Circle of Desire (31 page)

God, he hoped not, but with the heat of the moon burning through his veins, anything was possible.

Her smile seemed forced. “No, you didn’t hurt me.”

He frowned. She was still lying, and he wasn’t sure why. “Then what happened? Why are you so upset?”

“It’s been a long few days, and I haven’t had much sleep. I tend to get emotional at the stupidest things when I’m tired. Don’t worry about it.” She pulled her chin from his grip and rose. “We have to move.”

His frown deepened. “If you’re tired, it might be better—”

“No.”

Her eyes flashed with annoyance and something else. Something that looked a lot like desperation. It was an emotion that made no sense, though maybe
it would if he could just remember what had happened between them.

“We have the advantage right now,” she continued. “And we have to use it to get those kids back. How good is your sense of direction?”

“Very.” And she was right about getting the kids back. The nagging sense that he’d stepped beyond some self-imposed boundary could wait until Janie was safe and in his brother’s arms once again. He grabbed the pack out of Kat’s hands and slung it over his shoulders. “Let’s go.”

He pushed through the undergrowth, forcing a path where there was none, taking the most direct route back to the cavern. She walked behind him, a silent shadow he was all too aware of.

The totality of that awareness worried him. That he’d be sexually aware of her was natural, given he was a wolf and the moon bloomed almost full. But this went far deeper. He could feel her scent in his pores, feel every breath she took. Her emotions not only swam around him but through him, so that her unhappiness became his. It made him want to turn around, pull her into his arms, and simply hold her until all the hurt faded away. Which was something she neither needed nor wanted.

But it was more than just that. He had a feeling he only had to reach out with his thoughts and he would touch hers. Completely. It was almost as if they had become two parts of a whole.

No
, he thought.
It isn’t possible
. He cast a troubled glance skyward. Even though dawn had passed by several hours ago and the moon had long faded from the sky, he could feel its presence. Feel its power. The
full moon broke tonight, which meant the night just past had been the night of promises. A night when the power of the moon could be raised to bind. A time when soul mates promised eternity.

Kat wasn’t his soul mate. He couldn’t have performed that ceremony.

But what if he had?

What if, through some vicious quirk of fate, the damn spell had worked?

If it had, he’d bound them together. Heart. Soul. Body. For as long as they both lived. And while the thought sent an odd thrum of excitement through his veins, she deserved far more than just his lustful visits during the bloom of the moon. Deserved more than just his caring.

The spell
couldn’t
have worked. It took love to initiate that spell. Love to complete it.

He didn’t love her. Couldn’t love her. Because of Jacinta.

He scrubbed a hand across his jaw and wished his memory would return. But that didn’t always happen when the moon fever burned high. He could ask her, but he had a feeling honesty wasn’t high on her list of priorities right now.

The slope steepened and his muscles began to burn with effort. Sweat trickled down his back, and he thrust up his sleeves, needing to get some cool air circulating across his skin. The tang of Kat’s sweat flamed the sparks of desire, but her breathing was short and sharp, and that concerned him. She needed a break, needed time to recoup her strength. The thought brought a grim smile to his lips. He’d probably been responsible for sapping a fair amount of her
energy during the night. And if he was honest, given half the chance he’d probably waste a whole lot more. But while he wanted her, it wasn’t the urgency of the moon thrumming through his veins right now. It was something far more powerful. Something he didn’t dare put a name to.

He scanned the trees ahead, listening intently. Above the noise they were making came the sound of trickling water. He angled that way, and they quickly came out in a clearing.

“We’ll take a breather here,” he said, squatting near the stream.

She dropped down beside him, her shoulder brushing his and sending a flash of desire to his groin. He had a sudden feeling he would always want her, moon or no moon.

But that surely wasn’t love.

And it certainly wasn’t what he’d felt for Jacinta.

The thought made him frown. Why, after all these years of certainty, was he questioning what he’d felt for her? He scooped up some water, rinsing his mouth before drinking. He swept his gaze around the clearing again, then glanced skyward. “We’re only about ten minutes away.”

“Yes.”

She cupped some water in her hands, sucking at it almost greedily. There were shadows under her eyes, tiredness even in the way she held her mouth, and guilt swirled through him. He looked away, wishing, and not for the first time in his life, that he’d been born human rather than wolf. Maybe then she wouldn’t have shadows under her eyes, and he could be free to love her.

“Have you got a cell phone on you?”

His voice was curt, and she frowned as she reached into her pocket.

“Why?” she asked, offering him the phone.

“To call my brother. He’ll want to be there when we hand over the kids.”

She nodded. He dialed Luke’s number and quickly told his brother what was going on. While he couldn’t yet give Luke a location to meet them, he did give him Mark’s number, knowing his partner would pass the information on regardless of what Benton might say.

He hung up, then offered the phone back to Kat, but she didn’t react. Water dribbled down her chin as she stared ahead. Her eyes were distant and unfocused.

“The soul-sucker hungers.” Her voice was as remote as her gaze. “She’s chosen her next victim—a widower who lives near the beach.”

He swore softly, and she blinked. Wariness filled her green eyes again as she looked at him. “We have a choice.”

“We have no choice,” he ground out. “It’s the lives of two little girls weighed against that of an old man.”

“We could split up.”

“You can’t fight that thing alone, and you certainly can’t send your grandmother to fight it alone. And I might not be able to handle what waits in the cavern.”

“I agree.” She studied him for a minute, then rose. “Let’s go.”

He rose with her, but grabbed her arm and pulled her into his embrace.

“What are you doing?” Her question came out as little more than a breathy whisper that stirred through his soul.

“This.” He captured her lips with his own. Kissed her long and passionately. When he finally pulled away, they were both breathing as hard as they had walking up that damn mountain.

She studied him, her lips kiss-swollen, nipples straining against the softness of her sweater. But all she said was, “Why?”

He entwined his fingers through hers. “In case I don’t get a chance to do it again later,” he said, and led her toward the cavern and the things that waited.

K
AT PULLED
E
THAN TO A HALT BEFORE HE COULD ENTER THE
tunnel and tugged the backpack free of his shoulders.

“Take these,” she whispered, handing him some stakes. “Remember that they work against shape-shifters as well as vampires, so be careful with them.”

“I don’t suppose you packed my gun in there, did you?”

His warm breath skated across her skin, and a tremor of desire ran through her. “No,” she replied. “Sorry, I didn’t even think about it.”

He grunted. “I wish you had. I’d much rather have it in my hands than a few damn stakes.” But his gaze settled on her breasts, and she had a feeling that given the choice, he’d much rather have
her
in his hands.

She flicked a finger across his nose. When he looked up, she said, “Concentrate.”

He didn’t smile. Didn’t do anything but watch her with those hungry eyes of his.

She licked her lips and regretted it the minute his gaze dropped to her mouth. “I’ve also got some sleep bombs in here, and hopefully we’ll be able to use those.” She handed him a mask. “Don’t take it off
until we get back out of the cavern, because these sleep bombs affect zombies
and
shifters.”

He put it on, pushing it down until it was around his neck. His hand closed around hers, so warm and strong and safe somehow. Her gaze met his, and what she saw went far beyond just caring. But it was a lie, she thought, and she looked away.

His fingers touched her chin, gently drawing her gaze to his again, then he leaned forward and brushed the sweetest of kisses across her lips.

“Be careful in there,” he whispered. “I’ll lead until we get to the cave where the girls are.”

She nodded and swallowed the anguish that rose in her throat. How could he have committed his heart and his soul to Jacinta and be so caring, so gentle, so damn
loving
, toward her? It didn’t make any sense.

She followed him into the cavern, and the darkness quickly swallowed them. A hush descended. The deeper they walked, the cooler the air got. Up ahead, water fell, a rush of sound that had her suddenly wanting to go to the bathroom. Or maybe the growing knot of fear in her stomach was the reason behind that.

The sound of footsteps came from beyond the rush of water. Someone was moving around. Ethan slowed. Warm light danced ahead, but it was oddly distorted, as if viewed through a moving curtain. She blinked and realized she was seeing the light of a torch through a waterfall.

He glanced at her and held up two fingers, then pointed to the left and the right. She untangled her fingers from his and edged forward until the spray of the water danced a chill across her skin.

She knelt and swung the pack off her back. Two zombies stood guard rather than two shifters, and she couldn’t help feeling relieved. In the long run, zombies were a far easier foe.

She took out two sleep bombs and tossed them left and right. There was a hiss of sound, and rust-colored smoke began to curl through the cavern. She put on her mask and motioned Ethan to do the same.

Rising, she stepped back from the water. Ethan’s arms slithered around her waist, and he pulled her back against the hard length of him. She frowned and glanced up. The mask hid his mouth, but his smile was there to be seen in his eyes. He was still in control. She relaxed a little and pressed back against him, letting the heat of his body chase the chill from her spine. It felt so good, just standing here with him. So right. She closed her eyes and thrust the thought from her mind. And wondered if she’d even see him again once his niece was safe and sound.

The minutes crawled by. The smoke dissipated, and she pushed her mask down past her chin. “Are there any other entrances to this cavern?”

“There’s a tunnel on the opposite side to this, and there’s a door hidden by magic to the right.” His breath brushed past her ear and sent a flurry of warmth across her senses.

“I’ll deal with that first. You keep a watch on the tunnels.”

She tried to move away, but his arms held her tight. She looked up, and her breath caught in her throat. Not just at the hunger in his eyes, but at the emotion so evident in his face. And while she might have called it love, she was just as certain he wouldn’t.

He ran a warm finger down her cheek. “Would you like to see me again after this is all over?”

His touch was making her ache, but it was an ache she had to ignore. “Ethan, this is neither the time nor the place.”

“A simple yes or no.”

It wasn’t that simple. Not anymore. “What do you feel for me?” she ground out, pulling her arm from his grip. “Because I’m not interested in being just someone you play with whenever the moon makes you horny.”

He didn’t say anything to that, and maybe it was just as well. She ducked through the water, the iciness snatching the heat of his touch from her body, then followed the curve of the cavern wall around to the right.

Energy began to tingle across her skin and she stopped. She dug the stones out of the backpack, then raised a hand, using the flow of energy across her fingertips to define the boundaries of the soul-sucker’s hidden entrance. Once she’d determined that, she set out her stones, softly murmuring the spell that would activate her own wall and stop whatever evil might lie beyond the mara’s wall from entering. The soul-sucker would undoubtedly know how to break the spell, but as long as she didn’t return before they’d gotten the kids out of there, it wouldn’t matter.

She placed the last stone on the ground. Power surged across her senses—a clean, warm touch that told her the spell had worked. She turned and headed across the cavern.

The two girls were lying inside a small cave. Both were naked. Both looked distressed and cold. Anger
surged through her. The mara definitely had to be stopped. It was bad enough destroying the lives of grown men, but taking the future of someone so young, someone who’d barely even had time to stretch and grow …

“Dead men are heading this way.” Ethan’s voice was little more than a whisper she heard deep inside.