Carpathian 13 - Dark Destiny

sorry, it slipped out. It isn't that bad." The weakness was almost worse than the pain.
    His hand stroked gentle caresses through her hair. "I know it hurts, Destiny. You need to go to ground and allow the earth to heal you. Vikirnoff and I will take care of your people."
    "You're not at full strength. You gave me too much of your blood." Her voice was barely audible, even with his acute hearing. She opened her eyes to study his pale face. "Go feed."
    There was too much pain in the depths of her eyes. "I thought I would just hold you for a while. I am not certain I will ever get the chance again. For once in your life you are being cooperative."
    A small smile lifted her mouth. "Is that what I'm doing?" She winced as she shifted to get a better look at him. "I bet I look great."
    His eyebrow shot up. "You look beautiful."
    "I knew you'd say that. You're such a liar. Please go feed, I don't want to have to fight any more vampires tonight, and you're not in any shape to kick butt."
    "You could not fight your way out of a paper bag," he pointed out.
    "Hey! I destroyed my vampire," she said softly, her hand going to her raw throat as if it hurt her to speak. "What did you manage to do?"
    "I bagged two of them. Vikirnoff took out his, although he should not have done so." Nicolae spared a quick glare for his brother.
    "Do you have to do that? Is it a man thing or something? I'll admit I don't know much about men, but it's so annoying."
    Nicolae leaned closer, took her hand away from her throat because he couldn't bear to see her fingers fluttering helplessly there. She looked so vulnerable with her pale face and her torn body. "Have to do what?"
    "One-upmanship. I kill one, you have to kill two. The big bad hunter flexing his muscles. It's annoying."
    "You are not going to whine simply because I have superior hunting skills, are you?" He rubbed her knuckles along his jaw, wanting the contact. Needing to show her what he felt too deeply to say. "It did not occur to me you would whine."

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    "It's hardly whining to point out how annoying you are. And you aren't superior, just luckier." Her voice was husky, sounding far away, but she was grateful she could talk.
    "I hesitate to mention I am not the one in need of healing."
    "You don't seem all that hesitant to me. You pointed it out just fine. I'm sure your brother heard you."
    Her impossibly long lashes drifted down to cover her uniquely colored eyes. She turned her face toward him so that her lips brushed the back of his hand where he was holding hers. "Did you know that there are laws against stalkers?"
    He felt the jolt of her soft mouth through his entire body. It was an accidental brushing, nothing more, not even a real caress, but his heart did a somersault anyway. "I know you are not about to accuse me of stalking you. You came after me. I merely followed wherever you led." He sounded reasonable. His fingertip traced her sculpted mouth, her full lower lip, sending a shiver through her body. Through his.
    You have the most fascinating mouth I have ever seen.
    What's so fascinating? It's a mouth just like any other.
    I think it is your pouty lower lip.
    Now I know you're crazy. I never pout and neither does my lip.
    "I beg to differ." The sheer pleasure blossoming inside him spilled over into his voice. She was alive, his courageous Destiny!
    She opened her eyes again to look directly at him. "So what do we do now, Nicolae? I did my best to protect you, but you just don't mind very well."
    He brought her knuckles to his mouth, his teeth scraping back and forth, gently, insistently, over her skin.
    "Is that where I went wrong? I should have been obeying?"
    "At least listening." Her fingers touched the shadow along his jaw, a weak, trembling movement that conveyed more to him than her words ever could. "I want you safe, Nicolae. It's important to me."
    "I am safe, Destiny," he assured her. The lump in his throat was threatening to choke him. "As long as I have you, as long as we are together, I will be safe."
    Vikirnoff cleared his throat, drawing her attention to him. He was looking at his brother. "You are not bound together, Nicolae. You will never be safe if you do not bind her to you in the way of our people."
    Swift impatience crossed Nicolae's dark, sensual features. Before he could react, Destiny laid her hand across his mouth and looked up at his brother. "Those words always beating