Dark Peril (16 page)

Spread your arms out,
minan—
my own.

She swallowed hard. There was that low purr in his voice, as if all she had to do was stretch her arms out like wings and she’d please him beyond anything else. Was it so simple? She had to trust him to keep her from falling. She’d trusted him in battle implicitly. Of course he would keep her safe. It was ridiculous to think that he wouldn’t. And she would have the experience of flying, for maybe the only time in her life.

She let out her breath and pried each finger from his arm. Only then did she realize she was hanging on to his forearms with her claws. She gave a soft inarticulate cry, ashamed.

No worries, little cat. Just let go and fly with me.

It was a seductive whisper. She felt the warmth of his breath on her neck somehow giving her reassurance. To please him—to say she was sorry for inadvertently hurting him—she let go and spread her arms to the wind as if she were a great bird. The wind touched her face and ruffled her hair. Above her was a sea of clouds, rolling and turbulent, but so beautiful. Around her was open sky. Below her were the tops of the trees, some shooting past the thick cover to emerge triumphantly from the crowd. The earth below dazzled her eyes. She’d never felt so free in her life.

His mouth nuzzled her neck, a whisper really, yet she felt his touch like a brand. No one had ever made her feel like that—dizzy, important, his entire focus on her. With just one touch. And he’d asked. He could easily merge his mind with hers, Carpathians did it all the time—an invasion, she’d always thought.
Wrong
. No one should have access to one’s private thoughts. And yet . . .

It is not necessary.

She couldn’t detect disappointment, but still, why couldn’t she just say yes? He was giving her such a beautiful experience, one she doubted very many people would ever have the chance to have. Was it such a big thing to let him see how much she appreciated this moment? He wasn’t making her feel guilty; that was all her own. Was she really such a coward? What could happen if just for this moment she said yes?

She took a breath, knew his hands felt it, that swift intake of breath, so raw and ragged.
I don’t mind.

You honor me.

And then he was inside her mind, a slow penetration that sent a thousand darts of fire burning over her skin and deep
inside
of her, sending a slow burn through her stomach to her most feminine core. She felt him in her, just as if they were sharing the same skin, merged together so deep she didn’t know where he started and she left off.

She realized her insecurities were displayed for him, her fragile hold on her courage, the terrible need she had for him, the horrendous, almost insurmountable fear of letting him down.

Shh,
minan
, see the night with me. That is all. Just share the night.

His soothing murmur, almost a caress, calmed her wild thoughts and she turned her attention to the spectacular sensation of soaring through the air. She found the miracle so much more special when shared. He took them in a large circle over the river and she spotted the rare pink dolphins. Of course she’d seen them before, but not like this, where she could see their amazing speed in the water. She laughed. With their minds merged together, his burst of happiness elated her. He was like a child experiencing everything for the first time after hundreds of years without emotion, and that enhanced her enjoyment.

She turned her head toward him and found herself wanting to nuzzle his neck in a rare display of shy affection, but she couldn’t quite dare to touch him so she just inhaled his scent, took his masculine essence into her lungs and held it there, as if she were hugging it to her.

I will link my hands around your waist, Solange. Lean out and let me take your weight so you feel the actual flight.

Her heart stuttered at the idea. He was really pushing her limits of trust, yet he seemed unaware of it. Or was he? He couldn’t be. He was inside her mind. He knew her fears. She moistened her lips, her pounding pulse thundering in her ears. As before he remained silent, he did not repeat the request. He simply waited for her choice.

She licked her suddenly dry lips. Her life would be in his hands. Arms outstretched, her body falling forward as if she were really flying, she wouldn’t have the opportunity to hang on to him. She doubted she was fast enough at shifting to turn and latch on with claws should he drop her. Could she do it? Would it displease him if she didn’t? Would it matter? She tried to touch his mind, but he simply waited.

She could feel the weight of his gaze on her. That single-minded focus. His complete concentration on her alone. She felt tears burning behind her eyes. She wanted to give this to him. It was all she could give him. Moments like this one. She knew there was no other woman for him. It wasn’t that he loved her. Or wanted her. He had no choice, yet he was willing to give her choices. It was just that his personality was so overpowering.

She closed her eyes and nodded.

He brushed a kiss over the top of her head, setting off a peculiar fluttering in the pit of her stomach. She held her breath as his mouth drifted to her temple and then pressed his cool, firm lips to her ear.

My woman.

Her heart contracted. Her womb clenched and she felt a flood of damp heat between her legs. Two words and she melted. What did that say about her? Was she so desperate for his approval that all he had to do was sound happy with her and she would do anything he wanted?

He waited for her to shift position on her own. She almost wished he’d moved her first, but he didn’t. She slowly, with caution, began to lean into his palms, so that she swung out, away from the solid comfort of his body. The wind increased and she couldn’t stop her hands from grabbing his wrists. Instantly he brought her back against him and . . . waited.

She knew he was waiting for her to gather her courage and put her trust in him. There was no pretending she was too exhausted—he had her entire weight. All she had to do was hang there in the sky while the magic of the night surrounded her. He was giving her a gift of such importance. There had been no gifts since her family had been slaughtered, until now, until this moment. He seemed a dark sorcerer she couldn’t resist—especially when he offered her such a rare, phenomenal experience.

Time slowed down. She could feel her heart pounding. He made her feel important when she’d never felt so before, not to anyone. The air seemed crisp and fresh, the night a cool blanket. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and let go. She brought her arms straight out away from her body. He removed his hands from her and she knew this was the moment, now or never. She would never summon this kind of courage—or trust—again. She let herself fall forward. The sensation took her stomach and for a moment she was afraid he wouldn’t catch her, but there his palms were, and she found herself suspended in the air with nothing but his hands under her.

Very slowly she opened her eyes. Her breath caught in her throat as she soared and dipped and wheeled with the freedom of the birds. Again she experienced that dizzying rapture that was physical, the adrenaline pouring into her bloodstream like dark gold, thickening her blood, spreading heat through her. She felt Dominic with her—in her—sharing the dazzling moments. It was pure magic—
he
was pure magic.

The wind tore tears from her eyes. After one of the worst days of her life, losing Annabelle, killing two men and nearly getting captured or killed by her own father, fighting vampires and having to face her lifemate, she was overwhelmed by sheer joy as she flew through the air. It was too much and yet she didn’t want it to end.

Dominic drew her in, turning her so that her face was pressed over his heart. The rock-steady beat comforted her, helping her to keep from sobbing aloud. She wept quietly, her fingers buried in the front of his shirt. She just didn’t care about anything in that moment. Not where they were going or what would happen when they got there. He had a destination in mind and it was evident he wouldn’t drop her, so she just gave herself up to his care.

Dominic felt the exact moment she let go and gave herself over to him. His arms tightened around her, holding her close to him. She was very fragile, and so vulnerable. Not simply her physical self, but the woman she hid from the rest of the world. She was exhausted and she would have gone off to a damp retreat to lick her wounds alone and try to recover before she took on the enemy again.

Not this time, my little cat. This time I will see to your care.

She didn’t answer, but her weeping, the tears tearing at his heart, lessened. He meticulously scanned the area for signs of the undead before he took her down to the forest floor, to the entrance of her favorite retreat. He’d seen it a dozen times, that small, snug cave deep in the recesses of the limestone labyrinth, when they met in her mind. The images were very detailed. She had no idea how much information he could pull from her mind in seconds when needed. And both of them needed this.

He found the entrance too small to carry her through, and reluctantly let her feet drop, his arm firmly anchoring her to him.

“How did you know . . . ?” Solange looked around her, lashes wet, her eyes bright and slightly shocked.

“I am your lifemate,” he pointed out, his voice gentle. “This place brings you comfort.”

She turned away from him and ducked inside, blinking back tears. He doubted if anyone had seen to her comfort in years. He followed her, noting the fluid movement of her body, just like the cat that was so much a part of her. She had a wild, untamed scent that appealed to him more than any other perfume he’d ever smelled. She belonged in the forest, and she moved with silent stealth, even in human form in the dark.

The tunnel led downward, deep under the earth. She stopped at what appeared to be a dead end and reached down to work at several large stones. Dominic gently moved her out of his way and simply levitated the large blocks of limestone and set them aside, and with a low bow gestured for her to precede him.

She hesitated, standing very close to him in the small confines of the tunnel. He could hear her heart, the rhythm too loud. She was frightened, but she was still putting herself in his hands; her courage humbled him. To encourage her, he took her hand and brought it to his mouth. He stroked long fingers over her wrist, the one Zacarias had drawn blood from, as he pressed a kiss into the exact center of her palm.

Solange’s breath hitched, her gaze jumped to his face and then quickly skittered away. “You have to crawl to get into the chamber, and your shoulders . . .”

He kept possession of her hand, her fingers against his mouth. “I can turn to vapor,” he reminded, a smile in his voice.

He felt her acute embarrassment that she hadn’t remembered. Her body flooded with heat and immediately tensed. She started to pull her hand away, but he refused to relinquish control back to her. Instead, he drew her fingers into the warmth of his mouth and sucked on them. A shiver of awareness went through her body as he then drew her fingers to his lips and bit softly on the tips. “You are very tired, Solange. I thank you for your concern.”

Once again her gaze flicked to his. She looked so uncertain he wanted to crush her to him. Instead, he released her hand and dropped his hand to her shoulders, silently guiding her to her knees. For a moment, he savored the feel of her warm breath on his rock-hard cock right through the material of his trousers. It would be so easy to remove them. The idea of her mouth on him shook him, but he didn’t allow his own pleasures to be put before her care. He pressed gently until she was on all fours and crawling into the narrow, tight tunnel leading to the chamber.

The channel reminded him of a rabbit warren. He flowed through it easily, following his woman into the cave. She had made it somewhat of a home and his heart stilled in his chest when he realized she had never shared this sacred place, her only true refuge, with anyone else. She went to the north wall to find her lantern, but he lit the candles with a wave of his hand. Immediately the soft light threw shadows over everything.

He was grateful for the rich dirt floor. In one corner there was a handwoven rug and a few wooden bowls. The sound of water was background music as it trickled steadily from the wall on the east side to fill the basin so a wide pool took up one corner of the chamber. The ceiling was high, giving the illusion of space when actually the cavern was snug.

He noted that she stayed a good distance from him, silent, her green cat’s eyes watching his every move as he explored. He took his time, allowing the silence to stretch out, listening to the beat of her heart, waiting for her to calm. He saw books and picked up several to study the titles. Most were on making weapons and the plants of the Amazon. He thumbed through one of the volumes and found many of the healing plants highlighted.

When he moved closer to Solange, she reacted the way a cornered wildcat might, retreating, her eyes wide, almost mesmerized by him. She kept her head down, face slightly averted, but she was watching him the entire time. He went to a small pile of articles carefully placed on a rock shelf inside a small alcove, and the tension seemed to ease out of her just a little bit more. Her heart rate slowed nearly to normal.

There was a ragged blanket, very old, that someone had lovingly made for a child. Not hers, he guessed by the blue color. A boy. Someone she loved, by the look of it. A faded picture of a woman in a wooden handmade frame, a woman who must have been her mother, sat on a shelf. She had the same amazing eyes. A hand-carved comb of the finest wood. He touched each item. Read the memories imprinted there. A brother—no, two brothers. The comb had been made by her father. He frowned. Not her birth father. The man she loved as a father. All gone. Every one of them.

He lifted his head and looked at her, his gaze colliding with hers. “Come here to me, Solange. Right here.” He pointed to a spot right in front of him.