Twilight War (3 page)

Dear God,
how am I to resist such a man?
She swept hair from her face and
sighed.
Those eyes! If he wasn’t alluring enough before, he’s
even more appealing now.
She thought back to the close call on
the beach. Gazing into those shadowy black eyes had nearly been her
undoing. But now—now he’d returned from the dead with the most
intense blue-green eyes she’d ever seen.
Eyes like blue ice!
Clear as water yet naturally lined in black, shimmering like an
aquamarine gem with more blue than green. A striking contrast
against his pure black hair and still fringed by those long black
lashes, his eyes could melt the most petulant woman with just a
glance.

She inwardly
marveled at the peculiar change and wondered if it had anything to
do with
how
he’d returned. She thought back to Ian’s story
of how Von walked straight from the ocean after Cassie had
surrendered her infant to the evil realm in exchange—the Twilight’s
offspring for the Satellite’s revived soul.
Did the seawater
give him those eyes? Or was it the flaming dagger as he said?
Either way, Von clearly possessed heightened powers now and
breathtaking allure.

His sarcasm had
not gone unnoticed but she’d refused to allow him the satisfaction
of knowing he’d rattled her.

His demeanor
had changed somewhat, from mysteriously quiet to edgy and
confident. Everything about him emanated charisma, from the long
shiny hair to the hard body cloaked in black leather.
Mercy!
She’d practically come undone when he’d pulled her close. His scent
lingered on her jacket. She lifted a sleeve to her nose and
breathed deeply. An ache of desire coursed through her just at his
scent. The man she’d killed had returned with even more sensuality
than before. She wondered how to keep her wits and seduce him to
their side before he seduced her. The way she felt right now, if
he’d actually kissed her, they would’ve gone down in the dirt for
the long haul.

With a voice
dripping in sexually commanding sway and killer looks, Von Calder
would definitely be a challenge to defeat. But winning a prize like
him presented endless possibilities, most of which didn’t involve
her skills as a warrior.
Ah, stop! I’m torturing myself over a
man I can never have.

She gave a
heavy sigh before pushing to her feet and preparing for the long
ride from Shamrock Texas back to LA. Her situation continued to
complicate itself. Raef waited for her return. They’d been shaken
by Ian and Cassie’s death and decided to go their own way while
taking care of personal matters. Ian had been Raef’s very close
friend. Killing him and his fiancé was something Flame never
thought she’d be forced to do. Yet Cassie had turned to the
darkness—there had been no choice, and Ian had turned with her.

She wondered
how Raef was dealing with everything and how Cooper O’Toole had
responded to the news about Ian, his right hand man in their biker
group. Her friendship with Raef had swung in a different direction
during her first battle with the Satellite. She treasured the
deepening bond between them and questioned how this new lust she
felt for an immortal man she barely knew would affect her budding
relationship with Raef.

Men were tools
to her nation. Love was not something they dwelled upon. They
selected males for what they had to offer the sisterhood, nothing
more. Each woman born into the sisterhood chose her own path be it
the warrior field or living in the village to bear offspring.
Falling in love was optional and was not required in choosing a
mate. This time though, she felt herself falling hard for the
sweetly passionate blond waiting in LA. His genuine lovemaking and
easy nature had drawn her to him since the day they met. They
hadn’t discussed love yet, but she felt certain they wouldn’t be
able to withhold their feelings much longer.

Her thoughts
went to her mother, a beautiful and courageous spy who’d somehow
lost her edge. She couldn’t fathom how a skilled lioness had
allowed herself to become ensnared as she had. Disappointment
shadowed her heart. Though with each passing moment it did seem
that history was determined to repeat itself to some degree. The
irony that Von was the replacement Satellite, pitted against the
daughter of the woman who almost stole the first one was too
uncanny to ignore, as if this Twilight Master knew she’d be
attracted to his favorite tool and had commanded their fate.

After all, Von
practically said as much by telling her they’d been waiting. The
Supreme Lioness had been right. Her mother would’ve been hunted
night and day if she’d returned to the village.
Twilight wants
what they think belongs to them…me.

She pondered
Von’s short reply as to how he ended up in the evil realm. He
sounded like a man betrayed.
If so, is he truly evil or is he a
man looking for a way out? Who had he trusted, moreover, who
betrayed him and how?
Her attraction to Von had begun the night
he held her after a brutal beating. Despite her efforts to ignore
the effect he had on her, the chemistry continued to grow.

Answers to
endless questions teetered on the edge of her mind yet she failed
to pull them together. She saw the correlations but a huge chunk of
the puzzle was missing, namely, who was actually calling the shots.
How did my ex-husband discover my secret life? Who tipped off
Hatch the night Von snuck me away? Is there any truth to what Von
said about Aiden’s family and their involvement with Hatch?
None of it made sense. Regardless, the ultimate goal of the enemy
side was obvious. They wanted her so they could gain domination of
the sisterhood, their only true threat. She felt more determined
than ever to win and avenge her mother’s death.

She rolled into
LA about twenty-four hours after leaving Shamrock, which included
an eight-hour rest stop this time, longer than her typical rides
with only short breaks for food and a quick rest. Her lengthy visit
with the Lioness, the unexpected appearance of Von and the stress
of it all had been draining. She knew that in order to stay sharp,
she’d have to take care of herself. Or maybe she was deliberately
lagging for reasons she chose to deny at the moment. The thought
crossed her mind.

Her Harley
rumbled into the drive of Raef’s beachfront home just before
midnight. While securing her bike then straightening her clothes
and hair, she thought about Raef. Rock star gorgeous with layered
sun-blond hair, big blue eyes, and a well-toned body, he could have
his pick of women. He was undeniably sexy and a little on the
pretty side yet nonetheless drool-worthy.

She thought
back to their last night together, a warm feeling fell over her.
His daring nature was definitely an aphrodisiac. Raef showed no
remorse over stealing her right out from under his bandmate’s nose.
She hoped he hadn’t been lying when she’d questioned his motives.
She didn’t want to invest feelings in a man whose agenda was
nothing more than payback to the man who ruined his marriage. Her
instinct told her that Raef had been sincere, though she wasn’t
fool enough to let her guard down just yet. After all, Hatch had
slept with Raef’s wife then moved on without a care. Surely,
animosity lurked in that equation somewhere.

She knocked on
the huge white door of his extravagant house, which looked more
like a mansion.

“Hey, you.”
Raef greeted her with a tight hug at the door of his beautiful
coastal home. “I was beginning to worry.”

Their lips met
for a sweet kiss, his touching hers in a succession of feathery
strokes before the kiss merged into a deep exchange of passion. He
tasted amazing as always and smelled even better. With both hands
in his silky hair, she bathed in his affection. Several minutes
later, they eased apart.

She smiled up
at him. “I’m sorry I took so long. My conversation with the Supreme
Lioness took longer than usual. We had a lot to discuss.”

He gazed at her
in open adoration, clearly happy to see her. “I won’t ask. I know
the inner workings of your sisterhood are practically sacred.” His
blue eyes sparkled beneath the foyer lights. “I’m just relieved you
made it back with no trouble.”

“How are you?
I’ve been concerned about how you’re dealing with the loss of Ian
and Cassie.”

“As good as one
can be after discovering his best friend fell to the
Satellite.”

An uneasy knot
formed in her stomach. “I think there is more to all of this than
just the Satellite. What Ian learned from Cassie in Asia was only
the beginning.”

He ran a hand
over her hair while searching her eyes with his. “I don’t wanna
talk about it tonight. I’ve missed you.”

“We can’t
pretend forever that the danger has passed.”

“No, we can’t.”
He scooped her off the floor and into his strong arms. “But we can
shut out the world for one night.”

“What about
Hatch? Any word on his whereabouts these days?”

Raef set her
back down with a sigh. “He’s still the same pain in the ass as
always.”

“So…he’s
back?”

“More or less.
He phoned, said he’d be flying in tomorrow.” He gave her a studious
look. “Are you still worried about the fallout?”

“My engagement
to Hatch would’ve ended either way, with or without me falling into
your bed. The last thing I need is a clingy, jealous, egotistical
jerk trying to tie me down. You moved into position at the perfect
time. You’re a breath of fresh air and exactly what I need right
now.”

She thought
about it. No sooner had she cut Hatch loose before the hot blond
staring at her now had made his move. She liked his style. Awesome
in bed, self assured, not too chatty, and not afraid of
competition—unlike Hatch, who was quite the opposite.

She released a
subconscious sigh.

Raef turned her
face toward his with a gentle touch. “What’s wrong?”

“Ah, nothing
really. I just can’t believe I stayed with him as long as I did.
How someone like him snuck under my radar is unsettling. Typically
I can spot trouble right away but somehow I missed the red flags
regarding Hatch.”

“Like I said
before, Hatch has an uncanny way of drawing women into his net.
Usually he ruins them before they get away. You, my angel, were
lucky.”

“I was hoping
he’d move on and stay in New York for good.”

“There’s
something you’re not telling me. I can see it in your eyes.”

She looked down
at the floor and sighed. “Von found me.”

“The Satellite
already found you?” Raef looked stunned. “How? What did he want?
Why did he let you go?”

“I don’t know.
He was…intense.”

“What did he
say to you?”

“Not much. We
did some kind of verbal dance. Something about me as a prodigy
needed to undo their curse.”

“That’s all
you’re going to tell me? Why do I get the feeling you’re holding
back?”

“You, of all
people, know that I cannot break the bonds of sisterhood. My
conversation with the Supreme Lioness is sacred.”

“I would never
try to invade that sacred bond. What I see in your eyes goes deeper
than your secret colony of women…is it the Satellite…or Hatch?”

“I don’t know.
Maybe both. Obviously, I can’t trust either. In fact you might be
the only one I trust right now.”

“Apparently not
enough.”

“Why are you
doing this? You are the only person I ever took into the village
with me. Wasn’t that enough to show how I feel about you?”

“It should be,
I know. I just can’t shake this feeling that there’s something
going on with you that you’re unwilling to share.”

“I do have a
lot to sort through right now and I’m sorry that I cannot bare my
soul to you, it’s just not my way, I’m sorry.”

He half smiled
with a slight shrug. “I guess I’ll have to live with that.”

She kept her
voice soft and gentle. “I don’t want you to feel as if you have to
live with something you’re not comfortable with. My feelings for
you have deepened tremendously over the past weeks. But I also
realize that my lifestyle…who I am and what I do…is not something
many men can handle. I’ll understand if you need to back away.” As
badly as it hurt to say that to him, she couldn’t be selfish.

“That’s exactly
what I feel you doing, backing away.” He placed his hands at her
waist. “I get that you come from a different culture. I can handle
that. What bothers me is that you’re shutting me out.”

“I have to,
don’t you understand?” She gazed up with pleading eyes. “I learned
things during my visit with the Supreme Lioness that I need to
handle…things that don’t involve you and shouldn’t involve you. I
don’t want you getting hurt or becoming a pawn in someone else’s
game because of me.”

“You’re headed
for some serious shit, aren’t you?”

She nodded.
“Stuff I can’t tell you but wish I could. I have to undo the damage
caused years ago by a different generation. If I fail, my entire
sisterhood nation could fall into enemy hands. Please don’t ask me
to reveal more. Information will only get you killed.”

Conflict
flickered in his eyes. “I want to help, but I did promise not to
ask about your sisterhood. I don’t want to lose you now that we
finally got together.”

“I don’t want
to lose you either.” She touched his handsome face. “Which is why
the less you know the safer you will be.”

“Is someone
after you?” His voice sounded worried.

“Something like
that.”

“Then let me
help. You need someone to watch your back.”

“The enemies I
face won’t hesitate to take you out if you get in the way. This is
one battle I must fight alone.”

“No doubt all
of this has to do with your run-in with Calder, am I right?”

“Only some of
it. And you’re beginning to sound jealous.”