Darkest Nyte Page 22

  The man strolled toward him, heedless of Rand’s stiffening stance. Unlike Nyte’s purposeful manner, this man seemed very laid back. Rand wanted to keep his distance, but he refused to retreat from the other’s advance. He would show no sign of weakness, yet neither would he strike out without provocation.

  "Rand, believe me, Lucinda has been safe all along. I never meant her any harm."

  An uncomfortable feeling stole through him at the fact the other man knew his name.

  "Then why did you kidnap her?" Rand growled.

  "That requires a lot of explanation." He smiled and gestured toward the house. "Come, let’s go inside where it’s warm and talk."

  Rand hesitated. The pendant digging into his palm reminded him that Lucinda had been outside the house, but that didn’t necessarily mean she had escaped. This was probably the only way he would ever get past the impenetrable barrier and get inside the house where this stranger might still be holding Lucinda prisoner. On the other hand, if she had escaped, this could be a trick to capture Rand and use him to lure Lucinda back.

  "This is no trap, Rand. Come inside and listen to what I have to say. You won’t be sorry."

  Rand stared at the green-eyed stranger, amazed at the aura of sincerity emanating from him.

  "An interesting choice of words," Rand said. Sorry is what he would be if he found himself imprisoned. "Why do you say that?"

  A blast of wind prickled his face with tiny crystals of snow and he shivered.

  "Because I know the questions that have been haunting you for centuries. And I have the answers."

  * * * *

  Lucinda was definitely warm now. In fact, she was in danger of becoming overheated, pressed intimately close to Nyte’s long, sexy body, his arms wrapped snugly around her. If she didn’t do something soon, her hormones would ignite again, and she didn’t have the energy for another round of lovemaking. It wouldn’t even help to suggest Nyte do all the work, because making love with Nyte demanded full participation.

  Getting a little fresh air would be a good idea. She could go for a walk on the beach. Or maybe she’d just flake on the couch and watch the ocean waves dance in the sunlight as she enjoyed a tall, cold drink.

  To do any of those things, however, she had to find the energy to get up.

  Nyte’s arms tightened fractionally in an affectionate hug.

  "Good morning," he murmured.

  She could feel his male member swell against her buttocks and she realized if she didn’t escape soon, she’d be held prisoner by her own desires.

  She shifted onto her back and started to sit up, until the blanket slid down her breasts, and she remembered she was totally naked. She snatched the cover back up before it revealed anything too embarrassing. Not that she should be embarrassed, but it was difficult to put aside three centuries of inhibited behavior.

  Although, a couple of hours ago she’d been pretty uninhibited. The memory of seducing Nyte crept through her, sending her body into a whirlwind of echoed responses. It had been exciting breaking down his resistance bit by bit. She would love to do it again, but somehow she doubted she’d find another opportunity where he would fight his desire for her as effectively.

  When she found herself thinking about suggesting it to him anyway, she realized it was definitely time to get up. Otherwise, just as he’d warned her earlier, she’d drain her strength. But before she could get up, she needed clothes. Even though he had touched every part of her in a very intimate exploration last night, she wasn’t quite ready to parade across the room nude.

  "Nyte, where are my clothes?"

  "They’re hanging by the fire to dry." He stroked his hand across her stomach, stirring the desire already simmering within her. "Why are you interested in clothes?" His hand continued upward until he cupped her breast. "They’ll only get in the way."

  Her nipple swelled in reaction to his touch. As wonderful as it felt, the heat of passion, combined with the heaviness of her fatigue and the warmth emanating from the fire, made her feel woozy. She covered his hand with hers and shifted it downwards.

  "I’m too hot."

  He leaned on his elbow and grinned at her. "Oh, I wouldn’t say that."

  He pressed his mouth to the base of her throat and started a journey downwards, the delicate brush of his lips acting like a powerful aphrodisiac. She sucked in a breath and captured his head between her hands before it reached her breast--and the point of no return.

  "I want to get up and stretch my legs. Maybe have a cold drink."

  He shifted his mouth to hers, kissing her with excruciating tenderness. The tip of his tongue teased the inside of her lips, and when he drew away, she nearly groaned with need.

  Smiling, he rolled back onto the pillows, folding his arms behind his head. "If you insist."

  Damnable man. He could be so persuasive--but she had to get up. She glanced toward the fireplace and saw her clothes draped along the hearth. Her red sweater, blue jeans, and her periwinkle blue bra and panties.

  But something was missing. Something important. Her hand fluttered to her neck. The silver dragon Rand had given her.

  "Where is my necklace?" She glanced across the surface of the dresser, but didn’t see it. She hoped Nyte had put it somewhere safe.

  "Necklace? You weren’t wearing one when I found you."

  She felt the blood drain from her face and she flattened her hand on the base of her throat, right where the pendant used to nestle.

  "Oh, no. It must have fallen off."

  He brushed some hair from her face and kissed her cheek. "Don’t worry, Lucinda, I’ll get you another one."

  She shifted her wide-eyed gaze to his. "No, you don’t understand. I need that one. It was a gift."

  And it meant a great deal to her. Just as Rand did.

  A fluttery feeling started in the base of her stomach. Rand had been with Nyte when he’d come searching for her. And she was certain Rand was in as much danger from Remlin as Nyte was.

  "Nyte, where is Rand?"

  Nyte drew away. Only a fraction, but enough to cause her a mild case of panic.

  "I don’t know."

  At his tight expression, she suddenly felt very cold. She drew the covers tighter around herself.

  "But he was with you when you came to find me. I saw you both outside Remlin’s house. Where did he go?"

  He linked his hand with hers.

  "Lucinda, when I found you, I had to act quickly. If I had taken one second too long, Remlin would have dragged you away again."

  Her stomach clenched and she drew her hand away as the meaning of his words sank in.

  "You left Rand behind? To face Remlin alone?" Apprehension angled through her at the thought of what might happen to Rand.

  "Remlin won’t hurt Randalph," Nyte said in a confident tone.

  She shook her head. "You can’t know that."

  "He has no reason to."

  Her fingers clutched tightly around the blanket. "What about revenge for ruining his plan? You and I both disappeared. Maybe he’ll decide to take out his anger on Rand?"

  "Lucinda, Remlin will not hurt Randalph." He leaned forward and took her hands. "Remlin is his uncle."

  Her eyes widened. "His uncle?"

  Rand had an uncle who was a mysterious wizard with superior magical ability?

  But if Remlin were related to anyone, it would more likely be Nyte. The two men looked strikingly similar.

  She remembered that Nyte had told her he and Rand had always been close, before the incident that had cost Nyte his memory. Could it be that Rand and Nyte were related? Then Remlin would be related to both of them.

  Could Remlin be Rand’s uncle and Nyte’s father?

  But, that didn’t make sense. If he were Nyte’s father, he wouldn’t have set out to hurt him.

  "If Remlin is Rand’s uncle, why hasn’t Rand ever mentioned him to me?"

  "He doesn’t know him."

  Rand had a phantom uncle he’d never met?

>   "But you know him? Why is that?"

  He sat forward and stared at her with an intense expression. "It’s a very complicated story, but maybe I should finally tell you about it."

  Apprehension quivered through her. Whatever he told her, she knew it would shake up her world in a big way.

  Fate seemed determined to inundate her with mysteries. As she felt the thrill of piqued curiosity encompass her, to her total surprise, she realized that might not be a bad thing after all.

  She squeezed his hands, anxious to hear what he had to say, but before he could speak, a gong sounded.

  "What was that?" she asked.

  His face turned grim and he nudged his head toward the foot of the bed. "Take a look."

  She swiveled her head and relief bolted through her as she saw Rand standing in the center of the room.

  "Rand!"

  Thank heavens he was safe. She almost leaped from the bed to throw her arms around him before she remembered she was totally naked under the covers. She pulled the blanket to her neck.

  Her face flushed, despite the covering. Her embarrassment shifted to annoyance.

  As relieved as she was to see Rand was all right, she didn’t like his new habit of dropping in on her when she was in bed with Nyte.

  Nyte curled his fingers around hers. "Lucinda, it’s only an image. He’s not really here, and he can’t see us."

  She squinted at Rand and noticed that he was fuzzy around the edges.

  "Nyte, I must speak with you," Rand--or rather the image of Rand--said. "Let me in."

  A haunting sadness had cast shadows beneath Rand’s eyes, and his cheeks were as pale as the snow white hair that billowed around his shoulders. Alarm skittered through her. She grasped Nyte’s arm. "He must be in danger. Let him in."

  He shook his head. "First, if I lift the barrier, even for a second, Remlin could kidnap you again. Second, Randalph does not have enough power on his own to project that image past my barrier. That means Remlin is helping him."

  She couldn’t shift her gaze from Rand. Why did he look so empty and bereft? What had happened to him?

  "Or it could mean that Remlin has captured Rand and this is his ransom note," she suggested.

  Nyte flicked his fingers toward the image of Rand and it disappeared.

  "I told you--"

  "I know. He’s his uncle. But haven’t you ever heard of dissension within a family?"

  He sighed. "If you only knew."

  Lucinda ignored the comment for now. "And if Rand and his uncle have never met before, Remlin may not feel any family loyalty to him at all. We’ve got to find out if Rand is okay."

  He drew his arm around her. "We? I’m not going to let you--"

  Lucinda glared at him, amazed at how quickly he could forget his promise not to control her.

  He raked his hand through his hair. "Let me rephrase that. It’s dangerous for you to leave here. I don’t know what Remlin wants, but until I do, I don’t want to give him the chance to kidnap you again."

  "But you won’t find out what he wants locked away here."

  Nyte tossed aside the covers. "Fine, I’ll go and find out."

  Fear for Nyte’s safety bolted through her and she grabbed his arm. "Wait, you can’t do that. Remlin wants to hurt you."

  He sat on the side of the bed and smiled at her. "Lucinda, you can’t have it both ways. Do you want me to find out what’s happened to Randalph or not?"

  She hesitated. "I think we should both go."

  "Not a good idea." He drew her hand into his and continued in a very persuasive tone. "Lucinda, I would do anything to protect you. Remlin knows that. Do you really want to give him that much power over me?"

  As his gaze held hers, she felt awash in his love. He would do anything to protect her. She knew that. It was the reason she had been so determined to escape Remlin in the first place. If Remlin captured the two of them, he could force Nyte to do whatever he wanted by threatening to hurt Lucinda if Nyte didn’t comply.

  She had to think of something else.

  "I guess it won’t work for me to go alone?" she asked.

  "Definitely not." He kissed her. "So, are we agreed? I’ll go and you’ll stay here?"

  She pursed her lips. "I don’t like it."

  He smiled. "I know. You’ve made that very clear."

  Her hand tightened around his. "I don’t want to be locked in this house again."

  "You won’t be. No one can get in unless I allow it, but you can get out any time you want." He tipped up her chin. "But you won’t leave. Right?"

  She hated the thought of sitting back and waiting while her man went to battle, so to speak. But what he said made sense.

  She sighed in resignation. "All right, I’ll stay here and wait."

  He stood up and conjured himself into some clothes then, with a glimmer in his eyes, he tugged the covers from Lucinda and dragged her into his arms. The textured pattern of his black wool sweater prickled against her bare breasts as his hand stroked the length of her spine. He tangled his fingers in her hair and brought her lips to his in a firm, passionate kiss, leaving her breathless.

  "When I get back," he murmured, "we’ll carry on from here."

  His lips turned up in a smile that would melt any woman’s resistance. Which was totally unnecessary, because Lucinda no longer had any resistance to Nyte’s brand of magic.

  The magic of love.

  * * * *

  Nyte teleported to Remlin’s house in the Arctic, this time clothing himself in a layer of warm air rather than a parka. The extra energy it cost would be worth the advantage in maneuverability. Not that he really believed Remlin meant him any harm, but he believed in being prepared. When he arrived, he sensed that the protective barrier around the dwelling had been dropped.

  An invitation to come in?

  A trap?

  Warily, he shifted himself into the house, appearing on the inside of the large front window.

  Remlin lounged on a plush recliner, his feet stretched out in front of him, a fine crystal flute filled with white wine in his hand. He placed the glass on the table beside him and his mouth turned up in a half smile. A smile Nyte had learned never to trust.

  "I was wondering when you’d arrive," Remlin said.

  At the sight of Remlin, old memories bubbled to the surface of Nyte’s mind. Good and bad.

  An image of a younger Remlin, a self-satisfied expression on his face after transporting the two of them to the rim of an active volcano, reminded him that most times with Remlin were both exhilarating and dangerous. They’d been grounded for a week after that incident, but Nyte had always enjoyed the rush of excitement Remlin provided. Remlin had a penchant for trouble, but he had been the cause of some of the best times of Nyte’s life.

  Nyte might long for the good times with Remlin, but at the same time, he couldn’t ignore the bad. Those negative incidents, which had impacted Nyte’s life so severely, threw a shadow over everything Remlin had ever shared with him. His gut tightened at the thought Remlin had nearly destroyed three people’s lives.

  "Why have you come back, Remlin? Haven’t you caused enough trouble?"

  Remlin pushed himself to his feet and strolled toward Nyte. "That’s why I’m here." He held his hands out at his sides in an open gesture. "I know you may find this hard to believe, but I want to apologize."

  "Apologize?" The word burst forth like a minor explosion. "After destroying everything I held dear?" Nyte slammed his fist on the wall. "You tore Clarissa from us."

  Remlin’s back stiffened slightly. "It was her decision to leave."

  "But she wouldn’t have if you hadn’t seduced her with visions of all the wonders you could show her, the places you could take her. She became dissatisfied with her life. We couldn’t compete with that and you knew it."

  His fist clenched so tightly he thought his fingers might break. "I could have survived her leaving, but you had to know it would break Randalph’s heart.

  Remlin�
��s shoulders slumped and he stared out the window at the frozen vista beyond. "I understand that now." He turned his gaze back to Nyte. "But I didn’t back then."

  Nyte grunted and turned away, a knot forming in his stomach at the thought of the pain they had all endured because of Remlin.

  "Nyte, I’m not here to justify my actions. I never meant for it to end the way it did. I meant to annoy you, and have a little fun--"

  Nyte pivoted toward him, his face twisted in a snarl. "Yes, Remlin the merrymaker. Having fun at everyone else’s expense." He glared at him. "This time you went way too far."

  "I told you, I’m not trying to excuse what I did. I’m trying to make amends." He stepped forward and placed his hand firmly on Nyte’s shoulder. "Nyte, let me right the wrong I caused so long ago."

  Right the wrong? Obviously, empty words to ease his conscience.

  "Can you bring back Clarissa?" Nyte growled.

  Remlin’s green eyes, uncharacteristically serious, stared into his. "Would you really want me to?"

  The quiet question crushed the air from Nyte’s lungs. Just what would he do if Clarissa returned to him now?

  He shoved Remlin’s hand from his shoulder and stepped toward the fireplace. "Then what do you have in mind?"

  "The real damage that was done--"

  "That you did," Nyte corrected.

  Remlin nodded. "Yes, that I did--was to destroy the relationship between you and Randalph. I’m here to help you and him patch things up."

  Nyte’s eyebrows shot up. "And how do you propose to do that?"

  "At this point, by encouraging you to talk to him."

  Nyte thumped his fist on the mantel. "I’ve tried that but he refuses to talk about it. He’s totally closed me out."

  Remlin leaned against the side of the couch. "Do you know he believes you killed Clarissa?"

  His heart compressed painfully at the reminder. "That’s what Lucinda told me."

  "But you don’t believe it, do you?"

  "No."

  After Lucinda had revealed what Randalph had told her, he had pretty much decided Randalph had made it up to convince Lucinda to turn away from him.

  Remlin’s green gaze bored into him. "Nyte, think about what happened right before Randalph showed up that night."