Darkness Clashes (17 page)

He held it out to me and I stared at it. “When did you get that?”

“I took it from your pocket when I dropped you off on the roof.”

That little bastard. “And you chose to call Felisha with it?”

“I knew she’d want to know.” He had an innocent look on his face, but I wasn’t fooled. The guardian wanted to find out what would happen if Felisha and Josslyn ran into each other. We’d managed to keep them apart so far.

“You and I are going to have a long talk later.” I snatched my phone from his hand and stuffed it into my pocket.

Who knew he’d figure out how to use the damn thing? It took me three weeks to teach him how to use the TV remote. I hadn’t gotten around to lessons with the phone yet for the very reason he might abuse it.

“I’m fine.” Nik was reassuring Felisha.

She’d ended up in his arms after all. A wellspring of emotion ran between them ranging from concern to affection to regret. Her fingers clutched at his back tightly and she had her head buried in his chest. He stroked her hair.

“Nik, I know I shouldn’t say this but…”

“Shhh,” he quieted her.

I decided to leave the two of them alone and jerked Kerbasi’s arm to take him with me. The less we got involved with that love triangle mess, the better. Nik had a weakness for women that would be his ruin one day. If I had to pick which one he cared for the most, though, Felisha would have been it. Josslyn just happened to come along at the right time and pulled him away before the fairy could come to her senses.

Kerbasi cringed as we went past the ward and headed outside. The mystics were working on the downstairs windows now. Yvonne’s face was tight with concentration as she pushed magic into the one in front of her.

“I’m not sure how much more we can do before we’ll need to take a break,” she said in a hoarse voice. Her face was pale, too.

Looking at the other mystics, they weren’t much better off. Wards were best handled when there wasn’t immediate danger involved and the designers could take their time.

“Is there any way other people could add their strength to them like at the fae city?” I asked.

Yvonne nodded. “It would require bridging our magic, but it would help.”

“Maybe after the other vampires are awake you can give it a try.” I looked over at Diane and Patrick, whose hands were shaking as they worked at their assigned windows. “For now, take a break and rest for a few minutes.”

“But we haven’t covered all the entrances yet,” Yvonne argued.

A bright flash of light appeared ten feet away, momentarily blinding us. After my vision returned I found Lucas standing on the lawn, wearing a shirt splattered with blood. My heart rate picked up as I moved toward to him. His golden eyes came to rest on mine and there was concern there. He must have just gotten my voicemail message and stopped in the middle of whatever he was doing.

The news about his brother came rushing back to me—along with how Lucas was being manipulated by Micah and Ariel. The betrayal sank deep into my gut, twisting it until I almost couldn’t breathe. Somehow I had to put it aside and hide it. He was here now and that was all that mattered.

“What have you been doing?” I asked, giving him a full once over. There were no wounds on him and he was clean everywhere except his shirt.

“Interrogating a potential witness. What happened here?” He nodded at the pool of fresh blood still on the driveway. He’d flashed to a position just a few steps from it.

“Werewolf trouble, but they’re gone now. Any luck in Chicago?”

“I suspect…” He glanced down at his shirt. “That if my last suspect had anything to say he’d have told me before I finished cutting him into pieces.”

The twist in my gut tightened further and it took all my control to hide my feelings. Lucas was out there searching for a brother who didn’t want to be found. People were being tortured and killed over it. How could Micah not suffer the same guilt I was feeling?

“Was it really necessary to kill the guy if he didn’t know anything?”

Lucas gave me a grim look. “He was a vampire who enjoyed feeding on children. I did not believe he would be missed.”

I relaxed a fraction. “Well, in that case, I wish I could have helped.”

“It appears you’ve been too busy here.” His gaze moved over to the mystics, who’d stopped working on the ward to stare at him.

“How about we go inside? I’ll bring you up to date.”

“Very well.” He nodded and stalked toward the entrance.

Yvonne rushed ahead of us to fix the ward for him.

Chapter Sixteen

Nik and Felisha were huddled close together on the couch when we came into the living room. She scooted away as soon as she saw us and he stood up.

“Lucas, it is good to see you again.” Nik came forward to greet the nephilim.

He didn’t even glance at me. The master vampire was lucky that our conversation had been cut off by Felisha’s arrival. That didn’t mean I wouldn’t be thinking about it and talking to him again soon.

“Melena tells me you had some werewolf problems.” Lucas ran his gaze around the room. The mystics, Kariann, and Kerbasi had come in as well. “But it appears no one was injured.”

“Fortunately for us,” Nik agreed. “Melena spoke with Derrick and convinced them to leave—for now.”

“I’m rather disappointed she didn’t get into another fight,” Kerbasi said, studying his fingernails. “But I suppose two nights in a row is asking too much.”

“What does he mean?” Lucas narrowed his eyes on me.

“It was nothing.” I waved my hand away. “Just a sort of government SWAT team trying to kidnap Yvonne and her family. They were using magic—which was really underhanded of them, by the way—so I had to put a stop to it.”

“And she was shot at least half a dozen times in the process,” Kerbasi added helpfully.

I glared at him. “I still took six of them down.”

“And Cori the other two after you collapsed from blood loss.” Amusement reflected in his eyes.

“Kariann,” I addressed the female vampire. “Weren’t you telling me recently you had something to show Kerbasi in your bedroom?”

She gave me a sly grin. “Oh, yes. I have some new torture devices he’d love to see.”

Kerbasi gave her a skeptical look. “Torture devices?”

“Come on, guardian. You’ll love these.” She took his arm and hustled him from the room.

He’d eventually figure out they were sex toys and escape her, but at least it would get him out of my hair for a few minutes. Kariann loved to mess with the guardian’s head.

Lucas took hold of my arm. “Did you kill these men who attacked you?”

“No,” I said, frowning at him. “We couldn’t kill them or they’d just send more. Did I mention these were
human
guys from the Department of Homeland Security?”

The kind he couldn’t touch without the archangel Remiel stepping in to punish him.

“I don’t care who they might have been.” Lucas spoke in that quiet voice that would send most people running. “You allowed them to shoot you multiple times while you took care not to harm them?”

“I didn’t say I didn’t harm them. I just made a point of not killing them.”

“Excuse us,” Lucas addressed the others in the room.

At a speed much faster than I could move, I found myself in the kitchen.

“Where were you shot?”

I shrugged. “Chest, back, a couple other places. I’m healed now.”

“Take off your clothes,” he demanded.

“What?” I glanced at the kitchen’s open entrance. “I’m not taking off my clothes in here. Anyone could walk in.”

“No, they won’t.” He stared down at me. “Now show me where you were shot or else we can discuss why you didn’t call me for help before confronting the humans.”

“The evidence of why I didn’t call is all over your shirt. We both know you lack any kind of restraint when it comes to humans and I’m not risking you going back to Purgatory again.”

He crushed me to his chest. His musky scent enveloped me and his heart thudded against my ear. A flood of emotions hit me as he let down the wall that usually held them back. I squeezed my eyes tight against the onslaught of pain, fear, and worry. He was letting me feel every bit of it.

“Melena,” he murmured in my ear. “I’ve already lost my brother and with each day that passes I fear I may never see him again. I can’t risk losing you, too.”

My throat tightened up. Lucas could be overbearing and protective, but it didn’t mean he didn’t have good intentions. His brother’s missing status was tearing him up inside and I was the only close person he had left. My guilt was going to swamp me if I didn’t say something about Micah.

“Lucas, I…” My hand began to burn. Intense, scorching hot pain seared through my palm. I clenched it shut where it rested against his back and breathed through it. The vow really did keep me from telling him the truth. I’d known that, but I’d had to try on the remote chance I could get even a small hint out.

“Sensor, quit stalling.” He let go and stepped away, unaware of my inner turmoil.

His impenetrable mask was back in place. He’d allowed himself one tiny moment of weakness and now he’d shut it off again. It was easier for me to deal with the colder version of Lucas anyway.

“Fine.”

I grabbed hold of my shirt and slowly pulled it up over my head, taking note of the heat filling his gaze. I kicked off my shoes next and pulled down my pants. The kitchen was cool, but standing there with him staring at me took the chill away.

“Want me to take off the rest?” I fingered my bra strap.

His eyes roved from my toes all the way up to my head, caressing every curve and hollow without even touching me. In the next moment I found myself flipped around and bent over the table.

“Perhaps, just to be thorough, I should check everywhere.” His finger hooked into my underwear. They were gone in the next moment, exposing me to him.

“Lucas, this isn’t the best place for this.”

“It’s the perfect place.” He nudged my feet apart and began to lick his way around my snake-chain tattoo. The tail wound around my right thigh and across my back with the head just below my belly button. I’d worried when I got it last spring that he’d hate it, but it turned out he enjoyed playing with the design.

It was hard to deny the thrill that ran through me. We hadn’t had a chance for any kind of intimacy back in Spokane and it had been at least two weeks since he’d last appeared in my bedroom at night. Even that visit had only lasted a few hours.

“Why do I have to be the only one naked?” I asked.

“Because you’ve been the naughty one.” He pushed a finger inside of me, working me slowly.

I moaned. Damn, but he knew how to make me feel good.

“Saving one’s friends and refraining from killing people is not naughty.” I rose up on my toes to give him a better angle. “You can’t punish me for that.”

“Yes, I can.” He removed his finger and pressed his cock against me. Somehow I’d missed him undoing his pants. “Are you really complaining?”

“Only if you don’t get inside me right now.” I moved my butt suggestively.

“That’s what I thought.”

“Arrogant bastard,” I mumbled into the table.

“You prefer me that way, sensor.” He positioned my hips a little higher and pushed inside of me.

I gripped the edges of the table. My body practically hummed as we joined together. He stretched me until I thought he couldn’t fill me any deeper. The feeling was indescribable. Through our growing bond we could sense what pleased each other.

He started out slow, teasingly, but before long he was thrusting harder and faster. Through gasps of breath I encouraged him. His fingers found their way to my clit and he rubbed it, sending me even higher. I forgot the world around me. Even the screech of the table being pushed across the tile floor didn’t register. It was just the two of us.

He brought me to orgasm several times before letting himself go. Holding me briefly, he turned me around and sat me on the table. I could finally see him naked, and he watched my perusal—a wry grin on his face—before stepping between my legs and pulling me closer to him. I buried my face in his warm chest.

“Melena,” he said, resting his head on top of mine. “Call me the next time you run into trouble. I’m not telling you not to fight, but to let me join you so we can handle it together. I’ll even refrain from killing the humans if it pleases you so much.”

I tilted my head up to look at him. His expression was serious, but I could see the hint of tenderness shining through his eyes. It still amazed me that I could mean that much to him.

“Promise?”

He hesitated. “Yes.”

It was a half-truth, but probably the best I’d ever get out of him.

“We should probably get back to the others.”

He leaned down and nibbled at one of my breasts. “Are you certain?”

“I’m certain I’m already going to be mortified when I go back in there.” Damn, his mouth felt good.