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
A small, pleased smile escaped before Alexander could stop it. Miah had a way about her. There was no doubt in his mind why Bert wanted her. It wasn’t because she was a healer, as Bert was. It wasn’t because her supernatural beauty drew men to her. It was the entire package. Miah. His Miah. “You give me far too much credit,” he answered her softly. “Thank you for that. Thank you for making a difficult situation easy. I did not expect to feel this way.” He flashed her another smile. “These emotions are difficult to control.”She tilted her head to look up at him. It should have been declared a sin to look as good as he did. He made butterfly wings brush at her stomach and made her heart somersault at the most unexpected times. His eyes could create a firestorm in her with just one smouldering, brooding look. He could melt a woman, any woman, at twenty paces. Miah cleared her throat, trying hard not to blush, suddenly remembering he was more than likely a shadow in her mind, reading her
Miah could feel Alexander’s mounting desire, the way his body burned and ached, hardening to the point of pain. His hands were becoming rougher, more demanding, and she reveled in the thought of his own loss of control. “I want you inside me, Alexander,” she murmured softly, a demand. “I want your body in mine. I don’t want you to treat me as if I might break either.” She said it deliberately, knowing what it would do to his body, knowing he was caught up in the same storm of fire as she was.She looked beyond him to the bank of mirrors, saw his perfectly formed masculine body, the defined muscles, and the long, shiny hair, and her body fragmented again—an explosion of such force that rocked her and shook her so much that she cried out with the fury of it. “Alexander, now, right now.”“On the floor, where I can go deep, I want to be so deep inside you, you will never get me out.” The admission was torn from him as he dragged her from the counter and laid her on the thick carpet. He fo
She seemed to be free of all outside forces. He sighed softly, releasing her before his sudden, unexpected surge of anger transmitted itself to Shaina. She had been hideously abused and the raw wounds in her mind would forever leave scars. She was an extraordinary young woman with rare insight and gifts beyond measure.But the man who should have loved and protected her had been the very one to initiate and perpetuate the abuse. Alexander was careful to breathe deeply, wanting to appear completely calm and in control. He knew that Shaina would be terrified by any masculine displays of temper. Luther had already destroyed Shaina’s abusers one by one. He had taken the girl’s enemies as part of his little chess game with Alexander, to show he knew what Alexander knew. “Did you see anything in there that changes your mind about wanting to take me home with you and Miah?” There was a challenge in Shaina’s soft voice but her gaze had slid away from his the instant he released her. Alexan
Luther must not mean her any real harm. That was the only answer. He was baiting a trap to draw Alexander to him. She knew Alexander could read her thoughts, was sharing her mind. She should have realized Luther was sharing Alexander’s mind as well. His laughter came again, that soft musical symphony of beauty. “Now you see the futility of struggling against one such as I. This human child, though she is rare in this world, cannot fool one such as I by pretending to sleep. You cannot protect her from me, not with your safeguards, and not by trying to hide her from me. What Alexander knows, then so do I. When I wish to make her my slave, I will do so. Right now it is tedious to think of such a burden.” “Luther.” Alexander said the name softly, gently. “You grow tired of your existence. There is nothing to hold you to this world. You chose to lose your soul and follow the path of darkness, yet you gained no emotions, no power you had not already wielded. Allow me to aid you in leavin
“Never. There is nothing you can do to make me betray him, not of my own free will. Alexander is a great man and my lifemate. I willingly exchange my life for his.” She waited to be struck down. There was a silence, long and empty. She couldn’t hear him breathing, couldn’t hear his heart beating, if he had a heart. Her long lashes fluttered as she regarded the master demon standing so motionless, looking like the statue of an ancient god. It took a moment to realize there was no entrapment in his voice, just plain black magic. His voice simply made one want to comply with his every wish. “Why aren’t you forcing me to do your bidding?” she asked curiously, sweeping one hand nervously through her long blue-black hair. “I do not need the aid of women in my battle.” She felt a whip of contempt in his words. “I find it rather astonishing that my brother has grown so weak he has allowed this mortal you guard to remain alive. What do you see in this mortal that you would prefer his compan
Miah was screaming, although no sound emerged from her throat. Alexander was engaged in a terrible battle with three ferocious enemies, his very life at stake. She closed herself off from him immediately, not willing to take the chance of distracting him from his duty. He could not help her. “What the hell is going on?” Bert muttered, his voice strangled in his throat. He was terrified, certain someone had slipped him a hallucinogenic. This could not be reality, not with monsters fighting, demons turning into wolves, and winged gargoyles coming to life. Automatically Miah reached out to soothe him, her fingers settling lightly around his wrist so she could manipulate his mind. Her voice was low and compelling, the compulsion embedding itself deep within his brain. She might not be able to save Bert’s life, but she could make the dying easier. He would never feel the teeth in his throat, ripping and tearing while the monster gulped fresh blood. With her head held high, she faced the
When her family had been wiped out in the wars, she had fled the Supernatural Mountains, making her way to Paris, where she learned to hide herself from her people. Tears shimmered unexpectedly in her dark eyes, the memory of that time still raw. She blinked them away and followed Bert along the winding trail. “I wasn’t just anyone, Miah. I was your best friend. But you always held a part of yourself away from me. No matter how hard I tried, I never could get close to you.” She hated that whiney note in his voice and that made her feel guiltier than ever. He had every reason to feel bad about what had happened between them. She had thought about spending her remaining years with him. She ducked her head, her long hair falling in a cascade around her face. “I didn’t mean to lead you on, Bert. I hope you believe that. I tried to be honest with you, but there were times when I seriously thought about becoming involved with you. Because I was considering a relationship with you, I must
He heard the soft shuffle of boots in the dirt, the heavy breathing of the ghoul a demon had created. Dangerous creatures, ghouls lived to serve their masters, feasting on tainted blood and the flesh of humans. They were vicious and without mercy. He waited, his power building and building, gathering until it flowed through him and poured out into the air around him. The ghoul approached from behind, shuffling closer, an evil being, clumsy but very cunning and impossibly strong. A human being would be in grave danger should he meet with a minion of the demon. Alexander was one of the ancients, powerful and far too experienced to give the ghoul much thought. As the grotesque creature closed the distance between them, Alexander whirled around, caught the misshapen head between his hands and jerked hard enough to break the neck. The crack was loud in the silence of the night. The monster wailed loudly, flailing its arms, but Alexander had melted away, his speed far too great for the m
“I will see to it this buffoon does no harm to our girl, but you will not do this thing.” Exasperated, Miah decided against arguing with Alexander’s tyrannical ways. At once she felt Alexander relax, felt his amusement, and she shook her head over the silly idiosyncrasies of men. “Did you have some questions you wanted to ask me?” she queried softly, looking directly into Barry Woods’s eyes. “Or did you have information that you thought was very important to tell me?” He could feel himself falling forward, deeper, deeper still until he was so mesmerized he wanted to stay there for eternity. He cleared his throat, unable, unwilling to break away from the beauty of her eyes. “I have friends who heard things about you. They’re dangerous men. We hunt demons. Real demons, not the make-believe things in the movies. No one believes the creatures exist but us. We’ve been collecting proof over the years. We just need to get one, a body, something tangible to make the world take us seriously
“What stranger entered your room, Shaina?” “A man. He asked me lots of questions about you, but I didn’t answer or look at him. I retreated like I do. Into my own mind.” Shaina continued to look at the wall as if she were slightly ashamed of herself. Her hands were clutching the little stuffed animal until her knuckles turned white. “I don’t know if I can keep from doing it when I’m really afraid.” Miah gently pushed her hair from her forehead. She couldn’t wait to get the child home, where she would be surrounded by love, by feminine things. She couldn’t wait to do something with the wealth of hair that had been neglected for so long. “He’s a reporter, honey, nothing more. Someone told him a story about me and he wants to write about it. It has nothing to do with you, but I’ll make certain there’s a guard posted outside your door at all times. No one else will get in.” She should have posted a guard long before this. A small sound escaped Shaina’s throat, something between a laugh
“You are a woman much sought after by these human males and I am beginning to find it tedious.” Her eyebrow shot up. “Tedious?” she echoed. “Do I hear a veiled threat in there somewhere?” He bent his head to kiss her. “It was not all that veiled.” His grin was boyish and seductive at the same time. “I cannot very well admit I am bothered by those who seek your attention when I am your lifemate. As an ancient I am above such trivial things.” Miah found herself laughing. “You’re above something all right, but I’m not entirely certain what it is.” “Watch yourself tonight, Miah,” Alexander cautioned as he glided through the room toward the door. “You must always remember you are a target now, and so is Shaina.” “I’ll send word to Aidan’s family, asking them not to delay. That way if Shaina is home, she can be protected while we sleep.” Her dark gaze was suddenly anxious. “Alexander, don’t let Luther undermine your confidence in yourself. I really need you and so does our child. Our ch