Night Angel (Angel Haven) (17 page)

Randall frowned. “What do you mean?”

Bradford smiled that evil sneer again. “You’re a smart boy. Figure it out.”

Karen stood next to Randall. She’d seen a lot of emotions cross his face, but this was the first time he looked panicked. “What’s wrong?”

He didn’t answer, just took several steps toward the door.

Karen’s hands shook as he remained quiet. “You know what he’s planning, don’t you?”

Randall nodded. “He’s going to keep us locked in here all night.”

Bradford clapped. “Very good, Dupré. I know about your nightly visits and what you haven’t shown her, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for you.”

Karen looked back and forth between the two of them. Dread crawled through her as she watched fear fill Randall’s face and the overconfidence in Bradford’s. She opened her mouth to ask Randall to explain, but the words jammed in her throat.

“When the sun sets in—” Bradford looked at his watch. “—nine hours and twenty-two minutes, all will become clear.” He motioned for Cray and Harmon to leave. “When you finally see what a monster he really is, you’ll be begging me to take you back.” He paused at the door. “But I won’t. I’m done with you, both of you. See you in the morning, Ms. Spraiker.”

The door slammed shut, the boom echoing through the room.

Chapter Fourteen

Randall ran toward the door, slamming his fist against it and cried out as the metal seared his flesh. There was a loud click as they were sealed in. “Troyington, no! Don’t do this to her!”

He hung his head, squeezing his eyes shut. “Please,” he said in a low voice. “Don’t do this.”

Karen pushed on the locked door. “Well, it’s not opening this time.” She stared at the claw marks on the walls to either side of the door, dried blood coloring the set to her right a dark brown. She ran her fingers over them. “Edna tried to explain these away but something wasn’t happy about being here.”

Randall rubbed his hand where it connected with the door. “It was me,” he mumbled.

Karen turned sharply to stare at him. “What?”

She thought about the guardian’s hand and those long claws and touched the marks lightly. Karen smiled a little as the pieces fell together and formed the puzzle she knew it would. She figured right. Randall was the guardian who came to her at night.

“Nothing.” He lifted his head, staring at her. “We don’t have much time left. I need you to do something for me.”

Karen hurried to him, watching him watch her. “Tell me. I’d do anything for you.”

He lifted his hands to her face and held her. “Just remember right now, at this point in time, you loved me.” He gathered her into his arms, holding her tight.

She rested her head against his chest and closed her eyes. “Wait a minute.” She stood back. “Is something going to happen to make me stop loving you?”

He kissed her forehead. “In a few hours, everything’s going to change.” He looked away. “I’m afraid.”

“Of what?” she asked, trembling as his fear bled into her.

“Of losing you,” he whispered. “When you see who I truly am.”

“You won’t,” she said firmly, trying to make him believe it. “I promise.”

Fire crept its way back to his eyes as his fingers glided down her neck. He kissed her, his tongue tasting and teasing, pulling a passion from her she didn’t know she had. “Remember you said that.”

She could feel his power rise around her, but it felt different. Instead of warming her, it ignited her, raising a blinding silver light behind her eyes. She squirmed in his arms, trying to relieve the pressure building inside.

“My skin feels too tight and I’m seeing light,” she panted.

“Your power’s trying to merge with mine,” he whispered against her lips, holding her tighter. “Let it. By keeping your emotions in check, you’ve chained it. Set it free.”

Her body shook from the energies pushing against her, inside and out. “I don’t know how.”

He lowered her shirt off her shoulder, trailing kisses along her neck. “You carry the dragon spirit in you. Just picture it rising and it will. Focus. Control it.”

Karen gripped his arms, the contact giving her the confidence she needed to release the power coiled inside. Closing her eyes, she saw her power as a long, sinewy Chinese dragon. Randall’s power guided her, leading her on a path through her own psyche to the silver light at her core.

As she pictured it rising, it burst free from the invisible bonds holding it in place. She opened her eyes to see the silver dragon curl around a strange lavender creature with large wings. The two energies flowed around each other, looking like they were playing before becoming one and pouring into the couple who summoned them.

He laid a shaking hand over her heart. “I pictured this happening from the first moment I saw you.” He traced a finger up to her collar bone. “I can feel your power in me. I’ve never sensed anything this strong.”

She smiled at Randall, trying to quell the sadness in his eyes. “There’s no one stopping you now. And any power I have, it’s all yours.”

He closed his eyes, bowing his head. “Don’t say that. Not until tomorrow.”

She slipped her hands under his shirt and ran them over his chest. “I’m not sure what you’re afraid of, but it’ll be all right.” She looked down. “Why are you always barefoot?”

He smiled as he knelt in front of her, removing her shoes and socks. “It’s part of who I am. Try it.”

She returned his smile, desire jumping in her veins as the cold from the concrete floor seeped into the soles of her feet. “Let’s try being barefoot all over.”

Randall unhooked her jeans, pushing them and her panties down together. He slowly stood, running his hands up her legs. He unbuttoned her shirt, letting it fall from her shoulders, her bra following. “You’ve got goose bumps.”

Yanking his T-shirt over his head, Karen ran her hands across his chest, sighing at the warmth flowing from him. “You’re always so warm. I don’t think I’ll have goose bumps for long.” She pushed his pants off his hips.

“Do you remember that morning in the clearing?” he asked, his voice deepening. “Let me show you what was supposed to happen at the end.”

He took her hand, turning her back to him and pulled her tight against his chest. “Remember the music,” he whispered, his breath tickling her ear and sending shivers through her. “It’s part of you now. You can pull it forth whenever you want. Hear it. Let the rhythm move your body.”

She nodded and closed her eyes, hearing the music deep inside. Randall guided her feet through the intricate steps of the dance as his hand rested on her bare stomach. Karen felt every hair on her body stand up from the electricity of his touch. She laid her head back on his shoulder, the cool air whispering over her naked body, making the dance feel more sensual, more arousing than it had before.

His face was rough with stubble as she rubbed her cheek to his. Karen reached back, her hand lying on the back of his neck, his hair brushing her knuckles. Their hips pressed together as their feet moved, weaving the age-old pattern. She took a deep breath, inhaling the strange, exotic smell of the magic around them.

She pushed closer to him as they moved in time to the remembered song, the feel of his skin jolting her harder than it had the first the time. The power in her thrummed as the song built to its crescendo, getting brighter and brighter until she thought her body would explode from the heat and light pouring from it.

Randall held her hand as she spun away, then back. He bowed to her, raising her hand to his lips. He let his hand glide up her arm to her neck, and he pulled her close, igniting the passion within her, allowing her power fill him, pouring his into her. His calloused fingers were gentle as they whispered just above her skin. This time, as the dance ended, he pulled her close and they shared the kiss that bonded them together as soul mates.

“We were meant for each other, Karen.” He dropped his head to her shoulder, his lips trailing fire along her neck. “Can you feel it?”

She nodded. “Yes.” She took a deep breath then slowly released it. “But I need you now. We’ve waited too long for this moment.”

“Don’t rush things,” he murmured, his lips just brushing her neck. “It’ll happen just the way it should.”

Her legs trembled as she tried to meld her body with his. She slid her arms around his neck and pulled his face closer to hers. “We both need this, if for nothing else to anchor each other.”

His smile faded and he looked away, just for a moment. Something changed in him as sadness replaced the fire his eyes. He laid her on their clothes and pressed a light kiss between her breasts.

He brushed his knuckles along her cheek. “I’m sorry this isn’t more romantic. I didn’t picture our first time together being in a concrete cell.”

Threading her fingers through his midnight hair, she stared into his magical eyes. “I don’t care. As long as I’m with you.”

He lightly ran his fingers over her body, his gaze following. She could almost see him trying to memorize every line, every curve of her body. He laid his hand on her stomach, then moved down to gently touch her folds. She opened her legs, inviting him to take what she offered. His fingers slid over and in her. She let her own hand move down to find him and hold him tenderly, making him groan.

She shivered, not from the cool air in the room, but from the fear she sensed in him hanging on. “Don’t be afraid,” she whispered. “We both know this was meant to be.”

He gazed in her eyes. “I know. I just don’t want to disappoint you.”

“You could never do that,” she whispered. Letting him go, she ran her hands up his arms to stroke his chest, smiling when she felt him tremble. “Right now, no fear, no doubt. Just you and me.”

Randall nodded before pulling her breast into his mouth, her back arching with pleasure. She jumped as his fingers probed more deeply inside her, making her writhe beneath his hands. He smiled as she opened herself completely, pulling him over her.

Karen wrapped her legs around him, giving him no choice as she held him tight. As he slowly entered her, she watched his eyes turn from the pale-blue ice that captivated her, to deep, blue flame, searing her with the wild magic flowing inside him. She grasped his shoulders, feeling him tremble beneath her fingers.

Light flared around them, bringing a sense of urgency to their passion, glowing bright as the sun. A glow exploded from both of them as they shook with the power of their climax. He smiled, wiping the single tear that rolled down her cheek.

Karen smiled, not wanting to let him go. “I never thought I’d ever experience anything so wonderful, so completely fulfilling.” She felt his power flow through her. “It goes so far beyond the physical bond.”

He kissed her lightly. “We’re soul mates now, in the truest sense of the word. You’ve given me your power, your self.” He grinned. “I didn’t think you were supposed to cry, though.”

She smiled, lightly slapping his chest. “Stop it. I’ve never felt anything like this before. I can
feel
your power in me.”

He held her, laying her head on his chest. “All I want is to hold you, to love you forever.” His gaze drifted toward the ceiling. “But there’s one more obstacle to overcome, and I don’t know if you’ll want me then.”

“What’s left besides dealing with Bradford and his people?”

“You’ll see at sunset.” He stood, pulling her to her feet. “Troyington will be back to taunt us some more. You don’t want him finding you like that.”

“Just one more kiss,” she said.

He bent his head to hers, stopping just above her lips so his breath warmed them. She closed the space between them, drawing a sharp breath when her body brushed his. Randall ran his hands across her breasts, making her body respond faster than it had before. “Do you know what you do to me?”

She smiled and glanced down. He was ready to go again. “I have a pretty good idea.”

“I wish we had more time,” he said, pulling her close. “But we don’t, and we need to be ready when they return.”

She nodded and pulled on her clothes, wondering what would happen when the sun went down.

****

They sat on the floor, leaning against the wall. Randall said nothing, just held her, occasionally placing small kisses on her forehead. Fear still filled his eyes. If only he’d tell her what the problem was, she could help. She’d understand.

The lock clicked, shooting them to their feet. The door swung wide, and Troyington and his men entered.

“It’s almost sunset,” Troyington said, looking at his watch.

Randall glared at him, hate blazing from his eyes. “You think I don’t know that?”

Troyington walked over to Karen, his nose wrinkling. “You reek of fairy magic, and now we have the underlying scent of sex. What was it like, mating with an animal?”

Karen pulled herself up to her full height. “I don’t know. You never had a chance to touch me.”

He laughed, making her take a step back. “Very good. I wouldn’t have expected anything less from you.” He turned to Randall. “I wish I could be here when the sun sets, but I have things to do, and I’m done wasting my time with you.”

Randall just stared at him, a scowl darkening his face. Karen watched his hands ball and knew what he was thinking. His power burned hot inside her, making her own flare in response. Cray moved to strike him, and Randall’s arm shot out with a speed she’d never seen, forcing the other man’s arm down. “Don’t even think about it,” he growled, his voice deep, rich, and full of anger.

Troyington and his men stepped back into the hall. “You two have a good night.”

After the door was locked again, Karen started to walk to Randall but stopped short when he threw his hand up. “Stay back. The sun is setting.” He pulled off his clothes, throwing them in the corner.

He turned his back to her. Her eyes widened as she watched two large lumps grow on each shoulder blade, and one form at the base of his spine. Two huge dragon-like wings burst from his back, fanning to either side of him, glistening from their nightly birth. A thick, leathery tail stretched from his spine to grow and lay behind him on the floor. Karen backed up, watching the appendage flip around in agitation.