Carpathian 09 - Dark Guardian

handled within the boundaries of the law.
    I am the dispenser of justice, my love. I will not destroy them at this time.

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    She felt her heartbeat return to normal. He wouldn't lie to her. She had visions of him incinerating them right there on the carpet. How would she explain another pile of ashes to Barry Radcliff or Captain Smith?
    Lucian knew her exact whereabouts, how close she was to coming up the stairs. He put on a burst of speed, and found the first man in the spare bedroom. Seizing him by the neck, he sank his teeth deep into his jugular and drank. The intruder had no chance to struggle, no way to move in that iron grip. Be silent.
    You will obey . The soft voice instantly quieted the man, and he was passive in the enormously strong grip. Lucian simply dropped him to the floor and left him there, evaporating into mist so that he streamed through the hall and into the next room.
    The second man, the one in the dark blue suit, choked back a cry of alarm as Lucian suddenly materialized in front of him, seizing him in a grip of steel, brutally going for his neck to drink deeply. You will obey. Be silent . His enthrallment was complete. Both men would do his bidding day or night, hear his call, and complete appointed tasks. He allowed the second man to drop to the floor, dizzy and weak from blood loss. Stepping over him with a hint of contempt, he flowed through the house toward the turret, where the third man was examining old papers in Lucian's private desk.
    The beast in him was allowed reign for a brief moment while he savagely took his fill. These men had come to kill his lifemate. By rights he should have ripped their hearts out. He had important work in store for them, but that did not mean he had to treat them with human civility. In his world, there was little room for such niceties.
    At his command the three men followed him along the upstairs landing. All three were pale, and one of them staggered a bit, but they moved as he directed, with pleasant smiles on their faces. They would do anything for him; they needed the touch of his mind and the sound of his voice. They lived to do his service. Jaxon was charging up the steps when she spotted the little parade and paused in the middle of the staircase. She looked so apprehensive, Lucian found himself smiling.
    "I found our guests wandering around upstairs, Jaxon, but they are going to act like gentlemen callers and visit with us in the sitting room. I am rather old-fashioned in some ways. The casual American style of allowing guests access to their entire homes is beyond my scope of entertaining. You gentlemen do not mind, do you?" His voice was very soft, very pleasant.
    All three shook their heads, murmuring various agreements to his suggestion. Jaxon studied them for a moment suspiciously, but when they appeared normal, she preceded them down the stairs and led the way to the small cozy room off the foyer. The three men waited politely for her to be seated first. At once Lucian sat beside her, his fingers curling around hers.
    "Perhaps you would like to introduce yourselves," Lucian invited softly.
    Jaxon glanced at him nervously. The men were sitting calmly, not in the least disturbed by the fact that they had been caught outright trespassing. They were all in suits, and, if she wasn't mistaken, all three were armed.
    The man in the dark blue suit appeared to be the spokesperson. "I'm Hal Barton. This is Harry Timms and Denny Sheldon."
    Lucian nodded politely, as if people prowled around his home uninvited every day. "This is my fiancee, Jaxon Montgomery. Jaxon, these gentlemen are here from Florida and have an interesting business proposal for me."

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    Jaxon arched an eyebrow, her expression frankly skeptical. "You came all the way across the United States to break into Lucian's house to make him a business offer?"
    Lucian sat back and smiled. All three men were nodding solemnly. Hal Barton took up the banner once more. "Actually, yes. We thought if we could beat the security system and break into Lucian Daratrazanoff's house, he might listen to us and back our revolutionary new security system. We designed it, but we don't have the funds to mass-produce and market it."
    Jaxon turned her head and met Lucian's black eyes with her dark brown ones. "This is totally brilliant.
    Such short notice,