Doomsday Brethren: Seduce Me In Shadow Part 28

"Spit it out or let me go."

If only it were that simple. "It is my business."

"Based on?"

He tightened his jaw. Since he hadn't finished speaking the Mating Call, he had no basis; they both knew it. His head knew that he had no claim on her-unless he wanted to be roped into magic and put her in deeper danger. His body, pride, and heart, however, weren't prepared to give up. How had one fiery woman stolen into his life and turned his world completely topsy-turvy in scarcely more than a week?

Finally, he murmured, "I care about you."

"Really?" Something really angry came across her face."Prove it, then. Kiss me." Her words were like petrol on a roaring fire. She had no idea how badly he craved to know the taste of her.

Last night, after hours spent searching for Anka and righting his brother's house so he could move Lucan there, Caden had stopped by a pub in which he'd been fortunate to find temporary female companions.h.i.+p in the past. As before, he'd received inviting glances and even two promising offers. The only thing he'd been able to muster enthusiasm for was another ale. Sydney had so invaded his mind and heart, there wasn't room for anyone else.

But that didn't change their situation.

"Sydney. I can't," he said with regret.

"You won't. Just like you won't finish speaking those words to me that you began in the library." He froze. Someone had explained magical mating to her. And she was clearly furious.

Frustration boiled over, blending with pain, uncertainty, fear for her, and the G.o.dd.a.m.ned longing he couldn't seem to shake.

"You're right," he growled. "I won't put you in danger, which is exactly where you'll be if I let you join this attack. Same if I mate with you. I can't drag either of us deeper into this magical muck."

"Why not?"

"What if Mathias takes you? What if something happens and I lose you? I just . . . can't." He expected her anger, but was surprised when her face softened. "What happened?"

"Happened?"

"To make you distrust magic? You didn't choose a human path without reason. You haven't avoided helping magickind and their cause because you fear battle. You've hardly avoided women and relations.h.i.+ps in your past, but you've avoided me because you suspect I'm your magical mate. So what tragedy made you afraid?"

Caden froze, paralyzed. He shouldn't be stunned that Sydney had figured that out, but shock thrummed through his system. Mind racing, he wondered what the devil to say. She deserved answers, but opening up the wound Westin's death had left inside him would solve nothing.

"Leave the past in the past. Please."

Something sad settled into her expression as she dragged a brush through her hair and braided it. "Bury your head in the sand, then. I can't. We'd best go downstairs now. They're waiting."

"Move, whelp," Shock said suddenly from behind him, then motioned toward Sydney. "Ready?" She moved toward Shock and sent Caden one last resolute expression that chilled him to the core.

"Ready."

Fog hung in eerie patches as Caden a.s.sembled with Sydney and the Doomsday Brethren outside.

Dressed head to toe in battle gear and dripping enough weapons to make a third-world dictator salivate, he approached Sydney, who held the Doomsday Diary and stood close to Shock. She looked to Caden for comfort, but to the leather-clad warrior for protection. The thought stung his pride.

"Everyone knows their a.s.signment, right?" Bram said more than asked.

"Aye." Marrok loaded a wicked Glock with a smile, his sword hanging at his side.

"Got it." Ice looked as if he was looking forward to this. Then again, given the fact Mathias had brutally murdered his sister nearly two hundred years ago, he probably was.

"Can't wait." Tynan was all business, but his eyes glowed with pleasure.

"Ready." Duke managed to look like a cover model even in clothes meant for stealth and a pair of guns slung low on his hips.

"And I'm with the skirt," Shock groused.

"She's not a 'skirt,' " Caden snapped. "She's a very worthy female, and you're crawling on my last nerve."

Shock responded with an obnoxious finger gesture.

"Why are you here?" Bram asked.

"I'm coming along," Caden said, strapping a blade to this thigh and securing the clip in his S & W.

"Why?"

What the h.e.l.l? "Does it matter?"

"It does. Every one of the warriors here has a vested interest in our success, except you. You're thinking with your c.o.c.k and only joining us to protect the woman you don't have the b.a.l.l.s to claim. Admit it." Bram simply didn't understand. Then again, if Sydney hadn't convinced Bram and the others to let her go, Caden wouldn't have been as committed to today's attack. Not because he was against it or afraid.

Any hint of joining the group, and he could find himself permanently entangled in magic and losing people like Duke, who he'd come to admire. But this once, Sydney had boxed him into a corner.

"I've got your six," Caden insisted.

"Even though you don't give a s.h.i.+t about this mission and won't join us, we're expected to accept that you'll protect us with your life?"

Bram's question was fair. In his position, Caden would ask the same things. His respect for the group's leader notched up.

"You, Shock, and the rest are protecting Sydney. So yes, I care." He looked right at her, dwarfed by Shock standing beside her. "I'll give my life for hers-and anyone protecting her." Tears collected in the corners of Sydney's eyes before she looked away. b.l.o.o.d.y h.e.l.l, he hated the distance between them.

Finally, Bram nodded. "We need all the warriors we can get. I'll provide you a wand. Practice would have been advisable, but under the circ.u.mstances, your instinct will have to do."

"I don't want a wand," Caden insisted, chafing at the thought of magic. "The Marines taught me everything I need to know."

Bram rubbed his forehead. "Fine. Your knowledge of explosives will be helpful. Let's review the plan.

Not a word of objection, understood?" At Caden's reluctant nod, he went on. "Shock says the gift of hypnosis runs in his family. He will put Sydney into a trance . . ." Sydney came to at the sound of a snap. She blinked once, twice, her fuzzy vision coming into focus. Then she looked up into the dark lenses of Shock's sungla.s.ses. As always, his face told her nothing, and she still wasn't sure she trusted him. She clutched the book tighter.

Around her, she was aware of tall ceilings, hard floors, relatively bare walls. She glanced around.

Through a part.i.tion door, she could see this warehouse had been transformed into a trendy industrial loft.

Inside the makes.h.i.+ft office sat a black leather sofa and gla.s.s tables. The part.i.tion walls hid the rest of the s.p.a.ce, but she could hear shuffles and grunts beyond. This was Mathias's lair?

"Welcome." A smooth, cultured voice snagged her attention.

Glancing to her right, Sydney took in its source. Stared, really. The bloke was gorgeous. Dark hair threaded with streaks of golden brown lay in loose waves around his neck, nearly to his bulging shoulders. He wore a tight black T-s.h.i.+rt that hugged every ripped bulge of his biceps, chest, and abdominals. A s.e.xual animal in his prime with enough magnetism for ten men. Sydney sucked in a breath.

Exotic cheekbones framed a lush mouth, smiling widely. His pale blue eyes, rimmed with heavy black lashes, grabbed attention, at first for their utter beauty. But when she looked again, she saw the eyes revealed the cruelty of Jack the Ripper and Hitler combined. They chilled her.

Sharp expression, glittering eyes, carefully controlled upturning of lips, he compelled and repelled at once. Maybe she'd been listening to Aquarius too long. She couldn't see this man's aura, but she felt it.

Calculating, soulless. Evil.

Self-preservation kicked in. She played her rehea.r.s.ed part. "Thank you."

"I'm Mathias." He held out his hand.

Knowing the crimes he had committed, certain he was capable of far worse, Sydney was loathe to take it, but maintaining the charade was critical. She shook his hand, scorched by the fire that burned across her palm, up her arm. She pulled back quickly, resisting the urge to rub her offended skin.

"Would you care to sit?" He gestured to the sofa behind Shock.

She glanced at Shock out of the corner of her eye. He gave her an imperceptible nod.

"Certainly." Sydney clutched the book tighter as they sat on the black leather grouping. As she settled onto the cus.h.i.+on, she pressed the play b.u.t.ton on Bram's tiny video recorder, which was hidden in a pocket on the outside of her handbag with a little hole cut to accommodate the lens, which she pointed right at Mathias.

Gotcha! She thought. Let's see what we can get this b.a.s.t.a.r.d to admit to on film.

"Shock has told me about you. Anyone who brings the Doomsday Diary to me is to be rewarded."

"I-I stumbled across it in my research. Actually, a stranger gave it to me after my first article printed. But after hearing of your quest for equality among magickind, I thought it might be best in your hands." And she nearly choked on those words.

"In that case, why don't you give it to me now?"

CHAPTER SIXTEEN.

GIVE IT TO HIM NOW? Caden watched Mathias commanding Sydney through a crack in the warehouse's window.

Earlier, Shock had snuck them all past Mathias's security spells, which didn't surprise him. Getting out in one piece was another matter altogether.

Looking around, it was clear that Mathias didn't believe in anything so human as guards, so there had been none to overtake. Though he and the Doomsday Brethren now waited near Mathias's stronghold for the "go" signal from Shock, he was more interested in Mathias and Sydney's conversation.

The evil wizard was testing her, toying with her. It took every ounce of restraint not to burst into the building and slay him on the spot. Clutching the b.u.t.t of his semiautomatic, he had second thoughts about refusing a wand. Embracing magic wasn't on his agenda, but could he fight an evil wizard with a 9 mm?

He knew from their battle in the tunnel that bullets had little effect on Mathias. To add a human element Mathias would never think to combat, Caden had placed C4 at every corner and window of the building.

Once inside, his mission was to place more around the support beams so the building would come down at the touch of a b.u.t.ton, preferably with Mathias in it.

"That's why I came here," Sydney said. "To give you the Doomsday Diary. But I wonder, you're such a powerful figure in magickind, could I persuade you to answer a few questions first?" She managed to look both starstruck and sheepish. The fact she had the temerity to ask such a man questions without looking nervous staggered Caden. She was baiting a very dangerous bear. Even the look on Shock's face was, well, shocked.

Mathias crossed his legs and leaned back in his black leather chair. "A woman with backbone . . . I haven't known many human females. Perhaps I should remedy that." Sydney looked down with just the right amount of coyness. "Is that a yes?" Mathias laughed. "Amusing and lovely. I smell a man on you. A wizard." Her eyes widened, and Caden's heart stuttered. Could Mathias identify her lover? Would he know that she'd been intimate with someone aligned against him?

She glanced at Shock, who said, "She fancies my brother. They've been nearly inseparable for days." Mathias regarded her carefully. "That's where he's been. And he convinced you to bring the book to me?"

She shook her head. "It was my book and my choice. Actually, Shock suggested I give it to you. I just have a few questions first."

Leaning forward, Mathias leveled a bland stare at Sydney, but Caden saw the lethal way his gaze dissected her. If she couldn't read men, she was screwed.

Nodding, she adjusted her handbag in her lap, perching it on the edge of her knees. What the . . .

Suddenly, Caden understood. The camera was in her handbag, now close to Mathias. Brave little fool.

She was going to get herself killed. Everything inside him clenched. Somehow, he had to get her out of there without compromising the mission.

Sydney bit her lip in a nervous gesture. "I understand the book has awesome power."

"An object with this much magical ability has not been seen in centuries. It will give me the power to provide the Deprived a chance at equality."

"A commendable goal, but how exactly can the book help you achieve it? What will you do with the Doomsday Diary? Could you control, say, an entire cla.s.s of magickind if you chose?"

"Before acting, I must study the book carefully. An object like this deserves respect. To answer you now would be premature and rash."

"Naturally," Sydney countered. "But give me an idea of the things you antic.i.p.ate being able to do with this diary."

"Forgive me if I decline to answer your question. Shock looks quite protective, and you're Zain's current amour. To keep my plans secret, I would hate to be . . . impolite." The wizard sent her a tight smile. "The book, please."

Mathias's tone hadn't changed. Nor had his expression. But Caden could tell the wizard was done indulging Sydney. He hoped she realized it. She needed to get the h.e.l.l out. Heart racing, fear burned his veins as Caden mouthed to Bram, Now?

Bram shook his head. Caden clutched his gun so tight, his fingers turned white. When it came to her job, Sydney didn't understand the word "stop." If she pushed Mathias further, what happened to Anka and Aquarius would look like fun.

"In a moment," Sydney a.s.sured. "What about your background makes you willing to lead the Deprived out of their poverty? It sounds like an admirable cause, and a favorable story about the inspiration behind your dedication might help your cause."

With a brow raised, Mathias leaned forward and spoke softly. "The time for reporting magickind's news in your human rag has ended. My presence is still something of a surprise, and I prefer to keep it that way. No more questions.

The book. Now."

Though the plan entailed making Mathias steal it, screw Bram's plan. Give it to him before he kills you and get out!

Instead, she frowned. "You understand why I'm reluctant to turn over what is, by your own admission, an awesome weapon without more information."

"I'm a busy man. By your own admission, my cause is an admirable one, and my attention is better spent on the war and the matter of equality."

Sydney pursed her lips. "Indeed. But I have heard troubling rumors about your treatment of witches. Can you comment?"

Horror washed over Caden, and he bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood. Mathias would have no compunction about killing her for merely asking the question.

"Give him the book, d.a.m.n it," Shock snarled and ripped it out of her hands, then shoved it into Mathias's outstretched arms. "You came to do that, and now you have. Let's go." Sydney managed to look fl.u.s.tered and irritated. "I wasn't done asking questions. What about-"

"Yes, you were." Shock warned.