Love Is Fear (9 page)

“
Wait. Is he coming into my mind too?”

“
Oooh. This is the question I wanted the answer too: did he drink from you? It's relevant so answer,” Rachel said, tucking her legs under and leaning forward eagerly.

“
No.”

Rachel's eyebrows rose sky high and her cheeks hollowed out as she clucked her tongue in shock. “Not even a taste? Wow. That’s some serious restraint.”

“
He said he wanted to but was too old. He compared it to indigestion. Or maybe I did. What does that mean?”

“
Oh, look. There’s Jack.” Rachel said, with an odd note in her voice. Anticipation and something… dark, but Val couldn’t have said what. “You know, Marion swore that if she'd known how cute he'd be, she would have kept him. I always thought she said it just to piss me off. Now I'm not so sure.”

Jack was a long ways away, coming up a cut rock path from the restaurant down the beach. Men in hotel uniforms were lighting tiki lights
, 
while little kids were being hustled back to their rooms by sunburned parents.

They both watched Jack walk for a moment, his tall, graceful form eating up the distance before him. Rachel shifted her chair, moving it into the shadows so that if he looked up he wouldn't see her.

“
So, before I leave here. Anything you want me to pass on?” Rachel asked.

“
Well, he's okay, right? I almost drowned and I thought he was there. It was like he died, too.” She imagined it again—him dead, floating away from her and she couldn’t help him. Couldn’t save him. She blinked tears from her eyes.

Rachel worried her lip, a dainty, pearly white fang visible. “Look, Lucas is old. He disappears and kind of retreats. When you saw him last you were in his mind. Not with him physically. He's been gone a lot lately. Physically present, but mentally...hibernating? I don't know. It's kind of taboo. Everyone knows about it but doesn't really want to talk about it. I guess it's a bit worrying or something.”

“
Does it have a name? Is it a condition or illness?”

Rachel shrugged, “We don't talk about it so how the hell can it have a name? Pay attention.”

“
People don't like to talk about death but it has a name,” Val said sharply.

Rachel huffed and waved her hand around airily. “I guess the people you hang out with don't talk about it, but man death is
all
 I talk about. My death, Marion's death, your death, Lucas' death. The Fey, the wolves...dead, dead, dead.”

“
What about the wolves and the Fey? Roanoke, when is he going?”

Rachel stood and brushed at her pants absently, taking a long moment like she was deciding what she wanted to say. “I think he's going to wait a little longer for you.”

Valerie shook her head emphatically, “No, I'm not helping him anymore. He knows that.”

“
Look, I could really go either way on you, but I'll do you a favor here, so listen up— you don't fuck with vampires. Don't think you are a step ahead of them. You will never outsmart them, nor will you survive them. You're a distraction, a means to an end, an object, maybe even a cherished one, but there is always an agenda. Lucas has big game afoot and he needs you to pull it off. He’s going to find a way to make sure you help him. See you soon. Get a tan for me.”

And with a snap of her fingers, she was gone.

Chapter 
9

Jack waited for the elevator, staring fixedly at the orange light on the up button. What the hell was he going to do about Val? She'd almost died. And then she’d called for Lucas like that fucker was oxygen. As though Lucas was her entire world. Would she die for him?

He remembered. Waiting in her hotel room for her to show up, the slow build-up of panic as he wondered where the hell she was. He’d seen Lucas before. Once. When his parents had died. He’d been there, at his parents’ hotel before Marion killed everyone.

To see Lucas again, his body wrapped around Valerie protectively and...casually. As though he'd held her before and would do so again. The tension between them had been there. Heavy and hot.

“
Penny for your thoughts.” The words were sultry, right next to his ear, raising every hair on the back of his neck. He knew that voice. His heart kicked out a staccato rhythm. His hand fisted, like he was gripping a stake.

“
Why are you here, Rachel?” A rough growl, a threat of violence leaking out.

The elevator chirped and opened, but he stood there frozen, waiting for her to respond. She sauntered past him, her arm brushing his as she went into the elevator, leaning against the brass rail as if she’d wait all night for him. She was like a cat: she appeared calm but if she'd had a tail it would be swishing.

He met her gaze, warm and knowing. He felt it reach through him, like a hand around his shaft. The day would come and he’d kill her. On his life, he swore he’d kill her the moment he didn’t need her anymore.

She was a monster but she would play nicely with him if he wanted her too.

I don’t
.

Forcefully, he willed his body to relax
, 
and followed her into the elevator. The doors shut behind them and she reached past him, pushing the stop button so the elevator wouldn't rise or open. It was just the two of them now, trapped in the enclosed space. He moved to the opposite side, putting distance between them.

It made her smile, as if she was happy at the thought that he wanted to put space between them. As though he might not trust himself with her. This irritated him, but he didn't let it show. She could think whatever she wanted. He didn't need to stand close enough to be killed for no other reason than pride.

“
I’ve been sent on a humanitarian mission,” Rachel said.

He raised an eyebrow.

“
You’re human… I’m here…a mission. Humanitarian. No? Not funny? Yeah, you’re right. It was stupid,” she said dismissively.

He felt his jaw lock down tight, and was surprised his teeth didn’t break in half. She was always so casual with him. As if she didn’t think he could kill her. 
As if she doesn’t care.

“
I’m here to give Val some info. Lucas sent me to make sure she was alright.”

Jack felt himself stand a little straighter, come to attention. “Why wouldn’t she be?” Did Lucas know Val had almost drowned? How?

“
Because she almost drowned when you two were snorkeling.”

Fuck. 
“She called him?” Jack said.

“
No. If it makes it better she hasn’t talked to him, but if it makes it worse, she doesn’t need to. They have a telepathic connection. So he knew she was on the verge of death.”

“
Why? How?”

She made a strange expression, almost like a grimace. “Blood. His. She drank a lot of it a while back.”

Her words overwhelmed him, made him want to give up and just slink to the ground in defeat. How the fuck could he save her or help her when this was going on? Why hadn’t she told him?

“
What’s he want with her?” he croaked, trying to keep the pain and betrayal locked tight.

“
Why are you asking me? Go ask your girlfriend.”

He bit back the automatic response—
she’s not my girlfriend
.

Rachel gave a slow nod as she looked down at the ground, saying softly. “You can’t trust her? You can sleep with her but you know she’s lying to you. Letting you inside her body but not her heart.”

“
I have her heart,” he growled.

“
You have half her heart and none of her thoughts. You’re asking me instead of her.”

Jack rushed her and she didn’t move out of the way or defend herself. It was the total opposite. She went limp so that as he reached her and pushed her back, her body was close to his, like they were dancing. Just for the barest moment.

Her back hit the wall of the elevator and he crowded in close to her, fuelled by anger. So close. Even closer. He saw her eyes widen, didn’t flatter himself enough to think it was fear.

“
Because you’ll tell me. Why is that? Could you kill me? Do you want to? Tell me the truth!” He shook her like a rag-doll. “Look at me when you tell me,” he said savagely, dragging her closer, holding her tighter with each word.

She struggled a little, voice breathy. “I could kill you. I could hurt you and I’d enjoy it.” She stopped struggling but her voice was ragged. “Don’t get distracted. You’ve got enough girl problems. Lucas wants to find the Fey and he needs Valerie to go with him.”

“
Why?” What could he do to make her answer him?

For a moment, he thought he saw some expression cross her face, like sadness or regret, sorrow, then it was gone. 
A trick.

“
You need to talk to her,” Rachel said.

“
Fine,” he said, rapidly losing patience.

“
You want to know what’s going on with Lucas and Valerie, you need to see them together. You want Lucas dead, so do the Fey and the Werewolves—if they are alive. The vampires tried to kill Lucas to stop him from going after them.”

“
Why didn’t he kill you?”

“
Why does everyone assume Lucas will kill me? I am
really
 charming.”

Jack couldn’t help but laugh. “Sweetheart, I'll be damned if your charm is enough to keep you alive.”

She pouted and took a step closer to him. He wanted to throw his hands out, keep her back. “I can be very charming. I can be sweet too,” she said, purring the words and it raised the hair on his arms. “Or cruel. Innocent. Damaged. All you have to do is tell me. Tell me what you want me to be and let's see if I can do it. Do you want to know what Marion liked me to be? 
Everything
. I was her mother, her daughter, her lover, her keeper, her abuser. I should have won a fucking golden globe I was so good.”

“
I don't care what you were to her. Why are you here?” Everything was imploding around him.

“
Lucas sent me. Obviously.”

“
I want him to stay away from Valerie.”

“
I want a tan, doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. He wants her bad. He's going to have her, Jack. Don't force him to kill you. He will. Right now, he's being indulgent. He's letting her have her freedom because he thinks she'll choose him.”

“
Is he stupid? She's loved me her whole life. He will never have her.” He needed to hit something. Wanted to hit her to shut her up. 
Hit her. Do it. You’ll feel better and she’ll probably like it. It’s not like you can hurt her.

Rachel's smile was almost sad. “Jack—”

“
No! Don't pretend you're good
, 
or trying to help me. You take me for a fool? If Marion was evil, you're the one who’s fucked up enough to love her. You encouraged her and helped her survive. She was a one note monstrous bitch. I don't know what the hell you are. But maybe when I sink a stake into you, I'll figure it out.”

Rachel stood straighter, her back rigid, a tight smile on her face. She came close to him, pushing her body forward so that a bare millimeter separated them. 
Don’t hit her. Don’t flinch.

“
Hold up Casanova. Why threaten me? I’ve been good to you, haven’t I? I don’t have to be. I don’t have to help you at all. In fact, if you’re not nice to me I could make things really, really…
hard
 for you, Jack. Think about that when you’re with her.”

“
I will hurt you if you don’t go right now.”

He could smell her perfume, see the flecks of glitter in her lip-gloss because she was so close. She whispered, but it was loud enough, “You’ll hurt me, Jackie? Go back upstairs and take her wrists in your hands, put them above her head and hold her down tight. Take her hard, Jack. So hard that you don't see anything else but her. And she'll be with you all the way, fucking you just as hard, giving in, desperate to see you when all she's seeing is—”

He snarled at her and struck out, his hand a fist. She let him hit her, the punch throwing her backwards so that blood dribbled down her chin and onto her silky top.

She dabbed her lip carefully. “Feel better? Keep practicing or you'll never get that thing into me.” She pushed the button and the doors opened. Sauntering out, she turned and looked at him, a rakish smile on her slightly swollen lip. The bleeding had stopped and it was almost healed already, “You won't stake me either.”

Jack was frozen in murderous desire.

“
This was fun. Have a great trip,” she said and gave him a pinky wave, her blood shiny and wet on her finger as the doors closed behind her.

Chapter 
10

Jack walked back to the hotel room wearily. His encounter with Rachel hadn't pumped him up or left him feeling like he needed a fight, it had exhausted him.