Awakened (Vampire Awakenings) (31 page)

“I am not going back!” Liam’s eyes flashed violently for a moment, but she didn’t care. She wasn’t going to back down from this. Her friends would not be hurt because of her. “They are in danger because of us, and I will not abandon them.”

“You are not staying here.”

She snatched her skis angrily up. “If you force me to leave, so help me Liam, I will go after Beth myself.”

His nostrils flared. “What?”

“I will go out of my way to find her, to bait her. I will do whatever I can to draw her out, as long as it means that they’re safe. Do you understand me?” He reached out to grab her, but she took a quick step back. His eyes flashed dangerously again. “I may belong with you, but that doesn’t mean that you own me! I still have a mind of my own and whether you like it or not, I am staying. And right now you’re pissing me off!”

She slammed her skis into his chest, spun on her heel, and stormed after Kathleen and Danielle. Liam fumbled awkwardly with her skis, too shocked to do much more. “Well now, it seems like Kathleen isn’t the only one that you shouldn’t wave a red flag in front of,” Jack chuckled.

Liam glowered as he thrust the skis at him. “Shut up.”

Jack laughed loudly as he caught the skis. “You really did piss her off; bet you’re glad you’ll be spending eternity with her now!”

Liam cast him a furious look as he spun and headed toward the lodge. His friends echoing laughter only served to infuriate him further with each step he took. He made his way through the small crowd gathered within the main room of the lodge. Sera’s anger was like a homing beacon as he left the main room and strode down a hallway.

He found her sitting on one of the leather couches in a small sunroom at the far end of the lodge. There was no one in the room as she stared out the multitude of glass panes that made up the entire back wall of the room. Potted plants and trees were stuffed into every available nook and cranny. Deer heads hung on the wall by the small fireplace.

He crossed the small blue throw rug to stand beside her. She didn’t turn away from the window as she watched the skiers coming down the hill. The setting sun washed over her in soft rays that lit her porcelain skin and highlighted the vivid violet blue of her eyes. He took a moment to admire her delicate beauty.

“You don’t own me Liam.”

He sighed as he turned to watch another group of people coming down the hill. “Sera, you belong with me.”

“I know that just as well as you do, but you don’t own me and you can’t dictate my life.”

“If your life is in danger, then I can, and will dictate it!”

She finally turned to look at him. Her jaw was clenched as her nostrils flared. “No, you won’t. You will talk to me about it, and we will decide together, but you are not going to order me around. I won’t have it, especially not in front of your friends.”

Liam ground his jaw as he tried to keep a tight hold on his fraying patience. “I will not let you be hurt, and if that means that I have to tell you what to do, then you are going to do it.”

Sera launched to her feet, her hands fisted as she rounded on him. “No I won’t!”

“You’re just being obstinate now.” Surprise filtered through him as her eyes flashed with red.

She couldn’t believe that he was treating her like this, that he was saying this to her. “I am not being obstinate. I’m telling you that you will not treat me like some possession that you can walk all over, and tell what to do. I am my own person Liam, and so help me God if you keep this up, I really will go find Beth, and...”

Sera was cut off in mid-tirade as he seized hold of her arms. She gasped in surprise; she’d never even seen him move. He lifted her so that she was eye level with him. “I’m telling you right now that you don’t want to finish that sentence. You will stay away from Beth, and as long as there is any threat to you, you will listen to me!”

“Liam...”

“No!” His eyes blazed with anger, and torment. “If something were to ever happen to you...”

He broke off as she laid a hand against his cheek. The anger instantly vanished as his eyes returned to their brilliant emerald color. “Nothing is going to happen to me,” she soothed. “But you can’t treat me like this Liam, you just can’t. I couldn’t live like that, not forever, I couldn’t.” His eyes flashed again as his jaw clenched. “Talk to me, don’t order me.”

He dropped his head to rest against hers. “Sera, when it comes to this, I can’t help but order you around,” he admitted with a ragged breath. “I am the one that will protect you, and keep you safe. I have too.”

Some of Sera’s anger began to melt as she realized that he wasn’t trying to be cruel, or unkind to her, he just couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. When it came to the issue of her protection the beast in him was just below the surface, and able to break free at a moment’s notice. “All right,” she relented. “But could you at least try and talk to me, instead of treating me like I’m an idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot, you’re infuriating,” he groaned.

Sera frowned at him as he lifted his head to smile at her. “I am not!” she protested.

He quirked an eyebrow as he lowered her back to the floor. “You’re infuriating... aggravating...tempting...and completely irresistible.”

He punctuated each of his words with a soft kiss. By the time he was done, Sera’s anger was gone, and her body was beginning to burn with desire. She twined her arms around his neck as she smiled seductively and pressed her body against his.

“And you are just as infuriating, aggravating, tempting, and completely irresistible,” she whispered as she brushed her mouth against his.

His lips seared into hers, melting her clear down to her toes as she sighed in delicious contentment. Her fingers stroked the nape of his neck as she opened her mouth to his invasion. “Hey… Oh for God’s sake get a room. The party’s starting!”

Sera pulled reluctantly away to face Kathleen. She stood in the doorway with her hands planted on her hips as she grinned at them. “Hi Kathleen,” Liam greeted.

She shot him a disgruntled look before turning back to Sera. “Well, come on.”

“We’re coming, we’re coming,” Sera assured her.

“Sera,” Liam growled in her ear.

She frowned at him as she cast a quick glance out the window. “The sun has set.”

His eyes widened in surprise as his head jerked to the window. “Damn it!” he hissed.

Sera lightly stroked his cheek in an attempt to soothe him. “It will be all right,” she said softly.

“You stay close to me.”

She blinked in surprise at the anger that blazed from him and caused his arms to feel like steel vices surrounding her. “I will,” she promised.

He nodded, but the tense anger in his gaze didn’t ease. “Come on!” Kathleen urged.

Sera turned toward her, but Liam seized hold of her arm and pulled her back against his side. For a moment anger sparked through her again. She rounded on him, but the look in his eyes silenced any further protest. He was angry, but he was not angry at her, he was mad at himself for not realizing that it had gotten so late. He was also extremely worried. It radiated from him as he held tightly to her.

She couldn’t be angry at him, not when he was looking at her like that. “God, you guys are going to kill each other if you keep this up!” Kathleen seized hold of her other arm. “Come on Sera, you can part with him for a few minutes.”

“Just hold on, okay? I’ll meet you out there.”

Kathleen’s eyes darted between them before she gave Liam a scathing look and left. “What is the matter with her?” he asked quietly.

“She thinks you beat me.”

“What?” His eyebrows jumped into his hairline.

She grinned as she nodded. “Yeah, she thinks you’re too possessive and that you’re going to start beating me.”

Liam’s eyes flashed with humor as the corner of his mouth quirked. “Maybe I should start; you might listen to me then.”

Her eyebrows rose as her mouth pursed. “Just try it.”

He grinned cockily as he kissed her quickly. “Stay near me, I mean it.”

“I will,” she promised.

He let go of her arm and followed her out to the packed main room. The room was huge, with massive cathedral ceilings, and about fifty chandeliers hanging from the beams that ran across it. The bar took up one whole side of the left wall, while the main desk took up half of the right. The other half was covered by a massive stone fireplace that was crackling noisily. A small band had been set up on the stage that jutted out from the back wall.

There were about a hundred people in the room, but they were all moving easily around the large space. Kids ran around, darting by people, and disappearing through the doors that led to the arcade. A small pain of longing stabbed through her chest as she watched them go.

Liam squeezed her arm gently. She forced a smile as she turned to look at him. His eyes were dark and troubled as they quickly searched her face. “Okay, let’s go!” Kathleen seized hold of her arm and pulled her into the crowd before she could even form a protest. She glanced over her shoulder at Liam, who was watching her intently. Sera turned away as Kathleen pulled her along.

***

Liam’s eyes were intent upon Sera as she stood with Kathleen at the bar. A young man had approached them, and was now leaning entirely to close for his comfort. Liam shifted as anger began to rise inside him. Sera’s gaze met his; she smiled softly, and nodded. He managed a nod in return as his gaze darted pointedly to the man.

“She’s not going anywhere with him,” Mike informed him.

“I know that,” he grated through clenched teeth.

“Then stop looking as if you’re going to rip his throat out.”

“Speaking of throat’s,” Jack drawled. “I’m hungry.”

“We all are,” Liam replied coldly.

A group of people dancing by in a conga line momentarily blocked his view of Sera. He watched the line as he picked out the girls that could be possibilities for later. He lifted his gaze to find Sera studying him out of narrowed eyes. It was now his turn to smile sweetly and nod. Her eyes snapped as her mouth compressed into a flat line. He had only a moment of supreme satisfaction before the guy touched her arm.

“Would you like to dance?” he asked her.

“Oh, no thanks,” she replied lightly as she sipped her drink. “I’m sure Kathleen would love to though.”

Without thinking she grabbed his arm and propelled him toward Kathleen. She turned back around to find Liam glaring across the dance floor. She wanted to feel satisfaction at his obvious anger, but she didn’t. All she felt was the fierce need to go to him, to be with him. She put her drink down and began to wind her way across the floor to him. She paused as the conga line went by with arms and legs kicking in a rush of different directions. She couldn’t help but smile and laugh as they shouted and danced along.

Sera gasped in surprise as Liam’s hands seized hold of her waist and pulled her in front of him. She laughed happily as her hands settled upon the slightly chubby woman before her. The music continued to play as they wound their way through the arcade, into the sunroom, and back out to the main floor.

She cast a bright grin over her shoulder to find Liam smiling down at her. His hands seemed to sear into her waist as they warmed her from the inside out. The music came to a halt and the line broke up. Sera whirled into Liam’s arms and lifted onto her toes to kiss him quickly.

His grin was cocky and slanted. “I’m hungry.” His whispered words sent a mixture of desire for him, and a longing for blood through her. His eyes were dark and cloudy as they searched her face. “So are you, love.”

She smiled as she lifted a dainty shoulder in a shrug. “Maybe.”

“For more than one thing,” he teased as he rubbed his hardened shaft provocatively against her.

Her eyes sparked as she grinned saucily at him. “Maybe,” she teased.

“Well then, I guess I’ll have to fulfill both of your hungers.”

His nip on her lower lip sent a firestorm of want rushing through her. “Uh huh,” she replied dazedly.

He grinned cockily as he wrapped his arm around her waist and led her off the floor. Sera blinked in surprise as her lustful haze was broken and she recalled that they were surrounded by a group of people. She cast him a dark look as he led her over to Mike, and Jack. He had purposely distracted her and clouded her mind, just as he had purposely left her in a state of arousal. He chuckled softly as he kissed her forehead lightly. “Soon,” he promised.

He released his hold on her and turned to survey the crowd. “Where are David and Doug?” she inquired.

“Having fun,” Jack replied.

Sera frowned at him as he grinned back at her. “I’ll be back,” Liam told her.

He turned to leave, but Sera grabbed hold of his arm. “Not a girl,” she said quietly.

His eyebrows rose in surprise as he glanced sharply at Jack and Mike. “Sera...”

Her jaw clenched as a wave of possessiveness washed through her. She didn’t even want to think about it. “Not a girl.”

His smile was wry with amusement as he brushed her hair back. “Would that upset you?” he asked teasingly.