Three Worlds 01 - Seduce Me In Dreams (42 page)

“I‟m sorry, Jacob, I really am,” he said at last. Kane felt utter shame washing over him as he appreciated the position he had put his beloved sibling in. It actually surprised him that he hadn‟t thought of the consequences of his actions and how they would affect Jacob sooner than this. He shot an acidic glare up at the Samhain moon and knew that was where the blame belonged. Kane‟s throat closed with the sharp sense of remorse that knifed through him.

It was as overpowering as the dread that was welling up within him. He‟d betrayed the sanctity of their laws, and there was punishment for that. A punishment that made an entire species catch their breath and back away whenever the Enforcer entered the vicinity. Kane could suddenly feel the weight of Jacob‟s position, and it sharpened his regret to a point of pain in his chest.

“You will send this woman home safely by reuniting her with her escort and making sure she remembers nothing of your misbehavior,” Jacob instructed softly. “Then you will go home.

Your punishment will come later.”

“But I didn‟t do anything,” Kane protested, a swift rise of inescapable fear fueling the objection.

“You would have, Kane. Do not make this worse by lying to yourself about that. You will only convince yourself that I am the villain others like to make me out to be. That will only cause us both pain.”

Kane realized that truth with another upsurge of guilt. Sighing resolutely, he closed his eyes and concentrated for all of a second. Moments later, the redhead‟s escort loped back across the street with a smile and a call to her.

“Hey! Where‟d ya go? I turned the corner and suddenly you weren‟t there!”

“I‟m sorry. I was distracted by something and didn‟t realize you‟d gone, Charlie.”

Charlie linked his arm with his date‟s and, completely oblivious of the two Demons barely a breath away, drew her off, chattering incessantly about that ridiculous movie he was so damn excited about. It grated up Kane‟s spine to hear it, it set off a screaming sensation in his blood to allow her to walk away from him. But what else could he do? They were forbidden and Jacob would fight him if he tried to do otherwise. Sweet Destiny, fight with the Enforcer? Even Gideon the Ancient had not been able to come out a winner against Kane‟s powerful brother.

“Good,” Jacob commended Kane, unaware of how the fledgling had to struggle to stay where he was, to let her go into a dangerous night and a ridiculous date where she wouldn‟t be even slightly appreciated for the wonder that she was.

Kane sighed. Nothing about this felt good. Not the position he was currently in, and certainly not turning her back over to that inept buffoon who knew nothing of how precious she was … of how exquisitely, painfully she was capable of making a male feel just by her very presence in the room.

“She‟s so beautiful. Did you see that smile? All I could think about was how much I wanted her to smile when …” Kane flushed as he looked at the Enforcer. He had not intended to speak aloud. He had not wanted to confess so much to his brother. Nothing would change the inevitability of the consequences to come, but there was a sanctity to what he felt for his redheaded human torturer. It was private. Nothing to be shared with others. “I never thought this would happen to me, Jacob. You have to believe that.”

When it came down to it, Kane didn‟t want Jacob to think he had purposely brought them to this pass. He loved his brother.

“I do.” Jacob hesitated for a moment, for the first time making it obvious to Kane that this had been a terrible struggle for him, no matter how well he projected otherwise. “Do not worry, Kane. I know who you really are. I know that this curse is hard for us to fight. Now,” he said, his tone back to business, “please return home. You will find Abram there awaiting you.”

This time, Kane brushed away the welling trepidation within himself. He did this for Jacob‟s sake, knowing how deeply this cut the Elder Demon, even though the Enforcer‟s thoughts were too carefully guarded for Kane to read. “You do your duty as you would with anyone. I understand that, Jacob.”

Kane then gave the Enforcer a short nod of kinship. After glancing around to make sure they were unobserved, he exploded into a burst of sulfur and smoke as he teleported away.

It took everything … every fiber of control he could muster, not to stray from the course Jacob had demanded of him.