THIS TIME (The Grace Allen Series Book Three Paranormal Romance) (22 page)

She
lowered the window and smiled sadly. I saw the flash of a tear and then she
turned her head, refusing to meet my eyes, she jerked the car in gear and began
to back out. After only a moment she was zipping down the drive.

Damn,
in one evening, I had killed all of her hopes and probably lost her forever.

I
sighed and, looking at the house, I shivered as a chilling breeze blew leaves
across the drive. Nights were cooler than I remembered, and I rubbed my arms as
I reached the porch.

“That
was a tender scene. Poor, sweet, girl. You seem to be monopolizing more than
your fair share of men. I should probably punish you for such treachery, don’t
you think,
wife
?”

I
froze as my heart tried to escape through my chest.

I
swallowed down my rising panic and turned just as a jolt of searing pain shot
through my right arm. It penetrated straight to the bone and I crumbled to the
ground. I rolled, hugging my arm tightly. I could just make out the boots Lu
wore.

“It
seems I’ve underestimated you once again,” Lu smirked. “You’ll be happy to
learn, however, that I won’t be doing it again.”

Shaking,
I brought my arm up to my face. The mark had returned, but it wasn’t nearly as
extensive as before, in fact it was much smaller and barely passed my wrist.

I
rolled and slowly got to my knees and then, bracing my hand on the side of the
porch, I brought my feet under me and stood on wobbling legs. I looked at the
ink on my arm, my mind racing with questions. Cain’s words rang in my head.
‘What happens in
Hell
is eternal,’ but I had made most of my deals with
Lu
in the mortal world
.

I
smiled as it all came together. Lu watched my face, his brows lowering, and
then he frowned as he must have come to the same understanding.

“Looks
like you get to eat your words.” I straightened, cradling my arm.

Lu’s
eyes had widened and he stared in horror at my arm. I took my chance and lashed
out, sending him flying back against a nearby tree.

He
hit hard and I sucked in a shocked breath and almost collapsed.

Thundering
feet pounded inside the house as Seth and Lucian burst through the door. Seth
had vamped out, his skin glowed and his eyes shone bright casting their own
light. His fangs were longer than I had ever seen and gleamed white and deadly.

Holy shit, I’ve never seen him vamp out like this before
.

Lucian
was no less impressive. His skin glowed as well, like the light from a spitting
fire, his golden skin sparked. I took a step preparing to stand between them
when my legs buckled and I fell to the ground.

Lu
was covered with leaves and dirt, he rolled to the side, and I watched as he
gained his feet. He looked at his leg. A twig stuck out of his jeans, blood
seeped from the wound. He gripped the tip and pulled it free.

I
cringed in pain and he looked up, meeting my eyes.

I
reached for the men at my back. Seth and Lucian each grabbed one of my arms and
helped me to stand.

Lu
smiled. His face a mask of delight. He knew something and I was terrified that
I did too.

I
felt the energy build behind me as Lu moved closer. I swallowed hard.

“Guys,
stand down for now, okay?” I pleaded as Lu stopped just in front of us.

“It
seems you found a way to bring them back, I didn’t see that one coming, well
played,” Lu seemed way too pleased. “Too bad I don’t share.” He pulled a blade
from his boot and smiled.

“Get
back, demon!” Lucian spat. “We have more power than you could ever fathom, you
don’t want to test it, you’ll bleed.”

Lu
laughed and shook his head. “You know, that’s just precious. It means nothing,
but I enjoyed hearing it,” he smiled, meeting my eyes.

I
took another step back. Lu looked confident and when he looked that way, things
tended to burn. Seth looked down at my worried face and stepped back as well
only to look disgusted and move forward again.

I
closed my eyes and tried to ease my shaking limbs when Seth spoke.

“Why
have you come?” he growled. “Grace has already struck her deal with you, Satan.”

Lu
snorted and met my eyes. “This whole thing would be a lot more fun if we
weren’t the only ones in on the joke.”

“That
nightmare was no joke,” I fumed.

“Nightmare?
Oh, you weren’t suffering the entire time, my darling,” he leered. “But I do
agree with one thing. It was a joke, and it turns out it was on me.” He frowned.
“And now, I no longer have the luxury of getting my way by being nice.” He
smiled and I goggled.

“That
was you being nice?” I wanted to laugh, but this conversation was becoming too
revealing and I stepped back and closed my mouth.

He
snorted, his lip curled. “I suppose it matters little. I can’t always have
everything my way.” He stuck out his bottom lip. “
Or…”
he arched a brow,
“…
can I?”

I
felt my body stiffen as he grinned at the blade in his hand.

My
eyes widened and I gasped as he slashed the blade across his own wrist. I
stared in horror as blood poured from both of our arms. Lucian and Seth jerked
and cried out, gripping their own arms. I dropped to my knees, tears flooding my
eyes. The wound was shallow and began to close on its own.

Lu’s
head swept back with his laughter and I glared.

“My
contracts may be null,” he sneered, “but the most important bond remains. You
are
my wife, Grace.” He smiled and held out his arms, beckoning. “Now come to me.
Enough games.”

“No!”
I stood, turning, I looked at Seth and Lucian. They looked angry as hell and
under that they both held looks of suspicion and hurt. It was more than obvious
that I was holding back several truths, but at the moment, I had a point to
make and the only way to do it was to push them further away.

I
filled my hands with power and met their eyes each in turn.

“Forgive
me,” I muttered and closed my eyes. I sent the bolt of power into their bodies.
Lucian’s eyes rounded in alarm as he crumpled to the ground. Seth sucked in his
breath and dropped to his knees as his eyes filled with confusion. I
immediately pulled the power back into myself, hating that I had to cause them
any more pain.

I
stood tall, the only one unaffected. I didn’t need to hurt myself to make the
others hurt because I knew the link was much bigger than Lu had assumed. If he
had chosen to cut me instead of himself, Seth, Lucian and I would have felt the
pain, but I would be the only one to bleed.

I
looked to the gravel drive, Lu lay sprawled on his back. The power had hit him
completely unaware. He was part of the bond as a whole now too, and any pain
they suffered, he would suffer as well. We were
all
linked.

Good
God, this was bigger than a nightmare.

Lu’s
face was pale with shock. He pulled himself up, his eyes scarlet orbs of fury.
With angry movements he swiped the dirt from his clothing all the while his jaw
clenching. I watched him dust himself off. He was stalling. I couldn’t let him
think too much, at least not while we were all together.

“No
one wins tonight,
Satan
,” I folded my arms. It sucked, we were all bound
together. It meant that we were all stuck, but it also meant that none of us
would be trying to kill the others.

Lu
looked thoughtful.

“It
seems you are correct.” His shoulders rose and fell with his sigh. “We seem to
be stuck in a stalemate.” His eyes cooled to blue and he smiled. “But a new
deal is in order, wife. I look forward to our negotiations,”

I
frowned, not looking forward to that at all. He would turn on the charm and try
to get me into bed. But, I remembered his real form and that was enough for me
to keep my distance. He scared the shit out of me. I’d watched him kill the men
I loved. I didn’t think even with his charm and skill he could get me to forget
that.

Lu
watched me, as if reading my thoughts, he smiled and turned to go. I watched
him move, my shoulders easing with each step he took. Heat and anger beat at me
from the men still standing close, and I just wanted to run away and hide from
the questions I knew where sure to come.

I
felt tension build in my stomach just as Lu froze. A ripple of fear spread and
he turned.

“Question.”
He looked at us, his index finger pointing into the air.

Of
course there had to be more.

“What
is it?” I sighed.

“You
say that whatever I inflict upon you shall translate through the bond we share
to the others, correct?” His brows rose.

“Yeah?”
I answered slowly, alarm prickled my skin. “And vice versa.”

“You
receive the painful wound and they receive the pain, yet no wound?” He pressed
his finger to his lips as if pondering his next words.

I
lowered my brows. “Yeah, and vice versa,” I reminded again. I had no idea where
he was going with this but I knew I wouldn’t like it. “Get to the point, Devil?”
I watched him. He was having way too much fun.

“I
wonder,” he pursed his lips, “would pleasure translate the same?” He smiled as
my face flooded with heat. “I’ll see you next month,
Wife
.” Lu bowed low
and straightening, he winked and disappeared.

I
fell to the ground, my hands shaking. I couldn’t believe I’d gotten out of that
alive!

EPILOGUE

My
bed. The best place in the world as far as I was concerned. After that horrid
encounter, I’d abandoned the men. Unable and mostly
unwilling
to explain,
I’d made a beeline for my bedroom, locking the door firmly behind me.

My
emotions were so erratic and confused that whenever I figured I had the puzzle
of love worked out, another piece seemed to go missing. The bonds between Seth,
Lucian and I had been strong, I knew, but now that we had a creature as strong
as Lu in the mix, who knew how powerful those bonds had become? I was attached
to three men, all extremely powerful. Two by love and one by ceremony, but all
were equally binding.

Tension
beat off of me in waves. No one knocked as I slid off my shoes.

My
clothing felt sticky and thick. I peeled off my shirt. Cripes, I needed another
shower badly. I was covered in blood,
yet again
. I snorted to myself.
Amazing. I’d managed to go almost a full day without seeing my blood.

My
arm had healed perfectly. It wasn’t a deep wound. I doubted Lu wanted to hurt
himself that badly. He didn’t need to, he’d made his point.

The
water felt wonderful. I stood under the jets and let them pound out their
therapy while I tried to clear my mind of everything bad. It wasn’t working and
I finally gave up.

My
room was brightly lit. I switched off the lights and snuggled into the soft
cocoon of comforters and sheets. I hugged my pillows close and closed my eyes.

I
knew I would dream. I knew he would be there.

His
lips slid along the length of my arms and up to nuzzle the base of my throat. His
teeth grazed and bit lightly. I sighed. My torment was his touch. So gentle, so
full of temptation.

“You
have no power over me,” I whispered in the dark. “You know I won’t do this, not
after everything you’ve done, not even in a dream.”

He
remained silent. His fingers gliding across my skin. The barest touch.

“Why
do you try? This isn’t your game anymore.” I moved, sliding away only to end up
closer.

Damn him
.

“I
won’t allow you to control my dreams, Lu.” I growled as the velvet touch of his
lips floated across my cheek, his teeth nipping my lip, his tongue lightly
tasting. “No.” I persisted.

My
nightgown was gone. My flesh broke out in goose bumps as he rolled me onto my
back. I moved to get up only to remain. His body skimmed along mine. His knee
slid up slowly, spreading my legs apart.

Anticipation
crawled up my spine and I sprang up in anger.

Conjuring
light, I screamed, “You can’t have me. Lu!”

I
balled my fists and looked at him. I sucked in a shocked breath and scrambled
from the bed.

“
Cain
?”

Smiling,
he propped his head on his hand just as the room went dark again.

“I
won’t tell Daddy if you won’t,” he whispered.

The End

Books
by Alisha Basso
:

This Blood
– The Grace Allen
Series – Book One

This Curse
– The Grace Allen
Series – Book Two

This Night - The Fourth and Final
Installment of The Grace Allen Series!
Coming Soon!