Undying Desire (21 page)

The force of the invisible blow knocked Eve backward, taking out a table lamp with her along the way. She slammed into the far wall with a
bang
, cracking her head against the wall. Any other woman would have been unconscious from the blow, but thanks to her hybrid nature, Eve shook it off. She straightened and massaged her skull.

Damn.
How had her father managed to eject her from his mind? No other vampire she’d ever known would have been able to achieve such a feat. He was…impressive.

She glanced up at the powerful male who stood scrubbing a hand over his face. Kenric caught her gaze, his expression pained, weary. Impressive wasn’t a sufficient enough word for what she’d witnessed and he’d survived. So many emotions tumbled around inside her. She felt as if she were on some crazy roulette wheel her mother had set in motion years ago with its white ball bouncing from slot to slot over words such as disgust, anger, hurt, and betrayal. But most of all…sorrow. Eve was so sorry for what her mother had done to Kenric.

“Are you hurt?” Kenric lowered his palm from his jaw as he approached.

Eve shook her head. “No. I’m all right.”
Shit.
She felt like an ass after violating his memories, and here he was making sure she wasn’t the one injured.

“I tried to get you to stop. I didn’t want to do that, but it had to end.”

“I know.” She swallowed hard, doing her best to ignore the other heated stares in the room. “I’m sorry. I know I pushed too far.” The lump in her throat wouldn’t stay down, and her vision blurred. She blinked hard.
I can’t cry in front of him.
I wasn’t the one tortured.

“That was something I never intended for you to learn,”
he said inside her head
. “For anyone other than my mate to know ever happened. Especially not my daughter.”

“I’ll never betray your confidence,”
Eve replied, the only way she could to her father. Her voice wasn’t working, and thanks to the pathway he’d already opened, she was able to resurface on the perimeter and communicate.
“I promise.”
She dropped her gaze to her boots. Too ashamed of her mother to look him in the eye.

“I only wanted you to see I wasn’t lying about the extent of her malice. That your existence was kept from me. It should have never gone that far. Hurting you wasn’t part of the plan.”

She swung her head up. “Hurting me?” Eve shook her head, appalled. “How could you even want anything to do with me after what my mother did to you?” She looked to his mate. “And to you?”

Kenric reached out and with an index finger at her chin guided Eve’s attention back to him. “Because a miracle has happened. Out of the darkness Marguerite created, a sliver of light has found me. And it’s you.”

He was killing her. A tear escaped and rolled down her cheek. Eve’s heart was damn near splitting at the seams. She quickly wiped away the damp evidence from her face. This couldn’t be real. But she didn’t want to pinch herself and find out.

“You’re a part of me, Eve.” He brushed his fingers over her hair, so lightly she wouldn’t have known if she hadn’t witnessed the event. “I don’t know how she did it, but how could I turn you away?”

“We’ve lost so many years…” Eve blinked and shook her head. “I don’t know where we’re supposed to go from here.”

“Uhm…” Arran cleared his throat, drawing everyone’s attention. “As much as I’m loving the fact that you two are having this family reunion…” Arran grimaced. “Can you figure out the rest after we find Guerin?”

“You’re right,” Kenric said. “Selfishly, I don’t want to give up another second of my time with you, but we need to turn our focus to my second-in-command. He needs us.”

Eve nodded. Even though she was nowhere near ready to change the subject either, Guerin was the priority right now. Besides, she had to put a stop to the Hallmark moment before she dissolved into a blubbering idiot and lost her entire kick-ass image. “Okay.” She squared her shoulders. “What’s your plan on how we’re going to rain down some hell and yank Guerin out of this bastard’s hold?”

Chapter Eighteen

Hell had a new zip code.

And if asked, your GPS would direct your ass to a dungeon in Bavaria.

Guerin could testify to the fact since he’d spent the last several hours sampling all it had to offer.

Dawn was coming. He could feel it in his bones, the prickle skating across his flesh.

“How was your visit with your sire?” Seth sauntered up, his gaze surveying Guerin from head to toe. “My, my.” He clucked his tongue. “What did you say to the Mistress?” Seth chuckled. “I would have thought you, of all males, would remember her short temper.”

“I’m so happy I amuse you.” Guerin tugged on his wrists, straightening his spine despite the screaming of his muscles and the pull on the open wounds to his back and chest. He wasn’t about to allow Seth to see him buckle.

“Oh, you do indeed.” Seth smirked.

“I still can’t imagine why you two haven’t killed me already.” Guerin shrugged. “It’s been, what, at least two nights now, and I haven’t seen Eve. Have you?” One pale brow lifted on Seth’s brow. “She’s not coming for me. I told you. She won’t be. So why keep me around?”

Another laugh bubbled up from Seth’s chest. “You’re a terrible liar, Lombardi. You forget whom you’re trying to scam.” With a flick of his wrist, palm up, he continued. “We kill you. We destroy Eve’s homing signal. The fact that you want to die tells me there is reason to think our little hybrid will show.”

“What do you think you’re going to gain even if she does show?” Guerin bit out, wrenching on his shackles.

The pale bloodsucker’s eyes rolled back in his head. “You have no idea how long I’ve tracked her.” Seth returned his gaze to Guerin. “Her talents mean power. And I plan to harvest every one of her secrets—including the mystery of her creation—or she will rue each day she hides them away.”

“Eve will die first before she feeds your greed.”

Seth grinned. “Fine. But I’ll make more like her before she draws her last breath.” He slid a palm over his crotch.

Rage surged like a fiery rod through his core. “You fucking bastard.” Guerin’s fangs burst from his gums.

“Not yet. But soon.” He winked.

“I will kill you first,” Guerin growled.

“Such arrogance for one chained against a wall with his flesh shredded.” Seth whirled. “Eve has no idea how much she’s going to bring to me and my colony,” he added, strolling toward the stairs. “After my scientists take her apart, I’ll find out how to replicate her tolerance to sunlight. I
will
walk in the morning sun again one day.”

“Yes,” Guerin growled. “You will. When I shove your disgusting flesh into its ray and watch you light up like foil in a microwave.” Seth didn’t acknowledge whether he’d heard Guerin or not. Guerin didn’t really care. It was more of a vow to destroy the son of a bitch than anything else. A promise. Not a threat.

He had to make sure Eve had no intention of tracking him. Guerin had held off trying to contact her, because he didn’t want to take the chance of drawing her here, alerting her to his presence and situation. But after the significant beating Daniela had given him earlier, Guerin was worried that if Eve hadn’t known he was still a captive, she did now. They had shared blood more than once, plus something more, whether either of them was ready to acknowledge it or not.

He’d heard other vampires, including Kenric, talk about soul mates. He’d thought they were full of shit. After allowing one female inside his head and the disaster that had turned out to be, Guerin had doubted he’d ever find such a thing. But now… Perhaps Eve was his? All he knew for sure was the female had gotten under his skin and had left an imprint. One he couldn’t seem to shake.

She’d made him feel. Made his heart beat again.

And he wasn’t referring to an orgasm. Hell, he’d had plenty of those over the centuries—though the ones with Eve had been more than incredible—but the real kind of hammering pulse that drove hard through his veins, screaming that he was alive. Guerin never wanted it to stop. Eve was his addiction.

They’d spent only three nights together, but it had been enough to know he’d never be the same. She was different, and it wasn’t just because of her DNA. And if dying meant Seth and Daniela wouldn’t get their hands on her…then so be it. Kenric’s daughter had to live.

“Eve,”
he called out to her inside his mind.
“I don’t know if you can hear me. You may be far away by now. Shit. I hope you are.”

A few moments of silence passed, and he hoped like hell she was gone.

“Guerin! Oh, thank God you’re alive!”

His heart skipped a beat at the sound of her voice inside his head, but at the same time, panic seized him.
“Yeah. I don’t go down that easy.”

“Don’t joke. I know you’re in trouble, and it’s my fault. But I’m going to make this right.”

“I don’t like the sound of that. And this is not your fault! Whatever you’re planning, stop it.”

“Too late, Lombardi.”

“I only reached out to make sure you didn’t do anything crazy like trying to track me. You can’t take that kind of risk. I’m not worth it. I’m sure I don’t have to explain what they’ll do to you if they get their hands on you.”

“Don’t you dare say you’re not worth it!”
Even telepathically, Guerin could feel the anger in her voice.
“There’s no way on this earth I’m going to let them torture you for another day.”

“You know…? You’ve felt it, haven’t you?”
The words were a whisper inside his head.

Silence.

He groaned.
“Shit! I’m so sorry that touched you. I tried like hell to keep it inside.”
His chest ached, and not from his wounds. For her pain.

“There’s nothing you need to apologize for. My God, Seth can be brutal.”

Seth… If only they were just dealing with Seth.
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you, beautiful. Seth isn’t the only one hunting you.”

“Who is it, Guerin? It’s someone you know, isn’t it? Because it felt personal.”

Guerin closed his eyes. Damn, this female was perceptive.
“Daniela is here. She and Seth have partnered to hunt you down.”

“I’ll kill her,”
she said, her growl resonating across his neurons.
“She’ll wish she’d never been born when I’m finished with her carcass.”

“Oh, no, beautiful. That pleasure will be all mine. That’s why you have to stay far away from me.”

“Don’t worry about me. I won’t be alone.”

“What do you mean? Who’s with you?”
A streak of jealousy shot through his veins, shocking him with its intensity. Damn, he didn’t like the idea of her around other males.

“Kenric contacted me. They needed my help to find you, and I agreed.”

“You’re with them? That’s good. Don’t get me wrong; I’m happy you’ve connected with your father, but dammit! They should have left you out of this.”

“They didn’t have a choice. The Enclave’s clueless to the power plays in this area and to Seth’s long-running campaign to bring me in. It made sense that Kenric would reach out to me since they knew we’d fed from each other.”

It did make sense. But he didn’t like the idea of her coming anywhere near Seth and Daniela.

“Don’t come here, Eve. Please promise me you’ll keep your distance.”

“I can’t make that promise, and you know it. This is too personal. They took you because of me, and I can’t let that go.”

“Eve…”
Fuck
. “Dammit, Eve.”

“We’re coming for your ass whether you like it or not. So don’t you dare die on me, Lombardi. If you do, I’ll be so pissed off.”

How in the hell could she make him smile at a time like this, but damn if he didn’t feel his mouth curling.
“And God help me, I don’t want to piss off Eve Devonshire.”

“No. You don’t.”

…

Guerin had contacted her.

Eve’s heart soared as she stared at the pinkening horizon off the suite’s balcony.

She’d been too afraid to reach out for fear of what state she’d find him in. And a part of her didn’t want to know if he would hate her for abandoning him. She wouldn’t have blamed him if he did. But it sounded as if that wasn’t the case, and it was too good to be true. Guerin had said he wasn’t worth the risk. He had it all wrong.

After Kenric shared his memories, he and Eve had come to an understanding. But there weren’t enough hours of darkness left for them to make a run on Keller’s estate. For the remainder of the night, she, Kenric, Emily, and Arran had discussed Seth, the reason behind Guerin’s kidnapping, and their plan for getting him back. Eve was sure she could track Guerin from his blood. But she’d never been inside the walls of Seth’s home, so she wasn’t much help regarding what to expect once they were there.

They would stand a better chance if they hit the place during the morning or late afternoon. Then they would have only the colony’s human minions to battle. Eve could handle it during those hours. But that wasn’t a possibility for the rest of the team. Kenric being the eldest would be able to tolerate a small amount of early-morning sunlight. Yet after a short period of time even he would begin to sizzle.

So they’d settled on sundown tonight to load up, survey the property for any weakness, and hit them hard and fast. With the power of a master vampire, Eve’s additional talents, Arran’s strength and fighting skill, and Emily’s ability to tap into her mate’s arsenal—they had a chance.

Odds were, Kenric was still awake. Eve had to let him know Guerin had contacted her, and he was still alive. She stepped back inside and slid the glass door shut with a click. Her father and his mate’s room in the sprawling suite was off to the left of the living space. Eve made a beeline for their door but before she could knock, hushed voices brought her to a halt.