Whatever It Takes (11 page)

My eyelids fluttered open and I wondered why I had a killer headache. The world seemed to swim around me, think nasty hangover after a three day party binge. The air around me was heavy with the scent of sandalwood. I was in a bed, its soft pillows cushioning my aching body. Taking stock of myself, I realized I couldn’t remember very much. As though I might have just participated in a prizefight in the last several hours or went sky diving without a parachute. But beyond that I wasn’t sure.

Yet, what seemed to bother me most was the large, heavy arm that was draped over my waist. Turning my head I took in the most beautiful sight I’d ever seen. Josef, yeah that was his name. He was leaning on one arm staring down at me, his deep sapphire eyes filled with worry. I guess I looked about as bad as I felt.

“How are you feeling, love?”

His hand came up to cup my cheek and I leaned into his touch. My mind wondered what had taken place between us but my treacherous body didn’t seem to care. Why were we in bed together and what was with the endearment? The last thing I remember we were fighting for the same mission.

“Fuzzy.”

Okay, that was the understatement of the year. I wasn’t even sure where I was right now. But I did remember that Sabine needed to be rescued from the Nocturns. Crap!

I tried to sit up but his massive arm stopped any movement. “I need to get to Sabine.”

“She is safe, Dara.” He eyed me warily, as if he thought I was pulling his leg. “You really don’t remember, do you?”

I narrowed my eyes in thought. When had I saved Sabine, or maybe Josef had saved her? Wait a minute; he had that creepy bald dude take her back home. Everything seemed to be coming back in bits and pieces. Like a disjointed story or a movie that you really want to see but you only ever catch it in small chunks. The feeling was disorienting and my head began to swim.

Feeling caged I let out a frustrated growl. “No. Did I save her?”

He nodded, causing his long hair to brush my bare shoulder. That slight touch ignited a fire in my body, causing a hunger for Josef to rise like a tide inside of me. A memory tried to fight its way to the surface but as quickly as it came it faded back into nothingness. I shook my head, trying to chase away the conflicting thoughts.

“I…we. Did we?’

I gestured between us, not able to say the words. I mean how do you ask someone if you slept together. There wasn’t really a gentle way to say it, because if there was I’m sure Hallmark would’ve had a greeting card.

No, we couldn’t have been together; I just wouldn’t have forgotten something like that. Besides, I had a sneaking suspicion Josef wasn’t the kind of man you’d forget. Just what had gone on in between the time I was in the Moors and this moment?

He brought my fingers up to his lips, kissing each pad tenderly. The moment his lips touched my skin a memory ignited in my mind. I could see it as if it was happening now. Josef and I on this very bed, him kissing me and me begging for him not to stop. The memory was so vivid I knew it wasn’t anything Josef was thinking. I wouldn’t be able to see his thoughts that vividly. All I could get were deep feelings. Even memories weren’t that vivid, unless we had a blood bond. So that left only one other conclusion, we had really been together.

“Before, everything.” I must have looked confused because Josef quickly amended. “Don’t worry, love, I’ll jog your memory later.”

He was so damn sure of himself that I wanted to protest. The smug smile he wore said it was only a matter of time before he claimed my body again. It grated on my nerves. But the longer I looked at him, the more of our time together I remembered. What the hell had I been thinking; Josef was a werewolf, not the wisest choice in a lover. At least that’s what I’ve been told time and time again.

“I don’t…”

A moan replaced my hot retort, when he slid my finger into his mouth. My brain refused to function beyond the sensation. His wet tongue slid around my finger. At the slight touch I couldn’t help but remember what it had felt like on other parts of my body. Oh crap, we really had been together.

When had I thrown common sense out the window? Werewolf lovers were not the best choice. While they were loyal and fiercely protective, they were only that way with their alpha female. Since I didn’t go furry once a month I seriously doubted I was Josef’s alpha.

He pulled back, “Come, we should shower. The Council would like to see us soon.”

At his words my modesty kicked in. I pulled the sheet up to my throat. “Together?”

Josef climbed out of the bed and stood waiting for me. When I saw he had pants on, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. I just knew if he would have been naked I would have been lost. The memories of what he looked like with nothing on were as tempting as the Forbidden Fruit, I was sure the results would’ve been just as disastrous.

“It’ll save time. And I would like to remind you just how well we fit together.” He held his hand out to me. “Come.”

Oh, if he kept talking like that I just might. What? Oh sorry, he meant get out of the bed. Boy was I just going to hell in a hand basket.

Looking from his hand to his eyes I knew I was going to have to make a choice and quick. I weighed my options. He was gorgeous and he wanted me. We had already been together, even if it was just a fuzzy memory for me. So why should I sit here and worry about things that seemed beyond my control?

Oh hell. You only lived once and I haven’t even begun to live, though I vowed from this moment on I would do just that. At that thought I felt a sick sense of Déjà vu, as if I’d had this same mental debate once before. Strange as it may sound I’m sure then as now, I’d come to the same conclusion.

Tossing the sheet off I let Josef pull me off the bed. Seems like he wasn’t the only one still dressed, or maybe I should say half dressed. I didn’t think leather pants and a bra counted as proper attire, at least in most social circles. I had a moment to wonder what had happened to my top and why I was covered in blood. That was all I had because he was pulling me along behind him. I guessed he was impatient to get started.

“What happened to my top?”

He threw a cocky look over his shoulder, “Looks like you lost it in a fight.”

Well duh. I mean I didn’t think I had been playing strip poker when I lost it. From all the blood that seemed to be stuck in my cleavage I knew I had been in a fight. Possibly even one for my life, but where it took place and with whom I wasn’t so sure. I wasn’t even sure who’s blood was all over me. I couldn’t seem to find a single wound on my body. As a matter of fact I couldn’t remember anything after the point when Josef and I had been together.

There was no time to ask him as he continued into the bathroom. All I could think was, damn this room is huge. There was a walk in shower that took up the far wall. Its glass doors allowed me to see it was large enough for at least two. Everything was tiled; shower, floor, counters. The longer I looked the more my memories came back to me. Slowly I remembered being in this room not long ago and then Josef and I being together.

Going off to start the shower Josef left me by the door, gasping like a fish out of water. He turned on the water and with a wolfish grin turned back to me. He took my hips in his hands, maybe the predator in him knew I was getting ready to flee.

“What really happened to my shirt?”

It was the best I could come up with as a stall. See, as soon as I realized that he was serious about having sex with me again, I’d lost my nerve. If you wanted to see me cocky and full of myself pit me against a few evildoers. When it came to sex, I was more like a nun in a strip club.

“You lost it in the fight last night. Don’t you remember?”

No, I didn’t. All I could remember before waking up was running through the Moors. The moment Josef had touched me I began to remember being with him. But anything further than that was gone, completely black. It was as if there was nothing there to remember. It was almost like someone had surgically removed my memories.

“No.”

“Oh, Dara.” Worry painted his voice.

Josef sat me on the edge of the sink; his hand was tracing the tattoo on my hip. Wait, when the hell did I get that? If Angie had allowed me to get it after my last drunken ‘woe is me’ moment, I’d kill her. No, I would have remembered that. As a matter of fact I could recall all of that as if it was yesterday. So where the hell did this new tattoo come from? And had I really picked a tongue of fire?

Josef tilted my chin up, effectively cutting off my thoughts. “You single handily saved Sabine and caught Priest.”

“But I don’t remember.”

I traced the tattoo with my fingers. Gooseflesh erupted over my skin. I felt a memory fight to raise, a memory of how I had come by this new marking, but blackness overtook the memory and it was no more. I gritted my teeth and tried to will it to return, but the darkness grew deeper.

Josef brushed his fingers down my left cheek and I winced, forgetting all about my new tattoo. Damn that hurt. It felt like I had been in a boxing match with a kangaroo, or a full grown werewolf. Priest! That’s were all the blood had come from. That explained a lot.

“Well, Kristoff gave you a pretty nasty bite.” Josef waved to my bloody chest. “Hence the blood. Then Priest and you fought. You have been sleeping it off ever since. So you not remembering doesn’t surprise me, trauma does that to a person.”

“Wait a minute, Kristoff bite me?” My voice hitched.

Damn it, I wasn’t going to cry. I didn’t think he had drained me or else I wouldn’t be sitting here talking about all of this. Nope! If that had been the case I would be dead to the world for three whole days and then raise bloodthirsty and evil.

“Don’t worry Dara you are well.”

“I’ll stake that damned Vamp myself.”

His eyes glowed with that eerie wolf light most Weres bore when upset. A sure sign that the Bad Moon was Rising, hinting that something serious was going on with Josef. That something very serious must’ve happened with me and I can’t remember. Although a bite from a vampire counted as serious in my book. Rating going up exceptionally, since it was a bite from Kristoff.

“Is there something I should know, Josef?”

I had a feeling there was. Something that at a later date would mean the difference between life and death. Whatever went on last night, it included things I wasn’t sure I wanted to remember. Maybe that’s why most of it was nothing but blackness.

I watched him take a deep breath, trying to calm his beast. “Enough talk, love. The water is warm.”

I pulled back from him trying to find the truth in his eyes, but he hid his hand well. Josef was glossing over the events of last night. Why, what more could have happened that he didn’t want me to know? In my book a lie by omission was still a lie. A lie spoke volumes to me, more so than a play by play would have. If you allow someone to lie to you once, they’ll do it again. Because you have shown them it was ok to disrespect you. That a lie was something you could overlook.

Well, let me tell you something, a little lie wasn’t a bad thing. But it was the after effects of that lie. You couldn’t trust the person who had lied to you and in all honesty the person who lied will never really respect you again
.
Yet for what it was worth I knew he was trying to protect me from something.

I put my hand up to stop any of his advances. “You need to slow down. I can’t remember much of last night. And I think before we go any further I need answers.”

Josef bowed his head and stepped back from me. I had to hand it to him, most guys would have pressed on. Not caring if I was ready or not. Someone with the ability to claim a mate wouldn’t normally back off. This only made me twice as curious to find out what he was hiding. Because I’d bet my cutest pair of Ferragamo’s Josef was hiding something.

“What do you want to know, Dara?”

“Everything?”

Josef let out a long suffering sigh. “You aren’t ready for that.”

My hand flew to my left wrist, I needed the safety that my bracelet offered. It was the only thing that connected me to my past, the time in my life when nothing bad could reach me. Where the only bogeyman was the imaginary one in my closet and the scariest thing in the world was shutting out the light. My hand touched my bare wrist and my heart began to beat like a trip hammer. Gone!

“Where is my bracelet?”

Josef looked lost for words. I knew whatever had happened was not going to be good. “Dara, you need to calm down.”

He made to move closer to me, to embrace me I was sure of it. I stepped back not wanting him to touch me right now. I wanted to be told the truth, not coddled. Sometimes knowing the truth was the only thing that could keep you alive.

“Like hell I do. If you’re not going to give me the answers I need, I’ll just go ask someone who will.”

I shoved past him and into my bedroom. That was right; this was the bedroom I had been staying in before my faceoff with Kristoff. The faceoff that I just couldn’t seem to remember. As a matter of fact I couldn’t even remember why I had bedded down with an overbearing werewolf, like Josef, in the first place. This lack of memory was going to make me crazy. I yanked my robe off the foot of the bed and pulled it on as I headed out the door.

I wasn’t going to walk around for God knows how long unable to remember things. Especially, things that seem to be so important. I wasn’t one to forget a rescue, or a brawl for that matter. Hell, I could probably tell you the first brawl I ever got into but that’s a story for another time. Not being able to recall important events that only happened a short while ago, that was a big problem.

If Josef wouldn’t give me answers I knew someone who would. There was no reason to look behind me, I knew Josef was following. I could feel his annoyance as if it was my own, which really wasn’t helping things. I was angry enough I didn’t need his temper feeding mine. It wasn’t wise to approach Vicktor with an attitude. He may like me but that didn’t mean I could shoot off at the mouth.

Finally reaching the great hall, I shoved the doors to the meeting room open. Everyone in there stilled. All conversation stopped the moment Josef and I entered. Every collective breath was held. Maybe I should have worn something more than a silk robe to cover my half-clad body.

I walked right up to Vicktor’s throne, “Would you care to fill me in on what’s happened, since I can’t seem to remember.”

The Quiet Man stepped out of the shadows. I knew if he had his way I wouldn’t be told a damn thing. There was a lot he was hiding but right now I could care less. All I wanted to know was why I was being treated with kid gloves?

“Dara, you’re supposed to be resting.” He shot Josef an angry look.

Yeah ok, there definitely was something going on here. My eyes shot between Josef, Vicktor and Lord Slade. That’s right brain you’re finally starting to work, the Quiet Man’s name was Lord Slade.

There was way too much covert ops going on for my liking. Almost like what they had been doing before I went to meet Kristoff. There you go another bit of memory. Although I was now recalling their shifty behavior, I couldn’t recall why they acted that way. Whatever they were hiding I couldn’t get a read on it. It was seriously frustrating.

“I’ve rested enough. Now start talking.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

Vicktor leaned forward in his seat. “What do you want to know, Dara?”

“Everything.”

Vicktor and the Quiet Man had another silent discussion. If only I wasn’t so upset I’d be able to get a read on their emotions. But right now that was impossible since my own were going haywire.

“I’m afraid that’s not possible.”

I quirked a brow and huffed. He had to be kidding me. Obviously I’d faced Kristoff the Cruel and took down Priest to save Sabine. In my book Vicktor owed me, and big time. If he felt the same he would tell me the truth and I would take it gladly.

“You owe me.”

The Quiet Man spoke up, “You should be honored Vicktor called on an Inbetween like yourself for assistance.”

“Should I?” With a flourish I bowed. “I could have died and you still refuse to treat me as an equal.”

I was hurt. Never would I have guessed Vicktor thought of me in such a way. As if being an Inbetween made my life worthless. I knew that most of the Mythos felt that way about Inbetweens but I had thought the man before me was different. I guess I was wrong and everyone was just full of surprises today.

“Enough.” Vicktor slammed his hand on the arm of his chair and brought my attention back to him.

“Please?” It was my only option left, to plead with his softer side.

The head of the Council of Elders shot the Quiet Man a pissed off look. When he turned his gaze back to me, it was filled with remorse. Damn, what I wouldn’t give to read Vicktor’s emotions right now.

“I’m sorry Dara, but there isn’t much I can tell you.”

Josef placed a large hand on my shoulder, “I’ve told her all I was advised to.”

Crap, this was bad. They were making decisions on what was advisable to tell me. What the hell happened when I had faced off with the Nocturns last night? It could not be as bad as they were making it out to be. I’ve faced death so many times and come out the victor; really there was nothing left in life that I feared. Whatever it was they were hiding I was more than able to handle it.

I shrugged out of Josef’s hold. “So I have to live in the dark until you deem me worthy of the knowledge?”

“The doctor says you will remember in time. Let that comfort you.” The Quiet Man looked down his nose at me.

I was getting ready to tell him to back the hell up, when the doors burst open.

“Dara!”