Rebel Heart (48 page)

Tori stiffened with his words. He was playing a game with her again, but she did know the rules of this better than he did. "Only you."

"But you didn't succeed this time. Did you the last time?" His smile curled again and she wanted nothing more than to wipe it from his face.

She started to respond but closed her mouth instead. He let her go then and she turned from him. He asked nothing more of her.

"Be ready in an hour. Pack only your clothes."

She shivered but it wasn't the cold that caused it. The towel was still on the floor where she dropped it, but she didn't pick it up. There was nothing left of her that she could hide from him. Tori remained in the middle of the room, her back to him. "I never wanted a husband," she whispered. Then she froze, wondering if she had pushed his temper too far.

But she heard only the soft rustle of clothes then the thud of his boots. He was dressing. She whirled. Already he'd pulled on his leggings and his shirt. He was sitting down to put on his boots. He paused a moment. "One day you'll take back those words. One day words of love will be in their place."

"Never."
I don't know how to tell him how very much I love him. I make everything worse with all I do and say.

He finished dressing then walked over to her. He brushed her hair from her neck and placed a kiss there. Then he ran his finger down her spine and back up. She shivered beneath the caress. "Impetuous words, Tori. Never is far too encompassing. Someday..."

"Never," she repeated stubbornly.

He turned her around, holding her at arms length. When she tried to lower her lashes, he lifted her chin. He was grinning. "One hour."

"I can't possibly pack everything in that much time. I have my records, my specimens, my..."

"You're right. You cannot possibly. That's why I'm not expecting you to. Nessa and Luke will finish with the necessities and follow tomorrow. All that's required of you is your presence and if you even choose not to dress, fine. You'll come as you are, naked."

"You wouldn't," she said calmly. A slight smile curving her own lips. "You'd never haul me out of here with nothing on."

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Try me."

She stepped back, suddenly knowing she had carried this too far. He wouldn't hesitate to carry her out of here naked if she defied him again. "If you make me go with you, you'll regret every moment."

"I will never regret my actions." He strode across the room.

Astonished, Tori bent down, trying to drag the towel from the floor and wrap it around her. Then she raced after him, darting in front of him just before he reached the door.

"What now?" His voice was condescending and it seemed he held back a long weary sigh.

"I didn't mean it. I--I was just angry. Truly, you can trust me."

"Trust?" He shook his head. "I pray every day for that miracle. To you, Tori, it is a foreign word." He waved a hand in dismissal then holding both her shoulders, he lifted her from his path.

"Please, I..."

"You'll what? Vow undying love? Promise once more to stay where I put you? Victoria, I'm no fool."

"Obviously my word means nothing to you," she accused, suddenly wanting to get far away from him.

"Obviously not. But then when you prove yourself, I might reconsider."

"Prove myself!" she exclaimed. "I have nothing to prove. Have you forgotten that I'm the victim?"

"No..." he said softly. "I haven't. But it changes nothing. I'll be back in an hour."

Before she could say anything more, he left. The silence now thundered in her ears but it must have been her blood pounding. She began to pace the small room, her towel wrapped around her.

One hour--she had hardly enough time. She raced to the shower then turned the water on. Steam rose up around her and she stepped into the water. Throwing her head back, she let the hot water soothe her shattered nerves, all the while wondering how she had come to need the feel of his arms around her and the security that only his presence gave her.

How he was able to weave a spell around her with his caress and his sweet words of love. They were wed...

She scrubbed herself all over, wishing she could wash the enchantment and the magic of his touch from her. Then she stopped suddenly. Even the hot water could not stop her from shivering violently. She turned it hotter.

Nothing was right with her. She was sick one minute, then the next she was feeling wonderful. She was hungry all the time, yet she didn't seem to derive any energy from the food she consumed. A wild panic settled in the pit of her stomach. She started counting backwards.

"No..." she whispered softly. "It can't be..."

Tears suddenly welled in her eyes, yet she pushed them back. Everything was a blur of steam and tears and fear. Quickly, she stepped from the shower, her hair hanging limply around her face and down her back.

A groan escaped her and she sank down to the floor in a puddle of water. She couldn't be--she just couldn't be. It was too soon. She barely knew him, barely knew how he would handle this. She didn't even know if he would want a child.

It would make her so vulnerable. He'd never let her near the research facilities or into the woods. He'd guard her even more diligently.

A child--how she longed to hold the baby in her arms.

~ * ~

One hour after Cameron's departure, Tori was ready. She'd dressed in dark blue leggings and a long tunic of light blue. The sun was setting and the horizon had taken on a peach tone.

The visitor's center where she stood gazing out the long glass doors was silent and dark. A small red light on the gate leading to the first security level was the only source of illumination.

Tori swallowed back her apprehension and her fear, clasping her hands even more tightly in front of her. She wondered where everyone was. It was so still and quiet.

Cameron swept up in front of the door in his sleek land glider. His style was impeccable and his arrogance overpowering. She sighed wearily, acknowledging the fact that he was a handsome, arrogant devil.

She stepped through the door with a nod to him then waited for him to open the glider for her. He didn't speak, but the smile on his face curved slowly upward. Her lashes lowered for a moment as she settled herself into the comfortable seat. He moved quickly to the other side of the glider then sat down in the pilot's seat. The engine hummed and he revved it several times before finally taxiing out into the runway.

They were up and away.

Before she understood what was happening, they'd circled her facility and headed across the forest. There would be no passes to leave the City. Their flight was done in stealth so Sheridan and Morray would not realize they were missing.

A slight haze that could have been moon glow lit their path, but Tori knew now why it had been so quiet at the center. Luke and Nessa were working on the third level. The protective shield for the glider's escape was in place. No one would guess they had left.

Cameron

Cameron Savage wiped the sweat from his forehead with a towel then turning slowly, he thanked his partner. It had been a hard workout, he thought as he rotated his shoulder. Pain swept through him at the movement, but he brushed it aside, continuing to stretch his overheated and taxed muscles. He grimaced again at the action. Yet overall, he was pleased. Cameron rotated his shoulder once more, looking to his trainer, but the man had already left.

It was later than he had thought. The evening had come and gone and he still hadn't seen Tori. After leaving her in their room, he'd inventoried the equipment that was arriving from his lab in the mountains. As the hours passed, he was growing more and more anxious to see her.

Last night he had been determined to get her away from the lab, away from the danger that hovered constantly around her. He wanted to protect her and let her have her freedom at the same time. Reding was the only place on this earth that he thought this possible. But the rage in her eyes and the loathing in her expression when he told her she had no choice but to come with him, haunted him still. When he closed his eyes, he could see the fire and the ice--the magic and the fascination that was Tori, yet there was always a look of despair in her gaze.

Cameron had not slept that night. The lab had been a powerful force, the apparatus for the allele transplants arriving the night before. He'd spent hours staring at it. Unable to stop himself, he began to assemble the parts. He laughed at himself. How easy this was, he thought. How incredibly easy because it did have an instruction guide. He was reminded of a night not so long ago when he wished that Tori had come with instructions. But no, he thought, most of the time he preferred life this way--a challenge. The battles between them, some sweet, some bitter, brought out the best in her, showed him her courage and her determination, the fire within. He did admire those qualities in her. He admired much about his incredibly stubborn bride. She had the heart of a rebel.

His hands steepled beneath his chin as he stared at the directions to the machinery. He had become accustomed to her, her mercuric and eager mind, her tenacious determination to uncover the truth. As he looked into the night, burdened with his thoughts, his heartbeat quickened. When he walked to the window and gazed at the moon, he was reminded of her brilliance, the glow that often captured her features and held him enthralled. If anything were to happen to her....

But no, she would find safety here, in Reding.

Never in his wildest dreams had he thought to love her, he thought suddenly. She was so ardent, so courageous and she had such beautiful dove gray eyes. Her hair reminded him of a river of brandy. Yet even though he loved her, she loathed him.

She fought him at every turn. Victoria had never seemed afraid of him. Since he had first seen her scrambling from the window determined to save herself, she had somehow captured his heart.

He'd thought himself in love once before, but it had been nothing like this...this storm that swirled and danced around her. Whenever he thought of her, whenever he closed his eyes, he'd see her and then he'd crave her.

She made his life a living hell until he held her, stroked her. He wanted her by his side, now and forever.

He caught the memory of her delicate scent on the breeze that drifted through the window. The tiny white flowers the name of her lab came from grew in abundance in his research facility. Even the faint aroma they gave off reminded him of Victoria.

This had been her idea, her thesis, long before he'd come to take over. Her signature was on everything. It seemed to evolve with her hand, a single piece of data, a mark here, but when it was all compiled, it clamored for acknowledgment, defying him, yes, challenging him...

She wanted to be a part of this. And she deserved to be.

Yet he did not know how to compromise with her.

And so he had searched for a way to give her all she so desperately needed.

He had several ideas, but he somehow sensed it might not be enough, because she was not going to let herself be pushed aside.

It was not his intent to push her aside.

The apparatus was almost ready to run, to be tested; he could gather the information from her pins and put it to use. He would not allow her to dictate to him, he decided, but he would allow her a part, if only a small part. Perhaps just being in the room with him would be enough.

Even as he came to his decision and left the exercise room, he became aware of Luke running up the steps. He paused, watching and wondering what could possibly have Luke panting and looking so very forlorn.

He waited for Luke to reach him with his hand outstretched in greeting. Suddenly he realized there was something terribly wrong.

Luke stopped, leaning over and inhaling deep ragged breaths of air. "Come on. There's no time to waste. She's locked herself in the lab. She has her pins and is copying each one."

"How did that happen!" he exploded. "She has no keys!"

"She's found them all, every single one."

"Incredible."

Luke looked at him, his dismay clearly readable in his eyes. "Not so incredible. She drugged the guards, the cooks, all the research staff."

"Drugged!" Cameron felt a horrible shudder. He'd been a fool. He never should have left her alone, knowing how she felt and understanding her determination to change the world. "Since when?" he sighed, trying desperately to control his own emotions.

"Dr. Savage…" Luke began, stepping away from him.

"Come on. There's no time to waste. I've got to find a way inside. She can't stay in there alone."

"If it isn't one thing it's another. How the devil did she get a hold of drugs?"