Part 26 (1/2)
His thoughts turned to the countless Wyldlings who'd already paid the ultimate price, and a bone-chilling wave of deep regret washed through him. ”I can't. I don't know what else to say.”
She shoved him backward. ”I do. You just doomed your precious humans to death. I'll slaughter them myself as compensation for the Fire you refuse to give me. I'll torture and maim the Wyldlings as they sleep-innocent babies, children, old, young. By the G.o.ds, I'll kill them all. Just for you. And before each life is snuffed, I'll tell them they died because their disappointment of a protector, Gavin Ca.s.sidy, wasn't man enough to save them.”
The weight of her threat hung like a lead cape on his shoulders. Frantic, panic-stricken, he said, ”Make yourself look like Zoe.” He'd never f.u.c.king forgive himself for this sacrilege, but he had no other recourse.
Her jaw tensed, and her gaze cooled. Scarlet's face melted into Zoe's. She a.s.sumed Zoe's stance, kissed him, stroked him.
Not even a G.o.dd.a.m.n twitch.
In a burst of flame, Scarlet s.h.i.+fted back to her normal form, her cheeks red with fury. ”You're useless to me. Go back to her and ponder your sins.”
”If you have an ounce of compa.s.sion inside you, please don't do this. Give me an alternative. Anything.” He hated begging, but he was so fraught, he would have sold his f.u.c.king soul.
”The time for making deals is over. Get the f.u.c.k out of here. I have Wyldlings to claim.” Shoulders quaking, she turned away from him.
He clasped her shoulder, and she flung his hand off. Short bursts of steam billowed from her nose with each huffing breath. The temperature in the room peaked. Staring at the back of her head, he stuffed himself back into his jeans, zipped up, and grabbed his jacket.
There was nothing else he could do.
G.o.ds help him. Literally millions of lives depended on him, and he'd f.u.c.ked up his only real shot at saving them.
Gavin Ca.s.sidy, Wyldling protector, had just signed humanity's death sentence.
Chapter Twenty-nine.
September 20 At one-thirty a.m., Gavin dashed into Jack's place without knocking and rushed straight into Zoe's arms. He crushed his lips to hers with such intense, warm pa.s.sion, she thought he might throw her down on the floor and do her right there in front of Jack.
Not that she'd have minded much after he left her at the research house, wondering whether she'd ever see him again. What the h.e.l.l was going on inside his head?
His tongue dipped in and stroked hers. The hard metal of his lip ring activated the heater in her core's thermostat, and a warm blush flushed her cheeks. Worries melted away as breaths mingled and hearts raced together. She let out a little moan to get his attention, but he kept going, apparently oblivious to her father's eyes blinking at them.
”Gavin-” she breathed against his mouth, then sighed when he deepened the kiss with another taste of tongue. Half-heartedly struggling to free herself from his steel grip, she guessed things could have been worse.
Strong hands drifted to her b.u.t.t and scooped her pelvis toward his. Oh, h.e.l.l. Wetness pooled between her legs. If he kept this up, she might tackle him to the carpet and indulge in an all-you-can-eat rock star feast for a couple hours.
Her nerve endings lit up and called for a meeting of minds and bodies. Waves of desire flooded her as their mouths churned in an erotic ballet of give and take, hot and cold, b.u.mp and grind. She fixed her hips tightly against him. Yep, things could be way worse.
Jack cleared his throat.
Zoe's heart clippity-clopped in an awkward stumble as she hit the brakes on the hungry hip hula. Breathless and a little embarra.s.sed she'd let herself go like that in front of her father, she drew back and wiped her mouth with the flat of her hand. Gavin angled his forehead against hers in his sweet, intimate way for a long moment. The relief was intoxicating.
Jack stepped up and scrutinized both of them in turn. ”I approve.” His hand swung to his mouth, and he bit into an apple.
Zoe giggled at the ridiculousness of this entire scene, opened an arm, and pulled him into an awkward three-person embrace. Gavin and Jack flinched in sync and grudgingly hugged. Zoe was grateful to share a cherished moment with her two favorite men.
After a moment, the tangle of limbs dissolved, and she smiled at Gavin. ”That was quite a h.e.l.lo after our rushed goodbye earlier. I missed you, too.” She curled a stray wisp of hair around the back of her ear. ”Did you find Scarlet?”
Gavin disengaged from the cozy circle and burrowed his fists into the front pockets of his jeans. The dark circles under his eyes deepened. Just like that, the big happy balloon popped, and the mood snapped back to tense as h.e.l.l. The recoil was painfully palpable.
”No. No sign of her.” He shot a glance at Jack, who lifted his head. The apple chewing slowed.
Zoe straightened. Enough of this walking on eggsh.e.l.ls c.r.a.p. ”Okay, I don't know what's up with you lately, but I want my Gavin back. The stable Gavin who doesn't get all s.h.i.+fty every time I ask a question. I never know which version of you is gonna pop up. Care to fill me in?”
Jack's eyes narrowed, but he kept quiet.
Gavin worked his jaw to and fro. ”I'm still here. Just a little concerned about our situation.” He faced Jack. ”What's the story with Whetu?”
Way to deflect a question.
”We moved her to your place so we can keep an eye on her,” Jack said. ”There's no change in her condition. Still totally out of it. Vexx can't even get a stray thought out of her.”
Gavin rubbed his hair spikes three times in quick succession. ”f.u.c.k.”
There he went again. One moment, he was ready to take her to bed or lose her forever, the next, he was Mr. Agitation wearing an itchy wool sweater. She didn't know what had gotten into him, but she wanted it out.
”Zoe's research team will stay here so our Sentinel brainware doesn't interfere with their sleep. Vexx, Jet, and Byrn are holing up at your pad, too. Hope you don't mind.”
Gavin tensed and scowled at the mention of Byrn. ”Do I have a choice?”
”Nope. You're stuck with that a.s.shole like the rest of us.” Another crunch of apple.
”I won't leave Zoe here without protection. The Fyres are after her. They're sure to come back, maybe even tonight.”
Jack shook his head. ”I've got the girls covered. My Waeter Elemental friend Xanthos will monitor the house from the outside. He has a talent for blending into scenery. The dude is like the Predator. He'll keep watch over them twenty-four/seven.”
Zoe hadn't met Xanthos yet, but she'd sensed his 'presence' outside. If a little old Wyldling like her could feel him, he must've been really strong. Exactly what they needed, should Scarlet or the other Fyres try to mess with them.
Gavin turned to her, and the lines in his face softened. ”What are you going to do about work? You lost everything in the fire.”
”Not everything. Adriene, G.o.d bless her, downloaded the info from the DTAGS on one of our rain days this week and stuck the tags and camera equipment in the trunk of our car. We lost all of our data up to this point, but at least we can start over. Vexx got us a high powered computer, downloaded the imaging software we use, and set us up here.” She gestured with her chin to the makes.h.i.+ft desk in the corner of the living room.
Jack had been wonderful in the aftermath of the fire. Without his and Vexx's help, it would've taken days to scrounge the parts and labor needed to get the team back on its feet. And then there was the mysterious Xanthos volunteering to play bodyguard. And Jet loaning them clothes until tomorrow. And Byrn...well, he was good for comic relief.
”I'm glad you were able to save at least some of your work.” Gavin said absently. He paced the stretch of carpet between the front door and edge of the living room. He seemed lost in his own heads.p.a.ce.
Zoe exchanged glances with Jack.
”If Whetu isn't coming around, then we have to find the Dreamweaver. Tonight.” Urgency blared through Gavin's tone. ”She's our only other option. People are dying by the dozens, Jack. Every hour. We have to do something.”
Gavin's work as a Sentinel was taking its toll. A crazed look began a slow crawl across his face. It scared the s.h.i.+t out of her. He looked like he was about to shatter.
Jack swallowed his last bite of apple and chucked the core across the room. The rim of the corner trashcan caught it, and gravity did its thing. Score. Jack wiped his hands on his s.h.i.+rt. ”Then, into the Dreaming we go. Though, if we can't locate the Dreamweaver, we'll have to come up with another plan.”
”No.” The word stabbed like a knife. ”No other plans. This has to work. If it doesn't, I'll wake up Whetu myself.”