Page 85 of Malice
A change in her breathing alerted me that all was not as serene as it appeared, though it wasn’t until she started talking to herself that I realized something was very wrong. The odd phrase here and there could be explained away, but she was holding an entire one-sided conversation.
“It’s a stressful time . . . I guess I could be persuaded . . . Mmm, Luc.”
That last one got my back up.Luc?
Tensing in my chair, I sent my shadow out from the corner where he’d been lurking and used him to jolt her out of whatever trance she was caught in. I held on to the connection with him, ensuring I’d miss nothing while summoning the power I’d need to teleport to her room.
Merri fell backward from the power of the shove but caught herself before she could make contact with the ground. Her eyes snapped open, a cross look on her face as she registered my shadow form. “Grim! What the hell was that for?”
She hadn’t even finished speaking before I materialized in front of my shadow, our twin visions momentarily superimposing before solidifying into one. Glowering down at her, I snarled, “Who the fuck is Luc?”
Merri blinked up at me, her nose wrinkling in confusion. “Huh?”
“You heard me. Now answer the fucking question.”
She got to her feet, cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “No.”
“What was that?” The way my palm itched to redden her arse for her defiance had me gritting out the words.
“I don’t want to tell you about my personal fantasies.”
The room dimmed as shadows burst out of me, the dark growl of my voice betraying exactly what I thought about her fantasizing about other men. “There are only four men you should be fantasizing about, wildflower. Luc isn’t one of them. Tell me.”
If she was impressed by my little display of power, she didn’t show it. Instead, she shrugged before sitting on her bed. “He’s just someone I dream about.”
A harsh laugh escaped me. “You dream about someone namedLucand didn’t think that was relevant information to share with the men protecting you?”
“He’s not real. He’s my subconscious.”
“You cannot possibly be that stupid.”
She reeled back as if I’d slapped her. “Excuse me?”
“What do you think Luc is short for, Merri?”
“Lucas?”
“Try again.”
“Lucian?”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “No, Merri. Lucifer. Luc is short forLucifer. You know, the creature scouring the earth for you. The one man who cannot find you, but will stop at nothing until he does. The one who wants to use you and your body to end the fucking world.”
There was not a doubt in my mind that I had the right of it. Chaos had taught me long ago true coincidence was rare to the point of nonexistence. The chances of Merri having innocent, totally unrelated to our current situation dreams about a man named Luc? Impossible.
She paled, mouth dropping open. “I... but... how could he find me in my dreams? He’s not an incubus.”
“I don’t know, but I also have no doubt he’s figured out a way. How long have you been dreaming of him?” Every word was like a punch to the gut. We’d failed her, and we hadn’t even known it.
“A few days after you took me.”
Blinding rage nearly swallowed me whole as a new, terrifying thought gripped me. “Has he fucked you in your dreams?”
“Wh-what? No! No, of course not.”
I glared at her, silently willing her to tell me the truth if she was trying to hide it from me.
“The only fucking that’s been happening is with you four. I swear.”
