Tortured Embrace Page 8

  They all watched as Evangeline physically and mentally struggled with herself. Her back was to them, but she’d turned her head to gaze at her fiancé, her face frightened. “I’m sorry…I have to,” she said pleadingly, inching closer out of the room in abrupt movements.

  Jason instinctively pulled Serena closer to his side, knowing full well where Evangeline was headed. Her race was in danger too, and as the vampire king’s ward, she was honor bound to warn him. Shit, the girl couldn’t even decide for herself if she even wanted to go. Their blood bond was pulling her out the door.

  His deep voice resonated throughout the room. “Do you have to go right this minute?”

  Bending her head slightly, she gave him a sad smile and said, “I’m sorry, babe. I’ll be back soon.” And in a flash, she teleported on the spot, disappearing right before their eyes.

  He felt Serena jump at his side, no doubt having never seen someone vanish into thin air.

  Neither of them had to look at Adam to see the bitter betrayal on his face. Their alpha was humiliated in front of his pack, and he couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

  Sensing a couple Fighters’ scornful attitude toward their alpha’s choice of mate, Adam and Jason both spun their head around, sending the offenders warning looks, snarling. Viola and Cameron instantly bowed their heads in subservience, easing up.

  “Take Serena back upstairs,” Adam bit out, then whipped his arm up to grip Jason’s shoulder. The look in his alpha’s eyes, the raw warning oozing out of him gave him pause.

  Jason just stared back, hard. “You know she’s safe with me, right?” He was positive everyone could sense how much he cared for Serena. He could only guess his boss was being a prick because he was pissed at his mate.

  Adam nodded and let him go.

  “Wait,” Serena said. Pulling away from him, she stepped to the table, her gaze scanning the Fighters. “I want to thank all of you for your hard efforts to find me. You’re truly courageous, and the Blacktails are lucky to have you protecting us.” She paused, an odd look spreading across her face, and he sensed her swift transition from gratitude to fear. “I’m not sure I’ve been much help, but I’m certain I’ll… remember more soon. I want to help in any way I can. Just give me some time.” She gave them all a weak smile, then turned reaching automatically for Jason’s arm.

  Immense adoration for her radiated from him. It took a lot of courage to spill all to Evangeline, a stranger, but seeing her thank their pack after everything she’d been through broke his heart.

  God, she was amazing.

  He was dying to caress her cheek, run his fingers through her hair, but he wouldn’t dare. Not here. Not ever. He may not be able to control his emotions, but he could control his actions.

  As he led Serena up the spiral staircase, she pulled away from him, gripping the handrail. “I want to try this on my own. Coming down was easy enough, but I need to manage going up too.”

  Jason let go reluctantly, admiring her determination. He watched her frail back closely, her movements becoming stronger with every step she took.

  She giggled, and the sound was the loveliest thing he’d ever heard.

  “They’re only stairs Jason. I’m not walking a plank.” She glanced over her shoulder, noticing he was practically on top of her. She’d obviously felt his concern for her and was letting him know he could ease up.

  He gave her a small nod and let her go ahead a few steps on her own, resisting the urge to pick her up and carry her wherever she wanted to go for the rest of her life.

  They reached the bedroom, and she sank onto the bed, attempting to hide the fact she was still tired and weak.

  Jason just stood in the doorway, not knowing whether he should stay or go back downstairs. For some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to leave her. He stared at her pale skin. Her dark eyes seemed wider and there was a haunted look behind her gaze. He wanted to erase that look. He wanted to erase every memory of her ordeal.

  “I’m gonna be okay, you know,” she uttered.

  “Stop.” She wasn’t fooling anyone, least of all him.

  “What?” she asked, taken aback.

  “Don’t lie to me,” he said, quietly.

  Her brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

  He simply stared at her.

  Serena angled her head to the side. “Still not much of a talker, are you?”

  Jason lowered his gaze to the floor. What did she want him to say? There was no way she could be okay. This kind of thing stays with a person, eats you alive. She just didn’t want him worrying. “Put up a front with someone else. Not with me,” he said, flatly.

  Her eyes roamed over his face. “Jason…”

  His heart pulled at the sound of his name on her sweet lips.

  “I know I’ll be okay because…”

  “What are you not telling us?” he asked, cutting her off. “What are you not telling me?”

  Stiffening on the bed, her eyes widened at his brisk tone.

  “There’s more,” he stated darkly.

  She looked toward the window, her expression giving her away. And there it was…

  Serena let out a profound sense of anger and humiliation.

  Blood boiling, Jason hissed at the sensation she was giving off. Seething, he asked, “What did they do?”

  Serena squeezed her eyes shut.

  “Jesus, Serena, please,” he pleaded, his voice strained. Stepping further into the room, his eyes locked on her closed lids. His mind ran with the worst possibilities.

  He should probably stop pressing her, but he just had to know. She didn’t have to bear the pain alone. He wanted, no, needed to bear it for her. Perhaps then she’d begin to heal.

  “They h..hurt me...they...tortured us with their spells...” She trailed off, her eyes still closed.

  He bit down hard, bile rising in his throat. “Other than the moon heat...with your boss...did anyone...”

  Her eyes shot open to meet his, and his stomach hit the floor. Anxiety laced through him.

  She looked away, staring off toward the window again, her expression blank.

  He’d never seen her face so devoid of life. It tore at his heart. “Ben was the only one,” she paused, her face set in stone. “But the others liked to…touch...” She trailed off shakily.

  “No!” he said, forcefully. It was like taking a bullet in the chest. Sirens rang in his ears. He felt his head throb and the room sway.

  She flinched at the sound of his voice, dread washing over her.

  The refusal just came out, as if it would make it not true. Every hair on his body rose. A blind, murderous rage filled him. He pictured what he was going to do with that entire convenio, letting the hate consume him.

  His vision altered, he stared with his wolf eyes at her perfect face, her smooth skin, wanting to wipe away the feel of those fuckers’ hands from her body. If she wasn’t in the room he’d be tearing it apart, but Serena had been through enough violence to last a lifetime. There was no chance he was going to lose his temper around her. Containing it was doing a number on him though.

  Body shaking with remorse, his arms at his sides vibrated with surging fury. He thought the veins might pop through his skin.

  He almost went to her, aching to hold her, but he couldn’t move. What if his mere presence made her uncomfortable? Why was he pressuring her like this? It was clear she was still hurting. Humility oozed out of her. “I’m sorry,” he murmured softly. Those two words sounded meaningless. They wouldn’t take away the pain she’d gone through. “Do you want me to leave?”

  She shook her head, her somber gaze focused on the setting sun.

  Nodding, he moved to the windowsill and sat down, facing her, no longer able to stand, his body still trembling. As much as he wanted to hold her, he couldn’t bring himself to do it. His feelings for her were strong as it is, but when he touched her, every fiber of his being ran rampant.

  He listened to her steady breaths, letting the sound calm hi
s raging emotions.

  Tensing impossibly more, he marveled at how empty she felt just then. He didn’t like it. “What can I do?”

  “This,” she said automatically. Her eyes finally met his. “I can block it out. I will.”

  Taking a deep breath he said, “It may creep up on you.” He swallowed the lump in his throat as he thought, Why her, why her, why her…

  “Evangeline offered to compel me. You know...to forget everything.” Her eyes shimmered in the sunlight as she spoke, staring out of the window again.

  Jason’s heart leaped. Why didn’t he think of this? Although, if Serena had agreed, they’d be having a different conversation right now. “Why’d you refuse?” he asked, his voice grave.

  Hesitating, she looked down and an overwhelming sorrow surrounded her. “I want to forget, really, but then I wouldn’t remember Ben and what he did for me. I wouldn’t remember the baby I lost. I don’t think that’s fair to them. Bearing this...whatever...will honor them in a way.”

  His brow furrowed at her explanation. Hell if he didn’t get jealous again over the librarian. Jesus, the guy was dead. He wondered if he, Jason shouldn’t be compelled. He didn’t want to know she’d been with him. Regretted ever asking. Knowing what went down between them was drilling a hole in his head.

  The urge to shout at her, Please let Eva compel you, made him shift uncomfortably. It wasn’t his place, but he would give anything to erase those images in her head.

  “Do I make you uncomfortable?” she asked. Her fingers played idling over the comforter.

  Their eyes met. “No. Why?” He noticed the emptiness slipping away. She began to fill up with warmth the longer they gazed at one another.

  “You’re tense.” Her eyes watched him carefully.

  He noticed something new behind her stare as she said, “I’m going to be okay because of you.” Tilting her head to the side, her hair curtained her cheek. She was still pale and thin, but Serena’s face was etched in his heart.

  She was more beautiful to him than any living thing on earth. “I need to feel normal again. I know this is hard for you, but I don’t want to talk about it anymore, so please don’t ask. Just being with you calms me, even if we’re not talking.” Giving him a small smile she asked, “Can you let it go…for now?”

  Could he? Could he really forget all she’d gone through when images of faceless monsters torturing her ran wildly in his head? Absolutely not. He knew he should be the one to try to bring her spirits up, to bring light back in her life, but he just wasn’t built that way. Every detail of her ordeal would eat at him for the rest of his life. The question was, could she actually move on? His voice cracked as he replied, “I’ll try.”

  Chapter Eight

  Most of the King’s Coven still slept at this hour. Cyrus Stewart, North American King of the vampires, however, awoke feeling exceptionally aroused. The dream he’d had still filled his mind as he’d had his way with the lovely Grace on his mahogany desk. He smiled, satiated, as Grace looked in the hanging mirror on his office wall putting her lipstick back on, her long red hair glistening down her back. It wasn’t the exact shade he loved, but it was close.

  A sudden current of anxiety struck his chest. It was odd. There was no reason to feel nervous. He shook it off, wondering if Grace would forget about dinner and join him in his suite instead so that he could have his meal. He moved toward her, his fangs tingling, intending on wrapping his arms around her to get her in the mood when the hairs on his neck stood on end. He faltered as he heard footsteps in the foyer. His head panned swiftly to the door, as his blood began to stir, humming with excitement, his body recognizing precisely whom had arrived.

  My precious ward.

  He moved away from her quickly. “I have a meeting,” he blurted, a bit too sharply.

  Grace straitened by the mirror, her hand frozen near her lips. She spoke to his reflection with a perturbed expression on her face. “I thought we were going to eat,” she said.

  He smiled nervously at her, his attention out in the hall as her presence grew stronger. “I’m sorry, my dear, but dinner will have to wait. Tomorrow perhaps.” The insipid girl didn’t move. It was like talking to a chimpanzee. “How about dinner at Carmichael’s? You’ll love it,” he tacked on.

  She beamed at him, then, ran to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him roughly on the mouth. He tensed as Evangeline drew nearer.

  Gently, he pulled her arms from him, giving her an alluring grin. “I’ll see you then.” Giving her a quick peck, he then subtly pushed her away.

  “Okay,” she chimed and practically skipped to the door.

  Cyrus rolled his eyes behind her as he righted his clothes. He didn’t know how much more he could take of the girl. She was pretty with a big heart, but couldn’t, for the life of her, think for herself. What did he expect? They couldn’t all be like Evangeline.

  Running a shaky hand through his dark blond hair, he glanced around the room hoping there were no signs of the activity he’d been engrossed in minutes before as Grace swung the door open.

  Crap, he thought, his eyes shutting briefly as he imagined the scenario playing out at the entrance to his office.

  If only Grace were vampire, she could have sped her ass out of the room, avoiding this confrontation. He tensed as he faced the door. Evangeline and Grace stood staring at one another in the doorway. The urge to laugh made him cough. The two women could be twins. Well… fraternal twins really. The longer he stared, the more their differences stood out. Grace couldn’t hold a candle to his ward.

  “Victor…” Cyrus called out, giving him a look that said, Take care of this, will you? His guardsmen stepped into view, gesturing for Grace to follow him.

  Confused, she looked to Evangeline and back to Cyrus, her brow crinkling until Victor grabbed her elbow.

  “This way, miss,” he intoned.

  Evangeline watched the girl leave, a curious look on her angelic face, until Victor closed the door. She looked to Cyrus, a perfectly arched eyebrow raised, “What? No introduction?”

  Why did he feel like a teenage, idiot boy when she was around? “Hardly,” he said.

  Her head jerked back. “Why not?” she asked.

  “It’s inappropriate and unnecessary.” He didn’t want to go into details, but it just didn’t seem right to introduce Evangeline to his lover; felt weird in fact, especially when the lover in question looked way too similar to his ward.

  She stared, her green eyes somber.

  He jerked his pants up, uncharacteristically frazzled, and walked around his desk. “This is a pleasant surprise,” he said, looking everywhere but at her. Her admonishing expression irritated him. He shut his eyes exasperatedly. “Don’t look at me like that!” Cyrus barked, his casual facade breaking.

  Evangeline’s brow furrowed more before she looked away.

  Damn it! The last thing he wanted was for Evangeline to see he’d missed her, which led to his secret search for her double. He felt pathetic, but there you have it. He was in love with his ward, who in turn was in love with his enemy.

  Shit happens.

  “You know…there are a number of beautiful blondes in town…” she began, worry etched on her features.

  “We are sooooo not discussing this, Eva.” He sat down behind his desk and motioned for her to do the same.

  She sat in one of the vacant armchairs facing him, her delicate nose crinkling as she glanced at the desk.

  Letting out a sigh, he said, in a defeated voice, “I’m sorry.”

  “You don’t owe me an apology,” she said, seriously.

  “I do. Had I known you were coming…”

  “Cyrus, it’s fine…really…”

  “No. As my ward, you should be treated with the utmost respect and decorum.” He gave her a halfhearted grin, unmistakably ashamed. Marveling at his contrition, he laced his fingers together on the desk. “Now…what can I do for you, love?”

  Evangeline gave him a reproachful
look at his endearment.

  Before she could respond, he asked, pleased to have her here, “How are you doing at the Transition Facility? I’ve had great reports. They tell me you’re a natural at teleportation.” He paused, a sudden panic settling in his gut. Eyes narrowing, he asked, “How did you know you could teleport in the house? I didn’t get a chance to tell you I lifted the ban for you.” Vampires couldn’t teleport in the King’s Coven, unless the king himself allowed it.

  Looking momentarily confused, she said, “I didn’t. I hadn’t even thought about if I could or not. I just needed to see you.” She shifted uncomfortably, her arms crossing in front of her. “The sire bond literally pulled me out of my house.”

  Anxiety laced through him. “What’s happened?” he asked sternly, getting up to come around his desk, taking the empty seat next to her. The urge to reach for her hand was overpowering, so he clasped them together instead. Christ! He’d felt a slight panic a few moments ago with Grace, but ignored it, too busy to recognize his ward was troubled. God. If he hadn’t lifted the ban, she would have been forced to teleport outside the coven during sunset. He shuddered to think of her skin being marred by the sun’s rays. Would she have had the strength to teleport back? Would she have been able to if their blood bond was really pulling her to him? Cyrus cursed in his head. He had to do a better job as her sire.

  His head reeling a bit, he focused on what she was saying. Evangeline explained what the alpha’s sister relayed to the Fighters, her silken voice businesslike.

  “What threat do these Nightwalkers pose to us? Do they have extraordinary strength?” he asked.

  “I don’t know about their strength. The jackal that attacked us last summer seemed to hold its own until the other Fighters showed up, but I do know their bite is poisonous to werewolves. If a creature a jackal’s size can pierce a werewolf, they may be able to do us some serious damage.”

  “Is this all the information Serena gave on her whereabouts?” he asked, reaching over his desk to pick up the landline and dialing Florena, his assistant’s extension.

  “Yes.”

  He nodded then spoke in the receiver. “Meeting in five,” he said, and hung up. He gazed warmly at Evangeline. “How would you like to attend your very first meeting in the King’s Coven?”