Hunter gaped in surprise. He hadn’t expected a real answer, certainly hadn’t expected this answer. “You can’t possibly know that.” Just because the Queen said something didn’t make it true. “And neither does she. She has many powers, but seeing the future isn’t one of them.” Thank the heavens. She was bad enough already!
Bane shook his head. “She doesn’t have to. We are both her creatures, you ’n me. We are hers to command, and if she intends for you to be the instrument of my death, then it’ll happen just that way, whatever we do.” The goblin licked one of his fangs. “I intend to get as many pounds of flesh as possible from you before that day comes.”
“Ever heard of a self-fulfilling prophecy?”
“Ever wonder why you’re the only member of the Unseelie Court who has to have this shit explained to him?”
Bane didn’t wait for an answer, instead slipping out the door and leaving Hunter to shake his head in confusion.
****
Cradling the bag of groceries against her chest, Kiera gave the doorman her usual smile and thanks as she headed toward the elevators. She noticed the sexy bay-leaf-and-sandalwood scent she’d come to associate with Hunter even before she turned the corner and saw him.
He was watching the lights that indicated the progress of the elevators. The light hit his upturned face in a way that highlighted his clean, masculine lines. If Kiera hadn’t known better, she would have sworn he was posing for her.
At the rustle of her grocery bag, he dragged his attention away from the lights and focused on her. The regard of those blue eyes chilled and warmed her simultaneously. Then he smiled, and the chill disappeared.
“Why hello there!” he said. “Here, let me get that for you.”
Before she had a chance to protest, he had taken the grocery bag out of her arms.
“You don’t have to do that,” she said, reaching for the bag.
Hunter turned his body so she couldn’t reach the bag. “Come on, accept a little chivalry. I promise to give it back.”
She shook her head, but she didn’t want to make a scene. “All right, all right.”
The elevator finally arrived. Hunter held the heavy grocery bag easily in one arm and trapped the elevator door open. “Ladies first.”
She stifled a sigh, her insides cringing at the thought of sharing so small a space with him. Here we go again, she thought, exasperated with herself. She stepped into the tiny elevator, Hunter right behind her. When the doors slid closed, the elevator suddenly seemed even smaller, as though Hunter took up more than his fair share of the available air and space. She pressed the button for the tenth floor, then pressed nine as well at Hunter’s request.
The elevator groaned piteously, then started to ascend. Hunter was watching the progress of the glowing numbers over the door. Kiera tried to do so as well, but her eyes kept straying. The small space was filled with the scent of his cologne and the even more masculine scent of his leather coat. His lips wore a Mona Lisa smile. He held the grocery bag in one arm, his other hand resting inside his coat pocket. Kiera’s pulse quickened for no reason she could name.
Hunter turned his face away from the numbers, meeting her eyes. His smile became even more enigmatic. He looked like he was about to say something, but suddenly the elevator made another of its dramatic moaning sounds. The moan turned to a whine, then a metallic bang. The elevator lurched to a stop, and the lights went out.
Kiera gasped, grabbing the railing against the elevator’s back wall. The car had gone completely black, and her skin crawled with superstitious terror. She held her breath, waiting for the emergency lighting to come on, but there was nothing. Her nerves told her the darkness hid something feral and dangerous, and she found herself pressed tightly into the corner.
The grocery bag rustled. “Kiera?” Hunter’s voice asked. “Are you all right?”
Her heart was now pounding in earnest, and a nervous sweat bathed her. She’d never been particularly afraid of the dark before, nor was she claustrophobic. The small part of her mind that was still rational wondered why she was reacting so dramatically to the dark, confined space. The rest of her mind just gibbered. She fumbled in her purse, trying to find her cell phone, hoping for some light, but of course the stupid thing was sitting on the charger upstairs.
Hunter’s leather coat creaked as he moved closer, and she fought the image of a predator homing in on her.
“Kiera?” he asked again, his voice the gentle murmur one would use with a frightened animal.
She couldn’t gather enough moisture in her mouth to respond to him. Then, his hand touched her arm and a startled shriek escaped her. She tried to jerk her arm away, but his strong fingers closed around her and held tight.
“Take it easy,” he soothed. “There’s nothing to worry about. I’m sure they’ll get us out of here in no time.”
The scent of him made her dizzy, filling her senses. She drew in a shuddering breath, trying desperately to calm herself. She could feel the heat of his body, standing too close to her. His hand slid up her arm to her shoulder, and she swayed. God, she was going to pass out.
“Sit,” Hunter commanded, pushing down on her shoulder.
Her knees were too weak to hold her up anyway, so she slid her back along the wall of the elevator until her butt hit the floor. She bowed her head and concentrated on breathing. Hunter’s hand slid from her shoulder to her neck, powerful fingers kneading the tight muscles there. The scent of leather and spice enveloped her, and she realized he was sitting on the floor of the elevator with her.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” he crooned, his voice almost hypnotic.
Her mind screamed at her that there was. And yet her body seemed to have a will of its own. She leaned closer to him, until she felt the heat of him all along her left side. He pressed her closer into the corner, trapping her with his body. His fingers continued to dig into the muscles of her neck and shoulders, loosening the knots with consummate skill.
“Funny, but I never would have pegged you as claustrophobic,” he said. “You seem like you wouldn’t be afraid of anything.”
Somehow, she found her voice again. “I’m not claustrophobic. I’ve never had anything like this happen before.”
“Is it the dark, then?”
Damn him, he sounded amused! She realized with startling certainty that her strange reaction had nothing to do with the close space or the dark: it had to do with him. But she could hardly tell him that. She swallowed hard, the panic less now, though her heart still pounded.
“I don’t know,” she lied. “I don’t know what’s the matter with me.” That part, at least, was true. Hunter had made her nervous from the start, but there was no logical explanation for this panicked feeling.
“Here, why don’t we move away from the wall so I can use both hands.”
She realized she was pressing into the hand that massaged her neck. Her cheeks flamed, and she was glad for the darkness that hid it. She shook her head. “It’s all right.”
He sighed in apparent exasperation. “Kiera, you’re so tight you feel like a rubber band about to snap. Let me try to help. There’s no telling how long we’ll be trapped in here. And remember, I do this for a living.”
“Do you have your cell phone with you?” she asked. “Maybe we can call for help.”
“Sorry, no,” he answered. “I didn’t think I’d be needing it for a ten-minute jaunt to the post office. Now are you going to let me work on those shoulders or not?”
Arguing would take more energy than she had, so she allowed him to maneuver her into a more advantageous position, her feet against the wall and her back angled toward the center of the elevator. In the darkness behind her, she heard him stirring, his coat making that distinctive leather sound as he removed it. Then, his hands descended on her shoulders, and she concentrated on how good they felt as they worked on the tight muscles.
After less than a minute, his hands stilled, and Kiera had to stifle a cry of pro
test.
“This would be a lot more effective if you took your coat off,” he said.
His voice was practically in her ear, and she shivered in the heat. Her hands plucked at the buttons of her coat, independent of her desires. When the last button popped free, Hunter dragged the coat from her shoulders. Underneath, she was wearing a simple white button-down shirt. When his hands descended on her once more, the pleasure was ten times more intense.
Kiera closed her eyes against the darkness, leaning into Hunter’s glorious hands, breathing his scent. Her head felt cloudy and strange, almost as though she were drunk, or hypnotized. He slid one hand up the center of her back until it rested on the bare skin at the nape of her neck. She shivered again, goose bumps rising all over her body. Those strong, agile fingers pressed more lightly now, the pressure something between a massage and a caress.
Kiera tried in vain to shake off the haze that had settled over her mind. Her pulse was speeding, her breaths coming shallow. Hunter’s fingers dipped lower, slipping under the collar of her blouse. She had to bite her lip to suppress a moan. Her breasts were aching, the nipples hardening. The movement of his fingers took on a steady rhythm that brought to her mind the rhythm of the bed. The ache sank lower, gathering between her legs. She squeezed her thighs tightly together, trying to deny the wildly inappropriate arousal.
She was aware of Hunter moving closer behind her, felt the heat radiating from his body. Then she felt the warmth of his breath against her cheek. He kept stroking her neck, the rhythm now unmistakably sexual. He touched his lips lightly to her shoulder, his kiss burning her skin through the cotton. A little gasp escaped her despite all her efforts to contain it. His hand finally withdrew from under her collar, moving down her back again, joined by his other hand.
When his hands moved to her shoulder blades, instinct told her they would continue moving until they cupped her breasts. Her nipples puckered tighter at the thought and the ache between her legs worsened. His hands began their slow assault, slipping around under her arms. She wanted his touch so badly she felt near to screaming for it.
Kiera’s eyes popped open in the darkness. Something wasn’t right. Her emotions were careening from one extreme to another, and none of it made sense under the circumstances, not the panic attack, and not the desire. Waves of heat still radiating from her core, she grabbed Hunter’s wrists just as his hands brushed the sides of her breasts.
“Don’t,” she croaked, though she wasn’t even sure her voice was audible.
Hunter froze, though she knew he could easily break her hold. He fairly radiated masculine strength. For a long moment, he remained still and wire-taut. There was a part of her that still screamed with desire, that wanted to shove her caution into the background and let her wild side—a side she wasn’t even sure she had—out to play.
Hunter let out a frustrated sigh and withdrew his hands, resting them lightly on her shoulders. “Sorry,” he whispered. “I’m afraid I got a little carried away.”
A shiver shook her entire body, and she took a step back from the edge. She was still wet, her nipples still hard, but the hazy, out-of-control feeling was fading. What was happening to her?
To her amazement, Kiera felt tears building in her eyes. She tried to fight them off, but she had no more success against the tears than she’d had against the lust. Her shoulders began to shake and she felt Hunter’s sudden tension in his hands.
“Are you crying?” he asked in a voice that sounded absolutely appalled.
She wanted to deny it, but her throat was too tight and clogged, and she sniffled loudly instead. Hunter’s arms swept around her in an embrace that held none of the smoldering sexuality of his previous touches.
“Oh, Kiera, please don’t cry,” he begged. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
The anguish in his voice reminded her that she was overreacting. Badly. After all, he had stopped the moment she’d asked him to. It certainly wasn’t his fault that she lusted after him in ways she didn’t understand. And it wasn’t as if she were some blushing virgin. Really, what would have been the harm if he had felt her up? How ridiculous that she was in tears!
“Don’t be sorry,” she said. Her voice was hoarse, but she was reining in the tears. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me these days. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
He sighed again. “Yes, I did.”
Hunter didn’t elaborate on that mysterious comment, and moments later the lights came back on. He helped her to her feet and held her coat for her. She was so humiliated by her overreaction she could barely look at him. The elevator groaned back to life, starting its slow ascent once more.
Hunter cupped her chin in one hand and raised her head. His brows were drawn together in concern, and there was something haunted-looking in his deep blue eyes as he used his other hand to brush the remaining tears off her cheeks. His jaw set firmly, and he looked grim.
“I’ll never do that again,” he promised her. “I’m very sorry.” She tried to speak, to tell him he had no reason to be sorry, but his fingers moved from her cheek to her lips to silence her. “It was unconscionable of me to take advantage of you under the circumstances.”
Kiera gently freed herself from his grip. “You didn’t do anything, Hunter. Don’t worry: I won’t be traumatized for life by what you almost did.” She forced a smile as the elevator came to a stop on the ninth floor. She didn’t think it was very convincing.
Hunter gathered his coat from the floor, draping it over his arm. He paused for a moment in the doorway, staring at her with an intensity that made her nervous. The elevator tried to close on him, whining when the door hit him in the back and was forced to retreat. With a faint shake of his head, he stepped into the hall.
Kiera told herself not to read too much into the strange blend of relief and regret that flooded her when the doors closed behind him.
****
Hunter sat heavily on the plush couch in his living room, staring at the intricate pattern of the Persian rug at his feet. His heart felt like a lump of lead in his chest. In his mind’s eye, he kept seeing the shimmer of tears in Kiera’s eyes. His hands remembered the feel of her under them, remembered the terrible shudder that had seized her when she’d yet again shrugged off the glamour.
He had had her, her mind so fogged by desire that she would happily have let him screw her right there on the floor of the elevator. His cock instantly swelled and hardened at the thought. Even when she’d stopped him, she’d still been heavily in the grip of desire. All he’d had to do was pour on a little more glamour, and she would have let him do whatever he wanted.
But in that moment when his glamour had lost its hold, her distress had shone through like a beacon. She had cried for God’s sake! All because some instinct within her had told her that something wasn’t right. How could he keep pressing her with glamour once he knew what it was doing to her? The answer was simple: he couldn’t.
All he had needed, all he had wanted out of that encounter had been a single kiss to appease his mother. Even after she had shaken the glamour, he suspected he could have taken that kiss. She’d been in enough distress that a gentle, conciliatory kiss would have slipped in past her guard. What kind of fool would let her escape after all that?
But when he’d seen the confusion in her eyes, when he’d seen the damage he’d done to her psyche with his glamour, he just couldn’t go through with it. Damn it, he liked her. He didn’t want to hurt her.
And thanks to that inconvenient attack of conscience, he had doomed himself. The Queen’s deadline for winning his first kiss would pass in a number of hours, and he would pay a heavy price for his weakness.
Hunter sucked in a deep breath, trying not to speculate on just how the Queen would punish him. But he couldn’t help remembering that Bane would be the instrument of her wrath. The goblin’s hatred and creativity were legendary, but the fact was the Queen needed Hunter whole to accomplish his mission. He tried to take comfort f
rom that.
Hunter told himself that there was only so much pain Bane could inflict without maiming or marking him. He told himself he had endured worse. He told himself that he could bear it.
He was lying, and he knew it.
Chapter 4
Kiera felt uncommonly stupid trying to explain to Jackson the bizarre reaction she’d had to being trapped in the elevator with Hunter. She was sitting cross-legged on his couch, sipping from a bottle of one of his home-brewed beers. He lounged on the sofa beside her, his elbow propped on the back of the sofa as his head rested on his hand. He seemed to be taking her seriously, for there was no hint of a smile on his lips or in his eyes.
“I presume this is the first time you’d ever been trapped in an elevator?” he asked.
“Yeah, but what does that have to do with anything?”
He shrugged. “Maybe nothing. I’m just saying that just because you’re not claustrophobic doesn’t mean you wouldn’t get freaked out by being trapped in an elevator, even if you’d been alone. Or with me.”
Kiera took another sip of beer, trying to convince herself that Jackson was right. It didn’t work. “I can’t shake the feeling that it was more than that. Jackson, I didn’t feel freaked out by the dark or the enclosed space—I felt freaked out by knowing he was in there with me.”
“So, you think he’s an ax murderer or something?”
“Don’t make fun! I don’t know what I think. I only know that this is all very strange.”
He gave her a gentle smile. “I wasn’t making fun. I’m just trying to figure out exactly what kind of vibes this guy is putting out.”
She couldn’t help rolling her eyes. “You sound like my mom, talking about auras and crap. The guy isn’t putting out ‘vibes.’ I’m just acting like a basket-case.” She was even more annoyed with herself than she let on. She had firmly forbidden herself from talking about this with anyone, fearing that talking about it would make it seem more real. Now here she was spilling her guts.