Sweetwater: The Kihn (The Sweet Series) (30 page)

The back door opening heralds the arrival of Max, Taylor, and my family. They all look tired. Max goes right to the coffee pot. Taylor glances in my direction and then doesn’t look my way again. Jake and Sam both give me a hug and Sawyer sits beside me.

“Are you okay?” I ask him.

“I am. You?”

“Yeah. How are Arilla and Sheena? And Rose?” I look over at Sam.

“Arilla and Sheena are great, thanks to us finding Sheena unharmed.” He pauses before saying in a low voice, “And to Max.”

I glance at Max and back to Sawyer. “What do you mean?” Sawyer shakes his head as Lucas begins to speak.
Great!
One more thing I don’t know about.

“Did you talk to Ben?” Lucas asks Jake.

I’m sipping coffee, and I choke. “What?” I look from Lucas to Jake. “Talk to Ben... about what?”

“About your staying here for a while,” Jake says.

“I’m not staying here,” I shoot right back.

“Sofie,” Jake looks at Lucas. “Did you tell her?”

“Tell me what?” I demand. My gaze darts back and forth between them. My voice is on the edge of sounding shrewish, but
damn it!
I’m tired of no one telling me anything!

“No,” Lucas answers, “I wanted to wait until everyone was here.” He looks at me pointedly. “So we can all hear.”

“Sofe?” Sam draws my attention to him. “When Rose and I finally calmed Arilla, she told us that... the Kihn believed they had you when they snatched Sheena.”

“What?” My voice is barely audible, and my mouth has gone dry.

“They were after you,” Jake adds. “For whatever reason, they mistook Sheena for you.”

I exhale sharply as a chill moves over my body. It leaves me colder than I was in the woods earlier. My dreams are coming true!

I can’t catch my breath. Lucas is immediately in front of me. He squats and holds my hands. “Sofie, you know I will not let them harm you.”

I look at him, my eyes filling with tears. “They want me. How can you stop them?”

“You are going to stay here where they can’t touch you,” he vows, a hard gleam in his eyes. “My men and I will keep a constant vigil. You
will
be safe here in the compound.” He reaches out and wipes an escaped tear with his thumb.

I sniff. “I don’t want to live like a prisoner.”

He smiles wryly. “You won’t be a prisoner, Sofie. You’ll be able to go back to work and it should be safe for you to go out during the day—with protection.”

He stands and looks down at me. “You need to eat something and sleep; you’re exhausted. You had a long night running through the woods.” He looks at Max, who moves to the refrigerator.

“Sofie?” Jake says my name softly. “Why don’t you lie down? Lucas is right. You’re as exhausted as everyone else. We’ll be back tomorrow and get things sorted out, okay?” I nod, unable to do anything else. “That reminds me. I brought you some clothes.”

I look at him quickly. They’ve already planned this between them, and in their minds, I’m staying here with Lucas. I wonder if Jake would be so quick to throw me to the wolf if he’d seen how Lucas was kissing me in the living room less than an hour ago.

Jake looks a little uncomfortable. “Uh... actually, Diane packed the bag. She’ll call you tomorrow.” Finally, he has the good sense to shut up.

I can’t think on this anymore tonight or I’ll lose it. I feel physically ill at the idea of the Kihn getting anywhere near me. I stand abruptly. “Good night.” I grasp the robe’s neckline with one hand, pick up the length as if it were a train with the other, and sweep out of the kitchen. The panic sets in as soon as I reach the living room. What am I going to do? I can’t stay here.

I sense Lucas at my back. “Sofie, why don’t you lie down on the couch?”

I am so relieved he isn’t sending me to a room upstairs. Max brings me a sandwich and a glass of milk, which I try to eat while Lucas collects a pillow and blanket for me. He’s not too happy when he sees I’ve only taken a couple of bites of the sandwich, but I just can’t manage any more. I’m practically asleep as my head hits the pillow. Sometime much later, I wake to Lucas carrying me into his room, to his bed.

“I need... the bathroom.”

“Would you prefer one of my T-shirts to sleep in?”

“Please.”

After changing, I hurry to the bed, still extremely sleepy, not caring if I’m crawling into Lucas’ bed. I snuggle under the covers. He slips into bed, but I’m as good as asleep. I am aware of him pulling me back against his body and wrapping his arms around me. He doesn’t have a shirt on, but I’m so tired, I don’t react to him being half-naked.

Chapter Eighteen

T
he first thing I notice when I wake is that I’m alone in Lucas’ bed. The next thing I notice is the light in the room has an odd glow. I roll over and see, through the windows, everything covered with snow. I slip out of bed and hurry across the room to watch as large, fluffy flakes
fall. It’s gorgeous, a winter wonderland.

In the bathroom, I find the bag of clothes Jake brought for me on the counter.

My predicament resurfaces, and once more, I don’t know what to do. The Kihn are out to get me. But why? It doesn’t make any sense; it never has. It seems as if I’ve spent my entire life running and hiding from them in my dreams, and now the danger is touching others. Sheena Holt is lucky she’s alive. Taylor and Lucas both fought and killed Kihn to keep me safe. What if they’d been hurt or killed? My heart lurches at that painful possibility.

I change into sweats and a T-shirt, pull my hair up into a ponytail, and head out to make the bed. Someone’s placed the clothes I wore last night, clean and folded, on a chair. I stand at the window and watch the snow as if it can give me an answer to my dilemma. How can I stay here with Lucas? Being with him like this will only make me want him more. Sometime today, I’ll be shown to a guest room, and they are only located upstairs. I can’t tell Lucas that if I sleep above ground level, the big, bad monster can hurt me in my dreams. He’ll think I’m nuts.

“What am I going to do?” I mumble under my breath.

“Well first, you’re going to have something to eat.” Lucas’ dark voice comes from the doorway. It’s a sure sign of how troubled I am that I haven’t sensed his presence. I watch him move toward me. The way he looks in those black jeans and that white thermal shirt make me swallow hard. He keeps his gaze on mine and stops in front of me. “You look rested.”

“W-What time is it?”

“Past noon. Ready for some lunch?” I feel him watching me all the way to the kitchen. He opens the fridge as I make coffee. “All we have in here is sandwich material,” he says as he pulls out packages of meat and cheese. “Max is at the store right now stocking up for the storm. You sit, I’ll fix.”

“The snow is beautiful,” I say.

Lucas is smiling as he sets my sandwich on the table in front of me, along with a glass of milk. “It’s a good thing you like snow because we’re going to get a lot of it.”

I take a bite of my sandwich and close my eyes. Roast beef and Swiss,
yum
. Of course, the fact that I haven’t eaten much in almost twenty-four hours might have something to do with the deliciousness of the simple fare. When I open my eyes, I find Lucas watching me intently. I look down quickly, and he chuckles under his breath. Reaching over, he touches my upper lip with a napkin, which makes me feel more embarrassed. I take a drink of milk and lick my lip. He continues to watch me.

“Would you please stop staring at me?”

He laughs, causing my stomach muscles to clench. “I can’t help myself. I enjoy watching you eat.”

“Well, it’s extremely rude, and annoying,” I tell him, my voice thick with irritation.

“Is that right?” He laughs again and leans back as if he’s settling in for a show.

I finish my sandwich and milk to an audience of one. The phone rings and Lucas hands it to me. It’s Jake.

“Sofie, how are you this morning? I worried about you last night,” he says first thing.

“I’m fine Jake, really.”

“I talked with Ben and Jordy again this morning.”

This makes me sit up straighter. “About?”

“We all agree you should stay at Lucas’.”

Oh, this is too much!
I glance at Lucas. He’s watching me intently, his expression unreadable.

“Well here’s the thing, Jake.” My voice shakes with my anger. “I love y’all, but you don’t get to make my decisions for me.”

There’s a pause on Jake’s end of the line. “Sofie, there’s no decision to be made here. The Kihn have taken that option away.”

I exhale sharply. I can tell by his choice of words that they’ve already thoroughly discussed this. “I am not staying here, Jake.” My voice is firm. I glance at Lucas again. For some reason, saying these things in front of him feels ungracious, but he needs to understand too.

I hear Jake’s sigh. “He’ll keep you safe. He
wants
to keep you safe.”

“Jake!” I say in warning. For no particular reason, I know Lucas can hear what Jake is saying. Wolves have excellent hearing, right?

“Oh come on, Sofe, everyone knows you two—”

I inhale sharply. “Jake! I am
not
discussing this with you. I’ll call you later.” I hang up, not giving him a chance to say anything else. I take my glass and plate to the sink.

“Maybe you should discuss
us
with me.” Lucas says right at my back, startling me.

I turn to face him and look into silver eyes. Not a good sign.
Why is he mad?
I’m the one everyone else is intent on controlling. “I told you, there’s no chance of—”

He grabs me and pulls me hard against his body. Grabbing my ponytail, he yanks my head back roughly, making me cry out more from surprise than pain, and brings his mouth down hard on mine. The kiss is just shy of punishing, and I feel the grip of desire taking over. His hand moves up my back under my T-shirt, and then down the back of my sweats, cupping my bottom. I moan into his mouth, feeling his erection hard against my belly. He breaks from the kiss and glares down into my eyes as my blood pounds through my body.

“Do you honestly believe you can stop what is already between us?” His voice is rough, hard.

I reach back and remove his hand. “There can be no us with you keeping things from me as you are,” I say softly. I drop my gaze, feeling the weight of what my words mean.

Lucas grasps my wrist and pulls me along behind him to the living room. He points at the couch, and I sit with my legs up under me as I watch him fix a drink. He holds the bottle up in question, and I shake my head. His eyes hold mine as he moves to the couch and sits at the opposite end.

“Ask away.” He sounds irritated.

“What?”

“Let the inquisition begin.” Now he sounds more than irritated.

I watch as he angles his body, stretching his legs out straight. He raises his arms, linking his fingers behind his head, and leans back to rest on the arm of the couch. He looks so good, I can’t think of one thing to ask. Hell—I can’t even think. I sit with my lips parted, gazing at him. He turns his head to look at me and raises his eyebrow. I shut my mouth and clear my throat.

“Um... who’s Lars Aasen?”

“He’s a Swedish businessman.”

“I know that. How is he going to help with the Kihn?”

“Being European, he knows of the Kihn.”

I frown. He said I can ask questions, but he’s not going to make this easy. “Is he a supe?”

He tries not to smile, and not terribly well, I might add. “You mean a supernatural?”

“Yes.”

“No, Lars is not a...
supe
.” I exhale sharply and move to stand. I’m not going to sit here and let him make fun of me. He reaches out to me, grinning. “Okay, okay. Sit, I’ll tell you.” I hesitate before curling back into the corner of the couch. “Lars Aasen is not a supe. His father was. The Kihn—killed his father, who was a known Magus.” I lean forward to ask, but Lucas holds up a finger. “Isak Aasen was a powerful sorcerer in the supernatural world. Able to read the fate the stars foretold, he could then manipulate that information.”

Huh?

I frown. “Magic?”

“Magic,” Lucas confirms.

“So,” I say thoughtfully, “he used this ability against the Kihn?”

“He did.”

“And Lars wants revenge.”

Lucas nods. “He does, but he is not an easy man to deal with.”

“Why?”

“He doesn’t trust.”

“Why is that?”

He stays silent for so long, I’ve just about decided he’s not going to tell me when he answers. “His father was betrayed by fellow hunters of the Kihn.”

“His father was a hunter?” I look at him with surprise. His face is devoid of expression, not giving anything away. He finally tips his head. “Wow.”

“Yes—wow.”

Why do I get the impression he doesn’t want to talk about this? I can’t believe he’d have a hand in betraying a fellow hunter. Even though I don’t know Lucas that well, he has a strength, an honorableness about him. A lot of men certainly admire him and are willing to do as he asks, my own family included.

“Did... you know his father?”

“I knew him—” He hesitates before saying, “It was during my father’s time. They were friends.” Lucas runs his hands through his hair before bringing his wary gaze back to mine.

This is the first information he’s given me about his father and I want to ask more, but he’s giving back-off vibes that I recognize and understand perfectly. We are quiet for several moments, each in our own thoughts, but I need to know more.

“What was Ed Smith talking to Lars about at the party?” I glance at Lucas. His eyes are closed.

“Ah... on to the next question.” He smirks. I can’t help my exaggerated sigh, and this causes him to laugh. At least his pensive mood seems gone. “Ed Smith is in Walter’s custody at this time. We believe he is a member of ARK.” Before I can ask, he explains, “The people involved in ARK have an alliance with the Kihn.”

“What?” I exclaim. “Why would anyone want to be associated with them?”

He tilts his head. His scrutiny makes me nervous. “Why does man ever do anything? Greed, money, power.”

An idea comes to me. “Could members of ARK be involved with the McNish disappearance?”

“Yes.” He studies me further. “Taylor mentioned what you suspected about that night.”

I give him an exasperated look. “Does Taylor tell you everything?”

Lucas grins and shifts, moving his back into the corner of the couch, stretching his long legs up and across the end by me. Looking at him lying in front of me like a feast is not helping me focus. I sit up a little straighter.

“Um... what does ARK stand for?” I watch as he stretches his arms above his head. His T-shirt pulls up, baring his muscled stomach.
Oh my.
I swallow convulsively.

“Who knows at this point? It changes through the—years. Nothing too genius,” he replies. There’s a disgusted sound in his voice. “Aid Return of the Kihn, or something as equally inspiring, I’m sure.” I watch him pull his shirt back down, and when I raise my eyes, I catch him watching me. I turn my face toward the wi
ndow, feeling my flush. “Members of ARK are promised great riches and power when the Kihn cross the gate to the Realm of Kava,” he adds.

I turn my gaze back to him. “The Realm of Kava?” I remembered Nick mentioning it.

He regards me for a moment. “The Realm of Kava is a parallel universe—legend says.” His eyes hold mine. “Some believe it’s the twelfth dimension. The stories say if they can reach Kava, they will be restored to their former glory and escape their fate.”

“What is their fate?”

“They are condemned to roam the earth as monsters for eternity.”

I shudder. “Nick told me that if they succeed, all the supernatural will die.”

He gives me a long stare. “Life on earth will cease to exist as we know it,” he states.

“What? Do you mean... for all of us?” My voice sounds strained.

“There are many old stories and—superstitions connected to the Kihn, Sofie.” He smiles at me.

“You... think they are just stories?”

“I believe most of them are,” he says in a measured voice.

What?
“Most?” He smiles wryly. “Are you worried?” I ask, watching him closely.

He doesn’t hesitate with his answer. “No. I am not.”

I look into the fire. All of this is—surreal. I wonder if I would be so quick to believe if I hadn’t lived with the Kihn in my dreams for most of my life. When I look at him, his head is on the arm of the couch, and he’s watching me from under his lashes.

“What was going on at the house in Lebanon? That was a weird place.”

He doesn’t answer immediately. He watches me. About the time I think, once more, he isn’t going to answer, he does. “As I told you that night, you are unusually perceptive. That was a much more dangerous place for you than we realized.”

“What do you mean?” I swallow my uneasiness.

Lucas raises his eyebrow. “That was before we were aware of how badly the Kihn want to get their hands on you.” His voice is deep and slow. “If Ezra had known you were there—” He frowns and turns his attention to the fire.

I look at him with apprehension when he doesn’t continue. Finally, he turns back to me, and my breath catches in my throat at the dark look on his face. “Ezra’s bad?” I ask.

Lucas’ eyes hold mine. “Ezra is evil.”

“Who is he?”

Lucas takes a deep breath. “Ezra is a Mage.” I’m curious if Ezra is the same as Lars’ father, but before I have a chance to ask, Lucas continues. “Through magic, he has the ability to control and change—how humans perceive things.”

“That’s why it seemed so strange! He was manipulating everyone’s perception of what was going on there.” It’s good to know what happened that night and know I’m not some kind of freak.

“Everyone—except for you,” he adds, looking at me steadily.

So I am some kind of freak.
“Diane picked up on some of that too!”

“She did, but perhaps she sensed it through you instead of picking it up directly.”

I lean back. This is unreal. This whole other world is going on in the middle of the world we know and most of us never sense or see any of it.

“Ezra is involved with the Kihn and has been for years.” Lucas continues to watch me.

“So why the magic? If it weren’t a legitimate job opportunity, what was going on?”

“The magic was so everyone present would believe what they were being told to believe, and not ask questions. It was a legitimate job hiring—just not the type of job advertised. Your friend Diane wasn’t far off about their questionable hiring techniques.”

An unwelcome thought comes to me. “Were they hiring them to work with the Kihn?” By his expression, I know they were. “But—something needs to be done!” I sit forward, ready to jump up.

Lucas holds up a hand. “It was taken care of.”

“What?” I search his face. He always seems so calm and self-assured. Now that I think about it, the only time I ever see him... disconcerted is at me. “How?” I ask softly.

His laugh is smug. “The Zelts put a kink in his manipulations.”

“You know Lucian and Estella Zelt?”

Lucas smiles. It’s the smile I like best, where only one side of his sensuous mouth lifts up. “Yes, I know the Zelts.”

“Are they powerful? I mean, are they as strong as Ezra?”

“Stronger. Together, they are one of the strongest forces in the supernatural world.”

“Why don’t they stop him before he does harm?”

“They frequently do, but it’s a matter of picking their battles. He would succeed at many more misdeeds if it were not for the Zelts.” He gives me another half-smile. “And don’t let Brit fool you. That one’s scary.”

I give him a disbelieving look. I’m sure he is teasing me. “I don’t believe you,” I say lightly.

“You’d better.” There’s nothing teasing about his voice. “I’m going to fix another drink. Would you care for something?”

“No, thank you.” I stand and step to the window facing the arena building. He’s given me a lot to think about and consider. “What happened to Cardwell?”

I hear Lucas grunt. I turn, and he’s looking down at his glass. “Cardwell is on his way to hell.”