Vengeance (The Captive #6)(45)

Her mouth clamped together as her thoughts turned to the children and Pallas. “I wish the storm would break,” she murmured.

And at the same time she dreaded the easing of the storm. She had no idea what awaited them out there, what he would do if he saw Kane again, what would become of them both. In this cave they’d been given a reprieve from the horrors she knew waited for them out there. In here she could almost pretend the rest of the world didn’t exist.

He rested his hand on her arm, drawing her attention to him. His eyes were full of concern as he squeezed her arm. “The children will be fine.”

She couldn’t stop her lower lip from trembling when she spoke, “I know.”

He stepped closer to her, enveloping her in a hug that stole all her reason. At first, she remained rigid, uncertain what it was he wanted from her, but when he continued to hold her, rocking her a tiny bit in his grasp, she relaxed against him. Her cheek turned into his chest; a sound of content escaped her as she inhaled the scent of fire clinging to his clothes. His hands ran over her hair, smoothing it back from her face when he pulled back to look at her.

I will not stare at his mouth, she told herself. “Will you be ok?” she asked. “If you see Kane?”

The mere mention of his name caused the warm man to vanish instantly. His eyes hardened; his jaw clenched. He never said a word, he didn’t have to; she’d already gotten her answer from his reaction. Her hands dug into his back, trying to keep him from withdrawing, but it was already too late for that.

“I’ll be fine,” he replied tersely. Tempest’s hands slid down to her side; a lump wedged in her throat when he stepped away from her. “I’m going to clean up.”

Her heart ached as she watched him slip away into the back of the cave. She didn’t want to care for him. She was petrified he’d get himself killed if he went after Kane, but watching his back fade away into the shadows, she knew it was too late for her; she already cared for him more than she should.





CHAPTER 16


Tempest woke to the muffled sounds coming from behind her. She rolled over to face William. He was turned toward her, one hand beneath his head and the other on the ground. His foot kicked out suddenly, nearly connecting with her before it jerked back. His forehead creased, his mouth pursed. In the flickering light of the fire, she could see the glistening tip of one of his fangs over his bottom lip.

“No,” he murmured. His fist lifted and hit the floor. His body jerked as if he’d been stabbed, which he had. That must have been what the nightmare was about, she realized. “Dad.”

Her throat clogged with tears as his face scrunched further in anguish. Sorrow radiated from him as his foot kicked out again, and his upper lip skimmed back to reveal his fangs. She reached out with the purpose of waking him, but the second her hand fell upon his skin, the lines smoothed from his face, his hands unfurled and his mouth relaxed.

Tempest stared at him in amazement, her hand running over the solid flesh beneath her. The bristly hairs lining his arms tickled her palm; she’d never experienced the sensation before and found it extremely pleasing. He looked so young and vulnerable, so unlike the man she’d come to know. He almost appeared his age in the flickering light of the fire.

She brushed back a strand of his auburn hair and ran her fingers lightly over his face before resting her hand on his arm again. She lay for a long time, listening to the crackle of the fire and watching him in peaceful rest before sleep finally claimed her again.

***

Tempest had fallen back asleep with more distance than she would have liked separating them, but she woke with his arms securely wrapped around her and her nose pressed into his chest. She stared at his tanned skin and the dark sprinkle of hair she could see because the top three buttons of his shirt had come undone. His cloak remained draped around him, but sometime during the night, she’d become entangled within it, or he had wrapped her in it too.

After witnessing his nightmare last night, she doubted he got much sleep. It wouldn’t surprise her if he’d woken and wrapped his cloak around her. The scent of him tickled her nostrils; her fingers involuntarily curled into his shirt where they pressed against his upper abdomen. She should feel embarrassed to find herself so close to him, but she found herself pressing closer.

Her eyes drifted to his full mouth, so inviting and tempting. If she lifted her head a little, she could press her mouth to his and finally ease her curiosity over what it would feel like to taste him. Excitement pulsed to life in her body.

The only thing she could think about right now was kissing this enticing man only inches away from her lips. All he wanted was to kill someone, she reminded herself. Some of her desire fizzled away at the reminder, but her eyes remained latched on his mouth. What was she doing? What was she thinking? He may have been human, he may be younger than she was, but he was stronger than her, and he was determined to see Kane die.

She didn’t know if his strength was because the king, the eldest and strongest of their kind, had turned his sister, then his sister had shared some of that blood with him, perhaps passing on the king’s power. It could also be because he’d done nothing but drive himself to become stronger since being turned. The fact there’d been possible vampire DNA within him before being changed had probably added to his strength.

Whatever it was, he was stronger than she was. She could see it in the way he moved, in the speed and vitality he exhibited when he worked with her. She could feel it in the ripples of power running through him.