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Rating: R just to be on the safe side

Nightmares

Part Four

The next few days were a blur of activity.  The invitations and thank you cards finally came in.  They were gorgeous, a lovely cream-colored paper with green inlay Celtic symbols around the border.  The writing was a stylized Celtic design.  Conor insisted on it and it did give the invitations a certain flare.  In a couple of days my bridesmaids and I would be having a small party, i.e. we were addressing the invitations so they could be sent out the following day.

Yep, everything was going quite nicely.  I heard that Dayla and Lilli were planning my bachelorette party.  That was going to be quite a spectacle considering the lengths I'd gone to for Day's, and knowing how wild and crazy Lilli can be, made the wait so much harder.

Love and laughter filled the house as the plans fell into place.  We had the church picked out, the photographer; the caterer was still up in the air though.  We planned to use the Church of Eternal Life; Malcolm was gracious enough to even allow us to bring in a catholic priest.  Of course it might have had something to do with the meeting he had with Jean-Claude and Killian.  I got the impression that he had expected to perform the ceremony himself like he had for Luce and Kash.

Tonight we had plans to meet for dinner and some dancing.  I was going to meet him at Dead Druids and from there we'd be going out.  The outfit was killer, skintight black leather pants with a slinky red velvet number that tied around the neck and lower back.  A pair of chunky soled boots completed the ensemble.  It made carrying weapons difficult but not impossible.

Pulling the truck into the employee parking lot I checked my make up one last time before leaving the vehicle.  I hit the alarm button key chain and walked to the entrance.  There was a commotion ahead of me.  I thought nothing of it.  Fights in and around a club were common.  Despite everyone's best intentions they still tended to break out in the club.

What I saw as I drew closer knocked me for a loop.  Conor's reddish brown hair was disheveled and even from this distance I could see a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth.  His shirt was untucked and opened halfway.  What froze the breath in my lungs was who he was fighting with.  "Get it through your thick skull!  She doesn't want you!"

His monochrome black attire told me more than the spiky black hair and tanned skin did.  It couldn't be.  My skin tingled and I didn't realize I was moving until he turned his dark eyes to me.  His gaze held me immobile.  The cocky grin on his face made my stomach clench.  There was nothing friendly in that smile.

My brain had refused to function.  It wouldn't obey my commands to move.  His swagger held danger, violence and a touch of sex.  It embodied the man to the tee.  It was what had attracted me to him to begin with.  He crossed the distance that separated us quicker then I would have liked, and still my limbs wouldn't heed my orders.

I squeezed my eyes shut.  "Please," I prayed silently.  "Don't let him touch me.  Not again!"  The last time he had laid a hand on me hand been when we'd had "the blow up"; it was as public and ugly as it got.  His hand gently caressed my cheek and it took everything in me not to shudder in revulsion.

Suddenly his hand was gone and a pair of strong arms wrapped around me.  Conor's scent surrounded me and I clung to him.  Slowly I opened my eyes.  It was the wrong thing to do.  Shang-Da's enraged face greeted my gaze.  His voice cracked over us. "She was happy until *you* came into the picture," he snarled.

"Wrong," I surprised both men.  "He wasn't the problem.  It was never him.  It was you!" My voice had gained confidence while I'd spoken.

Those chocolate brown eyes studied me for a long moment.  It was like being a bug under a microscope.   Only this man knew where most of my weaknesses were.  He clasped his hands calmly in front of him.  A smile crossed his face, open and friendly and totally false.

I used Conor's body to hide what I was doing.  My hand crept to my hip, and the gun there.  It wasn't as good as the Browning but it wasn't a slouch either.  It was a present from Edward.  A North American Arms Guardian, it was a .38.  It was a nice little derringer with a six shot clip.  You could have one in the chamber and still had the six in the clip.  If you needed more then that you were in deep shit anyway and not even a gun would save you.  I was hoping that I wouldn't need it but as unpredictable as my ex was you never knew.

Leaving Conor's sheltering arms I cocked my head to one side giving Shang-Da a considering look.  My body was turned to hide the gun against my thigh.  I'd practiced the art of being able to walk without giving away the presence of my weapon.  I was counting on the fact that it had been so long since we'd been in each other's company that he wouldn't give the gun a second thought if he did catch sight of it.

With my free hand I reached up and cupped Shang-Da's cheek, my thumb running from the corner of his mouth up to my fingers.  He turned his head slightly and his tongue laved the palm of my hand.  My breath caught.  I hadn't expected for him to still bring out this reaction in me.  My body betrayed me.  I could feel my nipples harden under the filmy scrap of material.

The feel of Conor's hand sliding up my back startled me.  Turning my head I saw him lower his mouth to my shoulder his eyes all for Shang-Da as his teeth nipped my shoulder.  I melted against my fiancé's front.  The dark haired man was not to be out done, and slid forward pressing me back into Conor.  I squeezed my eyes shut.  I had to be dreaming.  It just had to be a nightmare, really.

I didn't need to open my eyes to feel them glaring at one another.  Their voices were low and the testosterone was thick on the air.  "What are you trying to prove," Conor growled.

"I could ask the same of you," Shang-Da snarled.

This was getting ridiculous. I didn't want to move.  I didn't want their attention, not like this.  For the moment they were content to stand there glaring daggers into the other with me as a convenient barrier between them.  "Tell you what," the Asian said conversationally.  "Why don't we find out who's man enough to keep her," he threw out as his hand caressed the arm that Conor's chin rested on.

My eyes flew open as Conor seized the other man's wrist and threw it away from us.  "Just how you would like to do that," he questioned my ex.

Shang-Da drew away from me and appeared to consider the query.  The skin on the back of my neck began trying to crawl.  I would bet everything I owned that he'd done this on purpose.  That he had set this whole thing up for this very reason.  "How 'bout we settle this one on one," he asked.  The dark haired young man cocked his head to the side.  "I mean unless you're afraid," he taunted.

Conor moved and in a flash was in front of my ex.  It was frightening how much he moved like one of us.  I knew that he was powerful but I was unaware of where his limits were.  His mouth was twisted in a sneer.  "Of *you* not fucking likely.  When and where asshole," Conor ground out.

I shook my head.  "No, no, no, no," I kept saying silently.  This couldn't be happening not while I was standing right here.  He had to know this was a set up.  "Please God, let him see this for what it is," I prayed.  I rushed to Conor's side.  "Please don't do this.  Please, I'm begging you," I pleaded.

The reassuring smile on his face did nothing to dispel my unease.  His gaze traveled over my face the smile never leaving his face.  His hand cupped the back of my neck.  "I know what I'm doing," he stated confidently.

Shang-Da smirked at us.  "Afraid he won't win, baby," he challenged.

"Afraid that I know you too well," I replied.  "I know you never do anything without having all the bases covered."

The Asian man studied his fingernails.  "True," he responded.  "But have I given you any reason not to trust me?"

My jaw dropped.  He had to be joking!  It would be a cold day in hell before I ever trusted this man again.  He'd already shown himself capable of violence against me, and now Conor.  This was a bad idea, a really bad idea!  "Please Conor don't do this.  Baby please," I demanded.

His fingers combed through my jet-black hair.  He leaned forward and captured my lips.  The kiss left me breathless and he pulled away reluctantly.  "He's never going to leave us alone unless I do this.  Let me do this," his voice was a curious combination of pleading and steel.

I sighed knowing that he'd do it anyway.  The least I could do was support him.  Inside, deep inside, I was terrified.  There was a feeling in my gut that said not all was right with this.  It was going to end badly, very badly!  "Be careful," I whispered against his lips.

Conor kissed me once more.  "Always," he replied.  His usual cocky grin was in place.  He turned to Shang-Da then.  "When and where asshole."

"Are you doing anything right now," the other man asked, amusement evident in his voice.  Conor shook his head.  My stomach was cramping violently.  This whole thing just felt wrong; have I said that before?  "Good then why don't you follow me.  I'm sure you don't trust me enough to ride with me."

"You got that right.  I don't trust any farther then I can throw you.  And then not even that much!"

Shang-Da laughed, a full rich sound, which sent shivers down my spine.  "I thought as much.  I took the liberty of parking next to you.  Making it easier for you to follow me."

I wanted to cry.  I knew it!  Why did I always have to be right, especially where he was concerned!  The men turned and left.  They walked side by side neither trusting the other enough to give one their back.  If they thought they were going to leave me there to just sit and wonder they had another thing coming.

Taking off at a run I headed for the club, and Lija.  I didn't think I'd be able to convince Conor on my own that this was a *really* bad idea, but I was sure his best friend could.   "LIJA!  LIJA," I screamed as I neared the entrance for the club.  He came rushing out and nearly collided with me.

"Fight," I managed to gasp.

He nodded as if I were a dim-witted child.  "Yeah I know, but Conor took care of it."

I shook my head gaining enough air to say, "No.  They're going to have *the* fight!"  The blond man gave me a confused look.  I had to take a deep breath to calm down.  "You don"t understand!  They're leaving here to have a fight."

"Luna, look..." he started.  I gave him the "don't you dare go there" look.  He scowled at me.  "Look Conor's a big boy he can take care of himself," Lija stated flatly.

My glare could have melted stone.  "Shang-Da is going to KILL HIM!"  My voice was rising with each word.  "He knew which car was Conor's.  How did he know that?  Conor hasn't been back long enough for anyone to know what car he's driving.  Not to mention that he's rarely left this club so how the hell did Shang-Da know which one was his?"

You could see understanding dawn on the young man.  He swore, at least that's what I thought he was doing; he spoke in a language I didn't understand.  His fingers wrapped around my upper arm and began dragging me to the back parking lot.  As we rounded the corner of the building two cars shot down the road.

We broke into a run.  Fear was rushing through our veins.  "Keys," Lija demanded.  I dug them out of my pocket cursing the tight pants.  I tossed them at him.  It should have given him some idea of how worried I was that I didn't insist on driving.  If he noticed he let it slide.

The pair of us jumped into the truck.  Lija jammed the key into the ignition, and revved the engine a couple of times before taking off after the vehicles.  The entire time we were moving I prayed.  "Oh God, please let this be a nightmare.  Let this be a nightmare that I'm about to wake up from."