Soulbound (6 page)

Every hair upon her body stood on end, and she froze, aware of her own breath and of the way her breasts brushed against his chest. She dared not turn to meet his gaze. It did not matter. Awareness lit between them. Of his cheek and hers mere inches apart. Of his scent, that delicious amber and myrrh scent. It had her eyes fluttering, wanting to close if only to heighten her sense of smell. He made a small, strangled sound, barely audible, and yet it struck the core of her.

Get away. Get away now!
But she could not.

Unwanted and uninvited heat coalesced between her legs and spread outward, up her torso and down her thighs. Her eyes closed then, as she held herself very still for fear of leaning closer and pressing her now heavy breasts against him. And it disgusted her. She could not be attracted to this man. Not him. Anyone but him.

The sound of his indrawn breath and the feel of his lips brushing her neck had her eyes snapping open. Her body tensed further.

“Are you…” – she swallowed past a wave of heat – “smelling me?”

He was silent for a moment. “Aye.” Defiance shaped his tone, and then it went husky as he inhaled again. “Aye, dove. I cannot resist. Your sweetness is a ray of sunshine in this hell.”

Craning his neck forward, he drew in another deep breath, and a low, rumbling groan escaped him. “Gods, but I could drown in the scent of you and not be sorry for it.”

The realization that she’d nearly arched her neck to give him better access finally snapped her out of her heated fog. Eliza reared back. And Adam regarded her through lowered lids, not at all repentant, but as if daring her to come back to him.

“That is enough,” she said, wishing the words came out steady and firm. “I’m not here to —”

“Get me off?” he supplied lightly, a wicked gleam entering his pale amber eyes.

She gritted her teeth. “Yes, that.”

He mocked a shrug but then winced. “Fair enough, sweeting. But as you continue to ease my pain, while ignoring the place I need soothing most, I cannot help thinking you mean to tease me.” His hips shifted the slightest bit.

The urge to slap him was high, but Eliza sank into herself where it was calm and nothing could affect her. She’d learned that from him. Nothing like being chained to a man to teach a woman about self-preservation. When she spoke, her voice was a shard of ice. “You’re trying to drive me off, aren’t you?”

He seemed to flinch in surprise before sagging a bit. “Yes.” Mulishly, his gaze slid away before returning with renewed defiance. “Though I did not lie. Your scent is an addiction. I want more of it.”

No, she would not react. “And yet you want me to leave.”

At this, he let out an exasperated snort. “Gods, woman, can you no’ get it through your head? If they find you with me, you’ll be in a world of trouble. As will I.” His outstretched arms tensed as though he was straining to break free. “What I cannot understand is why you keep returning. Is it amusing you to see me this way?”

“What? No.”

“Have you a death wish then?”

“No.” Her hands fisted her skirts. “I —”

“What?” he snapped when she hesitated. “Out with it, girl.”

“Do not bark at me! Nor am I a girl.”

Adam paused his attack.

For a long moment, they simply glared at each other. And then the wind went out of Eliza’s sails. “I cannot live amongst these people and keep my sanity.”

“That’s the first reasonable thing you’ve said yet.”

She found herself fighting a smile. “Surely not the very first.”

He clearly fought one as well. “I’ll concede. You’ve said a few more.”

Eliza laughed, short and soft. Then she looked away, a sudden burning in her eyes making her fear she’d soon weep. And she abhorred weeping. “There is a man. He… his…” Hell, she hated to even say the bastard’s name. “His name is Mellan.”

Adam’s swift intake of breath had her turning back to him. He’d gone bone white, his lips peeled back in a macabre sneer. His eyes hid nothing, not to her at least.

“You know this man, don’t you.” It wasn’t a question. Not when he wore that look.

“Yes.” Adam’s sneer turned to a snarl. “He’s a right, ruddy bastard. The question is, how do you know him, lass?”

Her icy fingers clenched. “I knew him in Boston. I – my grandfather Aiden died. I didn’t have a dime…” She trailed off, disgust and hot humiliation writhing within. “Ah, well, you know such tales, I suppose. I needed safety and security.”

“And you sold yourself. To him.” Adam’s words whipped like a lash.

Eliza glared at him. “He pretended to care, wanted to be my protector. I was naive and foolish.” It was a sad testament that she’d rather Adam believe she’d sold her body than confess the reality of what Mellan had her do. There were worse things than being a whore. “Before I knew it, he claimed that he owned me.” Eliza pinned Adam with a stare. “Sound familiar?”

The man had the grace to flush. He grumbled a bit but said no more.

“I ran from Boston to get away from him. And now he’s found me.” Bile burned up her throat as she thought of it. “Worse, Mab claims he’s her brother, and that I am to marry him.” The very idea that she’d marry her uncle… Good God, that Mellan
was
her uncle, made her ill.

Adam had grown utterly still, his golden eyes roaming her face as though he saw everything all too well. “Mab is your grandmother,” he pointed out softly. “Which makes him your granduncle.”

“Oh, well that makes it much better, thank you,” she choked out.

His big body sagged. “What have I to do with all of this? Tell me.”

She drew in a bracing breath, regrettably, since the room was foul. “I’m leaving. And I’m taking you with me.”

His response was not what she’d expected. Rearing back until his thick head hit the wall, he scowled fiercely. “No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’?”

An imperious black brow rose. “Need I give you a definition of the word?”

Eliza sat back on her heals, a huff of shock leaving her lips. “Why on earth are you fighting me on this?”

His narrowed gaze slid away. “There are some things a man cannot outrun. Nor a woman. They will hunt you down, and believe me, they will make you hurt for your desertion.”

“Which is why I need your help.”
Thick-headed
demon.

“Have you had a good look at me, lass?” His shoulders bunched, all those sinewy muscles of his chest tightening as one lovely landscape of repressed strength. “I’m not the knight in shining armor you need.”

“No, but you are the only one available.”

Eliza pressed her sweaty palms onto her thighs. Even so, it took her a full minute to find her voice, one in which he stared her down as if waiting for the obvious. “Will you help me?”

A lock of black hair fell over his brow as he gave a pointed look towards his shackled wrists. “A bit hung up at the moment, dove.”

“You are hilarious,” she deadpanned. “Really, you ought to consider vaudeville.” She leaned in, coming closer to him than she’d like, but it certainly caught his attention. His gaze darted over her face as she spoke. “You know Mab’s ways, how she thinks. And you know London’s underworld. Help me and I will set you free. Don’t, and remain here as her plaything.”

His eyes narrowed, his lips compressing. “If I am to help you,” he said after a long, pained moment, “then I want something in return.”

Of course he did, calculating demon. Because she still feared he was a demon.

“I should think my freeing you is enough.”

Golden eyes, full of irritation and dry humor, pinned her. “Freeing me benefits you, as I cannot provide assistance otherwise.”

Annoying man. Eliza crossed her arms over her chest. “I could find someone else to help me.”

“Go ahead then,” Adam said with a shrug. “And good luck to you on your search.” With that, he closed his eyes and said no more.

Silence stretched between them.

“You aren’t moving,” Adam observed, his eyes still closed.

Blasted, no good rat…

“What is it you want?” she asked.

His eyes snapped open, his gaze spearing her with its intensity. “I want another bargain with you.”

“You cannot possibly believe I’d be so stupid as to make another pact with you.”

“This one you’ll make fully informed.” The corner of his eyes crinkled with the devil’s humor. “I’ll even give you more than ten seconds to decide.”

“Oh, really?” she drawled, not wanting to smile.

“Mmm…” The sound came out like a deep purr. She imagined a lion doing much the same. Before he pounced. “A full minute.”

It was tempting. Too tempting, to ask him what he wanted. Curiosity had always been her downfall. Hers was rampant. “State your terms, demon.”

“ ‘Adam’,” he corrected firmly. “You call me Adam or —”

“My Lord and Master, My Irresistible Liege?” she offered, tossing the words he’d once said back at him.

Against the sooty grime on his face, his teeth flashed white and strong. “You remember, dove.”

He was doing it again, using his charm to distract her.

“Adam,” she warned.

Her use of his name seemed to please him for heat entered his eyes, and he suddenly seemed closer. “I want you.”

Eliza rather feared she had made a horrible gurgle of shock. “ ‘Me.’ But why? Do you…” She blanched. “Fancy me?”

Abruptly he snorted. “No, not particularly, though you’re pretty enough.”

“Do not strain yourself with praise, sir.”

“You want sweet words now?” His thick lashes cast shadows on his cheek as he blinked up at her, the picture of innocent confusion. “When here I thought honesty was what you admired.”

“If you don’t have feelings for me,” she ground out, “then why do you want me? Just look at us, constantly at each other’s throats like baited bears.”

“I want the possibility of you,” he said softly.

Eliza’s mouth fell open. But he simply held her gaze, his expression, for once, perfectly serious.

“My curse is irreversible. I will never know peace unless I am accepted by my soul’s mate. By you, as it happens.”

A heavy mix of guilt and something close to sorrow filled her chest. “It might be trickery, you know. Mab might have led you to believe that I was your soul mate.”

“Then why was she desperate to get you away from me?”

“Because I’m her kin?”

The chains rattled when he shook his head. “Believe what you will. Doesn’t matter.” His chin lifted in that stubborn way of his, that months of watching told her she’d never persuade him otherwise. He confirmed it when he spoke again. “I want my peace, Eliza. To feel whole, happy, free. That is all I’ve ever wanted. Seven hundred years, I’ve searched for it. And if there is even the slightest possibility that you can give it to me, then I am willing to risk everything to get it.”

Horribly, tears prickled at the back of her throat. She cleared it. “That is a terrible burden to place on a person. What if I cannot come to…” – she faltered, unable to even say the word
love
– “to accept you?”

His hard expression did not alter. “Then you don’t. It won’t work unless your affection is freely given, regardless.”

“And what of your affections? You expect me to come to care for you while you outright dislike me?”

The corner of his lush mouth curled. “What I am asking for is a chance. I help you and you stay with me during that time. A clean slate, no more viewing me through the lens of the past. And I shall do the same with you. We start anew. Partners in this quest.”

“How long?” Knowing his sly ways, he might drag out this “quest” endlessly.

He grinned again, as if he knew precisely what she was thinking. “One month.”

“A week.”

“Not enough time. I have to heal to be of any use. One month.”

“That number was already deemed unacceptable. Two weeks.”

“Three.”

Eliza sat back on her heels, while Adam merely stared at her as though he had all the time in the world. “Fine,” she said. “Three weeks. I free you and you help me.” She gave him a warning look. “I’ll need your word that you will help me, that this” – she waved her hand between them – “isn’t merely a way to trick me into freeing you.”

“This business was your idea, woman,” he said with affront.

“Nevertheless, I’ll need your word.”

His nostrils flared with a sharp exhalation. “My word then.” Eliza did not look away from him, and he glared back in obvious exasperation. “What now?”

“I’m merely considering if I ought to trust your word,” she said.

A low growl rumbled in his chest as he bared his teeth. “I keep my word, whether I want to or not. My word is my bond. Honor, Miss May. Unlike you, I have it.”

“How dare you —”

“How dare you?” He craned forward, the muscles along his shoulders bunching. “Not so long ago you broke your promise of fealty. To me!”

“Oh yes, how quick you are to remind me.” Eliza leaned close, grinding her teeth to keep in a shout. “You enjoy being quick, don’t you?”

His thick, dark brows furrowed. “What in the bloody blazes are you talking about?”

“You gave me all of ten seconds to make a choice.” Eliza’s fists ached from clenching them. “And what a choice. I was dead, my body sliced open, my blood on the ground. I would have done anything,
anything
” – she thumped her fist to her chest – “to get back my life.”

“So that makes it better?” he snapped back in outrage. “Desperation gives you leave to go back on your word?”

“No. That is not what I meant.”

“Then you agree that you bloody well have no honor —”

“You never explained what was involved. You never said I’d be chained to you, like some animal, for the rest of my days,” Eliza shouted. “I was told I would be a GIM. I was ready to serve you in that manner. You knew full well that’s what I believed. If anything, you swindled me!”

All at once, he sagged, though he still eyed her with resentment and distaste. Well, she had a healthy helping of those feelings for him too.

“Tick-tock, Eliza,” she mimicked. “You rushed me because you didn’t want me to think things over.”

When he broke eye contact, his hard jaw twitched.

“I’m correct, aren’t I?” Ire and a red rage surged up within her. “And you have the brass to sit on your high horse and talk of honor. Well, let me tell you something, demon. There is little honor in forcing a person’s hand. Or using your power to coerce those weaker than you.”