Destiny Forgiven (Shadows of Destiny) (23 page)

_{James’s eyes crinkled around the edges as he stared at him. “I’m so sorry.”}

_{“There’s no time for regrets.” Maddox stepped toward him and gave him a somber look. “They’re coming for Sage. They won’t stop until they destroy the Underworld. It’s just like last time but more is at stake. And this time, we don’t run.”}

_{After a long moment of silence, James sighed. “All right. I’ll take you to her. You can convince her yourself. Let me get some things in order first.”}

_{“Thank you.” When James turned away, Maddox grabbed his arm. “This will work if you trust me.”}

_{“We’ve always trusted each other.” His gaze moved from Maddox’s bald head down his tattooed arms then back up to look him in the eye. “That hasn’t changed.”}

_{An overwhelming surge of appreciation filled his chest. A loving woman and a loyal best friend – he’d done nothing to deserve this.}

_{James moved from his grip. “Give me fifteen minutes.”}

_{“What about me?” Dalton asked. Maddox had forgotten the shifter was there. “I can help. Felicity’s my partner and –”}

_{“Not anymore,” Maddox growled. He felt like throwing Felicity down and placing bite marks all over her neck, marking her, telling the world she was taken.}

_{Felicity nudged him and tossed him a disapproving look. Then she addressed Dalton. “Go back to the colony and assemble a team. As soon as we get back, I’ll be in touch.”}

_{Dalton looked from her to Maddox and back again. He could almost see the wheels turning in Dalton’s head. Felicity wasn’t his partner anymore. He’d been replaced. Funny, Maddox didn’t feel a single ounce of guilt about that.}

_{Finally, the shifter nodded. “All right. Stay safe, Felicity.”}

_{“I will.” He turned to walk out the door and she added, “Thank you. For coming for me.”}

_{Dalton gave her a small smile. “Of course. You may not be my partner anymore,” he flicked his gaze to Maddox then back to Felicity, “but you’ll always be my friend.”}

_{She smiled back and he left the house. Maddox felt torn about Dalton. Having more people who cared about Felicity was a good thing, but he was jealous of the years they’d worked together. He wished he’d had that time with her. Yes, they’d had an entire childhood together, but they were barely grown-ups when they’d been forced apart. Now he had to learn this version of Felicity – not a girl, but a woman.}

_{“Is there a bathroom we could use?” Felicity asked James as he put on a dark trench coat and headed for the door.}

_{“Upstairs. There’s a spare bedroom too if you want to get changed or anything.”}

_{She nodded and James left.}

_Alone.

_{They hadn’t been alone since the night he’d tied her to the bed and made her come while she babbled about their past. The night he’d broken free from his father’s hold on him. He wished they had longer than fifteen minutes alone. When they were done with this task, he’d like to take her somewhere private and spend every waking moment with her, learning her, holding her, loving her. But when they were done with this task, there’d be another. And another.}

_{Sighing, he motioned for the stairs. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”}

_{They steered around pieces of broken floor and upturned furniture. In the bathroom, he guided her to the counter and turned on the light.}

_{“Am I still bleeding?” She pulled the blood-soaked tissue away from the gash under her chin.}

_{He winced at her red-stained skin then turned the water on. “I don’t think so.”}

_{She started to turn toward the mirror but he stopped her with hands on her shoulders. “No.” If she saw how bloody her neck looked, she’d panic, even though both cuts seemed superficial.}

_{Felicity rolled her eyes. “I’m a big girl, Maddox. I can handle it.”}

_{He smiled. “Okay, little rebel. But let me clean you up first.”}

_{With a sigh, she tossed him a towel from the hanger to the right. “Here. Try to be gentle. It stings.”}

_{“Of course, love.” He wet the towel with warm water then dabbed it gently around the neck wound, wiping the blood away to expose her creamy skin. Just a few nights ago, he’d kissed there, licked there. It didn’t seem right that now he was cleaning her blood – blood spilled for him. Regret washed over him. He’d sent her on this task. It was his fault. Maybe he should’ve told her to stay in the colony, where it was safe.}

_{“Don’t think like that.” Felicity’s voice drew him from his thoughts.}

_“Hmm?”

_{“You have that look on your face.”}

_{“What look?” He rinsed the towel in the sink.}

_{“That agonized look that says you regret something.”}

_{Was she a
mind reader? “I was wondering if you’d have been safer staying in the colony.”}

_{“Probably, but that’s not how I work.”}

_{He pressed the towel to the gash under her chin and held it firmly. She hissed in a breath.}

_{Leaning in, he tried to distract her with his lips hovering over hers. “My brave girl,” he whispered against her.}

_{To his pleasure, she closed the few inches between them and their lips touched. She tasted like summer air and memories flooded him. Skipping rocks, laughing, always lots of laughing, wrestling matches that ended in long makeout sessions. Starry skies and flashlight tag. Wetness leaked from the corners of his eyes. He was still grieving for time lost – time he’d wasted in that hellhole when he could’ve been making more memories with her.}

_{Felicity parted her lips and he slipped his tongue in. He dropped the towel and wrapped one hand possessively around the back of her slender neck, the other
resting gently on her cheek. She felt so small in his grasp, and entirely his. Satisfaction welled up inside him and he kissed her harder.}

_{Her arms slid around his neck and she pulled him close, kissing him back just as eagerly. The small moan against his lips made him instantly hard. Flashes of when he’d tied her to his bed and tortured her till she came again and again
shot straight to his cock.}

_{The door downstairs slammed and they broke apart. James must’ve returned. Damn him.}

_{Felicity looked up at him, eyes glittering with desire, making him want to throw her against the wall and fuck her senseless. “I missed you,” she whispered.}

_{He exhaled loudly, willing his erection to get under control. “I missed you too, sweet girl. And I’m not looking forward to leaving you again in a couple days.”}

_{“I know. But once this task is over, we won’t have to separate again.” A smirk turned her expression mischievous. “That’s if you’ll have me as your partner. I could go back to Dalton, I suppose.”}

_{“Don’t even think about it,” he threatened. With
a firm hand, he gripped the back of her neck again. “Mine.”}

_{Her eyelids fell half-closed and she melted against him. So she liked it rough? She liked being his?}

_{“Understand, Felicity? Mine.”}

_{Breathing heav
ily, she looked into his eyes, distant but aware, all trust and love. “Yes. I’m yours.”}

_{He grinned, proud to own such a beautiful, intelligent woman. Whatever he’d done in his old life to win her affection must have been extraordinary. He wished he could live up to it. Though it was selfish, even if he couldn’t live up to who he’d been, he wouldn’t let her go. Not his salvation. She would always be his tie to sanity.}

_{J
ames’s jeep handled the windy seaside cliff roads brilliantly and the four-hour trip to the Underworld gate only took two. Felicity had never been there but she’d heard stories. Mostly stories of men who’d sought refuge in the Underworld then were never heard from again. Not for the first time, she shivered.}

_{The Underworld was a dangerous place for mortals. It contained supernatural criminals of the vilest kind.
Demons that could control minds, vampires that fed too much Topside, and more. She looked at the huge body shoved in next to her in the back seat of the jeep. Maddox stared out the window, looking lost in his thoughts. She placed a hand on his knee.}

_{“What’s wrong?”}

_{After a brief glance at her, he turned back to the window. “I’m worried.”}

_{“About what?”}

_{He didn’t answer for a long moment. “Losing you.”}

_{“You want me to stay behind,” she said rather than asked.}

_{Looking at her, he nodded. “Yes. Would you?”}

_{She chuckled. “No.” While she understood his desire to protect her, he’d have to figure out a way to move past it. She’d never be the stay behind for safety type. “You taught me how to fight, you know. The basics at least. Then I learned more as I worked in the rebellion. But the fundamentals were from you. Don’t you trust your teaching?”}

_{“No.” He scowled at the car seat in front of him. “I don’t trust anything when it comes to your safety.”}

_{He looked like such a big angry child she had to laugh. When he turned his scowl on her, she kissed his shoulder. “You’ll get used to it. Wait till you see me in action. You might be surprised.”}

_{“What’s your predator form? I saw hints of it when you almost escaped before we put the second band on.”}

_{“A lynx.” When they’d separated years ago, she was still deciding what form felt most comfortable.}

_{He grunted and shifted in his seat, looking displeased.}

_{“What’s wrong with a lynx?”}

_{“Too small,” he grumbled.}

_{“Yes but they’re fast and nimble. They’re great climbers too. Besides, I can shift into almost anything on the first try. I’m the fastest in the whole colony.”}

_{“Really?” He nodded as if impressed.}

_{“I got to Caerwyn as a finch.”}

_{He finally cracked a smile. “Good. Then you can go to the Underworld in my pocket.”}

_{She looked at him, horrified. “No!” How humiliating. She was one of the best leaders in the rebellion. No fucking way would she be demoted to sitting passively in his pocket, or maybe on his shoulder, singing
Zippity fucking Doo Dah like she was the silly animal sidekick in some Disney movie.}

_{With a sigh, he rubbed his
clean-shaven head. Shouldn’t his hair start growing back soon? She couldn’t wait to see him with a full head of hair, the way she remembered him eight years ago. Floppy brown hair and a big grin. She’d have to work on the grin part too.}

_{“Here we are,” James said from the front seat. The jeep stopped in front of an old stone church. James hopped out and she and Maddox followed.}

_{Around the back of the church, they stood in front of a wall covered in ivy. When James brushed the ivy aside, the gray stone blurred. A hazy oval-shaped door appeared.}

_{James turned and looked at them. “Ready?”}

_{She sucked in a deep breath. Ready to step through a portal to a dimension filled with supernatural criminals of the most evil kind? Sure. Maybe she should whistle Zippity Doo Dah as they went.}

_{Before they could take that first step, a strange wind whipped across her face, making goose
bumps rise up on her arms. The back of her neck tingled. Danger lurked, she could feel it in her bones. Maddox wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side. He must have felt it too. They all spun away from the door and scanned the grassy field surrounding the church.}

_{James heaved a sigh as a billow of black smoke appeared just in front of them. “Fuck,” he whispered.}