The Lady and the Earl (31 page)

He threatened her with the things she loved most in this world, and Allana knew Lucas could fulfill this threat.  He was
an excellent
swordsman
as w
ell as an excellent marksman.  He could easily hide and kill one of her loved ones or hire someone to do it for him.

“Martha,
truly
I’m fine.  I just need to be alone.  It’s been a very
long
day.”  Allana hoped this would work. 
Please just go,
she thought.

“
Very well
, miss
.  I
f you need me
,
just ring your
bell
and I wi
ll be up in a hurry,” Martha said before finally leaving. 

Allana let out another sob when the maid was gone. 
Oh Martha, please come back,
s
he pleaded to herself as tears slipped down her cheeks.

*
             
*
             
*

Martha hurried through the large house.  Something wasn’t right with Allana.  She never pushed her away like that, and
she’d
sounded so upset, even on the verge of tears.  There was something else in her voice as well.  Was it fear Martha had heard?  This thought made her quicken her pace.  She was to the stairs now.  As quickly as an old woman could, she dashed down them, crossed the middle landing, and headed up the other side.  She had to find help.  Every ounce of her being told her Allana was in trouble. 

It seemed to take far too much time before
Martha
made it to
Connor’s room and
was pounding
on his doors. 

“Allana, if that’s you, I’m seriously going to be angry,”
came
a voice from the other side
of the doors.

“
Master Connor
,
it
’s
Martha.  Something is
wrong with Allana.  You must come
—
”

Before she could finish, Connor had thrown open the doors to his room, startling Martha from the intensity she could feel from him.
  He was shirtless with water dripping from his face. 
He’d
obviously been interrupted while washing up for bed.

“What’s wrong?”
Connor asked in alarm.       

“I don’t know, Sir
.  B
ut her doors are locked
,
and she sounded very upset.  She wouldn’t let me in.  She never locks her door, especially to me,” Martha was near hysteria.  She just knew something was terribly wrong, but she could not prove it.  “I didn’t want to disturb your father and Lilly, so I came to you.  I didn’t know what else to do.”

“I knew I should have gone with her to her room,” Connor said more to himself than Martha.  “You did the right thing, Martha.  But now I need you to go get the master keys.  They’re in Father’s office.  There’s a small key under the floor mat by his desk that will gain you access to his locked drawer.  The keys are in that drawer.  Understand?”  She nodded.  “G
ood.  I’m going to see if I can
get Allana to open her door.”  He donned
the
shirt
he’d
left
on his bed before washing, and headed out of the room and to the stairs.  “If she won’t open her door, I’ll need those keys, so hurry, Martha,” Connor said as he guided her toward the stairs. 

Martha was surprised at Connor’s quick actions.  It was as though he had suspected foul play. 
She’d
been certain she was going to have to persuade him something was wrong, but his keen senses had already alerted him.  She just hoped he would be in time.  

*
             
*
             
*

Lucas let go of Allana’s throat once Martha was gone.

“That was very smart of you,” he said facing her to him. 

She flinched as he ran his fingers over her face and to her hair, gently letting it down to flow over her shoulders. 

She glared at him.  “
Remove your hands at once.
” 

He smiled as he moved his hand down her neck and to the soft skin above her breasts where she quickly swatted it away. 

His face twisted in rage.  “I’ll touch you if I wa
nt.  You belong to me!” 

He grabbed
a handful of hair and pull
ed
her toward him.  He kissed her hard, causing her own teeth to cut the insides of her lips as she struggled against him.  He laughed softly at her feeble attempts to push him away.  It was as though her struggles encouraged his lust for her, signaling his hands to wander over her body and his lips to search out her neck and cleavage.  His strength was beyond hers
.  With as much force as she could
, she brought her knee up hard, connecting with his groin.  He reeled over in pain, releasing his hold on her, allowing her to make a break for the door.  She only made it a few steps before Lucas reached out and tripped her, keeping hold of her legs when she fell to the floor.  He was fighting his own pain in order to prevent her from getting away.  She kicked at his hands, then at his face when he wouldn’t let go. 

Lucas
cried out in pain
, letting go of her to clutch at his injured face. 
She’d
kicked him hard in the nose, bringing blood. 

Once again, Allana was free.  She staggered to her feet, making it to the terrace doors this time before Lucas caught her again.  He was too quick.  He tackled her from behind.  The air left her lungs as his body landed on top of hers
.  T
he momentum of the fall reeled her head forward, banging her
face
into the hard, wooden floor.  She lay immobilized for several moments, trying to catch her breath and gather her senses.  She felt her
self
being rolled onto
her
back, followed by a fierce slap across
her
face.  She cried out in pain.  Her head was already throbbing, why
did
he have to slap
her too?  No, why was he doing any of this to her at all?

“This is your fault you know,” he said to her as though reading her thoughts.  He was breathing hard and blood was oozing down his face.  He wiped viciously at his nose before spitting a string of blood off to the side, splattering her dress with it in the process.

My fault?
  How is
this my
fault?
  “You’re insane,” she slurred groggily.  Her poor head.  It was still spinning from hitting the floor, and she was pretty certain her nose was broken.  It had taken the brunt of the impact.  

A wicked laugh escaped his mouth.  “Am I?”  He grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet.  The sudden movements made her head spin even worse.  She
staggered
, and her
sight
began going dark as the blood rushed from her head.  He held her up.  “If you had just been loyal, this wouldn’t be happening.” 

She laughed weakly.  “If
I
had been loyal
?” she
scoffed as the room spun in circles.  Her face felt swollen and odd as she spoke.  “
You
were the one with the maid,” she said, and then
she
spit in his face.  Her own blood and saliva splashed across
it
. 

Slowly, he wiped the mixture away, laughing coldly before slapping her hard in return.  It wasn’t as hard as his backhand had been, but with how dizzy and weak she already was, it sent her flailing yet again.  She spun through the air limply, crashing into the small table just inside her room.  She feebly tried to catch her fall, but she hit the edge of the table, upturning it and herself.  Once again she was lying on the floor.  This time she was on her back with the small, circular table lying across her.  Everything ached as she lay there, making her unable to move for the moment.  The room was spinning worse than before, and she felt like she was about to vomit. 

Lucas sauntered over to her, wiping at his face before squatting down beside her.  “So you’re still angry about the maid incident,” he began.  “I was simply relieving myself since you
insisted upon waiting,” he paused long enough to push the table off of her stomach.  “It’s what men do.  I’m sure even your precious Earl has a mistress,” he sneered at her.

“What do you want, Lucas
?” she
asked weakly
,
looking up into his cold, blue eyes.  She felt so vulnerable lying there on her back with him so close.  But she was too weak
to move just yet.

“The only thing I’ve ever really wanted in my entire life.  You,” he said simply as his eyes
swept
over her body.  They lingered on her chest where the dress cut low, revealing more to him than she would have liked.  The fear returned.  Did he come here to defile her?  She couldn’t let him take her.  She had to fight no matter how much more she would have to endure. 

“I’ve never met a woman I couldn’t bed in a month until you.  You are my perfect match, Allana.  You belong to me, and I’m here to make you mine.  I told you I wouldn’t let you go, and I don’t intend to either,” he finished matter-of-factly.

Allana stared at him in disbelief.  Could Lucas really be this cruel and insane?  “You cannot have me,” she replied quietly, trying to gain her strength for the fight she knew was coming. 

“Really?”
Lucas asked as he played with a lock of her hair.  “I do
not
think you’re in much of a position to resist me,” he finished, smiling pleasantly at her.  His expression fell serious as he gazed at her.  “Do you
not
realize we were made for each other?  I need you, and I’ve never needed anybody.”  He leaned over her and kissed her softly, awaking a need inside her to get away. 

She kicked her legs hard as she squirmed beneath him.  She knocked him off balance enough to turn herself over onto her belly where she tried raising her body to her hands and knees.  He grabbed her arms and began wrestling with her, flipping her over onto her back.  They
wrestled for only a few more moments before Lucas pinned her beneath him. 

“You know you can’t resist me, my love,” he whispered against her face, laughing quietly as he forced her hands above her head and kissed her neck sensually.  “Nobody can.” 

She whimpered as tears slipped down her face. 

“Just give in to your desires,” he finished hotly.

She struggled under his weight for a moment longer, realizing it was hopeless.  She just did not have the strength.  If she wanted to get free, she would have to do as he suggested.  Allana arched her neck encouragingly, moaning slightly as though enjoying his lips there.  She wanted to scream in revulsion, but she had to make him believe she wanted him in order for him to release her hands.  He sought out her lips and kissed her
hungrily
, moving his hands down over her body when she seemed to return the kiss with eagerness.  She brought one hand to the back of his neck to keep him distracted long enough for her free hand to find the silver candlestick that had fallen off the upturned table and to the floor.  Where was it?  She knew
she’d
seen it fall, but she couldn’t find it without looking. 
Lucas’s
kisses were growing more and more savage as his lust for her grew, and she was beginning to panic as his hands began to wander.  Finally, he moved his mouth back down to her neck and to her shoulder, giving her the opportunity to look for the candlestick, spotting it only inches away.  In one swift movement, she grasped hold of the cold metal and
swung
the candlestick as hard as she could into the side of
Lucas’s
head and face.  The blow knocked him to the side, rendering him senseless for a few moments.  She pushed him
off of her
and struggled to her feet sobbing.  She wanted to vomit after what
she’d
just endured. 

The blood rushed from her aching head, causing her eyes to dim once again, this time almost to the point of blacking out.  She took a few seconds to steady herself, before trying to
walk.  She had to get to the door before Lucas became alert.  She took a couple of staggering steps when she heard him say her name.  The coldness in his voice caused her to involuntarily turn and look at him. 

“You should not have done that,” Lucas said dangerously. 

He was standing now, holding the silver candlestick and rubbing the side of his head.  She made a dash toward the door, but went crashing to the ground when he kicked her in the back.  He was on top of her in an instance, ripping her bodice to shreds.  She screamed as she kicked her legs and tore at his face with her fingernails.  He was struggling to catch hold of her flailing arms when he finally gave up and slammed his fist into her face.  Her struggles stopped instantly as everything began to go dark yet again.  The left side of her face throbbed from the blow, and she could feel it swelling along with her left eye.