Catch

Chapter Fourteen

Tane deserted me in the sitting area of the apartment and went to a back room, leaving me to explore. I wandered along the lengths of the walls. Carved wooden masks in different styles decorated the area, some looked ancient and cracked. The silence was of museum quality and I wished for little placards to describe each item.

Something bothered me about them, though. I stopped in my tracks and examined them closer. They all had fangs. With the tip of my finger, I touched one of the points.

“They’re all symbols of the vampire myth.” Tane’s breath brushed my ear as he spoke. A cattle prod set on maximum would have stunned me less. He chuckled as I jumped. “You’re so nervous.” He tried to place a hand on my shoulder.

I shrugged it off. “I’ve had a rough week. I think I’m entitled.” The intensity of his presence sent tingles over my skin. “Where did you get them?”

“All over the world and over the course of my existence, some of the best have disintegrated during that time. Vampires haven’t always hid in the dark. Pre-history humans worshipped us as gods once.” Still as stone, he stood next to me, staring at part of his past on the wall. What had he experienced?

I lamented my lost love, Laurent, my husband stolen away by cancer. How many loved ones had Tane lost? Each loss must have left a mark on him. Yet he could still laugh, if rare, and have mercy, if rarer still.

Someone tried to kill him, though. We all assumed power the reason behind the madness, maybe it was more personal. “Tane?” I tasted his name as if for the first time.

He turned his handsome, strong face in my direction. Firm lips drawn in a straight line and dark eyes a mirror, I always found him difficult to read.

“Why did Eric drug you? Weren’t you in love?” Yes, tact was my middle name.

The corners of his mouth dipped while he stared over my left shoulder at the masks.

“Yes we were. But time changes all things.” His gaze flicked to mine. “One day you’ll understand this. Eric had trouble adapting to the modern world with all its laws and democracies.” The constant veil he wore over his eyes lifted for a second. Grief lived in there, and loneliness.

I wasn’t the only one who didn’t want to be left alone.

“He became jealous. Things only got worse after Budapest.”

“Can you blame him?” I cringed as soon as the question popped out like a little devil from my big fat mouth.

His sad eyes transformed into a blaze of dark indignation. “What do you mean?” He stepped closer.

I retreated against a small oak bureau. Something sharp stabbed my back and I squeaked.

The door to the apartment opened and Rurik stepped inside his smile fading as he observed us.

I twisted to escape Tane’s scrutiny and knocked the offending knickknack poking my skin off the surface. My heart stopped while I watched the antique topple.

Tane gasped, but caught the little statue before I blinked.

“I wanted to make sure you weren’t trying to kill each other.” Rurik crossed his arms over his chest. It made the buttons on his shirt strain. “Looks as if I came in time.”

“Clumsy!” Tane glared at me. “It’s the one remaining thing I have from—from a past friend.” He held a slim Egyptian statue in his palm. “You almost smashed it.” With a gentle touch, he traced a fingertip over the delicate face. “What did you mean about Budapest and Eric?” He set the antiquity back on the bureau then guided me away.

“You treated him like shit. Ordering him around like a slave, especially after that blood trial with Colby.”

“It was Eric’s idea. He always wanted to push the limit, to test himself.” He grabbed my arm. “I only did what he asked.”

“After you almost drained him of blood you sent him to drive the damn yacht.” I tried to yank my arm out of his grasp.

“Who else could I send?” Tane glared at Rurik. “You should control her better than this.”

He laughed. “If I wanted to control my companion, I would have chosen a different person.”

Tane’s fingers tightened. “You definitely didn’t choose her for her mouth.”

My temper flared and I saw red. “You’re hurting me.” I took aim, pulled my arm back and poked Tane square in the eye.

“Son of bitch!” He covered his injury with his hand and a storm cloud of hurt brewed in his face.

I glanced at Rurik, who only raised an eyebrow my way as if to say you started this.

Somehow I did, and I’d end it, but Tane had different plans.

With an arm wrapped around my waist, he carried me to the sofa.

I slapped at his bald head. “Put me down.”

He ignored me and plunked onto the cushion then set me across his lap.

The realization of what he planned stunned me and I gasped as his hand landed with a loud slap on my ass. Wriggling didn’t help. It made my strapless dress threaten to fall off. A strong arm over my back held me in place and he repeated the spanks.

“Lift the skirt, you’ll make better contact.” Rurik’s instructions had me twisting to glare at him.

“Help me!” I demanded.

“No.” Rurik shook his head as he leaned against the wall of the entryway. “The both of you need to work things out on your own. I won’t be used as a referee for every single squabble.”

He watched as Tane slid my dress higher, exposing my white lace panties. Fingering the edges, he touched the hot, sore skin. “Nice.”

I howled and kicked. “Let me go. You don’t have the right.”

Tane punctuated each word with a spank. “I. Have. Every. Right.”

“You scum-sucking-zombie-breeder.” My bottom throbbed with my racing heart.

His deep laughter filled the room and the grip on my back lessened.

I slid off Tane’s lap and straightened my dress.

Tane wiped a tear from his eye. “Zombie breeder?”

The heat in my cheeks matched the fiery pain of my tush. I spun and fled the room, too mortified to retort, except to pause and give Rurik a hurt stare before slamming the door in his face.

I passed Tane’s guards doing my best not to run. Could they hear through the thick wooden door? As soon as I turned the corner, I sprinted to my room, not caring about cameras. Hot tears were ready to spill.

Gwen stood by my door, guarding an empty room.

“Some security you are,” I snapped, then stomped into the bedroom, leaving Gwen opened mouthed in the corridor. I kicked off my shoes and shoved a suitcase out of my way. My freaking dress slipped lower again. Growling, I unzipped and let it fall to the floor.

In the dresser mirror I examined my reddened behind. Bastard, spanked me like I was a kid. If I ground my teeth any harder I’d break a molar.

Rurik had stood and watched the whole thing. Yesterday, he’d been willing to scoop out Tane’s heart. What happened in the last twenty-four hours?

The garden moment, that’s what happened. I wished I’d heard what had been said between them.

“Is it safe to come in?” Rurik held the door between us like a shield as he peeked inside.

I threw my hairbrush at him. “Jerk.”

He ducked and the projectile hit the wall.

Gwen’s voice carried from the hall. “Stop aggravating her. Be a man and apologize.”

Rurik stumbled into our room as if shoved and the door closed from the outside.

“Are you really angry?”

I crossed my arms over my bra-clad chest and stomped my bare foot. If I had an aneurysm it would have burst.

Rurik couldn’t meet my glare. Instead, he scratched his chin and examined his shoes.

“You’ve never been upset with me before.” He toed a suitcase then finally met my gaze.

“You always seemed to enjoy my games.”

I pointed at my ass. “This is not a game.” Or was it? I gasped. “You liked watching.”

“Oh, yes.” Desire blazed in his eyes and warmed his voice. It cooled off my anger like an extinguisher and my resolve went up in steam. Crossing the room, he stopped in front of me. “I’m sorry.” He trailed his fingertips along my bare arms as he shifted closer to speak in a hushed tone. “I liked that you fought back. Submission is something you earn, a precious trust. Tane doesn’t deserve it yet.”

Mesmerized, I watched his full lips move—soft, lush, and so very skilled—close enough to taste. A shiver coursed through my body and my skin pebbled as his hands slid around my lower back. What were we talking about again?

The hard bulge in the front of his pants pressed against my abdomen as he slipped his cool hands under my panties. “So hot,” he whispered along my lips before sipping at them.

A groan escaped me. Any wrong he’d done, I forgave in an instant.

Rurik slid my underwear off my sore tush and turned me around in his arms.

My head spun with the sudden change of direction and I gasped at the cool touch of lips on my rear.

He covered each cheek with slow, soft kisses. “Am I forgiven?”

I sighed, defeated once more. “Yes.” How could I stay angry when he literally kissed my ass? I could sense his mouth spread in a smile.

“You’re too good to me.” He stood and lifted my panties back in place. “I have to return to the party.”

“Why?”

“Tane wants a better idea of what’s being said. Most of these people think I’m nothing more than a fop and will waggle their tongues freely.” He kissed my forehead.

“Get some rest. You’ll need your strength when I return.” He rubbed my tush with longing then exited the room before I could respond.

My lover fell back into this lifestyle as if he missed it. He appeared happy. I exhaled noisily. Face it, Connie. You’re stuck. I was in a beautiful mansion, in an exotic location with my own spending account, but I would have a master.

That sucked.

Silence made the air heavy. I tried to take a deep breath, however my lungs constricted with tension.

I wanted to go home and have someone tell me everything would be all right.

Laurent came to mind, I never forgot him, not for a moment of my life. He remained inside of me if further from my consciousness than before. Being with Rurik healed most of my grief but tonight scraped me raw.

I grabbed a t-shirt and shorts from my baggage then dressed.

Outside the room, Gwen stood guard. “Did you want something?”

“I need fresh air again. Is there someplace away from the party and the garden?” I needed to get out of this gilded cage.