Always (33 page)

“
When he orders me to do something, I have to do it. I have no choice.”

“
Why?”

“
Silango created me. The bond between us is strong.”

“
Can you make me do things I don’t want to?”

“
Maybe,” he shrugged. “But, I never would. It wouldn’t be as strong anyway.”

“
What do you mean? We’re bonded. You created me.”

“
I know,” he flashed a weak smile. “But, Silango is a guard. He’s so much more powerful than I am.”

“
But not stronger.”

“
He could break my will with a single word.”

My heart broke for the pain I saw in his face. “How can you make it stop?”

“
I can’t.”

“
There has to be some way.”

“
The only way to break the bond between us is if one of us dies.”

I shuddered at the memory. Sylvia leaned forward to put her hand into mine. I grasped hers back tightly. I loved Marcus, of course, but I had really missed the friendship I shared with Sylvia.

“
I didn’t want to come back here,” I admitted quietly.

“
Because of Silango?” She understood.

I nodded. “We haven’t been back here since…since before.”

“
And you had no intentions of ever coming back.”

“
None.”

“
I was surprised when I got Marcus’s message to meet back here at the Letrell House of London. I came anyways, though. I wanted to see you.”

“
I’m glad you came. To see you is the only reason I agreed to return.”

“
It seems like we could have met somewhere else,” she half-laughed.

“
Marcus told me that Silango wanted us all three to be here.”

“
What?”

“
Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction, too.”

“
What does he want with us?”

“
I don’t know.”

“
To have us all three here…”

“
I guess that is what Marcus is going to find out right now.”

Her eyes widened and traveled to the closed door. “I don’t think this is going to end well,” she almost whispered.

“
In my experience, nothing that has anything to do with Silango ends well.”

Sylvia’s teeth worried her bottom lip. She was probably considering all the possible reasons Silango would have called us all together. I had quit trying to figure it out. I probably didn’t even want to know and besides, Marcus would tell me if he thought I needed to know.

The front door opened and slammed shut again. I knew by the sounds of his breathing that it was Marcus. Something was wrong with him, though. He was breathing too heavily.

A feeling of dread started low in my stomach, working its way up to form a tight knot in my throat. I knew coming here was a bad idea.

“
Claudia?” Sylvia’s voice called to me from somewhere far away, even though she was still sitting right in front of me. “Claudia, what’s wrong?”

“
Marcus is back.” When I looked up, he was already standing in the doorway.

“
Sylvia,” he greeted her stiffly. His eyes darted briefly to me, but then away just as quickly.

The knot in my throat grew so that I could barely breathe. “Is something wrong?” I somehow managed to question him. I already knew there was, but I wanted him to lie and tell me everything was fine.

Very slowly, he nodded. When his eyes found mine again, they stayed locked. “Sylvia,” he said without looking away from me, “you have to leave London now.”

“
What are you talking about?” she tried to laugh. “I just got here.”

“
Leave–tonight. Within the hour.” I hadn’t heard his voice sound so flat in such a long time.

Chills shuddered up and down my spine.
Silango!

Chapter
Thirty-Four

I could hardly believe what he had said. He must have been kidding. Well, it wasn’t a very funny joke. “Marcus, what are you talking about?” I looked nervously at Sylvia.

“
You both,” he jabbed his finger at Sylvia and then me, “have to leave London.”

My tongue darted out to moisten my suddenly dry lips. “Well, okay. We can go to… Paris. I love Paris. Sylvia?”

“
Yeah, Paris sounds great.” Did my voice sound as scared as hers?

“
Marcus, we have that h…house, right by the river…”

“
Don’t tell me where you’re going,” he growled, “and don’t go to any of our houses.”

Don’t tell him? What was he talking about? He was going to be with us, wasn’t he? “Wh…?”

“
I said you two, not me.”

“
That’s just…ridiculous,” I choked out. “We’re not leaving you here.”

“
Tonight!” He slammed his fist into the desk, splintering the old wood.

“
That was hardly necessary.” I tried to sit calmly. Whatever Silango had asked him to do must have been bad.

“
Do you not hear me, Claudia?”

I hated the way he said my name. “Yes, I hear you, Marcus,” I mimicked his tone.

He yanked the door open so hard, I feared for the hinges. “I’m leaving.”

“
Where are you going?”

“
When I get back,” he continued without answering me, “you better be gone.”

I sat still for a long time after the vibrations from the slammed door stopped. What had just happened? He couldn’t possibly be serious, could he?

“
We could still go to Paris,” Sylvia offered.

“
I’m not leaving him.” I couldn’t believe she had actually suggested it.

“
He looked pretty serious, Claudia.” She cast a meaningful glance to the ruined desk.

“
He’s upset,” I conceded. “Probably over something Silango said, but that doesn’t mean I’m just going to leave him.” I’m not like you and David, I didn’t add out loud.

“
He wants you to be safe.” Ice had begun to creep into her voice.

“
I’ll be safe with him.” I couldn’t believe we were even having this conversation.

“
You don’t know what he’s capable of.”

“
And you do?” I glared at her until she looked away.

“
I know you love him, Claudia…”

“
No,” I cut her off with an upraised hand, “you can’t begin to know how I feel about him. I’m not leaving.”

“
Fine,” she sighed heavily, “We’ll stay. But,” she held her finger in the air, “is it okay if I say I told you so?” Her lips upturned slightly at the edges.

“
No.” I impulsively threw my arms around her neck. “You can’t say that,” I smiled, “because you won’t be here.”

“
What?”

I sat back in my own seat, coming to a painful decision. “You have to leave.”

“
But you’re staying?”

“
I know I’ll be safe here with Marcus, but I don’t know if you will be. I can’t take a chance like that.”

Her lips tightened, but she nodded. “I don’t think you’re safe here either, though. You should just do as he says. He’ll find you again when he thinks it’s safe.”

“
I’m not leaving him.”

“
I know.” She got up gracefully and came to kiss my forehead. “I would probably think less of you if you did.”

I listened to the sounds of her footsteps on the marble floor. I sat still as she returned to her room and got her bags. Her footsteps paused outside the door, but she didn’t come back in. I heard her swiftly descend the steps and go out the front door. The soft click had such a ring of finality. I wondered where she would go now.

Tears gathered in my eyes, but didn’t fall. As soon as all this was over, Marcus and I would find her again. Then we would go to Paris together. But we would stay away from the Eiffel tower. I closed my eyes to wait for Marcus.

I didn’t have to wait long. I didn’t hear him enter the house or come up the stairs, but I felt him in the room with me. I snapped my eyes open and he was standing barely a foot away.

“
Why didn’t you leave?” he demanded angrily.

I couldn’t believe how bad he looked, how much he had changed since just that morning. His mouth and jaw were clenched tight and his eyes were darkened. He kept them only half opened in a continuous glare.

“
I’m not going anywhere,” I told him.

“
You have to go, Claudia.” The wildness in his eyes scared me. “You have to get away from me.” He wiped his fist across his mouth. I had never seen him like this.

“
What are you talking about?”

“
Didn’t you hear me? You have to leave me.”

“
No,” I shook my head quickly. “I’m not leaving.” My own breath was becoming just as raspy as his.

“
Are you insane?” His fingers dug painfully into my shoulders.

“
Marcus.”

Suddenly, he flung me roughly across the room. My head smashed into the wall, cracking the plaster. “Go,” he snarled.

“
I can’t just leave,” I cried. “Where will I go? I have nowhere to go.” I couldn’t understand why he was so angry. What did I do? “Marcus,” I held my hands out to him, “what did I do? What happened?”

His face crumbled as if he were being burned alive. “No, Claudia.” He fell to his knees and crawled across the floor to where I stood. He wrapped his arms around my waist and buried his face into my stomach. “I love you, Claudia,” his voice was tortured.

“
I love you, too,” I croaked. “I’m not leaving you.”

“
You have to,” his voice was still muffled.

“
I can’t. There’s nowhere for me to go.”

“
Go with Sylvia.”

“
She’s already left.”

“
She left without you?”

My heart stuttered at his change of tone. “I told her to. I told her I was staying with you.”

In a flash, he was on his feet and just inches from my face. He was a desperate man. “You have to leave.” He held my head between his two hands. “Claudia.” He kissed my lips until his sobs took over. He held me to his chest while we both cried. “Claudia, if you don’t leave, I’ll kill you.” His flat voice made my blood run cold.

“
Why would you say that?” I whispered.

His breathing was even more labored, causing his shoulders to shake. “Haven’t you heard anything I’ve said, Claudia?” he whispered fiercely.

“
I’m afraid, Marcus. I don’t want to be without you.”

His face crumpled again. “Oh,” he mumbled. “Claudia.” He touched his forehead to mine. I watched the torture on his face.

“
What can I do?” I sobbed.

“
Leave.”

“
What happened to you?”

“
Silango,” the name escaped through his clenched teeth.

“
Wh…” I shook my head rapidly. “I don’t understand.”

“
Silango ordered me to kill you.” My heart stopped. “And Sylvia and David.”

“
What can I do?” I repeated out of sheer desperation.

“
There is nothing you can do.” He closed his eyes and pushed himself away from me. When he opened them again, a hard mask was in place. “I have to leave now. Don’t be here when I get back.”

“
No.” I reached out to him. “Marcus.”

“
You can’t stay here.” He pulled out a large wad of money from his pocket and laid it on the stand. “Take this, there’s more upstairs in our stash.”

“
Where can I go?”

“
Go to the States. I’ll send someone,” he swallowed loudly, “someone to help you.”