Carpathian 03 - Dark Gold

she does it with me. I'll say prayers with you like she does, and you won't have bad dreams ever again."
    
    Marie found herself smiling at the simplicity and innocence in Joshua. She had three children, now grown, and Joshua brought back memories of the sweetness of childhood. She hugged him close. "Thank you, Joshua. Your sister is a very smart woman. You're lucky to have her." She stifled a sob. "And what are you doing out of bed at this time of night anyway? It's nearly four in the morning. Shame on you, young man."
    
    "I thought Alexandria was in her bedroom, but she wasn't. I was looking for her." Joshua's eyes betrayed his fear of losing his sister.
    
    "Aidan had to take her to a special place of healing. She's still sick, Joshua, so we have to have patience until he makes her better."
    
    "Will she be all right?" he asked anxiously.
    
    "Of course. Aidan would never let anything happen to her. He'll watch over her very closely.
    You know that."
    
    "Can I talk to her on the phone?"
    
    Marie laid him in the bed, pulling the covers up to his chin. "Not for a while. She's sleeping, just like you should be. I'll stay with you until you're sound asleep."
    
    He smiled, a sweet, angelic smile that put warmth back into Marie. "I can teach you the prayer."
    
    She pulled a chair up to the bed and took his hand, listening to his child's voice saying soft, Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    innocent things to God.
    
    Stefan wrapped an arm around Aidan's waist to support him. He could feel Aidan's disturbance at his touch and knew it stemmed from his battle with the ever-present demon within him fighting for control.
    
    Aidan's enormous strength was drained, his hunger voracious, his need for blood so strong it ruled his every sense. It wrapped around his organs and crawled through his mind with burning need. "Hurry, Stefan, get out of here," he said hoarsely, trying to push the older man away from him.
    
    "I will get you to the chamber, Aidan," Stefan said firmly. "You will not harm me. You hold your woman in your arms. She is your salvation. In any case, I have offered my life to you on more than one occasion. If it is your wish to take it at this time to save yourself and your woman, I have no objection."
    
    Aidan gritted his teeth and clamped down hard on his predatory instincts. The will to survive was strong, the need for fresh, hot blood paramount. He tried not to hear Stefan's heart beating strong and steady, the pulse of blood surging through the body of this man he was so close to.
    
    Once in the chamber, Stefan released him and backed away, knowing he was causing Aidan distress. He knew in his heart that Aidan would never harm him. He trusted the Carpathian far more than Aidan trusted himself. "I will bring the blood, Aidan."
    
    Aidan nodded curtly and placed Alexandria's nearly lifeless body on the bed. He sagged down beside her, his hand curling around the thick braid of her hair. She had saved him, assuming she would die in the process. She had willingly, freely, offered her life for his. Their bond was much stronger than he had realized. She would never have survived his death. They were linked for all eternity, true lifemates. He had uttered the ancient words binding their souls together. Two halves of the same whole.
    
    He sighed and lay beside her, inwardly cursing his need for blood. He could not go to ground without taking in more sustenance. He waited, the demon within him roaring and raging, until he sensed the human near, heard the soft pad of footsteps. The heavy door creaked, and Stefan placed several bottles of blood on the floor, then retreated, leaving Aidan and his lifemate alone in the chamber.
    
    Aidan staggered across the floor and wrapped his hand around the neck of a wine bottle. He drained the contents and reached for the next one. Stefan had brought five full bottles, and Aidan consumed them all, and still his body craved more.
    
    But with renewed energy from the blood supply, he moved the bed with a wave of his hand and opened the trap door to the cool, waiting earth below. It took concentration to peel back the layers of soil to make a space for his body and Alexandria's. Gathering her into his arms, he floated into the protection of Mother Earth. Aidan settled his frame around his lifemate and began the intricate ancient spells guarding the entrance to his lair. The trapdoor shut, and the