He’d find out soon enough.
She went outside, slamming the door behind her. A crack showed in the finely grained wood.
Ariana lifted her face to the leaden sky. A light rain sprayed her cheeks. She glanced at the meadow and headed for the forest.
The darkness loomed, thick shadows dancing with menace as she entered the thick woods on the dirt path. Majestic pine and fir trees flanked her. Leafless maple trees nodded their branches as a cold wind caressed them. Inhaling the loamy earth, she gazed at the lush green moss and ferns. The dank forest was dark, rich with secrets.
Secrets like those kept by Daimon.
She pressed on.
Off the path, tall firs stretched to the sky like pointing green fingers. The scent of animal musk lingered there. Ariana hesitated, then stepped off the path and walked toward them.
When she reached one, she pressed a palm against the rugged purplish-brown bark. A coughing grunt drew her attention upward.
In the lowest branch, about twenty feet above, a black jaguar lay. Its laser blue gaze glinted as he stared at her. Ariana looked around and saw several more cats lying on the limbs of the other trees. Emotion tightened her throat as she leaned against the tree.
“I can sense how tired you are, how much pain you are in,” she murmured to the cats. “Come down, please. I wish to talk to you.”
The blue-eyed jaguar gave another grunt, turned away.
“Please, Theo. Come down and bring the others.”
Even from her vantage point, she sensed the distrust, the hesitancy. No matter that her touch had given them strength. They didn’t like her intruding on their privacy, their sacred place.
“I can help you.”
With a powerful lunge, the cat leaped twenty feet to the surface, landing on all fours. Theo padded toward her as the other jaguars climbed down the trees.
They gathered in a circle around her. She felt a touch of natural fear, but pushed it down. The cats’ nostrils flared. They sensed the fear, too.
“I’m not afraid.” She smiled. “Well, a tiny bit. But I know you would never hurt me. If you wanted, you would have before. I trust you.”
Tension fled the cats. They sat on their haunches, studying her.
“Let me help you. Listen to the sound of my voice. Be at peace.”
Ariana sang with all her heart, for once using her gift to soothe and aid instead of defend herself. She sang to the trees, the melody echoing through the quiet forest. The jaguars’ eyes slowly closed. One by one, they lay down.
Soon, the sound of their snores became a cadence to her song. Ariana stopped singing and smiled.
“Sleep well.”
Strength fled her. Ariana gulped down a breath, her limbs feeling like jelly. She couldn’t do this anymore, or she’d need many hours of sleep herself. Now that the demon strength inside her was partly gone, she felt weaker than ever.
Leaving them fast asleep, she made it back to the house. Daimon sat on the living room sofa, watching a rain begin to splatter on the porch. He turned, his expression guarded as she collapsed into an overstuffed chair.
When he saw her face, he grunted, shoved a hand through his thick, dark hair. “You put my men to sleep.”
“They were exhausted. They need the rest. I gather they haven’t slept well in a long time. No wonder they are weakened.”
“They can’t rest. They’re always on guard, always watching for another attack since Lawson’s pack tested the perimeters of our fence and a few got inside.” His face darkened. “Theo and his brothers killed them, but the attack made them wary. I was gone that day. Should have been here.”
Ariana studied her lover, his guarded expression. She sensed guilt eating through him like acid.
“It’s time, Daimon. You owe me something.”
His jaw tightened.
“The truth. What happened between you and Jarrett Lawson that caused his pregnant mate Chloe to die?”
Truth. It slashed across Daimon’s spirit like a hot razor. But she needed to know, if it meant stopping her
She went outside, slamming the door behind her. A crack showed in the finely grained wood.
Ariana lifted her face to the leaden sky. A light rain sprayed her cheeks. She glanced at the meadow and headed for the forest.
The darkness loomed, thick shadows dancing with menace as she entered the thick woods on the dirt path. Majestic pine and fir trees flanked her. Leafless maple trees nodded their branches as a cold wind caressed them. Inhaling the loamy earth, she gazed at the lush green moss and ferns. The dank forest was dark, rich with secrets.
Secrets like those kept by Daimon.
She pressed on.
Off the path, tall firs stretched to the sky like pointing green fingers. The scent of animal musk lingered there. Ariana hesitated, then stepped off the path and walked toward them.
When she reached one, she pressed a palm against the rugged purplish-brown bark. A coughing grunt drew her attention upward.
In the lowest branch, about twenty feet above, a black jaguar lay. Its laser blue gaze glinted as he stared at her. Ariana looked around and saw several more cats lying on the limbs of the other trees. Emotion tightened her throat as she leaned against the tree.
“I can sense how tired you are, how much pain you are in,” she murmured to the cats. “Come down, please. I wish to talk to you.”
The blue-eyed jaguar gave another grunt, turned away.
“Please, Theo. Come down and bring the others.”
Even from her vantage point, she sensed the distrust, the hesitancy. No matter that her touch had given them strength. They didn’t like her intruding on their privacy, their sacred place.
“I can help you.”
With a powerful lunge, the cat leaped twenty feet to the surface, landing on all fours. Theo padded toward her as the other jaguars climbed down the trees.
They gathered in a circle around her. She felt a touch of natural fear, but pushed it down. The cats’ nostrils flared. They sensed the fear, too.
“I’m not afraid.” She smiled. “Well, a tiny bit. But I know you would never hurt me. If you wanted, you would have before. I trust you.”
Tension fled the cats. They sat on their haunches, studying her.
“Let me help you. Listen to the sound of my voice. Be at peace.”
Ariana sang with all her heart, for once using her gift to soothe and aid instead of defend herself. She sang to the trees, the melody echoing through the quiet forest. The jaguars’ eyes slowly closed. One by one, they lay down.
Soon, the sound of their snores became a cadence to her song. Ariana stopped singing and smiled.
“Sleep well.”
Strength fled her. Ariana gulped down a breath, her limbs feeling like jelly. She couldn’t do this anymore, or she’d need many hours of sleep herself. Now that the demon strength inside her was partly gone, she felt weaker than ever.
Leaving them fast asleep, she made it back to the house. Daimon sat on the living room sofa, watching a rain begin to splatter on the porch. He turned, his expression guarded as she collapsed into an overstuffed chair.
When he saw her face, he grunted, shoved a hand through his thick, dark hair. “You put my men to sleep.”
“They were exhausted. They need the rest. I gather they haven’t slept well in a long time. No wonder they are weakened.”
“They can’t rest. They’re always on guard, always watching for another attack since Lawson’s pack tested the perimeters of our fence and a few got inside.” His face darkened. “Theo and his brothers killed them, but the attack made them wary. I was gone that day. Should have been here.”
Ariana studied her lover, his guarded expression. She sensed guilt eating through him like acid.
“It’s time, Daimon. You owe me something.”
His jaw tightened.
“The truth. What happened between you and Jarrett Lawson that caused his pregnant mate Chloe to die?”
Truth. It slashed across Daimon’s spirit like a hot razor. But she needed to know, if it meant stopping her
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