Hidden Hope (Hidden Saga Book 3) (18 page)

You might have thought it would be a sour stomach and a frantic midnight run to the bathroom that would awaken me, but actually it was the sound of breaking glass.

I sat up straight in bed, mouth parched, head throbbing, certain I was having a nightmare. A rush of cool ocean air against my skin and the outline of two large figures moving toward me in the dark told me otherwise.

There were people in my room.

I scrambled from the covers and toward the bedroom door, a terrified scream shredding my throat. Throwing the door open, I ran into the hallway and nearly crashed into Lad as he landed with a thud at the bottom of the staircase. He’d jumped from the balcony above.

“What is it?” he shouted, grabbing my upper arms.

I looked back over my shoulder to see the dark figures emerge from my room. Lad stiffened and rose to his full height, pulling me behind his body.

“Run, Ryann,” he ordered and crouched to challenge the two men.

I guessed from their size they were Elven. What were they doing here? What did they want?

“We don’t want trouble,” one of them said. “Just give us the girl.”

Lad literally growled, his hands fisting, arms trembling in rage. “Over my dead body.”

“No problem,” the other man said and moved toward Lad.

I ran into the kitchen, searching frantically for my purse. Where had I left it last night? Had I even brought it home from Nox’s mansion party? I needed my phone to call for help.

My eyes landed on the wall phone near the pantry. Of course—it was an old house—they’d have had a landline. I grabbed the receiver and held it to my ear, dialing 9-1-1. Then I realized there were no beeps, no dial tone.

The phone wasn’t connected.

Running back to the living area, I encountered a full-out brawl. The sounds were awful—nothing like the silly action movies I’d seen. Fists striking flesh, grunts of pain and effort, crashes as the men struggled and slammed through the room in the dark, taking out furniture and knick-knacks.

Lad was outnumbered. I had to help him. I dashed back to the kitchen for a knife.

Scrambling through the drawers, I finally wrapped my fingers around the hilt of a butcher knife—the one we’d used to slice watermelon two nights ago—and charged back into the living room, prepared to use it on one or both of the intruders—if I could get
to
them and manage not to stab Lad in the process.

Gripping the hilt, I chased the brawling group past the sofa and coffee table, but before I reached them, the three men smashed through the large glass window at the back of the house, landing on the deck in a writhing pile of glass and swinging, grappling limbs.

For a moment I stood there, stunned and struggling for breath. Was Lad okay? One of the intruders got to his feet and jumped off the deck, running toward the water. Lad broke away from the other enough to grab the back of his shirt and throw him from the deck onto the sand below. He jumped down after him.

The night was dark, the moon covered by hazy clouds so there was only the barest illumination on the beach and the ocean beyond it. I came out onto the deck, still clutching my knife.

“Lad,” I yelled into the darkness. “Are you okay?”

One of the shadows looked back at me, then resumed pulling another struggling figure toward the ocean. With all of them being so large and of similar build, I couldn’t tell who was dragging whom.
Oh God, please let Lad be okay.

The fight must have made it to the water because now I could hear splashing in addition to the sounds of the struggle. I fervently hoped it was a one-on-one battle now. My eyes strained in the dark for any glimpse of Lad.

And then all was quiet. The night was a black curtain obscuring my view of the fight—or any survivors.

After long, frantic moments of searching the darkness, I did see something, a faint silhouette making its way in my direction across the beach.

It’s Lad.
My heart leapt in the kind of elation I hadn’t felt since the last time his life had been in jeopardy and then saved.

And then the shadow was joined by another, both of them trudging slowly through the sand, side by side.

Horror filled my mind, coming out as a scream as I ran back into the house toward the front door. Where was Lad? I ran for all I was worth, sobbing and bursting from the front of the cottage. I stopped short at the sight of a limo parked at the curb. Had Nox come back?

Oh God. No. It was a different limo.
Davis.

Unable to go back or forward, I darted toward the side of the house, hoping to scale the ivy-covered fence and land in the neighbor’s yard.

A pair of brutally strong hands grabbed my hips and hauled me backward. Craning my neck around, I saw one of the men who’d broken into the cottage.

Screaming, I kicked and struggled, but his grasp was too strong for me. The limo’s back door opened, and the thug dragged me over to it and forced me inside, pushing my head down so it didn’t strike the door frame as I fell into the seat.

He slammed the door.

There was a click.

A small circle of light illuminated the face of the man inside.

Davis smiled at me as if we were sitting down to afternoon tea instead of meeting after midnight in the back of a car, me in my sleep tee and scared out of my wits.

“Hello my dear. Looks like you’ve had quite a night.” He reached forward as if to pat down my disheveled hair.

I reared back, away from his touch. “What are you doing here? What have they done with Lad?”

“Yes—I see that you ‘found’ your long lost love. Your boyfriend
would
have been fine, if only he’d continued sleeping. Or if he’d stepped aside and allowed you to come along with my men. I had no problem with him. As it stands now, I’m afraid...” Davis let his sentence drift off with a shrug and a raised brow.

Oh God.
Lad.
A sob escaped my chest. He had risked everything to protect me. He’d given his life. I had a horrific flash of his lifeless body sinking in the dark waves.

Weeping, I shrieked at Davis. “You’re a monster. You’re a murderer. Why are you doing this? What do you
want
?”

Wholly unaffected by my display of grief, his voice remained serene. “Well, I realized tonight that even though you don’t have any glamour gifts, you
can
still be useful to me.”

“I would
never
do anything for you. I hate you!”

Another click. A second light came on, revealing my mother sitting in the seat across from us. She looked terrible. Her cheeks were sunken, her eyes hollow, underlined by dark shadows.

“Yes, well… you’ve already seen an example tonight of how far I’m willing to go to get my way,” Davis said calmly, almost pleasantly as he gestured toward the dark windows and the men standing guard outside. “If I would sacrifice an Elven prince for the cause, what are a few more lives to me? I have orchestrated the removal of beings far more important than
him
.” Here he glanced over at Mom. “…or this weak woman… for the greater good of my people.”

“Nox’s father. Vancia’s parents. You killed them.”

He lifted his brows and shrugged in a
what are ya gonna do?
gesture.

“And Lad’s father Ivar? And Sophie Jerrick?”

“I’ve told you… I will do whatever is necessary to restore this world to its rightful order.”

“Are you... are you saying you’ll kill my mother?”

He shrugged again. “I fear she doesn’t have much time left anyway. She is so frightfully frail. But it would be so easy for me to take your grandmother. Your ‘Daddy.’” He let the word fall off his tongue as if it were a particularly sour grape. “I don’t have to kill them right away. There are things that are more fun—for
me
. I have a particularly loyal—and strong—subject right here in L.A. who would love to ‘take care’ of them for me. Perhaps you’ve met him? Plays football? Has a penchant for soundproof underground rooms?”

I struggled for enough breath to respond. “Reggie.”

“Ah—so you
did
have a little fun on your college exploratory visit last month. I thought so. My own flesh and blood... working against me.” He made a facetious tut-tut sound with his tongue.

“I hate you.”

He chuckled. “Be that as it may, you
are
going to help me.” Reaching across the space between them, he lifted mom’s limp hand and kissed it. Then he squeezed it until I could hear her knuckles pop. She didn’t even flinch.

I reached toward her. “Stop. What do you want me to do?”

The limo had started moving sometime during our conversation. I hadn’t noticed, only realizing it now because the motion stopped. Davis tapped the glass of one window, causing me to look outside and see where we were.

Nox’s mansion. He’d brought me back here. But why?

“As I said... you don’t seem to have inherited any truly useful
Elven
traits, but you
do
seem to hold a certain... appeal, shall we say, for young Elven men.”

I looked out at the house again. Its windows, which had glowed with golden light during the party, were dark now.

“You will gain entry,” Davis instructed. “You will go to his private suite, accessing it by any means necessary.”

He stopped talking. I stared at him, waiting for him to finish. His eyes were black in the limo’s low interior light.

“And you will kill him.” He grabbed my hand, pressing a tiny vial into my palm. “Make sure he drinks this.”

The wind left me. “No,” I wheezed, shaking my head vehemently.

“Oh, I know you consider him a friend. But look at it this way—you’ve already caused the death of your true love—it’s all downhill from here.” He laughed as the locks popped and the door beside me swung open.

I sat in stunned stillness for a moment, then slowly, numb with shock and grief, started to climb out.

Davis grabbed my wrist and issued a final threat. “Don’t think you can fool me, girl. Don’t try to run. And
don’t
try to warn him. The young ruler’s house is full of my spies. I’ll know if you’ve done your job.” Lifting Mom’s hand again, he pressed a lingering kiss to her skin. “Or not.”

Shuddering, I scrambled from the car, obeying him. What I wanted to do was kill him. My poor mom. I got one last glimpse of her before the door swung shut and the limo pulled away. Her expression hadn’t changed at all, but a single tear streaked down her face.

I stood outside Nox’s front door, shivering in my t-shirt, though the night was warm. What was I going to say to him? What were we going to do?

My mind slipped back again and again, replaying the last moments I’d seen Lad—his body crashing through the window, the fierce way he struggled with my attacker on the beach, protecting me with his own body. He was so alive, so vibrant in my mind. In my heart. How could he be dead?

A servant answered the bell. It was Ewan, the one person in Nox’s household I knew for sure was loyal to him.

“I need to see him.”

Ewan nodded and stepped back, allowing me to enter. Within seconds, Nox was rushing into the foyer, his face covered with concern. He was dressed for bed, shirtless and wearing dark sleep shorts.

“Ryann... what are you doing here so late? What’s happened?”

I burst into tears.

“Tell no one,” Nox said to Ewan as he lifted me and carried me on quick feet down the hallway to the master suite, passing the guards flanking the door. Once inside, he set me down and took my face between his hands, staring into my eyes.

What happened? What’s wrong?

You have to ask me out loud.
I darted my eyes at the two guards who stood at their posts just inside of the double doors
. There are spies here. Davis sent me—he said I’d be watched. He can’t find out I can communicate with you this way.

They’re trustworthy.

I shook my head insistently.

Nox nodded his understanding. “What happened? Are you all right?”

“Lad...” I got choked up and had to start again, barely getting the unbelievable words out. “Lad is dead. Some men broke into the cottage, and there was a fight.”

Nox’s eyes went wide in horror.
Is this true?

Yes.
I nodded. “He’s gone.” The tragic news came out on a sob.

“Oh God. My brother.” Nox’s strangled words ended in a hoarse cry as he let me go and staggered back. He fought to compose himself. “Who would do this?”

“I don’t know,” I cried.
It was
Davis’s men. They were sent to kidnap me from my bed. Lad was trying to protect me.

And I lost all ability to speak or communicate rationally. The entire horror of the night’s events rolled over me, sapping the strength from my legs. I started to collapse to the floor.

He’s gone.

Nox swept me up in his arms again and carried me around the corner to his bed, laying me gently on the surface and crawling in beside me, holding me close as I wept, our tears mingling.

Some time later when we had both calmed a bit, he spoke again, continuing our silent communication.
The guards can’t see us here, but they can hear us. I’m going to kiss you. Make it sound like we’re over here... uh... you know. That way they won’t wonder why we’re not talking out loud. Besides, that’s what I’m
supposed
to be doing in here with girls.

Okay
. I nodded, remembering my brief time in his fan pod. That’s what the girls were there for—the entertainment of the Dark Elves—and of course to parlay their
love
into increased popularity for the celebrities.

Nox’s mouth came to mine, moving gently, though he probably should have been rougher about it if we were supposed to put on a show for the benefit of possible spies. As always he was a great kisser. And smelled amazing.

And I felt... nothing.

Maybe it was the trauma of Lad’s death. Maybe it was the saol water depressing the effects of his sexual glamour on me. Whatever it was, his magnetic hold on me had been broken.

Did he feel the same? Had he taken my advice and started drinking more saol water? Vancia was somewhere in this house. Was he thinking of her when he kissed me?

I was definitely thinking of Lad. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I kissed another pair of lips, clung to another guy’s arms while my heart screamed for him. How was I supposed to go on? Imagining living the rest of my life without him, I wanted to die myself. The pain of loss was unbearable.

And that’s when I realized... Nox had always been the safe choice for me.

As sexy and self-assured as he was, as much as other girls wanted him and worshipped him, he’d pursued
me
from the start, made his devotion clear—he was a sure thing. It had probably been all due to glamour, of course. The point was, he’d never been a real threat to my heart. Maybe that had been part of the attraction for me all along.

Now Lad—he had been dangerous. Because he had the ability to hurt me. When someone owns your heart, they have power over you. That had terrified me.

It had kept me running scared, even after he came back into my life and declared his love again, told me he’d never stopped loving me. Now he was gone forever. I’d never have the chance to admit to him that I still loved him, too. That I’d never stopped loving him. I stifled a new round of sobs.

That was why I’d never been able to say those words to Nox. It wasn’t that I was no longer capable of love—it was that I’d already given my heart away to Lad—no take-backs. There wasn’t anything left to give to someone else, even someone as precious as Nox.

Somehow keeping his mind off of Lad’s death and on the current crisis, Nox continued to question me as we stage-kissed.

Why would Davis have you kidnapped? I thought he didn’t want you around anymore.

He thought of a new use for me.

What?

Killing you.

Nox pulled his face away, staring into my eyes
. What? He actually sent you to kill me?

I nodded.
He threatened to kill my mother if I don’t. And Grandma Neena and Daddy, too. He gave me poison. I’m supposed to get you to drink it.

I opened my hand to show him the vial. He lifted his head to get a look at it, then closed his hand over mine and took my mouth again, kissing me harder and adding a passionate groan for the sake of our listening audience.

Alfred told me Davis wasn’t thrilled by my return from the dead. But he never said he was this determined to get rid of me.

Maybe Alfred doesn’t know. Maybe Davis figured out Alfred is no longer loyal to him and doesn’t confide in him anymore. There are definitely spies in your house. I don’t think you should trust anyone at this point.

Except for you. Unless you really are here to kill me.
He smiled against my mouth.

I pulled away, and our eyes made contact
. I could never—no matter what he holds over my head...
“You know I love you.”

He stared at me, frozen. Finally, he blinked.
Is this part of the act?

Oh. Had he misunderstood my meaning? I opened my mouth to clarify when motion at the edge of the bed made us both jump.

Nox leapt to his feet in a battle stance, prepared to fight off whomever had surprised us right there in his bedchamber. Was it one of the guards checking to make sure we were really fooling around? Had Davis sent someone else as insurance in case I failed or refused my mission?

“Who are you?” Nox demanded. “How did you get in here?”

I scooted across to the bedside table and flicked on the lamp. There, standing at the end of the bed, shivering and dripping wet, was Lad.