Point of No Return (4 page)

“A few minutes? You know that’s not enough
time,” I said, exasperated. “Get real.”

Danial flipped open his cell phone then and
dialed. “Brian? Drive out to the middle of the driveway, and knock
over a few poplar trees onto the driveway, blocking it. Make sure
they’re big enough a Hummer can’t cross them. Never mind why, just
do it. There’s a bonus in it for you if they’re over a foot in
diameter.”

Danial hung up the phone, then grabbed my
hand. “We have enough time now,” he said eagerly, pulling me into
his bedroom.

* * * *

I lay in Danial’s arms after, my heart still
racing. His was slow and steady. I nuzzled close, listening happily
to the regular beats.

Danial pushed my hair back from my face, and
kissed me softly. “Much as I’d like to lay here with you, Sar, you
should dress,” Danial said languidly. “Even several trees won’t
delay Devlin’s bears for long, not for much longer than it took
Brian to knock them over.”

“You’re right,” I said reluctantly, getting
up. “I’d better go.”

Danial sat up, handing me my underwear from
the side of the bed. “Come back to me next weekend. We’ll stay in
like we did back in the fall, maybe ride, if the weather’s good.
I’ll get you a pizza.”

“You know just what I can’t resist,” I said,
laughing, slipping into my new sweater.

Danial gave me a knowing smile. “He’ll like
it. That’s his favorite color.”

“Should I get one in red for you?” I
teased.

Danial lovingly kissed my hand, then gently
gestured toward the door. “Go, Sweetheart, before I change my mind
and keep you here.”

I blew him a kiss, then went into the great
room, closing the door behind me.

A few minutes passed. I checked my watch.
Maybe I should call Devlin and make sure something hadn’t come up
in Canada...

A knock came from the front door. I quickly
grabbed my purse and keys from the table. As I walked into the
mudroom, Theo opened the front door.

Chapter Three

Lash stood there waiting in the doorway, his
eyes as flat as ever, his forked tongue flicking angrily. He was
dressed warmly all in black, save for a blood red scarf at his
neck.

“What do you want?” Theo said gruffly.

“Sarelle,” Lash hissed angrily, drawing out
my name in a long sinuous sound. “Devlin wants her at Hayden.”

“I’m here,” I said, trying to slide past
Theo. “I’m ready.”

Theo blocked me, eyeing me frostily. “No one
said anything to me about it,” he said stonily.

“No one need tell you anything, Cat,” Lash
hissed. “You have no say.”

“I have a say in Danial’s property,” Theo
growled. “I need to check with Danial before I let her leave.”

“Then go check,” Lash said, baring his fangs.
“I’ll wait inside.”

“You’ll wait outside,” Theo said, and slammed
the door in his face.

“Theo, he’s right—”

Theo grabbed a hold of my arm and hauled me
to Danial’s bedroom door. “Danial,” Theo said, pounding on the door
loudly. “Lash is here. He said he’s here for Sar.”

Danial came to the door, dressed. “Theo, it’s
okay,” he said calmly. “It was good of you to check, but I knew Sar
was headed to Hayden tonight. Let her leave.”

“You’re just going to let her go to him?”
Theo said, his tone dagger-filled. “I can smell that you were just
together.”

Danial gave him a slow smile of
gratification. “Devlin has rights to Sar now, just as I do, whether
you like it or not. She’ll often leave one of us to go to the
other, something that doesn’t invoke my jealousy, as it’s a given
under our Oath. Reconcile yourself to this situation, or leave my
employ.”

“As soon as the ranking’s settled, I probably
will,” Theo replied curtly. “And I’ll be taking Elle with me.”

Danial’s eyes flashed red. “We’ve been over
this. If you want to leave with your woman, you’re free to go. But
Elle is staying here.”

“Then stop the digs,” Theo shot back. “None
of us planned how this all worked out. If you want Elle to stay
here, then we need to work together.” He glanced over at me, then
back to Danial. “I don’t want to see anyone hurt.”

“He isn’t going to hurt her,” Danial said
patiently. “He loves her.”

“He loves nothing but himself, and you know
it,” Theo growled.

Danial gave me a gentle kiss. “Have a good
time. Call tomorrow from Dev’s, and tell me when I can expect you
to return. If it’s a few days or more, that’s no problem; I’m neck
deep in cases.”

“I will,” I said uneasily.

Danial nodded, then went back into his
bedroom.

“You must have worn him out,” Theo said
sarcastically. “He’s right about his work—”

I tried to push past him. He blocked me.

“Let me past, Theo.”

“Sar, don’t do this,” Theo said, grabbing my
arm. “He’ll hurt you without Danial there to mediate—”

“I’ve been alone with him before,” I said
meaningfully. “He didn’t do anything to me I didn’t want.”

“Didn’t he?” Theo said just as meaningfully.
“Give him time. He will.”

“It’s really not your business anymore, is
it?” I said mockingly. “Why does it matter to you, anyway?”

The door suddenly banged open. Lash glared at
the both of us with his flat eyes as he walked in.

“You broke the lock,” Theo bitched.

Lash threw some money on the floor. “We are
late already, Sarelle,” he hissed. “Get moving. Now.”

Everything happened at once. I went to move
past Theo, he put out his hand to stop me, and something slid
through the air with a sharp crack. Theo went rigid, grabbing at
his neck, choking, his eyes bulging, the end of Lash’s whip tight
around his throat.

Lash held the handle of his whip in one hand,
and pulled it back toward him with the other. Theo went to his
knees, struggling frantically to get his hands under the whip, his
face purple. Lash looked up at me, smiled coldly, then gave the
whip a yank. Theo swayed, still clawing at his throat.

“Stop, please,” I said wearily, moving
between Lash and Theo. “You’re right; we’re late. Let’s go.”

Lash nodded, pushed me out of the way, then
flicked his wrist, uncurling the whip from Theo. Theo gasped, going
down on all fours on the mudroom floor, breaths tearing out of him.
Assuring myself he’d be okay, I went past Lash out the door. Lash
closed it behind us.

“Let me get my bag, it’s in my truck—”

“We will take your truck,” Lash hissed
sharply. “I’ll drive. Get in.”

I gave him a wary look.

“Devlin said it was closer for you to drive
home from Hayden than all the way back to Danial’s to get your
vehicle,” Lash hissed. “My orders are to drive you there in your
vehicle. Hopefully you can drive yourself back and forth in
time.”

I bit back my sharp retort, shrugged, and
handed him the keys.

As we headed down the driveway, a black
Hummer fell in behind us. It had been waiting near the poplar trees
Brian had felled. Even lying on the ground, all were more than a
foot in diameter, and had been at least fifty feet tall. They would
have soundly blocked the driveway, requiring hours of work for
normal humans to remove. They had been pushed aside, without any
cutting, into the forest.

“Nice trick with the trees,” Lash hissed
sarcastically. “It’s good Devlin insisted I bring the bears with
me, or I’d have frozen stiff in this cold.” He stared over at me.
“Maybe you’d have liked that.”

His suggestive tone repulsed and angered me.
“You were the last, um...person I expected to show up here—”

“You don’t have to put yourself out and call
me a person,” Lash said witheringly. “But I warn you, I don’t
answer to Snake.”

“I’m sorry you got cold,” I said frostily.
“Don’t worry about me calling you anything other than your
name.”

Lash didn’t answer.

We drove through Alan’s Creek, I turned to
him. “Do you mind if I stop and order some Chinese food?” I said
hopefully. “It’s close to dinner time.”

“I’m to take you to Dev immediately,” Lash
said, his eyes on the road. “So, no.”

“If I clear it with Dev, can—?”

“Call him if you want,” he said, giving me a
cold smile, “But he’ll tell you no, too. He’s never gone this long
without someone in his bed. He’s going to want more than a little
of you.”

“I’m already late,” I answered, dialing. “He
won’t care if I’m a few moments later.”

Devlin answered. “Sar, are you on your
way?”

“Yes, but I’m hungry, Do you mind if I
stop—”

“Forget it,” he said curtly. “You can eat
here, later.”

“Dev—”

“You are already late, due to Danial’s games.
Need I remind you of your promise to me, Sar?” he said angrily.
“You want me to tell Perseus he’s welcome to take you? You know how
fast he would be at your door?”

“I’ll be there soon,” I said tonelessly, and
hung up.

“See?” Lash hissed, grinning so his fangs
showed. “I told you—”

“Shut up and drive,” I said, slumping in the
seat.

Lash gave me a cold look, but didn’t speak
for the rest of the trip. Within an hour, we were driving up a
long, long driveway, bare trees lining either side. I thought they
might be oak, but it was too dark to tell.

A large, forbidding stone house stood on top
of the rise, most of the windows ablaze with light. As we drove
past it into the attached four-car garage, some tumbled and broken
stones were visible near the foundation. The intermittent raised
gardens nearby looked like a mess of tangled dead weeds and snow
banks.

Lash pulled my vehicle into the first open
spot inside, then closed the garage door behind us using a remote
opener. With one hand he slid the clip of the garage door opener
onto my truck’s visor, and with the other, he turned off the
engine. Outside came the sounds of truck doors closing, and men
talking.

Lash got out, and gestured for me to follow
him. He led me through a small kitchen. It was empty of all normal
appliances except a large elaborate wine rack on the counter, a
supersize refrigerator, a dishwasher, and a microwave. Adjoining it
was a dining room, a living room with a big screen flat screen TV
on one wall, and finally a hallway, with a stairway leading up into
darkness.

“She’s here!” Lash called out with glee.

Devlin came to the top of the stairs. He wore
a gray robe, dark as steel, gleaming in the dim light. “Thank you,
Lash,” Devlin said roughly. “Now leave us.”

Lash grinned at me. “Have a nice time, Doll.”
With a flick of his tongue, he turned and made his exit, heading
back through the door to my left.

“That’s the door I came in with him,” I said
in surprise. “Right?”

Devlin came down the stairs and scooped me up
in his arms. “Miss me?” he asked. Then, before I could answer, he
kissed me hungrily, his tongue sliding into my mouth, his stubble
scratching my face. He carried me upstairs into the nearest room,
and shut the door behind us.

He set me down in front of him. “Tell me, do
you like it?”

This must be his bedroom. It looked like a
high-end bachelor pad. Near the fieldstone fireplace, there was an
overstuffed love seat made of gold silk with carved wood arms. The
only other piece of furniture, a heavily carved king-sized oak bed,
dominated the room. The bed linens and numerous pillows, all of
silver gray luxury cotton, shone softly in the gloom. If there were
any pictures on the walls, or bookcases, it was too dim to tell. A
faint crackling came from the fireplace.

“You like it?” Dev said, his arms sliding
around me to pull me tight against him.

It was a bit hot in here, but very pleasing.
“Very much,” I said, and gave him a kiss.

He groaned and pressed himself into me,
grinding hard. “Come. Now.” He crossed the room, pulling me with
him, tossing his robe aside. “I need you.”

The moment we reached his bed, he was tugging
off my clothes, almost frantic. When I tried to help him, he
knocked my hands away in frustration. Scared of his desperateness,
I lay still, sweating, and let him strip me.

As he spread my legs, tilting my hips up to
receive him as he got into position, it suddenly registered that
his skin was warm.

“No!” I yelled, scrambling out from under
him. I shrank back against the headboard, drawing my knees to my
chest.

“Get over here,” Devlin snarled, reaching for
me, his words rough with lust and anxiousness. “I’ve wanted you for
days and I’m through waiting.”

“No. You’re warm,” I said fearfully. “You’ve
only been on the potion a week at most. That’s not anywhere long
enough, Dev. I’ll miscarry for sure. I can’t go through that again.
I won’t!”

“Ah,” he said, pausing in his reach for me.
“My apologies, Love. In my desire, I forgot to give you this.” He
leaned over, turned on a bedside lamp, and handed me a piece of
paper from his nightstand.

I read it quickly, blinking in the sudden
light. “This is in Dr. Camlyn’s writing. It says he verified you’re
fertile. But that can’t be possible.”

“Yes, it can,” Devlin assured me. “Titus made
me a potion with his blood, Sar. It’s a variation on the spell
Terian used for you and Danial with one huge benefit: it works much
faster. Something about the full demon blood being a lot more
potent. In only hours, I am ready to give you our child.”

“Is this what you were doing in Mexico?”

“Yes,” he murmured, his eyes shining from the
firelight. “Titus needed a few ingredients that were rare, and I
needed to call in a few favors to get them on such short notice.”
He stroked the top of my foot. “Stephen tested me today at dusk.
After he confirmed the results twice, I had him write out that
paper, so you would know that you wouldn’t be at risk.”

Hearing that, I was much more afraid than I
had been. I curled myself tighter in a ball, looked at him as if he
were the Devil, and didn’t answer.