“You’ve never met anyone more lovable than me?” Becki questioned, looking at him with wide-eyes.
“Never,” he whispered.
She smiled crookedly, and another tear rolled silently down her face.
“You’re killing me here,” Trevor groaned. “Why not-- I’m going to hell anyway,” he murmured as he lowered his lips slowly toward hers.
“What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?” Royce roared as he ripped Becki out of Trevor’s arms.
Becki wiggled in his grasp, “God! Why do youuu have to k-keep bothering me? Would you just go away and lllleave me alone?” Becki protested as she yanked her arm away from Royce.
He stood for a moment evaluating his options. Option A--beat the shit out of Trevor for touching Becki. Option B--toss her ass over his shoulder and get the hell out of there before trouble arrived.
“Option B, Royce. Option B,” Joanna advised.
You are starting to piss me off! Royce mentally pushed the words at Joanna, knowing she would get the message.
“Go awayyy,” Becki said as she looked around in search of Trevor.
Royce spun Becki around to face him and wrapped his arms around her tightly. “What’s this about Becki? I’ve tried to reach you all afternoon. I thought we were together, a couple. And then I walk in here tonight to find you drunk and hanging all over a war--”
“Royce!” Joanna interjected before he could mess things up even further. Honestly, men in love were so damn stupid!
Royce closed his eyes in frustration and then continued, “We need to go, Becki. We’ll talk on the way home; or maybe tomorrow after you’ve sobered up.”
Trevor stood silently listening intently to the exchange. He would not hesitate to jump to Becki’s defense the moment she needed him. However, it appeared St. John was as tied up in as many knots as Becki was.
“RRRoyce. Leave me alone! I don’t lllike you anymore. Besides, Trevor and I were daancing,” she insisted as she struggled to escape his embrace.
“Actually, we were getting ready to make out,” Trevor taunted pushing the envelope a little… testing St. Johns’ reaction.
“Over my dead and decaying body,” Royce snarled as he weighed those options one more time.
“You will have company in a few minutes. You need to get the hell out of there!” Joanna insisted.
Royce tightened his arms around Becki, “You’re going to feel like shit in the morning. We are going home, Becki. The easy way, or the hard way, it’s up to you,” he said softly in her ear.
‘Home’ Royce had said. Becki stopped struggling immediately.
Finally! Royce breathed a sigh of relief. Royce loosed his grip around her waist and grabbed her hand to tug her toward the door.
Becki stopped suddenly and jerked her hand away from him. He looked at her for the first time since she had stopped struggling to escape him a few moments ago. He was shocked to see tears streaming down her face as she cried silently.
“You listen ttto-- lllisten to m-me--,” she began in a drunken, yet heart-broken growl, “and lllisten good-- you--you-- ttwo-timing, piece of-of shhhit scum-bag. I- I’mmm-- not going h-hoome with youu. I’mm not g-going annnywhhere with y-you.” She was sobbing now, big gulping sobs in between bouts of swearing at him. Tears were streaming nonstop down her face. Fortunately, the loud music helped to prevent her speech from being overheard by most of the patrons. But Royce heard it loud and clear.
“That’s it!” His patience was at an end. They would have to sort this out later.
Suddenly, Becki was lifted off her feet and hanging up-side-down over Royce’s shoulder. She began to scream as she kicked her feet and pounded him on the back with her fists.
Trevor suddenly appeared in front of Royce, blocking his exit.
Cocky son-of-a-bitch. “Stay out of this,” Royce cautioned.
Trevor merely raised one eyebrow, “If you hurt her St. John, you’ll answer to me,” he promised.
After a moment, he stepped aside to let them pass.
Royce hesitated. He wanted nothing more than to kick Trevor’s pompous ass. This was not the time, nor the place. With a sigh, he began moving again. They were almost at the back door. Becki had been mysteriously quiet during the exchange with Trevor. Maybe she had passed out.
As they passed Trevor, Becki suddenly realized Royce was actually going to walk out the back door with her slung over his shoulder. Even in her drunkest state, that was not going to happen! She had started to lose her buzz anyway.
Becki spied Trevor and decided to enlist his help, “Trevor, make him stop. Trev-- tell him I’m not g-going with himm.” Ok, so maybe she was still buzzed, but she was not leaving with that two-timing slug, especially not hoisted over his shoulder! It was making her diiiizzzzyy.
“Put me downnn. We are dancing! And, and then--” she paused before continuing in what she thought was a whisper, “then we’re going to have dirty-- rough sex on the beach.”
Time stopped. Royce froze mid-stride. Change of plan...he was going to kill this piece of shit after all.
Royce placed Becki gently on her feet, banking the rage pouring through his body. He pushed her into the closest chair and bent to look her in the eye as he said quietly, “Don’t move. Not one inch.”
The moment he grabbed Trevor by the shirt collar and drew his fist back, Royce realized that he had forgotten one small, but important, detail. Trevor Simmons was pure warlock.
Royce struggled against Trevor’s magic. “Fight me like a man, you cowardly son-of-a-bitch,” Royce demanded.
Trevor used magic to keep Royce in place while he said, “What Becki just said is not true. Not that she didn’t offer, and not that I wouldn’t love to; but she’s a little drunk right now, and I wouldn’t take advantage of her that way.”
“Joanna! Even things out for me,” Royce gritted, rage and hatred pouring through him.
“You don’t want to do that, Joanna,” Trevor cautioned narrowing his eyes at Royce. “I’m telling you, St. John, don’t bring her into this. It’s not what you think, and things could go very wrong, very quickly.”
“No, I’m telling you,” Royce returned quietly. “Don’t forget. I know how to deal with your kind.”
“If you want to go at it, I’ll be more-than-happy to oblige. I have a feeling you need a good ass whipping, and I can do it with or without magic. Whatever it is she’s hurting about, I’m not responsible for it. However, I’m betting you can’t say the same. Just so you know, I love and respect that girl, or I would be on the beach with her tonight…making her forget all about you.”
As they stood contemplating battle, Trevor felt a tingle run through his body. Vamps were near.
“Go! Now, Royce! Time is up!” Joanna all but screamed.
Trevor spotted Rouel strolling into the bar with Eric. They were visually scanning the crowd, looking for him. They only had a moment before the Vamps spotted him.
Trevor released Royce and stepped left, placing his body between Becki and the two Vampires. He spoke to Royce in a whisper, “If you care about her, and I think you do, you will get her the hell out of here. Now!”
As Royce started to move toward Becki, Trevor suddenly realized that Becki’s scent was all over him, and his covered her. “Get my scent off her.”
With those words, he grabbed a bar fly who had been shimmying her way past them, and proceeded to grind all over her as he continued to watch the Vamps.
Royce knew immediately what Trevor was doing; he was trying to dilute Becki’s sent with that of the other girl, so the Vamps wouldn’t connect Becki to him. Royce grabbed Becki, who surprisingly had stayed where he put her and began trying to rid her of Trevor’s scent.
“What the hell,” she muttered as she tried to pull out of Royce’s grasp. “Oh! I don’t want to dance with you, Mr. Dark Lord himself.”
Becki was sick of this he-man routine. She had been jerked, pulled, and flung around just about as much as she was going to stand
.
“Go away! Go play with your new toy,” she said as she attempted to walk off the dance floor and leave Royce standing alone.
He refused to let her leave. He kept groping her, and she was starting to get a headache.
“Get your hands off me, you jerk. Seriously Roy--,”
He wrapped his arms tightly around her, and smothered her protest with his mouth firmly on hers. They could talk later; right now he needed to get Becki out of here, as soon as he got Trevor’s scent off her. He ran his hands all over her body; making sure he touched every square inch that Trevor could have possibly touched. Although, if Trevor had dared to touch some of the areas where Royce’s hands were roaming right now, there would be a fight between the two of them after all.
During their kiss, he steadily backed Becki to the rear exit of the building. As soon as they cleared the doorway, he ripped his mouth from hers, threw her over his shoulder for the second time that night, and ran for the car.
What the hell? One minute he was feeling her up and was kissing her like she had dreamed about. The next minute he was hoisting her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes? She started pounding on his back with her fists.
“Put me down, you imbecile. You Dark Lord! I’m staying with Trev. He’s going to do a belly shot, and then we’re going to the beach,” she yelled hoping to goad him into putting her down.
She got more than she bargained for when she felt a stinging swat land firmly on her ass.
Becki gasped in shock.
“I’ve heard enough of that shit so drop it,” Royce advised. “You are not-- I repeat not-- going to have sex with Trevor Simmons. Not tonight…not tomorrow night…not any night. Do you understand me?”
“Oh- My God,” Becki sputtered in shock. “You just struck me! I can’t believe you did that! Nobody hits me, you two-timing jackass. I’m going to kill you Royce St. John,” Becki threatened. “Just as soon as things stop spinning,” she said more quietly.
He dumped a still-protesting Becki into the passenger’s seat of his vehicle.
“Stay put,” he warned before starting to walk around the car toward the drivers’ side. He changed his mind about the time he reached the front bumper, and walked back to her side of the car. He wrenched the door open, and bent low to put himself at eye-level with Becki. When she looked at him with wide eyes, he spoke to her slowly and quite clearly, “For the record, I did not strike you. I swatted your ass because you deserved it. And, if I ever hear you utter that bullshit again, that won’t be the last time I swat your ass. Hear me when I say-- you will never have sex with that bastard.” He slammed the door firmly closing the subject.
Royce saw Landon pulling into the parking lot as he stalked around the car, once again. Unfortunately, Becki saw him, too.
“Landon is here!” she exclaimed, fumbling with the seatbelt as she tried to unbuckle it. Problem solved! She would ask Landon to give her a ride home.
Trevor had been dancing with a blond the last time she saw him, so evidently leaving with him was no longer an option. Whatever the case may be, she was not spending one more second with this bossy, pushy, lying, two-timing ass.
“Help me get out of this car,” she demanded, “I’m staying with Landon.”
“No,” Royce corrected, “you’re going home with me.”
“I don’t want to go with you! I don’t want to see you, ever again, please,” she whispered brokenly as her eyes filled with tears and spilled over for the third time that night.
“Becki, I don’t understand what’s wrong,” Royce said in frustration. “That cocky jackass in there thinks I’ve done something to upset you. I’ve wracked my brain to figure what it could be. I have to tell you, I’ve come up with nothing. I think there has been some sort of mix-up--”
“Humph, I’ll just bet you do…the only mix-up was yours,” Becki hissed at him viciously.
“Sweetheart, I’m not following you,” Royce insisted.
“Don’t sweetheart me! Of course, you didn’t follow me. You were too busy! I followed you!
“You followed me? When did you follow me?” He would know if he were being followed. He’d been trained for that sort of thing.
“You didn’t think I would be downtown, did you? Guess what? I was downtown, and I saw you!”
“You saw me downtown?” Royce repeated as he struggled to wrap his head around what she was trying to say.
“Yes!”
“Why didn’t you say something to me?”
“What-- so you could introduce me to that bitch you were--” she couldn’t bring herself to put it into words.
“What bitch? I wasn’t with any--?”
“That bitch was me, you idiot,” Joanna interjected.
Royce was speechless. All this? Over his sister?
“She doesn’t know I’m your sister,” Joanna reminded him drearily.
As tears continued to run down her cheeks, all Becki could say was, “Damn it!”
She couldn’t get the seat belt off. She pulled and pulled, but it wouldn’t budge. She had to get the seat belt off! She had to get away from him! She couldn’t breathe. She kept trying to suck air into her lungs, but she couldn’t. Her heart was about to explode!
“Becki,” Royce spoke calmly trying to stop her panic attack. She was gasping for breath, and he could see that she was terrified.
“Get this thing off me! Royce! Get it off!” She was sobbing again, beating on the seat-belt fastener with her fist.
If she got that seat belt off, God knew what she would do next. Actually, Royce knew exactly what she would do next. She would huff right back into the bar where a battle between Vampires and Werewolves could erupt at any moment.
“Joanna,” Royce conceded defeat. “I could use some help here.”
No sooner were the words were uttered, than Becki stopped fighting and started snoring.
Landon had noticed that Royce and Becki seemed to be in a heated discussion when he parked his vehicle. He had intended to take care of the Vampire problem, and then check on Becki. His Wolf had other ideas, however, and had insisted that they check on Becki first. Landon had argued that she was with Royce and would be safe until they had their business taken care of. realized that it would be impossible to deal with peacefully if his Wolf was pacified. He stationed his three buddies at the bar to keep an eye on things and promised to return as quickly as possible.
Royce sighed and rubbed his temples. Becki must have been serious about getting drunk tonight. He hoped he never had to deal with her in that state again.
Landon scented high levels of adrenalin as he approached Royce’s vehicle. He knocked on the hood, to alert Royce of his presence as he made his way to Royce’s side of the vehicle.
“Everything ok here?” Landon asked as Royce lowered his window.
Royce didn’t bother to deny the tension radiating from his body. He knew Landon had already scented Becki’s distress. And, truthfully, he was too mentally exhausted to be anything but honest. Landon soon the Vampires
“Not now, but it will be,” Royce assured him. “As soon as she is sober enough to understand that the ‘bitch’ she saw me with downtown was not another woman I’m involved with, but my sister.”
“Ah,” Landon nodded, “that explains it. She’s pissed?”
“Crazy pissed,” Royce answered. “The fact that she tried to drown her sorrows in a gallon of Crown didn’t help the situation.”
Landon patted the hood of Royce’s car, “You better get her out of here. I’m not sure how things will go down in there.”
“She will be at the condo with me, if anyone is looking for her,” he said with a look in his eyes that dared Landon to protest.
London stared intently for a moment, nodded once, and turned toward the bar. Before he had taken more than a few steps, he turned back with a warning for Royce, “Make sure you know what you are doing. She is very precious to me.”
Royce acknowledged Landon’s words with a nod, “Understo
od. Just so you know… she’s very precious to me as well.”
Landon spun on his heel and disappeared into the Pub.
Royce heard a soft Witchy chuckle. “Jo, when I get back to the condo, we are going to have a talk about respecting each other’s privacy,” he threatened. Like that would work. She really needed some kids of her own so she could meddle in their lives and leave his alone.
# Landon strolled casually back into the bar. Chance, Bradley, and Devon were leaning against the bar seemingly uninterested in the Vamps at a nearby table. They were in deep conversation with the guy Sean had described as Trevor Simmons.
He casually grabbed the beer waiting for him and headed over to join the party at Trevor’s table. As Landon and his friends approached, the Vampires rose swiftly to their feet, fangs flashing.
“Sit down,” Landon warned quietly. “We aren’t looking for trouble here tonight. This is a public place. We just want to talk.”
Because he was flanked by three massive bodies with yellow eyes and fangs of their own, the Vamps heeded his advice and sank warily into their seats.
Trevor inclined his head toward the remaining chair at their table, indicating that Landon should join them.
Borrowing chairs from nearby tables, his three companions created a protective semi-circle behind Landon.
“Why are you in town?” Landon asked the Vampires directly.
“Doing a little treasure hunt--” Rouel began.
“These are friends of mine,” Trevor interrupted, shooting a meaningful glance to Rouel. “Eric and Rouel are just passing through. Don’t worry. They aren’t here to sample the local flavor, right guys?”
“Right,” they agreed. Eric’s response was a little more convincing than Rouel’s.
Leaning forward, Landon made eye contact first with Eric and finally Rouel. “You do realize this is Moultrie Pack territory?” At their nod, Landon continued, “Make no mistake; treaty notwithstanding, we will be watching both of you closely. If you make one wrong move, heads will roll… literally,” Landon promised.
With that being said, he rose to his feet, swung his gaze to Trevor, and advised, “You really should be choosier when it comes to picking friends. These guys could be seriously hazardous to your health.”
Treasure Tides (The Coins) Page 15