Destiny United (16 page)

She looked down at her lame-ass bed. It was crunchy. And
probably filled with centipedes. Chills raced down her spine and she shuddered.
Resting against the tree Marcelo waited patiently. The warm glow from the fire
shadowed his face, creating harsh lines along his cheeks and jaw. His dark hair
disappeared into the blackness of the tree trunk behind him. Only the whites of
his eyes stood out against the stark night. Even though she could only see that
much of him, he was a vision of strength. His body a fine-tuned machine created
to destroy and protect. She knew, without a doubt, that within his embrace,
nothing could touch her.

A long put-out sigh escaped her lips.
Why fight it?
He was definitely more comfortable than
the ground. And warmer than her crunchy bed. When she looked at him again, he
didn’t wear an arrogant grin like she thought he would. Instead he
looked…hopeful? Was he holding his breath…hoping she would go to him?

She did. Pure male satisfaction radiated from his body as
he pulled her into the crook of his arm.

“That’s it,” he said softly when she relaxed against him.
Wrapped in his warmth, surrounded by his comforting scent, she couldn’t hold
back a contented sigh. He stroked her hair and her eyelids grew heavy.
A girl could get used to this.

Everything faded except for the steady beat of his heart
and the rise and fall of his chest. Right before she fell asleep, she thought
she heard him say, “
Te adoro, mi corazón
.” Then
he planted a kiss on the top of her head.

The following day brought
sunshine and temperatures high for the elevation of a mountain range. They
spent the day walking. No, trudging. But Aila’s endurance was astounding.
Marcelo had been a task master, pushing her along at a rigorous pace, yet
making her eat every hour. He’d earned a scowl, several eye rolls, and a few
harsh words because of his relentlessness.

Other than that, he was surprisingly pleasant company.
Aila blabbered on and on about whatever amused her, earning a chuckle from the
vampire every now and then. Once in a while he would stop and point something
out – an animal trail, a scent or a sound. He’d said he was teaching her how to
track. She couldn’t think of a single reason why she needed to learn it. Did he
think she would be going hunting anytime soon? Not a chance. She had sobbed at
the end of
Bambi
like a baby. But she’d
paid attention to his lessons just to satisfy him. She found she liked pleasing
him. And that was disturbing.

After the kiss the night before, then having slept in
Marcelo’s arms, Aila was pretty sure she was officially cheating on Jimmy. Even
worse, she had enjoyed it. The right thing to do was stop all physical
interaction with Marcelo, confess to Jimmy, then attempt to restart their
relationship. But then why did the idea of it cause her chest to tighten in
panic? Aila never had trouble finding boyfriends, but she’d never been the
center of a love triangle either. Not sure how to proceed, she settled on what
was in her nature – a logical weighing of the pros and cons.

I can’t believe I’m doing this
.
She sighed then started with Marcelo. Pros: He could take care of her, but even
better, he was teaching her how to take care of herself. He had a wicked sense
of humor and was a good listener. Could kill a person with one hand and no
remorse…would that go under pros or cons?
We’ll say
both.
Cons: Must ingest blood to live. Prone to violent, murderous
rampages when threatened. Overprotective and overbearing, but, she
rationalized, he’d come from a time long before women’s lib.

Now for Jimmy. Pros:
Not
a
violent, murderous vampire. Ate normal human food. He could take care of her.
He was nice. Cons: He couldn’t kill a person with one hand…or two. He wasn’t
Marcelo.

With another sigh, she trudged on.
Maybe I should pluck daisy petals
.

As dusk settled over the forest, Marcelo stopped them for
the night. Aila insisted she was in good shape to keep going but he wouldn’t
budge on the issue. Sitting on the ground pressed up against a tree trunk, she
took off her boots. The first brush of fresh air on her feet felt like heaven.

“Time for your first training session,” Marcelo said.

“Training? I thought we did that with the animal prints
and stuff.”

“That was tracking. Now you need to learn how to defend
yourself.” He motioned for her to stand.

She didn’t move. “You mean fighting? I’m generally a
non-violent person.”

“Not an option. You’re part of our world now.” The look
he gave her was stark and grave. “And it’s a bloody one.” He waved her forward
again. “Come on. Get up.”

With a sigh she rose to her aching feet and faced him.

“You’ve already got some fighting instinct. It’s in your
blood. You just need to focus it.” She snorted in disbelief, but he kept going.
“Evade first, then we’ll work on striking. Ready?”

“For what?”

Without warning he swung at her. She ducked. He’d said
she had natural instinct, he was right. He attempted a sweep with his foot, she
jumped over it.
Whoa!
He smirked then struck
again. She twisted away. Her blood really did have some magical quality to it.

Whatever it is…it’s freakin’
awesome!
Every time he struck, she avoided his blow. Just as soon as
she’d started to feel invincible, she blinked and was restrained in his arms
with his lips at her ear.

“Your heart,
querida
. You
must protect your heart.” Abruptly he released her then struck at her again.

Dodging him, she said, “But I thought I could only be
killed by decapitation.” She cringed when she said it. That was not a pleasant
visual.

Instead of answering he tried to hit her chest with the
side of his hand like a karate chop. She jumped back.

“Not the fae,” he said. Strike, dodge. “Your heart is
vulnerable. If it stops beating, it will not heal.”

Strike, dodge. He was purposefully aiming for her chest.
“Well that’s not fair.”

“Doesn’t have to be fair. The gods make the rules, not
us.” He stopped for a moment and stared at her. “And they can be some sick
motherfuckers.” He struck at her again and she dodged him. He gave her a
satisfied smile before explaining, “Never confuse the mythological gods with
the Christian God, Aila. There’s no such thing as purely good and purely evil.
And the gods aren’t always on your side.”

She relaxed her stance. “You don’t have to tell me that.
I learned it a long time ago.”

Then he lunged, aiming another strike at her chest. But
she had let her guard down. He hit her with the heel of his hand. Not hard, but
enough to take her breath away.

“Ow!” she complained, rubbing her chest. She cast him a
dirty look.

He shrugged. “Tough love. Better a bruise now than death
later.” He looked ruthless, cruel, and hard. Not like the sweet, teasing
vampire she’d come to know.

Then he glided towards her, his demeanor softening with
each step. His hand brushed across her cheek as his gaze drifted down to her
chest. He pulled the fabric of her shirt to expose her sternum. Chills raced
down her spine, her breath came out in shaky waves. Slowly he bent down, his
lips hovering over her skin.

“Wait,” she breathed.

He stopped while she hurriedly unclasped her necklace and
shoved it into his jeans pocket.

“Will you keep it safe for me?”

He merely nodded, but his eyes were brimming with pride.
Then his lips skated across her skin where he’d hit her, kissing every inch of
her chest, then lingering above each breast.

She cleared her throat. Marcelo froze; his lips inches
from her breasts, his breath heating her skin. Her nipples hardened under her
shirt, begging for attention. She should have stepped away, but her libido
seemed to have taken control of her good sense. Finally, after what felt like
forever, he lifted his head, brushed his lips across hers, and then walked
away.

“Good job,” he said in approval.

She wasn’t sure if he meant the fighting or resisting his
touch or having nice breasts. But it didn’t matter. He was back in training
mode. Meanwhile she was still trembling from his touch.

“Now fight back. Ready?”

She gave her head a shake to clear the fog. “That’s it?
You’re not going to show me? Just…ready?”

He shrugged. “Not much to it. Just try to hurt me. With
your fist, your legs, your claws, your head, anything.” He crouched into an
offensive position. “Don’t hold back. And don’t be afraid to fight dirty.”

She put her hands up. “Wait, wait, wait.”

“No waiting. Just do.”

Then he went at her. She blocked him again and again, but
when she’d seen an opening to strike, she didn’t take it.

“You’re not fighting back.” Before she could explain, he
said, “I know you see the openings so don’t even try to tell me you don’t. Why
do you hesitate?”

She cringed. “I don’t know. I told you I’m just not a
violent person. I’m much better with my mouth.”

His brows shot up in shock then he grinned.

Good one, Aila
.
She
sighed and shook her head. “You know what I mean.”

The amusement only lasted a moment. “Aila, there are
people in this world that will kill you just for what you are.”

She flinched.

“You must
become
a violent
person to survive. I won’t have your safety risked simply because you were
ill-prepared. Focus. Find that spark of fae that thirsts for blood. I know it’s
in there.”

She nodded, but didn’t agree with him on that account.
She would never be a bloodthirsty monster. Not like him.

“Let’s go again,” he said crouching down like a ninja. “If
you see an opening, take it. Don’t hesitate.”

They sparred for a few solid minutes. Again she saw the
opportunity to strike, and again she faltered. Less than a second later,
Marcelo had her arms behind her back and his mouth at her throat.

“You hesitated,” he said in her ear. Something sharp
grazed across the sensitive skin of her neck. “Don’t do it again.” It was a
velvety command that, combined with the sting of the fangs, made her shiver
with excitement. If he thought the fangs were going to scare her, he couldn’t
have been more wrong.
Lord help me! They turn me on!

When he released her, he struck again and she darted
between the blows. She saw the opening – he very purposefully left himself open
for a long moment – yet she couldn’t bring herself to strike him. Until…

“Ow!” she cried when he smacked her on the ass.

“Don’t hesitate,” he told her firmly.

She growled and cast him an icy glare. Next round she
wavered again and he slapped her ass harder.

“Hey! You’re going to wish you didn’t do that.”

“I don’t think so,
hadita
,”
he said with a mocking grin. “I rather like touching your adorable backside.
I’d like it even more if it were naked in my palms while I pleasure you with my
mouth.” She gasped and he laughed out loud. “Don’t look so innocent. I know
you’re attracted to me.”

Fists clenched in anger – and embarrassment – she asked,
“What makes you think that?”

“Oh, I don’t know. It might have something to do with the
way your tongue was prodding my tonsils yesterday.” His eyes smoldered with
wicked amusement.

He was goading her. Her upper lip curled into a sneer as
she tipped her chin up in determination. They sparred again. This time, at the
first opportunity, she punched him square in the nose. He staggered back a few
steps and she grinned. Until she saw blood pour down his chin.

“Oh my God!” She ran to him. “I’m so sorry!”

He swiped his arm across his bloody nose and mouth.
“Don’t apologize.”

“But I –”

“
Don’t
,” he grabbed her
wrist when she reached out to touch him, “apologize. Do I need to smack that
into your pretty little ass too?” At first she thought he was angry with her,
but his eyes gave him away. They were twinkling with laughter.

She pulled away. “No. I get the point.”

By the end of the evening she was covered in sweat and Marcelo
was covered in blood. She’d learned her claws were very efficient weapons.
She’d even bit him at one point, puncturing his skin when he’d had her around
the throat. She had apologized frantically, afraid she’d really hurt him, but
he laughed and said he’d had rougher foreplay. Oddly, she had felt a twinge of
jealousy at the thought.

Now nightfall approached.

“I’m so sweaty,” Aila said, pushing her sticky hair back
from her face. “I could totally go for a shower right about now.” Actually,
she’d commit petty crime just for a stick of deodorant. Just because she was
becoming more comfortable with nature, didn’t mean she wanted to smell like it.

“No shower,” Marcelo said. “But there’s a bath.”

“A bath?” She looked behind her, then back to Marcelo.
“You mean the lake? No way.”

Marcelo had situated them less than a football field’s
length from a small lake with crisp, clear water. She’d wanted to wade her
aching feet through the cool water all afternoon. But that was before the sun
had set.

“Why not?” Marcelo said with a shrug. “I’ll bet the
water’s warm after a day like today.” A shameless grin stretched across his
face. He was likely imagining her skinny dipping. His eyes, half hooded,
dropped down to her breasts then slowly grazed over the rest of her. Suddenly
she could see it. Slipping her off clothes and ducking into the cool water,
watching Marcelo do the same –

Oh great, now
I’m
imagining
him
skinny
dipping
. She gave her head a firm shake. “In the dark? Nuh-uh. I
don’t do creepy crawlies.”