DANIKA DIDN'T KNOW HOW to assimilate what she'd just witnessed. That was what Reyes needed to experience pleasure? Before, part of her had thought she could maybe give him what he craved. But he hadn't just cut skin. He'd cut veins, muscle and even bone. There was so much blood, a seemingly never-ending river pooling and congealing around him.
Now he was looking at her through hooded eyes, lips grim, a crimson splatter on his chin. "What are you doing here?" Cold, no emotion.
"I fo-followed you," she managed to get out. "I - I - " She was shaking so badly, and her throat kept trying to close around a surge of bile.
Had other women hurt him like this? Pleasured him like that? The thought disturbed her, but not as it should have. She didn't like the thought of other women meeting his needs. She didn't like the thought of other women doing something to him that she had not done - or perhaps could not do.
Reyes lumbered to his feet, swayed. His thigh gushed. She thought she saw the severed bone underneath the muscle and couldn't glance away. Her gaze was held captive and tracked every drop that spilled. His penis rose proudly, still thick and full, smeared with desire and blood, the heavy weight of his testicles drawn tight underneath.
Even possessed as he was by the demon of Pain, she didn't understand how he could find release in so brutal a deed.
"Look at me," he barked.
"I am." A broken whisper.
"At my face." He jerked up his pants and fastened them.
The action released her from the trancelike state. Gradually she dragged her gaze up his body. His navel was surrounded by the faintest dusting of hair - how had she missed it before? - and his stomach was roped with hard lines of muscle, a testament to his inhuman strength.
"The Darkest Pleasure"
Her tremors increased the closer she got to his face. A shadow beard dusted his jaw, hardening the angles of his face, making him appear all the more dangerous.
He was scowling at her, his lips peeled back from his teeth. His nostrils flared as he inhaled. "I told you to stay in my room."
His eyes, normally polished onyx, were tinted red. Glowing. Pulsing. She gulped. "I couldn't, I didn't - "
"Go!"
"Don't talk to me like that. Got it?"
"Leave. Please." A whisper.
As he stood there, panting, angry, bloody as if he'd just returned from a war, she lost her...whatever it was she'd been feeling. Disgust? Confusion? Shock? I want to paint him like this, she thought. He was a thing of beauty. Dark, a combination of cinnamon and honey, with eyes like an eclipsed sun - a person didn't know whether to stare, blind to all else, or look quickly away.
What intrigued her most, however, was his tattoo. That butterfly, with its wings spread in midflight, half consuming his chest and neck, seemed to be watching her, beckoning her closer. It had always been ominous and harsh, almost evil, and yet it now appeared...gentle. The colored skin was glittering, a mix of ruby, onyx and sapphire. The usually sharp-tipped, forged-of-steel wings were somehow softened.
I've seen this before, she thought. I've painted this before. Hadn't she? There was something unerringly familiar about it, though not enough to jog her mind completely. Maybe it was the fact that she'd seen a few of the other warriors' tattoos. Each man had worn the mark in a different location and each had been a different color. Maddox was branded on his back, Lucien on his chest. Aeron, she thought with a shudder, all over.
Danika found herself reaching out, arm shaking, desperate to feel Reyes's brand, to know the texture and the temperature. Hot and raised? Or cold and smooth?
He jolted backward, slamming into the wall, his arms spread to hold himself up. The sink jostled, the soap slipping and falling to the floor. Thump. "Do not touch me, Danika."
Her cheeks heated with mortification as her hand dropped to her side. "Sorry," she muttered. "I'm sorry." You knew better. He's feral right now, so you have to be careful.
"Don't apologize." Motions clipped, he swiped a towel from beside the sink and bent down. Back and forth he mopped the blood. "I am sorry you witnessed that. Please, just...return to my room. Please. I will join you shortly." The request was disjointed, proving how rattled he really was.
"I'll help you clean up. I - "
"No!"
He shouted so loudly, she cringed. Damn it! Where was her courage? Where was her vow to never back down from another fight?
Immediately after the echo quieted, Reyes stiffened, ceased moving and rushed out, "I am sorry. Again. You did nothing wrong, only offered to help. But I always clean up my mess, and I will not allow you to dirty your precious hands."
Precious? Her? There wasn't a drop of sarcasm in his tone, only absolute sincerity.
He pivoted, keeping his back to her as he skidded into motion. "Please, Danika. Go."
He was embarrassed by what he'd done, she realized. He was ashamed. She didn't know what to say to soothe him. Didn't know what to think to soothe herself.
Danika backed out of the bathroom. She didn't look away from Reyes, who was still cleaning, still avoiding her, until her shoulder rammed into the door frame and she had no other choice. When she reached the hallway, she pressed herself against the wall. Tremors racked her.
She wanted to find Ashlyn, discuss this with someone who just might be able to understand, but her friend had left with Maddox and the others early this morning. Ashlyn had conversations to listen to, she'd said, and it had surprised Danika that the ever-protective Maddox had agreed to the journey. Should she go back as Reyes had ordered? Or stay and wait for him? Both appealed to her, but for different reasons. Leaving would give her time to calm down, to think. Staying would provide an opportunity to go with Reyes when he spoke with Torin about her family.
Admit it. You're worried about Reyes. You want to see him again.
She stayed.
Fifteen minutes passed, the sounds of shuffling feet, running water and curses filling her ears. Strangely, impatience kept its distance as her mind rolled and churned like a storm about to break.
She had some major decisions to make.
She was due to contact Stefano later tonight and the tiny cell phone he'd given her was burning a hole in her pocket. What would he do if she failed to call? What did she want him to do? With Reyes seeing to her every need, things were...complicated.
Oh, she still wanted revenge. If she discovered that Aeron truly had killed her grandmother, she would return to his cell and she would not hesitate to cut off his head. But what if he hadn't killed Grandma Mallory?
Don't you dare give up hope. Reyes's voice whispered through her mind, even though they both knew how evil hope could be.
"The Darkest Pleasure"
Could she allow the Hunters to storm into his home, capture the residents, hurt them, lock them away and ultimately slaughter them? Reyes would not be excluded from that. They wanted him, hated him. And she would not be able to warn him because he would warn the others - which totally defeated the goal of keeping Reyes intact, the only true decision she'd made.
She'd thought herself in deep. Now...What should she do? She felt torn between two sides, straddling a fence with no freaking clue as to which way to fall. Something would happen and she'd lean one way. Then something else would happen and she'd lean the other.
"Danika."
At the sound of Reyes's voice, she blinked open her eyelids. When had she closed them? He loomed in front of her, this warrior who so conflicted her. He'd cleaned himself up, had seemingly scrubbed away his emotions as surely as he'd scrubbed away the blood. His expression was blank, and yet her heart fluttered as it always did when he was near.
"You waited," he said.
If that pleased or angered him, she couldn't tell. "Yes," she said, breathing deeply of his fresh pine scent. He wore a black T-shirt and new pants. "I'd like to go with you to speak with Torin."
His head tilted to the side, his gaze boring into her. "You are not...scared of me?"
"No." Truth. She was just more confused than ever.
A sigh slipped from him, and beneath the casual resonance was a rushing river of relief. "I find I am once again helpless against you."
As helpless as she was against him? "I don't understand this." Not the connection between them, and not their mutual unwillingness to hurt each other when they were both supposed to do so.
"Neither do I." He held out his hand. "I will take you to see Torin, but you are not to touch him. You are not even to get within reaching distance of him."
"O-kay."
"This is serious. Do you remember the plague that blasted through Buda when you were here?"
She nodded, twining their fingers together. At first contact, warmth speared her.
"One brush of his skin against yours and there will be another one."
REYES LOVED THE FEEL of his fingers intertwined with Danika's. Every time she'd been alone and he'd come upon her, touched her, her skin had been as cold as ice. Seconds after touching her, that ice always melted into him, a deliciously painful prickling.
Painful.
He tried not to think about what Danika had witnessed. The thoughts flowed, anyway. What a monster he must have appeared, taking pleasure in so gory an act. Had he cried out her name? He could not be certain.
He rounded a corner, wanting to look back at her but not allowing himself to do so. She had seen him at his worst, but she hadn't run screaming. He took what little comfort he could in that. Having seen her shocked expression, however, he'd known - he knew - soul-deep that he could never bring Pain into their relationship. Which meant he could not make love to her. Ever. You already knew that.
He thought perhaps he'd subconsciously entertained a ray of hope that one day he could make Danika his, totally and completely, without worrying that he would hurt her, need her to hurt him or that she would become a killer afterward. Foolish hope. Hated hope. Truly a demon.
It's for the best, he assured himself. His angel deserved only goodness. She deserved a gentle man, someone who would make her laugh. Someone who would not fill her with disgust. With herself, with him.
Just like that, jealousy awoke inside him, a beast far more ferocious than Pain, screaming inside his head, scratching at his skull.
"You're squeezing my hand," Danika said on a pained gasp.
Instantly he relaxed his grip. "I am sorry." Would he ever be able to let her go?
"I'm tougher than you think," she said. "I'd just rather not face one of your friends with my bitch-slap hand broken."
She meant the words as a joke, probably hoping to lighten his mood, but he took them to heart. Here, in the fortress, she needed every ounce of her strength. His friends were a threat to her well-being, and she would never be welcomed as Ashlyn and Anya ultimately had been. Fighting to bury a swell of emotions, he lifted her palm and placed a gentle kiss on the inside of her wrist. "I will be more careful with you, I swear it."
A shiver moved through her.
They reached the end of the hall and stopped. Torin's door was closed. Muffled voices carried through the wood. Laughing voices? Reyes's brows drew together as he knocked. The voices ceased abruptly.
Cameo opened the door and Reyes was momentarily rendered speechless with shock. Beautiful as always, petite and dark headed and a vicious warrior only a rare few had been privileged enough to witness in battle - and live to tell the tale - she usually remained alone or in the shadows while at the fortress. Not by choice, he thought, but because the men could not be around her without wanting to kill her. She carried all of the world's misery in her silver eyes and tormented voice.
"The Darkest Pleasure"
He'd never heard her laugh before, had never seen her smile. Or not since those long-ago days before they'd opened dimOuniak. That he'd now witnessed both here, and with Torin, who could not touch another living thing skin to skin - even an immortal - was shocking. Torin usually avoided women like the very plague he harbored inside his deceptively healthy-looking body. He could not have one, so did not usually tempt himself with the presence of one.
What the hell was going on?
"What do you want?" Cameo asked.
Dear gods, the agony. Listening to her was like sinking into a nightmare.
"Why am I suddenly eyeing the hilt of your dagger and hoping to plunge it into my chest?" Danika whispered, confused and a little dazed as she gazed at the female warrior.
To his knowledge, she had not crossed paths with the female warrior last time she'd been here. Which meant this was her first encounter with Misery. The first was always the hardest. "Cover your ears and close your eyes."
For once, she didn't question him and rushed to obey.
"I need to speak with Torin," he told Cameo.
She propped her hip against the door frame. "Well, you can come back later. I was here first. This your woman?"
"Yes," he said, adding without pause, "You can come back later." He had to glance away. His chest was hurting, and not in a good way. Was a...romance brewing between Cameo and Torin? Stranger things had happened, he supposed. Like Danika, staying here with him when she could have run again.
"She's pretty."
Exquisite, if you asked him. "Leave, and I will give you the black dagger you admired. The one hanging on my bedroom wall."
Anticipation instantly showered her features. Damn, he'd been looking at her again. The ache returned to his chest. He rubbed the spot just above his heart as Cameo flicked a glance over her shoulder, paused, then faced him once more.
"Fine. I'll go," she said, and stepped around him. As she disappeared down the hall, she called, "But I'm coming back in a few, so make it quick."
Reyes reclaimed Danika's hand - he couldn't go long without touching her in some way - her icy skin heating again. She opened her eyes, those magnificent green angel eyes that both cut him and soothed him.
"What happened?" she asked, still a bit dazed.
"Cameo is the keeper of Misery."
"Ah. That explains a lot. Poor woman."
Lips twitching, Reyes led her into Torin's bedroom. A sophisticated computer system consumed the far wall. Monitors flashed different colors and scenes, some displaying the steep hill their fortress rested upon, some the city and its people.
Torin rested in a swivel chair, facing them, arms locked over his chest. He had white hair and green eyes, a shade darker than Danika's, that gleamed wickedly. "What?" he said in the same put-out tone Cameo had used.
"Is there something you want to tell me?" Reyes asked him.
Torin's gaze swept over Danika, intent, before returning to Reyes. "Something you want to tell me?"
"No."
"Well, there's your answer. Why are you here?"
"My family," Danika said, urgency now humming from her. She stepped forward, caught herself and inched back. "Do you know where they are? Aeron mentioned a small town in Oklahoma."
"That info could have been useful a few hours ago." Torin turned and faced his computers. His skill with them was the reason the warriors were so well moneyed. "The guys and I had a chat this morning before they left. Lucien asked me to look for that very same information. See, when you and your family were last here, I placed dye in your food."
Reyes caressed her arm, hoping to relax her. Thankfully she did not erupt at the admission.
"Yours wore off a lot quicker than it was supposed to," Torin continued. "Don't know if it was because you were scared and sweating more or what. The dye was supposed to remain in your system for months. Still, your sister dropped off next, then your grandmother and then your mother. I haven't seen a glimpse of any of you in weeks. Don't worry, I know what you're thinking. I should have placed a tracking chip in your shoes, but didn't think of it until now. Live and learn."
Reyes doubted that was what Danika had been thinking, but he remained quiet.
"Anyway, I've been at the computers for hours, searching for even the slightest glimmer. Nothing."
Danika had stiffened in expectation - and hope? - only to sag in disappointment. He released her hand and wound his arm around her waist, willing his strength into her body. She sank against him. For comfort?
"Until," Torin added, fingers tapping over the keyboard, "this."
Danika stiffened again. "What?" Excitement dripped from the word, saturating the air.
Without glancing up from his monitor, Torin waved a hand in the air. "You've seen Paris bake cookies, right? His skills are pathetic, I know, but that's beside the point. When you eat those cookies, they break down and seem to disappear into your system. Only, they don't disappear. There are lasting effects. Fat, cholesterol and so on.
"The Darkest Pleasure"
"Our dye is a special blend of ingredients that modifies a human's body chemistry so each individual gives off a signal all her own. The lasting effects are far stronger than that of a cookie. Better, I remembered they're still traceable even when the dye itself has worn off."
Now Reyes was the one to stiffen. Ashlyn had almost died when she'd ingested an "ingredient" meant only for immortals.
Realizing the path his mind traveled, Torin added, "I wouldn't have used it on the women if Sabin hadn't already tested it on a few Hunters."
Slowly Reyes relaxed. Danika, he realized, was breathing heavily. He squeezed her tight.
"Five minutes," Torin said, "and I'll have a printed map of their current location. You can call me later when you're close to them, and I'll tell you if they've moved."
Now a tremor swept through Danika's slight frame. "My grandmother, do you know where she is, as well?"
A pause. A stiff nod. "I've already backtracked the program to see where she's been, but there's been little activity from her signal this week."
Hope lit Danika's angel face, brightening the entire room. "She's alive, then. She's really alive! Aeron was wrong. If she was dead, she wouldn't be trackable. Right?"
Torin answered without hesitation, his expression dead-pan. "Right."
Eyes widening, she tented her hands over her mouth. "Oh, my God. This is...this is...this is the best day of my life!"
With a brilliant laugh, she threw herself at Reyes, her cheek burrowing into the hollow of his neck. Her skin was petal-soft, fragrant with the scent of night skies. "I'm so happy right now I could burst."
Reyes held her, but kept his gaze on Torin. His friend gave a clipped nod in response to Reyes's unspoken question. A dead body, it seemed, could still give off a signal.
Inhaling deeply, Reyes closed his eyes. He held her, loving the feel of her, every muscle he possessed straining toward her. He shook with the effort to remain still, though he could not stop his nails from elongating, his teeth from sharpening. The two only happened when the demon's hunger spiked.
I've already fed you. Just...enjoy her.
They might not have her much longer.
When she learned that a dead body could indeed be tracked...Dread consumed him, and he closed his eyes. She had been offered hope, such evil hope. The same he'd tried to give her earlier. He would not take it away. Yet.