Darkness Undone (23 page)

“You don’t want me?”

“Every time I allow myself to care, I hurt more later. I’ve accepted that you don’t feel the same way I do—”

“Don’t feel the same way?” A tormented sound escaped him. “Without you, I cannot breathe.”

“Then why? Why do you always push me away?”

“Because I thought I was protecting you. But I messed up. Badly. I hurt you...” His eyes became an abyss of desperation. “Forgive me, Eve. You are all I’ve ever wanted. I’ll make it right, I promise, just don’t leave me.”

She swallowed a broken breath, too scared to believe him. “Reynner—”

He shook his head, stopping her. “Everything inside here”—he pressed a fist against his chest—“is so fucking empty, an endless darkness without you. I cannot survive the tomorrows if you're not in it—I just can't…”

He took her mouth in a desperately tender kiss. A tremor darted through her. And the shaky walls she’d erected around her heart splintered.

How could it not, when he was her everything? Eve kissed him back.

His groan of relief had yearning surging through her. Needing to touch him, she freed her hands and pulled the tie from his hair, tangling her fingers in the silky strands. He left her mouth to trail his lips along her jaw in tender little nips and kisses down to her bare shoulder.

He tugged at the tight bodice. “How do you open this thing?”

Breathing hard, Eve reached to the left side of her dress. He took over, unzipped and freed her breasts then lifted her up to straddle him. Her knee hit the door. She forgot the pain the moment his mouth closed on her nipple. Desire like hot molasses pooled between her thighs as he licked and sucked. Darts of pleasure uncurled, streaming through her body.

She pushed at his coat. Letting go of her nipple, he moved his seat back and freed his arms. She unbuttoned his shirt and ran her hands over the warm muscled contours of his torso. She lowered her head and pressed her lips to his chest.

“Gods, Eve—” His hands tightened in her hair. “I need you so damn bad.”

***

A visceral hunger tore through him. He had to have her. All of her—had to reclaim her.

This evening had showed him the simple truth. He could never walk away from her. She was the one his heart beat for. Without her, he might as well just hand himself over to Inanna.

Unable to resist her, he took her mouth in another intense kiss. He slipped his hand under her dress and ripped off her panties, too impatient to wait. Then he stroked down her dampness, found her clit and rolled the tiny nub with his thumb. She pulled her mouth away, a breathy moan escaping her. He nipped her jaw as he eased a finger inside. She was too tight—the space too cramped for movement. He shifted and pushed a button on the side to recline his seat.

Eve fell forward and gasped, taking his finger in even deeper. His gaze fixed on her beautiful face, he added another, working her slick passage. Her back arched, her pale breasts and pouty, tan nipples a sensual provocation.

An invitation he couldn’t resist. He suckled on the sensitive nub then growled against her flesh, “I want to taste every inch of you, but this damn car makes that impossible.”

“Let’s go inside, then,” she breathed.

“No. Can’t wait. Need you.”

She reached between them, fiddled with his leathers, and the loud rip of his zipper filled the confined space. She paused, her gaze rushing to his. He knew it was because the last time he hadn't let her touch him.

Now, he simply took her fingers and wrapped them around his rigid sex.

And she damn near unmanned him. Her hand tightened around him, her gaze lowered. She ran her palm up and down his length in wonder.

He almost came in her hand. “No,” he rasped. “In you. Now.”

She shifted and guided his erection to her wet, heated center and slowly pushed down. Her silky sheath fisted him, bringing an erotic pain. He tightened his grip on her hips as she sank over him. Her eyes closed in pleasure, echoed by the husky moan that left her lips.

“Look at me, Eve.” At his gruff demand, her eyes flickered open, settled on him. The familiar blue sparks brightened her gaze again. To know she was joined to him in such an intrinsic way, a primal possessiveness took hold. He cupped her face and covered her mouth in a scorching kiss.

Her palms slid over his shoulders in a rough caress then tangled in his hair. He wanted her touch all over him, wanted it branded in his heart.

She broke free of his mouth, breathing hard. Her nipple so close to his face, he captured it with his lips and sucked on the perky little nub. Another whimper left her, her grip tightened on his hair. She looked down at him.

“Your eyes—glowing,” she panted.

“The mating bond—it’s what you do to me,” he grunted, letting go of her nipple and thrusting harder into her.

“I don’t have it anymore.”

A rough laugh. “It’s there—we’re bonded. Can never be broken. It will always glow when we make love,
fiyae
.”

“Feeya?”

Reynner groaned, his body tight, hovering on the brink. “Gods, baby, later—later, I’ll tell you all you want to know. Hold—” He took her hands and put them behind her on the steering wheel.

Helpless, she stared at him as he grasped her hips and thrust into her, surging harder, faster now. He slipped his hand to where they were joined. His thumb applied pressure on her clit as he rolled it.

“
Oh
!” she cried out, her body bowing. Her inner muscles squeezing him so tight—fuck! His groin tightened and his release hauled him over. Indescribable pleasure scoring through his body, he spilled himself into her.

Emotions crowded him as the light of their mating bond flared and strengthened. Then he simply held her, his face buried in her neck.

By the heavens, nothing felt this complete. Ever.

After his long, endless life of nightmares and darkness, he’d found his light. His happiness. His peace. Eve.

***

Their heavy breathing filled the car. Eve collapsed against him, her dress in a tangled heap around her waist, his erection still buried deeply within her. The moment too transcendent, she didn’t want to move—heck, didn’t know if she
could
move. Or if she’d ever want to.

He stirred, his lips gently caressing her cheek. “You think if we slept here, like this, anyone would notice?”

A husky laugh escaped her. “We’d certainly entertain the early risers of New York.”

“I love you, Eve.”

The words were the softest whisper against her ear. Something inside her shifted, and the last flimsy guard around her heart—one she didn't even know was still there—crumbled.

He went motionless. Then cupped her face in alarm as his gaze searched hers, his eyes back to that sexy night-sky shade, the mating glow no longer visible. “What is it?”

She shook her head, a tremulous smile taking shape. “Nothing. It’s just that I never believed this moment would come.”

He kissed away her tears. “Is that all?”

“Yes.”

He continued to examine her face, then those indigo eyes fixed on hers. His grip tightened. “Eve.” A demand.

She knew what he wanted and found it hard to suppress her smile. Brushing his lips in a tender kiss, she whispered, “I love you, too. You know that.”

He exhaled roughly as if his heart had settled. “My Eve.”

After several blissful minutes, Reynner pressed his lips to her shoulder. “We need to talk.”

Why did those words sound so ominous? Eve shifted on his lap. His sex twitched inside her, his sharp indrawn breath an intoxicating whisper on her senses.

“You move like that, and we’ll definitely give your neighbors a show to remember,” he rasped.

She didn’t care, her body so ready for another bout of lovemaking, even in these cramped quarters. Except her knees were starting to spasm, and the steering wheel dug into her back. With a sigh of reluctance, Eve moved off him. His erection slipped free as she slid back to her seat. Pulling up the top of her dress, she covered her breasts and tugged up her zipper.

Reynner refastened his pants then realigned his seat. Ignoring his open shirt and the coat crushed behind him, he rested his hands on the steering wheel. He seemed to be studying her in the dark. Aware he could probably see her blushing, she hurriedly leaned forward and searched for her torn panties. “What do you want to talk about?”

The silence in the car became heavy. Oppressive.

Anxiety taking hold, Eve turned to him, her underwear forgotten. “Reynner?”

“She was the one who had me trapped in Hell.”

Eve knew instantly whom he meant, the woman from the gallery.

“Why,” she asked, shocked.

A shoulder lifted in a shrug. “Because I refused to stay and become her long-term play thing.”

Jealousy ate at her to know that the woman had been his lover. And just as fast, it fizzled out; anger taking its place that she would do such a horrific thing.

“It meant nothing,” he said quietly. “It happened once, eons ago.”

“Then why won't she leave you alone?”

“Inanna doesn’t like being told no. In a rage, she cursed me to a year in Hell, hoping time there would teach me not to refuse her. In her haste to teach me a lesson, she forgot that a year outside is a damn century in Hell…” he broke off. Then a telling pause. “All that you saw when you touched me…happened. That’s when Kalinin got ahold of me.”

He turned to stare through the windshield, his jaw hardening. “Without light of any kind, I weaken. It was easy for her to take control with constant attacks from her pets. She wanted the same thing Inanna did, to own one like me. Only with Kalinin, she wanted more, an eternal supply of my blood.”

His fingers clenched the steering wheel, knuckles white. But the pain in his voice had Eve’s own heart hurting. “My blood gave her the best high she’d ever experienced. She thought feeding me hers would make me dependent. I may have lost my powers in the pits of Hell, but I refused to give in to her. Vengeance was what drove me. At the time, I’d still thought to find and make Inanna pay. It angered Kalinin that I was able to resist…”

Eve laid a hand on his, pulling him back to her when he stopped speaking. His haunted gaze met hers, cutting deep into her soul.

“How did you escape?”

“After another attack from her pets for refusing her, I lay in the filth, torn and bleeding, unable to move. A demon brought water into the cell. He said something, I didn’t respond. He probably thought I was unconscious. He opened a vein of fire in the wall—better to see the Empyrean Kalinin had imprisoned for nearly a century.” Anger darkened his voice.

Eve longed to wrap her arms around him but didn’t interrupt, let him get it all out. She realized this was probably the first time he’d ever spoken about his capture.

“The natural energy of the fire that lit the cell was all I needed. Within seconds, my strength rebuilt. The demon ran when he realized what was happening.

“I couldn’t let him get away, alert the others I had escaped. I killed him then found my way to Kalinin’s abode of orgies and sin. I grabbed a sword and slaughtered them all. She was in her chambers with her lovers. I skewered her to the bed, massacred her lovers before I decapitated and incinerated her. I brought down the place of depravity to rubble and escaped to this world…

“That’s how Michael found me, crazed and killing demoniis like the insane…” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “I'm sorry…”

He
was apologizing for what had been done to him?

Because no words could make up for his torture, his debasement, Eve simply reached across and hugged him. If she got ahold of Inanna, she’d rip her apart for what she’d done to him. “You have nothing to apologize for.”

“Eve,”—a heartfelt whisper—“you humble me with that good, kind, and very loving heart.”

She eased back. “You endured and lived through a horrific ordeal no being could have survived. Now that I know, you think I don’t understand why it took you this long to open up to me? You don’t trust easily—no, no, let me finish,” she stopped him when he would have interrupted. “You don’t trust women. After all that’s happened, how can I blame you?”

“No, Eve. You—” His eyes filled with tenderness, with love. “I trust with my life. My heart. You demanded nothing from me.” A smile. “Well, except my unconditional love.”

“Is it so bad, then?” She pushed his unbound hair from his face so she could see him better in the streetlight. He caught her hand and pressed his lips to the ruined flesh.

“Ah,
me’morae,
never. You see inside me—see who I am. You are all that’s right in my life.”

“What does that mean? What you called me?”

“
My love
.”

Yes, his. Always.
She took a deep breath. Settled.

Then she demanded, “Why do you still allow this woman to see you?”

“I don’t. Goddesses are a self-serving lot. She does whatever the hell she pleases.”

“You’re an immortal. Stop her. Why is it so difficult?” She tried to free her hand from his, but he wouldn’t let go. Eve stilled in shock. “She’s a
goddess—
not an Empyrean?”

“Inanna is from the Sumerian pantheon. Empyrean females would not dare do what she did.”

She recalled what Aerén had told her about Reynner and the women from his world. Despite knowing he loved her, her stomach twisted into a painful knot.

“Eve.” He cupped her face and brushed his lips against hers. “That was eons ago. None of them meant anything, until you.”

Her throat tightened with suppressed emotions at his words. And deep within her soul she felt his absolute love, like a warm glow.

Eve pulled back, determined to end this goddess’s hold on him. “Reynner, tell Inanna no.”

“It’s not that simple. I gave her my word not to use my powers for that night until I left the next day. But she didn’t release me like she’d promised. Instead, she bound me to her while I was in a drugged sleep. No, I have no idea how. Maybe it was through the wine I had, the crap she burns in her place...”

Shaken to her core, Eve whispered, “But you must have mages, oracles who could—”

He shook his head. “I've tried them—tried everything, I even cut the damn brand off my chest, nothing works.”

“That star?” she said horrified. “
She
put that on you?”

He nodded.

Now she understood that day in her studio when she’d thought he didn’t want her to touch him. It was the star. Eve’s fingers balled into fists. She wasn’t a violent person, but right then, she wanted the goddess drawn and quartered.

“Eve, there’s something else you must understand, must be prepared for. Being with me is dangerous. I don’t want you hurt or caught in any crossfire. Inanna is lethal—”

“I don’t care.”

“She’ll use you, hurt you to get me to do what she wants.”

At his warning, her heart constricted. “Wh-what are you saying?”

His expression became granite. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle her.”

“Reynner—”

“You are my life, Eve. I will never let anything happen to you.” A vow.

Still, unease filled her. She recalled the kiss in the gallery. Ice brushed over her skin in foreboding. In life, nothing was permanent, and that witch could take Reynner away from her.

No. Never. Not if she could help it.

“C’mon,
me’seya
, let’s get you inside, you need to rest. We have a long night ahead of us tomorrow. We start scouting for the artifact.” He opened the car door, came around to her side, and helped her out.

Before she could ask, he smiled. Said, “Sweetheart.”

As they headed into the building, Eve’s cell beeped. She retrieved her phone from her bag and read the text message from Kataya.
Are you all right?

She tried to text but the darn cracked glass made it difficult. Autocorrect was giving her the strangest words.
Damn
. She needed to reassure her friend she was okay.

“May I borrow your cell?” she asked him. “Mine’s gone all wonky. It’s Kat, she’ll think something awful happened if I don’t respond.” Eve realized then she probably should apologize for her friend’s anger at the gallery. “Reynner, I know Kat can be in your face at times, but it’s just her way. She saw that woman kissing you, and all her alarms went off.”

Reynner stroked her back then handed her his phone. “You don’t have to explain anything. Make your call.”

***

After Eve had gone to bed, Reynner headed back to the living room. Aerén had taken the bedroom Reynner had used before, but sleep was the last thing on his mind.

Now that he no longer had to hide his feelings from Eve, he slid safely into her mind, needing the contact—the anchor. Heavens, he closed his eyes, reveling in the peace their bond provided him.

A peace he’d never thought possible.

He glanced at the corridor. Longing for her hit him hard. He planted his booted feet to the floor so he wouldn’t head back there. She’d had a tiring day, needed the rest, and he needed to think. He had bigger problems now.

He couldn’t ignore Inanna’s threat from this evening. She rarely made idle ones. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Problems?” North asked.

Reynner found the warrior sprawled on the couch, eyeing him instead of the television.

It still shocked him to see the changes in North. A big male, but his skin seemed to have shrunk over his bones. Too lean, almost gaunt now.

How North survived without his mate, Reynner had no idea. Only knew he wouldn’t be able to handle it if anything happened to Eve. He realized, too, that no words he uttered in condolence could soften the male’s loss.

Still. “I'm sorry about your mate.”

North’s lips tightened. He nodded and stared at his laced fingers. He didn't say much—hell, he didn't ever speak about his dead mate.

North seemed to collect himself, his lean face set once more in its usual impassive lines. “Anything I can do?”

Reynner shook his head, aware North was referring to his problems. “No. It’s my mess to clean up.”

He picked up the horse sculpture Eve had given him and ran his fingers over the metal. “Eve… she’s all that is pure and good, and she ends up with one like me.”

North frowned. “We always thought we couldn’t soul-join with mortals. Guess we know differently now.”

“Soul-joined or not, I would never let Eve go. But I'm damn grateful to whichever fate brought her to me.”

“Our creator—”

“Messed up. There can never be a
perfect
race. It’s time the ruling council faced the truth. It can never be how it once was. Urias created us, but to continue to exist, we must do what we can to survive. I think the Stone disappearing…maybe it’s a good thing.”

Reynner set the sculpture back on the shelf and crossed to the kitchen. “This proves that we can mate with mortals, though I can't see the ruling council agreeing. Can you imagine if I went back to Empyrea with Eve? They would never accept her. Her mortality—her fragility will work against her, and that I will never subject her to.”

“Then you're going to remain on this realm with her?”

“Yeah.” Reynner helped himself to a soda from the fridge, tore open the tab, and took a deep swallow of the ice cold liquid. “And we’ll live in Exilum
,
too.”

Aerén walked into the lounge, wearing only boxers—for which Reynner was eternally grateful.

The prince’s silver eyes narrowed. “You’re not coming back to Empyrea—to your home?”

“Eve is my home,” he said.

Sensing her still awake, he headed for her room.

***

Eve lay in bed, unable to settle, her body far too tense. Everything Reynner had told her about Inanna rattled around in her head like heavy stones.

Throwing aside the cover, she swung her feet to the cool, wooden floors and rubbed the heels of her palms against her burning eyes. God, she had to find a way to help him. No way would she ever accept that evil witch having control over him. Lowering her hands, her gaze fell on Reynner’s cell phone on her nightstand.

A thought flashed through her mind. Eve grabbed the phone, grateful it was unlocked, and pressed star one. It was answered instantly.
Oh, God, please let this work.