In the Beginning... (7 page)

“Let’s get this over with, then.” Aodhan
instructed the wolf Tajic to stand guard by the van, then started
toward the small house with purpose. Determined as Aodhan always
was.

Theo agreed it was best to meet the future
head on. He kept pace with the warrior easily. “Are you sure this
is something you wish to do?” he asked of his friend.

“Vengeance is needed for what their family
has done.” Aodhan’s tone was hushed as they moved toward the small
house on the corner of the Taniss

Industries compound. “Am I looking forward to
killing Taniss’s granddaughters as much as Cormac is? No. But I
have lost far fewer relatives to this war than he.”

“We will not be killing anyone this night.”
Theo spoke the words before he realized what they meant. “That is
not what our true purpose is now.”

Aodhan slowed. “We will not? What will we be
doing? Will we be facing death, then?”

“No. Though there will be a struggle.
Several. Of many Kinds.”

He followed the shadow that was the other man
until they were just outside the door of the house they had staked
out for several hours. Theo may not have been able to see the
details of the house—the price of his clairvoyance was the loss of
his physical eyesight—but he could make out shadows.

He knew what Aodhan expected of him—they had
fought side by side for more than five hundred years and despite
Theo’s near blindness they communicated well—and he carefully
approached the back door of the house.

The occupants were two lone
females. Humans. Young. Sisters. Theo had no war with these women,
but knew they must be viewed only as a means to an end. Sacrifices.
How was it that Rydere, their king, had put it?
War was cruelty, and cruelty was war
.
Sacrifices must be made.

The door was unlocked, something he had not
expected. Still, these girls lived on their grandfather’s property,
complete with security fence surrounding the entire fifteen hundred
acres. There were armed guards patrolling those fences. Why would
these girls feel the need to lock their doors?

Their innocence and the fact that he was
about to victimize that innocence almost sickened him. What Kind of
monsters had they become when war involved young women only in
their twenties?

Theo prayed for guidance from his Goddess.
Kennera was the goddess of love and innocence; she would not
condone such actions if she watched.

His king had ordered it done, and Theo had
agreed to the plan. These girls would have died tonight to send a
message to their sociopathic grandfather.

No more would Leo Taniss be allowed to hunt
and kill Theo’s Kind. No more would his friends and companions, his
colleagues and neighbors, be tracked like vermin and exterminated.
It would have ended tonight. His footfalls were silent as he used
the vague shadows and light he could still see to guide him into
the home. It was a warm place; he easily sensed that. The two
occupants loved each other. The house smelled like females, sweet
and tantalizing. One scent was more alluring than the other and he
wondered at it, while breathing her in. Sweet.

A female scream split the
air, followed quickly by the sound of a scuffle. Of a woman calling
out for the other to run. He would have to work immediately, then.
Aodhan had struck quickly. His query was near. He felt her
presence, heard her footsteps as she hurried down the
stairs.
To
her
sister’s aid. Instead of away, toward safety. Poor little love, had
no idea of what she was running toward.

He stepped into a hallway, certain he was on
the right path.

A feminine scream echoed through the room. He
could see the shadow of a young female. He feinted left, blocking
her as she tried to run past him. She swung at him, calling for her
sister. Calling for help. Her fear was so clear for him to
hear.

Theo wrapped his hands around slim arms and
pulled the woman against him. A feminine face appeared in his mind.
One he had seen in his dreams many years past.

She had green eyes unlike any he had ever
seen, a slim body with sweet curves, and a red-gold halo of hair
around a delicate face. Her lips were soft and rose in color. She
was beautiful, delicate.

His
.

His
Rajni
. His mate. The woman he had
waited more than five hundred years for. He had found
her.

He ignored her struggling, knowing no human
female would ever be strong enough to defend herself against a
Dardaptoan male, even a blind one. “Shh, my dearest little love. I
will not harm you this night.”

His words had the opposite effect of what he
had intended. She struggled harder, until he feared she would hurt
herself. With a whispered word he sent her into what amounted to a
catatonic state. She could still see him and feel him, but she
could not move to fight.

He would follow his king’s orders to bring
this girl back to their city, but he would harm her no more than
that. He would love her for the rest of her life. That her human
life had only a fraction of years compared to his mattered little.
He would cherish the days they did have together.

She whimpered when he lifted her into his
arms, and he hugged her close. She smelled like gardenias and
chocolate. He curled one hand in her hair, pulling her gently
toward him. He kissed her brow before he carried her out of her
home and into the night.

Aodhan waited. Theo felt the
presence of his
Rajni
’s sister. She stood near Aodhan. Her blood smelled heavy on
the air. Aodhan had tasted her, then.

“It is done?” Aodhan asked.

“I am ready, yes. We must get them back to
Dardanos; we have much to plan.”

The shadows of Aodhan and the other woman
began to move. Theo studied the movements closely. “You have bound
her hands?”

“She is fearsome. I thought it best to
prevent her from hurting herself. Her sister not so vicious?”

“No. It was a simple matter.” Theo snuggled
her closer, not wanting to drop her in the night. “She is
mine.”

“As her sister is mine.”

****

Michaela Taniss heard the men talking, knew
there were two of them and that they also had her sister, but no
matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t move her head to look at
any of them. She couldn’t move her limbs either. Had the man
holding her drugged her? What had he given her? When had he done
it? She’d heard her sister yelling at her to run, to get out of the
house. Then Mickey had run right into the man carrying her. And he
carried her as if she weighed nothing, instead of the one hundred
and thirty pounds she knew she was. He was so much stronger than
she. How was she supposed to get away?

His hand was hot on her spine as he carried
her; occasionally, he ran his fingers over her hair and down her
back. He was so gentle; was he going to hurt her, then?

Mickey could hear Mal cursing and yelling at
the men, but she could not join her sister, or even tell Mal to be
quiet. Mal sounded mad, but Mickey knew her sister was just as
terrified. And why had the big man tied Mallory’s hands? One
thousand questions continued to run through Mickey’s mind, but no
answers were coming.

A van waited, dark in color. Mickey’s heart
rate sped up when she saw it.

No…

Mickey fought against the strange paralysis
that held her. She couldn’t get in that van. She couldn’t. Her eyes
met her sister’s, and she saw the same fear in Mal’s eyes.

A whimper escaped. “Please…”

The man carrying her tightened his arms
around her. His hand ran over her hair again. So gentle. Mickey
felt shivers shake her body, the only movement she was capable
of.

She felt his lips move against her cheek when
he spoke. “I will not hurt you, never hurt you. You must believe
that.”

Somehow she found her voice. “Let us go,
then.”

“I am afraid we cannot do that, my little
love.”

Why did she think the man meant it? Was that
true regret in his tone? Mickey closed her eyes as the other man
slid the back doors to the van open. The other man picked Mal up
and slung her over his shoulder. He didn’t seem to even notice how
Mal kicked and fought him. Strong. Mallory wouldn’t stand a chance
against him. A tear slid from Mickey’s eyes.

Her sister didn’t deserve to be a victim
again.

A surge of strength that surprised even
Mickey flooded her body. Her hand lashed out, her nails raked
across the man’s face. He cursed, but he didn’t loosen his hold on
her. His arm wrapped around both hers and he held her in place. “We
are secure, Aodhan. Let’s get them home.”

The big man wrapped the rope in his hand
around Mal’s arms, binding them to her sides and down around her
waist and knees. Mickey watched her sister struggle, though the dim
interior light allowed her to see very little detail around her.
Her glasses were still on the bathroom sink. She’d been removing
her contacts when Mal had screamed. He tied off the rope, then slid
into the driver’s seat. Mal was left against the van’s large side
panel.

The man holding Mickey was a more cautious
type. He settled into the bench seat in the back after placing
Mickey in the far corner seat. He even slipped the seatbelt around
her waist. Her arms were still numb, but she was starting to regain
feeling. His hands were hot when he adjusted the belt around
her.

His tenderness and care scared her more than
the other man’s callous attitude. What would he want from her in
exchange for his kindness?

“Aodhan, we are ready. Let us get out of this
place.”

His voice was steady, calming, but Mickey
still shivered. Still felt the tears trailing down her cheeks. Why
were they doing this? Was it something she or Mal had done? They
lived on the family property, their home behind eight foot tall
stone gates, manned by security teams, cameras, and dogs. They were
protected.

Her brother and uncle ensured that. Her
brother Rand took his position as head of security very seriously
and spent countless hours checking and double checking. He’d taken
her and Mal’s safety very seriously, and had since Mal was attacked
and raped when she and Rand were only twenty-one, and Mickey
sixteen.

He would find them. Rand would not stop until
he had her and Mal home again.

Her fear, and that of her fierier sister,
was heavy on the air as the van traveled toward the Dardanos hotel
and resort that served as the Dardaptoan city hall. Theo touched a
finger to the scratches on his cheek. His woman had a spirit that
her quietness hid. He resisted the urge to run his hands over her
again, to shape her body with his fingers so that he would remember
the feel of her always. She had not felt very substantial beneath
his hands, by any means. She was tall for a human woman, he had
sensed that, but she was narrow of build. So fragile, his female.
He would have to take care of her.

He hated that she feared him, but knew it
would take them some time to know one another enough that her fear
dissipated.

She still shivered, her fear and shock making
her even more susceptible to the cold. He cursed himself for not
considering…why had he not brought a blanket for her? He should
have; it mattered little that they had planned to kill the women
once they arrived back at the hotel. He should have thought of how
frightened and cold she would have been on the journey.

He pulled the
vestis
over his head. It
was long-sleeved and insulated, perfect for the cold weather. He
slipped the shoulder belt to one side and maneuvered his female’s
arms through the garment. He felt around her shoulders until he’d
gathered all of her hair in his hand. He moved it free of the low
v-collar of the garment. “There now, my little love. This shall
keep the cold from you. I am sorry; we have no blankets to wrap you
in.”

“Let us go,” his woman’s sister said, from
her position behind Aodhan’s seat.

“Not going to happen.” Aodhan told her, his
voice surprisingly cheerful and determined.

“What is this about? Why did you do this? Our
family has plenty of money for ransom. Just let us go. Let my
little sister go!”

Theo was content to just sit beside his
female while her sister pleaded with Aodhan. He admired her
protectiveness. Her love for her sister. Did his own woman have
such love?

Theo was a family man, with three younger
siblings of his own that he loved and protected. He would do
anything for his siblings, especially his younger sisters. “Aodhan,
just drive. We need to get them back to the hotel quickly. They
will be tracked in the morning.”

“I see.” Aodhan stepped on the gas and the
van shot forward. Theo heard another whimper escape his female, and
it tore at his heart. He wrapped his arm over her shoulder and
pulled her toward him. He dropped a kiss to the hair that smelled
like gardenias.

“Do not be afraid. We will not hurt you.
Ever.”

****

The one kept whistling and that scared her,
but the tender touches from the man beside her frightened her
beyond anything. She tried to think, to reason why they could have
done what they were doing, but other than the ransom demand that
Mal was trying to convince them to make, she couldn’t think of why
they would risk coming on to the family property to target
them.

That told her one thing—this wasn’t random.
She and Mal had been chosen for a very clear reason.

The man continued to touch her, gently and
never inappropriately, for the remainder of the drive.

The van stopped the driver climbed out. The
side door opened and Mickey squinted against the sudden light. They
had brought her and Mal to a hotel? Why?