Carpathian 17 - Dark Celebration

Dimitri."
    "Why is there a 'but first' in your tone?"
    Clothes floated to the floor, leaving her bare breasts pressed tightly against his chest and his hard shaft pressed against her already slick entrance.
    "I want to make love to you."
    "You always want to make love. And you did this evening three times. I think you need help. You're a sexaholic." She squirmed, pressing her most feminine core against him, rubbing slowly back and forth to entice him as she kissed her way up this throat. She lifted her body several inches to poise just above him.
    "You attacked me this morning," he pointed out.
    "Did I? I'd forgotten. Well, maybe I did." She slid down his body, impaling herself on his hard thick shaft, feeling him slowly, inch by inch, invading, filling her. She began a seductive ride, moving over him, muscles tight and hot, slick and silky with desire.
    He caught her hips in his hands and took over the pace, so that their movements were perfectly synchronized and they moved as one, the now familiar fire building between them. She tilted her head, wanting his kiss, the sweet explosion of his commanding mouth taking hers, tightening every muscle in her body, sending darts of fire racing through her bloodstream.
    Making love to Lucian was one of the few times when she ever relaxed her vigilance—
    and she knew it was the same when he touched her. Her teeth teased his lower lip, slid over to tug at his ear, all the while the pressure kept building and building deep inside her—in him. "I do love you," she whispered, the sound barely audible over their combined heartbeats and heavy breathing, over the sound of joy escaping his throat in the form of a growl. But he heard. She knew he heard. His fingers tightened possessively as he swept them both into a world of pure passion.

Chapter 9
    Skyler sat on the railing of the porch and stared out into the glistening world of white.
    Pain vibrated through her body—through her very soul, until she felt so weighed down by it she could barely breathe. Inside the house she could hear Gabriel and Francesca laughing as they played with Baby Tamara. Every now and then she felt their light touch, as they assured themselves that she was close by.
    She made certain that they only touched the surface she presented to them, a teenage girl in a strange, exciting new place looking forward to a Christmas celebration. The Carpathian blood they'd shared with her made the façade easier, and a lifetime of hiding her emotions from others made the task simple.
    She bit hard at her lower lip and studied her long fingernails. She bit them all the time, but they grew back quickly, stronger and better than ever thanks to the Carpathian blood Gabriel and Francesca had shared with her. She still couldn't touch people without reading their emotions. If anything the blood had enhanced her abilities, and it could be dreadfully uncomfortable. She disliked attending school, and preferred the tutors Francesca provided, although she knew her adopted parents thought she needed the company of younger people.
    She didn't. She needed to be alone.
    "Skyler? Are you all right?"
    The male voice jerked her head up. Josef stood in front of the railing, hands jammed in his pockets.
    Biting down hard on her lower lip, she was careful not to let the misery show on her face.
    The pain was making her sick to her stomach. Even her vision seemed blurry. "Sure." She could barely manage to get the word out, and she didn't bother trying to flash him a false, cheery smile.
    This wasn't her pain. Somewhere out there in the forest, the man who claimed to be her lifemate was suffering agonies. She wanted to ignore it, but she couldn't. Guilt clawed at her insides. She knew pain intimately—and despair. In spite of everything, she was intrigued with the man. He was way old, of course. And too dominating. He would definitely expect her to obey him, and that wasn't her style at all. She conformed to the wishes of Francesca and Gabriel because she loved them, not because she had to.
    "Skyler." Josef's voice broke again into her thoughts. He hopped onto the rail and crouched close to her. "Look at me."
    "Why?"
    He dragged a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped her face. "You have little drops of blood on your forehead." He pretended not to notice when she winced away from him, refusing to allow his fingers to brush her skin. He simply wiped, careful not to touch her, and drew back to huff out a long stream of air. "What's