In the Beginning...

by Calle J. Brookes

  Chapter Nine

  Emily slipped the small knife she'd taken at dinner under the thick mattress she knew she'd be sharing with the king for the fifth night.

  "Are you awake, Rajni?" He whispered the words as he pulled off his clothes. She knew now what that strong chest, muscled arms, and tanned body looked like. Knew exactly what it felt like pressed against her. The night before had been long, with him holding her tight against that chest through the hours.

  She should hate him, but last night she’d been filled with the urge to touch him. Even to taste him.

  What had he done to her? With every minute that passed her desire to escape him waned. If she stayed with him much longer, would she ever want to leave? Did she have some sort of Stockholm syndrome? Was she falling in love with her captor? Her breath caught, backed up in her throat.

  The bed dipped beneath him, his large body slid beneath the blankets and rubbed against her much smaller one. Emily shifted, turning more onto her stomach. Within reach of the knife. Could she do it? She let her hand fall casually between the mattress and the wall. Her fingers closed around the hilt. If she was going to act, she'd have to do it quickly, without hesitating. She would have to make it work.

  Strong hands slid around her waist and pulled her to him. His scent surrounded her as he buried his mouth in her hair, as one hand traced her thigh. Emily closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then flipped over quickly. It was now or never.

  ****

  Rydere stilled when he felt the press of a blade against his neck. Green eyes stared at him in the low moonlight, determination and fear in their depths.

  "Don't move." Her voice trembled but the hand that held the knife was steady.

  "I'm not." He kept himself still, curious to see how far she'd be able to take her threat. He knew she wouldn't be able to kill him; as his Rajni, her heart would not let her harm him permanently. "You know this won't work."

  "Maybe not. But did you honestly expect me to just fall in line with your plans?" The blade slipped a bit until she firmed her grip.

  It would take him seconds to disarm her, but he ran the risk of hurting her. "I expect you to put the knife down and go to sleep."

  "I'm an adult and I have rights—rights you seem to think you can just take away because of some insane idea that we're mates. We're not. I don't believe in that."

  "We are mates."

  "What we are is hostage and kidnapper. Period. No matter what that book said." She took a deep breath, causing her chest to press against his. It distracted him for a moment. "And I'm tired of playing that game."

  "It's not a game, Emily. Nor is our mating insanity. I've waited six hundred years for my Rajni. I'm not going to mistake her when I find her." Rydere grabbed the arm holding the knife and pushed it down, away from his neck. "Give me the knife."

  "No." Her left knee slid between his knees in a sudden move women had used as defense for centuries.

  Rydere cursed as he tried to catch his breath. Damn her.

  She still held the knife and was climbing over him to run. He stopped her with a hard jerk to her sleep tunic, anger giving his move more force than he’d intended.

  She stumbled and jerked, lashing out with the knife. Burning welled in his chest. He grabbed her forearm and jerked her still. "You'll stop now."

  "Rot in hell!" She aimed at his neck but he moved, catching the blow across his shoulder. He ignored the second burn as he yanked the knife free of her grip. He flung it across the room, hearing it embed in the wall. She screamed and backed away, her eyes wide on his.

  It was nowhere near the worst injury he'd ever received, but none had ever hurt him more.

  ****

  Emily felt the heat of his blood on her skin as he wrapped one hand around her neck. Panic filled her. He was going to kill her now, rip her throat out as punishment.

  She stifled a second scream when he jerked her off her feet and carried her back to the bed, throwing her roughly across its surface.

  "Sleep, now." He spoke through gritted teeth, and his eyes burned the orange flame. His hand covered the wound on his shoulder. "While I take care of this."

  Emily didn't argue, sliding back in the bed and watching him. When he returned he said nothing to her. The bed dipped from his weight and she felt herself rolling toward him.

  She lifted a hand as a barrier between them. Her fingers brushed the small bandage on his shoulder. Tears filled her eyes as she imagined what the knife slicing through his flesh must have felt like. How it must have hurt him.

  Hard fingers covered hers, held tight. “Do not touch me again unless it’s to give me your acceptance as my Rajni, to give me your body.” He pushed her hand away. “Sleep. We will speak of this night no more.”

  Emily felt oddly bereft as he turned his back to her and flipped off the light. She lay in the darkness for several hours, thinking and listening to the sound of his breathing. He should have—could have—killed her, yet even though he’d been angry he hadn’t hurt her. But what did that mean?

  He shifted in his sleep, sliding close to the bed’s center. Crowding her. Moonlight snuck through the windows and highlighted his chest, making the white bandage glow. Emily ghosted her fingers over the cotton before she remembered the warning he’d given her. Still, it wasn’t as if he was awake.

  Beneath her hand, the warm skin felt human. Her hand lingered in the small covering of hair. Yes, he felt human. But she knew he wasn’t. Everything about him was different from any other man she’d known. So why did she find that so alluring?

  ****

  Rydere felt her exploring fingers and he fought to keep his body still. Hunger was upon him, the wound she’d inflicted having bled more than he’d expected. He’d thought if he ordered her to sleep, he’d not be tempted to taste her again. He wanted nothing more than to replace the blood he’d lost with one more taste of her sweetness.

  A small finger brushed over the bandage and she sighed. Did she feel some regret for what she’d attempted? Rydere stretched his arm over her pillow, casually scooting her closer to his side. She didn’t resist. He kept his voice at a whisper as he said her name.

  She jerked her head up to stare at his face. “You’re awake. I’m sorry, did I hurt you?”

  “No...” Rydere couldn’t help himself. He needed to taste her more than he’d needed anything in six hundred years. It took him little effort to pull her over him. Her hand landed on the bandage hard enough to have him hissing out a curse, but that didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but...“Kiss me.”

  She shook her head, sending floral-scented strands of hair over his chest. “I...”

  “Do it, Emily.”

  Chapter Ten

  Rydere watched her from the window in his office. She strolled through his gardens, arms wrapped around her middle. Occasionally, she'd stop and touch a bloom, but her demeanor told him how she truly felt.

  Keeping his restraint was the hardest thing he'd ever done. Only the knowledge that she didn't want his touch made it possible at all.

  Each night she curled into a ball as close to the wall as she could get, trying to keep as much distance between them as possible. Each morning she answered him in monosyllables when he attempted to converse with her, a pattern she repeated throughout the day.

  And last night…last night had hurt him more than anything he could ever imagined.

  Each day they were together he loved her more. Yet she obviously felt no such connection.

  What more could he do to show her that he would do whatever it took to make her happy?

  He pressed the call button on his office phone. “Jambu, fetch Dhan Emily to me, please. I need to speak with her.”

  ****

  "Call your family."

  Emily stared at him, then at the phone in his hand. "Why?"

  "Because you want to."

  "And that's enough for you?"

  "I want you happy. I've spent six hundred years waiting for the woman who'd be my Rajni. I won'
t do anything to make that woman unhappy now that I've found her. Even if it means I no longer have her. Call your father. Tell him..." He looked at her then, and Emily's breath caught at the pain on his face. "Tell him that I'll bring you home in three days."

  "My cousins, too?"

  He hesitated. That wasn’t his place. "No. That's up to Cormac and the others."

  "And they won't let them go. But you'll let me?" Emily's fingers stalled over the numbers. Why was it so hard to press in the numbers? "You know I can lead the police back here."

  "I'm asking you not to. I have fourteen thousand people dependent on me for safety and protection, many of them women and children. I ask that you consider them. We'll use the next two days to make sure you'll be able to live safely among your family. You'll need to feed once a week, but bagged blood will work. And there are other precautions you must take."

  She nodded, then sucked in a deep breath and dialed the family vacation home near Denver.

  Her cousin Rebecca answered, then started crying when Emily said her name, the sound clear over the line.

  "I'm ok. We're all ok. Even Josey's dog." Emily watched Rydere's face as she spoke, surprised and shocked at the vulnerability visible for the first time. He was hurting. "No, I can't tell you where we are...because I'm not one hundred percent sure. I just want you to know that we're ok. I swear we're ok. I...don't know. I'll call you again. Tell Daddy that I love him."

  After she disconnected Emily stared at Rydere for several long moments. Why hadn’t she told Rebecca where to find them? "I need to talk to my cousins. I can't leave without them. I won't."

  ****

  Mickey was the only one of her cousins in the sitting room when Emily walked in. "Where's Mal and Josey?"

  "I don't know. I haven't seen them all day." Mickey wouldn't look at her.

  "Mickey? What's the matter?" Emily sank onto the sofa beside her cousin. "Did something happen?"

  Mickey bit her lip, hesitated. "Yes...He's sending me away."

  Emily's mind latched on to the distinction. "As opposed to letting you go? Where's he sending you?"

  "Home. Back to my dad."

  "And that's a bad thing? I was told the same thing."

  Mickey nodded, breath catching. "Don't hate me, Em."

  "I'll never hate you." Emily thought for a moment about her cousin and about the man who'd claimed her. If she was feeling connected to the man who took her, despite his arrogance and domineering way, why wouldn’t Mickey have fallen for the Dardaptoan Theo who had treated her so gently? Who so obviously cared for her? "Why would I?"

  "I want to stay with Theo. I don't think I can leave him."

  "Do you think you love him?"

  Mickey nodded before wiping away a tear. "I know I do."

  "And have you told him that?"

  "No. He was so sure that sending me away would make me happy. So insistent that it was the right thing to do. And what about Mal, Becca, and Rand and my dad? They'd all hate me."

  "They wouldn't hate you. Everybody just wants you to be happy. And if you can be happy with a six-hundred-year-old vampire, then you should stay with him."

  "But you're leaving, and probably Mal and Josey, too."

  "I told him I wasn't leaving without all of you. I never counted on you wanting to stay."

  "I do."

  "Then you will and we’ll make it work. But first, you'll have to tell Theo how you feel. I think it will make him happy."

  "I hope. He's been alone for over six hundred years, waiting for me, Em. For me. I can't just walk away from that, from him, and leave him alone like that again."

  ****

  Emily left Mickey in the sitting room, needing to think. Even though she'd learned so much about the Dardaptoans, the idea that they could live close to two thousand years or more was unfathomable to her. She also couldn't imagine being without someone special for six hundred years. Yet Rydere was letting her go? She settled on a small bench and watched the sun as it started to set. If she was destined for someone and was lucky enough to find that person, she'd grab on and hold tight with everything she had.

  So why was he letting her go? Had he realized he'd made a mistake? Did he...not want her anymore?

  Why didn’t that thought make her happy?

  She’d studied him for the last week. She’d sat in his office most evenings while he dealt with the small concerns that running such a hotel consisted of, even offering her opinion on situations the several times he’d solicited it.

  His job was no different than her position of head of Taniss. He just had many more people depending on him. And he shouldered his responsibilities well.

  He was a fair leader, reasonable in his requests and equitable in his dealings with his people. He was available when they needed him and he cared for them a great deal. And he’d ruled them for over four hundred years, always alone except for his three advisors.

  TI supported a world-wide staff of six thousand people so she had some inkling of his responsibility. Yet, Rydere’s leadership went so much deeper than mere employer. He was their king.

  According to his own admission, he’d waited six hundred years for her, but now he was sending her home because she wasn’t happy with him. Why would he care?

  Emily needed to know the answer to that. She stalked around the garden, pausing when she saw Josey on the far side. Josey tossed a toy for Free to chase, though her cousin’s demeanor was tense. Josey wasn’t happy, that was clear. Emily started toward her.

  She didn’t make it. Free started barking wildly as half a dozen dark shapes came out of the shadowed grove and encircled Josey, issuing deep growls that the blonde couldn’t hear.

  The closest shape sprang, knocking Josey to the ground. Both Josey and Emily screamed, but Emily was too far away to help. Free attacked, but the little Border collie stood no chance against the larger wolves.

  The wolves ignored the dog, shaking her off with almost human movements, staring at Emily as she continued screaming Rydere’s name. Screaming for help.

  One was behind her as she turned and ran; she could feel its hatred, feel it’s breath as it burned against her skin. So close.

  She tripped, slamming hard to the path. Gravel bit into her skin, mud soaked her white tunic. The beast behind her pounced, his teeth inches from her neck, his weight pinning her. She grabbed for a stick inches from her on the path; she swung, but it jerked the branch out of her hand with its teeth.

  She fought, certain she was going to die, ripped to shreds by some beast her mind refused to identify.

  She screamed; the word on her breath his name.

  Then it was gone, and she heard a voice yelling her name; yelling at her to run, to get inside and get help.

  She stumbled to her feet as Rydere attacked the first of the beasts surrounding her. He slashed with his knife, doing more damage than she’d have expected. Another man passed her with a keening cry, a warrior yell of both anger and despair, as she neared the doors. Cormac.

  Hands pulled her inside the building. Theo held her. Thank God. “Josey! You have to help her! Help him!”

  “Stay inside! Go to the king’s suites and stay there! The alarm has been sounded, and there is no one in this tribe that won’t die to protect you. Go!”

  Emily couldn’t leave, not while knowing that Josey was outside, hurt. That Rydere might be. She could see everything that was happening through the window. Rydere still fought, though he was bloody. God, what if they killed him? What would his people do? What would she do? He couldn’t die, he couldn’t. He couldn’t.

  Aodhan and several men tried to pull her away from the door before storming into the gardens. But Emily had to watch.

  She screamed as Rydere went down beneath the largest of the wolves. Aodhan struck out, killing the animal. The wolf’s body dropped to the ground and turned into that of a man.

  It was the last of the wolves. Cormac ran in, Josey cradled in his arms, not stopping to give Emily a chance to check on her cou
sin. Aodhan and Theo lifted Rydere between them, wrapping his arms around their shoulders.

  Emily held the doors open as they pulled him inside. “Rydere?”

  He lifted his head, relief visible in his pain-filled orange eyes. “Rajni, are you hurt?”

  “Just bruises, I’ll be ok.” Emily tried to fight the urge to run her hands over him, to check for injuries herself. The urge was too strong and she started at his shoulders, her hands touching as much of him as she could. “How badly are you hurt?”

  He didn’t answer and she saw that he'd fallen unconscious.

  “We’ll take him to your suite, Dhan Emily,” Theo said. “Run ahead, see that he has clean clothing. Have Jambu fetch bandages and warm water. Go on. We'll bring your Rajni.”

  ****

  She felt useless when they stripped the ruined clothing from his body. Aodhan had called for a doctor and a blonde woman arrived five minutes later.

  “He’ll need blood,” the doctor said after stitching the worst injury. “But he should be fine in a few days, a week at most. He was lucky. If you’ll excuse me, I need to assist with my brother’s Rajni.”

  Aodhan turned to Emily. "Go to your cousins, Dhan Emily. They have need of you."

  "But he—" She wanted to go to her cousins, to be with Josey, but Rydere looked so vulnerable.

  "We will care for him." Aodhan smiled reassuringly. "And when he is settled we will come to you. He needs much blood, and we know our feeding is still uncomfortable to you. Go."

  His hands were insistent as he nudged her toward the door. Theo was just visible leaning over Rydere. Emily left.

  ****