Moonbeam

Chapter Seventeen

"Tara!"

She marched angrily along the hallway, completely ignoring the deep voice that summoned her, fury racing through her veins.

Thranduil hadn't spoken a word to her the entire ride back, and hadn't even glanced in her direction. Each step her horse took brought more and more rage to her, and she was quietly seething by the time they arrived back at the palace. Dismounting on their return, she had turned her horse over to one of the stable-hands and put as much distance between her and the King as quickly as possible, not wanting to see him or speak to him.

He could suffer in the same silence she'd been subjected to.

"Tara!" he called again, and she kept walking. Angry footsteps sounded behind her, and he grabbed her arm, whirling her round to face him. His face was furious. "Do not walk away from me," he growled.

She wrenched her arm out of his hold. "Do not touch me!" she hissed. "Leave me alone!"

"You disobeyed a direct order, again," he snarled. "You have a serious problem when it comes to taking orders and following commands!"

"That is because I do not obey anyone," she snapped. "I am not a maid who you can order around like you own me!"

His eyes widened in astonishment. "Be careful how to address me," he warned. "Remember that we may be friends, but I am still your King, and you will do as I command, whether you like it or not!"

"At this moment in time, you are not my friend, you are nothing to me," she shot back. "A friend would not completely ignore someone who had gone out of their way to help in a battle!"

"A friend would have listened to advice when it is given in their best interests!" he shouted, losing his cool. "You deliberately placed yourself in a dangerous situation which I was trying to shield you from! Do you even remember what happened the last time you faced a spider attack? Or have you forgotten so quickly? You almost died!"

"Maybe I should have!" she yelled, shoving him hard so he took a step back from her. "Then you would not have the trouble of having to put up with me!"

"Do not speak such nonsense!" he hissed angrily. "Listen to yourself!"

"I do not wish to listen to you, that is for certain!" she ranted. "I wish to be as far away from you as possible!" Her temper flooded through her body, closing off all rational thought.

A flash of hurt flickered in his eyes. "What have I done to make turn you against me?"

"You have turned me into my fucking mother!" she screamed, finally releasing her tension and heartache. "I have become her, and it is all because of you!"

A distressed look settled on his face. "What have I done to you?" he whispered, in shock over her accusation.

She started to step back, creating a distance between them. "You made me fall in love with you," she whispered back. "And I hate you for that!" Her voice rose in anger. Turning at speed, she sprinted away from him as fast as she could, deaf to his shouts. She rounded the corner and flew up the stone steps, hurtling along the passageway towards her chambers.

Strong arms gripped her and spun her to the right, elbowing the doors open in the process. She found herself in Thranduil's chambers, her chest heaving as she panted in anger as she turned to face him.

She didn't have the chance to say anything, as his mouth crashed down onto hers, silencing her as he forced her lips open and thrust his tongue inside.

Passion exploded between them.

He crushed her body tightly against his, tearing at the bodice of her tunic as her hands tore his open. Her palms flattened against his chest, the heat radiating from him burning her hands. Twisting her head from one side to the other, she took everything he had to give from his kiss. Her leg lifted and curved around the back of his legs as she pushed closer to him, grinding herself against the growing hardness.