Shadows of Life Ch. 02

Shit, he thought. There was a knock at the door and he bid them to enter.

"Sir."

"She is at her brothers, then?" Dimitri asked the tall lean man who had entered.

"Yes, sir."

Dimtri would sigh before turning to the man. "Thank you, Gregori."

"I'm sorry, sir. I know that it will be difficult to see her and even more so to get her back." Gregori bowed his head. "Is there anything I can do?"

"You have done so much for me already, Gregori. I cannot ask you to do this, too." Stepping closer to the man, Dimitri rested his hand on his shoulder. "This is something I must do if I am to prove to her that I need her with me."

With a smile of understanding, he bowed his head again and took his leave of his Prince. How well he knew how stubborn women were. His own wife, Katja, had lead him on a merry chase for two years before accepting his proposal of marraige. But this girl woould be harder for his Prince to get ahold of. He wished his Prince the best of luck in getting her. For Miss. Silvanus was sure to destroy Dimitri if given the chance. For Dimitri's sake, he hoped he knew just how volatile and unstable his bride was.

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Knocking on the door to Fury Manor was the hardest thing he had ever done. Dimitri was scared out of his mind. All because of his errant bride. He stood at the door for a full 20 minutes before he got up the courage to lift his hand and use the silver knocker. Would they let him in to see Tayla? Would she talk to him? Hell, would they even open the door? He soon got the answer to his last question when the door swung open and tayla's second oldest brother, R'ale, glared at him from the doorway.

"What do you want?" R'ale's voice practically dripped acid as he spoke.

"I.. I would like to see Tayla." God, he hoped he could see her.

"She doesn't want anything to do with you, Prince Dimitri." With that, R'ale slammed the door in his face. All Dimitri could do was stand ther in shock. Not because R'ale had treated him like that, but because his Tayla hated him now. He was still standing there when a few minutes later the door opened again; this time by Levi.

"I'm sorry for my brothers behavior, Dimitri. He is just a little upset at the moment." Levi stood back to allow him in, closing the door behind the man.

"No, it's okay. I understand his reaction. I would have done the same or worse if someone had hurt Tayla," he relied as he handed a maid his coat when she came forward to relieve him of it.

"It still does not excuse his behavior," Levi retored with a small frown.

"He is protective of her, Levi. You can not make him like me."

"No, but I sure as hell can make him treat you with respect."

"She hates me now, doesn't she?"

"Now more than ever. What were you thinking Dimitri?" Levi began to lead him up the stairs. "You can't force her like that."

"I know. But I wasn't forcing her. I just wanted to show her I loved her and things were going great. Then she flipped out, elbowed me in the nuts, and ran off." When they reached the top of the stairs, instead of leading him right, Levi went left. "Levi, your going the wrong way."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are. tayla's room is that way," he stated, pointing down the hall in the opposite direction Levi was going.

"Yes, but Tayla is this way. We emptied her room, remember?"

"Oh. Right." Felling like an idiot, he followed Levi to a dark oak door at the end of the hallway. R'ale was standing in front of the door, trying to persuade Tayla to let him in. She just kept yelling and throwing heavy non-breakable objects at the door.

"Still having a fit?" Levi asked his brother.

"Yes. She isn't likely to let him in," he replied with acid glare at Dimitri.

"She let me in for a few minutes."

"Yeah, and then tossed you out on your ass."

Dimitri had to cover his mouth and turned away to keep from laughing. R'ale was sort of grinning because it was funny. Levi, however, looked mutinous.

"It's not funny," he growled.

"Yes it is, Levi." Dimitri finally got a hold himself and patted his shoulder. "You got thrown out by a girl who's not even half your weight. It's hilarious."

"Then lets see you do better."

"Fine. Just keep quiet, alright."

"This aught to be good," R'ale said to Levi as he moved away from the door to let Dimitri stand in front of it.

Dimitri cleared his throat and knocked on the door. "Tayla?" His answer was another thud against the door. "Tayla, Mrs. berry is here. She asked me if I could bring her here. She wants to talk to you."

"I DON'T BELIEVE YOU!" Tayla screamed through the door. Dimitri turned and grinned at them before opening his mouth to speak. Only this time it wasn't his voice. It was that of a womans. The voice was that of someone who was naturally cheery and usually didnt worry. Levi and R'ale gaped at him.

"Miss. Tayla? Hunny, may I talked to you? I would like to speak to you about what happened. I know what Dimitri did was wrong, but in truth, he only wanted to show you he loves you." Dimitri waited a few seconds. "He really is a nice man, Miss. Tayla. And you could always beat him up if he is mean again." They all heard a small giggle from behind the door.

"Now, deary, it's time to come out of that room and come home. I am cooking clams and muscles tonight. I wouldn't want all that delicious food to go to waste. Dimitri doesn't know how to eat properly. You should teach him how to eat more, too."

The door slowly opened and Tayla's tear stained face appeared.

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Dimitri used Tayla's shock at not seeing his cook there and barged into the room, picking her up and slamming her against the wall nexy to the open door, using his body to pin her there. He had moved so fast that it took a few seconds for everyone to react. Levi and R'ale rushed to crowd the doorway and Tayla let out an ear piercing scream before punching him

in the jaw.

"Put me down, you big oaf."

"Nope. I'm not going to do it, Tayla. Your going to stay right here pressed between me and this wall, until you agree to come home with me."

"No. Let me go, you bastard, or you'll lose a limb."

"Are you threatening me, Tayla Hunter? Because I must warn you that I don't like threats." Levi and R'ale saw the look in his eyes, looked at each other, grinned and left the room, closing the door behind them.

"Hey! Don't leave me with this mad man. Levi! R'ale! Let go of me, you rapist!" Tayla screamed.

"Rapist?" Dimitri's voice was soft and calm as he spoke the word. But underneath lay ice cold fury. "Rapist? You accuse me of being a rapist?"

"You forced me!" Tayla screamed again, trying to bring the house down on his head. "Release me, you monster!"

Fed up with her name calling and accusations, he growled at her, the sound that of a lion when angry. This made tayla freeze in her struggles and gave Dimitri the opportunity to turn and walk the few steps to the bed before tossing her onto it. Tayla only sat there staring at him.

"You want a rapist? Fine. You want a monster? No problem. I can give you both." With that, he pounced on her, pinning her to the bed. He locked the door using his mind while his hands tore her clothes from her body. He ripped and tore lace, silk, and denim as she screamed at him; shoving and kicking him to get away. But he didn't listen, didn't notice the bloody furrows down his arms and back. He didn't care that her body trembled or that fear and hate filled her eyes. All he could do was stare at her body and lust after her.

He hated it. He hated having to treat her like this and force her to his will. But he feared for himself, feared for his future if he didn't make her his forever. He back-handed her just hard enough to daze her, allowing him time to pull off his own clothes. But as he settled between her thighs, things went awary from his intention to humiliate and humble her.

She'd had enough of this and she would make him pay. Closing her eyes, she concentrated, centered on her target and attacked. His sharp cry pierced her senses and she attacked again and again, keeping his defenses down and giving her time to push him over and try to run from the room.

His head pounded and throbbed from her assault. But thankfully he had still retained his hold on the door locks. so his Tayla was still in the room. He sook the pain from his head and threw his defenses back up and he rolled to his knees. He could hear Tayla screaming at the top of her lungs for her brothers.

"Levi!Levi! Help! Levi, he's going to kill me! R'ale! Where are you? R'ale!" She pounded on the door, desperate to get out. He'd come up behind her silently, enjoying the sight of her body quivering with the effort to keep pounding on the door. He smiled, then pressed her against the door gently, no longer interested in forcing her to his will.

"It's a good thing I had the forethought to muffle the door. We don't want your brothers to hear us, do we?" He whispered in her ear as she sobbed hysterically, tears streaking down her face.

"Please don't do this. I beg you," she pleaded. " I promise I'll be good. I won't hurt you anymore, or run away. I won't be mean or make nasty comments."

"You can't keep that promise, Tayla. You and I both know that. And even if you could, how can I take you at your word? I need something to know you mean it." He knew he was forcing her to accept him, forcing her into submission, but he didn't think she would come to him wilingly. He had to show her that no matter what, he loved her. Turning her around, he

slowly kissed her, invading her senses until her felt her go limp against him.

"I have to know I can trust you, honey. But you haven't shown me that I can. I can only show you how much I need you and hope you will be mine in return."

With that, he picked her up, cradling her lithe form against his. She felt so good, it was getting harder and harder to keep himself from ravishing her. Laying her down on the bed gently, he stood to admire her. Her body shuddered under his intense gaze. It made her afraid for the first time in her life. The hunger she saw there made her all the more frightened of him.

Tayla lifted her arms in an attempt to cover herself. She did not succeed. He caught her arms and pinned them above her head as he lay beside her. His larger body dwarfted hers, and it terrified her.

Dimitri could feel her fear rolling off her in waves and it struck him hard. He didn't know what to do to calm her. Careful to take it slow, he lowered his head to hers, resting his lips upon her gently. The shock to his system was wholly unexpected and he gasped, tilting his head to turn the kiss bruising and passionate. the feeling of drowning pierced through his haze and he lifted his head, struggling to breathe.

"Tayla..." he whimpered. Her head shook back and forth as she let tears fall down her cheeks. Each tear tore at his heart. "Oh, Tayla." He released her wrists and cupped her cheeks to kiss her gently. "My Tayla. My beautiful, sexy, stubborn woman. Let me love you. Let me take you to the sky and beyond, to a place where only the greatest of lovers go. Where you cannot help but love each other always and forever. Let me take you there, Tayla. Let me show you I love you."

He waited hesitantly for her answer. It was hard to do. Tayla wasn't immune to him and he knew it. He could force her to his will, make her accept him and give him her innocence. But he needed her love more than he needed her body. He needed to feel her heart pound with the need to need him and only him.

"I can't, Dimitri. I can't trust you not to hurt me," she whispered. "Please, I'm not meant for this."

His eyes feel shut at her words. Heart thudding with hurt and rage, he tried to gain control of himself, but lost. Rolling on top of her, he pinned her down.

"You are meant for this, for me. You were more than eager last night before you ran here. And you loved it when I touched you. Now I'm going to prove to you that you were made for me," he growled down at her.

Following his promise, he crushed her mouth under his, sealing his vow. His hips ground against hers as she struggled to push him away. But he was stronger and heavier than her. He could not be moved, could not be led astray from his path. Soon, she could no longer breathe properly. His kiss was like a drug; so addicting and oh so good. She was

swimming in a sea of pleasure and it was because of the hard burly male laying atop her. His hips kept grinding and pushing against hers, careful not to allow himself the pleasure of slipping inside her. Though that is what she needed most, she knew he would push at her until she was mad. How she would live through this torture, she didn't know.

He could feel her, bucking and twisting under him. tayla was slowly falling into the abyss where only pleasure reigned. He couldn't help but whisper in her ear of his love and his need for her as his hand trailed across her breasts, stomach and hips. When his fingers slowly trailed up the inside of her thigh, she went wild with need. And he was more

than happy to deliever it to her. He cupped her gently, gasping when he felt how hot and wet she was for him. He almost lost control. He slipped a finger inside her and groaned.

"Your so wet, Tayla. So wet. It's getting harder and harder to be gentle with you." As he spoke, he worked a second and third finger into her slowly. He worked his fingers in and out of her body, thrying to prepare her to accept his hard prick. It was pure hell on his body to remain still when she was so ready to recieve him. And then she spoke.

"Don't be gentle, Dimitri. Don't go slow," shewhispered to him. "I need you. I need to feel you inside of me. Take me, Dimitri. Or I'll do it for you!"

He words washed over him like and inferno. Damn, but this woman could tempt a saint. He cried softly, tears slipping down his face as joy and need slammed into him. He could wait no longer. Slipping his fingers out, he settled between her legs. His cock pressed urgently against her as she wrapped her legs around him. She bucked against him in

a frantic attempt to embed him deep within her. It was because of this that he lost all control.

With and oath, he braced himself on his fists and thrust home, pushing into her like a battering ram, tearing past her hymen to get deeper inside her. Her scream was the only thing that stopped him from being a beast and brutally taking her.

"Oh, Tayla. I'm so sorry honey, " he whispered. Kissing her forehead, he wrapped his arms around her trying to comfort her. "It's going to be okay. I know that hurt baby and I am sorry I was so rough." He held her as she trembled, remaining as still as he could so her body would accept him. As he body slowly stopped shaking, he slowly eased out of

her, wincing when he saw the blood covering his cock and the insides of her thighs. It was that blood that made him vow never to touch her again.

He left the bed to go to the ajoining bathroom. Closing the door and locking it, he leaned against the sink and let the tears gathered in his eyes fall as his heart broke. After a few moments, Dimitri took a washcloth from the linen cupboard and soaked it in hot water. He wiped the tears off his face and then the blood off his arms, back, and manhood.

He rinsed it off then soaked it in hot water again. He unlocked the door and left the bathroom, cloth in hand. tayla was still crying softly, the tears running in rivers down her cheeks as she pressed both hands to her stomach,

The sight made him want to cry again and he quickly crossed to the bed. He sat down next to her, clutching the dripping cloth in his hand.

"Tayla>" He touched her shoulder. Seeing her look up at him, he smilled and pressed her onto her back. He gently nudged her legs open and pressed the hot cloth against her, letting the heat dissipate some of the pain. She she began to relax, he began to gently rub the cloth against her womanhood, cleaning away the evidence of his brutality. He moved down her thighs, massaging them as he went to keep her relaxed.

"Better?" he asked softly.

She nodded. "Thank you Dimitri."

He smiled sadly and went back into the bathroom to put the cloth in the hamper. He walked back to the bed and picked Tayla up, using his mind to pull the covers down before he put her down again. He curled up next to her, turning her on her side so they were spooning. He stroked her side softly as she fell asleep, watching her hands curl up by her head. He

slept with a smile on his face.

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R'ale gritted his teeth together as pain tore through his abodomin. He didn't understand what was wrong. He looked up from the floor as Levi stumbled through the door, clutching his stomach.

"What the hell is wrong?" Levi bit out. "What did you do R'ale?"

"I didn't do anything, stupid."

"Then why the hell do I hurt and your on the floor?" They both glared at each other before, suddenly, the same thought entered their heads.

"Tayla," they whispered in unison. Levi stumbled out the door as R'ale tried to get to his feet to follow. He chased after Levi, reaching the door to the guest bedroom at the same time. But both were hesitant to open it, afraid of what they'd find.

"Maybe it was an accident," R'ale offered, trying to deny the obvious.

"No, he took her. There's no way he didn't."

"Then open the damn door, Levi. He's hurt her and he's going to pay for it." R'ale shoved his older sibling out of his way to get to his younger. The instant he flung open the door and rushed in, his hands had covered in orange flames, ready to defend his sister and kill the mortal. But his anger, and the flames, faded at what he saw. Levi had followed him in,

his own hands alight to put a stop to any foolishness his brother committed, but he too stopped at the scene they were witnessing.

They were sleeping! Why had they neen in so much pain if they were asleep?

"Stay here," Levi commanded as he went into the bathroom. He noticed the sink was wet and searched the hamper, finding the still bloody cloth. When he came back out with it, he found R'ale clutching the tattered remains of tayla's jeans and corset, shock and fear in his eyes as he showed them to Levi. Levi, in turn, held up the blood red cloth with a finger.

"Bastard," R'ale whispered, rage filling his eyes before he tried to lunge at the bed. He was stopped in hsi tracks by a barrier that shimmered blue where R'ale had struck it. He beat on it with his fists. The constant strain on the barrier awoke Dimitri from his slumber and he jack knifed into a sitting position, his left hand turning blue in preparation to defend

his mate. It vanished as he identified R'ale and Levi.

He took one look at the items still in their hands and the condemnation in their eyes, and the barrier dropped. He left the bed slowly and quickly left the room, clothing himself as he went. The two men followed him.

"You sick BASTARD!" R'ale tossed Tayla's ruined clothed at him and followed it up with a ball of fire thrown recklesslt at him. "How could you hurt her like that?"

Dimitri merely waved a hand in the air to disperse the fireball before answering. "It had to be done. The only blood on that cloth that belongs to her is from her virginity." It was then that they noticed the dark vicious marks down his bare arms and shoulders.

"R'ale does have reason to protest, Dimitri. She was in enough pain that we felt it, too. The only way that's possible is if you forced her," Levi charged as he dropped the cloth on the floor with the clothes.

"I didn't force her. I was just too rough with her. I wish I could change how I took her, but I can't. It's forbidden. And both of you know this. I can only make it up to her. But after that, I'm not even sure I should touch her. I couldn't even keep going, she was in so much pain. I feel like shit for it. Part of me is still pissed at you, R'ale, for interrupting us two weeks ago when I tried then. It would have spared her a whole lot of pain. And she wouldn't be here if you hadn't come home so early. She'd be at home with me."