Assassin: Fall of the Golden Valefar (A Paranormal Romance—Book #6 in the Demon Kissed Series) (8 page)

He nodded and told her where to find extra clothes. There
was running water down the hall. She didn’t ask how he did it, but Natalia knew
he was the reason why there was running water and a shower in a pile of rubble.
There was no one like Eric.

CHAPTER TWELVE

When Natalia dried off she found Eric perched on the stone
again. This action confused her. It was times like this that made her hesitate.
What if she was wrong about him? The only way she could know for sure was if
she found that legendary book—the Book of Days. The angels said their eldest
warrior created a book, but that it burned with him when he fell. From what
Natalia had seen, stories like that held a thread of truth.
She’d
linked the pieces together and followed a trail that led directly to Eric,
though she wasn’t sure why.
It didn’t matter. The book was real and it
would reveal everything, if she could get her hands on it. But he’d hidden the
damn thing and it was going on three years and she couldn’t find it. Hell,
she’d never even seen it. Maybe he wasn’t the man she thought he was. Maybe he
was just some screwed up solider who defected during the war. He sure acted
like it at times. Eric made her fear for her life, or at least he wanted her
to. And it didn’t matter how hard she tried to fear him, she couldn’t. It
wasn’t like that with him and her. It never was.

Natalia crossed the room. A carpet surrounded the bed, but
rubble littered the rest of the floor. It seemed to be the way Eric liked it. It
was as if his bed was in the middle of a cave crafted by God himself. That’s
what she thought the window was to him, it was something that altered the light
and made it good. The longing on his face made her stomach churn. Why would he
want to be different? After all this time, what would change his mind?

Eric looked over at her and she offered a weak smile. Her
wet hair was pulled into a knot and
laying
at the base
of her neck. She wore another of Eric’s shirts and a pair of shorts. They fit
her and she wondered why he had them, but didn’t ask. “Thanks.”

“Any time,” his voice was soft. Something was happening to
him. She didn’t think he could see it, but he wasn’t the same as when he first
met her. She needed to find that book.

Natalia waited half a beat, and asked, “Are you going back
to Carina’s?” She shouldn’t have asked. She didn’t want to know that about him,
she didn’t want to see it or hear about it, and yet, she asked. Eyes on the
floor, she kept her gaze lowered when she felt his gaze land on the side of her
face.

His voice was a whisper, “Do you want me to?”

What kind of question was that? She glanced up at him, her
eyebrows in her hairline, “No, of course I don’t want you to.”

Eric smiled shyly. It was so unlike him, so soft. “And
why’s that?”

Natalia started swinging her
legs,
the floor of her stomach was falling away like she was kicked down an elevator
shaft. “Why do you think?”

Eric placed his hands behind him, pulled his legs up, and
leaned back, his taught muscles outlined by his dark shirt. “I don’t pretend to
think anything. I don’t have the best luck when it comes to figuring out what
you’re thinking.”

She breathed in deeply once, and glanced at him out of the
corner of her eye, “Obviously.” She laughed lightly, curling her toes, staring
down at her bare feet. “I’d like it if you stayed with me today… if you don’t
need to sate something.” There she said it. Why was that so hard? He didn’t
matter to her. He didn’t.

Eric was gazing at the side of her face, his breathing
relaxed. He trusted her. She could sense it. He laughed. It bubbled up from his
stomach and joy burst through in his voice, “To sate something? Is that your
weird way of asking if I’m horny? Or are you asking if you’re safe?”

Natalia’s brow pinched. She turned her head, looking over
at him. “It’s not a weird question. You didn’t get what you went there for,
which would make me think…” he cut her off.

“That I couldn’t control myself and would go running back to
Carina’s and beg for another girl this morning?” He shook his head, golden hair
falling in his eyes. Eric didn’t like her question. It inferred so many things
about him, none of which he wanted to hear. The corners of his mouth pulled
into a crooked smile, “What you must think of me?”

That was the million dollar question—what did she think of
him? Natalia didn’t know anymore. At one time things were clear, but not now. What
the hell was wrong with him?

Before she had time to think, she found herself speaking,
answering a question that had no clear answer, “I think you’re lost. That’s
what I think of you. That’s what it is at your very core, but it’s so much more
than that, too.” Eric’s gaze locked with hers, his jaw tensing as she spoke. “You’ve
lost more than you care to admit. And you’ve found ways to ease your pain, but
they don’t help for long. They make you think you can’t be what you were, but
that’s not true is it?” His gold eyes narrowed as they flashed at her. Eric was
breathing hard, his nostrils flaring, hating every word she said. She sensed
it. A few more words would shatter him.

She bit her tongue, and changed directions, blindsiding
him, “I’m not a virgin. I don’t know what you think of me, but I’m not Little
Miss Purity. I never was…”

Eric’s expression faltered. The disgust he felt toward
himself sank back into his belly. What was she talking about? He gripped the
altar with his fingers, dragging his nails into the stone to keep himself
still. “Nat, you don’t have to tell me anything. I don’t care why you were at
Carina’s or what you do, as long as it doesn’t kill you.” He watched her face,
wondering what she was thinking, hoping she’d tell him even though his words
said otherwise. Tension built between the two of them. Eric’s heart raced in
his chest, but he maintained the same placid expression as before. It seemed to
infuriate her, and he had to admit that he liked that at times.

Natalia wanted to slap him. How could he act so cool and
calm? He was playing with her, teasing her. He had to be. Part of her wished
he’d cross the room and tell her why she was important to him—why he kept
saving her. Tilting her head, she asked sweetly, “And will you keep protecting
me? When I throw myself at some ass that wants to hurt me, and I want him to,
what will you do?” Say it! Her mind was screaming, but Eric wouldn’t budge.

“If that’s what you want. Who am I to criticize what gets
you off?” He flashed a crooked grin at her, although the thought of her being
with someone else made his skin crawl. He leaned forward, sliding off the
stone. “Last night’s over. It’s a new day. I’m not spending it here rehashing
what happened. If you don’t care that I have certain lusts—that I will not
partake in with you—then why don’t we go do something fun?” He held out his
hand to her. Natalia looked at his pale palm. She wanted to take it. She wanted
to go with him, even though her gut told her no.

Reaching out she took his hand, and nodded, “Let’s go.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Eric took her to the street where she waited for him. The
sound of a rumbling engine rounded the corner and she grinned. Eric was
straddling a motorcycle. He navigated the bike through the rubble and stopped
in front of her. “Get on,” he said. Natalia realized she’d have to touch him
and hold on tight. She liked bikes, but Eric made her heart hurt. Ignoring the
sensations, she grabbed his waist and flung her leg over the back of the bike.

“Where are we going?” she asked, tying her hair back so it
wouldn’t blind her as they rode.

“Beach.”

She stopped, dropping her hands from her hair. “I don’t
have a swimming suit.”

A mischievous grin spread across Eric’s face, “I know.” With
that he revved the engine, and Natalia pressed herself tightly to his back. He
handed her a pair of sunglasses and the two of them rode out of the city. The
further they got from Rome, the less decimated the landscape became. Eric
navigated the bike slowly at first, careful not to send them flying if he hit a
hole, but once they were outside the city walls, he punched it and they flew.

After the war, people realized that their only hope of
survival was to band together. Very few families still resided outside cities,
in the unprotected countryside. Natalia turned her face and pressed her cheek
to Eric’s back, watching the abandoned landscape as it flew by. Part of her was
elated. The other part was terrified.

Eric could feel the pulsing fear moving through her body as
Natalia held onto him harder.
Out of all the things that frightened the girl—a motorcycle—really?
But she was
spooked,
he could feel her heart pounding
inside of her little body. Part of him hoped it was the swimming naked comment,
but he thought there was more to her than that. She didn’t even blush when he
said it, which made him think she’d done it before. Natalia said she wasn’t a
virgin, and he believed her—and he didn’t care. Eric kept telling himself that,
but he couldn’t deny the way he felt when he was with her. The thought worried
him, but it was too late now. The curse would destroy her if he didn’t end
things first. This was his small indulgence before forcing Ivy’s hand. He’d
enjoy his time with Natalia. He’d let her see what he was, who he was, and if
she didn’t run screaming—the thought made something stir deep inside of him. Gripping
the handlebars harder, he accelerated again allowing the wind to blow away his
thoughts.

Natalia felt the tension in Eric’s back. When she pressed
her face against his shoulders, she breathed him in. His body protected her
from the wind and bugs. As she leaned against his back, she could feel the
curves of his hard muscles and wondered why he was so tense. She locked her
fingers around his waist and relaxed as they drove, but Eric seemed tightly
strung the entire time. There was no way to know what was going on in his head,
though she wanted to.

As they came up on the coast, there was a stretch of white
sand and blue water that went on for miles. Natalia loved the beach. She loved
the sound of the waves beating the sand, and the scent of the sea. When Eric
stopped the bike, she practically jumped off. Her hair was windblown so badly
that it looked like someone stuck her head in a dryer. Eric laughed.

Natalia punched him in the stomach lightly, and then
promptly smoothed her wild pony tail with a wicked smile on her lips. “Your
hair looks kind of nuts too, but you don’t see me laughing.”

He looked at her from over the top of his sunglasses as
they walked toward the water, “But, you’re laughing on the inside. And that
totally counts.” The pain that normally filled Eric’s chest was replaced with
something else, something warm. He couldn’t stop smiling, and he knew why. It
was Natalia. There was something about her, something that made him wish things
didn’t have to end. After all this time, maybe he found someone, but it didn’t
matter. She was too late. Soon he would be gone, without a trace. Natalia would
go looking for him one day, but he will have vanished without a trace. Eric
pressed his palms into his pockets, watching the girl as she ran in front of
him.

Natalia tore ahead, running for the waves. She didn’t stop
when she reached them, like Eric expected her to. The girl ran straight into
the water and started splashing like she was a Labrador. Eric sat on a sand
dune a few feet away. The way she moved made him pause. It was like she was
trying to contain herself. The girl was larger than life, just brimming with
vibrancy. And Eric would fuck it all up and end her life sooner than she knew
if he didn’t go through with his plans. The passion that burned in her eyes
would be snuffed out. His eyes tracked her as she ran down the beach and back
again. She’d tied off the tee shirt under the curve of her breasts, showing off
her narrow waist. Her dark shorts were rolled up as high as she could get them.
Long dark hair fell over her shoulders as she laughed.

Natalia turned toward Eric, noticing that he was watching
her even though his eyes were hidden behind dark glasses. Her skin prickled
like it always did when he looked at her. Moving slowly toward him, she came
out of the surf. She pulled off her glasses asking, “We rode all this way and
you aren’t going in?” He shook his head.
What
the hell?
She frowned, “Why not?”

Eric shrugged, “We came here for you, not me.”

Natalia sashayed toward him, her gaze melting Eric’s. He
could see her eyes through her dark glasses. Shadows did not hide things from
him. It was part of the demon blood that flowed through his body. She knelt in
front of him, the sand clinging to her wet skin, “Why on earth would you do
something like that?”

Smiling he said, “To make up for last night, and the night
before. Things have felt—tense.” He paused, his lips parted like he was going
to say more, but he hesitated. Eric considered what he should say. He could
tell that Natalia wanted him to go with her, but he couldn’t. It would make it
harder for him to stick to his plans, and things had already gone too far to
back out now. His days were numbered. Natalia’s were not. Not so long as he
went through with it. Eric slid his tongue over his lips, and turned his face
into the breeze. The wind whipped his hair, making it messier. “I just wanted
to see you happy for a change.”

Her pink lips pulled into a sexy little smile. “I like it,
you know.”

He didn’t follow. “Like what?” If he couldn’t see her eyes,
he would have thought she was talking about the beach, but he could. Her pupils
were far too dark for that, and her voice lost the levity that went with
lighter banter. And the quirk of her lips, the expression that made him want to
reach out and take hold of her and feel her in his arms—it was plastered across
her face. He wondered if she knew what that did to him, how it made him want
her.

Her finger brushed his leg, trailing down to his ankle,
“Things to be rough.” It was why she was at Carina’s, well partly why she was
at Carina’s. The look on Eric’s face told her that he was interested and she
was so tired of ignoring the sensations that shot through her body when he
looked at her. She was ready to admit that she screwed up—that Eric wasn’t the
murderer she was looking for.
And this, this felt natural,
like they should be together.
She only meant to tease him, to lean in
close to his face and taste his lips.
A kiss.
She
wondered if his lips were warm and smooth. They looked perfect. Natalia leaned
forward, slowly, her gaze locked on his mouth.

Eric watched Natalia as she spoke, underestimating the
girl. He always thought that at some point, she would fear him—that she’d
recognize what he was truly capable of and her feelings toward him would die
like a flame doused with water. But she didn’t see it, she didn’t see him.

Before her lips touched his, he grabbed her wrist, stopping
her. Pressing his lips together hard, he breathed, “It’s not going to happen. It’s
beyond that with me. Don’t ask again.” There was a warning tone in his voice. Natalia
pulled her wrist away, noticing that he averted his gaze.

Her heart plummeted. The way he spoke, the tone of his
voice, said that he wanted her as much as she wanted him—but he resisted. Her
mind pulled at random facts, trying to understand: Eric was at Carina’s. He
killed Jocelyn.
Gruesomely.
But she couldn’t see how. It
didn’t make sense. The Eric sitting in front of her seemed soft. She knew he
cared about her, he had to.

Natalia arched a dark brow at him from behind her glasses,
glad that her eyes were hidden so he couldn’t see the choked expression. “So
you’re just going to watch me swim?” She asked it like she didn’t believe him. Eric
nodded. Her lips pulled into a smirk.
Fine.
If he
wanted to pretend that he didn’t want her, then she would just make him as uncomfortable
as possible for the rest of the day. She reached for the knot on her shirt and
untied it.

Drawing the shirt over her head, she pulled it off and
tossed it at him. “Good. You can hold my stuff.” Eric’s eyes lifted to the two
swells of soft skin above her narrow waist. Natalia stretched, her breasts
thrusting forward as she tied back her hair again. Out of the corner of her
eyes, she could see Eric watching her. After her hair was secured, she kicked
off her shorts. A beautiful, nude Natalia turned from Eric and walked back
toward the surf, slowly swaying her hips as she went.

The breath caught in Eric’s throat as he watched her walk
away. His body had grown hard watching her. He didn’t get what he needed last
night, but there was no way he’d chance hurting her.
But her
body.
Holy Hell, she was hot. The way those curvy hips melted into her
sexy legs made it so that he couldn’t look away.

Natalia grinned all the way to the water. She didn’t expect
him to remain on the sand, but he did. Tormenting him was fun for her. She knew
he wanted her, and maybe this was a little much for payback over a kiss, but
this was Eric. Doing things in moderation with him failed to catch his
attention. And this, baring all, caught his attention. Not once did Eric take
his eyes off of her. She could feel his gaze like hot coals raking over her
bare skin. Natalia moved in and out of the sea all day, talking to Eric and
acting like she was completely clothed, like his eyes on her didn’t faze her. Natalia
hid her racing heart when Eric reached past her for his bag, brushing ever so
lightly against her leg. For a second, she thought he finally caved, but he
hadn’t. It was only food that Eric had brought for lunch. She leaned back on
the beach and felt the sun on her skin. Between the sensation of sand on her
body, listening to the waves, and tormenting Eric, Natalia was in a wonderful
mood by the time they left.

As she pulled on her shorts, she sincerely said, “Thanks
for all this. Your little seduction scene was well-played.”

Eric looked confused, his smile faltered as he watched her.
As he stood up, he asked, “Why does everything have to be a game with you?” When
he took off his glasses, and gazed at her, his golden eyes narrowed. His eyes
slid over her breasts and landed on her face.

She was holding her shirt in her hands, the pit of her
stomach twisting as he spoke to her. “Because it’s a game to you,” she answered
flatly. Natalia stood completely still. The warm breeze lifted her hair,
blowing it gently.

His eyes remained locked on hers. They didn’t drift below
her neck to her curves. There was
an intensity
in his
gaze that worried her. “It’s not a game,” he breathed.

“Then what is it?” her heart was racing. Why did it matter?
She shouldn’t care about what he said. His eyes were golden, like the sun,
burning—consuming her. Eric was fire and light, beautiful and devastating. She
couldn’t look away. She couldn’t move.

Eric’s eyes slid over her face, admiring the smoothness of
her skin without touching her. Her pink lips remained parted, watching him,
waiting. She didn’t breathe until he spoke.

Eric lifted his hand, and in that moment every ounce of her
body wanted him to touch her, but he took a strand of her blowing hair instead.
Lifting it to his mouth, he kissed the strand and breathed her in. When he
inhaled, his chest swelled and brushed against her chilled body. Natalia’s
stomach caved in, crashing into her toes. It felt like someone stole her
ability to breathe.

His voice was soft as he released the strand of her hair. He
loved her scent. “It’s me and you. It’s the way things have always been. It’s
never been a game to me, Natalia. There’s too much to lose when people play
games.”

He stepped away from her and the air rushed back into her
lungs in a surge. Eric turned away and was walking back toward the motorcycle. Natalia
watched his broad shoulders, the way his shirt slid across his toned muscles
beneath. He didn’t touch her. He said he wouldn’t. She pulled her shirt over
her head and followed him to the bike, not knowing what to think.