Undying Desire (20 page)

Damn!
She had to reinforce the walls around her mind. Had to be able to think. If she didn’t, she would be worthless.

Eve fell over the side of the mattress and tumbled face-first onto the sheets. Searing pain clawed its way along her back like a rack of hot nails trying to peel her flesh open.

“Guerin!” Dear God, how could he bear it? This agony wasn’t meant for sexual submission, a blend of pain and pleasure. This was a brutal attack meant to break him physically and mentally—if it didn’t kill him first.

And it was all her fault.

Pull it together, Devonshire. Pull yourself together. He needs you.

Gripping the sides of her head with her palms, Eve closed her eyes.

Breathe. Breathe.

Her hands were the walls surrounding her brain. Picturing the physical barrier inside her head, Eve pushed past the attack on her nerve endings. Flesh became stone. Concrete blocks stacking one upon the other, growing thicker and thicker, formed an impenetrable barrier around her mind.
That’s it.

Slowly, she crawled her fingers away from her skull and twisted them in the sheets—waiting—testing the seal for leaks.

The assault had eased. The connection between her and Guerin had dimmed to a point where Eve could lift her head.

A ding sounded from the bedside table, drawing her attention. Someone had sent her a text. But who the hell had her number besides Ingrid from the club? Eve snatched the phone and stared at the display. Her pulse stuttered at the words.

Guerin’s in trouble. You’re our only hope if we’re going to get him back. I know there’s no reason why you’d ever want to help me. But can you do this for Guerin? He needs you. We need you, Eve. No trap. Please… Kenric.

Oh, shit! Her mind whirled. Too many years of thinking of her father as the enemy had her leery as hell. But could she enter the heart of Seth’s operation and rescue Guerin on her own? Probably not. It would be a suicide mission.

No one deserved to spend any amount of time inside Seth’s colony as an unwelcome guest. She’d heard the stories of those who had never returned because of some perceived betrayal. Eve lived most of her days as a human, but it didn’t mean she didn’t lurk as a vampire on occasion, with her ear to ground. She had to, or end up in a master’s torture chamber where Eve was sure they’d attempt to breed her…or dissect her if she failed to produce. Her ability to walk in daylight and the origins of her birth were too much of a temptation for those greedy for more power.

She studied the message once more. If she was true to herself, wasn’t this the opportunity she’d secretly hoped for? One more chance to meet the Enclave’s master on her own terms, not some sneak attack like their last encounter? This time, she would be better prepared. Guerin needed her, and Eve needed this—to find out once and for all what had happened between Kenric and Marguerite.

Eve tapped out a short reply:

Where do you want to meet?

And hit send.

Quick and simple.

One sentence.

Yet somehow she knew everyone’s life, including hers, had just been changed.

…

Eve was very familiar with the hotel where Kenric and the other member of his team were staying. She’d driven past it many times. A six-story complex in the center of town. They were staying in suite 601. Yet she had no intention of using the door.

The view was spectacular from the roof. If one didn’t mind the cold wind lifting your hair and crawling its icy fingers down your neck. Eve shivered and tugged the collar of her leather jacket higher.

Climbing up on the lip of the tower, she stared down at the row of balconies, their concrete slabs and metal railings jutting out from the white face of the building’s exterior. She slid the toe of her boot over the edge, giving her stomach a hard flip. Her breath hitched. God, she didn’t like high places even though she had the power to phase and never hit the ground. The human side of her spirit still rebelled at the whole idea of taking that first big step.

She could have phased up, but where was the excitement in that? Besides, she would have missed out on the view, and selecting the correct balcony was much easier starting from the top. Kenric’s suite sat only one floor below.

Closing her eyes, Eve pictured the image of where she wanted to go and sent her body on the trip. Solid ground evaporated from beneath her feet, and she was flying. Except there were no wings. More like the dizzying rush of a roller-coaster ride minus the sights and the sounds. Bit by bit, she coalesced outside on the balcony and gazed through the window at the occupants inside. No one would spot her there unless she wanted them to. She’d made sure to keep her body in its ethereal form, a ghost-like mist giving her enough functions to covertly observe.

A couple was eating dinner—takeout, based on the boxes—in front of the TV. The female was blond, and the male…not the one she’d seen with Kenric from the other night. Too little hair and too much girth.

Wrong room.

Eve mentally directed her molecules over onto the next platform and rematerialized, yet maintained her translucent vapor form. The veil lifted on her vision and she found the patio door open to this room. Blocking the opening, a tall male with broad shoulders and dark hair, dressed in jeans, boots, and a leather jacket, stood with his back to the city.

“She should be here by now,” the male stated to a beautiful redhead standing in front of him.

“We don’t know how far away she was when she sent the message. But she did respond. What reason would she have to lie?”

Reflex had her hands clenched into fists for control. Kenric was discussing her.

“What reason did Marguerite have for any of her lies?”

Don’t go there, Father.
No matter what she’d done, Marguerite was still her mother.

“Still,” he went on to say. “When I looked into Eve’s eyes, I didn’t see the same venom Marguerite possessed.” He cupped the female’s face. “Eve was furious with me, don’t get me wrong. She was hurt. But deep down, I sensed more pain than evil.”

“I’m glad to hear you say that. Because I have to admit the idea of putting Guerin’s life in her hands, counting on her to come through and help us find him…it scares me. Half of her is you; it’s the other strand of her DNA that worries me.”

Eve slipped the knife from her boot, glided in behind her father, and solidified. Kenric was about four inches taller than her, but at six feet herself, putting the blade to his throat wasn’t that hard.

The large male stiffened at the feel of the cold steel against his neck, and a gasp sounded from the woman.

“I’m my own person. How dare you judge me before you’ve even met me.” Eve glared over the shoulder of her father at the female on the other side.

“Don’t hurt him,” Emily whispered. “Please.”

“Not unless someone makes me. Now, get inside,” Eve ordered. As a unit, they slowly stepped farther into the suite.

“Hey, have you two—” The tall blond she’d seen the other night marched in from an adjoining room and drew to a halt. “Shit!” His glare fixated on the knife at Kenric’s throat. “You have heard from her.”

“Leave her alone, Arran,” Kenric instructed. “Again, this is between Eve and me.” The other male nodded and flashed his palms as if in surrender.

“Kenric…,” the female called out, her tone sounding desperate.

“She’s my daughter, Emily, and she deserves to know the truth.” His throat worked under the blade, the Adam’s apple doing an up-and-down maneuver. “I have no idea what your mother told you about us, your conception. But the fact is that I’ve never heard about you until now, and I bet she told you a lot of lies.”

Eve flinched, the serrated edge of the blade digging a millimeter deeper. She couldn’t help it. Dammit. She felt like the ass end of a joke. Everyone else in on the plot and she was the last one to know.

“You have no idea how sorry I am that you’ve been hurt by her deceit,” he said. “It kills me every day knowing because of me, so many of the people I cared about have been caught in Marguerite’s cross fire.”

This had to stop. He was talking about her mother as though she was a monster. Eve grabbed his shoulder and spun him around, putting them face-to-face. But she didn’t lose the knife. Hell no. She kept it under his chin. “Don’t act like you really knew my mother,” she bit out. “You weren’t around long enough to vilify her.”

“No. You’re right. I escaped as soon as I could. But I spent three years with her, unwillingly, before I got away.”

“Escaped?” She shook her head. “What are you talking about
?” He had walked out on them. Kenric made it sound as if he’d been her mother’s prisoner.

“I want to show you something,” Kenric said. “Trust takes time, and with Guerin’s life on the line, time isn’t something we have a lot of right now.”

“What do you want me to see?”

“Kenric?” The redhead stepped closer. “What are you doing?”

Eve held up a hand, blocking her. “Stay right where you are.”

“I’m fine,” he said to the woman. Eve glanced up and Kenric added, “We’re going to be okay.”

“So what do you have in mind?”

“I can only think of one way to prove to you—show you who I am and the truth at the same time. I want you to look inside my memory.”

Shit.
Was he serious? A master vampire inviting another for a stroll inside his brain? That took guts. He would be completely vulnerable.

“Kenric!” This time it was the one called Arran. Her father looked up. “Are you sure about this, man?”

“Yeah. I am.” He nodded and returned his attention to Eve. “She won’t hurt me. If she’d wanted me dead, Eve would have tried a lot harder before now. Not that you would’ve won…” The corner of his mouth lifted with a hint of a smile.

Despite her best efforts, a part of Eve’s heart warmed at the sight. She could see why her mother had been so enamored with the male.

“If I had known, Eve, I would have never stopped looking for you—no matter what the cost. I would have loved and cared for you, because you’re my child despite who your mother was.”

God, he came across so sincere. If he was playing her, Kenric St. James was a vile, manipulative bastard.

“Look inside my mind. I can feel how powerful you are, and I know you have the ability. There are no walls there.” Kenric spread his arms wide in surrender.

The answers she’d been waiting for were right there within reach. So why was she hesitating? It felt as if she were back up on the rooftop and about to jump. But this time she didn’t know if her powers would save her from crashing to earth.

“Do it, Eve,” Kenric said, drawing her back in. “You deserve the truth, and the only way you’ll ever believe or trust me is if you see for yourself there are no hidden memories of a daughter. No games here.” His eyes welled with unshed tears. “No tricks.”

“Okay,” she said, the word barely audible. Eve fisted her free hand for courage. She couldn’t wait, yet she wasn’t ready. Didn’t know if she’d ever be ready, but there was no turning back. “Look at me,” she commanded, turning her vampire genes on full blast. Kenric zeroed in on her gaze. And exactly as he stated, his mind was wide open.

Eve dove in, peeling the layers back on his memories as if his gray matter were an onion. Kenric stumbled and cursed, but the other female in the room was at his side, placing an arm around his waist before he fell.

“Shit,” he mumbled. “She’s strong.” Kenric chuckled.

How the hell he could even talk under the probe was impressive. “Stop running your mouth. You’re not in charge right now.”

“That’s my girl,” he whispered.

Her concentration slipped at his words, and she nearly lost her hold on his mind. “Quiet,” she commanded, this time a little stronger. Flashes of faces she didn’t recognize zoomed by. Echoes of conversations from long ago resounded inside her head. Then she heard the name—Marguerite. And she slowed.

The redhead was in the image. But she was tied down and Eve’s mother loomed over her. Emily…the other woman was Emily, and she was his mate. A rush of emotion filled Eve’s mind and heart, nearly staggering her. He loved this female.

Frame after frame she watched the interaction—no, battle—between him and his mother. Oh, my God, Marguerite was enraged. She wanted to kill them both.

As if the word had summoned the one image she had almost hoped she’d pass by, her mother’s last moment. A sob she had no idea had been building burst from Eve’s throat. Kenric had killed her. But then he’d turned from her body, scanning the room where she’d died, and the carnage was horrific. Eve’s pulse hammered inside her ears. Had her mother been the cause of such destruction?

She had to go further back. See how it had all started. Why did her mother want to hurt her father in such a way? Back. Further back, she drove into his neurons, stripping away the years. Kenric’s head flinched under the onslaught.

Annice.
No!
the haunting sound ricocheted in Eve’s head followed by the image of a woman lying in a pool of crimson. His fiancée. Kenric’s heart was breaking.
Marguerite.
She’d killed Annice, and Kenric wanted Marguerite dead.

Eve pushed harder. So much pain associated with her mother. But not once had she heard her own name mentioned. Nothing about a daughter? How could he not know?

“Stop…,” Kenric whispered. “Enough.”

“I’m not finished yet.” A wall slammed into place, but as this point Eve was too far in for anything he erected to be effective. With a mental shove, she knocked it down. Kenric staggered, but Eve held on.

“Kenric! Say the word to make her stop, and I damn sure will,” Arran growled from a few feet away.

Her father grabbed her arms. “Eve…,” he rumbled. “Don’t. Go. There,” he forced out as if her invasion were constricting his throat.

Darkness. So cold. A cell. Kenric was in a cell. Chained. Her mother stood beside his supine form.
Oh, God.
This wasn’t anything like the stories she’d been fed.
He was her prisoner
. None of what Marguerite had told her was true.
Lies!
Eve’s stomach rebelled. Why had her mother done this to her father? Marguerite was forcing the blood from her wrist down his throat. He thrashed against her, and when he could get a breath, a litany of curses fell from his lips. Then the female vampire was above him, her long dark hair draped over her bare chest. She straddled his hips. Kenric arched his spine and cried out.
Oh God… No!
Marguerite was going to—