Dark Promises (Dark #29) (31 page)

“I won't be, Fane,” she warned again. “I think this is one of those cases where you should be very careful of what you wished for.”

He brought her hands to his mouth, kissing her knuckles, an intimate gesture he hoped told her how he felt. “You trusted me, Trixie. You gave that to me.”

“I believe in you, Fane. I don't know when it happened, because I've never believed in any man, but I knew you would see me through it, no matter how bad it got. More, I needed to know what my Teagan had gone through for her lifemate. I wondered if she had done so willingly, or if he forced her.”

Fane winced. He knew she felt that wince in his mind. Through his body and the connection of their hands.

“I would say we have no choice,
hän sívamak
, but of course there is always a choice. I would not have survived without you. Andre would never have survived without Teagan, and Aleksei . . .” He leaned close to her. “Aleksei would have been difficult for any of us to kill. He is skilled beyond imagining. All of the ancients secluded here in the monastery are.”

Her eyes moved over his face. Drifted. Her eyelashes fluttered. She was exhausted. Still, he didn't send her to sleep. He'd asked enough of her and she had stepped into his world willingly. She hadn't expected the agony of the conversion, but she'd handled it stoically. His lady.
His.
He had never believed, after so long, so many centuries of darkness, that he would ever find his lifemate. He had given up hope. The others in the monastery had given up hope as well.

“You needed me, didn't you?” she whispered.

“I needed you more than I needed air to breathe. I always will. You will never have to worry that I would look elsewhere for my happiness. You are home to me. You are my miracle, and having gone centuries without you, believe me, I know how precious you are.”

“Fane.”

She just said his name. A reprimand. She was reprimanding him because he was trying to reassure her. She thought he would be happy with a young, immature woman, but she had seen life and she was accepting of difficulties. She put family first. She was loyal and generous in her giving, which meant she would be in her lovemaking. She had every trait he could possibly want in a woman.

“Let me say this, Trixie. You deserve to hear it. You are my world. Do not ever be afraid of speaking your mind. Telling me what you think. If there comes a time when your outspoken opinions put you in danger, trust me to handle that.”

She gave him a faint smile. “You mean by shutting me up?”

“If need be. But I do not foresee a lot of that happening in the future.”

“Just so you know, if you silence me I will retaliate.”

He laughed softly. “I have no doubt of that, beloved.” He smoothed his hand over her hair. “You need to go to sleep, Trixie. When you wake, you will be completely healed.”

She cleared her throat and, for the first time, looked frightened. “Do I have to sleep in the ground?”

He wasn't going to lie to her, but he wished he could soften the blow. For humans, that was one of the most difficult obstacles to overcome. Sleeping in the ground, for them, was like being buried alive. He picked that thought from her mind. For her, it was worse than taking blood. She liked the taste of him.

“You will go to sleep and I will put us there together. The soil will heal your body. You will not wake until I bring you back to the surface.”

“How can you be certain?”

“I am extremely powerful, Trixie, you have no need to worry. I will be with you, and eventually I will teach you to open the earth on your own.”

Her gaze clung to his for a long time. Searching. Finally she nodded. Relief swept through him. He needed for her to stop hurting. He gave her the command and she slipped into a deep sleep. Only then did he open the earth and call the rich minerals to him to aid in her healing
process.

T
he room at the inn was very small and crowded. Gabrielle tasted fear in her mouth but she had to try. Natalya would kill this man. This human being. Brent Barstow. He was so mixed up. One moment she was talking about stem cell research with Natalya and the next, Barstow was in the room, a gun to the innkeeper's head. The innkeeper's family was downstairs, kidnapped.

So fast. Life changed in an instant like that. She couldn't get enough air. Natalya was already losing it, so close to the edge, so ready to tear Barstow to pieces. Gabrielle tried her best to calm down the situation. That had always been her role, the peacemaker, the one who stepped between combatants and tried for sanity in an insane situation. Even after Barstow was disarmed, Natalya was ready to rip him to pieces.

Gabrielle did what she always did—she stepped between the two of them. She knew what was coming. She'd relived this moment a thousand times and still, she couldn't prevent herself from stepping in front of Barstow. In one more second she would feel the first slice of his knife into her kidney. Three. Four. Then he would stab her chest repeatedly. Over and over. The agony would begin all over again.

She felt heat at her back and she swung around because that had never
happened. She'd always been ice-cold. It was her nightmare, reliving the attack over and over, and the scenario never deviated because it had happened. Now, when she turned, there was Aleksei standing between her and the knife. She knew he took the blade, those repeated slices into his body. His eyes were on her face. His hand came up and he gently swept the hair back from her face.

She could feel pain radiating through him, but he didn't flinch. He didn't look away from her. She felt him then, in her mind, filling her with his strength. He gathered her into his arms and lifted her, cradling her against his chest, and he took her right out of there, out of the horrible little room where she couldn't breathe. Where she couldn't stop the stupid,
stupid
action of stepping in front of a killer. Of the terrible agony of the knife going into her flesh.

You are safe, Gabrielle. Open your eyes. You are here with me and I will never allow harm to come to you.

She took a breath of fresh air. Still, she didn't open her eyes. She wanted to feel his arms around her. He made her feel safe. She'd never felt safer than when she was with him, which was insane, because he could terrify her with one look. Still, she snuggled closer to him. To his rock solid chest and his arms of steel. She wanted to stay right there and just dream sweet dreams of him.

She felt his mouth brush her temple.
I have a mind to turn sweet to erotic.

That made her smile. She couldn't help it.
Why am I not surprised?
Still, she lifted her long lashes and stared into his brilliant green eyes. So piercing. So beautiful. So expressive. Right now, he looked at her almost tenderly, and she'd never seen that particular look on his face. Her stomach did a slow somersault and her heart shifted in her chest.

“How did you do that? How did you stop the nightmare?” She reached up to touch his face. It was daring; she'd never touched him on her own unless they were being fiercely intimate, and she couldn't help herself. Now she wanted to shape his face with her hands, to push the stubborn silky strand of hair falling around his face back.

“I told you,
kessake
, my woman cannot have nightmares. Not now. Not ever. Whatever upsets you must go away immediately.”

She swept his hair back, loving the feel of the silken strands against her
fingers. “Thank you. I know you felt the blade of the knife.” She shuddered and snuggled closer to him. “I didn't want that for you.”

“I know, but I am your lifemate, Gabrielle, and you are always in my care. No harm touches you, not even in your dreams.” He turned his head and pulled her finger into his mouth. His eyes held hers. “No one makes you afraid, not ever again, not even your own mother. I will always stand between you and anything that makes you uncomfortable.”

Her heart beat wildly. Everything he said held a ring of truth, a stark, raw honesty that couldn't be denied. He meant what he said. She made a mental note to keep him away from her mother. Gabrielle loved her mother, but there was no doubt she was the queen of drama and tantrums. Her family had always allowed her to get away with it, but Gabrielle knew immediately, Aleksei wouldn't.

Looking into his eyes, her breasts suddenly ached and she felt a damp heat between her legs. His eyes were hooded. Sexy. Filled with hunger for her. She loved that. Everything he did seemed entirely sensual. Erotic just came natural to him. She touched her tongue to her lips.

Hunger beat at her. She wanted to lean forward and sink her teeth right into the pulse that beat so strongly in his neck. More, she wanted to crawl over him and taste every inch of his body. She wished she were brave enough to do it, but she could only look at him a little helplessly.

His hand stroked down the length of her hair. His fingers sifted through the strands. He scraped his teeth against the pad of her finger, sending little sparks shooting through her bloodstream.

“Gabrielle, do you have any idea how much you please me? I have claimed you, every single inch of you, for my own. When I want to kiss you, or touch you, or eat you, or be inside you, however, whenever I want that, I expect to have it. Why should your needs be any less than mine? I belong to you. That means you claim every single inch of me for your own. Not just my body,
kessake
, but my mind and heart and soul. If I expect you to give me those things, you should have those same expectations.”

She liked that a lot. She liked that he wanted that for her. She was going slowly with him, feeling her way because she'd screwed up so badly when she'd realized she had a lifemate. She was shy with him, mostly because he was smoldering hot and she didn't know what to do with that. Mostly
because he was dangerous and his temper burned as fiercely hot as his sexual needs.

“Did I not tell you I could have handled things better? We will look forward, not backward. You are not to blame for anything. I should have looked into your mind. I would have seen what happened, and I would have known you were an innocent. If there is forgiveness that must be had, you need to do the forgiving of my sins.”

She didn't like that at all. Aleksei was an ancient and he had more than paid his dues. He had fought for centuries in darkness. She might not have known him, but once she was Carpathian and the possibility that he was out there somewhere was a reality, she should have taken better care.

“I have nothing to forgive you for, Aleksei,” she stated firmly. “Nothing at all, and please, for me, don't ever say that again. I see you. What's inside you. You're not only a good man, you're an exceptionally great man. You deserve the best.”

She saw that he would have protested, frowning, so she leaned close and took his mouth. It was daring. Scary. Thrilling. She pressed her lips to his, running her tongue along the seam there, just as he often did to her. At once he opened his mouth to her and she slipped her tongue inside, stroking caresses, building the heat. Even with her initiating the kiss, it was hot and a little wild.

Aleksei took over and the kiss went from hot and a little wild to totally out of control and scorching. She poured herself into him, uncaring how much she was giving away. She had to let Gary go, let go of being human and give herself totally to this man. In doing that, she accepted what he gave her. Accepted him. He wasn't perfect, but then neither was she. He made mistakes, so did she. They fit. She didn't know why, when he was so terrifying, she felt safe with him, but she did.

This was her way of telling him she was fully committed. Fully in his world. Fully trusting him. She kissed him over and over, her tongue matching his every stroke, her heart matching the rhythm of his—and it was perfect. She loved his mouth and the way he could use it. She loved his hands, cupping her breasts, caressing her nipples and then unexpectedly rolling and tugging, even pinching so that fire shot through her.

He seemed to know what her body craved and he gave her that. Still, she
wanted to be the aggressor, to have him her way. She knew he wouldn't give her a lot of time. He took charge when it came to sex, but she liked that and he knew it. He'd given her every indication that he was willing for her to take the lead and she wanted it. She used the flat of her palms to push him down, realizing for the first time that she was in a bed with him—the bed he'd given her—in their beautiful room—the room he'd created for her.

She lifted her head just inches, framing his face, sprawled out over him, her body pinning his beneath her. She felt his cock, thick and hard against her stomach, and part of her wanted to go there immediately, but not yet. Not before she took every inch of him for her own.

She brushed kisses over each of his eyes. They had gone dark, a deep green that filled with hunger. With lust. With something she didn't dare name, but which set her heart pounding and the pulse between her legs throbbing. She kissed his nose, that straight, aristocratic nose that was strong and fit perfectly in his masculine, very manly face. She kissed either side of his oh-so-talented mouth.

“I love your mouth,” she whispered into it. “I love the way you kiss me and the way it feels between my legs when you're devouring me. So ravenous. I love the sound of your voice. You're mine, Aleksei, and I'm claiming you for myself. Every inch of you.” She felt very daring. His eyes went even darker. Sexier. Pure sensuality.

She kissed her way along his jaw—that stubborn, very masculine jaw, always shadowed in a way she thought was sexy. “I love this short, dark shadow feeling so sexy on the insides of my thighs, the brush of it over my belly and grinding into my sex. It's the most amazing, sensual,
sinful
thing I've ever felt in my life and it's pure you.”

She gave him that. He deserved that. He could make her come apart just by looking at her, but when he got down to business, there was nothing to compare. She wanted to make her exploration good for him, sexy for him, in the way he made it for her. She whispered her confessions to him, trusting that he understood what she was giving him and that he'd hold it precious.

She blazed a trail of kisses down his throat and across his neck to spend a few moments on his ear, and then his pulse where it beat so strongly in his neck. “I like that your heartbeat is always so strong and steady. I can rely on that—rely on your strength. Even when you scare me to death, I feel safe
with you. I don't know why and I don't even care. You make me feel that way. I need that. I love it, and I love that you give that to me.”

She kissed her way across his shoulders. She loved how broad they were, like a huge axe-handle, his arms powerful and roped with muscle. She loved the tattoo, although it was so different, etched into his very skin, not with ink, but with something razor sharp.

She moved down, over his chest, ignoring her growing hunger. She wanted to taste him, to fill herself with his essence, but she had a plan and she was sticking to it. She would have all of him today. She would let him know he was hers in a way that could never be taken back.

“I love your chest, the muscle here and your abs that go on forever.” She used her tongue to trace them, sliding down his hips, closing her eyes when her legs straddled his and she was so open. He could smell her welcoming scent, but she refused to be embarrassed. Not this time. Maybe never again. He was hers, and she was taking what was hers. She had the courage to do that much.

Her hands slid over his hot skin, noting how hard he was. There was no real give to his body, but she liked that, too. She felt his hands in her hair, and loved the way he seemed to like the way it fell over his body in sheets. She loved the way his muscles rippled as she got close to his cock.

She lifted up more so she could look at him. At what was hers. For her. Only for her. She would never have to worry about him finding another woman attractive. He belonged to her and he was wholly focused on her. She was in his mind now, and she knew the truth of that.

The knowledge made her feel beautiful and special in a way she never thought she could. He was big. Powerful. Thick. Long. She couldn't believe he could fit inside her, but he did and he was perfect. She stroked her hands down the thick column of his thighs. Trailed fingers inside, pushing his legs apart.

Aleksei accommodated her and when she glanced up to look at him, her stomach curled into a hot wave and blood rushed through her, pounding right in her clit. His eyes were pure sensuality. Erotic. Hot. Filled with lust. His fingers remained gentle in her hair, but she could feel the growing hunger in him. She needed to speed things up or she wouldn't get her way.

Her hands cupped his heavy sac. Velvet soft. She rolled her fingers gently and then bent to press kisses over him. She heard his gasp and she smiled. She was definitely making a statement. She sucked him into her mouth, her tongue teasing and her hands exploring. He nearly came off the mattress, but he didn't. He gave her that. But he growled.

“
Kessake
, whatever you are going to do, you'd best be doing it,” he warned.

“You like this. I knew you would,” she said. She licked up his shaft, all the way, curling her tongue around it, flicking at the underside of the crown.

His fingers tightened into fists in her hair. “You are killing me, Gabrielle.”

He never shortened her name, and she liked that, too. She liked the bite of his fingers in her scalp. She liked the rough in his voice. Mostly she liked what she was doing. She hadn't thought she would so much, but the moment her tongue swirled around the crown and she tasted him, that addicting masculine taste that was pure Aleksei, she knew she wanted more. All of it. And she was going to have it.

She took her time. He wanted her to hurry, she could feel the urgency building in him. He growled more than once when she pulled him deep into her mouth, taking in as much as she could, even though he stretched her mouth, just as he did her feminine sheath, but it was so good. So perfect. His hips bucking gently, his hand suddenly clamping down around hers, making her fist even tighter as she worked him.