The Sacrifice (13 page)

“I
made reservations at a small Greek restaurant in Asheville. They serve
authentic Mediterranean food, inspired by Greece and Italy. The food
’
s
delicious, and it
’
s off the beaten path of the tourist section. With
everything that
’
s going on, I wanted to stay close.”

“I
wondered where we
’
d end up, since you restricted everyone to the
compound.”

“We
can
’
t take the chance of something happening to any of
you. However, I do have a little pull.”

She noted a hint of humor in his
voice, and gave him a questioning glance.

“Miles
and Kam owed me a favor,” he explained. “They
’
ll be guarding the
restaurant while we
’
re inside. I
’
d never risk your
safety.”

Before
long they pulled into the restaurant parking. She scanned the area, but didn
’
t
see either of his friends. Cy came around and opened her door, and then offered
his hand to help her out of the low sports car.

The
moment their skin touched, the shocking tingle returned, by-passing the rest of
her body and making a beeline straight between her legs. They both flinched. A
brief look of surprise crossed Cy
’
s face and his eyes softened to a sensual, darker
shade of blue. The sweet scent of lust surrounded them both. Their scents
mingled and it was the most intoxicating aroma she
’
d
ever smelled. Riana shook her head, and decided to keep quiet in case he was
only reacting to her reaction.

The atmosphere inside the restaurant
was relaxed and romantic. Her mouth watered as the aroma of fresh herbs and
warm bread filled the air. The hostess led them to an intimate table in the
back. Cy pulled her chair out, and then took the seat with his back to the
wall. His position gave him a clear shot of the door and everyone inside. He
appeared relaxed, but she could tell he was aware of everything around them.

Riana opened her menu. “Have you eaten
here before?”

“Yes, many times.”

“What
’
s
good?
”

“Everything here is good. But, my
favorite is the Filet Gorgonzola. Or if you want seafood, the Pasta Athena
would be my second choice.”

The
waitress who took their orders wouldn’t make eye contact with Riana. The blonde
bimbo couldn
’
t take her eyes off Cy long enough. Riana glared
at her as she turned to leave. The girl
’
s actions irritated
her more than she wanted to admit. Even though it was rude, she couldn
’
t
much blame the waitress. A female would have to be blind not to stare at
someone like him.

***

As
the waitress left their table, Cy noticed Riana
’
s scowl. From her
evident irritation, she didn
’
t like the girl staring at him. Unless it was
excessive, he didn
’
t pay much attention. But if her actions caused
Riana one second of displeasure, her mind would become as blank as a fried
computer screen.

Moments later, the waitress reappeared
with their bottle of Pinot Grigio. As she poured the wine, Cy entered her mind.
He planted the idea that she would become repulsed each time she looked his
way. The girl sat his wine in front of him and stiffened. Ice hit the floor as
she plopped the bottle into the wine chiller, and fled toward the back of the
restaurant.

Riana
’
s
gaze followed her. She looked at him and grinned. “What did you just do?”

He
tried for an innocent tone. “I gave her a little nudge in the opposite
direction, that
’
s all.”

Riana
’
s
eyes narrowed, but a smile flirted at the corners of her mouth.

She
took a bite of cheese, and made a delightful moan of pleasure. The sound
vibrated deep within Cy
’
s core. As she savored the cheese, he got lost in
how soft and inviting her full lips appeared. He wanted to reach across the
table, pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless. He
’
d
never wanted to touch, and taste
anyone
the way he did her. The constant
throb inside his pants when she was near wasn
’
t helping. Nor him
imagining the look of pleasure on her face as her body writhed beneath him.

Riana took another wedge of cheese. “You
should try this. It has the most amazing flavor.”

“I
’
d
rather watch you enjoy it.” Cy took a slow drink of wine as her long, slender
fingers brought the cheese to her mouth. Could he possibly be lucky enough to
share his life with someone like her? The more time he spent with her, the more
every fiber screamed she was his.

He
didn
’
t want to make her uncomfortable, but he wanted to
touch her again. Mostly to see if that lustful look returned, a look he wanted
to keep there the entire night.

Riana
’
s
hand lay on the table. He reached over and covered it with his. She froze; her
expression a mix of lust and confusion.

She leaned forward and whispered. “Did
you feel that?”

“Yes. It happens every time we touch.”
His voice came out low and needy as his thumb slowly stroked along the back of
her hand.

“What
’
s
causing it? And why is it becoming more…
intense
?”

Cy
wasn
’
t sure about her definition of
intense
. If
it was anything like what he felt,
intense
was an accurate description.
“I believe I know what it is. But, I don
’
t want to frighten
you… scare you off.”

“I
’
m
not frightened. Nothing like this has ever happened to me. If you have a
theory, I
’
d like to hear it.”

Cy had no idea how she would react to
what he was about to say. He took a deep breath and released it. “I talked to
my mother about it after we met at the pub.” He hesitated, and took another sip
of wine.

“
Well?
” Riana prompted.

“Mother
said it
’
s because we are true Sivadian life-mates.”

The
color drained from Riana
’
s face. She lifted her wine glass and downed its
contents, not taking her eyes off his.

Oh
God.
That was the last
thing she expected to hear. I better start talking, fast, before she bolts.

“Mother
described everything I
’
ve felt since we met. She said it would continue
to get stronger each time we
’
re together, because this is
more
than just
attraction. It
’
s due to the cells in our bodies recognizing each
other. Our cells connect, and crave each other long before our minds accept it.
How much do you know about true life-mates?”

“I
’
ve
been told it exists. That
’
s about it though. My mother never spoke about it
much. She said my father was her life-mate.” Riana hesitated, and shook her
head. “I
’
m not so sure that
’
s true anymore?”

“Why
’
s
that?”

Riana
chuckled. “Let
’
s just say I
’
m having ‘mommy
issues
’
right now.”

Cy
’
s
body reacted to her laughter, again. The sound warmed him somewhere deep inside
he
’
d never known existed until he met Riana. He had a
hunch she would awaken a lot of feelings he
’
d never known before.

Cy
’
s
muscles tightened as his eyes scanned the room. Something menacing was suddenly
near. Nothing looked different than before. Taking Riana away from the safety
of the compound might not have been the best idea.

***

Their
food arrived and Riana pulled her hand from beneath Cy
’
s
so the waitress could sit the plates on the table. She immediately missed their
connection. Since the moment he dropped the ‘life-mate
’
bomb,
her stomach had tied into knots.

Get
a grip. You
’
re acting like a love-sick teenager. Maybe it
’
s because I
’
m nearing my time of fertility
. Nothing about the strange chemistry between them
made sense. But, life-mates?

As soon as the waitress left, she
looked into the intensity of his incredible eyes. “Is there some way to be sure
this is not…just attraction?”

Cy
’
s
eyes softened to that sensual, darker shade of blue. A devilish, but sexy smile
lifted the corners of his mouth. “Yes, there is. However, if we try to find out
here, we may end up embarrassing ourselves, and I
’
m
sure we
’
d be asked to leave.”

His
answer caused a tingle to sweep up the back of her neck and across her face. “
Maybe, we
should
wait
then.”

Riana tried changing the subject. But,
no matter what they talked about during their meal, the sexual tension between
them continued to rise.

Before
they left the restaurant Riana noticed Cy
’
s aura had turned
darker. Outside, his eyes scanned the area as if he were expecting an attack.
She looked around the parking area for Miles and Kam. “Are your friends here?”

“Yes,
that
’
s their Harleys parked at the end of the
building.”

He
didn
’
t appear to relax until they were back in his car
and headed toward the compound.

As they drove through town, Riana
watched the lights shimmer off his dark hair. He glanced over at her and
flashed a heart-stopping smile. Then he reached and took her hand, brought it
to his lips and lightly kissed her knuckles. Riana tried not to squirm in her
seat as moisture pooled between legs.

Good,
Lord! What this man does to me should be bottled.
Women would
break their necks to get to a store and buy it.

Riana wanted to get back and resume
their conversation from earlier. Things were moving at warp speed, but for some
reason she didn
’
t care. The
sexual tension between them almost took on a life of its own.

Right now, given the choice
of dying or staying away from Cy, I
’
d have to give
death some serious thought.