Carpathian 21 - Dark Peril

leaned down and brushed another kiss across her upturned lips before very gently slipping the robe from her body. “Then we will have to teach you other uses for your mouth. I dream of it often.”

    Her body reacted, flooding with heat. He leaned his head toward her, a slow, steady movement that only seemed to heighten her anticipation. Her legs trembled and turned to jelly. She gasped when he lifted her into his arms and when they turned, there was a thick, handwoven rug carpeting the bench. She had time for one brief thought— How does he do that?

    “I think you need to relax. You are shaking again.”

    He placed her faceup on the padded table. She stared up at the ceiling of the cave. It was as if he’d thrown her midnight blue robe up above her and scattered amazing silvery stars across the night sky. She recognized the dragon constellation. This dragon was blazing, as if the stars hadn’t faded with time and still had the wings.

    “I am going to give you a scalp massage. You do not have to worry about anything, Solange. I am not expecting or asking anything of you at this time. Only to relax.”

    His fingers were strong, yet so very gentle. The mesmerizing soft voice stroked like velvet over her skin while his fingers worked their magic.

    “I want you to feel warm, kessake . And safe. Because you are always safe in my care. Do you know what the binding ritual is? Has your cousin talked to you about it?”

    His voice had dropped an octave lower. Solange listened for the sound of it, concentrating on every cadence and rhythm of his tone as she looked up at the burning eyes and sharp teeth of the dragon overhead.

    “Not really. I didn’t understand what she did say.” Her mind was a little hazy from the absolute pleasure his hands were inducing. There was no way she could fail to relax, not with his large hands drawing the tension out of her.

    “The male of our species is imprinted with the binding words before birth. Once we say them to our lifemate, she is bound, soul to soul, to us. We believe the soul was split. The male is the darkness and she is the light.”

    In spite of the sheer magic of his fingers, she winced. “Surely mistakes are made. I’ve told you before, there is little light left in me. I kill, Dominic. I plan an attack and I carry it out with precision and no hesitation.”

    He waited in silence, and Solange bit her lip and then lifted her left hand into the air so she could look at the bracelet. The light from the candles caught the rubies and emeralds, and they blazed to life. “Maybe that’s not exactly the truth. Lately, I’ve been hesitating.” The confession came out in a soft little rush. She didn’t want to lie to him. “The last few times I’ve known I’m going to kill someone, I feel sick inside. But if I don’t do it, I know they’ll harm another woman sometime, someplace, and there is no one else to stop them.”

    “I know that was difficult to admit to yourself, let alone to me.”

    The approval in his voice warmed her. She was startled to see him looming above her, but his hands began to work on her shoulders, those strong fingers digging into every tense muscle, and she subsided under his magic.

    “There can be no mistake. When I heard your voice, my emotions returned. After centuries of living on memories, it was a little difficult not to be overwhelmed. My first thought was to find you and carry you off, as I believe my ancestors would have done. I see color. Your hair, all that soft, silky hair with so many colors blended together.” He rubbed the strands between his fingers. “So beautiful.”

    She tried to stifle the little moan of pleasure his compliments elicited. She tried concentrating on the mouth of the dragon as those magic hands continued her massage right along her collarbone. The feeling was bone-melting. Her body began a delicious tingle, as if her nerve endings had begun to awaken all over again. That should have been alarming, but she was too relaxed under his ministrations to protest. He made her feel beautiful and cared for. He made her feel as if she really were his protected and safe lifemate.

    “Why haven’t you carried me off?” she asked. Her voice sounded faraway, drowsy. Maybe even a little sexy. Certainly not really her.

    His hands cupped her breasts. Her stomach muscles bunched as he began a slow, gentle massage, and this time there was oil on his hands. Her heart pounded, drawing his attention to her