Revisited (Redemption Series) (21 page)

“Who is he? I don’t understand.”

Ian put a whisper of space between them while he searched their surroundings. “He’s here, but he’s not here. I can feel him, but he’s slipping away.”

Becca shook her head. “You’re not making any sense. Ian, please tell me what’s going on.”

“It’s Gideon.”

She gasped and choked on a quick intake of air.

“He’s inside me. You have to get him out.”

Becca woke with the dream of the park reverberating in her mind. It had been on a constant loop for what seemed like eternity, and she prayed at the end of each cycle that she would wake. She nudged Ian in an attempt to rouse him. The facts of the dream had to be validated as soon as possible. This caused her to push on his injured side harder than she normally would, to see if she could gain a reaction.

“Ugh,” Ian groaned and blinked his eyes a few times before the heels of his hands began to rub his eye sockets.

“You’re awake?”

“Yes,” Ian answered in a rough voice. Then he froze, his hands hovered as his eyes opened wide. “He’s gone,” he whispered.

“Ian. Look at me,” Becca commanded.

Ian turned his head to find the fire in her eyes.

“I had a dream. We were in a park,” Ian said. “I was so scared. Maybe this is still a dream.”

“It’s not,” Becca confirmed.

“I don’t remember where he went. I begged him not to go, not to hurt anyone else. From there it gets a bit fuzzy.”

“It’s true then?” Becca’s eyes widened as fear shot through her.

“Gideon took me from that room after my skin was tormented by his stupid lock.”

“What did he do to you?” Becca caressed Ian’s bruised cheek.

Ian pulled her hand to his lips, kissed her palms, and closed his eyes tight. “Gideon transferred from his old body into mine. I’m different, somehow, from the ones he’s possessed before me. He hears me and responds to me when he’s in control, but he doesn’t know I have a little control of my own when he’s gone. I also seem to be able to keep him from hurting you.”

“We have to find him and get rid of him for good.”

“No!” Ian shouted. “I don’t know how this works, but I don’t have much strength when he’s gone. Twice I couldn’t even bring myself to consciousness. This is the only time he’s left my body with someone else around.”

“You think that means he’s coming back soon?” Her eyes filled with terror at the thought.

“He won’t hurt you.” Ian cupped Becca’s cheek before placing his lips on hers. “That’s one thing we have in common. We both love you.”

“You love me?” The question poured even more guilt upon her already heavy heart.

“Yes. I know it’s quite sudden and you seem to be keeping me . . . us . . . whatever, at arm’s length.”

“I don’t have the time to explain now, but that doesn’t change the fact we have to make sure Gideon can never get back in your body.”

“I don’t know how you can stop him, unless you can hide me indefinitely.” Ian knew that was not a possibility.

“We might have to.” Becca realized her more-than-complicated life was beginning to spiral out of control once again.

“That would mean Gideon would stay in one of the other’s bodies.”

Becca’s thoughts went straight to Abe. “Oh, God! If he’s not in you, he’ll go for Abe. I’ve got to warn him to stay away.” She began to get out of bed, but stopped when she felt Ian’s grasp around her wrist.

“There is more I need to tell you.” His eyes pleaded with hers in the dimly lit room.

Becca sat down as her nerves went haywire.

“Gideon was part of the plan with Liam, but it seems to go further than that.”

“Further?” Fear physically stung her stomach.

“The other two vampires, Filipp and Debir, they’ve been planning on killing Lily for years. This was a plan for all of them to get what they want. Gideon gets you, and by Lily turning Liam, the others get what they want. But when Gideon told Liam that Lily was still alive, Gideon made sure to stress that Filipp and Debir needed to finish the job they started.”

“They’re still going to kill Lily?” A sob escaped her.

“I don’t know how, but that’s what he told Liam needed to be done.”

“We can’t . . .”

Ian pulled Becca down onto his chest, muffling her strangled cry. “We’ll figure this out. You’re an angel now, and I’m kind of a demon vessel, between the two of us we can beat him.”

“How?” She continued to let her emotions control her and clung to him even tighter.

“We know you are Gideon’s biggest weakness. You have to be strong enough to use that against him, especially if he does get the chance to get back inside of me.” Ian was grasping at what shreds of hope he had left. He had imagined the moment he would be able to speak with Becca again, but never dared to believe it a real possibility.

Becca remembered the conversation she and Sam had on the plane ride to Iceland. “We have to find Sam. He knows how to kill Gideon. Sam confessed that Gideon had been a part of my life for much longer than I imagined. Anne’s dying wish was that Gideon be destroyed, and Sam had vowed to make her wish come true. He found a way to kill Gideon, yet never explained it to anyone. I don’t know how, but I’m positive he has the answers we need.”

“We have to sit tight then.” Ian made circled patterns on the exposed skin at the small of her back with his fingertips. “Hopefully, he’ll come to check on us in the morning. It’s just not safe to leave each other now. I’m feeling a little stronger now, but I don’t want to lose it and have you leave me somewhere alone.”

“I have no idea where Sam is. We can’t risk running into Gideon so we’ll have to wait it out until morning.”

Ian placed his fingertips beneath her chin. “I hate feeling like I can’t protect you.”

Becca smiled. “I wish I could say I can protect myself, but we both know that’s a lie.” They both laughed. “My powers are definitely an advantage, but as far as I know, I can’t stop time. If I leave you and don’t get back to you in time, I would never forgive myself.”

Ian nodded. “You know, you actually heard me calling out once.”

“What do you mean?” Becca asked.

“When you were healing my eye. I told you to help me and you responded. That’s why Gideon made you stop. Somehow your power allowed you to hear me while you healed me.”

“You sounded so weak. I thought you were teasing me.” Her fingertips caressed around his eye.

“It’s pretty much hell being inside with no control. I can see, hear, and feel everything, yet I don’t have any control until Gideon leaves my body. While I’m relieved he’s gone, I can’t help but feel horrible for the person he’s forced his way into.”

Becca shuddered at the thought of all the people in her life who suffered at the hands of Gideon’s possession. She knew, deep down, it wasn’t her fault that her mother, Abe, and now Ian were tormented, but she felt another wave of guilt crash upon her just the same. “Do you have any ideas? Does he have any limitations?”

Ian moved from his side to his back and Becca followed as she curled up beside him. His mind wandered to the facts he knew for sure and something strange came to him. “You said Gideon had the power of foresight, right?”

“Yes, at least that’s what I was told.” Becca turned her head to rest her chin against his chest. “What are you thinking?”

“Gideon hasn’t had any visions since he took over my body. I wonder if my ability to communicate with him is affecting his powers.”

“Then you don’t think he’ll know we had this conversation?”

“No, I don’t think so. When we were traveling, Gideon left me for the first time. It was then I found out I had control like this, but when he re-entered me, he didn’t seem to know what I had done.” Ian went rigid as an idea sparked inside of him. A rush of adrenaline flashed throughout his entire body and caused every hair to stand on end.

“What is it?” Becca lifted up a little at his sudden stiffness.

“He can’t see us.”

“Yes . . . and?”

“He won’t see me do this.” Ian lifted his head to press his lips against hers.

“No, I suppose he won’t,” she whispered before kissing him back and leading him to rest his head back on the pillow. Becca groaned softly when Ian’s tongue swept across her bottom lip. Their combined breaths came out in short bursts. Ian pulled Becca on top of him and he grasped her hip in one hand, taking hold of her neck with the other.

The feel of Ian’s hard length beneath her sent Becca’s mind into pinpoint focus. All the guilt, pain, and fear disappeared and her primal urges took over. All she could see was him. All she could feel was his touch. All she could hear were his breathy moans.

Ian kissed his way across her lips and down her throat to her collarbone. He dipped down to nip at the swell of her breast, while he swept his hand over her hip and toyed with the waistband of her cotton pants. “I can’t promise you fireworks since I can’t move much, but please let me give you this.” Ian kissed across the middle of her throat. “Let me show you.”

“Would you like me to heal you?”

Ian caressed her cheek at the loving offer. “He might not know what is happening, but it’s possible he’ll be able to sense the change and come back. I’d really hate for him to interrupt this.”

Becca shivered, both from his words and his touch, as warmth spread from her stomach throughout her body. He kissed her once again and she began to relax. She gave into the feeling, leaving the rest of the world’s worries at bay. Slowly, Becca sat up on Ian’s lap and slipped her shirt over her head. He gazed over her silken skin when she removed her bra, her breasts revealed to him once again.

“I’ve missed your skin.” Ian smiled as he circled his thumb around her belly button.

“I need to feel yours.” Becca helped him up to a sitting position and removed his shirt. She pressed their exposed skin together, chest-to-chest.

Ian leaned forward and placed warm, wet kisses from the corner of her mouth to her earlobe before he flicked his tongue languidly against it. Becca swallowed hard as he slipped his hand between the fabric of her cotton pants and caressed her backside. Fervor took over as he gripped her flesh and forced her to take things a step forward.

The floorboards sent a chill up Becca’s spine when she jumped off Ian to tug her pants and underwear off. His eyes widened slightly as she took a step back toward the bed, and he held his hand up to halt her. He slowly undid the button-fly of his jeans. She smiled as she sauntered over and gripped the denim resting on his hips. A few jerks and the jeans were at his ankles, leaving him completely exposed. 

“No boxers?” She licked her lips before a wicked smile swept across them. Another tug and the pants were off him.

“Not my decision, but I think it was a wise choice.” The end of the bed dipped as she crawled between his legs. She trailed her fingers up his thigh before she gripped his length.

 Becca stoked the silky skin a few times before he took hold of her wrist.

“Please,” he begged.

One breath later, Becca removed her hand and straddled Ian’s hips. She slid down on him with ease. They both gasped, overwhelmed by an intense feeling of fulfillment.

He grasped her hips between in his hands as she lazily moved above him. She leaned down to his chest and kissed him with an intensity that left him breathless.

Her flowing hair tickled Ian’s cheeks with every movement. He brought his hands up to cup Becca’s face and moved her hair back as her hips moved faster. The frenzied pace left no more time for build up as their peaks hit one after the other. Fully spent, a slight sheen of sweat collected between their bodies.

Becca slid off him and snuggled into his side.

“I usually have much more stamina.” Ian sighed.

She laughed and kissed his neck. Her fingertips danced across his chest and circled his nipple.

Ian groaned as she touched the slick, sensitive area. “When this is over, I’ll make it up to you.”

She looked up to meet his eyes. “You will?”

He wearily cupped her cheek. “I promise.”

Valentina saw Lily seated at the kitchen table in the dead of night. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t think anyone would be in here.”