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She gasped. Oh God, she had forced him. He’d tried over and over to stop her, but she hadn’t listened. She’d been totally engulfed in a feverish need to mate. “Russell, I—”
“Get some rest.” He tossed the empty bottle into a plastic bin. “We can talk when I wake up.” He strode to the far end of the cave where he’d left a blanket and pillow.
He wasn’t going to share the bed with her? Her heart sank.
“Goodnight.” He stretched out and closed his eyes.
Tears stung her eyes when his breathing stopped. “I’m so sorry.”
He had every right to be angry. He’d tried to stop her. He’d reminded her that she was engaged. And she had ignored his objections.
Rajiv would be angry, too. She’d have to explain to him that she didn’t care if her engagement fell through. She didn’t know the were-tiger prince. As far as she was concerned, he could jump in a lake.
But Russell . . . She walked over to him and adjusted his blanket. She did care about him. He was the one who believed in her, the one who filled her thoughts and pulled at her heart. It would kill her if she lost his friendship. Or lost his respect.
A tear rolled down her cheek. “Please don’t hate me. You’re my . . . my partner. My cowboy. I need you.” Her heart squeezed in her chest with a painful realization. She needed him to love her.
Because she loved him.
Chapter Nineteen
When Russell woke up that evening, he found Jia asleep in the bed, wearing one of his T-shirts. There were signs that she’d been busy during the day. His clothes and coat, which he’d left soaking in the stream, were washed and drying. All the laundry had been done, and the cave cleaned up.
He lit an oil lamp, then retrieved a bottle of blood from an ice chest. As he sipped his breakfast, he wandered over to the bed to watch her sleep. He wasn’t sure what to make of what had happened. It seemed like she’d been driven by some need beyond her control. Had death traumatized her to the point that she’d had to confirm her life by having sex? Why the sudden desire to rid herself of her virginity?
How on earth was he supposed to give her up now? He’d tried to resist her. He knew better than to sleep with a woman who was engaged. But in the end, his desire had won the battle. His love for her was greater than his sense of honor.
He guzzled down the rest of his bottle and dropped it into the plastic crate with the other empty bottles. There was a primitive caveman inside him that had urged him to take her and stake his claim, as if she’d been a prized possession. And that same caveman wanted to destroy any competition.
He took a deep breath and forced his mind out of caveman mode. Jia was a strong, independent woman, and he loved that about her. The fact that he couldn’t bear to give her up was his problem. All he could do was be honest with her and try to convince her that life with a penniless vampire would be better than living in a palace with a were-tiger prince.
Shit. He was so screwed.
Even so, falling in love with her had been the best thing to happen to him in years. It made him feel hopeful and alive, instead of dead and full of hate. But he wasn’t sure how she felt. Last night, she’d seemed desperate. For him? Or just for sex?
He heated up some water and took a hot shower. He wasn’t in any hurry to wake Jia up. Not when he was afraid of what he might hear. Besides, there was no point in hunting for Han tonight. He would remain hidden until tomorrow, when it was time to lead his troops into battle.
As Russell toweled off and dressed, he considered what to do with his brother. He needed to be alone with Markos so he could talk some sense into him. So the second he spotted Markos tomorrow night, he would teleport behind him, catching him by surprise so he could kidnap him.
Without Markos there to lead the army, the soldiers would probably hesitate to attack Tiger Town. They might even desert. From what Russell had seen from the guards last night, their morale was low. They no longer wanted to die for Han and risk going to hell.
Once he and Markos were alone, they would decide the outcome of the battle. There was no need to put anyone else in danger. Russell sighed, not wanting to think about that final confrontation. Would Markos surrender and give up his plan to rule the world? Somehow Russell had to convince him to stop. If not, he would be forced to kill him.
His heart constricted in his chest. God, help me. Spare me from that pain. Hadn’t he been through enough?
There was a rustling sound from the bed. Jia was waking. She blinked at him sleepily, and his heart squeezed again. Was he going to lose her, too?
“I’ll go topside for a few minutes to give you privacy.” He grabbed a sword and the sat phone, then teleported out to do a perimeter check. Nothing but a few small animals that ran away as he approached.
He wondered how preparations were going at Tiger Town, but he didn’t dare call one of the Vamps, since they might teleport to him and learn the location of his hideout. So he called Howard in Transylvania.
“Guess who’s here,” Howard said. “Last night, Angus had Neona, Norjee, and Xiao Fang teleported here. Neona agreed not to take part in the battle, since she’s expecting.”
“That’s good. How is Xiao Fang?”
“He’s coming along,” Howard replied. “Neona has healed his injuries, and he’s talking to Norjee quite a bit. He hasn’t said much about his captivity, though. He keeps asking if Jia is all right. He says she was stabbed.”
“Tell him she’s fine. Her wound is completely healed.”
“That’s a relief. The poor kid is afraid to be happy. He’s worried that Darafer will find him.”
Russell winced. That was a possibility. “Is there any way to get rid of Darafer?”
“We’re not able to kill him,” Howard grumbled. “As far as I know, only the Heavenly Father and archangels can destroy him. The God Warriors can banish him back to hell, but it takes seven of them. And they can only do it if he breaks the decree of free will.”
Russell sighed. Even if he solved the situation with his brother, Darafer would remain a problem. “What’s going on at Tiger Town?”
“Angus has gathered an army of two hundred. As soon as the sun sets here, Mikhail is supposed to teleport me there.”
“Any sign of Han’s army?” Russell asked. “Do I need to spend tonight tracking them?”
“No. You can relax. Queen Nima’s owl is watching the army and having other birds report to Winifred, so Angus knows where the army is. He expects them to arrive at the Mekong River tomorrow afternoon. We figure they won’t attack until after sunset, when Han shows up.”
“Tell Angus that as soon as I spot Han, I’m kidnapping him. That should keep the army from attacking.”
There was a pause, then Howard said, “You should stand down, Russell. Don’t get involved. He’s your brother—”
“That’s why I have to do this. I can’t allow him to kill another person.”
Howard groaned. “I get that, but I don’t want you to do something you’ll regret. You’ll have to live with the consequences forever.”
“I know. Later.” Russell hung up and stood still as despair threatened to engulf him. Did he have to lose everyone he ever loved?
With a heavy heart, he teleported back into the cave.
Jia was sitting on the bed, dressed in her second set of clothes and braiding her hair. “Hi.” She smiled at him, then glanced away, her cheeks turning pink.
Great. Things were going to be awkward. “How do you feel? You look . . . beautiful, but then, you always do.”
Her blush deepened. “I’m fine.”
“Do you have enough food here to eat? When the sun sets in Transylvania, I could steal some of Howard’s donuts for you.”
That made her smile. “I’m fine, really. Just . . . embarrassed.”
“There’s no need to feel bad.” Having sex with him was embarrassing? Dammit. He plugged the sat phone in to recharge. If she apologized or called it an accident, he might lose it.
“It was my first time to die and come back.” She slipped off the bed and wandered toward the table. “I wasn’t sure what exactly would happen. I didn’t expect to shift.”
“No big deal.” He grabbed another bottle of blood from the ice chest and wrenched off the top. Not that he was hungry, but he had to keep busy or he might rip something apart. “You’re a were-tiger. You shift. No need to apologize for it.” Not when I love you the way you are.
