Chapter Sixteen

Chapter 16

S elene raised her hands. "They're just scratches."

"I could have killed you."

"No, you wouldn't have," she said, though the look in his sleep-glazed eyes had been murderous when he'd pinned her to the mattress, roaring in his half-human form.

Gryph left the bed, grabbed trousers from the closet and slid his legs into them. By the time he returned, his face had changed completely back to his human form, worry and self-reproach etching lines into his forehead.

Selene sat up, letting the sheet fall down around her waist, exposing her breasts. "Please, Gryph, lie down. We can pick up where we left off before we went to sleep."

"Are you insane?" He ran his hand through his hair. "I almost killed you."

She shrugged, both breasts bobbing with the slight movement. "I'm okay."

"No, you're not." He scooped her into his arms, the sheet falling to the floor. "We're going to clean up those wounds before they get infected, then I'm taking you to your sisters."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her breasts to his chest. "I don't want to go to my sisters. I want to stay here with you."

"Tough. It's not up for discussion."

Selene, unused to flirting with men, tried her best interpretation of a vamp. "Can't we just stay here and make love? Or don't you want me?" She tightened her hold around his neck and nibbled the corner of his lip. "Please, Gryph. I mean it. I'm okay."

Without another word, he carried her to the bathroom, set her naked bottom on the cool granite countertop and rummaged in a cabinet for a first-aid kit.

When he advanced on her with a wet washcloth, she held up her hand. "I can take care of it myself."

He growled. "Move your hands."

For a moment, she contemplated defying him, but the stern hardness of his jaw told her he was in no mood to argue.

Selene tipped her chin up, exposing the long line of her neck.

Gryph gently applied the clean, damp cloth to her torn skin. Though it stung a little, it was the water trickling down her neck that captured her attention. It rolled across the swell of her breast to drip down the valley between, skirting past her belly button to be captured in her mound of curls.

Lust flared like a spark to dry kindling, sending her blood speeding through her veins. She captured his hand and dragged it, cloth and all, over her breasts and down the same path as the drop of water.

His nostrils flared, his hand gripping the cloth so tightly, his knuckles turned white. When she reached the juncture of her thighs, his hand stilled and his breathing grew more labored.

"I can't stop myself," he groaned through gritted teeth.

His words were like a cold slap in her face, a wake-up call to reality. "What did you say?"

"I don't want to hurt you again, but I can't make myself stop this insanity."

"You won't hurt me." Part of her wanted him to continue on and make mad, passionate love to her. The other side of her didn't want to admit what was happening.

"I...can't...control...the beast," he said, his hand moving lower. "Why can't I stop?"

"Because I want it." Pushing aside the nudge of guilt, Selene took the cloth from his fingers and set it aside, urging his hand to take the place of the fabric, to slide through the curls to the folds beneath.

Gryph closed his eyes, his hand cupping her sex, a single finger dipping into her warmth. "You tempt me, witch."

She knew she did more than that and couldn't bring herself to stop. Instead, she wrapped her legs around his waist, tightening to pull him closer, trapping his hand between them.

The hard ridge of his cock pushed against his knuckles, pressing his finger deeper. She lifted his other hand and laid it over her breast.

"This is wrong." He squeezed the flesh between his fingers. Once, twice, his finger pumped in and out of her. When his gaze shifted back to the scratches on her arm, his lips thinned.

Selene wanted him so badly it hurt her to realize she was manipulating him into making love to her. He obviously didn't want it to happen. Her mental push was forcing him into it.

What kind of witch was she? The cool, calculating, dark witch without a conscience?

No way.

With a great deal of effort, she tamped down her base urge to fall back into the bed with this man-beast.

As soon as she backed off her own longing, Gryph's finger left her channel and he unhooked her ankles from behind his back. "You need to clean those scratches yourself."

"Why?" Selene scooted off the counter and stood before him, fighting an inner battle to subdue her lust.

Gryph backed out of the bathroom. "I won't touch you again. I can't risk it. It's too dangerous."

"That's too bad. I was willing to take the risk." She reached up, sliding her body against his one last time.

His eyes glazed with desire.

Damn, she was doing it again. How could she get out of his head, if she couldn't get out of her own?

He captured her wrists in his big hands and held her away. "No, Selene. The risk isn't worth it."

"Maybe it is to me," she whispered, her cheeks heated, disappointment and sadness filling her. "Okay, then." When he let go of her, she let her arms fall to her sides. Pushing her shoulders back, she didn't try to hide her nakedness. If anything, she wanted him to see her, to know what he was giving up. "If we're done here, I have a job to do." With the ball only a day away, she had a dozen things to check on. It had to go off without a hitch or her reputation as a designer and clothier would take a huge hit.

His gaze raked over her. "I'll have my assistant bring you fresh clothing, and my driver can take you to whichever sister you want to stay with."

"Don't bother." She marched past him, purposely rubbing her hip against his thigh. "I can call a taxi."

"With the wolf out there, it's not safe. I insist," he said behind her.

Selene ignored him and snatched her clothing from the floor, where it had landed in their frenzy to get naked earlier. By focusing on her work, she was able to push her longing to the side, apply antiseptic and bandages to her wounds and dress in record time, knowing the sooner she left Gryph's apartment the better off both of them would be. When she was ready, she went in search of Gryph, stopping long enough to place a call to Aurai.

"Selene, where have you been?" Aurai demanded.

"It's a long story," she answered. "Could you pick me up?"

"Where?"

"At the GL Enterprises building."

A long pause met her request. "You were with him all night and half the day?"

Selene closed her eyes and counted to ten to maintain her patience. "Yes. Now, are you going to come get me, or do I need to call a cab?"

"We'll be there in ten minutes."

"We?" Selene gripped the phone harder. "What do you mean we ?"

The phone had gone dead. Great. The we Aurai mentioned could be another sister or all of them, and she wasn't ready to face her entire family. Not yet.

Selene wandered through the spacious apartment to the kitchen, where the scent of coffee filled the air, reviving her.

Gryph stood at the gas stove, wearing a crisp white, long-sleeved shirt and a tie, looking naturally gorgeous, vibrant and more distant than ever. "Do you like eggs?"

Saddened by his remoteness, Selene resisted pouting, something she never thought she'd do but wanted to at that point. "No, thank you. I'm not hungry."

"You haven't eaten anything in at least twenty-four hours." He sighed. "Look, I'm sorry I was so short with you. I just don't want to hurt you."

Bread popped out of a toaster on the counter. Selene's stomach rumbled despite her claim that she wasn't hungry. She decided it was foolish to refuse his offer. "I'll have a slice of toast, if you have enough."

Gryph's brows dipped, then smoothed. "Fine." He placed two pieces of toast on a small plate and set it on the bar. "Have a seat."

Selene settled on a cushioned bar stool and studied Gryph over a mug of coffee. "I'm sorry."

He glanced over his shoulder as he cracked eggs into a small skillet. "For what?"

"Pushing thoughts into your head."

"I'm beginning to recognize when you do that. And believe me when I say, it wasn't all you." He adjusted the heat on the stove and opened the refrigerator. "For your information, I didn't stop because you wanted me to stop. I stopped because I didn't want to hurt you again." He set a jar of strawberry preserves in front of her and stared into her eyes. "My desire to keep you unharmed trumped the desire to make love to you."

As much as she wanted to believe him, Selene couldn't. She feared her telepathic abilities were growing stronger each day.

He brought his eggs to the bar and sat beside her.

Selene chewed the toast dry, if for no other reason than to give her an excuse not to talk. She found herself wishing she wasn't a witch with the ability to influence others. Instead of choking down her food, they'd be rocking the bedsprings. Maybe. She wondered if Gryph truly found her desirable, not just because she planted the thought. Then there was his reluctance to hurt her.

"You think too much." The man of her thoughts took her plate of half-eaten toast, piled it on his empty plate and stood. "If you're ready, I'll take you to one of your sister's houses."

"I'm going back to my shop. I have work to do."

"I can't leave you there alone."

"It's still daylight and my shop can't remain closed forever. I'll lose customers and ultimately my business. Besides, I have a gala to prepare for and no one will attack me in broad daylight."

"You can't be certain."

"I'll take my chances. Besides, I need to arrange for someone to fix my door and locks."

His lips pressing together, he walked past her and laid the dirty dishes in the sink before facing her again. "At least inform your sisters."

"Done. Aurai's on her way. I won't need you to take me."

"Good. And I've already arranged to have your door repaired. The contractor will have a key there for you."

"Then we're done here," she said with finality. Hollowness settled in her belly as she headed for the elevator. Before she reached it, an alarm went off, the sound reverberating through Gryph's apartment. Her heart pounded as she glanced around for the source of the noise. "What's that?"

Gryph raced across the room and snatched the bell-shaped antique phone from the wall and pressed it to his ear. "What happened?"

Selene closed the distance between them, the worry on Gryph's face drawing her nearer.

"When?" He listened, his face growing tighter, grimmer. "I'm on my way." Gryph slammed the phone on its hook. "Jillian's missing."

"Little Jillian?" Selene ran after him. "I'm coming with you."

"Your sister will be here to pick you up. We don't need your help." He hit the switch on the wall, stripping out of his shirt as the door slid back. His chest bare, his hand on the top rail, he glanced back at her. "Go."

His words hit her in the gut, knocking the air from her lungs. Gryph started down the long spiral staircase leading down into the tunnels. He was gone, a little girl was missing and Selene stood staring at the empty staircase, her heart on its way into the bowels of the city with Gryph.

She stepped back and the panel started to slide over the opening. Before the hidden door could close, Selene jammed a fifteen-pound weight into the gap, bracing it open. She couldn't stand back and pretend she didn't care. Jillian was missing and Gryph needed all the help he could get to find her.

A buzzing sound penetrated her thoughts as she stepped over the threshold and onto the metal stairs. It jerked her back to the workout room. "Mr. Leone, you have guests," a voice called out.

Aurai.

Selene followed the sound to an intercom mounted on the wall, found the talk switch, poked it and said, "Send them down."

"I'm sorry, only Mr. Leone has authority to send people into his private quarters."

"Mr. Leone is otherwise occupied," Selene said. Then she closed her eyes and tried again. "You will send them down." This time, she focused on the guard's thoughts, wiping out his orders to defend the private sanctuary of his employer, replacing it with the order to allow the sisters to enter.

"Sending them down" was the guard's response.

Minutes later, the elevator doors opened and all four of her sisters piled out.

"What's going on?" Brigid asked.

"Where's Gryph?" Deme demanded.

"Why are you still here?" Aurai queried.

"Are you okay?" Gina placed a hand on Selene's arm.

Selene fought the urge to cry, knowing there wasn't time to give in to her emotions. "I don't have much time to explain, so listen carefully." She told them of the community of people living in the tunnels below the city and how Gryph had been raised among them. "He feels responsible for them and now one of the children has gone missing. We have to help."

Gina clapped her hands together. "Then let's go."

"How do we get down there?" Brigid asked.

"Follow me." Selene led them to the exercise room, where the panel remained open, jammed on the barbell.

Deme stepped over the weight and stood at the top, her hand on the rail, a frown denting her brow. "I remember the last time we went below."

"To save me from the Chimera." Aurai started to push past Deme. "If there's a little girl down there, lost in that maze of tunnels, we can't just stand around and talk about the past."

"Let me go first," Selene said. "I know the way to the Lair. We can spread out from there."

"Wait." Deme blocked the staircase. "We need a protection spell."

Selene shook her head, a sense of doom urging her to follow Gryph. "We don't have time."

"We make time," Deme insisted, her eyes narrowed. She reached out one hand to take Selene's and the other to take Aurai's.

She led off, the others chiming in on the chant they knew so well:

"Feel the power.

Free our hearts.

Find our way.

Be the one.

With the strength of the earth,

With the rising of the wind,

With the calm of the water,

With the intensity of fire,

With the freedom of spirit."

Deme, still holding tight to her sisters' hands continued, "Should evil dwell within this place, banish it with the power of earth."

She nodded toward Brigid.

Brigid picked up the chant. "Banish it with the power of fire."

She turned to Aurai, who said, "Banish it with the power of wind."

Aurai turned to Gina. "Banish it with the power of water."

All her sisters turned to Selene, who added, "Banish it with the power of spirit."

Together they ended with:

"So sayeth, so let it be.

The goddess is within us.

She is power.

We are her.

We are one.

Blessed be."

Once the chant ended, Selene plucked a flashlight from the charger on the wall. Each of her sisters grabbed one, as well. Then she descended into the darkness once again, a chill slithering down the length of her spine.

* * *

Gryph arrived at Balthazar's door, half transformed, his sense of smell and eyesight heightened, ready to do what it took to retrieve the child and bring her home safely.

Balthazar was waiting for him, holding a sheet of paper in his hand. "I don't understand."

"What don't you understand? Show me."

He held out the paper with a tear in the top of it. On it typed in block letters were the words "The days of the Lair are at an end."

"Who gave you this?" Gryph demanded.

"It was stuck to my door with these." Balthazar held up a small stuffed bunny and an elaborate knife with brushed silver scrollwork and an emerald set in the silver.

Gryph grabbed the bunny. "I gave this to Jillian."

Balthazar nodded, his old, lined face pale. "I know."

"Where's Jack?"

"With Mrs. Martin. He was beside himself and quite upset."

"What happened?"

"From what I gathered, they were playing hide-and-seek in the south tunnel when Jack heard Jillian scream, and then nothing. He ran to find her, but she was gone. He searched for a few minutes, calling out her name, hoping she was playing the game still. When she didn't respond, he came running back, straight to me. He was the one to find the note on my door."

"No one saw who put it there?"

Balthazar shook his head. "No. Most of the people of the Lair were inside their homes or gone to the surface for food or to work."

"Someone was bold enough to stick that on your door during daytime hours?" Gryph shook his head. "It has to be someone amongst us. Someone we all know for him to slip in like that."

"No one saw anything."

"Where's Jack now?"

"He wanted to go back out and search for his sister, but I have Mrs. Martin keeping a tight leash on him. It's bad enough one of them is missing."

Gryph nodded. "Who else knows?"

"I haven't alerted the rest of the folks of the Lair. I wanted your take on it. When they realize there is a traitor among us, no one will feel safe again. At the same time, the longer we wait to find Jillian's abductor, the less chance we'll be successful."

"I'm here, now. We need volunteers to search the tunnels."

"There aren't enough folks around."

"Then we bring in more."

"You know the rules."

"Look, rules were meant to be broken and finding Jillian is the best reason I can think of." He glanced back the way he'd come. "I'm going for help. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Hurry."

To move quicker, Gryph changed into lion form and sped back to the staircase leading up into his apartment. Halfway up, he spied a beam from a flashlight. He slowed his ascent and willed his change back halfway to human, all in a matter of seconds. His trousers shredded and his shoes were lost in the tunnel. Barefoot, he continued upward to meet the person with the flashlight coming down.

Even before he saw her, he knew it was Selene. When she spotted him, she stopped, her eyes widening. "I couldn't stand by and do nothing. And I brought—"

"Us." Brigid leaned over Selene's shoulder. "If you'd told me I'd come willingly back into the tunnels yesterday, I'd have called you a big fat liar and singed you with a fireball."

Gryph's gaze captured Selene's. "I'm glad you came."

Selene touched his arm. "We came to help."

Gryph smiled. "I was coming to ask you if there was some spell you could use to help find her."

Selene nodded. "I might be able to help you with that."

"Can you sense her thoughts?"

"Selene found a child lost in a big department store once," Aurai offered.

Gryph took Selene's hand. "Do you think you can find Jillian?"

"All we can do is try." She glanced over her shoulder at her sisters on the stairs above. "Do you mind if my sisters know about..."

"The Lair?" He shook his head. "I've always trusted my instincts and they're telling me to trust you and your sisters."

Deme added, "The most important thing right now is to find the child."

"Come." Gryph led the way to the Lair.

A small crowd gathered around Balthazar's home.

Gryph introduced the sisters and explained, "They're here to help find Jillian."

A pale woman with jet-black hair and a streak of white at her temple shook her fist. "We don't need surface dwellers helping us."

Gryph raised his hand. "Please, Layla, give them a chance. They have special talents we hope will help us find Jillian faster."

"Please, bring back Jillian." Mrs. Martin sobbed, holding Jack against her side.

The boy's eyes were red-rimmed and his bottom lip trembled. "He took her and I couldn't save her."

Gryph bent to eye level with Jack. "Did you see him?"

Jack shook his head. "No, but I think I heard something. I should have stopped him." Tears trickled down the boy's face.

Selene kneeled beside him, her resolve strengthening. "We'll get her back."

Jack flung his arms around her neck and cried—his tears, his fear and images of dark tunnels flitted through Selene's mind.

When Jack had calmed, Selene handed him over to Mrs. Martin and stood back.

Gryph took charge, assigning certain tunnels to the few able-bodied adult inhabitants who were available and sent them on their way.

Then he turned to Selene and her sisters. "What can I do to help?"

"I'll need something of Jillian's," Selene answered.

He pulled a stuffed bunny from his back pocket and handed it to her. "This is her favorite toy."

Selene held it in her hand and closed her eyes. Images filled her mind of a happy Jillian holding the stuffed animal, having tea with it and sleeping peacefully in her bed, the bunny tucked under her arm.

"Sisters," Selene declared.

All four of her sisters gathered close, reaching out to touch her. Then together, they chanted:

"Goddess of the sun, earth and the moon,

Show us the way to bring the lost home.

So we pray, so mote it be.

With the strength of the earth,

With the rising of the wind,

With the calm of the water,

With the intensity of fire,

With the freedom of spirit,

Blessed be."

Her sisters dropped hands and stepped away from Selene, watching for her next move.

At first, she balked, her mind a blank, nothing surfacing to tell her where to find the girl. A jolt of fear made her close her eyes again and focus. She couldn't fall apart now. Not when a little girl needed her.

Selene clutched the bunny, absorbing the aura of the girl still clinging to the fake fur. An image flitted across her consciousness, one of crumbling walls and dust choking the already dark tunnels. Something was banging, hammering, pounding.

Selene raised her hands to her ears, the pounding beating against her eardrums.

Gryph touched her arm. "What is it?"

"The noise," she whispered. "It's loud, it's loud like a jackhammer, beating against concrete and the dust—" She coughed, trying to clear her lungs. "So dark. Alone. Rocks falling around my feet." Then a hand reached out of the darkness, a pale hand with a light coat of fur covered in a dust.

Help me , a tiny voice cried, the sound reverberating with the pounding in her head.

Selene reached out to take the hand, but it popped out of sight like a balloon with a pin stuck into it.

She opened her eyes and stared down, expecting to see the rocks, hoping to see the hand, but all she saw were her tennis shoes and jeans. Not the choking, dusty darkness or the girl.

Hurry. The whisper of a voice raised gooseflesh on her skin. "Hurry," Selene echoed. "We have to hurry."

"Which way?" Deme asked.

Selene didn't answer, her feet already moving, carrying her where, she didn't know. All she did know was that Jillian was in danger, the walls around her crumbling. If they didn't reach her soon, she'd be buried alive.