Dark Peril (42 page)

Love was nearly overwhelming, threatening to drive him to his knees. She had no idea of her beauty or her appeal to him. Carpathians saw what was inside. The body was simply a shell. Perhaps because they could shift into any form they chose, the outside mattered little to them. But he could see into her heart and mind, and he’d fallen deeply in love. Solange was exactly the woman for him, with her fierce loyalty, her unfailing courage and her natural sensuality.

He had waited for so long, so many centuries, until all hope for this one woman had faded. He held her cradled against his bare chest, hardly able to comprehend that she was his at last. His body ached for her, hot blood pounding through his groin, his cock a constant, heavy ache that refused to go away. Her skin, all that soft expanse of silk and satin, drove him to the brink of madness. He’d been patient, waiting for her to give herself to him, to trust him enough, but the demons raging in Carpathian males had never quieted, never given him peace, demanding he bind her to him, claim her for his own.

Her hands smoothed over his chest, small, just a whisper of a touch as he laid her gently on the bed. He was so shaken with need, he’d nearly forgotten a bed. He caught her small moan in his mouth as he kissed her, her silken hair bunched in his hand. He allowed himself the luxury of getting lost in the sensations of Solange as he kissed her again and again. Hot silk, a promise of things to come. Her fantastic mouth, moving against his, all honey and spice and uniquely her.

A fever of love and desire raged in his body. Dominic Dragonseeker, perfectly controlled and disciplined, could no longer control his own temperature. He wanted her so much he could barely breathe. Discipline and control were his way of life. It was a unique experience to burn inside and out, to have his heart pounding in his chest and cock, to tremble from sheer need of a woman—need of a lifemate.

He loved the way she looked beneath him, her eyes so dazed and hungry, desire naked on her face. The flush that spread over her body delighted him. Her breasts were beautiful in the candlelight, a temptation he couldn’t resist. He lowered his head, his hair sliding over her body so that she writhed beneath him, her nerve endings already inflamed.

Her breathy little whimpers drove him mad, and he wanted—needed—more. His mouth closed around the soft swell of her breast and drew her nipple inside. A tremor ran through her and she cried out, a soft, broken little sound that nearly shattered his last remnants of control. He loved her soft, inviting breasts, and mostly he loved her reaction when he tugged and rolled her nipple with his teeth and fingers. Her body strained toward him, writhed under his assault, and he couldn’t help but merge minds so he could feel every sensation pouring through her body. Beneath him, her stomach muscles bunched and her head tossed wildly on the pillow. Her hips bucked, seeking his body.

He suckled, encouraging her soft little moans of helpless pleasure. Heat rushed through her veins and he actually felt the spasm in her womb.

“Dominic.” She whispered his name, over and over, her hands fisting in his hair, holding him to her.

The needy sound in her voice drove his temperature up a few more degrees until he thought it might be possible to burn from the inside out. He took his time, lovingly lavishing attention on her breasts, teasing and tugging, his tongue dancing, pulling strongly with his mouth and gently laving, giving tiny nips and easing the sting with a caressing stroke of his tongue.

One hand slid over her flat stomach, feeling the muscles there rippling and bunching in arousal. Her heart drummed beneath his mouth, a frantic, rhythmic beat that called to his blood. Fangs filled his mouth unbidden, the temptation overriding every discipline. He licked along the creamy swell of her breast and bit gently. She went utterly still.

He raised his head to capture her gaze with his. Her cat’s eyes had gone from green to golden. His hand covered her sex, the moist heat calling to him as strongly as the beat of her heart. He exposed his fangs, letting her see, knowing the demon in him was close to the surface; his eyes were glowing. Nothing mattered but her acceptance—her total trust.

Solange’s breath came out in an explosive rush as he pushed two fingers deep into her hot channel. Her mouth opened, her eyes went wide.

Dominic!

Stay with me,
kessake.
This will be good for you.
He soothed her gently, feeling the tremors running through her body. He bent his head and licked at her creamy breast, just along the sweet swell.

His thumb found her clit as he sank his fangs deep. Her body nearly convulsed. He felt the explosion rocking her, her muscles clamping down on his fingers. Her body nearly bowed. The pain of the bite gave way to the erotic ecstasy. He knew he couldn’t take much, but he wanted to feast on her in every way. She was delicious, her honeyed, spicy taste filling his senses. His cock throbbed and burned. She writhed beneath him, and the urgent need burned white-hot and bright, raging through his veins like a firestorm. She moaned softly, and his body reacted with savage aggression, filling so full, the ache turning brutally painful.

He swept his tongue across the small pinpricks and kissed his way down her belly, an almost frenzied rush. He wanted control and tried for it, but the moment he gripped her bottom and lifted her hips to his mouth, all he could think was to feast. He forced himself to check her state of mind just once, his gaze locking with hers. Her eyes gleamed with shocked excitement.

Solange drew in her breath at the pure sensuality carved into his face and the hunger in his glittering, ever-changing eyes. There was no denying he was losing control, and although she was scared, her body was thrilled. She felt as if she’d been waiting for this moment forever. He paused, staring at her, his lids half-closed, the thick lashes intensifying the vivid blue of his eyes.

Gaze locked with hers, his tongue slowly swiped through the velvet-soft folds. Her entire body shuddered. Her gasp was loud in the silence of the room. She clutched at his broad shoulders, trying to find an anchor when it was already far too late. He made a sound, a low, primitive growl, before he indulged himself. And it was an indulgence. He feasted on her, drawing the hot liquid from her center with strokes of his tongue. He licked and caressed. He suckled and nipped. His hands controlled her hips as she bucked helplessly, crying for release, pleading with him to stop—to never stop—as he drove her higher and higher until she felt on the very brink of insanity.

The fever raged hot and strong, yet she couldn’t quite reach the release she needed no matter how high the pressure built. She couldn’t stop from pushing into him, writhing, head tossing, hips bucking, as out of control as he seemed to be. He was making sounds, deep, animalistic growls as he devoured her, licking and sucking, so that her womb spasmed, wept and clenched, spilling more of the hot cream he needed to try to sate the ferocious hunger.

Pleasure rippled through her belly, spread down her thighs and centered in her deepest core, hard, curling waves that shook her entire body and rippled through every muscle and cell. She heard her own desperate cry as he suckled her sensitive clit one last time before kneeling up and over her.

“Wait.” She could barely get the hissing command out. Her body still shuddered with aftershocks and her mind refused to clear.

Even so, Dominic, always aware of her needs, stilled, his eyes glittering nearly ruby red, lust and impatience stamped on his sensual face. But he didn’t move, his breath coming in ragged, harsh gasps as he watched her struggle to speak.

Solange drew a deep breath, trying to clear her mind enough to confess. It was necessary. She should have days earlier.

“Dominic.” She was barely able to get his name out, but she had to tell him. He had to know. “I’ve never been with a man.” She couldn’t still her restless hips from seeking him, as he knelt so close, only an inch from her hungry body.

He frowned. “Of course you have. You are jaguar. I have seen the images. The man undressed, you . . .” His frown deepened. He obviously didn’t want to discuss her past sexual history. “It doesn’t matter.”

“It
does.
I’m trying to tell you.”

“I do not need to know. I saw the images in your mind, Solange. Each time a different man when your cat was in heat. You were with them . . .”

She closed her eyes, ashamed. “I’m sorry, I know I let you think that, everyone thinks that, even Juliette and Jasmine, but it isn’t true. I tried. My cat drove me with her needs, but I couldn’t ever let them touch me. Each time, I panicked. The thought of allowing a man to touch me sickened me. It’s amazing how vomiting kills the mood for men.”

“Tell me you are certain, Solange.”

“You know I am. I want you. I want this.”

“I need to hear you say it.”

She didn’t look away from his gaze, her own steady, but she could barely get the words out, her breathing harsh and uneven. She was on fire with need and more than desperate for him. A part of her wanted to yank his hips to hers and just impale herself on him. “More than anything, Dominic, I trust you. I want us to be together in your way. I
am
afraid, but only of the unknown, not of you or us. I’m certain.”

His hands dropped to her thighs and spread them further, lifting them over his arms. He leaned over her, forcing her legs higher, giving him better access. His erection brushed against her sensitive, pulsing entrance, and she cried out as darts of fire raced through her body. She closed her eyes, afraid of what was to come, but so frantic for him to relieve the terrible building hunger that couldn’t seem to be sated. She feared she would never get enough of his pleasure. His hands and mouth were so incredible, she couldn’t imagine what his body was capable of doing.

“Solange, keep looking at me.” His eyes glittered with purpose and resolve. “
Te avio päläfertiilam—
you are my lifemate.”

He didn’t just say the words to her; he chanted them. The musicality of his voice had always appealed to her. She felt each word as he uttered it in his native language and then repeated it in her language so she could understand what the words meant. Her heart began to beat even faster as she felt the broad mushroom head of him pushing into her.

“
Éntölam kuulua, avio päläfertiilam—
I claim you as my lifemate.”

The words came from somewhere deep inside of him and resonated deep inside of her. She loved being claimed, belonging solely to him. She wanted him with every breath she drew into her lungs. She
needed
his pleasure more than she needed her own. And belonging to him was so right.

His hands gripped hers tighter, forcing her to keep eye contact with him. She had never been so excited—or turned on—in her life. She loved looking up at him, feeling the thick, hard heat of him stretching her as he invaded. She felt empty inside and needed to be filled with him—with his essence.

“
Ted kuuluak, kacad, kojed
—I belong to you.”

Her body flooded once again with a tidal wave of pure heat. She felt the slick moisture pooling between her thighs, arousal bunching her stomach muscles. He did belong to her. Every inch of him. And she would see to his care—his happiness and his pleasure. He pushed into her tight folds just another inch, stretching her until she burned, just on the edge of discomfort.

“
Élidamet andam—
I offer my life for you.”

She would give her life for his, but that wasn’t entirely what those words meant—it was so much more. Every aspect of his life was in her hands. She couldn’t stop her hips from moving, trying to draw him deeper, even when he felt too big to fit. He seemed to know how desperate she was, but also how stretched she felt. He held still, waiting for her body to adjust to his size.

“
Pesämet andam—
I give you my protection.”

She knew he would always—
always
—have her protection in return, and she could live with that. He didn’t treat her as if she couldn’t take care of herself. He respected her ability to fight an enemy. He protected her always, including waiting for her body to adjust to the invasion of his.

“
Uskolfertiilamet andam
—I give you my allegiance.”

Tears burned. Most of her life she had felt alone, fighting for a cause that couldn’t be won. She’d taken care of Juliette and Jasmine, and a hundred other women. This man would always be on her side, no matter what, his first allegiance to her. He pushed deeper and stopped when she cried out in shock at the tremendous burning. He felt huge, impossible to accommodate in her tight channel. But still, her body didn’t seem to know that, desperate for his invasion.

Once again he waited, breathing deep, fighting for control. His fingers tightened around hers. His eyes were incredible, glowing, changing, beautiful.

Breathe for me. Relax.

She took a breath, following the rhythm of his lungs, making a conscious effort to relax her straining muscles. She’d been more afraid than she’d realized, locking down on him. The moment her body accepted him, he slipped another inch into her.

“
Sívamet andam
—I give you my heart.
Sielamet andam
—I give you my soul.
Ainamet andam
—I give you my body.
Sívamet kuuluak kaik että a ted
—I take into my keeping the same that is yours.”

Solange felt the difference deep inside her, tiny threads weaving them together, as if her heart and soul were one with his. He had reached her barrier, the thin strip protecting her, that line no one had ever been allowed to cross to possess her. Tears ran down her face. She was no longer afraid to trust him; she’d made that leap of faith and she’d given herself into his care with no reservations.

“
Ainaak olenszal sívambin
—your life will be cherished by me for all time.
Te élidet ainaak pide minan
—your life will be placed above my own for all time.” His voice deepened. Firmed.

The intensity of his declaration made her shiver. His eyes glowed a hot turquoise. He bent his head, licked at her pulse and sank his teeth into her as his hips surged, breaching the barrier. The pain was a sharp burning nearly covered by the shock of his fangs. He paused again while she breathed away the stretched, burning feeling. Very slowly he lifted his head again to look into her eyes with their bodies locked together.