Unraveling Darkness Read online

  I frowned at it, but Isaac nodded. “A tracker.”

  Devlin opened the box and picked out what appeared to be a flesh colored circle, mere millimeters in diameter. He dropped the tracker into his palm then held it out for us to see. “The best available. It presses against the skin and embeds itself, like a tick, but without the blood. It’s almost unnoticeable to the wearer—especially if you get it into a fold of skin, like under the arm, or in the hairline. Unlike normal trackers which might go in a phone, or on a car, something that can be dumped by the person you’re trying to track, this will be on the person at all times.”

  Isaac inspected it, frowning. “And you think Hollan will lead us to where he’s keeping the memory stick?”

  Devlin nodded. “That’s the plan.”

  “We’d need to get close to him,” Clay said.

  Devlin closed his palm around the tracker and dropped it back into the small box it came in. “I’m aware of that.”

  Clay pushed his hand through his hair and straightened. “That’s going to be dangerous.”

  “Is that a problem?” Devlin said, setting the box back down on the desk.

  Clay scowled. “No, sir.”

  I hated standing there, feeling useless. I was still hurt from the guys not standing up for me, and now I had to listen to the danger they were going to put themselves in. What if something happened to them when I wasn’t there? What if they left, and one or more of them got killed, and it was the last time I ever saw them?

  “We leave in the morning?” Isaac asked.

  “That’s right.” Devlin turned away, as though the conversation was already over.

  “I should go, too,” I blurted, not giving up just yet.

  He faced me, his blue eyes cold. “We made our agreement. I told you what you wanted, now it’s your turn to behave yourself.”

  He turned away again, not giving me the courtesy of even looking at me while I had the chance to reply. None of the others told him not to talk to me like that—not that I was expecting them to. I felt like I’d been dismissed like a child, and shame flooded over me. I didn’t want to be there, with the guys all knowing they were leaving in the morning on their mission and with me deemed as not being good enough. It was humiliating, and I hated it, and I only wanted to go and hide.

  I spun away, pushing past them.

  “Hey, sugar,” Clay called, but I didn’t even raise my head to look at him. Tears threatened, and I didn’t want any of them to see, but especially not Devlin and Isaac. They were as bad as each other.

  Ignoring everyone, I rushed to the elevator and slammed my hand against the button that would take me down to the floor where the bedroom I had been told I could stay in was located. The elevator felt as though it took forever to arrive, each second that passed only causing my mortification to deepen. What I really wanted was for the guys to tell Devlin they weren’t going anywhere without me, but their silence had gone on too long, and however much I wished it would happen, it was only a fantasy. The doors finally opened, and I jumped inside, not even turning back around to face the front of the elevator. I couldn’t stand to see any of their faces as the doors slid shut and I gave into the burgeoning storm of tears. Blindly, I stabbed my finger at the keypad, hitting the button for the floor which housed all the bedrooms.

  An overwhelmingly childlike desire to be home swept over me. I longed to be able to cry in my own bed, to bury my face in my own pillow, and inhale the comforting scent of home. But I knew that was never going to happen, so instead my thoughts went to my aunt, still sleeping, I assumed.

  A part of me wanted to go and cry on Aunt Sarah’s shoulder, but I knew she’d tell me she’d been right all along.

  Chapter Sixteen

  I found the room I’d been allocated and burst into it, throwing the door shut behind me with a bang. The space was cold and impersonal, and again I longed for my own bedroom at home. I wished there was something more I could have done or said to make them see me as more than just some girl. At least when I’d had the code, I’d been something special. Now I was a no one.

  You should have told them about your synesthesia, a little voice whispered in my head. Then they’d have taken you seriously.

  Would they, though? What use was it, really, other than making me good at remembering numbers and dates?

  A gentle knock came at the door, and it opened before I had the chance to say to either come in or go away. I didn’t know how I felt at that moment—filled with impotent rage, knowing I wanted to do something, but finding the wall I came up against to be steep and impenetrable.

  Kingsley’s face appeared through the crack then he stepped fully into the room. “Hey,” he said, his brows pulled down in concern.

  Using my sleeve, I wiped at my face. “Hey.”

  I hated that I’d been crying, though the tears had been from frustration and anger more than anything else.

  He gestured to the bed. “Mind if I sit down a minute?”

  I didn’t want to be pleased that he’d come down to see if I was okay, but I was. I wanted to still be mad at him and tell him to go away, but these were crazy times, and deep down I was happy to see him.

  I shrugged. “Why the hell not? It’s not as though this is even my bed.” I lifted my hands. “None of this is mine, or under any of my control. You can do whatever you like.” I dropped my hands in helplessness.

  His weight depressed the mattress as Kingsley sat beside me. He reached out and took my hand between his two, far larger ones, pressing my fingers between the warmth of his palms. “You know we never meant for you to feel that way.”

  I lifted my eyebrows, but I didn’t pull my hand away. I wouldn’t say it out loud, but having him here did make me feel better. “No? You guys kidnapped me and locked me in a cellar for three days. It feels like everything that’s been done has been to take away my control.”

  “This will all be over just as soon as we get our hands on that memory stick and use your code.”

  “And what happens to Hollan?”

  “Don’t worry about him. He’ll be taken care of.” The tone of his deep voice suggested he wouldn’t be taken care of in a good way.

  “And I’m just supposed to hang out here like a good little girl and wait for it all to be done for me?” I wanted to bite down on my bitterness, but it oozed from every word like resin.

  He twisted on the bed to fully face me. “Shouldn’t that be a good thing? Aren’t you sick of running and fighting?”

  I shook my head. “Are you?”

  “This is all I know. I was raised for this.”

  I caught his deep brown gaze, staring into his eyes to try to get across how earnest I was. “In a way, so was I. My father knew who I was, every detail about me.” I was thinking about my synesthesia and how he’d chosen me to tell about the code. “He trusted me. Leaving it to others makes me feel as though I’ve failed him.”

  A hint of a sad smile tugged at his full lips. “No, Darcy. You could never have failed him. You’re smart, and brave, and ridiculously beautiful. You remembered the code, despite everything. You could never have failed him.”

  As Kingsley spoke, he moved closer, the inches between us on the bed vanishing. The atmosphere between us changed, and my breath stuttered in my chest. I sniffed, feeling as though I was looking far from my best, but the action only caused Kingsley’s dark eyes to soften.

  He lifted his hand, releasing mine, and placed his fingers to my cheek. “I meant it when I said you’re crazy beautiful, Darcy. I know this isn’t a perfect situation, but you have to know that I, or any of the guys, would be crushed if anything were to happen to you. It’s only been a week, but you’ve gotten under our skin. All of us. I see how the others look at you, too. You don’t need to be a shrink to see they care.”

  I gave a small laugh and pressed my cheek deeper into the warm cup of his palm. “Even Isaac?”

  “Yeah, even Isaac. I know he’s not the easiest of people to get on with, but he
means well.”

  I lifted my hand to cover the back of his. “And what about you, Kingsley? Do you care, too?”

  “You know I do. I don’t need to say it. You can see it in the way I look at you.”

  He was right. The depths of his eyes held something deeper, and my heart fluttered in my chest. Kingsley was big and intimidating, at first glance, but I thought perhaps he was the softest of all the guys. He was the first to have shown me any kindness back in the cellar, and with the thought came the memory of how his hands had felt massaging my back, and my nipples tightened in response. I’d masturbated after that massage, imagining how it would feel to be with someone as huge as Kingsley, and right now, from the way he was looking at me so intently, I thought he was wondering how it would be for us, too.

  I inched closer, my lips parting, and I pulled his hand away from my face and kissed his fingertips instead.

  “Darcy ...” His voice was hoarse.

  “It’s okay,” I encouraged.

  And it was. It felt right. Kingsley had looked into my mind, he’d protected me when I’d needed it, had healed me with his touch. Now I wanted more, and so did he.

  He pulled his hand from my grip, and his mouth replaced his fingertips, his full lips warm and firm against mine. My hand snaked around the back of his head, my fingers digging into his tight, coarse curls. Our lips parted, tongues sneaking out to touch. The moment they did, the kiss grew deeper, and excitement pulsed through me. His tongue pushed more fully into my mouth, flicking across my teeth, and I kissed back with equal force.

  My breathing came faster, and I pushed forward, all but crawling into his lap. He grabbed the backs of my thighs and pulled me onto him, so my legs looped around his hips and I found myself straddling him. His hands dug into my hair as our kiss deepened further, his tongue pushing into my mouth, and mine finding his. His hips lifted, and I ground down, feeling the length of his cock press against my pussy, the material of our clothing keeping us separate. I felt his frustration at us still being clothed, but I didn’t think it would stay that way for long. His biceps closed me in, bunched muscle containing huge strength. He could probably crush me in those arms, but he was the gentlest of them all, his touch seeking my acceptance at every level.

  My hands slipped down his neck and across the muscles of his back. I didn’t want his shirt in the way, and when I reached the bottom, I shoved my hands under, eager to make contact with his skin. Despite the hardness of him, his skin was impossibly soft, contrasting against the hardness of muscle beneath. Like a blind man, I traced every inch of the skin of his back, but I wanted to see more of him. I pulled away a fraction, creating space between us, and my fingers fumbled to the buttons of his shirt, trying to unfasten them with a haste that made me clumsy.

  I finally managed to unhook each button from its hole, and I pushed the material from his broad shoulders, allowing it to fall onto the bed behind us.

  He was built like something I’d only ever seen on television in some kind of superhero movie. How was it possible for him to have a body like this, and not spend every second in the gym? Sure, I’d noticed he’d needed more food than the others, but the man was like a work of art. His chest was smooth and free from hair, his skin glued to the squared blocks of his abs. His navel dipped down, and a line of tight black curls led beneath the waistband of his pants.

  Kingsley wasn’t interested in my admiration of his body. He was far too busy peeling off my t-shirt, dipping his mouth to the hollow of my collarbone and tracing it with his tongue.

  “God, Darcy,” he murmured. “You’re so damned beautiful.”

  “So are you,” I said truthfully.

  His hands went to my back to flick open my bra. The underwear loosened around my shoulders, and he peeled it away, freeing my breasts. He looked down at me, his dark eyes hungry with desire. He ducked down, leaning me back, supporting my weight with his strength. His mouth closed around one nipple and he pulled it into his mouth, rolling the tightened bud with his tongue. The action drove me crazy, and I moaned, shoving my hips against him, seeking more.

  He held me easily at my back with one hand, while his other hand reached to my pants. Deft fingers popped the button, and he slid his big hand down the front of my jeans and into my panties. The space was tight, but he managed to angle his hand so it cupped my pussy beautifully. He’d already watched Isaac do this to me. I guessed he figured now was his turn.

  His fingers slid me open while his mouth continued to work on one nipple before moving onto the other, his teeth teasing me into two hardened peaks. My breathing came fast, and he moved his finger in a ‘come-hither’ gesture, pushing inside me.

  “Oh, God,” I gasped, pulling back up toward him to decrease the space between my breasts and his chest, “that feels so good.”

  He lifted his face from my breast and we kissed again, a flurry of hungry mouths. I ground down on his hand while I was still seated in his lap. Then I reached for him, feeling the hard ridge down the front of his pants. I wasn’t as coordinated as he was, and yanked at his belt then fumbled with the button until he used his other hand—the one that wasn’t inside my pants—to undo himself.

  I caught his cock in my hand the moment he came free. He was so big, my fingers not even meeting around his girth. “Holy shit.”

  I pumped his length a couple of times, both marveling at his size and trying not to be a little intimidated by it. My strokes along his erection caused a groan to issue from between his lips, and I loved hearing him make that sound.

  “It’s okay.” His breath was hot against my ear. “I can make it easier for you.”

  He slipped his hand from my panties and flipped me onto my back on the bed. Then he grabbed the ankles of my jeans, yanking them from my hips, together with my underwear, and throwing them to the floor.

  I half sat up, propping myself on my elbow. “Wait,” I said. “Check the back pocket of my jeans. There’s something I think we’re going to need.”

  Kingsley gave me a curious glance, and then reached back down to the floor and hooked my jeans up. He checked the pockets and found the condoms Alex had given me earlier. He held them up like a prize then dropped the jeans back to the floor.

  I was naked in front of Kingsley. Utterly naked. He placed the condoms down on the night stand then stood at the edge of the bed and shucked his pants from his hips, and undid the rest of his shirt, leaving him as naked as I was.

  Fucking hell. He was magnificent. The chocolate brown of his skin shone with sweat, highlighting his muscles. His body was relatively free from hair, except for that small buzz down to the thatch around his cock. The bed dipped as he climbed onto it. His big body eclipsed me, and he lifted my feet and wrapped them around the back of his head. Then he dropped down, his face between my thighs, and his mouth met with my hidden folds. He licked me from the base right to the top, and I gasped as his tongue curled around my clit, before dipping back down again. I arched against him, a moan crawling from my throat. God, that felt incredible.

  He made me soaking wet, from my own arousal and his saliva. His hot tongue met with my clit, sending instant sparks through me, and my back lifted from the bed. He brought me so close to the edge, licking me with a tongue that was surely as big as the rest of him, until I was a writhing, squirming bundle of nerves.

  Kingsley sat up, leaving me gasping. He leaned back on his heels, and his hand went around his dick. He stroked it from top to base a couple of times, my eyes glued to the motion, then reached for the packet of condoms Alex had given me. He tore one off and opened it with his teeth. He removed the condom and slowly rolled it down his thick length.

  My eyes widened at the sight of him, and either he was good at picking up on my reaction, or he’d had this experience with a lot of women. That slight twinge of fear in my eyes that he just might not fit.

  “Just relax, Darcy. Breathe and this will feel so good, I promise.”

  I was soaking wet from when he’d gone down on me, and I d
id trust him that he wouldn’t hurt me.

  I nodded, and reached for him. “Yes, I want you.” The corner of his full lips pulled in a smile that told me he knew I wasn’t about to say no.

  This wasn’t just physical. I felt we had a mental bond as well, from all the times he’d hypnotized me and guided my mind with his words. He’d led me on a journey, with only his voice to direct me, and I’d trusted him to do that. I’d felt bonded with him then, and us being together now only felt like the physical progression of what we’d been through.

  He supported his body over mine, and I hooked my feet around his hips, urging him toward me. His cock pushed at my entrance, and I tensed momentarily, but then felt myself open around him. Kingsley nudged with his hips, pushing inside me, inch by inch, stretching me. His body felt amazing, and I clung to his shoulders, his skin soft in contrast to how hard he felt.

  He inched in until he was buried, balls deep, inside me. We stilled liked that for a moment, and he kissed me again, slow and intense, while my body grew used to him. Stretched, and full, and perfect.

  Kingsley began to move inside me, his hips meeting mine until we reached a slow but deliberate momentum. Each stroke set every nerve ending alight, and I forgot everything else, only how it felt to be with this incredible man. My body focused on climbing, building toward the climax I knew was coming. I’d already been so close when he’d had his mouth on me, and it wouldn’t take much more to bring me back to that precipice.

  His breathing became primal groans, and he fucked me faster, his hips pistoning against mine. I squeezed my eyes shut as the heat in my pussy spread upward, the muscles of my belly tightening in anticipation. My toes curled, and everything exploded around me. Kingsley drove into me a couple more times before holding himself deep, his face buried in my hair and the side of my face.

  The rigidness of his body went loose, and he dropped down gently and rolled to his side, careful not to crush me.