He laughed out loud as he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, his tongue tangling with hers as his hands worked their magic on her body, caressing every inch of her until she cried out for relief. Only then did he rise over her, his eyes dark with desire. He held her gaze for a long moment before he claimed her, body and soul, burying himself in her warmth and her love, forgetting everything else but his need for this woman above all else.
She cried his name as he possessed her and it was music to his soul.
Later, lying in his arms, content, she felt the link between them open and smiled as she heard his low, sexy voice in her mind.
I love you, darlin’. Forgive me.
How could she refuse?
~ * ~
Saintcrow didn’t know if it was the lingering influence of Oriana’s ancient blood or Kadie’s forgiveness, but for the next few weeks, he felt like his old self. He wasn’t tempted to take it all when he fed, he wasn’t tormented by the urge to kill. The restlessness that had plagued him disappeared. He didn’t let himself believe the problem had solved itself but he was determined to enjoy it while it lasted. He took Kadie dancing several times. They went walking on the beach in Florida, went to Disneyland in Hong Kong. And late one night, long after it was closed to the public, they slipped into the Louvre Museum.
“This is amazing,” Kadie whispered as they admired theVenus de Milo, the painting of theCoronation of Napoleon I,which depicted the coronation of Napoleon atNotre-Dame de Paris.And, of course, Leonardo da Vinci'sMona Lisa.Fabulous works of art that were hundreds of years old. Only a few of them older than the tall, dark, handsome man beside her.
After leaving the museum, they stopped at a small outdoor café and ordered a bottle of wine. The color reminded Kadie of cherries....She sighed. It had been years since she ate solid food. She rarely missed it but every now and then the memory of her mother’s chocolate cake or her Aunt Stella’s fudge made her yearn for just a taste.
“Regrets?” Saintcrow asked.
“What? Oh, no. Not really.”
“But?”
She smiled self-consciously. “The color of the wine reminded me of cherries and how much I used to love them.”
“They make cherry wine, you know.”
Kadie shook her head. “It wouldn’t be the same,” she said, with a grin. “No pits.”
“Have I told you lately how much I love you,” he asked, taking her hand in his.
“Probably. But I never tire of hearing it.”
“I love you, Kadie Saintcrow,” he said, licking her palm. “More than you’ll ever know.”
She shivered at the touch of his tongue, warm and slick, against her skin. And just like that, she wanted him.
Saintcrow smiled a knowing smile as the scent of her desire filled the air. Rising, he dropped a few bills on the table top, drew Kadie into his arms, and transported them to a hotel that had once been a castle where he paid for the finest room they had available.
A moment later, she was writhing beneath him, reaching for that one moment when their thoughts and minds converged, two becoming one, so that each knew what the other wasthinking, feeling. It was the most amazing sensation, sensual beyond explanation, sometimes warm and tender, sometimes rough, but always wonderful. She clutched his shoulders as she reached for the stars, let out a cry of exultation as, with one last thrust, he carried her to paradise. Drifting slowly back to earth, she fell asleep in his arms.
Saintcrow lay there beside her for a long time, content to hold her close, to inhale the fragrance of her hair and skin, to lightly stroke her cheek. The musky scent of their love-making lingered in the air.
The nightmares began as soon as he succumbed to the dark sleep. Vivid, full-color scenes from out of his past. He smelled the blood, the stink of death that permeated the battlefield, heard the screams of the wounded, the tortured gasps of the dying. He felt the weight of his armor, the thrust of his lance into flesh. Knew again the pain and the fear of dying alone in the dark on the battlefield, relived the hope and the fear he’d experienced when Eleni knelt beside him and stole his life.
He relived the days after being turned. The confusion, the fear, the never-ending craving for blood. He had hunted humanity the way a wolf hunted sheep, reveling in their fear, gorging himself on their blood. So much blood. So much death. He knew what he did was wrong, knew a vengeful God would hold him accountable for every life he’d stolen and yet he couldn’t stop. Didn’t want to stop.
He cried out in his sleep. It had taken time but he had learned to control his hunger, to take only what he needed, to leave his prey alive even though every instinct told him to take it all.
And then Kadie had crossed the Morgan Creek bridge and forever changed his life. She had filled his empty days with love and laughter. Kadie, Kadie. Even lost in his hellish nightmares, he could sense her worry. She had been a vampire for a long time now, but she had never lost her humanity or her compassion.
Kadie....
“Rylan! Rylan, wake up!”
Her voice, filled with love and concern, dragged him out of the dark abyss. He reached for her and she was there, her arms folding around him, her voice whispering that she loved him, that everything would be all right.
Wrapped in her love, he surrendered to the darkness again. But while she held him, there were no more bad dreams.