Ruthless: Book 2 of the Shattered Chronicles

by Ciana Stone

  *****

  Morgan lay in Victor’s arms in one of the guest bedrooms. She might be guilty of having sex and sleeping with another man, but it sure as hell wasn’t in the bed she’d shared with Cord. She couldn’t even contemplate that.

  She turned her head to look at Victor in the dim light. He was a remarkable lover and seemed to know all the right things to do to excite her. Yet there was a tight, almost uncontrolled tension about him at times; as if he held himself barely in check. His strength was tremendous, a little scary in fact. She hated to think what would happen if he unleashed that power on someone. She sure wouldn’t want to have to tangle with him.

  She studied his profile, admiring the strong jaw, and classic features. He was extremely handsome, and his body was extraordinary. She was ashamed of how attracted she was to him. Particularly after the warnings she’d received about him. What was wrong with her? Was she just grasping at any straw to mask the pain she felt over losing Cord or was she honestly interested in Victor?

  As if reading her thoughts Victor open his eyes and turned to smile at her. “Penny for your thoughts.” He said softly, turning so that they lay facing one another.

  A little flustered, Morgan came close to lying about what she had been thinking about. But she was an honest person by nature and deception was not something she practiced. “Actually,” she said with a blush staining her face. “I was thinking about you.”

  “Me? What were you thinking about me?”

  She considered her words for a moment. “About how strange it is that you should show up at this point in my life. I mean, don’t you think it’s weird how you were involved with Cassie, and how she ran off with Cord.” Morgan felt a pain in her heart as she said Cord’s name.

  Tears started to form in her eyes as she thought of Cord. She felt like she was the betrayer now. Victor reached over and gently wiped the tears from her face. “You have nothing to feel guilty about,” he said gently, pulling her to him. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”

  “How can you say that?” She sat up and pushed away from him, the bed covers falling away from her naked body. “Victor, I’m a married woman! I’m not supposed to be with anyone but my husband.”

  Victor lay back with his hands behind his head, looking up at her. “But your husband left you, remember? Morgan be realistic. Your husband didn’t even have the decency to tell you he wasn’t happy in your marriage. For god’s sake, he had an ongoing affair for five years. There was ample time for him to tell you, to at least let you know that things weren’t good between the two of you. But did he do that? No. Instead he snuck off like a coward, leaving Cassie to do his dirty work.”

  Morgan shook her head. “No. I can’t believe that Cord knew anything about that video. Even if he is in love with her, he still wouldn’t do that to me. You just don’t understand, Victor. Cord isn’t a mean or vindictive man. As long as I’ve known him, he’s been the most honest, gentle person I’ve ever met. It just doesn’t make sense that he would leave this way.”

  “But the fact remains that he did.” Victor stated flatly. As he spoke, he tried to catch her gaze. “Look at me.”

  When she did, he continued. “Believe me, Morgan. I’m telling you the truth. You can trust me. I’m the only one you can trust.”

  “Yes,” she agreed after a long pause. “It appears so. And I guess he did. But does that excuse me? I’m just as guilty. After all, here I am, with you.”

  “Do you not want me to be here with you, Morgan?” Victor pushed himself up to face her.

  She looked into his eyes as though trying to see inside his head. For a long time she sat without speaking, searching within herself for the truth to that question. Her mind was so filled with conflict and confusion that she had difficulty concentrating. Every time she turned her thoughts to her marriage, to what she should do about Cord’s leaving, thoughts of Victor intruded. She felt almost like he was somehow inserting himself into her mind and hampering her ability to reason.

  She was also disturbed and almost dumbfounded by her own reactions to Victor. She hadn’t believed it would be possible for her to be so attracted to another man. Cord was, at least up until now, the only man she had ever been with. She never dreamed that she would want someone else. Yet, when she looked at Victor, she realized she’d been wrong.

  What the hell?

  “Yes,” she admitted with shame. “I do want you here. Honestly, I don’t understand any of this. There are so many things I don’t know the answers to. Like why Cord left me. What did I do wrong? Was I not loving and caring enough, was I not passionate or pretty enough? I don’t know what the reason is. And I don’t understand how he could fall in love with someone else and how I could not have suspected. I thought I was an intelligent woman. How could I have been so stupid and blind?”

  Victor sat silently, running his fingers through her long hair as she let the words tumble out. Morgan looked him straight in the eyes as she spoke, baring herself to him and holding nothing back.

  “I don’t want to make you feel bad with what I’m saying Victor, but you should know all of the truth, not just part of it.

  “I’ve loved Cord most of my life. He’s the only man I’ve have ever made love to, until now. I would gladly have given my life for him in a moment, without hesitation. And I would even have given him up if that’s what he needed to be happy. He was the center of my life. Now the center’s gone, and I feel like a planet that’s lost its star. Everything’s spinning out of control, and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do anymore.”

  Tears streamed down her face and she fell silent. Victor gave her a gentle smile and wiped the tears from her face. “I know this has been traumatic for you, Morgan, and I wish I could take the pain from you. I don’t understand how your husband could ever leave you. You’re the most beautiful, passionate, remarkable woman I’ve ever met. If you were mine, I’d never let you go. I’d do anything to make you happy.”

  Morgan smiled sadly, thinking Victor’s words were only flattery designed to make her feel better about herself. “Thank you. That’s a very nice thing for you to say. But then, you don’t really know me, Victor. Maybe if you did, you wouldn’t feel that way.”

  Victor’s face hardened and he gripped her arms tightly and pulled her closer to him. Staring sternly into her eyes, he spoke in a low tense voice. She could tell he was worked up because he affected that speech pattern that gave him away. His accent became more pronounced and he stopped using contractions.

  “I never say anything I do not mean. I know how I feel about you, Morgan. I have known from the first moment I set eyes upon you. There is no doubt in my mind that destiny has brought us together. Whatever the circumstances may appear, the underlying reason we are here together at this moment, is that it is our fate. We, you and I, were meant to be. As surely as the moon shines in the sky, we were meant for each other. I know this.”

  Morgan blinked under the force of his gaze and the harsh certainty in the tone of his voice. “But,” her voice broke, “but how can you know that, Victor? We don’t even know each other. You can’t believe that.”

  “Yes. I do know it. Now all I need to know is that you want me; want me in your bed and your life. Do you, Morgan? Do you want me?” Victor shook her slightly, punctuating his words.

  Morgan felt a momentary thrill of fear pass through her. She’d never experienced anything like this. Victor was totally unlike anyone she’d ever met. He was like an unpredictable force of nature, both bewitching and frightening. Maybe that sense of danger was part of what made him so appealing. She really couldn’t put her finger on it. But with sudden clarity she knew that she did want to be with him.

  His fingers were starting to dig painfully into the muscles of her upper arms. “Victor, you’re hurting me,” she shook her shoulders as if to break free.

  But Victor just gripped her tighter and pulled her to within inches of his face. His fierce eyes focused tightly on her own. “You haven’t answered my
question,” he said in a low and almost sinister tone. “Do you want me?”

  “Yes,” she admitted, meeting his eyes unflinchingly. “I do. I don’t know what’s happening to me, or even why my life has suddenly turned upside down. But I do want you.”

  His features softened as his hold on her arms loosened. Victor ran his fingertips across the red imprints left on her smooth skin from his hands. “Ah, Morgan,” he breathed, leaning forward to kiss her gently and tenderly. “I have waited all my life for you. Soon you will see. We were made for one another.”

  Morgan closed her mind to the doubts that begged to be heard. Giving in to the seduction of Victor’s words and his touch, she let the fears and uncertainties dissolve as he pulled her down on the bed.

  *****

  Morgan moaned as the dream claimed her for the second time in one night. She hurtled through a chaotic dark tunnel, to emerge upon a dry arid plane. In all directions lay an arid desert wasteland.

  Just as before, a shattering vibration burst from the earth’s crust and drove her to her hands and knees. As she struggled to stand, white light flared, obliterating all sight. Within the light was a swirling vortex.

  She fought to keep from being pulled into the vortex. Inside was death, Cord’s death. If she could remain free of the vortex, Cord wouldn’t die. But her strength was not enough. The maelstrom swallowed her. She flailed against it, desperate to awaken before she faced what was next to come.

  Before she could scream again, she was thrust into a new landscape. Cord’s body lay in the sand, beneath a blazing sun. Morgan tried to close her eyes to the horror as his body began to wither.

  "Cord!" She screamed, sitting up straight in bed. Looking around she saw she was in her own home, in one of the guest rooms.

  A touch on her shoulder made her jump and look in the direction of the touch. Victor looked at her with an unreadable expression on his face. "Are you all right?" He asked in a tight voice.

  Unable to trust her voice she just nodded, turning away from him and burying her face in a pillow. I wonder if I'll ever really be all right again, she thought to herself as the tears slid down her face.

  At last she turned over and looked into Victor's questioning eyes. "Just a bad dream," she said.

  "More like a nightmare from the sound of your screams," he commented dryly. "Would you like to talk about it?"

  "No.” Talking to him about it was the last thing she wanted to do. What she really wanted was to be alone, but she couldn’t bring herself to tell him. “Actually, I'd like to take a shower and get a cup of coffee. How about you?"

  "Fine. You go ahead. I'd like to make a phone call. It's just business, but it is rather important."

  "That's fine." She rose from the bed after giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. As she headed toward the door of the bedroom that led out into the house a sudden thought that made her stop.

  "Oh!" she said, somewhat embarrassed. "You may not want to use the landline here. Our lines are probably tapped."

  "Well,” he smiled. " I don't have anything to hide, so it won't be a problem. I'll just be a minute." Then turning, he picked up the phone and started dialing.

  Morgan went into the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee. When she peeked back into the guest room, she saw Victor was still on the phone. He put his hand over the mouth piece as she said, "I'm going upstairs to shower. Coffee will be ready in a few minutes."

  Nodding in acknowledgement, he turned his attention back to his phone conversation.

  Morgan showered and dressed in a pair of cutoff jeans and a tank top and went back downstairs. Victor was waiting at the dining room table with a cup of coffee before him and another waiting on the table for her.

  Morgan saw the coffee was black, so she picked it up and walked into the kitchen to add cream. She took a sip. It was unusually bitter, so she added a bit more cream.

  Victor watched slyly as she sipped the coffee. The empty vial lay in the bottom of her trash can, wrapped in paper towels. According to his chemists, he would only need to give her one more dose. He was being extremely careful with her dosages. He didn't want to damage her in any way, so her doses were much smaller than the ones they used on their test subjects.

  Morgan sat quietly looking out of the large glass doors at the bright summer morning. After a couple of sips the coffee had lost its bitter taste. She was very troubled by the dream. What could it mean? Is that just my mind's way of telling me that Cord’s gone; that my marriage is dead? If only I could talk to him." She finished her coffee and looked over at Victor.

  He smiled and reached over and held her hand on the table. "What are you doing today?"

  "I have to work." She answered quickly, using work as an excuse. "As a matter of fact," she continued quickly, "There are some things I really need to get done this morning on the ranch before I go into the clinic.”

  "Yes, I understand," he said, rising from the table. "May I call you?"

  “Sure.” She did not look at him as she answered. “But I’ll probably be tied up for the next couple of days.”

  “That will not be a problem, as I have scheduled appointments that can’t be postponed.”

  “Oh,” She was a little embarrassed, thinking that he had meant he wanted to call her later in the day. “Well, great. I guess I’ll talk to you in a couple of days.”

  Victor walked over and put his arms around her, holding her close for a long kiss. "Will you have dinner with me when I return?"

  "I don't know when I'll be through," she replied as he ran his lips down the side of her neck. "Or when you’re getting back. Maybe we should leave it open for now."

  "Whatever you want," he said, working his way up the other side of her neck to nibble her ear lobe. "I’ll call and inform you of my return. Perhaps you could come to my country home. I'll have Cook prepare something special for us."

  "You have a cook?" She pulled back, needing to put some distance between them and the sensations he inspired in her.

  "Doesn't everyone?" He asked, as if it were unthinkable not to have servants.

  "Well ... no, not in my world.” Morgan was very aware of how different their lives were. In a way he was just a big spoiled rich boy.

  "Ummm," he rumbled, squeezing her tightly to him, "not for long."

  She didn’t know what to make of the comment. Regardless of the passion they’d shared, they were essentially strangers -- strangers that belonged in different worlds. His was the world of luxury, excess and power, of never being in one place for very long and a succession of companions. Hers was simple; a home, a family, work and one person to share her life with. At least that’s how it had been and how she prayed it would be again.

  As she disengaged herself from his grasp, she gave him a weak smile. As compelling, sexy and downright irresistible as he was, her heart belonged to another.

  And she feared it always would.

  An Excerpt from

  The Shattered Series – Book Three

  Relentless

  Chapter One

  Cray County, Texas

  Morgan pulled up in front of the gate at the entrance of Victor's estate. Good grief! She looked up at the mansion that towered above the trees in the distance. That's not a house, it’s a hotel.

  She rolled down her window and pushed the call button on the speaker. She noticed the camera lens pointed down at her. "Yes?" A disembodied male voice came from the speaker.

  "Morgan Alexander," she said in the direction of the speaker. The gate swung open smoothly and she drove through. The estate was incredible. She took her time driving up to the house, enjoying the scenery.

  The main drive formed a circle in front of the house. She stopped in front of the house, reached over to pick up her purse from the seat and was startled by her door suddenly swinging open.

  A dark-complexioned man of medium height and build dressed in a black suit and wearing a dark turban held the door for her.

  Morgan slid out of the car and smiled. "Th
ank you." Her smile changed to a look of confusion as the man nodded and held out his hand. Not knowing what he meant, she looked down at his hand then back up at his face with a question on her face.

  Understanding dawned on her, making her feel slightly foolish. "Oh! Of course," she said, and handed him her keys. Without a word he nodded and got behind the wheel of the car. Morgan stood fixed in place as the car disappeared around the far side of the house. She looked up at the huge structure Victor called home and started for the massive front door.

  The door swung open as she stepped up onto the smooth marbled patio. Framed in the doorway was Victor, smiling broadly. "Morgan!" he greeted her and took her hand to pull her inside. "You look beautiful." He said as his eyes roamed over her.

  "Thank you," she smiled. "So, do you."

  Victor laughed delightedly and tucked her hand around his arm. "Come, let me show you my home."

  Morgan had never seen anything like Victor's house. There were at least a hundred rooms. She felt sure you could get lost in the house. Everything was perfect, from the marbled floors to the glittering waterfall in the entrance of the master bedroom that was large enough to house a tennis court. It looked like something out of the pages of a magazine.

  "It’s like a palace.’ She commented as he led her outside to an enormous terrace that overlooked a huge marbled pool, complete with Grecian columns and an elaborate fountain. She walked to the edge of the terrace and looked out over the pool area. "Are you some kind of king in disguise?"

  Victor came up behind her and wrapped his arms around. "Yes," he whispered. "A very lonely king, with no one to share his palace or his life."

  Morgan turned around to face him. "Lonely? How can you say that? You could have your choice of any woman in the world. There's no reason at all for you to be lonely."

  "Any woman?" Victor lifted a long lock of her hair and smoothed it over her shoulder.

  Morgan was taken off guard by his question and didn't really know how to respond. She looked down, pondering what to say. When she looked up, she answered honestly. "I don't know how to answer that. What do you want me to say?"