Carpathian 08 - Dark Legend

sighed. "You should not have done it, Lucian. You are correct, I was close to turning. I believe I felt Francesca's decision to withdraw from this world. She was able to find a way to live partially as a human. Her intention was to grow old and die in this time period. She had been experimenting, seeking ways to become more human for several centuries."

    "She is an extraordinary woman. I was astonished by her strength and ingenuity." Lucian's voice was very low, a mere thread of sound.
    "You are the only reason I continued my existence, Gabriel. If not for you, I would have chosen to end my time in this world and go on to the next a long time ago. I did not believe there was ever hope for me. I lost my ability to see in color, to feel emotion almost immediately. I did not last the two hundred years our males usually have as fledglings. For years I used your emotions, but then you, too, lost them, and there was only one way for both of us to survive. I had to convince you I was a danger to the world or we both were lost. If you did not believe I was too dangerous to allow others to hunt me, you might have turned. And if that had happened, I knew I would not be able to destroy you."
    Gabriel smiled. "You could have destroyed me. You are far more powerful than even I imagined."
    "I would not have destroyed you, Gabriel. You are the one who sought to keep our vow. I would never have allowed anyone to kill you."
    "You would have, Lucian," Gabriel said softly, knowing it was true in his heart. "You never have stepped aside from our chosen path and you never have gone back on your word of honor. You would have kept our vow."
    "Your belief in me is greater than my own." Lucian lifted his head tiredly. "She returns to you, brother. She will attempt to replenish me as she believes I am in the most need. Take the blood and then give it to me. I have discovered you have a few flaws, and jealousy is one of your worst."
    Francesca found the brothers stretched out on the couches in her drawing room, a small smile on Gabriel's mouth, Lucian devoid of all expression. She started toward Lucian, but her lifemate stopped her. "Come to me, my love. I will feed and then care for my brother. We will have to utilize the soil beneath the chamber where the doctor rests."
    If Francesca wanted to argue with him, Gabriel couldn't find it in her mind. She went to his side instantly, leaning her body into his, her hands moving over him as if to assure herself he was in one piece. She was careful to stay clear of his wounds, although she passed her palm over the multitude of deep scratches and bite marks, leaving behind a soothing balm. Whether it was in his mind or real, Gabriel didn't know and didn't care. She made him feel alive and whole. She made his world right again.
    He gathered her close, inhaled her fragrance. He could hear the blood flowing in her veins, beckoning to him. Her scent mixed with the heady temptation, and the untamed beast in him rose quickly, his need and that of his brother great. Gabriel bent his dark head to her slender neck, tasted her satin skin, the warmth of her pulse. His mouth drifted down the warm column to the hollow of her shoulder, his teeth grazing her skin gently.
    Francesca felt the shiver run along her spine. Gabriel had a way of doing that to her no matter what the circumstances. His arms tightened around her as he fitted her body more closely into his. Despite the measure of his need, he knew they weren't alone in the darkened room and he wouldn't take sustenance from his lifemate in front of his brother. It was far too intimate a ritual for that. He moved her backward into the privacy of the heavy draperies. His mouth wandered lower, traveling over her shoulder toward the creamy swell of her breast, pushing the thin material of her shirt out of the way as he did so.
    Instantly Francesca felt alive again. She had been holding her breath the entire time he was gone, her heart pounding with fear, but now it was pounding with excitement. There had been something wrong all along with the picture of Lucian as a vampire. He had intervened too often to protect Gabriel and those Gabriel loved. He had come to Skyler to soothe her, rather than harass and frighten her. She was ashamed of herself for not putting the pieces of the puzzle together much quicker.
    Her head went back, her slender arms cradling Gabriel's head to her as the white-hot whip of lightning danced through her bloodstream.
    His teeth had pierced