Fear the Darkness

Yannah flashed her pointed teeth. “You’ll get no argument from me.”

He ignored the insult. “She had to get past the hexes.”

The demon blinked in confusion. “What hexes?”

“The ones I had placed around my lair.”

“You were holding her prisoner?”

His brow furrowed in outrage. “No, I damned well was not holding her prisoner. I was trying to protect her. In case you haven’t noticed she has more than a few demons desperate to get their hands on her.”

“I’m all too aware of her danger. Which is why you must find her.” The demon poked a finger into his belly. “Soon.”

Caine froze in fear, detecting the worry that Yannah was attempting to disguise. “You know something,” he accused. “What is it?”

“I only sense that she’s being hunted.” She gave him another poke. “Think, Caine. Where did she go?”

“Dammit, I don’t know,” he roared.

Pacing in a tight circle, he wracked his mind for any clue he might have overlooked. Cassie rarely spoke of the future. Who could blame her? Her visions were a crippling burden that she wanted to forget, not dwell on.

But a niggling voice in the back of his mind whispered that she had said . . . what?

Something he should remember.

He continued his pacing, ignoring Yannah’s dark glare and the distant sound of passing cars as he fiercely tried to recall his every conversation with Cassie over the past week.

Then suddenly he had a vivid image of Cassie perched on the edge of the breakfast bar as the scent of pizza filled the air.

“Did this foretelling happen to mention some magical means to keep us from becoming leech food?”

“No. But we have to return to your lair in Chicago.”

“Now?”

“No. Soon, but not tonight.”

“That’s it,” he muttered.

“You know?” Yannah demanded.

“I know.”

“Where?”

“She’s going to my lair near Chicago.”

The demon studied him with a frown, as if trying to decide whether or not he could be trusted. “You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

“Fine.” Without warning, she reached out to clamp her fingers around his wrist, her grip shockingly strong. “Then let’s go.”

“Go?”

Her smile sent a sizzle of alarm down his spine. “Hang on.”

“Wait.” Caine tried to pull free of the nutty female. Who knew what she was plotting? But it was too late. Before his eyes the world simply melted away, leaving him surrounded by a black sense of nothingness. “Oh, shit.”

Caine’s lair outside Chicago

Dusk was painting the sky in vibrant shades of violet and amber as Cassie pulled to a halt near the two-story brick farmhouse. With a shaky sigh, she turned off the engine and allowed her trembling hands to fall into her lap.

It’d been a hellacious trip.

Not only because she’d spent the past six hours struggling not to kill hapless motorists as she’d driven to this remote location, but she’d been on constant edge that Caine might somehow manage to pick up her trail and follow her.

Now that she was here, however, with no sign of the Were who’d become a vital part of her life, she felt . . . what? Hollow. As if she was a mere shell that was going through the motions.

Where was Caine? Was he still searching for her? Perhaps tormenting himself with blame that she’d disappeared?

Or had he at last decided he’d had enough of her craziness?

He certainly had every right to walk away in disgust. After he’d sacrificed everything to become her guardian, she’d just disappeared with no warning, no explanation. What man in his right mind wouldn’t decide she was more trouble than she was worth?

She clenched her teeth against the pain that sliced through her heart. Dang it. So what if she felt like she’d lost a part of her very soul? As long as Caine was safe, nothing else mattered. Nothing.

Forcing her stiff muscles to move, she stepped out of the Jeep and started cautiously toward the house. The last time she’d visited the lair, Caine had altered the hexes to recognize her. But it had been weeks since she’d last been there. Would they remember her?

One way to find out.

Sucking in a deep breath, Cassie moved through the hedge and followed the narrow pathway. When she wasn’t zapped or skewered or turned into a newt, she continued forward, climbing the steps of the wraparound porch.

She paused, taking a last glance around the empty yard, which was surrounded by a heavy line of trees, before pulling open the heavy oak door and stepping into the living room.

It was a plain room with rustic furniture and towering bookshelves that were stuffed with leather-bound chemistry books. A wistful smile touched her lips. The house was a painful reminder of Caine.

Gods, the very air smelled of him.

The thought had barely crossed her mind when the door was slammed shut behind her and she whirled to discover a blond-haired Were leaning against the wall, his arms folded over his chest and a mocking smile on his lips.

“Hello, pet. Miss me?”

Her mouth literally dropped open.

Caine.

But . . . it wasn’t possible, was it?

He couldn’t be here when she’d left him miles behind.

“Are you a trick?”

“No trick.” He shoved away from the wall and prowled toward her stiff form, wearing a casual pair of jeans and white T-shirt. “Surprised?”

She gave a shake of her head, struggling to come to terms with the fact he was really there and not just a figment of her imagination.

“How?”

He arched a brow. “How?”

She cleared her throat and tried again. “How did you get here?”

Without warning, he grabbed her upper arms and spun her around so he could press her against the wall. Only then did she realize that beneath his sardonic composure he was seething with fury.

“That’s not the question.”

The heat of his anger seared over her skin, his grip careful not to bruise, but tight enough to warn she wasn’t getting away.

“Caine.”

The sapphire eyes glittered in the gathering gloom. “The question is why the hell you took off without me.”

His words seared away the stunned shock fogging her mind. He was right. It didn’t matter how he’d found her. Or even how he’d managed to know where she was going and get here ahead of her.

All that mattered was getting rid of him before it was too late.

She turned her head to stare at the rolltop desk set near the window, desperate to hide her all too expressive face. “I would think that would be self-explanatory.”

“Do you?”

“Yes.”

He snorted, his hands cupping her chin and forcing her face back to meet his narrowed glare. “Obviously I’m particularly dense because I don’t find anything self-explanatory about being abandoned at a rest stop by my lover.”

She licked her lips, floundering beneath his penetrating gaze. Who knew that lying would be such a vital skill? Or that sucking at it might very well get Caine trapped in hell.

Crap. She had to do this. And she had to do it well enough to make sure Caine walked away and never returned. With an effort, she plastered something she hoped resembled a smile to her lips. “I decided that I’d had enough.”

“Enough of what?”

“Enough of us.”

“No.”

“What?”

“Try again.”

She frowned. “I don’t understand.”

“A woman doesn’t give her innocence to a man when she’s ‘had enough,’” he challenged.

“I don’t know why you’re making such a big deal about my virginity,” she muttered.

His simmering anger that she’d hope to provoke into a don’t-call-me-I’ll-call-you rage abruptly faded to be replaced with a heart-melting tenderness.

“Because it was a big deal to me.” His thumb traced her lower lip, a ready passion darkening his eyes. “It’s a gift I’ll always cherish.”

She swallowed a sigh of frustration. What was wrong with the man?

“Well, it was nothing more than a burden to me,” she said, adamantly refusing to shiver at the exquisite sensation of his thumb tracing the curve of her lip. “Now it’s gone I can move on to . . .”

Something that might have been amusement glinted in his eyes. “To what?”

“To someone else.”

That should have been it. What man could stand to be told his female was leaving his bed and going to another? Instead, that annoying amusement only deepened.

“And you thought you would find this mysterious someone else in my lair?” he drawled. “That doesn’t really make any sense, does it, pet?”

“Of course not,” she snapped. “I needed somewhere to stay until I can find a lair of my own.”

His gaze lowered to where his thumb continued to stroke over her mouth. “Surely, your next lover will provide you with a lair? Or at least a bed.”