Dark Side of the Moon (23 page)

“You have no idea. The female can continue to have sex, but the male of the species is impotent until the day one of them dies.”

“What if you're mated and one of you dies? Are you still bound to each other, or can the survivor go on to mate again?”

“Technically yes, but that rarely happens. One shot for a mate is pretty much all the Fates allow. They're bitchy that way. But at least death does free the survivor of the binding, which is why I can still have sex, even though I never finished the ritual with Isabeau.”

“But you have no chance of being mated again?”

“Let's just say, I have a better chance of dying from grapefruit poisoning.”

She laughed at that. “Oh, yeah, the Fates are definitely women. I love it.”

“I'm glad you do, but I have to say it doesn't appeal to me. The idea of being impotent rather blows.”

She could understand that. “So what makes the mark appear? You reach a certain age? You cross the street?”

“We have sex.” He gave her a wicked grin.

“Yeah, right.”

“No, seriously. The mark only appears after you've had sex with your predestined mate. Within a few hours it'll show up.”

“And if you never have sex with your mate?”

“Then you never find your mate. You go the whole of your life without the chance of having children.”

And she thought being human was hard. At least she had a choice about marriage and procreation. “You really have no control over the mating?”

“None whatsoever. Believe me, if we did, I would have never chosen a human for mine.”

She didn't know why, but those words stung her. “You know, we're not all so bad.”

He made a rude noise. “Pardon me if I reserve judgment on that.”

Well, honestly, she couldn't blame him for his feelings. He'd been damaged rather badly by the actions of a single human. And it made her wonder what kind of woman would toss away a chance to have a man like Ravyn in her life. “So did you and Isabeau do the deed to finish off the mating?”

“No, I stupidly chose to be noble and to tell her what I was before I finished the ritual with her. Since she was human and it was the Renaissance period, she got a little … wiggy on me.”

To say the least. “And the rest is history.”

He nodded.

Man, she felt for him. How awful to lay himself bare before someone and have her betray him so badly. It made Alex leaving her because he didn't want to be tainted by her soiled reputation seem mild by comparison. His actions had been insensitive, but Isabeau's had been downright cruel.

“So what was the bonding thing you mentioned to Phoenix?” she asked.

“It's a special bond that we can make with our mates if both parties choose it. It combines our life forces together so that if one of us dies, the other dies, too. Instantly.”

“Romantic and scary.”

“Yes, it is. On the night our village was attacked, it was how we knew what was happening. Several members of our clan who were with us just keeled over. One minute they were with us and the next, they were dead at our feet for no known reason. Since so many of them fell, we knew someone was killing our families.”

She let out a long breath as she tried to imagine the horror of that. “I'm really sorry, Ravyn.”

“Thanks.” But still she noted the way his grip tightened on the steering wheel and it made her ache for him.

They fell silent while they made their way over to Angie and Jimmy's. This time of night, the neighborhood was absolutely silent, with only an occasional house showing a light or TV on. Susan had always liked staying up late at night. There was something peaceful and pristine about the world. The silence was almost tangible.

As they neared the house, Susan spotted a patrol car parked on a curb. “Looks like they're watching the place.”

Ravyn nodded. “After the day we've had, I'd expect no less.”

Well, there was that.

He drove them past the patrol car, down the street, turned the corner, then parked. “We can go in the back way on foot.”

“You know, it's a pity that with all the magic you guys have, you can't just pop us into the house.”

“Actually a typical Were-Hunter could.”

“But you can't?”

He shook his head. “Not anymore. When I became a Dark-Hunter, I lost that power. It seems Artemis wants us to live chronologically, so I can no longer teleport. But I do have stronger powers in other ways and in cat form, unlike other Dark-Hunters, I can survive sunlight. It's not comfortable, but it doesn't kill me.”

“Hence the burning cat-hair smell in my car earlier?”

“Exactly.”

Susan watched the streetlight cut across the handsome planes of his face. Even though their time was limited, she had to admit he was stunning. And she would give anything to be able to kiss those lips again … to drape herself over that body of his until they were both sweaty and spent. But given his feelings about humans, she figured she was only one step up from an Apollite mauling him.

Sighing, she put that thought away. The last thing she needed after this day was rejection. “I guess life is nothing but trade-offs, huh?”

“What's your trade-off?” he asked as he opened his car door.

She thought about that as she got out and shut her door without slamming it. “I guess I got to keep my sanity and life, in exchange for working a really shitty job.”

That seemed to amuse him. “Leo isn't that bad, is he?”

Susan wrapped her arms around herself as they doubled back toward Angie's house. “Actually, Leo is an unpolished gem most days. I just hate working for that paper so much that daydreams of torching it are a constant fixation for me.”

Ravyn grabbed her and pulled her down behind a shrub as a car came down the street. The two of them huddled there while they listened to it passing by at an excruciatingly slow pace.

Afraid of being caught this close to their destination, Susan held her breath until the car vanished out of sight. Her gaze fell down to Ravyn's taut hand that held her in place. He had long, slender fingers that warmed her even if his grip was a little too intense.

As if he heard her thoughts, he loosened his hold and rubbed her wrist soothingly. That little gesture meant a lot to her as he peeped up to look.

Without another word, he motioned her forward and led her to Angie's house. They cut across the neighbor's backyard to avoid the patrol car that might see them if they approached from the front. Ravyn picked her up effortlessly and helped her over the fence before he jumped over easily.

She knew he was a cat, but whenever he did things like that it was almost spooky. Crouching low, he kept them in the shadows as they headed up Angie's deck. Again he did the strange hand gesture that allowed him to push open the sliding glass door without breaking into it.

Susan entered the house first. As she reached for a light switch, she caught herself. “This is useless. I can't see anything and if I turn on a light, the police will see it.”

“It's okay.” She was startled to find Ravyn so close to her that his breath fell against her cheek as he spoke. The warmth of his body reached out to her and actually calmed her nerves. “I have perfect vision in the dark. Tell me what I'm looking for.”

Closing her eyes, she summoned a mental diagram of what the house looked like. “Upstairs, the second bedroom on the right is set up as an office. Jimmy's laptop should be there. Grab it and look around for a leather-bound journal that should be within easy reach.”

“Anything else?”

“I don't know. If you see something else that he might have used to jot down notes, grab it.”

He reached out and gently pushed her toward a bar stool. “Okay. Wait here and I'll be back.”

Grateful that he'd helped to ground her in the darkness, Susan nodded as she leaned against the breakfast counter. She listened to Ravyn moving stealthily up the stairs … like a cat.

Yeah. This was an odd life she was having.

And as she glanced around the darkened house where all too familiar furniture faded into the shadows, grief settled deep in her chest. The last time she was here had been Angie's birthday a few weeks back. Jimmy had been teasing Angie about how she was becoming Merlin and aging backwards.

“You get more beautiful every year.”

This had been the third time Angie had turned thirty-five. Angie had taken their jokes in stride as she reminded Susan that she wasn't that far behind her.

What she wouldn't give to be able to go back and live that night one more time.…

“Oh, Angie,” she breathed, aching with the loss of them. How could they be gone? It was such a waste. Such a senseless tragedy.

“Don't think about it.” And yet it was impossible not to. She wasn't supposed to grow old without her friends. They were her family. Without them, she felt completely lost and alone.

Adrift.

In spite of her resolve, she felt the tears starting to fall. Wiping them away, she hated herself for the weakness. They had something to do and here she was crying like a little girl.

“Susan?”

She jumped at the deep voice in her ear. “Ravyn! Don't startle me like that.” She felt a muscular arm wrap around her and pull her close to his hard body. The scent of him soothed her even while it tickled her nose.

“It's okay.”

But she knew it wasn't. It would never be okay that they were gone. Yet it was kind of him to try to offer comfort.

Then again, if anyone knew pain, it was the man holding her. He, too, had lost everything. Grateful for his presence, she leaned back against his hard chest and hugged his steely arm against her breasts. She was silent as she fought down the tears and drew a shaky breath.

Clearing her throat, she gave his arm a gentle squeeze, then stepped away. “Did you get it?”

“Yeah. It was just where you said. Now let's get out of here before someone sees us.”

He adjusted the small box under one arm, then took her hand and led her back outside, to the deck. They crossed the yard silently, and headed back down the street to where they'd left the car. Every single step of the way, she kept expecting someone to catch them. She held her breath, waiting for the police or the Daimons to somehow discover where they were.

By the time they reached the Porsche, she was afraid her nerves were completely shot.

She got in first and buckled up before Ravyn placed the box on her lap. She frowned as he shut the door and walked over to the other side. At least until she saw what was on top.…

Grief and joy mixed inside her and closed her throat into a tight knot. It was a framed picture of her, Angie, and Jimmy from last summer when they'd been deep-sea fishing. She and Angie were pointing to the giant swordfish Jimmy had caught and he was standing there like a he-man with his arms up.

Clutching the picture to her, she looked over at Ravyn and was overwhelmed by his thoughtfulness. “Thank you.”

He simply inclined his head to her as he started the car and headed them toward the Serengeti.

Susan put the picture back in the box and just tried to keep it together as her anger built over the injustice of their deaths. She wanted revenge.
You've got to keep yourself calm, Sue.
But it was hard. She'd always hated emotional basket cases, and yet that was what she felt like tonight. “I'm sorry, Ravyn.”

“For what?”

“That you're stuck with the neurotic Susan. I'm usually much more together than this.”

To her surprise, he reached over and took her hand into his. “Babe, don't you dare apologize to me. I have nothing but respect for the grace and strength you've had today. I don't know many men who could have held up as well as you have.”

Those words made her heart pound. “Thank you.”

He squeezed her hand before he let go to shift gears. Susan wiped at her eyes as she watched the streetlights cut across his face, bringing out his features. He was exceptional. But it made her wonder what he'd be like if he was just an average guy on the street.

No, she couldn't imagine that. He was so much larger than life. A guy like this could never be average. And it was why she knew a woman like her could never dare to have more than a moment with a guy like him.

Ravyn didn't speak as he drove them through the quiet Seattle streets. But he could feel Susan with every inch of his being. The Dark-Hunter inside him could hear her heart beating. Could feel her blood flowing through her veins. The predator sensed her unease and sadness. The man just wanted to kiss those lips she had parted and hold her until she smiled at him again.

It was hard to think straight with her so close to him. He'd never seen any woman more beautiful.

He dropped his gaze to the hand she had on the box. A hand he wanted to nibble and then guide down to cup him until she stroked the part of him that ached for a taste of her lush body. But an animal like him could never dare to touch something as precious as she. Susan was one of the very few decent humans he'd ever met. And she deserved much better than something like him. Shifting in the seat, he clenched his teeth. This wasn't the time to let his hormones lead him.

Sure it is.…

He wanted to growl at himself. Instead, he pushed the accelerator, needing to put some distance between them before he gave in to the feral need he had to have sex with her.

Not soon enough for comfort's sake, he parked the car right where Phoenix had left it. He helped Susan out of the car and headed back inside the club. The hallway wasn't as loud as it'd been earlier. No doubt the club was winding down a bit, but it still had a good-sized crowd. He could hear the thumping beat of the dance music. The air was thick with the smells of alcohol, cheap perfume, and greasy food. Ravyn kept waiting for one of his “family” members to appear and try to drive him out.