Rebel Heart (56 page)

"Never!"

"I'll have you tonight!" He laughed again.

She hissed, suddenly lashing out with a vengeance, clawing his face with her nails.

He ripped the rest of her clothing from her body, leaving her naked to his horrible scrutiny. "Bitch! Have it your way then but have it you will," Morray raged, his hand flying to his face at the long deep gouges she had made on him.

He slapped her again, pushing her back against the bed with such fury she cried out.

She heard the whisper of the wind, smelled the white petal as it lay so close to her.

Yet even as she saw the hatred in his eyes turn to lust, and even as a scream rose deep inside her, he was suddenly and fiercely yanked away.

His lust was swept completely from his eyes, replaced by fear.

Cameron stood there, hands at his sides, preparing for Morray's attack. When Morray lunged, Cameron feinted to the left, not even glancing at her as she leaped to her feet. His attention was focused on Quentin Morray.

Morray pulled a knife. "I should have killed you!" he snarled, shifting his weight from foot to foot, balancing.

"You're a dead man, Morray."

"Not this night!" Morray said. "Griffin!" he called out.

Cameron was not armed, yet he looked as if the tempest that broiled inside him was such that he could have strangled Morray with his bare hands. But if Morray had help, if his man came with a gun...

Tori leaped from the bed, searching the room for a weapon, heedless of the danger and the rage that blazed between the two men. Frantically yanking at the small drawer to her dresser, she prayed Nessa had somehow found her father's gun. The gun she'd used that night. She prayed Nessa had put it back. Her fingers fumbling with the catch, she pulled harder. It gave way and stumbling backwards, she saw the cold steel nestled against the silken liner. Closing her hand around the gun, she pulled it from the drawer. But Morray must have seen the movement because he was there, by her side. His hand came down hard on the wrist, the gun exploding suddenly, the bullet burying itself in the wall. Tori gritted her teeth against the pain, hanging on to the gun and turning swiftly with the intention of shooting Morray. Griffin and another man burst into the room.

"Cameron!" she cried. He watched her, nodding quickly. The gun was in the air, hurtling towards him. He caught it, and the men stopped, their own guns still holstered.

"Hands in the air!" Cameron ordered before tossing her a cotton shirt that lay nearby. He held the men at bay while she dressed. "Tori--get their guns."

Tori stepped forward, quickly taking the gun from each man.

"Cowards all of you." Morray suddenly hurtled himself forward, knocking Tori over, and the guns slid across the floor. Morray scrambled on all fours, lunging desperately for one of the weapons. Cameron shot and the gun exploded from Morray's hand, but Morray had been able to grab the second gun with his left hand. He was waving it wildly now, shooting.

"No!" Cameron roared, rushing forward, sending Morray's gun arm high into the air, bullets still shattering around them.

She could hear men rushing up the stairs, setting the alarms off at each level. "Go...go to the window. It's the only way out."

"We can't. The ladder is gone."

"Go up, Tori. Climb to the very top. There should be a rope there and then..." As men barged against the outer doors, his words trailed away. "Hurry."

She cringed, fear taking hold of all her senses, making her knees tremble and the world spin crazily. Clenching her fists together, she raced to the window. Do not look down, she told herself. Do not look down. But she couldn't help herself. She did look. And what greeted her sent new fear sweeping through her.

"Cameron!"

"Up, Tori. I'm right behind you. Trust me."

She started out the window. Wind caught at her shirt and tore at her hair. She heard Cameron curse as he pulled himself onto the ledge then began to ascend the ladder. Gunfire rent the air, and still she moved upward. Searing pain lanced her arm then it was numb. She touched her flesh, and when her fingers came away from the wound, they were stained with blood. Her heart caught in her throat and she swayed backwards, her hold loosening.

"Tori, go!" The voice was harsh but it brought her back to her senses and somehow she kept moving. She forgot about her arm, forgot about the deathly drop to the ground below. Suddenly she was on top of the roof, peering out over the city. And she was surprised to see that few lights glimmered there, astonished that the sound of gliders and laughter could not be heard. There was something terribly wrong, she thought, but she had no more time to contemplate the mysteries of the night.

She found herself swept into Cameron's arms then positioned on his back, her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms encircling his shoulders. He was clinging to the rope.

"Hold on tight!" he whispered and they were airborne. The descent was rapid and it nearly took her breath away. Trust me. She did trust him.

The earth rose to meet them but Cameron assumed the brunt of the landing. It was not perfect. They tumbled on the grass and Cameron rolled so he would hit first. She lay on his chest, eyes closed tightly, but when she did look down upon him, he was smiling.

"Ah, Victoria--I like it like this. It's too bad we can't linger."

She gasped softly then pushed away from him, knowing that even in this horribly dire situation he'd managed to embarrass her again. "Cameron."

A bullet whizzed by her head. Cursing, he turned and lifted her from the ground. They ran then, ran through the woods, stumbling through the briars. Her foot came down on a rock and she cried out. He swept her into his arms, cradling her tenderly even as he ran on.

"Can't you ever learn to wear shoes?" he whispered.

"Can't you ever learn to use a door?" A voice suddenly came through the night--a comforting voice. Tori and Cameron both peered into the woods, looking for the source.

Jonathan was there. The gliders were there.

She was swearing then. "I'm going to get another ride, aren't I?"

"Don't be afraid," Cameron urged her softly.

"I'm not afraid. I just don't want to be sick."

"There's no choice." He looked at Jonathan for clarification. Jonathan nodded.

"Hell..." Cameron gasped.

"The Western Alliance pulled out all of their representatives. War has been declared. You'll need to take care, both of you. Whatever happens, do not perform the genetic surgery. No good will come of it."

"You fought for it. It was approved for experimentation. Jonathan--"

"I believe in it, but that's not all this war is over. The Outsiders and City Dwellers are too different now. Perhaps the men who clamored for individual freedoms are right. Perhaps not."

Tori's teeth were chattering. She was almost naked and freezing, terrified of what her cousin and her husband were talking about. War? She had spent her entire life seeking her individual rights and now 'Merica was going to war over it. She was stunned.

His hands rested on her shoulders, pulling her back against him for a brief hug. She needed to talk to him, needed time to explain all that had gone on, but she found that he was suddenly hurrying her along to the glider. There were several waiting there but she knew which one was his.

It didn't take long and they were in the glider and soaring into the black night. Each glider assumed a different course and as she watched, she saw each one vanish.

She leaned her head back against the seat then closed her eyes. "I love you, Cameron. I love you so very much. I never led you into the tunnel. It was Zaria and even she loved you in her own way. Morray killed her you know. I--"

"I never doubted you," he said. She was going to start crying. With one hand still on the wheel, he gently touched her cheek, catching a glistening teardrop as it slid downward to rest in the hollow of her neck. "To hell with Morray and all his men and the war that is coming." Cameron set the glider gently down in a small grassy clearing. He reassured her as only he could, with a hungry, very soft kiss. When they broke apart, she was breathless. "I love you," he said softly.

"How did you get into and out of the tunnel? I thought..."

"I sealed it? No, I hadn't gotten around to it. You've led me such a chase that I never had the time. But Tori, your arm?"

"It's nothing," she whispered.

"Tori..." He wrestled with a small panel behind the pilot seat, bringing out an emergency kit. "Nothing?" he asked while he took care of the wound.

"Only a flesh wound. Cameron, It's..."

"Hush,"

"Cameron...when I saw the white petal, I knew. But I was so afraid."

"It was all I could think of, all I could risk. You had to know I was there for you." He sighed then brushed his lips across her, nibbling--touching--caressing.

The warmth, his tenderness, the desire that his kiss elicited filled her. "You're my knight in shining armor, you know," she told him as she fought back more tears.

"The Phantom of the night, come to rescue his damsel in distress, the woman I love," he said. "And the woman who will bear my children, grow old with me, and share her life with mine."

She held his face between her hands then rose to kiss him. It was a long, loving kiss that sent a slow liquid heat burning within her, simmering and threatening to explode.

"I hate to intrude," Jonathan's voice chirped as it came over the communication center, "but enemy gliders are on the way and you're a little too vulnerable down there. It's going to take some fancy flying."

"Do we have to?"

"Hold tight!"

Nothing more was said. She couldn't have said anything even if she felt the inclination. He pulled back the throttle, pointing the glider into a steep climb. The force of takeoff held her immobile against the back of the seat. She closed her eyes, waiting for the sensation to stop. It didn't. Eons went by before Cameron finally settled down to a slightly less ferocious flight.

"Next time...next time can we please not defy all the laws of nature and gravity to get away? There's got to be something completely inhumane in this death ride."

"Little rebel," he said tenderly, "I've a mind to show you what I can do if things get really life threatening. This was nothing."

"You wouldn't."

"True. There are many things that I'd do to impress you. Risking your life and our unborn child's in this manner is not one of them.

Her eyes widened. "You knew?"

"And when did you plan on telling me?" he queried softly.

"I--we've been so busy. Truly, I did not mean to keep it from you. It was just that I wanted to find the right time."

"Now is a very good time, Tori."

"At first I wasn't sure then I didn't know if the babe was conceived when you were The Phantom or after we were wed."

"It wouldn't have mattered. For now I would like to love you so well you will never forget."

"Perhaps a soft feather bed in a very private out-of-the-way cabin," she told him with a slight touch of innocence.

"Ah...babe, a feather bed," he said tenderly. He touched her leg with his hand then turned the glider toward his cabin.

"Tori, your research center had been completely dismantled before I left for Reding. Morray would have found nothing of use within it, even with your help. I'm not sure how long Reding will be safe for you, but for tonight I plan to spend it with you at my cabin, uh, our cabin by the lake, reliving our memories."

~ * ~

The cabin looked to be just as she'd remembered it. But this time she was married to The Phantom. How could she be so fortunate? She didn't know. Nor did she care. She just wanted Cameron to take care of her.

After opening the door of the cabin for Tori, Cameron carried her across the threshold. When they were safely inside, he let her slide to her feet. She felt him, all of him, his arousal, his desire, and she reveled in his love for her.

This interlude would be short, she knew that. Even though Morray was dead, all hell was breaking loose in the country. It had been simmering and boiling for a very long time, and now it threatened to explode.

~ * ~

The days spent at Reding were not to her liking. Stories of the war came in daily, doing little to bolster her frayed nerves. She was terrifyingly afraid for both Cameron and Jonathan and there was nothing she could do for either of them save pray.

Issues were being decided as the Outsiders and the City Dwellers drew farther apart. The argument went much deeper than originally thought. Civil issues were at the core and she found that she and Cameron did not agree on some things. But she had concluded that although she disagreed with him on some of the political issues, she would support him. She was finally learning the fine art of compromise.