Circle of Desire

Chapter Sixteen

Kat pulled Ethan to a halt before he could enter the tunnel and tugged the backpack free of his shoulders.

"Take these," she whispered, handing him some stakes.

"Remember that they work against shapeshifters as well as vampires, so be careful with them."

"I don't suppose you packed my gun in there, did you?"

His warm breath skated across her skin, and a tremor of desire ran through her. "No," she replied, "And you know it won't help."

"I'd still rather have it in my hands than a few damn stakes." But his gaze settled on her breasts, and she had a feeling that given the choice, he'd much rather have her in his hands.

She flicked a finger across his nose. When he looked up, she said, "Concentrate."

He didn't smile. Didn't do anything but watch her with those hungry eyes of his.

She licked her lips and regretted it the minute his gaze dropped to her mouth. "I've also got some sleep bombs in here, and hopefully we'll be able to use those." She handed him a mask. "Don't take it off until we get back out of the cavern, because these sleep bombs effect zombies and shifters."

He put it on, pushing it down until it was around his neck. His hand closed around hers, so warm and strong and safe somehow. Her gaze met his, and what she saw went far beyond just caring. But it was a lie, she thought, and looked away.

His fingers touched her chin, gently drawing her gaze to his again, then he leaned forward and brushed the sweetest of kisses across her lips.

"Be careful in there," he whispered then pulled her to her feet. "I'll lead until we get to the cave where the girls are."

She nodded and swallowed the anguish that rose up in her throat. How could he have committed his heart and his soul to Jacinta and be so caring, so gentle, so damn loving , toward her? It didn't make any sense.

She followed him into the cavern, and the darkness quickly swallowed them. A hush descended. The deeper they walked the cooler the air got. Up ahead, water fell, a rush of sound that had her suddenly wanting to go to the bathroom. Or maybe the growing knot of fear in her stomach was the reason behind that.

The sound of footsteps came from beyond the rush of water. Someone was moving around. Ethan slowed.

Warm light danced ahead, but it was oddly distorted, as if viewed through a moving curtain. She blinked and realized she was seeing the light of a torch through a waterfall.

He glanced at her and held up two fingers, then pointed to the left and the right. She untangled her fingers from his and edged forward until the spray of the water danced a chill across her skin.

She knelt and swung the pack off her back. Two zombies stood guard rather than two shifters, and she couldn't help feeling relieved. In the long run, zombies were a far easier foe.

She took out two sleep bombs and tossed them left and right. There was a hiss of sound and rusty coloured smoke began to curl through the cavern. She put on her mask and motioned Ethan to do the same.

Rising, she stepped back from the water. Ethan's arms slithered around her waist, and he pulled her back against the hard length of him. She frowned and glanced up. The mask hid his mouth, but his smile was there to be seen in his eyes. He was still in control. She relaxed a little and pressed back against him, letting the heat of his body chase the chill from her spine. It felt so good, just standing here with him. So right. She closed her eyes and thrust the thought from her mind. And wondered if she'd even see him again once his niece was safe and sound.

The minutes crawled by. The smoke dissipated, and she pushed her mask down past her chin. "Are there any other entrances to this cavern?"

"There's a tunnel on the opposite side to this, and there's a door hidden by magic to the right." His breath brushed past her ear and sent a flurry of warmth across her senses.

"I'll deal with that first. You keep a watch on the tunnels."

She tried to move away, but his arms held her tight. She looked up, and her breath caught in her throat. Not just at the hunger in his eyes, but at the emotion so evident in his face. And while she might have called it love, she was just as certain he wouldn't.

He ran a warm finger down her cheek. "Would you like to see me again after this is all over?"

His touch was making her ache, but it was an ache she had to ignore. "Ethan, this is neither the time nor the place."

"A simple yes or no."

It wasn't that simple. Not anymore. "What do you feel for me?" she ground out, pulling her arm from his grip.

"Because I'm not interested in being just someone you play with whenever the moon makes you horny."

He didn't say anything to that, and maybe it was just as well. She ducked through the water, the iciness snatching the heat of his touch from her body, then followed the curve of the cavern wall around to the right.

Energy began to tingle across her skin and she stopped.

She dug the stones out of the backpack then raised a hand, using the flow of energy across her fingertips to define the boundaries of the soul sucker's hidden entrance. Once she'd determined that, she set out her stones, softly murmuring the spell that would activate her own wall and stop from entering whatever evil might lie beyond the Mara's wall. The soul sucker would undoubtedly know how to break the spell, but as long as she didn't return before they'd gotten the kids out of there, it wouldn't matter.

She placed the last stone on the ground. Power surged across her senses, a clean warm touch that told her the spell had worked. She turned and headed across the cavern.

The two girls were lying inside a small cave. One was naked, one wasn't. Both looked distressed and cold. Anger surged through her. The Mara definitely had to be stopped. It was bad enough destroying the lives of grown men, but taking the future of someone so young, someone who'd barely even had time to stretch and grow…

"Dead men are heading this way." Ethan's voice was little more than a whisper she heard deep inside.

She raised a hand, feeling the flow of energy, trying to discern what spell the Mara had used.

"Hurry," he continued. "Because there are more than one of them."

Hurry was the one thing she couldn't do. She could hurt the girls if she dismantled this spell the wrong way. Light played across her fingers, a firefall of energy that whispered secrets to her mind. It was a simple containment spell, one very similar to what Kat had used across the cavern. She glanced at the stones, seeking the one she had to remove first then began murmuring the words that would dismantle the energy wall.

"They're almost here," he warned her.

She swept away the first stone and continued murmuring the spell. The wall shimmered as she swept away a second. From behind her came the noise of flesh smacking against flesh. She swept away a third stone, effectively creating a doorway in the wall. She finished the spell and swung around to see Ethan in midair, diving feet first at the pack of zombies fighting to get into the cavern. He hit the first two hard, forcing them back into those behind. The dead toppled like bowling pins, creating a barrier of flesh that briefly stopped those behind from entering.

"Mask," she said, putting on her own as she tossed a sleep bomb into the writhing pack of zombies.

The dead men at the back scrambled over those still fighting to find their feet. Ethan rose and swung a booted foot, knocking two more back. He didn't look like he was trying to kill them and of that she was glad. Right now they didn't need to alert the Mara of their presence.

She grabbed another bomb and tossed it deeper into the tunnel. As rust-coloured smoke swirled, she dropped the pack on the ground and ran at the two zombies trying to get behind Ethan. She reached for kinetic energy and flung one back into the rust-coloured smoke. She slid to a stop and smacked the other across the back of the head.

The zombie roared and swung around, clenched fists flying. She ducked, swept a leg around his and knocked him onto his ass. Then she picked him up kinetically and tossed him back into the smoke as well, toppling more zombies in the process.

Dead men were beginning to drop like flies near the cavern entrance, making it harder for those behind to scrabble past. She grabbed another sleep bomb from the pack and lobbed it deeper, just in case there were more zombies waiting in the tunnel.

"You go get the two girls," she said, putting the pack back on. "Make sure you enter and leave through the gap in the stones."

He nodded and headed for the small cave holding the girls. She reached for kinetic energy again and began to stack the sleeping zombies, creating a wall of flesh that was as tall as she was and at least two arms' widths deep.

If there were any more of the dead down in that tunnel, the wall would at least hamper their progress for a while.

Though she had to hope there wasn't too many more.

There were at least fifteen piled in front of her. How many more could the Mara have raised in this area without someone noticing something odd was going on?

She half turned to go help Ethan then stopped. Noise whispered down the tunnel. Nails, clicking against stone.

A werewolf was headed their way.

But how? This smoke was just as effective on shifters as on the dead. Unless the wolf had realized what was going on quickly enough and grabbed something to use as a mask.

"Something else is coming," she warned, hurrying across to the small cave.

He'd taken off his sweater and put it over the naked girl.

Then he carefully scooped both up. "Let's get out of here."

"You go. I'll deal with the shifter coming down the tunnel." She knew if she told him it was a werewolf he'd refuse to leave her. Especially after her near escape with the last one.

His expression was grim. "I don't think that's a good — " She touched a hand to his lips, stopping his words. "The most important thing right now is getting the girls to safety. I won't be far behind, I promise you."

He kissed her fingertips then nodded. "You'd better not be, or I'm coming back after you."

His words did weird things to the rhythm of her heart.

God, it would be so easy to believe he truly loved her.

Except for that moonlit ceremony. Except for the fact that he'd promised himself to a woman she wasn't, even if it was only in his mind.

She followed him as far as the waterfall and dropped the backpack on the ground. There were a couple of sleep bombs left, and the holy water, but neither was much use against a werewolf.

She ripped free one the stakes she'd taped to the leg of her jeans, tossing it lightly in her hand as she walked back to the cavern's centre.

The radiating heat of the werewolf's aura hit her long before she ever saw him. Ethan might have had the moon heat under some control, but in this wolf, the fever raged free. His hunger was a force that seemed to suck the air from the room, leaving her breathless, hot and very afraid.

Because it wasn't just lust she sensed. This one hungered for violence as well as sex. Another of the bitten, she thought, and as mad as a rattlesnake. Maybe that was why the Mara chose them as guards — they were fast, powerful and more importantly, didn't care who or what they killed.

For an instant she thought about retreating, but she had to give Ethan as much time as possible to get those kids free.

And it was only one werewolf. She could cope with that, surely. She'd certainly dealt with far worse in her time with the Circle.

Yet as much as she kept repeating that statement in her mind, it didn't seem to help the fear churning her stomach.

A blur of brown hair leapt over the sleeping bodies of the zombies. She clenched her fingers around the stake as the wolf came to a halt and shifted shape. As a man he was big. Bigger even than Ethan. And like the wolf that had attacked her in the restaurant, he was all rippling muscles and golden skin.

He was also naked. And hard with wanting.

His gaze slid down her body, and she felt like a prize turkey at Christmastime — all fattened up and ready for the plucking. The wolf's gaze finally rose to hers again, and all she could see was madness. The heat of his aura blasted her skin with his desire, but beyond the breathlessness, there was very little physical reaction. It was as if she'd somehow become immune to this wolf's fever.

"I smell wolf on you." He ripped off the mask he was wearing, revealing a mouth that was thin and cruel. "I shall enjoy erasing that scent."

Bile rose in her throat. Ethan had all the time he was going to get because she wasn't about to stand here and play with this madman. She lifted her hand and hit the wolf kinetically, smashing him back against the wall. As he slithered down the rock she flung the stake at him. At the last moment he saw it and dodged. The white ash stabbed through his side rather than his heart. Deadly, but not immediately so.

His rage washed over her, a force so great it knocked her back several steps. With the stake lodged in his body he couldn't shapeshift, but he didn't even appear to try as he picked himself up and rushed at her.

She dodged and hit him kinetically again. Pain slithered through her brain, and she knew she'd have to watch it.

She'd need her kinetic skills to cope with the Mara, and she couldn't afford to overexert herself right now.

The wolf hit the wall with a grunt, bounced to the ground and relaunched himself at her. She ducked away but wasn't fast enough. His fingers hooked around the bottom of her sweater and jerked her to a stop. He laughed, a harsh cruel sound that made her stomach churn.

She swore, twisted around and raised her arms, pulling herself out of the sweater. She ripped the second stake free, holding it in front of her like a knife. It was doubtful he even noticed it as his gaze slid down her naked torso.

The heat of his need boiled around her, sucking away the air and burning her lungs.

He sprang again, but before he reached her there was a blur of fur and fury that hit him broadside and thrust him away from her.

Anger and relief surged in equal portions.

Ethan.

He hit the ground in human form and rose, standing between her and the other wolf. He had one hand behind his back and was flexing his fingers, as if grasping for something. She kinetically slipped the stake into his hand.

"No one touches what is mine," he growled and launched himself at the stranger.

The other wolf might have been bigger and more powerful, but he didn't have a chance against Ethan, even if he hadn't already been stabbed with white ash. Ethan was fast and furious, and he gave no mercy. Within minutes the other wolf was dead at his feet.

He swung around and stalked towards her. His brown eyes were more wolf than human and glowed almost golden in the torch light. His hunger washed across her senses, and her body sprang to aching life. Reacting to him, and only him.

The spell, she thought. He might have thought he was committing himself to Jacinta, but he'd bound himself to her. Or, at the very least, bound her to him.

He pulled her into his embrace and plundered her mouth.

His kiss was intense and passionate and, in many ways, an affirmation of territory. No one touches what is mine , he'd said. Her heart did a joyful little dance, but she had to wonder if he was even aware he'd said those words.

"Next time tell me it's a werewolf coming down the tunnel," he growled when he finally broke away.

His breathing was as harsh as hers, and his desire thrummed through every fibre of her being, stirring her in ways she'd never dreamed possible. But right now, it was a need they both had to ignore.

"Next time trust me to take care of myself," she bit back.

"Where in hell have you left the kids?"

"They're safe." He swept up her sweater and tossed it to her. "Put that on so we can get out of here."

Once she pulled on the sweater, he grabbed her hand and led her out of the cave. When they were under the canopy of the forest, she dug the cell phone out of her pocket and dialled her grandmother. "Where are we?" she said to Ethan as she waited for the call to be put through.

"Tell her to meet us on Mountain Road, near the Agness signpost."

"You have the kids?" Gwen questioned in her ear.

"Yes." Kat quickly passed on Ethan's instructions. "I think it would be wise to get to a safer area before we hand the kids over."

"I'll arrange it."

"Good. And bring a couple of full kits. The soul sucker still isn't in the cavern, so it might be a good time to check out whether she is breeding or not."

"Will do. See you in ten."

She hung up and stopped as Ethan stopped. He whipped away a couple of leafy branches that had been piled on top of each other, revealing the two girls tucked safely in a small depression. He picked them up and glanced at her.

"We haven't got far to go," he said.

No, they didn't. Soon it would be over, and he hadn't yet answered the question she'd raised in the tunnel.

She had a bad feeling he never would.

By the time they reached the road, Gwen was already waiting. Ethan eased the two girls into the back seat of the car, carefully buckling the seat belt around their limp, sleeping bodies. Gwen checked them over and declared them both healthy and unhurt, even though both looked a little gaunt, Janie in particular. He should have been relieved. He wasn't.

Because this case was no longer solely about rescuing his niece. Someone else had entered the picture. Entered his life.

He could feel Kat's gaze on him. She was waiting for an answer, but there was nothing more he could say to her.

He didn't know what he felt for her. Yes, he wanted her.

Yes, he cared for her more than he'd cared for any other woman since Jacinta. And he'd already told her both those things. If that wasn't enough, then too bad, because he wasn't going to lie.

But at the same time, he had to wonder if he was lying to himself.

He slammed the car door shut then glanced skyward.

Though he could no longer see the moon, the power of it thrummed through his veins. But there was a very different feel about that force now. It was intense, yes, but it was also controllable. In past months, past years, he'd spent this day in bed, unable to do anything more than sate his moon-spun lust with a willing woman. He'd never been fussy about who his partners where and while in recent years he'd started seeing the same few faces, it hadn't always been that way.

Yet right now, he didn't hunger for just any woman, only the one, and the mere act of thinking about her had blood surging to his groin. But it wasn't the must-have-you-now heat of a werewolf in the midst of rutting fever. It was deeper than that. Richer than that.

Love.

But a werewolf couldn't love twice. That was part of what they were. Part of the law of the moon. Once his heart had been given there was no going back. No second chances. He couldn't love Kat because he had loved Jacinta.

Hadn't he?

For the first time in his life, he wasn't so sure. But he wasn't about to say anything to Kat. He didn't want to raise her hopes only to dash them again. And if he couldn't love her, he couldn't stay in her life. He might hunger for her, but she deserved far more than that.

Yet even the thought of leaving her formed a cold, hard lump in his gut.

He took a deep breath then turned and walked around the car. She was still watching him, her big green eyes both warm and wary.

"All set," he said, stopping beside Gwen.

"I'll just go check the kiddies a final time." Gwen reached up and kissed his cheek. "You be careful, wolf. And if all else fails, talk to your brother."

He gave her a sharp glance, but she merely smiled and turned away. He returned his gaze to Kat's. "What did she mean?"

Her shrug was tired. "I don't know."

He touched her cheek, running his fingers down to the warm mouth he couldn't seem to taste enough. A tremor ran through her and her lips parted, as if she couldn't breathe enough air. This close to her, he felt exactly the same way.

It had never been like this with Jacinta. Intense, exciting, lustful, yes. But the air had never burned with heat the minute she walked into a room, and her smile had never done strange things to his heart.

"Tell me what happened by the stream," he said softly.

Her gaze searched his, then she sighed. It was a mournful sound. "You thought I was Jacinta."

That explained the hurt he sensed in her. "And?"

Her gaze slide away. "And you said some crazy things to the moon."

So he had performed the ceremony. Yet the moon binding couldn't have worked if it had been Jacinta he'd been seeing in his mind. And it certainly hadn't been Jacinta's name he'd howled to the moon. That much he did remember.

"Did you take the condoms from my pocket to hide the fact we hadn't used them?" It was a guess, but it was a fairly safe one.

"Believe me, we didn't create life last night." Her voice was almost bitter, but there was an undercurrent that troubled him.

"How can you be so certain?" Because if he'd performed that ceremony she would be pregnant. New life was part of the moon's gift and always the final outcome. But even if he hadn't finished the spell, werewolves tended to be extremely fertile while in moon fever.

The image of her pregnant, her belly round and full with his child, sent a surge of fierce satisfaction through his veins. He wanted that image. Desperately.

Her gaze flashed to his. "I'm a witch. We know these things."

He cupped her cheek again, then leaned forward and brushed a kiss across her sweet lips. "When I drop off Janie and Karen, I'm coming back." For you, he thought, but didn't say the words aloud.

Her gaze searched his. "Why?"

"Because we need to talk."

"Do we have anything to talk about? I think you've already made your intentions more than clear."

Intentions could change. Had changed. He might be uncertain about the true depths of his feelings, but he was certain of one thing. He couldn't let her go.

"Time to move, people," Gwen said behind them.

"You be careful in there," he said and kissed her again, fiercer and harder than before.

Then he let her go and stepped back. She stepped past him then hesitated, looking back over her shoulder. "I meant what I said in the cavern. Until you can give me an answer, don't bother coming back."

She grabbed a pack from Gwen and threw it around her shoulders, then the two of them disappeared into the trees.

He fought the temptation to follow them and climbed into the car. Janie and the other little girl were his priority, his responsibility, and before he could do anything else, he had to ensure they got to the meeting point Gwen had arranged with Benton.

But it was the longest half hour of his life.

An armada of cars awaited him. Benton obviously wasn't taking any chances. Medical personnel rushed over as he climbed out, sweeping the two girls toward waiting ambulances. His brother appeared out of the flow of people, a mirror image of himself except for the eyes.

Luke's were blue rather than brown.

He clapped a hand on Ethan's shoulders and "Thank you," was all he said. All that needed to be said.

"Go be with her while you can," Ethan replied. "I'll talk to you later."

Luke didn't move. "Nina's with her. I can't stay because it's too close to dusk. What's wrong?"

Ethan hesitated. "When you performed the binding ceremony with Nina, did you ever remember much of it?"

"No." Luke raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "Just curious." Now was not the time to question his brother. Not when the ambulances would soon be leaving.

Luke half turned away, then stopped. "You were seventeen when you met Jacinta. Neither of us was as wise or as worldly as we thought we were, and she knew a good catch when she saw it."

Arguments he'd heard before. Arguments he was only just beginning to understand. "Go be with Janie."

Luke glanced toward the ambulance, then met Ethan's gaze again. "You spent six moons with Jacinta, yet you were never tempted to perform that ceremony with her.

You might have loved her, Ethan, but you weren't in love with her. Not in the way the moon demands."

"I think I'm beginning to realize that."

"About time."

"Always was a slow learner." He pushed his brother toward the waiting ambulances. "Go see her before the ambulance leaves. We can talk later."

"With your lady in tow, I hope."

"Yes," he said. Hoped.

Mark approached as Luke walked away. "What's happened to our two psychics?"

"They're going after the thing behind all this."

Mark stopped and thrust his hands into his jacket pocket.

"You do know Benton wants this woman caught and behind bars."

"You and I know that no jail will ever hold this thing."

"Maybe." Mark studied him for a moment, expression giving little away. "We found a fingerprint match for that dead guy you had me check out at the morgue."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

"Apparently he died 25 years ago. The coroner's report suggests he died much the same way as that old man we found at the farmhouse in Rogue River."

So it wasn't just any old dead the soul sucker was raising, but her ex-lovers. The poor bastards weren't even allowed peace in death. "She's been killing a lot longer than that, my friend."

"That won't matter to Benton."

"I don't care if it matters to Benton. The only thing I care about is stopping the killing."

Mark nodded and glanced over his shoulder. "Benton's headed this way. If you have any intention of going back to help those ladies, I'd leave now."

By the time he got there, over an hour would have passed. Anything could have happened. "Thanks partner."

As the captain made his way past the ambulances and toward Ethan, he quickly climbed into his car. He caught a glimpse of Benton's familiar red face.

"Goddamn it Morgan, get your ass back here!"

Ethan closed the door on Benton's shout, thrust the car into gear and sped away. And prayed to the moon that he got there before the change hit him.

Prayed that he had something — someone — to go back to.