Dark Gold (35 page)

Aidan had changed all that. He had brought beauty and joy to her world again. She could sit here, alone in the dark, surrounded by the wailing wind, the crashing sea, even the ominous clouds gathering overhead, and realize the magnificence of it all. Aidan was working on one of his many businesses, and she had slipped out of the house to be on her own. While part of her loved the closeness Aidan demanded, the way he was constantly slipping in and out of her mind, she was used to her freedom, used to doing things on her own. And she had needed to just sit quietly and allow all that had happened to her begin to sink in.

Aidan was unhappy with her. She could feel the weight of his disapproval. He was with her, in a quiet corner of her mind, but at least he hadn't tried to force her compliance.

I should have.

Alexandria smiled at his complaint.
It's a good thing you didn't. You need to learn I don't mind you the way Joshua does
.

Another one of your annoying habits?

She laughed out loud, the joyful sound carried down the beach by the wind.
If it isn't, I'm going to be sure to cultivate it
.

You are going to do exactly what I say
. His voice had dropped an octave, until it was a black-velvet caress, a blatant seduction.

She instantly felt the answering heat in her body.
Get back to work, sex fiend, and leave me alone for a while
.

Just for a short while. That is all the time I can manage to be without your body beneath mine.

You're wicked, Aidan. Very, very wicked
. She was laughing, her head back, her heart light and filled with joy after such a long, dark journey.

Miles away, the sky lit up briefly, a white flash illuminating the dark clouds, and then she heard the distant rumble of thunder. A storm was riding the waves in, feeding the sea's playful mood. She leaned back and felt a drop of water splash her cheek, rain or sea spray, she couldn't tell. She didn't care. Her life was coming back together; she was finding her strength again. And now that she was accepting what she had become, she would find a way to deal with life again.

In the darkness a shadow shifted overhead. She blinked, sat up, and tilted her head to scan the skies. She detected no movement. Perhaps it had been merely one black cloud gliding in front of the others. Still, she felt uneasy. She was alone on the dunes, close enough to the water that she could detect the finned predators beneath the surface. And that realization suddenly unnerved her, that beneath the beautiful waves glided prehistoric creatures, forever seeking prey.

A slow smile curved her mouth. She was beginning to let anything spook her. Who would be out on a night like this? The ocean roared, slammed into the rocks, and sent plumes of froth into the sky. Her uneasiness increased with the wildness of the storm.

Perhaps it would be better for you to listen to your lifemate and be alone in the house or on the balcony rather than out in a storm.

His taunt was irritating, and she scooped up another handful of sand in defiance. Still, despite her determination, Alexandria felt a heavy, oppressive weight on her chest, and she anxiously scanned the sky, trying to remain calm enough to feel her surroundings, to detect another's presence. Suddenly, without any real reason, she was certain she wasn't alone, and whatever was stalking her was evil.

Get out of there
, Aidan commanded at once. His voice was cool and determined, and in response to the increasing strength of her instincts, she sensed he had taken to the air.

She stood, her eyes searching the immediate area. The wind tugged at her hair, whipping it across her face. She dragged the long strands away and saw a man teetering high on the cliff. The wind was vicious, and she could see he was in trouble, the edge of the embankment crumbling beneath his weight. Alexandria shouted and began to run, instinctively reaching out as if she could somehow prevent his fall.

How could she not have seen him earlier? Felt his presence? Why had she been so selfishly certain that she was the one in danger? How long had the man been up there and in danger?

What is it, cara
? Aidan's voice was calm and soothing, and he was closer now, which was reassuring.

She grabbed on to him like a lifeline. A
man on the cliffs
—
he's falling
. If only she hadn't wasted time feeling sorry for herself, for what she had become. She could have saved him. She should have been learning from Aidan, everything he could teach her. She could have moved with his blinding speed and caught the man before he hit the jagged rocks below.

I am coming. Stay away from him!
It was a demand, but one she couldn't obey. Though she had little hope of saving the stranger, she had to try. She ran barefoot over the wet sand, her gaze riveted on the cliff. For one moment she thought the world darkened. Then a burst of lightning danced and sizzled, and a fireball exploded through the night, heading right toward the man.

Alexandria screamed as he tumbled forward, his fall seeming to happen in slow motion, a torturous descent of forty feet or more. The wind whipped her shout back into her face like a slap. She was still a distance away and far too late, but she ran anyway. Without warning, at a full run, she hit something invisible. The impact knocked her to the ground.

Heart beating fast, she sat up, shoving the wild, wind-whipped tangle of her hair from her face. She didn't see an obstacle, the impact hadn't hurt, yet when she reached out, her hand met something solid.

How could you, Aidan
? She was bewildered that he would restrain her this way, stop her from going to the stranger's aid. She slowly got to her feet, shaken.

The fog rolled in swiftly from the sea, carried on the wild winds. Out of it, on the other side of the invisible barrier, a man began to materialize. At first he was shimmering, translucent, but then he solidified further, becoming a dark, shadowy being. He was tall, like Aidan, with the same roped muscles. His hair was as black as the night, long and held with a leather thong at the nape of his neck. His face was beautiful, his mouth both sensual and cruel, his jaw strong. But it was his eyes that captured her attention. They were pale, almost light itself, a quicksilver brilliance impossible to ignore.

Alexandria was suddenly very afraid. Aidan exuded power, but this man
was
power. No one, nothing, could ever defeat such a creature. She was certain he was not human. One hand crept protectively to her throat.

The stranger casually waved a hand, and the barrier was gone in an instant. She had never seen the obstruction, yet now she knew it was gone, that nothing stood between them but air. She was terrified, for herself and for Aidan.

"You are Aidan's woman. His lifemate. Where is he that he would allow you to wander unprotected?"

His voice was the most hypnotic, compelling sound she had ever heard. So pure. So enticing. No one could resist that soft, musical voice. If he told her to throw herself into the roiling ocean, she would do so. She curled her fingers tightly into fists.

"Who are you?" she asked. Silently she warned,
Aidan, be careful. There is another here. He knows 1 am with you, your lifemate
. She tried not to allow the trembling that was seizing her body to creep into her voice.

Look at him
, piccola.
Do not be afraid. I am close. 1 will see what you see. Keep your mind open
. As always, Aidan sounded calm and in control.

The stranger's beguiling mouth curved, but there was no warmth in the slashing silver of his eyes. "You speak to him. Good. I am certain he can see me now. But he is a fool to allow his feelings for you to blind him to his duties."

Her chin lifted. "Who are you?" she repeated.

"I am Gregori. The dark one. Perhaps he has told you of me."

He is the most knowledgeable, the most powerful of all our kind
, Aidan confirmed. He was very near.
He is the greatest healer our kind has ever known and my teacher. He is also a master of destruction and bodyguard to our Prince
.

He terrifies me.

He terrifies everyone. Only Mikhail, the Prince of our people, knows him well.

"I trust Aidan has good things to say about me." He was facing her, those brilliant eyes seeing right into her soul, but Alexandria had the feeling his attention was elsewhere. His voice was so pure, so perfect, she wanted him to go on speaking.

A rush of wind stirred up a whirling eddy of sand that spun and swirled until it enveloped Alexandria, driving her backward. When she finally regained her balance and uncovered her eyes, Aidan was directly in front of her.

"Very impressive, Aidan," the stranger said with a trace of satisfaction.

"I have not seen one of my own people for many years," Aidan said softly. "I am pleased it is you, Gregori."

"Do you now use your woman as bait?" The tone was mild, but the reprimand was clear.

Alexandria stirred, furious that this man would try to make Aidan feel guilty about her independence. Aidan's fingers unerringly found her wrist behind him, closing around it like a vise.
Do not
, he warned. She subsided immediately, sensing danger thick in the air.

"This one, this betrayer to our people." Gregori nodded toward the man lying so still on the rocks where he had fallen. "He sought to take her from you."

"He could not have done so," Aidan said softly.

Gregori nodded. "I believe that to be true. Still, she takes a risk that should not be permitted." A network of iridescent white veins lit up the sky, sharp, brilliant, a powerful display. The arcing lightning cast a peculiar shadow across the dark, handsome face and flashing silver eyes, making Gregori look both cruel and hungry.

The fingers around Alexandria's wrist tightened even more.
Do not move, do not speak, no matter what
, Aidan cautioned softly in her mind. "Thank you for your assistance, Gregori," he said aloud, his voice gentle and true. "This is my lifemate, Alexandria. She is new to our people and knows nothing of our ways. We would both consider it a great honor if you would accompany us back to our house and tell us the news of our homeland."

Are you out of your mind
? Alexandria protested silently, horrified. It would be like bringing home a wild jungle cat. A tiger. Something very lethal.

Gregori inclined his head at the introduction, but the refusal to join them was clear in his silver eyes. "It would be unwise of me to join you indoors. I would be a caged tiger, untrustworthy, unpredictable." His pale eyes flickered over Alexandria, and she had the distinct impression he was laughing at her. Then he turned his attention once more to Aidan. "I need to ask of you a favor."

Aidan knew of what Gregori would speak, and he shook his head. "Do not, Gregori. You are my friend. Do not ask of me what I cannot do." Alexandria felt Aidan's sorrow, his distress. His mind was a turmoil of emotions, fear among them.

The silver eyes flashed and burned. "You will do what you must, Aidan, just as I have done for over a thousand years. I have come here to wait for my lifemate. She will arrive in a few months to do a show, magic show. San Francisco is on her schedule. I intend to establish a house high in the mountains, far from your place. I need the wild, the heights, and I must be alone. I am close to the end, Aidan. The hunt, the kill, is all I have left."

He waved a hand, and the ocean waves leapt in response. "I am not certain if I can wait until she comes. I am too close. The demon has nearly consumed me." There was no change in the sweet purity of his voice.

"Go to her. Send for her. Call her to you." Aidan rubbed his forehead in agitation, and his obvious upset alarmed Alexandria more than anything else. Nothing ever seemed to get to Aidan. "Where is she? Who is she?"

"She is Mikhail and Raven's daughter. But Raven did not prepare her for what was to come on the day of the claiming. She was but eighteen years. When I went to her, she was so filled with fear, I found I could not be the monster I needed to be to claim her against her will. I did not press her. I

vowed to myself to allow her five years of freedom. After all, joining with me will be rather like joining with a tiger. Not the most comfortable of destinies."

"You can no longer wait." Alexandria had never heard Aidan so agitated. She stroked her thumb in a small caress across his wrist to remind him he would not have to face the future alone.

"I made a vow, and I will keep it. Once she is joined to me for all eternity, her life will not be an easy one, so she runs from it, and from me." Gregori's voice was so beautiful, so clear. There was no trace of bitterness, no regret.

"Does she know what you suffer for her?"

The silver eyes flashed at the implication of his lifemate's selfishness. "She knows nothing. This was my decision, my gift to her. The favor I ask is that you do not hunt me alone, if such becomes necessary. You will need Julian. He is of the darkness."

"Julian is like me," Aidan instantly protested.

"No, Aidan," Gregori corrected in his mesmerizing voice. "Julian is like me. That is why he seeks out the high reaches, why he is always alone. He is like me. He will help you defeat me should there be need."

"Go to her, Gregori," Aidan pleaded.

Gregori shook his head. "I cannot. Promise me you will do as I have requested. You will not attempt to hunt me without Julian."

"I would never be so foolish as to hunt the most wily wolf without the aid of another. Stay strong, Gregori." There was real sorrow in Aidan's voice.

"I will hold out as long as I am able," Gregori replied, "but in the waiting, there is much danger. I will be unable to destroy myself should it become too late. I will be too far gone. You understand, Aidan. The burden of this decision could fall on your shoulders, and for that, I ask your forgiveness. I always thought it would be Mikhail, but she is here, in the United States. And she will be here, in San Francisco, when my vow has been honored."