Zero to Love (10 page)

One.

He pushed the door open. Her room was empty. Rumpled bed, pile of clothes in a corner. “Magda,” he said, but she didn’t emerge from the adjoining bathroom.

Panic gripped his heart. He searched the room, the closet, and finally the bathroom. No Magda.

“Keefe!” he roared.

Downstairs, a flurry of activity sounded as Giovanni roused at Monroe’s bellow.

“What do you think you’re doing here, you dirty—” her father sputtered.

As Monroe hurtled down the stairs, Keefe stepped up to Giovanni and drank a mindful of jagged thoughts.

“Magda!” Monroe circuited the house and found no sign of her. She wasn’t here.

“Stop, Keefe,” he ordered as his friend breached a thought about Magda in Giovanni’s mind. “Let him go. We’ve gotta find her.”

Without a backward glance, Monroe stomped outside, knowing Keefe would follow. Through Keefe he was able to see Giovanni slumped onto the sofa, dizzy and reeling from the abrupt release of his mind.

Keefe jumped into the SUV. “Where are we going to look?”

“Goddamn you for letting her out of your awareness,” Monroe growled, flicking the engine with his mind and starting it.

“I didn’t. You can see everything, man. You see that she wasn’t on the radar. At all.” Keefe stared right at Monroe.

He delved into his friend’s mind without hesitation, sifting through the last few hours. And Keefe was telling the truth—no sound from Magda.

“How is she doing it? Stopping us from feeding, and now stopping us from hearing? She didn’t take that thought catcher with her, did she?” Keefe asked when Monroe had satisfied himself.

“No.” He slammed the vehicle into gear and screeched out into the street. He fought rising panic. She was gone. Free Wills were hunting her. Fuck, she could be anywhere.

Cleaned out.

No.

“It’s night too,” Keefe pointed out the obvious. Night brought out the supernaturals to feed.

“Fuck!” Monroe bashed his knuckles off the dashboard. It felt so good he did it again.

“Think. Where would she go?” Keefe asked.

Monroe’s earlier conversation with Magda roiled through his head.
“Don’t ever come here without me, Magda.”

But from what he’d seen of her mind, her impulsive nature would lead her to do just that. His stomach flipped at the thought that she might want him badly enough to travel the city at night looking for him. If she hadn’t actually been snatched by Free Wills.

He snapped open his cell and punched a button. Elise’s greeting flooded his ear. “Get to the subway. Look for the target and stick by her. Protect her until I get there.”

Keefe swore. “You can’t go into the subway, man. It’s too risky.”

Risky because the subway walls shielded a Mindchanger from a human’s thoughts. Being underground deadened a human’s thoughts. Without being able to hear them, Monroe couldn’t feed. Which meant he could weaken and die down there, riding back and forth on a train.

“She has to be there. We can’t hear her,” Monroe snapped.

“I don’t know what to look for,” Elise responded.

“Yes, you do, Elise. Go after that honey.”

Chapter Seven

The train’s movement vibrated up through the cracked vinyl seat and into Magda. The rumble soothed her enough to let her wrap her mind around what she’d done.

Evaded Keefe and left my home
. Maybe forever. Her father’s betrayal hurt. Would she ever be able to look him in the eye or trust him again?

She dropped her head back against the seat and closed her eyes. She’d boarded a southbound train that would take her to the stop nearest Monroe’s apartment. He’d said never to travel alone, but she belonged there.

Memories of her time in his arms, coming apart under his mouth, fingers, and cock flooded her. Heat rose inside her core, and she squeezed her thighs together.

She could have asked Keefe to take her to Monroe, but a sixth sense told her he would guard her until Monroe returned. Keefe had also warned her to stay in her home. He wouldn’t have complied and helped her cross the city to find her lover. No, she’d had no choice.

The sway of the subway lulled her, but that extreme thirst she’d known earlier assaulted her. Opening her eyes, she drew up and looked around.

Two people sat in the rear of the train. Nothing to drink anywhere in sight, of course. She felt in the pocket of the jeans she’d thrown on before leaving. Not a dollar, no ID, nothing.

Hell, maybe she really was as stupid as she felt. An unidentifiable woman on the south side without money at night? She’d just borrowed herself a bank loan’s worth of trouble.

Once she reached Monroe, he’d take care of her.

And if he doesn’t?
No, she couldn’t afford to think that. Besides, he’d saved her twice and posted Keefe as guard.

When he returned for her, he’d find her gone, and Keefe would take the brunt of his anger. Remorse took hold of her.

The subway turned a breakneck corner and careened to a halt. The doors parted down the line. A woman in dark clothing entered. She wore a leather jacket and skirt, but she lacked the weapons of a Mindchanger. Female supernaturals were rare, but still…she might be. Magda looked at her closely. The woman pushed long brown fingers through her hair and looked around. As the doors closed behind her, the woman trapped Magda’s gaze.

Magda squirmed under that heavy-lidded stare. The woman came forward, her leather thigh-high boots making faint taps. Her curves twitched, and the ruffles of the short skirt she wore shuddered with each step.

Magda waited to feel the powers of a Mindchanger probing her for food. She drew a deep breath and waited some more. Nothing happened.

“Is this seat taken?” The woman’s voice was choppy. Was she breathless?

Magda shook her head, and the female dropped into the seat beside her as though finding rest after a long journey.

All these vacant seats, and the woman chose to sit beside her. Why?

“Monroe sent me.”

“Ah.” Guilt weighted Magda, making her feel small and childish. She should have stayed or at least given Keefe a chance. He might have helped her. “But you’re not…”

“One of them?” She stared at her for a heartbeat too long. “No. My name’s Elise. Monroe and I are friends.”

Jealousy speared Magda, breaking the surface of her outer skin and dipping into the soft marrow of her real emotion. She straightened.

Elise leaned close and dragged in a deep breath through her nose. “Honey. It’s you.”

“What?”

“I smelled you on him.”

That jealous blade sliced Magda deeper. “What do you mean you smelled me on him? How close to him were you?”

“Oh…about this close.” With that Elise swooped in and pressed her mouth over Magda’s.

Shock flooded her. Images of the girl Elijah was wrapped around at the party assaulted her. That woman had traced a path up her bare thigh, and now this girl was kissing Magda?

She pressed the heels of her hands against Elise’s chest and shoved her back. Hard.

A laugh burst from the woman, rich and dark.

Magda licked her lower lip and tasted it. Sweet soda. All at once the thirst raged out of control, a wildfire consuming dry tinder. “Do you have anything to drink?”

At the urgency in Magda’s voice, Elise’s gaze sharpened. She held out her arms. “Nothing.”

Magda plastered her hands to her mouth and panted through the pain of the thirst. What was wrong with her? She’d been stressed. And shock caused thirst—she’d learned that in Health 101. Was she in shock?

“Hey.” Elise lashed her warm fingers around Magda’s forearm. “You okay?”

Magda swallowed hard. “I have to get off this train.”

“We can’t. Monroe has to get us off. He’ll have my ass if I don’t obey him.”

Obey? What was going on between Elise and Monroe, and just how deep was their relationship?

Elise was leaning close again. The berry scent of her shampoo enticed Magda, as did that sticky sweetness she’d tasted on her lips.

After raising one hand slowly, Elise cradled Magda’s cheek and drew her in. Their lips collided, and Magda opened her mouth wide. Flavors burst in her mind, stars of light that blinded. She forgot about the train and Monroe and just drank from Elise.

Sweet
. Angling her head, she delivered drugging kisses. Elise groaned, and Magda fed a quiet mewl back into her mouth. Her mind did several quick revolutions. Where was up? And up was down. The train rattled to another stop.

Elise slipped her velvety tongue over Magda’s, searching deeper into her mouth. Magda closed her lips over Elise’s tongue and pulled in a sucking kiss.

The forward jerk of the train moving again didn’t break them apart. Elise wrapped her arms around Magda and dragged her closer yet. Elise’s full breasts rubbed erotically against Magda’s with each sway of the train. Magda’s nipples hardened to painful peaks that made her ache for Monroe.

Want you. Please
. She didn’t know if she was begging for him or Elise. The woman was doing things to Magda that she couldn’t wrap her mind around. The curvaceous woman tugged Magda half onto her lap.

Magda, who was smaller and lighter, lay across her. She rocked into Elise, raising a stronger groan. Magda’s teeth met around Elise’s juicy lip. Elise cried out.

Horrified, Magda pulled back, shocked at what she’d done. Hurt her. Nipping Monroe was one thing, but this woman?

Heat climbed her cheeks, and tears stung her eyes.

Elise ran her fingers through Magda’s hair, brushing it back from her face. “I don’t even know your name.”

“Magda,” she said faintly. Dizziness crashed over her, followed by the bone-aching thirst. She folded her arms around her middle.

“You didn’t hurt me. A little sting like that only felt good to me.” Elise placed tender kisses at the corner of Magda’s eye and in a line down to her lips.

Hungry for the sweet taste again, Magda turned her mouth toward Elise’s. A frantic need to gain more consumed her, fires licking the walls of her being. On the heels of that was terror. What was happening to her?

She gripped Elise’s shoulders and kissed her with all the abandon of a porn star.

“That’s it. Feed from me. Take,” Elise gasped.

The train jolted to a stop. Urgency took hold of Magda.

She felt the roar in her veins.
Monroe.

Jerking away, she looked up into his face. As he stomped toward them, his eyes darkened to a deadly black.

When he riveted his gaze on her, Elise made a quiet noise.

Magda threw herself in front of Elise. “Don’t hurt her.”

His jaw shifted as if he was grinding his teeth. “If you know what’s good for you, get out,” he said to Elise, his voice shattered glass on concrete.

Elise skittered out of the seat and stumbled toward the still-open subway door.

“Go.” He pivoted his head but didn’t look at the woman. At his sides his fists tightened, knuckles turning white.

“Okay, okay. Just don’t…get caught up down here, Monroe.” Elise darted a look at Magda, and Monroe issued a growl.

“I won’t. Now go,” he barked.

Elise hurled herself through the door before it slammed shut. Magda felt Elise’s absence to the tips of her toes.

She slowly lifted her gaze to the irate Mindchanger. His broad chest heaved with effort, sandy hair sticking up at odd angles all over his head. The thirst rebounded, and she swallowed hard, mentally following Elise and her sweet mouth. She shot a glance at the door.

The anger in his eyes doubled.

“What did she mean,
‘don’t get caught up down here’
?” Her voice came out as a parched whisper.

He took one quick step forward. Then another. “Mindchangers can’t hear thoughts in the subways. We’re helpless. If we grow too weak, we can’t feed.” He plucked her off the seat and locked her in his arms. When he settled her on his iron-hard thighs, she squeaked.

“If I hadn’t guessed which train you’d be on, I could have ridden around the city all night.”

Her entire body prickled with awareness. Her pussy contracted, and little shivers ran up and down her spine. His alluring scent—musk and leather—drew her in. She strained toward him.

He cradled her head, that distracting forefinger at the depression on the base of her skull. As she stared into his emerald eyes close-up, she fought to contain her reaction to him.

She couldn’t afford to let herself lose control—or allow him to. If they gave in to their desires, chances were he wouldn’t surface before he grew too weak. And she had no idea how to help him.

He riveted his gaze on her mouth. She licked her lips and found them swollen. How long had she and Elise been kissing?

A pained sound broke from his throat. “You were told not to travel alone.”

She quivered. Felt him harden beneath her thighs until his erection jutted into the denim of her crotch.

“You sneaked past my guard.”

Damn, had she ever noticed the gold flecks around his pupils before?

“And then I find you kissing the woman I sent after you.”

She looked away. “I don’t know what happened—what’s happening to me.”

“Me either, baby. I only know one thing—you’re mine.”

HE SLAMMED HIS mouth over hers. Running his fingertips over the back of her head, willing her mind to open to him even though he knew it was impossible down here. Her thoughts were thoroughly shielded from him.

Even if I could hear her, I couldn’t taste her anyway.

She slid her tongue into his mouth, and he groaned. The taste of honey coated her, a slippery path to destruction he had no choice but to walk. In the back of his mind, he chanted that this was madness. He’d kiss her, stroke her, plunge into her until he was too weak to make his way out of the underground.

She tore away, panting hard. He stared at the fog of lust in her eyes, his ego mounting by the millisecond.

“We can’t risk it,” she rasped.

Amusement quirked the corner of his mouth up. Now she was the one with the level head? Fuck, they were both careening toward a brick wall. First one was out of control, then the other.

With supreme effort he drew his fingers away from her skull. How he longed to sink his feelers in there and taste her. Touching her and knowing her mind was just under his hands was almost as erotic as the idea of drinking from her.