Reclaimed(15)
Author: Diane Alberts

Sometimes, he wished he’d never fallen in love with her. Indeed, she loved his brother. He knew it. But sometimes, just sometimes, he swore he saw something more. A brief glimpse in her eyes maybe. Or maybe he just imagined it. God knows he was desperate enough to wish it were so.

He pushed his thoughts aside and sighed. Even if she did somehow love him in return, she’d been promised to Isaac. And he, well he’d been betrothed to the rich Lady Louisa Harding. It had been arranged for years, before even Isaac and Amelia. It was his duty, damn it. He’d been named the heir, and so he had to marry whom his father wished.

Louisa appeared beautiful, with long, flowing red hair, gorgeous eyes, and a flawless body to match. She spoke of perfection in every way. Except for one small, tiny problem. She wasn’t Amelia.

Amelia sat next to him and laid her head on his shoulder. He rested his cheek on her hair and inhaled her lavender-and-sunshine scent so hungrily it gnawed at him like a monster.

“Oh, my Lord, isn’t it just gloriously wonderful out?”

“Yes, my lady, it is. You make it even more so. Were I to be in the company of any other, it would be dull and dreary, to be sure.” He teased, but the truth in his words rang in the air. They always did.

Pathetic.

She laughed and looked into his eyes. It must have been something about the way she observed him, the way her eyes sparkled. He had no idea what caused it, but he snapped. The hold on his control broke, and he moaned in pure agony. When she reached a trembling hand out and cupped his cheek, he stopped fighting it.

“Elijah…” she said so quietly he might have imagined it.

She made the slightest of movements toward him, and Elijah thought of all the reasons why he shouldn’t—couldn’t—kiss her. Nonetheless, he let out a sharp cry and yanked her into his arms. Maybe just one time, he could taste heaven. No harm, no foul.

Correct?

Urgently, he crushed his lips against hers, and her arms wrapped around him. His fingers trailed over her back to bury his hands in her hair. Her soft moan made his desire rise to a frenzy, and he positioned her on the ground, before moving his body to cover hers. Cradled against the heat of her core, he surged against her readily.

At the startling need coursing over him, he pulled back hesitantly. He met her gaze and drew in a deep breath at the love and desire burning in hers. He’d waited so long to see that exact expression cross her eyes, and now she was his. By God, once would never, ever, be enough. But he no longer gave a damn.

Crushing his lips to hers once more, he vowed to make her his.

Elijah pulled himself out of his memories and into the present. He could recall with perfect clarity how sweet her lips tasted, how soft her body had been curled into his. And, damn it, it had felt the same with Sabrina. For years he’d been tormented by his small glimpse of heaven, before hell had descended. And hell he had been in for too long to count. Deep down, he’d always hoped she would somehow return and pull him out of the darkness consuming him.

And here she stood, by Isaac’s side once more.

He kicked a tree, watching in satisfaction as it cracked beneath the force.

Through her window, he spotted her sleeping form. Her brow furrowed, as it always did when something troubled her. He knew he’d caused her stress, and he could fix it. It would not be as simple as before, due to the guards, but he could do it.

He needed to see her.

Now.

***

The wind whipped her hair into her face, obscuring her vision. She didn’t feel afraid, merely irritated she couldn’t see. She sensed him lurking somewhere nearby in the purple moonlight. She could sense him by her side just before he gripped her arm in an urgent manner.

“Sabrina, please. We must talk.”

Returning his stare, she knew with certainty who stood before her. The pieces fit together with a clarity as undeniable as it was unbelievable.

“Elijah?”

He paled, staring at her in shock. “Yes, how did you—?”

“Isaac. He told me about you. I still have no idea how I’ve been dreaming of you. This all just seems to be out of a novel. A story I would write. It can’t be real. It isn’t possible.” She shook her head, reeling from shock.

“Feel me.” He brought her hand to his face and kissed the inside of her wrist. The combination of the smoothness of his cheek and the coolness of his lips caused her to shiver. “Touch me. Do I feel real?” he whispered roughly.

“Yes. But this is a dream.” She ran her thumb over his soft lip and caught her breath. “I just had a weird sense of déjà vu. As if I’ve done this before. Why?”

“Because you have. I can’t explain it right now. You have to trust me. I’ll be over tomorrow, once Isaac leaves. Let me in, and I will tell you everything I can. Please?”

Not giving her a chance to protest, he kissed her aggressively. Her body came to life, and she clung to his arms. She’d surely burst into flames, and he was her refreshing bucket of water. Lifting her weight into his arms, he pressed every inch of her body to his, in all the right places. He fit her like a glove, a glove meant just for her.

A small voice whispered in her head, told her though he might look like Isaac, but it wasn’t him. This man who kissed her had killed Isaac’s fiancée. She betrayed Isaac in the worst way possible. She ripped herself free from her passion-filled daze, pulling away from his grasp to covered her mouth in dismay.

What had she done?

“Sabrina, what’s—” He stopped mid-sentence and growled as his eyes scanned the forest behind her.

Sabrina recoiled and jumped out of his arms. She knew what the sound meant. Danger skulked near.

She yelped when a woman landed in front of them. Her beauty made Sabrina feel dowdy in comparison. Though certain she’d never seen her before, she looked somehow familiar. The hair rose on the back of her neck in recognition. Of fear, or of the woman, Sabrina had no clue.

But this woman was bad news.

“Again, dear? You seem to be a bit dim-witted, don’t you?” she taunted. Meeting Sabrina’s wide eyes, the woman bared sharp, tiny teeth in a mockery of a smile.

Elijah growled, seeming to read the woman’s intentions. They leapt into action, colliding in mid-air. The crash produced an ear-shattering bang, echoing through the night ten times louder than the boom of thunder on a dark, stormy night. She covered her ears in pain and watched the pair in a mixture of horror and astonishment.

Elijah ended up on top of the woman, but that didn’t stop her from snapping her sharp teeth at him before flinging him through the air. He connected with the same resounding boom, and Sabrina, horrified, watched the tree crash to the ground, Elijah under it. He leapt to his feet. He met her eyes, almost apologetically, and she wondered what he planned to do next.