TheSatellite (16 page)

Where could she possibly be going?
Quickly he changed direction and followed. He wondered where on earth she would be taking the baby at sunset.

Keeping a safe distance, Ian tailed her as she walked down to the beach behind their home. She appeared to have a destination in mind. When she finally stopped walking, he hid in a rocky cove to observe.

He could not believe what he saw and he wondered if this was a hallucination.
Maybe my friends were right. Maybe my obsession with the Satellite has finally taken its toll.

Cassie put the baby in a basket and pushed it out into the water. Just as he was about to shout and run after his son, a ring of fire sprang up from the ground to surround her. Stunned, Ian jumped behind the rocks again. Tears filled his eyes and forced their way over his hot cheeks while he watched his son float out to sea. He wanted to run into the water and save him, yet by some unseen force, he was trapped and frozen in fear.

Quietly he crept closer, carefully concealing himself behind the rocks on the beach. What he saw next knocked the wind out of him. A tall man walked out of the ocean and approached Cassie. Her long black hair blew in the breeze. Ian marveled at how mystically beautiful she looked at that very moment wearing a white gauze dress. As the man drew closer, Ian saw he wore blue jeans but no shirt. Long black hair hung loosely over his bare shoulders. He walked straight through the fire and took Cassie in his arms.

She’s having an affair? Where is my child?
He could not make sense of it. He had to know more. Ever so carefully, he inched as close as possible to hear them without being seen.

“Oh dear God…no,” he muttered to himself when he saw the man’s face.

Cassie welcomed the man with open arms. He kissed her deeply while lowering her to the sand. Ian could not mentally grasp what was playing out before him. There on the beach, his supposed future wife lay making love with another man. But not just any man. Somehow Cassie had become involved with the Satellite and now she chose to join with him!

His stomach churned and he retched in the sand. After composing himself, he listened closely.

As painful as it was to watch Von mate with Cassie, he needed to know why. When Von finished his almost cold, ritualistic mating, he stood up and turned away from Cassie. She seemed frustrated—upset. The circle of fire dissipated.

“Why are you so different this time?” Cassie implored of him.

Von laughed sadistically. “You played your part. Now I am restored with even more power. I have no use for you now. It’s the warrior woman I seek to be my forever mate.”

Cassie slapped him hard across the face. “You bastard! I loved you!”

“Go back to Ian, darling. You have fulfilled your purpose to me. You will need him now, to keep yourself alive.”

“What?” A shocked expression crossed her face.

“I did forget to tell you about that, didn’t I?” He released a taunting laugh. “Since you have given birth to my seed and returned me to my own, you must mate once a month to stay alive.”

“And what of us?” The intense longing in her voice made Ian cringe. He balled his fists.

“
Us
? There was never an
us
. You’re distant connection to the master who cursed me gave me everything I needed to gain more power. But it’s the Sai warrior woman I want. She is the only one who can break this hellish curse that your family placed on me.”

“What about our child?” Cassie cried bitter tears.

Von smiled coolly. “He is me. It was an exchange. I planted my seed in you because of your heritage. Only a woman of your bloodline could carry my child to term. I needed a backup plan just in case and as you can see, I was right. Had I not needed your life force, you would be destroyed. Since you gave me what I needed, you may live, but as a cursed woman, which is fitting retribution for what your family did to me.”

Cassie fell to her knees and sobbed. “I can’t believe you deceived me. You promised that I’d be yours. You used me just to get to Flame?”

“It was your ancestor who cursed me! Wise up, woman.”

“Well, you better watch out for those flaming daggers,” she snarled.

Von laughed again. “No, not me…you. By having my child you have given me more power and taken on my weakness. Flaming daggers cannot kill me now, but they
can
kill you.”

“Why her? Why not me?” She cried, clutching his arm. “She hates you! She even killed you!”

“Please…spare me the drama. You weren’t tearful when I made love to you the first time. You begged me to take you, remember? Only the warrior woman can satisfy the burning desire in my soul. Do you think I am fulfilled by you or any other common woman? I needed only your heritage, simple as that.”

Cassie glared at him through her sobs. “I hope you burn in hell!”

“Little chance of that now.” He smirked. “Nobody knows how to kill me. I will have my queen at last. Finally my sexual frustration will be sated.”

“She belongs to Hatch and is love with Raef. You will never have her.”

“Semantics. Those mortals are no match for me.”

“You seem pretty cocky for a man who needed a woman’s help coming back.”

His expression deepened and Ian could see his fury even from the rocks. “I will take care of the two playboys. But as for you, don’t forget…once a month you must seduce a man to stay alive or join the other creepers in hell.” He paused with a wry grin. “And Cassie…watch out for those flaming daggers.”

He jerked his arm away and swung away to leave. Cassie hung her head in utter despair. Von turned back one last time and kissed her forehead. When he pulled away, a crescent shape glowed where his lips had touched her skin.
He marked her!

“Oh, one more thing, once a woman has joined with me, she can never become pregnant to another man. Welcome to my world.”

“Don’t leave me!” Cassie threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his legs.

“Get off me, wench. I’m done with you.”

“I am the one who wants you. Why chase after a woman who will never have you?”

“She is my destiny.”

Cassie watched him go. A strong wind whipped her long black hair behind her as she knelt on the sandy earth. Tears streaked her face. Her shocking lust for the Satellite was her undoing. Now guilty of betrayal herself, she faced the same fate as all other creepers who’d perished before her.

“I hate Flame,” she growled, then whipped handfuls of sand at Von as he sauntered away. “You’ll never have her…never!”

Ian choked back the overwhelming emotion and raced back to his house. Before Cassie returned, he threw some necessary belongings into a backpack, hopped on his Harley and sped away.

After riding at a high rate of speed for almost an hour, Ian pulled into the lot of a convenience store. Night had fallen and he still couldn’t get hold of his friends. Even Coop was not answering. He needed to tell them what he’d just witnessed and prayed they’d believe him.
Hell, they barely believed me before, why would they believe this? They will think I’ve gone bloody mad.
He stared at his phone, consumed with self-doubt. Only one person might possibly believe him, but Flame wasn’t taking her calls either. While contemplating his next move the ringtone on his cell chimed.

“Flame?” He hoped.

“Ian, it’s me.” Cassie’s voice struck like a thousand needles.

“Where are you, Cassie?”

“Something terrible has happened,” she sobbed. “I’m at the beach.”

Ian didn’t say anything. He waited to hear what ridiculous explanation she would offer.

“Von took the baby. He said if I didn’t give him our child he would kill you, I was so afraid,” she half lied.

“Von’s dead.”

“No, he’s not. Flame did not succeed in killing him. Apparently there is something else we didn’t know about the Satellite. He was able to return because I was pregnant when Flame tried to kill him. Your warrior woman failed us, Ian.”

He sighed in disgust. “That’s absurd. Why you?”

“Because…” She hesitated. “Of my bloodline. I am a descendent of the dark master who condemned him. Ian, the child was not ours as we thought.”

“You slept with him?” He could not hide the anger in his voice.

“Only once, but not willingly,” Cassie lied. “He came here one day looking for you, but you were out on a bike tour with Coop. I was feeling very lonely at the time. He seduced me. I tried to resist him but could not. We didn’t know he was the Satellite back then. You know how powerful the Satellite’s seduction is. I am so sorry,” she cried. “I assumed the baby was yours.”

Ian was stunned at the way she tried to manipulate him by using their knowledge of the Satellite to sell her story. Had he not seen and heard what transpired between Cassie and Von, he might have believed her. She seemed very convincing and poured on the tears and fake remorse to attempt her deception. He knew why, because she needed him as a mate to stay alive.

“So what happened to the baby?”

Cassie took a deep breath on the other end. “It became him.”

Ian fought back the intense emotion flooding him. “You still slept with another man, Cassie. How am I supposed to deal with that? And Von Calder, of all people! He and his pussy ass Pythons are rivals to us. How could you be so blind and weak?”

“But he was the Satellite and we didn’t know it. You know he was after us because we knew how to kill him. He is very powerful, I am so sorry, please forgive me.”

“You slept with another man, carried his child, and led me to believe it was mine. Now the son I thought was mine is gone, just like that…gone. You ripped my heart out. You knew about my first wife, yet still you betrayed me. You crossed the line and you can’t take that back. It’s too late, too much to forget about…no Cassie…No!”

He ended the call and deleted her from his mobile phone. He wanted to scream at her, tell her what he knew, but for now—for now he needed to think.

As he guided his bike back onto the highway a familiar rumble caught his attention. He stopped and waited, hoping the approaching motorcycles belonged to his friends. In the distance he saw them coming. Flame’s wild blonde hair whipped out in the tail wind and Raef rode at her side. He waved them in when they got closer.

“Ian, what are you doing out here at night? Is everything okay with Cassie?” Flame asked as soon as she cut the engine.

Her question stunned him.
Is she psychic?
Nevertheless, he was truly relieved to see them again. “Do you know something?”

“I sensed you were in trouble so we came back earlier than planned. You look awful—what’s going on?”

He wiped his eyes with a thumb and forefinger. “I have very tragic news.”

“Oh no…” Flame’s eyes glistened with emotion.

“What happened?” Raef asked in open concern.

“Cassie…and the baby…”

“No…no, no, no…” Flame reached over and grabbed his arm. “Please tell me they are okay.”

“I-I can’t.” His voice cracked. He felt like a pathetic wuss but he couldn’t hold it back any longer. He broke down and quietly wept.

“Ah hell, I’m so sorry, man.” Raef laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Ian pulled himself together and looked at them. “It’s not what you think. The child was never mine.”

“What?” they asked in unison, their eyes flew open wide.

“The Satellite. Von Calder. Cassie’s bloodline…she’s a descendent of the dark master who cursed Von.”

“You’re not making sense,” Raef said.

Flame shot Raef a pointed look. “He’s shaking like a leaf, be nice.” Then she turned to Ian. “Let’s park over there and talk.”

He nodded. They coasted to the far end of the lot where nobody was around. He swung one leg over the seat and sat sideways to face them.

“I really hope you believe me. I swear that what I am about to tell you is the God’s honest truth.”

Ian returned home after telling his friends everything. They’d asked him to give them a little time alone to absorb the details then they’d come by and help him sort the madness. Before he left them, Flame had given him a firm warning to avoid all contact with Cassie. She seemed to feel that Cassie would seek him out and try to mate. Ian doubted that. The woman hadn’t shown physical interest in him since her second trimester of pregnancy. He never questioned it and assumed it had to do with her condition.

He felt drained—empty. Pulling into the drive of his coastal home had lost its appeal. No warmth awaited him inside. Nothing but cold hard loneliness would greet him when he opened the door that led from the garage into the house. He wondered how to survive losing another woman—another child. Life had lost all meaning to him and seemed pointless. He doubted even his dear friends could help him this time.

Unable to face going inside, he decided to tune up the bikes. He had several of his own and a few of the pack members used his spacious garage to store theirs.
Maybe this will get my mind off of her.

While he worked on the bikes, tuning and checking them over, he heard the service door open. Thinking Flame and Raef had arrived, he looked up from the floor. To his shock, in walked Cassie.

“Where are you going?” Her voice was sweet and sugary like the beautiful woman he’d known. “Looks like you’re preparing for a long road trip.”

“Away,” he replied without looking at her.

The thought of her with Von made him sick. He figured that she had no idea he knew she was a creeper now.

“You were gone a long time for a night ride alone, Ian, where were you?”

“With my friends.”

“You mean Flame?” Jealousy and bitterness drenched her voice.

“Yeah…and Raef.”

Cassie turned away for a moment and sighed. “Please don’t do this. We can overcome anything together.”

“Not
this
, Cassie! I saw you! I saw you and that bastard on the beach. You actually wanted him! Begged him to keep you! It made me physically ill…get the hell out of here…now!”

“Ian, please…” she sobbed. “I was under his spell on the beach. I didn’t know what I was doing. It’s you that I love, can’t you see that? If you saw us on the beach, then surely
now
you understand how powerful he is and how he was able to seduce me.” Her crying sounded real. “Please, please forgive me…I love you, baby.”