Carpathian 23 - Dark Storm

lit up and her face changed the moment
     her lips curved. He wanted to be the one to bring that smile to her face. There was
     serenity in her and yet, she had a sense of fun about her which made him think of
     the possibilities.
    Her inevitable mourning for the loss of her mother was so deep even the Old One tried
     to comfort her. That told Dax she loved without reservation, with her entire heart
     and soul. He had never considered that she would feel that same intensity, that deeply
     about him. He felt he’d been handed a miracle.
    Dax rubbed his chin on the top of her head, feeling the silky waterfall of thick black
     hair against his skin. He found it astonishing how quickly a man could adapt to being
     with a woman. She seemed like a part of him already. He was aware of her every breath,
     her very heartbeat. He could see why lifemated males rarely hunted. They had too much
     to lose, and they could so easily be distracted at that crucial moment.
    It was necessary to have Riley track Mitro; she was the only one who could do it so
     fast. And the vampire needed to be stopped, but Dax didn’t have to like it.
    As if sensing his thoughts, Riley turned her face up to his. I’m afraid at times, Dax, but I’ve never felt so alive, and I wouldn’t want to be
     anywhere else but here with you.
    Their minds weren’t connected, yet she was so tuned to him she had to be catching
     part of his concerns, the lifemate bond at work. It was nearly impossible to hide
     anything from a lifemate, nor would he want to.
    I chose a profession I thought I’d love because I have such a love of languages, but
     I find the students come in and they don’t love all the various languages in the same
     way. I’ve always longed for adventure. I thought my abilities would carry me into
     interesting situations, but instead, I became bogged down in the same dull routine.
    Riley held her arms out as if she was hugging the night sky, her face turned up toward
     the stars as they flew over the city. Her soft laughter teased his senses.
    If I forget to tell you thank you for these experiences later, I’m saying it now.
    He didn’t know how to tell her she turned him inside out sometimes, so he tightened
     his hold on her, drawing her closer to the warmth and shelter of his body. He was
     keeping her in danger—worse, subjecting her to the depraved cruelty of a monster—yet
     she was thanking him.
    I’ll keep you safe. It was the best he could do.
    She turned her face up against his chest and rubbed like a cat. I know you will. Still, I can’t help being afraid when some horrible ratlike creature
     as big as a dog is staring at me with red eyes and strings of saliva dripping from
     its mouth.
    I don’t like to feel your fear. It is a new experience for me, this emotion and yours
     is intense. Especially fear.
    She rubbed her body against him again, much like a cat, sending fingers of arousal
     crawling down his spine and up his thighs. A fire started in his belly and spread
     down to settle in his groin.
    Behave yourself, päläfertiilam , we have work to do.

19
    T he clinic was small, but very neat. It was dark inside, but with her acute vision,
     Riley had no trouble seeing inside to the dark, wide-planked floor and the cool, mint-green
     walls. The rooms, even the lobby, smelled of disinfectant. The three of them each
     spread out to take one room at a time on their own, hoping to detect the taint of
     Mitro.
    If Riordan hadn’t managed to do so by now, Riley feared it would only be the call
     of blood that would lead them to him—and although Dax had taken Arabejila’s blood
     many times over the centuries, his blood had mingled with hers. The tie was there,
     but very faint. No, Riley knew if anyone was going to feel that feeble trace, it would
     be her.
    After seeing Dax’s memories, those terrible images in his head about Katalina and
     her unborn child as well as Juliette’s friend and her unborn child, and feeling unable
     to comfort him, she was determined to do this for him. She would lead him to Mitro,
     and he would destroy the vampire once and for all. I’m counting on you, Old One. She whispered it in her mind like a mantra. To keep him safe for me.
    She let the two hunters go through the examining rooms and even back to Dr. Silva’s
     office. She headed for the reception desk and the files. Whoever chose the victims
     for Mitro had to have access to the medical records—and she was banking on whoever