“Another threat,” he drawled derisively.
“I’ll call them from your f**king driveway. You’re kissing her at Feasts. You’ve moved in with her. You intend to –” Katrina retorted and Lucien cut her off.
“Be my guest,” he invited and Katrina’s eyes went wide then they swung to me.
“You’ve lost your mind,” she breathed toward me even though she was talking to Lucien. Her gaze moving back, she studied him a moment and all of a sudden her lip curled. “Though I shouldn’t be surprised, You’ve always had a taste for sweet smelling pu**y.”
I gasped. Edwina gasped. Lucien moved.
He crowded her back into the door, his powerful frame cutting her off from view.
I looked nervously at Edwina. Edwina looked nervously at me. Then she gave me a shaky smile which I did not return and we both looked back at the scene.
“The Council will grant me this.” Lucien was saying.
“Never,” Katrina returned.
“I’m calling in my marker,” Lucien announced.
I heard Katrina’s sharp intake of breath. I looked to Edwina who was staring fixedly at Lucien’s back, her face the picture of shock and I knew at least she knew what this meant.
I had no idea what was going on. None of it.
“They’ll still not allow it.” Katrina didn’t sound so sure now.
“They owe me,” Lucien retorted.
“They do but a mortal?” Katrina shot back. “They won’t even consider it. Not even for you.”
“They’ve no choice,” Lucien stated.
There was a hesitation then softly, with some kind of weird understanding in her voice, Katrina said, “I’ve heard of this but didn’t expect it of you. Her scent has driven you insane.”
Lucien didn’t hesitate with his reply. “If that’s the case, I’m happy in my insanity.”
That was the third weirdest, yet most profound, compliment I had that day even though I had no idea what was going on. I also had the distinct feeling I wanted no more compliments from the Mighty Vampire Lucien who’d beat the crap out of his wife in his concubine’s foyer while insisting said concubine watch.
“You want war,” Katrina whispered.
“I want my life back,” Lucien replied. “If to get it that means war then I want war.”
Um…
War?
“I’ll not fight on your side,” she informed him, the bravado back in her voice, her words a challenge.
“I never expected you would,” Lucien returned.
I couldn’t see all of her but I saw parts of her body twitch as if she’d been struck.
“You don’t think much of me, do you?” she asked.
“I haven’t for the last thirty years,” he replied with frank cruelty.
She stepped out from in front of him and I could see her now. Her eyes looked to me then back to Lucien.
“I’m beginning to feel sorry for her,” Katrina commented.
“You shouldn’t. She’s everything you’re not,” Lucien responded.
That hurt. I could see it in her flinch and I felt her pain. Any woman would.
He was harsh and he was heartless and, honest to goodness, I never thought I could hate him anymore but I did at that moment. It was lunacy, his wife had tried to do me bodily harm but I felt for her, I couldn’t help it.
“What did I do to make you hate me so much?” she whispered.
“You, like all of them, tried to cage me. I can’t abide that, Rina, you knew it. You knew how I felt about it and you did it all the same.”
“I loved you.” She was still whispering.
Even at her soft words, Lucien remained remote. “Love is a blanket that keeps you warm not one that traps and suffocates you. You never learned that lesson, Rina. You never paid it any attention no matter how many times I explained. You kept pulling that blanket over my head.”
Silently she assumed the posture of defeat and it was so heartbreaking, my eyes swung to Lucien, thinking he’d relent.
He didn’t. In fact, as he took her in, his lip curled in a contemptuous sneer.
My heart started beating faster. I didn’t know why, hatred, fear for my future life as this man was going to factor largely in it or both.
He heard my heart. I knew this because his eyes cut to me, his face lost its disdain and his brows drew together in puzzlement.
“Edwina,” Katrina said in a soft farewell and I tore my gaze from Lucien but before I could focus or Edwina could respond, Katrina was gone.
“See to the groceries,” Lucien ordered Edwina. I looked back to him to see him striding with purpose toward me.
I started backing up the steps.
“Clean up this mess,” Lucien continued his instructions, his gait wide and determined and I started backing up double time. “You don’t need to say good-bye when you leave,” Lucien finished his commands to Edwina.
At those ominous words, I turned on the landing and ran.
In a second I was cradled in his arms and in the next we were in the bedroom and I was bouncing on the bed.
Lucien was looming over me, fists to his hips, eyes dark and glittering.
“You run from me?” His voice was dangerous.
I felt my fear escalate at a slightly lower rate than my temper flared.
“Down there, I trusted you.” Those five words were an accusation.
His head cocked to the side. “And how, exactly, did I betray that trust, pet?”
“You told me to stay,” I informed him.
“Yes?”
“I stayed.”
“And?”
“You can’t possibly need me to explain!” I snapped.
“I’m afraid I do,” he clipped back.
I got to my knees, hands balled into fists at my sides and I leaned toward him.
“You just beat your wife in front of me!” I shouted.
“It wasn’t the first time but, fortunately, it was the last,” he replied indifferently.
I drew in a sharp breath, reared back in horror and fell to my bottom.
“You disgust me,” I hissed, meaning every word.
His body did that thing again, that menacing, sinister change where his muscles came into sharp relief.
“I disgust you?” he whispered.
I ignored his stance even though he had to know my fear. My heart was beating so wildly I could, indeed, this time actually hear it.
If I could, he certainly could.
“Yes,” I retorted with more bravery than sense.
“You don’t have any f**king idea what you just witnessed.” His voice was still a low, outraged whisper.