She felt like clamping her hand on his mouth to shove his words back down his throat. At the same time she experienced an intense need to go hang herself. She had nurtured the notion that they had shared something, that last night had been special to him too. God, she was so off the mark! “Leave me alone. I don’t wanna talk about it.”
A grin broke out on his face. Although he didn’t make a move, she got the impression he had closed the short distance between them. Looking smug, he tilted his head.
“What if I do?”
“I’m not interested in your opinion.”
“And I think you are.”
Mere inches from his body, the vibe fluttered, reminder of very real sensations. Whether she acknowledged her feelings for him or not, her desire for this man would always be there, buried in her. But if he had a human heart, why didn’t he use it to be gentle to her?
“Believe me, I’m not.”
“Don’t lie to me, kitten. You’re dying to hear me say I loved doing you. For your information, I did.”
“Do you have to be so blunt?”
The sly grin deepened. Although she never got what she wanted, she certainly appeared very good at entertaining him. Eyebrows raised, he used her very words against her.
“Blunt? Is that what you call it in this pretty little head of yours? I’d gathered you liked it rough, but I didn’t know you also liked it dirty.”
A tongue of fire shot up her cheeks, but she ignored it. Balling her hands into fists, Liv summoned her most condescending expression to look down her nose at the king of the Overworld.
“And I didn’t know you wanted to be loved.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
An awkward silence stretched for what seemed like hours before he strode to the door.
“Come!”
His sharp command intrigued her way more than a long speech would have done. What was on his mind now? Hurrying to catch up with him, she followed the vampire king down to the grand entrance hall. Oblivious of the quiet bustle around them, he took a watch out of one of his pockets.
“What’s your address?”
He began punching in numbers even before she had finished reciting her address. He repeated the process on his own watch, then fastened the travelling device around her wrist. Was he really taking her home? Back to her glorious, lively, friendly universe?
She winced when he twisted her wrist a little too hard. Unable to decide whether he thought she might run away or attempt to stay in the Overworld, she endured his strong grip. Without a last look around, she closed her eyes just in time. Like it had occurred on her first trip, she heard the same weird whooshing sound as a slight nauseating sensation passed through her.
Although night ruled over here, too, Liv smiled with happiness. She could hear the faraway monotonous noise of traffic on the highway, the insistent chatter of a neighbouring television set, the high-pitched wails of cats mating. Even the smell of garbage elicited a happy smile. She was home.
The transportation device must’ve been very precise because, when she opened her eyes, they were in front of her small house. She climbed the steps, Raskhan’s fingers still gripping her wrist.
“Would you let go, please? I won’t run away.”
He complied, but beckoned her to get inside. As always he’d only be satisfied when he got what he wanted. Making a great show of massaging her unmarred skin, she puckered her lips.
“It’s locked. I don’t have the keys.”
He grabbed the knob, and turned it without even trying. A brutal clack informed Liv her locks would never serve again in this life, but the front door swung open. In the living room, her heart sank when she turned the lights on and realised the extent of the damage.
Everything had happened so fast that she hadn’t given any thought to her home after Rogan and Khord’s big fight. Furniture displaced, overturned or broken, the place still resembled a battlefield. But she wouldn’t have been so bummed if Raskhan hadn’t raised an eyebrow.
“Someone had his fun.”
“You think this is funny?”
“Let’s see, it goes with your broken door now.”
Turning her back on him, she walked to the other side of the living room while assessing the damage. She only stopped when she reached the open kitchen door.
“Why don’t you tell me what we’re doing here?”
“You’re going to make sure nobody from your world will come looking for you.”
A small lump scratched the back of her throat, making her swallow. Slowly rotating on her feet, she faced him.
“Why?”
“Because I’m going to kill you.”
She crashed against the doorjamb. Legs buckling under her, she clumsily clutched the jamb to keep her balance. Breaths coming out in rasps, heart knocking on hell’s door, eyes widening, she managed to mumble a few words. “You’re going to kill me?”
Arms crossed over his chest, he burst out laughing. “No, but you should see the look on your face. Man, it’s so worth it!”
Catching sight of a broken lamp lying on a shelf not two feet away from her, Liv leapt towards it. She grabbed the base, threw her arm back and hurled the lamp at him.
Her missile hit the target dead on. That was, if the target hadn’t been inhumanly fast. Instead, the lamp struck the wall with a loud shattering noise. And Raskhan already stood in front of her, unharmed.
Still in the throes of her explosive anger, she raised her fists and pummelled his chest. At once, she grasped the full meaning of the expression ‘bang one’s head against a brick wall’. Within seconds, her fingers began to hurt. Then she quit hitting him as he placed his hands on her shoulders.
“Hey, calm down. I was just kidding.”
She pushed his hands away, tears welling up. But, for the love of God, she wouldn’t cry in front of him.
“Oh, yeah, because that was so funny!”
Unfazed by her rejection, he cocked his head like a cute puppy asking to be loved again.
“Cheer up, it wasn’t that bad. Can’t you tell a joke from a fact? You know I wouldn’t kill you.”
“No, I don’t know that. You and your buddies have already sentenced me to death, and they don’t look like a kidding bunch to me. You’re the king, so what stops you from bringing forward my execution?”
“You’re right, that’s a thought.”
Had he looked serious she might have believed him again. But the puppy face was still on, and his eyes glinted. Her former rage receding to the back of her mind, she sighed.
“Why are you harassing me? What have I ever done to you to deserve such a treatment?”
“Spare the rod and spoil the child.”
“What? I hope you don’t expect me to believe that? God, you’re so full of crap sometimes!”
“Only sometimes? I’m flattered you think so highly of me.”
“Oh, cut it out, would you?”
Even when he sounded good-humoured he still managed to provoke her—especially when he laughed again. “What you said is true though. I am the king of the Overworld. I can have you executed any time I want, but I can also hold it off as long as I wish. I guess it all depends on you.”
“Meaning?”
“Well, you know… If you behave like a good girl, if you’re nice to me, I might forget about your crime.”
Unbelievable. He had just threatened to kill her to scare the hell out of her, and now he wanted to get laid? No way that was about to happen. He wouldn’t mould her like clay between his fingers.
“In my world, your so-sweet proposition is called blackmail. Look, you’re well aware I didn’t commit any crime so why would I be”—she quoted with her fingers—“nice to you?”
“Didn’t you hear what I said? I am the king.”
Yeah, he was as arrogant and domineering as a vampire supreme monarch was supposed to be. For everything he did to her she should loathe him. But every time his intense gaze turned to her she felt weak at the knees. Despite
his infuriating manners and in spite of not being her Rogan, he had somehow found his way into her heart.
There. The sentiment that she had strived so hard to cast out had finally come to the surface. At his mercy in a ransacked house she could only feel the tumultuous beating of her heart, and an imperious need for his affection. Holy mackerel, wasn’t she in a fine mess?
“I heard you, and I choose death.”
Her bragging elicited a reaction she hadn’t expected. Although he didn’t reach out, a flash of light crossed his eyes and his sudden stiffness told Liv he wanted her. Right there, right then. Walking away to switch the lights on in the kitchen, she went in search of a hot drink.
She made some coffee, doing her best to avoid glancing towards the living room. What was he doing in there? As she poured coffee into a mug, she brutally recalled doing the exact same thing in Rogan’s company before Khord erupted into her house. Could it be a sign? A sign of what?
Liv had ample time to finish drinking her coffee before Raskhan walked into the kitchen, his features devoid of any trace of desire. He must have sweated it out. As if nothing out of the ordinary had taken place, he used his most regal air to snap his fingers towards the phone.
In all likelihood they really had come here to cover her tracks. Leaning over she grabbed the receiver, dialled her work number, and left a message on the answering machine. Her colleagues would get it first thing in the morning so nobody would come snooping around.
Back in Chicago, her parents wouldn’t expect a call from her for another week. What about her sister? Even if she phoned, chances were Dawn wouldn’t get worried if she didn’t call back. Not for the next forty-eight hours. As for emergencies, what would be would be.
Her car was still parked in the clean motel’s parking lot, but with the room paid for and so many other vehicles around nobody should give it a second look, at least for a few days. They’d simply assume she had gone without leaving a tip. And what if they called the cops? What bad would it do her?
When she hung up, Raskhan looked satisfied. As if she was alone in the room, she washed her mug, wiped the table, and busied herself with the garbage bin. He watched her do her chores without comment, his impassive features causing her to wonder what his next move would be—until he casually leaned against the sink, and inquired in an amused voice.
“I hope you don’t plan to clear up the whole house.”
“Would you let me?”
“As a matter of fact, I was thinking your bed may need some taking care of. What do you say, kitten?”
“I say I’ll take the trash out.”
Giving him a bland look, she apologised a second later as she deliberately bumped the bin liner into his legs.
“Oh, I’m sorry, your Majesty!”
Heedless of what he might say or do next, she walked to the front door and went down the few steps. She dropped the bag and ran.
Chapter Twenty-Four
What the heck had gone through her mind? What could have urged her to take such a rash, nonsensical action? Even if her unpredictable flight had taken him by surprise, he was way faster than her and well-versed in the art of tracking prey. Nonetheless, she ran.
She had thirty seconds at most to get a head start before she’d have to look for a place to hide. If Raskhan was anything like his brother and fellow vampires, he wouldn’t be able to smell her. With any luck, these thirty seconds could well turn out to be her best chance of getting away from him, the real question being did she honestly want to escape him?
Legs pumping, black robe flying behind her, Liv rounded the corner of her street. Too superstitious to glance back, she focused on the way ahead, on the next intersection that would lead her away from him. In this residential neighbourhood the crisscrossing of streets formed a huge maze, and might well turn to her advantage.
When she barrelled along another street, she still didn’t waste a second to look back. What she didn’t see couldn’t be considered real. Giving silent thanks to the dark night concealing her, she concentrated on her breathing. Her lungs hurt and the muscles in her legs didn’t seem happy to endure such a rough treatment.
But Liv kept on running. Dashing past lit houses, she turned left onto another street. In spite of a hot rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins, she realised she wouldn’t be able to keep up this mad gallop forever. Her speed had already decreased. Thank God she wasn’t living in a mountain town with slopes instead of flat ground.
At the end of the street there were no more lights ahead, but she discerned tall trees in an endless patch of darkness. The park!
Mouth wide open to gulp in burning air, sweat wetting her armpits and fully aware of her leg’s constant protest, Liv shot towards the vast expanse of grassland. If she could make it to the park, crawling under thick bushes would be a child’s play. There she’d be able to get her breath back and give her aching muscles some semblance of deliverance. And then what? Was she going to spend the rest of her life cowering under bushes?
Redoubling her efforts, Liv bolted towards the park. Her whole body about to quit on her, she gritted her teeth to ignore the acute pain in her side. Although it felt like someone had run a dagger through her, she didn’t slow down until she reached the gate. Forced to stop to open it, she did glance back this time. Nothing but deep silence all around and deserted streets. No sign of pursuit. At once a glimmer of hope touched her heart.
Mindful of any clue she might leave, she closed the gate behind her and sprinted towards the tall trees. Shards of pain coursing throughout her body, she remembered why she hated running in the first place.
Past the first rows of cedar trees, a dense growth of bushes appeared suitable for what she had in mind. She covered the remaining distance at a trot, sweat coating her face, her hand pressed to her side. Hearing her puffing and huffing, she understood how the three little pigs must have felt when chased down by the big bad wolf.
Heart pounding from exertion, Liv finally reached the coveted bushes. All she had to do now was wriggle underneath, but first she checked her surroundings one last time—definitely no sign of pursuit. If she had indeed given Raskhan the slip, she was good! Oh, so good!
She knelt on the grass behind the bushes while trying to get her breath back, then got down on all fours to locate the best hiding spot. To her right she spied some kind of gap in the vegetation. And she crawled towards it. And he whispered in her ear.
“Peekaboo!”
She shrieked. Her heart leapt up to the back of her throat then dropped down again. Her limbs quivered from the shock of hearing his voice so close, but her mind instantly registered two shoes by her side. Despite her insane run and the discomfort she had suffered, what hurt most at that instant was the sound of his genuine laughter.
“Wow! That was so much fun! Can we do it again?”
“Oh, shut up, you… You…!”
Liv just stayed put as pain flared up when she attempted to move.
“Okay, but if you don’t want to play anymore you’d better get up. I mean, we wouldn’t want me to take your position as an open invitation.”
Realising she was still on all fours, she figured out in a wink what was going on in that excited mind of his. The ache in her side dulled with each passing second. She straightened up to sit on her heels. But when he took her elbow to pull her up she uttered an “Ouch” of pain.
If he hadn’t held her against him she wasn’t sure she’d have stayed on her feet. In the crook of his arms, she looked straight over his shoulder to avoid his intense gaze. When he spoke, his diverted tone didn’t lessen the weight of his words.
“Were you trying to run away from me, little girl?”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. Actually I was going down to the store to get a carton of milk.”
Something stiffened against her belly, confirming her suspicions that he got excited every time she defied him. Right now the nearness of his mouth excited her too. He was going to kiss her and what would she do? But as
her pulse quickened at the simple idea of being kissed by the king of the Overworld, he swept her off the ground.
“Give me your hand, my little vixen.”
She complied, and he pressed buttons on both their watches. For once, she didn’t close her eyes. One second they were standing in the quiet park, the next they were back in the hallway of his palace. Although they must have appeared out of nowhere servants bowed their heads to him, and carried on their usual activity. None of them looked surprised to see Liv in his arms.
Barking orders to one of them, Raskhan carried her to the room she had discovered when talking to Zontag. The vampire turned human must have found different living quarters for the place was empty. None too gently Raskhan put her down on the nearest lounger, and removed her watch before striding back to the door.
“Wait here.”
He hadn’t been gone for two minutes when a servant came in to prepare the hot tub. Watching the busy vampire, Liv suddenly longed for a bath. The spa was ready when Raskhan came back. Snapping his fingers to get the servant out, he turned to her and indicated the tub.
“Enjoy it as long as you want. Nobody will disturb you.”
If he hadn’t been so hard on her in the past few days, she might have thought his proposition pretty touching and sweet. But the king never did anything out of the goodness of his heart. With a knowing, slanted grin, she raised her index finger to point at the two-way mirror corresponding to the lab where Zontag had run some tests on her.
“I like my privacy. Would you mind closing it?”
His face showed no trace of disappointment or surprise at her knowledge of the mirror. Nodding, he used a lever by the door to activate a sliding panel that covered the two-way mirror. Then he tilted his head towards a closet in the corner of the room.
“You’ll find bath towels in there.”
With that, he was gone before she could thank him. Yet she didn’t waste a moment to discard her black robe, bra and panties. She stepped into the hot tub, and slid down with a sigh of satisfaction. Not too hot, not too cold, the water felt just wonderful.