Sorry. Like I said, its not gonna happen any time soon.
Bastard, shed muttered. Then shed frozen, as if she hadnt meant to say that aloud and now thought he would launch forward and beat her. When he didnt, shed calmed a bit. So Ive traded one captor for another, is that it? You promised you wouldnt harm me. Soft, so soft. Even sadly resigned, and that hadhurt him. Just let me go. Please.
Obviously, the girl was afraid. Of him, his friends. Of herself and her deadly abilities. Otherwise, she would have tried to ditch him or bargained for her release. But not once had she done so. Did she fear what they would do to her if they caught her? Or what she would do to them?
Or, as Doubt liked to whisper in the dark of night, did she have more sinister plans? Was she Bait, a very convincing trap laid by the Hunters? A trap meant to ruin him?
Not possible, he retorted every time. Such timidity couldnt be faked. The trembling, the refusal even to eat. Which meant her fears, whatever they were, were real. And the more time she spent with him, the more those fears and doubts would grow. They would become all that she knew, all that she thought about. She would question every word out of her mouth, every word out of his mouth. She would question every action.
Sabin sighed. Others here were already questioning his actions, and not because of his demon. At her plea, Luciens expression had hardeneda rare thing, for Lucien was always careful to contain his emotions. After ordering Paris to guard her, hed whisked Sabin to the home theyd rented in Cairo, where they could talk away from the others. Away from Gwen.
A ten-minute argument had ensued. And because flashing always sickened him, causing his stomach to churn, he hadnt been at his best.
Shes dangerous, Lucien had begun.
Shes strong.
Shes a killer.
Hello, so are we. Only difference is, shes better at it than we are.
Lucien frowned. How do you know? Youve only seen her kill one man.
And yet you would ban her from our home for that very killingdespite the fact that it was our enemy she killed. Look, Hunters know our faces. Theyre always on the lookout for us. But the only ones who knew her are now dead or locked up. Shes our Trojan horse. Our own version of Bait. Theyll welcome her and shell slaughter them.
Or us, Lucien had muttered, but Sabin could tell he was considering the point. She just seems sofainthearted.
I know.
Around you, that will only get worse.
Again, I know, he growled.
Then how can you think to use her as a soldier?
Believe me, Ive weighed the pros and cons. Fainthearted or not, spirit broken down by me or not, she has an innate ability to destroy. We can harness that for our own benefit.
Sabin
Shes coming with us, and thats that. Shes mine. He hadnt wanted to claim her, not that way. He didnt need another responsibility. Especially a beautiful, apprehensive female he could never hope to possess. But it had been the only way. Lucien, Maddox and Reyes had brought females into their home, therefore they could not deny entrance to his.
He shouldnt have done that to her, should have just let her go for both their sakes. But as hed reminded himself already, hed placed his war with the Hunters above everything else, even his best friend, Baden, keeper of Distrust. Now dead, gone forever. He could make no exceptions for Gwen. She was coming to Budapest, like it or not.
First, though, he was going to feed her.
Crouching a few feet in front of her, putting them at eye level, Sabin began unwrapping Twinkies and unsealing Lunchables. He poked a straw in a juice box. Gods, he missed the home-cooked meals Ashlyn prepared and the gourmet cuisine Anya borrowed from Budas five-star restaurants.
Have you ever been inside an airplane? he asked her.
Wh-what do you care? She lifted her chin, yellow fire snapping in her eyes. But that hot gaze wasnt on him. It was on the food he was spreading on the paper plate beside him.
A show of spirit. He liked it. Definitely preferred it over the stoic acceptance shed displayed earlier. I dont. I simply want to ensure youre not going to Shit. How could he phrase this without reminding her of what shed done to the Hunter?
Attack you out of fear, she finished for him, cheeks heating with embarrassment. Unlike you, I dont lie. You take me on a plane that isnt headed to Alaska and theres a very good chance youll meet mydarker half. The last words were choked.
His eyes slitted dangerously, his mind caught on the beginning of her speech. He wadded up the plastic wrappers scattered around him and shoved them into the cloth trash bag. What do you mean, unlike me? Ive never lied to you. That he was still conscious proved it.
You said you meant me no harm.
A muscle ticked in his jaw. And I didnt. Dont.
Keeping me here is harming me. You said youd free me.
I did free you. From the pyramid. He shrugged, sheepish. And as long as youre uninjured physically, I consider you unharmed. A sigh slipped from him. Is it really so bad, being around me?
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
Ouch. Doesnt matter. Youre gonna have to get used to me. The two of us will be spending a lot of time together.
But why? You said I could be useful; I havent forgotten that. What I dont understand is what you think I can do.
Why not tell her everything? he thought. It could soften her toward him and his cause. Or it could frighten her even more and finally send her running. Would he be able to stop her?
Not knowing what he wanted of her had to be torture, though, and shed suffered enough. Ill supply you with any piece of information you want, he said. If you eat.
No. II cant.
Sabin lifted the plate, circled it around. She followed every movement as though entranced. Sure that he had her attention, he lifted one of the Twinkies and bit into half.
Cant, she said again, though she sounded exactly as she looked: entranced.
He swallowed before licking away any remaining cream. See. Still alive. No poison.
Hesitantly, as though she simply couldnt help herself any longer, Gwen reached out. Sabin placed the dessert in her hand, and she immediately snatched it to her chest. Several minutes ticked by in silence, and she did nothing but eye him warily.
So this food is payment for listening to you? she asked.
No. He would not allow her to think bribery was acceptable. I just want you healthy.
Oh, she said, clearly disappointed.
Why disappointment?
Doubt nearly danced with the urge to crawl out of Sabins head and into Gwens. Much longer, and hed lose his hold. One wrong suggestion from the demon, however, and Sabin knew she would throw the tiny morsel to the ground.
Eat it, he projected. Please eat it. It wasnt the most nutritious of snacks, but at this point he would have been happy if shed eaten a pile of sand.
Finally, she lifted the golden cake and tentatively nibbled on the edge. Those long, dark lashes closed, and a tiny smile appeared. Absolute ecstasy radiated from herthe kind that usually arrived on the heels of an orgasm.
His body reacted instantly, every muscle hardening. His heartbeat picked up speed; his palms itched to touch. My gods, shes lovely. Quite possibly the most exquisite thing hed ever beheld, all carnal pleasure and blissful decadence.
The rest of the cake was inside her mouth a second later, her cheeks puffing with its mass. As she chewed, she reached out, silently commanding him to give her another. He did so without hesitation.
Shall I take half? he asked before letting go.
Black began to swirl in her eyes, obliterating gold.
Maybe not. He raised his hands, palms out, and she stuffed the second cake into her mouth. The black faded, the gold returning. Crumbs fell from the corner of her lips.
Thirsty? He held up the juice box.
Again she reached out, fingers waving him to hurry.
Within seconds, every drop of juice was gone.
Slow down, or youll make yourself sick.
Just like that, the black returned to her irises. At least it didnt bleed into the whites as it had moments before shed slain the Hunter. Sabin pushed the plate to her, and she polished off the rest of the food.
When she finished, she settled back into the tent, that contented smile making another appearance. Rich pink painted her cheeks. And before his eyes, her body filled out. Her breasts overflowed. Her waist and hips flared perfectly, sinfully. His cock, still hard and aching, twitched in response.
Stop. Now. His erection would probably terrify her, so he remained in the crouch, his knees together, his chest hunched.
What if she liked it? What if she asked you to close the distance and kiss her? Touch her?
Zip it.
But then Gwen began to pale. Her smile fell, becoming a frown.
Whats wrong? he asked.
Without a word, she jerked up the bottom tent flap, leaned outside and retched, heaving, every drop and crumb leaving her. Sighing, he pushed to his feet and gathered a rag. After soaking it with the contents of a water bottle, he shoved it into her fingers. She eased the rest of the way into the tent and wiped her mouth with a trembling hand.
Knew better, she mumbled, returning to her former position. Arms locked around her legs, holding them to her chest.
Knew better than to eat too quickly? Well, yeah. Cause hed warned her.
Sabin cleared his throat and decided to feed her again once her stomach had settled. For now, they could finish their conversation. After all, shed lived up to her side of the bargain. She had eaten.
You asked what I needed you to do. Well, I need your help finding and killing the men responsible for yourtreatment. Tread carefully. Dont rouse her dark side with painful memories. But there was no way around it. The others, they told us what had been done. The fertility drugs, the rapes. How there were other women once locked in those cages. Women who were raped as well, their babies taken away from them. A few seemed to think this has been going on for years already.
Gwens back was pressed against the sand-colored tent flaps, yet she tried to scoot backward, as though she needed to escape from his words and the images they evoked.
Sabin himself had cringed, hearing the stories. He might be half demon, but he had never done anything as terrible as what had been done to the women in that cavern.
Those men are vile, he said. They need to be destroyed.
Yes. One of her arms fell from her legs, and she drew little circles in the dirt beside her hip. But Iwasnt. The words were so softly spoken, he had to strain to hear them.
You werent, what? Raped?
Nibbling on her bottom lipa nervous habit of hers?she shook her head. He was too afraid to open my cage, so he left me alone. Physically, at least. Hetook the others in front of me. There was guilt in her tone.
Ah. She felt responsible.
Sabin felt only relief. The thought of this fae-like creature being held down, her legs pried apart while she cried and begged for mercy, mercy that would never have been givenHe anchored his hands on his thighs, his nails elongating into claws and cutting past fatigues.
When he returned to Budapest, the Hunters in his dungeon would suffer untold agonies, he thought for the thousandth time. Hed tortured men before, considered it a necessary part of war, but this time he would truly enjoy it.
Why did he keep you, then, if he was afraid of you?
Because he hadnt given up hope that the right drugs would make me biddable.
Blood beaded where claw met skin. Shed lived in terror, he was sure, of that very thing happening. You can avenge yourself, Gwen. You can avenge the other women. I can help you.
Her lashes lifted, the sand she played with clearly forgotten, and then those amber orbs were probing all the way to his soul. So can you. Avenge us, I mean. Obviously those men did something to you. You came here to fight them, didnt you?
Yes, they did something to me and mine, and yes, I came here to fight them. That doesnt mean I can destroy them on my own. Otherwise, he would have done so by now.
What did they do to you?
They murdered my best friend. And they hope to murder everyone else I hold dear, all because they believe the lies of their leader. Ive been trying to obliterate them for centuries, he admitted. The fact that the Hunters continued to thrive was like a dagger in his side. But I kill one, and five more take his place.
When she didnt blink at the word centuries, he realized she knew he, too, was immortal. But did she know what he was?
No way shes guessed. Like most every other woman in your life, she would despise what you are. How could she not? And look at her now. So sweet, so gentle. No evidence of hatred. Yet. The last emerged in a singsong.
Doubt. His constant companion. His cross to bear.
How do I know you arent one of them? she demanded. How do I know this isnt simply another way to try and gain my cooperation? Ill help you fight your enemy and youll rape me. Ill get pregnant, and youll steal the child from me.
Doubts. Courtesy of his demon?
Before he could think up a reply, she added tightly, I watched you fight those men. You hurt them, claim to hate them, but you didnt kill them. You let them live. That isnt the action of a warrior who wants to annihilate his enemy.
As she spoke, an idea sprouted. A way to prove himself. And if wed killed them, you would have been convinced of our hate for them?