Darkest Caress (15 page)

Cade sighed. He had no choice but to call Vaughn in now. He could dematerialize and cover more ground than Cade could.

Muttering to himself, he hit speed dial, putting the phone to his ear as he jogged up the stairs. At the top landing he passed the picture windows looking toward the front grounds and outbuildings. Liv was walking away from him at a good clip, almost to the caretaker’s house. “Shit,” he muttered, shoving his phone into his pocket. He wrenched open the French door and shouted her name. She didn’t stop.

Cursing under his breath, he ran out in his bare feet to stop her from meeting Vaughn without Daegan there to shield her.

* * *

Liv was good and furious by the time she reached the caretaker’s house. Daegan was nowhere to be found, so if he wasn’t in here she was out of places to look on the property.

Tamping down her anger and growing humiliation, she rapped on the door, also solid bronze like the main house. Her muscles knotted when heavy footsteps approached the door. What was she going to say to him? Her stupid eyes began to sting.

“Liv, wait!” Cade called out behind her.

She ignored him, prepared to confront Daegan and give him a piece of her mind.

The door swung open. A huge man filled the jambs. Liv gasped as a searing agony engulfed her skull. She grabbed her head and backed up a step, squinting through the haze of pain.

The man stared down at her out of cold, dark eyes flecked with eerie bits of yellow. His face was terribly scarred down the left side. The skin was swirled, like it had been melted. As she peered up at him a shimmering aura formed around his body. Vivid, angry oranges and yellows. All outlined in a thin band of pitch black.

Her knees buckled, hit the hard flagstone. She barely felt the bruising force over the stabbing in her skull. Violence. This man pulsed with violence. Rage. Pain. He was lethal to the core. She had to get away. Warn Cade.

Her limbs refused to move. Her vision dimmed.

Running footsteps over the pea gravel suddenly stopped, then Cade knelt before her. Warm hands settled on her shoulders. “Liv? It’s okay, look at me.”

She fought to raise her head and focus on him. Every cell in her body screamed at her to get away from the huge man in the doorway. Surely Cade saw him. “Danger,” she gasped out, struggling to her hands and knees. “Run.”

Cade firmed his grip, his hands warm and solid. “No, it’s all right.”

She shook her head, unable to speak. The man in the doorway was a killer. They had to run.

Above the sickening pressure in her skull, she heard Cade curse then mutter something. The scary man answered in a deep, raspy voice. His frightening energy pulsed at her in waves, battering her overloaded nervous system.

“Step back and give her some air,” Cade ordered.

In her fuzzy peripheral vision, Liv saw the stranger move back and disappear into the shadows of the caretaker’s house. The ferocious pain lessened immediately. She sucked in a quick breath and blinked fast, fighting to regain control. Cold sweat prickled her skin. Her vision cleared somewhat and she was able to get to her feet with Cade’s help.

When she was certain she wouldn’t fall or black out, she peered after the stranger, afraid to take her eyes off the doorway in case he came after them. “Who was that?” she whispered, squinting into the shadows he’d melted into.

“Vaughn,” Cade answered, his grip steady and reassuring around her upper arms.

Liv suppressed a shiver. “
That’s
Vaughn?” He was an Empowered?

“Yeah. You okay now?”

She wasn’t sure. That guy was a friend of Daegan and Cade’s? “Yes.” Stiffening her spine, she pulled away from Cade, trying to ignore the warning thump of her heart. “Is he dangerous?”

“Not to us. Not yet, anyway.”

Those disturbing eyes… She rubbed her arms, fighting back another shiver. “His aura was really violent.” God, he had death written all over him.

“I’m not surprised.”

She looked at Cade. “How—I mean, what does he do?”

“I’m a Reaper,” a deep voice rasped.

Liv jumped and faced the doorway. Vaughn stood on the threshold with his arms folded across his wide, muscled chest. His eyes were cold enough to burn despite the yellow shards in the irises, his blank expression chilling her. She flushed. The pain was still there, a dull throb in her temples, but the debilitating agony was gone. The bands of color that had surrounded him were gone. Was he masking his power somehow? Obviously he didn’t want to harm her, and Cade would never put her in danger so she must be safe enough.

Swallowing, she stepped forward and made herself raise an unsteady hand. “I’m Olivia.”

He made no move to take her hand or touch her in any way, just kept his arms folded and pierced her with those mottled eyes. “So you’re Daegan’s mate. A Seeker.”

His tone had an edge of derision to it. She lowered her hand, feeling strangely rebuffed. Maybe he was offended by the way she’d reacted to the sight of him. Not that she blamed him, but she sensed apologizing would only make things worse. “I…maybe. I’m not sure.”

“He’s marked you,” he said, glancing at the design on her neck. “So where is he?”

She opened her mouth to answer but Cade beat her to it. “We don’t know, but we were hoping you might.”

Vaughn shook his head, never taking his eyes off Liv. His black brows pulled together, his visage becoming even harsher. “He left you?”

The flush in her cheeks deepened. What could she say to that? Humiliation crawled through her. “Looks that way.”

She thought she caught a flare of shock in his strange eyes before he looked at Cade.

“He’s not here,” Cade said. “Liv hasn’t seen him since this morning and he won’t answer his damn phone.”

The growing concern in his tone made Liv’s stomach knot. Was Daegan in some sort of danger? Is that why he’d left her so suddenly?

“I’ll find him,” Vaughn said as he turned away. He disappeared around the corner then came back a moment later wearing a black leather jacket and wraparound sunglasses. “Call me if you hear anything.”

Before she could blink or ask why everyone was so worried, Vaughn disappeared. Literally. One second he was standing in front of her, and the next—poof.

Liv stumbled back, coming up against Cade’s hard frame. Startled, she looked up at him over her shoulder. “What did… He just…” She fought the urge to rub her eyes.

“It’s what he does.” Cade shrugged and set his arm around her shoulders. “Better now?”

She stared into the empty doorway, trying to come to grips with what she’d just seen. The man had freaking vanished into thin air. Some of the blood drained from her hot face, leaving her woozy.

“C’mon,” Cade said with a hint of a chuckle. “Time to go back to the house with me.”

Liv walked a few steps with him before putting on the brakes. “No, I’m going home.”

“You sure? I’d feel better if you stuck around. Daegan’s bound to come back here sooner or later.”

“I have to go home.” She had students coming later. Besides, she needed to think. Needed some time to be alone and lick her wounds. See if she could digest everything that had happened.

Or maybe she’d call a psychiatrist and schedule an urgent appointment.

“I’ll drive you,” Cade said, already striding toward her car.

She caught his arm to stop him. “No, I’m fine. But thanks.”

He studied her face with a physician’s critical eye. “You sure you’re okay to drive? Must have been a hell of a shock to meet Vaughn like that and then see him dematerialize.”

You could say that.
“Can you and Daegan do that too?”

“Wish we could, but no. If we tried we’d be wiped out for a long time and probably wouldn’t get very far anyway. Like maybe to the end of the driveway,” he said with a grin.

The beginnings of a tension headache started at the base of her skull. Different from the debilitating headaches she’d had lately, but unpleasant nonetheless. “Good to know,” she murmured, wondering what else they were keeping from her. “If you see Daegan, will you tell him I was here?”

“Of course.” He walked her to her car, opened the door for her. “He’ll contact you. He’ll have to, so it’s only a matter of time.”

She frowned. “What happens if he doesn’t? Maybe he changed his mind about me.” Maybe he regretted being with her last night.

Or meeting me period.

“No,” Cade said adamantly. “It doesn’t work like that.”

“Maybe this time it does.”

“You don’t understand.”

“Then help me to,” she snapped, at her wit’s end.

Cade sighed, dragged a hand through his short blond hair. “A bonded male can’t function without his mate claiming him in turn. Not for very long, anyhow.”

She raised her brows in question.

“I mean, he can’t go on without you marking him.”

Her eyes widened as realization dawned. “I was supposed to last night, wasn’t I? That’s why my gums have been tender.” She touched her tongue to the bum above her upper incisors. The flesh was still sore. But she hadn’t had an urge to bite him last night. Did that mean something was missing between them? “Will my front teeth turn pointy?”

“Sort of. The bottom edges will temporarily become thinner, sharper. Just until you mark him.”

His vague tone told her there was more to this than he was revealing. She knew it in her gut. “What happens if I don’t?”

Cade’s vivid green eyes hardened, taking on an angry glint. Anger directed at her, she realized. His square jaw set for a moment before he answered. “Then he’ll die.”

“He’ll
die
?” He had to be joking.

But Cade’s expression was all too serious as he nodded.

“What? Why?”

“Because if you don’t claim him he’ll turn into what we’re hunting.”

The blood drained from her face. “The Obsidian Lord.”

Cade nodded grimly and her stomach dropped, thinking about the conversation she’d had with Daegan. The Obsidian Lord was often a former Coven Leader.

The knowledge echoed in her brain. Dear God, if she didn’t bond with Daegan he’d become a monster. “So you’re saying the
human
part of him would die, not that he’ll literally die.”

“No. I mean if he turns, Vaughn and I will have to put him down.”

Put him down. Like an animal turned rabid.

Liv wrapped her arms around her waist as her stomach twisted. The thought of Daegan becoming the embodiment of evil then being killed by his friends was too appalling to think about. Whatever misgivings she had about him and this entire situation, he didn’t deserve a fate like that. She’d seen the tenderness in him. Had felt it in his touch, in his kisses, the way he’d made love to her. And yet, rather than explain everything and ask her to bond with him in turn, he’d chosen to disappear. Why would he do that when the consequences were so dire? As Coven Leader, it seemed completely irresponsible of him. If she was his mate, how could he do this to her? It threatened the fragile trust she’d placed in him.

Cade watched her, and she could see the unease in his eyes. Fear for his leader, his cousin. The only real family he had left. “I know this has all been really sudden, but will you claim him, Liv?”

Her decision affected his future, too, possibly his existence. She looked away from that searching gaze, refusing to let him see the sudden tears burning her eyes. In such a short amount of time, she was inexplicably attached to Daegan. Against all odds, when she was with him it felt right. Like they were two pieces of a puzzle. She might not know him well yet, but deep down she believed he cared, that he’d take care of her. Those were promising traits, weren’t they? He wouldn’t abandon her without good reason. The consequences were too dire. But she deserved answers nonetheless.

An overpowering surge of protectiveness rose within her. No matter what, she wouldn’t stand by and let him destroy himself. If he regretted the bond and wanted a way out, she’d give it to him. “I’ll do what I can. But he’s got to come to me himself. If he wants to be my mate he has to start acting like one.”

If and when he made contact with her, he had a lot to answer for.

What the hell?

Rick swore and pulled the Pathfinder onto the shoulder to let the light traffic pass by him. He glared at the brass address numbers on the eight-foot red brick wall surrounding the property then threw the truck into reverse. The engine protested his heavy foot with a loud whine as he shot backward. The wall ended abruptly next to one made of ornate wrought iron. But the address on that one was just as baffling. How the hell could an entire house be missing? He was looking at the damn address on the listing, and it should have been between the other two.

Whipping out his phone, he dialed the last person on earth he wanted to talk to. He didn’t much care if he woke the bastard up, either.

“Diga,” the elderly voice answered on the second ring.

Apparently the OL was an early riser. But of course he would be, Rick reasoned. Only way he could maximize the number of miserable souls he preyed on. “I can’t find the damn house.” His only leverage right now was that he hadn’t given the property listings to the OL. Only he and the DA contact from the bar knew which properties he was searching.

“Excuse me?”

Rick gritted his teeth. “I found the house next to it and the one on the other side, but not the one we’re looking for. There’s nothing here. It’s like it doesn’t exist.”

“They’ve masked it.”

He frowned at the excitement in the man’s voice. “What?”

“The Coven Leader, and any followers with him. They’ve put a masking spell on the property to shield it.” His voice was ripe with conviction. “Can you see an opening between the other two properties? A path or a break in the fence?”

“No, there’s nothing.” He wasn’t a fucking idiot.

“It’s there. Find it.”

Knowing it would piss him off, Rick hung up on him. He tossed the phone onto the passenger seat and got out, slamming the door shut. He pulled a pen and paper out of his jacket pocket, pretended to write notes as he examined the fence line so he wouldn’t look overly suspicious.

The brick wall was solid under his hands, even where it met the cold wrought iron of the next fence. If the Empowered had put a spell on their digs to conceal them, they’d done a damn good job of it. For real, it looked like the place didn’t exist. How had they managed it? Made him wonder again what he was up against.

He tried for the better part of an hour to find the chink in the defenses, even hiking down the bank to check the ocean-view side, but at last gave up and stalked back to the truck. He supposed he could hang around for a while in case anyone came in or out through some sort of magical gap in the wall.

Screw that. He had better things to do.

He threw the vehicle into drive and pulled onto the road, the tires kicking up bits of gravel as he did. This whole strategy was stupid, and he was starving. Intending to head to the Road House for a plate of bacon and eggs, he was almost to the bottom of the hill when he saw a car pull out from where he’d just been. Could be coincidence.

Or it might be the break he’d been waiting for.

He stomped on the brake, wheeling the truck around. The tires squealed as he skidded and finished the U-turn.

The engine raced as he climbed the hill, gaining on the silver BMW until he was riding its bumper. The driver hit the brakes a couple times in obvious irritation and waved a slender arm out the window for him to pass.

A woman.

Rick waited for the car coming in the opposite lane to pass then pulled out, speeding up until he was even with the front windows. The female driver threw him a nasty glare and shook her head. His heart went into overdrive.

Shoulder length light brown hair. An oval face now burned into his memory.

Olivia Farrell, the supposed mate of the new Coven Leader.

A car sped around the corner, coming at him head on. Swearing, he hit the gas and pulled in front of the BMW. The traffic thickened, ramping up his frustration. Too many witnesses around for him to run her off the road and grab her. He’d have to circle back, sneak back to follow her home and go from there.

* * *

Liv glared at the Pathfinder as it finally pulled ahead of her and sped off. She hadn’t gotten a good look at the driver, but she’d barely refrained from holding up her middle finger in the hopes he’d see it in his rearview. Whoever it was, he had serious road rage issues and it wasn’t helping the throbbing headache leftover from her little encounter with Vaughn, which was suddenly much worse. Would the pain be gone already if Daegan had been with her?

“Idiot,” she muttered to the back of the Pathfinder, then grabbed her sunglasses to shield her overly sensitive eyes from the sun’s glare. Thankfully the other driver took off and disappeared from view.

By the time she arrived home, all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep. But it wasn’t to be. A white van sat in her driveway, marked with the logo of a security company. Unless she’d suffered a stroke during the last migraine and lost her memory, she hadn’t hired a security company work on her place.

Frowning, she parked next to it and climbed out of her car. As she shut the door she caught a glimpse of a vehicle down the street—a dark green Pathfinder like the one that had irritated her earlier. It might have been her imagination, but it seemed to slow for a moment before continuing past her street.

Shaking her head, wincing at the heightened throb of pain, Liv trudged up to the front door. Someone was in there, she could hear them talking along with the whine of a drill.

What the…

She unlocked the door then pushed it open, holding her cell phone ready in case she needed to call 911. “Hello?”

A moment later a thin middle-aged man appeared around the corner, smiled at her. “Miss Farrell?”

“Yes, hi.”

He shook her hand. “I’m Pat. We’re just about done here.”

“Done what?” She looked past him down the hall toward the kitchen where the drilling sounds were coming from.

Pat gave her an odd look. “Your alarm system. Just putting the finishing touches in now, like the panic button for your bedroom.”

What the hell was he talking about? “I think there’s been a mistake. I didn’t order—”

“No mistake. It’s all taken care of.” He reached into his back pocket to withdraw a folded receipt. “Mr. Blackwell’s already paid for everything.”

“Really. And when did he do that?” One hand curled into a fist.

Pat shrugged. “While ago. He came to check everything, just left a few minutes before you got here.”

Her chest tightened. He’d done all of this without asking permission first, then taken off before she arrived? While she’d been forced to get answers about the mating and bonding process from his cousin? She drew a deep breath. For all she knew, Daegan had planned this all in advance, along with his move.

“Excuse me,” she said, walking through the house to the sliding doors in the kitchen. Barely glancing at the two men installing a keypad next to the doors, she stepped out onto the brick patio and flopped down in a lounge chair. The overhead sun was hot, but her skin felt chilled.

She couldn’t believe Daegan would do this without at least talking to her first. If he thought she needed an alarm system so desperately, he must think she was in danger. So why would he disappear on her like this?

Sighing, wishing the pounding in her head would go away, she dialed his number. It went straight to voicemail and she didn’t bother leaving a message. Just as well, since she couldn’t think of anything nice to say. He might care about her on some level and worry about her safety, but right now it seemed he didn’t care enough to stick around and make this whole mess any easier on her.

Maybe he didn’t want to be her mate after all. The thought caused an involuntary twinge of pain in her chest.

Her phone chimed with an incoming text. Not from Daegan, but Catherine.

Haven’t heard from u in a while. U OK? How’d the meeting go?

Liv sighed, a wave of guilt washing over her. God knew she could use a sympathetic ear right now. She desperately wanted to call Catherine to vent, but she didn’t know how much to divulge about what was happening. It would sound crazy no matter how she explained it, though if anyone would believe her story, Catherine would.

Need to talk
, she responded.
Will call u soon.

As soon as she figured out what the hell to say.

She was still on the chair, almost lulled into a doze by the warmth of the sun and the drone of a distant lawnmower, when one of the workers came out the French door to the patio.

“Your piano student’s here.”

* * *

Daegan’s hand shook as he slid the key into the lock. He let himself in through the gym door downstairs, shutting it silently behind him. The room was dark and empty, but his hellishly glowing eyes lit it up like the sun at dawn.

His muscles trembled with the strain of holding in his agitation. When his gaze landed on the chin-up bar mounted overhead, he almost groaned in relief. He walked straight to it, shrugged off his leather jacket and was in the process of jumping up to grab the grips when the lights suddenly came on.

Blinking in the glare, he barely had time to focus on Cade’s face as he stormed toward him. He braced at his cousin’s furious expression. “Cade,” he began in a warning tone. He was not in the mood to be messed with.

But Cade grabbed him by the collar with both fists and yanked him off the ground. Shaking him like a rag doll. “What the fuck is wrong with you?” he snarled through gritted teeth.

Daegan’s temper took a dangerous leap. He struggled to contain it, to breathe while his cousin held him off the floor and reamed him out like a teenager who’d broken curfew.

“What’s that? Can’t hear you,” Cade taunted, his nose an inch from Daegan’s.

“Put me down,” he ground out, “before I break your fucking wrist.”

With a snort of disgust Cade dropped him, but didn’t step back. “What the hell, Dae? Liv was here this morning looking for you, wondering what the hell had happened. You left her with the mating mark and fuck all else. She didn’t even know what you’d done to her. Are you telling me she doesn’t matter to you? That you can’t feel what she’s going through?”

Oh, she mattered. And he felt her pain all too clearly. Now that he was bonded to her he’d sense any strong emotions she emitted. He’d been bombarded with her hurt and bewilderment all day long, had barely withheld from giving in to the need to go to her. As it was, he’d spent most of the day watching over her from afar, parked down the street from her house like a damn stalker. He’d left only when the techs confirmed her security system was set up and armed. Then he’d scrubbed every single one of them for good measure.

“Well?”

Daegan clenched his hands into fists. “Back off,” he warned icily.

“No way. Not until you tell me what the hell’s going on.”

His irrational anger was amplified by the sexual frustration and Liv’s current state of confusion. Unfortunately the nearest outlet for it was the man blocking his way to the chin-up bar and weights. “Back. Off.
Now
.” The last word echoed in the stillness between them, heavy with the threat of violence.

Cade’s clear green eyes narrowed, but he wisely took a step back. “Start talking, or I’ll get Vaughn involved.”

“Aw, fuck.” Daegan dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, dragged in a deep breath. He might want a fight, but the last thing he needed right now was to take a pummeling from the both of them. Misery might love company, but they couldn’t turn on each other, especially now. His body had already undergone enough punishment without that. “I can’t.”

Cade folded his arms and stood his ground. “You marked her.”

He nodded. “I marked her.” And he’d loved every fucking second of it, even if it made him a selfish piece of shit. The taste of her, the feel of her body clenching around him, the husky sound of her cries as she’d come. His cock was still hard enough to pound nails. Merely thinking about it was torture. “And then I had to leave.”

“Yeah? If it was that easy to walk away, you must not give a shit about her, huh.”

“Fuck you,” he snarled. “If anyone’s got the screw ’em and leave ’em’ thing down pat, it’s you.” The moment the accusation left his lips he regretted the low blow. But it was too late to take it back.

Cade paled for a moment. Then his mouth twisted in an ugly sneer. “Well at least you finally found the balls to say it out loud.”

The raw self-loathing in his cousin’s tone made Daegan want to hit something. Whatever Cade’s problems were, he didn’t deserve to have them thrown in his face like that. Least of all by him. Daegan needed to get himself back under control before he did irreparable damage. The urge to lash out with his fists was so strong he could barely control it. He closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing, slowing everything down.

“Deep breaths aren’t gonna help, and you know it.”

Shut up
, he wanted to yell. He clenched his jaw instead.

“You stubborn bastard,” Cade spat, tone laced with disgust. “If her suffering isn’t enough to make you end this, maybe you should look in the mirror.”

Daegan opened his eyes, glared right back. “For what?”

“Your eyes are already starting to turn, asshole.”

For a moment he was too stunned to move. His rigid muscles offered no resistance as Cade grabbed him by the shoulder and hauled him over to the nearest bathroom. When he flipped on the light, Daegan felt the blood drain from his face as he stared into the mirror.

A thin line of yellow outlined the edge of his pupils, almost neon against the electric blue. He looked away, sick with shame.

Cade let him go. “You know how dangerous this is. If you turn we can’t help you, and Liv will suffer alone for the rest of her life. Then there’s the pesky little matter of the ensuing war we’ve been gearing up for, and you not being here to lead us. You know what we’ll have to do if you turn. Do you really want Vaughn and I to have to live with that?”

The words were like barbed wire, burying into his flesh. He was their leader. The one they should be able to look to for strength and guidance.