Page 6 of Prince of Tides
Who the hell are you, Rip, and why are you so suddenly all I can think about? I’m not unhappy.
So, why am I reacting this way?
Chapter Four
Rip
Iwatched through the window for far longer than I should have, only leaving when the male inside shifted to a spot where he could see me. There was something off about him. I could see it in his body language. A certain stiffness, perhaps. I wasn’t sure. But I didn’t like him. He and Laurie were a bad fit.
Is he? Or do you just think you’re a better one?
Baring my teeth, I wandered out onto the house-spanning balcony, ignoring my self-asked question. The mirror hadn’t shown me the woman. The other princes, apparently, had seen their mates via their clan’s Watching Mirror. I saw myself. True, I probablywouldhave seen the woman if I hadn’t been sucked through it to Earth, but I didn’t.
So, was she my mate? Or was there another woman somewhere near who was meant to be mine? I couldn’t deny how Laurie and I had connected. Our minds and even our bodies. Her heartbeat wasn’t the only one racing. I’d done all I could, flexing every muscle under my clothing to try to stop the blood from rushing to my cock when I touched her hand.
She was perfect, really. A little below average height, maybe five-three, give an inch if she didn’t slouch, long blonde hair that, while dyed, was expertly done. Conjuring up an image of her in my mind, I admired the thickness of her form, the curves in all the right places reaching out and speaking to several different parts of me inveryclear ways.
That was a woman that needed a man like me to show her how to be loved. I wasn’t sure how, but I just knew instinctively that the man she was with didn’t appreciate her how she deserved to be appreciated. Nobody could touch that body the way I could.
But are you really the type to play the “I’m better than he is” card? Even if it’s true, it’sherchoice to make. You don’t get to order her to break up with him.
There were some limits I wasn’t willing to cross. I wanted a mate, a partner, someone who wanted me over anyone else. Forcing myself on someone was not how I intended to take up the weapon of my father and his father before him. I wasn’t perfect. Far from it. I’d done many terrible things in the name of defending my realm. But that was a line I would not cross.
“Speaking of lines,” I said, speaking out loud to force my brain to change the subject, “what sort of geographical lines have I crossed to get here, wherever the fuck here is?”
I looked around, trying to figure out if I was anywhere I recognized, but the lands around the house were surrounded by forests. No skyscrapers loomed, meaning we weren’t within city limits either. I was stuck. No transportation, no money, nothing. Was I even on the same continent? My clan, like the others, all owned property near the Rift that allowed us to travel between the dragon realm and Earth.
But where was that in relation to me?
Wandering around outside wouldn’t do me any good. If there were any clues to my location, it would be inside the house. Not out there.
Getting into the mansion was the easy part. Most of the doors were locked, but after a bit of searching, I found a window I could slide through, pulling it closed behind me. I regretted the hole I’d had to put in the screen to remove it, but it was minor damage in the grand scheme.
Inside I found myself in a guest bedroom. There were no personal knickknacks, just simple, sterile objects ready to be used by any company who stayed over. Crossing the hardwood floor, I paused near the door, pressing my ear to it and listening carefully.
As I did that, I reached out to the water in the air, connecting to it, feeling it,readingit. The density of the hallway outside told me nobody was near, and my ears confirmed it once I opened the door. Keeping my finger on the pulse of the water, I slipped from the room to begin my exploration.
First things first, I had to get the lay of the land. I doubted maps would be posted throughout the house, which meant I would have to do it the old-fashioned way: by sneaking around.
It was fairly easy at first. Few people were moving around that wing, leaving me to explore mostly in silence. Bedrooms mainly occupied the second floor. There were a few reading/social rooms and one study that looked like it hadn’t been touched in years, but that was about it.
Time to go downstairs, then.
I located three sets of stairs and decided to take the one farthest from Laurie’s room. It was simple logic, really. If she was one of the owner's children, she was likely staying in her childhood bedroom. Even in a house that size, I doubted her mother would have allowed her to be far away. Using that logic, most of the rooms that would be regularly occupied would be atthatend of the house.
Which meant, of course, I was halfway down the stairs when I heard her voice from behind me. Cursing, I hurried down the rest of the stairs, moving as silently as a cat, using my link with the water to ensure I didn’t walk smack into anyone else at the bottom. I found a storage closet and slipped inside, leaving the door open the barest of cracks.
It was a huge risk, but Ihadto see her again.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs, I bit back a hiss. She had changed into a beige knit sweater that, while loose, was still flat against her body, emphasizing her breasts. She wore black pants, but when she turned to the side, her ass was more than visible. I just wanted to reach out and grab it or bend her over and spank it until she moaned.
Laurie headed the other way, giving me a perfect view of her rear as it swayed slightly from side to side. I groaned, the sound just barely audible.
She started to turn back, and I pushed the door as closed as possible, forcing myself not to move. If she saw me …
But someone called her name, and she continued on. It was only as she moved out of sight that I realized the man was with her. I’d been so caught up in Laurie that I’d blanked out his entire existence.
That was stupid. You need to find the information you seek and get the hell out of here. Now, move.
