Chapter Four

Four and a half years ago . . .

Against his better judgment, Riordyn could not bring himself to find Jenna a suitable home. He tried but always found reasons to keep her with him. Some – no, most of his reasons were beyond ridiculous. The house was too close to the road. The foster father had an odd smile. There were too many cars in the driveway. None of them were good reasons to keep her from finding parents to watch over her. Not that that mattered, they only had to sound reasonable in his mind.

The truth was he liked having her around. And after a short while he decided to keep her with him permanently. He knew it wasn't an ideal situation for a teenage girl to live in a cavern instead of a real home – he didn't care. No matter where they traveled, once he found a place for them to stay while he searched for his lifemate, he created her a room of her own within the confines of the cavern.

For the most part she seemed happy to be with him, yet there were times when she tried his patience. Tonight was one of those times. There were several mental institutions he wanted to investigate, and she wanted to go to the mall. Of all the places he ever thought to enter, a mall never crossed his mind.

"It's not like you have to go with me, Riordyn," she huffed, raking her brush through her hair. Several long strands floated to the ground, and although she wouldn't have noticed them, he watched them with utmost interest. "The mall closes at ten o'clock. You can drop me off in the parking lot, and pick me up when you're done."

"What need have you for going to the mall?" he said while eying her clothing, deciding if it was appropriate for a girl her age to wear. "And why must all your jeans have rips in them? I did not create them that way."

She rolled her eyes. "Boys," she said as if the answer should be obvious, "you know the creatures girls my age like to go places with."

"Well, if that's the reason, the answer is a definite no." He folded his arms across his chest, and gave her his most intimidating look. She scowled at him and brushed her hair all the harder. "You are only fifteen –"

"I'll be sixteen soon," she countered, pulling her hair into a ponytail. "And it's not like I'm a virgin –"

"Do not remind me of that," he said, cutting her off before he lost his temper. His hands still clenched into tight fists as he tried to remain calm. "Trust me, little one, there will come a time when I hunt down every man who ever paid to touch your body, and when I do . . . ." his voice trailed off as a dark rage overtook him. Of their own accord, his incisors lengtheedn, and he was forced to turn his back on her. "You are not old enough yet to look at boys."

"You're being unreasonable."

"I am your protector, and as such, I can do no other than to keep you from making bad choices."

"I could run away," she muttered under her breath, eying him through the mirror of her vanity table.

"You would think to leave me?" He'd never once considered the possibility that she might run away from him as she had done when placed in several different foster homes. Once he decided to take on the responsibility of caring for her, he believed she would stay with him until she was old enough to be on her own.

"I cannot allow that." His tone turned melodic and mesmerizing. In his mind there was only one way to assure she could never run and hide from him. "Come to me, little one," he murmured, and caught within his thrall, she stood and walked to him. "I promise this will not hurt, and it will assure I can always find you no matter where you go."

Guilt churned in his stomach as he lowered his head and scraped his incisors against the pulse in her throat. Fangs sinking deep into her flesh, he tasted her sweet blood filling his mouth. Need struck him hard, and he gorged himself as her body drooped against him. His arm circled around her, holding her to him as he continued to feed. As her heart beat slowed to nearly nonexistent, he forced himself to swirl his tongue over the puncture wounds to heal them.

Scooping her up in his arms, he cradled her in his arms as he strode to the couch and sat down. Her eyelids fluttered open, and for the briefest of moments he imagined flecks of blue within their gray depths. When he blinked any trace of color was gone and they were once again steel gray. Riordyn sliced open his wrist, and placed it against her mouth. You need to drink, Jenna. Take what I offer you freely, he commanded, and felt the tension ease from between his shoulder blades as she drank his blood.

Once he given her more than enough blood to create a bond between them, he sealed the wounds on his wrist. You will remember none of this.

He considered commanding her to sleep until his next rising to give himself time to work through the guilt he felt for exchanging blood with her. They'd spent nearly six months together and he never once thought of taking her blood. She was under his protection, not to mention that she was a female and a child. It had to be done. I cannot protect her if she runs away from me.

Riordyn carried her back to the vanity table and set her on the cushioned chair. You will forget that you wanted to go to the mall to meet boys. You want to help me find my lifemate, he commanded, weaving his way through her mind. "Jenna," he gently shook her out of the trance she'd been under. "We must go. There are several places I want to search tonight."

Slowly the dazed look drained from her eyes. Then her brows pulled together in confusion. "Riordyn, I –" Biting at her lower lip, she scratched at the back of her head. "Never mind, I forgot what I was going to say."

"I'm sure it will come to you." He smiled, holding out his hand to her. "In the meantime, you can tell me when your birthday is."

"April 12th," she answered reluctantly, walking beside him as they left the cavern.

"That is only a week from now." He was well aware that humans celebrated their birthdays, and their children especially looked forward to them. Yet she failed to mention it to him. "What would you like for your birthday?"

She shrugged. "Nothing."

"You must want something." She remained silent as they came to the mouth of the tunnel, and didn't utter a word when he lifted her into his arms and took to flight. "I am trying very hard to give you a normal human upbringing, csitri. But I know nothing of what a young girl would want for her sixteenth birthday so a little help would be appreciated."

"Why do you always have to remind me how young I am, Wolf?" The only time she ever called him Wolf was when she was angry. And if the spark in her steel gray eyes was any indication, he knew he was in for an earful. "I'm not a little girl. I don't play with dolls or play dress up. You look at me like I'm this little kid, but I'm almost an adult. Do you realize how demeaning that is?"

"That was never my intent," he said as they flew high above the canopy of trees. Jenna shivered a cold gust of air breezed past them. Cursing under his breath, he cradled her closer to his body and cursed again as her firm full breasts pressed against his chest. "Believe me I am well aware of the fact that you are almost a woman – but to me you will always be a child."

With a huff, she rolled her eyes. "That's because you're so old."

Amused instead of insulted, he lifted an eyebrow and smiled at her. "Are you trying to make me angry?"

"Why would you think that, gramps?" she said sarcastically. "Instead of searching mental institutions for your lifemate, we probably should be looking into a nursing home for you."

His good humor left him as she reminded him of how long he had lived without finding his lifemate. The smile slipped from his face to be replaced by a scowl. "I assure you I am in prime condition, little one."

"So you say," she countered, her fingers grazing along the pulse in her throat. Her eyes narrowed as if she was trying to recall what he made her forget. "If vampires are real, do other creatures exist as well? Like werewolves and witches?" she asked, changing the subject.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he nodded. "As far as werewolves are concerned, I am of the belief that somewhere along the lines, a human must have seen a Carpathian shift into a wolf and the stories came from that. But there are mages and jaguar men."

"Mages are like witches?" She continued to rub at her throat as she spoke; forcing him to send her another strong mental command to forget that he had taken her blood.

"Mages are very powerful wizards," he said, diving lower in the sky as they reached the city. "A long time ago they taught my people how to create safeguards to protect ourselves."

"So they are good?"

"No, little one." Lips curling into a frown, he shook his head. "When I first came to America, I met two mages. Andras and his wife Jinn-Si. I needed to learn better ways to shield myself against my enemies, and they welcomed me into their home and taught me many things. I trusted them." As he spoke he narrowed his eyes on the building below, searching for the Rosemont Mental Care Facility. "When I learned Andras had used dark magic to kill humans and Carpathians alike, I was forced to kill him. Jinn-Si swore she did not have any idea what her husband was doing, and pleaded for me to spare her. And against my better judgment I allowed her to live."

"Do you think she was telling the truth?" Jenna asked as he caught sight of the mental health facility and landed not far from it.

"I'd like to believe she was innocent. Not that it matters as she died not long after he did." He set her down lightly on the ground, and together they walked toward the front of the brick building.

Before they reached the glass doors leading inside, Jenna came to a halt, and backed up a few steps. "I don't want to go in there." Shaking her head, she backed further away.

"Why?" Riordyn scanned the area inside and outside of the building, but sensed no danger. "I promise no one will see us, Jenna."

"Yes, they will."

She sounded so certain, he rescanned the area again. "I detect only humans inside."

"I'll wait outside," she said, stubbornly taking a seat on one of the benches along the walkway.

"I will not leave you outside." He held out a hand to her, and gave a sharp mental command for her to take hold of it.

"This place is haunted," she said, fighting his mental command as she fidgeted in her seat. "Don't make me go inside, Riordyn."

"There is no such thing as ghosts, little one," he murmured, using the soft coaxing tone of his voice to alleviate her fears. He had forgotten how humans were prone to have irrational fears of things like ghosts, snakes, and spiders. Then he recalled how his twin brother's lifemate Genevieve had a fear of the fog. "And even if there were, I would protect you."

Jenna glanced back and forth between him and the institution before she finally held out a trembling hand to him. Together they entered the mental institution, and he noticed how close she walked next to him. Her arm brushed against his with every step they took, and her eyes darted around searching for the ghosts she believed to be real. At every little noise, she jumped making their progress through the first floor slower than Riordyn would have liked.

"I wanna leave, Riordyn," she uttered, trying to shake her hand free of his. "They don't want us here. We need to go!" Her voice rose in agitation, and as it did he heard someone cry out from behind the locked door he was about to open. "You see they're telling us to go!"

"It is only one of the patients, Jenna." Although he understood that she was afraid, he was quickly losing his patience. With a flick of his wrist, the lock clicked open. "You will see that you have nothing to fear," he said as he pushed opened the door. A sudden gust of icy air blasted them in the face as they stepped over the threshold. An old woman lay fast asleep in the bed across the room. Since everything remained in the same dull shades of gray as he looked at her, he didn't bother going any further into her room.

Guilt pricked at his conscience as he heard Jenna muffle a soft sob, yet the need to find his lifemate drove him onward through the first floor of the institution. At every room, he met with the same disappointment. No color. No end to his suffering. He could feel his anger rising as they swept through the second floor, and kept his eyes averted from Jenna. Her continued cries rubbed his nerves raw, and as she continued to struggle to break free of his hold on her hand, he tightened his grip.

"We are almost done, Jenna. Only one more floor and we can go," he uttered, trying to keep the anger from his tone.

The only response he received was another cry that almost sounded as if she were in pain. He paused in his steps and turned to look at her. His breath lodged in his throat. Deep welts rimmed her right eye and chin. The indentation of perfect handprints were scattered along her bare arms as if something had continually grabbed at her and forcefully tried to pull her away from him. He breathed in deep and caught the scent of her blood.

"Where are you bleeding?" he asked, his gaze darting back and forth in search of the things tormenting her.

"Get out!" she growled in a low unnatural voice. Her eyes gleamed white in the darkness surrounding them. "You are not welcome here."

"Jenna?" Fear clenched at his heart, tightening his chest. "Talk to me, little one."

"I said get out!" With a flick of her wrist, he lost his grip on her hand, and was thrown backward into the wall.

His head connected hard with the wall, bright bursts of light flashing before his eyes. He scarcely had time to get to his feet against when the force rammed into him again, throwing him back and forth between the walls of the corridor.

"Get Out!" the thing controlling Jenna screamed again. And from behind the closed doors of the patients' rooms, he heard them crying out for help.

The illusion he created to hide their presence in the building faltered and died away under the strain of the continual attack against him. In the distance he heard footsteps slapping against the linoleum, warning him that the hallway would soon be filled with orderlies and hospital guards. Staggering to his feet, he forced his way into Jenna's mind, and fought for control. Darkness wrapped itself around her mind so tightly he couldn't break its hold. The only way to free it from its grip was to get her out of Rosemont.

Steeling himself against the constant onslaught, he charged toward her, lifting her off her feet. In a blur of speed, he raced down the corridor, flew down the stairs, and burst out of the building before anyone saw them. Glass shattered outward behind him and he wasn't certain if he caused it or if it was something she did. He didn't stop running until they were miles away from the institution. Once they were out of the city and back in the forest, he slowed to a stop.

With her cradled in his arms, he took a seat on a fallen tree. Accessing the deep bruises marring her skin, he winced. She trembled in his arms as he searched for where she was cut. Blood dripped from a deep gash at the back of her head, soaking her hair. He went still, and traveled outside of his body to heal the wound. Whatever had entered her body was now gone, leaving only a slight trace of darkness behind. He bathed her mind with healing light as he worked to mend the jagged cut.

When the cut and bruises were healed, he returned to his body, and glanced down at her with a look of concern. "Why did you not tell me something was wrong?"

"I tried to, but you wouldn't listen." Tears glistened in her eyes as she pushed away from him, and got to her feet. "I told you we shouldn't go in there. I said the place was haunted – you didn't care."

"This has happened to you before?" He stared down at his hands. For all his strength, he had been utterly useless when she needed his help.

"I don't want to talk about it, Wolf." She turned her back on him, and started walking away.

"Come back here," he ordered, giving her a sharp mental command to do as he said. Reluctantly, she pivoted to face him. "You will answer me."

"I can see and talk to people who have died – and sometimes . . . ." her voice trailed off as she lowered her head.

"Sometimes what?" he prompted, needing to know what he was dealing with if he was going to protect her from it.

"Sometimes they want me to hurt people. They get inside of me, and I lose control of my mind and body – that's why they locked me up in a mental institution."

"They made you hurt someone?" Even as he said the words, he recalled how powerful the entity inhabiting her body was, and how it had taken her over completely. If he had been a human, she might have killed him. "I will not allow it to happen again."

"There's no way to stop them, Riordyn." She laughed bitterly. "I watched as it threw you around as if you were nothing."

"I was caught unaware," he grumbled, pride stinging at the reminder of his failure to defeat his unseen enemy. "I assure you it will never happen again."

"You're right 'cause I'm leaving before it does." Hugging her arms around her stomach, she once again turned her back on him and walked away.

With a low growl he sprang to his feet and chased after her. She broke into a run, but he caught up to her within a matter of moments. Scooping her up in his arms, he took to flight before she could think to break free. "You belong with me, little one. Until such an age comes when you are old enough to find a husband, you are not to leave me."

"Eventually they'll make me hurt you," she cried, burying her face against his chest. "Sh-she wanted me to hurt you."

"The ghost?"

She nodded, rubbing at her eyes.

"But she's gone now, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"Give me time, csitri, and I will learn to safeguard your mind against them."