EmbracedbyaWarrior (7 page)

“I was beginning to wonder what had happened to you. So you
only went to use the men’s room and didn’t run outside to the back of the
building?”

He gave her a confused look. “No. Why?”

Brisa shook her head. “Nothing. I just thought I saw
something, but obviously I was mistaken.” She leaned across her seat and gave
Darius a hard kiss. “Now didn’t you say something about getting some kind of
dessert at your house?”

He returned her kiss before he pulled away and put the key
in the ignition. “You’re right. I did.” He started the car, then drove out of
the parking lot.

Darius snuck glances at Brisa from the corner of his eye as
he drove toward his home. That had been too close for comfort. Not in a million
years had he expected her to end up in that alley behind the restaurant. He’d
just about shit bricks when he’d heard her calling out to see if anyone else
was there. Only being well-practiced at hiding in the shadows had saved his ass
from being caught. It hadn’t been hard to keep his prey quiet.

Once Brisa had left, he’d quickly dispatched the evildoer, a
rapist, to Anubis. Then he’d had to sneak his way into the restaurant through
the back door. There had been no way he could risk going around to the front
from the outside. Brisa would have seen him for sure.

After this close call, Darius decided he and Brisa would
stay at his house for the rest of the weekend. While she was with him, he
couldn’t run the risk of sensing evil. As long as he didn’t feel the pull he
was safe. Taking the weekend off would be a nice change, anyway. Especially
considering he hadn’t taken any time off from his duty to Anubis, not once in
the close to eight hundred years since becoming a warrior. He figured he’d
earned it.

Arriving home, Darius pulled the car into the garage. He let
Brisa inside the house through the connecting entrance there. He’d just clicked
the lock into place and had turned around when he found himself pushed up
against the door with Brisa all over him.

She nuzzled the front of his chest as she worked the
fasteners on his jeans. “I’ve been dying to do this for most of the time we
were out.”

Brisa yanked his pants down past his waist, springing his
cock. It went instantly hard. She went down on her knees, took hold of him in a
firm grip and sucked him into her mouth. Darius banged the back of his head
against the door as waves of pleasure went through him, centering on his dick
and what Brisa was doing to him.

He moaned and dropped his keys. He looked down to watch
Brisa taking his cock in and out of her mouth. The sight had him hardening even
more. No longer able to hold still, he pumped his hips, matching the rhythm
she’d set. Besides sucking on him, each time he slid almost out, she swirled
her tongue around the head of his shaft, then stroked the sensitive underside.
She brought him to the verge of coming, but Darius didn’t want that. He wanted
to be buried in her pussy when he reached his release. Wanted her to come when
he did.

He pulled Brisa to her feet and switched positions so she
was the one with the door at her back. He undid her jeans, yanked them down her
legs and off, taking her panties with them. Her weight felt like nothing as he
lifted her. She put her legs around his waist, her pussy coming up against his
cock. He groaned as her wetness bathed his erection.

Keeping her pressed against the door, Darius pulled back
slightly, then pushed inside Brisa, sheathing himself to the hilt with one
thrust. He pulled back again before pushing all the way home. She locked her
ankles at the small of his back, using her heels to urge him on as he pumped in
and out. This would be hard and fast. He couldn’t take it slow, he wanted her
too much.

“Yes, Darius,” Brisa moaned. “Just like that.”

“I want you to come for me,” he said as he continued to
thrust into her. “I’m too close.”

“So am I. Only a little bit more.”

Then Brisa was crying out his name, her hips arching as her
pussy milked his cock with her release. Darius followed her, holding himself
tight to her as he filled her with his cum. This time the need to bite her
didn’t surface, nor did his teeth change. It made Darius think the two times it
had happened had been a fluke. Or their lovemaking had been over too quickly.

Totally out of breath, his legs shaking since he’d come so
hard, Darius pulled Brisa away from the door. She put her arms around his neck
and held on. After pulling his pants up near his hips, high enough for him to
walk without having to worry about falling, or dropping Brisa, he turned and headed
for the foyer. He then went up the stairs.

Inside his room, he placed Brisa on the center of his bed.
She stripped out of the rest of her clothes while he shed his. Naked, he
climbed in beside her and tugged her in his arms with her positioned along his
side with her head pillowed on his chest.

Darius kissed the top of her head when he felt her relax and
heard her breathing even out. The nap would do her good. Considering he
couldn’t get enough of her, he pretty much assumed he’d keep her up most of the
night.

Brisa sighed, blowing a puff of air across his chest. Sated
for now, Darius closed his eyes. The last thing he thought about before he
followed her into slumber was how good it felt to have her in his arms as he
slept.

Darius turned his head and looked at Brisa who lay on her
back, fast asleep. It was almost dawn, and as predicted, he’d kept her up for
most of the hours of darkness. She didn’t stir as he carefully slipped out of
bed. He picked up his jeans before he silently walked out of the bedroom.
Outside in the hall, he pulled them on.

He headed down the stairs. He needed to talk to Anubis
again, without Brisa being around. After the quickie they’d had once they
arrived back from the restaurant, he and Brisa had made love three more times.
Each of those had been longer, felt more intense. And each time his eyeteeth
had dropped. One bout, he’d come so close to biting Brisa, he’d nipped her hard
enough to almost break the skin.

Inside the mini-temple, Darius closed the door behind him,
then approached the altar. As before, after he called out to the god of the
underworld, Anubis was quick to reply.

Darius.

“I don’t know if that demon’s spell completely wore off. I’m
still having shifting problems.”

In what way?

Darius paused. Even though Anubis was male, Darius still
disliked talking about his sex life with anyone. He figured that was his
private business. He never bragged about his sexual conquests.

“It happens while I’m in bed with a woman. Well, one in
particular. Brisa. When I reach…completion, my eyeteeth become longer, and I
have the almost overwhelming urge to bite her where her shoulder and neck meet.
I haven’t yet, bitten her that is. But I came pretty damn close once. That’s
never happened to me before, which has me thinking the demon’s spell must be
having an influence over me still.”

Anubis chuckled in Darius’ head.
Let me assure you that
the spell is completely gone. That’s not the reason behind this new change in
you. It’s the woman.

“I don’t understand.”

It’s Brisa who brings on your urge to bite her. She’s
your mate, Darius.

“My mate?” Darius asked, feeling very confused. “How is that
possible? I pledged to serve you. There is no room in my life for a woman.”

Yes, you did, but I never expected you to be alone
forever. I don’t expect it for any of my warriors, though those of you who were
the first to pledge will take longer to find the woman meant for you. You’re
the first.

“Brisa is mortal. It can’t work.”

Yes, it can. I gave you all the ability to bind your mate
to you. One bite and her life force will be tied to yours.

“That’ll give Brisa immortality, but won’t it also mean that
if I die so does she? If I literally lose my head, it’s all over for me.”

True, but I’ve made you strong enough, so the chance of
any prey being capable of doing that is next to nil.

“Then why not make her an immortal yourself as you did me?”

For me to do that, she’d have to be near death and call
out to me the same way you did, asking to be saved. That is the only way I’m
allowed to grant immortality. Would you like to put your mate through that?

“No.” Feeling death slowly closing in, desperate to cling to
life, was not a pleasant experience. “No, I wouldn’t want that for Brisa.”

Then you must bite her, but give her the choice first.
Tell her exactly what you are. You can’t force her into it. That I won’t allow.

“I’d never do that to her.”

And he wouldn’t. Choosing immortality was a decision that
couldn’t be made lightly. As for his feelings about Brisa being his mate, it
felt right. He’d already started to lose his heart to her. Now knowing what she
meant to him, Darius didn’t want to let her go. Ever. He just hoped she could
accept him and the world he lived in. Having to let her go would be beyond
hard.

* * * * *

Brisa rolled to her side and reached for Darius. Feeling the
spot next to her on the bed empty, and finding the sheets cool, she came awake.
A quick look around the room showed he wasn’t there.

She sat up and stretched. It was still very early in the
morning. Weak light shone through the crack in the curtains, chasing away some
of the darkness in the room. In need of something to drink, Brisa pushed out of
bed, deciding to go in search of some water and Darius.

Finding his t-shirt on the floor where he’d thrown it the
evening before, she slipped it on. Out in the hallway, Brisa walked to the top
of the stairs. She looked down, but didn’t see any lights on. Not letting that
stop her, she took the steps to the main floor.

It was easy enough for her to find the kitchen. Her eyes
adjusted to the near dark, she didn’t bother with the lights and headed for the
large stainless-steel fridge. Brisa opened it, happy to see some bottled water
inside. She took one and twisted off the cap, closing the fridge with her hip
as she took a big drink before she placed the bottle on the counter.

Her thirst taken care of, she went in search of Darius. He
had to be around here somewhere. The living room was the first place she
looked. Stepping inside the room, it appeared empty, but then she heard the
muffled murmur of someone talking. The deep, slightly accented voice belonged
to Darius.

Brisa looked around, at first not sure where he could be,
then spotted the closed door. She stepped closer. Without knocking she pulled
it open. Then felt her jaw drop when she took in the smaller room.

The walls were painted a stark white, whereas the living
room’s were a dark beige. There were quite a few ancient Egyptian-looking
pieces spaced throughout it. Framed pictures looked like those found on the
pharaohs’ tombs in Egypt, painted in jewel tones and gold on real papyrus
paper. There were small statues and other works of art. The majority of the
items depicted the god of the dead, Anubis. And standing near the back of the
room, in front of what suspiciously looked like an altar, was Darius.

“What are you doing in here?” she asked.

Darius whipped around, surprise showing on his face. “I
couldn’t sleep.”

“So you came down here and closed yourself in a room that
looks dedicated to the ancient Egyptian god, Anubis?”

“I know you’ll think this sounds crazy, but being in here
helps me relax.”

“And you talk to yourself too? I heard you.”

“I was…ah…praying.”

She gave Darius a quizzical look. “You pray to a god from an
ancient race of people?”

He looked decidedly uncomfortable as he shifted in place.
“It’s just something I do sometimes, all right?”

Brisa gazed around the room again. “Well, this explains the
tattoo on your chest. You must be into the whole ancient Egyptian thing. At
least now I know what I can get you for your birthdays and Christmas,” she said
with a smile.

Darius closed the distance between them and reached out to
tuck some of her hair behind her ear. “Does that mean you’ll stick around for
both those things? Do you want to keep me, even though I have this strange hobby
you might not understand?”

She chuckled. “It isn’t too strange, except maybe for the
praying part, but I can live with it.” Brisa met his gaze shyly and put her
arms around his waist. “Of course I do want to keep you. You have no idea how
long I’ve lusted after you. You’d come to the bar and I’d spend most of the
time staring at you, thinking of all the things I’d like to do to you.”

Darius smiled, making Brisa feel weak in the knees. “Well,
I’m glad you decided to serve me the other night.”

“You can thank Janey, your waitress, for that. She’s a
friend of mine, and she knew I liked you. She kind of coerced me into going to
your table. She figured if it was left up to you, you’d never talk to me.”

“Then I’ll have to thank her on Monday night when I come in.
I was a little slow on asking you out, but I did notice you. Why do you think I
kept showing up at the bar night after night?”

Brisa lifted her arms and wound them around Darius’ neck.
She pressed herself against him. “Janey will like that. She thinks you’re hot
too, but don’t tell her boyfriend.”

Darius dropped his hands to her bottom, gripping it under
the hem of the shirt she wore. “You’re completely naked under this.” He
squeezed each globe of flesh.

“Of course I am. It’s too early to get dressed.” The last
word was said through a large yawn. She gave Darius a sheepish smile. “Sorry.”

He shook his head with a grin. “And it’s obviously too early
for you to be up. I think we both could use some more sleep. Let’s get you back
in bed.”

“As long as you join me.”

“I will. I think I’ll be able to sleep now.” Darius picked
her up and carried her out of the room, shutting the door behind them.

“You don’t want to do anything else besides that?” Brisa
asked as she played with the back of his hair.

“For now. Then we’ll get up in a couple of hours and I’ll
make you breakfast in bed. How does that sound?”

“Make it brunch instead and I’m game. Remember, I’m not a
breakfast eater.”

“Then brunch it is.”

Brisa put her head on Darius’ shoulder, liking the fact that
he could pick her up and cart her around. It made her feel, well, womanly. Very
feminine. And when he held her in his arms, she felt protected and cared for.
Hearing how he wanted her to keep him did delicious things to her body. At the
rate they were going, she just hoped it didn’t suddenly crash and burn, leaving
her devastated.

* * * * *

Early that evening, Darius suggested they go for a walk on
the beach. Brisa had been quick to agree. Since he had access to it from the
back of his property, they only had to step through a gate Darius unlocked to
reach the sand.

Hand in hand, they walked. Brisa enjoyed the colors of the
sunset, breathing in the salty air. It looked as if Darius and she had the
stretch of beach to themselves. Given that private residences lined it, she
wasn’t too surprised.

Not too far from Darius’ property, Brisa stopped and took
off her shoes. She couldn’t resist running to the edge of the water and walking
in far enough for it to cover her feet. She could get used to this, having the
beach right at her back door, able to enjoy the ocean without having to drive
to it.

“How’s the water?” Darius called.

Brisa turned to face him. “Not too bad for how deep I’m only
going to go. Wetting my feet is enough.”

She ran her gaze over him, noticing he’d taken off his shoes
as well and now held them in his hand. Brisa didn’t think she’d ever tire of
looking at him. He was handsome and sexy as all hell. And unbelievably all
hers.

Walking out of the water, she headed for the man who was
becoming to mean so much to her. Darius held his hand out to her, and Brisa
hurried her steps to get to his side.

She’d just reached out, not quite touching his fingers, when
a disembodied male voice said, “I found you again, warrior of Anubis.”

Darius stiffened, pulled back his hand and let out a bellow
of pain. He gripped his head as he dropped to his knees. Brisa found herself
frozen in place as his body began to change. In a matter of seconds,
accompanied by the sound of his bones cracking as they realigned themselves,
he’d taken on another form. He looked half human and half animal, his body
completely covered in black fur. Whatever animal it was, it was sort of
wolfish-looking, but she didn’t think it was that. After gaining his feet, he
also stood a lot taller. He had to be no less than seven feet, his muscles even
more thickly padded. She also took in the gold armbands around his wide biceps
and the snow-white Egyptian-styled kilt he wore around the lower half of his
body.

Looking this new Darius in his animal-like face, she took a
step back. Her heart threatened to jump out of her chest. Fear beat at her,
especially when she realized she’d seen him like this before. Her eyes hadn’t
been playing tricks on her last night. She’d really seen him in this form,
confronting another man, who she never saw leaving the alley.

“Brisa,” Darius said, his voice a lot gruffer and deeper
than normal. “It’s all right. It’s still me in here.”

She took another step back. “What are you? I don’t
understand? I saw you at the rear of the restaurant with another man. What
happened to him? Did you kill him?”

“Just calm down. I can hear your heart racing. I’ll explain
everything, but right now I have to get back to the house before someone sees
me like this.”

Brisa looked Darius in the eyes. They had changed as well,
looking more animal-like, except they were the same shade of blue as they were
when he was human. He pleaded with them. She knew he wanted her to not freak
out, but she was already walking a fine line.

“Please, Brisa,” he said. “I realize this is way beyond
anything you expected. It’s going to be all right. Just come with me.”

Looking up and down the beach, Brisa saw how out in the open
they were. One positive thing, it was better for her. She had more avenues of
escape than she would at the house. But other than the shifting into a creature
that shouldn’t exist, Darius hadn’t done anything to harm her. There was
intelligence in those animal-like eyes, and he was still capable of speech. He
might look like a beast that could kill her with one swipe of his claw-tipped
hand, but he’d made no move to come any closer. He stood waiting for her to
come to him.

Getting a grip on some of the fear coursing through her,
Brisa gave a slight nod. She took a tentative step toward Darius, then another,
but she didn’t take the hand he held out to her. She wasn’t quite ready for
that yet.

Darius bent and picked up his shoes he’d dropped when the
change had started. He silently walked beside her back up the beach to the gate
to his property. Brisa kept some distance between them, half watching him and
where she was going.

On his property, Darius paused at the gate to replace the
padlock on the latch. He turned toward her once that task was done. Then he let
loose with a growl that had Brisa ready to bolt, especially when a sword
suddenly appeared in his hand.