?You are a minx.? Bram sighed.
His toe kept tapping, which told Sydney that his mind had already reached the right conclusion, but his pride simply wasn?t allowing him to utter the words. Wisely, she stayed silent.
Finally, he conceded. ?Very well. But there are rules.?
?Indeed??
?If you want to stay alive, you must behave as if you?re delivering the book to him because as you researched your articles, you agreed with his message of equality.?
?Easy enough.? And most likely the only tactic that would allow her to escape in one piece.
?You don?t go alone.?
Sydney thrust a hand on her hip. ?I?d prefer not to. But who can I take without arousing his suspicion??
A moment of silent thought passed before all eyes in the room drifted to the warrior in leather with the very bad attitude.
Shock bristled. ?I?m not here to babysit.?
?Too bad.? Bram?s tone was unequivocal. ?You tell Mathias that you met her through Zain and that you persuaded her to come with you to give him the book. Tell him that you promised her protection in exchange for the diary and some positive press. This buys you credibility and Sydney?s freedom. And a way to ?accidentally? leave the protections around his base open.?
?You want me to escort her in, keep the trail to his compound cracked for you to enter, then leave?? Shock exploded.
?You want me to deliver the book into a madman?s hands and walk away?? she asked.
?Yes and yes.? Bram crossed his arms over his chest.
?I?ll take Shock?s protection. But your plan has two flaws: first, it keeps the book in Mathias?s hands.?
?Not at all. If you make him take it from you instead of handing it over, it will return to you. If you give the book to him, then it may remain. We don?t know for certain. Simply use that wit of yours and make him filch it. As soon as you leave, so will the book.?
Clever. Quite clever. Bram was more intelligent than she?d thought. ?Fine. But there?s still flaw number two: I refuse to help you unless you allow me to capture video so I can later transcast proof of Mathias?s return to magickind. Do you have a small camera??
?Do you know what you?re asking of me??
?Indeed. You also know it?s the right thing to do. Man up.?
Bram hesitated, then sighed. ?Well, fuck. There goes my Council seat.?
The following morning as the sun rose, Caden burst into the bedroom Sabelle had assigned Sydney and crossed his arms over his chest. ?It?s one thing to talk about transcasting, but to meet with Mathias? No. You are not going.?
The words rang with authority, but his gaze wandered. Good God, what was she wearing? Or rather, what wasn?t she wearing? Having barged in before she was dressed, he stared at her body clad only in her bra and very tiny knickers. With effort, he dragged his stare to her face, squaring his shoulders with determination. He?d come to save her from a fatal mistake, not gawk.
But Sydney taunted him, making a great show of adjusting her bra, flashing a bit of creamy breast. One strap fell off her shoulder, and she lifted it in place with a coy smile.
Caden swallowed. He would not let her lead him around by his cock. He simply was not going to?bloody hell, her lacy knickers were actually a thong! When she bent over to don a pair of socks, the sight of her bare backside and graceful legs stopped all thought. Sydney followed up with a sly look over her shoulder.
?Actually, it?s none of your business.? She shoved her shirt over her head and reached for her jeans.
That snapped him out of his trance. ?By God, woman, it is. Bram tasked me with returning the book to him and shutting you up. I?ve managed the first. And I will make good on the second today. No joining this attack and no transcasting.?
?Bram and I have changed your plans.? She shrugged. ?Sorry.?
She fastened her jeans, grabbed her trainers, and tried to slide by him. Caden grabbed her and pulled her near. God, it felt good to hold her. She was addicting, especially when she glanced up at him, lips pursed and glossy and right there beneath him.
?Did you want something??
To take that mouth and make it his in every way known to human and magickind. To make certain that she understood precisely who she belonged to.
?Spit it out or let me go.?
If only it were that simple. ?It is my business.?
?Based on??
He tightened his jaw. Since he hadn?t finished speaking the Mating Call, he had no basis; they both knew it. His head knew that he had no claim on her?unless he wanted to be roped into magic and put her in deeper danger. His body, pride, and heart, however, weren?t prepared to give up. How had one fiery woman stolen into his life and turned his world completely topsy-turvy in scarcely more than a week?
Finally, he murmured, ?I care about you.?
?Really?? Something really angry came across her face.?Prove it, then. Kiss me.?
Her words were like petrol on a roaring fire. She had no idea how badly he craved to know the taste of her.
Last night, after hours spent searching for Anka and righting his brother?s house so he could move Lucan there, Caden had stopped by a pub in which he?d been fortunate to find temporary female companionship in the past. As before, he?d received inviting glances and even two promising offers. The only thing he?d been able to muster enthusiasm for was another ale. Sydney had so invaded his mind and heart, there wasn?t room for anyone else.
But that didn?t change their situation.
?Sydney. I can?t,? he said with regret.
?You won?t. Just like you won?t finish speaking those words to me that you began in the library.?
He froze. Someone had explained magical mating to her. And she was clearly furious.
Frustration boiled over, blending with pain, uncertainty, fear for her, and the goddamned longing he couldn?t seem to shake.
?You?re right,? he growled. ?I won?t put you in danger, which is exactly where you?ll be if I let you join this attack. Same if I mate with you. I can?t drag either of us deeper into this magical muck.?
?Why not??
?What if Mathias takes you? What if something happens and I lose you? I just . . . can?t.?
He expected her anger, but was surprised when her face softened. ?What happened??
?Happened??
?To make you distrust magic? You didn?t choose a human path without reason. You haven?t avoided helping magickind and their cause because you fear battle. You?ve hardly avoided women and relationships in your past, but you?ve avoided me because you suspect I?m your magical mate. So what tragedy made you afraid??
Caden froze, paralyzed. He shouldn?t be stunned that Sydney had figured that out, but shock thrummed through his system. Mind racing, he wondered what the devil to say. She deserved answers, but opening up the wound Westin?s death had left inside him would solve nothing.
?Leave the past in the past. Please.?
Something sad settled into her expression as she dragged a brush through her hair and braided it. ?Bury your head in the sand, then. I can?t. We?d best go downstairs now. They?re waiting.?
?Move, whelp,? Shock said suddenly from behind him, then motioned toward Sydney. ?Ready??
She moved toward Shock and sent Caden one last resolute expression that chilled him to the core. ?Ready.?
Fog hung in eerie patches as Caden assembled with Sydney and the Doomsday Brethren outside. Dressed head to toe in battle gear and dripping enough weapons to make a third-world dictator salivate, he approached Sydney, who held the Doomsday Diary and stood close to Shock. She looked to Caden for comfort, but to the leather-clad warrior for protection. The thought stung his pride.
?Everyone knows their assignment, right?? Bram said more than asked.
?Aye.? Marrok loaded a wicked Glock with a smile, his sword hanging at his side.
?Got it.? Ice looked as if he was looking forward to this. Then again, given the fact Mathias had brutally murdered his sister nearly two hundred years ago, he probably was.
?Can?t wait.? Tynan was all business, but his eyes glowed with pleasure.
?Ready.? Duke managed to look like a cover model even in clothes meant for stealth and a pair of guns slung low on his hips.
?And I?m with the skirt,? Shock groused.
?She?s not a ?skirt,? ? Caden snapped. ?She?s a very worthy female, and you?re crawling on my last nerve.?
Shock responded with an obnoxious finger gesture.
?Why are you here?? Bram asked.
?I?m coming along,? Caden said, strapping a blade to this thigh and securing the clip in his S & W.
?Why??
What the hell? ?Does it matter??
?It does. Every one of the warriors here has a vested interest in our success, except you. You?re thinking with your cock and only joining us to protect the woman you don?t have the balls to claim. Admit it.?
Bram simply didn?t understand. Then again, if Sydney hadn?t convinced Bram and the others to let her go, Caden wouldn?t have been as committed to today?s attack. Not because he was against it or afraid. Any hint of joining the group, and he could find himself permanently entangled in magic and losing people like Duke, who he?d come to admire. But this once, Sydney had boxed him into a corner.
?I?ve got your six,? Caden insisted.
?Even though you don?t give a shit about this mission and won?t join us, we?re expected to accept that you?ll protect us with your life??
Bram?s question was fair. In his position, Caden would ask the same things. His respect for the group?s leader notched up.
?You, Shock, and the rest are protecting Sydney. So yes, I care.? He looked right at her, dwarfed by Shock standing beside her. ?I?ll give my life for hers?and anyone protecting her.?
Tears collected in the corners of Sydney?s eyes before she looked away. Bloody hell, he hated the distance between them.
Finally, Bram nodded. ?We need all the warriors we can get. I?ll provide you a wand. Practice would have been advisable, but under the circumstances, your instinct will have to do.?
?I don?t want a wand,? Caden insisted, chafing at the thought of magic. ?The Marines taught me everything I need to know.?
Bram rubbed his forehead. ?Fine. Your knowledge of explosives will be helpful. Let?s review the plan. Not a word of objection, understood?? At Caden?s reluctant nod, he went on. ?Shock says the gift of hypnosis runs in his family. He will put Sydney into a trance . . .?
Sydney came to at the sound of a snap. She blinked once, twice, her fuzzy vision coming into focus. Then she looked up into the dark lenses of Shock?s sunglasses. As always, his face told her nothing, and she still wasn?t sure she trusted him. She clutched the book tighter.
Around her, she was aware of tall ceilings, hard floors, relatively bare walls. She glanced around. Through a partition door, she could see this warehouse had been transformed into a trendy industrial loft. Inside the makeshift office sat a black leather sofa and glass tables. The partition walls hid the rest of the space, but she could hear shuffles and grunts beyond. This was Mathias?s lair?
?Welcome.? A smooth, cultured voice snagged her attention.
Glancing to her right, Sydney took in its source. Stared, really. The bloke was gorgeous. Dark hair threaded with streaks of golden brown lay in loose waves around his neck, nearly to his bulging shoulders. He wore a tight black T-shirt that hugged every ripped bulge of his biceps, chest, and abdominals. A sexual animal in his prime with enough magnetism for ten men. Sydney sucked in a breath.
Exotic cheekbones framed a lush mouth, smiling widely. His pale blue eyes, rimmed with heavy black lashes, grabbed attention, at first for their utter beauty. But when she looked again, she saw the eyes revealed the cruelty of Jack the Ripper and Hitler combined. They chilled her.
Sharp expression, glittering eyes, carefully controlled upturning of lips, he compelled and repelled at once. Maybe she?d been listening to Aquarius too long. She couldn?t see this man?s aura, but she felt it. Calculating, soulless. Evil.
Self-preservation kicked in. She played her rehearsed part. ?Thank you.?
?I?m Mathias.? He held out his hand.
Knowing the crimes he had committed, certain he was capable of far worse, Sydney was loathe to take it, but maintaining the charade was critical. She shook his hand, scorched by the fire that burned across her palm, up her arm. She pulled back quickly, resisting the urge to rub her offended skin.
?Would you care to sit?? He gestured to the sofa behind Shock.
She glanced at Shock out of the corner of her eye. He gave her an imperceptible nod.
?Certainly.? Sydney clutched the book tighter as they sat on the black leather grouping. As she settled onto the cushion, she pressed the play button on Bram?s tiny video recorder, which was hidden in a pocket on the outside of her handbag with a little hole cut to accommodate the lens, which she pointed right at Mathias.
Gotcha! She thought. Let?s see what we can get this bastard to admit to on film.
?Shock has told me about you. Anyone who brings the Doomsday Diary to me is to be rewarded.?
?I-I stumbled across it in my research. Actually, a stranger gave it to me after my first article printed. But after hearing of your quest for equality among magickind, I thought it might be best in your hands.? And she nearly choked on those words.
?In that case, why don?t you give it to me now??
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
GIVE IT TO HIM NOW? Caden watched Mathias commanding Sydney through a crack in the warehouse?s window.
Earlier, Shock had snuck them all past Mathias?s security spells, which didn?t surprise him. Getting out in one piece was another matter altogether.