Feral Ch. 03

Tianna jerked away from him. "Safe from what, Ethan?" she demanded.

Ethan simply looked at her, shoving his hands in his pockets. He at least had the decency to look somewhat chagrined.

Tianna felt her eyes burning. She was going to cry. "Leave me alone, Ethan," she mumbled and quickly ducked into the room, slamming the door behind her before leaning against the door. A hysterical bubble up through her chest, promptly emerging as a sob.

Tianna clapped her hand over her mouth to mute the sound as she slid down the door to sit at its base. Tears streamed down her face, her chest seizing painfully with the effort of holding back sobs.

"Tianna?" came Ethan's voice from the other side of the door.

She reached up and turned the lock, locking him out though she realized a locked door was a flimsy deterrent.

Ethan stared at the door handle in consternation. She was crying. He could hear her on the other size of the door.

The girl had seemed to display the emotional depth of a teaspoon: anger, rage, fury, indignation ,fury. It was what he would have expected of Dominic Moore's daughter.

Fiery tempers, willful disobedience, reckless determination, and a disturbingly calculating mentality were notorious Moore family traits and Aaron had warned him not to forget it when he had gone to collect the girl.

Dominic Moore could have undoubtedly been the head of the Pack had he wanted that distinction. But Dominic would never have fought Aaron nor had he wished to challenge Aaron who was like a brother to him. He had no wish to lead the Pack. Dominic Moore preferred to live his life outside the immediate constraints of the Pack though never truly leaving the Pack behind him. He'd wanted the same for his daughter, but not at the expense of her safety.

It was why he'd allowed her to come to Shendaken. The girl was under the illusion of complete freedom and independence but Dominic had wanted her looked after and protected. The girl would be an instant draw to any mutt who came across her off Pack territory.

No mutt had trespassed on Pack territory in over a hundred years until the incident in Manhattan. The mutt had been dealt with swiftly and brutally for the infraction. He had been made an example of but the lesson concerning Tianna's safety had not been forgotten.

Ethan had thought himself prepared for Dominic Moore's daughter. He had been prepared to deal with her fury, her resistance and her defiance. It was her quiet sobs on the other side of the door that disturbed him.

"Tianna," he tried again.

"Go away, Ethan!" she came her muffled shout.

Shaking his head Ethan backed away and made his way to his own room. He flopped on the bed letting out a low groan. He couldn't quite fathom his reaction to Dominic Moore's daughter. She was everything he had imagined her to be; fierce, beautiful, and exceedingly difficult. What he hadn't counted on was his the way she pissed him the fuck off and made his cock ache with wanting her all at once.

Covered his eyes with his arm and listened carefully. He could still hear her crying in the next bedroom. It would only be a matter of time before she calmed down and started plotting again. Hell, he wouldn't be surprised if she was plotting right now.

***

Tianna moaned, her eyelids flickering open. Panicked at her unfamiliar surroundings, she shot up to sitting position on huge four poster bed hung with pale pink drapes. The memory of where she was came slowly, doing little to alleviate her panic.

She took her time perusing the spacious bedroom. It was decorated in creams, golds and pale pinks. The room was decidedly feminine despite the clean simple lines of the furniture. There was an a sitting area and an armoir in the corner. There was also what looked like a walk-in closet and a bathroom.

Light poured through the large windows framed by cream and gold damask curtains. Sunset? No. The light was coming from the wrong direction. She'd slept heavily through the night. She blinked rapidly. The light hurt her eyes.

She slowly swung her legs over the side of the bed and stiffly stood to her feet and moved towards the bathroom.

The marble countertop was crowded with feminine products; expensive bath salts, lotions, and other products. Tianna turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on her face.

She looked at herself in the mirror, her hands splayed against the cool marble. She looked like hell. Her face was slightly swollen from crying herself to sleep. Her hair was a wild bird's nest around her head. Cursing she looked around the bathroom. There was a claw footed tub and a shower. She opted for the shower. She slowly removed her clothing, wincing at the movement. Yesterday's change and roughhousing had been too much too soon after her rapid healing. Her muscles protested, reminding her of the way she'd abused them.

She lingered in the hot shower as the heated water soothed her sore muscles. She worked the expensive shampoo and conditioner through her hair and tried to ignore the dark dirty water that ran off her body and down the drain.

She emerged and wrapped a fluffy white towel around her body before reluctantly donning her filthy leathers once more.

When she excited the bathroom, the first thing she noticed was the telephone on the small side table next to the settee. She was across the room faster than her body appreciated and snatching up the handset. She dialed her father's number and listened.

Nothing. No dial tone. Nothing. She looked at the screen. It seemed to be working okay. She tentatively put her ear back to the handset. "Hello?"

"Tianna, I'm on the line." It was Aaron.

"Tianna?" a second deep rumbling voice answered.

Tianna sat straight up. "Daddy?"

"Tianna, baby, are you okay?" Dominic Moore demanded.

Relief washed over her and her voice clouded with tears. "Daddy, what's going on? They kidnapped me and wrecked my bike. I wanna go home. Please tell them to let me go home."

Dominic Moore sighed. "Tia, baby, I'm sorry but you've got to stay put for now."

"What? Why?" she wanted to know, hating the way she sounded lie a pleading child.

"We're still trying to figure some things out, Tia. Please just do as your told."

Tianna felt as though her lungs were shrunken in her chest.

"Tianna, please honey listen to me on this."

Tianna bit her lip. She answered in a soft trembling voice. "Okay."

"Tia--"

She hung up the phone.

She sat for minutes, staring at the phone in her hand before placing it back in the cradle.

She moved to the bedroom door and pressed her ear against the cool smooth wood. She could hear people moving about the house.

Shaking her head she moved across the room and shoved open the large picture window overlooking the back patio two stories down. With no hesitation she jumped, landing in a crouch. She straightened slowly and rolled her shoulders. Ouch.

A slow clapping caused her to jerk her head in the direction of the house. The French doors off the breakfast room were flung open opening onto the patio. A table full of staring men (she counted six) had stopped, obviously mid-motion with forks halfway to their gaping mouths.

Ethan stopped clapping and lifted a coffee cup in mock salute. "Nice entrance, darlin' but you could have taken the stairs. How about some breakfast?"