Chapter 13

Katara's POV

They could knock all they wanted but by the look in Zuko's eyes there was no way in hell he was going to answer it. If looks could travel through doors and kill the person behind it, then whoever they were would have just burst into flames.

His arms tightened around me as he began to growl lowly in my ear as the knocking continued. "Of all the….when I finally….I can't believe…." He muttered angrily against my neck.

"Zuko…" I began tentatively as I felt the pressure in his arms increase further.

"Forget it, whoever is behind that door is just going to have to grin and bear it as I have my way with you" he said finally as he began to nibble down my neck.

"But it might be important…" I managed to get out as I was once again swept up in a swirl of erotic emotion. His right hand grasped my hip pulling me even closer to him as he began to grind deliciously into me again.

"Not as important as this" he hissed through clenched teeth before claiming my lips in a searing kiss. I lost all reasoning after that and my mind and body had completely succumbed to his ministrations.

"Zuko! If you do not open this door right now I will be forced to tear it down!" a voice said loudly outside the door. Zuko and I both froze and even in my daze I could deduct that the voice had indeed been feminine.

I looked up at Zuko to see that he was not in the least bit happy to learn who was behind the door; because it was positive by the way his body tensed up that he knew exactly who it was. I, however, was at a complete loss.

I had never heard of any other female besides his sister who dared to speak to him that way, let alone threaten him. It was surprising and I began to wonder what his relation could be to this mysterious person.

Slowly letting me go, he placed his finger to his lips for me to be quiet. "Stay down low" he ordered before climbing out of the bath.

I have to admit, watching his fully naked torso step out of the bath with water cascading down his powerful arms and chest, washboard abs, and strong legs had me getting dizzy all over again. He moved with a grace and confidence that I've only seen him possess.

Grabbing a towel to wrap around his waist he strode angrily over to the door. Checking to see if I was ducking, which I wasn't until then, he returned to the door. Unlocking it, he opened it only slightly and whoever it was behind it must have been shorter because I saw his head dip down.

"What the hell do you want?!" he demanded as his whole body seemed to radiate agitation.

"Is that how you greet your girlfriend?" a slightly monotonous voice asked mildly. The voice was deeper than mine but I knew I had heard it somewhere before. My heart felt as if it had stopped beating and was now dropping to my stomach.

He had a girlfriend.

He belonged to someone else.

No matter what his reaction had been when he realized who it was, it didn't matter because he still belonged to someone other than me.

Despite being in a hot bath, I suddenly felt very cold. My entire body was beginning to numb as I began thinking frantically how stupid I had been. Of course he had been with other women. Never once had he told me that he was single. How was I to know that he didn't have 2 or 3 other girlfriends hidden somewhere?

How stupid was I? I was about to add myself to his list of conquests just so he can throw me out when he felt like it. It must have been the temptation so he could have something to hold over Aang. I can't believe I was actually beginning to trust that sick son of a—

"You are not my girlfriend Mai, end of story" Zuko stated through gritted teeth as he glared down at her.

"Says who?" she asked and I could hear the boredom in her voice.

"Me!"

"Like that means anything, you know very well that we are betrothed…and that's not me saying that….it's the Fire Lord."

I slid even further down in the water as I processed this information. He was betrothed? As in….he was getting married?! What the hell was is my problem? I let myself feel a glimmer of hope when he said she wasn't his girlfriend and now I learn she's his FIANCÉE!

It took everything in me not to jump up and attack them both. I might be at a disadvantage because my hands were still tied but I had an abundance of water at my disposal at the moment. My fists clenched behind my back as I tried my hardest not to succumb to the rage that I was feeling. I was hurt and I felt absolutely idiotic.

Vaguely, I could hear Zuko and the girl shouting at each other before the door slammed and I could hear him exhaling deeply. Suddenly, I began to panic as I struggled for an appropriate way to handle the situation. I couldn't let my anger get the best of me. I needed him to untie me first, and then I could proceed to kill the conniving bastard.

I watched silently as he made his way around the tub before stepping in. I brought my mental shield up in force so that I would not be mesmerized by his voice or his gorgeous body. Shaking his head briefly as if to rid his mind of unwanted thoughts, he made his way towards me.

"Sorry about that. Now where were we?" he said as he embraced me once again. It took everything in me not to stiffen in disgust.

"Zuko…do you think you can untie me now?" I asked and hoped my voice didn't betray me. I looked up at him through my eyelashes and hoped he couldn't see the storm raging behind my eyes. I just needed my hands and to hell with resting my strength up. I was attacking him with whatever I had left.

My plan of attack was thwarted, however, when I saw that devilish smirk grace his lips. "I don't think so. I'm starting to like this whole bondage thing."

"Please…." I tried again and cringed as the next words came out of my mouth, "…I want to be able to feel you too."

"No."

Sad to say, I lost it right then and there. "What? Are you kidding me?" I demanded as I dropped the act.

"What?" he asked and he actually had the nerve of looking genuinely confused.

"I demand that you untie me this instant!"

"I said no."

"ARGGGHHHH!" I yelled and the water around us began to churn. I felt his body tense and allowed myself to smirk in my mind. At least I scared him.

"What is wrong with you?" he asked as he stared at me perplexed.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?! You make me sick! I can't believe that even for one second I was going to give in! You're nothing but a playboy and you played me!" I shouted as I glared at him. The water around us began to rise with the intensification of my anger and hurt. Unfortunately with my hands tied behind me there wasn't much I could do.

"Where the hell is this coming from? You weren't thinking this a few minutes ago?"

"A few minutes ago your BETROTHED wasn't at the door" I said angrily gritting my teeth.

"Oh, so you're jealous again…is that it?" he had the nerve to say as he chuckled briefly.

"I am NOT jealous! You never belonged to me…and it's quite obvious you belong to her" I retorted but deep down, I knew I was. Whether I liked it or not, I would probably be jealous of any girl in regards to Zuko. I berated myself for it and wished it were otherwise.

"Ah, I see where all this hostility is coming from," he remarked as he peered down at me amusedly. "I guess our little session is over for now" he sighed as he picked me up as if I weighed no more than 10 lbs, and sat me on the edge of the tub.

He climbed out himself and I watched as he grabbed a towel and began wiping down his body. I forced myself to turn away and I heard him laugh quietly. I didn't care. As far as I was concerned, I had no right to look at him like that anymore. He belonged to someone else and it didn't matter if the very thought pierced my heart.

Suddenly, I felt a warm towel wrap around my shoulders. It was so huge that it dwarfed my body but seeing as my hands were still tied I had no way of drying myself off. Another towel was tossed over my head and I began to protest before I felt his arms pick me up bridal style.

"Of course, I forgot that I mustn't see anything" I mumbled to myself and I felt his body shake as he suppressed his laughter.

With what felt like an eternity, we arrived back at his room. I was unceremoniously dropped back on his bed as he snatched the towel off my head. I glared at him and waited until he had untied my hands before I did anything. As soon as my hands were freed I brought them around and began striking every piece of him that I could get to. He blocked most of them but I was proud of myself for landing a solid one to right side of his head. He grabbed both of my hands and pinned them above my head.

"See? This is exactly why I didn't untie you earlier! Do you think you can contain your jealousy for one second to hear me out?!" he yelled at me roughly as he glared into my eyes.

"I am NOT jealous!" I shrieked as I stopped to catch my breath.

"Right." He said as he shoved away from me and I took the opportunity to sit up and rub the circulation back into my wrists. I wrapped the towel securely around myself as I watched him walk over to his table and drag a chair back over to the bed. Wearing nothing but a pair of black trouser pants he conjured up out of nowhere while my head was covered, he sat down in the chair and folded his arms. "Okay, let's hear it. Get it all out of your system so that we can move on to more important matters."

"I have nothing further to say to you besides let me go," I said defiantly crossing my arms as well.

"I see you're not going to be compliant, "he sighed, "Fine. I'll explain then."

At my silence he continued, "First off, let me point out to you that there is nothing going on between Mai and I…"

"Mai?" I asked, that name rang a bell and I could vaguely put a face to the monotonous voice that I heard earlier.

"Yes, Mai…and what you heard earlier was a load of garbage. I'll be damned if I marry that girl" he said through gritted teeth as he scowled briefly.

"But I thought she said the Fire Lord arranged it?" I asked out of curiosity because of course I didn't care either way. 'I'm so pitiful' I thought desperately.

"I don't care. I am not marrying that woman and that's final. I'm sure as hell not showing up for any wedding" he said confidently but I didn't buy it. However, I was aware that I was feeling slightly relieved at his words. The thought of sharing Zuko at all made my anger boil.

"Well, why does she seem to think otherwise?"

"Hell if I know, she never wanted to marry me in the first place, or so she said the last time she came to my room," he said shifting restlessly in his chair.

"And what did she come to your room for?" I asked automatically and immediately after the words had left my head regretted them.

He gave me a knowing look and my insides churned. I stood up, clutching the towel to my body, and suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable. I had to get away from him before I made the mistake of falling for him again. As I moved to walk passed him he grabbed my hand and pulled into his lap. I struggled but it did me no good.

"And where do you think you are going?" he questioned as he began stroking the back of neck. I had to bite my tongue to keep from responding to his touch.

"Anywhere! Anywhere away from you! How can you sleep with her and expect that she doesn't have any feelings for you. Did it ever cross your mind that she might have just told you that she didn't want to get married because that's what YOU wanted her to say? You are despicable!" I bellowed looking him squarely in the face.

"Mai knows not expect anything from me. She knew that from the beginning. It might not please your virgin ears but there are those out there that know of the phrase 'no strings attached'" he remarked amused by my anger.

"That doesn't make it right!" I snapped irritably. I had no intention of letting the subject drop and I could tell that he desperately wanted me to.

"No…what isn't right is that if she hadn't interrupted like she had I could have had you on your back screaming my name over and over" he drawled huskily as his hands crept under the towel and began stroking my body.

My back arched in response to his words and I gasped as his hands played havoc on my body. I cursed my traitorous body for giving in when my mind was still prepared for battle. I couldn't allow myself to fall any deeper than I already was. He wasn't going to treat me any different than the others. Once he got what he wanted he was going to toss me to the side. Like he said…no strings attached.

"No" I said as I began to struggle again. He suddenly stood up and I found myself flat on my back on the bed and he was all over me in the next second.

"No?" he whispered as he hungrily kissed down my neck as his hands gripped my thighs.

"NO!" I whimpered but I could feel myself giving in as I felt his erection pressing up against me. He continued to trail hot kisses down my body and I shivered in response.

"No?" he rasped as his kisses continued to drop lower and lower on my body. I felt like I was on fire as he continued downward until he reached the place where his hands were working magic on me.

I wished, I prayed, and I hoped that he wasn't going to do what I knew was coming. As I felt his hot mouth close around my center I nearly bucked off the bed entirely. My hands clenched the sheets as I tried my best not to give him what he wanted. His hands gripped my hips, holding me in place while he continued to torture me. "No?" he asked me again as his tongue nearly drove me insane with pleasure.

"N-no! no…no….no!" I cried but I knew I didn't mean it. My mind had finally given up and there was no conviction in my voice. My sanity had flown off somewhere and wasn't going to be returning anytime soon. I felt myself coming closer to the peak and I bit my lip in vain to keep from screaming out.

"No?" he asked as his tongue flicked in a particular spot and I completely arched off the bed.

"YES! ZUKO YES!" I whimpered as I went over the peak and my body shook.

When I opened my eyes he was looming over me, smiling devilishly. "I thought as much" he stated as he began kissing my face.

My body was still buzzing from my release but I was still teeming with desire for the arrogant man above me. Would I ever get enough of him? Would I ever be able to escape this intoxicating game we were playing with each other? As his lips closed upon mine and I felt the static flowing through my body I knew I had my answer.