Pursued Read online

“I believe it,” Elise said quietly. “I believe you, Merrick. And if…when the bond is dissolved and we’re separated, if you still want me, well, I’m yours. I’ll tell James the wedding is off and I’ll stay with you. I—”

  But she couldn’t finish because Merrick had gathered him to her in a bear hug so tight she could hardly breathe.

  “You won’t be sorry,” he whispered in her ear. “Even without the bond, I’ll love you. Love you forever, baby.”

  “Oh, Merrick…” Elise felt tears squeezing from her eyes as she hugged him back, breathing in his wild, dark scent that made her feel so safe and comforted. “I love you too,” she whispered. “I love you, too.”

  * * * * *

  Merrick was having a nightmare—Elise was in some kind of danger and he couldn’t get to her. “I’m coming,” he told her over and over. “I’ll be right there, baby—I swear!” But it seemed as though someone had dipped his feet in lead and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t reach her.

  And then the voice began. “That’s right, come for her,” it hissed in his ear and even the sound of it caused him pain. Merrick looked down and saw wounds opening up on his chest and arms. Blood flowed in rivulets down his skin, exactly as if someone had sliced him with a knife. “Come to get her, Hybrid. Before it’s too late…”

  “You bastard!” Merrick struggled against the inertia of the dream. “Leave her alone. Take me if you have to, but leave Elise the fuck alone—”

  A piercing scream penetrated his dream and he sat up at once, reaching for the knife he always kept in his boot. “What the fuck?” He looked around, instantly alert, and saw Elise thrashing on the bed beside him.

  “Don’t,” she moaned. “Don’t let him have me! The Darkness…the Darkness that eats the Stars…”

  “Elise … Baby …” Merrick replaced the knife swiftly and scooped her into his arms. They were still on the low sleeping platform in the healing hut and someone—probably Mother-Healer—had covered them with a loose coverlet of yanyan leaves. “It’s all right,” he murmured, holding Elise close, comforting her as he had before on the Mother Ship. “Everything’s all right. I’m here.”

  Her eyes flew open and then squeezed shut again as she encircled his neck in a panicky hug. “Oh, Merrick! It was so bad…so awful.” The words came spilling out and she seemed helpless to stop them. “I dreamed he had me—he had me and he wouldn’t let me go. You were trying to get to me, but you couldn’t. And every word the man said…it cut you—like a knife. You were bleeding everywhere but you were still trying to get to me. I was so afraid for you…”

  The similarity in their dreams wasn’t lost on Merrick. “Shh, baby, shh, it’s all right,” he rumbled, stroking her shivering back gently. “But what man are you talking about? Who was cutting me with his words?”

  “I…I don’t know.” She pulled back, away from him, her brown eyes wet with tears. “The man with the silver eyes. He was so strange…handsome, but…but there was something wrong about him. Something missing. I can’t explain it any better than that.” She shook her head. “What does it mean?”

  “I don’t know.” Merrick rubbed a hand over his face and sighed wearily. “I’d like to say it’s only a dream, but we are in the center of the Deep Blue. Some people claim to have visions here.”

  “I had a dream like that once before.” Elise frowned. “Back when I was coming out of stasis, I think. It was so awful I blocked it out until now.” She shook her head. “Do you think it’s just one more thing escaping from the vault? Something else I made myself forget that’s coming back to haunt me now?”

  “I hope so.” Merrick frowned. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s it. It probably leaked from your mind to mine through the bond.”

  But inside, he wondered. He was careful to shield his thoughts from Elise but he vowed to himself that they would leave the Deep Blue tomorrow and fly back to the Mother ship as fast as possible. He wanted to have Elise somewhere safe, somewhere they could start their life together after the bond was dissolved. Somewhere he could protect her and love her forever.

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Elise wasn't the only one having bad dreams. Light years away, Xairn, twitched in his sleep, groaning softly as the vision tormented him yet again.

  "What's the matter, lover boy?" a woman's voice—a terribly familiar voice—whispered in his ear.

  In the dream, Xairn turned with a start, trying to find the source of the voice—the source of the danger. He was standing in a long, dark hallway and he could see nothing. Nothing at all.

  "Do you miss me?" whispered the soft, familiar voice and this time it sounded like she was right beside him. "Miss me like I miss you?"

  "Who are you?" Xairn demanded, looking around. "What do you want with me?"

  "Why, I want the same thing you want, of course." Suddenly, a slender feminine figure appeared, gliding toward him out of the darkness. She had pale blue skin and luminous pink eyes that seemed to take up most of her face. "What you've always wanted from me," she continued.

  "I don't want anything from you," Xairn protested. "I don't even know you."

  "Oh, I think you do." As she drew closer, she changed. Her skin turned from pale blue to lily white and her eyes got slightly smaller and tilted exotically. Instead of round pupils, she had slits like a cat and her hair was suddenly a writhing mass of tentacles. Leaning close, she put her face right up to his, her lips only inches from his own. "I think you want to fuck," she whispered, and Xairn felt her soft, cool hand cupping him, stroking him down below where he so desperately needed to be touched.

  But not by her—never by her. He wanted to push her hand away but in the timeless way of dreams, he found he was frozen to the spot. "Get away from me," he growled, glaring at her. "I don't know who or what you are but I already have a mate."

  For the first time, the dream woman seemed to lose her composure. "Ah yes, the lovely Lauren," she snarled. "The one you choose over all others. Except you haven't been choosing her lately, have you? You haven't touched her since I started sending you these dreams. It's too…unsettling, isn't it?"

  The soft hand cupping his cock tightened and the mystery woman began to change again.

  Xairn knew what was coming next but he still flinched when her skin turned from white to a creamy, light mocha and her hair became long and silky and black. Her eyes lost their exotic tilt as well as their slitted pupils and became a normal human shape. Their color, though, was anything but normal. They became a lovely, golden amber—a shade no one else but his mate, Lauren possessed.

  "Lauren," he whispered hoarsely.

  The female thing threw back its head and laughed. "Yes, I can be her for you. I can be Lauren." She was suddenly naked, the white, star-shaped birthmark between her breasts glimmering in the darkness. "I can be anyone you desire. Anyone…at all."

  "You're not really her. Leave me—go away!" he demanded but she only laughed and the hand on his cock began to stroke up and down in a sensual way his body couldn't help but react to.

  "Your sexual hunger makes you weak, Scourge," she whispered in his ear. "Weak and needy…"

  "No…no, please!" He twisted to get away from her but he was frozen, helpless…

  Suddenly a new hand was shaking his shoulder. "Xairn?" said a familiar voice. "Xairn, honey, are you okay?"

  ** * * * *

  Xairn sat up with a shout that scared Little One right off the bed. She whimpered and tucked her tail between her legs, huddling near the doorway in fear.

  Lauren climbed out of bed and soothed the frightened puppy before letting her out of the bedroom. Then she closed the door behind her and called for some soft lighting. The room lights obeyed her and she was able to see her man sitting up in bed, a wild look in his eyes.

  "Xairn?" she said gently, coming back to him. "Baby, are you okay?"

  "Yes…no." He shook his head. "I'm not certain. I just…I think I need some air."

  He started to get up but Lauren pushed him right back