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“Shit. ” Leaping to his feet, Caine rapidly pulled on his jeans and a sweatshirt that had been tossed on a nearby chair. A loaded Glock was tucked at his lower back, then, yanking a robe hanging on the back of the bathroom door, he hurried in her wake.
There was no use trying to stop her. Lost in the power of her visions, she wouldn’t halt until she’d reached her goal. Whether that goal was standing in the sitting room to weave one of the strange, shimmering glyphs that revealed a foretelling. Or dragging him halfway across the country.
All he could do was keep her from hurting herself. He entered the sitting room only to find it empty with the door standing open. With a curse he jogged into the hallway, at last catching up with her as she stepped into an empty elevator.
“Hold on, baby, I’m with you,” he muttered, entering the small cubicle at the same moment she hit the button for the lobby.
She stared straight ahead, her face blank even when he tucked her into the robe and tied the belt. He grimaced. At least the hotel was nearly silent. Well, if one didn’t count the hideous music being pumped into the elevator.
It was that strange hour just before dawn.
The window of time when even the most hardened of gamblers had returned to their beds and the early morning workers were still gulping down their first cup of coffee. He and Cassie wouldn’t be bothered by unwelcomed gawkers, and more importantly, there would be no crowds an enemy could use to disguise their approach.
The elevator at last gave a subtle shudder as it slowed, the metal doors sliding open. Without hesitation Cassie stepped into the lobby, her feet moving at a measured pace across the tiled floor and out the glass doors to the street.
Staying at her side, Caine shook his head at the uniformed driver who was leaning against his limo in the off chance of a fare, and captured Cassie’s arm as she started to step off the curb, directly in the path of an oncoming taxi.
“Wait,” he commanded, refusing to release her until he was certain the coast was clear.
She stood passively beneath his touch, waiting in silence for him to at last release his grip so she could continue across the road and toward the edge of town at a swift jog.
Caine sighed as he followed behind. If the whole knight protector gig crapped out he might just have a career as a crossing guard. Something to consider.
Focusing on the absurd thoughts to keep from panicking as Cassie remained locked deep in her vision, Caine nevertheless was on full guard as they circled the edge of the airport and headed into the desert.
Not that there was much to guard against. A few coyotes, lizards, snakes . . . Nothing that could harm a pureblooded Were. Thank the gods.
Eventually, the perpetual glow of the city was left behind and all signs of civilization were lost to the barren desert. Still, Cassie continued forward, indifferent to the cool breeze and the thick silence.
Where the hell were they going?
It took another half hour before the question was answered, and even then it didn’t make any sense.
Halting in the middle of a flat basin, Cassie stood at rigid attention, her pale hair floating on the breeze. Then, as if she were possessed by a sudden madness, she dropped to her knees. Caine cursed, leaping to the side as she grabbed a sharp stone and began to feverishly draw symbols in the arid ground.
Gritting his teeth, Caine tried to leash his primal instincts that demanded he scoop Cassie off the filthy ground and return her to the safety of the hotel room. He even succeeded for several torturous minutes. But when the scent of Cassie’s blood hit his nose, his good intentions were blasted into a million pieces.
Her knees were scraped raw and her hands cut more than once by the stone. Enough was enough.
“Cassie. ” He managed to take a step forward when a soft voice floated on the air.
“Do not interfere, Were. ”
The sudden sound combined with the scent of brimstone had him spinning around, the Glock in his hand.
His eyes narrowed at the sight of the small creature standing directly behind him. Shit. How had she managed to sneak up on him?
Not that she looked like much of a threat. She was barely over three feet tall with a tiny body currently covered by a white robe that shimmered in the moonlight. Her heart-shaped face appeared almost childlike, with delicate features that gave the illusion of innocence.
At least until one noticed the razor-sharp teeth and the ancient power that smoldered in the black, almond eyes.
Yeah, this creature was about as helpless as a live grenade. Or a nuclear bomb.
His wolf was on full alert, his hand steady, as he pointed the fully loaded gun at the center of her chest. “Who are you?” he snarled.
She held up tiny hands as if that would convince him to trust her. “Yannah. ”
His finger found the trigger. “Give me a reason not to put a bullet through your heart. ”
She tilted her head to the side. “You cannot harm me with human weapons. ”
He shrugged, not surprised. “Then I’ll rip out your throat. ”
“There’s no need for threats. I’m not here to harm your mate. ”
“She’s not—” He bit off his ridiculous denial. “Then why are you here?”
“To offer a warning. ” The black eyes narrowed at the unmistakable sound of Caine cocking the hammer. “Hell’s bells, what’s wrong with you? I said I offer a warning, not a threat. ”
“And I should trust the word of a creature who pops out of thin air to offer mysterious warnings because . . . ?” he mocked, shifting to make sure his body was still blocking Cassie as she frantically continued to dig in the dirt.
The tiny demon wisely kept her gaze trained on Caine. One glance toward the vulnerable Cassie and Caine would rip off her head.
Or at least he would try, he silently corrected, shivering as Yannah allowed a hint of her terrible power to glow in the black eyes.
“The warning is not mysterious,” Yannah assured him. “In fact, it couldn’t be more clear. ”
“Fine, I’ll play. ” Like he had a choice? “What’s the warning?”
“In the very near future Cassie is going to demand that you leave her. ”
Leave her? Caine was instantly furious. “She wouldn’t. ”
Yannah heaved a resigned sigh. “Why do males always make everything so difficult?”
“Are you a prophet?” he managed between clenched teeth.
“No. ” The demon shook her head, sending her long braid sliding across her back. “Cassie stands alone with her gift. ”
“Gift?” Caine snarled. “It’s a freaking curse. ”
“Perhaps. ”
He lowered the gun, afraid in his current mood he might do something stupid. It was his usual modus operandi. Besides, it wasn’t going to do him a damned bit of good.
“If you’re not a seer, then how do you know what Cassie will or won’t do in the future?”
“My mother, Siljar, is an Oracle. ”
“Shit. ” The last thing he needed was interference from the Commission, or as he called them, the Pain-in-the-Asses-Who-Ruled-the-Demon-World. “How does she know?”
“She possesses a talent for sensing a principium. ”
He grimaced, recognizing the term. It meant that Cassie was important enough to the future of the world that her life was written in the stars.
“A thread of destiny,” he muttered.
“So you aren’t just a pretty face. ” Yannah flashed her razor teeth. Yikes. “Unusual. ”
“I try,” he said dryly. “I’m still not entirely clear on why you’re here. ”
“The fate of all of us rests upon young Cassie’s shoulders. ”
“Well, as far as I’m concerned, fate can go screw itself,” he retorted, knowing he was being childish. But, dammit, he was standing helplessly in the middle of a desert while the female he was obsessed with protecting was
crawling through the dirt until she bled. He had a right to think destiny or fate, or whatever a person wanted to call it, totally sucked.
Something that might have been sympathy touched the heart-shaped face. “It’s her destiny,” she said softly, “but she doesn’t have to walk her path alone. ”
“She’s not alone. ” Caine frowned. “Unless you mean her sisters? Cassie has refused to contact them. ”
“No, I speak of you. You must never waver. ”
Waver? Was she freaking kidding? His anger returned. With interest. “Are you questioning my loyalty?”
“No, but like most alpha males you have more pride than sense. ”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“I told you. ” She looked at him as if wondering if he’d always been so stupid. “Cassie will come to a crossroads. In that moment she will try to push you away. You must not allow her to leave you behind. ”
“She’s not going anywhere without me,” he snapped. “Not ever. ”
His fierce words were still ringing through the air when there was a faint groan from behind him. He turned, his heart halting as he watched Cassie collapse onto the desert floor.
“Shit. ” With one leap he was bending down beside her, knocking the rock out of her hand before tugging her slender body against his chest. No use taking a chance of getting beaned. A distinct possibility if she was still caught in her vision.