Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Michael was on his way down to the main floor after paying a visit to Warren when he noticed Tabatha walk into the club. The philosophical side of him had many questions when it came to her. She’d been born while Kane was within the grave… so what god had decided upon her birth that she was Kane’s soul mate?

“Obviously a very smart one since she was destined to bleed on his grave and release him from the spell,” he answered his own question with a whisper as he sized her up. She was beyond beautiful with her long blond hair cut in many layers, ice blue eyes, and lightly tanned skin. It looked like she’d been kissed by some elusive sun god.

He watched her short breakdown in front of Kat and Envy and sighed, she was hurting. He tilted his head a bit to listen in on the conversation… now he was glad he’d eavesdropped since Kane had been the main topic.

He wondered why Kane hadn’t said anything to anyone about Tabatha since his return to the city. If the gods had set everything in motion the day of her birth… then why were they allowing their continued separation?

He thought back to Kane's rage and his actions when he found Tabatha’s blood in the back door of Moon Dance. Now everything made sense to him… everything except for Kane's silence. Michael frowned. He’d been blaming Kane’s moodiness and silence on his feeling guilty over his part in the baby boom of soulless vampires… but now that he could add Tabatha into that equation, he could see another reason.

Pulling the cell phone out of his coat pocket, he hit the speed dial and called the house. It rang a total of four times before it was picked up and Michael smiled at Kane’s grouchy answer.

“If this is a telemarketer I will hunt you down and annihilate you,” Kane growled. He paused the movie that was just coming to a climax… Fright Night. He had come to the conclusion that 80’s horror movies would have been his favorite if he hadn't missed it all by being six feet under.

“I need you at Moon Dance right away,” Michael said then frowned at the phone when Kane hung up on him without saying another word.

*****

Kat kept glancing back at Tabatha while she moved behind the bar fixing drinks for her customers. Laughter echoed around them mixing with the sultry music but the pretty blond wasn’t even smiling. It was time to find her a distraction.

Seeing Nick round the corner from the entrance, she smiled and waved him over. Most of the girls that came to the club fell all over themselves trying to get his attention so he should make a very nice distraction.

“What’s up?” Nick asked.

“Ask Tabatha to dance with you,” Kat ordered softly. “She needs something to cheer her up.”

Nick looked down the bar at the blonde and sighed. He’d noticed the sadness in her eyes when she’d first walked in and had succeeded in making her smile then, but it obviously didn’t last long. Nodding toward Kat, Nick pushed himself away from the bar and approached Tabatha with an award-winning smile on his face.

“Hey beautiful,” he said making Tabatha jump.

“Hey,” she said with a small smile.

“I’m ready for that dance now,” Nick offered his hand.

“I don’t know,” Tabatha responded, unsure of what she should do.

“Come on,” Nick said with his smile still in place. “Dancing...” he spun in a complete circle in front of her ending with a slight bow, “...is good for the soul,” he finished.

Tabatha smiled because he was just too cute, “All right.”

Nick shed his jacket revealing the black silk shirt he was wearing tucked into tight black jeans. Tabatha took his hand when he offered it a second time and let him lead her down the stairs into the mass of bodies writhing to the techno beat. They slowly worked their way from the edge of the crowd to the center and, before Tabatha knew it, they were just another couple swept up in a sensual euphoria of rhythm.

Tabatha felt Nick press up against her back and pull her tight against him. His hands roamed over her arms and her waistline, but didn’t go any further than that. It was still a very sexual feeling to be touched and yet not touched. Tabatha found herself craving something more and turned around so she was facing him.

Being with Kriss for so many years had kept her from needing the touch of another man. The few times she’d thought of it, Kriss would suddenly be there filling the void in some other way. Tabby looked around feeling disappointment slam into her then pushed it away and defiantly focused all her attention on Nick.

Kane walked through the front door of Moon Dance and swept his eyes over the patrons on the upper level trying to locate Michael. When he spotted him, Kane saw Michael staring down into the dance pit with great interest. Following Michael’s gaze, Kane gripped the railing in front of him so tight his knuckles turned white.

Tabatha was dancing seductively with Nick, rubbing her back against the jaguar’s body in a very suggestive motion. She was letting the feline rub his hands all over her and Kane had to take a moment to calm his instant rage. It wouldn’t look good if he killed one of his new allies and friends. There was a loud snap and Kane looked down realizing he’d snapped the metal railing he was holding in half.

Taking a deep breath, he walked down the stairs into the pit. The smell of pheromones surrounded him and he steadfastly ignored the women rubbing up against him as he passed through the dancers. His eyes were set on Tabatha… if she wanted to be touched, he would be the one who touched her.

“What do you know about Kane?” Tabatha asked breathlessly as the temperature in the pit rose.

Nick shrugged as he watched color rise into Tabatha’s cheeks, “Not much, just that he’s a few fries short of a Happy Meal.”

Tabatha couldn’t help but smile at the way Nick had phrased his answer. Truth was, she agreed with him. Letting her hand slide up his chest, she curled it over his shoulder then slipped her fingers up under his hair to the back of his neck.

She let her fingernails scrape gently across the soft skin there and asked, “How did Kane get free from the spell? Did Malachi have another way to undo it?”

“Not that I know of,” Nick answered as he suppressed a shiver. “But Malachi, from what I understand, went to Kane’s grave in a desperate attempt to dig him up. Nathaniel followed to try and stop him, but it obviously didn’t work. Once they shifted, the gauntlet had been thrown… it would have been a fight to the death at that point.”

Tabatha frowned and traced her fingernails across the back of his neck along the same path again. “A cougar and a jaguar… fighting?” she closed what little distance there was between them feeling her breasts swell as his body moved back and forth across them.

Nick nodded wondering if she had a clue what she was doing to him. “Yeah, hard to believe, isn’t it?” focusing on the conversation was becoming harder… and it wasn’t the only thing becoming harder.

Tabatha looked over Nick's shoulder at Devon and Envy dancing in the cage together. Was it really Nathaniel and Malachi she’d seen fighting that night in the woods? Had she really been exposed to such mythical creatures before Envy hooked up with Devon?

She remembered telling the police that there had been two naked men in the forest covered in blood. The police had searched the area but nothing was ever found. After a while Tabatha thought she’d imagined the whole thing… the dark imagination of a little girl lost in the woods. But since meeting the shifters and becoming friends with them, she’d secretly wondered about that horrific night.

Tabatha sighed seeing the way Devon and Envy were dancing so seductively with one another. The way they moved and the expressions on their faces made Tabatha want someone to love like that… someone to take away the loneliness Kriss had left her with.

Rubbing herself against Nick, she looked up into his eyes. The jaguars all had eyes that could be labeled as heart stopping and smiled as her heart did skip a beat.

She wrapped her other arm around his waist and started to ask him how long it had been since the fight between Malachi and Nathaniel had taken place but stilled when she felt all the weapons hidden beneath Nick’s shirt. Running her hands searchingly over him, she felt the unmistakable bulge of a handgun tucked into the front waistband of his pants and the straps of a shoulder holster of some kind on his shoulders.

Needless to say, the weapons sidetracked her from her question and she blurted the first thing that came to mind. “Are you happy to see me or something?” she demanded with a grin.

Nick looked down at her with confusion written on his face until her hand drifted down the front of him to grasp the butt of the handgun through his shirt. His mind quickly envisioned her fingers tracing a couple inches lower.

“If you really want to know,” Nick said smelling Tabatha’s arousal. “Then move your hand down a few inches and find out.”

“But won’t it go off?” Tabatha asked with an innocent expression on her face.

Nick threw his head back and laughed, “Damn, dancing with you is a dangerous occupation.”

“I agree.”

The familiar voice behind him was so cold that it sucked the heat right out of the dance pit. Nick stopped dancing and looked over his shoulder, feeling icy chills race down his spine when he saw Kane standing there looking anything but friendly.

“Sorry Tabatha,” Nick said. “I gotta get back to the door before the new guy lets in some murdering psychopath.” He walked away leaving Kane and Tabatha staring at each other.

Tabatha remained where she was with her hands on her hips and glaring angrily at Kane. “What was that for?” she demanded.

“What was what for?” Kane asked as he stepped into Nick’s previous spot.

“You do have a tendency to show up at very inconvenient moments.” Tabatha fumed.

Kane reached out and pulled her tight against him, moving to the music. “Do you condemn me for watching over you?” Kane asked feeling his jealousy spike when she gazed in the direction Nick had gone.

Tabatha looked up at him once again feeling stunned. His amethyst eyes quickly knocked the jaguar’s strange coloring into second place. She frowned when she felt the need to touch him override everything she’d felt while touching Nick. Fighting the urge, she pushed against his chest. “I already have someone to watch over me, so you can go stalk somebody else.”

Kane’s hold on her tightened and a devious smirk appeared on his face. “You mean the fallen one? I don’t see him around… is he slacking on the job?”

Tabatha growled and pushed harder against him. “That’s none of your damn business you heartless vampire. Now let go of me!”

Kane growled at the insult, “Be still my non-beating heart.”

Tabatha’s eyes widened and she moved her hand over a fraction on his chest until she could feel the hard thump of his heart. She felt instant relief then caught herself and jerked her hand away from him wondering how smart it would be to knee him in the balls.

“I thought you wanted to dance,” Kane said as he leaned forward until their faces were almost touching.

“You have no idea what I want,” Tabatha informed him and finally succeeded in pushing herself out of Kane’s grasp. “Do me a favor and stay out of my life.”

He watched Tabatha go up the stairs toward the ground floor and frowned when he noticed the way the back of her short dress swung dangerously high on her hips as she walked. An agitated sigh escaped him and he clenched his fists at his sides when she tossed her long blond hair over her shoulder and disappeared onto the upper floor.

Kane decided her rejection of him was probably the smartest thing she’d done all night so he made his way up to Michael who had been watching the entire scene.

“What was the emergency?” Kane asked as he approached Michael.

Michael shrugged his shoulders and noticed Kane’s attention was on Tabatha who was now sitting alone at the end of the bar.

“False alarm,” Michael explained.

*****

Tabatha signaled Kat from her seat and pushed her glass back to the edge of the bar for another drink. She needed to be a tad drunker to stamp down the way Kane had just heated her up. Kat obliged with a smile and walked up with a fresh glass in her hand.

“Here you go,” Kat said. “I’m going to have to cut you off soon though.”

Tabatha sat up a little straighter, “No you don’t. I’m calling a taxi when I leave.”

“Feeling better?” Kat asked obviously having missed the scene between Tabatha and Kane.

“A little bit,” Tabatha admitted knowing Nick asking her to dance had made her feel better almost immediately. Too bad Kane had run him off. Thinking of Nick also reminded her of the question she’d forgotten to ask. “I was wondering something though… when and where did Malachi and Nathaniel kill each other?”

Kat took a moment to think about it, counting the number of years in her head. “I’d say a little over ten years ago in the Los Angeles National Forest… in the game preserve.” She paused when she saw the color drain from Tabatha’s face and leaned forward a bit. “Are you okay?”

Tabatha forgot to breathe and took up her drink, downing it in three large gulps.

Michael was watching Tabatha interact with Kat and shook his head. “I find myself wanting to grab her up and hug her for releasing you from the grave.”

Kane sent Michael a dark look. “If she hadn’t… this city wouldn’t be filling up with demons right now,” he retorted as he gripped the banister.

“Is that why you haven’t claimed her?” Michael asked recognizing rot when he heard it. “You’ve changed,” he insisted. “You’re not the same man that crawled out of that grave ten years ago.”

“You’re mistaken; the monster that turned Raven is standing right beside you,” Kane corrected.

“So is the best man I’ve ever met,” Michael breathed and left Kane’s side.

Kane watched Michael move silently through the crowded club, invisible to all except him. When Michael walked out the door, Kane turned his attention back to Tabatha and grew concerned… she looked like she’d seen a ghost. He tilted his head to the side picking up bits of the conversation.

“Tabatha?” Kat inquired and quickly walked around the bar to her side. “Tabatha!”

Tabatha was reliving the night she’d become lost in the woods… the same night the fight between the cougar and the jaguar that took place. The men were covered in blood and one of them was growling at her to run.

Kat noticed Tabatha’s shaking and clicked the comlink in her ear. “Devon, send Envy to my bar right now.”

Tabatha’s hands gripped the edge of the bar and her body was rigid with the memories. She’d been there when Kat’s daddy had died… she’d seen it happen. She glanced up at Kat though her bangs.

Kane saw what Tabatha was seeing and it stunned him that he could finally breach her mind… if only for a moment. He could even see what she had looked like as a child in her flashback. He surged deeper within her, searching for anything he could mentally touch. He could taste her fear, felt the way she held onto Scrappy… as if the small canine was her security blanket keeping away the boogey man that was all too real.

He moved quickly around the upper area toward the bar and was halfway there when Envy suddenly appeared beside her, wrapping her arms around the other woman. Tabatha quickly returned the hug and held onto Envy for dear life.

“Let’s get her upstairs.” Kat said and signaled to one of the other bartenders to cover for her.

*****

Cyrus held up the silver medallion in the dim light of the alley he was in and smiled. Placing the medallion down on the ground, he held up the spider pendant Misery had given him and looked at it with a curious expression on his face. He slipped the chain back over his head and let the spider dangle in front of his face for a moment.

“Wakey, wakey my little friend,” Cyrus sang. “It’s time to play now.” He poked at it gently and giggled when the spider abruptly wrapped its legs around his finger.

The spider was released from the chain and Cyrus took hold of its body to pull it off of his finger. He lowered the wriggling spider to the medallion and placed it in the hollowed out center. The creature’s legs kept moving after Cyrus attached it until he poked it in the back again. The spider went still and folded its legs in, exposing the large abdomen fat with Kane’s blood.

Cyrus placed a finger on the abdomen and the blood inside began to glow. The outer ring of the medallion started spinning erratically before suddenly stopping. A few drops of blood seeped out of the spider and onto the outer circle of the silver piece. At the very top of the medallion, the blood drops coagulated and started to burn into the metal, sizzling quietly until a runic symbol appeared.

He removed his finger from the spider and stared down at the medallion from his crouched position. When he reached toward the symbol it started to glow red and Cyrus smiled.

“Does it hurt?” he seemingly asked of no one in particular and giggled when the outer ring started spinning again. “I like to play.”

Misery smiled maliciously, the expression not at all matching the little girl she was portraying. She’d chosen this demon well, even though he was still very young by demon standards. The question Cyrus asked had been for Kane and she sighed contentedly knowing Kane would feel the burning pain caused by Cyrus’s magic.

All she had to do now was wait for her beautiful vampire to appear… and it wouldn’t be long.

*****

Kane froze on the stairs smelling the salt of Tabatha’s tears as the girls passed him on their way up to the jaguars' living area. The scent pierced his chest sharper than any blade he’d ever felt. He turned once they had passed him and wrapped the darkness around his body so they wouldn’t know they were being followed.

Kat opened the door to the old bedroom she’d used before moving in with Quinn and let Envy usher Tabatha in. Envy sat down on the edge of the bed with Tabatha still holding onto her.

“I was there… I saw it. Oh God Kat, I’m so sorry,” Tabatha rambled in a shaken voice. How had she not put this together before when it had been staring her in the face for weeks now?

“Saw what?” Envy asked gently shooting Kat a worried glance.

Tabatha looked up and quickly let her gaze search the room. Ironically, her eyes landed on a framed photo on the dresser and she quickly rushed over to it. Picking it up, she held it out, pointing to the older man standing beside a younger Kat in the photo.

“Him, I saw him… Nathaniel and Malachi… I was there… I saw them kill each other.” Tabatha explained feeling a touch light headed.

Kat felt her heart start pounding as she put the pieces of what Tabatha was telling them together with what she already knew.

“Were you injured?” Kat asked in a whisper.

Tabatha looked up at her. “What?”

“Were you hurt in any way?” she repeated a little louder.

Tabatha looked at the two women questioningly then turned around. “Unzip my dress and see for yourself.”

Envy moved behind Tabatha knowing what she was talking about… she’d seen it several times before because they were best friends. She slowly unzipped Tabby’s dress. When the material fell away, it revealed four thin scars, the result of claw marks spanning about three inches down her back.

“You’re the one that freed Kane from his grave!” Kat blurted before she could stop herself then smacked her hand over her mouth in awe.

Tabatha looked over at Kat with a fearful expression. “What?”

“Kane could only be freed by the blood of his soul mate… right?” Kat elaborated. “It’s got to be right. You were there… you bled over his grave and that’s what freed him.”

“Girls are the world’s worst for telling secrets,” Kane said from the now open doorway.

Tabatha slowly turned her head and locked eyes with his amethyst gaze. The way he held her gaze both frightened and warmed her. Had he known all along? Was that why he’d been stalking her? She flinched when he suddenly moved and had Envy and Kat gripped by their arms.

“Be still,” he ordered Kat then turned his attention to Envy. “You remember nothing except smiles and happiness this night. Now you only want to go find your mate and show him a good time.” He let go of Envy’s arm and as requested, she smiled and nodded as she left the room.

“Oh no you don’t,” Kat growled when Kane turned his gaze on her but was helpless when his pupils expanded.

“I liked it better when you thought I was a good guy,” he said sadly. “Smiles and happiness, remember? The rest never happened.”

Tabatha watched the unnerving way Kat smiled knowingly at her and then left the room. She quickly spun around to face the mirror when Kane turned those hypnotic eyes on her… no way was he doing that to her.

The muscles jumped in Kane’s jaw when he clenched his teeth at the sight of the four scars that were exposed to him where her dress was still unzipped. They were nothing more than thin white lines now but it had been ten years. That injury must have been what had made her cry out that night… the frightened cry that had haunted his dreams for the last ten years.

The need for vengeance that he’d felt when he first climbed from the grave came back swiftly and he found himself wishing Malachi and Nathaniel were still living so he could kill them very slowly.

Tabatha inhaled sharply when Kane was suddenly behind her. She watched him in the mirror, hoping that by using his reflection instead of meeting his direct gaze, it would keep him from putting her under his thrall the way he’d just enthralled Envy and Kat.

Kane reached out and gently took the zipper between his fingers but paused, his eyes caressing the soft flesh exposed to him. His gaze lingered on the thin piece of black lace that encircled her lower hips before he very slowly zipped the dress back up.

Tabatha tried to control her breathing when she felt his fingers caressing her skin as he zipped it, leaving goose flesh to follow behind the movement. Her knees weakened and Kane must have sensed it because his arm slid around her waist bringing her back against him.

“I don’t want to forget,” Tabatha’s voice gave her fear away.

Kane felt one of his turns coming on and knew he would have to let her go… or put her in even more danger than she was already in.

“You want your truth,” he whispered harshly then held his hand out toward the door, forcing it to slam on its own. He felt her flinch when the lock slid into place without being touched. His body hardened around her as he nuzzled her hair, inhaling her scent to feed the starving ache he had for her. “Then let me be selfish enough to give it to you,” he breathed.

Tabatha couldn’t stop herself from leaning back into his embrace, but when his lips skimmed across the arc of her neck, she found herself flinching away and locking gazes with his reflection.

Kane tightened his grip on her as real pain flared deep in his chest and mind. “You’re right to fear me. Every bad thing that has happened in this city recently can be traced back to me… starting with Malachi and Nathaniel’s death… the vampire uprising… freeing Misery from her seal and helping her bring even more demons to your fair city.”

“I’m not afraid of you,” she lied but held her ground. “You didn’t kill Malachi and Nathaniel… I was there. They killed each other. You kill evil vampires and you were saving Dean when you released Misery.”

Kane narrowed his eyes as he once again tried to read her mind and hear her real thoughts but found the familiar walls back in place, “Don’t make the mistake of thinking I’m a hero. You trust Kriss. Your fallen knows the monster I have become. Why do you think he sought to kill me on sight? He knew I would be the death of you if he did not separate us, so he took you out of the city. He was wrong to bring you back.”

“Kriss has abandoned me,” Tabatha whispered feeling betrayed by Kriss. He had known all along that she was the one who freed Kane and he’d kept it from her. “Why would he leave me if he is protecting me from you?”

“Oh love… he is protecting you from both of us,” Kane’s eyes shattered with amethyst, “Because his love is even deadlier than mine.”

“What do you mean?” Tabatha demanded and tried to pull away from him. “Kriss would never hurt me. You’re lying.”

“Am I?” Kane nearly purred as he rubbed his cheek against her silky hair. “You sleep with a man who loves you every night and expect him not to want inside you?”

When she struggled again, Kane grabbed her chin and forced her to hold his gaze in the mirror. She would hear the truth whether she wanted to or not. “At night while you sleep, Kriss is envisioning you under him… not beside him. He pictures himself buried deep inside of you, imagining the seductive sounds you would make for him. It’s because he loves you that he left… not because he is giving you to me.”

Tabatha’s eyes widened and she felt a scalding tear slip from her lashes onto her cheek. It was the truth… oh god, Kane was telling her the truth. Kriss had slept in her bed every night since she’d been kidnapped… when she’d met Kane.

Kane felt another burst of pain flare in his mind and he wondered why it was there… gnawing at him like a living entity. He growled low in his chest wondering what the demons were up to now. It only confirmed the fact that he needed Tabatha to forget him… to hate him so she would stay away.

Turning his attention back to Tabatha, he was hit with his own ache to be deep inside her, claiming her. He was no better than Kriss. He closed his eyes seeing the image of Kriss glaring at him as he ripped Tabatha from his grasp the night she’d been kidnapped by Raven.

“I’m sure your knight in shining armor will return once he has his urges under control again,” he hissed into the shell of her ear then opened his eyes. “You haven’t lost him, but here is another truth… I love you just as much as Kriss does and if I find him under your sheets again… I’ll kill him myself.” He heard her heart slam and speed up at his words and knew it was time to end this little game.

Tabatha had felt so removed from everything around her until now and it was because Kriss hadn't told her the truth about Kane. Kriss believed in the soul mate thing… he’d said it about other people being pulled together by fate… he’d even said he could see Envy and Devon's souls reaching for each other when they’d all left the city together. He was selfish to have kept this from her. He’d let a demon tell her.

“That’s why Misery said I was yours.” She hadn’t meant to say it out loud and felt Kane go rigid behind her. Forgetting to use the mirror this time, Tabatha turned her head and locked her gaze with his. What she saw in those eyes shocked her but at the same time she felt like she should have expected it.

“You’re only pretending to be evil,” she accused, seeing the truth in his tortured gaze, “You’re protecting me.”

Something inside Kane thumped hard just below the surface of his skin, pushing him to claim her but Kane forced the feeling back and let go of her as if touching her burned.

Tabatha rounded on him, “That’s it isn’t it? You’re not joining Misery… you’re distracting her.”

This time it was Kane’s turn to flinch and he turned his head to the side feeling the smack that never came. “You’re my weakness and Misery has already caught on to that little fact. She won't have a reason to use you against me if she thinks that she already has me.”

“Kane, don’t,” Tabatha started but he cut her off.

“I can feel them watching me… planning their next move. If I kill her and her little friends, you will be safe… if they kill me, again you will be safe.” He caught her by the wrist just as she reached up to touch his cheek, “Don’t you understand? They already have me. I can feel them crawling around in my head, whispering to me… and it hurts.”

Using his hold on her against him, Tabatha quickly pulled upwards until her lips slashed across his in desperation for him to stop and think.

Kane instantly gripped her upper arms and crushed her to him, taking her seductive assault and turning it back on her tenfold. Concentrating on only the taste of her, Kane felt the pain that racking his mind ease… but with that came clarity.

He pushed her away with a tormented groan. “You’re not allowed to do that. You can’t save me by sacrificing yourself. Maybe I don’t want to be saved.”

Tabatha readied herself and tried to close her mind knowing what was coming when his pupils enlarged. She stared up at him as if she was in shock and that was probably damn close to what her expression was supposed to look like when being put under his thrall.

She slowly relaxed her expression… even going as far as letting herself sway a little but at the same time digging her fingernails deep into the palms of her hands to keep focus. She had beat part of this before and if she concentrated hard enough then she could beat part of it again, if not all of it given his current state.

“It’s alright love,” Kane whispered. “You do not remember bleeding over my grave as a child… no one will know it was you who released the monster that night. You only came here for a night out with the girls and that’s all you will remember. You will loath me if you see me.”

Kane grabbed his head with one hand as pain sliced through it so viciously his knees hit the floor but he kept his hold on Tabatha.

Tabatha was pulled down with him but instead of panicking, she paid attention to the way his body was tensing up. It was proof that Kane’s agony was real… the demons were doing something to him and he was fighting it all alone.

“Kane please, let me go find Michael. He can help you.” She remembered seeing Kane’s soul that night in the church and Michael had done something to heal him.

“No, I want Michael safe!” Kane growled and put both hands on her ignoring the pain in his head for a moment. “The only thing that will take away this pain is more pain. Why are you trying to save me? I need you to hate me even if I love you.” Kane squeezed his eyes shut realizing what he just said, “You can’t remember this… I won't let them use you.”

Seeing the blackness in the center of his pupils expand to the point that she could barely see the amethyst ring around it, Tabatha knew she was in trouble unless she did something and quick. Throwing all caution to the wind, she surged forward again, this time pushing him back on the floor and sealed his lips with hers.

Kane rose up on his elbows as she straddled his waist but there was no way he could push her away. She was rhythmically pressing down right where all his blood was rushing… separating them by only her black lace panties and his jeans. Unable to resist the breath of life she was offering him, Kane reached up and wound his hand behind her neck.

Pulling her forward, he took control of the kiss and lit the flame she had dared to start. Bringing his other hand to the small of her back, he pressed down… raising his hips at the same time to grind against her.

Tabatha didn’t care if she was taking this further than she’d meant to… he wasn’t putting her under his thrall and he wasn’t screaming in agony. She quickly realized she was the one in agony when she rocked against him and fought the urge to unbutton his pants so she could get to the hardness she felt being restrained by them.

She constantly thought about him… had done so since the first time she’d laid eyes on him in that old warehouse. Even surrounded by violence as he ripped into Raven’s body hadn’t diluted what she was thinking. Now, facing what could be the last time she saw him alive finally gave her the courage to do something about it.

Kane felt his eyes burn with unshed tears and fought the urge to take her. He allowed himself this one moment so he could look up from hell and remember heaven. She rocked harder against him and when the thrust of his tongue mimicked what she was craving, she moaned for him.

Finally gaining the strength, Kane pushed her back a fraction then rolled until he was on top of her. “I should know better than to dare to want you… shouldn’t I?”

He lowered his lips to hers, kissing her deeply while sliding his hand down between her thighs. He licked and sucked on her lips while his fingers lightly rubbed against the lace of her panties… finding that the material covered very little of her flesh. She was hot and wet as her hips moved to follow his fingers. Kane closed his eyes and shuddered.

Tabatha could tell by his voice that the pain had receded… at least the pain that had brought him to his knees. She ran the palm of her hand down between them, gripping the hardness there that threatened to bruise her when he rocked against her. If they were fated to be mates, then what was stopping her? Right now… she wanted this just as much as he did.

Intensifying the kiss to keep him distracted, she quickly undid his pants and had them shoved down far enough to grip his thick length firmly. When he inhaled in shock and started to pull away, she stroked him while using her other hand to pull the thin strip of her panties aside.

Kane locked his arms into place trying not to move but she was quicker than he was. Her legs slid under his trench coat, locking around him as she moved his throbbing erection until the tip of him pressed against her hot opening. The same moment she tightened her legs and flexed her hips, he drove forward, breeching her blood bond and burying himself deep inside her.

Tabatha savored the pain flavored pleasure as she felt herself stretch and pulsate around him. She had cheated, pushing him past his limit, but she didn’t care as he drove in and out of her in complete abandon. She gripped the front of his shirt trying to hold on and move against him at the same time. Ripping sounds could be heard as the material gave.

Kane felt like he was still fighting… fighting to deepen the kiss, fighting to get deeper inside her tight warmth, stealing every sound before she could make it… feeling himself almost explode every time he thrust inside her. He wanted desperately to devour her in every way.

Those heated spirals she’d been feeling off and on all night had only been a fleeting prequel compared to what she was feeling right now. Tabatha felt herself pulsing and coming with almost every other rapid heartbeat until the feeling of it was so out of control it almost frightened her. Time kept spinning around them with their labored breathing but he showed no signs of slowing as it ticked by.

Tabatha tried to turn her face away from his lips so she could scream his name but he only followed the movement, inhaling the sound as he pounded into her with a forceful rhythm.

Kane felt his own silent screams turn into frustrated sobs as what little control he had left snapped, sending his hot seed shooting hard deep within her as his heartbeat thundered deafeningly in his ears. He held still on shaking arms as the echo of their harsh breaths filled the room.

Sliding his lips across her cheek to the arc of her neck, he scraped his fangs across her delicate skin. Kane wanted desperately to mark her, but at the same time he could feel the unnatural pain flaring in his mind again. It served as a reminder of why he couldn’t keep her. He knew it was Misery’s doing and it had to end… now… tonight.

An anguished growl rumbled up from his chest as the rage filled him to the brim. What had he done to her? He pulled himself out of Tabatha, wanting to die at the sudden loss. Burying his own feelings, he abruptly took her face between his hands, forcing her into his thrall.

“Look at me!” Kane shouted, his pupils once more expanded and this time no color was present around the edges. “Hate me damn it, for your own sake… hate me.”

Tabatha dug her fingernails deep into the palms of her hands to not only fight off the effects of his thrall but to keep herself from reaching out to him. His voice was trembling along with the rest of his body and she knew he was fighting his own will, but she had to play his game this time.

Her eyes hardened and she let all of the hatred she had for Misery and the pain the demon was causing him come to the surface knowing Kane would believe it to be directed at him. Tabatha almost cried out when she saw a single tear slide down his cheek but held her expression.

“Get off of me!” she cried, not really faking the hurt in her voice.

Kane wiped at the angry tear that had escaped and nodded his head in acceptance as he righted his clothes. It had worked this time… she would hate him now and it was for the best.

Rising to his feet, Kane backed away from her, bumping into the dresser as he did so. Turning around, he looked at his reflection in the mirror and released a cry of rage before driving his fist into it. Taking hold of the dresser, he picked it up and tossed it over on its side before running at the window.

Tabatha watched with wide eyes as Kane crashed through the glass of the closed window. The cool night air blew in, shocking her into moving across the room. Leaning out the window, she looked around searching for any trace of Kane but he was gone.

Glancing down at the palms of her hands, she lifted her nails from her skin. Small bloody crescent moon imprints stared back up at her from where she’d sliced into her own palms. It had been worth it because she remembered everything… but the angst-filled expression on Kane’s face made her wish he hadn’t forced her hand.

Her heart beat hard in her chest and she jumped when loud thunder suddenly boomed, vibrating the floor beneath her feet. Without seeing him, she knew Kane was the cause of it and closed her eyes when lightning flashed close by.

“Kane,” she whispered brokenly.

Walking over to the phone in the room, Tabatha dialed a number from memory and tried to control her tears. She needed time to think about what she was going to do now and about what she’d already done… but the apartment she shared with Kriss wasn’t an option. She listened to the phone ring a few times before a male voice finally answered the phone.

“Hello!”

Tabatha’s voice trembled, “Jason… can I stay with you tonight?”