"Blood Bound"

2011 Copyright All Rights Reserved

Chapter 16

“What?”  Shelby asked, staring up at Leo pensively. 

 “Come here,” he repeated softly, his inky black eyes trained solely on her.

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” she replied, shaking her head from side to side and taking a cautious step backwards.

Leo followed her every move with his concentrated stare.  In so many ways she was still such a mystery to him. Even after watching her grow up, he thought he had her all figured out but now, with her standing here in front of him and her chin held up defiantly; he realized that there was so much more to his little Bride than meets the eye.  She had strength;  a strength of the likes that he had never imagined and that was a good thing. He just needed to figure out a way to get her to trust him, wholly and completely.

 “First off,” he started holding one finger up in the air, “You challenge a shifter, pretty much taking him down with simplistic ease.”  He held up a second finger in the air. “Then you storm in like an avenging angel and threaten an aged vampire which is basically suicide for a fledgling like you-  but now,” he said; arching his brow and holding his hand out in a grand gesture, “You look like a scared child when I ask you to come to me.”

He smiled knowingly at her,  “Now my sweet, what is wrong with this picture?”

 Shelby shrugged her shoulders, dropped her head and answered him meekly, “I dunno.”  When he put it like that, it really did seem outlandish but she couldn‘t help the things that she felt when she was around him.

 Leo took a step forward, closing some of the distance between them.  “ I believe you do my sweet,” he cooed.  He took another step so that he was now standing in front of her and pushed forward.  “I believe you’re scared Shelby; not of the many scary monsters that creep and crawl through the night but of what you feel here,” he told her, gently pressing his hand to her chest.  “You are terrified of what you feel for me.”

“No,” she whispered and closed her eyes, not wanting to talk about this right now.  It hurt to hear the truth.  She was having enough trouble sifting through her emotions on her own; she was by no means ready to talk about them with the very man the incited those feelings inside of her.  “You’re wrong.”

 Leo cupped her cheek with his large hand.  “No Shelby- I don’t think so, not this time.”  He held his hand there against her skin restraining himself from looking into her mind.  He wanted her to come to terms with the way that she felt for him once and for all and as stubborn as his Bride has proven to be, the only way that she would do that would be on her own. 

 Battling the riotous emotions simmering inside of her, Shelby fisted her hands by her side.  “Don’t you dare try and tell me what I feel and what I don’t feel Leo.”  She tried to step away from him, but he held her in place with a tender but firm grip of her cheek, “You don‘t even have a clue.” 

 Her face was resplendent as she worked to stay calm.  Leo had somehow managed to work his way into heart and it happened without her even realizing it. 

 In the short time that she has shared with Leo, there was only one thing that she was absolute of-- she cared for this man.  God help her; she was starting to fall in love with him and if truth be told, she was scared to death of that little fact. 

 Her biggest fear right now was that when he found out she had finally fallen for him, he would break her heart just like her parents had done with their divorce.  He would rip it in half, stomp it in the ground and never look back.

Leo chuckled but it wasn‘t a happy one…..it was more of he knew what she was thinking chuckle.  “You’re like an open book Shelby; I can see it written all over your face.  The indecision…. the need…….the want…  just give into it, let me in love.  We were meant for each other; blood, body and soul.”

 Gulping, Shelby wanted to fight him, but some hidden instinct deep within wouldn’t let her.  Instead, she found herself walking into his open arms.  Leo pulled her against him, placing his head into the crook of his neck. 

 “Finally,” he breathed out, feeling her resolve weaken.   He squeezed his arms a little tighter, loving the way that she fit him so perfectly.  “I love you,” he whispered into her hair.  “I always have Shelby.  From the very first day that I saw you and you looked up at me with all of the trust in the world, I was bewitched.  It’s you and only you that holds this old Vampires heart.”

 Shelby didn’t know what to say to that.  Had it been that long for her?  Had she felt love for this man all of these years too?   She thought back to her recurring dreams of her Knight in Shining Armor and the way that she always felt so much calmer when his face came to mind.  

 Yes, she finally decided.  She has always loved him too and although she had pretty much admitted that to herself, she wasn’t quite ready to voice the words aloud.  She wasn’t even sure that she would ever be able to repeat those three words aloud. 

 That was something that only time would tell.

 Realizing that Shelby just wasn’t quite ready yet Leo set her apart from him for.  She had come to him and that was a step in the right direction.  But right now, there were other issues at hand.  He had some questions and he needed some answers.  Starting with the enchanted necklace that Shelby wore around her neck.

 “My sweet,” he spoke softly, reaching towards her neck and pulling out the beautiful diamond rose pendant that she was wearing; “Where did you get this?” 

 Shelby blinked.  Of all the things that he could have asked her that was not at all what she was expecting.  “Why?” She asked apprehensively.

 Leo fingered the rose, watching how the light glinted off of the perfectly shaped diamond.  “It’s important;” he said, keeping his tone soft.  “Who gave it to you?”

 Shelby pulled back from him, the pendant falling softly against her chest.  She covered it protectively with hand, not understanding what her birthday gift from Anissa had to do with anything.  “And I’ll ask again…..,” she said; staring into his eyes, ”Why is it important?”

 Leo let out a loud sigh and dropped his hand to his side.  “It’s not just any necklace love.  That there,” he pointed at the pendant that she was still clutching in her hand is a very powerful charm.  So powerful that it could have only come from one of the original witches.”

 “I don’t know any witches,” she quickly defended herself.  Hell, for that matter she never knew of any vampires or shifters until now. 

 Leo smiled tenderly at her.  “You may not, but whoever gave you that necklace does,” he assured her.  “You having it, makes you a target of sorts and I want to know why whomever gave it to you thought you needed it’s protection.”

 Shelby’s face paled slightly.  “A target?  But why would I be a target?”

 “That’s what I would like to know?  If you in danger then we need to know why.  I would much rather be prepared if something’s coming for you than to be caught blind sided again  like we were back in your apartment.”

 She turned away, unable to look at him.  Right now, she was at a total loss for words.  Why?  Why would someone target her of all people.  She pretty much stayed to herself with the exception of a few visits from Anissa and a phone call or two to her childhood friend, Christopher.  Everyone else pretty much stayed away from her.

 Just the mere thought that someone was after her, sent a chill racing up her spine.  She visibly shivered, Leo noticing it instantly.

“Come here,” Leo held out his arms and for the second time today she walked into them unconditionally.  He wrapped her up in his embrace and held her there against his chest.  When her shivering stopped, he asked her again, “Who gave it to you Shelby.  Tell me…. Please.”

 “A friend,” she finally told him.  “Anissa Warren.  She gave it to me for my birthday.”

 “Anissa gave you this?” He asked, not bothering to hide his surprise.  He knew who she was.  She was a famous international model and had been Shelby’s only friend over the last two years.  He had her checked out when she first met Shelby and was unable to find anything suspicious about her.

 “I need to talk to her Shelby.  I need to know where she got the pendant from and why she gave it to you.”  What he really wanted to know was how in the hell did she manage to get her hands something as powerful as this.

 Shelby nodded, Leo feeling the movement against his chest.  “I’ll call her.”  She wasn’t sure how her friend figured into all of this but she would call her and find out.  If someone was after her, then Leo was right, it was better that they knew ahead of time and that they were prepared. 

 “Good.”  Leo pulled his head back and hooked his finger under her chin, lifting her head so that he could see her face.  Bending down he pressed a kiss to her lips. 

 With there lips connected; Leo flicked his hand and transported them both back to his chambers.  Candles instantly came to life around them, illuminating the room with bright white light. 

 He lifted his head from her delectable mouth and a grin tugged at the corner of his lips.  She batted her eyelashes rapidly, taking a second to realize what he had done. 

 Narrowing her eyes on him, she balled up her fist and without any hesitation she smacked him hard in the chest. 

 “I told you that I didn’t like that,” she fumed and began to pound on his chest in earnest.  “It makes me dizzy.”

 Covering up his amusement, Leo grabbed her hands and held them still at her sides.  “You are just too cute when your angry like this.”  Once again, unable to hold himself back, he bent down and stole another sweet kiss from her lips.

 She tasted so good.  So incredibly delicious that he would have been happy to live off just her kisses alone.  He skillfully teased her mouth open and delved inside, taking what it was that he so badly wanted. 

 When their tongues began to duel, it was as if all the fight had left her.  She needed him like she needed air to breathe.  When they were together she felt whole, complete.  Wrapping her arms around his neck she drew herself closer to him; enjoying how strong and masculine that he felt against her.  She sipped at his mouth, tasted his essence and savored his breath until she felt drunk.

 All too soon though, Leo pulled away.  She instantly felt bereft from the loss of his mouth and struggled to hold back her whimper of protest. 

 “I need to go see Ric,” he said gruffly.  What he really wanted to do was pull his Bride into bed and finish what she had so innocently started.  His groin was full and aching and he wanted nothing more than to bury himself into the haven of her warm caverns. 

 But there was one thing that held him back- her safety.  Her safety meant more to him than the satisfaction of his lusty desire.  They had an eternity now to indulge in those pleasures but right now, they had to deal with the problem at hand.

Shelby struggled to gain control of her body.  Again, this man had confused her.  One moment it was like he couldn’t get enough her and the next he left her feeling cold and empty inside.

 Leo opened his hand and held it out to her, revealing a slim black phone.  “Here,” he bit out between clenched teeth, “Call Anissa and see if she can meet us somewhere to talk.”

With trembling fingers, Shelby reached out and took the phone from his hand.  His tone brokered no arguments.

 What did I do wrong?  She wondered.  Why is he acting like this?

 With the phone in her hand, Leo stared at his Bride for a long moment.  The urge to take her to his bed and ravage her properly was nearly overwhelming.  He knew that if he didn’t leave now, then he would never leave and Shelby was too important to him to let his desire override his competence.

 Steeling himself, he told her shortly, “I’ll be back,” and before Shelby could answer him, he was gone.  There was nothing left in his place but air and dust.

 “Arghhh!!” She screamed out in pure frustration.  “Why me?“ 

 The candles flickering light was her only answer and they weren't saying very much.