Skin Deep (21 page)

“What was it?” Kiera asked softly.

“Their souls had been united by the claiming, which bound their life forces as well. If one of them died, the other would, too. Instead of sitting by his
feorh’s
bedside and living out the last days of his life with her, he had gone out and found someone to break the bond.” He remembered it like it was yesterday, when he’d looked at his dad and realized the man was different. His skin was eerily pale and he’d lost weight. He was a shell of the man he’d been.

That’s when his father had told him the truth, that he’d broken the bond of their souls because he wanted to live. He wanted to find his life when this was all over.

“My mom and Aurora couldn’t even talk anymore. Their minds were gone, eaten away by the disease.” The brush of Kiera’s fingertips against his arm soothed the bitter rage he’d held inside for so long. “Instead of searching for someone to help them, he’d been searching for someone to help
him.
Fucking selfish piece of shit.”

“Did he leave?”

“I wouldn’t let him.” Hot tears burned against the back of Cain’s eyelids.
What’s this? I’m a fucking baby now, too?
“I chained him in the room. I made him …” He bit down on his cheeks. Never had he relived this story, never had he told a soul what he’d done. “I made him watch them die.” He remembered the hatred in his father’s face each day after he’d bound him.

“Less than two months later, they went. On the same day. Aurora first, in the morning, and then my mother a few hours later. I buried them alone, out there in the back of the field, next to where we’d buried my sisters over a year before.”

“Alone? Your father didn’t stay?” Kiera’s words were filled with empathy, but he didn’t look at her, just stared at the crackling of the fire.

“I went back in after I buried them. He was still tied to the wall. He asked me to let him go, to free him. And I did.” Sour rage had burned through Cain as he’d looked at his father, the man who had forced him to care for his family alone. He had stared at the callous man who had wanted to leave his wife and child to wither away.

“And he just left?”

“I cut the chains from his body … only after I’d cut off his head.” Cain still didn’t meet her eyes, but stared into the fire, the flames much like the ones he’d watched lick away at the small home he’d grown up in.

Kiera’s lithe body climbed into his lap, straddling him. She wrapped her arms his neck and rubbed her face against his cheek. “You are so strong.”

Her words shocked him to the core.

I tell her I love her and she runs. I tell her I committed patricide and she climbs into my lap?

“I killed him, Kiera.” He’d left his village and never returned. He’d lived as his beast after that, for some fifty years or more, only living and breathing the basest of needs. When he rejoined society he became a member of the Eternal Forces, which gave his life purpose for the first time in over half a century.

“I don’t blame you.”

Cain sank his hands into her thick tresses and pulled her back so he could stare into her eyes. “I don’t think you were listening.”

“I was. I heard you. Is that why you told me this, so I would hate you?” Her golden eyes were glassy, as if she’d been holding back tears.

For me?
He could only manage a tight nod of his head.

“Cain, I …” She let her words trail off as she reached her hand forward, brushing it across his cheeks, sending a tingling sensation across his skin. “. . . I want you.” The words slipped between her lips like caramel, sending a wave of lust straight to his cock. She dropped her hand from his cheek and let it fall to the edge of the black negligee she wore.
When did she change?

His temperature sky-rocketed as his eyes feasted on her large breasts, barely contained under the lacy fabric.

“But I thought—”

“I can’t promise you anything, Cain. I ran because I was scared … but I can promise you tonight. Can that be enough?” The desire that burned in her eyes overshadowed all other emotions.

“For now. It’s enough for now.” His body vibrated with life, his heartbeat speeding with anticipation. A look of sadness passed across her face, nearly choking him before she hid it. “What is it, baby?”

“Shhh.” She shushed him as she leaned forward, brushing her lips against his and tangling her fingers in his hair. He leaned into her, trying to take control of her mouth with his, but she pulled back, skimming kisses along his jaw that had his cock pulsing inside his pants.

He ran his hands up her thighs as she rocked her hips against him, a throaty moan escaping her lips.

“I can feel you … throbbing,” she moaned as she reached between them, tugging his shirt upward. He released her stocking-clad thighs and tore the useless material in half, revealing his bare chest.

“I love it when you do stuff like that.” With greedy eyes she stared at his chest. She leaned in, letting her hair fall forward in a thick wave of lush curls. The second he felt her hot breath against his chest, his body tensed, ready to flip her over and take control.

“No,” she said. Her gaze had a dominating quality he’d never seen in her before. “I want to do this. You will let me.” She didn’t wait for his response, but dipped her head forward and brushed her lips against the skin above his nipple.

He tried to hold back the groan that rumbled in his chest, but was helpless against her touch. She dipped her head farther, circling his nipple before sucking it into her mouth.

“Fuck, Kiera.” He groaned as he wrapped his hands around her hips and thrust against her, hating the barrier of their clothes. The nip of her teeth had him tightening his grip and snarling. The beast in him paced back and forth, demanding he rip her clothes and enter her body in a swift, hard thrust.

She had tamed his beast in the last few days, kept him calmer than he’d ever been. But with her ability to tame him came the ability to rattle him into a ferocious frenzy, making him vicious and ready to lay claim to what he wanted. The bite of her nails against his other pec while her teeth bit harder into his nipple had him gripping her arms in warning.

“If you keep doing that, I won’t be able to let you stay in control.” He flicked his eyes up and down her tight body. The black satin of her negligee hugged her curves, displaying her like a package he had long waited to open.

It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since you last had her orgasming in your mouth. Chill the fuck out.

“The animal in me yearns for control,” he snapped, with unintended ferocity. The deep breaths he sucked in weren’t helping, only making him more aware of her light tropical scent.

She didn’t say anything as she met his eyes and reached behind her. He heard a soft click and watched with rapture as the lacy material slid down her belly, baring her large breasts. His eyes fell to them, riveted by how dark her flesh was compared to the light pink of her nipples.

He let his gaze travel lower until it rested on the terrible scars that marred her stomach and the bottom of her left breast. Every time he looked at the jagged marks, he had to rein in his beast before he went fucking nuts, desperate to tear someone apart. Who would have the nerve to hurt this beautiful woman? He still hadn’t asked her about it, not since the night she’d first come to the house, but he wanted to. Her hands fluttered to the area, blocking his view of the scars.

A snarl left his lips. “Don’t
ever
hide from me.” He shoved his hands beneath her ass and lifted her body until her belly was right in front of his face.

She let out a squeal of panic, her hands grabbing his head, exposing her blemished skin. “Cain, what are you—” Her words were cut off when he brushed his lips against the scar on the bottom of her breast. She’d tried to hide them from him over the last two days, and he’d let her. Not wanting to push the subject, he’d skimmed over them each time he’d kissed her body, but now he couldn’t, not after what he’d just shared with her.

She accepted him, in spite of the horrible things he’d done. He flicked his tongue over the jagged heap of scars right above her rib cage. There were more than twenty of those awful marks.
How did she survive this?
Pride swelled in him. Only a person of strength could live through something of this magnitude. He just hated that he hadn’t been there to stop it.

After he’d kissed each one, he set her back into his lap. “These scars are a part of you and I love you. All of you,
even
your scars. What you might consider a flaw … I consider beautiful.”

The words floated out of him without consent, but he didn’t regret them as he looked into her beautiful face, all tan skin and soft angles. He felt the deepest contentment he’d ever known.

He didn’t miss the tears that spilled onto her cheeks as she thrust her mouth against his, melding their bodies together. She pushed her tongue past his lips. He met her fervor, feeling ravaged with a need to claim her for his own. Her nails bit into the skin of his shoulders, pushing him over the edge. He picked her up and flipped her over, pinning her back to the couch.

Cain broke the connection of their lips so he could sit back and stare down at her beautiful body. He pulled the soft silk of her nightie off slowly, letting it glide down and whisper softly against her skin.

With a growl, he leaned forward and ran his lips across her neck. She moaned in ecstasy. The sound sent ripples of pleasure straight to his cock. He let his mouth trail to the sensitive flesh of her shoulder. The skin there was smooth and without a blemish. His teeth sharpened in his mouth, feeling its warmth against them, begging him to mark her body and lay claim to her so no other man would dare come near her.

“Need to mark you,” he snarled into her shoulder. Her body tensed beneath his, making the beast in him roar in anger.
She doesn’t fucking want you.

“Need you inside me,” she moaned.

“You do?” Before, she hadn’t wanted anything to do with sex and he had let it go, happy to be with her in other ways that proved to be more fun than any sex he’d had in his life. But to make love to this beautiful woman had become something he thought would remain only a dream.

“Yes!” She writhed wantonly against him. His cock pulsed painfully, threatening to burst from his pants while the beast in him roared to claim her, to mark her body.

“Are you sure?” He found himself biting the words out as he tore at the button on his pants. Never had he asked a woman twice, but Kiera was different. He couldn’t just drive into her without a second thought. This meant something to him. It was so much more than just sex. Memories of the way he had taken her to the back of the bar assailed him, filling him with regret.

She sighed when his cock was free and resting between them, pulsing against the flesh of her thigh and reaching up to her stomach. She snaked her hand between their bodies and gripped him, nearly making him lose control.

“God,” she moaned as her gaze met his, “I’ve never wanted anything more in my life.”

Cain thought he would drown in the deep pools of her golden irises as he pulled his hips back, separating her warmth from his. He stopped, lost in the moment, hanging in disbelief that she would finally be his, not only in body, but in soul, too. In a swift thrust, he buried himself to the hilt in her damp heat. A soft cry escaped her lips and he pulled his head back to see her batting away tears.

He’d forgotten to ease his way in.
“She’s been hurt before.”

Dammit.

“Fuck, Kiera. We can stop. I can—” His voice was hardly recognizable. The animal in him wouldn’t let him finish the sentence, refused to give her up when he’d only gotten a taste.

“No, don’t stop.” She arched her back as if she was trying to take more of him.

“I didn’t hurt you? You’re sure?” His beast snarled, clearly wanting him to shut the fuck up. She shook her head and moved against him. Slowly he withdrew his length, marveling at the tightness of her pussy gripping his shaft. He had to bite the inside of his mouth to keep from shoving into her like a madman and fucking her lithe body into the next century.

“More, Cain, more.” She gasped after he thrust into her slowly. The threadbare clasp he had on his control broke as he jerked his hips back and drove into her, slamming her back against the smooth leather of the couch. She clung tightly to his head, her hands buried in his hair, as he pounded into her. She met his thrusts with her own, her head thrown back in rapture.

The perky globes of her breasts bounced, mesmerizing him as he gazed at her perfect form.
Olympus.
He had to be there. That’s what she felt like beneath his hands. Never had he wanted anyone so badly in his life.

“Cain. Oh my gosh. I-I’m—” Her words were cut off by a desperate scream as her tight sheath spasmed around his engorged cock. A look of utter bliss passed across her features as her hands slipped down to his neck, where her nails bit into his skin.

He pumped faster, frantic to make her pleasure last even longer. He could feel his orgasm building. He let his hips move as freely as a piston as he pumped into her with utter possession. Two thrusts later he reached his climax. It shot up his spine like lightning as he pinned her body harder against the brown leather. He clung to her, panting, reveling in a euphoric state he’d never before experienced.
Fucking amazing.

He pulled back, wanting to look into her eyes, to say something. Her gaze met his and he was surprised to find tears sliding down her smooth cheeks.

“What is it, baby? Did I hurt you?” The pain in her eyes tore at his heart.

She shook her head as the tears continued to flow. “I love you.” She whispered the words he longed to hear and … disappeared.

In one moment, she was there, staring up at him with pain-filled eyes. In the next, she was gone.

Kiera breathed in deep gulps of the cold night air as she ran through the city. The only warmth on her body was from the tears that flowed freely down her cheeks. Even those were quickly chilled by the night air, feeling like drops of ice against her skin.

Hurry, he’ll catch you.

She pushed the thought from her mind and ran faster. It was late and she didn’t see many people out, but the ones she did see, she shied away from. No one gave any notice to her presence.

Good. Maybe the spell is still working.

Bettina had promised her one hour. One hour before the invisibility spell stopped working and the world could see her again. Her
real
body, that is. She hadn’t planned to do it. Never had it crossed her mind that she would give up the one thing she’d wanted more than anything in the world, but as Cain had sat before her and spoke the words …

“I love you.”
She had been floored, lost, terrified, and utterly in love with him, too.

The look in his eyes said it was real, that he meant what he was saying. The words had scared her, made her desperate to get away from him.
How could he do this and foil my plan to end things?
It wasn’t his fault, though. She knew it wasn’t. Especially after she got into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror, at the perfectly shaped body she had always wanted. She’d realized she couldn’t just walk away from Cain, not without experiencing his passion and love to the fullest. Her body would return to the form she hated, but that was okay. Her thin body could never supply her the happiness Cain had given her.

She had to give him everything. She knew she would regret it if she didn’t. It was such a strange feeling, staring into the glass at her slim hips and realizing there was something more she wanted besides this body. She wanted Cain and one time would have to be enough.

That’s when she’d called Bettina and had her do the spell. She’d spoken her name and the Gypsy appeared in the bathroom instantly. Just like before. Bettina looked skeptical, but had reluctantly agreed.
Only because you have true beauty, Kiera Lynn.
The words slithered their way through Kiera’s mind.
“Once the spell is lifted, you can never call upon me again.”
Whatever that meant. She wouldn’t need her once the spell was gone anyway.

The tears pouring down her face had nothing to do with the loss of her body, but everything to do with Cain. She took a deep breath. Her legs carried her over the cold sidewalk. She was only a few blocks from home. She hadn’t really considered a plan, just decided to pack some things and catch a plane to somewhere. She’d done it once; she could do it again.

Darla and Maryline popped into her head. She hated to leave without seeing them, but they would understand. She would see them again at some point.

The dim lights on the corner of her loft apartment came into view. She had never been so happy to see that damn building in all her life. The jog was killing her, not to mention the cold and her lack of clothing.
Bettina better have left the key in the flowerbed like she promised.

She had just come around the back of the building when a hand grabbed her arm, shocking her into a scream.
But I’m supposed to be invisible.
She jerked away and turned, trying to get a glimpse of the person.

But the aggressor was stronger and pulled her backward against their chest before shoving a damp white cloth against her face. A harsh scent overwhelmed her as she pushed against the hand on her face. Her head swam as she fought, her arms feeling heavy to the point they were hard to lift and fell to her sides like thick hunks of lifeless meat. The last thing she remembered before letting the deep sleep take her was the feeling of a feminine body pressing against her back.

Kiera tried to open her eyes.
Where am I?
Her memories assailed her and she forced her eyes to open. An unknown wooden ceiling met her gaze. The rotting wood danced before her eyes as she tried to focus. A wave of nausea shook her insides.

She took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of damp earth and mold, which pushed her nauseous state over the edge. She vomited onto the floor.

“I see you’ve settled in.” The voice that met her ears had her head snapping around in alarm.

A woman stood only feet away from where Kiera lay. She was on the other side of black bars that stretched from ceiling to floor, wall to wall.
I’m in a cell? What the hell?

“You’re an awfully hard woman to find, you know that?”

Kiera’s eyes narrowed in on the woman, taking in her short rocker-style black hair and tan complexion.

“But you’re
her
. The one. I know you are.”

“I’m who?” Kiera tried to get up, but her body felt like it weighed a million pounds. She made a quick glance and realized she was naked—and more than that, she was gazing down at her body. Her
real
body. She touched her hand against her stomach that was far from flat. Back to its rounded, disgusting state.

The woman giggled. “Sorry, I got a little carried away with the chloroform. Hope there’s no hard feelings, since we’re gonna be sisters and all?”

“Sisters?” Kiera rubbed a hand over her eyes, hoping to stop the horrible pounding that had begun in her head.

A loud sound rattled the floorboards above them.

“Oooh, he’s here.” The woman winked at Kiera and turned away, but not before Kiera saw the solid sleeve of tattoos that covered one of her arms.

“See ya,” she called over her shoulder with a giggle.

“Wait! No, wait, don’t leave. Let me out of here!” But the woman didn’t return. Instead, Keira’s voice was met with a furious roar before the sound of feet pounding down the stairs assailed her ears. She stumbled backward, tripping over the dirt-covered floor. Her back met a wall.

“It’s really you.” The words sent a shiver of terror down her spine as nausea threatened to make her throw up again. A large form came into view, stopping just short of the lamplight. The hulking body was shrouded in shadows. Her heart beat a million miles per second as she heard the jangle of keys, then the click of a lock.

The door swung open and the person walked in slowly, the shadows revealing a pair of Nike shoes, dark blue jeans, a tight blue polo shirt, and then finally his face.
“This is only the beginning of the things I’ll do to you.”
Horrific memories slammed into her as she stared into the dark brown eyes she never thought she would see again.

“No.” The word was a strangled cry on her lips as she shrank against the wall, not wanting to look at the man who’d tried to kill her.

“Yes, baby. Haven’t you missed me?” Roth’s words were calm, the way he spoke to her so reminiscent of the times when he had been sorry for pushing or hitting her. “Baby?” The word was like venom on his tongue and blistered her ears. “Look at me.” His tone became more commanding and even though she didn’t want to, she found her gaze snapping up to meet his.

A huge scar covered the left side of his face, surrounding his eye. The destroyed flesh was lighter than the rest of his skin, seeming to take up half of his forehead. His blond hair was shorter than she remembered. Barely a buzz cut. His face had the stubble of several days’ growth. He ran a twitching hand over his head and Kiera followed the movement with her eyes.

“You died.” His brown eyes focused on her, as if he was a hawk watching her every move.

“Yes. I died. But I came back for you.” The words had her stomach clenching.
This isn’t possible.

“The policeman that night. He shot me.” Roth’s face contorted as he said the words, his hands gripping a box she hadn’t noticed him holding. “Here.” His finger tapped his forehead. “They thought they had me. They thought they’d stopped me, that I could never come back. But here I am in the flesh … and I’ve been searching for you, baby.” He took a step closer, his hand reaching for her face. She flinched.

“What’s the matter, honey? Aren’t you happy to see me again?” His fingers brushed her cheek, sending waves of revulsion skittering across her body. “I’m better now. Better than I ever was. Stronger, too. And now we can be together.” He leaned in, putting his face right before hers.

Kiera stared at her bare feet.
This is a dream. I’ll wake up. I’ll wake up. Please wake up.
She repeated the words in her mind. She’d had dreams like this before—not exactly like this, but dreams where he was there, and she always woke up.
Always.

“Look at me!” Roth yelled only inches from her face, his snarl sounding less human and more like the demon who’d almost killed her. Spittle flung from his mouth and onto her face. “I’ve searched for you for years!” His voice broke on the last word, filled with an emotion she didn’t recognize. “Every day, you were all I could think about. I had to find you.” He leaned his forehead against hers. Everything in her screamed to pull away from his touch, but she didn’t.
I will wake up.

“I remember the pain from when they shot me. Do you remember that night, before it happened?” His left eyebrow twitched continuously.

She shook her head, unable to speak. She recalled enough, but it wasn’t the pain she remembered most. When she’d thought of pain as a child, she’d always assumed it was something that would be mind-blowing and terrifying. The pain of dying was what she had feared. But it was the numbness that came after he had stabbed her that was most prevalent in her mind. She’d fought back, but after several plunges of the blade her arms became heavy. That’s when the terrible coldness set in and she’d watched him through glassy eyes as he sunk the knife into her flesh, helpless to do anything but watch him murder her.

“The knife was in my hand. Red. It was so red, Kiera. And it was everywhere. All over us. We were bathing in blood, you and me. It was beautiful.” His eyes turned dreamy. “How can you not remember?” he shouted and she whimpered, shrinking back from him. He took a deep breath, as if trying to calm himself.

“I woke up in a bed I didn’t recognize, with Violet by my side. She took me in and told me about who I am, who my father was.” Roth whispered absently as he trailed a finger up her arm. “I’m everything you’ve ever wanted now, Kiera. I wanted to find you that first day, but they wouldn’t let me. The Family trained me, since I was destined to become their leader.”

Startling realization hit her as his words permeated her brain.

“The Amari,” she whispered back.

“Yes, the Amari. Once I was trained, they let me come for you, to make you my wife. But you were gone. I couldn’t find you,” he bit the words off as if they were sour in his mouth. “I have had the whole fucking Family searching.”

He leaned back, his eyes scanning Kiera’s face with an intensity that made her want to squirm. “Every woman they found was beautiful, each in her own way … but not one of them were you.”

He picked up a lock of hair from her shoulder.

“No one’s hair was the true color of yours. None curled like this.” He let the curl drop. “I thought I could pretend with them, bide my time until I found you, but I couldn’t. They were all a reminder of what I didn’t have.
You.
” He leaned in and mashed his lips against hers.

Kiera shook her head and pushed against his body with her hands.

“What the fuck?” Roth took a step back and let his gaze roam over her, his eyes darting back and forth like a crazy person’s. “Don’t you see what I’ve done to be with you?”

“Don’t touch me!” Kiera found herself screaming as she inched away from him. A vicious look enveloped his face as he stared at her, his chocolate-brown eyes becoming black.

“Do you realize how many people I’ve killed to find you?”

Kiera’s head swam as terror coursed through her body.

“And how many of these fucking things I’ve bought. I special ordered them. Your favorites, but they always went bad. Why couldn’t you have liked the ones that cost a dollar and never expired?” He held up the box in his hand, opening it to reveal the chocolates. She stared at them, disgusted.

“I never liked those. You did, Roth. You never asked me what I liked.” Kiera didn’t know where her sudden balls came from, but she didn’t regret her words. “You didn’t care about me. You tried to kill me …” She let her words trail off as a bitter look of loathing came over his face.

“You wanted to fuck that waiter at the restaurant, you fucking bitch. You deserved your punishment!” One stride placed him directly in front of her again. “None of that fucking matters now, though. You’re mine and you always have been.” He leaned in, breathing deeply at her throat. When he pulled back, a look of ecstasy overwhelmed his features. “And I’m willing to forgive you for what you did.” Horror gripped Kiera as he traced a finger around her nipple.

“I’ve wanted you for so long and now you’re here.” He pressed his body against hers, thrusting his erection against her bare hip. Spiraling anxiety twisted through Kiera, ravaging her insides and making it hard for her to breathe. “But I can wait longer.”

Kiera couldn’t deny her sudden relief.