Vaulcron (Enigma Series Book 3) (13 page)

Chapter Twenty-Five

Vaulcron jerked awake suddenly, a feeling of dread blanketing him.

He rolled over to be sure Mallory was safe, only to find her side of the bed empty.

“Mallory?” he called, sitting up and scanning the room for signs of movement. “Mallory?”

Silence.

Throwing his legs over the side of the bed, Vaulcron stood and dressed in record time. He checked the bathroom first, before rushing out the door to the stairwell.

Taking the stairs two at a time, he burst into the lobby to find a few Bracadyte’s milling around, eating the sweet Danishes that Oz usually provided for breakfast.

“Has anyone seen Mallory? “Vaulcron asked, searching the Bracadyte’s sleep swollen faces.

After several head shakes from most of them, Vaulcron approached the front desk. “Yolanda, have you seen Miss. Cahill?”

“I saw her late last night,” she responded without looking up. Vaulcron watched her clicking keys on a small black square with letters and numbers attached.

“Did she say where she was going?”

“No,” Yolanda replied. “But she was carrying a bag.”

“A bag?”

“You know, like an overnight bag.”

Vaulcron’s heart began to pound. It hurt to breathe. She’d left him. Mallory had pretended to enjoy his mouth pleasuring, while plotting her escape.

A deep, sharp pain welled up inside him. Vaulcron had never known love until Mallory, and true to her name, she had devoured him, heart and soul.

He turned and stormed off toward the stairwell, mentally reaching out to her with every step he took. “
Mallory?”

Why couldn’t he feel her? Not even the faintest hint of her presence could be detected. It was if she’d never existed.

When no response came, he stopped off at Amy’s room and rapped on her door.

“Just a moment,” Amy called in a sleepy voice. “I’ll be right there.”

Vaulcron stood in the hall, his muscles tense and his heart breaking. He knew in his very soul that Mallory wasn’t coming back, and try as he might, he couldn’t accept it.

The door slowly opened. Amy stood in the entrance, wearing a robe and bloodshot eyes. “Can I help you?”

“It is Vaulcron. May I come inside?”

She backed up to allow him entry. “Mallory’s not here,” Amy whispered, tears evident in her soft voice.

“I did not expect her to be. I only want to know if you spoke with her before she left.”

Amy nodded. “She came to see me late last night. Said she was heading back to the states to right the wrong that had been done to us all.”

“I thought as much.” Vaulcron could barely get the next words out. “She is not coming back, is she?”

“Not for a long time. If ever.”

“But why? She cannot stop her government from coming after us. No matter how hard she tries.”

Amy felt her way over to a chair and sat down. “You don’t know her like I do, Vaulcron. She is smarter than you give her credit for.”

Vaulcron trailed over and knelt at Amy’s feet. “Can you contact her?”

Amy shook her head. “She said she would leave a message at the hotel for me when it was safe to do so.”

Rising to his feet, Vaulcron turned toward the door. “You will inform me if she calls you?”

Tears filled Amy’s eyes. “If she calls me. She’s very overprotective of me, Vaulcron. She may stay away just to keep me safe.”

Vaulcron’s eyes briefly closed before he opened them again. “That is one of the reasons I fell in love with her. She is the strongest female I have ever known.”

“Yes, she is,” Amy agreed, wiping at the moisture on her cheeks. “And I pray that she stays safe.”

Unable to speak past the lump in his throat, Vaulcron opened the door and fled back to the safety of his room.

Mallory’s scent hit him square in the face as he opened the door to his suite and stepped inside.

“
Mallory
?” he tried again, his gaze moving to the couch they’d pleasured each other on the night before.

No response.

Vaulcron stumbled over to bed and dropped heavily onto the mattress. Mallory was gone, and he seriously doubted she would ever return.

Anger rose up to replace his grief. What could she possibly be thinking, facing off with the American government on her own? They would have her killed in a second if they got their hands on her.

Jumping back to his feet, Vaulcron stormed toward the door. He would follow her to the states, and stop her from risking her life. Even if it cost him his own.

A knock sounded as he gripped the knob. He jerked the door open to find the healer, standing in the hall. “I am in a hurry, Zaureth.”

“This will not take long.”

Vaulcron waved him inside. “Please be quick. I have some place to be.”

“The states?” Zaureth guessed, stepping inside.

“You spoke to Amy?”

Zaureth shook his head. “I did not have to. I saw Miss Cahill when she left last night.”

Anger reared its ugly head. “And you did not try to stop her?”

“It was not my place to stop her, Vaulcron. I could see that her mind was clear and made up.”

Vaulcron was suddenly in the healer’s face. “You did not think to come and tell me? I had a right to know.”

A strange light entered Zaureth’s eyes. “The female does not belong to you, Vaulcron. She made that clear to me when we spoke. She does not want to be mated with you or anyone else. You must respect that and let her go.”

Vaulcron’s heart nearly stopped. “She told you that?”

“She did. I am sorry, Vaulcron, but you must leave her be.”

Vaulcron had to unclench his teeth to respond. “But what of her sister?”

“Miss Cahill plans to send for Amy as soon as it’s safe to do so.”

“But not me,” Vaulcron stated, the finality of his words echoing in the otherwise quiet room. “She does not want me.”

Zaureth laid a hand on his shoulder. “I am sorry, Vaulcron. I truly am.”

Vaulcron wasn’t sure how long he stood there in the center of his room before he realized that Zaureth had left.

He dropped to his knees in defeat, allowing the tears he’d been holding back to freely track down his face.
Mallory…

Chapter Twenty-Six

It was five o’clock in the morning when Mallory exited the small Cessna plane in Mobile, Alabama and jogged over to the car awaiting her.

Her tears had finally dried on the flight back to the States, but her heart would ache for a long time to come.

She’d walked out on Vaulcron after leaving a message for him with the healer. Telling Zaureth that she didn’t wish to be mated to Vaulcron was one of the hardest things Mallory had ever had to do.

It was for the best, she told herself, arriving at her car. Vaulcron would have followed her otherwise, and she couldn’t allow that. If the military caught him again, they would kill him without batting an eye.

Mallory’s driver, Clarence, held the door open for her. “It’s good to see you, ma’am.”

Sliding onto the back seat, Mallory waited for him to round the vehicle and climb behind the wheel. “I don’t know how to thank you, Clarence. And I’m sorry you had to drive so far to pick me up, but I couldn’t risk landing in Florida.”

“It’s fine, ma’am. It’s only a three-hour drive at most. Besides, I don’t want to get caught any more than you do.”

“Fair enough. Griffin’s meeting us in Pensacola. We’ll stop there first, grab the disc, and then I’m flying solo from there.”

“You’re going to need backup, ma’am. I can help.”

“I appreciate it, Clarence, but I refuse to be responsible for anyone else’s life.”

He glanced up in the rearview mirror. “Did your friend make it home safely?”

It didn’t take a genius to realize he referred to Vaulcron. She could barely think of his name without summoning more tears. Mallory could only imagine how much her betrayal would hurt him when he realized she’d left. “Yes. He’s fine.”

“Glad to hear it,” Clarence remarked, taking a turn onto the main road. “Try to rest. We’ll be in Pensacola in about an hour.”

Rest? Mallory thought in exhaustion. How was she supposed to rest when every time she closed her eyes, she saw Vaulcron’s emerald-green ones?

The drive to Pensacola seemed to pass at a snail’s pace, with Mallory tensing up at every siren she heard in the distance. “If the government doesn’t kill me,” she muttered aloud, “then stress surely will.”

“Did you say something, ma’am?”

“Just talking to myself, Clarence. Are we getting close?”

He nodded. “The motel is less than a mile ahead.”

Mallory grabbed her bag and set it on the seat beside her. She would run in, grab the disc, and get out before anyone noticed her.

The car rolled to a stop in front of a low-end motel. A light flickered on the marquis that hung above the building, flashing vacancy.

Mallory opened her door to get out, nearly bumping into Clarence in her haste. “I’ll be fine, Clarence. I can take it from here.”

“Why don’t you let me get the disc? Lord knows what kind of seedy types are lurking in those halls.”

“He’s expecting me, though.”

“Call him and tell him to either bring it outside or I’m coming in. Either way, it’s not a good idea for you to get out.”

Mallory’s gaze touched on everything from the dimly lit parking lot to the graffiti littering the walls of the nearest alley before stopping on Clarence. “You’re right. I’ll call him now.”

She adjusted herself more securely in the seat and allowed Clarence to close her door.

Retrieving her disposable cell, Mallory dialed Griffin’s number. He picked up on the first ring. “Mallory?”

“Yes. I’m outside in the car. I’m sending my driver in to get the disc. Once he has it, I want you to change locations. I’ll be in touch.”

“Okay. As far as I know, no one suspects me. I should be fine here for the day.” He gave her his room number.

“I’ll be airing the interview today. Jackson will know where I got the disc, so it’s best if you disappear again. At least until the danger has passed.”

“I understand. I’ll keep this phone with me at all times. Call me the second it’s safe for me to return.”

“I will. Thanks again, Griffin.”

“Mallory?” he rushed out before she could hang up.

“Yes?”

“Be careful.” He ended the call.

Mallory opened her door long enough to give Clarence the room number before pulling it shut again.

The sound of a click told her that Clarence had pressed the keyless locking mechanism. He strode off toward the motel’s entrance, leaving her alone with her tormented thoughts of Vaulcron.

It took every bit of strength she had to keep her mind closed off from Vaulcron. She could feel him reaching out to her, beckoning her. But nothing prepared her for the pain she felt coming from him. It bled over into her mind like an open wound, agonizing and haunting.

Mallory knew Vaulcron would never forgive her. He would see her leaving as a betrayal. Especially after the oral sex they’d shared the night before. He’d surely think she’d used her body to deceive him.

But the truth was, Mallory wasn’t sure she would make it back alive. She’d wanted to give him something to remember her by, something beautiful and tender. Something between only them that no one else could take away.

Bittersweet tears gathered in her eyes to fall unbidden down her cheeks.

As Mallory sat in that car, in the parking lot of the shady motel, she admitted something to herself that she hadn’t been able to face until now. She loved Vaulcron. An alien. A species from the deep. A creature that would never be accepted or even tolerated by society. And none of that mattered. He owned her, heart and soul.

The locks suddenly flipped up, pulling Mallory out of her tormented state. She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and watched as Clarence slid back behind the wheel.

He handed the covered disc over the seat. “Now let’s get you out of here.”

Mallory accepted the disc, shoving it into her bag. “Take me to the Sentinel, Clarence.”

“But I’m sure they have eyes on that place, ma’am.”

Mallory knew he spoke the truth. “They’ll be watching for me everywhere, Clarence. I need to go someplace they won’t know to look for me.”

“My old fishing cabin is in Freeport. But I’m not sure how I can get you there since all the bridges have checkpoints. And DeFuniak Springs is under quarantine, so I know we can’t go that route.”

“Damn it,” Mallory swore, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the seat’s back. “We are going to stay in Destin. That’s the last place they’ll think to look.”

“Are you sure?”

Mallory nodded. “Yes. But first, a trip to the drug store is in order.”

“You can’t go in a store, ma’am. You’ll run the risk of being spotted.”

“I’m not going in, Clarence. You are.”

Putting the car in reverse, Clarence backed out of the parking lot and drove toward the nearest shopping mall.

He met her gaze in the mirror once again. “What am I getting from the drug store?”

Mallory unconsciously ran a hand through her long blonde locks. “Hair dye and scissors.”