Eliana (10 page)

“You’d be a good one.” Kind, thoughtful and caring—and entirely willing to take out anyone who hurt those he loved. She could have used someone like him. Unwilling to dwell on the past, she asked, “Have you slept with women before?”

From the long pause, the change of subject must have surprised him, but he answered willingly enough. “Yeah. A few times. Kon and I have what you might call an open relationship. We’re devoted to each other, but if the need arises, we’ll sleep with someone else.”

She wondered what that meant but had the idea he was being vague for a reason. Without quite knowing where the request came from, she asked, “Will you kiss me like you did Kon?”

Dane’s mouth quirked at the corner, but she couldn’t tell if he was amused or offended.

Then his hand cupped the back of her head, tilting her slightly as he placed his mouth atop hers.

His lips were soft and light, so unlike her stepfather that she relaxed completely. Dane parted her mouth with his tongue, and she tasted him—and what remained of Kon’s essence. A thrill of excitement twisted in her groin.

He drew back, giving her the full effect of that intense half-lidded gaze. “How was that?”

“Better than I expected.”

“Want me to do it again?”

“What else can you do?”

Grinning, he toyed with the top button on her shirt. “Can I show you?”

She ought to kick him out, right now, and tell him to stay the hell away from her, but she craved that love and connection she’d seen between him and Kon. It gave her the hope that good sex was possible and that one of her fairy tales could come true, and she didn’t want to spend the rest of her life afraid of men. “All right. Just don’t pin me down, tie me up, or beat me.”

“I won’t. Only feel good stuff. Scout’s honor.” He raised two fingers as a pledge.

Hell. If only all men could be this considerate
. “Do you want to do this? I’m not a man.”

Dane shrugged. “Men turn me on. Their bodies, their scent, the energy I receive from having them willingly helpless at my feet. I don’t get the same rise from a woman, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to make sure she enjoys herself. Besides, I
like
making people feel better, be they male, female, or in between.”

“You’re doing a good job.”

“Thanks.”

She fingered her shirt, popping the first button through the hole. Dane took over, his hands as gentle with her as they were forceful with Kon. Once her chest was bared, he slipped the shirt from her shoulders. Goose pimples rose on her skin at the sudden chill. His hands were warm as he began first with a massage, sliding up and down her arms before moving over to rub her chest and ribs.

Dane, like Kon, seemed to have an uncanny way of knowing what she did or didn’t want. He didn’t touch her breasts but kissed between and around them. Neither did he venture below her waist. She would have put up with either, but she didn’t want to. Not yet, anyway.

She loved the way Dane gave her his complete focus and attention. His sharp masculine scent pricked her nostrils and eroticized rather than revolted her.

Kon’s a lucky son of a bitch
. She twisted to shift her position so she could lie down with Dane beside her. Pain streaked through her hip. ”Damn it.”

Dane’s intensity melted into concern. “I think that’s enough for now. Dealing with injuries is Kon’s department.”

“He’s good at it. I saw him on TV.” Although she enjoyed the closeness with Dane, the thought of having Kon nearby elicited a deeper, different need.

“He hates looking at himself.”

“Why? He’s gorgeous.”

Dane leaned over to kiss her forehead. “Don’t tell him that. Ever. He’s touchy about his appearance.”

She wondered why, but the edge to Dane’s voice kept her silent. Thinking of Kon’s disappointment when she’d mentioned his appearance made her recall the whistles and catcalls she got at home.
If I’d been ugly, maybe my stepfather wouldn’t have—

No. She wouldn’t go there.

“What’s wrong?” He pulled the comforter over her shoulders.

“Don’t leave.” Inwardly, she cursed her sudden weakness. She’d be fine alone. She just…didn’t want to be. For a little while, she wanted to pretend he was the big brother she never had.

“I won’t.” He carefully arranged her on her left side and spooned behind her. His embrace was different than Kon’s. Fiercely protective. More masculine. She relaxed into him, grieving she’d never felt such safety as a child.

Chapter Eleven

Shoulder to the adjoining door, Kon eavesdropped as Dane spoke with Eliana. Despite the languor left in his body, his cock strengthened again as he remembered how warm her body had been against his. Jealousy spiked, knowing it was Dane with her, holding her, pleasing her…

Kon hurried to the bathroom to splash some cold water on his face. Going after her in the bus station had been a mistake. Taking her to South Dakota was a bigger one. He should have just given her money and watched her leave… Except he couldn’t. Since he first saw her scrabbling on the ground, ready to defend herself with bare hands, she’d latched on to his heart and hadn’t let go. It had been like this with Valerie, but she’d already been an experienced Dominant.

A knot gathered in his stomach. His conscience told him to leave Eliana alone and let her become what she was meant to be without being pushed—yet his body recognized in her the dominance he craved. Dane possessed the trait as well, but Eliana was raw, her talents untapped, her mind unfettered by the rules the Wardens would lay on her. Not that he’d ever forgo the basics—safe, sane, and consensual—but she wouldn’t have any preconceptions about what a Domme was or wasn’t supposed to do.

And he
wanted
her.

“It won’t work. It can’t,” he told his reflection. He doused his face with water again in a vain attempt to convince his body to behave. Then he unzipped the bottom compartment of his toiletry bag and pulled out a vial and syringe. Since Dane was occupied, it was a good time for his daily dose.

The needle stung. By now he knew not to expect anything to happen, but he couldn’t help but be disappointed. Sighing, he wandered back out and put his ear against the adjoining door. Silence.

Time to have a chat with his Ward.

* * * *

“Dane.”

Dane startled awake, disoriented. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. The street lights came in through the crack in the curtain, illuminating Kon as he loomed over them, angel face taut with a frown. “Howdy, handsome.”

“I want to talk to you.” Kon jerked his head toward their room, gaze averted from Eliana.

Eliana yawned and stretched. “Something wrong?”

“Dane. Now, please.”

“But I was all nice and warm and comfy.” Dane glanced at Eliana. The sheet had fallen back to expose one plump breast.

“Dane.” Kon’s tone was low and deadly.

Shit. I’m in trouble now
. Muttering, Dane flicked the covers aside and staggered toward the next room.

As soon as the door was closed, Kon let his fury vent. “What the hell were you thinking?”

Dane blinked. “Pardon?”

“Eliana. What the hell was going through your head? She’s
nineteen
. You have no idea what she’s been through.”

“I get it.” Dane flopped down onto the bed and yawned. “You’re pissed because I slept with her first.”

“I’m pissed because you slept with her at all.”

“We didn’t have sex, you know. We just talked and cuddled a bit.”

“I don’t care how far it went. What if your demon came out?”

“What if it did?” Dane sat up. He was sick to death of these sorts of projections. There was no reason Kon had to bring it up
again
, especially when Dane had been so careful.

“It’s dangerous. You could have killed her.”

“Fuck you.” Dane rose and shoved Kon backward. “Hypocrite. Do you seriously think I would take anyone against their will? Do you not trust me to keep my demon under control, especially after I just fed?” He pushed again, this time with more force. Kon stumbled into the wall. “You Wardens. Always so damn sure we cambions can’t control ourselves without you watching our every move. Don’t you think I saw her scars? I can’t read minds or memories like you do, but I can sense energy as well as you can. I know where she hurts. I know how not to hurt her more. Besides, she’s the one who asked me to kiss her.” He swiveled around, hands high in a gesture of frustration. “Damn it, Kon. I love you, but you can be a fucking bastard.”

“I
am
a bastard.”

There it was, that dark-natured verbal swipe at himself and one of the few things Dane disliked about him. “You’re only acting like a prude because of the girl. Peacock. Strutting about and acting like a manly man when all she wants is to see you naked and on your knees.”

That
shut him up, but some sort of inner agony lingered.

Dane went to the fridge and grabbed a can of beer. He popped it open and took a long swallow. “What’s wrong? Ever since Evan gave you that file, you haven’t been yourself.” Not that he could blame Kon for being depressed after reading so many devastating things about his father.

Kon flinched, a rarity even when Dane meant to strike him.

“I don’t care what you came from or what your father did. Be yourself. Be the man I love.” He’d said it a hundred times, but it was one of those things he knew Kon needed to hear again and again from someone he trusted.

“I’m sorry.” The words were hoarse.

Dane cupped his hand behind his ear and mimicked a deaf old man. “Eh?”

“I’m sorry, damn it! You’re right.”

“Good. Then beg forgiveness. On your knees. Nose to the wall. Don’t move until I tell you to.”

“I’m not in the mood for—”

Dane walked toward Kon, muscles flexed to enforce the idea he meant business. He leaned in and whispered harshly, “On your
knees
, boy.”

Kon sank to the ground and pressed his nose to the wall. He trembled, though from anger or shame Dane couldn’t tell.

“You’re hot for her, aren’t you?” Maybe Eliana was more than an infatuation—maybe she was exactly what Kon needed to escape from his funk.

“She’s
nineteen
. I’m going to drop her off at the enclave, and I’m going to forget about her.”

“I doubt that.” Dane grabbed an ice cube from the bucket and pressed it against the back of Kon’s neck. Kon twitched. “You know, you do delightfully well with cambions, but you suck at relationships with normal humans.”

“I do not.”

He slid the ice cube along Kon’s spine, eliciting a full-body shudder. “You spent the first half of your life in the company of a madman and the second locked up in enclaves. You have no idea how to behave around a pretty girl, especially if she doesn’t have a whip in her hand.”

“She isn’t just any pretty girl.”

“No. She’s been through hell, like you, and lost her family, like you. She’s looking for answers, like you, and she wants to be in control—unlike you.”

Kon let out a sigh. Tension dripped from his body the way melting ice sluiced down his back. “If you want me to forget about her, I will.”

Dane had to resist the temptation to bend down and lick the droplets from his skin. “No, darling. I’d love to have someone who adored you and your body as much as I do, but they have to be the
right
person.”

“Even if it’s a woman?”

Thinking about Valerie always left Dane with a sour taste in his mouth. “
Especially
if it’s a woman. I actually like Eliana. I didn’t think I would. Though if you want her to beat on your handsome body, someone is going to have to teach her how. I volunteer.”

“You can’t. You’re a…” Kon clamped his jaw shut with an audible
snap
but it was too late.

There were few things Kon could say that truly pissed Dane off but that was one of them. “Asshole.” He pulled back and watched Kon shiver. “You listen too closely to all those Warden friends of yours. Just because I have a demon inside me doesn’t mean I’m automatically a second-class citizen. Don’t you
dare
talk to me like I’m less than you.”

Dane pelted Kon with the remains of the ice cube. It bounced off Kon’s shoulder and landed on the carpet. Kon stayed where he was, hunched over and facing the wall. Dane crawled into bed and flipped the light off. “You’re sleeping on the floor.”

Chapter Twelve

Eliana tugged her coat tighter around herself and gazed at the bleak, white landscape. The place was desolate. Isolated. Nothing but snow-covered land and gray sky as far as she could see.

She took a step forward. It took her a moment to realize why it felt so strange.

Nothing hurt.

This isn’t real.

Another step, another, and real or not she turned giddy with the lack of pain. The ever-present ache in her hip was gone, and her exposed skin didn’t react to the chill that should have been there. She bent. The snow was wet and lumpy in her hand, but it wasn’t
cold.

She ran for the sheer joy of being able to use the entirety of her body once more. Freedom.

She’d traveled for a long time with no sign of the whiteness ending. Fear took hold. If this was a dream, it was a deep one;
wanting
to wake up had no effect. She had no idea where she was or why or how the hell she was going to make this stop.

Terrified, she willed herself not to cry. Nothing good ever came from tears. They’d never summoned anyone to comfort or rescue her. She was as alone now as she’d been her entire life, and she hated the thought that the rest of her life would be equally empty.

If only Kon—

As she had the thought, a shape took form against the snow. A tree, bare and black, jutted starkly from the landscape. She ran toward it.

Kon was tied to it, naked, arms following the curves of dead branches. His head sunk low against his chest, and his hair dangled so she couldn’t see if his eyes were open or not. She paused to study his body. Everything she’d imagined was right there for the taking—the lightly tanned skin, the smooth chest and legs, the cock and balls dangling between his legs.