Part 9 (2/2)

She moved toward him. Madoc moved out of her way. She shook her head in irritation as she pa.s.sed him to throw the wet towel into the sink. ”You really are afraid of me.”

”I'm afraid for you. There's a difference.” One he'd have to go into graphic detail to explain to her, so he really hoped she didn't start asking questions.

He should have f.u.c.ked a wh.o.r.e before coming back here, like he'd planned, but the notion of Nika on the road alone had nagged at him, forcing him to follow in her wake in case her car ran out of gas or she got arrested for driving without a license.

Besides, no matter how many times he used a hooker, the pain would always come back. Relief was fleeting and tainted by the knowledge that the pain would return for him at any moment. Fearing that pain was sometimes worse than suffering through it. The best he could hope for was a distraction, and Nika certainly provided that.

”Go, Madoc. I'm tired of making you squirm. Just leave.”

He'd hurt her feelings. He could hear it in her voice. He wanted to be sorry, and maybe part of him was, but the smarter part knew that if she hated him, she'd be a lot safer, so he walked out without bothering to offer an apology.

The farther away from her he got, the better off they'd both be.

Then why the h.e.l.l wasn't he walking to his truck? Why was he headed back to his suite, where he planned to stay until he knew she was well guarded?

Leaving her body? Was she nuts?

A grim laugh rumbled in his chest. Of course she was nuts. That was the whole problem. She wasn't sane enough to leave alone, and she wasn't sane enough to stay away from him.

Clearly, he was crazy, too, because somewhere deep down, a part of him thought he could actually help her rather than just make things worse. If that didn't make him certifiable, he didn't know what would.

As exhausted as Nika was, she couldn't sleep. The pull of the monsters on her mind was weaker during the day, but there were a few Synestryn presences inside her that were strong enough to make themselves known even while the sun burned overhead. Usually, they didn't bother her, but she could feel one rousing from its sleep, poking at her, tentatively looking for weaknesses.

She tried to shut it out, put up her barriers, and sleep, but every time she closed her eyes, she saw the twisting, malignant darkness growing inside Madoc.

It hadn't been there the last time she saw hima”at least not like this. Something was wrong and he was hiding it, even from her.

It was killing him.

She wasn't going to get any rest until she figured out what it was, and she really needed her rest if she was going to find Tori. The farther away she was from someone, the harder it became to find them as well as find her way back to her body. She didn't want to locate her sister only to find that she couldn't get back into her body and do anything with the information.

Besides, she worried that if she didn't make it back, her body would slip away and she'd be left to roam around, unseen and insubstantial, for eternity. The thought scared her almost as much as having her mind ripped apart by demons again.

Nika's grasp on reality was stronger now than it had been since the attack. She wasn't going to do anything to mess that up. Sleep was mandatory, and she knew the one person who could hold the Synestryn at bay long enough for her to get it.

She pulled her weary body from the bed, went to Madoc's quarters, and knocked on the door.

”Go away,” came his gruff reply.

”Let me in.”

”Not gonna happen. Go home.”

Nika tried the door. It was locked, but she guessed that Nick or someone else was watching through the security cameras that covered every inch of the hallways. She went to the nearest one, looked into it, and said, ”Open Madoc's door.”

She had no idea if anyone heard or saw her, but when she got back to the door and saw the light turn green, she knew someone up there was watching.

The door opened two inches before Madoc's hand slammed against it and pushed it closed again. The light turned red.

”I'm going to kill Nicholas,” growled Madoc.

”I need to see you.”

Silence greeted her.

”Fine,” she yelled through the door. ”I'll just sit out here until you decide to let me in.”

She heard something heavy being moved across the floor, then thud against the door. No more unlocked doors for her.

The rejection stung, but that was just too bad. Time to get over it already. She'd wait as long as it took. He had to come out sometime.

Nika put her back to the door and slid down to sit against it. The chilly air surrounded her, sliding easily through her thin cotton nightgown. She wished she'd thought to throw some clothes on before she came here, or at least a robe. Chances were that if she left now, Madoc would escape, jump in his truck, and it would be another seven months before she saw him again.

She feared that by that time, whatever it was that was growing inside him would consume him and there'd be nothing left of her Madoc.

Her Madoc. Nika snorted at that. He was no more hers than the moon was. She could enjoy being in its presence, but it was too far away to touch, always distant and cold.

At least when she was this close to him, she felt safe.

Fatigue pulled at her until she gave in and lay down, curled up in front of his door. If he left, she'd wake, and in the meantime, his presence nearby would guard her dreams and fight any Synestryn that dared to invade her mind while she slept.

Nika haunted him.

Madoc could not get her out of his mind. Part of him wanted to cradle her and hold her close, protecting her from the world's evils, but the rest of him wanted her writhing on his c.o.c.k, screaming out her pleasure while he pounded into her.

He had no idea why he couldn't get her out of his minda”why one crazy woman had the ability to tie him up so completely, knotting his insides until the s.p.a.ce between taking her and protecting her seemed too small a thing to care about.

Madoc lay on his bed, his erection rising from his naked body, throbbing in time with his pulse. He wrapped his fingers around himself as he imagined Nika sliding down his body, taking his c.o.c.k in her mouth. Her white hair slid forward, tickling his thighs, while her big blue eyes stared up at him as she sucked him.

His phone rang, jerking him from his fantasy.

”What?” he snarled into the receiver.

”Nika's asleep outside your door,” said Nicholas.

”Don't care.” It was a huge lie, but one he was going to stand by.

”You need to let her in or take her back to her suite. You can't leave her lying out there with strangers who want to paw at her roaming the halls.”

”Not interested. Do it yourself.”

Nicholas's voice rose in irritation. ”Anyone could come by.”

”You can keep an eye out for her. It's not my job.”

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