Lovers' Tussle (5 page)

The shadows in his study grew longer until darkness obliterated them completely. Everything turned into a single shadowing entity. None of his staff would dare enter his private domain to flame the wicks of the lamps. He had a preference for the dark, and they knew that as well as he. But on more than one occasion through the daylight hours he found himself wondering if he himself even knew his preferences. Lady Tienna was certainly not the choice he would have consciously made had he set foot into a ballroom seeking a wife.

From the flocks that made their débuts, he had always been sure he would have chosen someone more demure, someone biddable to his command. Hadn’t he once envisioned being husband to a wife who spent her days meddling in her own affairs while leaving only the nights free for his meddling with her? Time and time again he had tried to picture Lady Tienna in that role, and every single time he had to admit he would have to mold her character to that position. It was not that she was incapable in any way. She was simply too forthright and would never idle her days away with mending and household accounts and running.
No
. He strongly suspected she was just the type of woman who would want to accompany him on his business trips, have her voice heard at every meeting, and even prevail over his position on the parliamentary board had females been allowed.

Oddly enough, while the idea did not settle easily in his craw, it did not overly distress him, either. In fact the more he considered it, the more it had begun to appeal to him. He had been a fool believing he would have been content living a separate life from his spouse. What Lady Tienna had done was effectively point out his desires which, as difficult as it was to admit, differed vastly from what he’d initially believed. No simpering, docile miss would suffice. Not after having met her. He wanted
her
by his side, feisty and spirited. And he would stop at nothing to have her.

A corner between the bookshelf and the wall that was bathed in more stygian darkness than the black of his breeches shifted slightly. Aiden tensed. The hair on his nape prickled. “I’ve been expecting you.”

Roth stepped out from the shadow. “Then I am glad to oblige.” He cocked his head to the side as though listening intently. “Call off your watchdogs. I promise not to bite.”

“They will not interfere.” But even as Aiden said those words aloud, he sent out a silent command for his pack to stand at bay in the frequency understood uniquely by their brethren. Roth was his brother and thus possessed a more personal channel in which to communicate. Damn him for that. There was never a time he had wished for a brother less. “What great enlightenment do you bring for me?” He knew his mocking was immature, but this was no friendly chitchat. It was best to set the tone right from the start.

“You were in an almighty hurry to leave last night. Otherwise we could have settled the matter immediately and started this day afresh.” One of his dark brows arched tauntingly. “At least one of us would have at any rate.” He gestured in the general direction of the large bay windows facing the quiet street. “You are quick to call your pack. Are you so insecure you seek extra reinforcement?”

“This affects my pack as much as it does me. You seek to steal from us our queen.” Aiden was considering reversing his command. His pack could do with this cretin whatever pleased them.

“The same can be said for my own pack.”

“Bah! You speak of that band of robbers and cutthroats? They wouldn’t even know what to do with a lady let alone treat one with the respect that is her due.”

“Title maketh not the man. They will respect her as my wife and second-in-command of the pack.”

“How very presumptuous of you.” He stiffened as Roth drew closer. “Let us settle this the only way we can. We fight to the death.”

“Is the thought of murder the only thing that breeds beneath that polished surface of gentlemanly manners? It is like a mold of rotted fungi, and if you are not careful, you will find yourself sinking to the low depths like the rest of us.”

“I could never be like you.” Aiden’s voice was disdainful. “There is still honor in accepting death, however, and I fully intend on delivering it on this occasion.”

“Honor? To gain something based solely on greed?”

“Need.” Sighing heavily, Aiden admitted, “I need her.”

“I will not fight you, brother. But I will not hand her over, either.”

Aiden was too used to having his way. If things were ever going to settle into the pattern he wished, he would have to see to it personally. “Then you will die.”

“And you will live a coward, for to face me head-on means your death.”

The insult cut in deep enough to penetrate every corner of his mind. Aiden sensed his fellow wolves stir in agitation. Consciously, he sought to appease them by calming the wildness that had seized hold of him. God, Roth had the ability to drive a saint to murder. But saint or not, if blood was shed here, right now, it would be on his hands. He reinforced the command to his pack.
“Stand down, my brothers.”

Roth must have sensed the shift in the air. It was suddenly charged with tension. He lowered his own voice. “I knew the moment you put your hands on her. It is not something I ever want to feel again.”

Aiden bristled. The searing pain that had attacked his very soul had damn near brought him to his knees the second Roth had touched Tienna. He swallowed thickly. The moment she had reciprocated, he’d been almost crippled. The pain had twisted his heart and guts until he had been unable to breathe. “As did I when you placed your filthy paws on her.” It had taken all his strength to turn and flee into the night. It was either that or kill Roth on the spot. Perhaps he could reason with the man. “Confound it, Roth. She is a Lady and, as such, deserves the life I can give her. What will you do with one of her status? Offer her temporary housing on your ship you set sail in every few months? Have her sit here in your dour accommodations while you continue to roam the world, praying for your safe return when in all likelihood you are conscientiously courting your own demise?”

The growl rumbled from deep within Roth’s chest. “I will not leave her as easy pickings for a vulture like you.”

“Ah. So she shall have to develop sea legs fast enough. Are you really that selfish?”

“And are you that obtuse? Did you not feel the instant arousal I evoke in her?” More crudely Roth added, “She came alive like a starved bitch in heat.”

That was the last straw. Aiden rose and leaned over his desk menacingly. His voice left him through gritted teeth. “She was not exactly immune to my touch, either. The only thing that halted our pleasure was your untimely interference.”

Roth laughed, but the sound held little humor. “And I suppose rushing straight into my arms was her only alternative.”

“You forced your will on her!”

“I force no woman, brother. I may not be able to provide the worldly decorations you are capable of giving her, buying her off with. But I can damn well give her something you can’t.
Passion.
Raw and unbridled, just as she craves it.”

A brittle laugh answered that statement. “Yes, and I suppose your passion will keep her belly filled, her love for grandeur appeased. Wake up, Roth.” Aiden smiled slyly. “She is above your station. Your mockery with regards to me buying her generates solely from your obvious inability to be able to afford her.”

“You egotistical bastard, not everyone is like you. Some people will not be bought off.”

Aiden flushed. “I owe you nothing. Now get out before I have my pack tear you beyond recognition.”

Roth snorted as he turned to leave. “That is where you are wrong. You owe me
everything
, little brother. Don’t make the mistake of ever forgetting that.”

Aiden slumped back down into his chair. Roth was becoming a loose cannon, and that made him dangerous. There was much he could lose should Roth choose to open his bag of dirty little secrets, more commonly known as his mouth. Maybe the fight to death was the only alternative left. But he would do it with honor. It would take place in some filthy wilds under the cover of darkness, but it would be a duel nonetheless. And his teeth would be the bullet that would triumph, sunk straight into his treacherous brother’s heart.

* * * *

Tienna latched on to all the chaos within her and somehow managed to transform it into fuel. Her paws barely scraped the ground before taking flight again. The guilt that had overcome her as she’d faced not one but two men’s torment due to her wanton displays sent heated blood pumping into her veins, feeding her fleeing limbs. The confusion she felt at her own desires lodged a lump the size of a boulder in her chest. She used that obstruction to gasp precious air more desperately. The tremendous need to be selfish just this once and have them both brought tears to her burning eyes. Bloody icy England wind, she lied to herself. But it was not easy hiding the truth from her own self. And she did not get anywhere near doing so no matter how far and fast she ran. She lusted after something that was simply not possible, and it was tearing her apart. She wanted both of them.

The confession had her grinding to a halt as effectively as slamming into a solid oak tree. But the respite such a barrier would have brought her by jarring her brains into blissful oblivion, even for a moment, was not a mercy she was afforded now. The impact of that last thought remained fresh and disgustingly clear in her mind.

Without conscious thought she trotted to the nearby ledge. She had not even realized she had spent the time running uphill. But she noticed now. The valley at the bottom, even in the dark, appeared to be a far way down. Tienna turned her face upward instead. The moon had always provided her with comfort and illuminated even her darkest hours.

Aiden and Roth were as different as two men could possibly get. As foreign to each other as day and night. How could she be attracted to both of them? She must have a very unstable character indeed. Aiden, with his gentle ways, allowed her to close her eyes and relax. She was comfortable and at peace in his company. He made her feel safe. Wasn’t that infinitely better than anything else?

Apparently not
. Roth was a man she could never close her eyes even long enough to blink around. He could snap and change from one moment to the next. And deep within her she had to admit two things. She didn’t want to close her eyes, not out of fear, but out of the insane wish to not miss a single daring move on his part. Secondly she reveled in the feelings of danger and excitement he evoked in her. Safe and dangerous, how much more contradiction could she get?

While Aiden allowed her to breathe, Roth breathed life into her.
Could
she choose between them? It was like having to choose which part of herself she wished to embrace and which to eradicate. She snarled softly, the only sound of disgust she could think of making in her current wolf form. Whichever way she looked at this, she always came to the same point. Full circle. Living without either man would be like being only half-alive.

Her whiskers twitched as she studied the wise moon, so openly revealing yet silent. There was still so much she did not understand. They felt it when the other touched her. Sadly it obviously hurt them. Even worse, it angered them. The temper of a wolf was not something to taken lightly. It was not something that could be ignored either. Just how far could they be stretched before they snapped? And who would pay the ultimate price for that transgression?

Another thing that puzzled her was the actual ability to sense and even hear each other. Hadn’t Aiden frozen in that dark garden on the low growl of Roth? Yes, he had definitely heard him, but how? It was not possible. For goodness’ sake, they were known enemies, so there was no chance that they came from the same pack. Their looks were as far apart as the stars, so they could not be related.

The sudden rustle of leaves behind her had her spinning instantly. Her breath slammed in her lungs and remained there as she failed to draw in fresh air. Someone was watching her. She could feel the gaze almost like a physical touch. Her body crouched down low, assuming the battle or fleeing position, whichever this interlude called for, hugging the tightly packed damp earth. Silence so thick it became a living presence pressed down on her but, frustratingly, like a cold compress, provided no comfort beyond an unwelcome chill. Her nostrils flared, straining to catch the scent of the intruder.

A slender shape moved out from beneath the cover of the trees.
“Do not be alarmed, Lady Tienna.”

Aiden
. Tienna slumped in relief. She eyed him as he approached. His coat was such a lush white it hurt her eyes. It was so very pristine in its starkness she was almost afraid to touch such purity, fearing soiling it. He was absolutely splendid, a celestial being who stole her breath by tiny degrees the longer she stared at him. His form moved with the muscles rippling, graceful with the light-footed stealth of a predator. His eyes were keen and alert and had her holding yet another painful breath. Never before had she seen such a wondrous shade of blue, at least not in something that could look right back at her. There was no denying he was strong and quite magnificent. But she knew firsthand that beneath that mass of corded tendons and rich, decadent fur lay a soul that was gentle and patient. She could not help the purr of welcome that rumbled in her throat.