Daegan pressed.

“Was in Spain.” He twisted again, fighting against the hands wrenching his arms behind him, but soon stopped with a muffled groan of discomfort. “Gone now.”

“Gone where?” His patience was running thin. In another second he’d tear the asshole from Vaughn and dole out some physical punishment of his own. He wanted to. His muscles trembled with the need, despite the lingering ache in his wounded arm. The only thing that held him in check was Liv’s weight pressed up against his back. He had to stay calm, shield her.

“Lithuania,” the man muttered.

Oh shit.
He looked at Cade. His cousin’s face drained of color. Seemed they had one more reason to be concerned about the geneticist. “Why is he going there?”

“I dunno—to see someone named Vasilli. That’s all I know!”

Daegan had a bad feeling that Doctor Roberts was somehow connected to all this.

The DA member kicked out at Vaughn. “I’ve told you everything I know. If you’re gonna kill me do it now, or fucking let go and take me on like a man,” he spat.

Liv suddenly shifted away from Daegan, stepped up to his side without releasing his hand. He glanced down at her, assessing her expression as he stroked his thumb over her fingers in silent comfort. This had to be hard on her. Hearing all of it probably scared her to death but she refused to show it. Her quiet strength amazed him. He loved that she had chosen to stand by his side through this. She seemed to be studying the man, but for what he couldn’t be sure. “What do you see?” he asked her softly.

“Rage. Bitterness. He wants to kill us all.” Her voice was calm, firm, without a trace of fear.

“Vaughn?” he asked.

The Reaper nodded. “She’s right.”

“Can you turn him?”

“No,” Liv said quickly. “His aura’s too dark. He’s too far gone, he’ll never change.”

Daegan glanced at Vaughn, who nodded in assent.
So be it
, he thought with a sigh. “Wait until I’ve got her back in the house.”

But Liv surprised him again by holding her ground. “No, you don’t need to shield me from this. I’ve already seen it once.”

“I don’t want you seeing it again. You’ve been through enough.” More than enough. He wished he could erase her memory of all the ugliness she’d seen since coming into his life.

Her gaze strayed back to the DA member hanging in Vaughn’s unbreakable grip. “I need to see it so I know for sure it’s over.”

Fuck. The last thing he wanted was for her to have to witness any more violence and death, but if it would give her comfort he couldn’t refuse. “Are you sure? You don’t have to prove yourself to any of us.”

She gave a firm nod. “That’s not why. And I’m sure.” He thought he caught a flare of vengeance in her eyes, and he understood completely. This bastard was one of the men who’d held her prisoner, had been about to torture her. And worse if she hadn’t managed to escape.

If he couldn’t be turned he deserved to die, just as Liv deserved the chance to see it happen if she chose. Closure. It was the least he could give her.

At his signal, Vaughn let go of the man and stepped in front of him before he could even attempt to run. The man’s head snapped back in surprise as he met Vaughn’s deadly stare. He held it without blinking for a few moments, as though mesmerized, and Daegan knew the Reaper was giving him one last chance to repent. But that must have been an exercise in futility because Vaughn at last raised his right hand, touching the side of the victim’s neck.

A quick flash of blue, like an electrical impulse, and the man dropped to the ground. His mouth was open, eyes wide as he attempted to grab his chest, right over his stopped heart. Another second and it was over.

Daegan pushed down the rage building within him, nodded to Vaughn. “Take care of the body.” A sick feeling took root. This entire incident with the new group of DA members was only the start of it, and he was powerless to stop what was coming. The best he could do was protect his mate and his Brethren, and hope the hell he had what it took to be worthy of the title Coven Leader in the battle ahead.

Beside him, Liv took a deep breath, let it out slowly. A frown pulled at her forehead as she stared at the body. Enough. He turned her away from the sight, pulling her into a tight hug. Tucking her head under his chin, he ignored the flare of pain in his left arm and shoulder. Behind him he could hear Cade and Vaughn walking toward the vehicles. Getting ready to drive out and dispose of the body.

“It doesn’t seem fair, does it?” she murmured as she burrowed closer.

“What doesn’t?” He eased his right hand beneath the soft tumble of honey and caramel waves to find her nape, squeezing gently, hoping to take away the tension there. Soothe her.

She tilted her head back, stared up at him with tormented hazel eyes. “The way he died. So fast. No suffering after all he’s done.” She shook her head. “Does that make me as evil too?”

“No.” He could all but smell the guilt coming off her as he kissed her gently, sliding an arm around her shoulders to guide her back to the house. “But you know we couldn’t let him go.”