Dark Gold (22 page)

And then he was gasping for breath, a strangled sound somewhere between a moan and a hoarse cry escaping. His muscles and sinews clenched as white-hot pain coursed through his body, as unbelievable pleasure flooded his every cell. Her teeth had pierced deep, and his blood flowed into her, her mouth moving in a sensuous feeding frenzy. Erotic. Hot.

Her hand slid over his chest, stroked his flat belly, followed the trail of golden hair until her fingertips were brushing the waistband of his trousers. Aidan shifted his weight, tried to ease the tightly-stretched cloth covering his throbbing body. He needed relief, was desperate for it.

His incisors were sharp against his tongue, his mouth filled with hot need. He nuzzled the nape of her neck as she fed. The act was more erotic than all the times, faded now, in his memory of sexual encounters over the earlier centuries, before his emotions, urges, and feelings had disappeared. His teeth clamped down of their own accord on her shoulder, pinning her in place in the age-old Carpathian display of dominance, an instinct he hadn't known he possessed until this moment. His body clenched, drenched itself in sweat, pulsed with need, and burned with fire.

Her hand moved over the constriction of cloth. Her mind, so deeply merged with his, was lost in fiery need. She could see the images in his head of the two of them tangled together in ecstasy. She knew exactly what he so urgently wanted, what his body demanded. His need was hers. Her hand freed him from the confines of his tight trousers. She felt him shudder as her fingers wrapped around the thick length of him, as she stroked and caressed the hard shaft.

His teeth came together, his body arching. There was thunder in his ears and a haze of red desire before his eyes. Jackhammers were beating at his skull. His hands pushed at her sweater, rough and insistent, wild and dominant. His teeth bit down when she would have moved.

Some small sense of self-preservation surfaced, and Alexandria became aware of what she was doing. It had been like some erotic dream, but now she was conscious of the cool night, the heat of his body, the demands of his hands, her own uninhibited behavior, her mouth feeding so sensually at his chest.

"Oh, God!" She let go of him as if burned and tried to move away. His hand held her head to him, and she felt the trickle of blood making its way down in his chest

"Close the wound with your tongue. Your saliva carries a healing agent. There is no mark unless we wish it." His voice was like a caress, soft and husky yet gravelly with need. His hand forced her compliance.

She did as she was told because she was terrified to defy him. He was in such a state of arousal, with one wrong move he would sweep her resistance aside. And he could. She knew it. He knew it. They were locked together with one mind. She held her breath as he struggled for control. His body was as hard as a rock, taut with leashed aggression, and so hot they both were burning up in the flames. A low growl rumbled in his throat. He was more beast than man, and she realized she had no concept of what kind of being she was dealing with.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She chanted it like a litany, humiliated that she could have been so bold, so wanton. "Please tell me that you hypnotized me and made me do those things. You did, didn't you?"

She was pleading with him. It was in her voice, in her eyes, in her mind. But they were locked together, and lifemates could not have untruth between them. As much as he wanted to spare her the truth, he could not. Aidan shook his head, but the dawning comprehension was already in her mind. Alexandria moaned and covered her face with both hands. "I'm not like this. I don't respond to men this way, I don't drink blood, and I am not a tease. What have you done to me? It's even worse than I thought. I'm some kind of vampire nymphomaniac." She attempted to pull herself out of his arms, but Aidan tightened his hold on her.

"Be calm,
cara
. Breathe your way through this. There is a rational explanation." Everything in him wanted to throw her to the floor of the balcony, claim what was rightfully his, and once and for all put himself out of a living hell. But he could not do that to her. Her outrageous thought,
vampire nymphomaniac
, nearly made him smile. It certainly turned his heart over, even while his self-control was in savage, relentless meltdown.

Alexandria was very aware of the restraint he was showing, of how hard he was fighting his natural instincts, his belief in his right to have her. She swallowed hard and stayed very still, not wanting to enflame him further. She was trembling, fighting her own needs and desires, feelings she had never experienced. Why for him? Why did it have to be for him that she burned and needed?
She drank his blood willingly. She drank it and wanted more, wanted to give herself to him, wanted him to touch her, to possess her, wanted to touch him
. She groaned again, humiliated. She could never face him again as long as she lived. And, for God's sake, he had some pretty vivid and explicit pictures in his head, too. His intentions toward her were anything but avuncular. Aidan Savage wanted with her a desire, a hunger so beyond anything human, she could barely conceive of it.

"You are shaking,
piccola
," he pointed out softly, his breathing a little more ragged than he would have liked. He wanted to keep her right where she was. If he allowed her to run now, he would lose valuable ground. His hand moved over her silky hair in a soothing gesture. "We are both all right. Nothing happened."

"What do you mean, nothing happened?" she demanded. "I drank your blood." The very thought of it now made her sick, and her stomach lurched convulsively. She had wanted to do it, needed to, and her hunger was sated for the time being, but her body was alive with need.

"I told you there were ways. You have no need to worry you will harm Joshua. I will see to all your requirements. It is my right." His voice softened to velvet. "It is my privilege." His hand found her throat, settled there possessively, her pulse beating frantically into his palm. The edges of her sweater were still parted, revealing the enticing swell of her full breasts. Alexandria didn't seem to be aware of it, still so shocked at her wanton behavior and her feeding on Aidan's blood that she couldn't think of anything else. The sight of her was not helping to cool his hot blood. He had a sudden desire to crush her to him, to bury his teeth in her, and drag her fully, kicking and screaming, into his life.

Alexandria carefully avoided looking down into his lap. His masculine body was exposed to the night, hard and thick, with no apologies. Unlike her, Aidan didn't appear in the least embarrassed. In fact, it was obvious he felt he had a right to her. She stared up at the stars pushing their way through the scattered wisps of clouds. The night was beautiful and calming. The feel of his hand wrapped around her throat should have frightened her, but instead she felt cherished.

Alexandria moistened her lips. None of her emotions, so intense, were characteristic of her. "Are you certain you didn't direct my actions?"

"You are my lifemate, Alexandria. Your mind and body recognize me as such. The bond between us will only grow, as will the need. Such is the way of our people. It is probably a protection for our longevity. Rather than paling over time, our sexual need for each other gets stronger. There will come a time when we must give in, or the consequences will be dire." He tried to choose his words carefully, yet still be honest.

She picked the image out of his mind, blushing furiously. "Violence? We would come together in violence? I don't have experience—we've already established that—and I'm not even certain I like you. Why is this happening between us?"

His breath came out in a long sigh. At least she was talking instead of running. He had to hand it to her, she had courage. "You have never felt physical attraction for another man because you were made for me. Your body needs mine. You are my lifemate."

"I hate that word," she snapped resentfully. "You've taken my life away from me. I don't even know who I am anymore." Her blue eyes met his. "I am not going to just hand myself over to you without a fight."

His thumb brushed her jaw, sending waves of fire beating at her. "I have already taken over your life, as you have taken over mine. It is done."

"I don't think so," she objected, her chin lifting defiantly. All at once she became aware of her sweater gaping open. With a little gasp of dismay, she dragged the edges together. "Do you mind?" she said indignantly, pointedly glancing at his all-too-masculine display.

He gave a lazy shrug. "It is not exactly as if I can comfortably put everything back together again."

She blushed furiously. "Well, don't talk about it, for heaven's sake!"

He found himself smiling in spite of the raging demands of his body. With unhurried movements he positioned himself within the confines of the tight cloth and buttoned the fly. "Does that make you feel safer?" he teased tenderly.

His voice sent a shiver of pure pleasure down her spine. No one deserved to have a voice like his. And his mouth. She stared up at it, caught by the chiseled perfection of it. No one should have that tempting a mouth. Her heart was slamming painfully against her chest. His mouth was mesmerizing, like his voice. Close. So close. She could almost feel the heat, the hot beckoning of his mouth.

His lips brushed hers, and her heart stopped. His tongue traced her full lower lip, teasing an opening to sweep inside the silken interior. Her heart began to pound. There was only feeling, a curious shifting of the earth, a slow spinning that kept her senses off balance. He explored every inch of her mouth with complete authority, building the heat between them once again. It was Aidan who slowly, reluctantly, lifted his head. His strange eyes were hot, molten gold, roaming her face possessively. His thumb caressed her chin while his palm spanned her throat.

"You did that this time," he whispered, a dark sorcerer, ensnaring her further in his spell. "I deny all responsibility."

His voice whispered over her skin. She stared up at him helplessly. How did he do it so easily? Wrap her up in sexual feelings when she was so certain she had none?

"I did not do this," he reiterated. "You are looking at me as if I am some spider and you are the little moth caught in my web." He shifted again in an attempt to give his body some relief.

She felt every masculine muscle imprinted on her soft form. She wanted to stay there forever, never be away from him. Horrified, Alexandria wrenched herself up. She got nowhere. Her body hadn't moved an inch from his. The gold eyes never wavered from her face.

"Let me up. I mean it, Aidan. You're seducing me. You're doing something with your voice. I know you are. Like you do with Joshua."

"If only I could,
piccola
. It would be nice to control you. It would present all sorts of interesting possibilities."

She could see the wicked thoughts in his mind, the tangled bodies, bare skin, his mouth moving over every inch of her. "Stop!" she cried-desperately, feeling her body going into meltdown at the erotic pictures in his head.

He looked innocent and nuzzled the top of her head with his chin. "I am merely enjoying the night, Alexandria. Is it not beautiful?"

She glanced up at the fading stars. Light was beginning to streak the darkness, turning the skies silver-gray. Her breath caught in her throat. Where had the night gone? How long had she lain here with Aidan? She didn't want to go down to the chamber and sleep. "I want to see the sun."

His hand stroked her hair. "You can see the sun, but you cannot be in it. And you can never forget dark glasses, or the time."

She swallowed fear. "The time?"

"You will become lethargic at first, then the weakness will hit and you will be completely vulnerable. You must be in shelter by noon."

His voice was calm, matter-of-fact, as if he was not crushing her, taking her life from her. All at once she hated his voice.

"What about Joshua?" she demanded. "What about his life, school, birthday, parties, sports? He might play baseball or football. Where will I be during his games, his practice sessions?"

"Marie and Stefan—"

"I don't want another woman raising my brother. I love him. I want to be there when he does these things. Can't you understand that? I don't want it to be Marie sitting in the stands when he hits a ball for the first time. And what about parent-teacher conferences? Does Marie do those, too?" Her voice was bitter, and once again the awful blockage was tearing at her throat, threatening to strangle her.

"Breathe, Alexandria," he commanded softly, his hands massaging her shoulders. "You keep forgetting to breathe. This is all so new. Things will work themselves out. Give yourself some time."

"Maybe if I saw a doctor. A researcher specializing in blood disorders. There must be a way to go back," she said desperately. The truth was the worst thing to face. It wasn't just the abhorrent practice of drinking blood. Evidently she could overcome that aversion; Aidan had just given her proof. It was her growing obsession with Aidan that terrified her.
He
terrified her. His dominating her life terrified her. She wanted all of that to just go away and leave her normal again.

He stirred slightly, the jungle cat stretching. She could feel his muscles rippling with power. His hand moved to her neck, and there was stark possession in his gaze. "You will not do such a foolish thing. There are those who hunt our people, and the methods they use to destroy us are not pretty. You would die a hard and ugly death. I cannot allow such a thing."

"I hate that condescending I'm-so-calm-and-you're-so-out-of-control voice you use. Don't you ever get mad?" she blazed at him, little sparks flying from her sapphire eyes. "I'm just going to ignore you. How do I know any of this is real? I've never acted this way before. This could all be a dream."

His eyebrows lifted, and a small, mocking, suggestive smile touched his mouth. "A dream?" he echoed.

"A nightmare," she corrected with a frown. "A very bad, very vivid nightmare."

"Would you like me to see if I can wake you up?" he offered helpfully.