Whispers of the Diamond: A Romance of Memory and Desire

Chapter 4 - Terra

"Hi Alex," I smiled as my eyes met those bright blue eyes. I'd forgotten how beautiful those eyes were. How kind and compassionate he was—or rather used to be. His eyes were still beautiful, but they'd changed; they held calm and control. A shiver ran through me, even staring at the barrel of his gun.

He wouldn't fire. I knew letting him catch me was a calculated risk, but I needed Joseph to escape with the backups. Alex was always going to follow me; he was as intrigued by this mystery as I was.

"Terra..." His voice trailed off as I stepped closer, the gun now pressed into my forehead. If he was going to pull the trigger, believe me, he would have. I wrapped my hand over the barrel and forced it down. He resisted for a moment before allowing me to lower his gun.

"It's OK," I smiled softly. God, he looked good, barely aged from the man I spent my life with. I was uncertain for a moment as he watched me. I could see the cogs turning. Right now, he was wondering why I was so sure of myself. I wasn't. I was just buying time for Joseph to get clear. Hunters worked alone, and I'd studied his file to know he definitely preferred to be alone, had been since the day I'd died.

"I have to take you in, this doesn't end any other way, Terra." There it was, god alive, that tone. I'd heard it before, time and again. He had a commanding way with words. In fact, Alex Oliveira was the best wordsmith I knew. He could get my heart racing with words and then follow it up with his touch. He was the most amazing man I'd ever known. I did miss him sometimes, but we were on opposite ends of the scale now.

"You won't," I replied, my eyes settled on his. It was a challenge or a calculated risk. The fact was, his feelings for me were binding him. I knew he wouldn't shoot because he wanted to know why, how, and why I stayed away. There were a hundred questions going through his head, and none of them had to do with him arresting me.

"You sound sure," he replied. There it was, that tone of his, the one to challenge me.

"I am," I replied. This was us, the old us, not in the same context but with the ease with which we needled each other. I could see it in his eyes as he turned things over, trying to work out what I was going to do. Truth be told, I had no intention of running. If he arrested me, then the resistance would be safe. His bosses would torture me, get nothing, and ultimately kill me. Joseph would be alerted, a new clone created, and I'd be brought back.

"Why?" His question caught me completely off guard, my heart tripping over its own beat. My eyes locked on his, he could see the panic, and with one word, he had turned the tide of control.

"I... You... Fuck," I cursed. "Love," I said finally.

Alex looked at me, that fucking condescending look he used to give when he'd fluster me before making me tell him what I wanted. I hated it and craved it. I'd missed him so deeply. Sure, I'd had sex with others in the last five decades, but everything had been temporary, fleeting, and I'd been left unfulfilled.

"You what?" he stated. Ugh, that tone again, the one that drove my mind into a hormonal frenzy. I saw his hand move and immediately stepped back. "Relax, I'm just putting this away," he stated as he tucked his gun away. At six foot, he was massive, around two hundred pounds, with long dark hair. His body... I reprimanded myself in annoyance and forced myself to look back at him. My five-foot-six frame was not your average girl, but it had never bothered him. My red hair had been the defining factor in getting his attention. But compared to him in terms of size, I was no match. He could do as he wished, and I had no way to physically stop him.

"You won't take me in, because you still love me. If you didn't, I'd either be in cuffs or dead," I finally managed to force out, my head reeling as he closed the gap between us. I could smell that scent, the one I knew so well, so deep; it was built into me.

I felt the cold of metal and the click as he wrapped the cuffs around my waist. I tried to struggle, but his hand caught mine, pinning them at my back and cuffing me.

"You asshole!" I snarled at him, my anger exploding through. I'd been so sure of myself, so confident I could make him fold.

"I have a job to do," he replied. He was so matter-of-fact, that glimmer of us forced down under his need to do what was right—another fundamental flaw of his. Alex was so very fundamentally a hero, we'd joked about his need to save me, of course he did. But now as \ hunter he held power to make that a reality, to save the world from the dangerous people in the world. I'd seen his record he was damn good at what he did. But I hadn't counted on him ignoring the fact I was here right in front of him and him not leaping on me. He pushed me forward toward the blacked out 4x4 parked at the end of the road.

He opened the door to the back, and I climbed in. I knew there was no sense in fighting, nor was anyone coming to help. I was on my own now, with the man I loved, who had possibly changed so much in our time apart that I had grossly miscalculated.

He climbed in the front, and I heard him start the car. I was uncomfortable sitting with my hands pinned behind me.

"Alex, can you at least undo these? I can't escape; I'm locked in here. I'll be good, I promise, but don't leave me like this," I pleaded. He climbed out and opened the door. I turned to allow him access to the cuffs. He unlocked the cuffs, then pushed them around, re-cuffing me with my hands in my lap. I grumbled in response, but at least I was less uncomfortable.

He climbed back in the front, and the car pulled away.