Fear the Darkness

He brushed his lips over her forehead, pulling back as her lashes fluttered upward to reveal her eyes. Back to emerald. Thank the gods.



“Caine?” she husked.



“I got you.”



She blinked, her dazed eyes taking in the star-spattered sky over his shoulder before shifting to glance over the barren desert. “Where are we?”



He grimaced. “In the middle of freaking nowhere.”



Her brow furrowed in bewilderment. “I thought . . .”



“What?”



“I thought I heard voices.”



Oh hell. Caine jerked his head up. He’d completely forgotten the strange intruder.



Gone. Thank the gods. He didn’t care why Yannah had come. Or how she’d managed to appear and disappear without leaving a trace. All that mattered was that the powerful demon wasn’t anywhere near Cassie.



He returned his attention to the woman in his arms. “We’re alone,” he assured her softly. “Are you okay?”



“I think so.” She gently pried herself from his ruthless hold, taking a puzzled inventory of her fading scrapes and bruises. Then, as if seeking the reason for the wounds, her attention shifted to the glyphs she’d carved into the desert floor. “Did I do this?”



“Quite the Picasso,” he said, forcing a teasing smile to his lips as he helped her to her feet. He had no intention of burdening her with his fierce fear that one day she would disappear into her visions and never return. She had enough to deal with, thank you very much. “Do you happen to know why you did it?”



“No, but I think this is why we were here.”



Good news. At least he hoped it was. He was tired of trying to protect Cassie in such a populated area. Of course, there was no guarantee they weren’t about to be led someplace even worse.



On that happy thought, he pointed toward the strange symbols. “What does it say?”



“It’s a warning.” She frowned, shaking her head. “At least I think it’s a warning.”



He cupped her chin in his hand, tugging her face up so he could study her pale features. His heart faltered. Man, she was so beautiful drenched in moonlight.



“How can you reveal a prophecy and not know what it is?”



“It’s not for me,” she said as if the simple words weren’t a mind-bender.



“Then who . . . ?” He gave a sharp shake of his head as she swayed in weariness. “Never mind,” he muttered, scooping her off her feet and cradling her in his arms. “Are we finished here?”



“Yes.”



He peered deep into the emerald eyes. “Does that mean we can go home?”



“Home?”



“You have someplace better to be?” he demanded, praying to the gods that she said no.



She frowned. “It’s not that.”



“Then what?”



“I’ve never had a home.”



That dangerous, intoxicating warmth filled his heart and spilled through his body. Caine didn’t care. Bending his head, he touched his lips to hers in a reverent vow.



“You do now.”



Chapter 5



Despite the early hour, Caine had them packed up and checked out of the hotel by sunrise.



Not that Cassie was in the mood to argue. She would always harbor fond memories of Vegas.



A smile touched her lips. No, not just fond. Stunningly fabulous memories.



Even now she could close her eyes and recall every touch, every kiss, every mind-blowing orgasm. In vivid, X-rated detail.



But she was more than happy to return to Caine’s lair outside Chicago. What could be better than having Caine all to herself without the distraction of trying to blend in?



It was exhausting trying to be normal.



With a sigh of contentment, she shifted in her seat, the breeze tugging at her hair. Caine had removed the top of the Jeep and the late afternoon sunlight spilled over her skin left bare by her khaki shorts and stretchy tube top. Lazily, she watched the cornfields of Nebraska whiz pass, breathing deeply of Caine’s warm, wolfy musk.



The smell of him . . . grounded her. There was no other way to say it. Even when she was lost in the dark mists of her visions, when she was blind to the world, she could catch his scent nearby and know that nothing could harm her.



Dwelling on the miracle that had brought Caine into her life, Cassie was unprepared for the burst of unease that destroyed her momentary illusion of peace.



She straightened, reaching out to touch Caine’s shoulder. “Pull over.”



He shot a frowning glance toward the endless miles of corn. “Here?”



“Yes.”



With obvious reluctance, he slowed the Jeep and pulled onto the shoulder. He turned his attention to her. “Are you sick?”



Puzzled by the question, she gave a shake of her head. “I’m fine.”



“Then you have to pee?”



“No.”



“Then what the hell are we doing?”



“The phone.”



He scowled. “What . . .” The sound of his ring tone brought his words to an abrupt end. “Shit,” he muttered, digging his cell phone out of the front pocket of his jeans. “I’m never going to get used to that.” He glanced at the screen, his scowl only deepening. “Ingrid.”



“A friend?” she forced herself to ask, squashing the odd stab of aversion toward the unknown female.



This phone call was important. Even if she didn’t know why.



“A lifetime ago,” he muttered. “Why would she be calling now?”



She slid until she was leaning against the hard muscles of his shoulder. “I don’t know everything.” She pointed her finger toward the phone. “Maybe if you push that little button and talk with her you’ll find out.”



He turned his head to nip the end of her nose. “Smart-ass.”



She wasn’t fooled by his playful manner. There was something troubling him. “Why don’t you answer?”



He grimaced. “She’s a part of my past I want to forget.”



The ringing stopped as the phone sent the caller to voice mail only to start again seconds later.



“I don’t think she agrees with being a part of your past.” Cassie studied Caine’s tight expression, feeling his tension as if it were her own. “Was she your lover?”



“No. But . . .” Regret flashed through his stunning blue eyes as he reached to outline her lips with the tip of his finger. “There were women, Cassie. I don’t share your innocence.”



She hesitated, realizing that the unpleasant sensation that had been plaguing her since Caine’s phone started ringing was jealousy. How . . . astonishing.



“You have a lover now?”



His lips twitched, easily sensing her inner turmoil. “Only one,” he assured her, leaning forward to steal a possessive kiss. “The rest are a part of that past I intend to forget.”



Cassie nodded, the tightness in her chest easing, although the phone continued its annoying ringing. “She’s very persistent,” she muttered, her finger moving to point at the top of the phone screen. “What’s that blinking light?”



“She sent me a video.”



Cassie tensed, her personal emotions smothered beneath the power of her forewarning. “I think you should watch it.”



He studied her with a frown. “Are you speaking as a jealous lover or as a prophet?”



She considered a long moment. “Both.”



His breath hissed between clenched teeth. “I don’t have to be a seer to know I’m not going to like this.”



“Play it, Caine,” she softly commanded.



He muttered something beneath his breath, but holding the phone at an angle so they could both easily view the screen, he tapped the blinking light.



Within seconds a young female with hazel eyes and oddly buzzed blond hair flickered to life, her features more striking than pretty as she flashed a cocky smile.



“Long time, no see, liebling,” she said, her voice low and raspy. “I suppose you don’t have time for your old friends now that you’re a big bad Were.” The female’s lips curled in disdain. “Yeah, word’s out that you’ve turned traitor to the curs. So listen closely—you got what you wanted, now I want it. If you can become a Were, so can I. And to make sure you don’t blow me off as you have everyone else, I have a little . . . incentive.”



The video went blurry as Ingrid swung her phone camera toward the side and downward. For a minute there was nothing but the vague outline of a person, then the camera came back into focus and Cassie gasped in shock.



The tiny female filling the screen was almost an exact replica of herself. Oh, her hair was a few inches shorter and more golden than silver. And her slender body, which was covered in a casual pair of jeans and stretchy blue shirt, was toned by obvious hours spent in a gym. But her heart-shaped face was precisely the same and if her eyes had been opened, Cassie was willing to bet that they would be some shade of green.



It was one of her three sisters. They hadn’t yet been formally introduced, but the resemblance was too great for it to be anyone else.