Dwellers of Darkness (10 page)

“What the fuck?” A deep voice spoke behind me. Turning, I saw Eli walking to us wearing only a pair of raggedy jeans.

“Simmons and Cal led them here,” Cole said.

“We were on guard duty when we spotted them coming out of a door from the Otherworld. We came straight away to tell you, my lady. He stopped us,” Simmons declared, pointing at Cole.

“Thank you, Simmons. You did the right thing. Cole was only doing his job as well.” Simmons frowned but nodded to me.

There were so many things needing to be answered, but those could all wait. “Guys, we need to get him to the clinic now. Where is Owen?”

“I’ve already contacted him through our link. He will be waiting for us,” Cole replied, grabbing Eli’s shoulder and pulling him toward Torin.

Dark Dwellers and Fay were not friends. The term “adversaries” was putting it mildly. This showed even more so between Eli and Torin since they had more dislike for each other than the average Fay/Dark Dweller foes. This demonstration of concern between them was radical. Without question, Eli moved over to him, backing me out of the way. Torin’s entire body had gone limp. With help from Cole, Eli flung Torin over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Torin groaned in pain, but stayed unconscious. I didn’t care how he carried Torin since he wouldn’t remember anything anyway. Eli paused in front of me, his eyes moving over my body, a smirk hooked up his lip. “Nice shorts. Think I’ll want those back later.” Eli turned and headed for the compound.

Already burning on the outside with the oncoming heat, my insides joined in. This was so not the appropriate time, but my hormones didn’t seem to give a crap lately what was proper or not. I kept it to myself seeing him pick up and haul Torin to the cabin completely turned me on.

I act like such a girl sometimes.

Cal buzzed down to my ear, a bemused smile on his face and his gaze on Torin and Eli. “Oh, yeah, girlie, things suddenly got fun.” He laughed and flew off. Simmons followed, both returning to their posts.

“Yeah, fun,” I mumbled to myself and turned to locate Josh.

He stood in the same exact spot, his eyebrows crunched together. He looked vulnerable and preoccupied.

“Hey, Josh. Are you okay?” I moved to him. His gaze lifted. His soft hazel eyes searched mine. The light breeze rumpled his already messy, sandy-blond hair. It was several moments before he nodded and opened his arms. I engulfed him in a hug. “You scared me. I thought I lost you. I am so happy you are here. That you came back.”

“Yeah. Me, too,” he replied and pulled away. “I think you need to tell me what’s going on, and I mean everything.”

“I know. I will explain it all. Later. Right now let’s focus on you and Torin getting checked out. Make sure you’re all right.”

By the time Josh and I got to the cabin, Torin was already confined to a bed, still out cold. Owen was bent over him. Mom and Kennedy sat together on a bed still in their pajamas having been woken up by the entourage inundating their room. Cole stood at the end of the bed. Thara, on the other side of him, gripped his hand tightly. Eli leaned against the wall closest to the door; his attention was upon me as we entered.

“Josh.” Eli nodded to him.

“Eli.” Josh retorted and moved to the farthest wall away from him. Josh had never been a fan of Eli, out of fear or genuine dislike I didn’t know. It looked like nothing had changed. Strange. With Josh’s love of
World of War Craft
and the fantasy world, you’d think finding out Eli was one of the most feared and ruthless beasts in the Fae world he’d be in awe of him.

Shouldering my way through the crowd, I bee-lined it for the occupied bed. “Oh, Torin.” It was still a shock to look at him. The swollen, misshaped face was not one I recognized. His torture was on my hands. “I am so sorry,” I whispered hoarsely.

“He will heal.” Owen patted my hand. “Slowly, but he will mend.”

“You mean the visual wounds will heal.” The knot in my throat made it hard to swallow. The room grew hot and constricting.

Owen tilted his head, remaining silent. He didn’t want to say it. He was trying to be kind, but the truth was a boulder on my heart. I didn’t know what the Queen had done to Torin. Knowing about his past with her and what she was capable of, it had to be awful, degrading, abusive, and painful. Both mentally and physically, she would be sure he felt the betrayal and transgression he caused her. How could he get over all this?

“He needs to rest.” Owen hinted at everyone to leave. Only Owen, Thara, Eli, and I remained. My need to stay with him was overpowering. My muscles locked, pinning me in place. My heart and body could not leave his side.

“I will stay, too.” Thara’s words sounded like a challenge.

My eyes leveled at her, and I growled.

“Thara, I think you need rest and something to eat. He will be all right while you are gone.” Owen motioned for her to follow him. She held my stare for a few seconds more and then nodded but watched me the entire time she walked to the door.

Eli still leaned against the wall. His expression held no sentiment, but his presence was loud and consuming. His eyes delved into mine, his jaw set. He thrust himself off the wall, turned and left the room without a word. He didn’t need to. His cold, aloof expression told me everything. I ached to follow, but something kept me in place. Sliding a chair over, I sat down next to Torin. I placed his bruised, broken hand in mine. He let out a sigh, and his body relaxed further into the pillows.

Over the next twenty hours
, I didn’t leave Torin’s side, even when they moved him into Dax’s old room for more privacy. The infirmary cabin was getting full with Thara, Mom, Kennedy, and me sleeping there. Torin was placed in the room furthest from the other Dark Dwellers, which seemed the best idea. It was built to hold eleven Dark Dwellers. Now only six inhabited it.

Thara’s
dedication almost rivaled my own. Owen would get her to take breaks, to eat or rest, but he never could sway me. I would not leave him. The thought made something in me ache.

She had gone to take a quick nap an hour earlier, leaving me to sit vigil by his bedside. His swelling had gone down, but the cuts and bruises were slower to heal. For a Fay, his sluggish recovery was not normal, which only added to my concerns. How damaged was he on the inside that made it so slow for him to mend on the outside?

A figure moved beside me, reaching for Torin’s wrist. Blurry-eyed, I glanced up at Owen.

“You really need to at least eat something, Ember.” He frowned at me.

Refusing once again, I gripped Torin’s hand tighter. A small groan floated from his lips. My head turned to him and back to Torin.

“Torin?” I jumped to my feet and reached to touch his face.

“
Mo chuisle
.” The words barely made it to my ear. “Are you really here?” His lids fluttered but didn’t open.

“Yes. I’m here,” I squeaked.

A smile came to his lips, splitting the cuts on them. “I found you. I can now die fulfilled.”

My heart clenched so hard it became hard to breathe. The thought of him dying sent daggers into my core. “You are not going to die.” It was more to myself than to him. It was an idea I refused to accept. He did not respond, his head falling heavier onto the pillow. Tears burned, choking my throat.

Owen touched my shoulder. “This will probably happen for a bit. While he is healing, his body will only be able to stay awake for tiny increments before it needs to replenish.”

It was like a tsunami. Every moment of pain I caused him and the others careened into me all at once. The room began to teeter, and the floor moved under my feet. My knuckles turned white as I seized the bed sheets. My back arched forward, curling into itself. The walls closed in on me.

“Breathe, Ember. You are starting to hyperventilate.” Owen pressed his hand gently onto my back.

“She needs some air and food.” Another set of hands gripped my hips and pulled me toward the door. Eli escorted me into the morning air.
When did he come into the room?
I hadn’t even noticed. How long had he been standing behind me? Listening?

The ranch was silent and in the deep hours of night. Dawn was still a couple hours away, but during summer this far north it always looked as if daybreak was right there waiting for its turn. Eli moved in front of me. His hands clutched the sides of my face. “Hey, look at me. Calm down.”

“Oh, God. I did this to him. Me... . I only destroy and hurt people. . .” Another wave of panic swept me along a long river of guilt. I gulped for air. So many things hit at the same time: emotions of my mom, of Mark and West being stuck in the Otherworld, of Ryan never able to leave, of all the people I killed in Seattle. Torin was simply another on the ever-growing list. It was all too much. Hot, blinding tears pushed past my defensive boundaries and spilled over the walls. I hated crying in front of people and, at one time, Eli would have been top of the list. Things had changed. He now seemed the only one I could show my true feelings to. I pressed my face into him and felt his arms surround me, holding me tightly against him.

“It will be okay.” His voice vibrated through his chest against my ear.

“No, it won’t.” I shook my head, smearing my tears and runny nose over his chest. “Torin’s been tortured. Mark and Ryan are still stuck there and along with West.”

“Kennedy and Josh are back safe, Torin will heal, and Lily is with you again. We will get West, Mark, and Ryan out.” He held me out to look at my face. “I promise.”

Wiping at my nose, I shook my head. “Ryan will never be able to come back.”

“What are you talking about?”

I hiccupped. “I was in a dreamwalk... Ryan was dying... and Castien gave him Fae food to save him.” I didn’t need to say more; Eli frowned. He knew what this meant.

He cupped my face and brushed the tears away with his thumbs. “Have
you  told anybody about this?”

“No.” My head moved in concurrence. “Kennedy has been through so much, and she says saving Ryan keeps her going during the really hard moments. I can’t take this away from her.”

“You’re going to have to tell her.”

Sighing, I leaned into him. “I know. But not yet.”

He lifted my head and kissed me deeply. At first his lips were comforting and sweet, but swiftly yearning soared through my veins. He took away all the pain. Some might say this was not the best time. I disagreed. I needed him—all of him—a shred of happiness in the darkness. His hands slid up the back of my head, and his fingers tangled in my hair. He pressed his lips harder into mine, and his tongue discovered every inch of mine. This time the lack of air into my lungs was purposeful. The need to be closer to him was crushing. He nipped at my lip, which undid me. I grabbed his hand, and with determination of a bull, dragged him to the house and down the hallway to his room.

With the door closed and locked, we turned and faced each other. Our breaths faltered as we moved in closer. My heart thudded against my ribs. He leaned in, and I could feel his proximity encompassing my skin. Desire became so thick I stopped breathing.

His finger skimmed my stomach as he followed the band of his boxers I wore. I sucked back on my bottom lip; my eyes closed at his touch. “I like those on you,” he whispered in my ear. “But I’d like them even better off.” He gave them a slight tug.

My fingers reached up to the top of his jeans, unbuttoning them. “Ditto.”

With a deep growl, Eli picked me up and took me to the bed. We fell heavily on it as our lips ravaged each other. He slid in between my legs, and the friction of his movement against me made both of us grasp one another harder. I couldn’t seem to get close enough to him. Panting and clawing, I squeezed my legs tighter around him. Feeling him hard against me propelled my adrenaline to pound in my ears. It drove me into dizzy spells, leaving my mind completely void of anything but the present moment. His lips moved down my neck, making me gasp. My hands tugged his pants over his hips and onto the floor. A rumble emerged from his chest as my hands ran back up over his tight, bare ass. He slipped a finger under the tank I had on and ripped it over my head and threw it aside. Our breathing was short and heavy. I sat up and pushed him down, crawling over him. His hands ran slowly up my body. I let my head fall back with desire, as the shudders of his touch sent tingles rapidly through me. He sat up and brought his mouth to my neck and chest. The warmness of his kisses made me moan.

I smiled wickedly and pushed him back down. I started at his neck and meticulously kissed and nipped slowly down his body, not missing an inch. There were some areas I paid extra attention to. Eli continued to growl, which sounded more and more animalistic. The sounds of our deep breathing were the only noise in the room as we both touched and kissed each other’s sweaty bodies. Ripping off my underwear, he rolled me over onto my stomach. His tongue glided all the way up my spine. I groaned. His body pressed into the back of mine, his breath hot on my neck.

“Please.” I begged. “Now.” He granted my wish. Sliding my legs further apart, he pushed in deep. There was nothing else but him and me. Pulsating and pounding. Our energy bounced off each other and slammed into the walls.

By the end we blew up his fan and shattered a mirror. Even with the light switch off, the lights had flickered with charged power. I didn’t even want to think about what others could hear outside.

“Now I really need a shower,” I panted. A leer hitched his lips. He rolled off the bed and stood, heading out of the room. “Where are you going?”

He paused looking over his shoulder. “To take a shower. You coming?”

“Um, yeah.” I bounded out of the bed. “I’m all about saving water.”

“I doubt we’ll be saving water.” His eyebrow went up mischievously. I never moved so fast in my life.

“Eli, Ember
, Torin is awake.” Cooper pounded on the bathroom door. “Time to take a breather. Cole wants you to join us down the hall in five minutes.”

Guilt weaved around my conscience.
How could I not be there when he woke up?
Torin had never fully left my mind, but Eli did an excellent job easing my tension and bringing me back from the edge. It did help knowing Thara was probably there.

“So much for saving water.” Long ago the water had turned to ice, not that we cared. We had been in there so long everything on me started to prune.

“Told you.” Eli mumbled against my lips and reached past me to shut off the spray of water. My tongue found his again, and his arms wrapped around me, kissing me till my toes curled. His hands trailed slowly over my skin.

The bathroom door thumped with knocking again.

“Not stupid enough to think you guys will come out the first time. I’m staying here till I actually see the door open,” Cooper yelled through the barrier.

Eli pressed his forehead against mine with a sigh.

“We better go,” I said as I watched droplets of water slide down Eli’s face and over his lips.

“Yeah, don’t force me have to come in there.” Cooper’s shouted. “Actually, scratch what I said. I’ve seen Eli’s bare ass enough, but Ember’s would be a nice change.”

“All right. All right. We’ll be out in a minute,” Eli yelled back and turned to me. “Not that you shouldn’t show your ass off. It’s an extremely nice ass.” His hands moved over it.

Smiling, I kissed him once more, taking his hands into mine. “Come on. Cooper will have plenty of other opportunities to see my ass.” I directed my words toward the other side of the door.

“You said plural, right? Like in more than once?” Cooper asked back.

“Go, Coop. We’ll be there in a few minutes,” Eli retorted back and pulled me out of the natural stone and slate shower.

“Five minutes,” Cooper said and stomped away.

Eli threw me a clean towel. After I wrapped in it, we hurried back to his room. I slipped on Eli’s boxers and a tank and smoothed my hair back into a ponytail. Eli threw on some jeans and a t-shirt and followed me out the bedroom.

The closer we got to Dax’s old room, which was on the other side of the extended ranch house, the more my steps became rushed. It was packed. Almost everyone was there. Josh, Gabby, Kennedy and Jared were absent, but the others were stuffed into the small space—waiting for us.

Josh
... shit! In my narrowed vision of Torin, I had forgotten about him. I still needed to talk to him and make sure he was all right. I didn’t even know where he had been sleeping.

“About time,” Cole declared. A blush of embarrassment heated my cheeks.

Mom hovered next to Torin’s bed blocking him from view. At my entrance her eyes pierced into me. Disapproval, anger, and disgust darted from me to Eli.

“I’m
gonna take a stab in the dark and say Mommy doesn’t approve of me or the fact her sweet daughter is sleeping with me,” Eli whispered in my ear.

“That would be an understatement,” I scoffed, turning my face up to him. “But in no way would I be considered a sweet daughter.”

“Not after what you just did. Didn’t know you were so flexible. You owe me a new fan by the way.”

I shoved him lightly. “Shut up.”

“You two want to join us?” Cole’s aggravated tone brought us back to the others. This time when I looked, Mom had moved to the side. Torin was now directly in my line of sight. Suddenly, he became the only one in the room. Not able to stop the pull I automatically felt toward him, I moved swiftly to his bedside. “Torin, how are you feeling?”

His one lid was still swollen shut so he craned his neck to look at me. His forehead wrinkled as his attention bounced between me and Eli, taking in our wet hair and the fact half my outfit was Eli’s. His lips pressed together tightly. “Because of Dr. Donovan, I feel much improved.”