PARANORMAL ROMANCE: Shapeshifter Romance: The Vampire's Stolen Bride (BBW Fantasy Alpha Male Romance Books) (New Adult Vampire Fun Mature Young Adult Billionaire Steamy Love and Romance Novella) (54 page)

“Hating me from a distance again,” he interrupted the other man. “Excuse me, my good friend, but I must speak to the Lady alone.”

The man looked at Mary unsure of how to respond, but knowing who the Duke was he quickly walked away. “Must you bother me tonight,” she said with a sigh and turned to walk away.

“You know most women would be honored to have me speaking to them, especially at an event such as this,” he said following her.

Mary turned and looked him right in the eyes. “Then maybe you should go speak to those women,” she snapped at him.

She realized that it had come out louder than she had wanted and knew that embarrassing Henry in public would not turn out well for her no matter what she was able to get away with in private.

Mary lowered her head. “I am sorry,” she apologized, knowing that she had angered him. “I forgot where I was.”

Henry stepped closer to Mary Elizabeth. “That seems to be a problem for you,” he whispered. “You should never forget where you are or where you belong.”

Her head shot up and he could see the anger in her eyes, but this time she did not yell she simply whispered back, “So should you.”

Henry cocked his head to the side pondering what she had said and searching her eyes for an answer. He could see the anger, but deeper than that it was if she was looking at him with pity.

“Do not pity me woman,” he said as he puffed his chest out.

“Then what would you have me do,” she sighed, knowing that her mother was right. If she did not behave properly at the ball not only would people think badly of her, but she could see a far worse punishment.

“Respect,” Henry replied, looking at her as if she had half a brain. “This is what all of those books have done to you. They have made you forget how the world works.”

“Respect,” she repeated. “I suppose this is what all of those drinks and prostitutes have done to you. They have made you forget how real life works.”

“Must you challenge everything I say,” he replied, realizing that he was not only losing the battle, but he was losing his bet very quickly.

“Tell me, Henry,” she replied as she looked out at the crowd. “What would you rather me do? Would you rather I listen to what you have to say and agree with you no matter what? Would you rather I be happy that you want to own me as if I am some animal or your property? The things that you have done in life have made me feel the way I do about you. You are supposed to be a man that can be relied upon to take care of the kingdom, but no one respects you, they fear you that is all.”

She was almost out of breath when she finished speaking, her heart was pounding and she knew that what she had said to him would anger him but it needed to be said.

“Better fear than nothing,” he replied solemnly.

“Is your opinion of yourself really that low,” she questioned him almost feeling sorry for him.

Henry shook his head and placed his arm around her waist. “Your books can’t teach you everything,” he began, speaking more gently. “There is more to me than you know about.”

Mary wiggled, trying to get loose from his grip without causing a scene, but he did not let go. He pulled her to his side and the two of them walked across the floor. Many people had already begun to dance slowly to the music and others were pairing off. Mary felt as if she had no choice but to walk with him and join him on the dance floor.

Henry winked at William as he and Mary walked past, but even knowing that he had won the bed did not bring any peace to him.

“Why do you behave the way you do,” Mary asked him, as the two began dancing slowly.

“What do you mean,” he asked, and she could tell that he had no idea what she was talking about.

“Why must you go about drinking and acting like one of the lower class, why do you purchase prostitutes and not even care that people know,” she questioned him.

“My, you are curious now, aren’t you,” he began. “This is why you read so many books?”

“My reading has nothing to do with you,” she replied. “Stop trying to change the subject.”

Henry looked down at her and she was surprised by the fact that it was no longer anger that she saw in his eyes. There was something deep and hidden behind them and that peaked her interest.

“Do you think that I am the only one who behaves in this manner?” he tried to laugh it off. “The only difference between me and any other man in this room is that I do not hide what I do.”

“You have no shame,” Mary said, shaking her head and beginning to pull away from him.

“No,” he said, pulling her back. “I have no shame for the things that I do. Unlike the men who hide it, I do not care what anyone thinks of the things that I do.”

He spoke quieter as he finished his sentence and Mary could tell that what he was saying was not true.

“You care what no one thinks of you,” she hissed. “I do not believe a word that comes out of your mouth.”

“I care what you think,” he lied, trying to win her over. “but how was I to know you would disapprove.”

Mary rolled her eyes, nothing that he said made any sense to her, the way he behaved made no sense to her and now he was being nice and it made no sense to her.

“What do you want of me, Duke,” she asked, sighing.

The Duke looked as if she had slapped him. He stood still in the middle of the dance floor staring down at her as if she were deformed. “What I want,” he began and then paused. “What I want is for you to stop thinking that you know everything. I want you to realize the world that you live in is not accepting of the way you behave just in the same way you do not approve of the things that I do.”

Mary looked at him, and with tears in her eyes, she turned and walked away. This time he allowed her to go, knowing that she had finally realized that people respected her no more than she did him. He knew how she felt about him, but what angered him more than her remarks was the fact that she had really never given him the chance he deserved.

Others had told him that he was only interested in her because as the Duke all of the women fell at his feet and any of them would have gladly given themselves to him. They knew the power that he held and they craved that power, but she didn’t care anything about his title or his money and for that reason she was nothing more to him than something he needed to conquer.

He knew deep inside that was not the case. The truth was that she reminded him of someone he had once loved and lost. He was attracted to the fact that she was smarter than most women and although she was uptight he knew she would make the perfect wife.

He was not the only man that had been interested in her, in fact, she was the first pick of most men, but she had rejected so many that they had all given up claiming that she would die alone but he refused to let that happen.

Henry began walking after Mary as he saw her leave the ball, he did not want her walking out in the dark alone it simply was not safe. The kingdom was a safe one and people knew that any transgression would be swiftly punished, but that did not stop the occasional outsider from coming in and causing harm.

When Henry finally caught sight of Mary again, she was walking in the garden, still alone and something about the way she walked had changed. Mary always walked with her shoulders back and her head held high, but now her shoulders were slumped and her head lowered. Henry watched as her shoulders moved and realized that she was crying.

He quickly ran to her not willing to accept that he had hurt her. He was not the kind of man who wanted to hurt someone undeservedly but he believed women should understand their place in the world.

As he reached her he stretched out his arm and touched her back causing her to jump. Mary turned to face him and he could see in her eyes that she had really understood what he was saying.

Mary looked up at Henry, her dark hair falling and the strands were sticking to the side of her pace face. Her blue eyes were filled with tears and sadness. “I am sorry,” was all that she could say.

Henry reached out and pulled her to his chest. “You have nothing to be sorry for,” he said gently. “I am the one that has caused you to cry.”

The two stood in silence as Mary composed herself enough that she was able to talk. “I want to go home,” she whispered.

“I am sure that you do,” he said not sure how to respond. “I should not have said those things to you.” He tried to make her feel better but he was not experienced in it. He had always viewed women as something that was to please him, he had never considered their feelings nor had he cared about them until now.

Henry had fallen in love when he was much younger, but did not have the chance to marry the girl. Her village had been destroyed in war and she had died never knowing how he had felt about her. He vowed that day that he would never allow himself to feel pain like that again, even if it meant that he would never feel love like that again.

He had never told anyone about that woman, but as he stood in the garden he felt compelled to explain himself to Mary. She stood completely still as he spoke and did not make a sound except for a few sobs that escaped her lips.

When he had finished, she was crying even more and he shook his head not understanding what he was doing wrong. He was trying to make her feel better. He wanted her to understand that he felt the same love for her that he had felt for that girl, but that he had feared what would happen if he acknowledged it.

Mary lifted her head as she heard her father calling her name and as she looked around the Duke she saw her father walking toward the two of them.

“Why are you crying,” he said, trying to hide the anger in his voice.

“I am fine, father,” she said, trying to smile. “I was just overwhelmed and needed some fresh air. The Duke was just telling me a story to make me feel better.” She pulled away from Henry giving him a half smile.

“I assume you are ready to go,” her father asked her.

“Actually,” she said, with a big smile, “I think I’d like to stay a little while longer if that is okay.”

Her father was taken back with the respect that she was showing. Normally he would have to raise his voice to get her to be polite or ask for anything but he was happy with the change he was seeing.

He smiled at his daughter and turned to walk away. “It would be my pleasure to bring her back to you when she is ready,” Henry said, to her father.

“As you wish,” Mary’s father said, and then he walked away.

Mary looked at Henry her eyes stinging from the tears and she shook her head. “That is not proper,” she said, giving a gentle smile.

“No, it is not,” he said, wrapping his arms back around her waist and pulling her to his chest.

Mary took a deep breath. “Did you mean what you said?” she asked.

Henry looked down at her. “Every word.”

Mary smiled and pulled herself out of his grip, this time he was gentle and allowed her to move away from him. “Can we walk,” she asked, looking out into the huge garden.

“By all means,” he replied, offering her the bend of his elbow. Mary placed her hand on his arm and the two of them began walking.

It was not long before the sounds of the ball could barely be heard in the distance, it seemed as if they were completely alone.

Henry stopped and pulled Mary against him. She gasped with surprise, then placed her hands on his shoulders and smiled up at him. He was surprised that she did not fight him, there was not even enough room between the two of them for air to pass through and he had expected a different reaction but he could not resist her any longer.

Without saying a word Henry bent down and pressed his lips hard against hers. She felt his tongue pressing against her lips and gently parted them, allowing him access to her mouth.

Her heart beat quickly as she felt his tongue begin to explore inside of her mouth and she took a deep breath through her nose causing her chest to press hard against his. Immediately she felt the bulge between his legs begin to swell and press into her gown.

Mary pulled her mouth away from his and looked up at him with fear in her eyes.

“Do not reject me now,” he said, looking down at her refusing to let go.

Mary’s eyes darted back and forth as she tried to read his face. She had heard about men, using a woman for sex and leaving her to bear the shame. She was not going to be that woman.

“It was the truth,” he began. “What I said before. The way I feel about you. You make me completely mad, but I can’t imagine not having you as mine.”

There it was, Mary thought to herself as she listened to him, he wanted her to belong to him and every muscle in her body began to tense.

Henry felt her muscles and her heart pounding against her chest. He wished that he could make her understand, but knew he had no way.

“I do not want to own you woman,” he said loudly and with a sigh. “I want to share my life with you. I want to know that when I need you, you will be there without some smart remark or arrogant behavior.”

“Arrogant,” she snapped at him and watched him shake his head. Part of her felt bad for always looking at the worst in him and expecting the worst out of him, but that was how she had thought about him for so long, it would take her time to change the way she viewed him.