Robert (4 page)

But Robert hated that part of the bond. The obsessive nature it created. The craziness and lust. He wanted Sophie to come to him of her own free will, not be forced by some nasty trick of nature. It wasn’t right and it wasn’t fair.

Still, a part of him was pleased to see her again.

“Any news from my family?” Robert got up from his chair, moving around his desk towards the door. Trying not to let his mind stray to the beautiful vision on the screen.

“Your father wants to know how it is going with Miss Ford.” His minion looked down at the floor.

For three years, his father had pestered him to go and claim his mate by force. He wasn’t into force and he would never take a woman in such a manner. But it would seem that his father would get what he wanted—in a manner of speaking. The mouse had finally come to him.

“Get William on the phone.” Robert watched his bond mate strutting her stuff on the stage. A man held her hips in place as he thrust against her backside.

It should be his hands, should be him thrusting against her…

His brother’s voice came over the speaker phone. “What’s the matter, Rob?”

“Any news on Katie?” Ever since he had seen her best friend’s face pass through her mind—the love and care she felt for her clear—Robert had made sure she was watched twenty-four hours a day.

Only William dared to call him Rob. He wondered if his younger brother wished for death, given the way he tried to rouse his temper. William wasn’t known for keeping the peace. If anything he was usually the one to seek a fight.

Through the bond, he had no choice but to protect Katie. What his mate loved, he loved. It was plain and simple.

“Look. I have no idea why this woman is so damned special to you. Nothing. Zip. She gets up and goes to work. She’s a frigging librarian, Rob. She doesn’t go out during the day. She leaves in the evening, works through the night, then goes home. Her cat has more bloody fun than she does,” William moaned.

“I’ve told you. The reason for this protection detail has something to do with Sophie’s friend.” Robert was sure, down to his unbeating heart, that Katie White held the answers he was seeking.

“You wouldn’t think that to watch her life.” William yawned. “She has to live the most boring life known to mankind.”

“Keep watching her.”

Robert hung up, staring at the image of his mate—willing her with all his might to spill her secrets and tell him everything he wanted to know.

Going back to his desk, he dismissed his minion and gathered up the file he’d managed to obtain on Sophie Ford. The only interesting thing about her—besides her spunk and the attitude that had been apparent at the Council three years earlier—was her bond and connection with the mysterious Katie White.

As he sat back, his mind filled with activity—a barrage of unanswered questions.
 

Come and get me.

Robert shot up out of his seat, looking all around himself.

I’m yours for the taking.

Rob looked at the screen. Her eyes stared right back at him. The bluest blue beckoning him to come and get her.

There was no way that she could know he could hear her thoughts.

But in truth, Robert did not care. Sophie Ford—his mate—was here, inside his club. His for the taking. And that was exactly what he was going to do.

He wasn’t a fool.

He wanted his bond mate and he was going to go and take her.

Sophie could sense how close he was. Energy sizzled along her skin, making it prickle with nervous excitement. She pushed her ass along the extended shaft of the man dancing behind her, doing everything within her power to call to Robert. She didn’t much care for the man she was dancing with—it wasn’t his attention she was trying to get.

Her body no longer felt like her own. Most days she felt possessed, itchy and irritable in her skin. Her mind was filled with nothing but the man she was bound to. She wrapped her arms around the neck of her dance partner, her mind seemingly attuned to him—but in actual fact, her eyes sought out the vampire closing in on her. Sophie had no choices left—she needed to be able to think past this wave of lust that constantly consumed her every waking thought.

 
The air around her was thick and her nipples responded to the heat, budding out, pressing against her bikini bra. She had dressed to get attention and she had finally got what she wanted.

It felt like magic—her entire body was on fire. She had known at once when he entered the dance section of the club. It was like a magnetic pulse around him.

He was there on the edge of the dance floor.

Watching.

He caught her gaze and held it.

He wanted to kill the man she was dancing with. Sophie could sense his need for violence.

She didn’t care. Her dance partner was a means to an end. She had wanted Robert Valentine’s attention…and now she had it.

A sense of satisfaction washed over her.

She blinked and, as she opened her eyes, he was there, barely a breath away. It had been three years since the last time she’d seen him, but now he stood in front of her.

“Let her go.” His gaze remained on her, but his voice held the promise of pain for her new friend.

“Buzz off, man. This girl is taken.”

Sophie tensed. Of all the stupid things to say…

A second later, Robert had the butt-head pressed up against the bar, his body at a ninety-degree angle. It looked painful and Sophie winced.

“I said ‘let her go,’ and when I speak, you do what I say. Don’t come into my club again.”

Silence fell inside the club, the heavy music stopping as everyone took in the scene of vampire against human—the owner against the customer.

There were rules and this man had just broken the most important of them. Never go up against a vampire. Especially not the boss.

The man scrambled against the bar and tripped all the way to the door. Her would-be rescuer buttoned up his suit jacket, rearranged his sleeves, then looked around the room. Considering he’d just lashed out at a human in front of more than a hundred witnesses, he appeared remarkably calm and collected. Sophie couldn’t help but admire him.

He gestured for the other people to continue and music filled the silence. Dancers began shaking on the dance floor and the barman continued to serve drinks, the drama of moments ago forgotten. Robert took her by the arm, forcing her along the dimly lit corridor away from people—away from witnesses. Sophie could feel the pulse in her throat.

He was angry. She could sense it.

Everyone they passed moved out of their way.

Eyes followed them. She could feel them boring into her back.

Robert Valentine dominated the entire club.

Moments later, he thrust her inside an empty room. At least, she hoped it was empty. The room was dark, with the only light coming from candles. It was small but cosy. A large bed and a cabinet filled the tiny space. The walls were painted black and the silk sheets were a deep shade of red—the colour of blood.

Swallowing past her fear, Sophie looked up at him.

His eyes were black, his body shaking with rage.

Instinctively, she took a step back.

He came forward, mirroring her every move.
 

“What are you doing here?” Each word was controlled as he spoke.

Sophie would have preferred the anger, the lash of his loud words. This side of him scared her more than anything had scared her in her life.

She looked away from his eyes, down at the black-carpeted floor. This entire club was so clichéd—darkness, danger and bloodshed.

This was the first time Sophie had entered his club but, now, time was of the essence. Whoever was following Katie needed to be stopped.

“I came to dance.” She spoke the words to the carpet. Her heart rate increased as he trapped her against the wall. The bed was less than three feet away.

“You allowed those men to touch you.” He spat the words. “Human men.”

“I’m a human, Robert.”

His fist connected with the wall by her head, making her jump and scream at the same time.

He wouldn’t hurt her. She
knew
he wouldn’t hurt her. She couldn’t explain how, but it was like a natural instinct.

“You’re
my
human.
Mine
.” He growled the words, moments before he slammed his mouth down on hers, taking a kiss from her lips.

The move was unexpected. Sophie stood there, his lips hard against hers. His teeth had extended with his anger and they were biting into her. Yet she responded to his kiss, hands moving to hold him close to her.

She cried out as she tasted her blood on her lips, but Robert was too fast. Moments later her head was pushed to the side, exposing her neck. Sophie screamed as he bit into the delicate column of her neck. Blood rushed from her. She couldn’t believe he was biting her, feeding from her. Three years, and he was taking from her without asking. She couldn’t help a wave of euphoria, misplaced though it was. She knew she was supposed to be feeling angry.

He pushed his lower body against her as he drank her down. She could feel the hot press of him. Sophie suddenly felt so tired. The blood was draining from her. She couldn’t move—she couldn’t do anything but submit to him.

Her last thoughts were of Katie.

No matter what happened, she had to keep Katie safe.

Katie twitched the curtain.

Yep, the car was sitting in the same place as it had been an hour ago. Outside her house. The car had darkened windows. No one could look in—only the observers inside could look out. Going to work was starting to terrify her. Everywhere she looked, she was sure people were following her. The voices she heard ordering her back to her house terrified her, too.

“Come on, Sophie, pick up,” Katie mumbled into her mobile phone, only for it to go to voice mail again. Groaning in frustration and temper, she placed the curtain back carefully, not wanting to alert the person in the car that she knew about them. She threw her phone onto the one remaining chair. Katie paced up and down her living room, wearing out the rug that her parents had bought years ago.

Sophie should be answering.

She picked up the phone once again and pressed the redial button, waiting for some response.

She shouldn’t have allowed Sophie to go. She was on a suicide mission. Only stupid, crazy people got into bed with the vampires.

“Well, I’m the crazy one,” she mumbled to herself.

Curiosity had her looking outside again. The car was still there. Swearing, Katie turned away from the window. She checked the locks on all the doors and turned the music up to full volume. Then she went in search of a map and the necklace Sophie had left when she had last stayed over.

It was dangerous and usually didn’t work, but it was worth a shot. The map allowed her to see Beyer West in all its glory and the object belonging to Sophie held a connection to her. The locket she used was one she’d given her on her twelfth birthday and it was unlike Sophie to take it off…unless she didn’t want to be found.

Cursing, Katie moved away from the map and held the locket. If Sophie didn’t want to be found, that meant she was up to something she didn’t want Katie to know about.

Indecision warred within her.

Giving up, Katie went back to the map.

She needed to find her.

Blood was being forced down her throat. Finally, the taste she had craved morning and night.

Sophie moaned in ecstasy as she took the delicious nourishment.

She opened her eyes and she began to adjust to her surroundings.

She had been with Robert in the black room with the blood-red bedding. This room was nothing like the one she remembered.

She pulled away, trying to escape. Anything that tasted this good was usually very bad for her.

“Calm down. You’re in my private quarters,” he soothed, moving strands of her hair away from her sweaty brow. “You need to feed.”