Ominous Love (12 page)

“Yes, really.”
I hold out my hands. “So you see
,
you don't need to kill him. He's no threat. I'll go out
with you anyway and he won't give a rat's arse.”

He raises a brow.
“A rat's
arse?”

I roll my eyes. “It's just a saying. Where
are you from, the moon?”

“Oh, you think I'm from the moon?”

“You're so weird, you probably are.”

He smirks. “Well, I'm certainly not from the moon;
it's much too cold a place for me. Plus there are no pretty girls like you up
there. Would you like to see your new garden?”

Thinking it might give me a chance to escape,
I nod. “I suppose, but I'd sooner see my own.”

Before I have a chance to stand up, he lifts
me off the bed and carries me to the window. After plonking me down in front of
the curtains, he draws them back. Oh
my gosh
. I hold
my mouth and gasp. The brightness of the sun on the white snow is blinding.

He puts his hand on my shoulder. “It's
spectacular isn't it? And it's all yours.”

Pressing my hands to my chest, I try to
breathe. No, no! This can't be. I glance at Devlin,
then
back out the window. Large spires built on huge sandstones reach to the sky. This
house isn't a house. It's a castle, and it's right on top of a snow-capped
mountain that reaches into low-lying clouds. How did I get here? And how the
hell am I ever going to escape? I’ve never felt so helpless in my entire life
and I want to cry, to scream in protest. But I won’t shed a single tear, not
here, not in front of this monster.

A sudden fury seeps into my blood and I turn
to face him. Glaring at him, I pound on his chest with my fists. “Take me home,
you arsehole. You knew I couldn't escape. You just want to torture me. I hate
you.”

He grabs my arms and holds me tight. “Settle
down. You'll grow to love it here, just as I do.”

I pull away from him. “No, I won't.”

His eyes grow darker,
then
he abruptly swoops me into arms and throws me back on the bed. As I scream, he
grabs my face, forcing me to look at him. “You can forget about Seal, Eloise,
because you're going to learn to love me.”

Shaking my head, I try to push his hands
away.
“No, never.”

Lying on top of me, he narrows his eyes. “I'll
make you love me. Your heart belongs to me, not to him, never to him.” Holding
my chin, he presses his lips onto mine, kissing me ferociously,
his
tongue in my mouth.

Struggling to get free, I turn my head away.
“Get off me!”

“Shush, Eloise,” he whispers, nuzzling my
neck. “Calm down, honey.” Then his hands move under my sweater, caressing my bare
skin. “Just tell me what you like.”

I dig my nails into his hand. “Get off me,
you weirdo!”

“Okay, we'll do it your way.” He roughly
grips my hair with both hands and kisses me hard on the mouth. Then he groans,
his voice vibrating through his chest onto mine.

I push at his shoulders, but they're much too
powerful and I can't get him off me. Closing my eyes, I try to imagine I'm in
another place, a safe place, but it doesn't work. I'm stuck here with a
monster. I'm lost, helpless, trapped, and worse, nobody knows where I am, not
my parents, not Tom, and not Seal. Tears cloud my eyes, but I blink them away.
I know now, Devlin will only let me live if I give in to his demands.

My blood boils. I'd rather die! If I can't
have Seal, I don't want anyone, especially not Devlin. With all the strength I
can muster, I bend my knee and try to knee him in the groin, but he's much too
strong. He yanks my leg down,
then
pushes his hand up
the back of my jumper. As he fumbles with my bra, I dig my teeth into his bottom
lip and bite down hard.

Yelling in pain, he pulls away from me, his
eyes blazing in the candle light. “Damn you, Eloise.”

I gulp and stare up at him as bright red blood
drips from his mouth and splatters onto my face. Oh, no! What have I done? If I
faint from the sight of his blood, I'm a goner.

Gritting his teeth, he wipes his mouth with
the towel draped around his shoulders and it falls onto the bed. As he reaches
for a tissue on the bedside table, I suck in a breath and gape at his naked
back. There are two huge scars, running from his shoulders to his waist. And
though I fear for my life, curiosity gets the better of me. Slowly, I run my
hand along them, but instead of stopping me, he gasps and closes his eyes. Something
sharp pricks my fingers and I jerk my hand away, then as I look closer, I gulp.
Holy moly.
There's something growing from his welts.
Blood feathers.

I jump off the bed and to run, but before I
can get away, he seizes my hand and stares at me, and for the first time, I see
fear in his eyes.

“What happened to your back?” I ask.

His brow furrows.
 
“It’s best you don't know, Eloise.”

At the sight of the blood now pouring from
his mouth, I start to feel nauseous and dizzy. Oh, please, I beg the heavens,
don't let me go unconscious. I don't want Devlin doing whatever he wants to me.
Oh, why didn't I listen to Seal? And what's with the blood feathers?

The room starts spinning, and as it fades
away, Devlin catches me in his arms.

Chapter Fourteen

I stir in my sleep and feel around for my
pillow. My bed feels hard and I’m cold. Shivering, I run my hand along the
mattress in search of my blankets, but all I can feel is cold hard stone. I
bolt upright and look around. Holy crap! I'm not in my bed—I'm on an altar—a
cold stone altar in a church. Then I remember I'm being held captive in some weird
castle on top of a snow-capped mountain. My stomach twists into knots. No
wonder I'm shivering.

Staring up at the stained glass windows and a
high ceiling, my heart sinks. I was hoping it was all a dream, but instead,
it's a living nightmare, and to make things worse, there's some creepy organ
music coming from somewhere on the mezzanine floor above the entrance.

When I look down at my body, my
jaw drops.
What
the hell? I'm wearing a long white gown and it's showing my cleavage. Shoot.
Where are my jeans and jumper? My heart lurches and I run my hands down my hips,
caressing the soft silk of the gown to feel if I'm still wearing underwear. Thank
goodness I am, but the thought of Devlin taking my jeans off and dressing me in
a gown gives me the creeps, and I doubt he put me on this altar for any good
intentions. Jeez, is he going to sacrifice me? I shudder. Will he stab me with
a dagger as I lie helpless on this slab, or will he take my virginity? Shit I've
got to get out of here, and fast.

I glance around to make sure nobody's
watching,
then
I leap off the altar and hurry down the
steps. Holding the dress up, I run bare foot down the aisle towards the exit,
not that I know where to go, but anywhere is better than here. The music suddenly
stops and I glance up at the mezzanine floor to see who was playing it. I can't
see anyone. Great, they must have seen me and are on their way down the stairs.
Sprinting faster, I reach the open doors and run outside into the cold fresh air.
My feet and arms are freezing, but before I make it to the first step, I'm
grabbed by the waist from behind. “Whoa.”

“Eloise, what happened to your promise?”
Devlin turns me to face him.

Gasping for breath, I look up. “I … I haven't
broken my promise. I was just going out for some fresh air.”

“Really?”
He squints at me, a glint of
mistrust in his striking, but ominous eyes. Then abruptly, he scoops me into
his arms and carries me towards the lookout.

Oh my god. Is he going to throw me off?
Clinging to his powerful shoulders, I stare at his face, trying to read his
expression.

His kisses my cheek.
“Don't worry, my love. I'm not
going to hurt you.”

Gulping, I gaze at his profile. Dark brows,
long lashes, and perfectly chiselled bones. Then I notice the wound on his soft
full lips where I bit him. Shuddering, I remember the blood-feather on his
back. What the hell was that?

Noticing me gaping at his mouth, he licks his
lips, a hungry look in his dark brown eyes. I lower my gaze to his chest and I
can't help breathing in his intoxicating perfume. He's wearing a singlet and
shorts as if he's been working out in a gym. No wonder Francesca thought he was
hot—he is, but I can't afford to let my guard down and be enticed by his beauty
or his charm. I have to remind myself how dangerous he is.

As we head across the lawn, he hitches me up,
his ripped bicep flexing against my bare arm. I shiver in the early morning
mist and gaze in awe at the sun as it rises above the magnificent snow-capped
mountains. Then with a feeling of pure helplessness, I lay my head wearily on
Devlin's shoulder and wonder if I'll get out of this alive.

“It's exquisite, isn't it?” he says, stopping
at the lookout.

Though I hate that he's kidnapped me, this
view is beyond words. “Yes, it's spectacular.”

“You're shivering,” he says, putting me on
the ground facing the hills. “Let me warm you.” Standing behind me, he buries
his face in my hair as he rubs my bare arms. When I glance down at the steep
drop, I gasp and squeeze my eyes shut.

He wraps his arms around my shoulders and
across my chest. “You really are cold, Eloise. I'd better get you back inside.”

No way am I letting him know I'm terrified of
heights. He'll use it to torture me, and I don't want to go inside. I just want
to escape, but how? I'd need a plane to get me out of this desolate place.

He turns me to face him. “You look adorable
in that dress, Eloise.” Then he hugs me to his chest and kisses me gently on
the lips. “One day, you'll love me like I love you,” he says huskily.

What does he mean he loves me? He only just
met me. Then again, that's how I feel about Seal. My brain is swimming, and
though I'm not enjoying Devlin's affection, a little voice at the back of my
mind tells me to go along with him if I want to live. Then a horrible thought
pops into my mind. Why did he put me on an altar, and how does he intend to
make me love him? Is he delusional? My heart thunders against my ribs and I hope
he thinks it's because I fancy him, not because I'm terrified.

He groans into my hair, then picks me up and
carries me towards the castle. Oh, shit. Please don't let him put me back on
that cold slab. I don't want to be sacrificed. My eyes wide, I look at him
pleadingly.

Crap
.
He's smiling as if he's elated, which terrifies me more.

“Where are you taking me?”

He grins.
“To marry you, my
darling.”

My blood freezes. “What? I'm only sixteen … and
… and you don't even know me.”

His eyes crinkle at the corners. “Oh, I know
you, Eloise, and you're the only girl for me.”

I frown. “How can you know me? You only just
met me.”

“I know everything about you, my dear. I've
been watching you for a long time.”

I cannot help my gasp of horror. “Have you
been stalking me?”

He smiles. “You could say that, but it's not
that cut and dry.”

My blood boils. “Who the devil are you?”

Throwing his head back, he roars with
laughter.

“What's so darn funny?”

“You are, Eloise, which is another reason I
adore you.”

“Well, if you want to marry me, you'll have
to take me home. I'm only sixteen, so you'll need my parent's consent.”

“Eloise, I'm going to marry you with or
without your parent's consent. Then I shall make passionate love to you.”

I blink. “But … but who will marry us without
permission? It won't be legal.”

He grins wickedly. “It will be legal in my
church, Eloise. The priest is the highest of all.”

“Why, who is he?”

He walks up the steps to the front doors. “You'll
find out soon enough.”

My chest tightens. Crap. Who the hell could
it be? Is Devlin in some crazy cult or something?

“Firstly, I'm taking you to your dressing
room so you can get ready. Don't let me down, or else. Just walk out with your
flowers when you're ready.”

He walks into a small room near the entrance
and sits me on a velvet chair in front of a mirror. Fighting back my fear, I
look up at him. “What do you mean, or else?”

His eyes flash with speckles of gold. “Eloise,
please don't start our marriage by disappointing me, not unless you want to be punished,
though I may enjoy that.”

I frown. “What sort of punishment?”

He grins wickedly. “Disobey me and you'll
find out.”

I'm speechless and I can't think straight,
and as he bends over to kiss my hand, I want to sock him in the jaw, but I
don't dare, not yet anyway.

He draws the curtains,
then
strides out of the room, closing the door behind him.