Page 46 of Lord of Ruin
Yeah, and he also didn’t raise you to get yourself killed either.
I rolled my eyes. True but nowhere in the parents’ books of teaching their children did he teach me how to react when I was kidnapped by a wannabe savior with a bad attitude and an even worse demeanor.
Even if he was so damn sexy.
God. What was wrong with me? Sexy men were just as dangerous if not more so.
The knock on the bedroom door was one I expected. What I didn’t was the woman waltzing in like she owned the place. I’d passed her while bounding up the stairs and she’d glared at me as if I was the enemy. That didn’t bode well for me.
I had to admit, the woman was dressed to kill; even in blue jeans and silk blouse, the diamond and gold jewelry and expensive watch she was wearing gave away her affluence. Her hair was a luxurious glistening dark black, her eyes blue like the Aegean Sea. She was model gorgeous with a slight difference given her high cheekbones and crooked but adorable nose.
In her hand was a suit bag and she gave me a hard onceover. “I’m Elena Diamondis, Stavros’ sister. I’m your shopping buddy today. I have it under good authority that there is no spending limit. However, I doubt you’re going to want to go wearing that. No offense, but it stinks.” She pointed all the way to the floor. “I brought you some clothes to borrow since we appear to be the same size.”
She had to be kidding me. She appeared model thin while I wasn’t. However, who was I to look a gift horse in the mouth? “You’re his sister, huh?”
“Some would say ‘the’ sister.” She laughed and walked further into the room, glancing around. “My brother does like you. He softened the room just for you. You’re Jenna?”
“What? It looked more like a prison before he tossed me in here, locking the door, keeping me locked away like Rapunzel.”
“My brother had his reasons.”
I rolled my eyes, standing with one hip cocked. “Sure he did. However, if you’re here to try and encourage me to like him when he almost got me killed not once but twice before abducting me and locking me in this… prison then it’s not to happen. You might as well go. Your brother is a reprehensible monster who does nothing more than take what he wants, refusing to consider the other person. I could only imagine what he’d do with furry babies. Maybe he eats them for supper. He’s cold, heartless, and couldn’t care less about anyone else’s feelings.” Great. I was on a roll. She didn’t deserve my wrath but even after three days, I remained furious. I’d glared at myself in the mirror, forcing the inner girl inside to admit she enjoyed the brutal man’s company, but I refused to back down from my beliefs, everything I stood for.
Right versus wrong.
Good versus evil.
The way he’d pleasured me had been incredible, but I couldn’t dare think what we’d shared would matter. Stavros was a savage, the kind of man who’d toss me aside like a used pickup when he was finished with me. Then where would I be?
I wasn’t certain whether she was going to be angry with me for talking rather badly about her brother. I wasn’t expecting her to burst into laughter.
“He said you were like me, which means a bit of a pain in the ass. I’d scoffed at the thought. No woman I’ve ever met is as formidable and determined as I am. Some men would say bratty, but I adore being called that. But here you are, standing in the flesh. I think I’m really going to like you. But I also love my brother, even if he’s the one I consider to be a freaking pain. All three of them are because they’re men. But blood is thicker than water.”
And just like that, all the venom I felt the moment she’d walked into the room faded away, replaced by a slight sense of relief. I found myself smiling. “I’m sorry I berated him in front of you. I’m frustrated and uncertain about the future and… And maybe a little bit scared.”
“Don’t be scared. I’m sure he told you I’m a crack shot. Our father made his two girls learn how to shoot at an early age.”
“Really? Well, we have something in common then. So did mine.”
“Ah, fabulous. Maybe we’ll go gun shopping together one day,” Elena said, half laughing. “Oh, and you’re mostly right about Stavros. He can be the most insufferable jerk you’ve ever met, but he also has a heart of gold, even if he pretends otherwise. And you’re wrong about furry babies. He was the single member of our family voted most likely to bring home a stray or ten. I can’t remember how many it was that he did, but I assure you my father wasn’t pleased. At all. If only he’d allow himself to adopt a puppy, I think all the nasty demons floating inside of him would fade away.” She tugged a credit card from the pocket of her jeans. “Now, since I have the reprehensible man’s credit card in my hot little hand, what do you say we take out our mutual need to teach him a lesson or two about women and shop up a storm? We’ll even have a fabulous lunch as well. What do you say?”
There was no need to mull over my decision. It came easily. “Okay. You’ve managed to convince me. Let me change.” Truthfully, I’d be glad to get out of my shrubs. I couldn’t stand the thought of handwashing my panties in the sink once again. I grabbed the bag from her hand and turned toward the bathroom.
“Just one thing, Jenna. I was also assigned to make certain you’re kept safe. I realize you might not understand our lifestyle or the reason for Stavros’ concern and his seemingly brutal actions. However, you need to trust me in that our enemies will stop at nothing to take away our happiness and destroy our family. It’s been tried before, and it will be tried again. I have two guards who’ve protected me for years. They are very good at what they do but they can’t do their jobs effectively if they need to worry about you trying to escape. Just don’t do it. That will piss me off and you won’t like me very much if that occurs.”
Hearing her speak the same language as her brother sent a chill down my spine. “I don’t doubt it and I won’t.”
“Good because if you think Stavros is disagreeable, then you’d learn I’m a real bitch.”
She had the ability to make me smile. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Good. Now, let’s go have some fun.”
Maybe it was crazy to feel happiness and freedom when I was caught in a web of darkness because of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but being with Elena was more fun than I’d had in a long time.
As I stood inside the dressing room of the third store we’d been in, I honestly didn’t recognize the girl standing in front of me. I also had never been able to afford the incredibly expensive clothes that she’d insisted I try on and purchase. She had control of the credit card. I only wondered how Stavros would feel when he got the bill.
I’d glanced at a couple of price tags and almost fainted. Who paid two hundred dollars for a pair of jeans, six hundred for hot boots? And this dress she’d insisted I try on? I grabbed the tag attached to the material underneath my arm, tugging it in front of the full-length mirror. I was certain I’d faint. Three thousand dollars? This was nuts.