Return to Me (Storm Lords) (17 page)

Cade hurried to his side. Wrapping one arm around Bryce’s chest, he used his knife to twist open the shackles. Bryce collapsed and Cade lowered him gently to the floor. He ran his hands over the other man’s body, lifted his eyelids, and turned to Torr. “He’ll survive.”

An indrawn breath from behind him, made Torr swing around. Bella stood inside the door, staring at Bryce. Her face filled with compassion. As he watched, she hurried across the room and went down beside him. Reaching out, she stroked his face, then looked up at Torr. “Is this your friend?”

He nodded. Something twisted inside him as he watched her, saw the concern in her face. This was his Soraya, as he remembered her from the days when he had fallen irrevocably in love with her, and the course of his life had been changed forever. She had drawn him to her with her love and compassion.

Cade pulled out his mobile phone and called up the car. “It will be here in a couple of minutes,” he said to the room in general. “Let’s get out of this shithole.”

Torr agreed wholeheartedly. He crossed to where Bella still knelt on the filthy floor and held out his hand. “Come on, let Cade look after him.”

“Will he be all right?”

“He’ll be fine.” And he would be, at least physically. Bella didn’t need to know of the mental torture Bryce had endured since he’d lost his own love two years ago.

She reached up, put her hand in his, and he pulled her to her feet. They moved back as Cade lifted the unconscious man in his arms, careless of the blood that stained his clothing. He led the way out past the bartender, who pressed himself back against the wall.

Torr followed. He paused by the wolf. “Tell your people, if they deal with demons again, I’ll personally burn this place to the ground.”

Relief flashed across the wolf’s face. He’d been expecting some sort of retribution. But Torr had learned the hard way that revenge was not something that worked for him. After Soraya had been taken from him, he’d given himself over to revenge on everything and anyone. None of it had lessened the pain. Now he would destroy for a reason, but never again for vengeance.

The car drew up as they stepped outside. Cade laid the unconscious Bryce on the backseat before climbing into the front next to the driver. Torr sat opposite Bryce, Bella pulled close to his side. For the moment, all her rough edges seemed to be smoothed. He guessed she was too tired to keep fighting him.

He leaned back and closed his eyes, shutting out the sight of Bryce, and the knowledge of what the following day might bring. Bryce had been his brother, his friend, and Torr had brought him into this. Stealing the Elixir had been Torr’s idea. Without Torr, Bryce would still bear the white wings of an angel, would be welcome in Heaven, instead of this living Hell he existed in right now.

The burden of the past weighed on him. But the truth was, he would do the same again rather than forsake her.

He opened his eyes and found her watching him, a worried look in her eyes. “You look sad,” she said. “Aren’t you pleased you’ve found your friend?”

“Of course. One thing though, Bella, keep away from Bryce.”

“What do you mean?”

“We still don’t know exactly what went on here. Until we do, I don’t want you near him. I’ll tell him the same.”

She shrugged. “Okay. So why did Cade call the bartender ‘wolf’?”

He frowned at the change of subject. “Because it’s his name?”

“Actually, his name was Mitch. You know, you said you’d tell me what you could. And I reckon this is one of those things.”

He shrugged. “He’s a wolf shifter.”

“Like a werewolf?”

A small smile slanted his head. “Something like that. But werewolves don’t exist.”

“Yeah right. Werewolves don’t exist, but shifters do. That’s just semantics.”

“Maybe.”

“So was everyone in that bar a…shifter?”

“Not everyone, but most.”

“Oh.” She went quiet for a moment. “And who’s Lilith?” He shot her a sharp glance and she raised an eyebrow. “You said Bryce had once been one of hers.”

He didn’t want to discuss Lilith with Bella. It had been nearly a thousand years since he had acted as the Queen’s consort, shared her bed. It had meant nothing to him; he hadn’t cared what he did with his body. But sitting beside Bella now, a wave of shame washed over him. He had to force himself not to squirm and knew he hadn’t totally succeeded in hiding his reaction, when Bella’s eyes narrowed on him.

“We’re
you
once one of hers?”

“In a way, but it was a long time ago.” He shifted in the seat. “A very long time ago.”

She pursed her lips, considered him for a minute as though she could peer into his mind, and for the first time, he was glad she couldn’t. “What’s the Destroyer?”

Again, the change of subject threw him. He frowned. “Aren’t you tired?”

“Let me guess, that’s one of the things you can’t answer.” He inclined his head, and she sighed. “I suppose I am quite tired, after all. You’ll tell me soon, right.”

“As soon as I can.”

He hoped to God that he would get the opportunity.

Day 4

The nightmare came again that night.

Her own scream woke her. Torr sat in the chair by the bed. At first, she thought him asleep, but then saw the gleam of his eyes. He didn’t move, and she found his presence strangely comforting and drifted back to sleep. He was gone when she woke up in the morning. She showered, dressed, and opened her bedroom door to find a man parked outside; big, and dressed in black, with the Stormlord Security insignia on his chest. She didn’t recognize him, and he didn’t speak as she inched her way around him and headed downstairs.

The kitchen was empty, but the smell of coffee lured her inside. She poured a mug and took it with her, while she went in search of someone to tell her what was going on. She wanted to find out how Torr’s friend was. He’d been hurt so bad; it was probably a good thing he’d been unconscious and couldn’t feel the pain.

She saw and heard no one and eventually found herself in a courtyard in the center of the building, open to the sky and with a small, walled pond in the middle. Perched on the edge, she watched the plump carp swim in lazy circles. The sun was warm, the sky blue; nothing bad could happen on such a beautiful day. She stirred the water with her finger.

“How do you feel?”

She looked up at Torr’s words. He lounged against the doorframe and she got the impression he’d been watching her for a while. Something uncoiled inside her at the sight of him, warmth stealing through her veins.

“I have to go out,” he said.

She pushed herself to her feet. “Give me a couple of minutes and I’ll be ready.”

“No, you stay here this time.”

She frowned. “So why wasn’t it okay last night to leave me, but it is today?”

“Cade will be here today. He needs to spend time with Phoebe, but he’ll keep you safe.”

She looked around at the peaceful surroundings. “Safe from what? Just what do you think could happen?” It was a stupid question, when she considered all that had happened in the last few days. So she tried another one. “Where are you going?”

“I’ve spoken with Bryce. I’m sure he had nothing to do with the murders.”

“I’m pleased.”

“But someone set him up. I need to find out who. And I need to deal with them.”

“Why you?”

“It’s my responsibility. Bryce is my responsibility.”

She sat back down on the edge of the pond and swirled her hand in the cool water. One of the golden fish rose to the surface and nibbled at her fingertip. She didn’t want to stay here alone. She’d rather go with him. She opened her mouth, then clamped it shut again. What was happening to her? Once again, she felt as though something monumental hovered on the edge of her consciousness. Something she should know.

Maybe some time alone would be good. Get her brain in order; try to figure things out.

“Okay,” she said. “I’ll be good.”

“Just don’t leave the house, and don’t go near Bryce.”

Was he under the impression he could order her about? “Yes, boss.”

A small smile curled his lips. He pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to her. “My number’s on speed dial. Call me if you need me.”

She nodded.

“I’ll be back later. We’ll knock down that wall.”

“I thought maybe you’d forgotten about that.”

“No.”

He closed the space between them, and she didn’t try to avoid him as he reached down and pulled her into his arms. Something inside her craved this. She didn’t understand why, and she was beyond caring right now. It was more than a physical feeling, though she didn’t have a lot to compare it to. She’d never experienced physical desire before, but the touch of his hands woke a need inside her, her whole body yearning for him. She lifted her face as his lips slanted down over hers. This was not a gentle kiss, his mouth hard and hot, and his tongue pushed inside, moist velvet stroking her, sending ripples of heat sizzling along her nerve endings. His hard hands molded her shoulders, sliding down her back, pressing her closer, coming to rest on the globes of her ass. He lifted her, urging her against him until the steely hardness of his erection pushed insistently against her belly, and everything inside her melted to a puddle of hot, wet desire.

When he raised his head, she wanted to drag him back to her.

“I want you. You know that?”     

She nodded.

He held her a moment longer, then leaned down and kissed her briefly on the lips. “I have to go.”

She nodded again, quite incapable of speech.

“We’ll continue this later.”

As he released his hold on her, her legs gave way, and she sank to the bench behind her.

“Once I get this problem sorted, I’m clear. When I get back…” He sighed. “At least admit that you want me, and we’ll move on from there.”

Why didn’t he go, before she begged him to stay? When she remained silent, he inclined his head, turned, and walked away.

Bella watched as he disappeared from sight; her teeth clamped hard on her lower lip to keep the words from escaping.

How had she come to this so quickly? She’d never needed anyone in her life. Well, not since she finally had given up on her mother and accepted that the woman who had brought her into this world would never care for her.

Despite the warmth of the sun, cold seeped into her skin. She didn’t want to care for Torr. What if he was using her? Should she get out of here now? Before she got in any deeper? She’d run away before and disappeared—not that anyone had come looking for her—she could do it again.

At the thought of running and never seeing Torr again, a sense of loss rose up inside her. She reached up and touched her fingertip to her lips where the memory of his kiss still lingered.

Was running away an act of cowardice? Should she stay and face up to these feelings he roused in her? Deep inside, she knew she wanted her answer to be yes, despite her fear. Could she face it? And if she finally peered into his mind and found he didn’t care, that it had all been some elaborate plan to use her for his own purposes, could she survive? Would she want to? But for the first time, she craved something other than safety and security.

She wanted Torr.

There, she had admitted it, if only to herself. She wanted to feel his arms around her, his mouth on hers, his big hard body moving on her, in her. A shiver of desire ran through her, re-igniting the fires in her belly. The time they’d been together after Justin’s death had only been a fraction of what could be. She sensed instinctively that Torr could give her pleasure beyond imagining, pleasure she might never recover from. But maybe it would be worth it. Just once in her life, she wanted to experience total desire. Immerse herself in it, with no reservations. Maybe she could keep the wall and have Torr. She still held the cell phone in her hand. Before she could persuade herself otherwise, she hit the speed dial. Torr picked up immediately. “I do want you,” she said, then ended the call.

Done. She’d try not to think about it now, or she would tie herself up in knots. She forced her mind to other things.

There was another aspect to all this. Torr seemed to think she was in danger. She had a vague memory of those scary moments last night on the beach. But the memory was fuzzy and insubstantial in her mind. Those things. Had they even been real?

Torr wouldn’t tell her what was going on, though he had opened up a little more last night. Maybe she should go see what else she could find out.

She found Phoebe in the kitchen.

After pouring herself a coffee, she sat down opposite. “Did you know that there are real live werewolves?” She was quite proud of it as a conversational opener.

Phoebe grinned. “No, there aren’t. Wolf shape-shifters exist, but werewolves don’t.”

Huh. Phoebe was obviously toeing the company line. At least she was talking. “So what other sorts of shape-shifters are there?”

Phoebe opened her mouth to answer when a scream tore through the house.

Bella leapt to her feet, knocking over her coffee.

“It’s only Bryce,” Phoebe said. “Cade will look after him.”

The scream came again. Inhuman, like an animal in agony. The cry called to something inside her. She felt his pain. His loss. And the need to help him, to take away his pain, built up inside her.

She pushed her chair back and headed to the door. Phoebe rose to her feet. As Bella passed, she put a hand on her arm.

“No, Bella. Torr said specifically that we weren’t to let you near Bryce. He’s coming down off the drugs they gave him and he’s not safe.”

The cry came again, quieter now, full of an acceptance that was harder to bear than the pain. Bella shook off the arm. “Torr doesn’t tell me what to do.”

She hurried out of the room and up the staircase to the first floor, following her instincts. She came to a halt outside a wooden door. Pushing it open, she peered inside.

A man lay on a huge bed in the center of the room. Cade stood with his back to her staring out of the window, tension radiating from every locked muscle in his body. He swung around as she entered.

“Bella, get the hell out of here.” His tone was harsh, but Bella could hear the pain beneath the words.

Ignoring him, she hurried over to the bed.

“Bella, don’t,” he said, as she sank down onto the bed beside Bryce. His eyes were closed and she studied him. A sheet was pulled up to his waist, but his chest had been left bare. His wounds had been cleaned, and they were healing far faster than she would have imagined. Last night, he’d looked close to death. Now the cuts were red scars crisscrossing his broad torso. Otherwise, his skin was dark as though he’d spent a lot of time in the sun. His black hair looked as though it had once been cut short but hadn’t been tended to in a long time. It fell over his forehead and framed a face of almost inhuman beauty, with flawless bone structure and full sensual lips.

He threw back his head and cried out again.

“Shh.” Reaching out a trembling hand, Bella placed her fingers against his cheek. His skin was hot to the touch, and he went immobile. His eyes shot open. They were the clear blue of the summer sky, and filled with more pain than she had ever encountered before.

Cade came up beside her, but she ignored his presence, concentrating on the man who stared up at her. She cupped his cheek in her hand. “What is it? Tell me.”

For a moment, he turned away. When he looked back, his gaze was tortured. “She’s lost to me.”

“Who?”

“Cara. In the dreams, I’d forgotten. I thought she was with me.”

A hand touched her shoulder. She jumped and glanced behind her impatiently.

“Leave him, Bella. You can’t help him.”

At his words, she paused. Deep down inside her something stirred. Cade was wrong. She could help him. She didn’t know how she knew that, but she did. Some memory teased at the back of her mind. She’d been six. She’d come upon her mother weeping, and knelt down beside her. Touched her, as she was touching Bryce now.

“I can take your pain away,” she’d said.

Her mother had backhanded her and she flew across the floor, banging her head on the kitchen cabinets so hard she had seen stars. Her mother had stood over her. “Freak.”

Since then, she had never tried to help anyone again, had shied away when she felt their pain and need. Eventually, she’d closed herself off, walled up her true self, and become this empty useless shell.

She shook off Cade’s hand, and dropped her own from Bryce. But she didn’t rise. Instead, she sat and studied him; saw the pain in his eyes. Guilt stabbed her in the chest. She had been given a gift and she had been too scared to use it. Too scared of hurting herself. Shame scalded through her.

She closed her eyes and saw the wall, damaged but still strong. Anger built up inside her. At her mother. At herself. Furious at the coward she had become, she slammed into the wall, inside her mind, with all her might. At first, it merely shuddered beneath the onslaught. Then cracks appeared, running down the ochre stone from top to bottom. She balled her hands into fists at her side and hurled every bit of her strength against the barricade. The first rock crashed to the ground, and a wave of exultation washed through her. After that, they fell fast, filling her head with the roar as the huge stones hit the ground, disintegrating into dust until all she could see was a dull red haze.

Finally, the wall was no more.

Her body trembled from the effort. Slowly she uncurled her fingers and battled to bring herself under control. She waited for the dust to clear, but she knew the wall was completely destroyed, and fear filled her mind.

“Bella?”

Cade spoke softly from behind her, but she shook her head. She breathed slowly, counting her heartbeats until she was sure she could control her fear. Finally, the red ochre haze settled and her mind was clear. Her defenses were gone as though they had never existed.

She reached out tentatively with her mind and slammed straight into a barrier of pain. For a moment, she fought the feeling, denying it, but instinct told her she must relax, accept. She ceased fighting and though she felt the pain, it no longer controlled her.