Blood Legacy: The House of Alexander (33 page)

“Perhaps,” he said, his eyes narrowing. It was such a tempting possibility, and would bring such immediate and immense physical gratification.

Ryan merely smiled. “Or perhaps you’d like to go there with me?”

Aeron’s jaw clenched. She had no idea the power of her invitation. He looked into her eyes seeing the ever-present preternatural amusement.

Or perhaps she did.

She gazed into the darkness with a remarkable lack of concern, then up at the deepening red of the sky. “My wounds are great, you might actually be successful at tossing me into the great night.”

She shrugged, as if it were of no consequence. “Perhaps not.”

Aeron’s struggle was great. She was taunting him with his greatest desire, appealing to the deepest, most predatory aspect within him. She was daring him to consummate their union as he had so many others over the centuries, to take her to the very brink of death and then fling her into its depths.

Ryan stared up at him curiously. She thought for certain he would have attempted to kill her by now. As always, in this world, that thought caused her no concern. And it wasn’t even the certainty of outcome, whether she would live or she would die, that gave her such nonchalance.

It was simply that the edge of death was her playground.

She gazed off into the blackness, but then became aware of his intense scrutiny. She looked up at him, puzzled as to why he would merely stand there, staring at her. His blue eyes burned with a strange intensity, a look that Ryan had not seen before and did not understand. She looked at him, the question in her eyes.

And then he did the one thing that she least expected him to do, the one thing that she was completely unprepared for, the one thing for which she truly had no defense.

He kissed her.

It was passionate, brutal, filled with possession and longing. It was deep and prolonged, stunning on every level.

Aeron awoke with a start from the trance, lying atop the girl on the sofa. She was pale, obviously a result of her wounds and his feeding, as well as the virus that raged through her system. His blood was still on her lips. He knew that she had not withdrawn from him, but rather had ultimately succumbed to the combination of her injuries and her illness.

He gazed down at her, astonished that she could satisfy him even in her weakened condition, for he was truly sated. What astonished him even more was that he could feel a new hunger stirring even now; his desire undiminished by the physical gratification. The girl was like a drug to him, one that increased its potency upon every use.

She stirred, her golden eyelashes fluttering against her cheekbone, the heat rising from her cheeks. But she did not awaken, and he knew that she would not for some time.

He sat upright, his eyes narrowing, but unwilling to break physical contact with her. This had been a most unexpected outcome.

CHAPTER 21

RYAN SLOWLY OPENED HER EYES. For a moment she reveled in the sensation of her coverlet, the feeling of the silk against her skin. She closed her eyes again, breathing deeply the familiar smells. The air was fresh, scented of the deep ocean, with that peculiar, wonderful odor of ionization that surrounded waterfalls. She enjoyed the musicality of the water as it flowed downward to the ocean another thousand feet.

Ryan opened her eyes, her thoughts coalescing with frightening speed.

She sat up, her eyes seeking the open doors to the balcony and the figure that sat beyond.

Aeron was there, casually reading the newspaper while seated at the table. He was dressed in a billowing white shirt, open at the collar, and comfortable tan pants that were close-fitting but not tight. He was barefoot, his long legs crossed at the ankle, appearing for all the world like the lord of the manor relaxing at breakfast.

Ryan was furious. She threw the sheets back and left the bed, removing her bedclothes as she did so. She stalked to her closet and quickly pulled on a loose shirt and a pair of jeans, not bothering with shoes.

Aeron, sensing her presence behind him, looked up from his newspaper expectantly.

“Hello my dear, I trust you slept well.”

Ryan moved in front of him, and he took the opportunity to admire her form.

“Where is my father?” she asked, a dangerous edge to her voice.

Aeron continued his perusal, then allowed his eyes to drift back to hers. “He’s right where you left him, my dear.” He continued his inventory, his arrogance pronounced. His eyes drifted to her throat, caressing the light bruise still evident on her neck. “As is Dr. Ryerson and her young son.”

Ryan’s jaw tightened further, and Aeron looked down at his paper once more, as if it were no matter. “Your staff, on the other hand, have all been replaced.”

Ryan was livid. Without another word, she turned and was out the door.

Aeron sighed, folding his paper and getting to his feet. The girl had almost as bad a temper as he did.

Susan peered into a microscope. She was having a difficult time concentrating, and had been for quite some time. Without lifting her eyes, she looked to the guards at the door who watched her with unblinking eyes. They were frightening, with an insolence that was insulting. They also kept looking at her as if they wanted to eat her. Or worse.

Susan glanced over at Jason, who occupied himself by nervously playing with some test tubes. He, too, glanced over at the menacing figures by the door. He didn’t want to be away from his mother right now, so he had to endure their presence.

Susan looked through the microscope, but was startled into nearly screaming as the laboratory door slammed open. She reached for Jason, but her fear moderated when she saw Ryan come through the door. It did not entirely diminish, however, because Ryan herself was in terrifying form.

Ryan took two steps and accosted the first guard.

“Get out,” she said between clenched teeth.

Either the man was unable to process who was standing in front of him, or he was just genuinely slow. Ryan had patience for neither. She picked the man up by his belt and by his throat and threw him headfirst through the door, which, unfortunately for him, had just closed behind her.

Aeron was nearing the doorway when the man’s head splintered through the door, followed by his entire body. He marveled at the force involved, which had been so perfectly concentrated it had not torn the door from the hinges, but rather exploded a hole right through it. He stepped over the prone figure and pushed through the material of the door that remained attached, just in time to see Ryan preparing a second missile.

He grabbed her roughly, trapping her wrists and pulling her away from the second guard. He thought he could restrain her for only a moment.

“Get out, you idiot,” he snarled at the guard. The terrified man responded instantly, staggering toward the door and disappearing into the hallway.

“Ryan,” Aeron said, struggling with the girl. “Stop it!”

He locked her into an embrace, picking her forcibly up off the ground. She struggled with him, face-to-face, but he would not release her. He concentrated all of his influence on her, and she felt and resisted the unwelcome soothing. But she was also keenly aware of his proximity, which was now having a different but just as immobilizing effect on her.

She stopped struggling, gazing into his eyes with fury. He took her measure for a moment, assessing her volatility, then set her on her feet. He did not release her.

Susan stared with eyes as wide as Jason’s, but for different reasons. Jason was frightened by the fighting he had witnessed. The fighting frightened Susan as well, but it was the currents swirling between the two in front of her that dominated her attention.

The man was ruthlessly handsome, as fair as Ryan with startling blue eyes and a virility that was crushing. But it wasn’t even his magnificent appearance that was so arresting.

It was the dark and violent sexual tension between he and Ryan that was astonishing, like some great beast that sat between them, ready to consume them both. The sensuality swirled between them, snaking outward with tendrils like smoke from a scarcely hidden fire.

“You can release me now,” Ryan said sarcastically.

Aeron relaxed his hold, but still held her firmly against him, his hands about her waist. He glanced down at her with amusement “Aren’t you going to introduce me?” he asked, nodding toward Susan.

Ryan’s eyes flashed with anger and her jaw closed with an audible snap. Even so, she turned, and in her very compromising position, addressed Susan.

“Susan, this is Aeron,” she said, biting her words off, “the one responsible for the attempt on my father’s life.”

“Hmm, yes,” Aeron said without taking his eyes from Ryan, “It’s not as if it was the first, my love.” He finally raised his eyes to Susan. “I am pleased to meet you, Dr. Ryerson.”

Susan gazed into the man’s ice blue eyes and found him completely terrifying. Paradoxically, she also found him completely attractive, although it was difficult to reconcile the two.

Aeron turned back to Ryan, and with one final assessment of her stability, released her. Ryan quickly stepped back, pushing him away. Her actions seemed only to amuse him, increasing Ryan’s irritation.

“We are on an island,” she reminded him scathingly, “I hardly think Dr. Ryerson requires a guard.”

Aeron examined the damaged door. “You are probably right,” he said, surprising her. “Even so,” he said, turning to her directly. “I do not want you to spend time with Dr. Ryerson alone.”

Ryan’s reply was immediate and caustic. “And at what point in time did you deceive yourself into thinking I care what you want?”

Aeron’s reply was as icy as Ryan’s was scorching. “Do not make me threaten the doctor in front of her son.” He turned to face Ryan fully. “I trust the doctor to make intelligent decisions regarding her actions. I,” he said with emphasis, “Do not trust you at all.”

He turned and stalked from the room, as did Ryan, who turned on her heel and left in the opposite direction.

The two human occupants stared wide-eyed as what was left of the door settled into a semi-closed position. As startling and violent as the entire confrontation had been, Susan had the oddest feeling she had just witnessed a lover’s quarrel.

Ryan stood at her father’s bedside, gazing down at him. He seemed serene, untouched, exactly as she had last seen him. He appeared no better, but no worse, than when she had been here before.

She sat down on the edge of the bed, taking his hand in hers. It was not warm, but neither was it cold and stiff like the dead. She held it quietly, her thoughts her own.

Aeron could strike at her father at any time. Ryan did not think she could escape with Victor, for Aeron knew where she was every second of the day. She could feel his presence loom over her even now. Although she thought it possible that she herself could escape, it would be quite impossible to take her comatose father.

And Susan Ryerson’s presence complicated matters even more. The odds of her being able to rescue both Dr. Ryerson and her son, as well as her father, were minimal. And although Aeron surely knew her loyalty to her father was penultimate, he would not hesitate to use Susan and Jason as leverage.

Ryan glanced down at Victor once more. Aeron would not harm Victor, but not because he did not wish to. Victor’s vulnerability was Aeron’s greatest weapon against her. If he destroyed Victor, there would be nothing to hold Ryan in check.

Ryan again played all the options through her head. Of course, Aeron could try and kill her, leaving both her father and Susan helpless. But if that had been his objective, he could have easily struck at both of them prior to Ryan ever arriving back at the island. Apparently he had known where they were.

Ryan’s eyes narrowed. No, he obviously wanted them as leverage, at least for the time being.

Ryan wandered back to her room. Aeron was not here, but he was not far. She walked out onto the balcony, unsurprised to see their eternal chess game sitting on the table. The rook that she had so aimlessly moved on her last turn was now in jeopardy from an ivory knight. She assessed the board, then turned away, declining to make a move at the moment.

She walked into the adjacent shower room, although “shower” and “room” were not really apt descriptions of the immense facilities.

The bath was a small indoor lake, complete with natural rock and hot springs. The lake had been part of the island prior to their arrival, as well as the hot springs that rose from a great underwater vent on the ocean floor. Victor built the castle around the water features, as well as the volcanic rock, creating a beautiful, prehistoric oasis.