T. A. Grey (18 page)

“What the fuck do you want?”

Christine’s mother flattened her lips. “I want you to get my daughter right now. I’m taking her home. She doesn’t belong with you, vampire.” Dmetri almost laughed. “Actually, she does belong to me.” Her eyes bulged like they were trying to escape her skull. “You mated with her? You turned her into a sick, bloodsucking vampire?”

Dmetri barely refrained from rolling his eyes. “I didn’t mate with her, and I have no intention of doing that. You know if you lightened up a bit you might just realize that I’m a helluva catch.”

“A good catch? Please, don’t make me laugh. She deserves better than you, and I’ll see to it that she gets it.”

Dmetri’s temper steadily grew inside him. “And have you ever asked her what she wants?”

She jerked at the response. “What are you talking about?” Dmetri’s hand curled hard around the doorframe. “I said have you ever asked her what she wants, or who she wants to be with?”

Her piercing eyes narrowed on him. “I wish to speak with my daughter, now! Christine, I know you’re in there. Come out here now!” she called into the house.

Dmetri moved his body to block the door. No way was he letting Christine leave with her. “You’re a selfish old hag, you know that?”

He smiled and realized he was starting to have a good time talking to this witch. It created a stir of strange feelings inside of him, one of them he recognized, possessiveness.

Surprise flitted through him because he realized he didn’t mind feeling possessive, not over Christine. He wanted her too badly. Needed more time with her, much more. He was prepared to put up a fight for her—and he never lost a fight.

She seethed in outrage. “A foul-mouthed parasite, that’s all you are. See, in two minutes of talking you’ve already proven how unfit you are for my precious daughter. She’s too good for the likes of you.”

Something she said hit a little too close to home. “Well, she’s too good for you too. At least I won’t force her into being with someone for my own gain.” This time her mother laughed the sound high and giddy. Her eyes shined bright with satisfaction. “And aren’t you doing that same thing with her? Don’t think I haven’t heard that you’ve been trying to get her to leave with you after this mess is all cleaned up. Is that not for
your own gain
, vampire?” She smiled triumphantly.

Dmetri felt like he’d just walked into a trap, because he did. He could try to turn the words around and twist them to fit his purposes, but she spoke the truth. He was trying to force his own needs on Christine. But dammit, it was for the best for both of them. A cold chill raced down his spine. Wasn’t that how her mother felt, too? That she was only looking out for Christine’s best interest?

“I see I’ve finally made you come to your senses, vampire. Hand Christine over to me now and be done with this. She’ll marry an Alpha and be happy.”

“No,” he said, his voice rising. The thought of her mating with an Alpha made his skin crawl as if a thousand ants were racing over him.

A thin eyebrow lifted. “Oh? But you won’t mate with her. How good of you to at least spare me that. What do you plan to do then? Keep her on as your mistress for as long as it suits you? Like she’s some kind of whore?”

Dmetri’s blood pumped fast as anger grew inside of him. He wanted to lash out at her, slam the door in her grinning face, but...her words struck a chord he couldn’t ignore.

“She’ll be home in the morning,” he said, and slammed the door in her face.

Dmetri leaned back against the door, feeling as though his whole world had just been knocked upside down. Christine poked her head out of the bedroom door then walked up to him.

The heat that had filled her eyes was now gone and replaced by apprehension. He hated seeing that look in her eyes. He wanted to wipe it clean and get her back to how she had been.

“Maybe I should just go—” she said.

Dmetri stiffened. “You heard everything?”

She nodded and the lead ball in his stomach dropped through the floor. His temples decided now was the best time to start hurting; it felt like a hammer banging on wood.

“I’m sorry about my mother.”

Dmetri didn’t say anything for a long minute. Instead, he studied her eyes trying like hell to read a response from her. What did she think of what she heard? Did she too just realize that he had the same motives as her mother, with only a slight difference?

“Let’s go back into the bedroom,” he said.

She shook her head slowly. “No, first I need to tell you something.” Dmetri tensed, waiting.

She took a deep breath and a blush bloomed on her cheeks. She was so pretty, he couldn’t resist touching her, so he cupped her cheek. The heat from the blush warmed his cool hand.

“I...I need to tell you something.”

“Yes, you’ve said that.” Whatever she had to say must be important, because instead of saying it she looked down and twiddled with her hands. Dmetri’s gut tightened with unease. He had two hunches. “Out with it.” He tried to say it gently, but he was on edge and it came out more as a growl.

She shook her head firmly, and then cleared her throat. “Yes, well, this is awkward and all, but I just wanted to tell you that I have...feelings for you.” Panic flared instantly. He kept his expression cool to hide the warning signs going off inside him.

“Okay...”

The blush grew brighter and he took his hand away. “I, um, I think that I love...you.” She now stared hard at the floor, jaw set, flips flat, and the blush spreading down past her neck.

It was the cutest thing he’d ever seen, and the scariest news he’d ever heard. When he didn’t say anything, her shoulders sagged, and she looked up at him with wide doe-eyes that made his gut clench even tighter. Slowly, she started nodding, and then she turned and walked away.

I can’t let her get away!

The thought ran frantically through his mind, but he stilled his body from going after her.

He took a step towards her, but stopped himself. This was for the best. A clean break before he convinced her to come home with him. Definitely for the best, he told himself.

She came shuffling back in a few minutes later, her clothes back on. Her eyes didn’t meet his. Dmetri’s fist tightened to keep from reaching for her. Damn it, he wanted to wrap her back up in his arms and kiss her until all talk of love was gone. He wanted her to look at him, smile again with that smile that made even his miserable ass happy. He hated himself in that moment, had never felt more like an ass. He’d done that. He’d made her feel like this. And nothing he could do would fix it.

She paused before him. Dmetri held his breath, wishing she’d say something that would put them back on terms where they’d been. But she said something else that rocked him on his feet.

“I won’t see you anymore, Dmetri. It’s been fun.” She laughed but the sound was sad. “I, uh, hope that maybe you turn around one day before I completely put you out of my life.” Then she opened the door and left. And he let her go.

Christine never let herself cry. Not even during sappy movies that she liked to watch on occasion. But tonight, there was no holding back.

She opened the door to her house and was met with complete silence. Her home was empty and cold, so fitting to how she felt right now.

She climbed into bed fully clothed, then stared up at the ceiling. Burning wet liquid pushed at her eyelids, but she strained, staring at the ceiling, refusing to let a single tear fall. If she did, then she’d be done for. There would be no stopping it.

She knew what his response would be after she told him. “God, I can’t believe I’m actually surprised,” she said with a shaky laugh. Still, she’d hoped.

She was stupid; it was as simple as that. It didn’t matter. She was going to tell him tonight anyway, she’d just wanted some time to be with him again before she did.

The burning liquid behind her eyes wouldn’t be contained anymore. The first tear slipped down past her temple and into her hair. More followed like little chicks following their mother.

A harsh sob broke from her, the sound nasty and bitter. Christine rolled onto her side, pulling a pillow tight against her stomach. Squeezing her eyes shut, she forced the crying to stop.

She didn’t know how long she lay there, listlessly. The dark night painted her room in shadows that moved with the swaying of the trees outside, creating dancing figures along her wall. She had to make a decision for herself, she realized. She was always letting someone else run her life.

First, her mother and her decisions; and now Dmetri did the same thing.

Her mind raced for answers on how she could change his mind. But long after the tears dried on her skin she realized that it didn’t matter that there was no getting him back. She’d said the “L-word” and now he was running from her.

She screamed until her throat hurt and her voice went hoarse. She pummeled her fists into the mattress until exhaustion took over.

Her heart was broken, but she could do something. Maybe it would fix it, maybe it wouldn’t. But if she finally took her life into her own hands, she could be happy. She didn’t want to marry some Alpha. A man’s status meant nothing to her. She wanted Dmetri, but how could she get him to agree? She’d seen his blank expression after she told him she loved him. The man had completely shut down.

As the night grew, Christine rested atop her messy bed and contemplated, planned.

Because she had finally found a man worth fighting for, and she wasn’t about to lose that so easily.

* * *

Mumbling to herself, she stumbled against the wall and bumped her shoulder. The knock came again, harder than before.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming,” she said, rubbing her throbbing shoulder. She reached the door and pulled it open. Then the breath she was taking left her on a whoosh.

Dmetri stood there, tall and imposing, his face drawn into a fierce look. Christine’s heart started racing at a deadly speed.

“This is...unexpected.” She flinched at her voice, which was hoarse from crying.

The muscle over his right eye ticked and she almost smiled. “Indeed. May I come in?” Confused, she nodded and let him in. Dmetri usually charged in, taking command as if he owned any place he was in. Tonight he stood in front of her sofa for a moment, and then sat in it hesitantly. His eyes met hers and it was like an electric connection shot between them.

Christine’s heart raced, her breaths came quick and short. She felt as though something profound was happening, but she hadn’t figured out what it was yet.

“What?” She wanted to run to him, crawl into his lap until he wrapped his strong arms around her again and made everything feel okay. But she didn’t.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said.”

Her eyebrows flew high and once again, hope fluttered its big flapping wings in her chest. Bitterly, she knew she was only setting herself up for disappointment again.

But he’s here, isn’t he?

He ran a hand through his long hair. “You’ve shoved me into a hell of a dilemma,
millaya
moya.
”

Hearing her nickname fall from his lips was too much for her, and she went to him. His eyes narrowed on her as she came, but she didn’t care. She fell into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. It was only with some great amount of strength that kept her from falling into a sobbing mess.

He came back!

She buried her face in his neck just inhaling his wonderful scent even if it would be for the last time. Slowly, one hand came around her back then touched her spine. Then finally the second arm came around her, as if he couldn’t help himself, and held her—she wanted to cry out with joy.

“You had me thinking a lot after you left tonight.”

Christine pushed his hair away from his neck and buried her face in his warmth, pressing kisses and licks across the thick tendons of his neck. The hands at her back flexed against her even as his body relaxed into hers until they meshed perfectly. He tasted so good, she felt crazed with the need to taste him at least one more time. So she scattered kiss after kiss from his ear to his jaw, down to his neck. The response between his legs was quick and hard. She only held him closer, pressing her core as tightly against him as she could.

“Thinking about what?” she asked when he didn’t say any more.

He coughed to clear his throat while his hands started making passes up and down her spine, over the soft material of her shirt.

“Whether you love me or not doesn’t matter, because I’m still taking you with me.” He might as well have said that he loved her with how giddy his words made her.

Frantically, she trailed kisses up his jaw then covered his lips with her own. A soft moan, hers, passed over them.

His lips parted beneath hers and she went wild, thrusting her tongue greedily inside to taste him. Masculine and rich his taste flooded her senses like a drug. Christine felt consuming hunger flood through her blood, her body. She couldn’t keep still, couldn’t stop touching him, kissing him.

His lips became ravenous against hers, kissing her back, biting her lips until she grew too restless. Pressing her lips harder against his as if trying to sear him into memory, she reached for his shirt and grabbed the front, then gave a hard yank. Buttons flew across the room, material ripped, and the sound was better than any music.

Dmetri’s hands grew impatient. They ran under her shirt finally touching bare skin. He touched her everywhere, from her back up to her neck, then stroking her sides. He swept up her sides, a scant inch away from her breasts and Christine froze, lips hanging against his to see what he’d do. Her breasts were pulled tight and firm, ready to be molded, stroked. But he didn’t touch them. His hands passed back down to squeeze her waist in a possessive touch.

“Dmetri,” she whispered.

“Mine,” he growled against her lips.

Christine whimpered, writhed in his lap. All too soon, it wasn’t enough, not nearly enough. She gave him one more hard kiss, then sat back and began furiously pulling open his belt and zipper.