Shadows of Life Ch. 02

Tayla woke up to someone pressed against her back. Heat radiated from the naked, muscular torso. She knew the person was naked because she was naked too. She assumed that her brother had stripped her as he always did so she didn't overheat and fall ill. But THAT brother slept on her right and was never up before she was. That and her brothers were never completely naked either, But the man spooning with her was. She could feel the evidence of his arousal pressed against her ass. Opening her eyes slowly, she took in her surroundings; and almost screamed at what she saw.

This was not Silvanus' room and she suspected the massive room was not in her house either. She slowly slid off the bed, careful not to wake her bed partner. Looking around the room, she hunted for clothes. She found a pair of boxers, a black t-shirt, and a robe. Tayla put them all on before turning to confront her abductor only to find him propped up on an elbow, watching her intently. She opened her mouth to demand that he return her to her family when she noticed a long jagged scar on the mans torso. It ran from his left shoulder down to his right nipple. She remembered that

scar from the night before. The scar she had traced as he had been about to take her. Taking her from her home was one thing; but for the kidnapper to be her midnight lover, that was just too much.

"YOU! YOU... YOU.. Return me to my family. NOW!" She screamed at him, planting her hands on her hips, glaring.

"Your brothers are not at home. They are down the hall, seeing to the moving of your belongings." He continued to stare at her, his deep blue eyes flaring with heat.

"What do you mean, the moving of my belonging's?" She waved away his reply. "Nevermind, I will ask them myself."

She stormed out of the room and followed the sounds of commotions to get to her brothers. The instant R'ale saw her bearing down upon them, however, he tapped levi on the shoulder, pointed at her, then darted into the nearest room.

"What are you doing, Leviathane?" she halted in front of him, arms crossed. He lowered his clipboard, looking her up and down, then returning to checking off the crated pouring into the rooms on both sides of the hall.

"Your moving out of your apartment and the manor and moving in here," he relied without looking up.

"Why? I don't even know the man who lives here," she retorted hottly.

"You do know him." he continued to tick off boxes on the clipboard. "And according to him, you know him rather well. He was only in your bedroom last night."

"I know he was in my bedroom last night. What I want to know is why."

"Your getting married, thats why. And a wife such as you would live with her husband." He finally put down the clipboard, having finished ensuring nothing of hers was left behind. Throwing a look at his brother, who was peaking from behind a doorway, he finally realized she was staring at him in shock and confusion.

"It's not as if you didn't know about the Prince. You have been betrothed to him since before you were born."

"That's not the high and stuck-up Prince, Levi." she said, pointing back the way she'd came. R'ale stuck his head out from behind the door. Before Levi could respond, he said "Yes, he is. I don't know about you but its kind of hard to miss the mark of his family line on his arm." He ducked back behind the door just as Levi's clipboard went sailing through the air towards him.

"Shut up, R'ale!" Tayla screamed.

"Tayle," Levi interjected softly. "You knew your time was coming to an end. Be thankful he gave you that time before he claimed you. And he gave you that time against the contract, I might add."

"Thats not the point, Levi. You and dad gave me away before I was even BORN." She turned away to his her tears. "Your giving me to a man I don't know, a man who I could never know."R'ale came out of hiding at her words and hugged her, knowing Levi wouldn't.

"He wasn't given a choice either, my love." R'ale tilted her head up to look at her. "He was only six when his parents betrothed him."

"It's not fair. I don't want to be his wife," she complained, wiping away her tears. A voice spoke from behind them.

"I'm sorry I'm not what you want as your husband. And I'm sorry I didn't spend any time with you so you could get to know me." The confession came from the tall man standing half in theshadows, no longer naked but wearing a pair of pajama bottoms. "I'm so sorry, Tayla." He turned and walked back to what she assumed was his wing of the house.

Tayla..." Levi whispered.

"What?"

"He loves you, you know."

"He doesn't even know me, Levi," she said in denial. Levi shook his head at her words.

"He does, Tayla. He knows everything about you. From how long you keep your hair to what perfume you wear. From how old you were when you first spoke to the birthmark on the back of your neck. the one you hide from the world... He can draw it exactly the same, tayla. Dimitri has always been there, waiting for the chance to make you his wife. Perhaps you should give him a chance?"

She only stared at him, hatred blazing in her eyes. Levi and R'ale both knew that the Prince was in for a long ride. Looking at each other, they went back to directing servants as to where everything went.

********************

She was holed up in her room again. The servant who had come to him to tell him she was home had come back with an untouched tray of food and the news that she refused to open the door.It had been two weeks since Tayla had moved into their home, and she still refused to leave her room during the day or stay in the house at all at night. Dimitri wasn't going to take this anymore. His bride needed to understand she was a part of THIS family now. And she needed to learn it sooner rather than later. He stormed up the stairs to his rooms, using the secret passage way that led from his office to

his bedroom. Grabbing a pair of cuffs from his dresser and the master key, he made his way to her rooms. He didnt use the passage way to her room, not wiling for her to know about them yet. When he reached her door, he unlocked her bedroom door and stormed in.

"Silvanus Darra Tayla Hunter, you are the most frustrating, haughty, ungrateful woman I have ever met." He stopped behind her as she stared out the window. It was then he realized she was crying, glistening silver tears falling down her olive toned cheeks.

"Tayla?" He rested his hands on her shoulders, then wrapped his arms around her, hunching his back so he could press his cheek against hers. "Baby, whats wrong? Why are you crying?" He questioned her gently.

"It's nothing. Go away." She tried to pull away from him but he just held her tighter. "Please Dimitri, just leave me alone," Tayla whispered.

"I can't, my love. Your crying and I want to help."

"You can't help me. Your father and mine made a contract without our concent and now we must marry." She felt her strength weaken and she leaned aginast him for support.

"Actually, my father did have my consent. I wanted to marry you. It was my idea for the marraige anyway."

"What? You wanted this... this... farce?" She jerked from his arms, whipping around to face him.

He watched her whirl around, her hair fanning out, the sun lighting up her hair. the sun made her locks look like silk. He looked into her eyes and nodded, "Yes, I did," he said answering her question.

"Why would you want that? For all you knew I could have been a boy."

"The day before my birthday, my mother sat me down and told me that one day I would have a vision of my future. A vision that would tell me were my destiny lay," Dimitri spoke as he looked at her. Tayla stared back with suspicion and rage in her eyes. "That very same night, I did have a vision. It was of me, as a man. I had a wife whose beauty was unrivaled. We had children all around us and we were so happy." He smiled and shook his head at the memory. "I fond out it was you in my vision."

"And how did you know it was me in your vision?" Tayla questioned skeptically.

"Because of two things, Tayla," he replied. "One was the two crests on the matle. One was my familys, the other my father identified as the Hunter clan crest."

"And what was the second?"

"I had that vision at the same time your mother got pregnant with you. I was the one who told her she was pregnant with a girl two months after my vision. When they determined that she was pregnant, and that you were indeed a female, I proposed the idea of the betrothal contract. Our fathers agreed."

"You lie. My father would never have fallen for such lies. I don't believe you!"

"You don't have to." He took her in hsi arms and just held her, content to have her in his arms. After a while, she held him back and then began to fall asleep on her feet. He picked her up and took her to the bed, laying down with her in his arms. They slept the afternoon away. Dimitri woke up before she did and wrote her a note, hoping she would come to him willingly. Kissing her forehead, he left.

********************

Dimitri paced in the candle lit private dining room in his wing of the house, wating, ever waiting. He looked down at the tux he wore then at the clock; it was 8:45. He cursed and yanked off the bow tie. She wasn't going to come. She was almost an hour late. Facing the window, he hand't heard the door open. He stood there, staring out the window for a good five minues before he spoke to himself.

"Why won't she come to me? Am I so repulsive that she can't even eat a meal with me?" He heard the shifting of clothes and he sighed. "She isn't coming, is she?" He shook his head and sighed as his shoulders slumped forward in defeat. "I'd better go tell Mrs. Berry that her efforts to please my bride will not be used this night. I only wish that she understood that she is hurting the people who serve her."

He turned around and stopped dead. There she stood in a slim floor length black evening gown that hugged every curve of her body. Low cut with thin criss-crossing straps and a slit up to her left hip. Her hair had been split in half. The bottom half tumbled around her shoulders and down her back, the other half done up in a type of bun with loops and curls that was kept in place with diamond tipped hair pins. Around her neck was an icicle necklace, each strand holding more and more diamonds as it went in. Her arms and wrists were bare along with her feet.

Damn. He thought, I forgot shoes. He continued to look her over, stunned by her beauty. Tayla stood there, motionless. After what seemed like forever but was only a few minutes, Dimitri cleared his throat and went to her.

"Good evening, Tayla." He offered her his arm. "You look exquisite."

"Your not looking so bad yourself, Tourmentor," she said. "But that wasn't a very nice thing to say about your bride. I'm not being rude to them." She placed her hand in the crock of his arm. "Just you." She let him lead her to the small dining room table in the center of the room. The table could seat six people but only two places were set. One at the head of the table and the other to its right.

"Nice table," she said, not knowing what else to say. he sat her to the right of him and sat himself at the head of the table. he seemed very comfortable in his surroundings. But she didn't have time to study him further. At that moment, a flurry of servants came pouring into the room, laden down with foor. Mrs. Berry, the plump and sympathetic cook, led the proccession.

She stayed the entire time, making sure everything was in place and nothing was spilled. After everyservant was gone and the betrothed couple had been served, Mrs. Berry winked at Tayla and left with a smile on her face. The wink and smiles did not escape Dimitri's notice.

"What was all that about?" he asked Tayla, staring at all the food on his plate.

"What was what?" Tayla asked innocently. She was already pushing food around her plate to get to what she wanted.

"The wink Mrs. Berry gave you and the exchange of smiles."

"I have no idea what your talking about," she replied with a mischievious grin she tried to hide with her napkin.

"Youy lying to me, Tayla. What have you told my chef that has her thinking your a victim in this betrothal?" He gave her a hard look.

"I didn't have to tell her anything. It's obvious to everyone but you and my brothers that this contract is a contradiction to what I want." She tossed down her fork and napkin and stood up, turning to walk out the door. She found it locked. Not wanting to stay here, but not wanting to reveal her Gifts, she pulled out the lock pick kit she carried on the inside of her thigh. Pretending to pick the lock, she hunted for the locking mechanis,. When she tried to unlock the door, she slammed up against a barrier so strong she fell back in alarm. Her lock pick tools were pushed out of the keyhole and placed back into the pouch by an unseen force. She watched it wizz past her head and into Dimitri's wating hand.

Eyes wide open, she scrambled to her feet and looked at him. Shaking her head in disbelief, she backed up into the door. He placed the kit in his lap before returning to his food, chewing slowly on part of a meatball. She struggled with the door, trying to get it open before she pounded on it, shouting for help.

"Somebody help! Please, anybody! Get me out of here!" She tugged and pounded on the door with all her strength. "HELP!"

She froze when she felt him behind her. Concentrating, she sent a sharp burst of energy into his head, her aim at his cerebrum cortex. The burst of energy supercharged his senses past the point of tolernace, even for her family, and set it on overload, causing intense disorientation. Dimitri cried out softly with the pain and gripped his head. It gave her the opening she needed. Tayla darted to the other side of the room to another door there. it was unlocked. She yanked it open and darted inside the room, already spotting the other door. She rushed through it and slammed the door shut and locked it. She turned and quickly looked around the room, going to the one other door to lock it. But in oder to get to it, she had to go around the bed.

Bed? Tayla stopped in shock not two feet from the bed and finally took in her surroundings. It was his bedroom and it screamed dark, seductive desire. Completely male and dominant. Tayla took in her surroundings as she realized something. this wasn't the room she had first woken up in two weeks ago. This was his real room. The other room must be a spare when this monstrosity was being cleaned.

She was still standing there staring at the bed when she felt something stirring behind her. Before she could turn to find out who it was, she was picked up and thrown onto the overly large bed, bouncing once before landing in the middle. She rolled from her side onto her back, only to come face to face with a hairless naked chest.

Dimitri pushed her down on the bed, following her down so that they lay chest to chest. He ground his hips against her. His erection pressed between the juncture of her thighs through his tux pants. They were all that was left of his attire and Tayle shuddered at what it meant for her.

********************

He slowly pulled the straps off her shoulders, down her arms and off. still pulling on the dress, he peeled the flimsy material away from her breasts, bareing them to his gaze. He moaned when he saw her nippled pucker under his stare and quickly lowered his head to latch onto one. Dimitri sucked at the bead of flesh, nipping gently on the bundle of nerves.

She moaned and arched her back, pressing closer to his mouth at it moved over her aching breasts. Tayla tangled her hands in his hair, pressing him closer as she arched up. She was so concentrated on his mouth, she didn't notice his hand trailing down her body, pulling her gown off.

As the dress slipped off her legs and Dimitri tossed it aside, he realized his Tayla hadn't worn and panties with the dress. He lifted his head from ehr breasts and kissed her, trying to gain control and resist the temptation to rip off the rest of his clothes and settle between her olive colored thighs. He moaned when her hand brushed across his erection.

"Your going to kill me, Tayla." He whispered the words wickedly in her ear. "I'm burning up."

"Then burn, my Prince, and know what you do to me," she whispered back before wrapping her hand around his cock.

He gasped, not understanding how she had gotten ahold of him. He hadn't felt his pants unbutton and her hand sure as hell hadn't slipped down his waistband. He was slowly losing his ablilty to think, so he wrapped his hand around her wrist, stopping her hand from moving. He looked down and discovered she had only unzipped his pants, his hard cock having already pushed through the slit in his boxers. He laughed and then pulled her hand away slowly before raising up onto his knees to put himself away.

She whimpered at his actions and rubbed her thighs together to help relieve the pressure. Dimitri smiled at his Tayla show of impatience.

"Hot, Tayla?" He whispered in her ear, one of his hands cupping her breast, "Do you need me? Do you need to feel me dip my fingers into your tight wet sheath?" His fingers rubbed and flicked at her nipple before sliding down her body to cup her mound. Just cupping her he could feel how wet she was. Her scent was so intoxicating, he dare not breathe for fear of losing control. To keep it, he buried his face againsts her neck, breathing deep to take in the delicated lavender perfume, her favorite, he'd given her with the dress. His fingers probed her gently, searching for her hidden nub, rubbing

her softly to make the fire rage hotter in her.

She could barely take it anymore. Her hips lifted in blant invitation. he knew what she wanted. He had to know. Otherwise he wouldn't be touching her so intimately.

When her hips lifted, he groaned. Oh he knew what she wanted. He didn't have to read her mind to know, his Tayla's body was expressing it's needs lound and clear. With an oath, he sank two of his broad fingers into her tight little cunt. It was then she realized his full intentions.

He wasn't going to make love to her. He only wanted to show her who owned her now, who she belonged to. In his passion, he had let his guard down, thinking she wouldn't do anything while he pleasured her. He thought that if he showed her pleasure and denied himself and her of his own, he'd teach her that she was no longer free. That even though she was forced, he loved her and wanted her love in return. But she wasn't free anymore.

He was wrong. He didn't own her and he sure as hell didn't love her. Even if he did, she would never love him. Fed up with his presumptions and beliefs, she shoved him off her with surprising strength, using a short jab to his balls to throw him off as she lept from the bed, snatching her dress as she ran from his room. She didn't stop running until she was safely locked in her own room again.

Doubled over in pain, he could only watch through watering eyes as his love left. He didn't understand what had gone wrong. He plan had been perfect. Yes, they had skipped dinner and gone straight to bed, but she had been to dazed with pleasure to notice what he was doing. He should have listened to Levi when he said you couldn't pull one over on her. She was too sensitive to the things around her. In too much pain to go after her, he shut and locked his door using his Gifts before passing out.

********************

(8 hours later)

She was still gone. He didn't know if she was at her old apartment, her brothers house, or out on the roads. He could rule out the roads because her bike was still here. He was waiting on his man to report on whether or not she was at her old apartment. If she wasn't there, that left her brothers. If she was at her apartment, he'd go retrieve her. But if she was at her brothers, he'd have to wait for her to come to him. But he wasn't sure he could wait. He needed to speak to her, explain to her why he needed her love and her freedom.