The Sacrifice (14 page)

After dark, Vind arrived outside the
compound. He paused at the gates as Cy and the redhead from last night left in
a black Audi. He had planned to finish searching the offices. However, this
particular turn of events was too tempting. There would be less activity around
the offices later, and it would raise less suspicion if he entered the gates
when they returned.

Vind
followed them to a restaurant in Asheville. His fresh supply of invisibility
formula allowed him to take a seat at a table nearby, so he
’
d
be able to hear every word.

He
was almost bored with how Cy looked at the girl with a lovesick expression.
Then he said something about their mother that piqued Vind
’
s
interest. But the next two words Cy spoke changed everything. Life-mate.

Vind
struggled to suppress laughter and moved closer.
Why had he not noticed
it? The way Cy
’
s eyes already cherished her. Vind couldn
’
t
believe his luck. He now had the means to torture Cy in ways he
’
d
never thought possible.

A
small tremor surged through him. He hadn
’
t been this excited
since his eighteenth birthday. That plan had failed. This time, every detail
would be executed with precision. Failure was not an option.

He
needed to replenish his adrenaline stores. Vind left the restaurant in search
of a human to feed from. Once he took care of that need, he would transport
back to the compound, anxious to collect the remainder of the information he
needed to plan his brother
’s
demise.

***

Cy
pulled into the compound and parked the car. He turned in his seat and looked
into Riana
’
s eyes. “Would you like to come to my place for a
drink…and finish our conversation?”

Riana bit her lower lip and hesitated
before answering. “Yes.”

Cy
released a breath he didn
’
t know he was holding. “Good, I hoped you
’
d
say that.”

He helped her out of the car and kept
her hand in his, not wanting to break their connection. Even though her touch
worsened the perpetual arousal and made walking at a normal pace next to
impossible.

As
they entered his apartment, Riana looked around the living room. “This is nice…
roomy.
”

Cy
glanced around the large living area. He had instructed the interior designer
to make it masculine but modern. Royalty-lying-low gave him the excuse he
needed not to live in a frilly palace like he had grown up in. Even when he did
become king, he didn
’
t intend to live that way. “
Thanks. It
’
s comfortable. Would
you like a glass of wine, or anything to drink?”

Riana sat on the large sectional sofa.
“A glass of white wine if you have it?”

Cy walked across the room to the open
bar. As he poured their drinks, the distinct aroma of lust permeated the air.
He turned and glanced at Riana, and fought back a smile as she stared at his
rear. He would have given anything to know what was thinking. He poured two
glasses of Riesling and brought them to the sofa. He handed her one, then took
a seat beside her.

“Okay,
back to our conversation from the restaurant.” Man, he was nervous about how
she would take the full amount of information. What if she freaked out, fled
the apartment, and never spoke to him again. He
’
d better start the
conversation out slow.

Cy turned to face her so he could
catch every emotion that crossed her beautiful face.

“I
’
ll just tell you what I know about life-mates.
Some people never find theirs, and some find each other at a young age. Because
so many of our people died on Sivadia, most who survived by coming to Earth had
to wait for their life-mates to be reborn. They named the years that followed,
‘The Survival Curse.
’
We had lost almost everyone and everything we
loved. After decades passed without anyone becoming pregnant, some believed it
was impossible for us to reproduce on Earth. Many gave up hope of their life-mates
ever being reborn and chose to end their own lives.”

“There
’
s
sadness in your voice when you speak about Sivadia. Did you come here on the
ships?”

“Yes.”
Although he wouldn
’
t lie to her, he wasn
’
t
ready to tell her about his true identity. She
would
run if he revealed
that little shocker too soon.

“Did you lose your life-mate?” She
asked quietly.

“No,
I was only fourteen when we came to Earth.” His father
’
s
death jumped to the forefront of his mind.

“Why do you think we are life-mates?”
Her question drew him back to the present.

“There
are several reasons. From the first moment you lay eyes on your life-mate,
there
’
s a pull toward them. If you
’
re
not with them, you wish you were. Everything about that person is irresistible.
The way they look, sound, smell…taste.” As he added the last word, it came out
low and needful. “When they
’
re near, it
’
s an overload of your
senses. Each time you
’
re together it becomes more intense, until…” Cy
hesitated, not sure how to say the words without sounding like he only wanted
to get her in bed.

“Until, what?” Her eyes were as soft
as her voice.

Their gazes locked onto one another as
if it were a lifeline pulling the other to safety. “Until we make love and give
ourselves to each other.”

 Riana looked down, breaking
their connection. “Have you ever had these feelings before…with someone else?”

Cy shook his head, “No, never.”

“What will happen if we do nothing and
never see each other again?”

Cy
’
s
chest tightened at the thought of that possibility. But she deserved all the
answers he could give, even if it meant losing her. “I
’
ve
been told everything becomes worse. Our mind and body will rebel and betray us.
We not only become physically ill, we
’
ll also become
depressed, barely able to function.” Cy held his breath as he watched her sharp
intellect absorb the information he
’
d given.

“Riana,
you don
’
t have to make this decision now. You take all the
time you ne—”

Riana reached and laid her hand on
his, cutting off all thought.

 “I
understand what you
’
re trying to explain, because I
’
ve
felt it too. Since I first saw you, my life has felt unbalanced and it
’
s
becoming worse.”

Cy
pulled her hand over his heart and held it there. The rate increased from the
contact. “There
’
s something else.”

Riana
’
s
brows rose. “Really?”

“Mother
told of a definite sign that will reveal if we are true life-mates. Some
Sivadians take a small amount of each other
’
s blood when making
love. If we
are
life-mates, the urge will be impossible to ignore. If we
take each other
’
s blood and we
’
re not life-mates,
nothing changes. But if we are,
everything
changes. And we
’
ll
know it immediately.”

A
look of confusion crossed Riana
’
s face. “How?”

“I
’
m
not sure about the details, but somehow you actually feel your life-forces
weave together. Things about the other person are revealed. And, from that
point on, you
’
re more aware of each other
’
s
needs. You don
’
t know their thoughts, but if one is upset or hurt
you
’
ll sense it, and have an uncontrollable urge to go
to them. I think—”

Riana's
lips parted and her tongue inched out as if she were tasting something
delectable. Her eyes were focused on his mouth and it cut off all thought. He
didn
’
t have to wonder what she was thinking when
lavender scented lust permeated the air. Something he was becoming familiar
with… and wanted more. The heat coming from her enveloped him, stamping out the
loneliness that
’
d been part of him for as long as he could
remember. Her emerald gaze scorched him to the core.

He
wasted no time closing the distance between them. Cy
’
s
hands buried in her mass of silken hair. He pulled her to him and took
possession of her mouth. As soon as their lips touched, the air around them
sizzled and a deep-seated need tore through him.

Riana
moaned into his mouth, and Cy
’
s kiss became demanding as her passion rose up to
meet his. Their tongues thrust into each other
’
s mouth. Her
hauntingly feminine taste seeped into his soul, and in that moment, he knew
this was a taste he
’
d craved forever. He wanted her on a level he
’
d
never known existed…until now. Nothing mattered but touching her, having every
inch of her skin next to his and burying his body deep inside hers.

Cy broke their kiss. His mouth made
its way down the satin length of her neck. Her pulse beat fast and frantic against
his lips. A strange need bloomed inside him, demanding he take her blood. He
tried to ignore the instinct, determined to take his time and worship every
inch of her body.

Riana leaned her head back to give him
better access to her neck. The movement caused her full breast to arch up and
outward.

Now
,
that
’
s an offer I
can
’
t ignore
. Cy ran his tongue across the generous mounds of cleavage peaking
just above the neckline of her sweater. Riana
’
s quick intake of
breath told him she wanted more, needed it as badly as him. He gently pulled on
the neck of her sweater, giving him access to more creamy skin. He feasted
greedily in the dark, warm, valley between her breasts. All he wanted was to
rip her clothes off and treat her sweet, gorgeous body like a lollypop.

Riana
’
s
hands buried in his hair and held him to her breast. Her body arched, coaxing
his mouth lower. Electricity whipped between them, fierce and passionate. Cy
’
s
erection throbbed to the point of pain. The need to take her, mark her as his
life-mate was overwhelming.

I
need to slow down
. He raised his head and looked into her
beautiful emerald eyes. Eyes that
blazed with
desire for him.

Riana was irresistible with her lips
swollen from his kisses, and her face flushed with passion. As his lips brushed
across hers, she moaned two words that broke the last of his good intentions.
“Cy, please.” It was a plea for more, and the words were music to his ears.