Chapter 28

He laughed, a rich, sinful sound that vibrated along her nerves and made her squirm in her seat. This could not be happening. She would not let him get to her like this. Her mother had warned her that this was what they did—charmed their way into your life, took over, and left you lying in the ruins, left you to clean up the remains of your life, assuming they even let you live.

"I'm not just trying, honey. I'm succeeding. I imagine you're getting pretty tired by now. All that adrenaline has had time to wear off and you're starting to fade. You have to sleep soon. I don't. I can go for days without rest. It would be a lot easier on both of us if you just tell me where you are."

For one heart-stopping moment, she actually considered giving in. She was so tired of running. All she wanted to do was stop. Rest. She hadn't lived in the same place for more than six months since she was seventeen. Not since the night the Sentinels came for her mother.

Lexi leaned her head against the steering wheel. He was right. She was tired, but not tired enough to let them do to her what they'd done to her mother. Not even close. "Omaha," she lied.

Zach chuckled. "Come on, honey. You don't have to be afraid of me."

"Said the spider to the fly."

"As much as I'd like to wrap you in silk and eat you up, that's not what I have in mind." He paused and she heard him pull in a deep breath. "I need you." Those three words were deadly serious without even a hint of teasing.

He'd said that to her before when she was fighting him off in the diner, when he'd had her pinned on the counter, before she'd stabbed him. He'd looked at her with those pale green eyes that glowed so bright in contrast to his dark skin. Leopard eyes. He stared right into her and told her just that. He needed her. He was so earnest and pleading that she almost gave in then, too.

It was just as her mom had said. The Sentinels were masters of seduction. Zach knew exactly what to say.

Lexi had never been needed before. Not by anyone. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all to let him find her. "You're too big and strong to need anyone. You're just trying to trick me."

"I'm pleased you noticed the big, strong man thing, but you're wrong. You have no idea how wrong. Just meet me. Let me show you how much I need you."

Oh no. There was no way she was going to let him get that close. "Nice try, but I have a lot of miles to put between the two of us, so we're done here."

"Don't run, Lexi. I'd never hurt you."

There he went again, saying just the right thing with just the right amount of sincerity to make her question her decision. She hated that he could do that to her so easily. She was stronger than that. She didn't let men sway her confidence. "Lies. All of it."

"Not one word was a lie. Meet me and I'll prove it. Please."

Lexi's chest tightened. She couldn't stand this any longer. She needed to get off the phone before he drove her over the edge and convinced her to simply give up. She couldn't do that. She'd promised her mom she wouldn't. "I'm sorry. Don't call back. I won't pick up."

Lexi ended the call and dropped the phone out of the car window so she wouldn't be tempted to make herself a liar and answer when he called back. Because she knew he would call back. He wasn't going to stop looking for her until he found her. Her days of living in one place for six months were over. She was going to have to live on the run if she wanted to stay free.

For the first time in her life, she wondered whether her freedom was worth the price.

Drake couldn't take his eyes off Helen. He stared at the luceria around her throat and wanted to howl with joy. She was his. She'd saved him. Already he could feel something happening along the branches of his lifemark. A sparkling sensation pricked over his skin, like millions of popping bubbles.

He pulled his shirt off, needing to see the proof that their union had worked. Before their eyes, new buds formed on the branches, then unfurled into baby leaves. The pale green color of new growth was beautiful, and the perfect shine of each tiny leaf was testimony to the miracle Helen had given him.

"Wow," she breathed, tracing a finger delicately over the intricate lines of the tree. Drake's body tightened with longing. "What is that?"

"It's called a lifemark. It's kind of like a visual gauge of my soul's health. I was born with it, only at the time it was just a seed. As I grew, so did the tree, until I was about eighty and the power inside me had grown too strong. The tree started to die and the leaves began to fall and have been falling ever since. Until now."

"What power?"

"I'm like a magnet, attracting stray scraps of energy from my surroundings. Tiny sparks in the air, heat from the earth, light from the sun. It all flows into me, building up over the years. I can't stop it, and eventually, without a means of escape, that power will kill me."

He could see the confusion in Helen's eyes and he wanted to explain everything to her, but first, he had to put her mind at ease. He'd seen her vision when they'd bonded. It was the only thing about her the luceria had chosen to show him.

It was dark where they were. So dark he couldn't see anything beyond the sphere of light the fire cast. She was dressed all in black except for the fiery red splash of color around her neck—the luceria. Her hair was in twin braids, as it had been earlier tonight. Her arms were spread wide, almost as if she was bound, but he could see no chains or ropes holding her. Flames engulfed her, reaching up from her feet until they rose ten feet into the air. Her face was a mask of pain and she screamed, a desperate, high-pitched scream that made every hair on his body rise in protest. Yet in the vision, he stood there. Doing nothing. He watched as the flames blackened her clothes and blistered her skin. He watched as she stared at him with terror and agony widening her hazel eyes.

Drake didn't want to believe Helen's vision. If he hadn't seen it himself, he wouldn't have believed it. He simply wasn't capable of watching a woman die without doing something to stop it. Was he?

At least he now knew why she'd been so afraid of him from the moment she saw him. He hated it, but at least it made sense now. He cupped her face in his hands, reveling in the feel of her soft skin against his sword-roughened palms. "Your vision is not going to happen, Helen. I would never stand by and watch you die. Never."

"I want to believe you."

"Then do. I know people—powerful people—who can help us sort this out. I'll take you to them tonight."

Thomas had pushed the kitchen door open in time to hear that last comment. "No, you won't. We're going after Kevin's sword. Right now."

Carmen darted into the kitchen and headed straight for the bathroom. Her eyes were red as if she'd been crying.

Drake frowned at Thomas, fighting the urge to ask what had happened. It was none of his business, but whatever it was, it had upset Thomas. He looked different. Harder.

Thomas's eyes settled on the luceria around Helen's throat and his jaw clenched. He drew his sword, knelt down, and scored a thin line over his heart without bothering to remove his shirt. He uttered the customary "My life for yours," before rising to his feet. Blood trickled down his chest, soaking into the thin cotton shirt he wore, but Thomas paid it no heed.

"I wish you wouldn't do that," said Helen.

"Sorry," said Drake. "It's our custom."

"It's a violent custom."

"We're a violent people," said Thomas as he cleaned the blood off his sword with a paper towel.

"Isn't that blood going to draw the monsters to us?"

"Yes," growled Thomas. "It is."

"Then why do you do it? Seems kind of stupid to bleed all over the place when you know it will make the monsters come."

Drake took her hand. "It's proof of our dedication. Our courage. Not only are we willing to bleed for you; we're also ready and able to fight off whatever danger may come without fear. It's symbolic of our commitment to you and our willingness to risk our lives on your behalf."

"Guess Hallmark doesn't make a greeting card for that, huh?"

Thomas scowled at her. "We'd better get moving."

"Where are we going?" asked Helen.

"I'm taking you to see Sibyl."

"The hell you are," said Thomas. "She's coming with us to find Kevin's sword."

The idea of dragging Helen into battle made Drake's hands shake. He knew it was silly, that she was now more able to protect herself in battle than he was, but that didn't mean she knew it. "She's not ready. She doesn't even know how to use my power yet."

"We don't have time to wait. The trail will dissipate at dawn."

"What trail?" asked Helen. Her fingers were gripped tight around his arm and even without the aid of the luceria linking them, he would have been able to feel her fear. She'd had too much thrown at her tonight and it was beginning to take its toll.

Thomas stepped close and Drake could see the difference in Thomas more clearly now. There was no warmth left in those bright blue eyes. No humor. All that was left was cold, lethal intent. "Thomas? Are you okay, man?"

Thomas turned his back, heading down the hall without a backward glance. "I'm leaving to find Kevin's sword in ten minutes. With or without you."

That wasn't good. Without Zach around, he'd be on his own, and as tough as Thomas was, he was no match for an entire nest of demons.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Helen.

"A lot of things." Not the least of which was he was dying. He hadn't taken off his shirt when he'd offered his oath to Helen. That was a bad sign. One of the first signs that a Theronai was nearing the end. Drake wondered how many leaves he had left.

Not many if he didn't want Drake to see.

"What can we do?"