Beyond Bewitching (6 page)

“Then we’re going with you.”

Panic washed over her, but Patience stood her ground. She hadn’t expected compassion from the bounty hunters sent to drag her to her demise. Nor had she been prepared for the rush of sexual awareness.

She recognized the sharp scent of desire and conflicting emotions associated with passion—from them and her. Between her years running the brothel and the influence she’d had on the Macska witch matings, the smell of lust was all too familiar. While the horrible memories of abuse still haunted the deepest recesses of her mind, three hundred years and distance had healed the worst of her wounds. Still, in all that time, participating in sex hadn’t entered her thoughts.

Why now? And why would they want to go with me?

John bent to gather the pieces of the shattered cuffs. The shards melded together in his palm, forming a sphere of pliable metal. “At least we know how you broke free of the bonds. Nobody’s done that before.”

Picking up the shredded leather strap, Tanner shook his head. “You aren’t safe going by yourself, Sarah. You may not like it, but you need us. And don’t think for one second we don’t know exactly what you’re planning.”

They’d assured her she wasn’t an elder, but they hid something about the markings from her. They hadn’t told her all they’d discovered. “How are you going to stop me from going alone? We already know I can escape if you try to catch me again.”

The men shared a frown, a nearly invisible electrical current buzzing from one to the other.

She crossed her arms under her breasts when she couldn’t understand the exchange. “And don’t do that. If you have something to say, then say it aloud.”

They had the decency to look properly chastised, and John took a step closer. “We thought you were searching for someone to complete the Triad again, but you aren’t. Not in the way we’d first suspected anyway. You need us to protect you while you carry out your plan to destroy Naga.”

Her muscles tensed. How had they realized the veiled purpose of her plot? She’d kept her secret motive hidden for two years without anyone being the wiser. “Why should I allow you to escort me? Your reaction to the mark of the elder tells me the symbols mean more than what you said. What did you read?”

Tanner glanced toward the ground before meeting her gaze. “We can’t tell you yet. It isn’t time for you to know.”

“Who are you to decide?” She tried to feed her anger, but for some reason disappointment won. They didn’t really care about keeping her safe, or whether or not she succeeded.

“You have to trust us on this.”

Moving to stand beside his partner, Tanner nodded. “You have to trust us. Period.”

Trust?

She hadn’t trusted anyone since she was a child. Did she even remember how?

Both men dropped to one knee in the rays of the setting sun, bowing their heads. They spoke as one. “I swear my loyalty and my life to you. You shall not perish before I take my last breath, and the Goddess will strike me down if my promise is broken. True at the beginning. True to the end.”

Their oath of fealty sent shivers across her skin, and a lump crowded her throat. Emotion skittered through her veins, the mix of unfamiliar feelings sparking more fear than Naga’s power ever had.

John and Tanner remained statues at her feet. Were they waiting for her to accept their pledge?

A long minute became two, then three. Still, they didn’t rise.

Comprehension came. Anguish followed. She had to make a choice—the most difficult of her three-hundred-forty-nine-year life. If she denied them, she’d have to abandon her plan for the unforeseeable future.

I’d rather die.

But do I have the courage to choose the alternative?

Her pulse echoed in her head as she stared down at the broad shoulders of the men who’d promised to die protecting her. Anxiety warred with common sense. What reason did they have to lie? Could she take a leap of faith?

She opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn’t make a sound. Tanner and John knelt in front of her with no weapons, knowing she’d taken a life. Yet, they showed no fear.

Trust. They trust me.

That sudden insight lifted the weight from her chest and eased the tightness in her throat. She might not trust them without question, but
they
believed
she
wouldn’t betray them to Naga. “I…will try to trust you.”

Relief flooded every tense muscle in his body, but John resisted the urge to collapse on the ground with an exhausted sigh. He and Tanner had survived the first test of the prophecy.

The runes on Sarah’s back had shocked them both, the intricate design spelling out the future—the destiny the Fates had set for them half a decade ago. Finding the woman they were meant to share had taken far longer than either had anticipated. Neither could have guessed their mate would turn out to be the target they hunted—a woman who wasn’t what she seemed, in more ways than one.

This step, her willingness to attempt trust, meant as much to him as the final commitment she would be asked to make. She’d experienced hell, and she deserved all the patience he could muster.

Tanner reached for her hand as he rose. “You won’t regret it.”

Slipping his fingers around hers, John stood too, unable to hold back a smile. “Thank you, Sarah.”

She didn’t pull away from his touch, but she didn’t seem comfortable with it, either. “We must eat and rest. The search continues tomorrow.”

“Are we close to a town? Maybe we can find a motel for the night. Hell of a lot safer than going to the compound.” At her nod, John gestured to their clothes. “We should probably do a quick change before we leave the woods. Tanner and I didn’t have a chance to play catch up with the time jumps, and your skirt and blouse are a mess from sitting on the ground. Where are we? And what year is it?”

Her ruined clothes morphed into a pale green dress that nearly matched her eyes. “Plainfield, Wisconsin, 1957.”

Tanner’s nineteenth-century New Orleans wardrobe became a black suit paired with wingtips. Looking down, John shook his head at his own identical business attire. Given a choice, he’d sooner wear a noose than a necktie, but keeping his and Tanner’s mate safe came before his preferences in clothing.

Three suitcases appeared a few yards away, and Sarah pulled her hands free. “Our car broke down about half a mile north of here while traveling to visit a relative in Madison. We’re cousins. The children of our uncle Richard’s three sisters.” She furrowed her brow as if considering further instructions. “You may call me Sarah.”

Picking up two of the pieces of luggage, John gave her a warning look when she started to protest. “A gentleman carries a lady’s bags for her. And Sarah is your name. Why wouldn’t I call you that?”

She led them through the woods toward a deserted stretch of road. “I’ve been Patience Wyndham for much longer than I was Sarah…Pennymead.”

Her hesitation suggested her real name held too many bad memories to even be spoken aloud. Learning her history in finer detail had shed light on her wish to be Patience. Time might heal physical wounds, but the hurt caused by her husband’s and community’s betrayal had evidently left scars much deeper than those on her back. He and Tanner would have to earn every bit of her trust.

“This way.” Her heels sunk into the soft ground as she turned toward a clearing just beyond the trees. “We’ll wait until full daylight to go to the cemetery.”

Tanner grabbed the third suitcase by the handle and muttered something about going to visit psychos under his breath. He’d obviously noticed the pattern in her stops in time. His and John’s study of history hadn’t really helped in their attempt to find her, but they had a thorough knowledge of the violence against mankind since her induction into the Black Triad.

False induction.

“Yes, I’m here to observe him.” Sarah didn’t slow her pace or look back at him when she answered. “Edward Gein is one of the men I chose to evaluate for Naga. He doesn’t feel remorse for what he does to the bodies. He has no conscience.”

“The man is a mentally deranged serial killer. Giving him the powers of an elder would be nuts.”

“Naga will know if I don’t conduct a thorough search. The candidates must fit the profile.”

When she didn’t elaborate, John had to wonder whether she also intended to track down the likes of Ted Bundy, Charles Manson, and Jeffrey Dahmer.

Not while I’m still breathing.

Switching both pieces of luggage to his other hand, he lengthened his stride to catch up with her and take hold of her elbow to guide her over the ditch to the road. “Watch your step.”

She stiffened at his touch but didn’t pull away. “I’m fine.”

Rather than backing off, he followed his instincts. “You don’t like accepting help from anyone. I get that. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you twist an ankle navigating a trench in high heels.”

From the edge of the road, Tanner shot a grin over his shoulder. “He’s stubborn, Sarah. Sometimes it’s easier just to do things his way.”

Her breathy sigh suggested she was short on patience. “I am stubborn as well.”

Not wanting to engage her in a verbal battle, John forced his lips closed to keep his thoughts to himself. Winning the war was far more important than a minor skirmish.

Evening chill crept into his bones as they hiked along the deserted road. Neon lights flickered on several hundred yards ahead of them, and he prayed to the Goddess that the sign marked a motel. Too many unseen dangers lurked in the falling dusk. The psychopath might be following them, or the Triad elder could easily spy on them, risking not only Sarah’s plan to destroy him but Sarah herself.

John had meant every word of the oath. He would die to protect her if necessary, but the prophecy couldn’t come to pass if he and Tanner failed to save her and themselves. She would provide the means to create a new generation of Xanthus witches and warlocks—children empowered with her superior abilities in witchcraft and his and Tanner’s telepathy. The line would grow strong again after decades of decline from defending against the Black Triad.

Together, he, Sarah, and Tanner would bring the future to the clan.

We’ll get one room.
Tanner’s voice in John’s head startled him.
She can’t be left alone.

I’ll stay with her while you go in to get the room. See if we can stay at the end of the building away from the office.
The words on the sign finally came into focus, and John adjusted his hold the luggage.

Sarah pulled her hand away. “You two are talking to each other without speaking again. If you expect me to trust you, then no more buzzing in my ears.”

John nearly dropped the suitcases in an effort to regain physical contact with her. She could tell when he and Tanner were communicating telepathically? Was she already that deeply connected to them, or was she simply that perceptive?

Luckily, Tanner grasped her elbow before she could attempt to disappear, with only the red mist to guide them in her wake. “The majority of communication is done through our minds, Sarah. As children, we were taught to practice it to keep ourselves safe. If you wish for us to speak in your presence, we will speak.”

Glancing back and forth between John and Tanner, she frowned. “I do. You are Elemental warlocks. What other powers do you have?”

Her astute observation brought a rush of panic to John’s already frayed nerves. Did she know everything about him? Few in the clan were even
aware
of their gifts, and that she recognized their heritage meant Naga might as well. “It’s almost dark. We need to hurry.”

She stopped dead in her tracks. “You refuse to answer?”

Ready to hand the luggage to Tanner and toss her over his shoulder, John struggled against the urge to sigh. “Not here. Not now.”

Tanner threw him a warning look. “When we get inside. We’re almost there.”

The wariness in her eyes told John if they didn’t tell her the truth, she’d leave them behind the first chance she got. “I’ll take you at your word
this
time. Lie, and I will never trust you again.”

He nodded. “Let’s go.”

They were silent the last fifty yards to the motel office, John’s jaw muscle twitching at the prospect of revealing one of his most private secrets. His mate deserved to know what he was capable of—especially since he was privy to knowledge about her that she had yet to discover—but he’d hoped to earn her acceptance and loyalty first.

Following the sidewalk to the main office, Tanner paused. “Sarah, wait here with John. I’ll be right back.”

Her gaze seemed to track him as he entered the building, talked to the clerk behind the counter, and exchanged money for a key. With a nod, Tanner turned toward the door. He rejoined John and Sarah outside, leading them down the length of the motel to the last door. The lock snicked open with a twist of the key in the knob, and he flipped the light switch as he pushed inside.

Harsh light glared off the dark brown, bright orange, and olive green cover of the lone bed in the room. A scuffed dresser was the only other furniture, and a partially open door hinted at a bathroom.