by T Stedman
“I can’t feel you in me anymore …” he said, over his shoulder.
“Wouldn’t you rather I was like a regular … you know … Human girl?”
He turned around frowning, his face a picture of disbelief and anger. “Have you any idea how many girls I’ve been with … Have you?” he shouted, making her jump. He almost never ever got angry. That was always Dante’s department.
“No,” she said, honestly.
“Fucking hundreds. Me and Dante were super dogs, the pair of us. And not one did I want to see more than a couple of times…Almost everyone I’ve mixed with in my life was Atlantean, even though I didn’t know it … then you came along…” he said, more quietly and pulled her up into his arms with his mouth in her hair. “I’m so shit at all this. You were so … I dunno, independent and beautiful.”
She held her breath hoping he would say the magic words. When they weren’t forthcoming she sighed. “You don’t have to be an alien to be independent or beautiful,” she said, exhausted.
He remained quiet and still. She could almost hear his brain ticking over what she’d said and knew exactly what he was thinking: Dante.
She looked up at him.
His blank face was painted on.
“Don’t you fucking dare,” she whispered.
He squinted his eyes but said nothing.
“I’d do anything, do you hear me? Anything, to be a Human like you and make love with you like a Human girl.”
“That’s not what I want,” he said, his face like thunder.
“Oh yeah! What is it you do want? Break the habit of a lifetime, Jay, and tell me how you really feel. No holds barred …” She was goading him in the heat of her temper, pushing him in the chest with her fingertips, playing with fire.
Before she knew what happened, he’d put a leg behind hers and tripped her onto her back on the bed, and he was on her like a flash, an arm either side of her head. His face was red and hot. “I want you to stop seeing me as a weaker sub-species Tia, and start looking at me as a man … then I might stop feeling like you’d be better off with Dante.”
He was breathing heavily, trying to get a rein on his temper. It was a side of him she’d never seen before. Mr Control. But she’d heard him loud and clear, and he was right. In loving him so much she was guilty of emasculating him. But no matter what she did, he was physically weaker, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.
He sprang away from her and paced the room while she slowly sat up. “I’m sorry Jay,” and she buried her head in her hands. “The fact is, we can’t change what we are.”
He stopped pacing and looked at her, his head was hung low and defeated when his phone rang. Their eyes both went to the bedside table. He walked over. “It’s Alfonzo. I’d better take this.”
Tia looked on in concern as Jay spoke to Alfonzo. Not really listening to the words but registering him curse now and then and agreeing at intervals. Then he ended the call.
He put down the phone and looked at her. “When the plane is back in a couple of hours, I must go to London.”
“What’s the matter?”
“The Dubonnetti’s are trying to take over the Bonaci business, buying off shareholders –probably for a proxy vote. I need to be there, Tia.”
“Shall I come with you?”
“No, it’s safer here. You have Cash and Sean as well Reeve from the Guard.”
Her heart sank at his rejection. She scolded herself that he had a lot on his plate and she shouldn’t get on his case, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that it was a convenient brush off.
She watched him shower quickly and pack his small flight bag efficiently without looking at her once. The old, cold Jay was back, with walls up and everything. “Please don’t leave angry with me,” she said, eventually, hoping to break through.
He sat heavily on the bed and pulled her to him.
“I love you Jay, so much.”
He put his mouth on hers and brushed his lips across it, and whispered, “Then you know what I want.”
She breathed in. He was freshly showered, smelling of soap, male and sexy. Heat fired up in her like a generator. She fought every instinct in her to blow gently into him her essence, all the while hyperventilating and panting. She knew he was deliberately pushing her to it. Dirty tactics. It would be so easy to give in. She burst into tears shaking her head, “No!” And she scurried away to the other side of the bed.
He took a second to get a hold on himself again. Then he grabbed his bag and left without a backward glance.
Chapter 29
There was no sleep for Tia following Jay’s departure. The next day she helped Cash silently with the horses. She supposed he knew Jay had gone because he hadn’t questioned her mood.
When she’d finished she grabbed a bagel from the kitchen, asked Cash if she could borrow some of his vinyl and went to her decks. The last thing she wanted was to play anything reminding her of Jay – pretty hard when he’d bought the bloody things for her.
No, ‘Love hate love’, by Alice in Chains, was more where her head was going. She curled herself into a ball on a couple of hay bales and listened to the suffering that mirrored her own, in the soulful rasp of Layne Staley’s voice.
She was so lost in thought that she didn’t notice Sean come in through the sliding door till he stood right in front of her.
“Do you want some company?” he asked.
“I’m not much fun today, Sean.”
“Come here,” he said, opening his arms.
She immediately stood and rushed into them, and her floodgates opened. He just held her. She was glad he didn’t ask her to talk about it, as she didn’t know how to put into words that the man she loved more than life itself, loved her for all the differences that could kill him. And because of that she was in this hopeless, no man’s land of misery.
She was so wrapped up in herself and Sean’s arms, with him stroking her hair, that she didn’t notice Sarah enter the barn and stand watching them on the threshold.
Eventually she coughed.
Tia looked up from Sean’s chest as he turned around.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Sarah said, dryly, “but Antonio Dubonnetti has just turned up here, and Cash said for us all to come inside.”
Tia hurriedly wiped her eyes. Sean put his arm around her shoulders and gently guided her out of the barn. Sarah’s face was hard and blank.
***
When they all came in to the large living room it was to a commotion. Reeve was holding Antonio up against the wall, pressing his forearm into his throat, and Cash was trying to pull Reeve off and coaxing him not to break his windpipe.
Sean immediately went into the thick of it, eventually getting Reeve to stand down so they could at least hear what he had to say. Sean started them off. “What are you doing here, mate?”
Antonio rubbed his throat and tried to get his breathing back to normal. “I’ve left them,” he managed to rasp.
“What do you mean, you’ve left them?” Cash asked.
“I wanted no part of any of it.” Antonio continued.
“Why here though?”
“I couldn’t think of where else to go. I was forced to go with them to New York, so I gave them the slip there and got on the first plane here.”
Tia thought he sounded pretty convincing. She remembered back to their first meeting and thought then that he and Paolo weren’t really like Marco.
“There is no way they can win,” he went on.
Cash and Sean looked at each other, then Reeve, and tried to come to a decision.
“I say chuck him out,” Reeve said.
Cash took out his mobile and dialled Alfonzo. He picked up and Cash explained the latest development. He then passed the phone to Antonio. “He wants to speak to you.”
They heard him repeat all the things he’d said to them. “They are going for another Siren.”
The room went silent.
“I’m not sure where. I t
hink Humans have her …Yes, they are trying to ruin the Bonaci.” Then he passed the phone back to Cash. “He wants you again.”
“Okay,” Cash said after a while. “He can stay,” he said, clicking off his phone.
Moans and murmurs sounded from person to person. Cash called Mrs Ross and asked her to make up another room and Antonio followed her upstairs.
When he had gone Cash turned to everyone. “Alfonzo said probably best to keep our enemies close.”
“He doesn’t believe him then?” Sean said.
“Well, he didn’t really tell him anything he didn’t already know, so the jury’s out I think. Just keep your eyes open everyone and remember who he is, okay?”
Everyone nodded.
***
Later that day, Antonio found Tia on the porch. “Do you mind if I join you?” he said, in his impeccable English.
“Go ahead,” she said, putting her book down.
“Jay is in London?”
Tia nodded. “Yeah, your lot are trying to take over the Bonaci Company.”
They were quiet for a while. Tia studied Antonio’s face for any signs of guilt. Nothing.
Antonio broke the silence. “So you chose him over Dante in the end?”
“It wasn’t like that Antonio.”
“Still, it must be hard though?”
“You have no idea,” she said, ruefully.
He pulled something out of his jeans pocket, and then pushed it across the coffee table towards her.
She leant forward and picked up what looked like a plastic strip of pills. “What are these?”
“I got them from a contact who trades with the Murrs.”
“What are they for?”
“These are nigh on impossible to get hold of … they use them for when they go on land for any length of time. They supress Murr characteristics.”
“Why do you need them?’
“I don’t much … I thought you might find a use for them.” And he looked at her knowingly.
“For what?” she said, feeling uneasy.
Any time … you know, you don’t want to look or act like a Siren. Pop one of them … instant Human.” He sat back, pleased with himself.
Alarm bells were going off in her head, but still, she couldn’t help thinking of the argument she’d just had with Jay. This could be the answer to all her prayers. But, she wanted to think about all the implications first.
“No worries if you don’t want them?” and Antonio leaned forward to take them back. Quickly making up her mind, she snatched them up. “No, I do want them. Thanks.”
***
The summons arrived by courier late the following day. It officially requested Tia to attend Ballygowan Castle for a royal presentation of two of the Sirens to all five of the great royal families of Atlantis and Murrtaine. God, she would meet a real sister at last. She felt a pang of excitement at the thought.
Everyone invited would have to sign a charter accepting Dante as king. Hopefully that would put an end to the Dubonnetti’s attempts to discredit him. She wondered how Dante was getting on. Her mind had totally been on Jay lately, and he had been fighting for his life too. It was sad for him that, out of his whole family, Antonio would be the only one attending to represent the Dubonnetti House.
Tia would attend with her Protectors. She decided that she would use the opportunity to build bridges with Sarah and asked her to come as her special guest. Sarah was delighted with the invitation, but then shrieked in horror that she didn’t have a thing to wear.
“Don’t worry Sarah, neither do I. We’ve got tomorrow. Maybe we could have a day shopping, what do you say?”
Sarah thanked her and so did Sean. He smiled at Tia in gratitude, immediately reading what she was trying to do.
While everyone sat and chatted after dinner, talking Atlantean politics, Tia said goodnight and went to bed early. She took a shower and lay in her usual position – naked in the bed with the air con on high.
She wasn’t sure how long she’d been lying there letting her mind wander, when she felt a wonderful familiar warmth spooning around her back and down the back of her legs. Then there was a light kissing of her cheek, neck and shoulder and that unmistakable smell – oh so familiar. But it wasn’t Jay. Her mind was so sluggish, she must be asleep.
“Dante?” she said, to herself. “Am I dreaming?”
The wonderful kissing like feathers continued, and soft hands moved along her legs, to her hips and softly along her arms.
No, it’s not a dream. The Irish lilt drifted to her ears.
“Are you here?” she said, drowsily.
No, I’m not here either. Not really. It’s just a psychic social call to check if you are all right.
“Are you taking advantage of me because I’m asleep?”
A little chuckle by her ear, No, just a pleasant coincidence. His hands continued to run all over her.
“Jay is in London.”
I know, babe.
“We argued.”
Jay? Impossible.
She felt Dante’s smile next to her skin as he kissed her shoulder.
“Well, as much as Jay could argue.”
You can’t really blame him, Tia.
“What? You know?”
It’s not rocket science … Once someone has experienced the Siren’s breath, they would have to have more.
“Even if it could kill him?”
You are what you are. It is what he loves about you.
Her mind leapt to the tablets Antonio had given her, but she squashed the thought before Dante could sense it. “What if I could change that?”
You can never change what you are, Tia, which is why you will always come back to me.
She wanted to tell him he was wrong, but it was impossible. He was all over her, overwhelming and consuming. The feeling was so strong it was like an intense sexy dream. When she opened her eyes she was there, in her mind’s eye, in a black room, on a bed, with Dante, softly lit, in its centre.
You see your stripes, Tia? In your mind’s eye, we are always Atlantean.
Surprised he’d actually appeared in her mind, she looked down at his arm, with his large ring and the thick black stripes over his forearm and bicep moving over her thigh; blending in with her own thick black stripes. His hand moved over her soft stomach and he ran his fingers along the stripes on her ribcage as if to emphasise his point.
He cupped her breast in his hand and she found herself arching into it. His lips moved to her ear. Let me comfort you Tia, just for a little while, as only I can do.
She began to pant as his lips came near her own and she turned her head to brush his. She knew if she kissed him she’d be lost. It had been so long. She stilled. We are not in water?
It isn’t physical Tia. It is our psychic bond. You can allow yourself this … surely.
Before she could analyse it too deeply, she found herself pushed onto her back and his mouth was on hers, parting her lips and invading her with his tongue. Then he moved down and was all over her; hands and mouth, everywhere.
Control was fleeting as she threw her head back and totally gave in to him. He laughed in triumph as he felt her body slacken and open to him, and kissed her with no mercy. He wasted no time in hammering home his advantage and dipped his head with no preamble and put his mouth straight between her legs and buried his tongue. “Dante!” she cried, loudly. He drove her near to madness and brought her to ecstasy in moments.
He crawled back up her languid, boneless body and came back to her contented face and kissed her tenderly and lovingly.
She felt bereft and groaned, wanting all of him.
I have to go, he said, his slate grey eyes soulful and serious. It takes such enormous concentration for me to cover this distance … remember you are never alone … and his voice was getting softer, and his face began to fade, flickering like a hologram, but there was such love in his eyes. Not alone, not really …
Her hands reached for him but there was just
a fine mist, which soon evaporated. After a moment, she sat up and switched on the bedside lamp. She felt her cheeks. They were wet with tears. Her body was still thrumming from her orgasm. She felt confused and heavy-hearted.
She got out of bed and went to the bathroom. She had definitely had a sexual experience.
She would kill Dante when she saw him. But the second she had the thought, his sheer cheek made her smile. She could never stay angry with him for long.
A loud bell interrupted her thoughts. It was coming from outside. She ran to her window that looked out over the yard. She could see orange in the sky in the distance. She opened the window and stuck her head outside. People were running everywhere. “What’s the matter?” she shouted, but she could already smell the acrid smoke. The hay barn was alight. She threw her clothes on and ran downstairs.
Everyone was up and out helping to douse the flames. In the distance she could hear the fire brigade. But despite everyone’s efforts, Tia could tell that the whole lot was ruined.
The real job now was stopping its spread to other buildings. They all worked their socks off throwing water from any receptacle they could get their hands on; smothering little fires with wet sacks. They worked to the point of exhaustion until all that was left was a stinking smouldering, smoking pile. Nothing resembled the sweet smelling rectangles they’d stacked the day before.
Tia had been really impressed with Antonio. He’d busted a gut along with everyone else. No he was a good guy, he’d proved it.
Eventually, after hours, they trouped into Cash’s kitchen; bedraggled, dirty and smelling like a bonfire. Cash had thanked the firefighters and come inside and sat with everyone else, heartsick at his loss. Thousands of dollars of animal feed had gone up in smoke. Tia felt desperately sorry for him.
Mrs Ross, always the angel, was busy making drinks and breakfast for everyone. Tia took a drink to Cash and put her arms around his neck and sat on his lap like a little girl. No-one took any notice, as it was normal for them to have such a tactile relationship. “Cash, I’m so sorry,” she whispered in his ear and kissed his cheek.
“Stuff happens Tia … I just don’t understand it. They’re sending an investigator later today.”