Dark Guardian (32 page)

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 covering 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. His 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 passageway 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.

Having done what he could, Lucian flowed through the house, the basement, and the narrow passage carved through rock to the sleeping chamber, then below to his earthen lair. He returned to his body deep within the healing soil. It required intense energy to flow free from one's body, and he wanted the rejuvenating soil to strengthen him.

He put himself to sleep, relying on his inward alarm system to tell him when the intruder had actually violated the sanctity of his home. It took the man well over an hour after the sun went down before he managed to make it into the main yard. From there he opened the gate for two of his colleagues. When Lucian felt the disturbance, he came awake slowly, waving a hand to open the earth. The vibrations of violence echoing through his home were amplified by the stained-glass safeguards Francesca had wrought. It disturbed the soothing tranquillity of the house.

Beside him, without his consent or command, Jaxon inhaled. Her heart began to beat, and she moaned softly in distress. Lucian would never have believed it if someone had told him her built-in alarm system would be enough to disturb her sleep so soon after her initiation. Fledglings did not often awaken at the mere presence of evil. He merged with her before she could open her eyes, his intention to send her back to sleep.

Don't
! She said it sharply, her lashes lifting, her eyes blazing with fury. "You lied to me." She pushed his body away from hers and looked around her.

Lucian could feel her rising nausea as she realized she was in the ground, not in the sleeping chamber. When he would have comforted her, she held up both hands to stop him. "I don't want you to touch me. You buried me alive, Lucian. You buried me and let me believe we were sleeping in a normal bed."