Dark Peril (43 page)

“
Te avio päläfertiilam
—you are my lifemate.
Ainaak sívamet jutta oleny
—you are bound to me for all eternity.
Ainaak terád vigyázak
—you are always in my care.”

He bent and took her mouth for a brief, heart-stopping moment, and then he released her hands and began to move, a slow, long slide that had every nerve ending rippling with sensation. Fire streaked through her. Solange gasped, her eyes widening in shock.

He pulled back and surged forward, harder, faster, the friction sending lightning arcing over her. She had never dreamt anyone could fly so high or feel so much pleasure. It was frightening, the loss of control, and yet exhilarating. She dug her nails into his biceps, attempting to find a way to anchor herself in the building maelstrom of burning heat.

His body moved again and she tightened her muscles, hearing him gasp.

“You are so tight, Solange, scorching hot.”

Was that a good thing? She didn’t know, but he shuddered against her, his breathing even harsher than before, and each time she rose to meet him, his hard hands encouraged her. It felt so good, those long, deep strokes of searing fire. She didn’t want them to stop, yet she feared burning alive if they didn’t. He didn’t stop. His first gentle strokes gave way to a harder, faster, pounding rhythm that took her breath and sent her climbing higher than she imagined possible.

He plunged deep and she cried out, a low, almost mewling sound. The pressure grew and grew, never letting up as he merged more deeply and he lost all control. Fire spread through her body. Blazing heat rushed through her veins. Tension stretched her nerves to a breaking point—and beyond—until she strained for release, tears running down her face, a firestorm consuming her. Always he drove into her, velvet over steel, between her thighs, riding her hard, penetrating so deep.

The fierce pace continued over and over until she could only gasp, apprehension filling her, her body no longer her own. She twisted helplessly, writhing beneath him, her head tossing wildly, while he held her pinned, his body taking her higher and higher. She opened her mouth to scream but no sound emerged. Every one of her senses was concentrated between her thighs, centered on the thick, hard force driving deep into her body over and over.

Streaks of fire grew into fiery flames and the tension coiled tighter as the frenzied pounding drove deeper still.
Dominic.
His name was a keening cry in her chaotic mind.

Let go for me,
he coaxed.

Could she fly that high and not die? She opened her eyes and looked at his beloved face. The lines of lust and love carved so deep, the sensuality and fierce intent in his eyes, the perfect mouth, and those hard hands gripping her so firmly. The long hair falling around his face was like that of a fallen angel.

He moved just slightly and the friction against her most sensitive spot sent her mind reeling with pleasure. She gasped, stiffened, her gaze locking with his as her entire body tightened around his cock, clamping down almost violently, gripping and milking while sensation after sensation tore through her body. Her orgasm burned through her core, a firestorm out of control, flaming through her stomach, spreading up to her breasts and down her thighs. She screamed as his cock swelled even more, and he emptied himself, the condom keeping her safe. She could feel the scorching heat, every nerve ending alive with pleasure.

Dominic collapsed over the top of her, struggling for breath, holding her tight, her legs still trapped over his arms, his body still locked with hers. He didn’t want to ever leave her. The moment he had the strength, he gathered Solange in his arms and rolled over, bringing her on top of him like a blanket, her head on his chest, ear over his pounding heart.

For the first time in his life he felt complete. So many centuries he had felt utterly alone, and now he would never be alone. Holding her felt right. He allowed his hand to slide down the curve of her back to the rounded curve of her buttocks. She was his, and she’d given herself freely, without reservation, opening her mind and heart to him. She’d taken him into her body, his private haven, his sanctuary.

His other hand tangled in her wealth of hair. He loved the feel of her, all silk and satin. Her soft skin seemed to melt into him, become part of him. He moved slightly, feeling the instant reaction of her inner muscles, how they gripped and pulsed around him, clamping down as if she didn’t want him to leave her body.

His feelings for her were so overwhelming he couldn’t speak for a moment.
You know that I love you, Solange.
He made it a statement, because there was no way she couldn’t know.

He felt her smile. She made an effort to lift her head enough to lap at his pulse, a slow, languid movement a lifemate would make naturally. His body responded with a jerk of his cock. He wanted—no, needed—to feel her bite, to exchange blood in the Carpathian way.

She pressed a kiss over the pounding beat.
Yes, I can feel that you love me.
Her voice turned shy.
I hope you feel how much I love you.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her to him, waiting until she snuggled into him.
Thank you for your trust. I will always hold it as a precious gift from you.

She rubbed her chin along his chest, and then nuzzled against his throat. “You say things that turn me inside out, Dominic.” She swallowed hard. “I didn’t know a man could be like you.”

“I am perfectly fine with you thinking that.” And he was. His woman was his alone, and he liked that no one else ever saw this side of her. She reserved her trust and faith for him.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to move again,” she said, one hand sliding up his chest to curl around his throat. “Does it get better than this? Because if it does, I won’t live through it.”

He laughed softly. “You will live. I will see to that. Because I intend to repeat this experience as often as possible.”

“Of course you do.”

“But without the condom. I want to feel every inch of you surrounding me.” He allowed his body to slip from hers.

“I told you the parasites would avoid contact with me.”

“I refuse to take a chance.”

Silence greeted his statement, although he detected a slight moue with her lips.

“Did you just roll your eyes?” he demanded.

She laughed softly. “It could have happened,” she admitted.

He rolled her over abruptly, pinning her body beneath his, his expression stern as he looked down into her laughing face. His hands framed her face and he kissed her. It wasn’t what he meant to do, but he couldn’t help himself. She was so beautiful to him, so miraculous. Solange Sangria Dragonseeker.
His.

He loved her mouth, the taste of her, the heat of her, the long, drugging kisses she never pulled away from. She opened herself to him, kissing him back over and over until they both ran out of breath and he collapsed on top of her again.

Her laughter bubbled up and she pushed at his heavy body. “You’re crushing me.”

“I know, but I cannot move.”

She tried to shove him, but laughter rumbled in his chest and he didn’t budge. He nuzzled her neck. “Were you trying to move?”

“I’m waking the kitten and he’s going to pounce on your bare butt.”

He rolled again, with more haste than grace. The thought of the shadow cat’s claws getting anywhere near certain parts of his anatomy were enough to scare any man, even a Carpathian warrior.

She smirked. “You’re such a baby. Let me up. We really have to wake him and figure out how we’re going to feed him.”

He reluctantly allowed his arms to slide away, releasing her. Solange stood up on shaky legs, smiling down at him. She robbed him of breath. Her body gleamed with a fine sheen from their lovemaking. He loved that she didn’t attempt to cover herself. Her breasts stood out proudly, and he could see the marks left by his teeth and mouth and hands. Her hair was wildly disheveled and her mouth a bit swollen from his kisses. She looked like she’d been thoroughly made love to, but he wanted to see his seed running down the inside of her thighs.

“I love looking at you,” he said, sitting up.

“I know,” she answered, a satisfactory purr in her voice. She stepped into the pool and rinsed off.

Dominic, fully clothed, waited for her with a warm towel. “I will have to go hunt,” he said. “And do some scouting.”

“I’ll go with you, but I want to take care of the cub first.”

“There is no need this evening,” he countered. “I can look and figure out the distance you will need to be away from the vampires in order to keep the parasites silent.” He rubbed the water drops from her skin, wanting to lick them off. Already his body was stirring. The tight clasp of her body combined with her scorching heat was addicting, and he would never be sated, no matter how many times he took her. And he intended to take her a million times.

Solange dressed in the short emerald green ladder dress. He loved the way the slinky material clung to the outsides of her breasts yet bared them to him. He couldn’t resist caressing the light weight just to feel her softness against his palm. His fingers rolled and tugged her nipples until they were hard little beads.

“You’re going to make me damp and needy all over again,” she warned.

“I want you that way. If I could, I would have you in a continual state of arousal. When this is all over, be prepared to spend a long time that way.” His hand crept beneath the short hem to cup her bare mound. His thumb circled her clit with a languid expertise. Her breath hitched in her throat and he leaned over to capture the breathy moan in his mouth. “I love the way you sound,” he confided. “You please me, Solange. So much.”

“I’m glad, Dominic. Wanting you is very easy.”

When she began to ride his hand, he abruptly pulled his fingers away, licking them, his eyes on her face. “Keep wanting me.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”

He seated himself across the room from her, wanting to watch her with the cub. Its yowl was loud as he waved his hand and removed the sleeping spell. The kitten stretched before lifting his head, its gaze darting around the room until he found Solange. He ran to her fast and rubbed up and down her leg.

She dropped her hand into the fur and knelt to nuzzle the mewling creature. “We need to call him something.”

Dominic cringed inwardly. “It is probably best to stay detached,” he advised.

“He needs a name,” Solange insisted.

Dominic sighed. He didn’t want to give the animal a name, not when he doubted if he could save the creature. How did one make shadow into substance? She was already half in love with the little bundle of fur and claws, and he couldn’t bear to break her heart. She’d had enough heart-break in her life. He’d healed terrible wounds, some even mortal, but this . . . He sighed again.

“
Hän sívamak
, if you get attached and I cannot save him, you will mourn the loss.”

“Naming him isn’t going to make a difference, Dominic,” she answered, her eyes betraying sadness. “I’m already in love with him.”

The kitten bounced across the room, the strange, purring growl rumbling in its chest. The shadow cat probably weighed around forty pounds, all muscle, but it couldn’t keep its solid form. Dominic could see the evidence of rosettes in the sleek black fur, proof that the mages had used a jaguar in their experiments to produce the shadow cat.

“Shadow,” he said.

She laughed softly. “Very inventive.”

“What would you name him?” he challenged.

“Shadow, of course,” she said.

The kitten shoved his face into Dominic’s and licked his head, retreated, and then bounced back to bat at him playfully with a paw. He could see why Solange wanted to save the little thing. The cub’s face was so cute. He winced at the word.

Her soft laughter rippled through his mind as the kitten gave up on him and bounded across the floor to her. “Adorable. He’s adorable.”

“You are going to collect all sorts of creatures throughout this life together.” He groaned aloud, but deep inside he found he was laughing. He should have known she had a soft little heart. She’d spent a lifetime protecting women and caring for her cousins. Gruff, dangerous Solange melted at the sight of puppies and kittens.

She scratched the cub’s ears. “I am dangerous, Dragonseeker, and you’d best not forget it. And don’t go telling my cousins your little theories about me.”

“I have not had the pleasure of meeting them yet,” he said, keeping his tone speculative. “I think we will have many long conversations.”

She flicked a warning gaze at him. “I’ve worked
very
hard at being surly. You are
not
going to ruin my reputation,
especially
with my cousin’s lifemate.”

He raised his eyebrow. “You do not want them to see you all girly?”

She winced openly, gritting her teeth. “I am not girly.” The shadow cat nudged her so hard she nearly fell over backward. She had to catch it around the neck to steady herself. Immediately the kitten laid its head on her shoulder and gave his growling purr.

“You are girly, all soft and mushy inside,” he teased.

She looked horrified, even as she soothed the shadow cat, unaware of the picture she made, the look of concern on her face as she babied the animal. His heart felt as stupidly soft and mushy as he’d just labeled her. She was so beautiful to him, as complex and mysterious as the most beautiful flower he’d ever seen.

The cat wiggled free and raced around the room, pouncing on anything that looked as if it might be moving. Solange’s laughter filled the chamber, soft and musical, her eyes following the kitten’s antics as it rushed around the cavern. Shadow widened his eyes and pressed his ears forward, inviting play. He stalked her across the room, with the slow freeze-frame of a cat, and then pounced on her. But she sprang to one side, avoiding the rush. The kitten rolled over and over, his momentum carrying him past her. He stood up a few feet away, shaking his head.

Dominic saw the look building in Solange’s eyes, and before he could protest, she had raced across the chamber and ambushed the cat. They rolled together, over and over, Solange in her barely there dress and the cat with lethal claws and teeth.