Seared by Desire (42 page)

“
Fine,” she relented. “I’ll tell you some of it but I won’t do
it like this. Will you help me sit up?”

He moved swiftly, easing her off the soft carpet into a
sitting position careful to ensure her body was linked at all times
to the fire. She swayed gently when he began to release her
prompting him to sit behind her and let her use his chest for
support. “Is this better?”

“
Almost,” she remarked evasively. Shifting slightly Sara
guided Lucian's arms to wrap around her, sighing in contentment
when she was held securely in the safety of his arms. “Now it’s
perfect.”

“
Tell me what happened Sara.”

“
Demons attacked the estate.” His grip instinctively
tightened. “Don’t worry, I took care of them. But once they were
gone I heard people talking about the demons and whether they’d
come for me or for you. I made them tell me the truth.” She winced.
“I threatened to char them to a crisp if they didn’t take me to
you. When I found out that you needed to drink to get better what I
had to do was obvious.”

“
No Sara,” he growled, “it wasn’t. You could have been killed
or did no one tell you that?”

“
I was told several times actually, it didn’t change my mind
in the slightest. If you need something I’ll go to hell and back
again to get it for you. And what would I do if you died? I decided
that if only one of us could survive then it had to be you. You
would be far more missed than me and I can’t bear the thought of
having to continue living alone for however short a period that
would be.”

“
And what about me? I’m just meant to live with the fact that
I killed you? Why would you think that I could live knowing that?”
He nuzzled her cheek gently, kissing the bruised skin on her neck
lightly in a silent apology. “I’d never known love before you Sara
and I’ll never know it again if something were to happen to you.
You have to take better care of yourself.”

“
I will Lucian, I will.” Turning, she kissed his lips lightly.
“I love you Lucian, that’s why I did what I did and I would do it
again without hesitation because I will always love you.” She
sighed, “Why can’t things be simpler?”

“
Do you regret ending up with a vampire? Would you be happier
if I were something different?”

“
Lucian, I’d never change anything about you. Ever. All I
meant was that we never seem to have a moment’s peace. If it’s not
one thing it’s something else.”

His superior hearing could hear people gathering outside the
door and he groaned softly. She was right. “Things will be
different in the future I promise but for now let’s just have
tonight, let’s pretend the world outside of this room, away from
this fire doesn’t exist and it’s just you and me.” He could tell by
the silence that filled the room she wasn’t impressed by his idea
but undeterred he pushed on. “One day soon this war will be over.
Tell me Sara, what are your dreams for the future? Tell me,” he
prodded, tickling her sides lightly.

Laughing loudly she conceded defeat. “Fine, fine, you want to
know my dreams?”

“
Yes.”

“
Promise you won’t laugh?”

“
Of course not.”

“
It might sound silly but I’ve always dreamed of having a
family of my own, people that would accept me for exactly who I am.
Silly I know and with you and I being so different it’s probably
impossible.”

“
And here I thought you were the optimistic one in our
relationship. Sara, you’re my bride, of course it’s possible for us
to have a family of our own. It’s more than a possibility, it’s
going to happen. If a vampire finds his bride, they can definitely
have children and those children are without a doubt ten times
stronger than they would be if their mother weren’t a vampire’s
bride. If you want a family then I’ll give you one Sara. I’ll give
you whatever it is you want. Even now as we speak your dream could
be coming true.” He stroked her stomach lightly. “Your dream is
beautiful, just like you.”

“
Really?”

“
Of course.”

“
And what about you Lucian, what are your dreams?”

“
I’ve never really thought about what I want from life. The
war and my people have consumed all my thoughts and energy.
But…”

“
But what?” she prodded gently.

“
But things are different now. You’ve changed me Sara, made me
start thinking about what I want from the future. My dream is
simple. I want us to be happy and I want you to be safe. It’s not
the most inventive dream but it’s what I want.”

“
A dream doesn’t have to be complicated and it’s usually the
ones that seem simplest that are the hardest to achieve.” Her eyes
drifted to the door, the clambering voices outside intruding on the
peace and quiet she and Lucian so desperately wanted to achieve.
Her eyes closed on a pained sigh, she didn’t want to do what she
was about to but knew without a shadow of a doubt it had to be
done. “But neither of our dreams can come true while William is
still out there especially not if he’s allied himself with the
demons. He’s an even bigger threat to us now. The demons are
dangerous. They can attack during the day when we’re practically
defenceless. If they were to attack tomorrow I wouldn’t be able to
defend us again, I don’t have the strength to Lucian.”

“
What are you suggesting?”

“
Nothing new. I’m not blind Lucian. Your army has gathered
here, it’s obvious that you plan on going after
William.”

“
That was before I did this to you. I can’t leave you so
weakened.”

“
You have to Lucian. You’ve drunk my blood Lucian; you’re at
your strongest right now. Don’t let my sacrifice go to
waste.”

“
And what if something happens while I’m away? What if William
attacks?”

“
I know that you’re worried but you don’t have to be. The best
way to protect me is to make William focus his attention on
something else. If your army is right in front of him he’s not
going to have the time or manpower to worry about me.”

She was right and he knew it. Lucian cursed softly, pulling
her closer to him.

“
If that’s not a strong enough reason for you to leave then I
want you to think about how tempted you’ll be to take my blood
again.”

“
I won’t Sara,” he promised. “You can’t afford to lose any
more.”

“
I’ve been told but what if something happens? If you’re here
then you’ll be tempted. I love it when you bite me Lucian, who
knows I might even seduce you into taking from me.”

He growled low in warning. “Don’t Sara.”

“
Then don’t be silly Lucian. You know that I’m right, you know
you have to go.”

“
Dammit,” he cursed. “Why can’t I ever just have what I want?
Our time together always seems to get cut short by this damn war. I
should just give up and take you away somewhere where no one knows
us and we can live together in peace.”

“
You know you won’t do that because you’re more than just a
good man Lucian, you’re a great leader as well. You want what’s
best for your people and you’re prepared to make the sacrifices so
that they don’t have to. You’re almost there, don’t give up now.”
His head fell back on a sigh as the weight of his responsibilities
once again came to rest on his shoulders. “I’m here for you Lucian,
I’ll always be here for you. Let me share the burden with you,
don’t take it all on to yourself.”

“
And what if it’s too much for you? What if you crumble under
the strain?”

“
I’m not that weak Lucian and with you as my pillar how can I
fall?”

His eyes slid shut as the decision was finally made within
him. “You’re not going to change your mind about this are
you?”

“
No.”

“
Then I’ll go but on one condition.”

“
And what’s that?”

“
I meant what I said earlier. I want you and I to have tonight
for ourselves. The world outside doesn’t exist until you fall
asleep and then I’ll go prepare the army. By tomorrow night we’ll
be gone. I’ll be back as quickly as I can but it will take a few
days at the very least. Will you be okay without me? What about
Seraphina? What if she decides to make an appearance
again?”

The laugh that spilled from her lips stunned Lucian,
confusion evident in his expression. “You aren’t going to have to
worry about her for a while.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
The scholars found something. To keep Seraphina under control
you
have
to bite
me Lucian. Taking my blood also takes away the worst of her
uncontrollable power.”

“
Are you joking?” he asked incredulously. “After all this
time, the one thing I was trying so desperately to avoid was the
one thing that could have saved us?”

She nodded. “Soon we won’t even have to worry about her
killing me either.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
The scholars said that Seraphina and I will reach an
equilibrium soon and after that balance has been reached her powers
will stop draining my life. Yes, she’ll still have moments where
her power will get out of hand if you haven’t bitten me but I won’t
die. They said that the answer was right in front of us this entire
time.” She closed her eyes reciting the words that had changed her
life so drastically what felt like a lifetime ago.
“
The wild flame of the spirit of fire will
burn within them briefly but brightly.
Soon she’ll be under control. The scholars think that we’re
nearly at that equilibrium, they think that she might make one
final attempt to be free and that’s the last time my life will be
in danger.”

“
Then I can’t go Sara, what if she rises while I’m
away?”

“
You weren’t listening,” she scolded indulgently. “You’ve
bitten me Lucian, she’s under control now. I’ll be fine and once
William is out of the way we’ll have no problems. You need to bite
me for strength and I need you to bite me so that I can stay in
control.”

“
A perfect system if I do say so myself.”

“
I couldn’t agree more.” She laughed, throwing her head back
in happiness and her eyes landed on the armour she had spent so
many hours trying to temper. Relief washed over her. Though her
strength was now depleted she’d managed to complete her work, he
would be safe. “Lucian, I have something I want to give
you.”

“
No.”

“
What?” she grumbled shocked by the speed with which he’d
turned down her offer.

“
You give far too much to me and I’ve yet to give you anything
in exchange.”

“
I have you Lucian, I don’t want anything else.”

“
The same applies to me.”

“
Lucian,” she growled angrily. “You will take this gift. I’ve
spent too much time, effort and strength making it for you to turn
it down. If it will make you feel better then get me a present on
your way back after you’ve defeated William.”

“
What is it now?”

Beaming, she turned and kissed him gently in reward. “It’s
over there on the chair.”

Standing up, he watched her carefully, making sure she could
sit up unaided before he went to the chair and retrieved the armour
she was so desperate for him to have. His eyes flickered between
her and the glowing metal, a question in his dark eyes. Excited,
Sara tried to shift forward only to be thwarted by her need to
remain close to the fire. Rolling her eyes, she resigned herself to
remaining exactly where she was and explaining the beauty of her
work from a distance.

“
You crafted armour for me? I thought you could only make
swords.”

“
I didn’t make the armour, though I was initially planning to.
I just tempered the metal. And you shouldn’t speak about it as
though it’s ordinary armour, it’s demeaning to my work.”

“
What’s so special about this armour then?”

“
I’ve tempered the metal for you with my flame and when you
wear it you’ll be invincible. Whatever comes into contact with the
metal will melt away into nothing, so no swords will be able to cut
you and no arrows will be able to penetrate it. The heat of the
flame is so powerful that not even demons can stand against it.”
She looked away from him, a blush rising to her cheeks in shame. “I
know that I can’t be with you on the battlefield but I want you to
know that I’m with you in spirit. I want you to come home to me
safe and sound always.”

His eyes landed on the sword, immediately noting that it too
glowed a strange red. “You took my sword to temper it as well
didn’t you?”

She nodded. “The sword will cut through anything. Nothing
will be able to stand in your way when you wield it.”

Lucian's eyes widened as the implications of Sara’s work
settled in his mind. Invincibility. With armour that could never be
breeched had a sword with the ability to cut through anything
whomever wore the armour would be undefeatable. “I’ve never heard
of armour like this before. Is there any more?”

“
No, It’s one of a kind,” she answered solemnly. “I made this
for you alone and I’ll never make another. Invincibility and
immortality? It’s a dangerous combination and in the wrong hands it
could lead to horrible destruction. You’re the only man that I’ll
ever trust enough to use it properly.”