Chapter 11
Beth
I had only seconds to question the sanity of my decision to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge before I plunged feet first into the dark water. The shock of the icy Pacific punched the air from my lungs, and it took me a moment to gather my wits and swim for the surface.
I broke the surface and sucked in air as I looked up at the lights of the bridge looming far above me. Well, okay then.
The sound of an engine reminded me why I was currently freezing my ass off in the ocean. I peered through the darkness at the approaching boat that was going to miss me by at least thirty feet if I didn’t get a move on.
Thankful for the many hours spent racing Mason in the lake back home, I set out to intercept the boat, slicing through the water with long easy strokes. My Mori was working double-time to strengthen and warm me, and I knew I was going to pay for this little adventure later. Right now, all that mattered was getting to those girls.
I put everything into closing the gap between me and the path of the Sea Ray. It was a fast boat, and I would not be able to chase it down if it passed me. That knowledge sent a fresh burst of adrenaline through me, and I pushed my body harder than I ever had.
The boat came alongside me and sped past. I lunged for the ladder attached to the stern. My fingers grasped a metal rung and I was jerked forward violently, but I held on.
Gasping, I gripped the ladder and let the boat tow me for a minute before I pulled my body to where I could peer over the swimming platform. When I didn’t see anyone, I hoisted myself up to lie on my stomach on the platform. From there, I lifted my head until I spotted the male sitting at the cockpit, driving the boat. There was no sign of the girls or anyone else, so I knew they had to be below in the cabin. And the only way to the cabin was past the Incubus, who was not going to let me through without a fight.
I eased the knife from the sheath at my hip, relieved I hadn’t lost it when I hit the water. Studying the male at the wheel, I decided the element of surprise was the best thing I had going for me. If he was as strong as the Incubi I saw the others fighting at the marina, he could overpower me, unless I took him down first. What I lacked in strength and speed, I made up for in hand-to-hand combat skills. And the longer I waited, the farther from my team we got.
I inched forward silently to climb over the back seats directly behind the male. Once I cleared the seats, I’d have to move quickly, and there was no room for error.
I nearly screamed when something cold wrapped around my ankle. My hand holding the knife was already descending to ward off God knew what, when I recognized the face of the man sprawled on the edge of the platform.
My legs weakened, and I sank to my knees. “Jesus, Mason,” I whispered. “What are you doing here?”
“You didn’t think I’d let you have all the fun.” His smirk became a grimace. “By the way, Chris is totally losing his shit. I figured it’s safer here with you.” He crouched and peered over the seat at the Incubus. “Just one?”
“Up here. I don’t know if there are more down below.”
His eyes met mine. “Guess we’ll find out soon enough.”
I nodded as new confidence filled me. Mason and I were not as strong as Chris or Brock, but we’d been training partners for years. Together, we could do this.
“Ready?” I asked.
“Whenever you are.”
I vaulted over the back seats, landing directly behind the Incubus. My arm went around his head, yanking it back so I could draw my knife across his throat.
The blade had barely touched his skin before he grasped my arm and pulled me over his shoulder into his lap, trapping me between his body and the wheel. His hands were like vices on my shoulders, and I grunted in pain. Wriggling my body, I managed to bring up my hand and plunge my knife between his ribs.
His choked cry of pain ended abruptly, and he went still. I slipped out of his hold and stood to see his head twisted at an unnatural angle. Mason stood on the seat behind him, looking pleased with himself.
“And that’s how it’s done,” he said cockily. “Give me a second to finish the job.”
My eyebrows rose. “Look again, pal.”
He leaned over the body, and his mouth turned down when he saw the handle of the knife sticking out of the Incubus’s chest.
I held back a grin because there’d be time for celebrating later. Reaching past the dead Incubus, I eased back on the throttle and shut the engine off. Then I pulled my knife from his chest and wiped the blade on his shirt. It was my only weapon, and we had no idea what awaited us below.
I expected more Incubi to come charging up from below, but only silence greeted me when I stood at the top of the stairs to the cabin.
Mason touched my arm. “I should go first.”
“Why? Because you’re the male?”
He pressed his lips together sheepishly, and I shook my head. I already had one overprotective male trying to tell me what to do. I didn’t need another one.
“Follow me,” I told him before I descended the stairs. There was no need to be quiet. If anyone was down here, they already knew we were on board.
The first thing I saw when I was halfway down the steps was Natalie and Nicole Thomas, lying unconscious on the bed at the far end of the cabin. Relief filled me, but I forced myself to make sure the rest of the cabin was clear before I went to the girls.
“How are they?” Mason asked from behind me.
I checked their eyes and straightened to face him. “I think they’re just entranced. Chris will know what to do.”
He cocked his head and gave me a worried look. “Speaking of Chris…”
I looked at the door to the cockpit as the sound of another engine reached my ears. Seconds later, my Mori fluttered, and I heard a furious male voice roar my name.
Mason ran for the stairs. “I’ll be up here if you need me.”
“Coward,” I called after him.
“Yep,” he shot back as he disappeared from sight.
There was a light bump as the other boat pulled up alongside, followed by the sound of someone jumping onto the deck. I stood beside the bed, trying not to look as nervous as I felt. I’d never heard Chris sound so angry, and I had no idea what to expect when he came down those steps.
I didn’t have long to wait. In seconds, he was there, chest heaving, jaw hard, and a storm brewing in his eyes. I gulped and forgot how to speak as he closed the distance between us. Then his arms were around me, hugging me so tightly I could feel his heart pounding and his ragged breaths.
“Goddamn it, Dove, don’t ever do that to me again,” he said hoarsely against my ear. A shudder went through him, and he buried his face in my wet hair. “I thought I’d lost you.”
His desperate words made my chest squeeze, and I forgot for a moment why I should be pushing him away. I allowed myself to relax and pretend he was the Chris I used to love before he’d broken my heart. Closing my eyes, I savored the feel of his strong arms and the warmth of his body through our wet clothes. My Mori was drained after my swim in the bay, but Chris was putting off heat like a furnace despite his own dunk in the water.
“I’m sorry I worried you,” I said at last.
“Worried me?” He held me away from him and stared at me with wild eyes. “You scared the hell out of me. I think you took twenty years off my life when you jumped off that bridge.”
“I’m not human, Chris. That jump wouldn’t hurt me.”
“No, but you’re not invincible either. What if you’d come on board this boat and you’d been overpowered? They could have killed you or taken you with them.”
“Mason was with me,” I argued, even though I’d had no idea Mason would follow me into the water. “And I couldn’t let them take the girls, not if I could stop them. You’d do the same thing.”
“Yes, I would. But I’m a lot stronger and faster than you are.” He dragged a hand through his wet hair. “You can fight, but you’re not ready for situations like this. It’s why I told you and Mason to stay with the car.”
I started to object, and he held up a hand. “And this is not about who you are. I’d say the same thing to any new warrior. Nikolas would say it, too, if he was here instead of me.”
I pressed my lips together, knowing I had no argument. As much as I hated it, he was right.
He reached out and rubbed his hands up and down my arms. “I understand why you did it, and I think you’re amazing for saving these girls. That’s the kind of warrior I want fighting at my side.”
“Really?” I asked, sure my face must be glowing with pleasure at the praise.
“Really.” He pressed a light kiss to my forehead, and I could feel it all the way down in my toes.
Chris released me and leaned over the unconscious girls. He checked their vitals and smiled when he straightened to look at me.
“They should wake up in an hour or so. We’ll take them to the hospital, but I doubt they’ll have any physical injuries. The Lilin would not tolerate his sons harming any of the girls.”
My shoulders sagged in relief. “Can we give them gorum to make them forget what they’ve been through? This will probably scar them for life.”
“Gorum won’t work if they’ve been gone longer than a day,” he reminded me. “The Incubi would have kept them in trances for most of it, so the girls won’t remember much anyway.”
“At least, they’re safe, and they’ll be home with their parents soon.”
It was more than the other missing girls had. I forced myself not to think about what the other girls might be going through at this very moment.
“All good down there?” Brock called from above.
Chris walked to the bottom of the steps and looked up at him. “We’re good. Call Charles, and tell him we’re coming back with the Thomas sisters. His team will take over when we get there.”
“On it.”
The engine came to life, and I felt the boat turning. Unsure of what to do now, I sat on the small sofa so I could be near the girls in case they woke up.
As soon as my body hit the comfortable seat, I knew I should have stayed standing. I’d used up most of my and my Mori’s strength with that swim through the frigid water, and for the last few minutes I’d been going mostly on adrenaline. Now that the excitement was over, my body decided it was time to crash. A wave of dizziness hit me, and I sagged against the cushions, shivering.
Chris was by me in an instant. “Are you okay?”
I gave him a weak smile. “Yes. Just a little tired. The water was cold, and I might have overtaxed my Mori a bit.”
He frowned and pressed a palm to my cheek. The heat of his body felt like a brand against my cold skin. “You’re freezing. You’re so drained, your Mori can’t even regulate your temperature.”
He rooted around in the cupboards and pulled out a thick wool blanket. Sitting on the sofa, he lifted me onto his lap and tucked the blanket around me.
I protested and tried to get off him, but I was no match for his strength. The small struggle wore me out, and I laid my head wearily against his chest in defeat. Soon, I didn’t want to move as heat came off him in waves, soaking into my chilled body and making it hard to keep my eyes open.
We were always warned about pushing our Mori past their limits, and now I finally understood the warning. It felt as though all the strength had been sucked from my body, and my poor Mori was so tired it was almost asleep. Older warriors could push their Mori for days without tiring. Younger warriors had to rest a lot more often.
Chris drew my feet closer and pulled off my shoes and socks. When his warm hand began to massage my icy toes, I was sure I’d died and gone to heaven.
A part of my brain told me I shouldn’t be letting him hold me like this, but I quieted that voice with the promise that it would only be for a few minutes, just until I stopped shivering.
“Better?”
“Mmm,” was all I could manage.
“Remember the last time I held you like this?” he asked softly, pulling me from the dreamy state of bliss I was in.
“No.” I frowned because I’d remember being in Chris’s arms.
He chuckled. “You don’t remember the day I brought you to Longstone? You wouldn’t go to anyone else, and I held you like this for the whole drive.”
“Oh, yeah,” I murmured as the memories washed over me. I’d been wet and cold, and Chris had held me in his arms and warmed me. I’d never felt as safe as I had with him that day.
A hand came up beneath my chin to tip my face toward his. His eyes were the color of soft, dark moss, and I couldn’t look away from them.
“I have to admit I like holding you a lot more now.”
I licked my suddenly dry lips. “I –”
I murmured a weak protest that became a soft moan when his tongue swept between my parted lips to explore my mouth with exquisite slowness. My hand crept up behind his head to hold him as I surrendered to the kiss.
I’d been kissed before, but those seemed like sweet touches compared to the raw sensuality of Chris’s kiss. This wasn’t foreplay or a heat of the moment thing. It was a searing, deliberate mark of ownership that sent fire racing through my veins, and God help me, I didn’t want it to end.
My breathing was faster when Chris brushed his lips over mine one last time. He wrapped his arms around me again, tucking my head under his chin, and the fast rise and fall of his chest told me I wasn’t the only one affected by the kiss.
I felt lightheaded, and I wasn’t sure if it was because I was running on empty or if it was from the most mind-blowing kiss I’d ever had. Closing my eyes, I decided I’d figure it out later when my brain was working right again.
“Go out with me,” Chris said against my hair.
“What?” I murmured, too loopy to even look up at him.
“On a date. Dinner, dancing, whatever you want.”
Don’t do it, said the voice of reason at the back of my foggy brain.
“I don’t think –”
“Just one date,” he cajoled softly.
“Why?”
“Why?” Laughter rumbled in his chest. “You’re going to make me work for it. Okay. I want to spend time with you away from all of this. I want us to get to know each other again.” He kissed the top of my head. “I miss you, Dove.”
My throat tightened, and I felt my resolve slipping. Maybe we should have a date. Then I could say I gave it a shot before I ended this. It wouldn’t change anything between us. No matter how good his arms felt or how dizzying his kisses were, none of that could make me forget the past.
“Fine,” I said drowsily. “Just dinner.”
“Just dinner,” he agreed. I didn’t need to see his face to know he was smiling.
* * *
The sound of a car backfiring woke me as the sky began to lighten the next morning. I shifted slightly and groaned as every muscle in my body ached. It took me a good thirty seconds to remember the events of last night and the reason for my current discomfort. There was a price for pushing your Mori past its limits, and I’d paid it willingly. What was a little stiffness compared to the safe return of two missing girls?
My Mori fluttered happily, a sensation I’d gotten used to, spending so much time near Chris these days. Suddenly, I remembered being in his arms last night and his mouth on mine. Heat rushed through me, and my stomach dipped as I lifted a hand and touched my lips, reliving every second of the kiss.
How could I let him kiss me like that? And then I’d agreed to go on a date with him. What the hell was I thinking? I rubbed my aching temple. I hadn’t been in my right state of mind. That had to be it. I never would have done any of those things, otherwise. How on earth was I going to face him after last night?
Groaning silently, I moved to get up – and let out a squeak when I found myself pinned to the bed by a male arm around my waist. I held my breath as my eyes followed the arm to its owner and saw Chris asleep on his side next to me.
Oh, my God. What did I do?
My heart sped up, and I tore my gaze from Chris to look down at my body, which was dressed in the tank top and cotton pants I normally wore to bed. I snuck a peek at Chris and saw he wore a T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Seeing we were both clothed made me feel a little better, but it didn’t explain how the hell I’d ended up in bed with him.
I wracked my brain for memories of last night. I was exhausted when we got back to the marina, and I remembered getting into one of the SUVs and Chris driving us back to the safe house. He had forced me to take some gunna paste, and I’d managed to stay awake long enough to get a shower. After that?
Panic gripped me. Why couldn’t I remember what happened after that?
“You’re going to hyperventilate if you keep that up,” rasped a sleepy voice.
I turned my head and met his green eyes.
His full lips curved into a lazy, contented smile. “Morning.”
“Morning,” I croaked. “I… How…?”
“Nothing happened,” he said, making no move to release me.
I cleared my throat. “Why are you in my bed?”
“I’m not.” His eyes lit with amusement and something else that made my stomach flutter. “You’re in my bed.”
“What?”
I lifted my head and looked at the room – and my bed near the window. The covers were crumpled like I’d slept there. Only I wasn’t there. I was across the room in Chris’s bed.
A memory surfaced of me getting out of bed and walking over to his. Pulling back his covers…
Heat flooded my face, and I couldn’t look at him. My voice was barely a whisper.
“I got into bed with you?”
“Your Mori needed to be close to mine.” His arm tightened slightly around my waist. “It’s natural and nothing to be embarrassed about.”
Easy for him to say. My cheeks burned at the knowledge that I’d actually left my bed and climbed into his. I’d slept in his arms.
I was still in his arms.
I pushed his arm off me and got out of bed. Tugging the bottom of my shirt down, I crossed the room and pulled a change of clothes from my bag. The silence in the room felt heavy and awkward, and I couldn’t get away from it quickly enough.
“Beth.”
I paused with my hand on the doorknob but didn’t turn around.
“Leave some hot water for me.”
I glowered at the door, a reluctant smile lurking at the corners of my mouth. “Sure.”
“Oh, and Beth?”
I don’t know what made me look back at him. I knew it was a mistake the second I saw him lying in the bed with his arms behind his head, making his T-shirt stretch tight across his well-defined chest. His blond hair was ruffled, and he wore an infuriatingly sexy smile as he watched me with heavy-lidded eyes that silently invited me back into his bed.
My breath hitched, and all the heat in my body seemed to pool at my center. “Yes,” I said in a husky voice I didn’t recognize.
“I like bunking with you a lot more than my old partner.”
There was no mistaking his suggestive little smirk. Huffing loudly, I yanked open the door and closed it not too quietly behind me. Arrogant ass. He was so full of himself, and delusional if he thought there’d be a repeat of last night.
I told myself I was only being considerate and saving him some hot water when I set the water temperature in the shower to cool. It had absolutely nothing to do with my flushed skin or the heat in my veins. Nothing at all.
Chris
“Here she is, folks. Supergirl, who leaps off tall bridges.”
Brock’s loud teasing voice filled the foyer as he entered the house ahead of us, and there were answering cheers and whistles.
Beth heaved a sigh before she followed him inside. She’d been the subject of good-natured ribbing ever since she got up this morning, and she’d taken it all in stride. But her downcast eyes told me she was a little embarrassed by the homecoming reception.
I entered the living room, and my eyes immediately found Nikolas, who was standing near the French doors with Geoffrey, the leader of the team that was staying here for a few days. Geoffrey had been stationed in Las Vegas for the last two years, and Nikolas and I had stayed at his safe house a few times.
“Heard you had quite the night,” Geoffrey quipped when I joined them.
I thought about Beth climbing into my bed. “You have no idea.”
Nikolas smiled. I’d called him once we got back to the safe house last night and filled him in. He’d laughed so hard when I told him about Beth’s dive off the Golden Gate Bridge that I had to growl at him to shut up. Of course, that had only made him laugh even more. I was starting to sense payback here for my amusement over some of Sara’s old stunts.
Geoffrey chuckled. “She really jumped off the bridge and caught that boat?”
“Yes and worked her Mori to exhaustion in the process,” I grumbled, watching Beth talking to Sara in the kitchen. She looked like she was back to her full strength, but she’d scared the hell out of me for a while there. Not that I was complaining about being able to hold her or her seeking out my bed. But I wished it had been under different circumstances.
“It’s easy to forget your body’s limitations when the adrenaline’s flowing,” Geoffrey said, smiling. “I drained my Mori a few times in my first year out of training. One time, I was laid up for two days.”
I kept my gaze on Beth. “Great.”
Nikolas and Geoffrey laughed, drawing the attention of Beth and Sara. Sara smiled and waved at us. Beth’s eyes met mine and quickly looked away. It had been like that since she’d woken up in my bed this morning. Her telltale blushes every time I caught her gaze told me she was remembering it, too, and she hadn’t found it as unpleasant as she tried to let on.
There was no way, however, that she could pretend she hadn’t enjoyed our first kiss as much as I had. My blood heated every time I remembered the feel of her lips beneath mine and how she’d pulled me closer, deepening the kiss. I’d told myself I could go slow and give her all the time she needed to forgive me for the past. But now that I’d had a taste of the passion simmering below the surface, all I could think about was how to get her back into my arms again.
Beth laughed at something Sara said, and my body reacted as if she’d physically touched me. My Mori growled possessively, its need for its mate mingling with mine and making it increasingly hard not to give in to the urge to touch Beth. I’d known that holding and kissing her would strengthen our bond, but I hadn’t expected it to affect me this deeply so soon.
I was starting to have a whole new level of respect for Nikolas. I’d known it was difficult for him to hold back his feelings for Sara, and being bonded for as long as they had before they’d mated was unheard of. I wished I could say I had his willpower, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold back with Beth like he had with Sara. Beth was like a drug in my system, and I was already craving my next taste.
“The one in San Francisco was opened a month ago,” Nikolas said, drawing my attention back to the conversation. I realized they were discussing the club we’d found.
“Same owner as the one in Los Angeles?” I asked.
He shook his head. “We don’t know yet. David is still following the paper trail. Whoever set it up is good at hiding their tracks. Fortunately for us, David is better than them. And Kelvan thinks he’s found another club in San Diego. One of the teams there is going to check it out.”
“The Lilin is not going to be happy to have all his clubs shut down in a matter of days,” I said. “And Charles said the Thomas family has already left for an undisclosed location. Losing the clubs and the girls is going to force the Lilin’s hand.”
“I know,” Nikolas said gravely.
“I took pictures of the Lilin’s tattoo on the Incubi we caught last night and sent them to David and Kelvan. They’re going to see if they can find something in the demon archives. It’s a long shot, but you never know.”
“Did you get anything out of the Incubi?” Geoffrey asked me.
“We tried but no luck. Charles is going to keep interrogating them, but I doubt they’ll give up anything useful. They’re fanatics and so devoted to their sire they’ll die before they betray him.”
Geoffrey frowned. “Why don’t we let them go and see if they’ll lead us to him?”
“Won’t work,” Nikolas said. “It’s been tried before with other Lilin. The captured Incubi never returned to their sire. They committed suicide to protect him.”
“They really are fanatics.”
I expelled a long breath. “That’s what makes them so dangerous. There’s nothing they wouldn’t do for their sire.”
Nikolas’s gaze went to Sara. “I never thought I’d say this, but I wish Eldeorin hadn’t chosen now to take a vacation in Faerie.”
I felt my eyebrows shoot up. Nikolas couldn’t stand Eldeorin, who took every opportunity to annoy the hell out of him. The only reason Nikolas tolerated the arrogant faerie at all was because Sara liked him. She thought of Eldeorin as her cousin and mentor, and under his tutelage, she was learning to master her Fae power.
The fact that Nikolas wished Eldeorin was here spoke volumes about how serious the situation was, and it doubled my worry for Beth’s safety.
Two of Geoffrey’s guys called to him, and he went to see what they wanted. After he walked away, I looked at Nikolas and found him watching Beth and Sara.
“They’ve become close,” I said.
I was happy Beth and Sara had hit it off. Not only was Sara mated to my best friend, she was one of my favorite people to be around. After Beth, that was. I imagined the four of us traveling together and working as a team, and I liked the idea very much.
“Sara cares a lot for Beth.” He gave me a sideways glance. “She’s rooting for you to win Beth over.”
“Tell her I’m working on it and I appreciate the cheering section.”
Nikolas chuckled. “How is it between you two? She seems less tense around you.”
“She’s fighting it, but she’s coming around. She agreed to go to dinner with me.”
“Tonight?”
“Yes.”
I hadn’t told Beth that yet. She was shy about going on a date with me, and I wasn’t going to give her time to talk herself out of it.
I knew from overhearing one of her conversations with Sara and Jordan that she liked a particular French restaurant, and I’d called them from the plane to reserve one of their private dining rooms for tonight. It was romantic and intimate, and the perfect setting to woo my beautiful, reluctant mate.
And if all went well, we’d end the night with another one of those incredible kisses. Or two.