Part 10 (1/2)

Before he moved closer to the yelling, he smiled gently at Natasha, shook hands with his brother and father and then broke into an all-out sprint. Just knowing where to find her eased a lot of tension.

Tate brought her back to him. He'd found her in the airport, sedated her, called for Orlando's help and safely returned her to Scotland.

Down a few slanted hallways, he turned one corner and then another. Her loud screams of anger played out like a sweet melody to his ears. The pounding on the door seemed to echo out and just call for him all the more. Yes, when it came to Tabitha, he wasn't a simple madman. He acted like a raving lunatic.

”Natasha! Natasha!” She was relentless. ”I wouldn't let them lock you up like a caged animal! Get me out of here! I don't want to be here! I want to go home! This isn't my place anymore!” Her fists and what sounded like her feet seemed to take turns moving into the heavy wooden door of his room. ”I don't want to be here! Do you have any idea what they are going to make me do? Somebody, help me!”

Faster and faster, he ran through five thousand square feet of the compound until he stood outside his bedroom. As suddenly as he arrived there, her pounding stopped abruptly.

Mercy h.e.l.l. She feels me here. He slumped down against the opposite wall and stared at the key dangling from the lock. Catching his breath, he slowly let it out so she wouldn't hear him. It didn't matter. She showed her hand when the wild rant stopped all at one time.

His broad shoulders continued to rise and fall as he sat on the floor. He wanted to go inside. He also wanted her to calm down first. Maybe she felt more at ease after she sensed him on the other side of their bedroom door. Their matrimonial bedroom. He liked the sound of it so much he almost said it out loud.

It took her at least twenty minutes to call out to him. ”I know you're out there.”

”You feel me here, don't you?” He felt a sudden smile turn up the corners of his mouth.

”You shouldn't have ordered Tate to bring me back here.” Her voice maintained amazingly calm.

”I can't imagine anywhere else you'd rather be than here with me.” He snickered to himself.

”f.u.c.k you!” Her feet went into the door with repet.i.tion once more.

”Yes, we've discussed this before, remember?” He smiled only wider.

”d.a.m.n you, Almonzo! I hate you!” Another round of booms and bams sounded off, this time into the wall. Perhaps the threshold panels needed a break from her swift little kicks or perhaps she thought the sound would be louder.

”You love me.” He stood up and walked over to the door. He put his palm on the frame. ”And I love you.” His forehead went there next.

”I love you about as much as I like having menstrual cramps.” Disgust certainly fueled her chosen words. He wished he'd witnessed it.

”Pleasant. Nice image. Thank you.”

”You're welcome.”

”Being a smarta.s.s becomes you, love.”

”You become the company you keep. It's one of the reasons why I plan to make immediate changes in people a.s.sociations.”

”People a.s.sociations? Hmmm, interesting.” He toyed with the key in the doork.n.o.b moving it back and forth between his fingers. With a grunt, and definitely against his better judgment, he turned it.

She was on the bed now and sat perfectly still when he entered. He wanted to pull her to him, but decided based on the expression covering her face, he should take things slow. He sat down beside her.

Tired eyes glared at him.

”I guess you broke your a.s.s again.”

”Tailbone, and no, I didn't.” She made a cute little sarcastic face at him and then looked away. ”From what I understand, you sold my a.s.s out.”

”Not quite.” He took a deep breath. ”Tabitha, I don't blame you for this.”

”Do you even understand what will happen if we go through with this ridiculous ceremony?” She questioned.

”Yes.”

”I don't think you do.”

”Tabitha, you will die without a vampire to bleed you now. You don't have a choice. Provisions are made for secondaries because without them, our women die.”

”I did have choices until you took them away from me.”

”Tabitha, if you'd only been honest with me about your relations.h.i.+p with Darian-”

”Don't you dare make this my fault. Your heritage is to blame, your old laws and stupid elders who are more perverted than the vampires they claim to rule.”

Almonzo broke out into hysterics. He happened to agree with her about the elder perversion. ”You could manage a smile too.”

”I'd rather kill you than laugh with you at the moment.” She didn't have any trouble looking at him directly when she wanted to cut his heart out, he noticed.

Spreading his arms wide, he asked her what he felt confident would break the ice. ”Then what is stopping you?”

”I don't have a dagger or a sword to use. Give me one and I might.”

His hand went over his heart. ”Hurt me more.”

She stood. ”Just so you know, I'm going back to the States.”

He quickly jumped up to stand beside her. ”When do you plan to leave?”

”Tomorrow.”

”I can be ready by midnight.” He grinned.

Her eyes narrowed. ”I think not. Almonzo, this is serious and the sooner you can accept it, the better off...”

A hungry mouth tore across her lips and cheek before moving to her neck. d.a.m.nation, she didn't fight it and he didn't care if she tried. He'd heard her feisty little threats, and didn't give a s.h.i.+t if she wanted to be angry. She could be mad until the elders called another Summit meeting for all he cared. He ached for her and just kissing her right then healed him. It soothed the hole in his heart, the one she left vacated whenever she wasn't at his side.

Pulling away from him, she warned, ”Stop. Stop it now!” She didn't need the daggers she wanted to pierce through his body once she used her pupils for the same intended purposes.

A hand rested on her hip and her eyes blazed with a s.e.xy-hot rage. Oh yeah, it burned h.e.l.l-hot. ”I can't imagine what you would want with a wh.o.r.e like me.”

”Oh that promiscuous comment kind of p.i.s.sed you off, I see.” He swept in for another kiss and came up short of stealing her lips. ”Let's forget about it.”

Her hands flew against his chest. ”What did you and Darian do, gamble for me? Hmmm? That's it, isn't it? You sat down and played cards just for me. What were the stakes? A f.u.c.k for life?” Her skin turned redder with each sentence. Every question she asked seemed to anger her all the more.

”You want to know what the stakes were?” He moved into her fast and secured her arms in front of her. ”This.” His lips slanted over hers. She tried to break free, turn her head one way or another but he followed her with a hungry mouth and tongue. Finally, he gave up. He continued to hold her arms out in front of her, one hand clasped around both tiny wrists.

They were practically nose to nose. Tempers challenged and fueled the mental animosity as much as the lingering s.e.xual energy.