To Have & to Hold (12 page)

“Because he has what
’
s mine.
You.”

“I
’
ve never been yours, Michael.
Ever.”

“Grayson will be dead and you’ll be blamed for his murder. When you
plead self-defense
, you’ll
be released into my custody. After the way he
’
s abused you, no jury or judge will blame you. You
’
ll thank me when he
’
s dead. All those times he hurt you and I just had to stand by and see the bruises and hear the excuses. No more. And he
’
s always though
t
he
’
s so smart. Who
’
s the clever one now?”

“Why would I ever choose to be with someone who killed the man I
’
ve always loved? It doesn
’
t work that way, Michael. I love Grayson. Always have. Always will.”

I love you, too, babe.
Forever.
The
husky
words stroked her.

“Four months ago you were ready to give me a chance.” Michael slammed
Cate
against his chest. “You will again, even if I have to drug you to get what I want.” He sealed his mouth to hers, shoving his tongue inside.

The assault took her breath aw
ay. She wrenched her head back and gulped air.
“Stop.
You don
’
t want to do this.”

“I
’
ve wanted to do this for years. Now is my chance.”

She struggled to push
Michael
away
.

He picked her up and threw her on the bed, pinning her with his hip and thigh over her legs as he ripped her cotton shirt to expose her lace bra.

She fought, nails biting into his cheek. He slapped her hard. The force of the blow left her stunned. Her face burned and her jaw hurt. Tears stung her eyes. She gripped the penknife in her closed fist.

Michael pushed her jean skirt up to her waist. “If you won
’
t give me what I want, I
’
ll take it. You will be mine, one way or another.” He yanked on the thin silky fabric of her panties, ripping them at the side seam.

He retrieved something from his trousers pocket and threw it beside
Cate
’
s
head while he unfastened his trousers. His engorged erection sprang free.

“You can
’
t do this. It won
’
t make me love you.”

“I know. And I don
’
t care. I don
’
t need your love. I need money and power. I will fuck my fill of you and then I will drug you.” His gaze flickered to the object near her head,
then
he stared straight into her eyes, his face cold and calculated. “Then I
’
ll kill your husband when he arrives
,
and blame you. You’ll never remember anything
.”

Cate
turned her cheek against the counterpane to see a syringe filled with a clear liquid, the cap securely over the needle. She had no doubt he
’
d incapacitate her and keep her that way forever if
he could.

“But, why?”

“I
love you
. And if I can
’
t have you the way I want you, I
’
ll take y
ou any way I can get you. N
o one else will
ever possess you again but me
. I
’
ll take whatever I want. I
’
ll use your body and your money.
The perfect relationship, really.
No nagging. No shit. Just pure pleasure and a
Stepford
Wife I can control. And best of all? I prove I
’
m smarter than Grayson Cooper. I will
own
everything he
’
s ever cared about.”

“That
’
s not love,
it
’
s
obsession.” She struggled against him. “But Michael, they
’
ll find you. Arrest you. Your life will be over.”

“No, they won
’
t. I
’
m smarter. They can
’
t touch me. And I
’
ll have money.
Loads of it.
Millions.
Your millions.”
He smiled a slow, sickly smile as he pinched her breast and trailed his fingers down her abdomen to trace the gold chain of the chatelaine. “Pretty.”

The gold chain
became hot
against her skin. Power tingled along her waist. The baby fluttered in her uterus.
God.
The baby.
What would the drugs do to the baby? She couldn
’
t let him
stick her with that syringe
. It could kill her child. And nothing
mattered to her
more
than
keep
ing
her baby safe.
Nothing.

His gaze traveled to the apex of her thighs.
“A natural redhead.
You can never be sure these days, until you see what
’
s underneath.” His voice sounded heavy with desire. “I can go anywhere. Do anything I want. And no one will touch me. I am a god.
But I want you by my side
.
Only you.”

She eyed him, waiting for her chance to use the little knife. The gun lay mere inches from her head on the nightstand. He
’
d only have to grab it to subdue her. How could she stab him? The knife wouldn
’
t do much to stop him. She
’
d be dead and he
’
d have a two-inch
blade
stuck in his chest
. What good would that do
? How would she save Grayson then?
Or her dragon baby.
She had to keep him talking, at all cost.
“You set Grayson up to take the fall for you?”

Michael
’
s hard laugh sounded more like a grunt.

Anger burned in
Cate
’
s
chest. She
’
d been totally bamboozled by this twisted bastard.
From day one.
“You
’
d planned to kill Grayson on
The Dragon
’
s Wing
that night.
And then what?
You
’
d move in on me and take his place? Is that what you thought?”

His lips twitched. “Yeah, something
like
that.” He took his penis in hand and stroked, the length getting harder and the tip
more purple
, if that were possible. “None of that will matter now. Allegations have been made about Grayson
’
s character. Today, the world will see a domestic dispute--an abusive husband killed by his wife.”

He rubbed his penis along her vaginal folds. In a moment, he
’
d penetrate and
she couldn’t do
a thing about it. She squeezed her thighs, trying to
push
him away.
God, hurry.
Please.

Distract him. We
’
re here.

She shifted her hips, moving off center so he couldn
’
t ram her. He dragged her back. “Don
’
t get feisty now,
Cate
. It
’
ll be good. I promise.”

“You can
’
t do this, Michael. You don
’
t want to do this.”

“Yes, by God, I do.” Spit foamed at the corner of his mouth. He
’
d gone a little limp, so he sat back on his haunches, closed his eyes, fisted his hand around his dick and stroked himself hard for the second time. A moment later, he took his position again between her legs.

This was it.

Her only chance.

He supported his weight on his right forearm, his fingers inches away from the syringe next to her head. She had to get the gun out of his reach before Grayson appeared in the room.
Cate
held the penknife in her right hand, shoved under her hip. She flexed her palm flat against the bed, the
blade of the knife pressed between her thumb and her index finger.

She couldn
’
t wait a moment longer. If she did, Michael would rape her, inject her with the drug, and then grab the gun to shoot Grayson when he charged into the room. Better to take her chances to disarm him now.

An incantation burbled from her lips.
Let the mark be true. The whispered words sparkled in the air, their energy tangible in the now sweat-stale air of the bedroom. She spoke as she
gripped
the handle of the small blade and thrust it in an arc seeking the soft tissue of his face--his eye. He jerked his head back. The small blade sliced his face from the corner of his eye, across his nose to the opposite jaw. Blood sprayed. She squeezed her eyes shut against the spatter. The warm spray caught her face and throat. She pushed with all her strength and rolled under him, batting the syringe off the bed and kicking the nightstand. The gun hit the floor with a thud and skittered.

Cate
scooted
to t
he headboard. Her breath heaved and
she sucked in rasping gulps of air as adrenalin and fear throbbed through her and made her teeth chatter. Chills wracked her body and her hands tingled, icy cold. She hugged herself, appalled at what had almost happened and even more repulsed that she
’
d actually knifed another human being--Michael, someone who
’
d
once
been her friend.

Michael howled in pain. He clutched his face with two hands. When he rai
sed his head, the bloody scene
sickened her.

“Bitch.
You
’
ll pay for your treachery
.” He grabbed her ankle, yanked
her
beneath
him again
,
and slapped her.

The force of the blow made her head spin. Pain lanced through her jaw and mouth. Her bottom lip swell
ed
, a warm trickle flowed down her chin.

She
’d depleted all her
options. Once she
’
d thought a dragon could be the biggest monster alive. A big scary, scaly dragon
who
couldn
’
t control himself when he shifted. Now she knew better. Grayson had never hurt her on purpose. Yes, he
’
d been a fool to think he could control his new powers without the proper training.
But there were
scarier
things than a pissed-
off dragon mage--a
sociopathic human without a conscience for one.
Someone who didn
’
t care about
anyone or anything
.

A low, rumbling, animal growl behind them had Michael
whipping around. “What the hell?”

He scrambled off the bed.

There stood Grayson.
In all his human glory.
Dark t-shirt straining against his muscles, soft button-down Levis worn in all the right places.
Nostrils flared. Shoulder-length dark
hung
wet around his shoulders. His eyes blanched, pupils elongating; one
turned amber, one stayed green.
He
’
d initiated the change.

And she
’
d never seen a more beautiful sight in her life.

“The cavalry
’
s arrived.” She jumped off the bed and moved against the wall, tugging her skirt down and holding the torn edges of her blouse together with trembling fingers.
Cate
shook uncontrollably, inside and out. She sagged against the wall, her weak legs barely able to
support her
. Fear and relief gripped her at the same time, playing a tug of war that left her throat clotted with unuttered sobs and her stomach heaving. She thought she
’
d retch right there on the spot.
Distraught.
Panicked.
She could do nothing else but watch the scene unfold before her with a growing horror. She knew what had to happen and it made her sick.