Of Another Dimension (28 page)

"Chomcharra!" he barked, jumping at my love tap.

"What? Payback's a bitch. Don't look at me like that!
You
started it!"

****

"I thought you said you were hungry?" I mumbled tiredly and stifled another yawn.

Warm arms wrapp
ed around me and I smiled, half-awake as warm lips kissed and nibbled my ear.

"I thought you were still butt hurt I bit you back. It's all your fault
, you know? If you didn't want a mating mark on your derriere then you shouldn't have given me one there in the first place," I grumped, yawning again.

He smiled against my temple, but didn't comment.

"I'm tired and this is strictly for cuddling," I warned, "No nookie or my coochie might fall off. You've officially ruined me for a while."

His chest shook against my back as he suppressed a laugh.

"
Of course
you think this is funny.
You
don't feel like your junk is going to fall off. Six times, Sieren? Really? No wonder your horns are so darn big," I ranted half-heartedly in a whisper, but when he ran his hands over my hips, running over my abdomen to massage my tummy, I made a sound of appreciation, gooseflesh breaking out over my skin.

A deep, but completely wrong, chuckle came from the Sodraden cuddling me.

I rolled over and looked into warm brown pools of chocolate.

"Kieve! You're home!" I cried happily and leaned over to kiss the shit out of my man.

"Mmmm," he moaned into my mouth, returning my kisses eagerly.

"I missed you," I whispered happily
between frantic kisses, "What took you so long? God, I've missed you! You are
never
allowed to leave me alone with Teivel ever again! Do you hear me?
Never!
I mean it!"

Kieve barked out a laugh and pulled me onto his chest.

"I came back early, remember? Don’t I get any credit for that?” he teased.

“Nope. You never should have left,” I insisted, hugging him tight.

His chest shook as he laughed, caressing me softly.

“
Well, back to your earlier worries, as far as ravishing you goes, I'm tired too, baby. You don't have to worry about me making your
coochie
fall off," he assured me, barely contained mirth in his voice, "I just want to be with you."

I smiled against his chest.

"Kieve?" I ventured tentatively, snuggling into his warm embrace.

"Yes, mate?"

"I love you." I traced little heart patterns over his nipples.

"I love you too
, baby."

"Kieve?"

"Yes?" he chuckled.

"Sing to me."

And before he got through the first verse, I was fast asleep.

****

Kieve finally woke me when it was lunch time and we both got dressed to go downstairs.

I grinned when I walked into the kitchen and found Sieren humming the song we'd slow danced to in the rain.

He seemed lost in thought and I motioned for Kieve not to say anything, hushing him with my finger to my lips.

Using my large
blue eyed lover's distraction to my advantage, I walked up behind him, slapped him hard on the ass and cackled gleefully when he yelped, let out a low groan and gooseflesh broke out all over his exposed skin.

He whirled around as I rounded the table and hopped into Kieve's lap, giving him an 'I gotcha' grin.

Kieve chuckled at my antics and nuzzled my neck.

"Mmmm, I've missed you mate," he said softly and placed nibbling kisses down my neck.

The screen door slammed and Teivel came walking in.

"Oh
, my god! What happened to you?" I blurted, gaping at him as he limped down the hall, glaring balefully at Sieren.

He looked at me, flushed blue, and looked away, clenching his fists at his sides.

"I spent the night in a tree," he clipped out.

"A... tree?" I gave him a wide eyed stare of disbelief.

His hair was tangled, his braid undone and he had debris and mud all over him. He was drenched as well.

I followed Teivel's line of vision and glanced at Sieren.

Sieren, who didn't realize I was watching him, was giving Teivel an evil taunting smile, enjoying Teivel's predicament.

Hmmm...

I looked back at Teivel, who was still glaring scornfully at Sieren.

"Did Sieren have anything to do with you going in the tree?" I asked curiously, trying to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

Teivel and Sieren both weren't talking, so I went to my most reliable source.

"What's going on
, demon lover? Why did Sieren make Teivel sleep in a tree?"

Kieve looked like he was going to plead the fifth, so I played my last hand.

"We're mates, Kieve. Honesty is very important to me," I said solemnly.

"Sieren hung Teivel from a tree last night," he said si
mply, grinning when his brothers growled at him for ratting them out.

"You hung him from a tree
?!" I gasped, horrified.

I jumped up and went to Teivel.

"Are you okay? Oh, my god! Are you hurt? Where are you hurt? Should we take him to a hospital or something?" I babbled.

Teivel frowned at me and shrugged my hands off when I tried to help him.

"I am not a youngling. Quit fussing over me," he snapped.

I pulled back, hurt and embarrassed by his rebuff.

I forgot all about the other night when I heard he'd been hurt. My worry for him had trumped my temper apparently.

Guess
he
hasn't.

I stepped back and shoved my hands behind my back, flushing pink in both irritation and discomfiture.

Teivel gave us all one last look of censure and limped down the hall.

I swung around and gave Kieve a dirty look.

"Don't you dare laugh about him getting hurt!"

Kieve's smile fell and he gave me a serious look.

"He deserved it."

"He
deserved
to be strung up like a criminal?!"

He shrugged and gave me a small smile.

Let's just say I was non plussed by the sight of it at the moment.

"It was only by his foot, baby. He's fine. His pride's sore, not his body, he'll live."

"You are impossible!"

I growle
d in exasperation, tossing my arms up in the air.

I turned to Sieren and pointed at him, narrowing my eyes at the offender in question.

"And you! How could you? What did he do that made you two think he deserved it? He's your brother!" I shouted.

Sieren looked at me, lips a hard thin line on his devastatingly handsome face.

"He insulted my mate."

"You don't hang people up by their foot for that! You call them an asshole! Put sugar in their salt shaker, put salt in their coffee! Fart on their pillow! I don't know! But you
do not
, I repeat,
do not
string them up!"

He went to get the plates for dinner without another word, unfazed by my rant, and I stomped from the room.

Great!
I thought, climbing the stairs
. He did it for me!

How lovely!

I made it down the hall and knocked on Teivel's door.

He didn't answer, so I knocked again and waited.

"I'll stand out here all night!" I called, pounding on his door.

The door swung open and I flew forward, unprepared for him to yank it like he did.

We both tumbled down and I landed right on top of him.

"Well
, this is awkward," I gasped out, sprawled across his chest.

He grunted and rolled over, sliding me off.

I quickly got up and tried to help him to his feet, but he ignored my proffered hand and did it himself.

Stubborn male!

"Go away. I don't
want
or
need
your pity," he muttered angrily, making his way to his bed.

He'd changed and his hair looked like he'd just washed it, hanging down his back in wet black waves.

"I'm not here to pity you. You stubborn jackass! I want to make sure you're okay," I hissed, losing my temper and walked over to him.

"What's the matter? Feeling guilty?" he taunted.

My lips tightened and I clenched my teeth.

He looked taken aback when I didn't respond, ignoring him instead.

I walked out of the room and went downstairs, paying no heed to Kieve and Sieren as I got a cup and filled it with ice, walking away quietly to take it upstairs.

Teivel looked surprised to see me when I walked back in, but I didn't show that I'd noticed.

I put the ice in one of the small absorbent towels and walked over to his sore ankle.

It looked irritated and swollen, so I propped it up on a pillow and gently placed the ice over it.

Once he looked settled, I walked to the door and stopped at the entry way, turning slightly to face him.

"I get it. Really, I do," I tol
d him quietly, "You're afraid to let people in, so you lash out at them and push them away."

Teivel snorted at me.

"Oh, is that what you think?"

"I don't
think
.
I know
," I stared at him, meeting him eye to eye. "Is it really so hard to believe that I might care for you? That you might care for me? Or is the idea of being mated to a human so repugnant that you'd ruin any chance we could have had to make sure it won't happen?"

His face hardened, turning stone cold as his jaw tightened visibly.

He said nothing.

"Ahhh," I whispere
d into the quiet of the room, dropping my eyes, "and there's my answer."

I cleared my throat awkwardly and turned my back on him, trying to wipe at my eyes discreetly.

Teivel sighed from behind me.

"Miquatka," he calle
d softly, gently, and my stomach churned.

God, he saw me crying.

I hate crying.

I laughed bitterly.

"Don't you worry about
me
. Contrary to what you think, I can take care of myself. I don't
need
or
want
your
pity either, 'T' man," I murmured softly.

My hand tightened on the door knob.

"You don't have to worry about me bothering you anymore, Teivel, just so you know. From now on you won't even know I'm here. Problem solved."

I closed his door shut behind me, a sense of finality overwhelming me.

Chapter 21

three weeks later

"You've been very quiet lately, chomcharra."

The swing creaked as Sieren sat down next to me.

A breeze
blew past and I smiled as it whipped through my hair.

"I guess I just don't have much to say," I said quietly and stroked Chub's head, laughing a little when he gave my hand a lick and chuffed, snorting to tell me to keep it up.

"Are you feeling well?" he asked tentatively, wrapping his arms around me.

I breathed in his scent, snuggling into his comforting hold.

"I'm fine. Promise," I assured him. "I love the way you smell," I breathed, leaning my cheek on his chest.

"Chomcharra?" Sieren asked after a moment.

"Hmmm?"

"Will you dance with me?"

I looked up at him, surprised.

He got up, taking my hand in his and wa
lked us down to the yard.

He pulled me into his arms and swayed with me from side to side.

"We don't have any music."

"Sha
ll I make you some then?" he asked with a big grin.

He belted out one of the eighties songs I'm always playing from my compla and I burst out laughing as he butchered the song, making me feel sorry for Chub as he whined and hid under the swing.

"What do you think?" he asked when he'd finished, holding his arms out wide at his sides like 'tah dah!'

He knew how terrible he was too from the look on his face, but was playing it off for whatever reason.