A Vampire's Saving Embrace (16 page)

Her heart ached and she swallowed back the tears that were threatening to fall once again. She needed to cherish whatever time she had with him, and hope that the memories would be enough. Memories that she could hold onto and treasure for the rest of her miserable life.

Before anything else could be said, the bedroom window exploded with a resounding boom as glass went flying in every direction.

In a flash of lightning speed, Desmond threw Abby to the floor, covering her with his body as shards of glass and wood rained down on them.

Above the ringing in her ears, she could faintly hear the sound of snarling and growling coming from outside and realized that the wolves had arrived.

Desmond stood - his eyes quickly, but thoroughly surveying her body for any injuries, and grabbed a nearby pair of discarded trousers.

“Stay down,” he growled, his fangs descended and his eyes the color of liquid silver.

She had never seen him in full vampire mode before, and the sight was disturbing, to say the least – but in a fascinating, primal way that had her pulse racing and her heart bouncing around in her chest.

Why she wasn’t absolutely terrified of this Desmond, she couldn’t say, but she wasn’t – she was breathless and completely turned on! My God, she thought in embarrassment, here they were in the middle of an explosion and all she could think about was how completely sexy he was and how she wanted him to claim her. Holy Hell – she thought miserably, her face burning – what was wrong with her?
Claim
her? What the hell did that even mean? She shook her head and watched him closely - utterly fascinated.

He moved with the grace of a panther around the room in the semi-darkness and she realized with a start that the bedside lamp had been knocked over and smashed as well. He threw on the pants he had grabbed and held his hand out to her. “Come on,” he whispered urgently, pulling her easily to her feet.

“Des?” Marcus called from the stairs.

“We’re all right,” he answered, ushering Abby towards the bathroom. “Are you in any pain?” he asked anxiously, not wanting a repeat of the previous night – well, at least not the part with her being in pain.

“No,” she stammered, shaking her head – still totally fixated by his silver eyes as they bored into hers.

She had the beginnings of a headache, but nothing earth-shattering like that night in the bar, and no searing white hot pain ripping through her body either - to which she was extremely grateful. There was just a dull throbbing in her head which could easily have been caused by the blast.

“Stay in here until either Marcus or I come for you,” he instructed. “And make sure to lock the door behind me.” He turned as if the leave, then quickly turned back. “Are you certain that you feel all right?” He asked again - worry marring his perfect features, and Abby nodded.

“Desmond, I’m fine,” she reassured him - gently stroking his jaw with her fingers. With that he kissed her quickly and headed for the blown out window.

He grabbed a long dagger from the bookcase and stepped up onto the ledge. Abby watched in disbelief as his dark silhouette dropped through the opening and disappeared below in one smooth, fluid motion.

Unable to stop herself, she hesitantly walked to where he had jumped and looked down – her heart beating frantically in her chest.

She could see a scattering of forms - animal as well as human, and finally found Desmond’s muscular frame in the group. Wearing only the pair of black trousers, he was truly a sight to behold in the illumination of the moon. His strong, muscled body was spectacular.

He stood with his back to her - facing the shadowy figure before him – and she could tell that he was tense by his stance, and said a silent prayer for him to be safe - for them all to be safe. The figure sprang forward toward Desmond and Abby’s heart leapt into her throat. In a flash he spun around, bringing his leg up and kicking the demon squarely in the face - knocking the vile creature to the ground with a loud thud.

Desmond’s hand darted out, almost too quickly to catch, and the figure before him screeched in pain only a moment before bursting into flame and disintegrating into a pile of ash at his feet.

The few others that were left scattered and ran like the wind once they realized that the powerful vampire had arrived - the wolves following close behind on their heels. Abby was dumbstruck by the mere size and grace of the wolves as they ran after the disgusting monsters. They were truly a beautiful sight – huge and powerful and she found herself wondering which one was Luke. She watched as Marcus trotted over to Desmond and the two spoke for several moments before he turned toward the window. She knew he could see her, even though his features were hidden in the darkness - and her breathing stopped.

“Oh, shit!” She gasped, before backing up against the wall and out of his line of sight. He would be furious that she hadn’t listened to him and stayed in the bathroom. Cripes! She knew he was going to be livid.

A moment later, her fears were proven valid. Desmond burst through the door of the bedroom, his eyes ablaze – his lips pulled back in a growl, exposing his still fully extended fangs. “Damn it, woman!” He bellowed -striding over to her and taking her by the shoulders. “Abby, just what in the hell did you think you were doing?”

“I…I just wanted…” she stammered, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

“You just wanted to what?” he barked, his expression dark and dangerous.

“I just wanted to be certain that you were safe,” she finally admitted, her voice a hoarse whisper.

The look in her eyes and her soft words took all the fight out of him and he sighed raggedly. Turning to face the fireplace, he ran his hands through his thick hair in aggravation – trying desperately to calm himself.

The thought of her putting herself in harm’s way drove him to the brink of insanity. If one of those vile creatures had spotted her standing there… he clenched his jaw as he forced himself not to think about it -trying desperately to get his fangs to recede and his anger to abate. She was safe – but in his present state of mind – only for the time being. He wanted nothing more than to throw her over his lap and paddle that sweet little behind of hers. He shook his head roughly - trying to clear the images of her laying across his lap, and concentrated on calming down. He didn’t want to frighten her any more than he most likely already had. She had never seen him in his true form, and there was that part of him that was terrified of her reaction. She would finally see him for the killer that he was.

He heard her gasp - and a moment later felt her warm fingers on his back. “My God, Desmond,” she breathed. “You’re hurt.”

He turned his head to look back over his shoulder and noticed several pieces of glass sticking out from his skin. Thanking the Gods that none of it had hit Abby, he shrugged with indifference. “It’s nothing.”

“Nothing?” she repeated incredulously. “Desmond, don’t be ridiculous. It’s more than nothing! Some of these are deep.” Pulling him by the arm, she led him over to the bed and pushed him down onto his belly. “Stay there,” she warned, and disappeared into the bathroom. A moment later she came back - a damp washcloth in her hands.

She sat down beside him on the bed, her hip touching his and he immediately felt her warmth. After a moment, he heard her take a slow, deep breath.

“I’m going to have to pull the glass out,” she whispered and he chuckled softly. “And that is funny – why?” She ground out - confused as to why the thought of jagged pieces of glass protruding from his back didn’t seem to bother him in the least – that he actually found it amusing. What an arrogant ass – she thought with a huff.

“It takes much more than a few shards of glass to hurt me, sweetness.”

She ignored his bravado and gingerly pulled the first piece out, dabbing at the wound with the washcloth – trying to be as gentle as possible.

She watched in amazement as the skin fused together almost immediately - leaving a smooth, perfect surface in its place - no trace what so ever of there ever having been a gash at all. “Holy Hell,” she whispered in awe, and Desmond chuckled once again.

“It does come in handy,” he said, closing his eyes and thoroughly enjoying the feel of her hands on his back as she removed the other few pieces of glass and washed the blood from him. This was something he would be more than happy to get used to, he thought with a sigh. Her hands – God they were incredible, and the feeling of her so tenderly taking care of him caused a tightening in his chest as well as another part of his anatomy, and a wicked grin crossed his lips. Hell, it would be worth taking a few injuries if the payoff was this lovely creature taking care of him the way she was. Not to mention the fact that as soon as the heat of her fingers touched him - his fangs had retracted with their calming effect.

“You’re indestructible,” she breathed and Desmond laughed, full and deep.

“Not quite, my pet. I can still be staked or beheaded - or if there is massive blood loss.” He heard her gasp and smiled. “No need to worry,” he reassured her, “I don’t see any of those in my foreseeable future. That is - not unless of course, you have a stake hidden somewhere on your person,” he said devilishly, and Abby felt her cheeks redden. “Do I need to search you?”

“Desmond,” she scolded half-heartedly – that tingling sensation rippling through her at his innuendo, and she felt her body grow warm as the now-familiar butterflies fluttered around in her belly with a vengeance – demanding that she take notice.

She cleared her throat and continued cleaning him up – completely fascinated by his healing abilities. She had never seen anything like it before.

When she had finished, she kissed his back tenderly - causing a current to run through his entire being. He turned over and smiled at her, his eyes - now back to their wonderful sea-blue color were filled with an undeniable longing.

Leaning up on one elbow, he cupped the back of her head with his other hand, and pulled her into him for what was by his standards, a long overdue -
proper
kiss.

No matter how angry he was at her for going to the window and standing there like a damned target, he just couldn’t resist her – not when she was so un-Godly beautiful and tasted like a perfect spring morning.

And the fact that she had not cowered from him when he had been in his vampire state did nothing to relieve the desire running through him. She had not even batted an eye at the sight of his fangs or luminescent eyes - and his admiration for her only spiked. She was truly a strong, amazing woman.

His biggest fear was that she would turn from him in disgust at what he was – but that hadn’t been the case. And he found that the thought was comforting. She didn’t seem to fear him.

His lips took hers with need and demand and she responded to him with a soft moan as his tongue explored her mouth with a possessiveness that shook him to his core. God – he wanted her.

Abby braced herself against him - her hands softly kneading his chest as she returned his ardent assault with a flourish – her body silently urging him for more – begging him. Desire, hot and thick coursed through her like molten lava and she trembled.

“Damn it!” he cursed, a moment before there was a knock at the door. “What?” He barked out and Abby jumped slightly- having been completely lost in the taste and feel of him.

She glanced down and smiled shyly at the apparent bulge in his trousers – secretly glorying in the fact that she could do that to him with just a kiss. And that he wanted her as much as she wanted him.

“Des, I need to talk to you both.” Lucas called from the other side of the door, his voice carrying a hint of urgency.

Desmond noticed her gaze and grinned at her, his eyes shining mischievously as he took her hand and placed it in his lap. His eyes rolled back slightly at the contact and a low groan escaped him when she gave him a gentle squeeze.

“Christ,” he hissed softly at the contact - his eyes once again flashing silver. He shook his head briefly and smiled. “Don’t forget where we were,” he whispered, before leaning forward and grazing his lips against hers, quickly – but with promise. “I still need to reprimand you for putting yourself in danger,” he murmured, and a smile lit up her face at the wicked gleam in his eyes. She had a feeling that her punishment would be definitely interesting, and she shivered with anticipation.

He stood and walked towards the door - but not before he made sure that his robe was securely and modestly tucked around her. He opened the door and ushered Lucas in, his face set in a scowl – which, the Were chose to ignore completely as he strolled through the door past him.

“Hey, Abby,” Lucas said, giving her his best grin - although she couldn’t help but notice that it didn’t seem to reach his eyes, and that realization worried her. Something was definitely bothering him.

“Hey, Luke,” she replied, warmly.

“You ok?”

Abby nodded - her throat tightening at his obvious concern. “I’m fine. You?”

“I’m all good here – not so much as a scratch.” He lifted his arms out at his sides for emphasis, and winked at her.

Desmond motioned for Luke to take one of the chairs by the fireplace, then walked back to Abby and took her by the hand. He settled into the other chair, pulling her down onto his lap and wrapping his arms securely around her waist.

He knew that it was an immature, possessive thing to do – but he just couldn’t help himself. It seemed as if all sense left him where the fiery little fey was concerned – besides, he thought with a slight grin, he needed her to cover his raging hard-on – and a more pleasant way to do so he couldn’t think of. He knew that Luke would never let him hear the end of it if he saw him walking around like a horny adolescent and the feel of her sitting in his lap was much too good to pass up. It was all he could do to keep from shoving Luke out of the room and taking her again.

“What is it Luke?” he asked – cutting off his thoughts before he did exactly what he was thinking. He gave himself a mental shake as his hand tenderly rubbed the small of Abby’s back.

“When we cornered one of the bastards that did this,” he said, jerking his thumb toward the glassless window frame. “He told me to tell you that this was just a warning and that we’d better give up the…” he paused, looking to Abby - a look of pure disgust on his face, “
blood bag,
and they might consider letting the rest of us live. Sorry, Ab. His words – not mine.” He finished - gracing her with an apologetic smile.