Dark Guardian (Dark Series - book 9) Page 25

  “We can leave this city. Go far away and hope our enemies follow us, drawing them away from your innocent friends. I believe Tyler Drake will come after us. It is possible the vampire will, also. There are very few human women like you. He will not want to wait to try to find another. It is possible he was already on your trail when I found you and believes I have unfairly taken you from him. If that is the case, he will follow us.”

  “If he doesn’t, we leave everyone unprotected.” Jaxon sounded forlorn. “I don’t understand, Lucian. What is in me that attracts such monsters to me?” She turned to look at him, unaware of the raw pain in the depths of her eyes.

  Lucian met her gaze squarely, steadily.

  He

  was a monster. A dark monster that had lived for more centuries than even most of his kind. He had committed crimes, was responsible for countless deaths. He had searched the world over for her, he would never allow her to escape him, never give her up, never let any other take her from him. What was the difference between him and the others who so desperately wanted her? Is that how she saw him? As a monster?

  Jaxon threw her arms around him and held him close to her. “You are not a monster, Lucian. You are kind and honorable and a good man. Don’t even put yourself in the same category with someone like Tyler Drake or that evil thing you call a vampire.”

  He bent his head over her, holding her tightly to him. She didn’t know him as well as she thought she did. He held so much power, he had been named monster many times over the centuries. Jaxon had read his mind. It amazed him that she had done so and not even noticed. She made him believe his soul was not damned for all eternity, that his deeds would be judged with compassion. She made him believe in miracles.

  He whispered to her that he loved her, using the ancient language. He whispered to her in his mind, unable to say the words aloud and have her turn away from him. His hands moved through her hair possessively. “I have learned the meaning of the word

  fear

  , angel. It was no easy lesson and one I do not ever wish to repeat, but is has given me a small glimpse of the hell you have endured in your young life. Choose, Jaxon. Do we leave a trail for the vampire to follow? Lure him away from your friends? Or do we stay and fight here?”

  He was asking her opinion. Jaxon blinked back tears. It was true she didn’t know him all that well, but she caught glimpses of his mind each time he merged fully with her, and she had seen enough to know he was a master at planning battles. Most of all, it mattered that he would ask her opinion.

  She thought carefully about each plan of action. “I think it’s too hard to protect everyone. We can’t be with them during the day, so they’re vulnerable to Drake and any creature the vampire decides to create. If we go, I don’t see what good it will do for the vampire to attack people here. We should think of a place we can lay out an ambush and easily defend.” She suddenly noticed she was shivering uncontrollably, her hair soaking wet, while he was standing there perfectly groomed in his robe. She glared up at him. “Why are you dry and I’m soaking wet and shaking with cold?”

  Lucian took her hands in his and rubbed them gently to warm her. A faint smile touched his sculpted mouth. “Think of being warm and dry. Picture it in your mind. Hold the picture in your mind of your hair dry, your skin dry, your body warm.” He merged with her, stilling her tumbling thoughts, helping to build the image of warmth and dryness.

  Jaxon withdrew her hand from his to reach up and touch her hair in awe. “I did that? Just like that? No blow-dryer, no towel?”

  “Just like that.” The smile was once more inside him, blossoming strong, filling him with joy. She brought back his first days as a fledgling trying to learn the things that came so easily to the adults of their species.

  “Can I do all the things you can do?”

  He nodded slowly, watching her face through half-closed eyes. He looked lazy, yet Jaxon had the feeling he was totally alert.

  “What would you like to learn how to do?” he asked.

  “Now?” She ran her palms along her arms, aware of the way her skin had resisted the rising sun.

  “Your skin will become tougher, Jaxon. Eventually you will be able to watch the sunrise as long as you wear dark glasses. You should make it a habit to carry them with you wherever you go. That way if you are caught out in the morning or need to rise early, your eyes will be safe from the rays of the sun. I am an ancient—we feel pain much more intensely than do the younger members of our species—yet I can go out in the early-morning hours with little trouble. It is one advantage the hunter has over the vampire. The vampire cannot rise until the sun has truly set. He cannot see the sunrise ever.”

  “Are we really helpless in the afternoon?” A soft note in her voice betrayed her fear.

  His hand found her silky hair, then slipped to the nape of her neck, his fingers slowly massaging to ease the sudden tension from her. “Our bodies are lethargic at that time, it is true, but we are not entirely without means to protect ourselves. I am extremely powerful, angel; there is no way you will come to any harm. I would never allow it.”

  Jaxon moved into his arms, holding him tightly. Staying a shadow in her mind allowed him to see how his world, so alien and different, so filled with myths and superstitions, with violence and creatures of the night, seemed a very terrifying place to her. Lucian locked his arms around her. “Should we ever have need of help, Jaxon, my brother is always near.”

  “I hate to disillusion you, Lucian, but your brother lives in Paris. I saw his address. That isn’t just around the corner, even by your standards.”

  “If your need was great, he could do as I did from afar, seeing through your eyes—lend you his aid, his strength, even destroy an enemy threatening you.”

  The thought of any other man crawling around in her mind was instantly abhorrent to her. Why she didn’t mind Lucian reading her every thought, why it seemed natural, she didn’t comprehend, but she knew she would be reluctant to have anyone else discover the things about her he had.

  Lucian was absurdly pleased with her thoughts. She was normally so easy in the company of men, which bothered him more than he had realized. He wanted her to want him,

  need

  him, the same way he needed her. Not because the ritual had joined them together and their bodies cried out to each other, but because

  he

  was important to her. Lucian. No other. Still, she was reluctant to read his mind, explore his memories or the person he was. Lifemates learned about each other quickly by exploring each other’s minds, yet she persisted in shying away from such things.

  “You look sad.” She put a hand on his arm and touched his mouth with a fingertip. “Your eyes, Lucian.

  Sometimes you look so sad, it breaks my heart. I know you must find me a great disappointment because I can’t do the things the women of your race have always done, but I’m trying. I really am.”

  “You could never disappoint me, angel. Do not even allow such a thought to cross your mind. Every moment I spend with you brings me great joy.” He moved her smaller, slender body toward the bed by simply crowding her with his larger, heavier frame. The sun was moving in the sky; he could feel it, feel the effects on his already tired body. “In your learning, I can experience the joy of each gift all over again”

  Jaxon climbed onto the bed almost absently, biting on her lower lip in deep thought. “I don’t want you to be sad for me. Is that it? Don’t pity me, Lucian. I couldn’t stand that.”

  He dragged the thick cotton robe from her body even though she made an attempt to hold it around her modestly. His own robe was left on the floor in an untidy heap. His arms swept her backward so that she landed on the bed, her large eyes staring up at him. “How could I possibly feel pity for a woman who has Lucian Daratrazanoff as her lifemate? He is quite handsome—I have it on good authority. Sexy.

  Hot

  is the term I believe was used.”

  Jaxon knew a blush was cover
ing her entire body. His hands were moving over her skin gently, a leisurely exploration, as if he couldn’t quite keep from touching her. She closed her eyes and gave herself up to the feeling of his hands on her body. “He is hot, but he’s also quite arrogant.”

  “He has beautiful eyes,” he murmured, his mouth finding the corner of hers, teasing, skimming, his teeth nipping tenderly. “You like his eyes.”

  The pleasure he gave her was indescribable. She could think of no words to explain the sensations sweeping through her body. Warmth. Happiness. Lucian was indulging himself, tracing his hands over her skin for the sheer delight of it. He shaped the creamy swell of her breasts, took tremendous enjoyment in feeling the way her nipples pushed pleadingly against his palms. He bent his head to place a kiss in the center of her throat. His hair slid over her breasts, an exquisite torment.

  Her hands came up to cradle his head. Her legs shifted restlessly. She loved the way he wanted her. She could feel it in the touch of his hands, almost as if he were worshiping her body. She could feel the warmth of his breath as he moved over her, his tongue finding the pulse at her throat. Her heart somersaulted, and her body clenched in anticipation. She felt her breasts ache with the need for his touch, felt the creamy dampness as her body called to his. His mouth found her breast, the feeling so exquisite she heard herself moan softly. His hands were at her waist, her hips, stroking over her hipbones. It wasn’t enough. It could never be enough. She reveled in the way he touched her with such perfect care. There would never be another who could ever reach her the way he did, the way he lived inside her. His black gaze was on her as he slowly inserted two fingers deep inside her, pushing gently.

  With her fists clenched in his long wild hair, she gave up her body to the total ecstasy only he could provide her. He took his time, bringing her again and again to hot, rippling fire. Through it all, she wanted more. She needed more. She wanted his mouth on her skin and his body filling hers. She wanted her blood flowing into him, connecting them, making them one and the same. They could never really be apart—she understood that now, knew she always had to be with Lucian. Whatever he had done to bind them together had worked. She could not bear the thought of separation from him anymore. And the fire between them only seemed to grow hotter and more out of control the longer they were together.

  She cried out when he joined them together, her breath exploding from her lungs. She needed more than his body surging, so thick and hot, in hers. She needed.

  Needed

  . His chest was over her face, his hand cupping the back of her head, holding her against his heart.

  You need, angel, and I provide. Taste me, I am yours. Taste me. You are so hungry, and you need to feed. You need only me. I tasted so perfect, honey, remember

  ? The whisper was soft and seductive, brushing softly in her mind. An invitation. An enticement. Pure seduction.

  Her mouth moved over his skin. She felt his body clench.

  I need this, angel, the way you need it. I need you to do this

  . She could feel it in his mind, the terrible anticipation, the dark desire, his entire body waiting with such urgent obsession. He needed her to do this as much as she needed to do it.

  For me, Jaxon, for me. I want this as I have never wanted anything. You need this, too

  .

  He was everywhere she was—in her mind, in her heart, in her body, in her very soul. He needed, and she could do no other than provide. Her mouth moved of its own accord over his skin, without compulsion, with only the thought of pleasing him, providing for him. She felt the way his body clenched when her teeth nipped his skin and her tongue swirled around to ease the ache.

  You have to do this by yourself this time,

  he was pleading with her even as his hips were surging forward in a wild rhythm of fierce possession. He moved over her, around her, in her, wanting to flow through her.

  He was swamping her with such erotic need, Jaxon was consumed with it. She felt her incisors lengthen as she sank them into his skin until they were connected in every way. White-hot whips of lightning arced through his body and into hers. She heard his voice echoing her name in her mind. Intimate. Sexy. Wild with passion. She felt the blazing heat of his body moving in hers as he thrust forward, burying himself deeper and deeper with each sure stroke.

  He tasted wild. He tasted hot and exotic. He was addicting. His blood flowed through her veins with his ancient power, filling her starved cells and flooding her body with such a storm of dancing flames that she had to give in to the demands for relief. She felt herself fragmenting, exploding, seeking to take him with her as she clung to him tighter and tighter, spiraling outward.

  Use your tongue to close the pinpricks. I want to feed. I want all of your taste in my body. I want to savor you for all time.

  His voice was a dark sorcerer’s weapon, a black-velvet beguilement she couldn’t possibly ignore. Whatever he needed, she would provide.

  Whatever you need, I provide. And you need this.

  His teeth found her pulse and sank deep. Beneath him, Jaxon moaned softly, her body tightening around his in a convulsion of heated pleasure. She gave herself up to him completely, immersing herself in his passion, in the hot ride of his body, his bunching muscles, the pull of his mouth, the flames engulfing both of them.

  It went on forever, for an eternity, until Jaxon thought she might die with the beauty of it. Of them. She held him, cradled his head, savored the sensation of his hair against her sensitized breasts. He thrust into her again and again until she was drowsy and sated, completely satisfied, totally complete.

  Very, very gently Lucian allowed their bodies to disengage. The sun had risen; even deep within the sleeping chamber, he knew its exact position. Looking down at Jaxon’s heavy lashes, the beauty of her face, the aftereffects of his lovemaking, he knew she didn’t know or care where the sun was. He bent his head to brush her lush mouth with his. “

  Je t’aime,

  angel.” he whispered softly as he commanded her to sleep. It was the last thing she heard, the words she carried with her as the air left her lungs and her heart ceased to beat.

  Lucian opened the floor of the sleeping chamber and floated down to the deep, beckoning soil with his lifemate. She lay in his arms, her beauty captured in her stillness as he opened the earth and took them to rest.

  Chapter Twelve

  A discordant note filled the silence of the earth beneath the sleeping chamber. Beneath the layers of dirt a slow, deadly hiss seeped through the dark, rich soil to permeate the air above it. It traveled around the estate, filling the grounds with menace. Lucian’s black eyes snapped open, and he lay with his leaden body listening to the sounds of the insects and animals. A rat scratched for sustenance somewhere close by. A wolf murmured to its pack brother in annoyance. What was the sound so out of place with the rest of the universe that it would reach into the very bowels of the earth and awaken him?

  The crackling of the stone wall told him an intruder was testing the strength of his safeguards. Lucian lay quietly listening. He reached out to the alpha pair of wolves, warning them not to touch any meat or food that was thrown to them by an outsider. He warned them to care for the other members of the pack, the young, silly ones that liked to defy authority. In his mind was the clear warning of poison, the death of the pack. He directed the alpha pair to take their brethren deep within the forest, where guns could not reach them. The male bared his fangs and issued a warning growl, alerting the pack.

  Satisfied, Lucian continued to listen. The intruder was persistent. He learned he could not get through stone wall or gates. He was climbing a tree, avoiding the back of the estate because of the wolves. No doubt he could see that his “gift” of tainted meat had not been devoured, and he dared not try to make his assault near the cunning beasts. Lucian closed his eyes and sent himself seeking outside his body. He became as light as the air itself, traveling as pure energy, breaking free of the soil. He moved through the narrow passagewa
y up into the cellar and then the kitchen.

  As always the heavy drapes prevented any sunlight from intruding into the interior. As pure energy, he moved easily through the house until he was at the vantage point of the balcony. Francesca’s beautifully detailed stained glass masked the brilliant light so that he had a good view of the intruder making his approach to the house. Finally. The one who had destroyed Jaxon’s family. But was this the man? Lucian waited until the face swam into view through the thick foliage.

  Disappointment sent Lucian’s silent snarl shimmering in the air. This intruder could not possibly be Tyler Drake. He was wearing a dark blue suit and a silk tie. Lucian observed the ease with which he climbed the branches of the trees overlooking the stone wall. The man was whispering into a two-way radio. “No one seems to be home, but getting in isn’t going to be easy, not if we don’t want to tip them off they have company.”

  Lucian’s mind was working quickly. For several centuries he had been asleep deep within the earth, and many things had happened to his people while he lay locked within the soil. He had heard rumors of a society of human hunters who believed themselves to be scientists.

  They claimed to have evidence of the existence of vampires and vowed to destroy them. So far, few humans took them seriously, so they were determined to capture a live vampire. The only problem was, they seemed unable to differentiate between a Carpathian, a vampire, and a human with extraordinary gifts. Could members of that vampire-hunting society have found him?

  He decided the best way to get his answers was to allow the intruder or intruders into his home. After all, the sun was beginning to sink. If they wanted to prepare a surprise for him, he was more than willing to oblige. He moved up close to the stained glass and concentrated on his safeguards. He wanted to rid the house of the lethal traps and spells only on the outside to allow the estate to be penetrated. It shouldn’t be so easy that they would become suspicious, but he wouldn’t want them to be discouraged and give up too soon.