Free Dark Matter by Christie Rich

room. It was
impossible for me to mistake him for someone else. He kept
murmuring about how Finn was not suitable to represent his kingdom
and how he was going to torture Jett the first chance he was able.
How Jett had ruined what was supposed to have been the best night
of his life. There was more meaning there than I had desire to
explore. Let’s just say that Jett may have done me a huge
favor.
    Heath kicked my door open and said some
strange words before he lowered me onto the bed. I suddenly felt as
though I had just gotten out of a shower. My face was no longer
covered in dust, and my hair was slightly damp. I was also wearing
something different. It slid over my limbs like silk, but covered
me like a track suit. I was too out of it to really
care.
    I felt his body lean across mine and
his breath warm my neck. “I wish I were better at this stuff, but I
assure you…” He laughed lightly, his cheek nuzzling against mine.
“I’m good when it counts.”
    When his lips brush my ear, my entire
body sizzled for more. “Heath,” I warned, but there was no strength
to my voice.
    “ Don’t worry, my little
warrior.” His lips blazed a trail of fire to the hollow of my neck
where he buried his face and inhaled deeply. His five o’clock
shadow tickled my skin when he smiled. “The only way I would ever
claim you is if and when you are completely aware of what is
happening.” He laughed softly. “What fun would it be to take you
now?”
    I tried to roll away from him, but I
was barely coherent as it was. I opened my mouth to tell him that
he would never succeed, but it only came out as a moan.
    “ I know, sweet one,” he
soothed. “You must save your strength and prepare yourself…” He ran
his hand over my hair in an unnervingly intimate gesture before he
pulled back slightly, inhaling slowly. His tone lowered
dramatically when he spoke. “Because once I conquer Finn…I’m coming
after you.”
    The finality of his declaration made my
breath hitch. Heat rushed through me, claiming everything within me
as his own. I cringed at the unwanted feelings of longing that
blasted through my heart.
    His weight shifted away from me before
the slow thud of his shoes striking against the floor signaled his
retreat. The door squeaked open then closed, leaving me to the
overwhelming silence.
    I had no idea what was wrong with me,
but I seemed to have a hard time staying conscious whenever Jett
was around me for very long.
     
     
     

Chapter Six
     
     
    Someone was shaking me. I groggily
lifted my eyelids. They refused to stay open, but I managed to say,
“What?” before they drifted closed again.
    “ It’s been two days since
the ball. You have to wake up!” It was Cassie. The frantic cadence
to her voice jolted me awake, but now I felt dizziness claim me as
if the world was just seconds from going topsy-turvy. “We can’t
leave if you don’t get your butt out of bed.”
    Leave? I recalled something about that.
I needed to leave for some reason. I was worried about something,
but I couldn’t quite remember…I lost my train of thought. My
eyelids would have required braces to keep them open at that
point.
    Someone else stomped over to the bed.
The sound of his voice reverberated around me. “Rayla.” It was
unmistakably Finn. “Get up! They are holding the tournament
tomorrow and unless you want to find yourself bound to Heath, you
had better fight to wake up.”
    “ Isn’t there anything you
could do to help her?” Cassie asked. She slid away from me and
lowered her voice, but I still managed to hear what she was saying.
“What exactly is wrong with her?”
    “ This is Jett’s attempt at
keeping her from being claimed before he returns with the Royal
Guard. He’s a master of subliminal control. In effect, Rayla is
under sedation.”
    Cassie groaned. “There has to be a way
to break the spell or whatever it is.”
    “ I could try, but I would
risk too much to do it. We’re better off leaving her