Dangerous Loves Romantic Suspense Collection (88 page)

“What were you thinking?” he shouted. “You’re not dressed! You don’t even have shoes on!”

She squirmed and kicked him several times in the shin. Though his leg hurt like the devil, he refused to turn her loose.

“You can’t leave me,” he shouted. “I won’t let you leave me.”

“If you won’t let me help you, I’ll find this Prince Manelin myself. You don’t need me? Well, buster, I don’t need you, either. I was doing just fine without you!” She kicked him again.

“Dammit, that hurt!” He tossed her over his shoulder and clamped one arm over her legs.

Did she really not need him? His heart tightened at the thought.

“You’re a danger to yourself, Faith Summers. I’m going to lock you up. And if you hit me again, I just might stuff you into a very dark closet.”

“You try it and I’ll singe your eyebrows off,” she growled. She’d started to glow again. Not a good sign. “I can do it, you know. Thanks to your dumping all your mystical powers on my head, I can strike you down with a bolt of lightning if I wanted.” Everyone in the café took a broad step away from Horace and Faith. “Whether you like it or not, I’m going to track down Manelin and find out what he has against us. You can come along with me, or I can go by myself. Your choice.”

“You fight me and I’ll bare your lovely ass in front of everyone and spank it until it’s as red as a cherry.”

“Neither of you will be doing anything of the sort,” Stone interrupted. He didn’t shout. He didn’t need to. No one disobeyed Stone. He’d honed his ability to command into a formable art form. “Horace, you will take Faith to see her parents. They don’t deserve to be left worrying.”

“
My parents?
” Faith immediately stopped struggling.

“Yes,” Horace bit back, refusing to loosen his hold on her. “They’ve filed a missing person’s report.”

“Oh,” her tone softened. “Oh! How careless of us, Horace! I need to call them. They worry. I’m their only child, you know. I hate to imagine how frantic they must be right now thinking I’m missing. And Kimmi, I’ll have to call her. She’ll be worried, too. And for no reason. I’m not missing, I’m right here.”

He didn’t look forward to facing her parents, or explaining what he’d been doing to their daughter. The dynamics of families were a mystery to him. From the outside, the strings that held a family together appeared so precious, so fragile. He didn’t want to be responsible for breaking them. He’d much rather face down a killer than face Faith’s family.

But unfortunately, Stone had a made a good point. Taking Faith to visit her parents might be a way to keep her from playing superhero, which left him no other option.

He’d take her to see her parents…after he carried her upstairs and dealt with the little problem of her glowing again.

* * * * *

“I’ve never seen Horace violent like that.” Dallas sank into the nearest chair and cradled her trembling hands in her lap. “I was scared he’d hurt Faith. He’s usually so calm and easygoing. What do you think has gotten into him?”

Brendan massaged her tight shoulders. “He’s in love. And it terrifies the hell out of him.”

“Why? Falling in love isn’t a bad thing.” Her voice grew clipped, like she was preparing for the courtroom. “Besides, with us as his friends, he has the best role models for a blissful union right under his nose. How can he be worried that his relationship with Faith will be any different?”

“It’s all about control,” Stone offered. “Horace has always had a need to be in control. And so does Faith, I suspect. Just look at Horace’s life. He’s the owner of his own business. He went deep into debt to buy a condo so he wouldn’t have to rent. And he swore he would never have a relationship with a woman.”

“Now he has one.” Dallas was beginning to understand.

“Right. His ego is getting in the way. He can’t admit that he was wrong about not wanting to get involved with anyone. And at the same time, his life is spinning out of control.”

“I’m sure he blames that on Faith as well,” Dallas said, feeling more and more worried about Horace and his future.

“Don’t forget that his powers aren’t his own anymore,” Brendan added. “That is a sharp blow to his ego as well.”

“Exactly,” Stone said.

“Then what do we do?” Dallas asked. “I’m not about to let Horace ruin the best thing to ever happen to him. Anyone with any sense can see that Faith and Horace are meant to be together.”

“There’s not much we can do, love. Horace wouldn’t appreciate our interference.”

Stone nodded in agreement. “But we do need to keep an eye on them. We need to make sure they don’t kill each other before they come to their senses and accept what is inevitable. They are partners and that means that they need to learn to work together.”

“I still don’t like it,” Dallas said. She dropped her head into her hands. “They’re bound together. I just wish they weren’t so…so…damned stubborn. They’re only making everything harder for themselves.”

“If they don’t learn to work together,” Stone said, “they’re
not
going have a future together, and they
will
end up getting themselves killed.”

Chapter Eighteen

The late afternoon sunlight slanted through the windows of the long, narrow kitchen. Horace leaned against the red tile countertop and watched dust motes dance in the golden light while Faith’s parents gushed over their beloved daughter. Every now and again, Faith’s mother or father would slide Horace a slow, calculating glance. Were they plotting to murder him and dump his body into a shallow grave in the backyard?

It didn’t help that Faith had decided to dress like a damned schoolgirl. Seeing her smile innocently at her parents and offer demure apologies for not contacting them sooner, made him feel like the very devil.

What parent would be happy handing their young, bright daughter—currently dressed in a short, lavender and blue, plaid skirt, matching white twin-set sweaters, patent leather shoes, and her hair pulled back into a ponytail—over to a brute of a man who’d lived nearly half his life on the street? His life had been too different from hers for this relationship to work. Yet it was too late for second thoughts, wasn’t it? Thanks to him, they were going to be together forever.

Forever.

The thought of being with Faith until the end of time should have made his blood run cold. Instead, thinking of Faith made Horace’s blood race and had him glancing around for a bed…or an alley wall.

He felt like a feral animal watching Faith as Judy and James took turns, hugging their daughter tightly.

That they cherished her didn’t surprise Horace. As much as he wanted to keep himself from liking Faith, he kept finding it more and more difficult to keep his feelings for her under any kind of control.

She’d embraced his friends. Gave freely of herself in the bedroom. And promised to never give him a dull moment. Faith Summers was special.

And his
.

“We’re going to be married,” he announced.

“What?” Judy cried in distress. She grabbed her daughter’s hands. He’d neglected to put a diamond on her finger. Damn. He’d forgotten all about getting her a ring. “Tell me this isn’t true, Faith.”

“I don’t understand what you’ve done to her.” James wasn’t a large man, but he looked prepared to defend Faith against Horace nonetheless. “If you think you can brainwash my daughter and steal her away from us, you better think again.”

“She’s not brainwashed,” Horace said, flatly.

“And you’re not human, are you?” James’s candor surprised him.

Even after seeing what they’d seen, most humans, especially the scientific types, would try and explain away the truth by exchanging what they’d seen with a plausible lie. Freak ball lightning, organized crime, and mass hypnosis would just about cover what Faith’s parents had witnessed and survived.

“No, I’m not human.” Horace saw no reason to deny the truth to his future in-laws. “I’m also not a danger to your daughter.”

James peered closely at Horace. “What are you? And what in the hell could you want with her?”

“The marriage was my idea,” Faith pointed out. “I thought, considering the circumstances, that it would be best if we went ahead and started planning for our future.”

“Circumstances?” Judy jumped in and asked, her gaze immediately going to Faith’s flat belly. “Circumstances, as in a child?”

It broke Horace’s heart to watch Faith shake her head. “Sadly, no,” she said. “The other circumstances. As I had tried to explain the other day, Horace and I seem to be linked.”

“And what about your education? You’ve missed nearly two weeks of classes, not to mention skipping the class that you were supposed to be teaching. Dr. Newitt is furious with you,” Judy pointed out.

“My Ph.D. will have to wait.” Faith cringed as she said it. “There is too much happening right now. I need to be able to concentrate on the dangers at hand.”

“Like that madman who tried to shoot you?”

“Exactly.” Faith got a fiery spark in her eye. She was too innocent to know she shouldn’t take on forces like this mysterious Manelin alone. She was only a human. What could she do? Much to Horace’s chagrin, she announced to her parents, “Horace needs me. We’re a team now. Something or someone sent that horrible gunman to this house. I’m going to help him fight it.”

“No, she’s not.” Horace knew he tread on dangerous ground. They hadn’t finished the argument they’d started in the café, only postponed it.

He didn’t want to lose his temper in front of her parents. And it could be dangerous if Faith lost hers. Besides, in the past he’d never had to share his plans with anyone, especially not with the humans. “Perhaps this is too much information,” Horace said.

“They have a right to understand what’s happening, and what’s already happened to them.”

“They weren’t harmed,” Horace reminded Faith. “Not permanently.”

Her stubborn streak reared its pretty head again. But they didn’t have time for fireworks. Why have the power to control Faith’s mind if not to make things easier for himself?

“You are safe. They are safe.” Horace pushed his will against Faith’s. “We will focus on the wedding plans and not talk about anything else.”

Faith must have recognized his use of his powers over her right away. Her blue eyes grew large and a bright flush tinted her cheeks. “Don’t you dare!” She covered her ears.

He’d been too soft on her. For her safety and his, he needed to stop playing mister-nice-guy. Without speaking a word, he made certain his command to obey overwhelmed her stubborn spirit.

“We should discuss the wedding,” Faith said. Her anger drained away, replaced with a blank stare.

“I don’t see how there could be a wedding,” Judy said.

“You came to us the other day terrified and admitted that this creature”—James made an agitated gesture in Horace’s direction—”was trying to turn you into his slave. To take over your life. To control you. Knowing that, honey, how can you expect us to support your decision to marry him?”

“You’re right, Dad. It doesn’t make sense. But something has happened between us. We’re linked in a way I don’t fully understand.” Her voice still sounded empty. “We should talk about the wedding plans.”

Horace hated seeing her like this. He released his iron grip, freeing her thoughts.

“Then how do you truly know that this is what you want? How do you know you aren’t being controlled?”

“I am being controlled!” Faith snarled at Horace. “But that’s a different issue altogether. If he’d trust me just a little, he’d understand that.”

“I do admit I hold some power over your daughter,” Horace said.

James looked ready to deck him.

“Let’s all sit down and have some tea,” Judy said with a rush. “I’m sure if we have a calm, rational discussion, we can sort this all out.”

“Thank you, Mom.” Faith pushed Horace into the adjoining living room. He’d intended to stand, but Faith’s insistent tugging on his arm changed his mind.

He sat next to her on a long, white sofa that overlooked a bank of windows into the sloping backyard. A flock of small birds had landed in an elm tree. Had the birds landed there, waiting to watch the disaster unfold?

He should have never come with her to her parents’ house. They hated him and had every right to hate him. He’d never fit into a happy family structure. And never would. She must have sensed his discomfort. She tightly clasped his hand between hers and held it on her lap.

No one spoke while Judy fixed the tea. The tension in the room had grown untenably tight by the time Judy returned to the living room carrying a silver tray with a tea set that looked as if it had been in the family for centuries. With a graceful ease very similar to her daughter’s, she poured the tea.

The cup she handed Horace was chipped. He carefully sipped the hot drink, half expecting it to be poisoned. The tea tasted like a watery, off-the-shelf kind of blend, but harmless.

After everyone had been served, Judy settled into a chair across from Horace and slid on a pair of glasses.

“I suppose there is really only one important question that needs to be asked.” She leaned forward slightly. “Do you love my daughter?”

Faith held her breath as she watched Horace keenly.

“Love isn’t an issue.” At least not an issue Horace wanted to discuss. He briefly explained how they’d been linked and how Faith now controlled the lion’s share of his powers. “Circumstances have bound our auras together. There is no undoing what has been done—quite unintentionally,” he quickly added.

“I do promise that I’ll take good care of your daughter. I own Club West in the River North neighborhood. It’s wildly popular and making money hand over fist. I’m investing that money in a diverse mix of stocks and bonds. So you’ll never have to worry about her going without. And I’ll protect her. I have the means.”

James looked unconvinced. “I don’t understand what’s happening. And I’m not at all happy that you’re mixed up with this creature, honey. We know several researchers in the field of parapsychology who might be able to help you. Are you from outer space?” He directed the last at Horace.

“I don’t know,” Horace said with a shrug.

“They call themselves
the Protectors
. Even they don’t know what they are doing on earth.”