Darkness Becomes Her (20 page)

His gaze followed his hand, taking in her body as it moved across her. “No man has ever touched you like this?”

She shook her head. “No one but you.”

“I don’t deserve . . . this treasure.”

She put her hand against his cheek. “Yes, you do. There is no one else I want to share this with.” The only light in the room came from the hall, barely enough to illuminate the bed and their bodies. She got up and turned on the light. “I want to see you. See us. Everything.”

Her gaze skittered from his chest, his erection, his thighs, hungry to see all of him. She sat on the bed and ran her hands over him, no doubt with that same wonder on her face.

“You’re the first man I ever touched like this.”

He anchored his hands behind his head. “Then touch all you want.”

The invitation sank into her, like a sponge soaking in hot water. She did, tracing his nipples, running her finger down the center of his stomach, around his belly button, and touching the velvety tip of his penis. It twitched, making her jump. She laughed, embarrassed by her reaction. “Did you do that on purpose?”

He shrugged. “It’s involuntary.”

She ran her hands down his inner thighs, feeling the hairs on his legs rub against her palms. His muscles were hard, well defined from all that sword practice, no doubt. She moved back up, cupping his balls, and then wrapping her fingers around his penis.

His body stiffened, toes flexing when she’d put her hand on him. She leaned down and traced her tongue across the tip of him, tasting the astringent drops of semen. He sucked in a breath at that.

She ran her tongue down the length of him. A tremor went through his body. She grinned. His body, hers to explore, all she wanted. When she had brought him to toe-curling status, she worked her way back up, kissing, licking, loving the taste of him. She straddled him, the most intimate part of her pressing against his stomach. She felt powerful, strong.

He, however, was frowning. “I don’t have any condoms.”

“Well, we know we’re clean. And I’m too early in my cycle to get pregnant.” She’d worked with a woman who was trying to get pregnant, and gotten an education on fertility.

“Thank God.” He rolled her over so she was under him and reached down between her legs. “Mm, still wet. You’ll need that.”

“Will it hurt? Not that I’m afraid of that, but just wondering.”

“I’ve heard it might. I’ll be gentle.”

She tightened her fingers on his shoulders. “Don’t be gentle.”

He kissed her, then trailed down her neck, dipping his tongue into the hollow at her throat. He took his time, loving her with his mouth, even while his erection pressed into her stomach between their bodies. She wrapped her leg over the back of his, stroking with her foot. Her hands moved over his back, down the dip of his spine and over the firmness of his behind.

He shifted and ran the tip of his penis up the length of her thigh. She moved against him, inviting him in. He was gentle anyway; she knew he would be. He slid into her by degrees, pulling out, then nudging in a little farther. He cupped her shoulders, holding her close.

“Breathe,” he whispered, giving her a playful smile. “Don’t want you to pass out.”

She laughed softly. She hadn’t even known she’d been holding her breath.

“You okay?”

She nodded.

He slid in all the way, and she took a deep breath then, feeling both a sharp pain and the most incredible feeling of being filled. For the first time, filled from the inside. Not just physically, but spiritually. Emotionally.

She opened her eyes, meeting his questioning gaze with a smile. “More than okay.”

“Rotate your hips, clockwise, then counter. Nice and slow.”

She did as he instructed, remembering how well he’d gotten her to climax before. He rolled his eyes in pleasure as she moved, and he continued to slide in and out, building a feeling inside her she’d never had before.

Painful, yes, but beneath that pain a building heat, intensity. They moved together for several more minutes, and then the world exploded. Her body shuddered hard, and she gripped him, burying her face in his neck.

She felt him pulse inside her, hot, wet, and he held her just as tight. “Jessie,” he whispered in a tight voice. He touched her face, moving his thumb across her mouth. “I fell for you, too.”

She smiled. “Sucks, doesn’t it?”

He kissed her between each word: “In . . . the . . . worst . . . way.”

An alarm pierced the air, followed by the scent of smoke.

“The hens!” she screamed.

They both scrambled off the bed. He grabbed two towels from the bathroom and handed one to her, and they ran to the kitchen. Smoke poured out of the oven, and all the alarms in the house were going off. He opened the door and used his towel to pull out the roasting pan. He dumped it in the sink and ran water over the smoking lumps.

She put her hand over her mouth. “I’ve never burned anything in my life.”

He kicked the oven door closed and then opened the doors near the sitting area. Cool air swept in, stippling her skin. She ran to the dining area and opened the sliding doors there, too. Smoke tickled her throat as she waded through it to the kitchen.

He came up beside her, watching her pick at the lumps. “I don’t think they can be saved.”

She wondered if he’d be annoyed, but he was giving her a sympathetic look. A laugh escaped her, at the absurdity of it all, standing naked in a still smoky kitchen with alarms screaming. He laughed, too, and before they knew it they were both bending over cracking up.

It felt good to lose herself like this. And share it with him. When they’d gathered their composure, he said, “We’ll throw a couple frozen entrees in the nuker, eat them in the garage.” He walked to a panel in the dining room and punched in some buttons on the touch screen.

“Will the alarm system call the fire department?”

“No, Dad didn’t want anyone coming here. But if it reaches a certain temperature, the sprinklers will go off. With the doors open and no actual fire, it shouldn’t trigger them.”

Lachlan put two entrees in the microwave, and they went back to his room to put on clothes. By the time they returned to the kitchen, the entrees were ready. He put them on plates, she filled glasses with water, and they traipsed out to the garage.

“Won’t it be cold out there?”

“I turned on the heat from the main panel. It won’t be cozy just yet, but it’ll be warm enough.”

He jammed a knife—his dirk, he called it—into the waistband of his pants, and they walked together to the garage. They sat side by side on the hood of his truck and ate off their laps, facing the skeleton of the car. Lachlan slid off the truck, took her empty tray, and tossed both trays in the trash.

He ran his hand over the Camaro’s hood, which had been sanded down to a smooth, gray finish. She watched his fingers slide over the surface and felt a different kind of stirring. She had touched that body, had been intimately connected with it, with him. He’d fallen for her.

Mine.

She swallowed back the thought.
Not mine.

He wasn’t necessarily thinking about the car, she thought. His gaze looked a million miles away. Did he regret making love to her? She knew he wouldn’t have if he’d still been planning to hand her off to Magnus, but if they got involved, it would complicate things for him.

He lifted his head. “Did you hear that?”

“What?”

He smiled. “Nothing. The alarms are silent. It’s safe to return.”

She slid off the truck hood. “I’m sorry.”

“For what? It wasn’t your fault we forgot.”

“Well, it sort of was. But thanks for not blaming me.”

He regarded her with that curious look again, but gestured for her to walk ahead of him. The house was chilled now, and they closed the doors.

“Uh-oh, I hear a beeping sound,” she said.

Lachlan went to the panel and checked the screen. “No intruders.” He cocked his head. “It’s my cell phone ringing.” He ran to the bedroom, and she followed. He snatched it up. “Yeah? Is Magnus all right?”

He listened, and the expression on his face said that something very bad had happened. Her hand went to her throat and she stepped closer. She could hear a man’s voice but not what he was saying.

“All right, we’ll be over in a bit.”

She didn’t even wait for him to disconnect before asking, “What?”

“Magnus isn’t awake yet, but he’s stirring, mumbling. Just now he said the first intelligible word since it happened.” His eyes shadowed. “He called out your name.”

She could see self-recrimination in Lachlan’s eyes.

“That doesn’t mean anything, necessarily. I was the last person he saw before he blacked out. And I was in trouble.”

“What if it’s not? What if the thought of you is keeping him holding on?” He pinched the bridge of his nose and turned away. “I’m an arse. The biggest arse ever.” Now he regretted it, and that stabbed her in the chest. “And if he feels territorial, Darkness could make him hurt you.”

She had been selfish, losing herself in her feelings. Because of her weakness, she had created an untenable situation between two brothers. “I’m the biggest arse. Let me take the blame on this one. I threw myself at you.”

“Oh no, you don’t. I wanted it as much as you did.”

She didn’t let herself savor those words. “Let’s just pretend it didn’t happen.”

He snorted. “You think we can do that?”

Never.
“It’ll be okay when I’m gone.”

“Gone? Where are you going?”

“I don’t know. Admit it, things will be a lot less complicated if I’m not around.”

He didn’t admit it, but he didn’t deny it, either.

He grabbed up his coat, lying over the back of the couch. “We’d better go, in case Magnus wakes up. We have a lot to tell him.”

“I
want to go to the Muse concert, Mom. Puhleeeze?”

Russell watched through one of his dog’s eyes from outside a kitchen window. The teenage girl was pressing her hands into a prayer position.

The woman who must be her mother asked, “What’s Muse?”

“Remember the video with the teddy bear rampaging through the city?”

“Oh, yeah. Nice. I’m still saying no. What if something happens? What if—”

“Mom, I have MD, I’m
not
MD. I need to have a life. Remember, I almost died.”

“Exactly. I’m not ready to let you into the world, especially at a place jammed with people, drugs, and who knows what else? They have stampedes at concerts. I’ll buy you their CD, but no concert.”

The girl stomped off, slamming a door somewhere in the house.

Ah, parental strife, Russell thought. Even when Julian was young, he was incorrigible and defiant. The anger had only come after he had killed his mother.

The dog curled up in the yard, settling in for the night. It would wait until she went to sleep. Then he would crawl into her window.

Music blared inside the room for forty minutes, and he could see her silhouette walking around behind the curtains. The dog stood and stepped closer to the bushes when she walked to the window and pushed aside the curtain. She looked to the right and left and then opened the window. A leg swung out, then a butt, and then the girl herself, landing on her feet. She quietly closed the window and walked right past the dog.

She was sneaking out. What a gift! The dog followed, and Russell ran to his car. She was no doubt going to that concert. He headed in the direction she’d gone. When he came up beside her, she stuck her thumb out for a ride.

He slowed to a stop beside her. “Where are you going?”

She took tentative steps toward the open passenger window of his car, perhaps trying to judge whether he was a pervert. “To the arena. If you could give me a lift to the entrance, that would be great.”

“Who’s playing?”

“Muse.”

“Oh, yeah, the group with the video of the teddy bear.”

Her face brightened. “Yeah. You like them?”

“They’re great. How about if I do one better? I’ll go with you. See, my girlfriend just dumped me, and I’m at loose ends tonight. A concert will be the perfect thing to cheer me up, and I can make sure you get there and back safely. I’ll even buy your ticket.”

She thought
she’d
gotten the gift. “Really? You don’t have to buy my ticket—”

“You made my night so much better. I want to.”

She opened the door and slid in. “Thanks. I’m sorry about your girlfriend.”

“It’s for the best. She’s been a pain in the ass from the beginning. Now, my dear, direct me to the concert venue.”

Chapter 20

L
achlan pushed the doorbell button of the town house in downtown Annapolis. He hadn’t said much on the drive up, and that worried Jessie. He grimaced when a big hunk of a guy opened the door.

“Well, look who’s here.” He had a playful gleam in his eyes as he took in Lachlan. “Should I check you for possession of a wrench or some other potentially deadly tool?” He laughed, then thrust his hand at her. “I’m Eric Aruda. I’m sure you’ve heard an earful about me.”

She shook it, thinking of nothing else but that he could set fires with his mind. “Not all that much. I’m Jessie.”

“That’s shocking.” Eric released her hand and gave her a grin that smacked of mischievousness. “Lachlan and I are practically related. I’m married to his half sister.”

She looked at Lachlan. “You have a half sister?”

Eric gestured for them to come in, leaning close to Jessie as she passed. “Doesn’t he tell you
anything
?”

“Apparently not.”

Eric shot Lachlan a glance. “Funny, he didn’t strike me as the strong silent type.”

Lachlan’s mouth tightened in annoyance as he took her hand and followed Eric up stairs that led to the living area. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I’ll bet. Fonda and I came over to check on Magnus. As you pointed out, that guy saved my arse. It was the least I could do.” Eric glanced back. “You helped, too, and reluctant though it was, I still appreciate it.”

A petite blonde with soft waves flowing over her shoulders stepped out of one of the rooms. She linked her arm through Eric’s, taking them in with big brown eyes. “He’s still pretty out of it, but his pulse is good.” Her eyes sparked with recognition. “Oh, yeah . . . Lachlan. Last time I saw you—”

“I know, I was being an arse. Sorry about that.”

Jessie knew that apology hadn’t been easy. She really wanted to hear about the wrench, but there were more important things to deal with.

“This is my wife, Fonda,” Eric said, gesturing to her.

Jessie introduced herself and shook her hand, and then Eric and Fonda led the way down a short hallway to a bedroom on the right. Pope, Cheveyo, and a beautiful, tall blond woman stood near the bed where Magnus lay. He looked calm and peaceful.

She felt a hand softly touch her back and turned to see Fonda. “I’ve been there, watching someone I care about lying in bed for hours, what felt like
days
, wondering what he’d be like when he came out of it.” She glanced at Eric, and love sparked in her eyes. “Magnus’ll be okay, too. He’s a good guy.”

Lachlan moved to the side of the bed, pain and worry on his expression. “He hasn’t done anything more than say Jessie’s name?”

The tall blonde stepped away from a chair at the side of the bed. “No, but I think he’ll come out of it soon. He’s moving around more.” She walked over to Jessie. “I’m Petra, Cheveyo’s wife. Are you the Jessie he was asking for?”

“Yes, but we’re not . . . I barely knew him, really. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. My trouble became his trouble.”

Pope stepped forward from his place at the far side of the bed. “You all right? You look like you’ve been through hell.”

“We know what Darkness is,” Lachlan said.

They told the group what they knew, but she and Lachlan had agreed not to involve them. Looking at Magnus made her even more resolute in that. No one else needed to get hurt . . . or worse. Having Lachlan at risk was bad enough.

Cheveyo put his hand on Petra’s shoulder. “It sounds like Darkness there is like dark magic here. People tap in because they need more power. But it always backfires.”

Eric nodded to Magnus. “And it’s in him now?”

Jessie nodded, her mouth tight. “He should seem normal when he wakes. Darkness will only take over if he’s triggered. I can’t imagine you all would do anything to trigger him.”

Lachlan obviously trusted these people, despite their troubled history. And rightfully so, as they’d come together to help Magnus.

Petra clasped Cheveyo’s hand and led him toward the door. “We’ll leave you alone with him.”

Lachlan reached out and shook Cheveyo’s hand. “Thank you.” He met all of their eyes, even Eric’s and Fonda’s. “Thank you for taking care of him.”

She knew it was hard for him to ask for their help, and she understood why a little better now that she knew about his solitary life. That he had some antagonism with Eric made it even harder, she was sure, but Lachlan would do what it took to take care of his own.

Everyone but Eric had filtered out to give them privacy. He lingered in the doorway. “If you need help—”

Lachlan shook his head. “No, but thanks. I don’t want to drag anyone into this.”

Jessie stepped closer to Lachlan. “Too many people have already been hurt.”

Eric took the two of them in. “Yeah, I know exactly what you’re thinking. I was there.” His gaze flicked to her hand on his arm, and a grin broke out on his face. “Totally been there. But Fonda and I had some help or else we would have been burnt craters in the grass. Don’t be too proud to ask. I won’t rub it in.” He handed Lachlan a piece of paper. “We’re heading back to our place in DC now, but here’s our info if you need it.”

Lachlan accepted it with a nod, and Eric walked out, closing the door behind him.

“Why were you threatening them with a wrench?”

“Not Fonda, just Eric. He’s the guy who set the house on fire where my father was being held. He’s a hothead, and he overused his abilities like I did, to the point of nearly losing it. When they came to us for help, I was still angry about the fire. But Magnus helped me to understand that it was my father’s doing, ultimately, that got us all into this. Blaming Eric or my father wasn’t going to change anything, so I let it go.”

“But you haven’t let go of your part in your mother’s death, have you?”

His gaze slid to Magnus. “I want to. It’s a start, right?”

“A start, yes.” Her heart swelled in happiness for him. But he wasn’t smiling, because he was thinking about her and Magnus. She could tell by the shadow in his eyes.

She stepped up next to the bed. Magnus was beautiful, but the difference was clear between what she’d felt for him and what she felt for Lachlan. “You can’t control how people feel. Not him, not me. Not even yourself.”

“That’s for sure.” He looked at her. “And if he hates me, is that what I’m supposed to tell him?” He scraped his fingers across his scalp. “As screwed up as this is, as bad as I feel, I still want you. That’s what an arse I am.”

His words twisted inside her. She would make it easier on him. “It’s over between us, so you don’t have to agonize over it or thrash yourself anymore. He doesn’t need to know.”

“You think it’ll be that simple?”

“Yes. Easy . . . no.” Her phone vibrated in her pocket, and she pulled it out. “Hayley’s home number.” She touched the screen and engaged the call. “Hello?”

“It’s Carol Adams. I hate to bother you at this hour, but is Hayley with you?”

Jessie’s hand went to her throat. She mouthed to Lachlan,
Hayley’s mom.
“I haven’t talked to her since the carnival yesterday.”

“She wanted to go to a concert tonight, and I was being overprotective. We had a tiff, and she stomped off to her room. I just went in to check on her, and she’s gone.” Panic stretched her voice. “She’s never done this before, and I’m scared. I know what’s out there.”

No, she didn’t. She had no idea.

“You’ve tried her cell phone?” Jessie asked.

“No answer. I’m going to ground her for a hundred years when she gets home.”

“Maybe she’ll answer for me. I’ll let you know as soon as I hear something. It’s okay. Lots of girls sneak out and they come home fine. So will Hayley.”

Jessie disconnected, meeting Lachlan’s concerned gaze. “Hayley snuck out of her room. She’s a smart girl—strong, even with MD—but sheltered. It’s just a little rebellion thing. She’s probably at a girlfriend’s house. She knows not to go to my place.”

Magnus shifted to his side, mumbling, and then calling out, “Jessie!” His eyes twitched beneath his lids.

“He looks like he’s reliving those last moments, fighting Russell all over again.” She touched his arm. “I’m here, Magnus. It’s okay. We’re all okay.”

Lachlan’s face darkened as he hovered, waiting for signs of Magnus’s awakening. “Come out, Maggie.”

After a few seconds Jessie said, “I need to get hold of Hayley.” She stepped away, and a moment later the girl answered. “Hayley! Thank God.”

“Jessie!” She heard the same relief in Hayley’s voice. “Is everything all right?”

“That’s what I was wondering about you.”

“Uh-oh, you talked to my mom, didn’t you? She knows I snuck out. Shoot. Well, I’m not going back yet. I’m tired of being coddled. I’m with a very nice man who’s taking me to a concert.”

“Man?” There went the relief.

Lachlan looked at her, probably because of the way the word had torn out of her throat.

Hayley said, “Hold on, he wants to talk to you.”

“Hello . . . Jessie, right? My name is Henry, my dear. Don’t worry about your friend. I’ll take the utmost care of her.”

Jessie’s blood drained from her head so fast it left her dizzy. Lachlan was looking at her, but hopefully the soft lighting in the room camouflaged her paste-white face. She gestured to him that it was all right and walked farther away. Was Russell using Hayley as a hostage? Or worse, another experiment?

It clicked, in one horrible moment. He’d seen the newspaper article about her donating blood marrow to Hayley. If he couldn’t get her, he’d take the next best thing: the girl who held her blood.

“You understand?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Good. You are most welcome to join us, but there’s only room in my car for one more. Shall we come pick you up? It will take but a minute, and it’s done.”

He meant that bringing Calista into Hayley would take a minute. If Jessie tried anything, all he needed to do was subdue Hayley and it would be done.

On the other end, Russell said, “Hayley, if your friend Jessie comes, we’ll be late to the concert. Will that be a fair trade-off?”

She heard Hayley say, “I’d love that. Please come, Jessie.”

He wasn’t talking about being late. He was talking about a
trade
: her for Hayley. She wouldn’t have to know. Russell was using double talk to keep her in the dark. They would go to the concert, where it would be loud and dark and chaotic, and Hayley wouldn’t even know anything bad was happening. He had no reason to harm her if he got what he wanted. He’d take her home, and all she’d know was that Jessie was acting differently. Maybe she was just tired.

Jessie peered at Lachlan from the corner of her eye. He was tapping his brother’s cheeks and talking softly to him. She could spare him, too, from being involved in this. Magnus wouldn’t feel territorial because there would be no more Jessie.

“Hayley, I don’t want you roaming around by yourself. I’m in downtown Annapolis. There’s a coffee shop around the corner on Main Street. Pete’s Java. I want you to meet me there. We’ll talk, figure this out, okay?”

“Well done,” Russell said, getting that she was putting on an act for Lachlan. “I’d be delighted to pick you up. I know it would mean a lot to Hayley. We’ll head over right now.”

Jessie disconnected, composed herself, and turned to Lachlan.

“Everything alright?” he asked.

She rolled her eyes. “Teenage drama. I’m going to talk her down.”

Lachlan stepped closer. “You said a coffee shop near here?”

“Just me. You being there will keep her from talking openly.”

“You’re not going alone.”

“We’ll ask Cheveyo to put a shield over the shop so Russell won’t be able to find me.” Her words seem to float out of her mouth into an airless room. She had a hollow feeling in her chest, the odd sensation that she didn’t really need to breathe. “Magnus is going to wake up any minute. You need to be here when he does. I’ll have my phone with me. I won’t be long. I need to calm her down so her mom can come and get her.”

She hated lying to him, especially when he looked so concerned.

“It’s just around the corner.”

“Alright. But if you’re not back in twenty minutes, I’m coming.”

That should be enough time for her to be long gone. “Deal.”

Lachlan’s phone sat on the nightstand next to the bed. She took it, tucking it beneath the folds of her coat. Downstairs, she slid the phone between the couch cushions. He would eventually find it by having someone call his number, when the time was right. But she didn’t want him to hear any audible indication that he’d received a text message.

It seemed to take forever to reach the bottom of the stairs. She turned to find Lachlan watching her. She waved and walked out.

Maybe her mom didn’t know what it would take to come back, Jessie thought. She hoped not, but she’d probably never know.

She felt separated from her body already, as though floating somewhere above it. She pulled out her phone and called Carol. “I’ve talked to Hayley. She’s fine, and she’ll get home safe. She’s on her way to a concert, and I’m going to meet up with her. Give her some space tonight, ’kay? Afterward, you can ground her for a hundred years.”

Sadness tinged Carol’s laugh. “I know I’m too strict and overprotective. I forget how I was at that age. No, the problem is, I remember too well. But you’ll be with her tonight?”

“Absolutely.” For a while anyway. But Russell wouldn’t hurt Hayley if he got what he wanted. The last thing he needed was to be connected to a hurt or missing girl, especially one who was the darling of the community. “I’ll make sure she calls you as soon as the concert is over.” She finished the call, turned on the video camera, and held it up.

“Lachlan, it’s me, Jess.” She rolled her eyes. “Well, of course you know that. You’re seeing me. I hope you understand I had no choice, and that there was nothing, absolutely nothing, you could do. Russell has Hayley. I’m trading myself for her. I know you would throw yourself into danger to prevent it, and I can’t let you do that. You need to be there for Magnus. Love him and know how lucky you are to have him. Tell him I’m sorry. You know everything about Darkness that I do, so you can work through it together. By the time you get this, it’ll be too late. If you see me, it won’t be me, so don’t do anything stupid to put yourself in danger.”