Deadly Captive (21 page)

She took another swing, so fast I couldn't follow it with my eyes. It shocked me when I caught her wrist.

The heel of my palm connected with the bridge of her nose. She howled in pain, cupping her hand over her face. A deft leg sweep took her from her feet, and I turned to the next attack without pause. The man went down as quickly as the woman had. I didn't even glance his way as he fell. My eyes were locked on something, just out of reach.

Two steps and I grabbed hold of a broad shoulder, jerking the man around to face me. In the very same motion, I yanked the sword from the sheath on his back and took his head. The look of shock was still on his face as his head hit the floor, his body following seconds later.

The sword felt so natural in my hand, I knew I'd used one before, in the life I couldn't recall. More heads rolled, and, when I didn't take their heads, I spilled open their guts. Blood soaked my borrowed shirt, and I found myself licking it from my fingers as I searched for my next target. Someone touched my arm.

In a swift turn, sword blade out against my forearm, I attacked.

Daederich caught the blade in his bare hand. Pushing it down, he levelled his face with mine. "We've killed all those stupid enough to rush into the room. The rest are regrouping. We have to go. Now."

I gave a curt nod and stepped back, bending down to clean the sword on the pristine white shirt of one of the bodies on the floor.

Daederich took my hand, pulling me toward the large door the audience had left open when they'd abandoned their fellows to our wrath. He shot an approving smile back my way. "You're something else with that sword."

I smiled back, feeling elated and so very alive. "Thank you. I didn't do it alone though." I looked him over. He was just as soaked in blood as I was. "You don't have a weapon."

He stopped once we had reached the hall, arching a brow at me. "I didn't need one." He glanced at the sword. "And seeing how you fight you probably could have done without one as well." He laughed and tugged me along with him. "I'm glad you had it though. That was sexy as hell to watch."

I stared at the back of his head as we ran down the hall. I hadn't seen a thing other than the bodies falling when I'd been fighting. How much better than I must he be if he'd had the time for the observation?

I winced, then scowled at myself for doing so as Daederich pressed the alcohol soaked rag against the gashes on my cheek.

His lip quivered. "Hurts?"

Now I scowled at him. "Yes. Shouldn't I be immune to pain or something now?"

Daederich chuckled and shook his head. "No, you're just a First Blood fledgling.

Sorry to say it, babe, but you aren't that much stronger than when you were mortal."

Part of me wanted to frown, but I smiled at the fond "babe." "Something about your tone makes me think you're on a different level." I waited for his nod. "So you want to enlighten me, oh wise one?"

Brow creased, he stood, setting the bloody cloth on the table by the bed. "I can't tell you much. All I know is that there are three different levels. Cyrus brought me to the third. I'll do the same for you when you're ready."

I accepted it. To my mind, there was absolutely no rush.

Our escape, two nights before, had been a thrill. We'd found the door leading up from the long hall at the other end of it. Beyond had been a staircase. Taking it up, we reached what had looked like the first floor of an elite office complex. Leaving the building had confirmed it. The towering high-rise had lifted clear out of sight, obscured in the darkness.

From there, Daederich had led me down several streets to a car, a big black thing he had found the key for under the passenger seat. It had taken so little effort to find it that I'd been sure it must belong to Daederich. He'd confirmed the fact for me not long after.

After fifteen minutes of driving, we'd arrived at a hotel where the staff had immediately recognized him. As Joe. We'd gone to a room where Daederich had several bags. We hadn't stayed. Once the bags were in the car, Daederich had gone to the hotel safe and retrieved some money and a wicked-looking gun.

Two hours of driving out of the city and into another, and we'd arrived at the hotel we were staying in now. Upon arriving, bath and bed dominated in my mind. An hour soak, followed by a thorough scrubbing under a scalding shower, and then a day and half the night of sleep.

The first morning, Daederich had sent me shopping for some luggage and clothing for myself. I'd been afraid to step out into the sun, but it hadn't been a problem.

My eyes were slightly sensitive, but, other than that, nothing had changed.

Joe couldn't say the same. Just walking me to the lobby had left him with severe burns that had thankfully faded away during sleep. He was learning his limitations the hard way.

Limitations that occurred to me now. "Maybe we should wait. I can still go out during the day. That could prove useful."

Daederich levelled his eyes to my face, very serious now. He nodded slowly.

"Yes, but you'll be vulnerable. Those people we fought were nothing but lemmings without our training."

Standing, stretching, I shot him an impish grin. "You're assuming it's not just natural talent."

Rolling his eyes, Daederich reached out, pulling me to stand between his thighs.

"Cocky brat. There's no way you can fight like that without some serious training."

I wrapped my arms around his neck and sat in his lap. "What the hell was I training for? Do you think it was just simple martial arts?"

Without pause, he shook his head, resting his arms around my waist. "It's too varied. Too automatic. There's no way it was a hobby."

I nodded, not really caring, and bent my head against his throat. His sweet scent lofted over me. Suddenly, I was very hungry. Without thinking, I opened my mouth against his neck.

Daederich stood and sat me on the bed, stepping back. "No, Lydia."

Even as I heard the command, I felt it. The smile that had been on my lips vanished. Eyes wide, I stared at him. "What did you just do?"

Holding his hand up for calm, Daederich crouched down in front of me. "I was just trying to help."

A burst of shocked fury rose high in my chest. "You can control me? You can make me do things . . . . "

"Lydia, I won't . . . ."

"You just did!" I pushed myself back, out of reach.

Daederich sat on the edge of the bed and put his hand on my knee. "Look, forget about it. You're tense. Why don't I help you relax?"

The seductive tone of his voice wasn't enough to soothe my anger. Shoving his hand off my knee, I moved back further and dropped to the other side of the bed. "Are you planning on raping me now, Daederich?"

Daederich went very still. His steel eyes flashed in fury, and he stood. For a moment, I was certain the only way he would touch me would be to beat me senseless.

"How the fuck did you get that idea in your head?"

I crossed my arms against my chest, nibbling at my lip. "If you use that power you have to force me, it would be rape."

A sound of disgust left his throat as he pushed to his feet. "Yes it would be. I'm just surprised that you think so little of me."

Too late, I realized my mistake. The loss of control frightened me enough that I hadn't thought of the impact my words could have. I couldn't take them back. And worse, I wasn't sure I wanted to try.

The trust that Daederich had more than earned was harder for me to give now.

Not because of anything he'd done but because, no matter how much I trusted him, I wasn't sure I trusted anyone that much.

Daederich saw it in my eyes, the uncertainty, the bare resentment. Making a dismissive motion my way, he went to his bag and pulled out his cell phone. I watched him stuff his neatly folded clothes back into his bag and kick it back into the closet without bothering to close it.

"Daederich . . . ." I had to say something. I didn't know what, but I couldn't leave things as they stood.

He made an impatient motion with his hand as he pressed a button and held the phone to his ear.

Curious, I listened to him speak in a language I didn't recognize, his tone changing midway, as though he was now speaking to a child. I sat back down on the bed, just watching him, wondering who it was. The smile on his lips as he spoke revealed his love, raw in the way his brow creased in hidden pain, which the foreign words didn't reveal. When he finally hung up, I expected his mood to have changed.

It had. He sounded utterly numb. "Get dressed. We're going out."

Out. Daederich's definition of the word was much different than mine. To me

"out" meant somewhere within the confines of whatever city we were in. To Daederich, it meant a three-hour drive, past a border marked in a language I couldn't read and out into the countryside.

Our big black car pulled up in front of a towering old house, vines creeping up its dark gray stone walls, giving its majestic structure a haunting appeal. Before we'd left the car, the large, oak doors were thrown open, revealing a man so ancient it wasn't a stretch to believe he'd been born around the same time as the century old house.

The old man bowed slightly toward Daederich as we ascended the stairs. "It is a pleasure to see you again, sir. Alrik is excited to see you."

Daederich nodded, expression grim. "Have Sarah bring him to my chambers, Wilson. I'd like to speak with him. Alone." He glanced at me, almost an afterthought.

"Show Lydia to Laura's old room."

I stood there, stunned, as he simply walked away and left me with the butler. No introductions, no explanations, he simply dropped me with the staff and forgot about me.

It seemed whatever affection had existed between us had been left behind the locked doors of our prison.

The stooped old man took my hand, giving me an encouraging smile. "Mr. Jager has much to tend to. Do not take it as a slight. I'm sure he will clear things up very soon."

Forcing my lips to curve up as though I'd been put at ease, I shouldered my overnight bag and followed him up the winding wood staircase. The hall spread out before us, wide enough to walk comfortably side by side with a foot of space between us and the walls. Oil paintings lined the walls, portraying what I could only guess to be Daederich's ancestors. Between them were doors, so many that I quickly lost count.

Wilson stopped in front of one near the end of the hall and opened it, gesturing me inside.

"There's a little bath attached to the room if you'd like to make use of it," he said kindly. He pointed to a red velvet rope by the king-sized captain's bed. "Don't hesitate to ring if there's anything you need. I'll have something sent up for you shortly. Is there anything you would prefer?"

I thought about it. "Maybe some brandy?"

Sending a little wink my way, Wilson nodded and turned to leave. I made my way to the bathroom, not bothering to take in the rest of the lovely room. Right now, all I wanted was to soak in a scalding hot bath that had no price attached. Soak and forget my troubles, if I was lucky. Looking back on what I knew of my life, I couldn't say there was much chance of that.

* * * * *

The sweet scent of copper woke me. I pushed myself up, sloshing water to the floor with the abrupt movement. Mouth watering, I blinked and looked around. I couldn't figure out why the scent had suddenly made me realize I was starving.

The bathroom door was open, just a crack. In the dim light, I could see a set of gray-blue eyes watching me. Covering my chest with my arm, I sat up and bent forward, resting my chin on the edge of the deep porcelain bath.

I smiled when I saw the one watching me was nothing more than a child.

"Hey." I bit my lip, trying to think of what to say to put him at ease. He looked like he'd been caught with cookie crumbs in his bed. "Are you lost?"

Opening the door a little more, setting his eyes somewhere over my head, the boy shook his head. "No ma'am. I'm sorry, I was just curious. Papa is busy. I wanted to meet you."

I wrinkled my nose. "Don't call me ma'am. My name's Lydia."

The boy grinned. "You're pretty."

He'd opened the door fully now. I figured I probably shouldn't talk to him while in the bath, so I opened my mouth to tell him to wait in the other room. Then I stopped.

A taste even stronger than the alluring scent that woke me teased at my tongue.

I closed my eyes and licked my lips. "Can you hand me that towel?"

The little boy skipped into the room without question and grabbed the towel off the vanity. Coming close, he held it out to me. I grabbed his wrist.

The sound of a door hitting the wall brought my eyes up. Daederich stormed into the bathroom, eyes blazing. "Let him go, Lydia."

I didn't want to, I didn't know why, but part of me fought his omnipotent will.

Before I made the conscious decision, my grip slackened, and Daederich pulled the boy away.

"Go to your room." He snapped at the boy, not taking his eyes off me.

The little boy ran.

Temptation gone, my mind cleared. I covered my face with my hands, disgust choking me. Horrified, I faced what I'd been about to do. What had I become?

Daederich grabbed my arm and wrenched me from the bath. I gasped in pain as he slammed me against the wall. "I should kill you for even considering it!"

I bowed my head, having no desire to protest his rough treatment. At that moment, I wished he
would
kill me. "I'm sorry. God, Daederich . . . ." I paused and lifted my tear-rimmed eyes to his face. The tears spilt free. "I couldn't stop. If you hadn't come

. . . ."

He stared at me, then sighed, bowing his head. "I know." Wetting his lips with his tongue, he stepped back. "Wilson brought you some brandy. Drink some. It should weaken the urge until you can feed."

Sickened, I crossed my arms over my bare chest. "I don't want to feed."

Steel eyes snapped back to my face. "So, what, you'd rather wait until you mindlessly attack another innocent?"

Miserably, I shook my head, refusing to meet his eyes. He made an irritated sound as he bent down and grabbed the towel from where it had been abandoned on the floor. "Get dressed. We're leaving."