Touch of Temptation (27 page)

“Get the hell out of here!” Kellan shouted at her. “Start running, now!”

“N
O,” SHE WHISPERED,
knowing she should be terrified. And yet, it wasn’t thoughts of her own safety that filled her head. Instead, all she could think about was the fact that Kellan had been willing to give his life for hers. That he’d left her that night to track down Gregory on his own.

“Christ, Chloe.” His deep voice was ravaged with fear, his eyes burning with preternatural fire as he stared down at her.
“Please, run.”

“And leave you?” She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that.”

“You
can
do it. The Merrick’s power will make you fast, honey. Just run,” he pleaded in a hoarse rasp. “Do
not
let him get close to you.”

“I’m staying here.” It wasn’t easy, but she managed to tear her gaze from Kellan’s and moved to stand in front
of him, while focusing her concentration inward. She could feel something building within her, and it wasn’t the Merrick, the primal creature already taking up space within her body. No…this was an unknown force, and yet, it felt strangely familiar. It thrummed with promise and power, and with a deep breath, Chloe surrendered…giving herself over to it, frightened, but willing to do whatever it took to keep Kellan and the others alive.

“Holy shit,” Aiden muttered, his deep voice thick with awe. “Look at her.”

She heard Kellan whisper her name at her back as she lifted her hands toward the Casus. Chloe didn’t understand what was happening, but her hands were suddenly…
glowing
, her skin shimmering as if a great, blinding light was burning within her.

“Do you feel that?” Gabby whispered, lifting her face to the air as a shocking wave of warmth swept through the clearing, chasing away the cold.

“What is it?” Chloe asked her, while a rush of noise filled her ears, as if she was standing beneath the jet engine of an airplane. The trees thrashed even harder, their leaves torn from the branches as that surreal wave of warmth grew stronger…the breeze more violent. Chloe knew the others were shouting, but their raised voices were drowned out by the sound of the wind, and with a sharp jolt of shock, she realized the powerful blast of air was coming from her—from her hands!

Panic swept through her, keeping company with the fear, and then, in the midst of the chaos, Gabby Reyker’s voice reached out to her. “It’s going to be okay. Everything you need is here.”

Clenching her teeth, Chloe watched as the Casus struggled against the powerful force of the wind, fighting
to reach her. “I don’t know what to do!” she screamed, her skin glowing so bright that it hurt her eyes.

“You have the means inside you, but your Mallory powers are still weak,” Gabby whispered within her mind. “You can find the catalyst you need inside the wolf’s heart.”

“Damn it, I don’t understand!”

“Look inside him!” Gabby instructed her, the vampire’s voice becoming strong and firm. “It’s there. What you need, it’s burning within him.”

The witch’s hair whipped around her frail body as she continued to hold the others in place, the Casus still fighting to make his way toward her, and Chloe knew she had to do something. With her arms still stretched out before her, she closed her eyes and tried to follow Gabby’s instructions. She tuned everything else out, and thought of nothing but Kellan. About how much she loved him. About the stunning fact that he’d been willing to give his life for hers…and suddenly she understood what the vampire had meant. She could literally
feel
the powerful emotions burning inside him, molten and pure, and her pulse roared as she basked in their warmth, somehow soaking them into her system, until they were rushing through her veins and her thundering heart.

As Chloe lifted her lashes, she could see that she was glowing brighter, the fiery light that was shining inside her now burning in her fingertips as she narrowed her gaze on the Casus, who was clearly using everything he had to battle against the hot, hurricane-force winds rushing against him.

It’s your Mallory powers
, the Merrick told her, adding its strength to the blast.
They’re channeling the Lycan’s emotions into the fuel they need.

Her Mallory powers? Oh, God…was the curse truly coming to an end? If so, it explained so many things—like the way she’d been able to interact so easily with Kellan’s friends, without throwing the group’s emotions completely out of balance. But then, it also meant Kellan’s desire for her had been real, which seemed too good to be true. Could it honestly be over?

You bet your ass it is
, the Merrick shouted, sounding as if it was actually enjoying itself.

Looking over her shoulder, Chloe stared up into Kellan’s gorgeous face, wishing she could tell him how she felt, but she knew he couldn’t hear the hoarse words spilling from her lips, the deafening sound of the wind drowning her out.

She could see that he was using every ounce of strength he possessed to fight against the witch’s hold, determined to protect her. Blood trickled from the corner of his left eye like a crimson tear, more blood streaming from his nose, his veins raised beneath his skin as his muscles bulged, while his eyes burned with furious intent. “I’m not going to lose you!” he growled, his guttural words echoing through her mind, the same as Gabby’s had, almost as if Chloe could hear whoever she focused her attention on, which was more than a little unusual. But considering she was glowing with light and had a windstorm coming out of her hands, it wasn’t as if something “unusual” should have come as a shock.

“I’m not letting him take you from me, Chloe. Not when I’ve finally found you,” Kellan snarled, and as she watched, his body began to change into his
were
form. His bones began to pop and crack, his body gaining inches in muscle and height, his clothes shredding as his skin darkened and auburn fur spread over his changing
physique. He was breathtaking and massive, so much bigger than an actual wolf, with fur and fangs and a muzzled face, but a body that still retained shades of the man in the powerful arms and legs.

Chloe stared, more than a little amazed by the primal, predatory beauty of his beast. He looked as if he could tear mountains apart with his bare hands, his glowing green eyes burning with visceral rage…and on the other side of the clearing, Sienna cried out in pain.

Tearing her gaze from Kellan, Chloe looked toward the witch, who was screaming, “Gregory, hurry! I don’t think I can hold him any longer! He’s too strong!”

“You have to!” the Casus roared as he fought to take a step forward, struggling to work against the fiery wind blasting from Chloe’s hands. “Don’t let him go until I’ve got her!”

“Never!” Kellan snarled, and suddenly one claw-tipped arm was wrapping around Chloe from behind, pulling her tight against the scorching heat of his chest. As if his touch was the thing she’d needed to fully charge her Mallory powers, she shuddered with an electrifying jolt, suddenly feeling as if she could blast Gregory to hell and back. But just as she was opening her mouth to warn Kellan and the others to brace themselves, he set her aside and charged across the clearing, tackling Gregory to the ground. They skidded across the snow-covered clearing, disappearing into the edge of the trees. Their graveled snarls filled the air, and Chloe lowered her hands, fear twisting her insides as she stared into the shadowed woods. She started to head toward the trees, when Kierland, who was still locked in place by Sienna’s power, roared for her to stay back. The primal, savage sounds of the battle continued, and then Gregory
came crawling into the clearing, and it was clear from the Casus’s bloodied form as he struggled to get to his feet that the Lycan was winning the fight. With his claws dripping red at his sides, Kellan stalked from the trees, his bright eyes burning with determination as he headed toward the Casus, and Chloe had never seen anything so mesmerizing in her entire life.

“Get up, you bastard.” The snarled words were garbled within the muzzled shape of Kellan’s mouth, but Chloe could still understand what he’d said. The Casus curled his lip over his jagged fangs and finally staggered to his feet, only to drop down on a knee as Kellan stalked closer. The Lycan raised one powerful arm, the moonlight glinting against his deadly claws as he prepared to deal the deathblow, when the ground began to shake with a violent, roaring tremor. Gregory’s ice-blue eyes went wide with panic, and he lurched to his feet…trying to run, but his body seemed frozen in place as a thick, black smoke billowed up from the ground beneath him, encircling him as it wrapped around his legs.

“What’s happening?” Chloe yelled, watching as several hideous-looking black claws materialized out of the smoke, sinking into Gregory’s leathery flesh, stark cries of pain ripping from his chest as the claws sank deep into his body.

“He’s dying, and the Casus shades are trying to pull him back into Meridian before the witch can save him again,” Gabby shouted. “Kellan, you need to be careful! Move back!”

He growled, starting to step back, but Gregory reached forward with his long arms and grabbed one of Kellan’s wrists. Chloe started screaming, terrified that the Casus would drag Kellan into the ring of smoke with
him. While the Lycan ripped his claws across Gregory’s arm, fighting to break free, the heat in Chloe’s body intensified to a molten, pulsing fire, a breathtaking wave of power building inside her, climbing higher…and higher, until she suddenly lifted her hands again, flexing her fingers toward the Casus. And this time, instead of a powerful wind, she blasted him with white, blinding beams of light. They were like some kind of supernatural laser that scorched his leathery flesh, the power of the beams knocking him away from Kellan and deeper into the smoke, the claws now ripping into his chest.

“Sienna, help me!” the Casus screamed, reaching toward the golden-haired witch, but she shook her head, taking a step back…and then another.

“You can’t help me now,” she said flatly, her gaunt face devoid of emotion. “I’ll have to find another.” Then, in a flash of light, she vanished.

“You bitch!” Gregory roared, while the black claws pulled him deeper into the smoke, digging into his leathery skin.

“Tell your buddies in the pit we’re coming for them,” Kierland growled, and as he stepped forward, Chloe realized the witch’s hold on the others was now gone.

“This isn’t over,” the Casus sneered, locking his hate-filled gaze with hers.

“You’re wrong. It ends now,” Chloe told him, and in the next instant her power shot out in an explosive, shocking blast of light that knocked everyone to the ground, her own body thrown back nearly twenty feet, until she slammed painfully into a tree. As she struggled to lift her head, she saw that Gregory had vanished, nothing left but a scorched, smoking ring of fire that circled the place where he’d stood. With a shuddering
breath, she managed to shift her gaze toward Kellan, who was already running toward her, but her eyes slid closed…and then there was nothing but the darkness, as soothing and calm as a tropical breeze wrapping around her….

As if listening through a thick veil of fog, she could hear a raw sound tear from Kellan’s throat as he clutched her body against his chest, her head lolling back over his arm. “No! This isn’t… Damn it, she’s not supposed to die!” His hoarse, broken words were little more than a ravaged scrape of sound. “I’m the one meant to die. Not her!”

“She isn’t dying,” Gabby murmured, her voice so close that Chloe realized the vampire must be kneeling on the ground beside her. Gabby’s cold hand touched her cheek, and she said, “It’s just going to take her body a few days to recoup from the strain. That was a helluva jolt of power she experienced. It would have shocked anyone’s system.”

“Where did it come from?” he croaked, sounding as if he was crying.

“It was her Mallory powers. Either the curse was ending on its own, or her determination to save you burned it out of her. Whatever the answer, you’re a lucky man, Kellan Scott. To create the kind of power she just did, she must love you more than her own life. And Lycan, a love like that never dies.”

Kellan shuddered, a low groan vibrating through his body as he crushed Chloe against the heavy beat of his heart, and though she wanted to comfort him…to tell him she was okay, the darkness pulled her deeper…and she drifted away…the calming waves rolling over her head, taking her under….

Harrow House, England
Monday night

I
F THERE WAS ONE THING
on earth that couldn’t be done, it was separating a Lycan from the woman he loved. Though the others had continuously pestered him to get some sleep and let one of them sit with Chloe for a while, Kellan refused to leave her bedside. They’d arrived back at Harrow House late the previous night…and while Olivia and Saige had been ecstatic to have their men back at home, they were all sick over Jamison. After months of conflict, the war had finally taken its toll on their group, and no one could quite believe that the young archaeologist was gone. They’d known it would only be a matter of time before they suffered casualties, but it didn’t make Jamison’s loss any easier to accept.

And Kellan could only thank God that he hadn’t lost Chloe.

After she’d lost consciousness in the clearing, Kellan had carried her back to the Sabin compound and placed her on the bed in his room. The next morning, when Kierland had come to check on how she was doing, he’d shocked the hell out of Kellan with a bone-crushing hug, his brother’s deep voice hoarse with emotion as he’d said,
“I meant to give you one of those before, but I was too pissed at you for scaring the hell out of me.”

A crooked grin had touched the corner of Kellan’s mouth. “And now?”

“Still pissed,” Kierland had replied with a gritty laugh, “but happy as hell that you’re alive.”

The group had set off for England later that morning, thanking Juliana Sabin for her help and promising to send her some much-needed supplies, then had parted ways with the Grangers once they’d made it out of the Wasteland. Just before they’d arrived back at Harrow House, Morgan had said, “Just to let you know, if you ever pull a stunt like this again, Kell, there’s a good chance that I’ll kill you myself.”

Aiden and Quinn had seconded the playful threat, and Kellan had hugged Chloe closer to his chest as he said, “Don’t worry. I plan on keeping myself in one piece from here on out.”

Though the little witch had yet to regain consciousness for any significant amount of time, she would open her eyes every now and then, giving him a tired smile before softly drifting back to sleep, her body slowly recovering from the extreme exertion of the attack she’d waged against Gregory DeKreznick. But for the past five hours, she’d been waking up more frequently, and Kellan was hopeful that it wouldn’t be long now before she had fully recovered. And in the meantime, he was enjoying their brief conversations. Just a few hours ago, she’d opened her eyes and looked around his bedroom as she’d asked, “Where am I?”

“You’re in my room at Harrow House, honey.”

“Sweet,” she’d murmured, her eyes already drift
ing closed as he’d pressed a smile into the palm of her hand.

She’d woken up a few more times since then, and each time she’d asked a question that Kellan had done his best to answer. So far, he’d explained that they were still waiting to pick up the tracking signal for Spark, which meant that the assassin was most likely still in the Wasteland. He’d also told her that they’d heard from Garrick, and the soldier had managed to get Raine’s family safely to the Watchmen compound in Rome. She’d even asked about the death journal that they’d taken from Spark, and he’d told her that Kierland was trying to find someone who could decipher the passages that had been written in that strange, archaic language.

But each time they talked, Chloe would drift back to sleep, and Kellan was currently praying that she would wake up for good, because there was so much he wanted to tell her. So many things he wanted to share with her. Hell, he was even excited about taking her downstairs and showing her around, knowing she was going to love living at Harrow House as much as he did. She might have been a loner for most of her life, but he knew that was only because of the curse. The time Chloe had spent with his friends in the Wasteland had shown him that she was hungry for contact with others, and he had no doubt that she was going to make strong friendships among the Watchmen. And of course, she’d have Olivia and Jamie there with her, her sister and niece nearly as desperate as Kellan was for her to fully regain consciousness.

Sitting in a chair that he’d pulled up close to her bedside, Kellan had just taken hold of her hand, when she lifted those long lashes again, this time revealing clear, luminous eyes that no longer held that hazy veil
of exhaustion. “You’re still here,” she whispered, her cheeks warming with a beautiful rush of color.

“I’m insulted you look so surprised,” he teased with a lopsided smile. “And just so you know, I’m never leaving.”

“Oh.” She licked her bottom lip and blinked those long, dark lashes, her provocative scent rising with the heat of her body. “You…um, look like you want to say something.”

“I’m ready to say a lot of things,” he murmured, rubbing his thumb over her delicate knuckles, her small hand shaking in his. “You ready to hear them?”

Her shallow breaths were starting to come a little faster. “I…I don’t know.”

“Too bad.” Wanting to be closer to her, Kellan sat beside her on the edge of the bed and took her precious face in his hands. “God, there’s so much I want to say to you, Chloe, but I guess I’ll start with this. What I wanted to tell you before, but couldn’t, is that you’re the
only
woman I’ll ever want. The only one I’ll ever need. And I don’t just want you
for now
, like I told you I did. I want you forever. That’s what I’ve wanted all along.”

Tears glistened in her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“Because I knew I was dying, and I didn’t want you to care about me.” He looked away, pulling a hand down his face as he blew out a rough breath. “Hell, that’s not true. And I refuse to lie to you. The truth is, I
wanted
you to care about me. I wanted it more than anything. I just…I didn’t want to make you think we had a future together, when I didn’t believe I was going to be around much longer. I thought it was all over for me, and I didn’t want you to get hurt.” He cleared his throat, and another
deep, ragged breath slipped past his lips as he locked his gaze back on hers, his voice shaking as he said, “The truth is…I’ve fallen in love with you.”

He’d expected to have an argument on his hands, thinking he would have to convince her, but she simply gave him a shy smile and whispered, “I know.”

His brows lifted. “You know?”

With a nod, she said, “I know it sounds crazy, but I…I saw into your heart when we were in the clearing. I saw exactly how you feel about me, Kell.”

“What you saw inside of me,” he rasped, his heart pounding to a deep, resonating beat as he took hold of her hand again, “it’s real, Chloe. Every ounce of it. I swear it’s as real as it gets, and it doesn’t have a damn thing to do with that bloody curse.”

“Don’t worry. I know the curse has ended, so I won’t keep throwing it in your face. But, are you sure this is what you want?” Using her free hand to push his hair back from his brow, she said, “You’re only twenty-seven, Kell. And I’ve heard it can take a Lycan years to finish sowing his oats.”

A wry smile touched the corner of his mouth. “Trust me, honey, I got an early start. Compared to you, I’m an old man.”

She bit her lip, looking away. “I just don’t want you to have any regrets.”

“Chloe, look at me.”

“I am,” she told him, bringing her gaze back to his.

Kellan moved closer, surrounding her with his heat as he leaned over her. “No, I mean really look at me.” He waited until she was staring deep into his eyes before saying, “I
love
you, Chloe Harcourt. As in till death do us part. As in my fangs in your throat, the second
you’re out of this bed, so that you’re marked.
As mine.
As something that belongs to me. Something I will kill for. Something I’m willing to die for, and I wouldn’t change anything about you. Not a single thing,” he vowed in a husky voice, his mouth suddenly kicking up with a crooked grin. “Hell, I even love it that you can kick my ass if I ever piss you off. You are one powerful little badass, sweetheart.”

She gave a soft, breathless laugh. “Only because of you.
You
were my strength.”

He gave her a quizzical smile, and she explained. “It was what I found inside of you when I looked that fully unleashed my Mallory powers. It was you, Kell. Your love was what gave me the strength to blow that jerk away.”

“Wow,” he breathed out, his throat tight with emotion. “That’s…intense.”

Her mouth curled with a wobbly grin. “I know.”

“And you finally believe the curse has nothing to do with my feelings for you?” he pressed.

“What happened in that clearing was proof that it’s over, Kell. But, even without proof, I wouldn’t have let some stupid curse keep us apart. I trust you, and I believe in you. So no matter what life throws at us, if you’re sure that you want me, I’m yours.”

“I want you, Chloe. But…” He swallowed, then forced out the bitter words, knowing they had to be said. “But there are going to be times when you’ll hear about things that I’ve done in the past. And you won’t be proud of them. It could make a difference.”

She shook her head, the look in her eyes damn near stealing his breath. “Anything I hear will only make me proud of the man you’ve become. No one is perfect,
Kellan, and I wouldn’t want you to be. So long as you can be faithful to me, we can get through everything else.”

“Trust me, sweetheart. Fidelity is never going to be a problem. When Lycans truly lose their hearts, they lose them forever.”

Softly, she said, “You know, I never gave you any reason to think I didn’t find you worthy.”

He snorted. “Yeah, well, I had plenty of reasons on my own.”

“But all that matters is the now, Kell.”

“Speaking of the now,” he said in a low voice, his pulse suddenly picking up speed, “isn’t there something you want to tell me?”

“Is there?” she asked, giving him an innocent blink.

“The others, they…uh, they think you love me.”

She smiled, but didn’t say anything, and a deep groan vibrated in his chest. “Damn it, I’m not too proud to beg,” he rasped, staring deep into her beautiful eyes. “I want your love, Chloe. I want it more than anything. And I know…I know I might be flawed as hell, that you deserve better, but damn it, I can’t let anyone else have you, because there’s no one else who’s ever going to love you the way that I do.”

Her smile trembled, her eyes flooding with tears. “Then it’s a good thing I fell madly in love with you days ago.”

Kellan’s head spun in reaction, and he had to press his forehead against hers, his breathing choppy and hard as he tried to take it all in. Despite what Gabby had told him, he’d been afraid to let himself believe that Chloe might actually love him, too. It was simply too good to
be true—and yet, he’d seen the truth shining in her eyes just now, when she’d given him the breathtaking words. It’d been there before, but he’d been too blind to see it. Too stubborn. But not anymore. “God, you have no idea how good it feels to hear you say that.”

“Why are you surprised?” she whispered, gently placing her cool hand on the hot skin at the back of his neck. “I would have thought it was pretty obvious how I feel about you.”

“You never said anything,” he grunted, fighting for control, when all he wanted was to rip the sheet away from her sweet little body…and show her just how badly he wanted her, his cock already hard and aching.

“Well, I’m saying it now. I love you, Kellan Scott. I love you so much it hurts.”

“God, that sounds sweet. Don’t stop now,” he rumbled, pulling her into his arms as he lay down beside her. “Keep it coming. I could live off this stuff. It’s like manna from heaven.”

“I love you,” she giggled, placing a playful kiss to his nose. “And I’ll keep on loving you forever,” she added, trailing her lips down the side of his throat.

Thinking of a conversation he’d had with Aiden back in December, when they’d been trying to get Olivia and Jamie to England, he said, “You know what you are? You’re my miracle, Chloe.”

She laid her cheek against the pillow and locked her bright gaze with his. “What do you mean?”

Trailing his fingers down the sensual curve of her spine, he said, “For so long, I’ve been jealous of what my friends have found, certain I could never find anything like that for myself. That I wasn’t worthy of it. And then you became a part of my life, and I swear it’s even more
amazing than I’d thought it could be.” He shook his head a little, his face hot with color, his voice dropping as he said, “So I guess…I guess I must have done something right, after all. Because there’s no way in hell a woman like you would ever end up with a loser. When you look at me, Chloe, I feel proud. For the first time in my life, I feel proud of the man I’ve become.”

“You should feel proud, Kell. What you did for me, it was amazing. But I can’t believe I almost lost you,” she whispered, sifting her fingers through his hair.

“All I can say is thank God for that antidote.”

“Will they be able to use it on Juliana’s brother?”

He shook his head. “I’m afraid not. The two strains are completely different. But when we left, Juliana was trying to convince Gabby to help her make one that might work on Micah.”

“I still can’t believe you were willing to die for me,” she told him, her eyes darkening with emotion. The possessive look on her beautiful face made him even harder, his cock practically bursting the confines of his jeans.

“I’m willing to do anything for you.” Thick, husky words that held more than a little of the wolf in them, and she shivered in reaction.

“Then take me to the nearest shower and get in there with me,” she said with a warm smile, reaching for the buttons on the front of his shirt. “Because what I want is your bite.”

Heat rose beneath his skin, what little blood had been left in his brain quickly heading south. “Are you sure?” he demanded in a gritty voice, barely able to get the words past the knot of lust in his throat.

“Oh, I’m sure,” she whispered, lifting her smoldering gaze to his. “I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”