Free Love Is Fear by Caroline Hanson Page B

down at the ground, saying softly. “You can’t trust her? You can sleep with her but you know she’s lying to you. Letting you inside her body but not her heart.”
    “ I have her heart,” he growled.
    “ You have half her heart and none of her thoughts. You’re asking me instead of her.”
    Jack rushed her and she didn’t move out of the way or defend herself. It was the total opposite. She went limp so that as he reached her and pushed her back, her body was close to his, like they were dancing. Just for the barest moment.
    Her back hit the wall of the elevator and he crowded in close to her, fuelled by anger. So close. Even closer. He saw her eyes widen, didn’t flatter himself enough to think it was fear.
    “ Because you’ll tell me. Why is that? Could you kill me? Do you want to? Tell me the truth!” He shook her like a rag-doll. “Look at me when you tell me,” he said savagely, dragging her closer, holding her tighter with each word.
    She struggled a little, voice breathy. “I could kill you. I could hurt you and I’d enjoy it.” She stopped struggling but her voice was ragged. “Don’t get distracted. You’ve got enough girl problems. Lucas wants to find the Fey and he needs Valerie to go with him.”
    “ Why?” What could he do to make her answer him?
    For a moment, he thought he saw some expression cross her face, like sadness or regret, sorrow, then it was gone.  A trick.
    “ You need to talk to her,” Rachel said.
    “ Fine,” he said, rapidly losing patience.
    “ You want to know what’s going on with Lucas and Valerie, you need to see them together. You want Lucas dead, so do the Fey and the Werewolves—if they are alive. The vampires tried to kill Lucas to stop him from going after them.”
    “ Why didn’t he kill you?”
    “ Why does everyone assume Lucas will kill me? I am really  charming.”
    Jack couldn’t help but laugh. “Sweetheart, I'll be damned if your charm is enough to keep you alive.”
    She pouted and took a step closer to him. He wanted to throw his hands out, keep her back. “I can be very charming. I can be sweet too,” she said, purring the words and it raised the hair on his arms. “Or cruel. Innocent. Damaged. All you have to do is tell me. Tell me what you want me to be and let's see if I can do it. Do you want to know what Marion liked me to be?  Everything . I was her mother, her daughter, her lover, her keeper, her abuser. I should have won a fucking golden globe I was so good.”
    “ I don't care what you were to her. Why are you here?” Everything was imploding around him.
    “ Lucas sent me. Obviously.”
    “ I want him to stay away from Valerie.”
    “ I want a tan, doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. He wants her bad. He's going to have her, Jack. Don't force him to kill you. He will. Right now, he's being indulgent. He's letting her have her freedom because he thinks she'll choose him.”
    “ Is he stupid? She's loved me her whole life. He will never have her.” He needed to hit something. Wanted to hit her to shut her up.  Hit her. Do it. You’ll feel better and she’ll probably like it. It’s not like you can hurt her.
    Rachel's smile was almost sad. “Jack—”
    “ No! Don't pretend you're good ,  or trying to help me. You take me for a fool? If Marion was evil, you're the one who’s fucked up enough to love her. You encouraged her and helped her survive. She was a one note monstrous bitch. I don't know what the hell you are. But maybe when I sink a stake into you, I'll figure it out.”
    Rachel stood straighter, her back rigid, a tight smile on her face. She came close to him, pushing her body forward so that a bare millimeter separated them.  Don’t hit her. Don’t flinch.
    “ Hold up Casanova. Why threaten me? I’ve been good to you, haven’t I? I don’t have to be. I don’t have to help you at all. In fact, if you’re not nice to me I could make things really, really… hard  for you, Jack. Think about