Part 16 (1/2)
”Don't you think if I'd been working for my father this entire time, that Trey would have picked up on it since he's a sensitive?”
Knight shook his head. ”Your father's obviously creative, exemplified by the fact that he forced the Dryads on this little Draoidheil mission to throw off Trey and others like him. It's not a stretch to imagine he'd been doing something similar all along where you're concerned.”
I felt like crying as I realized all my defenses were failing. There really wasn't anything concrete that I could use to prove to Knight that he totally had me pegged incorrectly.
”And speaking of coworkers, is Sam in on this too or did you pull the wool over her eyes also?”
I glared at him. ”Sam has nothing to do with this! She's completely innocent!”
He shook his head. ”Nice that you're even lying to your best friend.”
I sighed, long and hard, trying to salvage a shred of something that would prove my innocence but my mind was a blank. ”Everything you believe about me isn't true, Knight,” I whispered, my voice sounding grainy as tears filled my eyes. ”And everything I said to you while we were in prison was the truth. Every last word.”
Knight chuckled humorlessly. ”The only one of us who was telling the truth was me ... Something which was blatantly demonstrated when you broke up with me as soon as we returned to Splendor. And then to really rub salt in my wounds, you started dating Bram.”
”I did that to protect you, Knight,” I threw back at him. ”And I'm not dating Bram and never have been. I broke things off with you because I didn't want you to find out that I was working for my father.” I briefly considered telling him about my visit to Bram's and how I'd told Bram everything I was now telling Knight but I didn't imagine that would hold any weight because there wasn't any solid proof in it. And, furthermore, I didn't imagine Knight would appreciate the reminder of Bram when the vampire was obviously a sore subject. ”I broke up with you only because I wanted to put some distance between us to keep you safe, Knight. That was my only intention.”
He gave me a look which I'll never forget-his eyes had never appeared so furious, so livid. His nostrils flared as he breathed in and out and I could see his racing heart rate in the pulse thumping in his neck. ”I don't want to hear another f.u.c.king word from you, got it?”
I shook my head, refusing to be shut down. ”I'm the one who told the ANC about this whole thing to begin with,” I yelled at him, my voice shaking. ”I went to Caressa and I told her everything about the Draoidheil delivery, as well as every drop-off location. The only reason you aren't addicted to the s.h.i.+t now is because I gave her vials of antidote and told her to make sure all of you took it.” I didn't even want to think about Caressa not delivering on her promise to ensure that Knight was kept far away from Splendor. Somehow, I didn't blame Caressa for it, as much as I did Knight's iron will, and his insistence on doing whatever the h.e.l.l he chose to.
He shook his head and glared at me. ”Funny, but when Caressa notified the ANC about the deliveries happening tonight, she failed to mention that any of it had come from you.”
And that was because she'd kept her word to me by not a.s.sociating my name with the information. I was tired and at the point now where I'd exhausted any further means to prove my innocence in all of this. I didn't know how to prove Knight wrong anymore. I suddenly felt my fatigue gaining on me and gazed out the window, watching the scenery blur by, wis.h.i.+ng things were drastically different.
”Where are you taking me, anyway?” I asked, in a defeated tone.
”To jail,” he answered quickly.
I felt my stomach drop at the thought, but I knew he wasn't taking me to the holding cells in the ANC of Splendor because we'd pa.s.sed them already. ”What jail?” I demanded.
He didn't spare me a glance. ”One you don't know about, and one where I can ensure your father will never find you.”
Something which was fine by me because I wasn't sure what would happen if or when my father found me. I had to imagine, though, that it wouldn't be a happy homecoming. I said nothing else, as I tried to find a comfortable position. Having my hands clasped behind my back, it seemed comfort was too much to ask. Instead, I focused on the confusion of my own thoughts. I just couldn't understand how things had turned ugly so quickly between Knight and me. Only weeks ago, we'd confessed our undying love for one another, and now he seemed to hate me.
From the corner of my eye, I watched Knight reach for the CD player as he turned the volume up and Pearl Jam's ”Deep” filled the SUV in a rich harmony of guitar and drums. The fury of the song seemed to match my mood and I would have bet it matched Knight's as well, only for different reasons. I turned my head even farther away from him, not wanting him to see the tears that were sliding down my cheeks.
I closed my eyes, and scolded myself, telling myself to stop crying. I would find a way out of this and my vehicle was Caressa. Somehow I had to get in touch with her because I knew she'd set Knight straight. Only she could tell him about my release from prison and how she'd been charged with escorting me to the portal. Only she could admit that she really released me to go after my father in order to ensure Knight's safety. And, after that, she could tell Knight that I really was the one who'd spilled the beans about the Draoidheil delivery.
I heard Knight turn up the volume as the words of the song sunk into me: And she doesn't like the view, she doesn't like the view but he sinks himself deep ...
”Tell me one thing,” Knight started, suddenly turning to face me, his voice almost lost in the song. I looked up at him expectantly, hoping the tears were no longer visible on my cheeks. ”When Bram's inside you, is it my face you imagine?”
”You son of a b.i.t.c.h,” I spat out at him, shaking my head, and forcing my gaze away from his. I slammed my eyes shut, not wanting to lose control of my tears. I would not cry in front of him!
I'd just never seen this side of Knight before-an icy cold, calculating side. And I wanted to hate him for believing I was ever capable of something so horrendous and awful. I wanted to hate him for not being able to see clearly, for obstructing his own vision. But there was something within me that refused to allow me to hate him, something that wouldn't permit me to throw in the towel.
I would make him see the truth. I would make him realize the picture he was trying to paint of me was entirely wrong.
And I would make him eat his words.
Eighteen.
Knight suddenly pulled the Denali over to the side of the road and I had to balance myself against my seat to keep the side of my head from hitting the window. The uneven ground caused my teeth to chatter in my head, and when he hit the brakes to keep us from plowing into an enormous oak tree, I was grateful he'd seat-belted me in.
”What the h.e.l.l are you doing?” I asked with a confused frown.
He didn't respond, but put the Denali in park, not even bothering to look at me. Instead, he threw his door open, leaving the engine on and jumped down to the ground. The SUV beeped angrily at him, warning him the door was open. I couldn't say I was really paying much attention to the incessant beeping though. Instead, I watched as Knight jogged around the front of the Denali. The headlights illuminated his incredibly broad build and the ample swell of his biceps. I was suddenly overcome with fear, remembering the time when Knight and I first met and I tried to fight him. I lost because fairy magic was useless against Lokis. Taking in his impressive physique now, I found myself hoping I wouldn't have to go up against him again.
He yanked my door open and released my seat belt, refusing to so much as look at me. Instead, his lips were a tight line as he grabbed me by my waist and lifted me down. I s.h.i.+vered in the cold night air and worried for a minute that he was going to leave me out here. I glanced around to figure out just where ”here” was. I couldn't say I'd been keeping track of where we'd been going because my mind was so consumed by our most recent conversation. As I looked around myself now, I realized we were in the middle of nowhere with rolling fields of untouched land on either side of us, brightened by the beams of the full moon. A few gnarled oak trees dotted the horizon, the lights of the nearest city far in the distance. The only sound to interrupt the otherwise still air was the chirping of the crickets.
All alone with an enraged Loki, a creature created by Hades, the G.o.d of the Netherworld, and in his own image, Knight was a soldier by all accounts and well trained in the art of combat, committed to destroy and win. Nearly two feet taller than I, and much larger in both breadth and brawn, (well, triple my size where the girth of his chest was concerned), my magic was utterly useless against him. In essence, I was about as threatening as a little b.u.t.terfly. I felt myself instinctively avoiding him, trying to seek shelter in the warmth and the light of the Denali. Knight gripped me by my upper arms and jerked me forward, slamming the door behind me. I jumped at the loud sound and felt my heartbeat racing through me, every fiber of my being on high awareness.
”Why are we stopping here?” I asked, my voice teetering with my own anxiety. I was tense and I couldn't hide it. Knight's eyes narrowed and bored into mine with heated fury.
”Why? Are you scared, Dulcie?” he asked. Suddenly, his mask of anger lifted and he smiled, but it was a smile that said he was enjoying every ounce of my disquietude.
I gulped down my trepidation, but refused to respond.
”Are you afraid I'm going to hurt you?” he persisted, leaning into me until less than two inches separated us. I forced myself not to break his eye contact, straining to hold my own ground. ”Kind of like the way you hurt me?” he continued and then shook his head, forcing his face up close and personal with mine. Now no s.p.a.ce existed between us and I could feel the kiss of his breath against my mouth. ”No, kind of like the way you devastated me?”
He pulled back as I shook my head and opened my mouth, about to deny everything again, while begging him to believe me, to allow me to prove my innocence. Apparently disconcerted at where the conversation was headed, he gripped my cheeks between his large fingers, forcing my mouth into a fish kiss expression. He released my cheeks, his hand then finding purchase around my neck as he pressed me against the Denali, forcing the back of my head against the gla.s.s.
”Please don't hurt me,” I whispered, honestly frightened by his wild expression.
He just stared at me for a second or two. His eyes began to glow, that same glow that said I was his and always would be. In that moment, I realized that Knight was as much in love with me now as he always had been.
”Knight,” I said softly, my heart breaking for both of us. If he would just listen to me, just put aside his anger and injured pride, maybe we could get somewhere. ”Please just let me explain. I can make you understand how wrong you are about everything.”
”No,” he said and slammed his hand against the door beside my head, dropping his face so I couldn't see the glow of his eyes. He clenched his eyes shut tightly, trying to compel the radiance of his gaze to subside, trying to force himself to believe that I wasn't the woman he thought I was.
When he looked up at me again, the glow disappeared from his eyes. He s.h.i.+fted my hair, half of which had fallen into my face, behind my neck, his fingertips brus.h.i.+ng against my skin. I couldn't help remembering how those same fingers once touched me so tenderly, exploring my body in the most loving and gentle manner. I knew my eyes were wide with fright, my body still on high alert, but he just stared at me, appearing hesitant in whatever he was planning to do to me. He rested his hand against my collarbone as he honed in on my neck, his eyes narrowing. I glanced down and saw the line of golden blood that trailed from the gash at the bottom of my neck, the blood disappearing into my cleavage. Apparently Baron had sliced my skin when he threatened me with my dagger. The b.a.s.t.a.r.d.
Knight shook his head and took a deep breath as he reached forward and ran the pad of his thumb over the cut, healing it instantly. It was one of his many Loki abilities. ”f.u.c.k me for still caring,” he whispered and sighed as his eyes found mine.
Before I could respond, he gripped the back of my neck, wrenching me forward. A single breath later and his mouth was on mine as he snagged a fistful of my hair at the nape of my neck almost painfully. His kiss was hard and impulsive, his tongue plunging into my mouth as he pushed his body against mine. It was as if he were trying to devour me, thrusting his tongue into my mouth, regardless if I wanted it or not. And although I loved his kiss, and loved him, this wasn't how I wanted him. Not with all this unresolved anger and baggage between us.
I tried to pull my head back to break the seal of our lips, but his fist at the nape of my neck held me firmly in place. Trying to extricate my body from his, I felt the cold steel of the Denali against my naked back as I turned my head to the side. He pulled away from me and I faced him, glaring at him all the while. ”I want you to stop,” I said in a small voice, my eyes begging him to keep away from me.
”Why, Dulcie? Would it upset Bram?” he asked in a lascivious tone, his eyes dancing with ire. ”Have you sworn loyalty to him, just like you did to me?” Then he shook his head and chuckled. ”The poor, stupid son of a b.i.t.c.h.”
I felt something inside me break at the thought that he actually believed there was something between Bram and me. ”You know that's a lie.”
He shook his head, but said nothing, his gaze traveling from my face down to my b.r.e.a.s.t.s. He stared at me unabashedly, as if wanting to make me as uncomfortable as possible. It was almost as though he wanted to make me feel like nothing more than a vehicle for his desire, rather than a person. I felt myself inhale deeply. ”Please don't do this,” I whispered but I couldn't deny the fact that something was heating within me, something fueled by the expression in his eyes when they'd feasted on my cleavage.