Hyde, an Urban Fantasy (42 page)

What had Chastity done to make him look like that? “What did she do?”

Mitch shook his head from side to side slowly. “She didn’t show.”

“What do you mean?” She looked down. She was still dressed in Mitch’s clothes.

“Can’t you tell? You finally got some sleep.”

It was true—she
did
feel rested, but that meant . . . “It worked! The sex worked!” She jumped off the bed and bounced to the steel door. “How long do you think it will last?”

He pushed himself off the chair and semi-staggered over to unlock the cage. “I have no idea. I’m not even sure it was the”—he swallowed—“sex.”

As soon as the lock was opened, she threw herself at him, giggling and absolutely unwilling to let his moody drunkenness ruin the good news. “Why’d you drink so much?”

Dang it. Being face-to-face, inches from his lips, was a stupid position to put herself into. But she couldn’t seem to move away. His heart was hammering against her breasts. Or it could have just been the echo of hers. They stayed stuck together, searching each other’s eyes, waiting to see which one would say something, who would move first.

He did. By unwrapping her arms from his neck and stepping backwards silently.

“I’ll go . . .”
Home to cry.
She bowed her head and walked past him, careful not to brush against him. It took everything in her not to throw herself at him again or start spewing words of love and emoting all over him.
Grow up, Eden.
Did you really expect him to start installing the picket fence?

“When will you be back?” His voice was flat, clipped almost.

She stopped, didn’t turn. “I don’t know. I don’t know when she’ll come, so . . .” She couldn’t ask. Couldn’t offer herself up for more rejection.

“Tonight. Every ni— Oh!” He collapsed to his knees, grabbing his stomach.

She knew he’d had a lot to drink, but not that much. He was obviously paying for it. “Do you want some water or aspirin or something?”

“It’s him, Eden. It’s Hyde.” He groaned, rolling onto his side with his eyes clenched shut, his chest convulsing as he fought for breath. “Get Jolie.”

She ran to him and slipped her hand under his head. “Tell me what I can do.”

“Get Jolie and get out.” Anger mixed with the pain in his eyes. “I don’t want you here,” he said through gritted teeth. His words were like cement being poured around her heart. All he had to do was blow it dry and toss it into the ocean.

 “Where’s your phone?” she asked solemnly.

“Bedroom. Hurry.”

That he still didn’t trust her enough to want her help was like the lash of a belt. It made her feel even more pathetic for relying on him so much. But she’d dwell on that later.

She found the phone on his bed and went through the contacts to find Jolie’s number. She saw her own name with a star next to it, right on the top of the list.
Probably an accident.
Jolie’s was the second.

An angry voice answered. “I’m not talking to you.”

“Jolie, it’s me. Eden.” Before Jolie could start in on her, she started explaining. “He needs you. Hyde’s coming. You have to come over now.”

“No. You’re there. You take care of him.”

“He doesn’t want me, Jolie.” She swallowed, readying the admission to a woman who would eat it up smiling. “He wants
you
. I’m supposed to call you and then leave.” Eden imagined Jolie sitting up straighter in her chair, suddenly interested in hearing more.

“You’re leaving?”

“After you get here, yes.” And do what? Go to a movie? Get her nails done, knowing that the man she loves is being well-taken care of by another woman, one who he actually trusts and wants beside him. What in the world could distract her from that?

“I’m on my way,” Jolie said. “He’s really turning in the daytime?”

“Seems so. He’s never done that before?”

“Not that I know of. His transformation isn’t even due for another few weeks, so who knows what’s going on. It’s your fault, you know.”

This wasn’t the time to fight. Maybe later, when Mitch was okay. Or maybe never, when Eden was no longer a presence in his life.

“How long until you get here, Jolie?”

“Five minutes. Maybe ten, depending on traffic. So you can start packing your stuff up now.”

Eden could hear the smile in the other woman’s voice, like a cat with a milk mustache. “Not much to pack. But thanks.” She wanted to throw the phone at the wall, smash it into little bits. Instead she ran down the hall to Hyde’s room, hearing Mitch’s groans get louder.

He was standing, barely, staggering into the cage.

“She’s on her way.” She went to him cautiously and took his arm, guiding him to the mattress.

“Help me get the straps out. Quick. I don’t know how long we have.”

Eden knelt between his legs and reached her hand underneath the foot of the bed and felt around. When her fingers touched metal, she yanked down. One. Two. Then the top corners.

“Put the cuffs on me. Then get out of here.” When she didn’t move, he said, “Please, Eden! For God’s sake! This is different. I don’t know what is going to happen. You need to strap me in and then leave.”

Her hands shook as she closed each cuff. “I don’t want to go.”

“I don’t want you to be here when
he
is.” His eyes begged her to listen. “Don’t want you to see me like that again. Not after—”

With all four limbs bound, his body writhed on the bed helplessly, painfully. “Eden, please listen to me. Hyde is dangerous. I need to stay in the cage. I can’t—” His words were broken apart by a groan and a spasm that contracted the muscles in his neck and torso. “You have to call Carter and have him help you tonight, lock you up in case Chastity comes, too.”

Eden nodded, agreeing without thinking.

“If you don’t do it, I will.”

“Okay, I’ll call him. You just . . . take care of yourself.” She leaned over him, her body reacting without thought, and kissed him.

He flinched briefly, and then met her lips with a shudder. Way before she was ready to let go of him, he turned his head, tearing his mouth from hers. “You need to leave before I transform, and you end up kissing him.”

That thought broke through her need for him, allowing her to regain control and put space between them.

He seemed calmer, the painful contractions of his body slowing. “It was a nice try, but I think that’s what’s bringing him out early.”

“No, I don’t believe that.” Eden watched him struggle for a long time, his mouth moving as he counted his breaths with his eyes closed, going into himself and further away from her.

Jolie appeared at the door, glaring at her. “All packed up, dear?” She’d gotten there fast.

Eden glanced one last time at Mitch. “Please call me.” She stepped out of the cage. “Jolie, please make sure he calls me as soon as he’s . . . himself.” Without waiting for a response she may or may
not
have gotten, she left.

Concentrating on slowing his breath, doing some messed-up, desperate kind of yoga, Mitch felt himself winning, gaining control over Hyde, pushing the bastard back into his ever-ready attack position.
How long will it last?

Jolie approached the cage and peered in. “Jesus, Mitchell, you look like shit. When’s the last time you ate?”

“Not sure.”

“Well, did you have the soup I left for you?”

“It was delicious.”

“Good. Do you want more? I could pour it down your throat.”

He heard the venom in her voice, but didn’t say anything. They both knew how dependent he was on her at this point, so he’d accept the verbal punishment.

“Maybe later, thank you, Jolie.”

 “You’re . . . welcome.” She paused. “Seriously, Mitchell, are you doing okay?”

He didn’t look at her. “Am I forgiven?”

She humphed. “That depends on your answers to my questions.”

“How many?”

“Does it matter?”

“Maybe. Was that number one?”

“Don’t be so goddamned difficult.” She sighed. “Did you really ask her to leave?”

He stared at the ceiling. “Yes.”

“Will you be playing house anymore?”

“No.”

“By whose choice?”

He tried to avoid a pause in his answer, not sure which of them he wanted to convince more. “Both. Both of us decided it would be best.”
For her. It would be best for her.
He wanted Eden out of his thoughts. But the fucking stubbornness of his own mind was keeping her front-and-center.

“So it was just sex?” Jolie asked.

“For one of us, yes.”

She laughed. “Poor girl. You’ve ruined her for other men. I wish I could have seen her face when you let her down easy. Wait, you didn’t let her down
too
easy, did you?”

“Don’t want to talk about it.” He readjusted his arms, shaking them to keep the blood flowing. “She’s a nice girl. I didn’t want to hurt her.”
Did I? Did I hurt her?

“So things go back to the way they were?”

“No.”

“What does that mean?” she growled.

If he turned his head to look at her, he knew she’d be white knuckling the bars—he heard it reflected in her voice. “It means I may need a favor.”

“You’re already asking for favors? I haven’t even forgiven you yet, and, in case you haven’t noticed, you’re kind of at my mercy right now. It’s a particularly bad bargaining position, literally and figuratively.”

“Eden once told me the reason she didn’t lie was because she could never believe anything anyone said if she wasn’t being honest with them.”

“Eden’s a moron.”

He stiffened. “No, she’s naive. Totally different. But right now, I think you might want to show a little respect because her naivety is about to make me try something I’m really bad at.”

“I’m listening.”

He took a breath. If Eden called Carter like she’d promised to, then all this was for naught. But if her pride got in the way and she decided
this
was the moment to prove her independence, then telling Jolie might be the only way to help her. He would not let anything happen to Eden. Ever. Regardless of how she felt about him.

“Eden needs my help, but I can’t. She needs Carter’s help, but she may be too stubborn to ask. If that happens, she’ll need yours.”

“I would rather swallow glass.”

“I need you to help me do something I can’t do, Jolie. I’ve been a bastard to you and you never deserved any of it. You’ve always done what I demanded or ordered. Now I’m
asking
. Once it’s done, then we figure out what happens next.”

“What happens for . . .” Her voice floated up as if asking a question. “What do I do?”

“Get me my phone and uncuff one of my arms. Then step out of the room until I’m done.” He wouldn’t tell Jolie unless absolutely necessary. He’d meant it when he’d said it was Eden’s secret to tell. Unless her safety was at risk. Then all bets were off and he’d do what he had to.

“Golly, thanks. Sounds like everything has changed.” Sarcasm chilled the air. Didn’t affect Mitch though—he was too used to hearing it come out of his own mouth. “I am at your beck and call and you tell me nothing,” she said.

“For now, Jolie. Only for now. I need to focus on this before Hyde appears and I no longer have a choice.”

“You seem fine.”

“I know. That’s what worries me. He hit me hard and fast a bit ago and now he’s gone.”
Mostly
. “But I can’t trust it.” Damn it, saying it aloud made it real. What if he would never be able to let himself roam free again? Always wondering when Hyde would strike? Mitch would be in a self-imposed house arrest, never venturing farther from the cage than he could stagger back if need be.