Page 37 of Beast

“I don’t understand your preoccupation with water.” My handshakes as I pull the shirt over my head and let it fall to the ground. I didnot drown in the tub, but I still prefer to not go into the pond. My feet hitthe water. It is slightly cool. The ground under is sand. Yes. I seek thatmagic memory Dante gave me. Sand is the word for this ground. I sink slightly,my toes wiggling around in the soft stuff. It feels nice.

“The water feels good.” Dante draws me out, taking both ofmy hands in his. “I’ll hire the best swimming coach we can find once we getback to my plane. When you’re comfy, we’ll go to Hawaii. It’s beautiful there,Kaj. We’ll swim and drink and fuck to our hearts’ content. I can show you somany things.”

Tears prick at my eyes. I want so badly to believe him, buthe says two different things. There is a part of me that still waits for him tohurt me. He can pull me out into the deep part of the water and hold me down.He can kill me.

I might let him, because I do not want to live in a worldwhere no one can love me.

“Kaja.” He says my name on a sigh and pulls my close. Hishands come up to wipe away my tears. “Don’t cry, Kaj. Please. It kills me. Ifyou don’t want me, I’ll let you go to sleep. I can go hungry for one night.I’ll find something to eat, I promise.”

I wrap my arms around him, reveling in his feel and hisscent. He is a magician. He always knows what to say. I sigh and give up anythought of leaving him. I do not really want to. I am stupid. What the packsaid about me is true. I know my heart will be broken in the end, and I stillcannot walk away. I simply open myself and practically beg him to love me.

But how can he say yes if I say no?

“I want you, Dante.”

The smile that breaks over his face shows off his deliciousfangs. They are beautiful, like the rest of the man.

“Oh, baby, you have no idea how glad I am to hear that.” Hisface turns to granite. “But we have a few things to discuss first. I’ve thoughta lot about this, Kaja. Beck is right. I need to put this marriage on a firmfooting. You need to understand that you cannot do what you did today.”

“Save you? You do not wish me to save you when…assholes takeyou and bind you down?” I am proud of myself. Anuses are very important to theVampire plane. They seem to speak of them often.

His head shakes even as he pulls me close. “That’s not whatI mean, love, and you know it. I’m talking about the way you ran away from mewhen the ogre was attacking. You didn’t bother to tell me what you were doing.”

“I was in my four-legged form,” I say, enjoying deeply theway his flesh slides against mine. “Would you have understood growls and barks?Does your magic cover that?”

I am beginning to understand that magic is created by smartpeople, but it still seems to be the right word. Dante calls it technology, butit is magical. Dante’s people are magical.

He buries his hand in my hair. “You know you could havespoken to me before you changed. You made a choice to put yourself in danger.You made a choice to leave me. It is not acceptable.”

I frown. I knew he might be upset, but I had my reasons.“Cara was in danger.”

“So were you.” He keeps pulling me further in. The watercovers my hips now. It is nice and cool. It feels like silk gliding against myskin. “You’re my primary concern. You can’t run off on your own. That’s not theway this marriage is going to work.”

I am not certain the marriage is going to work at all. “I donot understand what you require of me.”

“I intend to make that clear, love. Put your legs around mywaist. Don’t let go.” Dante begins to walk with purpose toward the waterfall. Iwind my arms around Dante’s neck and my legs find his waist, locking my anklesbehind his back. My heart trills in my chest as the water hits my hair. Thesound fills my ears, a roar that can’t be denied.

In an instant, it is over. We are on the other side. Themoonlight filters through the fall of water. I am in a silvery alcove with onlyDante for companionship. It seems utterly perfect.

“Do you understand what punishment means, Kaja?” Dante asks,his face perfectly serious.

Yes, I know this word. I do not particularly like the word.“You will punish me because I tried to save my friend?”

He hasn’t seemed interested in hurting me. Thus far he hasseemed more interested in inhaling me. I don’t attempt to get away from himbecause his hands hold me tenderly and his nose runs all along my neck. If thisis his version of punishment, I might choose to be bad more often. He keeps onehand around my waist, and the other grips my backside. I like the way he cupsmy rear. It makes my pussy feel achy and wanting. Oh, he works some magic onme.

“Not for saving your friend, love,” Dante murmurs into theflesh of my neck. His tongue comes out and licks a line from my collarbone tomy earlobe. “I’m going to punish you for not discussing it with me. But first,I’m going to explain how this relationship is going to work. You’re going toobey me in the important things, Kaja. I’m not going to tell you what to doevery minute of the day, but when your life is on the line, you will mind me,or this will happen.”

Dante picks me up, his arms going under my knees and aroundmy back, and begins walking to the shore. I hold on and shiver as the coolnight air hits my skin. I am not sure what is happening, but he was nothing buttender so far. I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

And I like the way he carries me. I feel small and lightwhen he holds me in his strong arms. I let my head drift to his shoulder. Hisskin is on the cool side but still feels smooth and comforting.

The small cave seems intimate and a bit romantic. It is likethe rest of the world falls away and leaves behind only me and Dante. We arethe only ones in this small world.

Dante walks with purpose toward a large rock that juts fromthe side of the cave. He sits down and tips my face up to look at his. His eyestake on a glow. He looks alien in the silvery light. I am beginning tounderstand that he is two-natured as well. There is the happy, funny Dante, andthis man, the powerful First. The First lies buried until he shows himself withfangs and claws and these eyes. The color bleeds, leaving no white behind. Hiseyes glow a bit and threaten to pull me in. I am caught by his stare.

“I won’t allow you to put yourself in danger.” His voicetakes on that deep tone I associate with the First. “Place yourself across mylap with your ass in the air.”

Now I do hesitate. “I do not understand.”