Rebel Heart

by Young, Christine

  "Hiding--you should have known." She pressed her nose to the window, trying to see.

  "We'll be alright now. They can't go this fast."

  Even as she struggled for a view, she gasped suddenly. She could see nothing except miles of blue sky, the clearest blue she'd ever seen with only a few wispy clouds high above. They were moving upward now, always higher. Majestic mountains rose all around them as they climbed ever higher. They flew over a ragged peak then dipped into a valley. He was following a river, winding ever northward.

  "I am disappointed in you," he told her. "Simply disillusioned at your lack of courage. You are so afraid to meet the man, to meet Cameron Savage that you run right into the arms of your enemies."

  "I'm not afraid. I was just asserting my rights."

  "Your rights as well as Cameron's were taken away from you by your father. Cameron Savage is willing to respect your father's request, yet you are not. Where is your honor?"

  "I have honor. A great deal of honor."

  "You're sorry you've been caught, Victoria, and nothing more." "Of course you're right." She turned her back to him then.

  He left the river, following a dirt road deeper into the forests. She saw no one, no sign of habitation. Eventually she recognized a crude landing strip. She held her breath as the glider's wheels kissed the dirt then rumbled through the airframe as Cameron brought the glider to a smooth landing.

  Before her was a mountain lake and surrounding the lake were towering jagged mountains, the very tops dusted with snow.

  "Where are we?"

  He looked at her, continuing to ignore her question. The grimness she saw in his eyes surprised her.

  "Your swim--your bath--or whatever you wanted--awaits."

  She gasped sharply as he unlatched the door. "Be careful. It's steep here."

  She wasn't looking, and she wasn't prepared for the ground to give way beneath her feet. To her astonishment, she tumbled from the top of a low cliff, plunging down a sheer drop to the lake. Unable to stop herself, she landed in four feet of water, flailing wildly as the lake closed over her head.

  She sputtered as soon as her head rose from the water and she was able to inhale a breath of air. When she looked up, she saw him standing at the top of the hill, grinning.

  "I told you to take care."

  It wasn't very far. She even hesitated before she let loose her frustration. Shards of water spiraled upward, covering his chest, drenching him from head to toe. Then she did it again, but this time she missed. He'd stepped back a couple of paces and she could no longer reach him with her furious splashing.

  A few seconds later, he tossed her a bar of soap. "I'll wait for you over here." He pointed to a large boulder. Before she could do anything but gape, he was sitting on the rock, watching her. "Aren't you afraid they'll find us here too?"

  "No."

  "Barbarian," she muttered softly, no longer caring that he hadn't explained. "You're no better than Savage." She purposefully turned so he could hear.

  He did and his grin widened but he didn't say anything, just kept watching.

  "This isn't a show, you know."

  Still he grinned.

  With a frustrated scowl, she dunked herself under the water, scrubbing with the soap and sputtering when she came up for air. Then she repeated the process until she was satisfied.

  "So...now that I'm through, how am I supposed to get out?"

  He nodded toward the opposite shore. Chuckling softly, he said, "You could swim or you could accept my help and get out right here."

  She was tempted, thoroughly and completely tempted to thwart him, but even her stubborn mind wouldn't let her swim to the opposite shore.

  Within seconds, he'd leapt from the rock and was crouching at the top of the slope. "Take my hand."

  "How do I know you won't let go of me?"

  "Trust me."

  For the briefest of moments, she was entranced. She found herself caught within his gaze, staring into his eyes, mesmerized by a smile that seemed to hold the gentlest concern.

  Then she let her fingers touch his, and he was pulling her inevitably to him. Pulling her until she was so very close to him, until she could feel the warmth of his breath against her and the heat of his mouth as his lips touched hers.

  Curious, but frightened by the contact, she tried to twist free. Her struggles were half-hearted. His hands were gentle, and his body moved closer to hers. She couldn't breathe. She melted into his embrace, fascinated at the sense of heat that was infusing her so quickly. She would cherish this kiss, she told herself.

  The inferno was growing, seeming to explode within her. Along with the tempest and the uncertainty, she was discovering that something different grew within her at his touch.

  She didn't know when she surrendered her heart completely. She had only meant to taste, to sample that which was forbidden. She would have denied the inexorable conclusion of that kiss, and she would have refuted it vehemently, but....

  Something inside her changed when he touched her. Tori changed when the tempest seemed to build to an incredible force, a force that compelled and tantalized. It was a kiss she wished could last forever.

  Spontaneously, she pulled him closer, winding her fingers around his neck, and she thrilled at the feel of the leather lacings that bound his mask to his head. His own embrace tightened, crushing her hard against his overpowering strength. He held her head still, gradually deepening the kiss. With fascination, she felt the gentle play as his lips molded around hers. She felt the tender seduction as he separated her lips. Then all the heat was inside her mouth, setting her on fire, as his tongue coerced, tasting, teasing, sampling, dueling hungrily with her own.

  She knew she should have protested, propriety demanded it. Damn propriety, this might be her only opportunity to taste the sweetness of love before the bonds of marriage chained her forever.

  Oh yes, she sighed, giving even more of herself, wishing for some inexplicable completion of what they had begun. Despite the damp coolness of her clothes, the devastating play of his lips and tongue stoked a raging tempest throughout her body. The Phantom imprisoned her within his embrace. She surrendered to him within a mysterious web of enchantment.

  Once more, his hands and fingers were dancing, stroking her spine, caressing downward, pulling her closer until she felt the heat of his arousal. His fingers closed around the soft mounds of her derriere, over the thin fabric of her leggings. Then his hands moved upward and steadily forward, sliding between their bodies, beneath her shirt. She felt the roughness of his palm over the hardened crest of her nipple and a soft sigh fell from her lips, one that he silenced swiftly with the demands of his kiss.

  The tempest seemed to rage at an intimate point between her thighs, and then, more fascinated than frightened, she separated her legs, allowing his leg to push even more intimately toward her innocence. Her clit throbbed, feeling engorged with blood. Shivering against him, she pressed her hands against his chest.

  How was she going to get his body suit off him? She heard him emit a soft curse.

  His head rose from hers, eyes focusing firmly on her. He brushed his knuckle softly against her cheek and smiled. She was almost certain he trembled as he did so. Her head was tipped back and she returned his smile. There was a curious sadness in his eyes. She touched his mask, letting her fingers travel along the line of his jaw. She began to shake, and she didn't know if it was from the cold of the water or the intimacy she'd just shared with him.

  He looked at her shirt. She glanced down, blushing as she realized that in the heat of their embrace, the fabric had torn even more. Her breast was exposed, the mound full and ivory, her nipple a dusky rose, hardened by the cold, by his caress...

  "I'm not ashamed," she said, but still she brought the fabric together to hide herself from his view. The gesture did no good. She might as well have nothing on at all the way the wet material clung to her. Almost everything about her was visible.

  "Well, I am. I had
no business." The words were fierce and directed at himself, she was certain. Yet he seemed in pain, and she suddenly thought of the wishes of her father. A shivering began inside her and escalated even as she sought to put her actions of the past few minutes from her mind.

  No, I will not feel shame.

  Belatedly, both hurt and humiliated, she raised her hand to stroke his mask. He caught her wrist, stopping her. She closed her eyes for only a second then stiffened with pride.

  "This won't happen again," he told her.

  "Go to hell!" she cried out, suddenly realizing what he implied.

  "Babe," he said softly, "I am already there."

  Then he turned from her and strode to the glider.

  Tori felt her knees go weak, the ragged breaths she'd tried to hide from him beginning to find a normal rhythm. All her nerves had frayed and she sank to the grass, praying for the humiliation of his rejection to pass swiftly. But even as she gazed at his back, she touched her lips, feeling the swollen tenderness there left as a reminder. It was a reminder she would not soon forget. She tried to tell herself that she didn't care, that she belonged to another and she didn't like his kisses. She didn't want them. Desperately she wanted to hate him, but she couldn't quite summon that emotion.

  No matter how hard she tried to loathe him and his touch, what she felt was an amazing sense of wonder and at the same time uncertainty. His touch had sparked a memory, a reminder of another time when the tempest had raged and that curious feeling deep inside had blossomed. Another man had seduced those sensations.

  Cameron Savage...

  How could she marry Savage, a man who thought so little of her? How could she love The Phantom who had been sent by Savage to see to her safety, to see that she wed the barbarian?

  The Phantom, a man who touched my heart and my flesh with such fire.

  The Phantom had rejected her because he was a man of principle. He had taunted her, yet he had done it only when she'd acted childishly or without thought. He held within his heart a rare sense of justice.

  Still, the man would deliver her to Savage. Honor. He had called upon her honor and duty to a father who had in his last breath betrayed her. She didn't want Savage. She wanted The Phantom.

  She sighed softly, recalling the magical sensations his kisses had evoked in her, and watched him once again. The door of the glider closed and he turned toward her.

  "Come along," he told her, then began walking away from her as if she would do as he bid. She knew that she would. She would follow him anywhere if he would allow it.

  How could she not? She moved slowly, walking behind him, watching his easy stride. The wet, torn fabric of her shirt caused her to shiver so she hurried hoping the swift movements would warm her. Still she could not quite catch up to him.

  Within minutes, he stopped and waited for her.

  "A log cabin?" she breathed.

  He grinned at her. "Go inside and dry yourself. You'll find something warm to put on. Go on."

  "I've never seen one before."

  "You like my home then?"

  "Perhaps," she said.

  He laughed then and the sound warmed her heart. "Of course, now go on. I'll be back in a few minutes.

  She watched him curiously. "And where are you going."

  "No where."

  "Really?"

  "I'm simply going to check in."

  "With Savage?" she asked.

  "Just go inside. Put on something warm. It was not my intention to..."

  "Fall in love with me?" she finished for him.

  "Forget it. There can be nothing between us. You are meant for Cameron."

  "You admit it then."

  "I acknowledge nothing. I merely rescued you from the hands of Morray, nothing more. We must leave it at that."

  Her cheeks blossomed with fire, but she stood her ground. "Morray, Savage--what difference does it make to me. They are both savages. Can't you see?" But she knew what she said was a lie.

  He moved toward her swiftly and held her shoulders, almost as if he meant to shake her. But he didn't. He touched her tenderly, and she was convinced anew that he cared for her. "Leave off, Victoria. I pray you never find out how different a man like Morray is."

  She began to shake, instinctively aware that he spoke the truth. She wanted The Phantom though, at least once before her wedding to Cameron, and she had to find a way to convince him. But she was learning he was honorable, too honorable. And that knowledge made her want him even more.

  Tears began to well in her eyes, and she pushed them back, refusing to give in to the emotion. "Morray is evil incarnate," she whispered. "You do not have to convince me. I've felt his touch."

  "What?" he demanded suddenly.

  She shook her head. "Not like that. I've never...but he is vicious and depraved. He uses others cruelly. I've watched him hurt animals and people then laugh at their misery. When he touches my hand, it makes my skin crawl. And Savage, he accosted me in the forest one day. He..."

  "Was Cameron cruel? Did he hurt you?"

  "No, but he..."

  His hands fell from her shoulders. "Cameron would never hurt you,"

  "Are you sure?"

  "Will you not give him a chance?" he asked her with a grate to his voice.

  "Why should I? Because my father willed it so?" she countered before he could bring up the codicil once more.

  "No. Because you owe it to him. Because Cameron is willing to give you a chance."

  Tori frowned pensively. Perhaps this man had a point. He had spoken reasonably. She had judged Savage solely on one encounter. In many ways, The Phantom reminded her of Savage, the size and breadth of him, his voice and the strength that emanated from him with every movement and every word. They were very similar. She paused to reflect.

  She had been at fault that day outside the convent walls, that day in the forest. She had broken the laws of the City.

  "He is a fair man?" she asked suddenly. "You know him so well you can speak for him?"

  He waved a hand impatiently. He was silent for a moment, admitting nothing. Then he continued.

  "Victoria, you have managed to confuse everything. Not all outsiders are barbarians. In fact very few are. I'd say there are about the same number of barbarians among the outsiders that there are among the City Dwellers."

  "You are trying to make me forget you are the one I want. Admit you care for me."

  "I cannot."

  "I will not mention it again if you will just tell me the truth."

  He sighed. "You are incredibly naive or stupid if you expect me to..."

  "Admit it."

  "Fine, I will admit it, whether it is the truth or not, so that we may forget this nonsense and you will cease to chatter on and on about it. What do you hold against Savage? Why do you fight this so?"

  "You forget. I met him."

  "He stands judged and sentenced and you've met him only once."

  "How did you know?" Her eyes were wide with the shock of that announcement. Her hands trembled and she fought to hold them still. He let out another irritated oath.

  "I know him. We are friends, colleagues."

  "You talked about me."

  "Yes."

  She inhaled and exhaled softly, disturbed to be the focus of their discussion, yet at the same time feeling a rampant beating of her heart again, a breathlessness as she gazed on him. Now she felt the warmth of his body, seeming to encompass her with its very life.

  "So you know what happened that day."

  "I have heard that the young lady in question was breaking all the laws, that she throttled him and shot him. If he had not been wearing a protective vest, he might have died that day."

  "Perhaps you should hear how he threatened to send me to a purification chamber then robbed me of the specimens I had painstakingly collected. I was putting no one in danger by my excursions outside the City. I'm immune to the diseases and I'm not a carrier. I knew that. My father knew that. Yet he chose to banish me. Although
he doesn't want me, he will take all I have: my research and my virtue. Refute that," she challenged.

  He threw up his hands. "Oh, he will want a real marriage. He will not harm you."

  "Yet he will have me!" she retorted. "Is it so wrong for me to want something more--perhaps a moment of love--at least once in my life?"

  "If you but try, you will find what you are seeking with Cameron. Give him a chance."

  He turned away from her abruptly then walked to the edge of the lake where he studied it as if completely absorbed in what he saw there. "Victoria, go inside and forget we ever had this conversation. Upon my word, I am going to try to shake it from my memory. Go before I give in to the temptation."