diffuse my interest, Mara, it’s not working. The sweatshirt only makes me hunger to see what lies beneath. The taste of beer on your tongue makes me long to kiss you, and sink my tongue into your mouth. The tightly bound hair causes me to envision how I’d loosen it, run my fingers through it while I take your mouth.”
Her entire body clenched with need.
Lucien leaned toward her, his gaze fiercely intent. “And when I take your body again, there will be nothing between us but flesh, and the bond we will create.”
Mara clenched her teeth, set down her glass. “Sex is sex, Lucien. You can’t mate me. Because there is a monster out there who will hurt others, and I’m damned anyway. I will kill Jones. He deserves to die.”
“But you deserve to live.”
She went to respond when she saw the torment swirling in his gaze. Insight filled her. “Why are you determined to save me, Lucien?”
“You remind me…of someone. The fire I see inside you, the strength, and the sweetness.”
“Who?”
His gaze grew distant. “Someone else I wanted to save. And failed.”
The white light flooded her being with the need to comfort. Insight hit her. “It was another Darklighter.”
Judging from his widened eyes, she’d hit the mark. “What happened, Lucien?”
A cold stillness settled in the air. His jaw turned to stone as he stared at rain beading the window. A storm was brewing. She sensed the internal storm would be far more brutal.
“She was an assignment,” he finally said. “I was to destroy her.”
“Like me.”
A sideways glance. “No. This Darklighter had already lost her innocence and turned evil. So I was informed.”
Icy chills shivered up her spine. “You killed her.”
More silence. She could sense that the vampire was hurting deeply. He had been forced to terminate a life, and suffered greatly for it. Unlike true evil, he took no pleasure in hurting others.
Mara slid across the couch. For once she would pay attention to her angelic half and follow her heart.
“You’ve never forgotten her.” She took his hand, wanting to provide comfort.
“She was…special to me,” he whispered.
Lucien set down his wineglass. His hand was icy, and she chafed it between her palms, warming him.
“She had not turned evil. I discovered afterward I had been deceived. The Society had hired a specialist to flush out evil beings. He lied about the crimes she’d committed. When I found out, I wanted to destroy him myself, but could not. The Society had sworn him protection and any paranormal being hurting him would be severely punished. They banished him, but it was too late for the Darklighter.”
He seemed so distant, his eyes like broken glass. Mara’s heart twisted.
“You can’t fix the past. I realized that when my parents were murdered. I’m not the kind of woman who retreats into the past. All you can do is go on, and keep living. Because there is so much more to life. You know this. You’ve done it far longer than I have.”
His expression thawed slightly as he glanced at her with an expression of longing. Lucien needed her.
She picked up his hand, gave one of his fingers a long, slow lick. “So much more…to taste.”
Lucien groaned as she sucked on the digit. “Your dinner will grow cold. You must eat.”
“I’m not that hungry,” she said, watching his jaw clench. Mara touched his mouth, running a wet finger over the firmness. A new power rose inside her, the feminine power of making a man sweat. “At least not for food.”
His body grew taut as she continued teasing. “Don’t push me, Mara. If you agree to lie with me again, it will be different this time. There will be no going back.”
The words sounded ominous, yet she felt intrigued. Mara thrilled at the challenge. “Sounds dangerous.”
Suddenly he seized her finger. Arousal rippled through her as he lightly bit, then swirled his tongue around the digit. “I am very dangerous, more than you know.”
“And like I
Her entire body clenched with need.
Lucien leaned toward her, his gaze fiercely intent. “And when I take your body again, there will be nothing between us but flesh, and the bond we will create.”
Mara clenched her teeth, set down her glass. “Sex is sex, Lucien. You can’t mate me. Because there is a monster out there who will hurt others, and I’m damned anyway. I will kill Jones. He deserves to die.”
“But you deserve to live.”
She went to respond when she saw the torment swirling in his gaze. Insight filled her. “Why are you determined to save me, Lucien?”
“You remind me…of someone. The fire I see inside you, the strength, and the sweetness.”
“Who?”
His gaze grew distant. “Someone else I wanted to save. And failed.”
The white light flooded her being with the need to comfort. Insight hit her. “It was another Darklighter.”
Judging from his widened eyes, she’d hit the mark. “What happened, Lucien?”
A cold stillness settled in the air. His jaw turned to stone as he stared at rain beading the window. A storm was brewing. She sensed the internal storm would be far more brutal.
“She was an assignment,” he finally said. “I was to destroy her.”
“Like me.”
A sideways glance. “No. This Darklighter had already lost her innocence and turned evil. So I was informed.”
Icy chills shivered up her spine. “You killed her.”
More silence. She could sense that the vampire was hurting deeply. He had been forced to terminate a life, and suffered greatly for it. Unlike true evil, he took no pleasure in hurting others.
Mara slid across the couch. For once she would pay attention to her angelic half and follow her heart.
“You’ve never forgotten her.” She took his hand, wanting to provide comfort.
“She was…special to me,” he whispered.
Lucien set down his wineglass. His hand was icy, and she chafed it between her palms, warming him.
“She had not turned evil. I discovered afterward I had been deceived. The Society had hired a specialist to flush out evil beings. He lied about the crimes she’d committed. When I found out, I wanted to destroy him myself, but could not. The Society had sworn him protection and any paranormal being hurting him would be severely punished. They banished him, but it was too late for the Darklighter.”
He seemed so distant, his eyes like broken glass. Mara’s heart twisted.
“You can’t fix the past. I realized that when my parents were murdered. I’m not the kind of woman who retreats into the past. All you can do is go on, and keep living. Because there is so much more to life. You know this. You’ve done it far longer than I have.”
His expression thawed slightly as he glanced at her with an expression of longing. Lucien needed her.
She picked up his hand, gave one of his fingers a long, slow lick. “So much more…to taste.”
Lucien groaned as she sucked on the digit. “Your dinner will grow cold. You must eat.”
“I’m not that hungry,” she said, watching his jaw clench. Mara touched his mouth, running a wet finger over the firmness. A new power rose inside her, the feminine power of making a man sweat. “At least not for food.”
His body grew taut as she continued teasing. “Don’t push me, Mara. If you agree to lie with me again, it will be different this time. There will be no going back.”
The words sounded ominous, yet she felt intrigued. Mara thrilled at the challenge. “Sounds dangerous.”
Suddenly he seized her finger. Arousal rippled through her as he lightly bit, then swirled his tongue around the digit. “I am very dangerous, more than you know.”
“And like I
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