“Theo, I—”
“You are going nowhere, Sar.” He strode over, anger pouring off him. He grabbed my keys and threw them. My duffel followed. He pushed me to the bed roughly, then covered my body with his own. “You want me so bad, Sar, here I am,” he snarled, his eyes gone yellow. His fingers were claws, digging into my skin.
I closed my eyes, trembling.
He put his hand on the side of my face and gripped my jaw. “Open your eyes,” he said roughly.
I opened them, my vision swimming with tears.
“Don’t cry, Sar. You wanted this badly enough to send me another dream.”
“I’m sorry—”
He bared his fangs at me in a snarl and roared deafeningly. I shrank back from him as much as possible.
“You’re sorry? I loved you! You and Elle were all that kept me going, kept me breathing—”
“Why didn’t you come back to us?” I yelled back. “We needed you!”
“You found someone to fill my place easily enough,” he spat. “My best friend!”
“I did turn to Danial—” I said weakly.
“You are oathed to him!” Theo roared.
“No, I’m not!” I said loudly.
“The marks on your neck don’t lie,” Theo growled.
“One is Danial’s, one is Devlin’s. It was safer—”
“And the choker? Was that safety, too?”
I touched the choker as I had so many times before, and it fell off into my hands. Theo looked at me in shock.
“Yes, it was safety. It pleased Danial to see me wear it, like the ring on my hand. But I didn’t give him an Oath—”
“You gave him a child,” Theo said heavily. “I saw you pregnant.”
“You were dead. I loved Elle, and I wanted one of my own. Danial wanted one, too.”
“You love him,” Theo said, his eyes tortured. “Don’t bother denying it—”
“That hasn’t ever changed,” I retorted. “But I loved you more. Enough not to give him my oath, though I knew he wanted it.”
“You aren’t married? You aren’t oathed?” Theo said frantically.
“No,” I said defensively, beginning to cry.
Theo became enraged. “Tell me the truth, Sar! Don’t lie to me!”
“No!” I screamed. “I couldn’t do it, because I fucking couldn’t let you go!”
His hand gripping my face loosened. I put my hand over his.
“I couldn’t let us go,” I said, sniffling. “Danial did everything for me, and all I wanted was you—”
With a groan, Theo kissed me, my tears wetting his cheeks.
I pushed him away. “You’re a bastard! You left without even telling me you were alive—”
“I’m sorry,” he said desperately, kissing me feverishly. “I love you. I love you so much, Sar—”
I grabbed his face and kissed him, cutting off his words. He reached down, pulled off my pants and his, then pushed my legs apart. Eagerly he pushed inside, thrusting fast and hard. With each movement of his hips, the climax built between us, spiraling quickly. Then we were there, crying out together, holding on to each other.
Theo was almost crushing me, panting hard. He loosened his arms and drew back to look down at me. His eyes were full of love and tenderness and that spark that was his and his alone.
“Marry me, Sar,” he said softly. “Marry me today.”
“Yes,” I breathed, touching his face with my fingertips.
“I’m sorry, I don’t have a ring to give you,” he said, kissing my face, my eyes. “But we can get one today—”
“Yes, you do,” I said, pushing him gently off me and going to my duffel. Removing the velvet box, I tossed it to him.
He opened it, and shock filled his face. “I thought it was lost! How did you—”
“The man who took you planted it on Will’s body, to make us think it was you.”
Theo hugged me fiercely, kissing me again passionately, then drew back. “Get dressed,” he said, pulling on his jeans. “We are going now. Right now.”
“Theo—”
“No stalling. I am not waiting one more minute to claim you as my own. Now get some clothes on.”
After dressing quickly, my dogs and I dutifully followed him to his truck. Theo drove us to the town church. Luckily, when we entered the Methodist minister was right there.
“We want to get married,” Theo stated. “Right now.”
The minister raised his eyebrows at the dogs. “I usually charge—”
“Whatever your usual fee is will be fine.”
“Are you sure this is what you want?” he cautioned. “Marriage is not to be entered into lightly or for carnal pleasures—”
I blushed. It was obvious he’d caught the scent of sex that permeated the both of us.
“We’ve got the money, and we’re sure,” Theo said forcefully. “Now please perform the ceremony.”
“Yes,” the minister said stiffly. “Let me just get my wife to be witness.” He walked through a door at the side of the podium.
“You’re sure you’ve got enough?” I whispered. “It’s likely to be a hundred or so, as we don’t belong to the congregation. I’ve got about forty—”
“I’m paying for this,” Theo growled. “All of it.”
The minster returned with his wife. Then we were standing there, getting married.
“Do you, um...?”
“Sarelle McGarran.”
“Do you, Sarelle McGarran, take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, until death do you part?”
I gazed at Theo standing beside me. There were no doubts. No reluctance. No fear. “Yes.”
“Do you—”
“Theopolis.”
“I need a last name, too.”
“Theopolis O’Connor.”
“Do you, Theopolis O’Connor, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others, until death do you part?”
“I do.”
“May I have the ring, please?”
Theo handed him the ring he’d gotten for me so long ago.
“Let this ring be a symbol of your love for one another—”
I flushed and discreetly moved Danial’s ring from my ring finger to my other hand.
Theo noticed what I was doing and grinned. The minister’s wife looked at me, appalled.
“Take her hand and the ring, and repeat after me,” the minister said.
“This part ... I have something of my own to say,” Theo said and turned to me. “Sar, I promise to love you, to protect you and to never leave you or doubt you again.”
I blinked back tears as Theo slid his ring onto my finger.
The minister spoke. “Sarelle, do you have something to say, or would you—?”
“Yes,” I said, looking at Theo. “I, Sarelle, give myself to you, Theo. All that I am is yours and yours alone. I love you.”
Theo brushed at his eyes quickly with his hand.
“Then by the authority vested in me by the state of Wyoming, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.” The minister beamed at us.
Theo wrapped his arms around me and kissed me for an entire minute until the minister cleared his throat. He led us into his office, then produced forms for us to sign.
“Ma’am, do you want to keep your last name or change it?” the minister asked as he signed his name.
I gave Theo a smile. “I’ll take his.”
“Sarelle O’Connor,” he said happily, savoring it. “Sign here.”
Theo and I signed the forms, and the minister handed them to us. “If you’d do me a favor and take these over to the courthouse? I’ve got a baptism to get ready for.”
“Sure,” Theo said, taking them. “It’s only a few blocks.”
We walked out of the
church. It was an overcast day, but the sun was peeking through the clouds. Theo’s arm was around my shoulders, and both of us were basking in the knowledge that it was done. I was his, and there was no going back.
Suddenly, a woman stepped in front of us. She stood there, glaring at Theo, and I knew immediately who she was: the other cougar I’d seen him doing yesterday. She was twenty-something, with medium brown hair and big brown eyes. As expected, she was clearly miffed to see her lover holding another woman.
“Theo, who is this?” she asked angrily.
I wanted to blurt out I was his wife, and I had prior claim, but that was Theo’s job. I took Theo’s arm off my shoulder and turned to him. “I’m going inside to file these. Take all the time you need.” I walked off. As soon as I did, she began to scream at him.
I walked into the courthouse with the dogs. “I have some marriage papers to submit,” I said to the desk clerk.
“We can’t have any animals in the office.”
“They’re licensed rescue dogs,” I said, lying through my teeth. “It will be okay.” I handed her the papers before she could protest further.
“Congratulations, dear,” she said, beaming.
“Thanks,” I said, giving her a big smile.
The yelling outside became louder.
“What is going on out there?” she said, peering out the window to look.
“My new husband and his former girlfriend.”
The clerk blanched, then quickly said, “Marriages usually take a while to record, but the marriage certificate will be ready in a week.”
“We’ll either stop by to get it or arrange for it to be sent to us if we leave town. Thanks again.”
I walked back outside. Theo was still standing on the sidewalk, his Brown Eyed Girl still yelling at him. I walked up to them.
“—so you just screwed me because you were lonely?” she yelled at him.
“Well, yes,” Theo said, shooting an uneasy glance at me. “I like you, Aspen, but I’ve loved Sar for years. I thought she was lost to me, so I came out here. You were the one who showed up at my door, asking me if I was lonely—”
I cringed and made a mental note to get tested for STDs.
“You fucking prick,” she growled at him, the first tears sliding out of her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” Theo said, putting a hand on her arm. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Fuck you,” she said, her eyes a golden yellow. She walked away.
“Why is she so upset?” Theo said to himself, a sort of bewildered look on his face. “I thought she knew it was just sex.”
“There is never any woman for whom it is just sex,” I replied. “Even if she says that’s all it is.”
“I’m sorry you had to see that.” He put his arm around me again. “Come on.”
We walked back to the truck. The dogs followed us, whining from hunger.
“Theo, I’ve got to get back to the motel. I never fed the dogs,” I said guiltily.
“We are going now,” he said, grabbing my hand.
We got back to the motel just in time to gather up my things. The maid was cleaning my room and had my luggage in a pile near the door.
I had checked out after all. “Sorry.” I gave her a ten for not throwing my stuff in the dumpster. Theo loaded the bags, and we drove off in Theo’s truck, the dogs in the back.
“Where are we going?” I said.
“To my place,” he said, putting his arm around me.
We drove for about twenty minutes, ending up at a small ranch house in the foothills of Casper Mountain, not far from the trail where I’d seen him yesterday. We got out of the truck, and he unlocked the door. I started to walk in, but he picked me up.
“I’m supposed to carry you over the threshold.”
He carried me inside and set me on my feet. “Feed the dogs and explore,” he said, giving me a kiss. “I’ll be back in less than an hour.”
“Where are you—?” I said, but he was already out the door.
I shrugged, then got out the bowls and food from my duffel. After feeding them, I let them out in the backyard. There was a view of the bluff and the trail snaking its way up the side of Casper Mountain.
After letting the dogs back in, I began to explore Theo’s house. It was small but beautiful. The interior was all wood, with a small entryway, a kitchen to the left and a living room with a cathedral ceiling to the right. There was a door on the left of the living room that had to be the bedroom, and above it was a small loft. A closet was on the other side of the living room, on the right. There wasn’t much furniture, but what was there was comfortable. Some of it had been carved of wood, likely made by Theo himself.
Curious, I climbed up to the loft. It was his studio, woodworking tools and a half carved piece of wood, a work in progress. It looked like a stool or perhaps an end table. Maybe this was how he’d been supporting himself out here.
I climbed back down and took my luggage into his bedroom. As I dropped my duffel on the floor and arranged my toiletries in the adjacent bathroom, I was again struck by how plain everything was. There was one small dresser and a bed with no headboard or footboard...wait, there was something on the dresser. A statue.
I went closer and picked it up. It was a carved statue of a woman, sitting, her knees drawn up to her chest. Her hair fell around her, covering her, but she was clearly naked. Her hands clutched her legs to her, but she seemed at ease, smiling. She had my face.
I sat down on the bed, musing. How often had he lain here, watching me, thinking of me?
* * * *
I was woken by the smell of Chinese food. It was about noon by my watch.
“Sar, lunch!”
Groggily, I walked out to the kitchen. Theo was there, unpacking Chinese food from a case-sized box.
“Did you get enough?” I teased.
“We’ve had a busy morning,” he replied with a smile. “Let’s eat.”
We fell on the food like we hadn’t eaten in days, eating almost all of it. Afterwards, he put the plates in the sink and led me to the couch.
“Sar, how did you make the dream happen for us again?” he said, his eyes searching mine. “I wasn’t around to kiss you this time.”
“Terian,” I said, squeezing his hand. “He gave me a potion right after you disappeared. He said it would only play the dream for me again and that this time, the dream would fade like any other dream. I never used it, not wanting to lose my memories of you and me. Yesterday though, I decided it was finally time.”
“Why yesterday?” he asked, forcing the words out.
“I saw you yesterday with Aspen on the trail.”
Theo flushed and looked away from me, his eyes downcast.
“I didn’t mean to make the dream happen again. I just wanted to be with you one last time, to remember how we were, before letting you go.”
Theo spoke quickly. “As soon as the dream started, I knew it wasn’t just a dream. You were the same, the way you were years ago. And I didn’t have the scars I have now.”
His last words were self-conscious. I squeezed his hand. “I didn’t realize that we could change the dream,” I said. “Terian said it would be the same, a replay of the first one.”
“When you told me that you loved me at the end, I knew somehow that you had to be here, somewhere close by. Then I remembered catching your scent in town. There is only one motel around here, so I drove there first.”
“With all speed. You must have nearly flipped your truck.”
“Nearly,” he admitted. “I was so angry. I wanted you so badly and I thought that you’d come here to have me and still hold onto Danial at the same time.”
“Why didn’t you tell us you were alive?”
“I saw you all together in the great room. You were happy,” he said. “When I saw you were pregnant, I knew without Terian saying anything it had to be his.” He paused. “I didn’t think Danial would have done that unless you’d given him an Oath.”
“Danial isn’t the same man he was. Elle changed him, made him understand that he had to love without expectations to be loved in return. My having Theoron changed him further, made him even more secure—”
“Theoron?” Theo choked out.
“We call him Theo for short,” I said, giving him a soft smile. “There isn’t much of me in him, save for his eyes. He’s the spitting image of Danial.”
“You named him for me?” he said, the tears sliding down his face. “Danial agreed to that?”
“It was his idea,” I said gently. “He searched for you for months. It ate at him inside that he couldn’t find you.”
Theo grabbed hold of me, sobbing in my arms. I held him, comforting him. We huddled there on the couch for the better part of an hour, clinging to one another. Finally, his tears stopped.
“We should shower,” he said abruptly. “Come on.”
Theo and I undressed as he got the water running. I saw then for the first time what they had done to him.
Chapter Three
There were the healed whip marks on his back and chest, as there had been in our shared dream. There was not only a mass of scar tissue on his hip, but also a similar one on his thigh and right arm. How many times had he been shot repeatedly to make scars like that on his body?
Tears flooded my eyes. I closed them quickly and moved into the shower’s spray so he wouldn’t see me crying for him. He was clearly self-conscious.
Theo climbed in beside me, soaping my body with his hands. I returned the favor, stroking him, unable to stop my fingers from discovering other scars running over his arms, legs and torso as I cleaned him. Most weren’t long as the whip marks were. The edges were a little ragged, though healed. What had caused them, a knife with a serrated edge?
“I know you feel them,” he whispered in my ear. “They’ll keep healing slowly. I won’t have them forever—”
“Hush,” I replied, rinsing off soap. “I’d still be with you if they were permanent or the damage was worse.”
“You’d still find me sexy, you mean?”
“I love you. You’re always sexy to me,” I said, reaching down and taking hold of him in my hand. He made a noise in his throat, half gasp, half groan. “And I’d still have married you. Now rinse off that soap like a good husband.”
Taken For His Own Page 3
