Mine to Have
Page 53
“Your memory…it’s back?”
“No, your memories are.” She’d seen herself clearly through his eyes. Heard her own whispered confession of love. “Watching you die would have destroyed me.”
And if she didn’t do something about Lorcan, the same fate would wait for her. Lorcan wasn’t going to give up. She turned from Alerac and paced toward the window.
She stared into the darkness. When would another attack come?
Her hand lifted and rubbed over her heart. It was aching.
No, it was burning.
Pain suddenly stole her voice, and Jane doubled over. Her head hit the window, and glass shattered.
“Jane!” Alerac was there in an instant, pulling her toward him.
The burn just grew worse. And, in her mind, she could see the sudden image of her brother. “Ryan,” she whispered. She hadn’t touched his mind fully again, not since that one time when he’d sent his message to her, but Jane knew that she was reaching him in that pain-filled moment.
“What’s happening?” Alerac demanded. His hands were so gentle on her.
Jane forced her head to lift. “He’s dying.”
No surprise was in Alerac’s gaze.
No hope, either.
Jane pulled in a heavy breath. Blood was dripping from a cut over her right eyebrow. The heat from the night drifted in from that broken glass. “I’m not going to let him go like this.” She’d just found him. To lose him now—no.
“What will you do?” Alerac asked her. “Trade Zoe’s life for his?”
She wasn’t interested in a trade. “Lorcan can end this all.”
She just had to find him.
Even if she had to do it on her own.
Jane yanked away from Alerac. “I’m sorry.” Then she leapt right through the window. More glass shattered around her. This time, she hadn’t slowed down long enough to open the window. She’d just gone right through the glass. I’m stronger now.
“Jane!”
Her knees didn’t buckle when she landed. She didn’t hesitate on the ground. She could smell her brother’s blood, and she followed that scent, running hard and fast through the woods.
She wouldn’t be the only one who wanted to see Ryan at the end. After all of his games, after all of his sick plans, Jane thought Lorcan might want to witness the sight of her brother dying, too.
Footsteps thundered behind her. Alerac. She’d known that he would give chase.
But what Alerac didn’t know…I’m stronger than he is right now. Stronger and faster. His blood fueled her and power pulsed beneath her skin. So her legs pumped faster. The trees passed her in a blur, and she tracked the scent of her brother’s blood deep into the woods.
***
Ryan hit the ground. A stone slammed into his cheek, and he felt a bone break.
He couldn’t go any farther.
Didn’t want to.
When he breathed—a jagged exhale—smoke drifted from his lips.
He was truly burning from the inside.
He’d been weak a moment before. He’d thought of his sister. Just a flash, and he’d been in her mind.
He’d tried to pull back, but she’d had the link then.
She’d known what was happening to him.
His fingers sank into the mud. He’d tried to get away from her. Away from everyone. But—
A twig snapped behind him.
Ryan forced his body to roll over.
She was there. Fate was cruel, giving him this last sight on earth.
Zoe shook her head as she crept out of the trees and toward the small clearing. “Are you done running? Are you ready to see reason?”
Reason? Reason wasn’t about destroying someone like her so that he could live.
She took another step toward. “Let me do this—” But she broke off as her head jerked up. She started to whirl back toward the trees.
Ryan tried to yell a warning.
He couldn’t.
Blood flew from his lips. Blood and smoke.
And blood flew from Zoe’s neck. Because Lorcan had just appeared near Zoe. Lorcan had sliced his fangs across her throat.
As Ryan lay there, helpless to do anything but watch, Lorcan dropped Zoe to the ground. A pain-filled moan slipped from her lips.
“Couldn’t have her ruining things for me, now could I?” Lorcan murmured as he wiped the blood from his lips. “Not when I’ve been waiting so long for this particular show.” Lorcan smiled.
Zoe wouldn’t be his last sight on earth.
The last image that Ryan would see—it would be the devil.
Chapter Twelve
Jane burst from the trees, and she slammed her body into Lorcan’s. “Stay away from him!” Fury drove her, just amping up the power in her body.
She and Lorcan hit the ground, then they rolled in a tangle of limbs. Rocks and branches cut into her skin, and when they stopped their mad tumble, she was on top of Lorcan.
The SOB was grinning up at her. “Knew you’d be here, too,” he said, sounding pleased. “Knew it…we both wanted to see him die.”
“I’m not here to watch my brother die.” She held Lorcan’s hands against the ground. From the corner of her eye, she saw Zoe.
Zoe wasn’t dead. Not yet. The scent of the werewolf’s blood filled Jane’s nostrils. Maybe Zoe should be dead, but she wasn’t.
Zoe was crawling, dragging her body toward Ryan.
“Of course, you are.” Lorcan didn’t fight her grip. Just kept grinning. “There’s no other way for this to end.”
“We’ll see about that,” Jane said, then she sank her teeth into his throat.
Lorcan yelled and tried to throw her off him.
She held on tight. She drank.
And his memories came to her.
***
“You think you’re brave…” Lorcan’s voice. Booming.
Jane saw her image, a pale woman with her wrists bound and her ankles chained.
“You aren’t,” he snarled at her. “Your lover will be dead long before you’re free.”
“You promised that you wouldn’t kill him!” Fear flared in her eyes.
“I won’t kill him. I’ll just make him beg for death.”
Jane saw herself try to struggle out of the bonds.
“And I never promised not to kill your brother.”
She stopped fighting the bonds.
Lorcan walked around her. They were…in a dark room. Stone for a floor. Stone for the walls. She’d been cut, deep slices at her wrists, and dried blood covered her hands.
“No, your memories are.” She’d seen herself clearly through his eyes. Heard her own whispered confession of love. “Watching you die would have destroyed me.”
And if she didn’t do something about Lorcan, the same fate would wait for her. Lorcan wasn’t going to give up. She turned from Alerac and paced toward the window.
She stared into the darkness. When would another attack come?
Her hand lifted and rubbed over her heart. It was aching.
No, it was burning.
Pain suddenly stole her voice, and Jane doubled over. Her head hit the window, and glass shattered.
“Jane!” Alerac was there in an instant, pulling her toward him.
The burn just grew worse. And, in her mind, she could see the sudden image of her brother. “Ryan,” she whispered. She hadn’t touched his mind fully again, not since that one time when he’d sent his message to her, but Jane knew that she was reaching him in that pain-filled moment.
“What’s happening?” Alerac demanded. His hands were so gentle on her.
Jane forced her head to lift. “He’s dying.”
No surprise was in Alerac’s gaze.
No hope, either.
Jane pulled in a heavy breath. Blood was dripping from a cut over her right eyebrow. The heat from the night drifted in from that broken glass. “I’m not going to let him go like this.” She’d just found him. To lose him now—no.
“What will you do?” Alerac asked her. “Trade Zoe’s life for his?”
She wasn’t interested in a trade. “Lorcan can end this all.”
She just had to find him.
Even if she had to do it on her own.
Jane yanked away from Alerac. “I’m sorry.” Then she leapt right through the window. More glass shattered around her. This time, she hadn’t slowed down long enough to open the window. She’d just gone right through the glass. I’m stronger now.
“Jane!”
Her knees didn’t buckle when she landed. She didn’t hesitate on the ground. She could smell her brother’s blood, and she followed that scent, running hard and fast through the woods.
She wouldn’t be the only one who wanted to see Ryan at the end. After all of his games, after all of his sick plans, Jane thought Lorcan might want to witness the sight of her brother dying, too.
Footsteps thundered behind her. Alerac. She’d known that he would give chase.
But what Alerac didn’t know…I’m stronger than he is right now. Stronger and faster. His blood fueled her and power pulsed beneath her skin. So her legs pumped faster. The trees passed her in a blur, and she tracked the scent of her brother’s blood deep into the woods.
***
Ryan hit the ground. A stone slammed into his cheek, and he felt a bone break.
He couldn’t go any farther.
Didn’t want to.
When he breathed—a jagged exhale—smoke drifted from his lips.
He was truly burning from the inside.
He’d been weak a moment before. He’d thought of his sister. Just a flash, and he’d been in her mind.
He’d tried to pull back, but she’d had the link then.
She’d known what was happening to him.
His fingers sank into the mud. He’d tried to get away from her. Away from everyone. But—
A twig snapped behind him.
Ryan forced his body to roll over.
She was there. Fate was cruel, giving him this last sight on earth.
Zoe shook her head as she crept out of the trees and toward the small clearing. “Are you done running? Are you ready to see reason?”
Reason? Reason wasn’t about destroying someone like her so that he could live.
She took another step toward. “Let me do this—” But she broke off as her head jerked up. She started to whirl back toward the trees.
Ryan tried to yell a warning.
He couldn’t.
Blood flew from his lips. Blood and smoke.
And blood flew from Zoe’s neck. Because Lorcan had just appeared near Zoe. Lorcan had sliced his fangs across her throat.
As Ryan lay there, helpless to do anything but watch, Lorcan dropped Zoe to the ground. A pain-filled moan slipped from her lips.
“Couldn’t have her ruining things for me, now could I?” Lorcan murmured as he wiped the blood from his lips. “Not when I’ve been waiting so long for this particular show.” Lorcan smiled.
Zoe wouldn’t be his last sight on earth.
The last image that Ryan would see—it would be the devil.
Chapter Twelve
Jane burst from the trees, and she slammed her body into Lorcan’s. “Stay away from him!” Fury drove her, just amping up the power in her body.
She and Lorcan hit the ground, then they rolled in a tangle of limbs. Rocks and branches cut into her skin, and when they stopped their mad tumble, she was on top of Lorcan.
The SOB was grinning up at her. “Knew you’d be here, too,” he said, sounding pleased. “Knew it…we both wanted to see him die.”
“I’m not here to watch my brother die.” She held Lorcan’s hands against the ground. From the corner of her eye, she saw Zoe.
Zoe wasn’t dead. Not yet. The scent of the werewolf’s blood filled Jane’s nostrils. Maybe Zoe should be dead, but she wasn’t.
Zoe was crawling, dragging her body toward Ryan.
“Of course, you are.” Lorcan didn’t fight her grip. Just kept grinning. “There’s no other way for this to end.”
“We’ll see about that,” Jane said, then she sank her teeth into his throat.
Lorcan yelled and tried to throw her off him.
She held on tight. She drank.
And his memories came to her.
***
“You think you’re brave…” Lorcan’s voice. Booming.
Jane saw her image, a pale woman with her wrists bound and her ankles chained.
“You aren’t,” he snarled at her. “Your lover will be dead long before you’re free.”
“You promised that you wouldn’t kill him!” Fear flared in her eyes.
“I won’t kill him. I’ll just make him beg for death.”
Jane saw herself try to struggle out of the bonds.
“And I never promised not to kill your brother.”
She stopped fighting the bonds.
Lorcan walked around her. They were…in a dark room. Stone for a floor. Stone for the walls. She’d been cut, deep slices at her wrists, and dried blood covered her hands.
