Dark Storm (33 page)

Riley lifted her face to the star-studded sky, laughing with sheer joy. She had dreamt of adventures, yearned for so much more,
hungered
for that one partner, that perfect man who would fit with her, would give her the courage to embrace life. In this perfect moment she had it all. She felt Dax entwined deep inside of her, holding her close—safe.

The dragon was such an unexpected gift. Dax had given her so many in such a short time. He was everything she’d ever dreamt of. It was impossible not to fall more and more for him. He had spun ties around her heart without her even realizing he was doing it. There was something so incredible about the combination of the gentleness he inevitably showed her and the fierce, explosive warrior he could suddenly become the moment circumstances demanded.

The Old One flew high above the forest, and looking down she could see the damage the blast had done to the mountain. Mudslides had swept away trees in sections, cutting paths through deep forest. Steam vents had opened, and ash covered everything, but this side of the mountain had been spared the worst of it. For all the mess of the ash, looking down on the canopy was incredible. As if reading her mind, and he probably was, the dragon dropped down closer so she could even make out the animals and birds taking shelter in the branches.

The wind tore tears from her eyes and blew her hair back from her face. The sound of her laughter echoed through the skies. She could see why Dax had entrusted the dragon to make the journey. The powerful wings beat down and up, creating a wind of their own, so that dragon and rider streaked through the sky, high above the miles of rain forest. The river looked like a ribbon and the various streams feeding it appeared to be thin threads cutting through the dark forests of trees.

She should have been afraid, but Dax was too close, in her mind, whispering to her, pointing out waterfalls and cool, hidden pools as well as the silvery, moonlit leaves exposed after the wind from the Old One’s powerful wings blew the ash away.

All too soon they were back to the mountain, and the dragon circled, descending over a ruin of a village. To one side of the ruins she spotted a sea of stars, petals open, bathing in the moonlight.

Dax.
She breathed his name in a kind of awe.
It’s so beautiful.

Yes, it is. Thank you for showing it to me through your eyes.

The dragon banked hard and she clutched at the base of the spike at the junction of his neck, gliding as he approached the field of flowers. She held her breath, afraid he’d land in the middle of them and crush all those swaying night star flowers. Again she had the impression of amusement from the dragon. He settled just to the right of the field without as much as a bump. Very politely he extended his leg.

“Thank you, Old One,” she said softly. “That was … extraordinary.” Riley scratched around the base of the horn on his nose.

The red dragon inclined his head, his eyes glowing affectionately. She stretched, pacing away from him to get a good look at the flowers. The field was tucked around ancient circular stone structures, and raised platforms dotted the slopes, very indicative of the Cloud People. Mist moved around her, enveloping her, nearly obscuring her vision of the ruins. Up so high, where she was born, in the familiar stunted growth of the lush forest, she took a moment to look around, hoping the blast from the other side of the mountain had spared the forest itself.

Thankfully, there appeared to be very little damage. The ruins were intact, a historical treasure for generations to come. The forest itself, the flora and fauna supplied by the heavy mist forming the veil of clouds shrouding the upper mountain. And that field of rare flowers … It smelled like …
him
. Every breath she drew brought him deep into her lungs. She tasted him on her tongue, setting up that terrible craving.

Riley turned and saw him. Her heart nearly stopped beating. She actually pressed her hand over her heart in a kind of protest. Dax stood tall and straight in the middle of the field of white stars, those glittering flakes of variants of red falling all around him like a shower of gold dust. The moon caressed him with fingers of light, stroking through his blue-black hair and highlighting the color of his skin. His shirt stretched taut across his heavily muscled chest. Arms and thighs were roped with muscle, rippling beneath his casual clothes. Only Dax could manage to look elegant in jeans and a white T-shirt.

The expression on his face as he looked at her robbed her of any sane thought. He looked at her with such a mixture of tenderness and desire her body just went up in flames. In that moment, she wanted him to belong to her as she’d never wanted anything in her life. There was only Dax and the amazing night, the joy bubbling brightly in her after her incredible, impossible ride on the back of a magnificent dragon. After that sensual, sexy ceremony she’d so willingly participated in.

His world was both terrifying and breathtaking. She’d never felt more alive, more sensual, more in tune with herself and the world around her than she did when she was with him. She felt beautiful and intelligent and even brave. It didn’t matter that she didn’t fully understand what a Carpathian was or what it would entail being with one. She only knew she wanted him to be hers. For once in her life she wasn’t going to think every angle to death and be too cautious to make a move.

Dax’s glittering eyes locked with hers and she knew she was completely, utterly lost, and she didn’t even care.

13

D
ax held out his hand to her. Riley couldn’t look away from his eyes. The flames burned and leapt, a fiery glow that threatened to consume her. Her very core caught fire, burning in answer, burning for him. The combination of his potent masculine scent surrounding her and his glowing eyes mesmerized her. She took a compulsive step forward, needing him just as much as she needed the air to breathe.

She didn’t remember moving after that first step, but she stood in front of him, close, so close she could feel the incredible heat of his body. He burned with desire—for her. It was there in his eyes, in those leaping flames, the way he looked at her as if she belonged to him—with him.

He seemed to know her, know everything about her, know exactly what she wanted and needed. He seemed to have found a way inside her soul, her heart. Everything about him appealed to her. His smile made her world light up. He gave her courage and made her a better person. She’d fallen for him like the proverbial ton of bricks.

His hand cupped her chin, turning her face up to his. His gaze burned through her, branded her, stamping his possession into her very bones. The air refused to leave her lungs. She found herself staring up at his chiseled, perfect face, a little lost.

She couldn’t hide anything from him. He knew her every innermost thought. She felt vulnerable and exposed, caught in a bright spotlight, but she didn’t want to escape. He knew everything about her, what she wanted, who she was, what she stood for. Her deepest fears—and none of it mattered to him. Why should she try to hide that she wanted him with every single fiber of her being? He would know anyway. She wasn’t ashamed of it. He was a good man, the only one she’d ever considered giving her body to, let alone her heart.

Dax cupped her face in his hands and bent his head to hers. “You are certain this is what you want, Riley?
I’m
what you want?”

Even his voice, that dark warm molasses, a slow pouring of molten lava into her veins, sent desire spiraling through her body.

Kiss me.
She thought it. Whispered it. Merged her mind with his and sent the image. She needed him to kiss her. She’d been waiting all of her life for Dax to kiss her.

Dax’s mouth, that oh-so-perfect mouth, curved into a smile. His white teeth flashed. So straight, but definitely sharp enough to take a bite out of her. Her heart leapt toward his. Her pulse thundered in her ears. As his head came down toward hers, the ground shifted under her feet. Her lungs burned for air. He was so beautiful, this man who was so strong, so fierce, yet protective and gentle with her.

His lips brushed across hers, featherlight, warm, so familiar now, a maelstrom of erotic sensation. She could kiss him forever and it would never be long enough.

Dax stroked a caress down her face, his fingers lingering on her smooth skin. She seemed so young to him. He realized in her world, she was old enough to know what she was doing, but he felt very protective toward her.

“Riley …” His heart protested, but he couldn’t live with himself if he didn’t protect her. “You don’t have to do this.”

“It’s what I want,” she assured.

She looked at him with stars in her eyes. His belly clenched hotly. She was such a mixture of innocence and temptress.

His thumb stroked back and forth across her stubborn chin. “Once I bind us together there is no going back. It isn’t the same as in your world, Riley. You can’t choose to be with me to save me from damnation. You have to want to be with me. You have to know what you’re getting into. I’m Carpathian, not human. My rules are not always going to be the same as yours. My world is dangerous.”

When she would have protested, he laid his thumb over her lips, stilling her. “Riley, I won’t be able to take it back once we cross this bridge. You won’t be comfortable being apart from me. You can’t live in two worlds. Eventually, I’ll have to bring you fully into mine with all it entails.”

She frowned at him. “Gary told me if you don’t claim your lifemate, you’re in danger of becoming vampire.”

He shook his head. “I will not turn. That is not a consideration in your decision. I do not want you to give yourself to me because of physical attraction, or a sense of duty.”

Riley reached up to touch his face, tracing the lines there with a feather-light touch he felt all the way to his bones.

“Silly man. How can I not want to be with you? We fit. Can’t you feel it?”

Dax took her hand and pressed a kiss into the center of her palm. “There is no other for me. I know you’re the one. But we’re talking about a different world. You see one side of me,
sivamet
. You don’t look very carefully at anything else. You don’t want to see.”

“That doesn’t mean I don’t know it’s there. I’m choosing to enter your world slowly, but I know it’s right for me. What do I have to hold me? A career I’m no longer enamored with? I have no family. I feel alive when I’m with you. I want this, Dax, for myself. I hear what everyone says when they sit around the campfire. They’re afraid of you, not Gary and Jubal, although even they’re leery, but I’m inside your head. I’m safe with you.”

He tried one more time, but already his heart sang, his blood surged and he allowed himself to believe. “It won’t always be easy.
I
won’t always be easy.”

“I’ll take one step at a time and as long as you’re patient with me, we’ll get there,” Riley assured.

Dax curled his fingers around the nape of her neck and drew her closer. “You don’t lack for courage, do you?”

“Actually I do,” she corrected. “You seem to make me much braver.”

“It will take great courage to come fully into my world, Riley,” he cautioned.

He bent his head to hers because it was impossible to resist her any longer. Every cell in his body cried out for her. His mouth found hers. He took his time, resisting the urgent need sweeping through him like a tidal wave. He kissed her gently, pouring himself into her, his need of her, his love of her, his knowledge that she was his world and he would always,
always
stand for her.

Her mouth was sinfully delicious. Hot and velvet soft. He could kiss her for an eternity, over and over and never come up for air. The wind played a song over his body, fanning that relentless fire smoldering in the pit of his belly. Crimson-golden flames rose, leaping to race beneath his skin, spreading like a firestorm through him.

Dax sucked her lower lip into the hot cavern of his mouth, groaning softly with need. His teeth tugged her lush lip, biting gently, showing restraint when he wanted to devour her. She was trembling, her breath coming in shallow, ragged gasps. Her eyes, when he pulled back to look at her face, were enormous, watching his every move. He could hear her heart pounding, her blood pumping so fast through her veins it was a wonder her heart hadn’t burst.

Riley stared up at Dax. Flames leapt and burned in his eyes. His skin glowed crimson and gold, radiating light, as if deep inside beneath the hard frame, a fire raged. He looked absolutely confident and so beautiful she couldn’t believe she hadn’t conjured him up in a dream. He was the hottest, sexiest man she’d ever come across. Just looking at him made her weak, desire lashing inside her belly with curling hot licks.

Gently he ran his fingers down her cheek to the corner of her mouth. “I want you so much, Riley, even my deep slumber was disturbed by the thought of the things I want to do to you.”

Deep inside, her muscles clenched tightly, arousal teasing her thighs and breasts. His eyes glowed, mesmerizing her. The fire leapt wildly behind the many facets so instead of one, there were multiple flames burning with a mixture of lust and such intense hunger a shiver of fear slipped down her spine.

“There is no one safer in this world from me, than you, Riley,” he assured, a hint of tenderness creeping into his voice. “I would never harm you.”

He cupped her chin, his thumb sliding back and forth across the small dent there hypnotically. She couldn’t look away from him, away from that perfect mouth with his lengthening teeth. He made no attempt to hide his teeth or his desire from her. Her heart slammed hard in her chest.

Dax laid his hand over her breast, exquisitely gentle. “Let your heart hear mine,
sivamet
. Mine calls to yours, allow yours to answer.”

Her heart felt as though it was being squeezed in a vise. His voice was smoky, velvet soft, playing along her nerve endings. And his palm, barely there, curving around her left breast left her lungs burning for air.