Bound to Blackwood (27 page)

He had succeeded in one thing though. As he cawed his way through his assurances to Larissa Bowman, he had finally got Lena's attention. And then really wished he hadn't.

She inhaled deeply as she looked at him. All of a sudden, her midnight-blue eyes widened and she gasped as she made eye contact. She shook her head, as if trying to clear her mind, but as she looked at him again, a frown of confusion furrowed her brow.
Well, at least that made two of them
.
 

Alarms sounding brought his attention back to the here and now. Finding his voice again he said, "Please tell me that means we can leave now?"

Larissa stood at the top of the table sweeping her elegant arm towards the door. "By all means, My Lord."

Mercury fishtailed it into the driveway of House Bowman and Kaden was opening his door before they were even halfway up the gravel. As he got out, a curious feeling tingled all the way up his spine, making him shiver. He looked at Mercury and Ryver who had also stopped mid-motion. A smile spread wide across Kaden's face as the emptiness within him disappeared. Thorn and Lena were on their way. He put a hand out to steady himself, the rush of emotion nearly knocking his feet from under him.

"Thank Christ," Mercury whispered, his voice hoarse.

Kaden nodded, his keen eyes zeroing in on the younger Guardian. "Ryver was right; they're okay." Ryver still wouldn't meet his eyes, but it certainly looked like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Kaden still thought he was hiding something.

All three men swivelled around as the door to House Bowman opened and Thorn and Lena stepped into the moonlight. He'd felt their presence but the relief at actually seeing them had Kaden charging across the driveway. He skidded to halt in front of Thorn. "Holy Mother of Fae! You scared the shit out of me."

Thorn smirked as he reached for Kaden's outstretched hand, pulling the other Vampire into a manly, half handshake, half hug. "It's only been one day, Kaden," he said as they embraced.

Kaden patted Thorn on the back, smiling and thanking Fae he wasn't the first Keeper in history to lose his King. As he pulled out of the bear hug, a strange scent hit his senses. He knew that scent. Why on Goddess's earth did Thorn smell like cinnamon?

The thought disappeared as Lena stepped into his line of vision. "Lena. You are a sight for sore eyes." And she really was. In fact, the woman looked like crap. "You okay?" he asked.

Lena's smile was small and unconvincing. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's just been a long day."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Well come here and give your Keeper a hug then," Kaden smiled back at her, holding his arms out wide.

Lena's shoulders seemed to sag with relief as she stepped into him. As soon as his hands made contact with her, a jolt of energy ran through him and Lena hissed. He snapped his hands away like he'd been burnt. In fact he checked his hands just to be sure. There was nothing there.

He looked back at Lena who was rubbing the top of her arms where his hands had been, her eyes wide…and
were they glowing?
"Lena?" Kaden said as he reached for her again. Something made him stop. It might have been the fear that showed in Lena's eyes, but he couldn't be sure. Suddenly,
and for no apparent reason the thought of touching Lena made him feel ill and for a brief moment, he even considered running away.
What. The. Fuck?
 

He watched in a daze as Mercury shook hands with Thorn, the King clapping his Guardian on the back. Mercury didn't offer his hand to Lena, he simply nodded at her. Lena just looked blank, like she wasn't really there. Ryver nodded at Thorn and barely acknowledged Lena.

Now that was just plain weird. Fair enough, Ryver wasn't all pally-pally with the King, but Lena was the closest thing the guy had to a best friend and he wouldn't even look at her.
What in the name of Blackwood was going on?
 

Thorn broke Kaden's train of thought. "C'mon, Keeper mine. Let's go home."

Kaden nodded. "Right this way, My Lord."

Chapter 18

Kaden ordered everyone to stay at headquarters, much to Lena's dismay. Ryver hadn't said a word to her since they'd got back from House Bowman and that was over twenty-four hours ago. She didn't understand why. She knew he'd be there to collect them and she'd purposely kept her mind blank. No thoughts of Thorn had entered her mind and she had been very careful to keep it that way since they'd arrived home.

She sat through the debriefing in silence. It was the first time she'd heard the revelation Thorn had extracted from Crane of House Bowman, and she should be pleased they finally had a lead. But she was just numb.

As she stepped out of her third shower of the day, her bottom lip started to quiver. Once it started, she couldn't stop it and blood red tears spilled down her cheeks. She was in agony and the time she could manage without a freezing-cold shower was getting shorter and shorter.

Searing heat rolled through her again and this time she couldn't contain her sobs. She curled up in a ball on her bed, clutching her stomach. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing the pain and the boiling heat to dissipate. If she could just catch her breath, she would be able to think. And then…
and then what?
 

There was a knock at the door and Lena tried hard not to make a noise. She clamped her hand over her mouth and breathed hard through her nose, desperate to contain her sobs.

"Lena?" It was Ryver.

Oh God, please go away.

"Lena? It's me. Can I come in?"

No.

Ryver knocked again. "Lena. I need to talk to you."

Lena tried in vain to catch the sob that had been welling up inside her but she just didn't have the energy. The wretched sound echoed around the room as more tears streamed down her face.

Ryver burst through the door, gun in hand, his keen eyes searching the room for danger.
Nothing
 

His eyes widened as they came to rest on Lena.
What the hell?
She was doubled up on the bed, her face streaked with tears. As long as he lived, Ryver would never forget the pain that seared his mind. Lena's mental shields had disintegrated and Ryver nearly collapsed under the weight of the agony and desolation she was feeling.
 

"Lena! What's happened? What's wrong?" He stumbled over to the bed and knelt beside her.

Her midnight-blue eyes conveyed such fear but she didn't say anything.

Ryver ran his fingers over his crew cut. "Lena, you're scaring me. You need to tell me what's wrong."

He reached out to stroke her arm, to offer any kind of comfort but his hand never found home. A strangled scream came from Lena and she scrambled across the bed. Ryver snatched his hand away, nausea making him swallow hard.

"It's alright. I won't touch you," Ryver whispered. Something told him he couldn't touch her, even if he wanted to.

Lena gave a brief nod of her head, but she still didn't speak.

"Are you ill?"

She nodded again.

"Okay. It's going to be okay. I'm going to call Soraya, alright?"

Lena shook her head, her eyes impossibly wide. "No! You can't!"

"Lena, this is serious. Phoenix isn't qualified to deal with," he gestured to her, "whatever this is."

"Ryver, please!"

Lena was a lot of things, but she wasn't stupid.
Why would she refuse medical help?
With her psychic guards in tatters, Ryver stepped into her thoughts. What he found both shocked and dismayed him. Lena's mind was a mess, a maze of madness and Ryver gasped. Thousands of thoughts whirled around like a tornado. There was no order, no semblance of sense at all and Ryver looked on amazed. This was not the Lena he knew and it was all he needed.
 

As Lena always said, it was easier to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission. Telling her he'd be back shortly, he went out into the hallway and dug his mobile out of his back pocket. Searching his contacts he found what he was looking for and hit the call button. The call was answered after just a couple of rings. "Soraya? You need to come and see Lena. Now."

Damn you, Ryver.

Lena watched in a daze as Soraya approached the bed, the Princess's movements slow and precise as if she was approaching a wild animal. Lena felt her lips peel back as she hissed and her eyes darted around the room as she tried to figure out where the danger was coming from. Soraya stopped and raised her arms in an unhurried motion, her hands splayed open, assuring Lena she was unarmed.

Lena's brow furrowed. Soraya was looking directly at her. She wasn't worried about a hidden danger that Lena couldn't see. Soraya thought Lena was the wild animal; Lena was the danger.

Confused, she looked down at her hands as they clutched the beige duvet. Her knuckles were bright white from the effort they were exerting and Lena had to tell them several times to let go before they finally relaxed. Her palms were stained red and as she reached up to her face, she felt her cheeks, wet from tears. She ran her hand through her hair but got stuck in a knot halfway through the movement.

For a brief moment, the fog that wrapped around Lena's addled mind lifted and she knew what Soraya saw.
By all that was Seelie, she was a fucking wreck
.
 

"Lena, I'm here to help. I'm not going to hurt you, alright?" Soraya's voice was soft and comforting as she came closer. She eased on to the bed, again with slow, deliberate movements.

Panic welled up in Lena's chest. She was only just keeping a lid on the agony and she was convinced that it would barrel through her again if Soraya touched her. Just like it had with Roarke. Just like it had with Kaden. Just like it nearly did with Ryver.

She watched in horror as Soraya's delicate hand reached towards her. Lena tried to scramble away but the giant headboard at her back prevented her from escaping. Soraya's touch was gentle as she laid her hand on Lena's arm. Lena hissed as she squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the pain to claim her once again.

Nothing happened.

She cracked open an eye to see Soraya stroking her arm in light, soothing strokes. "It's alright, Lena. I told you I wouldn't hurt you."

Lena's eyes widened as she stared at Soraya's hand on her arm. "I…I don't know what's happening," she croaked.

"I know, but we're going to work it out, alright?"

Lena nodded.

"I have to ask you some questions and I need you to be honest with me," Soraya continued, keeping up the comforting arm stroking.

"Okay." Lena nodded again.

Soraya gave Lena a squeeze of her arm. "How long has this been going on?"

Lena gulped as her mind tried to find the start of this madness.
It had been forever, hadn't it?
She couldn't remember ever being without this heat, this boiling fire. "I… I don't remember."
 

"Alright." Soraya frowned. "Do you remember the pain easing at all?"