Carpathian 05 - Dark Challenge

his body. She took away his distress. She gave him so much pleasure. Just being near her gave him pleasure. Breathing in her scent gave him pleasure.
    "Julian, you give me the same feeling," she assured him, pleased she was able to lift his spirits.
    "You are a miracle to me," he said. "You have no idea what you mean to me, what you are to me, and I can never find the words to tell you."
    But she was in his mind. She could feel his emotions, and they were overwhelming to her. To be thought of as he thought of her! It was a powerful weapon the men of their race wielded. How could a lifemate possibly refuse to comfort and love such a man? She wanted this for Darius. She wanted a woman to love him the way she loved Julian. She wanted someone for Syndil and Barack and Dayan, as well.
    Julian laughed and curved his arm around her, sweeping her beneath the protection of his shoulder. Of course Desari would think of all the others, wanting to share her joy. It only made him love her more.
    "Look at the stars tonight, Desari. Tomorrow night there will be a storm. I feel it closing in around us. But tonight we walk together in the open and have time to enjoy ourselves."
    "It is nearly dawn," she reminded him, a little smile creeping into her voice.
    "It is a few hours until dawn," Julian replied. "More than enough time to accomplish my task."
    "You have a task?" she asked, her dark eyes dancing at him.
    "Absolutely. I have to convince you completely that I am the only man you will ever want or need in your lifetime."
    "My lifetime could be quite long," she pointed out in warning.
    "It will always be my first duty in life to ensure your safety at all times, cara mia . I want you to live with me a very long time."

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    She turned to him, her body pressed close to his, her arms sliding around his neck. "How long is a very long time?" she murmured, her teeth nibbling at the strong line of his jaw.
    His arms closed around her tightly as joy swept through his soul and a tidal wave of need consumed him.
    Julian bent his head to find her mouth with his. The sweet perfection of it. Velvet fire swept over him, through him, electricity arcing between them so that flames danced up their skin and through their bodies.
    A low growl escaped his throat, a soft sound of possession. Desari responded by moving even closer to him, her smaller frame molding itself to his.
    A sound intruded. It was barely discernible, the rub of fur against a leaf, but it was enough to elicit a frustrated groan from Julian. He leaned his forehead against her crown. "This family unit you have is driving me over the edge. We have no privacy, piccola , none whatsoever."
    She laughed softly with the same frustration. "I know, Julian. But it is one of the small sacrifices we all pay for caring for one another. We help each other through any crisis."
    "Who is going to help me through this one? Believe me, cara , I am definitely having a crisis. I need you before I start to go insane."
    "I know. It is the same for me," she whispered, her lips against the corner of his mouth, teasing, tempting.
    There was an ache in her voice, an answer to the ache in his. "We will have our time."
    "It had better be soon," he growled, meaning it. There was a hidden laughter in her, one he felt in her mind, in her heart. She found humor in the situation yet wanted him with the same urgent need. Julian found he was smiling in spite of his body's demands. There was something contagious about Desari's laughter, whether it was in her mind or aloud. It was joy. Pure and simple. There was joy in him now where there had never been before.
    Desari kissed his hard jaw, his stubborn chin. "We cannot desert Syndil at this time."
    "It is rather difficult to help her when she spends all her time in the form of a leopard."
    "Shh. There is nothing wrong with her hearing," Desari cautioned, rising on tiptoe to kiss his eyebrow, rubbing at his frown with her cheek. "If she is willing to reach out for just a moment and talk to me as we used to, then I must be here for her."
    "Fine," Julian agreed grudgingly. "But if that idiot Barack happens by with his hangdog look, tell him to keep going."
    "He seems to be strutting around these days with a rather macho look," Desari pointed out. "He has gotten progressively worse since Savon's attack on Syndil. He has appointed himself her personal bodyguard, and he is not very nice about it.