Dark Ice (23 page)

Dane leaned over and picked her up, cradling her in his arms. Every wound and muscle throughout his body cried out in pain. He felt the warm trickle of blood seep from his wounds.

“Put me down, you’re injured; you don’t have the energy to carry me home.”

“I am strong enough to protect my woman,” Dane grunted.

He lifted her closer to his chest and gritted his teeth. The first step was the hardest. He’d take her home and care for her, nurture her. He would never leave her unprotected again. And if that meant his heart would shatter in the process, then so be it.

Chapter Twenty

The putrid smell contaminated him. Silvan grimaced, he’d never get this smell off him. Surely it would stay with him forever. He stripped naked, peeling the filth encrusted clothes from his body. He dumped them in the garbage bag Tithe had provided, twisted the top closed and chucked it into the corner of the bathroom.

He wrinkled his nose in disgust, the stench and gore clung to his skin. He turned on the shower and stepped inside the cubicle, closing the door behind him with a click. Warm water caressed his skin, massaging his aching muscles, and he sighed in relief. The dirt and grime slid down his body mingling with the water, pooling on the tiled floor before disappearing down the drain.

If only his memories would vanish so easily. They would always be his constant companion. Lurking in the background, lingering just below the surface, ready to make an appearance at the slightest provocation lately. The last few days had brought more recollections to the forefront than he cared to acknowledge. Memories that had been buried for years and now bombarded him mercilessly.

Grimacing, Silvan grabbed the soap and scrubbed himself raw, determined to rid himself of the foul creature they had disposed of tonight. He and Tithe had tracked the creature into the snow and when the saw the bear fighting it, they knew it was right for the bear to destroy the
wendigo
.

But it had been up to him and Tithe to dispose of the corpse. A task he would have gladly forgone. Typically, they had been left with the clean up. At least he knew with certainty the creature would never harm another. There was no coming back from what they did to it.

Silvan turned off the water, stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. It was large, soft and thick and he wrapped himself in it enjoying the luxury. It soaked up the water from his body, droplets disappearing instantly. He dried himself, hung up the towel and walked out of the bathroom.

The small bedroom was warm, the bed very inviting. His body ached from the exertion of the last few days. His mind throbbed even more so. He swept his gaze over the room, surprisingly, a fresh set of clothes sat neatly folded on the bed’s duvet.

Silvan walked over to them and leaned down to pick up the clean T-shirt. He paused as he saw his naked reflection in a full length mirror on the opposite wall. He baulked at what he saw. He was one of the very few venators who bore physical scars. Most venators were physical perfection, their wounds never leaving marks.

His scars were not new. They were very old, almost ancient. Since becoming a hunter, his many wounds never scarred his body. But those that marred his body before he turned stayed with him as a constant reminder of a life once lived and never forgotten.

The marks stood out against the contours of his muscles, lighter than the smooth brown tone of his skin. Silvan continued to gaze at the scars, as memories of the origins of those marks seared his mind. He closed his eyes and blocked out the vision. It would do him no good to remember. The scars were reminder enough. That was why his house held no mirrors.

He turned his back to the mirror and changed quickly before leaving the bedroom. Tithe stood in the living room, pulling a shirt over his head. Silvan flinched. Only Tithe held more scars than he did, or anyone he had ever seen. Sensing his presence, Tithe whipped around, anger burning in his eyes before he shielded himself.

“Sorry, I didn’t realize you were there,” Silvan apologized, knowing the man’s unease by being caught unaware.

“It is I that am sorry. Highly strung from tonight’s work, I guess.”

“I understand that.” Silvan perused the cozy room. “I never knew you owned a house up here.”

“I don’t. It belongs to the organization. It is not used a great deal. I did offer it to the last venator who was stationed here, but he chose to live out his penance in harsher climates.”

“Thank you for your assistance tonight,” Tithe said after a minute.

Silvan nodded, he could sense that Tithe had something else to say, though his instinct told him he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to hear it.

“Your assignment here is over,” Tithe started before he paused a second. “You can go home to your sun-soaked green fields. Not a drop of snow in sight.”

“I can hear a ‘but’ coming,” Silvan said.

Tithe smiled. “I forgot you know me best of anyone. There is something I must ask you to do. I need you to stop in Rome on your way home.”

“Why?”

“A venator stationed at a small outlying town near there has gone missing.” Tithe crossed his arms against his chest and exhaled audibly.

“Well, that’s not totally unusual. Our profession is dangerous, shifters have been known to take out a few of our kind before,” Silvan answered.

“Yes, but this is one of the only venators with a family. They don’t know what happened to him, but his wife is asking questions, she deserves answers if we can give them to her. His children need closure if it’s due.” Tithe moved over to the small fireplace and stood in front of it, the flames reflecting orange against his face.

Silvan’s heart lurched. This was the reason most venators didn’t have families, it was too dangerous. Silvan pictured a woman and children left in the dark about their lover and protector’s fate.

“Fine,” Silvan replied. “I will make my way to Rome first and investigate what happened.”

“Thank you,” Tithe turned to face him. “There’s one other thing.”

Foreboding rose in Silvan’s stomach at Tithe’s words.

“The venator who is missing is Lazarus.”

Silvan cursed. It seemed as if his past was coming back to haunt him.
  

~* * *~

Tithe marched through the Hall and stomped straight into his office. Rin rose from behind his desk the instant he saw him enter.

“Is the
wendigo
destroyed?” Rin asked.

“Yes.”

“And Silvan was unharmed?” Rin stepped out from behind the desk.

“Yes, Silvan has caught a flight to Rome. He is to search for Lazarus.” Tithe moved over to the window at the side of his office and peered out at the quiet street, hoping some of the peace would seep into his soul.

“Is that wise?” Rin queried.

“Probably not. However, Silvan is one of the best venators we have and Lazarus needs to be found.” Tithe pulled the curtains closed, turned and sat down in his chair behind his desk.

“And the bear?” Rin asked.

“So many questions, Rin.” Tithe looked up at the man standing before him. “You have concern for the bear?”

Not a muscle moved, no emotion betrayed Rin’s true emotions.

“You certainly have concern for the woman,” Tithe said, creasing his brow in curiosity. “I know it was you who gave her directions to the bear.”

“I did.” Rin didn’t deny it. Tithe knew he wouldn’t.

“You are a contradiction. You obviously believe in love, even though you have seen firsthand the consequences it has. You show concern for your enemy, yet would never back down from a fight.”

“Life is a contradiction,” Rin said bitterly.

“True enough,” Tithe conceded. He stood up. “My thanks for your assistance in looking after the city.”

Rin bowed his head and Tithe wondered if the man would ever be able to leave his Samurai training behind. Rin turned smartly on his heel and left the office, clicking the door shut behind him.

Tithe exhaled and started to pace the floor, his mood ferocious. The task with the
wendigo
, though revolting, didn’t affect him the way it did Silvan. Tithe saw it as a monster that had to be disposed of. No complications in that.

But when he had returned to the cabin, the constant barrage of work and life-altering decisions awaited him. And those lives to be altered were of his closest allies and some he called friend.

Lazarus had disappeared and his widow specifically requested Silvan’s assistance. Alarm bells screamed at him at the appeal, and yet he knew he had to send his friend. They had all served together on the Brigantine ship, Tithe as captain, Silvan and Lazarus part of the finest crew to board a vessel. And the deadliest.

Now they were all hunters and their brotherhood demanded the respect to stand together, even if the two men loathed each other.

Tithe silently cursed and looked at his desk. Rin had tidied it to within an inch of its life. The man was almost retentive. But he was loyal and strong. Tithe frowned, was Rin strong enough to carry out the next order Tithe knew he had to hand down? An email Tithe had received while at the cabin specified that there had been a number of deaths of a couple of prominent officials by a shifter.

Tithe knew who was responsible. He would have to send Rin. He would have to order Rin to kill the hawk.

Against his will, his heart went out to his men. He knew what it was like to kill one you loved. The burden of it held onto your soul, never to be relinquished.

Tithe’s mood darkened as pent up energy coursed through him, making him agitated. He crossed the office and flung the door open, it hit the opposite wall with a deafening bang.

He strode out and across the length of the Hall. Nobody dared to stop him. He reached the gigantic front doors and easily pushed them open. Fresh night air cooled his heated skin but did nothing for his mood. He needed to release some emotion. The question was, how did a man of such immense power release some energy?

The darker side of his psyche whispered quietly; kill something. The humanitarian side of him agreed. Just kill something evil, it sighed.
   

Chapter Twenty-One

Dane’s arm lay heavy across Lea’s waist, comforting her as she woke with a jolt. Images of the
wendigo
had found their way into her dreams, turning them into fully fledged nightmares.

Lea rubbed her sleepy eyes while they adjusted to the morning light. She twisted her body to get a better look at Dane beside her. She grimaced as a dull ache turned into a throb in her upper arm. Experimentally she moved it and felt the rasp of a bandage against a wound. Then she remembered, the
wendigo
had sliced open her arm as it stole her from her bed in the hotel. The cold of the snow must have numbed it, sending it from her mind.

She recalled all of it now and tears filled her eyes. A sob tore from her lips, her emotions too strong. She covered her eyes with her hand as she cried.

“Shh. It’s all over now.” Dane’s soft voice soothed her, it was low and groggy from the sleep he just woke from.

He didn’t say another word. He just continued to hold her as she cried, sometimes patting her hair with his huge hand. She released all the pain and fear she had kept in check the night before. Now it spilled out unheeded.

Slowly her tears abated but she continued to lay there in the comfort of Dane’s embrace for what felt like hours.

“I’m sorry,” Dane said, emotion breaking his voice.

“For what?” Lea asked. “I’m the one who’s been crying all over you.”

“For leaving you at the hotel.”

Lea shivered. “I was so terrified.”

“I know,” this time Dane’s voice did crack.

“But you weren’t to know that thing would come for me.”

“It’s no excuse,” Dane ground out.

Lea snuggled into his warmth, careful not to touch too many of his bandaged wounds. Last night when they arrived at the house, she had cleaned and dressed his injuries the best she could. She worried that some may be fatal. Dane had looked at her almost sadly and stated that it took a hell of a lot to kill a versipellis.

“I feel safe here with you,” Lea murmured as she snuggled closer.

“I will never leave you unprotected again.”

Lea reached up and caressed the rough stubble of his jaw, it tickled her palm and sent shivers through her. She could feel his dark gaze on her, but she wasn’t sure if she could stand their intensity right now on top of everything else. Instead she looked around the room, taking in the classic décor.

“I don’t come here often,” Dane said, obviously noticing her checking out the place.

“It’s homey, comforting.”

“It is with you in it,” Dane said roughly.

Lea raised her head and finally looked in Dane’s eyes. He was serious.

“You know I love you, Dane. Today more so than ever before. I don’t know how it can work out between us,” she added sadly, her heart aching anew.