Dream - Dream Specter Part 5

It was rather disturbing to think that she had been the cause of so much destruction. The sickening twist of her stomach seemed to indicate that she had escaped one group of predators only to encounter an animal that was further up on the food chain.

Just what kind of animal he was, Rosh.e.l.le didn't know. But she knew exactly who held her. The joining of their flesh brought her memory into sharp focus, delivering up the images that she had searched for.

He was far worse than any nightmare. Terror was rapidly attempting to renew its grasp on her mind.

Rosh.e.l.le desperately fought against it. This man would be capable of destroying more than just her flesh. He could take that destruction to the very bottom of her soul.

An emotion was pus.h.i.+ng its way through Jared's anger. He found it an annoying interruption but it persisted in its fight for his attention. Securing her arms with their current amount of damage was going to be very painful. Finding a reluctance to inflict that pain on his prisoner caused him to snort with frustration.

He didn't have time for this!

But the nagging need to ease her pain hooked into his brain, refusing to be disregarded. Jared ripped his hood from his head. The soft black fabric would have to do. Wrapping it over her wrists he knotted the rope on top to secure her hands behind her.

A sharp whistle hit the night and Jared frowned. He didn't need the reminder from Shane. He knew the need for a speedy departure and he wanted to get her back onto his land before any chance of escape came her way.

A smile spread across his face as he contemplated securing his captive behind the borders of his home. There would be no escape.

His family would remain safe!

Rosh.e.l.le felt her body leave the ground in a fluid motion. His strength was amazing. The motor was engaged almost in the same moment that her body settled onto the unyielding surface of a truck bed. With no road, the tires struggled among the stones and ruts. Without the use of her hands to stop her, she began to pitch and roll.

Bruised flesh screamed in response to the treatment. A solid foot ended the suffering. One large booted foot propped itself against her rib cage, pressing her body into the opposite wall of the bed. Despite its crudeness, the action was still effective.

Despite her need for relief, Rosh.e.l.le found herself despising the blunt reminder of her position with this man. Finding herself literally held "under his boot heel" demanded a response that her pride was willing to give. Unfortunately, her body was completely helpless. His boot released her the second the motor once again went silent.

Jumping down from his seat, Jared covered the distance separating him from Shane. Back on familiar ground, he felt his mind s.h.i.+fting into tight control. There was only one unknown factor present and Jared would deal with her directly.

"You might as well save the act, Shane Jacobs! I'm not impressed!"

"Just keep your paws off my person! I learned how to walk quite well when I was two!"

As the angry retort reached his ears, Jared stopped. Shane was currently leading the blonde-haired woman into the house and she was making it a ch.o.r.e. The outcome of their struggle was never in question, but the man seemed to be loathe to hurt his charge.

Shane let out a frustrated growl before extending an arm towards his front door. The blonde tossed her head before she moved forward on unhurried steps.

The woman's knowledge of even one of their names posed more problems. There was no way they would see the end of this tonight. Fatigue was wrapped around his body forcing Jared to consider just how to secure their "problems" 'til tomorrow.

The mountain was equipped with a wide range of buildings; unfortunately, a cell wasn't one of them. There had never been a prisoner held here. The function of his unit was protection and deployment.

Well, they had two prisoners now.

Shane had his hands full with the blonde and that suited Jared just fine. He wasn't in the mood to share his problem. She had started this and he intended to see it finished.

Her bonds came loose with far less effort this time. Whatever was wrapped over her wrists allowed Rosh.e.l.le to slide the entire bundle down and off her hands. Moving her arms in front of her she simply took a moment to rub the ache from them. Too many hours of cramped positions made her grateful for the reprieve. It was just too bad that she didn't have any faith in it lasting very long.

Pus.h.i.+ng herself up she forced her eyes to investigate her newest surroundings. Lying in this truck bed while she nursed her injuries wasn't going to accomplish very much, except to ensure that she was still there when her captors got around to looking for her again.

They had taken her up into the forest. Benton County was comprised of almost all forest, but there were distinct elevation clues that would tell you if you had made it to the true mountains. Even through the darkness she noticed the upturned needles of the trees in front of her. Instead of pine, they were fir trees.

No one seemed to be in sight. Rosh.e.l.le moved closer to the edge of the tailgate as she searched the area. Three other trucks were parked just thirty feet from the one she sat in. They were lined up with precise care, with exactly three feet between them.

The house behind the vehicles seemed to hold the men that had disembarked from them. Light spilled from its windows as bits of conversation drifted on the night breeze. Christina's voice reached her ears even if the exact words were m.u.f.fled.

Relief flooded her body. Something else followed on the heels of that emotion. The discomforts of her body were interfering with an exact identification of just what she was feeling.

Lifting her head, Rosh.e.l.le moved her eyes slowly about the dark. He was here. She had not been left alone. Instead she was being carefully observed.

Her tolerance ended abruptly. She was sick of being the prey. Pus.h.i.+ng herself to her feet, she forced her mind to tell her where he was. She had found him before. As it appeared that she was stuck with these feelings, she might as well exercise them.

"You can stop hiding in the dark, because you're not scaring me."

Maybe tossing out a challenge wasn't the wisest thing she could do in her current situation but the waiting was simply unbearable.

It was fortunate that she had found his direction because his feet didn't make a sound as he melted from the darkness. His body bled from the night almost like a ghost. Light washed over the hard cut of his face. Solid muscle covered a frame that dwarfed her own. Her feet s.h.i.+fted as he came closer to loom over her.

"I think I am scaring you. Tomorrow I promise you I will."

Jared ground his teeth together as he raked his eyes over her innocent-looking face. That need to protect her fragile-looking body crept up and he clenched his fingers into fists.

No woman was worth dying for...not even this one. But d.a.m.n it all to h.e.l.l. Why? Rosh.e.l.le was a local and Jared found his stomach turning as he considered the best method of breaking her.

"Who are you?" Her voice was whisper-soft as she stared at him. Jared pressed his lips into a tight line before wrapping his hand around her arm.

"I'm your worst nightmare."

And she was his. His body throbbed with unsatisfied desire as he concocted the best way to interrogate her. Jared ground his teeth together as he resigned himself to disappointment. His body didn't care. His staff was hard with need as he hauled her into his house. Pa.s.sing up the master bedroom took every last sc.r.a.p of self-discipline he had because all he wanted to do was comfort her bruised skin. Her delicate body was made for a man to wors.h.i.+p. Instead she'd used it for treason.

G.o.d d.a.m.n it to h.e.l.l and back!

Chapter Five.

"You're still not scaring me!"

A solid door slammed in her face. The wood paneling stared back at her completely unimpressed with her brave words.

Dropping herself onto the bed, Rosh.e.l.le let her face reflect her true feelings. She was so tired! Fear might still be coursing through her veins but her body was collapsing as she took in the fact that she seemed to be alone for the present.

Sunlight streamed in the window when she lifted her eyes again. Rosh.e.l.le lifted her face and noticed a doorway that she'd missed the night before. It led to a small bathroom that she gratefully entered. She rushed through a shower as his promise lingered in her memory. Her body was already far too aware of the man. She didn't need him finding her naked.

Green eyes were uncommon, the emerald intensity of his had to be the rarest kind. Set with his black hair, it was a startling combination. His body was amazing. He had to be over six feet and his chest was coated with thick muscles that continued down his arms.

He was one of the most terrifying men that she had ever seen.

It was almost funny to recall their first meeting. He had threatened her even then. But she had stood up to him with the innocent faith of a child. It had not even crossed her mind that another human being would

do her harm. Abba was responsible for that.

A smile flirted across her face. Dear sweet Abba. How Rosh.e.l.le missed her grandmother.

That smile was the first thing Jared saw when he opened the door. The fact that she was clearly pleased

with herself caused his temper to raise its head.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Her breath was stuck in her throat. Rosh.e.l.le forced it down. She refused to be his next kill.

"I see you've decided to stop hiding."

"You missed me?"

"Like a toothache."

Jared caught his amus.e.m.e.nt before she heard it. She had a backbone of solid steel; he'd give her that.

Her fingers were curled into the comforter that she sat on betraying her fear.

Shane's methods were not yielding the information he needed. The blonde insisted that they'd been

kidnapped. Jared was finished waiting. Rosh.e.l.le would tell him why he'd found her in the mist of a rebel force, or he would rip it out of her mind.

"I suggest you tell me exactly what your friends were up to on my mountain."

She knew one thing about him now. He was a man that kept his promises. Fear was rising along her

back in response to the aggression in his voice. Rosh.e.l.le forced herself to lock stares with him.

"They weren't my friends. They were my captors."

A harsh grunt was his response. He crossed his huge arms over his chest as his eyes cut into hers. He

continued right into her mind. Rosh.e.l.le struggled against the invasion but refused to cower. She could feel

his anger, as he seemed to s.h.i.+ft among her emotions.

But her senses registered more than his anger. She felt him. It was a strength that seemed to be forged from solid steel. There was an undeniable attraction to that strength. All the details about how they'd ended up facing each other down didn't matter as Rosh.e.l.le felt the impact of this man's true nature.

He had honor. Maybe the edges were rough but there wasn't the stench of dishonestly rising from his

soul. Something inside her deepest core was touched by his presence.

Rosh.e.l.le suddenly gasped. His eyes had closed to mere slits as he listened to her thoughts. It wasn't like a conversation that you followed in words but they were linked together so that every emotion was shared. He liked her approval of him. It ran through his brain as arousal followed right on its heels.

"Don't touch me."

Jared wasn't even sure just when he'd decided to do exactly that. But he wanted to close the gap between them 'til he could bury his face in the soft curve of her neck again. His body didn't give a d.a.m.n about anything but the need to get closer to her. It confounded the h.e.l.l out of him but that didn't change the fact that his staff was rising to attention as he considered the bed she sat on.

Just what he was expecting she wasn't sure of, but he pushed his body away from the wall that he was leaning against. The two steps he took brought him within touching range of her body.

"Don't touch me!"

She rolled over the bed in her search for escape. Her eyes were wide as she struggled against the needs of her own body. She wanted him. Jared could taste it.

"You like the way I touch you."

He moved like a predator. Two huge hands landed in the middle of the bed as he leaped across it. His mind sliced through her protests like a razor to find out what she hid behind the s.h.i.+eld. His lips lifted at the corners as he let his own arousal drift across the link.

"Hmm... So, you're afraid of yourself. I might have to help you face your phobia."

But Jared wasn't interested in chasing her across the bed. He held their link open as her eyes widened with the intensity of their reaction to each other. It poured from both of their bodies to mix together into something that threatened to consume both their ideas about right and wrong.

It scared her to death. Jared clamped his jaw together and pushed away from the bed. Her fear twisted his gut, souring his desire to claim her. He pushed the door open with too much force and slammed it back behind him with even more.

Cupping her hands under the faucet, Rosh.e.l.le used them to splash the water onto her face. The cooling liquid hit her eyes, soothing the burning.

The door opened behind her causing her heart to leap in panic. She couldn't face another trial just yet.

The door closed again almost before it had completely opened. Her eyes surveyed the plate of food that was left behind on the nightstand. Reaching for the bottle of water she enjoyed the cooling slide of the beverage but the rest of the food didn't interest her in the least.