Darkness Unleashed (11 page)

I’d missed her—missed not having those precious glimpses inside her mind. It was amazing how often I’d come to rely on it and found comfort in the mental link, until it was gone. She’d become an extension of who I was and I’d feared we’d lost it, forever.

Slowly releasing the handle, I turned around and found her sitting in the middle of our large bed, fully dressed, her soulful eyes studying me. She was searching for something, some kind of confirmation that we were okay, while wrapping her arms around her knees as if holding herself together.

I’d seen her look this way before—the night after Jasmine had died. It had broken my heart then, the need to never see her cry. So much had happened since that tragic day, more events that had tried and tested both of us. Yet, here she was again, tears rolling down her cheeks as she waited for me to speak.

Just one word left my lips. “Sweetheart.” It spoke volumes as all the love I possessed cradled itself in the endearment.

It softened the pain that etched around her eyes, causing an even softer smile to curl her mouth. “Even still?”

“
Always,” I answered.

“
And forever.” It was something we liked to say and it felt good knowing that the person saying it was truly my wife.

Tugging my shirt out from my jeans, I approached her and sat at the end of the bed. “You doing okay? Do you need anything to eat or drink?”

Her gentle laugh faintly filled the air. “I’m fine.” Darcy scooted across, making room for me beside her.

“
Are you sure?” Now that she was finally here, all my plans for seduction had flown out the window. The fire that had been building in the pit of my stomach since leaving Vivien’s, one I knew came from my need to be as close as possible to her, was temporarily quenched. Seeing how tired Darcy appeared now, reminded me how fragile my wife was.

“
Stop it,” she chided, showing me she’d caught that last thought as she placed her hand over mine. “I’m fine, I promise. All I need is a good night’s sleep.”

“
Can’t be mad at a guy for worrying.” My response felt weak. It didn’t seem enough. It went against everything inside me—my desire to wipe away everything that she’d suffered. I wanted to see that twinkle in her eye. I needed to know that Amber hadn’t destroyed the part of my wife that believed the world was a good place.

Even though I knew I couldn’t possibly protect her from everything, it still galled me that I’d failed.

“
You didn’t,” she whispered. Letting go of her knees, Darcy slowly stretched out her legs, moving so that as I lay back, she nestled into me.

The tight coil that had buried itself in my chest slackened. My arms instantly drew her in, encircling her.

Just like that, my world fell back into the proper orbit.

“
It sure does feel like it,” I admitted, my fingers already trailing back and forth over her side.

“
It feels like a lot of things right now, but that’s not one of them. Things happen, Mason. Bad thing. Horrific, even.”

All I could do was nod in agreement. “But I never wanted this for you. Any of it.”

“
I know. This isn’t about you or me, though. Sometimes we get caught in the crossfire of other people’s choices. It’s not a reflection of who we are, but of who they are. In this case, Amber.” With her hand lightly resting over my chest, I hoped she could feel just how much my heart beat for her.

“
You’re a lot more level-headed about this than I expected.” And I was. I wasn’t sure what I’d find when I entered the bedroom earlier, but it wasn’t this.

At first she didn’t reply, shrugging instead. Lying there quietly, her thumb matched the slow, deliberate patterns my hands traced over her hip. I wanted to touch her skin, but that would come later. I had a feeling Darcy was about to dazzle me with her strength—something that never failed to amaze me.

Finally she spoke. “I guess I’m surprising myself, as well. I thought I’d be angry, but that kind of slipped away after I destroyed the urn. I know my head’s a mess right now, but there’s also bursts of clarity.”

“
Clarity?”

“
Yeah. It’s hard to explain, but it’s as if when I became your mate, our mating bond granted me the courage to face the challenges that would come with marrying an Alpha. I hadn’t realized it, until just now, while I was waiting for you. It’s easy to focus on the bad . . . on all the danger that seems to find us. No one would fault me for complaining. We’ve been married for such a short period of time and it feels like we haven’t had a real chance to breathe. But even before the wedding, there was something that threatened to tear us apart. While you’re my Prince Charming, Mason, this hasn’t exactly been a happily-ever-after.”

“
And we all know how much you love your romance books,” I teased; interested to see where the conversation was going. Her voice had taken on a serious tone, one that conveyed her thoughtfulness.

My joke made her laugh. “I do. I’m sure I’m not the only one who fantasizes about how perfect life will be once a girl finds her true love, but I’m also a realist. That’s where my moment of clarity is rooted.” Pausing long enough to move and readjust herself, she rested on her elbow, staring into my eyes. She’d never looked so certain. So beautiful. “I married an Alpha. I married you, the man that turns my insides upside down with a mere look. The minute I saw you at my door, I knew deep in my heart there would never be anyone else. I’ve seen what life as a mate to an Alpha can do—the challenges, politics, and drama that naturally follows. But still, I chose you. If I wanted a life less complicated, I would’ve settled for someone else. If I weren’t prepared to face the unknown, I would’ve politely declined your invitation for a second date. I knew what my future would be like and I still said yes.”

It was as if she’d reached into my very soul and found that insecurity I’d always tried to ignore. It was the reason why I felt overly protective and why, even now, I beat myself up for failing to keep her safe. A part of me had always felt selfish for claiming Darcy as my own, knowing that who I was and my place within the Supernatural community would, no doubt, make her a target for those striking against me. There was always someone wanting to overthrow those in power—I’d seen it with my father. It was the nature of the beast to balance between maintaining a peaceful existence and a thirst for dominance.

“
Would you say yes if you’d known about Amber?” I asked, brushing my finger across her cheekbone and down her jaw.

There was no hesitation. “Don’t get me wrong. I never want to go through that again, but I would say yes to anything, if it meant you were mine. Perfection is overrated, Mason. It’s predictable and I have a feeling I would drown in its daily boredom. I love you and our life. I love knowing that even if the worst happened, I wouldn’t be alone. While our life isn’t perfect, you are.”

“
And you got all this from a burst of clarity?”

She leaned in and feathered a light kiss over my mouth. “Yes; and while the rest of my head is noisy with uncertainty, I’m going to hold on tightly to this.” This time the kiss she placed on my lips was firmer. “I’m going to hold on tightly to us.”

“
I love you, sweetheart,” I choked out as the lump in my throat made it almost impossible to swallow. She’d ripped away the fear I’d refused to acknowledge and shone a bright light into the shadows. I didn’t need our connection to know she meant every single word. It simply was, and my heart confirmed it.

Looking into her eyes and seeing her return the depth of my own emotions, Darcy gently reminded me why I loved her, why I’d fought hard to make her my wife. There would never be anyone who could draw out the best in me. She was everything that was good in my life and the reason why I could wake up each morning to brave the world.

Cliché or not, she made me a better person . . . a better man. With her lying in my arms, baring her soul after everything she’d endured, it made me even more determined to be worthy of her. She still possessed that goodness I’d desperately wanted to safeguard. Amber might have rattled the cage, but she hadn’t touched that part of Darcy.

“
Mason?” Her question stilled my quiet musings. She was staring at me with a desire that set fire to my own.

I didn’t answer. Carefully sitting up, I knew what she wanted—what we both yearned for. She didn’t speak, either. Instead, we began undressing, our gazes never leaving the other. The mood in the room instantly changed. Even as we dragged our shirts off, our eyes quickly found each other as sexual tension continued to build.

I couldn’t wait to touch her—taste the skin she was rapidly revealing. My self-control threatened to snap as my hands shook unbuckling my belt. There was no restraining myself once I dropped my jeans to the ground and stepped out of them—the exact same time she stripped herself down to nothing.

There was no lacy lingerie to slowly remove.

There was no seductively teasing her senses as I nibbled my way over her soft curves.

Neither of us had the patience to take our sweet time, tonight. Darcy reached for me first, merely seconds before I pulled her against me. She felt like heaven, like home, my body erupting with eagerness as she placed her hands over my skin.

That one touch was my undoing.

It was my lifeline back.

My mouth instantly found hers and I didn’t wait for an invitation as my tongue swept inside to savor each incredible taste. There was something extra to our passion—an unbridled desire to give and receive. There was no waiting to see who would lead. Instead we took the plunge together, our actions proving how insatiable we were for each other.

There wasn’t a piece of skin she didn’t stroke, caress, and later sample with her lips.

Lying over our bed, with her dark hair seductively strewn across the pillows, she was every bit the temptress—the breathtaking Siren who captivated the minds of men with a single glance and song. Darcy didn’t have to speak to own me completely. She did it by simply existing.

Crooking her finger at me, I lowered myself over her body, careful not to crush her. We were such a perfect fit, confirming my belief, again, that we were made for each other. Everything about her brought me pleasure and, as I buried my face in the crook of her neck, inhaling her sweet scent deeply, a new yearning took over.

My need to protect was gone and its place, the need to please her surfaced. I wouldn’t leave this bed until I’d robbed her of the ability to think. I would worship every inch of her until she was boneless.

“
Then show me,” she whispered, her nails grazing over my skin. “I’m tired of thinking.”

I didn’t need to be told twice, connecting our bodies with one blessed move. Gritting my teeth, I struggled to savor the moment by holding as still as I could. Darcy made it impossible, however, as her hips shifted, intensifying the heady thrill of being inside her.

There was no holding back. I couldn’t even if I tried. As I picked up the tempo, the lines blurred between reality and the incredible sensation I knew was pulsing through both of us. It was if we both chased that closeness, the intimacy we craved and missed. The further we fell into each other, the more distance the horrors of the past weeks grew.

Leaving behind everything but who we were, I couldn’t get enough. As Darcy’s leg hitched around my hip, burying me deeper, I wanted to yell she’d been wrong. This was perfection. She was perfection. I would gladly walk through the fires of Hell if it meant this feeling waited on the other side.

“
Darcy,” I cried, knowing it wouldn’t be long before I crashed head first into my release. Dipping into our connection, she was close, so very close, and it was with that insight that I upped my game.

“
Oh . . . my . . .” When her words failed her, a long moan rushing out through her lips, I knew I’d succeeded. Letting go, I gave everything to her as I let my weight fall. She welcomed it, her arms clinging desperately to me.

This was who we were.

Nothing would break us apart.

But something tried. There was a flicker of thought, a fear that broke through the pleasure addling Darcy’s mind. It was only a flash, but I’d caught it; and when I did, it chilled me to the core.

I hadn’t seen it before, the sliver of uncertainty overshadowed by the clarity she’d shared. But in that moment of vulnerability, where all our defenses came down, she’d revealed it.

She’d never doubted the way our bodies reacted to each other when we made love. She’d never questioned her ability to satisfy me. I’d made sure she’d never have reason to wonder.

But Amber. Amber had returned with a vengeance and with it came my anger. Not at my wife, but at the idea she’d ever think she was lacking.

Raising my head so I could look at her, she knew I’d seen it in her mind.

The question. The accusation.

What if he prefers her more?

How could he not know it wasn’t me?

I didn’t know which one killed me more.

“
Darcy,” I started.

“
Please don’t say anything. I feel stupid for even thinking it.” She closed her eyes as if to hide, but I didn’t look away. When she reopened them a few moments later, I was ready.

“
We need to talk about this.”

“
I’d rather we didn’t,” she confessed. Darcy looked uncomfortable, but I wasn’t going to let this belief of hers take root and fester. Moving only to rest on my elbows, my body kept her captive, forcing her to stay with me. Tears threatened to spill and it became obvious the clarity from earlier had disappeared.

“
Look at me, sweetheart,” I begged when she tried avoiding my gaze.

“
No, I told you. I’m fine.” Her tears told a different story.

“
Then why are you crying?” I gently asked. When she shook her head, I knew I had to be firmer. “Darcy.”

“
I can’t help it. I know I shouldn’t think it. I keep telling myself the truth.”