Content To Be Claimed (Beauty And The Beast #1)

Chapter 44

Vincent stood watching me, his grin open and relaxed. He had the hot older guy look down pat - he looked to be late twenties - and his teeth gleamed. In that instant my fear of him was crippling. He sauntered over to me as I stood watching, fascinated in my fear. He stopped in my face and his smile was disarming as he said, "Do you mind stepping away from the car?"

He waited but I was still frozen. It was difficult to move my mind past the fear, past the knowledge that he was here to kill me. His words suddenly struck, making me wince. He'd called me here? I remembered my desperation to leave my house and how I'd been sure of where I was going without really focusing. Defeat weighed on me as I realised that I had come to him - and with the amulet.

I'd just given Vincent both the bait and the weapon he needed to destroy Warren.

When he reached for me my breath caught in panic but I still couldn't move. He could have snapped my neck and I would have been defenseless against him. Instead, he only grabbed my hand. "I'm really sorry but we can't have anything happen to you, now can we?" he said conversationally as he took me a short distance from the Volvo.

I was still wondering how he'd gotten my treacherous body to cooperate when he reached into my pocket. I tried to jerk back and failed again. When he stepped away, crumpling something metal in his hand like it was paper, I knew it was my phone. He threw the pieces into the front seat and closed the door then went round the car to the front. He suddenly brought his fist crashing down on the hood and the car bucked, the lights and alarm going wild.

"My car!" I gasped, my hand going up to grasp my hair.

Ignoring me, Vincent smashed up the entire front of my car with another well place blow and the thing died. He picked up the fallen tree in one hand, angled it and dropped it on the sad piece of junk that used to be my car. He turned to me with a radiant smile and walked back to me. "Shall we?"

I just stared speechlessly at my car. My world was spinning right now and I knew it wasn't about to stop.

"Sorry sweetheart but we really have to go." He gripped my arm and dragged me into the forest.

The pain shooting through my arm roused my anger and I welcomed it. It was something to focus on, that gave me strength. "You're hurting me!" I gritted.

"Sorry." He instantly dropped my arm and turned to me. "You humans are so fragile," he mused. "And slow. Let's see..." He rubbed his thumb over his lip in thought then his eyes lit up. "Okay, hang on."

And suddenly the world was upside down and rushing past. He'd thrown me over his shoulder - that must run in the damn family - and was shooting through the forest. "Put me down!"

"In a minute, I promise."

I focused on keeping my lunch down. The spinning in my head was just beginning to slow down when he dropped me to the ground like a sack of potatoes. I sat up, instinctively edging back, and hit against something hard and cold. I spun, my heart thudding, to find that it was only a car. I leaned against it and tried to calm down.

Vincent reached out and I recoiled but he only opened the door. "Get in."

I glared up at him then tried to stand and plopped back on my butt. Great, my legs weren't working.

He crouched, studying me. "Guess you need some help."

"Don't touch me!" I hissed. I'd had enough of that for one day.

He stood again and held the door open. I glanced in and sighed then clambered in awkwardly. Once inside, I righted myself. He took off at an alarming speed making me gasp, "Slow down!"