“What do you mean?’
He hesitated. “Forget I said anything. It is unimportant. All that matters is finding them quickly.”
“Why do you not want to tell me?”
His sigh startled her. He flipped on his side to face her, then laced a hand through the hair that hung loose to her shoulders. “Kindara was held captive by your grandfather, kitten. And Jierra was born in his laboratory. It has left scars upon both of them. If they are his victims again, I am not certain that Kindara will be able to survive again. She still bears the scars from his torture.”
Mallory swallowed the bile that rose at his words. He was quiet and sincere and she knew he meant it. Her grandfather had done what he was accused of, and these Dardaptoan people were still dealing with the consequences of the old bastard’s actions. “Why don’t you just find him and kill him?”
Aodhan’s eyes widened. “You can say that so easily?”
“Yes. He’s a monster; my entire family knows it. When…when I was attacked, he told me it was my fault for being there in the first place. The man who did it was angry at my grandfather for firing him.”
Aodhan’s curse was harsh, but his hands gentle when he pulled her against him. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I took you, hurt you, scared you. All of it. I shouldn’t have done it. I know I shouldn’t have. But…I can’t regret it. I can’t regret finding you. I know it’s weak of me, but I cannot help it. You were meant for me, and the Goddess in her infinite wisdom knew it at the moment of my birth. How can I deny what a Goddess did?”
Mallory dropped her head to his chest. “I don’t know. Do I believe you think this is real? Yes. But…”
“But?”
“I’m scared! This is too damned much!”
“I’m tired of you saying that! You are not a coward!” His hands tightened on her arms and he shook her slightly. “Just what exactly are you afraid of? Me? Haven’t I proven to you that I will never hurt you? My people? They will respect you because of who you are to me, first, and later because of who you are to them! So what then? The choices are yours, Mallory. You hold both of our futures in your hands. I suggest you open your eyes and make a decision soon.”
Chapter Twenty
Just like that? He expected her to make a life decision just like that? Mallory was still stewing over the jerk’s ultimatum two days later. They’d spoken to each other very little since he’d flopped over and ignored her for the rest of the night.
It had felt different, having him turn away from her. She’d missed his warmth. And his arms around her. He hadn’t touched her since. He had barely spoken to her. She tried to tell herself it was because he was busy heading the search for Kindara and her daughter. But she knew the truth he was hurting.
Because of her.
What was she supposed to do about that? Did she even want to do anything about it?
Dammit, she sucked at relationships! Even before the attack when she was twenty-one she’d struggled to understand the whole guy-girl dichotomy. Add in that the guy in this relationship was responsible for one of the biggest changes in her life and was it any wonder she was so damned confused?
She kicked at a loose stone in the center of the decorative path leading around the front of the resort, cursing it the way she wanted to light into him. She hated this, hated being completely out of control of her life. She kicked another stone, then another, wanting nothing more than to release all of her pent up frustration. What in the hell was she supposed to do?
Give in placidly and accept this new everything he’d surrounded her with? Go along with it because her sister and her cousins apparently didn’t have the sexual hang-ups she did?
She’d caught her sister in a hot kiss with Theo that morning. Her sister’s hands had been in the man’s pants and his hands had been just as busy. Her sister, who’d never been with a man before, had been pawing at Theo like she was starving.
It hadn’t looked much different from what she’d seen Emily doing with Rydere.
Even Josey had softened toward Cormac, becoming almost protective of him since his sister’s disappearance. No, only Mallory was the hold-out on accepting this otherness he’d forced on her.
The odd one out, again.
She dropped to a bench just outside the portico, her thoughts more on the man then the people around her. She was getting accustomed to the guards who stood watching her every move. They weren’t much different than the security officers her brother and uncle insisted surround the Taniss family. She was even getting used to the stares of the other Dardaptoans when she passed.
She knew why. They all knew she was a Taniss, and Taniss was synonymous with evil.
Grandfather was evil; she knew that. Had known it for years, so why did the perfidy of his actions still surprise her?
Because it went against all of the principals her parents had instilled in her. Hurting others was wrong. Period. Yet Grandfather had hurt so many. His actions had led to her being raped. His actions had led to her being kidnapped. When would she stop paying for the things her grandfather had done?
She hated this. Hated being forced into anything, and with Mickey and Emily wanting to stay in Dardanos, that was exactly how she felt. Helpless and defeated.
She straightened.
She was neither of those things, and it was time she stopped acting like it.
The choice was hers her family would not force her to stay here after the lab was built; all she had to do was tell the rest of the family that she wanted out, and nothing would stop them from seeing she got what she needed. And he had told her that the decision was hers. She just had to decide what it was she actually wanted.
So what were her options? She could stay long enough to get the lab running, which with the way the Taniss family moved, would be around nine months to a year. She could stay and run the lab indefinitely, surrounded by Dardaptoans, who would constantly remind her of Aodhan and the changes he’d forced upon her. Or she could somehow go home, surround herself with the rest of her family and attempt to rebuild her life. Without having much contact with Emily or Mickey through the years.
That last option was not one she could ever consider. Her sister and cousin were her best friends. She loved them so much she’d be willing to stay with the Devil himself if that was what it took to keep the relationships she had.
So she was staying. At least for a little while. Mallory closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of mountain air that surrounded the city and resort. She would stay and get the lab running, keep an eye on her sister and cousins, then when the time came, she’d return to the rest of her family. Maybe by then, she’ll have gotten a handle on what being Dardaptoan meant.
The only uncertainty that remained in her mind was how she would deal with Aodhan.
What did she want from him over the next few months?
They couldn’t continue sharing a suite, a bed. More. Was she also going to be cursed with always needing to feed from him? She thought she’d needed to since yesterday morning, but he’d been so scarce that it hadn’t been an option for her. Was he doing it deliberately? Keeping from her so that she would need him more?
Chapter Twenty-One
The note that had been delivered to his suite would really screw up his plans for his Rajni. But what other option did they have? He turned toward Cormac, deliberately ignoring the other man’s Rajni. “We have no other options at this point. We cannot kill the bastard, much as I am sure it is wished. Not now.
And especially not by my hand. I am already having difficulties with my Rajni.” “No. Don’t suppose you can.”
Cormac was only half listening to him, and Aodhan suspected the little deaf Rajni was giving his mind-reading friend all kinds of hell inside their private communication path. What would it be like to speak with your Rajni so intimately?
“She says take your Rajni and Rydere’s. Says he’ll listen to them. Especially yours.”
“Well, hells. I don’t exactly like the idea of her
returning to her family for any reason. Chances are good she’ll try to stay.” And how could he stop her?
“She still reticent?”
“With good reason.” Aodhan ran through possible strategies. “What do we know about this bastard?”
Cormac frowned when his female smacked him with the note from her cousin, then pushed him. Spirited, these Taniss females. “Oldest grandson, son of Mitchell Taniss. Head of Security for all of the Taniss Industries holdings. Holds an MBA in Business, I think. Other than that, not much. He stays out of the limelight as much as possible, but is in every photograph we’ve gotten of your Rajni and Rydere’s. From what I understand, he sticks pretty close to them.”
So this bastard was pretty close to Mallory. Exactly what Aodhan had expected.
He’d need to reevaluate his strategy where his female was concerned. Rather than being gentle and kind, maybe he should just tell her the way things were going to be between them? Inform her that she was his and was staying right there beside him forever?
As he left Cormac’s suite and returned to his own he played that idea over in his mind. He had to discard it. He couldn’t force anything on her, ever again. He just couldn’t.
She was pacing around the suite when he entered, dressed in nothing but a large human t-shirt and short shorts. The shorts rested on her thighs and teased him with what lay beneath. “What’s happened?”
He handed her the note. “We’ve found them. In a manner of speaking.”
She read the note aloud. “‘Dardaptoan bastards. You took my family from me. Now I have yours. You want them back, meet me tomorrow at noon.
Bring my sisters and my cousins, then we’ll talk trade. Maybe. Rand Taniss.’ Oh, no he didn’t! I’ll kill him, myself!”
That was not the reaction he was expecting. “Excuse me? I thought you’d be thrilled. This could be your way home and all.”
“Don’t be stupid! Rand knows better than this.”
“So do you think Kindara and her daughter are safe?”
“Of course they are. Rand wouldn’t actually hurt them. He’s very protective of women in general. Always has been overprotective of Mickey, Cass, Becca, Jade, and Josey, especially. Me and Em, to some extent. I think it has something to do with our mother and Em’s mother both dying and our fathers being so busy. Rand took it upon himself to keep us safe. Especially after we turned ten.”
“What happened then?”
“Someone tried to kidnap Emily and our cousin Marshall when they were walking home from school one day. Rand was following them, with Mickey. He’d gotten her from her kindergarten class. Rand and Marshall managed to chase the kidnappers off, but it still left an impression on all of us.” She dropped to the bed, the note still clutched in her hand. “He wouldn’t have hurt them; I can promise you that.”
“But he’s probably terrified them. He looks much like your grandfather in the surveillance photos we have of him. Kindara especially would remember.”
“I’m sorry for that. But that is not our doing, and we shouldn’t have to pay for Grandfather’s sins, anymore. What are you planning to do?”
“I’ll need to speak with Rydere, first. But your cousin Josey has refused to return with us. Says she doesn’t know what she’d do. Also said that you should return to speak with your brother on the others’ behalves. Seems to think your brother will listen to you.”
“And he’ll get an earful. When are we supposed to be going?” Temper flashed in her green eyes. “Jierra probably was terrified. Rand is big and strong and probably harsher than he intends to be. If Rathan was with him and he probably was, the two are pretty much inseparable they can get pretty intense.”
“Who is this Rathan?”
“Something you don’t know? Rathan is a friend of Rand’s. His second-in command, I’d guess you’d call him. He comes and goes whenever he pleases. Rathan is…different.”
“You admire this man? You like him?” Had she been with him? Aodhan wrapped his hands around her waist before he thought. “Has he touched you? Should I kill him then?”
Green eyes widened and she gasped. “No! You wouldn’t do that, would you? Rathan is my friend. And even if there was something more between us, that would be none of your business. You don’t own me!”
“I own you just as much as you own me, kitten. And if given the chance, I would kill any male who has touched you before me.” Aodhan lifted her off the mattress. She squealed from the sudden movement, but she didn’t fight him.
“So has he touched you?”
She shook her head. “Rathan is my friend. That’s all. What are you doing? I thought you said you would never…”
“Force you? I won’t. But that doesn’t mean I’m a damned eunuch, female. These shorts do nothing save tease me.” His fingers brushed against the skin just under the polyester. It was a quick matter of sliding the material up and cupping her ass. He did just that, then pulled her up tighter against him. “I am a man who has waited more than half a millennium for one woman. And here she is tempting me just by breathing! How strong do you think I am?”
Her fingers flexed on the muscles of his shoulders and she tried to pull away. He wouldn’t let her. “What are you doing? Aodhan…”
“Be quiet, female. I have given you my gentle, patient side. But that is not me. I am a warrior, I fight for what I want and need. Why shouldn’t this be the same?” He covered her protests with his mouth, and kissed her with all the pent-up emotions he’d had since he’d realized she was his.
She hit him with one hand, smacking her palm against his shoulder. She pushed at him with the other. He ignored her protests; she’d been with him long enough now to know he would never hurt her. But she had to realize he was a man, with a man’s heart and a man’s feelings. And his feelings were centered all upon her. He pulled back eventually, to catch a breath. “Gods and Goddesses, woman. You burn me.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Mallory fought to catch her breath; his kiss had burned her just as much as him. When was the last time someone had treated her with less than kid gloves when it came to matters of sex? She couldn’t remember. The last guy she’d been with the only one she’d been with since the attack had been a close friend who’d helped her work through some of her fears. The sex between them had been mild, comforting. The burn between her and this damned vampire put the tepid heat between her and that man to shame.
His hands were still on her, holding her lower body flush against his. Yes, he’d definitely been excited by the kiss. She pushed against him again. “Let me go.”
“Why should I?”
The question had her pausing, but only for a moment. “Because I said to.”
“What will happen if I don’t? Will you fight me? Scream for help? Tell me?”
Mallory didn’t know how to answer. She wasn’t even sure she knew how to breathe. She could feel every inch of him, every bit of him, pressed against her from the waist down. Her skin burned where she touched him. He slid his fingers over the bare skin just beneath the shorts, just beneath her butt. She shivered, wrapped her leg around his before she thought.
He took the opportunity she presented, and pulled her leg higher. His hand was firm on the other leg, lifting it as well. She knew what he wanted and she wrapped both legs around his waist. He was so damned strong that when he lifted her into place it was so damned easy. She locked her ankles behind him and tightened her arms around his neck.
What was she doing? Why was she doing it? Mallory didn’t know, but she couldn’t bring herself to let him go. He was hot and strong and it felt right to have him pressed against her.
The world didn’t seem so chaotic then.
His neck was so close…
Before she thought about it, she nipped him. He laughed.
“Go on, kitten. Take what you need. It is my right to give it to you.” His hands were running all over her body. When had she lost her t-shirt? Had he taken it off, or had she? It didn’t matter. It also didn�
�t matter that his hands were tugging at the black sports bra. She nipped him again, then sank her fangs deep into his neck.
He tasted good, and that was all that mattered.
She fed from him for several moments, longer. She wasn’t aware of him laying them both out on the mattress, wasn’t aware of him slipping the bra and shorts from her body. Was vaguely aware that she was lying in his arms wearing only a tiny pair of panties. His hands scorched her skin, her breasts.
She didn’t mind. In fact, she liked it. Liked knowing it was his hands touching her. She hummed low in her throat, an almost purr.
For some reason, that made him laugh. He sounded so satisfied, like he had won something, had accomplished something. She started to protest, to pull away, but he wouldn’t let her. He pushed her hair to one side, exposing her neck.
She knew what he was about to do. It terrified her; it thrilled her. Mallory closed her eyes and pulled in a deep breath. It was now or never.
Either she let him do this and made the conscious choice to be with him or she stopped it right now.
Her breath backed into her throat as the ramifications of what they were doing sunk home. She’d never had a panic attack before, but she feared she was about to have her first. She flat-palmed his chest and shoved with all her strength. “No!”
He froze. His hands stilled on her body, one on her breast the other tangled in her hair. He slowly pulled away from her. “I wish you’d said that a little louder, and a whole lot earlier.”
“You should have kept your hands to yourself to begin with.” Mallory knew that wasn’t fair the moment the words left her mouth. She looked away, ashamed.
In the Beginning... Page 33
