In the Beginning... (8 page)

The driver pulled Mal from the van and over
his shoulder, his hand cupping Mal’s butt. The driver continued to
whistle, and the cheerfulness of his tune sent shivers down
Mickey’s back. Why was he so happy to be kidnapping them?

The man beside her felt around almost blindly
until his hand landed on the seatbelt latch. He pulled the
restraint off of her, then stood. Hot hands went under her arms and
he pulled her up. The van was a large one, and Mickey could easily
stand upright. The man couldn’t, he had to bend his head a bit to
avoid bumping the top. Mickey wasn’t sure how long her knees would
hold her, but she forced herself to stay upright. She wouldn’t fall
down before this man.

He lifted her, easy to do in the large van,
and handed her out to the driver. Mickey looked around; her sister
was propped up against a stone pillar.

Mickey stared at the driver. The man was
huge, at least seven feet tall and heavily muscled. A monster,
though Mickey had to admit he was very handsome. They both were.
The giant grinned down at her as he held her and Mickey squeaked.
He was truly frightening, though his hands were far gentler on her
than they’d been on her sister.

Mallory was cursing the man, demanding he put
Mickey down. But he ignored Mal. He handed Mickey back to the other
man as easily as if she were a small child.

These men were incredibly strong. In the
light from the portico, Mickey got her first good look at the man
who had taken her from her home. His hair was light brown, almost
golden. He was very tall, though not as tall as his friend. He was
muscled, but much leaner than the other man, too.

But it was his eyes that stunned her. They
were orange, the color of fresh fruit. She’d never seen eyes on a
living being that color before, except once. The cat she’d had as a
teenager had had eyes just like his. And just like that cat, this
man’s eyes were sightless.

She’d been kidnapped by a blind man.

Theo took his
Rajni
back from Aodhan and
carried her into the luxury hotel that had served as his people’s
home and city seat since 1863. Updates had been made, of course,
but this building was where he and his
Rajni
would live and love
together.

A servant from his House met him just inside
the doors, always ready to serve. Every member of his House was in
some manner related to him. Theo knew and cared for them all.

“Haneam, please have clean,
warm clothing brought to my suite immediately. And a small meal, I
think. Have Travon fetch my mother’s jewels from the House vault.”
The jewels were meant for the
equa—
female head-of-the-House. The
woman in his arms would wear them and
all
would know and understand this
human girl’s status.

“Yes,
Equan
Theo. They will be in your suite
within the half hour.”

“The clothes as soon as
possible, everything else, please make it an hour. I need to get
my
Rajni
settled
first. Thank you, Haneam.”

Aodhan brought his own female closer to her
sister. Theo turned to his friend. Now his brother-in-law. He
studied the other man’s shadow. Aodhan held the female slung over
his shoulder. Still bound. Still struggling. Still so achingly
terrified.

Theo shifted his own female to free one of
his hands. While her sister struggled, his female lay limp in his
arms. Theo ran his hand over the sister’s hair. Her face popped
into his mind’s eye. Similar to his mate’s, but the colors were
darker, bolder. She was heavier and stronger, too.

Theo ignored Aodhan’s small growl. No male
liked another to touch his female without permission. Theo sighed,
then spoke in their native tongue. “Be careful with her, my friend.
Your female has suffered so much in a way no woman ever should. Her
soul still has the scars.”

Aodhan stilled. “What are you saying,
seer?”

“Just that ours is not the first act of
vengeance against her grandfather she has been the instrument of.
Treat her kindly, as gently as a kitten, rather than as the fiery
cat she presents. It will serve you well in the long run.”

“The conversion process will hurt her. That’s
unavoidable.” Aodhan’s entire manner toward the girl had changed,
as evident by his tone.

Theo’s mind seized on Aodhan’s words. A blood
conversion. Why had he not thought of it earlier? It would change
them, make them Dardaptoan. But it was risky, and rumored to be
extremely painful. Could he force his female to endure something so
horrible?

His mind’s vision sharpened,
as it always did when he
saw
the future or past.

What he saw had his blood freezing in his
veins.

If he
didn’t
convert his female from human
to Dardaptoan, she would be dead within the month. But he
couldn’t
see
the
how or the when.

The matter was settled; he would convert her
this night. He just hoped she would forgive him eventually.

Mickey fought the man’s hold the moment he
turned in the opposite direction than the man carrying her sister.
She couldn’t be separated from

Mal. Not in a hotel this size. They’d never
find each other again. “Please!” The man held her close, so that
his scent and warmth surrounded her. Almost as if he cared. “Hush,
little love. What is your name? Which one are you?”

“You kidnapped me and you don’t even know my
name?”

“I know you are the granddaughter of Leonard
Taniss, are you not?”

Mickey hesitated. “Yes. He’s my grandfather.
Why? Did he do something to you?”

“You might say that. We shall discuss it in a
short while. First, do you want to get settled? Eat a little
something? Change into more comfortable clothing?”

“I have a choice? What do you plan on doing?
Ransoming us? We’re both worth quite a bit of money. I promise my
father or uncle or brother will pay, and pay quickly.”

“There will be no ransom, little love.” The
man’s tone was level, grave. Frightening. “You will not be
returning home. That is not in the cards for you.”

“You’re going to kill me?” She started
shivering again, his words freezing her to the bone.

“No. I will never let anything or anyone harm
you.”

“If you aren’t going to ransom me back, and
don’t plan on killing or hurting me, what do you hope to
accomplish?”

“We shall discuss when we
reach my suite.
Our
suite. You live there, now.

It’s in my Family wing. All within that wing
are related to me. And now you.”

“Whoa. I am not now, nor
will I ever be
related
to you. Or those people.”

“Little love, there is so much yet that you
do not understand.”

“My name is
Mickey
; I’m not your
little anything.” Was that what this was about? Had he and his
giant friend watched them at the bar a few hours ago when Mal and
Mickey had been there with their cousins? Had they followed them
home with the intent to take and keep them as hostages, or some
weird sort of slaves?

The people in the lobby hadn’t even blinked
an eye when he’d carried her through the large area. One had even
offered to assist him. As if seeing him carrying her in hadn’t set
off any alarms. Maybe they did this sort of thing frequently?

Maybe she and Mal weren’t the first? “Where’s
he taking my sister?” “Back to his own suite, I presume. She is now
a part of his Family house. Do not worry for your sister; Aodhan
will care for her always. She will be pampered and coddled for the
rest of her days. No one will ever hurt her again.”

English wasn’t this man’s first language,
that was clear. His way of speaking was too stilted. A hotel
employee opened a set of large doors and Mickey thought about
telling the employee to call the police. But once again, the worker
didn’t seem to think anything out of the ordinary was
occurring.

And Mickey didn’t want to
make this man angry. Who knew what he would do? If he tied her up
like Mal was bound, how would she help either herself or her
sister? “Maybe
she
doesn’t want that. Maybe all she wants to do is go
home?”

He carried her through the doors and down a
long hallway. The trim on the walls had to be real gold. And what
looked like rubies dotted the murals. This was an expensive place.
Not the kind of place a kidnapper would keep a hostage. What in the
hell was going on here?

Mickey thought about trying to get out of his
arms, but what would that accomplish? He obviously wanted to carry
her—didn’t it make sense for her to lull him into thinking she was
cooperating?

How hard could it be to escape from a blind
man?

She would wait, be smart. Do
what she had to do to appease whatever it was he wanted from
her—within reason. She wouldn’t kiss him, wouldn’t touch him
voluntarily. Would not let him do
that
to her. If he wanted sex from
her, Mickey would die fighting. Period.

He approached a door. The only door at the
very end of the hallway. He felt around a keypad with one hand,
then punched in a series of numbers. “The code for this room, our
home, is 15769. Do you think you can remember it? 15769.”

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll use the code to
escape? I don’t plan on staying here with you.” The longer she was
with him, the more Mickey started to question if she’s been dragged
into some alternate Wonderland. What kind of kidnapper gave their
victim the means to escape?

“You won’t.” He carried her into the suite,
and Mickey felt her eyes widen when she got her first look of the
antiques that populated the suite. And it was definitely a suite,
with a sitting area, eating area, and balcony. At least two
bedrooms were visible from the hallway door. And along each wall,
out of the man’s walking path, were antiques of every variety.
Statues, furniture, brick-a-brack. This man was a serious
collector. And every piece was fine and detailed. Art.

Why would a man like him, with this kind of
disposable income, need to kidnap the granddaughters of one of the
wealthiest men in the U.S.? Either they saw her and her sister in
the bar—where they’d each only had one drink, for crissakes!—or,
and this seemed more likely considering he’d asked her about her
grandfather, he had taken her for one thing. Vengeance.

Just like the man who’d attacked Mallory
eight years ago. Mal had been at TI, in the parking garage, when a
man their grandfather had fired cornered her. He’d attacked her,
beaten her, raped her, and left her by her grandfather’s car.
Mickey and Josey—both barely sixteen at the time—had found Mal by
Uncle Jason’s car. She’d crawled there, knowing he’d find her and
take care of her.

Mickey would never forget seeing her proud,
strong, beautiful sister like that. Ever.

And their grandfather’s
response had been complete nonchalance. He’d told Mickey’s father
that
Mallory
should
have been more careful. Mickey had hated the old man ever since
she’d heard him say those words outside the private hospital room
that night.

Mickey knew
that’s why she had been taken. Her and Mallory.
Because of their grandfather. “It won’t work!”

He sat her on her feet. “What won’t
work?”

“Getting back at Grandfather
for whatever he’s done to you. Not by using me or Mallory.
Grandfather hates
us.”

The man frowned. “Why would your grandfather
hate you and your sister?”

“Simple. Because we have the
wrong sex chromosomes. We are
girls.

Guess your little plan won’t work.”

“Vengeance may have been our plan earlier. I
will never lie to you.”

“But it’s suddenly not? Why
should I believe you?” Mickey studied every aspect of the room,
though she did not move from the spot where he had placed her. She
would only have one real chance to escape him. She would have to
plan it, and make it good. Do the unexpected. Instead of the doors
leading out of the suite, the balcony, maybe? Of course, that was
counting on there being steps to the ground level. Once on the
ground, she could find a way off the property. Then she could find
a phone and call Rand, or Uncle Jason.
They
would find her. Then she could
lead them back to Mallory.

“You have no reason to, but someday you will
understand why I have to do this.”

“You are insane, aren’t you? But you’re
wealthy enough that people humor you.” Was that it? Were all of
these people on his payroll, and paid so well they turned a blind
eye to his criminality? That would hamper her chances for
escape.

“No, not insane.” He grabbed her arm, ran his
fingers down her skin to her hand. He pulled her toward him. Mickey
thought about resisting, but forced herself to comply. She needed
to somehow get him off guard.

It was the only way.

His
Rajni
was plotting against him. Theo
knew it, knew it was behind her complacency. Spirited, despite her
quiet ways. The Goddess had chosen well for him, when she chose
this girl to be his mate. “Come, sit. They will be bringing you new
clothing that befits your new status shortly.”

“My status as
what
? Your
hostage?”

“You are not a hostage. You are my mate. I
know you do not understand—”