Doomsday Brethren, Book 04: Entice Me at Twilight (32 page)

He had her there, and Felicia panicked for a moment. If she didn’t think of something plausible to say, he could ramrod these charges through and have Simon prosecuted. He’d proudly made a life of putting violent offenders behind bars.

“He’s protecting me. Someone
is
after me.”
Please don’t let them ask about Mathias
.

“Why not come to us, Miss?” the sergeant barked.

“Simon knew of the threat before I did. I-it all happened so fast, and then we were running for our lives, hiding and unsure whom to trust. But he didn’t abduct me.”

The policeman cast a glance at Mason. “And the charge of rape? Did Hurstgrove sexually assault you or force you to enter into a sexual relationship?”

“As I said, nothing was against my will.”

“Will you sign a sworn statement to that effect?” said the older policeman.

Felicia couldn’t look at Mason, knowing he’d stuck his neck out professionally to bring her home safely, and she was rejecting his help. But she nodded.

“You’re certain?” the commander asked.

“Yes. I was completely willing,” she murmured.

“You
let
him fuck you?” Mason sounded shell-shocked. Betrayed.

Felicia hated that she’d hurt her best friend so deeply.
He’d tried so hard to be her everything. She’d do almost anything to take her words back, except hurt Simon. “Mason…”

The commander pulled out a chair. “Sit down so we can get the facts.”

A long hour later, the commander put a piece of paper in front of her, typed with her formal statement. “Sign here.”

“Felicia,” Mason pleaded, looking pasty white. “You can’t mean any of this …”

“I’m sorry,” Felicia whispered, then signed the statement and handed it back to the commander. “Will you bring Simon to me now?”

The younger policeman looked at her as if she was a Stockholm syndrome victim to be pitied. “Are you certain that’s what you want? It’s not too late.”

She didn’t care what he thought. She knew the truth. “I’m certain.”

The commander made a call to the jail. Moments later, two policemen ushered Simon in and uncuffed him.

“You’re free,” the older man said, sliding Felicia’s statement across the table in front of him. “Miss Safford made a written account of events that exonerates you.”

He paused to caress her shoulder in an affectionate gesture of thanks, then plowed toward Mason. “You jealous bastard! How could you do this to Felicia? You know sharing the intimate details of her life is hard. But you forced her into telling all.”

Mason raised a dark brow. “She apparently found a way to share everything with you. Her past, her fears, her body. I saw those pictures online. You shared her with the whole fucking world.” He turned to her, anguish contorting his face. “Didn’t I love you enough? Didn’t I give you the space and time you needed? What else could I have done?”

Felicia closed her eyes and clutched her stomach. God,
this hurt. She’d always known that being left by someone she loved would cause untold pain, but she’d never imagined that being the one to cut someone’s heart out would hurt so deeply as well.

“You did everything,” she murmured. “I’m sorry …”

“Sorry? With a word, you think my pain just … goes away? I wanted to love you for the rest of your life, and I was willing to accept whatever terms you needed.”

“It’s my fault,” she choked as guilt slammed into her. “You were my crutch when I was afraid. After Deirdre died, that was all the time. You never demanded more of me, and I … walled myself off. I’m sorry I never let you in. I’m sorry I let you be my strength instead of standing on my own two feet.” Hot tears rained down her cheeks. “You’ve always been a great friend, and I never meant to hurt you. I really am sorry.”

“That’s enough.” Simon pushed between them and glared at Mason. “Don’t you dare take your anger out on her. If you’d like to hit me later, I’ll stand still and let you. Sue me, hate me, disown me if that will make you feel better.”

“Don’t worry. I will.”

In the wee hours of the night, Duke climbed into the limousine with Felicia at his side, paparazzi still chasing them.

“Don’t these vultures ever sleep?” she muttered.

Despite all the tension of the evening, he laughed. “They’re robots missing their off buttons.”

She shook her head and curled up next to him on the seat, exactly where he wanted her.

“Thank you for everything you did tonight.” He hugged her tightly. Of course he also appreciated the fact she’d come to him wanting affection.

She turned to him with solemn blue eyes. He’d never
grow tired of the sight of her. He hoped he saw her every day for the next thousand years.

To his surprise, she planted a soft kiss on his lips. “Are you truly surprised that I defended you?”

“Mason had no basis in fact when he tossed the rape charge out, as I’m sure he was aware. He’d seen the pictures on
Out of This Realm
’s site and become angry.” He sighed. “Frankly, I don’t blame him. In his place, I’d be an unhappy bastard, too. But I’m surprised you told Commander Bradford that I hadn’t abducted you against your will. That wasn’t precisely true.”

She caressed his face. “From eavesdropping, I knew I was in danger and suspected only you could help me. I balked because it was so sudden.” She bit her lip. “And because you scared me.”

“I’d never hurt you.”

A smile played at her gorgeous mouth. “But you were much too charming and seductive for my peace of mind.”

He returned the smile tenfold. “Ah, liked me a bit too much for comfort, did you?”

“Now you’re just being cocky.”

Duke clamped his hands around her waist and lifted her. She shrieked as he settled her over his lap, thighs straddling his hips. Then he lifted up to her so she could feel his erection. “Not yet, but lose those knickers, and I will be.”

“You’re incorrigible.” She scrambled back to the seat beside him, casting a fretful glance at the driver.

As Duke raised the privacy glass, his heart lurched. “But you do like something about me?”

He almost cringed at the desperate note in his voice. In the back of his head, a nagging voice wondered if she’d lied to everyone tonight not because she cared for him as a mate, but because she didn’t want to lose her magical bodyguard.
He didn’t want to think that, but as much as Felicia had revealed in the past few days, she was hardly an open book.

She bit her lip. “I like you very much.”

Felicia liked him
. Duke didn’t have the courage to ask her if she loved him, or ever could.

The rest of the ride passed in silence. Because he couldn’t stand to be too far from her, Duke held her hand. Though she clasped his in return, he knew tonight had rattled her.

After dodging the paparazzi outside the Dorchester, they dashed through the deserted lobby and into a waiting elevator. The doors slid shut, and he turned to Felicia, caressing his way up her bare arms. “Are you all right?”

She frowned. “I wasn’t the one arrested. What about you?”

“Fine.”

“How?” She shook her head. “Mason is your brother. This discord between you isn’t right. It’s my fault.”

So that’s what troubled Felicia.

A heavy weight settled in Duke’s chest. He was aware that he and Mason were quickly approaching a point of no return. Another stunt like this, and Duke would be hard-pressed to forgive his younger brother. On the other hand, if another man had stolen his most precious gift, his very heart, Duke could well understand such hatred.

He’d kill any bastard who took Felicia from him.

“Our problems aren’t your doing. They started long ago.” He sighed. “Mason has every reason to despise me. He wanted you for himself, and I took you. With your statement, he knows he’s lost you. And I’m not letting go, Felicia.”

Silently, she looked away, pulled her hand back. A physical withdrawal. Duke cursed under his breath. Did she feel too guilty about hurting Mason? Or, as Duke feared, did she not
love him enough to choose him forever?

In their suite, he tore through the dark rooms, frustration edging to the fore. Damn it, with Felicia it was always two steps forward, one step back. He didn’t want to lose her, and pushing her now would only induce her to put new walls between them. But would she ever open her heart and give herself completely to him?

“It’s wrong. I’ve come between two brothers and—” She choked. “I feel terrible. Nothing ever came between Deirdre and me, ever. Until Alexei.”

And that had ended in the woman’s death. Duke’s gut twisted.

“Mason is your friend, yes?”

“He was. I don’t know if he’d still say the same.”

“His anger toward you will abate.” Duke couldn’t believe he was consoling her, when all he wanted to do was wring Mason’s neck. But anything to take that haunted look off her face. “In time, he’ll heal. Move on.”

“But your relationship with him will never be the same, and I don’t know if I can live with that.”

“Even if I’m willing to bear it?”

“Simon …” Her voice pleaded with him.

Perhaps she meant what she said, but Duke couldn’t help but think that she merely used Mason again to keep distance between them.

“What if you find one day that I’m … not worth it?”

“That will never happen, but I could assure you until I’m blue in the face, and I’m not certain you would ever believe me. You’ll have to realize that for yourself.”

Tamping down his agitation, he gritted his teeth and closeted himself in the bathroom. The warm spray of the shower felt heavenly, and washing the stench and filth of jail off himself soothed him.

Long minutes later, he emerged to see that Felicia had taken off all her makeup and slipped into one of the negligees he’d had delivered to the room. Eggshell silk trimmed in delicate lace. Demure but sexy. She looked stunning. All the relaxation from his shower fled, replaced by a desire that made him edgy and hard. He ached to make love to her. To stake his claim anew.

But she needed time to come to grips with tonight’s events. Damn it, somehow he’d have to give it to her. They were making progress, just not as quickly as he liked.

On the bed, she reclined, her knees curled up, a book resting on them.

He frowned. “Is that one of Merlin’s books?”

She glanced up, saw the towel wrapped around his middle, and flushed. “Ah … yes. It is. I, um …” She swallowed, staring at his chest. “I’m trying to find something useful in this book. Tonight proved to me we cannot keep living in this gossipmonger bubble to avoid Mathias. The only way to deal with him is to head off this threat.”

“You mean, go to Morganna’s tomb?”

“I don’t see another choice. We’re merely avoiding the inevitable.”

He understood her logic … but no. “Chasing Mathias is tantamount to a death sentence. I won’t let you do anything to endanger yourself.”

“
Let me?
I’m a grown woman. An Untouchable. The magic in that tomb can’t hurt me.”

Duke grabbed her shoulders tightly. “Listen, Sunshine. That’s a
theory
. No one knows that for a fact. It’s also possible that you could step one foot inside and die instantly.”

“Hiding in plain sight won’t work forever. You can’t keep inventing a new scandal every day.”

As much as he wanted to refute her, he feared she was
right.

“And how long before Mathias gets desperate? What if he takes a cue from terrorists and starts bombing buildings and killing innocent humans just to reach me?”

Duke wouldn’t put anything past Mathias. But how could he simply let Felicia walk into one of the most dangerous places known to magickind?

“Have you found anything useful in that book?”

She shook her head. “Odds and ends, really. The tomb was created for Morganna, and Merlin himself distilled her essence into a bottle to store there.”

In other words, she’d learned nothing that would guarantee her safety. Likley because no such guarantee existed.

“What if we led Mathias into the tomb, destroyed Morganna’s essence before he could carry out his plan. Perhaps then we could find a way to destroy him?”

The thought horrified him. “Too risky.”

“But is it possible?”

Duke said nothing. He didn’t know the answer and didn’t want to encourage her.

“I think we should talk to Bram,” she mused.

“We aren’t going to the tomb, period.”

“I won’t keep running. I’ll never have a normal life unless Mathias is no longer a threat.”

Bloody hell. That was true. Question was, what did she now see as a normal life? One with him, or merely one in which she wasn’t always looking over her shoulder for evil incarnate?

Cursing, Duke rose and found his phone. Bram answered on the first ring.

“Are you out of your bloody mind?” he screeched. “Why not take out an advertisement telling Mathias exactly where to find you and how much you love Felicia?”

Duke gritted his teeth. “Can we save the parenting for later? We have a question about Morganna’s tomb. What would happen if we managed to get inside the cave and destroy her essence? Felicia would be basically useless to Mathias, yes?”

“That’s possible. Mathias might come after her for mere spite, but he’d have no other reason. If Morganna’s essence were destroyed, she’d be well and truly gone forever. Another threat extinguished.”

Duke paced to the next room, away from Felicia and the argument he knew she’d put up. “I can’t send her in there, Bram. We need to find Mathias and kill the fucking bastard. Now!”

“Haven’t we been trying? We can’t even find Tynan yet, and the clock is ticking. Maybe it’s time to think about letting her try the tomb.”

Duke cursed. “Would you send Emma there, not knowing if death awaited her?”

“Because of who she is, Felicia must face either Mathias or that tomb. Duke, you may not be able to spare her both.”

“Shut the bloody hell up.” He jammed the button, ringing off, breath harsh, heart beating furiously.

Charging back into the bedroom, he found Felicia lying across the bed with Merlin’s book again. “You can’t protect me from everything. I appreciate your effort but … I’m looking for some reference on how to destroy Morganna’s essence.”