Darkness Becomes Her (24 page)

“But how?”

“The Void sucked it out of us. I could feel it, drawing the Darkness into itself.”

She looked at Lachlan. “I’m free!” She hugged him, holding him tight. Just as quickly, she backed away and her joy dimmed. “But Magnus isn’t.”

“Magnus?” Henry asked.

She told him what had happened.

“No, you can’t go to him. Not together. If he feels any attachment to you, he could kill Lachlan. Or you.”

Lachlan’s phone rang at that moment. It was Cheveyo’s number on the screen, which meant Magnus was waking up. He answered.

“Hey, it’s Cheveyo. Is everything all right there?”

He looked at Jessie. “Couldn’t be better. Is Magnus . . .”

“He’s been mumbling, shifting around, trying to open his eyes. I think he’s going to come out any minute.”

“Thank God.” Lachlan felt his chest lighten and simultaneously get heavy. “I’ll be right there.” He looked at them. “I’m going. Magnus is coming round.”

She walked closer, her hand on his arm. “I should—”

“No. I’ll tell him.”

She stood right in front of him. “Tell him what?”

“About Darkness. And us.”

Relief suffused her smile. She put her hand on his cheek. “When you tell him—and you’ll be thrashing yourself while you do—I want you to remember that you are an honorable man.”

“Honor is all I have.”

“No, you have value and . . . you have my love. You didn’t set out to steal me away from Magnus. You wanted to scare me
away
from him. But I never belonged to him or to anyone. Until you. I belong to you, Lachlan. You have my heart now. It’s not a gift you can return, by the way. Or give to someone else.” She slid her hand to the place over his heart. “I told you that I know your heart. It’s a good heart. Worthy of being loved.”

Her words filled him with warmth, with strength to do what he needed to do. “A wise man recently told me that honor doesn’t fill a heart, doesn’t warm a bed or slake desires. He was right.” He cupped her cheek. “You do. I’ll do anything to help my brother to get through this. Except give you up. I won’t do that.”

He kissed her, soft and sweet, because he had to leave, because her father was standing there watching them. “I’ll call you.” He rubbed his thumb across her lower lip and pulled away.

He’d held onto his honor because he thought that was all he had. Now he had much more. He hoped he had a brother who would forgive him, because finally, he had forgiven himself.

Acknowledgments

T
hank you to Barrie James; it was your voice I heard when Lachlan spoke. Thanks for introducing me to the singular pleasure of British ales.

Nanine Case, I love our enlightening conversations while driving to the tube. I’ll let you figure out which scene you inspired.

Louie Pastore, a researcher in Scottish martial arts, for your help in getting it right.

To David Schleifer, author of sci-fi adventure, who also helped with swordplay.

And to Crystal Adams-Clark, for giving me the great title for
Beyond the Darkness.

About the Author

Since she was a kid, JAIME RUSH devoured books on unexplained mysteries and psychic phenomena. She
knew
she would be published, marry a fabulous guy, and win a Toyota Supra. Missing the romance, relationship drama, and action of her favorite television shows—
X-Files, Roswell
, and
Highlander
—she created her own mix in the Offspring series.

Jaime loves to hear from readers (unless they’re deranged or don’t have something nice to say).
You can reach her at
PO Box 10622, Naples, Florida 34101,
or through her website at
www.jaimerush.com.

Visit
www.AuthorTracker.com
for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.

By Jaime Rush

D
ARKNESS
B
ECOMES
H
ER

B
EYOND THE
D
ARKNESS

B
URNING
D
ARKNESS

T
OUCHING
D
ARKNESS

O
UT OF THE
D
ARKNESS

A P
ERFECT
D
ARKNESS

Copyright

This book is a work of fiction. References to real people, events, establishments, organizations, or locales are intended only to provide a sense of authenticity, and are used fictitiously. All other characters, and all incidents and dialogue, are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real.

DARKNESS BECOMES HER
. Copyright © 2012 by Tina Wainscott. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

EPub Edition JUNE 2012 ISBN: 9780062096579

Print Edition ISBN: 9780062018922

FIRST EDITION

10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1