Missing Memoria
Missing Memoria
You're under my skin, the poison within
Diabolical rapture that's dripping with sin
Break down my will, a kiss for the kill
Bury me deep between death and the thrill
Your name is desire, loins of fire
The lust incarnate, an angel, a liar
"You bastard!"
A fist cut through the air, aimed with intent to smash the bones in Reaver's annoyingly smug face, which became even more smug when he dodged what would have been a vicious left hook by merely standing straight again with easy agility.
"I take it that you are yourself again, then?"
Nix's temper flared white hot at his well placed jibe and she surged to her feet swiftly, shoving the flats of her palms out. They connected forcefully with his chest, driving him back, and the amused smile he wore as he stepped back to catch himself quickly vanished when his leg bumped into the side of the chair behind him. Priceless.
When he threw his arms out in an attempt to regain his balance, the leather bound rod nearly smacking her in the face, she drove the bottom of her foot firmly into his midsection. Cursing, Reaver fell backward and landed in the chair, the back of his head landing against the other armrest so hard it knocked him senseless. Nix used that precious moment to look wildly about the room for something she could use as a weapon. The fact he wasn't wearing the Dragonstomper was a mixed blessing, because while he couldn't shoot her with it, nor could she pilfer it from him in his dazed state and shoot him.
Her eyes swept by the hearth frantically, then immediately shot back. Off to one side there was a small brass vase, the handle of iron fire poker sticking up out of the top. Joyfully she ran over, yanking it out and pivoting back around. So maybe she couldn't cut him, but she damn sure could beat or skewer him with it.
Reaver was still in the chair, one leg draped casually over the armrest, the other stretched out and propped up on the back of his boot heel, arms crossed over behind his head and another smile on his face.
"Well it looks like I've fallen for you, lovely Phoenix." He teased, giving her a heated look as he caught his bottom lip between his teeth and released it slowly in a sensual display that stole the air from her lungs with a small gasp. Her eyes dipped downward to fasten on his mouth and without warning she was nearly floored by a explicit memories of what that mouth was capable of.
"Damn your black soul, Reaver." She hissed, dragging her eyes back up and lunging while lifting the fire poker high, swinging it down with such force that it made a loud whoosh as it sliced through the air.
Laughing, he deftly rolled out of the chair in enough time to evade her assault, hopping up to his feet a few paces away. The metal crashed into the chair where his head had been with a sharp crack and the center of the armrest slumped brokenly inward. Bringing a hand over his heart, he mocked a sulky pout and declared flippantly.
"Princess, your words wound and slay my heart."
"Ha," With a short, contemptuous laugh she hoisted her makeshift weapon up then said, "Like a conniving, larcenous thief like you could have a heart!"
He was in a corner of the room now, between the hearth and a writing desk and Nix thought she'd finally taken control of the situation. She skirted around the chair and stalked close to Reaver, who merely arched a slender brow in amusement, and when within range, she brandished the pointed end up and gave a lunging thrust.
She'd been so sure that she'd had him that her brain simply couldn't process what happened next till it was too late to react. Grinning so that it caused a dimple in the little black heart on his face to appear, he merely administered a well placed flick to the fire poker with that curious little rod, neatly deflecting her attack. In a fluid movement he sidestepped to allow her to stumble forward, unbalanced by his parry, all in the breadth of a second.
Nix managed to catch herself from falling with a little less grace than she would have liked, but the fire poker had lodged itself into the wall.
"Dammit" As she tried to wrest it free, she realized it must have gotten lodged deeply into a support beam, and while she dallied with her futile efforts, a sharp sting of pain bit into the tender flesh of her behind, the tight material highwayman pant's doing nothing to couch the blow.
Much to her chagrin, she had to relinquish her weapon and whipped around. Facing him, she gave him a seething glare with which he responded by giving her a saucy wink , and when her eyes fell on what he'd used to swat her with, she finally recognized it. It was a riding crop. Had he expected to return to his "pleasure chamber" downstairs, with her still completely out of control? Had he thought to use it on her like the animal she'd become? The idea made her absolutely livid.
"Thief?" He asked in a tone that suggested that it was such a ludicrous idea she must surely be crazy. "I stole nothing, merely accepted what was so freely offered."
Was he serious right now? He'd stolen something that was supposed to have been very special, a precious moment that she'd wholeheartedly decided to share with the right man at the right time. The right man she had thought she'd found in a fellow comrade, a certain soldier of rugged good looks, but it'd been taken without her permission. She would never get her first time back. Not only had Reaver stolen her virtue, he'd stolen her choice.
"I wasn't myself then, you know that. I'd have never done those," she broke off, blasted by another wave of erotic images. Her pushing him down and straddling him, taking what she wanted, her on all fours and backing up to him, begging with her eyes and body for him to take her.
Gulping in a deep breath, she continued." things with you. What you did to me was tantamount to rape."
A hush fell over the room as that last word hung in the air that suddenly seem to be a few degrees cooler than it had been a moment ago, and if she didn't know any better, she could have sworn that it inexplicably got a little darker, too.
The atmosphere wasn't the only thing that changed so suddenly. The jovial, if not a little sadistic, teasing attitude was gone and Reaver stood there, green eyes cold and as hard as the jewels they resembled. The only warning she received was the minuscule movement in his face as a muscle in his jaw clenched, and before she knew it she was whirled around, his speed astounding her. Left arm twisted painfully behind her back, she was slammed down onto the nearby writing desk. She'd had exactly enough time to turn her face to prevent her nose from being broken, and as she did a glint of silver flashed as a letter opener pierced into the rich mahogany wood an inch away from her face.
Staring back into her own wide grey eyes in the reflection of the blade, she felt him leaning down on top of her, a rigid hardness that was too big to be the riding crop pressing against the cleft of her bottom. Keeping her arm pinned, he pressed his lips to her ear.
"I'd be careful how you bandy that word about, princess, especially if you don't know the true meaning of it." He spoke softly in that seductive, velvety voice of his, but there was steel lying just beneath it.
"You knew I was unwilling. " She tried to say angrily, but it came out more of a breathless whisper. He was pressing her so hard against the desk she could barely draw breath.
"Keyword there, was. You were definetly willing when I found you, more than that, actually. All I did was unlock the cage, you came to me, like I said you would."
Nix blushed, wishing that particular memory was a little more vague like some of the others. "You took advantage of me." She said bitterly, hating how weak she was to have been caught up in this, how he was throwing her shame back in her face.
"Yes, I did take advantage of the delightful situation, but make no mistake that what happened wasn't rape. You were willing then,"he broke off with a husky laugh, a dark sound that didn't sound all too nice, then said" just like you're willing now."
She was horrified to realize he was right. Somehow without her conscious mind's knowledge or consent, she'd arched her back to the best of her ability, what with him on top of her and everything, and had her bottom ground firmly up against him.
"That's only the lingering effects of the fruit. I can't help it." She explained hastily, that's the only reason why she'd been stunned by the sight of him at first, and why she was doing this now. The only reason.
"Of course it is." There was a hint of amusement in his voice that she didn't quite understand, especially since he'd been so angry moments ago. The man was seriously unstable.
Then he was off of her, releasing her arm that had almost gone numb. Nix quickly pushed herself up, and turned, wary of what he was about to do next. The room was once again warm and as bright as it had been, maybe it had been her imagination? She was mildly surprised when she saw that he was walking toward one of the tall wardrobes. He opened it, then proceeded to take his shirt off, pulling it up over his head and tossing it to the bed.
Nix had to stifle a gasp of shock. His back was to her, and she could see that it was scored with long, red scratches and the top of his shoulders and his neck had several blemishes, presumably from love bites. If the state of her own body was anything to go by, it was apparent what kind of things the lecher liked, and instantly she was filled with dual feelings at seeing this. Firstly, disgust that he'd gone out and already moved on to the next woman...or man (if the rumors about him were true), because she could have never done something like that, and secondly, insulted for the very same reason.
"Looks like you went and got some rough, two-bit floozy to give you what you wanted. What's the matter, wasn't I enough for you?" She taunted like she didn't care, trying to hide the feeling of being slighted, but was unable to keep the irritated tone from her voice.
Reaver shot her a curious look over his shoulder while he pulled out a crisp white shirt and brown vest and closed the wardrobe. Facing her, he observed her for a long minute, then said.
"Now there's a side-effect I wasn't expecting." Shrugging on the shirt and buttoning it, then donning the vest, he strode over to her, eyes that were now neither teasing nor angry closely examining her face.
"What are you talking about?" As he came to a halt before her, she stood tall and lifted her chin, putting every ounce of her being into one signal. Defiant challenge. He wouldn't be catching her off guard, if he attempted an assault like what he'd done a moment ago again, she was going to put up one hell of a fight.
With a wolfish smile that was in no way meant to reassure, his gaze slid appreciatively over her from head to foot and back again, giving her a look that said That is a challenge you don't want me to accept.
Just try me. She fired back with her eyes, and for a moment they simply stared at each other in a tense silence that seemed to span for a small eternity, as if both of them were on high alert while they weighed their options.
"How much of last night can you remember?" He asked then, breaking the strained moment.
"W-what? You don't honestly expect me to recount what happened last night, do you?" She nearly shouted disbelievingly. There wasn't a snowballs chance in hell that she was going to stroke his ego and talk about it. Talking about it would validate it, and right now all she wanted to do was lock it away in a place in her mind that could be long forgotten.
"No need to get so melodramatic, I only want to know for the sake of research. That was a part of our deal, after all." She could tell by his tone that it wasn't the only reason.
"Our deal? You mean the one in which you didn't keep your end of the bargain? I don't think so, just give me back my things and I'll be on my way." She said, venom dripping from her every word, making a mental note that if she didn't kill him in her escape, to shut him and his business down for good once she became queen. Maybe even run him out of the country.
He laughed, a deep and mocking sound. "Nice try, but I'm afraid I can't oblige."
"Why not? You got exactly what you were asking for, plus some. I'd say you got more than your fair share,actually." She said, giving him her most frosty glare.
With a flash of his hand, Reaver reached out and tweaked the tip of her nose sharply while saying. "My dear girl, there is something very important you'd better learn now. There is no such thing as a "fair share" with me, if I want something, it's all or nothing. Also, the latter option tends to be very rare, and by rare I mean never."
"Now," He said, cutting her off before an angry retort could get past her lips, "Lets head down to the dining room, breakfast is awaiting us and I'm sure you must be quite famished after all that," he paused when she tensed up, seeing that the mere mention of what they had done together might put her over the edge and send her on the attack again. Smirking at this, he amended what he was going to say with "Time."
Surprised, Nix was oddly grateful that he didn't feel the need to throw her shame back at her and some of the tension drained out of her body. She was still angry make no mistake, but the fact that he had showed even the tiniest shred of decency was like a salve to her wounded pride. With some of her anger now deflated, she sighed and said stoically.
"Lead the way." She didn't like giving in to him one bit, but it was indeed true that she was starving, to the point where she could feel weakness already setting in. She was going to need all strength she could to get through this nightmare, so for the moment she'd go quietly.
"Splendid." He said with jovial exuberance, turning about and making for the door, but not before she caught the briefest glimpse of a victorious smile.
Exasperated, she had just begun to follow him when he stopped suddenly in the door to the hallway, making her quickly catch herself lest she bump into him. The last thing she wanted to do right now was touch him. Reaver cast a sly glance over his shoulder at her, little black heart on his cheek creasing slightly from his smile.
"Oh and as to your inquiry about the origin's of these ghastly blemishes marring my flesh, I did have quite the wild encounter with a beautiful little hellcat," Sounding both vainly disparaged by the marks and very satisfied with his dalliance, he gifted her with another playful wink and said. "Who knew Albion's princess would turn out to be such a firebrand in bed?"
She felt her jaw drop for a stunned moment and all she could manage to do was stare him, knowing a furious blush had stained itself across her cheeks. Shocked by being slapped in the face with her own humiliation and angry at being lulled into a false sense of security by what she had perceived as his "gentlemanly" concern for her feelings. He'd only been waiting for the perfect time to attack.
Her reaction amused him, she could tell. The vampish smile he was wearing evolved into a fiendish smirk. If that's the way he wanted to play, then she'd accept his challenge.
Tucking a strand of dark, slightly damp hair behind her ear, she flashed him her own smirk, one full of virulence.
He never saw it coming.
One of his brows had been starting to slightly arch, thrown off kilter by her response, when her right fist connected to his cheek in a solid punch. So much for going quietly.
The force of the blow sent him reeling back against the doorjamb. Cupping his hand over the battered area, gaping in silence at her as the expressions of incredulity and anger warred over his face.
Fists plunked down on her hips and head canted to the side, she was the picture of cockiness. "Whats the matter, cat got your tongue?" She mocked, using his own words against him.
Reaver, completely bemused, watched as she passed by him, walking out into the hallway and heading down to the dining hall. The confident air she carried herself with and that certain sexy swagger that was now evident in her walk kept the sudden outrage at being hit from boiling over, amusement winning out. A ghost of a dark smile touched his lips.
You learn quick, princess.
"Very well, I shall give you that one." He said as he followed out after her, all the while thinking how he did so love to watch her leave while his eyes took in the pleasant sight of her hips swaying and that heart shaped derriere that was clad so beautifully in her tight pants.
All through the first half of breakfast Nix made not a sound, instead focusing her efforts on trying to eat like a well-mannered, civilized person as opposed to devouring it in a hurry, like she really wanted to and paying no mind to Reaver. He was exactly the kind of man who thrived on being the center of attention, and by ignoring him, she hoped she was aggravating him to high heaven. The insult was more subtle than she would have liked, but until she was reunited with her gauntlets it was all she could do at the moment.
Feeling the weight of his eyes on her again, as she had several times during the meal, she made sure to lance the hunk of cured ham on her plate with her fork and cut into it vigorously with her knife, ignoring the pain in her right hand while making it painstakingly obvious what, or who in this case, she'd rather be slicing away at. The maddening man actually had the audacity to chuckle smoothly as he watched. If only he knew of all the slow and cruel ways to torture him she was devising in her mind.
Popping a piece of pork into her mouth, she closed her eyes and savored it with pleasure. Smoky and tender, it was cooked to perfection, as was everything else she'd sampled so far. Poached eggs, warm slices of fresh shortbread and marmalade, cubed bits of sweet melon, and the raspberry creme fraiche tarts were particularly amazing. Nothing but the best for the head of Albion's industry, she supposed. Even the freshly squeezed juice was poured into fine crystal goblets.
Hearing the metallic clink of flatware chime, Nix momentarily forgot that she was avoiding looking at that end of the table, and opened her eyes again to glance across the dozen or so plates of food that was way too much for only two people, accidentally locking eyes with Reaver. He had just finished and was pushing his plate off to the side, all the while watching her.
Determined to not let him see how unnerved she was by his intense regard, she schooled her face into an expression of cool disdain.
"You can't just keep me."
"Oh? And what pray tell is going to stop me from doing so?"
"The Resistance needs me, once they can't find me they'll start searching. Do you want more of their members darkening your doorstep?" She tried threatening.
He only looked amused.
"What a delightful idea. Since you're dear brother put me in charge of Industry I've been overwhelmed with work, so it's been a while since I've had time to put in some good target practice." He remarked in smarmy tones, as if he'd ever need to practice.
It wasn't the first time she'd seen evidence of his nonchalant disregard for human life, but she was still appalled by it. It must have shown on her face because a wicked grin transformed his features, taking them from gorgeous to sinfully sexy.
Unprepared, her heart floundered clumsily in her chest for a second before she could bring it under control. A little jab of shame pricked at the treacherous organ, and she quickly reminded herself that she wasn't fooled by his striking good looks. The dark sadism behind those enthralling emerald eyes and the cruelty in his charming smiles were clear as day to her. So why couldn't she keep herself from having such a reaction to him?
"Relax, all you have to do is remain here and let me take notes while the Tears of Venus has run its course. Wouldn't want to have a relapse, would you?" He said, looking almost hopeful.
"I'm sure you'll be out of here in a few days before your filthy little band of miscreants even realize you've gone missing. Until then you can simply enjoy the pleasure of my company."
"I'm sure you've gotten all the "notes" you need. Besides, I'm obviously fine now so I don't think you'd get anything worth while, you'd just be wasting both of our time." Nix really didn't want to spend another minute here, and the idea of being here a few days was seriously distressing.
He gave a short, sharp laugh that was a hollow, humorless sound. " I have all the time in the world, and you're still suffering from the effects, you said so yourself."
Damn, so much for playing it like she was cured, she thought bitterly, wishing she could have managed to controlled herself eariler during their skirmish. If her body wouldn't have responded to him because of the lingering effects of the aphrodisiac, then she wouldn't have never given that away.
She opened in her mouth to argue, but was quickly cut off.
"Enough of this, you're staying," Reaver snapped, patience wearing thin.
Taken aback by the sudden change in his demeanor, Nix starred as he shot a look over to the pair of maids who'd been standing off to one side of the room ready to serve them. The man's capricious mood swings were giving her one hell of a case of whiplash.
When the young women noticed his eyes on them, they instantly straigtened and looked nervous as he jerked his head toward the table in an indication to come hither. "We're done here."
Taking two silver trays from a smaller serving table against the wall, they came forward and immediately began clearing away the plates and bowls. As she watched them she had to bite the inside of her bottom lip to keep herself from chastising him on the way he treated his servant's so rudely. It was one thing to be in command, quite another to be plain discourteous.
When one of the women moved up close beside her to take her plate, Nix smiled gratefully up at her, determined to try and make up for Reaver's austere behavior, she had been the one to ruffle the degenerate's proverbial feathers after all.
Appearing to be a little stunned by the appreciatve attitude, the other woman gave a wane, half-hearted smile and Nix noted then how anxious and tired she looked. Ashen faced, she sported two dark circles below bloodshot eyes. Did he work the poor thing tirelessly to the bone?
Chancing a surreptitious glance to the second maid that was collecting Reaver's plate aswell, her suspicions were confirmed. Both of them were excedingly fatigued, and seeing this grated on her already raw nerves.
Once the food was finally cleared and the two women had made off to the kitchen, Nix glowered daggers at him.
"Have you no decency?" She ignored the taunting look he countered with that said.
You've been in bed with me, what do you think?
"Those women are clearly exhausted, yet you have them still working. Their servants, not slaves. You should be ashamed of-"
"So says the one who deprived them of their sleep for the past two nights." Inerjected Reaver quietly with a trace of a mildly amused smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"yourself. Wait,..what?" Surely he wasn't suggesting...
"You were, how shall we say, very zealous in letting everyone know just how at ease I could put your mind about my touch."
Her mind was seriously avoiding the last comment in order to try and salvage what little dignity she had left, but she got completely hung up on the first.
"Two nights?"
"Ah yes, thats right. It had slipped my mind that you can't recall everything." He said casually, as if they were talking about something as simple as the weather.
Leaning back in his chair, he crossed his arms over his chest and gave her a cheeky smile, all of the previous darkness gone from the eyes that now held her gaze. For the moment, anyway.
"You're quite the siren, your alluring charms have kept me detained from my affairs for the past day and a half." A distinct sense of male pride dripped from his every word.
She'd been under the influence of that damn fruit for that long? She needed to get to Bowerstone and wait for those ships to come in! It had taken her two days to get here, and the time she'd lost here would only leave her with four more days to find her things, escape and make the long trek back. Walter and Ben would no doubt be worried sick when they couldn't find her. Would they be able to find her? Would she want them to? She couldn't stand to think of anyone more good people dying because of her, especially the people closest to her heart.
Steeling herself, she made the decision to do the impossible.
She was going to have to outplay the player.
Author's Note: So this took a while to get out but I finally got myself in gear and finished it. Not as lengthy as I had originally intended, I did cut it a bit short but that will just be added onto the next chapter. I plan on doing a lot of Reaver point of view time then. Hope you enjoyed!
Reviews, I wants them! :D