Take Me (36 page)

Her finally thought as her face came within inches of meeting the floor was
who on earth would pair those together?

She squeezed her eyes shut as her entire body tensed for the crushing fall that she knew would hurt. Her arms flew out in front of her, but the crash never came. It never came because in a flash a pair of strong arms caught her, lifting her up and away. Dominic picked her up like a hero saving a damsel. Etched lines of worry crinkled around his eyes as he searched her for injury. His pupils had dilated and tension boomed off his shoulders. He was pissed.

That anger, she realized, wasn’t for her but at someone behind her. She had a feeling she knew who it was.

“Zeke, I suggest you get control over your woman before I have her arrested for assault.”

The alpha had a slow voice that sounded as if it had been dunked in a southern drawl then rolled in tar. “’Scuse me, Dom,” which he pronounced more like
Dahm
, “but just because the lady’s with me doesn’t mean I’m responsible for her actions. Ain’t that right, darlin’?”

Helena answered but all Felicity heard was an arrangement of hissing sounds.

“That’s it, we’re leaving,” Dom said.

About time, Felicity thought. Dom sent his goodbyes to everyone they passed. Only after she began to struggle did he send her a scathing look.

She glared. “Put me down and what are you looking at me like that for? It’s not my fault she pushed me.”

He arched a dark brow. “It’s not?”

Nothing she could do could hide the bright blush that heated her cheeks. She looked away. “No,” she said in a very little voice.

“Look at me, Felicity and then I’ll put you down.”

She didn’t look at him, but she did weigh the pros and cons. She had just lied to him. He obviously knew something was up, but Helena had started it! Oh, great, she thought. Now she was starting to sound like a petulant child.

“Felicity,” he said. His voice sent little alarm bells off inside her head.

Sighing, she turned her face back to meet his gaze. His eyes were burning bright but she found amusement not anger in his eyes.

“Will you put me down? Everyone is watching us.”

They stood at the edge of the ballroom, all eyes on them. Whispers were getting louder as word spread about what happened. Felicity could see the eyes and ears of everyone perking up that something exciting had happened. On some faces she could see the disappointment that they hadn’t been able to witness the fun. Considering how boring campaigning was, she couldn’t say she wouldn’t feel disappointed if she was in their position.

“I’ll put you down after you stop lying to me.”

She narrowed her eyes on him. “How did you know I was lying?”

He looked so amazed that for a moment she thought he might snort, burst out laughing, or something else uncharacteristic of him. “Felicity, her dress is dirty and torn down her back. Her hair looks like someone tried to rip it out and—”

“Well, I had nothing to do with that little part,” she said.

He continued as if she hadn’t interrupted him. “And she followed you out of the bathroom. Now explain what happened so I can put you down.”

They fell into a staring match she felt confident to win. In the meantime, she tried to review what had happened between her and Helena and how much she should tell him. He was already under a lot of stress with the election in two days. If she told him about what Helena said then it could infuriate him and make things worse. However, if she didn’t tell him then Helena was going to challenge Felicity tomorrow and Felicity may or may not win. She was a designer, not a fighter, after all. She also recognized that the strongest muscle on Helena’s body was her tongue, so even though the woman was quite a bit older and could be seriously strong she probably didn’t know how to fight.
But do I know how to fight any better?

Also, she may or may not be nervous to tell Dom that she hit Helena first. Damn it. She had to tell him everything. She couldn’t lie to him.

Biting her lip, they still stared into each other’s eyes.

His pupil’s dilated and she recognized the tightening of his jaw. He was losing patience.

“Okay,” she said. “I hit her first but only after she told me I had a fat ass and threatened to take you from me!” In her defense, there really was no way to explain what happened without sounding like a whining child.

Quirking a brow as if he found her explanation amusing he set her down. Next thing she knew, he had her hand in his, and they swept out the ballroom.

With a flick of his wrist, the valet jumped to get their car. Their bodyguards, silently blending in wearing suits, seemed to come out from everywhere at once. She blinked as they surrounded them. She’d actually forgotten they’d come.

“I have something else to tell you that Helena said to me.”

Dom sighed, it sounded every bit as weary as he looked. His lips were sagged down into the beginnings of a frown and an all-around stiffness forced the muscles of his face into a grimace. “I have no doubt that Helena was every bit as I remember her.”

Their car pulled up before she could voice the rest of her story. Dom held the door open for her. Guards piled in after them, two of which sat across from them, their eyes trained outside the windows. From all appearances, they looked as if they weren’t paying any attention to what they said but Felicity didn’t like it. The guards might make it look like they weren’t listening but they would still hear every word she or Dom said.

“Listen, I need to talk to you about what Helena said.”

Dom’s big body sagged back into the seat. He held her hand, turning it over to gaze at her palm. A soft, tender expression came over his face, softening the creases around his eyes making him look younger.

“Not now. I’m tired and when we get back to the house I have work to do.”

She turned her palm to entangle her fingers with his. One corner of his beautiful mouth quirked up and he lifted his gaze to her face. At the sight of this man looking at her like she was his world, her chest constricted making it hard to breathe. When had she become so lucky? Did she even deserve a man such as him? She did not have a drop of aristocratic blood inside her. Her family did not come from a long line of royalty that helped to establish their people and keep them safe.

The drive home was quiet and comfortable with the only tension coming from Dominic’s brooding thoughts and hers for what she had to tell him.

They arrived back at Blackmoore estate. The sun was only hours from coming up. She could feel the early rays already starting to brighten places on the other side of the globe. Vampires always had an acute feel for the sun. They had to in order to survive.

Diane Blackmoore waited in the middle of the foyer with her hands clasped as tight as the expression on her face. “How did it go?” she asked at once.

Dom started nodding but he did not speak.

Felicity shot him a concerned gaze. What was going on with him? He seemed to be getting more and more subdued as the night went on. “Everything went pretty well. I didn’t mess up. Except, well...” her words trailed off as she a blush.

Dom sighed, this time exhaustion clouding the sound. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “She attacked Helena after some provocation in the lady’s salon.”

Felicity’s gaze instantly went from concerned to a death glare. How could he rat her out like that?

Lady Blackmoore’s jaw did not drop but her eyes widened which was probably the equivalent for her. “I see, and what brought this on?” Diane’s eyes skirted over Felicity’s face, noticed the disheveled hair, the two marks on either side of her neck, and probably had a greater understanding of what happened tonight than even Felicity did.

“It’s exactly as Dom so gently explained,” she shot him another irritated glare in case he missed her first one. He only gave her a mysterious smile in return. “She said some unkind words. I tried to control myself, but that didn’t work so I kind of...pushed her.”

“Helena marched out of the bathroom after Felicity then shoved her into the crowded ballroom,” Dom said. His voice gave no indication as to how he felt about this whole situation.

“Also,” Felicity chimed in before the subject moved along, “the only reason why I acted the way I did is because she said she’s challenging me for Dominic tomorrow night.”

There. She’d said it.

And she’d been right.

Both Diane and Dom stiffened with tension they couldn’t begin to hide. Dom’s expression shuttered, hiding his thoughts.

“We don’t have to let her in the door, right? If we don’t let her in then she can’t challenge me.” Neither of them said anything. Felicity’s nerves started to feel frayed like a piece of thread reused too many times.

Diane cleared her throat. “Actually, it is against the law to bar anyone from the ceremony who wishes to attend. The punishment for this is death.”

“What kind of a stupid law is that!” Felicity said. Before, the challenge had only been a thought, something not quite real, but now it became a real, frightening prospect. One she did not want to deal with.

Diane nodded. “In fact it is there to help protect both the male and the
bruid
from being forced into mating. It gives either of them an out in case the mating has been coerced in some way. There hasn’t been a challenge in years. Isn’t that right, Dominic?”

“Indeed, mother.”

Everyone fell silent. A billowing anger began churning in Felicity. It started in her gut then worked its way up to her heart, making her face warm, and then down to her hands where she curled them into fists.

Finally, she had had enough. “Excuse me! Am I the only one having this conversation? Tomorrow night I’m going to be challenged for the rights to Dom and if I don’t win...if I don’t win...” her words faltered as her breathing turned into ragged gasps. Instantly, Dom was there, his arm around her shoulder pushing her head down.

“Breathe, sweets, just breathe. Everything will be all right. I’d never let anything bad happen to you.” His hand rubbed soothing circles across the tight muscles of her shoulders. Almost as if they were hesitant, her muscles twitched before finally easing under his touch.

She stood now that she had her breathing under control. “This is not all right. What if I lose, Dom.
What if I lose?”

His eyes caught hers and something dark flashed in his eyes. “You won’t because if she tries to come she won’t be getting in.”

Diane took a step forward as if she couldn’t stop herself. “Dom, even you do not have that kind of power. If she comes then she must be allowed in.”

His jaw crunched as he ground it side to side. “I don’t care.”

Diane lifted her chin. “You’ll care when they call your mating void. When they cease to perform the ceremony, or worse, arrest you for breaking law. You know the sentence if they find you guilty.”

Dom’s voice suddenly rang through the halls, a harsh cry. “I don’t have time for this! God dammit! Why did you have to hit her? Why did you have to start this?”

Felicity heard what he said, but still her mind reeled at the tone of his voice. She replayed what he said. Blinking, she took a step back from him. She almost looked over her shoulder because he couldn’t be speaking like that to
her
. It wasn’t her fault that Helena came after her like a raptor searching for dinner. This wasn’t her fault. Her mind replayed tonight’s events, excluding the time spent with Dominic outside the ball. Helena had been aching for a fight, taunting her with what she would take from Felicity—Dom. Maybe she’d overreacted in hitting Helena first, though she didn’t regret the actions, but she didn’t start this.

“Dom, it’s not my fault.” Her voice trembled.

His jaw clamped and then he slammed his eyes shut as he visibly tried to get himself under control. “I know...I know. I’m sorry. I have to get some work done. Check the numbers again. Call Vas and Grayson,” he said, shaking his head like it was a heavy, tired weight. “I’m sorry, go up to bed.”

Felicity let him pull her up for a kiss but she didn’t kiss him back. The pain from his blow, so to speak, still too fresh. She’d accept his apology but she’d need time before she could forget it.

“Don’t worry about it. I won’t let her challenge you.”

Nodding, because
what else was she to do, she headed upstairs to his bedroom. She undressed alone, showered alone, and when she went to bed, unable to sleep as the weight of tomorrow night hung over her head like a heavy cloud, she did it alone.

He never came to bed.

Chapter 22

Today was the biggest day of Felicity Shaw’s life, the day in which she’d become bonded to another vampire. A vampire even her mother could be proud of. Felicity frowned at that train of thought and quickly corrected herself because
of course
her mother would be proud that her only daughter was mating with one of the wealthiest vampires in the world. Her mother loved money. So much so that she had taken all of the money left after Felicity’s father’s unfortunate death after a gambling match turned bad and currently spent the large sum with her younger lover.

This morning, the morning of all mornings, Felicity had actually debated calling her mother. When her mother moved to some small island in the Caribbean with her lover, her mother had called once to leave her number. Felicity had let the answering machine take the call. She might not want to talk to her mother but she’d written down the number and had it tucked away in her phone book at home. If she really wanted to she could have someone fetch it for her and she could call her. But to tell her what? That today she was mating with Dominic Blackmoore and that she’d no longer be Ms. Shaw but Lady Blackmoore? Her face would be one photographed for magazines all over the globe. Her life would never be the same and all of it would be done with a powerful man who made her heart flutter right at her side.

A part of her really wanted to. A part of her wanted to see her mother sitting in a chair to represent her side of the family at the ceremony. It might only be one chair amongst the more than hundred that came with the Blackmoore family and friends, not to mention the seats open to the public. But one was more than none.