Betrayal (7 page)

Her father had once told her that Protectors had vampire-like fangs that were only used to defend themselves and for their mate’s pleasure, as they did not need to feed on blood.

Cyn had definitely bitten her.

His eyes went from her face to her throat. Uncertainty flickered in them for a moment before he shrugged. “I’m sorry. I lost my head for a minute. Did I hurt you?” He looked into her eyes; not breaking contact.

Unnerved by his stare, she grabbed a corner of the comforter to cover herself.

“No, it was pleasant but I thought Protectors only bit their mates.”

“I don’t usually bite anyone.” Cyn smirked and nipped at her lips playfully. “But, I could feast on you for days.”

He’d changed the subject on purpose. She placed her hand on his jaw. It was hard not to urge him to, indeed devour her as long as he liked with his handsome face so close.

She decided not to push the subject; instead, she asked him a question. “I’ve never seen eyes like yours. What makes them so light?”

After an uncomfortable beat, he looked up at the ceiling, a slight coloring on his face. “A reflective shield. I know my eyes make some people uncomfortable. That’s why I wear sunglasses during the day, most of the time.”

Emma turned him to her. “I think they’re beautiful. A bit disconcerting at first, but I really like them.”

He kissed her in response. “It’s one of the changes we go through as Protectors. Since we hunt for demons, which are nocturnal, we need to have excellent night vision. The reflective shield works great at night, but it gives our eyes a strange sheen during the day.”

In the curve of his arm, she relaxed into him again, and laid her head on his shoulder.

“What’s your full name? I know Cyn is just a nickname, right?” Emma asked him next.

“Cynden Alexander Fraser,” he replied.

“You have an accent. Where are you from?”

“My brother Kieran and I are Scottish. We were born in the Highlands of Scotland, near Inverness.”

“You are a long way from home, Scot.”

“Aye,” Cyn replied with a purposely pronounced accent. “I have to admit Georgia has little resemblance to me home.”

His voice took a faraway tone. “I haven’t been to Scotland in a long time. Kieran returns every fifty years or so. His accent is still quite noticeable. Protectors are a mobile lot. When you’re immortal, you can’t stay in the same place for long. It’s been almost a decade since I’ve been to the Fraser lands.”

Emma remembered reading about the large clan. “The Fraser’s were a powerful clan.”

“They are still a powerful clan. We’re not extinct, you know,” he told her, pride evident in his voice.

Emma studied his handsome profile. She couldn’t believe the difference between the savage killer/demon-fighter and the man who lay next to her now.

In bed.

After sex.

Incredible sex.

“Is your brother here in Atlanta?”

“Yes, Kieran and I came here about twelve years ago. We’re both assigned here for at least another five years. Roderick too.” She saw a shadow of worry cross his face.

“Roderick and Briana will be all right. I just know it,” she told him.

Without warning, the intimacy of the moment rattled her. She couldn’t resist and hugged him to assure that it was real. Although not a virgin, she had never experienced a moment like this.

Their lips met in a sweet kiss.

They were both quiet for a few moments.

Cyn broke the silence first. “Who are you, really?”

“A lost girl.”
Trying to find her way home
.

“You’re not like any woman I have ever been with.”

Emma tensed. Though she enjoyed making love with him, he probably wasn’t as satisfied. He was more experienced than she. Cyn was only the second man she’d ever slept with.

Unsure, she started to move away from him. “I wouldn’t know,” Emma snapped, to hide the hurt.

As fast as she could, she slid out of the bed.

Beside her at once, he took her arm and turned her to him. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way. It was good. Incredible, actually. It’s just that it felt so different. It was…intense. There’s something different about you…”

Emma stilled at the earnest look on his face.

In this moment, she wished she could risk telling him the truth about herself. She wanted to trust someone, especially the person that could save Briana. But she couldn’t risk her sister’s life by confessing her demon heritage. Not only would he be repulsed at having been intimate with her, he’d probably kill her instantly for lying.

“I don’t know what to tell you Cyn.”

Cyn’s brow narrowed, he didn’t release her arm. “Where are your parents?”

She was honest with her answer. “My father was killed by demons. My mother lost it after that. She abandoned my sister and me. We ended up in the foster care program until the Blake’s adopted us. I haven’t seen my mother in over twenty years. I don’t even know where she is.” She shrugged her arm out of his hand and began to put her clothes back on.

“Why didn’t one of your parents’ families take you and your sister into their care?” he asked her puzzled.

Oh God
, she had to get away before she told him everything. She yanked her pants and t-shirt back on. She zipped up her jeans and bent to pick up her bra and panties off the floor. "You said we needed to get some rest…" She walked to the door and then turned to him. "Unless you want to tell me what the plan is for tomorrow."

"I'm not going to go over any plans with you, Emma. No offense." Cyn stood with his arms relaxed at his sides, fully nude.

The man was spectacular. She’d never forget the sight of him.

Brows furrowed, he pushed his hair back away from his face with one hand and stared at her for a moment.

Disappointment or resolution, one or the other, or both crossed his face.

"You're right. We better get some sleep. Good night Emma."

She just nodded and walked out. Once out of his view, she let her shoulders slump forward with her own regret as she went down the hall and into her room. He hadn’t asked her to spend the night with him.

In the spare bedroom, she hunted through a chest of drawers and found a white t-shirt. After she brushed her teeth and changed, she fell into the bed and waited for sleep to claim her.

It couldn’t come soon enough.

She began to worry about Briana. Her sister was the only family she had left. There was no way she’d lose her too. She had to get Briana back and convince her to move, maybe to a small town far from Atlanta. She tried to imagine a place where no one knew them and with no demons. Or at least no demons that would physically threaten them. Inner demons — that was something else completely.

As soon as she pushed the thoughts of her sister away, Cyn took her place.

Her first lover was a bitter memory. She’d given herself to Alex Brody, a boy in high school. When his country club obsessed mother found out he was seeing ‘the foster kid,' she had demanded he never see her again. He hurt her deeply by never speaking to her again. After Alex, she’d done her best to stay away from men, both human and not.

She didn’t fit in either world.

Although sweet, making love with Alex had been nothing like the passionate encounter with the man down the hall. Her body craved Cyn’s touch again. She squirmed as frustration filled her. It was just as well that he did not ask her to stay with him, she thought glumly. If Cyn had asked her to spend the night in his bed, she would have had to say no. She could not allow herself to get close to anyone.

Not now. Not ever.

She’d lost everyone she ever loved and didn’t want to feel that ache yet again. Not that she loved him...not really. She was just feeling the echoes of their intimacy.

Emma flipped onto her back and sighed. She’d never spent an entire night with a man. What would it have been like to wake up next to Cyn? She stared up at the ceiling and relived the amazing moments she’d just experienced. Would it always be like that with him?

She turned to lie on her side and punched the pillow. "Don't be stupid Emma. Your future is death."

Cyn sat back from his computer. He’d watched Emma toss and turn until she’d fallen asleep. It had taken great restraint to keep from asking her to stay the night with him. He had to be careful; something about Emma gave him pause.

He leaned back and glanced toward his bed. Although he was tired, the empty bed just wasn’t enticing — not without her in it.

He’d heard her say those words before she fell asleep.
"Don't be stupid Emma. Your future is death."
What exactly had she meant by that? Was she being a martyr of some kind?

He checked his computer. There was an email from Kieran. Julian received a report back from the droid spies. There was nothing new regarding Roderick. The only promising bit of information was that they’d discovered the exact location of the coven’s current position and that they were not due to change for another three days.

They had three days to find Roderick, and rescue Briana Blake.

If
she even existed.

For reasons he couldn’t understand, he wanted to believe Emma. He considered going to her. Instead, he walked over to his bed and stretched out. He needed to rest for a few hours before they left.

Tomorrow, it would start.

CHAPTER NINE

Gerard looked up from his desk and fell back with an exasperated sigh. His demon guards dragged the spy into his office.

The guards had beaten and tortured the man for hours and he didn't seem inclined to answer any of their questions. Gerard’s eyes narrowed as he studied the man. Not one bruise was visible on his face.

He stalked toward them, dagger in hand. Without pause, Gerard stabbed one of the guards through the heart killing him. The demon fell and evaporated.

"You idiots! This is not a human. It's a droid! I can't believe you wasted all this time beating a damned droid and didn’t even realize it. Did the lack of blood not offer any of you assholes a clue? Dumb shits."

The remaining guards froze. They looked at each other in terrified confusion and held their collective breath — obviously dreading whatever punishment he would give.

Heat of rage coursed through him. It felt good. A sword appeared in his hand. Gerard’s fiery stare landed on each of the guards and he was rewarded by expressions of absolute terror on their faces. Then with one fell swoop he severed the droid’s head. The guards moved out of the sword’s path dropping the droid. The body landed with a solid thump on the floor. The head rolled under a chair.

Carlo, his second in command walked into the room. "I apologize, Sire. I was not there during the interrogation of the droid.” The stocky demon peered at the remains with a look of distaste. “With all respect Sire, I think you should have left it in working order. I would have better luck at downloading its memory bank."

Carlo stepped over the droid and went to stand by his desk. He spoke to the guards ignoring Gerard's glare. "Guards, take the remains to my shop. I’ll see what I can salvage."

The guards were more than happy to follow his orders. They picked up the droid’s parts and exited the room faster than Gerard had ever seen them move, leaving only Carlo and his personal guards.

Gerard stalked to his desk and slammed his fist on the solid black marble top. Carlo merely sat down and waited.

Through the tinted windows of the room, the beam of moonlight gave the space an eerie glow. Carlo’s ever present black attire blended in the murky light.

“You already know who sent the droid. It’s doubtful that you will get any useful information from it,” Gerard told Carlo. “That damn Protector, Kieran Fraser, is too smart for that. Especially after the idiot guards destroyed anything useful,” he finished, not one to admit he’d participated in the destruction of the droid.

“We need more experienced help. Most of our guards are new or lower demons and can hardly complete any task we set before them.” Carlo's voice was dull.

Gerard grunted. He hoped that little idiot Emma succeeded in convincing Cynden Fraser to try to save her sister. He needed to leave this place and replenish his coven with better followers.

Emma. He sat, a slow smile spread across his face.

Emma Blake would die.

It couldn't be helped. He’d implanted an explosive device along with a spell star into the side of her neck. The spell star made it impossible for anyone to sense her demon blood.

A shame really, she was the prettier of the two sisters and he’d been looking forward to having her. She would have made a good sex slave. But, she was the more loyal of the two. Emma would die for her sister. He wasn’t sure Briana would be as accommodating.

Just as well though. He had to admit, last night with Briana had been pretty adventurous. She was voracious and eager to please him, which made it easy for him to exploit her demon nature. Soon she’d forfeit her humanity and it would be his to do with as he wished. He enjoyed sex with the young half-demon. So far, this idea of his to use the sisters as bait had been well worth it, in many ways.

Carlo cleared his throat and brought Gerard back to the present.

“When we capture Cynden Fraser, we will bargain with the Protector’s leader, Julian, for Thames. The Supreme demon must be released,” Gerard told his first. “The plan is coming along. The droid won’t pose any problem.”

Carlo shook his head. “I don’t understand why we wait Sire. We already have one Protector. Roderick Crogan is one of the strongest Protectors I’ve ever seen. Even chained to a wall, he’s managed to kill one of our guards. Perhaps their leader will barter for him alone.”

His men had expected him to kill the Protector for murdering the demon guard. But he had bigger plans for Roderick.

“I don’t care that a guard is dead, the piss ant deserved to die if a chained man could overcome him,” Gerard snarled at Carlo. “I might turn both Protectors into powerful demons.”

“The Roman will bargain for the Spartan. He needs his strongest warriors,” Carlo insisted.

“Yes, Julian might bargain for one, but having two is better leverage. We must be patient and hope that Julian remains unaware that the freeing of Thames means utter destruction to the human race and total power for the demonic realm.”

“You forget one thing Sire,” Carlo said. “The Protectors are now aware of our location. The droid must have at least reported that much.”

“They don’t know we have Roderick. If they suspected, they would have attacked already. No, they believe him dead — slaughtered on the street by rogue demons. They won’t come without cause. We must remain until Cynden Fraser is lured here.”

Gerard was secure in the knowledge that Julian would not risk the loss of the two Protectors; especially once his new weapon arrived in Atlanta. Warrior demons were coming to join with his group of higher-level demons. They were expensive to hire, but stronger than most high-levels and would be quite a challenge for the outnumbered Protectors.

As far as bargaining for the release of Thames, he knew who would be the arbitrator. Kieran Fraser.

Kieran would not allow his brother to die. The Protector would broker the deal and force their leader to bend to Gerard’s demands.

More relaxed, Gerard sat in a plush chair that faced the window which afforded him a view of the sizeable courtyard. Several of their human followers were outside tending to the gardens in the moonlight.
How
disgusting
. He couldn't care less about the damn flowering bushes. Much more picturesque was his power over the humans. The humans installed an entire wall of windows at the old warehouse. They’d spent their own money and resources to plant a garden and tend it in an effort to please him. His lip curled. They were such weak creatures.

Most of them would have to be disposed of soon. Once Julian freed Thames, he and his guards would relocate to an abandoned castle he’d just acquired in Belgium. The owner was more than happy to deed his castle and lands to him in order to save his wife from dying. Gerard turned her into a demon, giving her immortality. The exquisite woman would be his. In time, he’d return for her. The man would not live much longer.

The plan was in place, Roderick and Cynden would be turned into demons. He would stay in Atlanta long enough to see the Protectors turned. Ironically, their comrades would be forced to kill them. Or if all went better than planned, he’d be fortunate enough to witness his two new-turns slay them all.

“Sire, you are putting a lot of stock in the girl, Emma. I hope she will follow through,” Carlo gave him a concerned look. “The half-demon may decide to save herself and run.”

“The girl is too loyal to her sister. She’ll follow through,” Gerard replied and waved the man away.

Emma was a walking time bomb. She was naïve enough to believe him when he told her the explosive unit was an untraceable homing device and he would remove it upon her return. She also believed he’d release her and her sister upon delivery of the Protector.

Gerard felt no guilt at the thought of killing either of them. They were walking abominations. How he’d like to punish their full blood father for daring to procreate with a human woman?

In time he would have to replace Briana. Take a new lover or two, but not until after he used her body a few more times.  He rather enjoyed the way the girl gave herself to him. She enjoyed their rough sex. Aroused at the thought, he motioned for a demon guard to approach.

“Go fetch Briana, have her prepared for me and leave her in my chamber.” Gerard sat back and smiled, he wondered if he should go watch in case Roderick killed another of his useless guardsmen when they went for Briana.