Forged: The World of Nightwalkers (22 page)

She had never been on a private jet before. As they stood at the hangar and watched the plane land several hours later, she had grown just as anxious as he was.

“What if the sun …” she said hoarsely, unable to comprehend what would happen.

“We draw the shades tight and we wait until dark.”

“You don’t have that long.” She turned a hard look on him. “Do you?”

“I doona know,” he said tightly.

“You said you wouldn’t lie to me.”

“I doona know if I’ll even make the flight,” he bit out on a growl, looming over her for a frightening second. The sound he made in his throat was shocking, as were the hands he wrapped around her upper arms as he stared hard in her eyes, the amber of his hot with fever. “If I doona make it, I doona want you tae fret. My friends will have a care for you. They will figure out how tae get the Amulet—”

“I don’t give a flying fig about the Amulet!” she cried, wishing she were strong enough to give him a good shake. “Now, shut up and get on the plane. You’re going to make it.”

“I feel the madness creeping over me. ’Tis all I can do tae keep focused.” And even as he said the words the hands that held on to her arms rippled into solid stone.

“No!” she cried, gripping at his shirt, pounding her fists against his chest. “You will not let it win! You are going to make this flight! Do you understand me? I-I can’t do this alone.”

“You can.”

“I can’t. I can’t so I need you to stay with me. All right? You have to stay with me.” She knew it wasn’t so much about her fear as it was about giving him a reason to stay with her. Maybe if she did that it could help him fight off the inevitability of this thing. It was going to be hours before they made it to New Mexico and she could only pray he could hold on that long. Pray they beat the sun. Pray for everything.

The Gargoyle had escaped him somehow, had managed to leave the area, Panahasi realized. And every moment he was out of reach was a moment closer to his own destruction. If Odjit found out about the Amulet, he was done for. If she found out that the Gargoyle now knew the location of their secret enclave, all hell would break loose and he would not be the only one who would forfeit his life. Her rages were becoming more and more violent the further her pregnancy advanced. They were afraid of what she might do and even if she had logical reasons for doing it. A vicious madwoman was one thing, a pregnant one was quite another.

So there was only one thing left for him to do and that was to send sentries to the Bodywalker enclave in Portales, New Mexico. Maybe there … maybe there he could recapture the Gargoyle and keep him from getting back to Kamenwati.… the one man on earth who would truly know what Adoma’s Amulet might be capable of.

He quickly went about putting his plan in action.

They boarded the plane and Kat stopped short, stunned by what she saw. But then she ignored the opulence of the jet and moved quickly into the cabin in order to allow Ahnvil the room to bring Karma on board. A short time later they were buckled in and taking off. She watched Ahnvil closely the entire time they were ascending, frustrated that they were seated apart from each other. She could see him hunching over into himself, running his hands through his dark hair repeatedly, sweat shining on his exposed skin. It was when he seemed to start talking to himself under his breath that she reached an all-new level of fear and concern. The minute the ding sounded that allowed her to take off her seat belt and go to him, she did, kneeling between his feet and rubbing his legs along his thighs.

“It’s all right,” she soothed him. “It’s going to be all right.”

“You doona know that!” he snapped roughly.

“I do know that!”

“If you know what is good for you, you’ll keep your distance,” he growled at her, another one of those animalistic sounds escaping him. A cross between a huff and a snarl.

“I know what’s good for you and I’m not going anywhere. I want you to talk to me. Tell me more about who you used to be.”

“A slave! A murderer! The sort of man who gets women killed!”

“What does that mean?” she asked carefully, anxiety in her belly in response to his dangerous words.

“There was a Templar woman. Jan Li. She helped me escape my captors … only … she paid for it with her life. She trusted me tae help get her free of those bastards and I failed her. Just like I’m going tae fail you. Only this time ’tis going tae be worse. Much worse. Because you never asked for any of this. You never knew you were going tae be risking your life. ’Tis my fault you’re here at all. That cursed necklace. I would rip it off you if I thought I could do it wi’out hurting you.”

“It’s my fault for putting it on in the first place,” she said softly.

“How the hell would a mortal woman like you even know something like an Amulet came with a curse and certain power attached tae it? In your world things like that should only be make believe.”

“I’m glad I’m not in that world anymore,” she said fiercely. “I’m glad I know it’s all an illusion. I’m glad I’m aware of the nature of things in the world around me.”

“You could have gone the rest of your life, safe and content and no’ knowing abou’ any of it.”

“But I didn’t and I won’t and that’s okay,” she insisted.

“ ’Tis no’ okay tae me,” he said, his tone softening as his hand came out, running along her head and through her hair, the roughness of his calluses catching on the strands. “Jesus God, you’re beautiful,” he said after a moment. It made her smile.

“You’re just saying that because you’re going crazy.”

He laughed. “Doona insult my woman so. You doona want an angry Gargoyle on your hands.”

“I’m not afraid of you,” she whispered fiercely.

“Aye, but you should be,” he whispered back, his forehead coming to touch hers. He took in a slow breath, his lashes fluttering closed before he groaned. “You shouldna be so close tae me. You smell too fine for words.” He opened his eyes and she could see the raw appetite within them. Her breath snagged in her throat and her heart began to pound.

She knew he was going to drag her up to his hungry mouth long before he did it, and she did nothing to stop him. His kiss was like a virulent thing, a beautiful disease that grew and grew and overwhelmed every last defense she had to throw at it. She felt herself melting between his hands as he held her tightly to his body, bending her back over in her kneeling position.

His hand ran up her side, along the curve of her waist, over the ridges of her ribs and then, as gently as he could, he closed his hand over her breast. She drew breath straight from his lungs, her tongue, startled at first, suddenly leaping into the fray, tangling up with his in such an energetic attack that it was like setting fire to stone. Anything that could make stone burn was a powerful force, and she was literally wildfire to him. His mind was hazing over with the passion that was trying to overwhelm him, but he fought it back. He would not be the beast with her.

“No! Get away!” He shoved her away, reaching to unclasp his seat belt and stumbling away from her. “I willna do this tae you! Do you no’ ken? I’ll be a beast wi’ you. I’ll
hurt
you. You have to keep away from me. Please,” he said, his tone and body settling into quiet. “Please doona let me hurt you.”

“I won’t,” she promised just as quietly. “And you won’t. You couldn’t hurt a woman even if you tried.”

“But I have! Jan Li …”

“It sounds like she knew exactly what she was getting into. And you weren’t the one who hurt her. You have to stop blaming yourself for that.”

He looked up and met her eyes.

“There’s no one else tae blame.”

“There is. You blame those who attacked you. Those who hurt her. You didn’t—”

“I failed her!”

“You didn’t do it on purpose!”

“Neither will I do harm tae you on purpose, but it’ll happen just the same! Now keep your bloody distance woman!”

“Fine. Fine, I’ll keep my distance. I won’t let you touch me.” And Kat tried not to let his actions feel like a rejection. She understood his logic, and yes, he probably was right, but just the same it made her feel as though she were somehow lacking. Because she was a frail mortal. Even frailer than most. She had known that all her life, but not until now had it truly meant something to her. Meant that she honestly could not have something she wanted. Everything else had been easy to live without. Sun. The daylight world. Friends. Normalcy. But none of it had hurt like this. Never had she felt so inadequate. She knew that, had she been a Gargoyle female he wouldn’t be trying to hold back. He would probably take her right then and there, as hard as he could. As mad as he was. And it made her so angry that she couldn’t give that to him. He needed it, and she couldn’t provide it.

Most of the rest of the flight passed in tense silence. He paced the length and width of the cabin so constantly she thought
she
might go mad.

But she knew that if he didn’t do it, that if he stopped for even a second, he might not move ever again. She could see his hands, again and again rippling into stone.
Sometimes it climbed all the way up to his shoulders. He would grit his teeth and fight it back.

She had reseated herself in the cabin, but at last she got up and crossed over to him. She reached to touch him and he jerked away.

“Stop,” she said softly. “Just stop.” She stepped up against his body, fighting his initial resistance and wrapping her arms around him.

“You promised tae stay away,” he ground out.

“And you’re burning energy every step you take. Quiet now. Be still. Shh …” She hushed him and quieted him, hugging him around his middle. After a moment he relaxed in her arms, his hands tentatively resting on her back and shoulders. They stood like that for almost thirty minutes, and never once did his hands flicker into stone. He calmed so much that he sat down with her, pulling her into his lap. He was wary at first, clearly afraid it might spark off something more than just comfort, but in the end he was able to remain peaceful with her in his arms and him in hers.

They passed the remainder of the flight exactly like that.

It was close to daylight by the time they landed.

“There should be someone waiting for us. One of our human companions. Most likely Max. I doona expect any Bodywalkers because—”

“They would be paralyzed by the sun,” she finished for him. “I remember.”

And it turned out he was right. When the jet pulled up there were two men waiting near a big SUV. One was relaxed back against the front bumper and hood of the car, his legs crossed at the shins and his arms were crossed over an athletic chest. He was black-haired, with a short, almost military-style cut and wore reflective
sunglasses. The other man was big and burly, only slightly smaller than Ahnvil was and he stood in a hard stance with feet apart and arms over his chest. He had blond hair and also wore sunglasses, even though it was still dark. The sun was lightening the sky already.

“How far is it?” she asked nervously as she alighted from the jet and worked her way down the steps. Karma and Ahnvil came down hot on her heels.

“Fifteen minutes at best,” Ahnvil said. He was anxiously looking at the sky as well. “We’ll make sure you’re covered, Kat. I’ll no’ let any harm come tae you.”

She laughed incredulously. “It’s not me I’m worried about!”

“Let’s go folks. Night time is a-wasting,” the dark-haired man said. He reached out for Ahnvil’s hand and they shook.

“You didn’t have to come yourself, Jackson,” Ahnvil said reproachfully.

“Of course I did,” he said, looking at Ahnvil as if any other idea would have been preposterous. “And who is this?”

“This is Katrina Haynes. Kat, this is Jackson, the Pharaoh of the Bodywalkers, and Ram, his first lieutenant.”

“Good to meet you, Kat.” Ram greeted her.

“She needs to be protected from the sun just as we do. She has a disease. The sun will cause her to blister and burn.”

“Right. The windows are polarized. There will be no sun. We’ll pull directly into the garage.” Jackson turned and met her eyes through the tint on his glasses. “Let me introduce you to Max. He’s human, so he’ll be driving us in case we get caught in the sun.”

“We have tae go,” Ahnvil said. “I canna risk turning wi’out my touchstone. I’m too close.”

“I can see that,” Ram said when Ahnvil’s hands briefly shifted to a stone state. “Let’s go.”

But no sooner were the words out of his mouth than a searing blast of red light exploded between the group, blowing them all off their feet. Then another hit, this time catching Jackson dead in the chest. Kat couldn’t help the scream that erupted from her lips, even as Ahnvil got to his feet, grabbed her and thrust her behind himself.

Just in time for him to catch one of those beams right in his chest as well. He roared in pain and Kat could swear she heard his flesh sizzling as though it had been cooked. Yet he remained on his feet, only staggering back a step or two. She looked up and to her shock she could see two men and a woman literally floating in the air. The beams of light were being cast from their hands.