chapter 8: Desire and Despair 1
"Isn't about time you let me go already?
Have you lost your hearing?"
"Could you please be quiet already?"he pleaded, exhausted and stricken.
The huge muscular man, standing guard by the door twitched, restless, and tried catching a glimpse of the duo but just as he turned, Marcus shot him a cold glare that his heart jump off his in that moment. He swallowed and sighed, holding his hands together for composure that had deserted him.
"You lock me in a room and you expect me to fold my hands, eat, sleep, eat again and sleep again until one day I eat and sleep and find myself in a casket."
"Are you always this way? You nearly got yourself killed three times already and I have no doubt whatsoever that it must have been courtesy to your tongue."
"Nice compliment, yet I always survived."
"Don't push your luck to far Bella. You may not survive everytime."
"Until that time comes, I have plans on surviving long enough to report you for kidnapping."
"You are getting on my nerves, woman."
"Should I have gone down on my knees to attend to your third leg."
They stood few feet apart, one ready to pick a fight with hands akimbo, straining the knee length white linen dress with a cap sleeves and scattered lace, cleaving to her figure and accentuating the curves so much that when she spoke earlier, he went so hard that his tailored black pants throbbed with much warmth and longing.
"You are just here for the time being. I need to make sure you are safe before you are released back into the wild."
"Okay, now I'm a wild animal, isn't that right? And why exactly would you want to keep me safe? I'm not a wolf, and news flash, you and your people allowed your luna to beat death out of me, now I can't die neither can I forgive your race either. So the last thing I need now is your protection, black butterfly."
"What exactly is your problem? You should be thankful to me for being there to save you."
"First, did I mention I needed saving. Also, is this how you save everyone around you. I could have believed that crap if I couldn't make out the slight bulge down there...tell me, am I still safe staying here with you?"she said, approaching him with slow calculated steps that got him anticipating her touch but it never came.
"Why on earth is she making everything difficult for me?"he thought, leaving the room and signaled the guard to be attentive and for the first time in one week, he suddenly remembered that he had a visitor in the dungeon.
Meanwhile, Nikki was standing by the bank of the river Stiles, waiting impatiently with large pendant that had been worn by Bella, rubbing the surface in anxiety.
"I almost thought you wouldn't show up."
"I gave you my word, now can you hurry up to the why of this meeting?"
For a brief moment, she felt disappointed that he didn't seem to like her mere presence, but feeling the pressure of Bella's disappearance, she was quick to let go.
"Few days ago, I wanted to meet you for this but today, I have a different reason.
Bella is missing, and even her granny have no idea where to look. It's as if she suddenly disappeared."
"And why is she always missing? What did she do this time around?"
"Nothing that I know of but when I showed this to her granny, she said I should meet you for help."
"I'm curious to know who this "granny" is? Regardless, I will look out for her and you should have informed me earlier that something like this happened... it's been days already and you only figured you should let me know now?"
"Since it didn't occur to you, you are not really an easy person to track or find?"she shot back with a subdued voice, and her eyes trained on her boots.
Watching how demoralized she had become yet so dogged at finding Bella, he imagined himself stretching out to hold her and reassure her she would be back but on second thought, he shook it off, and politely smiled at her.
"You mentioned something earlier. What was it you wanted to know?"
"Find her first...and Vincent, I thought it necessary to let you know that Amanda is missing as well. No one has seen her anywhere."
"Okay,"he said dismissively but the connection of both piqued his curiosity," were you searching for her as well?"
"Yes. She was the first suspect in my list."
"Unbelievable!"
He looked away from her without a word, taking random peek at her, while she held the hem of her short skirt, pulling and squeezing gently and Without prying any further, he turned away from her.
"May I come with you... please?"
Standing rooted on the sand of the bank, he heard her voice only as the combination of the flowing water and the peace in the air, blending with the lavender crop top that left her belly bare to his suddenly hungry eyes.
"I'm sorry, I can't allow that."
"I won't cause any trouble, I promise,"she hurried up to him and held onto his jacket lightly but a strange perfume wafted into his nose from her, and his muscles tensed and pulsated, contracting in excitement at the realization of what was happening.
Their world came to a halt and somewhere at the back of his mind, the big bad wolf was gaining control, reaching out to devour her.
"If you don't want to me to follow, at least join me for dinner tonight. I and Bella share the same birthday and we normally dined together, just the two of us."
"Your family?"
"I have none left."
"Just how old do you turn today?"he asked after a long while, trying to ascertain his assumption.
She bit her lips, hesitating, feeling bad that he might take her for a minor but when he turned, being so close to her that their breath mixed, she gasped," it's... it's eighteen."