Chapter 8
It was almost twenty minutes after midnight when Leni, Bridget and Tegan left Chester's. Leni was not surprised to see that the club was still packed, with more people arriving. Bridget informed her that the nightclub was the most popular after hours joint in Dublin and would not close until after dawn. The nightclub had been extremely warm, so Leni shivered as the first blast of cool night air struck her overheated skin. The light evening jacket she had on didn't offer any real protection from the cold.
Earlier that day, Bridget had offered her the use of her Jaguar while she was in Ireland. With Bridget in the passenger seat, Leni drove the Jag on the roads around her aunt and uncle's house for more than two hours, until Bridget was satisfied that Leni was sufficiently familiar with driving on the other side of the road. This wasn't Leni's first experience with a manual transmission, so she had no problems with that.
With car keys at the ready in her right hand, Leni started down the alley in back of Chester's with Tegan and Bridget about five feet behind her. As she turned the corner on the side of the club, a cry from Bridget made her turn around. The tall blond had twisted her right ankle and broke the heel off her shoe.
Tegan picked his fiance up and followed Leni with Bridget in his arms. As he walked, he noticed Leni shivering under her inadequate jacket. "Go ahead, Leni. Get to the Jag and get out of the cold. We'll be right behind you," he said.
Running delicately on the balls of her feet so she would not break a heel herself, Leni ran down side alley to the street in front of the building. Making a left turn, she continued running to the end of the block where the Jaguar was parked. Her cousin and Tegan were behind her, but he was in no hurry as he teased Bridget about being clumsy. His car was parked closer to the alley, so they didn't have as far to go as Leni, anyway.
Bridget and Tegan had just rounded the front corner as Leni opened the Jag's driver side door, tossed her handbag on the passenger seat and prepared to get in the car. The sudden sound of an engine revving and the squeal of tires made her turn around. A small black Peugeot came racing down the narrow street from the opposite direction; as it neared, it swerved out of control and skidded straight toward her.
Leni froze as the high beam headlights of the oncoming car blinded her. The screech of the rubber tires against the cobblestones as the car hurtled toward her sounded like death approaching. From the depths of her primitive animal brain, her instincts shrieked for her to move out of the way, but her feet were riveted to the spot where she stood.
Just like an old cliché, time slowed down for Leni. A sense of otherness engulfed her. Everything became a blur of sight and sound. The old fashioned street lamps blurred with golden spiky streaks shooting from the center of the light. dazzling rainbow hues painted the windows of the buildings across the street. The Peugeot left long streaks of black in its wake. The scene reminded Leni of the visual effects of warp drive on the old Star Trek television series. Leni felt as if she was out of sync with the physical world around her.
The car kept coming toward her. She knew for sure it was going to die. "It's too soon; I haven't really lived yet." The words erupted in her mind, but still she could not move.
"Oh God! Leni, watch out!" A voice she recognized as Bridget's screamed in panic. Leni instinctively turned toward the sound. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her cousin and Tegan standing at the corner; their eyes wide with pure panic and shock. However, what caught her eyes was an opaque, shapeless black blob that appeared along the driver side of a car about fifteen feet away from the two of them.
Leni blinked once and the black blob disappeared. In its place, the tall redhead, Moira, was standing with a cell phone to her ear. With her face showing clearly in the light of a street lamp nearby, the look on Moira's face was malevolent and evil; her lips were drawn back in a victorious smile. Leni gasped involuntarily at the intensity of hatred in Moira's eyes.
Suddenly, Tegan was behind her, swooping Leni up in his massive arms. He jumped straight up and over the small sports car. Leni felt them going airborne just before the other car hit the Jag and the driver side door was torn off its hinges. The jarring screech of metal on metal as the two cars collided sounded like the death cry of some huge prehistoric animal.
The Peugeot didn't stop; it already more than a block away and moving fast before Leni and Tegan landed on the other side of the car. Tegan's knees bent and his twisted slightly as his feet hit the sidewalk. Leni's leg smacked hard into the side view mirror; she knew from the sharp pain, she would end up with a good size bruise on the side of her calf.
Leni was in shock; her body was shaking; her knees were on the verge of collapsing and her mind reeled in horror. She realized how close to death she had come; she knew there wasn't anyway she would have survived the impact. She couldn't get Moira's evil look out of her mind, but here was something else that bothered her. Tegan and Bridget had been on the corner at least 200 feet away from her when Bridget screamed. Tegan was with Bridget one second and behind her the next. She hadn't even seen him move. How was that possible?
It was not that she wasn't grateful to Tegan for saving her life, because she was. Nevertheless, a nagging voice deep inside her told her there was no possible way that Tegan should have been able to reach her in time to save her in time; yet that was exactly what the big man did. Leni didn't believe in Superman or super heroes, but what Tegan did was extraordinary; it was far beyond the normal human abilities. Something was not right here.
Seconds later, Ryodan, Lor and Angus poured out onto the sidewalk next to the Jaguar through an entrance in the front of the building that Leni had not noticed when she and Bridget parked. The three Zaghar men had watched the car zooming toward Leni on the security monitors that covered the front of the building and acted accordingly. By that time, Bridget joined them, and everyone but Leni erupted in a cacophony of noise.
"Are you all right, Leni? See, only one night in Dublin and already someone is trying to kill you. Do you have to make everyone so angry?" Ryodan rasped harshly as he reached for her. He was trying to make a joke of the situation, but his face gave away the strong emotion he felt. He was breathing hard; his body was trembling from terror and the feeling of helplessness that overcame him as he watched the Peugeot bearing down on Leni. He had thought for sure she would be killed,and for a few seconds, he was flooded with fear for her.
Ryodan felt a strong urge to pull Leni into his arms and hold her safe from all harm, but he did none of those things. Instead, he ran his big hands lightly over her to determine if she had been hurt. When he was satisfied she was all right, he stopped.
Bridget joined Ryodan, but she had no qualms about squeezing her cousin tightly to her. "Are you alright?" She echoed Ryodan's question. "I was so afraid you'd be killed!" she sobbed as she embraced Leni.
Giving Leni one last pat, Ryodan walked away with Tegan and the other two big men. They started gesturing and speaking harshly in a guttural foreign language. Leni didn't need to understand what they were talking about to hear the anger in Ryodan's voice. From his reaction, she knew he was concerned about her more than he wanted to be.
"I'm fine, just a bruise on my leg. Tegan got to me in time, but your car...I'm so sorry, Bridey. I know how much you liked the Jag," Leni said in a quivering voice.
"Forget the car, Munchkin. You're all right. That's all that matters." Bridget exclaimed as he hugged Leni again.
"Did you see who was driving the car?" Ryodan asked a few minutes later when he walked back to her.
"No. The headlights were too bright. I couldn't even tell you if it was a man or a woman driving the car." Leni responded.
"It was a man, but I couldn't see his face." Bridget said.
"Ryodan will drive you home, Leni." Tegan said.
"What about the car?"
"We'll take care of it." Lor, who was standing next to Ryodan, said.
Ryodan disappeared and within five minutes, he pulled a large Mercedes along side the smashed Jaguar, opened the passenger door and Leni got inside. As they drove past Moira's car, Leni looked at the woman who was still standing outside the passenger door. She was still talking on the cell phone, and she was visibly angry. The look she gave Leni as she passed was hot enough to singe hair.
Ryodan turned and stared directly at his ex girlfriend's face. She smiled brightly at him, but his face was tight, and his eyes were shuttered. Leni had no clue what he was thinking. Turning to her, he said, "I'm really glad you're safe, Leni," and patted her hand softly.
During the twenty minute drive to the gatehouse, the two talked quietly. Ryodan found himself asking the little blonde questions about her life. Leni answered without hesitation. She noted out loud that it was the first time they had spoken together like two adults without sparring like two boxers in the ring.
Ryodan laughed in amusement when she said that. He had a reason to keep her talking: hearing her low musical voice with its flat American accent relieved the crippling sense of panic and horror that filled him earlier. He had been sure she was going to be crushed by the Peugeot, and that thought really terrified him.
He wondered why he would care if this obstinate, smart mouthed, irritating human woman was killed, but he did. He had known her less than three days, yet he felt the world would be a bleaker place without her presence. It must be because I haven't had the chance to get to sleep with her yet, he thought.
At the gatehouse, Ryodan got out of the car, walked around to the passenger side and helped Leni out. Gently taking her house keys from her hand, he unlocked the door and pushed the door open. "Are you going to invite me in, little girl, or are you afraid of me?" he asked in his old arrogant teasing manner.
"I'm tired Ryodan, and I want to go to bed. I've had enough excitement for one night, thanks. I appreciate the lift, though," she smiled as she started to step over the threshold.
Ryodan was loath to let her go. Without thinking he stepped inside the front door and closed it. Placing his big hand at the small of her back, he pulled her up and crushed her against his chest. Lowered his head , he brushed her lips lightly with his own and waited.
Leni's mouth betrayed her. As if her lips had a will of their own, they softened and opened just a little. In a flash, his wicked tongue was deep inside her mouth and playing with her, moving back and forth against her lips and teeth.
Her tongue instinctively reached for his and began to move against it. Their lips felt like they were on fire; they both seem to explode. A wet warmth suffused her groin making her body ready to receive him inside of her.
Ryodan's kiss assaulted Leni's senses and inflamed her. One small hand came up and tentatively touched his soft cheek as if to assure herself he was really there. The fingers of the other hand splayed through the silky long hair at the back of his head. She moaned and pulled him closer to her.
For what seemed like an eternity to her, Ryodan kissed her mouth and traced a hot wet tongue over her soft cheek to her ear lobe. He nibbled the sensitive flesh gently sending shivers down her spine. He continued his journey of exploration by trailing hot kisses down her throat to the spot where her pulse beat the strongest.
Leni arched her neck giving him full access to the tender spot. He lay his face against her neck for a long moment as he inhaled deeply of her scent. He could smell the sweet womanly spice of her arousal, and it excited him even more. After laving the exquisitely erotic spot on her throat with his tongue, Ryodan sucked gently against the delicate skin. He was deliberately leaving a hickey on her neck; he wanted the world to know it was his mark on her skin and no one else's.
A sigh escaped Leni as she felt the exquisite suction his lips. She cried out his name as his teeth scraped her skin. He bit down ever so gently, but did not break the skin; the sensation sent silvery thrills of pleasure through her.
Ryodan made spirals with his hot wet tongue around the hollows at the base of her throat, flicking his tongue in and out of the slight depressions. Leni's throat was inordinately sensitive, and she groaned as feathery light, but almost unbearably delightful sensations purled down her body to her inner core; she wanted more.
An earthier, deeper, more carnal wave of pure sensual feelings swept Ryodan as his mouth made love to Leni. Kissing her, touching her, feeling her shiver from the pleasure he gave her was exhilarating. Her response to him stimulated him as no woman had since Zayida. His already hard member expanded and lengthened until he felt he would explode right there.
Ryodan became aware of other feelings that concerned him. Leni was doing something to him and he didn't understand what was happening. All through his long existence on this planet, he had prided himself on the control of his own emotions with human women. He had always been in command of his emotions, and always knew exactly what he was doing. Tonight, Ryodan felt as out of control again as he had in the airport when he almost shifted into his natural beast form.
He was afraid he was losing himself in the physical sensations that flooded his body as he kissed and caressed Leni. A part of him wondered how much worse it would be if he actually had sex with her. He wanted Leni badly, but that thought was intensely disturbing; he could not allow that to happen.
Moving his head up, he stared deeply into her eyes, trying see if he could suss some reason for his strange behavior there. He watched her as he slowly kissed her again, studying the feel and taste her mouth as their lips and tongues caressed each other until they were both gasping for air. A tsunami of desire for Leni more powerful, deeper and stronger than mere lust either swamped him. He could feel her body shake against his.. She feels it too, he exulted to himself, but that was not enough to assuage his concern.
The air around them began to crackle as a strange emanation surrounded them. Strong rippling currents of electricity coiled around and through them, binding them together with its force. For a second, Ryodan did not recognize where his body stopped and Leni's began; they were one body, one being. He was stunned by the depth of the powerful emotions that roiled through him; it wasn't just lust he felt; it was an intense attraction so strong it shook him to his very core,and there were other feelings,softer, caring, protective. He definitely did not want those feelings; in fact, they rather scared him.
Leni was weak and dizzy with desire for the man who held her in his arms. She wanted to hold Ryodan so closely, he would be inside her skin. An unexplainable emotion that seemed bottomless and without end grew started flickering when he first touched her. It grew in intensity until was a total conflagration consuming her mind and heart. The feeling surrounded her; it consumed her, and there was no getting away from it. So far, Ryodan had done little more than kiss her; she wondered what would happen if they ever actually made love.
The feeling seemed so right that Leni surrendered herself to it completely. She moaned softly, tightening her embrace around Ryodan's powerful shoulders. Instead of continuing, he roughly pulled away from her and backed away, setting her down on the floor. She felt light headed and boneless. Her knees almost buckled. Her whole body shaking, but she could see that his big body was shaking too. Like her, his face and body were heated with a rosy flush.
"Who the fuck are you; what the fuck are you? What are you doing to me?" Ryodan whispered harshly. His dark eyes were clouded, and his face was a mask of confusion and anger. Opening the door, he stepped back outside and turned to face her again.
"Stay the hell away from me!" he snarled at her. Raising his left hand, he wiped it back and forth across his mouth, as if he were wiping something nasty off his lips.
Leni stared at him blankly not comprehending the change in him. She was cut to the quick by what he said and did. She was confused and humiliated by his actions. Her cheeks and ears flamed with the heat of embarrassment. Anger and pride gushed through her little body. She stepped forward and slapped him across the face.
"Go home, Ryodan. The kiss was a mistake; one that I won't make again. You can make book on that." Leni hissed at him. She whirled back into the house, slammed the door shut and locked it. Inside, she leaned against the door trying to figure out what just happened. She began to cry. Tears ran in rivulets down her face; angrily, she wiped them away.
She hadn't expected Ryodan to kiss her tonight. She should have pushed him away or slapped him. However, she just threw herself at him like some sex starved idiot, like one of those slutty women at the club. She had condemned them earlier tonight because they were so eager for him. They practically threw themselves at him. They were like robots without a mind of their own when he smiled or talked to them, but she was no better than they were.
They had not liked each other from the first time they met. Obviously, he had just been playing a game with her, probably just to get under her skin. He hadn't expected her to kiss him back that way, and he was clearly disgusted by her too ardent response. She had humiliated herself, and she was mortified.
Despite her efforts to make him think she was indifferent to his crude advances. Ryodan knew now exactly how strongly he affected her. That idea really stuck in her craw.. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got both with herself and with him.
She had sensed what he was from the beginning. As with Philip there were many warning signs she ignored. Ryodan may be an arrogant bastard for playing games with her, but she was a fool for falling for them. She was determined not to give him a chance to pull this stunt on her again. She steeled her resolve to stay as far away from him as she could while she was in Ireland. Let him go play his stupid games with some other poor woman and leave her alone.
She decided not say anything to Bridget or anyone about what happened tonight; the less said the better as far as she was concerned. She was relieved to think that Bridget would be married in a little over two weeks, and she would be free go home and get on with her life. Soon, Ryodan would just be an unpleasant memory. That thought suited Leni just fine.