Staring into my eyes, he searched for his answer. I didn't know what to think... or do. My heart and body were telling me one thing, but my mind was warning me not to listen to it. I couldn't make any decisions; I couldn't even think straight.
The silence seemed to gain weight between us, his face turned hard, and his lips became a thin, grim line. He pushed me away from him. "If I wanted to drain you, Cassandra," he said, his voice deep, "it wouldn't be your blood you should be concerned about."
I stared at him as he walked away, still too stunned to say anything. Dropping down into the couch again, I put my head back and let the world spin around me, helpless to try to sort it all out.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
I breathed in the scent of a fresh spring morning, coming from soft sheets that covered my nearly naked body. Shaking off the last dregs of a deep sleep, I casually opened my eyes and was completely disoriented. Looking around the room, I tried to piece together where I was. The arrangement of the room looked slightly familiar, but I definitely did not know whose bed I was in, nor whose T-shirt I was wearing.
The sun was fighting with the blinds on the window to spread its light throughout the room, but only managed to filter in a few slats on each side of it. It was enough to give the room a meager glow, allowing me to see everything without strain. The bed was huge, the four bedposts stretching high on each corner. I was lost in a sea of endless pillows, propped up against the beautifully carved, cherrywood headboard. The patterned maroon comforter lay in a heap at the bottom of the bed, possibly kicked off sometime during my sleep.
Still lying in a state of confusion, I turned to see a nightstand next to the bed. I sat up, hoping to see a clock, but there was only a small lamp and a glass of water. Looking around more closely, there were two large dressers, one on each side of the room, their dark wood matching the bed's headboard perfectly.
The dresser on the left side of the room was longer than it was high, with a mirror affixed to the back, running the length of it, its edges softened by patterned wood. I caught a glimpse of my unruly, red curls in the mirror and my attention was again drawn to the mystery of whose T-shirt I was wearing. I was pulling the sheets down to get a better look, when the door next to the dresser opened and all of my questions were answered, while new ones took priority.
Hunter stood in the doorway of a bathroom adjacent to the room. His chest was bare and my eyes were instinctively drawn to his smooth, sculpted muscles, which ran from his shoulders, down to his waist, where they leveled out beneath the waistband of the faded jeans he wore. Conscious of my eyes lingering a bit too long on the wonders of what I imagined his jeans covered, I brought my gaze back up to his. The smirk on his face was proof that he'd caught me.
"You like?" came his husky voice.
I pulled the sheets over my chest in a meager attempt of protecting myself from his predatory gaze, as he walked closer to the bed. He sat down on the opposite side of it and gently rubbed the spot next to me.
"I meant the bed," he said with a small laugh. "How did you sleep?"
Pissed off that he was playing with me already, on top of the fact that I was completely disoriented and half naked, I decided that the best defense was a good offense. "What the hell happened last night? How did I get in here, and where are my clothes?"
"Don't worry, Cassandra, your virtue is safe. If something had happened between us, you would not have a problem remembering it. You passed out on my couch, and I thought you might be more comfortable in the bed, so I carried you in here," he explained. "Unfortunately for me, that was it."
"And you changed my clothes?" I asked, hoping that by some miracle I did it myself.
"Yes. I didn't want you to ruin your beautiful dress, so I gave you one of my T-shirts to wear. Your dress is hanging up in the closet," he said, motioning towards a door near the bathroom.
"You... undressed me?" I asked, my heart pounding at the thought of him touching my skin, while taking off my clothes.
"I closed my eyes the entire time. I was a complete gentleman about it," his face feigned innocence, but I knew he wasn't the type to worry about being a gentleman.
"Liar," I said bluntly.
He laughed. "Okay, you caught me, but I've already been punished by the torture I was put through from doing it."
"What?" I asked, incredulous over the blatant insult he'd just thrown at me.
"Do you know how hard it was to not to kiss that delectable mole you have right below your—"
I slapped his hand that had managed to creep up and start pulling down the sheet from my chest.
"Damn it, Hunter!" I yelled, only fueling his laughter more.
I was so busy trying to figure out how I'd gotten here, I hadn't noticed that my hand was no longer wrapped up. The cut had healed up pretty well, leaving only a tender red scarring.
"The cut wasn't nearly as deep as we thought it was," Hunter said, watching me. "I cleaned it up before I left you last night."
"Uh, thank you."
When I asked him what time it was, he told me it was close to nine, which was much later than I usually slept, but that was before my conscience had the added weight of a monstrous demon sent to take me to Hell. Brought back to the reality of the situation, my thoughts automatically went to Nora. I jumped out of bed, suddenly filled with fear for her.
"Shit! What if Caleb got to Nora while I was sleeping here? I should have been there for her in case something happened." I quickly ran to the closet to get my dress, when suddenly, his hand was on my wrist, reeling me back to face him.
Still seated on the bed, he looked up at me and said, "Nora is fine, Cassandra, Caleb hasn't been around."
"How do you know?" I asked, still worried.
"I can sense him."
"But how—" My words were cut off by the sound of my phone ringing from inside my purse, which was sitting on the dresser. I went to go to it, but Hunter still had my wrist. "I have to get that, Hunter."
Reluctantly, he let go of it, and by the time I grabbed it, the ringing stopped. The display said that the call was from my mom and, within a minute, there was a voicemail notification. I listened to her message telling me that she was back in town and needed to talk to me right away. She wanted to meet at my apartment and would be over soon.
I was about to call her back when Hunter came up behind me.
"Everything all right?" he asked.
"Yeah, that was my mom; she's on her way over. Sounds like she has something important to talk to me about."
"I can't wait to meet her," he said, surprising me.
"What?" I thought he might be joking with me again, but seeing the serious look on his face, I was clearly mistaken. "No way, Hunter, you are not coming home with me."
"Yes, Cassandra, I am." He was towering over me in an effort to get his way. "I, too, would like to know what Mom found out on her trip."
I sidestepped him and went to the closet. "Well, then you are just going to have to wait to hear it from me. I already have too much to tell her with everything that has happened, I'm not about to try to explain you too. Not that I have anything to tell her on that note anyway, since you refuse to tell me anything about yourself," I said under my breath, because I knew it would be wasted on him anyway. I realized if there were something Hunter didn't want to tell me, I wasn't going to get it out of him... yet. I'd find his weakness though, if it killed me.
"Anyway, she'd freak—" I looked in the closet and saw that the dress and shoes were in there, but they weren't what brought me up short. My favorite pair of comfortable jeans, along with my black tank top was also folded nicely on an upper shelf. My sandals rested on the floor next to the devil shoes from last night. "How?..." I started to ask, but then thought it was probably another pointless question. "Never mind, I don't think I want to know."
Grabbing the clothes, I went towards the bathroom to change into them. I almost made it in the door, when I heard Hunter pointedly clearing his throat. Turning towards him, my mouth dropped when I
saw that he was sitting on the bed dangling my bra from last night in one hand, and a pair of new panties in the other. "These are my favorite," he said with a devious smile.
How in the hell had he gotten a pair of my panties? He must have gone into my apartment while I was asleep. I don't know if the heat in my face was more from me being royally pissed off knowing he'd broken into my apartment, or from embarrassment that he'd actually raided my panty drawer.
I pulled up my spine and stomped over to him. "Give those to me!" I went to snatch them from his hands, but he pulled them out of my reach, making me lose my balance and fall forward into him. Now I was trapped between his legs, bent over him, as he leaned back with my fall. "Have you no shame at all, Hunter? What are you? A child?" I berated him, trying to push myself up using his chest as leverage, but his legs were locked firm, keeping mine from being able to move. It was too awkward a stance to allow me to stand up completely, so I remained over him, palms flat on his chest.
"Oh no, Cassandra, I'm very much a man. Would you like to find out while we're here?" he said, leaning up on his forearms, bringing his upper body closer to mine.
"Grow up, Hunter, and let me go." I said tensely, while looking him in the eyes.
"You must be forgetting one of our lessons," he said. I looked at him with confusion. "I always get what I want. Now, I will meet Mom today, agreed?"
My eyes were wide with shock that he was actually ransoming my clothes to get my consent. I refused to let him get his way this time. There was no way I'd let up when it came to protecting my mom.
"You know what? Do whatever you want, Hunter. Keep embarrassing me with your innuendos, steal my clothes, hell, ravish my body for all I care. I am not letting you come over." Oh shit.
Faster than I could replay in my head what I'd just said to him, I was on my back and crushed into the bed beneath his body. His arm pushed into the bed next to me, raising him up enough to look into my face. "See now, Cassandra, I told you that you'd give me permission in time."
His words registered, but my protests were killed when his mouth came down on mine. His tongue wasted no time exploring my mouth, sensually entangling itself with my own. It made me forget any remaining protests that may have been lingering from my sense of morality. He tasted of a sweet wine and my tongue relented, matching his hunger.
I felt him groan into my mouth as my hands went to the back of his head, frantically rubbing my fingers through the short strands. Using his arm for leverage, he lifted his hips from mine, only to nudge my legs apart and settle back down between them. I felt his hardness pressing between my thighs, sending waves of pleasure throughout my body as he moved rhythmically against me. My moans tried desperately to escape, only to be smothered by his wonderful mouth. I'd lost all sense of who I was, or the reality of what I was doing. There was only him and the thrill he was creating with my body. Nothing else mattered.
The back of his knuckles brushed against my naked skin as I felt him grab the bottom of my shirt and pull the trapped material up between our bodies. There was a tearing sound and I broke from his lips in an attempt to assess the damage. Hunter leaned up and looked down with me. I let out a gasp as I saw half of the T-shirt I was wearing torn up the front. He moved a piece of the material aside to reveal my stomach and gave me a lecherous smile.
"I never did like this shirt," he said hoarsely.
Before I knew it, he ripped apart the rest of it, baring my breasts openly. He gazed at them, devouring them with his eyes. His smile was gone, replaced by a look of complete rapture. "You are the most tempting woman I've ever seen, Cassandra."
I took a deep breath as his hands lightly moved up my stomach, teasing me as he rested them just below my breasts. He looked into my eyes and I couldn't help the rapid breaths that escaped, tortured by his lingering touch, wanting more, but unable to form coherent words to tell him so. As his gaze held steady on mine, he brought his fingers to his mouth, licked them with his tongue, and lightly brushed their wet tips against my nipples. My back arched in its efforts to bring my chest closer to his hands. A moan escaped my lips as I felt him finally cup my breasts, his touch much more feverish on my skin.
He hovered his lips just above my breasts, and I looked down at him when there was no more contact.
"Tell me you want me, Cassandra," he breathed. "Say the words. I want to hear you ask me for it."
With each word, his hot breath caused my nipples to harden to the point of pain. I had to get relief. My entire body was on fire with need for him. I wanted nothing more than to beg him to take me completely, but somehow my conscience wormed its way into my head when he asked me to voice my desires in spoken words.
"Hunter," I managed to say breathlessly. "No, please—"
Suddenly, his mouth was on mine again, choking back my rejection. His hands held my head on either side, thumbs caressing my cheeks. He pulled away, only inches, just enough to lock his eyes onto mine.
"If you can look me in the eyes and tell me truthfully that you don't want this, want me, then I will let you leave right now and never touch you again. Is that what you want? Do you want me to stop touching you, Cassandra?"
I looked deep into his eyes, searching for an answer that I knew he could not give me. The only thing in them was pure desire. They glowed from it. Did he see the same thing in my eyes? Could he clearly see the lust I had for him in them? Could he also see my fears? I was afraid of it all; being here with him, my careless actions when I was with him, my need for him, and my sudden fear of what would happen between us if I let this go on.
As he waited for my answer, his fingertips slid down the side of my body, as far down as his arm could reach, leaving a trail of goose bumps. When his hand came back up the inside of my thigh, my breathing sped up once again. "Tell me, Cassandra," he whispered deeply.
It was pure torture and utter pleasure at the same time. I couldn't stand it anymore. My mind was made up. "Hunter," I couldn't get out a full breath enough to answer him. "Hunter, don't st—"
One minute I was in the throes of passion, the next I was in the back seat of a speeding car.
Scenery raced past through the window, but I recognized the city streets as nearby neighborhoods. I looked in the front seat and saw my mom intent on keeping control of the car at the high rate of speed she was driving. But it wasn't her dangerous driving that sent ice down my veins. Leaning towards her was the man I'd seen in the previous car crash, the one that disappeared. His glowing eyes looked back at me as he grinned, and my stomach dropped.
His eyes returned to my mom and he whispered into her ear. She began frantically looking out the windows. When I tried to spot what she was searching for, the man pointed out a bicyclist waiting at the light up ahead. That's when I realized what was about to happen.
I pulled myself up towards the front seat, screaming at my mom, warning her, but well aware that my words would never reach her. With tears streaming down my face I kept looking from the bicyclist to the light ahead, all the while trying to make some type of motion that might get my mom's attention. The light turned yellow, and the man whispered into my mom's ear again. The car jerked forward as it gained more speed. I lost it. I flung my fists at him, but he disappeared before they hit their target.
My mom finally spotted the bicyclist and veered the car to the right to avoid him. I watched as we headed straight for a light post. I screamed and everything went black.
Hunter was rubbing the side of my face when I opened my eyes. "Cassandra, can you hear me?"
Trying to sit up, I realized I was lying in his lap. There was a sheet covering my body, but it couldn't keep the chill from my skin. Not getting a response, Hunter called to me again.
I scrambled to get out of his arms, yelling for him to let me up, but he held me tight. "Hunter, please! It's my mom!"
"Cassandra, calm down. Tell me what happened."
"There's no time. He was there with her. He's going to kill her!" I managed to get out from his arms. With the
sheet wrapped around my body, I rummaged into a drawer, searching for something to cover myself.
Hunter held out a T-shirt for me. "Who was there, Cassandra? Who's trying to kill your mom?" I grabbed the shirt from him, turned and hastily put it on. Remembering my jeans in the closet, I grabbed them and put them on too. When I was finished, Hunter grabbed my shoulders and turned me around to face him. "Who, Cassandra?" he yelled.
"It was him; the same man from the car crash by Luke's. I saw him right before the driver crashed his car into a pole and died. He was in the car with my mom too. He was—"
"A demon," he said flatly. "It was one of Caleb's."
The name hit me like a shockwave. It had been him all along, trying to get to me, playing with me. And now he was going to get to my mom. All while I was here, selfishly concerned with my own pleasure. "Damn it, Hunter! You said you were looking out for her. You said she'd be all right!" I motioned towards the bed, "And now he's going to get to her because I... we... this! I knew I shouldn't have given in to you. I knew I shouldn't have trusted you."
For a moment, I thought I saw pain in his eyes, but it quickly faded to an angry resolve. "I promise you, Cassandra, if anything has happened to your mother, Caleb will pay."
I stood in front of him, fire in my eyes as I stood tall, "Don't you get it? She's all I have! If something happens to her, it's already too late."
"I will not allow you to face Caleb on your own," he said, as if it were the end of the conversation.
That got my blood boiling. "You know what, Hunter? I'm not asking for your permission. I can take care of myself."
"We'll see about that," he said calmly.
I grabbed my purse and was on my way out the door when I heard my phone ringing from inside it. I scrambled to get it out and when I did, the display showed that it was the hospital. My heart dropped. I looked at Hunter with tears in my eyes, knowing exactly what the call was going to be about. With shaky fingers, I answered... and I was right.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Guardian Of Fate (Fate Series) Page 12
