"From what I have figured out, you're a jerk and deserved it," she snapped back, his dark eyes flashing in anger. "Furthermore, you have a wife, so why does it matter?"
"Stop being such a child," he growled.
She glared up at him, turning away from him, but he moved into her face, blocking her attempt to get back to Daemon and Dirdos.
"Move, vampire," she growled.
"You loved me, and now you hate me."
"I don't remember loving you, and I am indifferent to you," she retorted. "Why would I love you? You're domineering, stubborn, and thoroughly rude."
"You used to like those things about me," he snarled.
She pursed her lips, considering that. He wasn't entirely wrong. Dirdos was domineering, and it ticked all the right boxes for her.
"You're not even attractive," she snapped, and her lie had his eyes narrowing on her, reading the lie.
"Nice try, Etani. I know you better than that. If I recall, you were the one shoving their tongue down my throat on more than one occasion."
"Is that right? Perhaps you can have your wife shoving it down your throat now, and leave me alone."
She stalked past him, and he followed after her, his fingers hard on her wrist as he pulled her around.
"I would have killed for you. You died."
"Yes, and then you moved on. So stop chasing after me and chase after the woman you married. You have to have loved her too, if you were willing to marry her."
She couldn't understand why he was still there, why he wasn't with his wife.
"I never moved on. I never stopped loving you."
Something in her mind twitched and she frowned, a steady throb of pain starting just behind her left eye.
"Love your wife, Jaia. She's the one waiting for you. Go to her and stop following me. I don't love you; I don't want you, and I want you to leave me alone."
Her words stung him, gauging by his devastated expression. "You did love me. You loved me right up to the instant you forgot me."
"Then whatever it was you did must have been terrible… Tell me what you did."
It was her turn to follow after him as he retreated, forgetting the party, and the dancers, as she took in his hard face and tense frame.
"No," he said flatly.
"Tell me what you did, Jaia," she insisted.
He backed away from her, with her following after him. "No Etani, I'm not going to tell you."
He turned and stalked away from her, but she went after him, leaving the lights and happiness of the dancers and into the dim coolness and peaceful seclusion of the gardens.
"Jaia, if you want me to forgive you, then tell me."
He stopped and turned back to her; his face torn as he tried to figure out what to do.
"Daemon will kill me," he said.
"I won't tell him you told me," she coerced.
He frowned, considering her. "Do you promise?" he demanded, and she nodded.
"Fine," he snapped and led her deeper into the gardens, where it was quiet and private. Sitting down, he patted the seat, and she sat down slowly, her curiosity winning out over her need to shove her fist down his throat.
"You had just been returned to us and when I saw you… I realised I had made a terrible, terrible mistake in being married. I never imagined you would be returned to us, and I was desperately lonely by myself. So I married Selene for the company, and to feel wanted." He was speaking rapidly, and she listened, her head tilted slightly to the side as she tried to see whatever it was in him that she had forgotten. "You came back, and you were so hurt by my being married. Right before you died, I had told you that I would never love another like I loved you. And then you were dead, and it was years later. You said it was only days since you had died for you, not years. You were so angry at me and… you said I should get a prostitute next time… and I was so angry at you for being alive, for being hurt and for being angry. So, when you were in the sub-basement, I… I made sure Selene and I were having sex so you would find us."
There was absolute silence between them as she took in that information, trying to process it.
"You what?" she asked, drawing back from him.
He reached for her, and she stood, moving away from him.
"That's horrible, Jaia…" she whispered as he stood, following after her.
"I know, but I was angry and wanted you to suffer… it was stupid and childish but… and I never expected you to run like that. You weren't supposed to be able to run."
Clenching her jaw, she backed away from him as he approached, his face growing desperate.
"Etani, I'm sorry for everything I did. It was so pathetic of me, and I need you to forgive me."
"Why do you need me to forgive you, Jaia?" she demanded.
"Because I love you," he said, sounding confused.
"Jaia, you're married. I'm married. We will never be together; it doesn't matter if I forgive you."
"Etani, no. My marriage was a mistake. I love you."
"Stop saying that. It doesn't matter if you love me. It's never going to happen."
His face fell, and she turned, heading back in the direction of the dance, but he gripped her wrist and jerked her back against him, his arm going around her as he spun her back to him.
"Let go of me, Jaia," she growled, but his face was set, and he shook his head.
"I will make you remember me; I will make you love me again," he said angrily, his grip tight on her arm.
"You can't make me do anything," she snapped.
Looking past her, he swore, and his arms shot off her, hands in the air as a low growl started behind her. She turned to see Dirdos approaching, his eyes glowing softly in the darkness.
"Get lost, vampire," the dragon snarled, and Jaia stepped away from her, his hands still up in a show of surrender.
"I'm not going to leave you alone with her," Jaia said, looking between them.
"I said get lost. You are needed back in the main area," Dirdos snarled.
Jaia signed, looking between them, and finally he left, looking angry.
Watching him go, Dirdos smirked as he approached her, and she realised he had been lying about Jaia being needed.
Taking her hands in his, he guided her back to the bench. She sat down, his warmth seeping into her.
"So much trouble you get yourself into," he said.
She laughed gently, lifting his hand to her lips. "So it would seem, including you," she teased.
His eyes narrowed, his hand going to her side and jerking her closer to him. His fingers found her jaw and he lifted her chin, his mouth finding hers in a heavy kiss that she returned eagerly.
His growl against her lips was soft, and without a word, he pulled her up off the seat and away from the dim lights of the garden.
He seemed to decide on a spot and his hands found her hair, dragging through the loose length of it as his lips met hers in a hard, demanding pressure. She leant into the kiss, and he growled at her response, guiding her back until she was sitting, and then lying in the snow.
Lying himself down next to her, the pressure of his mouth on hers grew heavier, and he caught her fingers, guiding them back down to himself.
She moved eagerly to stroke him through his pants, and she flushed as he reached down to roughly jerk up her dress, impatient and wanting. She felt him growing erect in her hand and her breath escaped her in a shaking exhale as his fingers slid up between her legs, sliding one burning finger into her to make her gasp. He growled softly, amused as he leant back from her. "Surely one of your husbands would have dealt with this already," he said, and she flushed.
"It… goes back if I die," she whispered, and Dirdos laughed darkly.
"Lucky me," he growled, and he shifted on top of her, his eyes hooded in the light of the moon. "It's going to hurt."
She nodded, drawing him down into another hard kiss as her legs parted. He growled hungrily into her mouth and his fingers dug into her thighs to leave small bruises as he jerked her down, his height making it a little hard for her to kiss him at the same time.
A sudden thud made them look up. A long silver bolt quivered in the wood of the tree, only an inch from where her head would have been a second before. They were still staring at it before, as one, they looked to the side and there was Vincent.
"Hunter!" she gasped.
Dirdos swore, shoving himself back, even as the Hunter reloaded. She flung out her hand and called up the water in the ground under them, the water shooting up around the Hunter and freezing in place.
Rolling, Dirdos grabbed her hand and dragged her from the snow, looking back as Vincent smashed the ice with the butt of his weird bow.
Another whistle came and Etani shoved Dirdos down mercilessly, the bolt barely missing him this time, and hadn't been aiming for her at all.
He rolled, knocking her legs out from under her, and she hit the snow with another whistle flying over them.
"How many are there?" she cried out, scanning the field, but she only saw the two.
A pair of boots landed in the snow and Etani looked at them, only a few inches from her face, then looked up at the grinning form of Alez.
"Hello, Etani," he said happily. His boot came down on her back as she made to rise.
Dirdos rose quickly, but went still as the cold metal touched her throat. She cried out as iron burned her skin.
"Didn't really want to interrupt your nightly entertainment, my friend, but I'm afraid it was just too good of an opportunity. You'll have to find yourself a different partner for the evening," Alez said as another two pairs of boots landed in the snow.
Dirdos looked around at the five men, weighing his odds. "I've been working on her for months," he said moodily, his hands stuffing into his pockets and glaring at the group.
"Apologies, unfortunately you got the wrong one."
Looking up as Vincent crouched down beside her, he smiled at her as he pressed his thumb against her cheek, smearing his blood down across her jaw.
She growled, glaring up at him. She had wondered when he would show up again. She just didn't think it would have been on the side of Alez. But it seemed his previous deal with her had been forgotten in light of a new offer.