by Lora Leigh
at first light in the morning. And there’s no reason for Director Wyatt and his entourage to remain here in Window Rock. He has the information he needs, now he can leave. And I believe you should discuss this with him.”
Stygian’s brows lifted as a chuckle escaped him. “Why would I do that?”
The very idea was ludicrous. Judd and Gideon were still out there, and the information they held could still be of use to them.
He lifted his hand before the two men could say anything more. “Let me tell the two of you something,” he growled. “It offends me on a level I can barely understand that the two of you, who nearly lost your daughters at one point, would even consider asking that man to give up the battle he’s fighting.” A snarl slipped free. “Get your fucking asses over to that hotel and see that child. See her laboring for breath, the damned fever burning her alive from the inside out, so painful she struggles to just breathe. Fuck you two. Get the fuck over there and see what you’re asking him to turn his back on.” The thought of Amber’s pain, her tears, was enraging. “You’re asking him to walk away before he knows in his soul there’s nothing left to search for. You’re asking him to give up on that child’s life. And let me tell you something right now, gentlemen. He’d die and see your godforsaken asses in hell first.”
“Why are you yelling over something Dad would never do?”
Stygian swung around.
The awareness that Audi Johnson and Ray Martinez wanted Liza in that room no more than he did almost slapped Stygian against the side of the head. The fact that it was his own damned fault didn’t sit well with him.
Raking his fingers through his hair, he stared back at her, more irritated with himself than anyone, and just pure pissed off at the two men behind him.
Damn, and she loved her dad. Hell, he knew that look in her eyes. Daddy could do no wrong and he wasn’t going to disabuse her of the idea. Because he could do wrong. He was doing it right now, standing there demanding that Jonas Wyatt leave Window Rock before he knew there was no way in hell he could save his daughter.
“You would go to see Amber, wouldn’t you, Dad? If you knew anything that would save her, you would tell him.” She stood in the doorway, and for the first time since Stygian had met her, he saw complete trust in her eyes.
Son of a bitch. Why couldn’t she look at him like that?
She was his mate. His woman, and she stared at him with such suspicion that it ate into his soul.
Turning, he stared back at the bastard she put so much faith in and, before he could stop himself, he said, “I’m sure Director Wyatt would be more than happy to allow the visit, Mr. Johnson, should you and President Martinez have a mind to accept the invitation.”
Both men stared back at him with dark, hostile gazes.
“We can set that appointment up on our own,” the president said smoothly as he threw Liza a reassuring smile. “We’ll let you know once it’s been set, dear.”
“Of course, Uncle Ray,” she stated, her voice soft but with a glimmer of doubt that Stygian knew her father had to have heard.
Her gaze turned to his then, the soft gray filled with somber doubt.
“Can I go home now?”
She hadn’t asked her father or her boss. She wasn’t asking permission to leave, she was asking if it was okay to return to her home rather than the suite they had taken.
Stygian started to shake his head.
“I think it best you return to the house with your mother and me, Liza.” Audi moved from behind the Nation president’s desk, walking slowly to the door as Liza tensed.
“That wouldn’t work, Dad.” Her hands clasped in front of her as Stygian glimpsed the shaking in her fingers and the uncertainty in her gaze as she watched her father now.
Seeing it tore at his heart. For possibly the first time in her life, she was seeing the human her father was rather than the superhero he had always been to her.
“Liza, your life is in danger.” He paused several feet from her, suddenly aware of the distance she had placed around herself.
Stygian hated sensing it. He hated how she suddenly retreated within herself, watching, waiting, while another part of her seemed to be considering whatever it was that was suddenly so painful for her.
“Yes, I agree with you, Dad, it is.” She breathed in deeply as Stygian tried and failed to restrain the urge to go to her. “But as much as I love you and Mom—and as much as I respect your strength—even I know the Breeds are more qualified and better able to protect me.” And what he knew was left unsaid: that she would never be able to live with a reality where her father had died so she could live.
Going to her but not quite touching her, he could feel her fighting to maintain her distance even as she seemed to lean closer.
Stygian could feel the uncertainties in her, a determination slowly growing within her, and a fear and pain that she had buried so deep, buried so far within herself, that he wondered if she even knew the reason for it.
Johnson’s gaze narrowed on both of them, no doubt taking in the appearance of solidarity that mating always seemed to bring.
“Then your Breed force can come to the house as well.” Her father’s smile was tight, the hostility in his gaze barely hidden as he glanced at Stygian then.
Audi still saw his daughter, despite her place in the Breed underground or with the Navajo Law Enforcement Agency, as a vulnerable child rather than the woman he knew she was. He was a man fighting to deny that his daughter was a woman, which made little sense to Stygian.
Certainly, Liza was inexperienced where men were concerned, he could sense that, just as he could smell the untainted sexuality that assured him it had been quite a long while since she had had a lover. But as far as her father was concerned, she was as pure and unspoiled as a young virgin.
“No, Dad.” She shook her head again. “I know you’ll worry, but if I go home, leaving again will be harder on all of us than it was before. I’m safe. And as long as I stay where I am, under Breed protection, you’re safe as well.”
Taking those few steps to her father, she let him embrace her before reaching up and placing a kiss to his cheek. “I love you, Daddy, and I love Mom, but I have to do this the way I feel is best. I’ve been making my own decisions far too long to be able to give up that freedom now.” As she stepped back from her father, she turned to Stygian. “Are you nearly finished?”
“Nearly,” he agreed. “A few minutes longer.”
“I’ll be outside. Don’t start yelling at them again. It upsets Ray’s secretary, and I imagine she gets enough of that from Ray himself.” She tried to smile at her father and the man she called an “uncle” before her expression became so femininely stubborn and commanding that he knew what was coming before it left her lips. “And I’ll see you and Ray this evening at the hotel. We’re all going to visit with Amber.”
“Liza, if she’s that ill—” Audi’s nostrils flared, his gaze becoming shuttered as he began to protest while Ray Martinez stiffened and the sudden scent of deceit hit Stygian so hard it was all he could do not to react to it.
“Then we all need to see it.” Her lips trembled for a brief second as Stygian sensed the slow, deepening fear inside her. “Please, Dad,” her voice lowered, uncertainty filling her then. “This is something I need you to do.” She looked to Ray then. “I need both of you to do it.”
Audi glanced away from her a second as though shoring his strength to deny her request.
That was his intention, Stygian could see it in his shuttered gaze when his eyes met Liza’s again. Then, within a heartbeat, what determination he’d been able to muster shattered. A grimace twisted his expression before he gave a slow, resigned nod. “We’ll be there, sweetheart.”
Stygian caught Ray’s expression too. Audi may be unable to deny his daughter, but Stygian was certain Ray wouldn’t have a problem with it. He had no intentions of showing up.
“Good.” Liza drew in a long, almost weary breath. “I’ll go to
work then.”
She moved toward her father rather than the door, though. Audi met her at the side of Ray’s desk, his arms opening for her as he accepted his daughter’s embrace. Her arms wrapped around his neck and for a second, she held on to him with a desperation born of a young woman’s fears and a daughter’s uncertainties.
Kissing her forehead, Audi released her a moment later, then watched silently as she turned and left the room. Quiet, thoughtful, Stygian could feel the woman and the daughter battling inside her and the need she was fighting to hide, the fears she refused to reveal.
She didn’t speak as she neared him. Stepping to her enough to force her to pause, he gripped her shoulders and bent his head to her ear. “I’ll let Jonas know they’re coming.”
She nodded shakily, and the scent of her tears almost did him in. “And I’m leaving early,” she informed him. “Just after lunch, if that’s possible.”
“Whatever you want is possible.” Releasing her, he let his hands linger against her shoulders for a moment before releasing her and watching her leave the room.
As the door closed behind her, he turned to the two men watching silently.
Her father didn’t remain silent for long.
“I know what you’re after,” Audi Johnson rasped furiously, careful to keep his voice low. “Stay out of my daughter’s bed, Breed. She deserves better than the likes of you.”
“Better than a Breed?” He gave a short, mocking laugh as he was now forced to face the reason for the man’s dislike. “Well, now, doesn’t that just suck, because I’m exactly what she’s going to get. And keep.”
“Don’t bet on it,” Audi snapped. “She has better sense than to allow herself to be fooled by you for long.”
Stygian stared at the two men then, sensing their determination to see him out of Liza’s life, forever.
It wasn’t going to happen.
“For Liza, I’ll ensure she’s unaware of the fact that you disapprove of the man she’s chosen, because it would destroy her should she ever learn that you believe she’s too inept not to allow herself to be fooled, or that you believe the man she’s falling in love with is somehow inferior,” he growled. “But never doubt, Mr. Johnson, should you ever attempt to destroy what I’m building with your daughter, I will make certain I take her so fucking far away that you’ll never have the chance to hurt her again. Do I make myself clear?”
Audi’s lips curled in disgust. “She would never go.”
“Yeah, she would,” Stygian assured him. “Her confidence as a woman and a warrior has stemmed from your belief in her. If she finds out you’ve lied to her, that your belief in her was an illusion, then you’ll destroy her. When you destroy the young girl that still lives and breathes in her soul, then you’ll destroy the ties that have held her to this area so firmly. And when you do that, I promise you, she will leave with me.”
He didn’t give them a chance to retaliate before he turned and pulled the door open. Stepping into the outer office, he faced the knowing sadness in Liza’s gaze and the worry and fear in her mother’s.
The animal inside him rose with predatory awareness.
She knew. A part of her was aware that more had been going on in the office than he or her father would want her to know.
Taking a seat in the outer office, close to the door, Stygian sat back, determined to bottle the anger and pretend it didn’t exist.
He should have expected it, he realized. It was a common problem to those Breeds who had mated human women. Even those who professed a lack of prejudice suddenly found it in surfeit whenever their daughters, or close female relatives, found themselves mated to one. As she worked, her father came and went, moving about the offices and taking care of business as head of security for the Nations headquarters and the president of the Navajo Nation. Audi maintained the illusion of politeness, and Stygian followed suit. But hell, Liza was no fool, and she was so damned intuitive that he swore she would have made an excellent Breed.
It was just after lunch and her determination to work through it, that she closed down her computer and straightened the papers on her desk before lifting her gaze to him.
“I’m ready to go,” she told him. “I e-mailed Ray and asked for half days for a while, and he’s agreed.”
“Besides, he and her father both know Liza needs to concentrate on her safety now,” Jane stated gently as she followed her daughter and rose to her feet from the couch across from Liza’s desk.
Stygian had little doubt that the change of hours had been the mother’s idea. She’d been nervous, antsy, each time the elevator pinged an arrival, and Stygian knew each time the doors slid open that Jane had braced herself for trouble.
She was terrified for her daughter’s safety, even more so than her husband was.
“Very well.” Stygian nodded, relieved at the decision. “I’ll call down and have the car brought around.”
“There’s actually an elevator that goes directly to the underground parking area.” Jane smiled back at him. “I’ve talked to Audi, and your driver can have his parking slot next to those elevators for the time being. That should eliminate any problems that could arise. The underground garage is used only for Ray, high-security visitors, and the tribal chiefs, and it’s heavily secured. Everything’s already been arranged and the guards on duty have been informed.”
Stygian had been aware of the parking garage and had made a note to discuss parking arrangements before they left for the day. Having it taken care of by Liza’s mother was a relief. The primal anger the other man had roused inside him earlier still had yet to settle.
Stygian held back his surprise. Her mother had remained in the room with them, chatting with Liza whenever her daughter had time and keeping coffee in full supply.
“Thank you, Mrs. Johnson.” He nodded cordially.
“No, thank you, Stygian. And you call me Jane.” Moving to him, she took his hand between hers and stared up at him, her eyes damp with emotion. “Just take care of my baby. Anything you need to ensure her protection, you have only to let me or her father know and it will be taken care of.”
Stepping away, she turned back to her daughter, said her good-byes and returned Liza’s hug fiercely. “I’ll be here when you come in tomorrow,” her mother promised.
“Mom, that’s not necessary.” Surprise filled her voice. And fear. She didn’t want her mother there. In case there was danger, she didn’t want her parents anywhere near her.
“It’s very necessary, Liza,” her mother assured her firmly. “You’re my daughter, and I will be here. Now, rest, and we’ll talk tomorrow.”
He knew now where Liza had gotten her stubbornness, he thought in amusement as Liza gathered her purse and briefcase and moved to him.
She was more distant than she had been earlier, though, as they made the ride to the lobby and walked toward the SUV parked outside the doors. Opening the back door, he helped her in before following her. Nodding at Flint as he glanced in the rearview mirror, he gave him the go-ahead to leave before reaching over and covering Liza’s hands as they clasped in her lap.
She was fighting something, fighting some fear or uncertainty that perhaps even she didn’t understand. He could feel her confusion, though, and that dark pain brewing brighter and hotter deep inside her and, he suspected, causing the silent retreat.
He hated the lack of emotion and sense of warmth that was always a part of her.
How the hell did she do it? Was it voluntary or subconscious? And where the hell did she go?
Rubbing his thumb over the back of her hand, warming the cool flesh, he released the unusual, if quiet, sound of a primal question.
It was a sound he had never made before, one he’d never heard—somewhere between a half growl and a low questioning breath of a hum. As though the animal he carried inside him was calling out to her itself.
Her head whipped around as her heart gave a hard leap.
The animal he was raged inside him before that spar
k of her inner spirit showed itself in the surprise and eased his anger.
Just a spark. Just a hint of the woman she was.
And what he sensed coming from her all but froze his soul in terror.
For a second, he didn’t sense the woman he knew, in any way.
For the briefest moment, it was a stranger he felt, a stranger he touched.
With his gaze locked with hers, her entire being open as Stygian gave the primal animal he was free rein to call to her, he realized he had opened a door inside her that he had never imagined existed, and for one heart-stopping second he swore he was going to receive an answer to he animalistic call.
And just that quickly, it was over.
Whoever, whatever, had nearly stepped forward, retreated just quickly.
“Is everything okay?” Liza asked, and he sensed her confusion, her uncertainty over what had just happened.
He didn’t know what it was. He had no idea how to identify or describe what he had just felt, what he had just glimpsed inside her.
But he was determined to find out. One way or the other he would learn exactly who or what he had found hiding so deep inside the psyche of the woman he loved.
The woman he was determined to mark as his mate.
CHAPTER 12
Audi watched from the window as the SUV carrying the daughter Audi had traded his soul to protect twelve years before heading back to the hotel.
Fists clenched, his jaw aching from tension, he nearly flinched at the knowledge that she was sharing a room with that Breed.
Stygian Black.
If he wasn’t Liza’s lover yet, he would be soon.
“What are we going to do?” he asked the friend that stood beside him, knowing they hadn’t expected this.
In all the years they had been protecting the girls they called their own, they had never anticipated this.
“They’ll be protected.” The same grief that twisted him filled Ray’s voice as well.
“What are we going to do, Ray?” His question hadn’t been answered. “Their protection at this moment in time isn’t in doubt. Their protection, if our secrets are learned, is quite another thing.”
Glaring at the man he had weathered a war, a prisoner of war camp and the politics of the Navajo Nation with, Audi realized they were finally facing the consequences of the choices they had made over the years.
Ray breathed out heavily. “Remember those articles we read on the Breeds and mating? And Father’s suppositions that such rumors were true?” he finally asked.
Audi closed his eyes briefly.
God, no.
If those stories were true, then no doubt he had lost his daughter forever.
“Isabelle,” Ray said his niece’s name roughly. “She no longer uses her own doctor, but a Breed doctor exclusively. She exhibits all the signs of a Breed mating, and when Terran questions Malachi, the Breed merely stares back at him silently. What more proof would a man need?”
Would Liza tell him if such a phenomenon had occurred within her where the dark Breed Stygian was concerned? She was incredibly loyal to friends, he knew. If she mated with the Breed, then her emotions would be even more so involved.
Her loyalty would no longer be to her family first, but to the Breeds instead.
And if her loyalty was to her Breed first, then she could unknowingly end up betraying them all. And possibly destroying her.
Audi could handle the unintentional betrayal, after all, she had no idea of the secrets she harbored. After all, he and Ray had committed no crime, nor had they done anything that would betray their daughters. It was what it would do to her, it was the fact that the daughter he loved would no longer exist, that threatened to destroy him.
Hell, it would destroy him. He and Jane both. It would destroy them in ways that there was no way Ray and his wife could possibly understand. Unlike Audi and Jane, they hadn’t developed the closeness and the bonds with their daughter, Claire, that existed between them and Liza.
Liza was his and Jane’s life. They had worked tirelessly to protect her, to ensure her happiness, independence and well-being.
And now, it was all being threatened.
God help them if they lost her, because Audi knew, they would never survive it.
It wasn’t going away.
The involuntary separation of mind and body, of emotion and self. And she couldn’t seem to find her way back.
As Stygian pulled into the driveway of her home, Liza stared as though she didn’t recognize the place. As though it were someone else who had rented it. Someone else who had invited her best friends to share it. Someone else who had dreamed of freedom as she moved her belongings into it.
After returning to the hotel, he’d had Flint and Rule take another vehicle to follow them.
She’d demanded to return here. She didn’t like the confinement of the hotel or the room they shared. She didn’t like the feeling of imprisonment or of being watched every second.
Now, she was here, and she wondered where “here” was.
From the corner of her eye, Liza was aware of Stygian staring at her, his expression more savage than normal, the dark bronze skin of his face stretched tight over the sharp planes and angles that made up his face.
He was furious at her decision.
He could have been Navajo if not for the darker color of his flesh.
Of course, she had no doubt there were Navajo genes in his DNA. Almost all Breeds held the DNA of the Navajo, or one of the tribes that had joined with the Nation in the early part of the century.
“Where do you go when you disappear, Liza?”
The question threw her off guard but not enough to eliminate the mental and emotional distance between them.
A brief shrug was all the answer she could come up with.
To be honest, she didn’t know herself where she was at the moment. Was she hiding? Or was she finding something she only found in her nightmares?
Strangely enough, though, she did feel something: the swollen sensitivity of her clit, the engorged readiness of her nipples, the ache just beneath her skin for his touch. The need for his kiss.
That was odd. She’d never felt such arousal for a man, especially not at a time when whatever emotions caused this distance pulled her back from reality.
Hell, she’d never ached like this for a man period.
“You won’t do this.” There was no anger in his tone.
That too was odd. Even her housemates were known to become angry when Liza let herself become lost, as Claire called it.