Courting the Darkness (19 page)

He raised his eyes to meet hers. They had changed into cat’s eyes again. His hands were transforming into paws, and she tried to back up again, but the Altar stopped her. He let out the scream of a jungle cat, inching his way forward.

“Caleb!” Mica shouted. “Stop!”

Caleb turned his head, narrowing his eyes at Mica. He let out another piercing scream. “She’s mine!” He morphed totally into a panther.

Caleb lunged for Mica’s throat. Mica caught him in midair, slamming him into the rocky wall. He slowly stood up, shaking his great head. Letting out another piercing scream, he lunged at Mica again. He slammed him into the wall again. “Stay down, Caleb. You’re not thinking straight. I don’t want to hurt you.”

He lay on the floor, morphing back into human form, refusing to look at Mica. “How could you? You marked her.” He hung his head. “I don’t understand you.”

Mica glanced at Desiree, and then he put his full attention back on Caleb. “I don’t understand you! What were you thinking attacking Desiree?”

“She was supposed to be mine.” He shook his head slowly. “You marked her as your mate.” He raised his eyes to defiantly meet Mica’s. “And to make it worse, she was just as surprised about the marks as I was.”

She stood back in shocked silence. Her eyes met Mica’s in silent question. Mica directed his attention back to Caleb. “She declared herself as mine by her own words,” he announced, glancing back at Desiree. She nodded as she remembered.

“She doesn’t even know vampire ways,” Caleb scoffed. “She doesn’t know what that declaration even means. That hardly seems fair.”

Mica glanced uncertainly at Desiree. She smiled, stepping forward. “Caleb, if what I declared makes me his mate, then so be it. I meant it when I said it, and I mean it now. I belong to him, just as by his own words, he belongs to me.” She looked into Mica’s eyes and he smiled. “There is nothing you can say that will change that.”

“Then you’ll have to leave.” Mica glared into his eyes “If I can’t trust you, I won’t allow you to be around Desiree. I’m sorry, Caleb. We’ve been friends a long time. When you get your head back on straight, call me and we’ll talk.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Wrong answer.” He grabbed Caleb by the scruff of the neck, slamming him hard against the wall. “Desiree, go get Caleb some clothes. He’s leaving.” She hurried from the room, returning with Caleb’s clothes. She handed them to Mica. He, in turn, shoved them at Caleb. “Get dressed. I’m taking you to the bus station and putting you on the next bus to New Orleans.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

The sun was setting on the horizon. Mica and Desiree sat in the Express Van watching the bus for New Orleans leave with Caleb on it. She leaned her head on his shoulder, whispering softly, “I’m sorry.”

“Caleb’s grown and responsible for his own actions. You didn’t ask him to attack you. Besides, he’s been acting strange for a couple of days now. With him gone, it’s one less thing to worry about. We need to focus our attention on finding Hargrove and stopping him. Once we’ve done that, I’m going to take you back to New Orleans and you can free yourself of Drake.”

He cocked his eyebrow at her statement. “Desiree, when I started on this assignment, I did so reluctantly. I was perfectly happy with my life as it was. But I found a connection with you. Our kind finds only one mate in a lifetime. For me, being without you is no longer an option. I’m not letting you go. I will continue to protect what belongs to me, and that is you. So, you’re either coming to be with me, or I’m following you.”

She smiled. “Are those my only two choices?” she remarked playfully. He nodded seriously and then she laughed. “Then I’m coming home with you, if that’s what you really want. I don’t want to live without you either.”

“I’m glad you agree,” he remarked seriously, “because it wouldn’t have mattered if you didn’t.” Her mouth dropped open at his words. “The only way to break the connection we share is for one of us to die. If one of us is killed, the other will die soon after.”

Her eyes grew wide. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying
we
don’t have a choice.
We
now need each other to survive.”

Desiree let his words sink in. “So, how do you plan on flushing Jason out?”

“Since he already knows where we are, I think he’ll try to come back to the cave and trap you again. I’ll be waiting.” He reached down, turning the key, and the Express Van’s engine roared to life.

* * *

Once inside the bus Caleb, sat in the nearest seat, staring out into the darkness, stewing over the events of the last four hours. “Mica had no right to send me back to New Orleans. Who does he think he is? He’s not my boss, that’s for sure. Desiree should have been mine. He didn’t even want anything to do with her in the beginning.”

A couple of passengers in the seat across from him looked at him curiously. “What are you lookin’ at?” he snapped in their direction, and they averted their eyes. “Hey, driver, how much longer until this bus pulls into the next stop?”

“We’re pulling into the Chattanooga terminal now.”

“Good. I’m getting off.” Grabbing his bag, he threw it over his shoulder, and made his way the front of the bus. The driver opened the door and Caleb got out. He started walking back to Pigeon Forge.

* * *

Desiree closed her eyes, nodding off to sleep about halfway back from the bus station. Mica carefully lifted her out of the van and carried her back into the cavern. He placed her gently on the air mattress, covering her with a blanket.

He briefly left her there to make a quick scouting of the area to make sure Hargrove had not come back. After a thorough search of the area and the cavern, he was satisfied that they were alone.

He went back into the cave to check on her. She was sleeping peacefully. Slipping off his shoes, he carefully eased down onto the air mattress next to her, being careful not to wake her, and gathered her into his arms. He was just going to close his eyes for just a few minutes . . .

“Mica,” Desiree whispered urgently. His eyes flew open and he looked into her frightened eyes. “I heard footsteps.”

He sat up straight. “Stay here. It could be Hargrove.”

She shook her head violently
no
. “You’re not leaving me here by myself in this dark cave.”

He placed his hands gently on her shoulders. “Calm down and stay here where it’s safe.”

She continued to shake her head
no,
stubbornly. “I’m coming with you.”

He closed his eyes, sighing heavily. He opened his eyes, peering into hers. “Stay a few steps behind me. I don’t want you getting hurt.” He slipped back on his shoes.

She bobbed her head nervously. “Okay, I’ll hang back.”

He stood up, easing his way to the opening of their smaller cave, listening. He heard the faint echo of footsteps coming toward them. He motioned with his hand for her to hang back, and inched his way into the dark passageway. There was no way he could prepare himself for what happened next.

“Hello, lover,” Denise whispered seductively, stepping out of the darkness. “I have missed you. Why didn’t you call me and tell me you would be delayed in getting back home? I had been keeping our bed warm, but I grew restless.”

Mica’s mouth dropped open. “Denise… How?”

She smiled, tapping her nose. “I traced your scent. A woman can always track her one true love.” She walked boldly up to him, throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him.

In Desiree’s eyes, all she could see was a beautiful woman wrapped around Mica, and the only thing her mind comprehended were the words “one true love.” Desiree drew in a quick, sharp breath. “Mica, who is this woman?”

Mica closed his eyes, trying to take a calming breath. When he opened them, Denise backed up in fear. His eyes burned and his fangs fully extended as he advanced toward her. He pinned her by the throat to the rocky wall. “I’m a hair’s breath away from ripping your throat out,” he remarked with a deadly calm. “Nod your head if you understand.” Denise swallowed hard, giving a brief nod. “Who put you up to this?” She clamped her mouth shut, staring at him mutely, and he tightened his grip on her throat. “Who was it, damn it?”

“Caleb.”

“What did Caleb say to you that convinced you to come and face me after all these years?”

“He—he said you were involved with a human. I can see for myself that part, at least, is true. He said I needed to come out here and save you from yourself.”

“Did Caleb say why he wanted you to come here?”

“Yeah, he said he wanted the girl for himself. He did sound rather drunk. Where is Caleb? I’m going to give him a piece of my mind for getting me in more trouble with you.” He released Denise’s throat, but did not back off.

“I kicked him out and put him on a bus back to New Orleans a few hours ago for attacking Desiree.”

She rubbed her throat with her fingers. “What are you doing with her anyway?”

“She’s a witch. Drake sent me to rescue her from a witch hunter in Salem. My interest in her was not intentional, and that’s what set Caleb off.”

“She is my mate, Denise. Our souls are bound. I cannot live without her. I won’t live without her. You need to leave before I change my mind and rip your throat out anyway on pure principle.”

A sudden pain struck Mica’s heart. “Desiree,” he whispered in agony. Fresh anger washed over him and he shoved Denise up against the wall again. “I can feel her pain,” he snarled. “I should kill you now.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Blinded by her own tears, Desiree stumbled her way into the cavern to her Altar. She took a piece of chalk, drew a large pentagram on the stone floor, and placed the candles on the points, lighting them. She cut her hand, spilling her blood, and chanted a protection spell. She then collapsed on the stone floor and cried. She felt like someone had reached inside her chest to wrench out her still beating heart, leaving her more miserable that she had ever been in her life.

In her misery, she did not hear Mica enter the room. “Desiree, please look at me.”

She shrugged, staring at the opposite wall. “What’s the point?” She wiped the tears away with her fingers. “Just go back to your mate; she seems to want you bad enough.”

Her mouth dropped open. “No reason,” she huffed. “No reason?” She spoke a little louder, anger replacing the hurt. “Just go—leave me alone.”

The muscle in his jaw ticked. “I’m not leaving you alone… You will listen to me.” He took a step forward and the protective force field knocked him back a few feet. “Desiree…”