Dark Destiny (9 page)

Chapter Four

Fear clawed at the pit of Destiny's stomach. Her first instinct was to turn and fight, but the pressure of his fingers at the nape of her neck was a clear warning, preventing her from moving. Without taking his censorious gaze from MaryAnn, Nicolae bent very close to Destiny, until his breath was warm against her ear and his lips skimmed her earlobe, a mere wisp of contact that set her heart pounding and sent heat rushing through her veins. "You cannot call attention to our kind in this place, Destiny. It is the last thing you want."

His hair brushed her skin like raw silk, and she felt a shiver all the way to her toes. His masculine scent enveloped her. Beckoned. Tempted. His arm, so casually draped over her shoulder, was hard with muscle and sinew, felt hot through her thin blouse. Destiny was so aware of Nicolae as a man, she couldn't think properly. Her world narrowed until it encompassed only the two of them. A strange roaring throbbed in her ears. Her body seemed heavy yet alive, every nerve ending shrieking at her, though whether in alarm or need, she wasn't certain. She didn't care.

Destiny had spent most of her life alone. Never touching another person unless she was feeding, rarely speaking to anyone. Yet now, here in this place, she was surrounded by people, overwhelmed by the smell of blood, the beating of hearts. Music pounded out a primitive rhythm. She was suffocated by perfume. Alcohol. The noise was deafening, the scents overpowering. This was too much. All of it. She never should have allowed the door to her past to crack open for even a moment. And here was Nicolae. Coming to her when she was lost in the midst of hell. She wasn't prepared for her strange physical reaction to him.

"Why in the world would you think I'm doing something to hurt Destiny?" Mary Ann looked more shocked than intimidated. "I would never do such a thing. Destiny is upset and rightly so, but not at me. Are you a friend of hers?"

Destiny let her breath out slowly, forced herself to attempt to relax beneath those strong massaging fingers. MaryAnn's voice snapped her back to the reality of here and now.
Pretend
. She was a mistress of illusion when she had to be. The pad of his thumb lingered over the pulse beating so frantically in her throat, slid back and forth in a gentle, soothing caress. Nicolae could feel her body trembling—how could he not? He could hear her heart pounding loud and hard, and that telltale pulse told him much more than she wanted him to know. But she couldn't stop trembling. She, who was always so controlled, could not control her own pulse beneath his marauding thumb.

"Perhaps I misread the situation. I could feel Destiny's distress from across the room and I thought you were upsetting her." Nicolae smiled at the woman, a show of elegant charm. He bowed slightly, his white teeth perfect, his sensual face without guile. He looked like a lord of old, at home in a palace. He leaned lower to brush a lingering kiss across the top of Destiny's dark head. Strands of her hair caught for a moment in the stubble along his jaw, connecting them. "I cannot bear it when she is upset. Forgive me if I frightened you. I'm Nicolae Von Shrieder."

"Mary Ann Delaney." Mary Ann couldn't take her eyes from Destiny's pale face. For just a moment, she thought there were dots of blood on Destiny's forehead, but Nicolae leaned over the younger woman, his head and shoulders blocking Mary Ann's view, and with exquisite care seemed to press a small kiss on the spot. When he straightened, the tiny dots were no longer there, and MaryAnn was certain she had imagined them.

The swirl of Nicolae's tongue was too much for Destiny to endure. In another minute she would lose control completely. She had no idea what she'd be capable of if she became hysterical, but control was everything to her. She was determined not to lose it. Destiny pushed her palms against the table, sliding her chair deliberately into Nicolae, and surged to her feet, certain she would catch him by surprise.

As if he had choreographed her movement, Nicolae turned her neatly into his arms, drawing her body into the shelter of his. "Excuse us," he said to MaryAnn, and without missing a beat he whirled Destiny out onto the dance floor.

"What are you doing?" To her horror, her voice shook. Hunger was a craving now, a terrible, inevitable craving she couldn't ignore. Her face was pressed into the warmth of the hollow of his shoulder. She remembered the taste of him. With his blood on her tongue, the insatiable hunger had been appeased for once and the continual torment inside her had lessened. She had never felt so sated by anything.

"I'm dancing with you," he answered easily, pulling her closer to him.

Their bodies were pressed together, their clothing the only barrier between them. With each gliding step her breasts pushed into his chest, her nipples becoming sensitized from rubbing against his shirt. His muscles were taut and defined as he whisked her around the floor. More than anything, she was aware of the thick, hard part of him pressed against her stomach as they moved together. Floated together. It frightened her, yet fascinated her. Her own blood seemed to pool, low and thick, so that she throbbed and burned with an unfamiliar need.

Their feet barely touched the ground. She had never danced in her life, yet her body followed every movement of his flawlessly. As if she had been born to partner him.

"Close your eyes, give yourself up to the music."
To me
. He whispered the temptation in her ear, his hand moving over her back, tracing her spine.
You have not fed, Destiny. Why have you come to such a place hungry? Do you think to punish yourself
?

It was too close to the truth. She had come to remove MaryAnn's memories, to violate the trust of a woman who was inherently good.

You are not evil
. He whispered the words against her skin, even as they brushed in her mind. His tongue swirled over her pulse. Tasted. Lingered. Her entire body clenched in reaction.
You are Carpathian, a race in harmony with nature. A protector of mankind. You do not kill wantonly or lightly
.

He was killing her. With hope. With dreams. With things she dared not reach for. Trust was something she could never give one of his kind. He made her feel things she didn't want to feel. Made her long for things impossible for her to have. Every ounce of self-preservation shrieked at her to wrench herself out of his arms and run for her life. Instead, almost helplessly she nuzzled closer, found his beckoning pulse with her mouth.

I could kill you
, she breathed.
Drain the blood from your body right here
. She wanted him to know she was undecided. His fate was undecided. That her fingers curling in the silk of his shirt meant nothing. That her body molding itself to his didn't matter. That she had control. She had power. His voice was sheer magic. It washed over her, into her, wrapped itself around her heart and soul, but none of that mattered. It would never matter.

Yes, you could
. The words purred in her mind, a blend of heat and smoke.
Take what you need, I offer freely
. He nuzzled her hair again, his breath warm against her cheek as he switched to speaking, his voice low and soft. "Each rising I wake with your pain crawling through my body. I wake with your sorrow in my mind." His hands found her hair, bunched silken strands in his fist. "It is my right to care for you, to be your solace. If you seek my death, little one, if that is what you need for your own survival, so be it. I would give my life for yours and never look back."
I am willing to give my life to you
.

There was intimacy in his voice. There was tenderness. There was honesty.

Her eyes burned with her effort not to see him. Not to hear him. Not to trust him. Not to
need
him. Heat beckoned. Seduced. Her tongue lapped at his pulse. She felt his reaction. Not fear. Hunger. Sharp and terrible. Erotic hunger so strong his muscular body shuddered. Hardened. Grew hotter. His breath left his lungs in a rush of anticipation.

Nicolae whirled her into deeper shadows, away from prying eyes, blurring their images so that there seemed to be a veil of haze between the couple and the rest of the people in the place. She was in his arms at long last, fitting perfectly. Belonging. He willed her to feel it, feel their deep need of one another, even as he acknowledged her terrible struggle. She had survived the abomination of her childhood by choosing solitude. By never trusting. He knew what he was asking of her. Not even asking. Demanding.

Trust. Such an easy word. Such an impossible quality. How could he ask or demand such a thing of Destiny? She had been taught
never
to trust. Her life had depended upon it. Her very soul had depended upon it.

Nicolae allowed his lashes to drift down, his head to rest over hers. His heart fragmented. He knew his own power, his enormous strength. But he could not,
would
not force compliance from Destiny. If they came together it would be with her full consent. It couldn't be any other way. An evil monster had forced acts of humiliation and degradation upon her, along with years of unspeakable pain and horror. Nicolae could not force a relationship on her. How could he do anything that might resemble the actions of that depraved creature who had stolen her childhood, her family and her innocence?

Destiny moved restlessly in Nicolae's arms.
You shouldn't tempt me, Nicolae
. She hadn't meant to use his beautiful name. She wanted nothing intimate between them, and his name seemed musical to her. It came out sounding all wrong. Husky. Intimate. Aching. She breathed his name against his pulse while her body burned and pulsed and throbbed. While butterfly wings brushed at the pit of her stomach. Helplessly she touched her mouth to his skin. Tormenting herself. Torturing him.

"Destiny." There was an ache in his voice.

She made a sound of horror, wrenched her body away from his. Nicolae saw her eyes, the confusion and terror in their depths. "Get away from me right now," she demanded, backing away. Fearing him. Fearing for him.

Movement across the room caught his eye. Mary Ann had stood up, frowning. She took several steps toward Destiny but halted as Destiny lifted her hand in warning. Then Destiny was gone, moving so quickly she was a blur. Nicolae was left standing alone on the dance floor, his body as hard as a rock, his heart aching for his lost lifemate.

Mary Ann made her way to Nicolae's side. "Tell me what to do to help her." She touched his arm to draw his attention more fully to her. "I can see the sorrow in her eyes, and it breaks my heart. I know I can help her."

Nicolae stared down at the woman, seeing the compassion and determination written on her face. He had been slipping in and out of Destiny's mind for years even though he had never taken her blood to seal the bond between them. It had been Destiny's horrendous pain, coupled with her tremendous psychic abilities, that had allowed her to connect so completely with Nicolae. He had caught glimpses of the woman before him many times in Destiny's mind, although Destiny had tried to shield her from him.

This woman knew more than any human should. She knew things that could get her killed.

"I'm no threat to you," Mary Ann said softly. Nicolae's face was a mask. Unreadable. Handsome and compelling. Dangerous. Instinctively she knew he was the same as Destiny, not quite human. "I want to help her. She saved my life twice."

"She has survived things so hideous you cannot even conceive of them. Why would you presume to think you can help her?"

Although his words were spoken in a low, beautiful timbre, something in that perfect tone made her shiver with apprehension. She was conversing with a powerful being, something she knew nothing of. Someone who made life-and-death decisions over others every day of his life. MaryAnn felt the impact of each of his words. She lifted her chin. "Because she chose me."

Nicolae studied her face for a long time. She had the feeling he was examining much more than her features. For one horrible moment she felt him moving in her mind. He didn't bother to hide it from her, deliberately showing her his power, a not-so-subtle threat. A warning. Whatever he found must have satisfied him, because he withdrew from her mind, leaving her memories still intact.

"Do you have any idea what you are asking?" Nicolae demanded in a low, compelling voice. "You must be very certain this is what you want. You know what I am. You know what she is. And you have an inkling of the demon we hunt. There is one in this city—at least one, maybe more. He is out there now, killing the innocent. Maybe hunting a small female child with the amazing gifts Destiny has. The knowledge of our existence that you have right now constitutes a danger to all immortals, whether they are vampire or hunter. It is allowed only in rare instances."

MaryAnn followed Nicolae across the room to a secluded table away from the crowds, knowing that whatever she said to him now would decide her fate. She thought of Destiny's eyes. Troubled. Filled with shadows and sorrows. "I can't leave her to suffer. She won't find her way back, Nicolae. I know she won't. You think you'll be able to reach her, and you might on some level, but it won't be enough. She's suffered a terrible trauma. That won't just go away because you will it to do so."

"You are risking your life." He wanted her to know the truth. "Destiny would not want you to risk your life for her." He pulled out a chair, stood courteously while MaryAnn slipped onto the seat. As he sat down across from her he waved off the waitress. "Think very carefully before you speak. I can remove your memories of all of this. Of Destiny. Of me. Of the creature that wanted to kill you. All of it. You will never worry about Destiny, because you will not remember that she exists."

"I don't want that." MaryAnn shook her head adamantly. "She's important to me, and I think I'm important to her." She leaned across the table toward him. "I can handle this. I really can. I'm afraid. I'd be silly not to be afraid, but you don't know what she did for me. Twice. She saved my life twice. She's given the sanctuary so much money, money we desperately needed to expand and to make sure the women had counseling and job opportunities. Destiny did that. She deserves a chance, too."