The girl gripped Miah’s hand in hers. “He’s really gone? Is this man telling the truth? Where will I go? How will I live?” She was panic-stricken. She knew how to retreat from life and pain and was a brutal tyrant. She had no idea how to live in this world. She didn’t even know it was possible.Miah stroked Shaina’s hair gently. “There’s no need to worry about anything. I have friends who will help us. You will be well taken care of, I promise you. For now, all you have to do is lie here in this room and get well. I’ll bring you some clothes and books, maybe a stuffed animal or two. We’ll get you some things to make your stay a little less boring. I will come back tomorrow evening and visit with you. We can talk more about what you would like to do with your life and where we’ll go from here.”Shaina tightened her grip on Miah. “Is he really dead?”“Alexander would not tell an untruth.” Miah said it very softly but with great conviction. “You need sleep now, child. I will be here tomo
Meanwhile, Bert pushed into the room, revealing something very close to fear in his eyes when he looked over at Alexander’s clone. He glanced at Miah talking so intimately with the teenager, and stopped himself from speaking. He glared at Alexander, who smiled rather sarcastically at him, arrogance etched into his classical Italian features. It annoyed the doctor that the man was so good-looking, so tough. Alexander’s rescue of Miah made him look bad. He couldn’t afford to take a chance on breaking his hands. He was a doctor, for heaven’s sake.Alexander half closed his eyes as Miah swirled her tongue over the tiny pinpricks in his neck to close them, savouring the moment and the feeling. She lifted her head, her gaze drowsy, sexy, and satiated, almost as if they had made love. He bent his head and kissed her forehead gently, holding her close for one more heartbeat before reluctantly allowing her to slip away, to take the place of the clone in the chair by the bed. “Thank you, Alexan
Bert sighed before adding, “Then visit her every now and then. You don’t owe her anything. We have plans together, Miah. You can’t make these kinds of decisions without me.”Alexander stirred, a ripple of muscle, no more, but it was intimidating. He growled and talked to her in her mind, “I can see to the child, Miah. I will remove the memory of your promise and replace it with my own. I will see to her care and happiness while you take your time deciding what you are going to do about this human. I do not wish to complicate your life any further than I have already, but like you, I cannot abandon the child.”“I keep my promises, Alexander.” Miah shook her head. “I’m not going to argue, Bert. I’m too tired. I’m going to go out into the night and stare at the stars or something. I need fresh air. I gave Shaina my word. There is nothing else to say.”“I think there is,” Bert snapped, angry that Alexander was witnessing this argument between them. They rarely argued, but he couldn’t keep
“NO! My dress is torn!” Miah exclaimed, her hands clutching the sparkling fabric over her thighs in dismay.Alexander crouched down to examine the frayed remnant of fabric now trailing. He leapt up again and signalled someone. Ten minutes later, she was standing in the bedroom of a fabulous hotel suite, clad only in her lingerie while her dress was carefully repaired in the reception room next door. She flinched and spun around in dismay when the door opened without even the hint of a warning knock.Alexander focused on her small, slender figure, and the laughing comment he had meant to make fell from his memory there and then. She whipped her arms protectively around her scantily clad body, but not before he had had the opportunity to enjoy an enchanting glimpse of her pale rounded curves. He leant back against the door and snapped home the lock, his dark eyes flashing hot gold at the sight of the pouting breasts encased in white gossamer-fine lace that revealed her delicate pink nip
A split second later, Alexander was wondering with an alarm that shook him whether that single act of stunning sex might get her pregnant. And he didn’t want her carrying a child too soon, did he? Momentarily, Alexander, who never, ever deviated from a goal once he was set on it, was plunged into genuine bewilderment by his own change of heart on the baby issue. But when she conceived, it would surely be a case of game over as far as the bedroom was concerned, and he really did not want to put her out of commission in the first month. That said, however, his priorities were unchanged, and he reassured himself confidently: he was simply taking a rain check on that objective.Why shouldn’t he want to enjoy his bride for a while? There wasn’t a man alive who would not want to make the most of a woman who gave him that much pleasure between the sheets, he reasoned, his tension ebbing again. Releasing her from his weight, he anchored her to him with an appreciative arm. But there were more
Alexander found himself laughing, too. “Old? Im barely—”“You know what I mean, Alexander. In human years, yes, you are, but we are different. We both know that we are far older than anyone else here in the world.”“I know... Um, I just can't understand and don't have all the memories to remember that. I may be ancient, or I don't know, but as far as I remember, I was human. Turned. Now a creature of the night.”Miah sighed. “Don't worry; in time, your memories will return.”“What do you remember?”“About the past?” Miah asked with concern.“Yes.”“I—I don't remember much either. Memories would come and go. But I know you are more than just a rogue, you are a demon, Alexander. A powerful one.”“Me?“Yes, or maybe your soul. I don't know.”“What do you mean?” he frowned.“Do you believe in reincarnation?”“Yes.”“I think you are reincarnated.”“You think so?”“Yes. Why would you have those memories? Power to that extent?”“Plausible.” Alexander nodded. “So you mean, I died when Luther
Miah shook her head. “What I believe is, you rigged this wager. You did something to win.”“It is called practice. I have spent a lot of time skipping rocks across the lake.”Miah laughed softly. “You are not telling the truth, Alexander. I don’t believe you ever skipped a rock in your life until now. You tricked me.”“You think?” He asked innocently. Too innocently.“You know you did. Just to win a silly bet. I can’t believe you.”He reached out to tuck a wayward strand of hair behind her ear, making her heart leap wildly. “It was not just a silly bet, cara, it was a way to get you to brush my hair. No one has ever done such a thing for me, and I think I crave attention.” He rubbed the bridge of his nose again and grinned at her almost boyishly. “I asked Luther to do so once, and he threatened to beat me to a bloody pulp.” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Some things are just not worth it, you know.”“You’re nuts,” Miah decided, but she was laughing, unable to help herself. “Fine, I
More than the looks of the man, it was the cunning, crafty hatred in the repulsive creature that frightened her. Miah, as far away from him as she was, could still sense the stench of depravity that surrounded him. She made herself look at the creature and feel its evil. It was important to realise just what Alexander had faced his entire life. This monster. How many of them? How often? How many had he known personally, grown up with before they had turned? She had thought her life difficult and solitary, yet staring at the undead, she began to understand just what his life must have been like.All those years, she had viewed him as a hero, a revered legendary protector of the boundary. Now she recognized just what being a hunter entailed. His own people had feared his power and skills. Even human males would have kept away from him, fearing he might later have to hunt and destroy them. He could never afford to have friends. Worse, he was turned into one, had become a rogue, and Alexa