My Hard-hearted Hero

Chapter 16 √

"Did he hurt you, love?"

Lucas slid his hand over the back of Ariana's neck. She fought down the urge to shake off the smooth, manicured fingers, so unlike Zach's rough, callused ones.

"No. Not really. Just scared me is all."

He gently squeezed her neck, his green eyes glowing with warm concern, his British accented voice silky.

"Naturally, I reported your abduction, but the local constabulary leaves much to be desired, I'm sad to say."

Why do you look more smug than sad about that?

He continued, "We were frightfully worried about you, Ina. Some of the methods these deprogrammers use...well, I know of cases where young women have been....molested. And worse." He dipped his head and leveled and inquisitive stare from under thick, tawny eyebrows.

"No, um...." She swallowed hard. "Nothing like that happened."

He studied her expression for long, tense moments and finally said, "Good. I'm relieved to hear it."

The huge man standing behind Lucas stared fixedly at her. His dark, close set eyes flicked down her body in insolent appraisal. Lucas noticed the direction of her gaze and turned briefly to glance behind him.

"Oh yes, there have been a few changes in your absence, love. After you were kidnapped, my closest advisers persuaded me to hire a bodyguard. Jacob here never leaves my side."

Jacob was tall and brawny. His dark hair was buzzed close to his craggy head, in sharp contrast to Lucas thick blond braid. Jacob's smarmy stare made Ariana want to slink away and run straight back to Zach.

She'd located Lucas in Underground's ramshackle community room, originally the clubhouse of the summer camp that once occupied the property. Some sort of Halloween pep rally had just ended, and the members had filed out to scour the woods fro branches to feed the bonfire to be lit that night. Enormous paper-mache animal-head masks were arranged around the perimeter of the room, along with carved pumpkins that would later house lit candles.

"Do I still have my old room?" Ariana ask.

"Absolutely. I knew you'd return to us, Ina. I felt it in the very fiber of my being. We're connected, you and I, in a very special way. There's a force drawing us together, a cosmic force. Do you feel it, too?"

"Uh, sure."

He placed his hands on her shoulders. His voice dropped suggestively.

"I thought of you during the full moon."

When he remained silent, staring at her from under those heavy eyebrows, she realized he was awaiting her response. She cleared her throat.

"Yeah. Me, too."

He stroked her cheek. "Come to me tonight."

Her heart stopped. "Tonight? But__but there's no full moon tonight!"

His jaw flexed. "The bloody crescent moon will have to do. I've waited long enough. Come to me at midnight."

It wasn't a request.

"Yes, Lucas. I think I'll uh, go to my room now, wash up a little."

"Fine. Run along."

She left the building with two pairs of eyes burning a hole in her back. The clock was ticking. If she didn't find anything worth reporting before midnight, she'd have to slip away empty-handed. For good. She'd never be able to return again, after cheating Lucas of the "bud of her innocence" twice.