STEP (The Senses) (43 page)

Liam pulled her towards the far wall and pushed her against it. The coldness seeped into her body and she shivered
, wanting to run her hands up and down her arms.

The door slammed at the top of the stairs and Liam tensed.

Jasmine appeared, her face a mask of displeasure. The sneer made her look like a rabid dog about to rip out someone’s jugular.

“He refused?” Jasmine yelled. She approached. There wasn’t an ounce of hesitation in her step. “For his own daughter?” The anger pulsated from her body so strongly that Rayne felt it leak into her body. She had so much hatred inside her. So much revenge. But there was something else . . . something . . . love. Overwhelming obsessive love.

Jasmine walked straight up to her and slapped her hard across the face.

Rayne fell back against the wall then to her knees. Her vision blurred
, and she swayed as she tried to stand up again. Jasmine raised her hand again and backhanded her. This time she managed to stay on her feet, but she felt the trickle of blood slid down the side of her mouth.

“Jasmine,” Liam warned. “She is no good to us dead.”

Jasmine scoffed. “Bitch is useless to me now. Kill her and be done with it.”

Rayne s
ank back against the wall.

“No,” Liam objected. “They’ll come for her. I know Delara. She won’t allow her daughter to be left in our grasp
, and Waleron . . . he’ll do anything for her.”

“I told you they wouldn’t negotiate,” Jasmine fumed, her eyes glaring with menace at her. Jasmine grabbed the ropes holding her wrists together. “She comes with me.”

Rayne’s gut twisted with fear.

Jasmine yanked on the ropes and Rayne stumbled forward. “I will have him back.” She glared at Liam. “Now we do this my way.”

Rayne noticed Liam’s swift look at her, his expression bleak. His gaze returned to Jasmine. “Of course.”

****

When the front door opened, they all went on alert, at first shocked then suspicious at the man standing there.

“I know where Jasmine will take her,” Roarke said. His clothes were in disarray, blood splattered, rips across his shirt from the vampires nails yesterday.

Kilter held up his hand as Keir pulled out his knife. “Soul sucker saved my life. I owe him.” Rayne’s words vibrated in his head. She trusted this GQ, damn it. It made his insides revolt, but he needed faith and would do anything to get her back.

Keir nodded, reholstered his knife and opened the door further for Roarke to come inside.

Waleron appeared. He looked Roarke up and down then gave a curt nod in greeting.

“She wants you,” Roarke stated to Waleron. “But I suspect you know that already.”

Waleron’s nod was barely noticeable.

“She’ll be expecting us, but no
t tonight. If we go now, Rayne may have a chance, but—” Roarke looked at him, “—Jasmine will have her contained. Her favorite toy. It’s impossible to get out of without—“

Waleron interrupted. “A key.”

Roarke nodded. “I’m guessing you are familiar with the device?” Again Waleron nodded. “As am I.”

“What? What bloody device?” Kilter shouted.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Jedrik put his hand in Delara’s as she swayed.

“Rayne
will be wearing a collar,” Waleron stated. “It cannot be removed without a key. If it is attempted, the collar will snap. It will kill her instantly.”

Kilter choked on his next words, his stomach revolting at the thought of Rayne being killed so mercilessly. No. Fuck that, he’d find her. She’d stay alive. “Where is she?”

Roarke glanced between Waleron and Delara. “She wants you to find her. She wants you to see Rayne suffer.” Roarke directed his gaze to Delara. “She blames you for him escaping her.”

Kilter took two steps and grabbed Roarke by the shirt and shook him. “Damn it
, where the hell is she?” Roarke ignored the assault and remained calm. Kilter wanted to punch the words out of his mouth with his bloody fist, but knew it would only delay what he wanted—answers.

“
She has been staying at Tarek’s house,” Roarke said. Delara’s ex who was currently in Rest for attempting to kill Delara a number of years ago. Waleron had escaped Jasmine’s clutches on the very day that Tarek had nearly killed Delara. “I’ve been tracking her movements and have seen her there often.”

“That house has been empty since—”

“Since Tarek tried to kill me,” Delara finished, then shoved Jedrik’s hand away and staggered out into the kitchen. Kilter noticed a slight movement from Waleron as if he was going to go after her and then decided against it.

“Bring the witch,” Roarke said. “Liam will be there. We can distract him with her. You have no chance against Liam and his vamps as well as Jasmine and her followers. Give him the witch. He won’t care what happens to Jasmine.”

“No,” Waleron stated.

“You’re planning to kill her anyways, right?”

No one said a word. Not even a shift in weight, then Kilter noticed Waleron’s nod.

“Then kill her later.” Roarke took a deep breathe. “Jasmine has the key. Go for her first. Release Rayne. If you can’t
, then . . .” he paused and Waleron finished for him.

“Jasmine will release Rayne in exchange for me,” Waleron said as if he already knew.

Delara appeared in the doorway, her face gaunt, shock plastered all over her face from Waleron’s words “Waleron?” she questioned, but he ignored her.

“Get Abby,” Waleron said to Keir. Then he turned to Roarke. “Are you coming with us?”

“I am.” Roarke directed his gaze on Kilter and their eyes clashed. “I love her.”

****

Rayne stood paralyzed. Her arms ached from being stretched upwards with the metal bands attached to the ceiling. She could barely balance on her tiptoes that throbbed with relentless cramps.

A chain looped around her neck with sharp metal spikes pointed towards her skin like
the prong collar that some owners put on their dogs. Any movement caused the spikes to graze her flesh, any larger movements or if she lost her footing, the spikes would puncture her neck.

Liam stood and watched, never saying a word while Jasmine hooked her up like a Christmas tree ornament. But Rayne saw Liam’s uncertainty, as he looked away several times, head bowed as if he regretted what this had come to.

“Just think, my child. Your father had to remain like this for hours at a time. Sometimes, I left him for days just to see his resilience.” Jasmine ran a hand over her head in a soft caress and she flinched, but couldn’t move away. “He is obstinate.” She grabbed a handful of hair and yanked on it. The prongs dug into the back of her neck. “You are a reminder that he once escaped my grasp to be with that bitch.”

Delara? What had happened between them? The Lilac was obsessed with Waleron. All this time, she was waiting to use her against Waleron. For the right moment, the right time. She’d do anything to have him back.

Her toes cramped and the spikes pierced her skin as she readjusted her stance. A tear slid silent and slow down her check.

Kilter. If only she could reach him with her mind.
She’d tell him . . . yes she’d tell him she loved him. She closed her eyes. Kilter would swear and curse and fight to his death, and there would be nothing she could do to stop him.

“Did you know that Roarke sacrificed himself for you?” Jasmine asked, her finger sliding down the side of her cheek. “That day the Senses escaped, Roarke became my play toy. He was as you are right now for several days, I might add.”

Oh god, no. Roarke, why?

Jasmine raked a nail into her skin along her temple
, and blood dripped down the bridge of her nose. “You were supposed to be punished severely for what you did. I don’t take kindly to betrayal, Rayne. I saved your life. Kept you safe, raised you. Educated you. And you repay me by helping them escape.” She hissed. “He took your beating for you, that is why he wasn’t there when Kilter came back for you. I kept him for weeks.” Jasmine strode away and went to the window, pushing the curtains aside. “He’s rather stoic. I would have kept him for myself if you hadn’t escaped.” She shrugged. “But I knew he’d lead me right to you.”

A shiver coursed down her spine. Tears teetered on the rims of her eyes
, and if she blinked she was afraid they’d fall and Jasmine would win.

“Leave her alone,” Liam said as he strode back and forth across the hardwood floors.

“Soft spot for the girl?”

“No, sick of hearing your voice,” Liam shot back.

“Don’t be such a—”

The door burst open.

“Release her Jasmine,” Waleron said, striding into the room, his face a mask of stone.

He was alone.

Jasmine put her hand on Rayne’s neck. “Well what a surprise. I didn’t expect you to find us so quickly. Let me guess—Roarke. Where are the others? I’m certain you didn’t come alone.”

Waleron glared at Liam. “Abby is with us. You will have her, but Rayne is to be released first.”

Jasmine made a gesture to four of her followers and they took off through the house. Her nails dug into her neck and Rayne felt the drops of blood sliding down the inside of her shirt. She winced as the grip tightened and Waleron’s expression darkened.

“Abby first,” Liam said.

“No.” Waleron walked further into the room. “Release Rayne. This is what you want, isn’t it, Jasmine? Me.” Rayne could see the hunger in her eyes, her breath quickening at the anticipation. “Once she is free of that,” he nodded to the contraption, “only then will Abby be brought in.”

“You first,” Jasmine said. “Come here to me. Put your hands behind your back.”

Waleron walked towards her.
“No Waleron, don’t. Please.
”

“
It is better I than you, Rayne. This is how it’s supposed to be.”

“
No. No, please she will kill you.”

“
No
.” He paused.
“No, Rayne, Jasmine will never kill me.”

“
You don’t negotiate. You said that.”

“
I’m not,”
he stated and she saw the barest of grins.

Jasmine shot her fingers towards Waleron and the white sticky substance wrapped around his wrists. She grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around to face her, a slow sensual smile on her lips. She slithered up to him, her long lanky legs pressed up against him. Lips inches away from his own as she traced his brow with her finger.

Rayne noticed the snake tattoo on his neck turn bright red and begin to slither across his skin. “Release her,” Waleron reiterated.

Jasmine sighed. “I could get you to do anything if I kept her
.”

Liam strode across the room. “They won’t give me Abby without her release
.” Liam grabbed the necklace around Jasmine’s neck and yanked. He pulled the key from the locket and slid it into the prong collar’s latch.

Rayne let her arms take the weight of her body as the collar released. Every muscle straining from remaining paralyzed for hours let go and caused severe trembling in her limbs. God, Roarke. Waleron.
How could she have done this to you?
How did they remain in this contraption for days?

Liam glared at Waleron. “Tell them to give me Abby.”

Rayne tried to get her hands out of the manacles, the chains clanking and swinging when Balen appeared in the doorway, Abby standing beside him, Talu guarding her.

Balen dropped his hand from Abby’s shoulder. She hissed and sneered at them as she began to walk towards Liam.

When Abby was two feet away from Liam, there was a shift in the emotions, the sudden alert of danger as heartbeats escalated. Waleron’s eyes strayed from Abby to the staircase. “Damien,” Waleron shouted. “No.”

Damien ignored his Taldeburu’s orders and blocked Abby’s path to Liam.

***
*

Damien stepped towards Abby. No way in hell was he letting her go to Liam. Never.

Her eyes were wild with hunger and bloodlust, but he knew she was there. Abby. He reached out to her. “Abb.”

It was her small weak voice that started it all. “Fulfill the promise I asked of you, Damien. Before it’s too late.”

Damien’s plan went ape-shit. Abby’s haunting whisper sifted across his mind as if she was gripping his boiling veins with her voice. The promise. That one promise he could never give her. Those tormented eyes filled with agony at what she had become and hating it. She was asking him the unthinkable—to end her life
of bloodlust by his own hand.

Liam attacked, leaping on him in one single fluid movement
, throwing Damien onto his back on the unforgiving ground. He shoved upwards then turned with a scissor kick, sending Liam to the side and giving him the chance to gain his feet.