Woman Beware (4 page)

“I’m not picky.” That word was barely in her vocabulary. Lena couldn’t remember the last time she bought new clothes. She’d been trying to pay off her bills and put money away to retire at an early age. She waited for the men to drop off the bags and went to open them. “Uh… How do I get these open?”

With a sigh, Artu pushed away from the wall. “You really are lost here, aren’t you?” he asked as he approached the bed. “Most any woman on the planet would have ripped that bag open at the thought of getting different clothing, even if it had belonged to someone else.”

Lena wanted to kick him for that comment. She really did. “Well, you’ll soon find out that I’m not like most women.” She frowned as she thought about how easily they conversed. “You know. I just realized that we speak the same language.”

“That
is
strange, considering that you say you have never been here before.”

She bristled when he gave her a look that said he had considered her a liar. “Just a minute, mister.” She rested her hand on her hips. “If you think I’m lying, then just come out and say so. Don’t hint around about it.”

“I didn’t say I thought you were lying. I merely said it was strange.” He stared at her as though just his expression would make her break down and confess to lying to him. “You are different from anyone I have ever met before.”

“Why, because I’m not a liar?” she snapped the question. She was pissed now.

Something akin to humor appeared in his eyes, and he tilted his head again. “No. I find you different, because most women fall at my feet when they are near me, and I find that I can make them tell me what I want. And then, there is you,” he said as he moved closer. “I can’t make you say what I want you to say, and you don’t hesitate to tell me how you feel.” He smiled. “I think I like that.”

She could see why most women fell at his feet. Her knees went weak at the sight of his grin. He had two adorable dimples and his eyes lit up. She didn’t know what she would do if he laughed again and she saw it. His smile
did
go a long way toward making her feel better, though she had no idea why it should.

“I’ve never been one to keep things inside. If you stay around me long enough, you’ll eventually find me irritating.” She smiled back. “You look nice when you smile. You should do it more often.”

He moved toward the door. “I have already found you irritating but in the most delightful way.”

“Hey! What did I do, other than get dumped here against my will?”

“You did nothing,” he said tongue in cheek. “However, your voice is shrill and your screams are ear piercing. It is enough to irritate even the most gentle soul.”

“You’re a bit of a jerk. Did you know that?”

“I don’t know this word. Perhaps you should explain it to me.” Artu said, a twinkle in his eye. Bending, he picked up one of the bags, turned it over and waved his hand over it in a simple pattern. When it opened easily, he turned to her and raised a brow.

“Don’t look at me like I’m some sort of lack wit.” She scowled. Lena knew a challenge when she saw one. Picking up the remaining bag, she took care to imitate his motions to the best of her ability.

Nothing happened.

Biting her lip, she looked up at him with suspicion. “It’s not opening.”

“Of course it isn’t.” He rested his hands on his hips.

She couldn’t tell how he felt by his expression. Lena wasn’t sure if he was about to smile or yell at her.

“Of course it’s not opening for you. It’s set to
my
DNA.”

“I thought this was your sister’s luggage.”

“These are my sister’s clothes. I packed them away when she disappeared.”

“You know, I can’t help but wonder if the same thing happened to her.” She watched as he opened the other bag. “You know, Garrick the goon could have snatched her up and sent her somewhere where she was supposed to meet
her
soul mate. After all, he kept telling me that mine was here.”

Leaning forward, Lena peered into the bag closest to her and pulled out a pretty red blouse, held it out in front of her and shook her head. “Oh, it figures.” She bit her lip. “I get sent to an alien planet and one of the locals gives me a red shirt to wear. I
knew
it! I’m gonna die!”

Artu grabbed her arm and pulled her around to look at him. “Don’t say that. Never say that. You are
not
going to die.” He yanked her close and stared down into her eyes. Grasping her shoulders, he held her in a bruising grip before he slanted his mouth over hers.

He was angry. She could feel it.

His mouth was hard against hers, punishing, yet his kiss still stirred something deep within Lena that she wasn’t sure she wanted to examine. She’d given up on men, dammit!

Resting her palms on his chest, she pushed, trying to pull away from the kiss. She didn’t want to feel anything for him. Lena stiffened in his arms, afraid that if he kept it up much longer, she would throw caution to the wind and succumb to him. She couldn’t let that happen. She just couldn’t.

Artu held Lena tight against him. She struggled for a moment but not for long. It didn’t seem as though she really wanted him to release her.

Damn it!
He knew better than to kiss her. She wasn’t meant for him. No one was meant for him. How could he believe she was from another world when she spoke their language like a native?

He tried not to like the way her body fit so perfectly against his. He fought the urge to take deep breaths to draw in her unique scent. Mostly, he tried not to kiss her but couldn’t manage to stop himself from doing so.

Her soft skin beckoned him to caress her. Her full lips dared him to kiss her. Her sharp tongue attempted to push him away with acerbic comments but only managed to make him want her more.
Why
?

Artu continued to kiss her, his tongue begging entrance to her mouth. Lena refused him at first. After what felt like an eternity, she opened for him. With a groan, Artu snaked his tongue into her mouth.

Stop it. She is merely another distraction. In a few short weeks, she, like the others, will decide that she wishes to wed her childhood sweetheart,
Artu told himself as he attempted to break the kiss.

He couldn’t. Something within him clung to her. It didn’t want to let her go no matter how hard he tried.

She is your soul mate, Artu. We brought her from a great distance to be with
you
.

As if he would believe that. She was a human, most likely brought here from the Kelkirk province. He would leave here soon, and when he did, Artu vowed he would find the people responsible for leaving Lena in danger.

As impossible as it seemed, he almost wished she was his soul mate. He enjoyed this kiss more than he had enjoyed closeness with any woman in a long time. The feel of her body pressed against his was a strange comfort. Maybe it was time to find a way to get away from this world and its people. He needed rest, and he needed time to reflect on his life, and perhaps, maybe he just needed some time off—time where he could relax and be himself instead of being a defender every hour of every day.

Artu took the time to enjoy the kiss for a few seconds longer. He told himself why he couldn’t keep her with him and hoped he would take his own advice. Yes, he
was
going mad, but it was with desire to possess this woman with his body, his mind and his soul.

However, he knew he could not. He
should
not. This woman, who responded so passionately to his kisses, was like all the others. In a few short days, she would decide that beneath it all, he was a monster and she would leave.

Slowly, Artu ended their kiss, stepped back and looked at her. She was so beautiful with her red lashes resting upon her creamy skin and her full lips swollen from their kiss.

For the first time in his life, Artu was angry. This woman was the one woman he wasn’t sure he could let walk away. Yet, it was up to him to make certain she did just that.

When Lena finally broke free of Artu’s embrace, he stared down at her. He looked angry. “Do not do that again.” He wiped the back of his arm across his mouth as though she had cooties or something. “Women like you have no business consorting with defenders.”

Crack!

Lena didn’t know which one of them was more surprised after she slapped him. “Don’t you blame that on
me
.
I
didn’t drag
you
into
my
arms and force a kiss on
you
, mister. That was all you.” She wiped her mouth off, mimicking his look of disgust. “You’re the one who brought me into your home, insisting that I stay here for my safety. I’m grateful.” She paused to give him a scathing look. “But I’m not
that
grateful.”

She did her best to look at him as though he resembled something she found on the bottom of her shoes in a cow pasture. “You yourself said that your people regard you as some sort of celebrity. Go find yourself an asshole groupie and have at it. Just leave
me
alone.”

Lena stood her ground and stared him down. If there was one thing she’d learned over the years was if she was weak, a man would exploit it. She couldn’t afford to show weakness. Not this time.

He waved his hand toward the bed. “Unpack that shit and give the bags to the men outside your door.” Turning, he stalked out of the room. He stopped in the hallway and looked back. “Stay here. I’ll come get you for dinner.” He let his gaze travel up and down her form and sneered as though he found her lacking. “However, you might want to bathe and change your clothes first.”

“Argh!” Lena threw the red blouse at the door after he closed it. “What gives him the right to treat me like that?”

Heal his pain, Lena.
She heard the strange voice in her head again. Not only had someone transported her to another planet, now she was losing her mind.

“Heal his pain?” She shook her head with a laugh. “I’ll cause him pain. That’s what I’ll do.”
The jerk.

He strikes out because he suffers.

“It doesn’t give him the right to strike out at me. I did nothing to him.” Lena felt seven times a fool for talking to herself, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that this was important and that she was speaking to one of the Fates. “Who are you, anyway?”

I am Urd, seer of all that has ever been. I know his pain, just as I know yours. Do you not strike out at others in your own way? Do you not blame all males for what has already come to pass? Give him a chance, Lena. Like you, he seeks only happiness.

Closing her eyes, Lena gave a slight nod. Though she wanted to discount the voice in her head, how could she after all that had already happened to her? Besides, the voice, Urd, was correct.

How could she condemn the man for protecting his heart? Wasn’t
she
doing the same? Lena sighed as she thought about what Urd said. Did she have the right to condemn another for his actions when she had reacted in a similar fashion?

Only you can answer
that
question.

The voice quieted again. Only this time, Lena knew Urd was gone. She felt it.

With a frown, Lena thought back to her conversation with the Fate, Urd. She had said she could see the past. What could have happened in their pasts that could possibly cause the Fates to transport her to another world?

Lena didn’t believe in soul mates. Not anymore. She had when she was young and foolish, though. She had even seen fortune tellers, asking if she would meet her match. They always shook their heads, their expressions grim. Lena had no soul mate. Even past life regressions told her the same thing.

She was alone and, it seemed, always would be so. Of the sixteen past lives she’d
visited
and chronicled through hypnosis, she found only one where she was married and content. Not happy, just content.

There had been a time when she would have been happy with that but not now. Not after seeing Maria with her men and witnessing what it was like for someone who was truly happy. It might be selfish, but Lena wanted that for herself. Was that really too much to ask? Maybe it was time she faced the facts.
Her
soul mate didn’t exist.

Your soul mate is downstairs.
This voice, different from the first, sounded younger. Urd had sounded old or possibly tired. This voice came from someone much younger. At least she sounded younger. Lena would have guessed her age to be in the mid to late thirties.

“My soul mate doesn’t exist. I’ve had psychics tell me that I’ve lived several lives and not once have I had a soul mate.”

Do not tell me what I can see for myself. Your soul mate is Artu. He sits downstairs and broods. He feels something for you but will not risk heartbreak again. Artu may appear strong, but he is fragile inside. Too many times he has suffered the loss of love. He, too, has never been more than content. Why do you think he fights so vehemently the emotions he feels for you now?

That
is why he wrestles with the feelings he has for you. He does so to protect his compassionate spirit. He wrestles with the feelings he has. He does so to protect his heart, just as
you
are protecting yours.

“Just the idea of trying again scares me.” Lena bit her lip.

Love is a fearsome thing for those lucky enough to experience it. Would you live the rest of your life alone knowing that you could have been happy had you but had the courage to try?

That was the
real
question, wasn’t it? Was Lena really willing to pass up the chance at the sort of relationship she dreamed of having?

The answer was a resounding,
no.
As painful as love was, it was also joyous when one found the right person. Lena had already seen that first hand.

Go to him, my child. Show him the Fates are
not
the evil bitches he thinks. Tell him Urd said you are his past, tell him that I, Verdandi, says you are his present and that Skuld says you are his future and he is yours.

Lena felt Verdandi leave, much as she had felt Urd disappear. Sticking the tip of her thumb in her mouth, she bit the nail, thinking. After a moment, Lena, having made up her mind, headed for the door and, she hoped, her future.