Vampire in Her Mysts (4 page)

Scooting up to sit, Ileana glanced around for the others. Their broken bodies lay sprawled on the grass, limbs cocked in unnatural angles.

“Calm down, brother,” Misha said, nodding toward Yuri's forearms. “There's enough of her to go around.”

Yuri took two steps closer and threw up his arms, showing off the ink branding him a traitor. “I'm not your brother,” he bit out. “And she is not interested.”

“I beg to differ.” Misha's gaze slid to her. His hand reached down to cup his privates. Fingers curling over the still-hard rod, he rotated his hips, his eyes shuttered as he stared at her. “In a few minutes, she would have been begging for more.”

“Bastard,” Ileana breathed.

Yuri's muscles were jumping behind his shirt.

Before Ileana could get to her feet, Misha began screaming, a high-pitched, earsplitting wail. Frenzied, his fingers clawed at his head with such force his fingernails ripped strips of flesh from his face. Heart racing, Ileana glanced from him to Yuri, unsure what was going on.

Yuri remained unmoving, his back straight, his muscles tensed. Focused. Ileana swallowed, her gaze traveling back to Misha writhing in pain on the grass. Realization dawned.

Medji
powers.

Yuri had used his psychic abilities to attack Misha. Or rather, have Misha attack himself. A shudder passed over her skin at the sheer power Yuri possessed. The assault continued for only a few moments before Misha's body began seizing in convulsions and then quit moving altogether.

Yuri's shoulders dropped, his muscles relaxed. He stared at Misha for a few seconds, his fingers flexing and closing before he spun around. The sight of him stole her breath. Unruly strands of dark hair whipped across his handsome face. His fangs hung down in lethal points, and a fierce bloodlust filled his eyes.

“Are you all right?”

Momentarily breathless, she nodded. “You came back,” she finally said, her voice still laced with a low-grade panic she did not even try to mask.

He stepped toward her, his hands gently wrapping around her biceps. “Of course I came back.”

Goddess, help her, but her heart fluttered at his words. His hands gripped her tighter, almost desperately. Then, unexplainably, the energy between them shifted. A change passed over Yuri's handsome face. The worried façade dissipated, leaving the mask of indifference he'd worn most of the evening. The one she had a feeling he always stoically wore even though the burden of it nearly killed him.

How she wanted to rip it off, beat and pound on it until it cracked. Until he cracked and leveled those fierce and passionate eyes on her again.

Ileana reached toward him, her hand cupping the side of his face. A low groan ached from him and he leaned into her palm. The façade splintered ever so slightly at just her touch. What would happen if she kissed him? If she peeled the robes off her body and stood bare before him? Thought after thought and countless what-if's crossed her mind.

Instead, she stepped into his arms. Tilting her head to the side, she tucked hers under his. He inhaled sharply, releasing the air in a shuddered breath. Ileana held hers as she rested her cheek against his chest. When his arms finally closed around her, his chin dropping on the top of her head, she smiled and closed her eyes.

Warmth, safety enveloped her such as she never felt. So much so, she wondered if he'd entered her mind again. She felt…

Home.

Something roared in the distance, a shrieking bellow that rent the sky and made the earth rumble. Yuri clutched her tightly as the sharp wailing continued. The sound cut through her, low and visceral. Ileana's bones quivered and the flesh covering them shrank in fear.

Keeping his hands on her upper arms, Yuri leaned back, scanning the woods and sky. “Oh, no.”

“What's happening?” she shouted over the growing noise.

“Red wind.” Wide and alarmed, his black eyes fixed on hers. “We must take cover. Now!”

“Red wind?”

“It's a sandstorm off the Zavodnica Sea,” he said in a rush. “A giant wall of red will blow miles high in the sky, and move faster and further than an avalanche. The cloud will swallow everything in its path.”

Ileana swallowed, her brain fighting to process the coming scenario. “How soon will it be here?”

Yuri whirled quickly, looking in both directions before settling back on her.

“Minutes.”

The word had barely registered in her brain before his hand clasped around hers tightly and he started running away from the noise. Legs pumping wildly, Ileana sprinted behind Yuri.

Although she knew she shouldn't, Ileana glanced over her shoulder. Ominous and blood red, the swirling cloud of particles raced toward them like a living thing bent on peeling the flesh from their bones.

“In here!” Yuri's voice screamed through the deafening pain racking every nerve in her body. Ileana glanced up in time to see a decrepit shack almost perfectly hidden from view in the overgrown brush. Only a few more steps, she told herself, kicking her legs faster, using the last reserve of strength she possessed. She was thankful that every stride, Yuri kept hold of her arm, kept pulling her along when she thought she might falter.

Finally at the crumbling building, Yuri tucked her arm against his ribs, easing her behind him as he kicked a booted foot on the door. The rotten hinges gave way and the door opened. Yuri ushered them inside and Ileana followed, releasing a grateful breath when Yuri slammed the door closed behind them.

Ileana bent at the waist. Bracing her hands on her knees for support, she pulled air into her lungs.

“We made it,” she panted, the statement voiced more for her own ears than his.

Closing her eyes, she felt Yuri pace the small room. Knew he checked the two small windows she'd spied upon entry, assessing their ability to hold back the coming storm. Had she the strength, she would have done the same thing. Being meticulously thorough was something they had both been trained to do. Yet right now, Ileana couldn't move. Every muscle in her body felt like rubber. Her legs quivered and she wondered briefly if she might collapse.

“Are you all right?” Yuri's arms slid around her. Solid and warm, his hand pressed against her lower back, his other cupped the apple of her shoulder, guiding her into his arms. Offering her strength she didn't have on her own.

She nodded, opting instead to sink to the floor. A heartbeat later, Yuri crouched beside her, his body and arm arching around her like a shield. For the first time, Ileana became potently aware of his size, his solid strength and intoxicating maleness. She'd never needed anyone to protect her, never wanted to depend on anyone else for her own safety. Yet she recognized some inherently female part of her had awoken and thrived under Yuri's wing. And for the life of her, she wasn't sure it was a part she could dispose of, or if she even wanted to.

Still fighting to catch her breath, Ileana turned off the thoughts warring inside her and simply allowed herself to lean into Yuri's embrace. If he was shocked by the move, he didn't show it. Instead, the hand resting on her upper arm flexed as if in approval and pulled her tighter. Ileana followed his lead and rested her head on his shoulder. She focused on the calm tempo of his breathing and trying to match it.

The earth beneath them began to shake violently. The walls trembled, sprinkling years' worth of dust from every crack and corner. Pans vibrated and bounced off the counters, banging on the floor. Ileana's heart raced in time with the furious storm.

A horrible screech split through the sky, as the red wind screamed at the top of its lungs and swallowed the tiny shack. Ileana covered her ears with her hands and closed her eyes, unsure why this wind, of all things, frightened her. She could face
vanators,
dragon warriors, harpies—anything. But this screeching wind seemed to eat through her very soul like acid through flesh.

Large and warm, Yuri's palm made slow circles on her lower back.

“Shh, Ileana, it's all right,” his voice soothed in a calming litany. A soft glow sparked in her stomach. Like a seed of light, it grew, expanding into her arms and legs until it filled her completely. And always there, always urging the warmth and lightness was Yuri's voice, telling her she was safe.

The storm, still rampant and wild in its rage, buffeted, sounding more like a freight train passing just outside the window. A sense of peace and calm washed over her, like a gentle wave cleansing the beach.

Realization dawned and she gazed up at Yuri. “You entered my mind, didn't you?”

A slight curve twisted his lips. “I had to. I couldn't let you be afraid.”

“Couldn't let me?” she bristled.

Yuri sighed and reached out, smoothing a strand of hair away from her face. “I couldn't bear to see you afraid. Is that better?”

Ileana opened her mouth to snap back some witty reply, but closed it instead. Using his shoulder as a prop, she leaned her head against him and took in their surroundings for the first time.

“What was this building?” she asked, feeling an eerie chill travel up her spine. This shelter had obviously been someone's home at one time. Articles of clothing still hung on hooks by the door. Pans sat neatly arranged beside the stone hearth carved into the wall, and for the first time, Ileana noticed they sat on what may have once been regarded as a pristine rug, now covered in soot and dust.

“I don't know,” Yuri replied. “But whoever left this place, left in a hurry.”

Yuri tilted his head toward the ceiling and scanned the walls. Ileana couldn't help but admire the sight of him. The flickering red light from the window reflected off his eyes. They shone in the darkness, warm and almost colorful. Reminiscent of a raven's multihued wing tinged with striking layers of blues and reds that are imperceptible unless examined up close.

He swallowed and her gaze lowered to his strong jawline, now blurred by the shadow of dark hair that had grown in the past hours. Still trimmed, the smooth goatee perfectly framed his lips. She'd never noticed their shape before, the lower much fuller than the top, the smooth texture. Hers suddenly tingled, growing full, almost heavy. Ileana licked them, tucking the bottom one between her teeth, thinking the languid sensitivity delicious.

She sucked in a shaky breath, willing him to look at her. The arm around her shoulders tightened. The warm body next to her stiffened, before he looked down at her. The expression on his face seemed both concerned and hungry and was enough to send Ileana reeling to catch her breath all over again.

By the Goddess, she wanted to look away, wanted to apologize, wanted to sink into a hole and disappear. But the overriding desire to feel his lips on hers kept her eyes from turning away. Instead, she reached up to him, framed his stubble-roughened cheeks beneath her palms, and pulled him closer.

“Ileana,” he said, his breath warming her lips.

Since her parents' death, she'd hated hearing her name. Yet when Yuri said it, something cold and hard inside her dissolved. She loved to hear her given name on his lips. Loved how his
L
rolled off his tongue in a sensual purr. It made her feel feline. Made her want to rub her body against his like a cat against a scratching post.

“Ileana.”

Goddess, he said it again.
She mewled. Her needing whimper had Yuri claiming her face in his hand. His thumb brushed across her lips in a caress both rough and tender and her gaze dropped to his, willing his mouth to hers.

He smiled and tenderly bent his head to her. When his lips touched hers, pinwheels of fire licked her belly and every weary muscle in her body sprang to life. Instinctively, she knew what she wanted. What she craved.

“Use your powers on me, Yuri,” she said when he pulled away.

He froze, the muscles beneath her hands tensing. “Why?”

“I want you to tell me what I'm thinking,” she said with a coy smile. “What I want.”

Yuri paused, his eyes boring into hers so reverently, so deeply she could feel his stare like fingers on her skin. “I…” He shook his head. “I'm going to build a fire,” he muttered.

And in the time it took her to blink, he'd pushed to his feet and walked away.

 

Yuri tossed the wood into the hearth with more force than necessary. He had to do something to get his mind off Ileana. Goddess, didn't she know he didn't need to read her mind to see she wanted him. He only had to look into those heated eyes, taste her sweet lips.

Although fleeting, the quick look over his shoulder was enough to send another aching tug of desire through his body. A becoming flush highlighted the normally pale skin of Ileana's beautiful face. Her lips, still full and moist from his kiss, were soft and parted, revealing two tiny perfect fangs. Fangs he could already feel stabbing into his neck with sweet perfection.

He shifted his legs, trying to adjust the growing evidence of his desire for her. Angry with himself for reacting to her like no more than a green lad, he stabbed at the fire, relishing the pops and hissing he garnered in reply.

“Yuri.”

Her voice was soft, breathy and his cock twitched in response.

“Yes.”

“Turn around.”

Unable to deny her with words, he shook his head instead. Busying himself with stoking the fire, he ignored the one building with the force of scorching hot bricks in his gut. A rustle of fabric sounded from behind him. The soft padding of her delicate footsteps echoed in the small room. He held his breath, waiting for her touch, sensing it coming.

Small and elegant, her fingers curled around his shoulders.

“Yuri, please,” she said, tugging gently on his arms. “Look at me.”

He bit down on his jaw, on the truth. “I can't,” he ground out.

“Why? Is it your powers?” she asked sweetly. “Does it hurt to use them?”

Yuri thought of the night he held his sister in his arms. The night he told her promises he wasn't sure he could keep. Watched her murderer take her life and get away.

“Sometimes,” he grated.

It did hurt, though not the way she assumed. It hurt to know things, to be able to control people and bend them to his will. To always wonder if people did things because you made them or because they wanted to.

“Yuri, please look at me.”

Yuri gripped the shoddy mantel, feeling the wood splinter beneath his grip. “Don't ask me. Not now.”

“Why not?”

“I cannot be what you need.”
What you deserve
.

“How do you know what I need?”

Yuri whirled around, seizing her upper arms. Ready to tell her he knew everything about her from his brief glimpses into her mind. That he wanted more for her than he could ever give her. That she deserved to be treated like the noble princess she once was, not someone to be taken quick and greedy on a filthy cabin floor.

Then his eyes locked on hers. In them he saw every emotion he felt, but could not describe. Every unspoken want, desire, tangible need and unbearable loneliness permeating through his being for this woman, echoed in her beautiful eyes. It rattled him to the core and rendered him speechless.

The storm outside faded from existence. The walls stopped shaking and the entire world went quiet save for the sound of his heart thudding wildly in his ears. Yuri realized he hadn't taken a breath since he turned around, knew he needed to inhale and soon. However, it took a moment for his brain to register any need other than her. Once he taken the first breath and then the next, he realized the skin beneath his palms was bare.
She
was bare.

He paused only long enough to take in her perfection before he swooped down, covering her mouth with his own. Blinding heat sparked his mouth at the touch of her lips. She moaned, her body softening beneath his like wax melting beneath flame.

“Ileana,” he said in almost a growl, as he dove down and took her mouth again.

Her velvety lips were moist and responsive, and he explored every inch of them. When his hand cupped her breast, a breathy purr rolled off her tongue. Yuri smoothed his cheek down her rib cage, kissing her soft belly as he went. His hands nearly spanned her waist and it hit him then. She was fragile, delicate, soft. No matter how hard and tough she pretended to be.

He wanted to ravish and worship her at the same time. Seduce her until she gave herself to him, mind, body and soul. Lay the world at her feet if he could. After hastily tugging off his clothes, Yuri placed them on the ground, laying her atop them.

Bending, Yuri placed a kiss on her welcoming mouth. Tasting and sucking her slick, full lips until his head spun and desire pooled in his groin. Everything in him screamed to plunge inside her welcoming body and make them both forget.

Ileana pivoted her hips, rolling her pelvis against his. A shock wave of pleasure jolted through him. The undeniable invitation to have her, to claim her, to own her if only for tonight sent his mind reeling. He reacted without processing, his hand skating down her side. So smooth, so soft. His gaze followed the trail of his fingers on her skin.

Reverent, he outlined the tattoo along her rib cage, smiling at her swift intake of breath. Again her body undulated in an erotic wave beneath him and his smile tightened. Yuri's cock pulsed. Long and impossibly smooth, her legs wedged wider. One knee dropped open, the other slithered up his thigh in a languid, silken glide. Yuri's breath hitched. Open. She lay bare and open. For him.

Mine.

This time he didn't hesitate. His hand slid between her legs, fingers parting her softest flesh. An approving groan slipped through his lips to find her wet, hot for him. His fingertip flicked her swollen clit. She cried out, leaning into his hand. Yuri repeated the move, again and again, his hand stroking her sex in a demanding spear that sent her eyes fluttering shut. Her mouth opened in a mute O as his fingers glided over the slick warmth of her, easily slipping inside and penetrating her.

The heat of her ignited and consumed him. So perfect, so tight, her sex hugged his finger, greedily taking it deeper. Jealous, his cock throbbed painfully as he continued to strum her like an instrument. Relishing every note, every tone of pleasure he could ring from her.

The delicious torment of both having and wanting this woman made his arms start to tremble, his vision go blurry. Again his groin tightened to the point of pain. Yuri wanted to take her, claim her, feel her and taste her. The sheer level of intensity with which he wanted to be inside her, frightened him.