Well...several years ago, my mother, father and little brother were killed by a drunk driver.
Hed known that, but hearing the pain in her smoke-and-dreams voice affected him deeply.
Robby wasnt supposed to be with them that day. He was supposed to stay with me and Laila. Guilt joined the pain. But she wanted to go out with friends, and I wanted to tag along to make sure she didnt get sick, so we convinced our parents to take him on their dinner date.
You couldnt have known. But she blamed herself, he thought, and it was a heavy burden to carry. One he wished he could lift from her shoulders. But he couldnt. Only she could. And if she didnt, if she failed, the weight would eventually crush her.
That, he knew firsthand.
Thats just it. I did. Deep down, like with you, I had a feeling. I knew I should keep him with me. And I think Laila knew it, too. Thats why shes like she is, so determined to live in the now and not look back. She doesnt want to remember our part in Robbys death.
And neither do you.
I know. For years we tried to pretend he never existed. It was easier, I think. But it was also a disservice to him, and he deserves better. I know that now.
That might be why Koldo had found no record of Robby in the heavenly archives. What you denied down here, you lost up there.
You must forgive yourself. Isnt that what you told me? Koldo reached up, the actions easier now, his strength returning bit by bit, and cupped the back of her neck. He applied pressure, tugging her toward him, but for the first time in their relationship, she resisted.
I know you didnt marry that girl, she said. Axel told me. But you told tattoo guy youd have her, and you never lie.
Was she jealous? He kind of hoped so. He actually liked the idea. Youre right about my words. I said I would have her. He assumed the one I was talking about was Sirenabut I was talking about you.
Her eyes widened. You want to...marry me?
Did he? No. No, he couldnt. He was tainted, he reminded himself. Having a woman isnt the same as marrying one.
Oh, she said, her shoulders drooping.
He pulled her the rest of the way against him. She settled atop his chest, her head finding the hollow of his neck, just the way she liked. Youre disappointed? Why? And why was he happy about her reaction? Did he want her to want more from him?
Me? Im glad things worked out.
Because Im better than your other date?
Immensely. She toyed with the end of his beard. I wish I could ask you about a last date.
Why?
So Id know how I rank.
I dont need experience to tell you that. Simple observation proves you are the only one for me.
And just what have you observed? At least her tone was lighter now.
Over the centuries Ive heard many a woman tell her friends that a man has to accept her just as she is or he doesnt deserve her. But if shes a lying, cheating gossipmonger, cruel to those around her, often angry, often hateful, of course he cannot accept her. Hes better off without her.
A choking little laugh left her. Thats a good point, but the same is true for men.
Yes.
So...how do you know Im none of those things?
Was she serious? Ive watched you interact with your sister, always placing her needs above your own. Youve spent time with Axel, but havent killed hima feat for anyone. And the way you are with me...kind, caring, sweet, thoughtful, helpful, considerate, compassionate, loving
She gave another laugh, saying, Basically, all of those words mean the same thing.
Beautiful, exquisite, stunning, gorgeous, lovely, stunning, striking
So you want me, huh? she asked huskily.
I do. So badly.
Good, because youve got me. All of me. She lifted her head, met his gaze directly. I quit my job, and youre now my official keeper.
He liked that, too.
A lot.
Well, then, I had better start keeping you properly. He cupped her cheeks and angled her head back, his hands heating up. A shiver rocked her as he pressed a soft kiss into her lips.
Immediately she opened, welcoming him.
He kept the pressure light, relearning her, reacquainting himself with her sweetness, going slowly, trying to fortify himself against the burning flood of desire rushing through him.
This was Nicola. Every moment had to be perfect.
But then she moaned, a heady, titillating sound, and her hands returned to his beard, and he lost the battle of gentleness versus neednot that hed fought all that staunchly. He kicked the sheet away from him and rolled, half pinning her slight weight to the mattress. Her legs parted, allowing him to sink against her. Hardness to softness. Need to need.
He reached up, tore the elastic from her hair and watched as strawberry curls tumbled over the pillow, spilling around her. All he could do was stare at her. Hed wanted to see her like this for so long, and now, here she was, far more beautiful than he ever could have imagined.
What? she asked, shifting underneath him.
You are... There was only one word that fit. Mine. Youre mine. With the claim ringing in his ears, he fed her another kiss.
She met his intensity all the way. Her hands explored his chest, his shoulders, his back, her nails scraping. Sorry. Sorry, she gasped out. Youre hurt, and I
Dont stop.
She kissed the length of his neck. Kay.
Do you have a special attachment to your shirt?
No.
He ripped the material down the middle, revealing a white lace bra and soft, flat belly of the most luscious cream. A smattering of freckles dotted her skin.
Hed always hated freckles. These? He thought he...loved. On Nicola, they were a road map he longed to follow, to lick his way from one to another.
The bra? he rasped.
You have a thing for destroying clothing, dont you?
The bra? he insisted.
Get rid of it.
He did just that, baring her to his view. And oh, the newest flood of desire to wash through him nearly undid him. His muscles shook. His bones vibrated. His soul shouted, Yes. Yes, this is the woman I was created to enjoy. The one who would lift him up, never tear him down.
He could only drink her in, every one of his senses humming a lullaby hed never heard. The intoxicating song surrounded him, caressed him, owned him. He was lured, not to a place of slumber but to a place of shattering change.
He would never be the same.
The cinnamon and vanilla that was so much a part of Nicola clung to him, embedding in his pores. She branded him with her very own essentiahe was hers. A half to a whole.
Those stormy eyes watched him, glassed with a hunger-charged yearning. Light trickled over her, complementing pleasure-flushed skin.
Youre staring at me, she whispered.
Im sorry. Then, No. Im not sorry. I like doing it.
Well, then, Im glad.
He couldnt hold in his next words. I want to be with you, Nicola.
I want that, too.
He moved the back of his hand along the length of her neck, soft, light. Ill be careful.
She shook her head, all that fiery hair dancing over the pillow. I dont want careful.
But thats what youll get. And he would make sure she liked it. Whatever he had to do.
He explored her, and every new point of contact sent him deeper and deeper into a pool of need, until he was drowning, desperate. But he knew, in the depths of his core, that his every action was a declaration of his feelings for her. She was someone of value. She was someone worth saving. She was the woman he wanted at his side. Everything hed needed, nothing hed known.
He stripped her of the rest of her clothes, marveling at every new revelation of this woman who had so captivated him, and spread his essentia all over her, leaving no inch untouched, causing all that flushed skin to glow so much more brightly.
Koldo, she breathed. I feel so hot...burning.
Thats the essentia, sweet Nicola.
She looked him over, saying, Flawless, before closing her eyes and moaning. Essentia?
A powder my body produces just for you. The tension inside him expanded...and he no longer wanted, he realizedhe needed. Every muscle he possessed was clenching on bone. His blood was molten in his veins.
Oh. Thats nice.
Nice?
But then she was gasping, writhing atop the mattress, and he was gasping out word after word of approval and praise, a deluge hed kept trapped inside far too long. They clutched at each other and they kneaded at each other and he could feel the fast beat of her heart as they kissed each other desperately. A beat that was faster and faster with every moment that passed, as if she neared the edge of a ledge.
Koldo, she said on a moan.
Such a heady entreaty. Nearly more than he could bear. Yes?
I need...
I need, too. But his concern for her well-being suddenly overshadowed everything else. He wouldnt take her, no matter what she said and no matter what he felt. Not until she was ready for him.
No matter how desperate he was, her health was more important, and nothing would change that. Because he didnt want to take from her, he realized. He wanted to share with her. And it would be difficult to stay this course, he knew. All his life, hed been denied the things so many others took for granted. Acceptance, softness. Affection. He finally had them. And now he had to wait for them, when they were so freely offered?
Nicola, he said.
Koldo, she moaned.
One day well be together.
Yes. Today. Now. We already said so.
Sweet mercy. No. Theres been a change of plans.
Her hands tightened on him, her nails digging into his back. I can take it. I can!
Maybe. Maybe not. But he couldnt. The thought of hurting her, even in so small a way, destroyed him. If ever he gave her reason to look back and think of him with disappointment, regret or anger, he would willingly fall on his own sword.
Cant...continue like...this, she said. Please.
Never beg, he wanted to say. But he liked it too much to stop her from doing it again.
Pleeease.
Ill help you with these feelings. Somehow. Someway. Though he lacked experience, he touched her here, there, seemingly everywhere at once, but it was never enough, not for him, yet she began crying out, gasping so hard, straining against him, begging, begging, begging for more.
The pressure inside him increased. It reminded him of the times hed gone to his cave and exploded, the rage too much for his body to contain. But this wasnt rage. This was raw, animal hunger. She was just so exquisite to watch, her eyes closed, her lashes casting spiky shadows over her cheeks, her lips red and plump, her scent intensifying, the fragrance of her honey eclipsing all that cinnamon and vanilla, and his mouth watered, and his insides...his insides...shattered.
And then she was shouting his name. And he was roaring at an exquisite agony that consumed him, utterly stunned, gasping, sweating, perhaps even babbling.
Yes, babbling.
What happened? That was... I cant describe... Ive never... What we just did... Did you feel that... How could... The realization left a film of embarrassment and a desire to flee, but he remained in place.
Nicola was hugging him.
He collapsed on the mattress. He was shaking, and...smiling despite his emotions. Did you experience what I experienced? Finally. A coherent sentence.
Yes, and I didnt pass out, she said with a smile of her own.
Neither did I. He hadnt lost control, hadnt taken what he shouldnt. Had stayed the course and taken another step on the path to claiming her. He had given her pleasure, and had, apparently, taken his own.
Soon, he told himself. Very soon, he would take the next steptake her fully. And they would fall off the ledge together.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
AS THE DEMON SCREAMED in pain, Thane removed the horns on its head.
As the demon cried and sobbed, Thane plucked out its eyes.
As the demon mewled, Thane peeled away huge hunks of the creatures flesh.
Black blood ran down his arms in tiny rivulets, stinging, leaving welts. The scent of sulfur coated the air. At his sides, the walls to the cavern dripped with bodily fluids from the other victims. At his feet was a pile of organs hed removed.
If you refuse to talk, he said, Ill remove your tongue before I kill you.
The creature babbled, but all Thane heard was, Blah, blah, blah, please. Blah, blah, blah, better than me.
You think youre better than me? he lashed out. Or that Im not any better than you? Either way...
Giving in to the rage, Thane sawed at the demons tongue, as promised. But that wasnt violent enough, and he ended up sawing through the creatures throat. The body slumped against the chains binding it.
Perhaps the next one would be There was no next one, he realized. Hed killed them all.
He scrubbed a blood-soaked hand through his hair.
He had arrived in Auckland two days ago, tracked a path of evil to the slums and found a group of homeless men and women that had turned on each other. Theyd fought over the rights to a trash can, killed each other by sheer physical brutality, and the only survivor had then turned on the patrons of a nearby coffee shop, slaying three innocents before the cops arrived and gunned him down.
Thane had shown up as the remaining patrons were being questioned. Two had displayed tempers that hadnt fit the situation, and hed ended up following the worst offender to an office building. The male had yelled at everyone he encountered, and the employees had huddled around the watercooler to discuss how odd his behavior was.