The Unforgiven (8 page)

“Is that a threat?”

“Nah,” he said with a slight grin. “I don’t make threats. If I decide to take you out, believe me, Jackson, you won’t see me coming.”

Flame didn’t flinch, waiting on edge for one of them to back off. After several tense minutes, Raef finally relented.

“I’ll see you again, Flame…soon.” He turned and walked away.

She felt frozen in shock while watching him leave. The Lioness had omitted some vital information during their meeting, most likely because of her anger over the blood-bond with Von. Seeing Raef again, knowing he’d been brought back by the sisterhood and not the evil realm was both confusing and a relief. Her mind reeled over the lengths taken to control her future and she didn’t like at all how that felt.

Sliding to her knees in the sand, she dropped her head into both hands, unable to look at Von right now. She could only imagine what was running through his mind. This had to be his worst nightmare coming true.

He knelt on one knee, casually resting a bent arm over his thigh. She glanced at his legs but couldn’t stare into his eyes for fear of revealing her uncertainty.

“Remember that conversation we had? You said I was unfair. Yet here we are, face-to-face with reality. Raef is back. Not by my doing, not by yours, we both stayed on course. Yet your sisterhood borrowed a clever trick to bring him back.” Von paused and let out a tense breath. “Tell me, babe, what will you do now?”

“You’re actually offering me a choice?” She didn’t look up, but nervously drew lines in the sand.

“Of course. I’ve never tried to control you. Hell, nobody can control a raging river.”

“You seemed very angry over his return.”

“Yeah. I saw him approach you, but decided to hang back. I’ve never been one to force a woman’s hand…never had to.”

“Then why did you step in when he wanted me to go with him?”

“You’re upset, confused, I wanted you to make up your own mind without outside interference. You deserve that.”

“So you heard everything?”

“Yeah, sugar.” He placed a gentle finger under her chin and lifted her face toward his. “What will you do?”

Staring into those captivating eyes, feeling his heart reaching out to her, she wanted to cry. Both men had gone to great extremes, both loved her and now
both
carried shadows in their souls. How could she weigh one against the other?
Was Raef’s betrayal with Naami worse than Von’s involvement with Twilight?
Both had sired offspring with other women and both of those babies had been used to return their souls. Raef
had
the advantage once, but he’d just evened the playing field by making a deal with the Supreme Lioness.

Is the Lioness’s strategy any less cruel than the evil realm’s just because she did it in the name of justice? How does one gage the value of an innocent soul?
Using an innocent life to one’s own benefit was wrong no matter what. She could not justify her high ruler’s actions any more than she could accept how Twilight used whomever they chose to accomplish the same results. The only difference she saw between the two realms now was that Twilight murdered in cold blood. Yet her sisterhood stripped a woman of her child and her memory, then sent her away. The parallels were maddening.

Von gave a slow shake of his head. “Don’t answer that yet. You’re a mess inside.”

“I’m sorry.” Tears pushed through and slid down her cheeks.

“Don’t be.” He placed a sweet kiss on her lips. “You’ll do the right thing.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“You always do.”

“You give me too much credit. You know I loved him.”

“
Loved
?”

She shrugged. “Love, maybe, I don’t know. I still see Naami when I look at him, it’s hard not to.”

“And what of me? Do you see Cassie?”

“Not anymore.”

“Do you still want to go after the horse tonight?”

“Yes. I need to finish this. I was thinking while you were out. The Lioness is trying to control something that cannot be controlled. My mother died to give me life. I will avenge her death…
my
way.”

Flame managed to pull her emotions back together by nightfall. She’d even forced herself to eat the delicious food Von had cooked over the fire. Watching him prepare their meals was more appetizing than smelling the sizzling steaks. Her thoughts drifted while watching him lock down his bike—they would not be going by motorcycle this time.

He’d looked amazingly hot, stripped to the waist while working over a fire. Not many men filled out black leather pants like Von, and he made them look so casual, as if they were his second skin. His skills in roughing it and looking like a sex god at the same time turned her on. No posh hotels or fancy beds, everything they did was raw and natural. Now here he was crouched beside his gleaming black masterpiece of chrome and steel, turning her on again without even realizing it.

“Feel like trying something new?” she asked before holstering her daggers.

He stopped working and looked up at her. “With you? Hell, yeah.”

“I’d like to take our blood-bond to a deeper level. I have no idea what we’re about to face and this morning left me feeling disconnected. I need to be focused in battle.”

“What do you have in mind, sugar?” He finished securing the bike, then stood up.

“Skipping the knife.” She held out her wrist. “Can you do it?”

A heated look flickered in his eyes. “Can you? It’s gonna hurt a hell of a lot more than a quick slice.”

“I want this with you.”

“Still shaken up, hm, babe?”

“Yes. You are the one constant I’ve known since this war began. Even when you were their Satellite, you never deviated away from your goal.”

He gave an easy laugh. “I never will. One thing you can count on, I will always be loving you.”

“No matter what?”

“No matter what,” he replied in his naturally soft-spoken manner, yet the strength resonated in his tone. “Every minute of every day, since the day we met, has been devoted to winning your heart.”

“Then don’t hold back, gorgeous, show me.”

After walking around the bike, Von took her forearm in both hands. Beginning at her palm, he kissed a tantalizing trail up her arm, over her shoulder, along her neck and upward to her lips. She sighed as his mouth covered hers and his tongue slid through parted lips. They sank into a heady kiss for several minutes before he eased away. She gazed into his shimmering eyes as he raised her upturned wrist to his mouth. Utterly enthralled that he’d agreed to this new and daring act, she barely took a breath. Her focus shifted between his mesmerizing eyes and the sensual lips sucking her skin.

He didn’t look away while teasing her flesh with his teeth. His eyes made love to her while baring her soul as only he could do.

She winced and exhaled sharply when he finally bit down. Pain raced up her arm. He never backed off. She loved him more than ever for ignoring her pain and giving her what she wanted—a pain she could handle.

He offered her his left hand. Without delay, she took hold of his softly haired forearm and savored the salty taste of his skin. Closing her eyes, she left a path of affectionate kisses from his hand to his bare chest then back again. His teeth latched at her wrist, combined with the delectable sucking, rocketed her into a new dimension of pleasure. She welcomed the pain, embraced it, needed it as much as she needed him this very moment—not his sex, but something deeper she couldn’t quit discern. Her blood flowing into his mouth and the pain of his bite simulated the torrent of emotions raging inside her soul, making her feel she was releasing all that hurt to Von.

She opened her eyes to find him staring at her with vivid passion. The open desire brimming in those watery depths stole her breath. Gripping his hand tightly, she bit down on his wrist. He sucked in a quick breath but never flinched. A warm gush of liquid spurted into her mouth. The pungent taste of his blood filled her with a sense of comfort she couldn’t find any other way. She drew heavily at the puncture point, allowing him once again to pull her deeper into their bond with his eyes.

Her wrist throbbed, yet she refused to yield to the sting. She craved the ultimate connection with him, to sort the madness in her head and sweep her heart away. The euphoric expression on his face paralleled what she began to feel. A new sensation began taking her over. Her eyes felt heavy. An intense ache of arousal welled in her core. All the energy in his soul flowed into hers and in an uncanny way she could feel hers channeling to him.

They slid to their knees and groaned while locked in that earth shattering exchange.

A wave of clarity swept through her. For a brief moment in time, as if all the wisdom in the universe belonged to her in just that one flash, she realized that he’d absorbed the power of fire from the flaming daggers she’d plunged into his chest. Now he was giving it all back to her, not withholding a thing.

We are fully channeled.
The thought came and went at blinding speed as they climbed higher. She felt him release all his harnessed energy, all the gifts Twilight had instilled in his soul—to her. The very powers bestowed upon him to bring her down were now blazing inside, creating incredible feelings of bliss. In her next breath, an unexpected yet forceful orgasm made her shudder. Overcome by their combined energy, she gasped and moaned as idyllic waves of release poured over her.

Von seemed to possess better self-control. Though the hot desire of his burning gaze rendered her senseless, he didn’t come. She admired his restraint. He was every bit her match, even more.

Her legs trembled. If she hadn’t already been on her knees, she’d be there now anyway. His natural influence over her was staggering. She clung to his arm as they eased apart. He licked his lips with a sensual sweep of his tongue, then pulled her to his chest and sealed his mouth to hers. She thought she’d faint when he licked her lips, too, sucking the last drops of their combined blood from her mouth. His feral nature took her past the point of ecstasy. Nothing had ever felt more real.

They collapsed on the ground and flopped onto their backs, panting for breath. She gazed up at the stars and a haunting half moon. Nothing compared to this—nothing.

After lying there for a long while, Von spoke first. She turned her head sideways. Their eyes met.

His voice was laden with raw sensuality. “That just might be better than sex. I’ve never felt closer to you.”

“You didn’t hold back.”

He laid over her, his gaze moved over her face while brushing sweat-soaked strands away. “You told me not to.”

She let out an airy laugh. “Since when do you do what you’re told?”

He grinned but didn’t reply. Instead, he rolled onto his back with a heavy sigh.

She smiled and looked back up at the sky. “You realize what we’ve done don’t you?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m as powerful as you are now.”

“Gives a hell of a kick, doesn’t it?” He flashed her a wicked grin.

“Definitely.”

“Glad I could help.”

“You did this knowing there’s a ghost from my past in the picture. You freely took my pain and empowered me. Aren’t you worried?”

“You bet your sweet ass I am.”

They turned their heads at the same time to look at each other.

“Then why?” she asked, softly seeking.

“I never could stand to see you suffer. Don’t you know that by now? It’s always been my only weakness.”

She did a quick recollection of those instances when he’d come to her rescue. “It’s not a weakness. It’s your greatest strength.”

“How so?”

“I need a man strong enough to bend.”

He stared without speaking. A slight smile touched his lips. They rolled onto their sides facing one another. Von pulled her against him and wrapped those long muscled arms around her, then kissed the top of her head. She released a jagged sigh as the arousal in her body made a complete descent.

“Ready to fight the bad guys?” he teased with a wink.

While traveling immortal style through a vast and eerie darkness, Flame wondered what to expect in the dark realm of Twilight. This trip took longer than their jaunts around the states. Blackness enveloped her as she clung to Von with all her strength. His arms wound around her back, holding her tightly against him.

“Close your eyes if you feel odd,” he muttered.

She grasped that they were flying between worlds somehow, but didn’t understand exactly how he managed this type of travel.
Maybe I am not quite as powerful as he is,
she thought.
I don’t know how to use my mind this way.
His power awed her. She knew that she’d never leave him, never choose Raef over the man holding her right now—the father of her unborn child.

No, I loved Raef, truly loved him, but that feels like ages ago. Von worked hard to earn my trust. I won’t betray him. I won’t ever make him feel the way I felt after realizing Raef had sex with Naami. Von has not been with another woman since our blood-bond and I’ve not been with another man.
Though this placed Raef on the losing end, she couldn’t fully trust him. He’d made two major mistakes during her time with him—giving in to Naami, and giving up his unborn child to the Lioness—he simply was not strong enough to be her life mate.

Von set her down in waist-high water. She felt a little queasy but the ill effects subsided quickly.

“The water will disguise our scent,” he muttered, then took her hand and led the way.

They waded downwind in the waves. The consuming blackness had given way to a peculiar environment. Something familiar about the island nagged at her. Suddenly she remembered her nightmare again, about the fiery volcanic mound and burning sulfur pit. Looming in the distance, she could see a mountainous pile of smoldering ash. She wrinkled her nose at the stench of sulfur and glanced up at a reddish-green sky.

“My nightmare returns.”

“Relax, babe, we’ll find the horse and get the hell out.”

“The skies…” she noted, “are neither night nor day.”

“You’re in the Twilight Realm, babe.”

She shot him a panicked look. “You said those exact words to me in a dream.”

“And I also saved you, according to what you told me in the village.”

“Yeah.” She took a deep breath and did her best to remain calm. “Just never thought I’d actually be here.”

“They won’t expect us. Nobody in their right mind comes here by choice.”

“Well, I guess they underestimated how far crazy goes.” She smirked and was surprised that she could make light of this in any sense.

A wry grin touched his face. “I live for crazy.”

She didn’t miss his subtle innuendo and couldn’t help but smile. “How do we kill things here?”

“Just like we did the ancients, you dagger ‘em and I’ll take the head.”

“You can’t be killed here, can you?”

“Neither can you now, or Hatch would’ve done us in already. Our combined power is indomitable unless—” He stopped.

“Unless what?” She sensed he realized something they’d overlooked.

“The only weapon they have against us is blackmail. If Twilight finds something valuable to us, such as a loved one…or a rare horse…they will try and make one of us sever the blood-bond.”

“Without the bond they could kill us?”

He nodded. “If our bond is severed, then Hatch will regain his power over us.”

“How is a blood-bond broken? Even I don’t know how to break one.”

“By forcing us to drink the blood of an outsider.”

“I would never.” The thought of drinking someone else’s blood repulsed her.

“Let’s just hope we find the horse before they have a chance to use her against you.”

“You think that’s why they took Paloma? This doesn’t have anything to do with Twilight wanting the serum, does it?”

Von arched one brow. “Think about it, sugar. What would the Twilight Master want with an immortal serum when he has the power to create his own immortal fiends?”

“Make another Satellite?”

“Not likely. I have a feeling that there’s more behind this horse theft than trying to steal your gift.”

“So, Hatch stole my mother’s horse as a bargaining chip—what a bastard.”

“Either way, we had to come and rescue your mare to eliminate their edge.”

They emerged onto shore at last. Spooky-looking trees and tall grass stretched as far as she could see. The place appeared desolate. Flame couldn’t imagine where they’d stashed her lovely mare or what kind of care the poor horse received. She prayed for the best, hoping Twilight would want the horse kept in perfect condition if they hoped to use it as a means of blackmail.

From the trees, she sensed eyes watching. Her hands tensed on the handles of her Sai. Hairs at the nape of her neck stood up, sending prickles down her spine. Danger lurked close by. Von obviously felt it, too. He reached behind him to withdraw his long wicked knife.

Out of the shadows, enemies attacked. Flame and Von fought side-by-side, daggering and decapitating evil fiends as the ghouls descended upon them in waves. Sluggish and seemingly dimwitted, the ghouls were no match for Von and Flame’s supernatural speed and skills. She utilized both blades, holding one in place until Von severed the head before moving onto the next. Why the ghastly creatures attacked puzzled her, since she and Von were invincible. Twilight’s army didn’t even carry weapons, but relied on hand-to-hand combat. She wondered what they hoped to accomplish. Maybe they were trying to overpower and separate her from Von. That thought terrified her. She forced the fear aside.

Unexpectedly, the ghouls retreated as if commanded by an unseen force. Flame was not surprised to see the Twilight Master emerge from the darkness.

She was barely winded and stood glaring at him. “Not too impressive, Hatch,” she taunted. “But I must admit this setting suits you, ugly and foul just like you.”

He curled an upper lip in a sneer. “Looking for something, Flame? Isn’t my Satellite keeping you satisfied? Did you have to travel all the way to my domain just to slake the lust in that fiery soul of yours?”

“Von is
my
Satellite now, and he satisfies me just fine…more than you ever could. I just wanted to stop in and see how lower forms of life like you live.”

Hatch scowled, openly miserable over his loss. “Oh I suspect you’ve come to do more than exchange insults. I think you’re looking for something we acquired from your precious village.”

In lightning fast motion, she poised the tip of a dagger at his throat. “Get to the point. I can drive this through your wretched heart right now and have Von take your head. You know we have more power than you, now.”