Aflame (Apotheosis) (6 page)

“I don’t like hearing you were afraid. It makes my blood boil.” She believed him. Unsettling as it was, she believed him. May have been the sweet spirit dancing in his eyes, or the fact he felt familiar somehow, but there was no possible way he wasn’t speaking the truth. She felt it in her DNA.

“Would you believe me if I promised you’ll never have to be afraid of anything, ever?”

“No.” A life without fear was unimaginable. Fear of being found. Fear of returning to that hell. Fear of the monster.

“What did he do to you?” Zander took a slow careful step closer.

“Zander, I don’t know you at all. Why would I tell you this? Why would I tell you anything? Why do you care?” She’d never told anyone her dirty little secret. Sure as shit didn’t want to share it with this beautiful beefcake. He’d seen enough of her crazy. Nobody needed to hear her story. She tapped off another mug and took a huge swig to buy some time. Or perhaps to absorb some liquid courage.

“Tell me, please.” He stared right into her soul again, unrelenting.

Maybe she should tell him. Maybe then, he’d leave her alone. It might feel good to tell somebody after all these years. Dump her shit on someone else’s shoulders. He had huge fucking shoulders, right? He could take it. Raising the glass to her lips, she finished her drink for dramatic effect, and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She’d truly lost her mind.

Fuck. Fuck. Shit fuck.

“I was young. He was handsome and rich. Said all the right things. I thought it was love at first sight.” Pausing to take a deep breath, she nervously twisted a braid. “It’s funny how easy it was for him to seduce a young girl, especially one with no self worth. Someone with Daddy issues. Shit, mommy issues if I’m going to be honest. He was wonderful, until he’d hooked me. After that, well...you can use your imagination.”

There he had it. The very watered down version. Should satisfy his curiosity.

“Grayce. I want to hear you say it.” He shifted slightly not breaking eye contact, slanted his head to the side, willed her to continue.

No. Not going there. “He was abusive in every way imaginable. Took complete control over every single aspect of my life. He made me do things that...well, quite frankly, I’m not going to fucking talk about. He was a sick, perverted piece of shit. I knew I’d end up dead if I stayed. I tried to leave twice. Landed me in the hospital twice. With his wealth and power, the police were no help. My mother didn’t help me. I’m sure they were paid generously for their silence. When I escaped, I left everything behind. My mom, my friends, everything. Not a penny to my name. I’ve been running ever since.” Okay. So she went there. Now he knew. Perfect excuse to run away from the crazy lady.

“Thank you for telling me.” Zander stepped closer making it very clear by hooking his thumbs in the back of his jeans he had no intention of touching her. “Tell me when you started to feel different. You know, braver, more pissed off, like you said earlier.” A half devilish smile spread from dimpled cheek to dimpled cheek, like the thought of her being pissed off amused him.

The answer came at once, but again she pretended to think. Should she tell him the truth? Would he laugh?

“The first day you came to the gym.” Whew, that felt good to say. Not a clue why, but her head felt lighter. She waited for him to laugh, then sighed in relief when he didn’t.

“Greatest day of my life. I fell so fucking hard. It took every bit of self control I owned not to steal you away from there. I walked past you and—
bam
!” He smacked his hands together with a loud crack and Grayce nearly jumped out of her thrift store jeans. “Indescribable energy coursed through me, like fire. Every cell in my body ignited with new life. Almost knocked me on my ass. I’d never seen anyone so beautiful. No doubt about it, you were the one. I just knew you were mine.” Expectant wonderment sparkled like disco balls in his baby blues.

Blinking up at him, she digested his words. Wait, did he say beautiful? Holy crap. Hold on. Mine? I knew you were mine? Shock dissipated under a thunderous roar of heated blood pounding in her ears.

“Dammit, Z. Don’t say things like that to me.” She stomped around the bar bringing herself face to face with him. Or rather face to chest. Her face to his out-of-this-world enormous chest. “Motherfucker. Don’t say things like that to me.” Tears fought their way to the surface. “I’m not going there with another man. Ever. Fuck this soul mates shit. I’m not yours. I don’t belong to anyone.”

Tension coiled her muscles with the overwhelming need to punch him. Or maybe touch him. Such a myriad of emotions surged through her. Anger, confusion, lust—fierce. Yeah, that was it. Fierce. Where the hell was this coming from? She glared up to meet his obnoxious, frisky expression.

He returned her glower with equal fervor. “Lady, you have such a foul mouth.” Zander bent and brushed her ear with his lips. Muscles that had no right reacting clenched with nauseating need. “You have no idea how much it turns me on.”

In one smooth motion, he cupped her waist and brought her to his level. Desperate hunger blazed in his eyes and he tilted his head with the threat of a kiss. Body tense, she braced for impact. Instead, he plopped her ass playfully atop the bar.

“Grayce.” He placed his hands at each side of her hips and pressed his forehead to hers. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry you went through that. Sorry I didn’t find you sooner.” With a sigh he brushed her heated cheek with his nose. “I’ll never touch you without your permission. I’ll never hurt you.”

Grayce closed her eyes, stealing a moment to think. His breath warmed her face like a summer breeze. She wanted to inhale deeply and never stop. Absorb him into her being. She recoiled, unsure what to make of these foreign emotions. There was no doubt an undeniable chemical and physical attraction. But how could she ever trust again? Especially a man. Would she ever be able to let her guard down?

Memories from her past knocked on the cellar door buried deep in the dark corners of her mind. Memories locked away a long time ago. Memories she’d no intention of revisiting. So, up went her wall.

“Zander, I have to finish up here. I’m tired. I need to go home.” Lacking the resolve to look him in the eye, she placed her hands against his chest and pushed. He didn’t budge.

With a loud sigh he slumped and backed away. “Of course,” he mumbled. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Raw emotion triggered her ugly retort. “See me tomorrow? Pretty fucking presumptuous.”

Zander bowed. “I’m sorry. What I meant to say was, can I please see you tomorrow, Grayce?” His eyes and posture reflected complete humility. Her heart dropped at least two inches in her chest. Ouch.

“I’ll be at the gym tomorrow. My usual time. I suppose I’ll see you there, right?” Grayce feigned indifference. Deep down, she feared that long a wait might be the death of her.

“Yeah, I suppose.” He grinned. A crooked playful grin that showed a dimple she hadn’t noticed before. “Finish up. I’ll walk you to your car.” Like she weighed no more than a feather, he lowered her to the floor. “We don’t know who may be lurking in the shadows.”

* * * *

The moist early morning air clung to his skin and cooled the slow burning embers of need that had tormented him throughout the night. Unbeknownst to Grayce, he’d followed her to the apartment and planted his sorry ass outside the window. His intention was to see her safely home, but after she’d closed the door and turned the lock, he couldn’t bring himself to go. For so many years he’d searched. Now they were together. How could he possibly leave?

Nikolas told him it would be like this. Once he found her, it would be extremely difficult to be separated. Bastard failed to mention the mental and physical torture. Every cell in his body had morphed to a singular ball of white hot plasma. Only being near, seeing and smelling her, could quench the searing pain. Grayce was every thought in his mind, every breath in his lungs and every tiny vibration in his ears. The world could crumble at his feet and his sole focus would be protecting his mate.

Finding a soft spot near the window, Zander stretched in the wet grass, the cool moisture no match for the heated lust pumping through his veins. If their bond was this intense already, what would it be like after they made love? Fuck. He couldn’t let his imagination go down that path, not yet. Zander grabbed his head and attempted to scratch the thought away.

Hours ticked by. When the sun peeked through the tree line in the distance, he contemplated bringing her breakfast. Nikolas’ words rang through his ears. “She needs time. Don’t rush this. You’ve found each other and now you have eternity to spend together.” Patience had always been one of Zander’s strong character traits. Time? Yeah. He could do that. The girl had issues. Wounds that festered. Only time would heal those.

His stomach growled. He didn’t want to leave but breakfast and thoughts of a warm soak beckoned to him. Nikolas and Chelsea would worry if he didn’t check-in. He could tough it out for a few hours, right? Before leaving he snuck one peek through her window. Big mistake. The outline of her body and curve of her hip where she lay motionless under a thin sheet gave birth to a raging hard on. He cursed under his breath and headed home for a cold shower.

* * * *

Grayce scowled when she entered Armstrong’s Gym. It was packed. She hated having to wait for her favorite elliptical. The one tucked away in the corner where she could crank the volume on her mp3 player, get lost in the music, and hopefully not get noticed.

She opted for skipping the afternoon self-defense class. She’d lost her temper during last week’s session, and the instructor had made an example of her in front of the class. Fucking bastard. She’d kill him if it were legal, just for being such a cocky prick. She’d tolerated his touch and tutelage only because it furthered her ability to protect herself should the monster come hunting her down.

“Good afternoon, Grayce.” The perky little employee behind the counter beamed at her. “You look great today.”

“Thanks, Carrie.” Grayce tried her best to beam back, already pulling her hood over her head.

Carrie leaned over the counter to whisper to Grayce. “Did you hear about the man who almost died in the parking lot?”

What? Fuck.

“No.” Trying hard not to sound shocked, she took a step closer. “What man? What happened?” Grayce leaned toward Carrie and pulled the hood back off.

“Some teenagers found him outside and called the police. They saved his life. If he’d been left lying there too much longer, he’d be dead.” Her cute little button nose scrunched in disgust. “Internal injuries or something like that.” She waved a hand nonchalantly in the air. “It was on the news. Police were questioning the employees. Also got a list of members who were checked-in around that time.”

Holy. Fucking. Shit storm. Shit fuck. “Does anybody know what happened?” Mouth full of kitty litter, Grayce choked the words out.

“No. From what I understand, he’s been unconscious this whole time. Scary, huh? But it gets better...”

Better? No. Make it stop. Grayce didn’t want to hear any more. “Better? How?”

“He’s a convicted felon. Kidnapping, extortion, drugs. He escaped from prison a few days ago.”

Carrie’s eyes grew wider and she grabbed Grayce’s arm. “No one knows how he got out. Freak up and disappeared from his cell one day. Like a ghost.” She released her grip and slapped her hands on the counter. “That’s what they’re saying anyway.”

A painful lurch in her gut forced her to double over. Her legs lost the ability to bear weight as the blood drained from her face. Her world turned black and before she collapsed, steel warmth braced her waist, keeping her upright.

Zander’s voice pierced the dark, a lifeline weaved from brilliant light and sound, halting her descent toward la-la land. “Stay with me, baby. I’m here.” His words danced in her head. He wrapped his other arm around her shoulder feigning a hug, but she knew it was to support her limp body and hide the fact from bubbly little Carrie that she was barely conscious.

“I’ve got you,” he whispered. “Breathe for me.”

Eyes screwed tight to slow the spinning in her head, she pulled one deep drag of oxygen into her lungs, then another. The inhale, exhale exercise repeated while she pulled herself from the brink of a major blackout. The energy they shared became a life force as Zander’s chest rose and fell in unison with hers.

“You good now?” His gravelly voice resonated deep. “Is it safe to put you down?” He held on so tight his heartbeat pounded in her ear.

She buried her nose in his chest, the scent of fresh air and sun baked skin mixed with a hearty dose of rock hard male made her a whole new kind of dizzy. Were she a typical female, she would’ve begged him to hold her that way forever. But she was Grayce, hater of all things men, all things mushy. No, she wouldn’t beg. Although, she did hang on a little longer than necessary. “Yeah, I think I can stand now. Shit. Thank you.”