FALL (The Senses) (43 page)

She did. And it terrified her.
“Waleron, please. I know you can hear me.” He remained transfixed on her. She
wasn’t certain if he even knew who she was. “I never left you.” He closed his
eyes for a second and shook his head as if trying to clear his thoughts.
“Waleron, I’m here. I won’t ever leave you.”

He was staring at her again, his
expression filled with fury. She could see his jugular pumping madly. There was
nothing recognizable about him, except his body was the same. It was standing
before her, taken over by his Scar.

Suddenly he began walking towards
her. She stood her ground. Five steps. Four steps. Three steps. Her breath
sucked in. One step. He grabbed her around the throat and squeezed.

Oh god. The pressure was enough
to allow her to breathe, but it would bruise her flesh. She put her hands up on
his and curled them around his wrists. If he killed her, they’d both die. She
knew it. They all did.

“Delara?”
Keir asked.
“Wraiths?”

“No, don’t,”
Delara ordered. “
He isn’t hurting me.”
“Waleron,” she
whispered. “You don’t want to do this. Look at me, baby.”

He flinched but the pressure
around her neck didn’t increase. “Remember me. Feel me, breathe in my scent.”
His Scar stopped moving, which was a damn good thing since it was creeping her
out. “Stop hurting us.”

For a second the pressure on her
neck increased. She almost called out to Keir and Jedrik, but suddenly he eased
up, although he didn’t let her go. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Keir
nod his reassurance.

“Waleron, look at me.” She
touched his cheek and the moment she did, she knew it was a mistake. He reacted
as if she were a demon, a fierce hatred coming down over his face, as if she
was something he abhorred.

“Fuck, Delara move. Now!” Ryker
ordered.

She raised both arms and knocked
Waleron’s hands from her neck, but he’d been ready and grabbed her arm before
she could run, swinging her towards him. His words brought a cold chill over
her body and she knew it was possible that this would be the end. “You broke my
will, Jasmine. You killed me. You destroyed what I lived for.”

“Waleron. No, she didn’t. I’m
here, baby.”

“Please Delara. Let me call
them,” Jedrik said.

She shook her head, knowing the
Wraiths would have no choice but to kill Waleron.

A quiet stillness settled over
the room. No one breathed or moved.

Delara closed her eyes and tilted
her head back, releasing her fear. She fought his coldness, his pain, his rage
and she remembered a day just like this, when they were standing in one another’s
arms. She let every limb relax and soaked in the feeling, the hope and the
thought that surrounded her at that moment centuries ago.
“Remember.
Please
remember, my love. Come back to me.”

Her breath came in short gasps as
his arm tightened around her chest. She blocked out Ryker, Jedrik, and Keir,
who were watching with indecision.

If she couldn’t reach Waleron—no
one could. She’d not give up on him. She promised him. She’d never let him go
no matter what the cost.

And she trusted that he’d never hurt
her.

She whispered to his mind,
“I’m
never leaving you. I won’t. If they kill you, then they will have to kill me.”
He suddenly threw her away from him and she landed in a heap on the floor.
Ryker started to come towards her but she held up her hand to stay him. He
growled with frustration, but remained where he was.

Her lip was bleeding from biting
it when she landed. She could feel the tension rising and soon they would
ignore her and call their Scars, who’d kill him or capture him so the Wraiths
could.

“You destroyed us. For that I
will cause you more pain than is imaginable.” Waleron still spoke to Jasmine as
he approached Delara, his long strides eating up the floor.

He grabbed Delara by both
shoulders and hauled her to her feet. She heard Jedrik’s roar and instantly
told him to back off again. Ryker was inching closer on one side and Keir on
the other. They were going to blast Waleron at the same time. It would either
kill him or really piss him off. Either way was unacceptable.

Waleron had been in control of
his emotions for centuries, never once faltering until now. She knew it was
bound to happen one day, complete chaos destroying him because of the years he
was subjected to torture of mind and body.

“Don’t even consider it,”
Delara warned Ryker and Keir.

“If we all blast at the—”
Jedrik said.

“No! It will kill him.”

“Not happening, Delara. He
thinks you’re Jasmine. He’ll kill you. This shit has to stop. Now.”

“I can get through to him,
Keir,”
Delara insisted.
“Please. I promised
him.”
She couldn’t free her arm to wipe the tear that escaped. Maybe he was
too far gone. Maybe his mind had snapped and there was no saving the man she
once knew.

“Give her more time,”
Ryker said.

Jedrik and Keir both stared at
him like he’d lost his marbles, but Ryker of all people knew what it was like
to love and lose. He’d fight for something to hold onto, he’d protect the love
that Delara and Waleron had found again. Ryker also had experienced what losing
Waleron would do to Delara. He understood risking one’s life for the one you
loved, because living alone was far worse than dying.

Push him to break,
she thought.
Push him to fight against his Scar.

There was one thing that Waleron
would abhor. He’d fight against his Scar in order to stop it from happening.
The problem was if she was wrong—the Scar could kill her.

She met Waleron’s blazing red
eyes and tensed her body, ready for the backlash that could come from her
words. “Then destroy me, Waleron. Kill me if that’s what you want.”

“
Delara no!”
Jedrik
shouted.

“That’s what you want, isn’t it?”
She was talking to his Scar now. “To kill the most precious thing in his life?
Destroy the love. Kill it. Well now is your time.” She punched Waleron in the
chest and his hands dropped from her shoulders.

“Delara, needing to end this
shit. Not telling you again, get the fuck out
,”
Keir said. He started calling to his Scar.

Waleron’s eyes flickered with
uncertainty, the blue surfacing for mere seconds before turning back to red.
“Hit me damn it.” Waleron raised his arm and took a step towards her. She heard
the warriors coming near them, Keir’s voice in her head telling her to get out
of the way. She had seconds. “Goddamn it, do it!” she screamed.

His arm swung towards her. Her
body tensed waiting for the blow, but she refused to move, knowing he had no
one who would trust him except her. His fist came at her in a blur then
suddenly stopped inches from her face.

The room was quiet. Even the
snake Scar had settled on his neck, curled into a tight coil. She watched
Waleron’s eyes as they changed back to an ice-blue and widened with pure horror
at what he was about to do. One powerful hit from his fist could have ended her
life.

“Delara?” He staggered back until
he hit the wall.

He took in the state of the room
and then looked to Keir, Ryker, and Jedrik. It was like a shield had dropped
and suddenly the vulnerable Waleron had appeared with a haggard face that was
distraught with disbelief.

Delara stepped towards him.

Waleron halted her with his hand.
“I…what have I done? Delara I…” His eyes went to each of them then he bowed his
head and closed his eyes.

“Everyone out. Now,” Keir said.

Ryker left the room while Jedrik
came over and squeezed her shoulder. Keir gave a diminutive nod and then left,
closing the door behind them.

As soon as they’d gone, Waleron
moved further away from her. “Why? Why did you risk yourself?” Waleron placed
his hands on either side of his head. “Never do that again, Delara. Promise
me.”

Delara would never agree to that.
If this was who he’d become then this was who she’d accept into her life.
Waleron was still beneath that eruption of rage. He was the same man she fell
in love with.

“I almost killed you.”

“You’d never harm me,” Delara
said, moving to stand next to him. She wasn’t so certain about his Scar, but
they’d work on that. She raised her hands and put them on top of his. “You
stopped the pills, didn’t you?”

He nodded.

Of course he did. The pills were
Zurina’s way to keep him unemotional and he wouldn’t do it any longer. He did
it for her. For them. The Scar was alive in him, and would emerge if he became
upset enough, but they’d manage it. In time, they’d learn how to control it.

He was silent. She waited,
knowing he still was shocked and upset over what had happened. “But you saw
what it did, Delara. I don’t know if I can fight this battle.”

“It’s the first time, baby.
You’ve been numb to every emotion for twenty years. It’s going to take time to
learn how to deal with this. For both of us. Together.”

His arms wrapped around her body,
pulling her up against him. He buried his face in her neck and held her like
she was his protector.

This was home. In his arms. His
breath against her ear. His arms around her and her feeling the gentle touch of
his fingers on her skin.

“I thought you left me.” He gripped
her so tightly to him that she was having trouble breathing. She stroked the
back of his neck, feeling him fall apart in her arms. “Trinity being here and
then… God, I was so scared. You weren’t leaving?”

She drew back. There were tears
in his eyes. “No, I told you I wouldn’t. I needed to tell Trinity...well that
you were mine and to keep her filthy paws to herself. Then I had to say goodbye
to…he deserved that Waleron.”

He nodded and looked away as if
he needed a second to find his next words. Instead of words, though, he
suddenly pulled her into him and placed his lips against her neck. And then she
felt the choked sob escape his throat. “I love you baby. God, I love you.
You’re all I have left. I’m begging you, don’t let me go.”

“Never Waleron.” His tortured
words were so filled with relief and anguish and fear. Yes, he’d been scared
that she’d left him for Xamien. Only time would mend their trust and they had
eternity to do it. She placed her lips on his. “I’m not going anywhere.” She
stroked the side of his face, until the lines around his eyes disappeared and
he seemed to relax. “I’m here to stay. I’ve suffocated too long without you.”

Six
months later

To Jasper text: Need you in. Now.

Jasper: Details?

Adrian: Ancient Senses. A Tracer. Rogue and not nice. Intel
says he Traced your man Waleron a while back to some guy Tarek for a big
payout.

Jasper reply: Fuck. Name?

Adrian
:
Nothin’ yet. But there’s another
player. Girl. Max. Senses. Know her?

Jasper.: Jesus. Yeah, I know her.

Adrian: Ancient Tracer guy does too and he’s looking for her.

Jasper: Fuck.

Adrian: You on it?

Jasper: I’m on it.

THE
END

Thank you for taking the time to
read FALL. If you enjoyed the story, please recommend to your friends and write
a review. I love to hear from my readers, so please stop in and say hello.

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Blovel

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Acknowledgments

Without this amazing woman, I’d never have found
my editor because she brought us together—Yah! Right from the beginning
Michelle aka MsRomanticsReads took me under her wing and generously gave her
support and advice and friendship. I’m so lucky to have her in my life. You
rock, Michelle. Don’t you ever stop blogging.
www.MsRomanticReads.wordpress.com

To my amazing family—mom and dad, my two brothers,
sister-in-laws and my nephews. When you tried to drag me away from my computer
for social time and I insisted Waleron and Delara couldn’t be left. Thank you
for your patience and understanding. And most of all for your limitless
support.