Raine
Armand dismissed us with a nod.
I faltered and tried not to fall over, exhaustion and relief to be able to leave the horrid room,washing over me. Cage gathered me into his arms again and held me against his chest as he walked out.
We passed Vladimir. His sour expression and blazing stare made it clear he was not happy with the turn of events. I shuddered hard thinking about what he intended to force me to do. I knew he wouldn't forget or forgive losing today. It wasn't over with him.
Cage felt my body tremble and must have anticipated my thoughts because he murmured in response, "It's okay now...you are going to be okay."
Somehow I didn't quite agree with his assessment.
As Cage carried me through a maze of corridors and up several flights of stairs, the enormity of the building became evident."Where are we?"
"It's not important."
My eyes narrowed. It was clear he didn't want me to know where I was. That didn't sit very well with me. We emerged through a large set of double doors, into what looked similar to a luxury home.There was a grand room with a vaulted ceiling, an expansive kitchen and I
thought I caught a glimpse of a library.
Several vampires milled about, causing the hair to stand on the back of my neck. They looked at Cage in surprise as he carried me.He ignored them as he wound through a few more doors until we entered another suite of rooms. He locked the door behind us,and made his way into a very large bedroom.There was a huge four poster carved mahogany bed in the center with luxury linens in warm neutral browns,blue and green.
He set me on the bed and ordered, "Remove the shirt."
I eyed him warily."Why?"
He rolled his eyes. I bristled. I didn't understand why all of them assumed I would strip whenever they wanted.He finally explained as though it should be obvious, "So,we can get you cleaned up."
"Oh," I breathed in understanding.I guess in retrospect, maybe I should have thought about that. I still had quite a bit of dried blood covering my body.
A brisk knock at the outer door interrupted us. He left the room without a word and returned a moment later, carrying a small container of pills and a bottle of water.He extracted a pill, and handed it to me along with the water. "Here, take this.It will help with the pain."
I took it quickly, eager for relief. The pain had started to bite and burn again. The cold water
felt like heaven as it soothed my parched throat. I hadn't realized how thirsty I was until I guzzled down the entire bottle, and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand when I was done.
Cage's lips turned up in amusement.
Okay, so maybe I might have been a touch too aggressive with the drink, gulping loudly and then having to swipe away the drops that dribbled down my chin. Not my most lady-like moment,but I hardly thought etiquette was my biggest concern right now.
I glared. His smile widened and he disappeared again, this time through a side door connected to the bedroom. I heard the sound of a shower. When he returned,he reminded me, "Shirt."
"Oh right," I mumbled and undid the buttons,slipping out of the garment. "I can take a shower on my own. I don't need assistance."I stood a little uneasily to my feet,feeling my head rush. Maybe he would have let me if I hadn't swayed unsteadily. Maybe not. Either way,he gathered me into his arms again.
Naturally, I wrapped my arms around his neck,so I could hold on-which just so happened to cause my naked nipples to rub against his bare chest. A fine shudder went through my body at the friction, and I worked to control my breathing.I will not pant. I will not pant. I chanted in my head,hoping my body would agree with me.
His gaze snapped down to mine. His nostrils flared and his pupils dilated. I inhaled
sharply. And damn it, if my nipples didn't tighten. What the hell was wrong with me? He was a complete stranger, a stranger who could not possibly miss my pointy nipple poking him in the chest now.
His grip tightened, but he remained silent as he walked into the bathroom and carefully set me on my feet just inside the door of the shower. I looked over my shoulder and exhaled.The shower was huge, with more shower heads than I had ever seen. There had to be at least ten of them.Only one was running toward the back. He remained outside the door and murmured, "You will find shampoo and soap in the bottles. Will you be okay?"
"Sure, sure," I mumbled, not entirely sure as I gripped one of the closer shower heads for support.
He assessed me for another moment and must have decided against my assurances to the contrary,because he stepped in beside me,and shut the door behind him.
My eyes widened in surprise.Apparently,he wasn't concerned about getting his designer pants drenched.I looked down to his bare feet,he must have removed his shoes and socks when we came in. He wrapped his arms around me for support and gently forced me backward into the water. When I felt the hot water cascade down my back,it felt amazing against my knotted muscles, and I moaned in pleasure.
Cage froze at my response.
I stared up at him wide-eyed.
His pupils were fully dilated again,stormy grey. After a moment, his expression calmed and he reached for the shampoo. His hands were behind my back, but I could feel him pour some of the liquid into his palm. He murmured gruffly, "Hold on to me."
Fire shot through my abdomen. I couldn't help it. It was the same thing he had told me, when he made me come earlier. He froze again,a muscle twitching in his jaw, his voice low and husky. "Dulce Tigru."
I struggled to lock down my out-of-control hormones. I knew nothing about this man.I had to quit imagining his hands all over my body and his fingers..."
Stop it...stop it right now!
Truly,my body was a rebellious thing,because it completely ignored my sensible thoughts,and instead, wound its horny little hands up to grasp the hair at the back of his neck.
I flinched as pain in my chest flared sharply at the movement. I dropped my hands,pulling them close to my body. And hallelujah...my head was back in control.
His expression turned to concern. "Are you okay?"
I panted through the pain and nodded.
He gently washed my hair and back before turning me to face the water. The wound in my chest had improved at an incredible rate.I didn't know what to make of it. Cage's blood hadn't worked, but yet the wound healed way too fast to be 'normal'.
Still, it wasn't completely healed and when the water hit it, it stung. I hissed, "Son ofa bitch."
He whispered, "I'm sorry, but we need to make sure all of your skin is clean."
I gritted my teeth as he used the washcloth to carefully remove all of the remnants of our earlier fight from my body. Finally he was done and cut off the water. I exhaled in relief.
He stepped out of the shower to pull a towel from the hanging rack and wrapped it around my shoulders. He murmured,"Dry off...I'll give you a moment to yourself and be right back."
While he was gone, I smoothed my hands down my hair, pulling the water out and then dried it before wrapping the towel around my body, under my arms. The bottle of water had caught up to me. I was thankful for a moment to myself so I could pee privately. Nudity was one thing,but I drew the line at urinating with a strange man in the bathroom. Nothing remotely sexy about that. When I finished,I flushed,washed and dried my hands.
There was a light knock at the door.
"Come in."
Cage turned the handle and stepped inside.He had changed into a pair of dry boxer shorts.My mouth dropped open. I had seen him without a shirt earlier, but had been too distracted by my stabbing pain to really notice.Now that I was calm and the pain meds had kicked in, I blinked in shock. His chest was a solid wall of muscle, veins protruding from his skin, leading down to washboard abs,lean hips and powerful legs. Magnificent might have been too strong of an adjective,but he was pretty damn close. And try as I might,I couldn't tear my attention away from the bulge in his underwear. Holy hell.If he was that big when he wasn't hard, how the hell big was he when he was aroused?
He moved with the grace of a predator,sleek and smooth, an undeniable warning of danger. It was obvious he had caught me ogling...and probably drooling...over him,when he gathered me into his arms yet again,his hot breath tickled my neck, and smirked softly in my ear, "Would you like to see more?"
A fierce blush flamed my cheeks. I didn't reply.
He chuckled. When we reached his bed, he set me down, and cut off the main light,leaving only a soft lamp on the nightstand shining in the darkened room, as he walked around and climbed in next to me. He raised an eyebrow."You won't need the towel."
What? Panic seized my belly. I wasn't ready
for this, and sputtered, "I am not sleeping with you naked!"
He chuckled again, "No you aren't because I am not naked. You needn't worry. I have no intention of touching you. Remember, I told you earlier I wouldn't unless you asked me to.Are you asking?"
"No!" Relief rushed through me.I hesitated a moment longer, satisfied when he didn't move and then I removed the towel,sliding under the covers before he could see me.I couldn't tell from the dim light and the angle of his face,but I was almost certain he rolled his eyes.
My lipspursed. Yes, just because he had seen me naked longer than any man didn't mean I planned to make a daily, or apparently hourly,habit out of it.
I settled down against the cool sheets,exhaustion pulling on me. The bed was extraordinarily comfortable, just the right amount of firmness, cradling my body and luring my eyes closed. A soft moan slipped from my lips.
"I know I said I wouldn't touch you unless you asked, but you are going to have to stop doing that, if you want me to keep my word."His voice was so low, it came out as a growl.
My eyes snapped open,both at his tone and his words. Maybe it was the pain medicine finally catching up to me, but I felt a little
empowered that I could affect him like that,and I giggled.
His eyes widened at my response and then he grinned.His smile was breathtaking.I had a feeling not many people saw him so unguarded and relaxed. After a moment,he became serious. "You weren't compelled earlier,were you?"
My heartbeat sprinted through my veins.Maybe my performance hadn't been so convincing. Armand seemed to believe me,but Cage's piercing gaze told me he knew better. Lying would be a challenge, I couldn't hide my racing heart and suddenly clammy skin, but that didn't stop me from trying evasive tactics anyway. "What do you mean?"I worked to apply an innocent expression to my features, wide eyes and smooth mouth,but suspected it came out looking more like a rapid deer in headlights. I was never a good liar.
Cage confirmed my fears. His mouth twisted wryly."You know exactly what I mean. Even Armand cannot compel you. Isn't that right?"
Shit,shit,shit. I remained silent.He waited.
Finally, I gave in, and whispered, "No...he cannot."
"Why did you fake it?"
"I felt it more from him than I did you or Vladimir, the authority of his command,but T ~4:11 +2-
I still could have resisted. I just thought he would...kill me on the spot...if he knew he couldn't compel me."
His response chilled me to the bone. "You were right,he would have."
"Are you going to tell him?" I could barely get the words out.
"No...There are clearly things we need to discover with you."
I wondered what he meant, and then another,more alarming, invaded my thoughts. "Are you...still going to try to...kill me?"
"No," he whispered softly.
It was probably stupid of me to ask, but I couldn't seem to help myself."Why not? You said I was dangerous."
He was quiet for a long time and I thought he wasn't going to answer.
Even though I desperately wanted to know his answer, the pain meds were making it almost impossible for me to keep my eyes open.I yawned and my eyes flickered shut for an instant.
"Sleep now, Tigru. We can talk tomorrow," he soothed.
I resisted but it was futile.My eyes slipped shut as sleep overtook me.