“Cortex. Mind control demons. Those Draicon
at the swamp were under their influence.” He frowned. “Doesn’t make
sense. A Cortex demon wanting something from your father would yank
it out of his mind.”
“My father is very strong-willed. He doesn’t
easily cave.”
“Let’s look at all the facts. The intel said
the Diaz brothers planned to kidnap you. But those rogue wolves at
the swamp were under Diaz’s control and wanted you to go.”
She began to pace back and forth across the
polished floor. “They clearly wanted me gone. They were impatient
for me to leave Miami.”
“Which means out of your house.”
“Which I was already out of. Though the
renovations should have been done by now.”
Etienne’s pulse kicked up a notch. “Maybe
there was something they wanted, something of yours Jorge wanted
very badly.”
Collectively they turned and stared at the
dresser, and the drawer holding the Astra Orb.
He dropped to his knees, tugged open the
drawer.
“That’s why my parents insisted I didn’t stop
here.” Cindy crouched down beside him and keyed the combination.
She drew out the Orb. “But he must have known I would never leave
this.”
“Your father said, ‘I don’t want anything
precious falling into the wrong hands.' He was counting on you to
return here and take this, grab it and go…”
Their gazes met.
“Because by five, there will be
consequences,” Etienne finished. He felt an icy calm descend over
him. Maintain control at all times. No emotion. “We have to
leave.”
Cindy stared at the pretty little ormolu
clock on her dresser. Watching the hands slowly move.
Frozen horror slid over her face. Downstairs,
the door rattled.
It was five o’clock.
Chapter Six
As Etienne approached the bedroom door, he
kept her behind him, shielding her with his big body. Her father’s
scent drifted up from downstairs. After years of having senses as
dulled as a human’s, being able to detect scents opened a whole new
world. It was Etienne, his magick flowing into her when he’d
climaxed.
Cindy strained to hear as heels clicked on
the polished tile. Etienne inched closer to the door.
Murmurs at first, then the voices became
louder.
“It’s here. The Orb is here. I told you, I
locked it up to keep it away from her.”
“You’d better not be lying, Parker.”
A loud crack split the air. She heard her
father cry out. Etienne slid a warm palm over her mouth, muffling
her gasp.
Tears sprang to her eyes.
They’re killing
him.
He bent his head close, pressing a kiss to
her temple.
No, sweetheart, they need him alive, to show them
where he hid the Orb.
She knew her father, even when he’d playacted
about disowning her. He was a Draicon of tremendous integrity and
honor, and would never give the Orb over to the Diaz brothers.
Robert Parker would die before allowing them
to seize it. She turned to meet Etienne’s hard gaze. He knew what
she did. The Astra Orb was a powerful tool for good.
But in the wrong hands, it became an equally
powerful weapon for evil.
His nostrils flared, and she knew he was
taking in the various scents downstairs to determine how many men
were there.
Cindy caught the thought drifting from
him.
Get the Orb. We’re going out your window. I’ll go
first, you jump and I’ll catch you. On my signal.
I can’t leave Dad!
Cindy
… He blew out a frustrated
breath.
Please. We have to save him. If there is a chance
he’s still alive, please Etienne.
Silence for a moment. Then she watched
Etienne shake his head.
“I have to get you out of here.” Etienne
turned, began herding her toward the window.
She planted her feet, refusing to budge.
Seeing the stubborn spark in her eyes,
Etienne cursed. Cindy waited, tensing. Unless he released his inner
he-wolf and slung her over his shoulders and carried her kicking
and screaming to New Orleans, she wasn’t moving.
“I can help you, Etienne. I may not be a
powerful Draicon like you, but I have a gun and know how to use it.
You can try to get me out of here, or you give me the benefit of
the doubt as your mate and trust in me. Which is it?”
It was not a great time to sit down and have
a logical chat about gender role-playing.
All his male instincts raged to pick up his
mate, and get her the hell out of here. But Etienne saw the
vulnerability in her eyes, the frantic fear for her sire, and her
determination.
All his life, he’d counted on his hard-won
control. It enabled him to stay cool when facing danger, when
others panicked. It made him a natural leader and served him well.
He gave orders and expected obedience.
Now Cindy challenged his legendary
ability.
If he followed his gut, he’d keep her safe.
But if he followed his masculine instincts and ignored her wishes,
he’d lose her. Giving up any control felt like someone sticking a
hot dagger in his side.
She was his mate and possessed a tremendous
amount of will and courage. He trusted her.
Etienne calmly walked over to the nightstand,
yanked the drawer open. He removed the shining .357 magnum
revolver, checked the chambers to make sure it was fully
loaded.
Locking gazes with her, he held out the
gun.
Relief and gratitude shone in her eyes. He
sensed a subtle shift in the air, a faint tug of a bond made
deeper, not through physical intimacy, but trust.
Cindy checked the weapon, held it in a
practiced stance.
You know how to use that?
She caught the cool teasing in his mind and
shot him an arch look.
Better than I know how to shapeshift into
a wolf.
Follow my orders and be quiet as possible. Bullets
can’t kill Cortex demons, but they may slow them down.
As he made his way toward the door, he
tensed. Cindy heard it the same time he did.
Footsteps on the stairs. They were headed
this way.
The element of surprise was still theirs.
Etienne’s sharp gaze swept over the bedroom.
We need a new
hiding place for the Orb.
I know a
perfect
one.
Cindy tucked the gun into her pants,
retrieved the Astra Orb and raced for the clothing hamper. She
placed the Orb inside, tucking it beneath a nest of silk blouses
and trousers to hide its glow. The clothing would mask its
distinctive scent.
He nodded at the walk-in closet. She followed
him and he slid the door over, leaving it open an inch.
The footsteps grew louder and then they were
inside her bedroom.
Despite the rising tension and threat of
exposure, Etienne displayed an icy calm. Cupping his sidearm, he
looked as cool as if they were taking tea.
The men entered the room. She caught the
cool, analytical thoughts from him like broken radio waves.
Can’t get a head shot from here without taking out
Parker.
Pistol in his hand, Jorge Diaz pushed her
father into the room. Her heart dropped to her stomach. Blood
dripped down her father’s face as Liony Diaz forced him onto his
knees.
“Tell me where it is.”
Her father lifted his face, anger glinting
his features. “No.”
Liony Diaz chuckled, his handsome face
turning ugly with intent. “You know what we can do to you, Parker.
I don’t want to kill you because you can come in handy. You have a
lot of influence in Miami and I need your connections to increase
my business. But I will find out where the Orb is.”
Liony lifted a hand, squeezed. Her father
screamed, clapping his hands over his ears. Then he fell to the
ground, unconscious. Cindy bit back a whimper.
Suddenly Jorge Diaz turned his head toward
the closet. His eyes flashed red and then yellow. She didn’t dare
breathe, didn’t dare move, her palm growing moist as she gripped
the gun.
“I smell… wolf.”
Jorge pointed his weapon. As a sharp crack
split the air, Etienne threw himself atop her. She felt his muscled
weight and warmth dripping onto her face.
His blood. He was hit.
Biting back her emotions, she channeled
Etienne’s calm, his cool, his professionalism. Her mate made no
sound, uttered no groans. He only shifted his weight off her,
leaving a streak of blood behind.
The more dire the situation, the calmer he
became. Through her deep fear Etienne was badly hurt, her screaming
fear for her father, she had a moment of clarity. She too, could
assume a calm, professional cool in the midst of crisis.
If you can do this, so can I.
Cindy turned to her mate, and assessed his
injury. Crimson spread over his olive T-shirt.
She probed his side. The bullet had exited,
but he was losing blood and the wound wasn’t healing.
Which meant silver bullets. Diaz had been
prepared.
“Cynthia Parker, I know you’re in there. Get
out now.”
Etienne gripped her around the waist, tucking
her head against his shoulder. Still determined to keep her safe.
His solid courage and quiet strength fed her courage. Even as she
heard a voice call out, taunting and confident.
“Surrender the Astra Orb. Or I’ll make your
life a living hell and you’ll beg me to die.”
Chapter Seven
Wounded and bleeding badly, Etienne still
radiated control. But his eyes flashed cold fury.
She saw his clear determination. He was
prepared to give his life, to save her.
No. We’re in this together, remember?
Etienne’s mouth compressed as he searched her
closet.
You don’t want him yanking anything from your brain.
You’ll never survive it. Whatever happens, stay hidden.
He made her hide behind a stack of boxes
she’d never unpacked. The door burst open with a kick of
splintering wood. Etienne cupped his pistol and fired. The crack of
gunfire echoed in the closet, accompanied by a cry of pain.
Terror congealed in her stomach as Etienne
doubled over, the pistol spilling from his palm.
Black blood dripped down Jorge’s brow from
the hole Etienne had blown in his forehead. Her heart pounded with
terror.
Eyes dead and cold, Jorge squeezed his fist.
Biting back a scream, she watched as Etienne clapped his hands to
his ears, an unearthly howl torn from his throat. Diaz squeezed
tighter. Blood gripped from her mate’s nose and ears.
“Where’s Cindy?”
“Go to… hell,” Etienne ground out.
“Already been there, wolf.”
And then he squeezed his fist again. Blood
streamed from Etienne’s nose, ears and eyes. His moans turned to
screams and then he fell to the floor.
Jorge stalked over to Etienne, removed the
long dagger from his thigh scabbard. Then he kicked him in his
wounded side. Etienne did not make a sound. Cindy smothered a
strangled cry.
“Big, bad Navy SEAL, not so tough now, are
you?” Jorge taunted. He tossed the dagger out of the closet.
She desperately grabbled for their mind link.
Nothing. He was unconscious. But she knew his heart still beat.
Cindy could feel it resonating inside her, a steady drumming
echoing her connection to him.
And then she felt it grow weaker.
Fear congealing in her throat morphed to pure
rage. She cocked the trigger of her gun, stepped behind the boxes
and fired.
A bright bloom of black blood stained Jorge’s
shirt. The demon studied the smoke curling from the revolver’s
barrel and then a sudden spike of pain stabbed her head. She cried
out and dropped the gun.
“Gotcha. Liony, you handle her. I’m slightly
drained.” He grinned.
Liony Diaz entered the closet, eyes glowing
red. Demon red eyes trained on her. Panic rose in her throat as he
raised his fist and squeezed.
Pain exploded in her head, the drilling of a
hundred sharp knives. Cindy closed her eyes and screamed, trying to
hold her thoughts at bay, but could not. She had no magick to fight
him.
Don’t think of where the Orb is, no, no, think of something
else…
Liony made a sound of disgust and unclenched
his fist. The pain ceased, became a low ache, leaving her
drained.
“Weak as a Draicon pup. I should have
suctioned your thoughts sooner. Your father kept insisting you
didn’t know anything,” he sneered.
She cried out as he grabbed her wrist,
twisting hard and yanking her out of the closet with him. Liony
pushed her to the floor and then went to the hamper. He retrieved
the Astra Orb, holding it in his palms. Greed shone in his eyes,
reflected in the globe’s glass surface.
And then his form shifted.
Oh dear gods, he changed, his skin turning a
mottled gray, his eyes blood red, his teeth turning yellow and
pointed like a shark’s.
His true form.
Liony began to inhale and the colors inside
the Orb turned dark as a red mist drifted out of the globe. Jorge
cursed.
“Not all yours,” he growled. “We share.”
The two demons lay their palms on the globe.
The Diaz brothers were suctioning all the Orb’s powers. Her powers.
And they’d become even more powerful.
We can’t let that happen, a deep voice spoke into her
mind.
Etienne!
Her gaze flicked to the closet. Her mate
crawled out, bloodied, but grimly determined.
Cindy stared at the glowing crystal in hands
of demons who’d injured her destined mate and her father. The
immortal Kallan’s words echoed in her mind.
“
Destroy this and you destroy yourself, Cynthia
Parker.”
Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself,
seeing her life stretching out like a thin thread, and then snipped
short.
So be it.
“Good-bye me,” she said softly. Cindy glanced
at Etienne.
I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. But this is a no-win
scenario.
I can’t lose you, Cyn.