In the Beginning... (47 page)

“What happened then?”

“Someone tried to kidnap Emily and our
cousin Marshall when they were walking home from school one day.
Rand was following them, with Mickey. He’d gotten her from her
kindergarten class. Rand and Marshall managed to chase the
kidnappers off, but it still left an impression on all of us.” She
dropped to the bed, the note still clutched in her hand. “He
wouldn’t have hurt them; I can promise you that.”

“But he’s probably terrified them. He looks
much like your grandfather in the surveillance photos we have of
him. Kindara especially would remember.”

“I’m sorry for that. But that is not our
doing, and we shouldn’t have to pay for Grandfather’s sins,
anymore. What are you planning to do?”

“I’ll need to speak with Rydere, first. But
your cousin Josey has refused to return with us. Says she doesn’t
know what she’d do. Also said that you should return to speak with
your brother on the others’ behalves. Seems to think your brother
will listen to you.”

“And he’ll get an earful.
When are we supposed to be going?” Temper flashed in her green
eyes. “Jierra probably was terrified. Rand is big and strong and
probably harsher than he intends to be. If Rathan was with
him
and he probably was, the two are pretty
much inseparable
they can get pretty
intense.”

“Who is this Rathan?”

“Something you don’t know? Rathan is a
friend of Rand’s. His second-in command, I’d guess you’d call him.
He comes and goes whenever he pleases. Rathan is…different.”

“You admire this man? You like him?” Had she
been with him? Aodhan wrapped his hands around her waist before he
thought. “Has he touched you? Should I kill him then?”

Green eyes widened and she gasped. “No! You
wouldn’t do that, would you? Rathan is my friend. And even if there
was something more between us, that would be none of your business.
You don’t own me!”

“I own you just as much as you own me,
kitten. And if given the chance, I would kill any male who has
touched you before me.” Aodhan lifted her off the mattress. She
squealed from the sudden movement, but she didn’t fight him.

“So has he touched you?”

She shook her head. “Rathan is my friend.
That’s all. What are you doing? I thought you said you would
never…”

“Force you? I won’t. But that doesn’t mean
I’m a damned eunuch, female. These shorts do nothing save tease
me.” His fingers brushed against the skin just under the polyester.
It was a quick matter of sliding the material up and cupping her
ass. He did just that, then pulled her up tighter against him. “I
am a man who has waited more than half a millennium for one woman.
And here she is tempting me just by breathing! How strong do you
think I am?”

Her fingers flexed on the
muscles of his shoulders and she tried to pull away. He wouldn’t
let her. “What are you doing? Aodhan
…
”

“Be quiet, female. I have given you my
gentle, patient side. But that is not me. I am a warrior, I fight
for what I want and need. Why shouldn’t this be the same?” He
covered her protests with his mouth, and kissed her with all the
pent-up emotions he’d had since he’d realized she was his.

She hit him with one hand, smacking her palm
against his shoulder. She pushed at him with the other. He ignored
her protests; she’d been with him long enough now to know he would
never hurt her. But she had to realize he was a man, with a man’s
heart and a man’s feelings. And his feelings were centered all upon
her. He pulled back eventually, to catch a breath. “Gods and
Goddesses, woman. You burn me.”

Mallory fought to catch her
breath; his kiss had burned her just as much as him. When was the
last time someone had treated her with less than kid gloves when it
came to matters of sex? She couldn’t remember. The last guy she’d
been with
the only one she’d been with
since the attack
had been a close friend
who’d helped her work through some of her fears. The sex between
them had been mild, comforting. The burn between her and this
damned vampire put the tepid heat between her and that man to
shame.

His hands were still on her, holding her
lower body flush against his. Yes, he’d definitely been excited by
the kiss. She pushed against him again. “Let me go.”

“Why should I?”

The question had her pausing, but only for a
moment. “Because I said to.”

“What will happen if I
don’t?
Will you fight me? Scream for help?
Tell me?”

Mallory didn’t know how to answer. She
wasn’t even sure she knew how to breathe. She could feel every inch
of him, every bit of him, pressed against her from the waist down.
Her skin burned where she touched him. He slid his fingers over the
bare skin just beneath the shorts, just beneath her butt. She
shivered, wrapped her leg around his before she thought.

He took the opportunity she presented, and
pulled her leg higher. His hand was firm on the other leg, lifting
it as well. She knew what he wanted and she wrapped both legs
around his waist. He was so damned strong that when he lifted her
into place it was so damned easy. She locked her ankles behind him
and tightened her arms around his neck.

What was she doing? Why was she doing it?
Mallory didn’t know, but she couldn’t bring herself to let him go.
He was hot and strong and it felt right to have him pressed against
her.

The world didn’t seem so chaotic then.

His neck was so close…

Before she thought about it, she nipped him.
He laughed.

“Go on, kitten. Take what you need. It is my
right to give it to you.” His hands were running all over her body.
When had she lost her t-shirt? Had he taken it off, or had she? It
didn’t matter. It also didn’t matter that his hands were tugging at
the black sports bra. She nipped him again, then sank her fangs
deep into his neck.

He tasted good, and that was all that
mattered.

She fed from him for several moments,
longer. She wasn’t aware of him laying them both out on the
mattress, wasn’t aware of him slipping the bra and shorts from her
body. Was vaguely aware that she was lying in his arms wearing only
a tiny pair of panties. His hands scorched her skin, her
breasts.

She didn’t mind. In fact, she liked it.
Liked knowing it was his hands touching her. She hummed low in her
throat, an almost purr.

For some reason, that made him laugh. He
sounded so satisfied, like he had won something, had accomplished
something. She started to protest, to pull away, but he wouldn’t
let her. He pushed her hair to one side, exposing her neck.

She knew what he was about to do. It
terrified her; it thrilled her. Mallory closed her eyes and pulled
in a deep breath. It was now or never.

Either she let him do this and made the
conscious choice to be with him or she stopped it right now.

Her breath backed into her throat as the
ramifications of what they were doing sunk home. She’d never had a
panic attack before, but she feared she was about to have her
first. She flat-palmed his chest and shoved with all her strength.
“No!”

He froze. His hands stilled on her body, one
on her breast the other tangled in her hair. He slowly pulled away
from her. “I wish you’d said that a little louder, and a whole lot
earlier.”

“You should have kept your hands to yourself
to begin with.” Mallory knew that wasn’t fair the moment the words
left her mouth. She looked away, ashamed.

He brushed a kiss over her forehead. “You
shouldn’t look so tempting. I am just a man, you know. An old
bastard lusting after a pretty, young thing, but I can’t help
myself. I’m weak.”

He dropped his tone to a lecherous purr and
Mallory couldn’t help it. She laughed. For the first time in she
didn’t know how long, she laughed over something sexual with a man
she found unbelievably attractive. As their laughter trailed off,
she thought about that. What did it mean?

Was it possible she was coming to like and
feel comfortable with him?

Mallory hated flying, and had since Emily’s
mother had died in a small plane crash. She fought the urge to hold
the damned vampire’s hand as the helicopter they were in flew the
small distance between the Taniss vacation estate and the Dardanos
resort. Why had she never noticed how close the two areas were? Had
her grandfather built the vacation property thirty-five years ago
so close to the Dardaptoans for a purpose? So he could victimize
them more easily?

Suddenly the property she’d always enjoyed
had a more sinister undertone.

The vampire had his arm behind her. He must
have sensed how nervous she was. What was she going to say to her
idiot of a twin? How could he do that, take someone as vulnerable
as Jierra away from her own family? It wasn’t right, at all. It
made her brother no better than the man sitting at Mallory’s
side.

That gave Mallory pause. If she was to
forgive her brother for kidnapping Jierra and Kindara, why couldn’t
she forgive Aodhan for taking her and her sister? Was it the same
concept or not? He’d taken her to get back at her family. Rand had
taken the two women to get back at their family. Idiot jerks, both
of them.

She loved her brother. Would always love
him, so she knew she’d forgive him this stupidity eventually. But
would that forgiveness ever extend to the man who claimed she was
his mate?

The helicopters landed, and
her breath caught when she saw the familiar white and yellow stone
mansion that had housed her family for nearly every Christmas and
holiday of her life. She had so many good memories of the place.
Her, Rand, Emily, and Marshall running around like little demons
playing and getting into all sorts of trouble. Then the younger
cousins, Josey and the rest, following the older around. The
swimming, the running, the hide-and-seek
all of the good times and some of the bad ran through her
mind. The day Rebecca was born and Mallory’s mother died
she, Rand, and Mickey had been with Aunt Elizabeth
at the vacation home when their father had come to tell them the
news.

It was home. But did it have a darker
history than she knew about?

The whirl of the helicopter blades kept her
from having to make conversation as she let the damned vampire lift
her down from the helicopter. Normally she would have spurned the
assistance, but right in that moment she wanted to throw her arms
around him and cling. To pretend that the next few moments weren’t
going to be rough. She didn’t, though.

She didn’t need him. She didn’t.

She met her idiot brother in the front yard
of the home.

Looking at him was like
looking in a mirror, at times. They had the same shaped face, the
same shaped eyes, same hair. His was worn just a bit too long
around his face. He always looked wild and untamed to her, and she
knew that wasn’t too far off the mark where he was concerned. Rand
had always lacked the businessman polish that her father and uncles
possessed. He was just
more…animalistic
than any other member of the Taniss family.

He drove her nuts.

He wrapped his arms around her, giving her
an uncharacteristic hug. Mallory clung to him for the longest time,
unspeaking. She didn’t think she could force a single word out of
her tight throat. Rand pulled back first, and quickly hugged
Emily.

Mallory stepped away, her gaze instinctively
going to the damned vampire.

His eyes were warm. Understanding, though it
was obvious he was on full alert.

A squeal had Mallory jerking toward the
front door. A blonde girl who looked so much like her sister Mickey
raced toward her.

Jade. Josey’s sister. She was the same age
as Mallory’s youngest sister Rebecca, and they were best friends.
Jade threw her arms around Mallory’s neck and around Emily’s,
pulling the two of them closer. Mallory hugged her cousin, fiercely
relieved that she had gotten the opportunity again.

“I thought you were dead! Where’s my sister,
where’s Mickey? Tell me what happened, tell me!”

“In a bit. I think we need to get inside
first, don’t you?” Emily said. Mallory nodded. Kindara had rushed
to meet Cormac and the two stood embracing nearby. Mallory looked
past the blonde woman to the man who’d followed her down the steps.
Rathan stood very close to Kindara, possessive in a way Mallory had
never seen before.

Rand swept a hand between the group.
“Inside.”

Mallory saw several of the Dardaptoans
scowl, including Aodhan. Aodhan stood staring at her brother,
suspicion on his face. Mallory stepped closer to the vampire. “What
is it?”

Strong fingers wrapped around her arm and he
pulled her away from her brother. “Stay with me. There is something
we need to discuss and quickly.”

She looked up at him, ignoring Rand’s moving
closer, as well. “What?”

“Inside, away from all of these…people.”

“Mallory?” Rand almost growled her name. “We
need to talk. Now.”

“In a minute, Randall. You and me, we’re
going to spend a lot of time talking about this.” Mallory shot her
brother a look filled with the irritation she still felt for him.
“I want to check on Jierra and her mother first. Make sure you
didn’t do lasting damage by being stupid.”

Her brother’s face darkened to an angry red.
“I didn’t do any damned damage to her.”

Which her? “I’ll check for myself, thank
you.”

“Dammit Mal!” Rand grabbed her arm and shook
her, like he had so many times before. Mallory paid it no
attention. She and Rand were very physical with each other. She was
just as likely to smack him on the head or give him a kick in the
butt. “Is that all you have to say after being missing for
days?”