No Wish to be Alone
Chapter 4
I need you. The words echoed in her mind, repeating
themselves over and over again. I need you. I need
you. Had she actually heard him say that to her? Oh,
gods and Planet both, what was I doing? What was I about to do?! She closed
her eyes, trying to clear her head. She heard him curse under his breath, and
then his weight was gone from the bed. She struggled to sit up. It was somewhat
difficult, for she still heard the Planet’s encouragement, though a whisper
now, and her head felt foggy.
He is the one. Right,
right, right. Yes.
Stop it! She sent. I need to think clearly!
A soft
mental caress, an apology.
I’m not mad at you, dear
Friend. I just need to think about this. She watched him picking up the items he’d hurled at the
door with Apportation. Somehow, she knew he was
frustrated and angry, confused, but none of it directed at her. She stood
shakily. "Can I help?" It felt strange to talk; her lips were still a
bit swollen. They felt like she’d been humming for hours. Her neck ached
somewhat in a few spots.
He paused, not looking at her.
"No, just get our things. We’ve got a lot to do."
She pulled on her boots with a
small sigh. She bit her lip out of habit, wincing at the soreness. He looked at
her then, and they both stood still. She could read his mind so clearly from
the expression in his eyes.
Desire. I need you. He nearly fell to
his knees in front of her, but a lifetime of military discipline and childhood
torture had taught him that showing emotions meant showing weakness. Confused
by the depth of feeling he had just encountered, he fell back on years of
hiding behind an arrogant mask. He grinned coldly at her, the warm smile from
earlier replaced by a familiar smirk.
Her face coloured.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" She knew she had seen
something, but then his eyes had clouded over.
He raised an eyebrow, crossing
his arms and leaning against the doorframe. "It’s quite obvious that you’d
be no challenge whatsoever if I decided to continue our little game later. You
want me just as much as I want you, if not more. So it’s only a matter of
time," he said carelessly.
How dare he? How dare he
make light of this?
She burned inside with sudden fury. How can he act like it was nothing
special? "A matter of time before what?"
She asked.
In two strides he crossed the
room and pinned her against the wall, one arm on either side of her body, his
face dangerously close to hers. "Before you beg me to do
that again, sweetheart. Only next time, I won’t stop." Her eyes
flashed. Unaware of the danger he was in, he added with an evil little smile,
"Feel like trying your luck right now?"
She tore her gaze from his. "You bastard. I nearly thought you actually
cared."
*****
The early morning crowd down
in the main room of the inn looked up at a loud noise from upstairs. The
innkeeper’s wife saw one of the doors open, and the two guests who had arrived
last night came out. What a pretty couple! She thought, Both of them so striking! Too bad he doesn’t
appear to be in a very good mood. She smiled at the lovely young woman with
dark green eyes. The girl smiled back, requesting some food for the road. The
man was scowling darkly at the back of her head, but she seemed oblivious. For
a moment, the innkeeper’s wife thought about warning the girl, but when the
young man coldly plunked down the gil
for their stay, she saw what looked suspiciously like a red handprint on the
right side of his face. He seemed to be unconsciously arranging his silver
bangs to cover it. She hid her amusement from him, winking at the girl when he
looked away. The girl merely curled her lips upward slightly. The older woman
suddenly felt much better about the situation.
Yes, indeed, it looked as if
the girl had matters—shall we say, well in hand.