She wanted to believe him. There was something in the purity of his voice, in the directness of his steady gaze, that nearly convinced her. More than anything in her life, she wanted to believe him now. "I can't take the chance," she said sadly.

"And I refuse to lose you." He bent down, pried her fingers from the fence, and lifted her easily into his arms. "Why will you not allow me to help you? I know this is all a shock, but listen to your heart, your mind. Why did you choose to save me if you thought me evil?"

"I don't know. I don't know anything anymore, except that I want Joshua safe."

"And I want you safe."

"I can't bear to be close to him and have such strong feelings of hunger like I had. It was awful, thinking of blood, looking at his pulse." She pressed a hand to her stomach. "It made me sick. And it scared me, made me so afraid for him."

His mouth touched her hair in the lightest of caresses. "Allow me to help you, Alexandria. I am your lifemate. It is my right as well as my responsibility."

"I don't know what that means."

He could feel the resistance draining out of her. She looked up at him hopelessly. There was no trust in the depths of her eyes, only a terrible sorrow. She couldn't fight his strength or his implacable resolve.

"Allow me to show you," he said softly, his voice low and intense, a black velvet seduction.

Chapter Nine

Aidan's arms tightened a fraction as he held Alexandria to him. There was an expression on his face, a look in his eyes she was afraid to name. Possession. Tenderness. A mixture of both. She didn't want to know. It made her feel cherished, treasured. It made her feel s.e.xy and beautiful. The way his gaze moved over her face, touching her lips like a physical kiss, sent her heart racing.

A slow smile curved his sensual mouth. "I see you are barefoot. I was going to suggest a walk under the stars, but your annoying habit seems to have surfaced again."

She swallowed hard, making an effort to gain some semblance of control. She did not want to go back to the house. She needed to distance herself from Joshua and sort out what had happened.

"Since I ran here, I don't think walking is going hurt me. Put me down, Aidan. I won't take off."

His laughter ruffled her hair. "As if you could get away from me." Very gently, slowly, savoring the feel of her next to him, Aidan lowered her to her feet.

She glanced up at him. There was something new in their relationship that had not been present before. She was very much aware of him as a man. Tall, strong, handsome, sensual. Her mind pulled away from the thought, and she hastily ducked her head again. She missed Aidan's sudden smile. "It is a beautiful night, cara mia. Look around you," he instructed softly.

Because she was so aware of him moving easily beside her, she did what he said, wanting to avoid thinking about him and the strange power he seemed to hold over her. The stars were a brilliant blanket above them. She took a deep breath, inhaling the salt breeze coming off the ocean.

Behind them was the thick grove of trees growing along the hillside, in front of them, the bluff overlooking the ocean. The street wound its way up the hill; the houses dotted here and there along its path were large, yet blended in well with their surroundings. The city lights rivaled the stars, an iridescent pattern that went on for miles. The view was breathtaking.

Aidan moved closer to her, just a shifting of muscles really, but she felt the warmth of his body.

Liquid heat unexpectedly pooled deep in her lower abdomen. Her heart beat faster. Fascination.

He fascinated her. Captivated her. Casually she inched away to put a little s.p.a.ce between them. He glided rather than walked, his golden eyes taking in the landscape surrounding them, a slow sweep of his penetrating gaze that missed nothing, including her retreat.

"If you fed properly, Alexandria, there would be no need for you to ever feel as you did around your brother." He broached the subject impa.s.sively, his tone carefully neutral. She felt as if he had punched her in the stomach. "Do we have to talk about it?" To feed. What did that mean, exactly?

Not eat, but feed. Her brain shied away from the word and all its connotations.

His hand slipped over her silky hair, following the wild ma.s.s down her back to her rounded bottom.

The gesture was unbearably tender. Warmth seeped under her skin, and her mouth went dry. His hand accidentally brushed hers. Their fingers tangled, then his closed around hers so that they were linked. "It is best, cara. Your fears are so groundless."

She took a deep breath, trying to force herself to concentrate on the distasteful subject, but Aidan's nearness was turning her world upside down. She could feel electricity arcing and crackling between them. The tip of her tongue darted out to moisten her lips. She was acutely aware of his golden gaze following the simple movement, turning it into something erotic.

"What do you suggest? Should I make Thomas Ivan my food supply?" She proposed it flippantly because her throat was raw with fear. "I guess I could always seduce him-that's what female vampires do in the movies."

Aidan knew she said it out of fear; he was in her mind. But the image of her body tangled with the software mogul's was instant and vivid. The warning growl escaped him before he could stop it.

White teeth gleamed-a threat. He pushed his free hand through his long, tawny hair. At that moment he was dangerous, and that shocked him. He had never been a real threat to any human unless he chose sides in a war. Humans were something to feed on, to protect, and he seldom got involved in their squabbles. Like all Carpathians, when their land ran with blood and their countries were torn apart, they had utilized their skills to fight. But this was different. This was personal. And Thomas Ivan would never be completely safe again.

Alexandria sensed the change in Aidan immediately. He was fighting something lethal in himself, a private battle with a demon she had no concept of. Her fingers tightened around his. "What is it, Aidan?" she asked softly, concerned.

"Do not even make a joke of such a thing. I doubt Ivan would survive if you seduced him." He said it starkly, without softening the blow. His voice was velvet soft but dripped menace, far worse than a shout. He brought her knuckles to the warmth of his mouth, lingering over her satin skin. "Ivan does not need to tempt fate by touching you."

She pulled her hand away, disturbed by the heat in her body, the ache that was becoming an urgent demand. Absently she wiped her palm on her denim-clad thigh to try to erase the sensation of his lips on her skin. "You know, Aidan, half the time I can't understand a thing you say. Why would Thomas be tempting fate? Are you saying I would kill him?" She tried not to hold her breath, waiting for the answer.

His body was against hers again as they matched steps like tango dancers. "Not at all, cara mia. I would kill him. I doubt very much if I could stop myself. I would not even want to stop myself."

Her sapphire eyes grew wide as she stared up at his face. "You really mean it, don't you? Why would you do that?"

He hesitated a moment, the silence lengthening while he carefully chose his answer. "I'm responsible for your protection. That man is after more than your beautiful drawings, Alexandria, and, innocent that you are, you cannot see it."

Her chin tilted. "For all you know, Mr. Savage, I might have had a dozen lovers. If I choose to seduce Thomas Ivan, you won't need to worry about me. I can take care of myself."

Her silky hair was suddenly bunched in his hand, and she came to an abrupt halt. He stepped so close, her slender body was bent backward. His golden eyes molten, alive with pa.s.sion, with possession, stared directly into hers. "You are my lifemate. You have never been touched by another man. I have been in your mind and have access to your memories. Do not try to tell me there have been a dozen men in your life."

She remained pa.s.sive, still. His body was aggressive against hers, yet there was no pain, no sense that she was in danger. There was only his terrible intensity, as if his inner demons were riding him hard. Her blue eyes flashed right back at him. "On top of everything else, you have to be a male chauvinist. Like I'm supposed to believe there have never been women in your life. And another thing-get out of my head. You don't have a right to my private life. Whatever this lifemate thing is, I don't want any part of it." She tried to sound defiant, but it was difficult when his perfect mouth was only inches from hers. It was embarra.s.sing, the things his mouth made her think.

She couldn't take her eyes from his. She saw their gold became heated, the purpose clear in their depths. His hard mouth softened, and very slowly, with infinite patience, he touched his lips to hers, a brief, feather-light stroke that sent a shaft of desire curling painfully through her body.

"Just so you remember, seducing men is out," he murmured almost absently against her mouth.

She could taste the words. Taste his breath. His mouth was hot and enticing. His body stirred, and she could feel him pressing against her, hard with need. His hand framed the curve of her cheek, his thumb sliding in a caress across her pulse. The wind blew the silken ma.s.s of her hair across his hand and arm, binding him to her almost by design.She could smell his scent calling to her, wild and abandoned, like an animal calling to its mate.

Her entire being responded, against all intellect, all reason, against all sanity. Alexandria had never felt such s.e.xual attraction toward any man, and the intensity of her response to him was beyond her comprehension. This was strong and compelling, hot and steamy, a driving need as elemental as time. She wanted him right there in the night, wild in her arms, needing her.

She jerked away from him. "Stop it, Aidan. Just stop." She held up a hand to pacify him. "I'm not ready for this." He was so intense, so much the domineering male, he would sweep her away until she couldn't exist without him. Until she didn't exist without him. "You're not going to take over my life," she whispered to him.

He stroked the pad of his thumb across her lower lip. "I barely touched you, cara mia, and you run from me like a rabbit."

"Anyone in her right mind would run from you, Aidan. You're talking crazy. It shouldn't matter to you how many lovers I've had-or have. That's my private business. I didn't ask you about your love life, did I?" Suddenly she thought about his arms around another woman, and the idea made her sick. "You're such a hypocrite. In all the centuries you claimed to nave been alive, there's probably been more women than I care to know about. Hundreds." She thought about it. "Thousands. You're a dog, Savage. A hound dog." He couldn't help laughing. Reaching out, he took possession of her hand again and began to walk slowly back toward his home. Her hand was small and fragile in his, her skin soft and inviting. The wind, determined to have its way, playfully touched her hair, blowing it across his arm, weaving them together with a hundred silken strands.

Alexandria walked along beside him, trying not to feel cherished and protected as he moved alongside her. It was the way he moved-confident, supple, powerful-that made her feel so vulnerable to his possession, yet his fingers were gentle around hers. With every step she took, she became more annoyed that he had access to her personal life.

"I think you're getting the wrong idea, Aidan, about me. I may not have actual lovers, but that's only because I haven't loved anyone yet. I've been attracted, though. There's nothing wrong with me."

His mouth twitched. Manfully he refrained from smiling, but it was necessary to walk several steps before he could reply in his usual neutral voice. "I never, at any time, thought there was something wrong with you. If you are worried about it, though, I will be happy to demonstrate otherwise."

She tugged at her hand. He was too close, too vivid and alive. The chemistry between them was explosive. He couldn't touch her, let alone kiss her. It just wasn't safe. "I'll bet you would. But it isn't going to happen. I have a rule about vampires-I don't get involved with them."

His eyebrows shot up. "Good rule. I am pleased you are beginning to show some sense. And you were not attracted to human men."

"Thomas Ivan is very attractive."

His amber eyes glittered at her. "You thought he was a shark. And that cheap cologne he used made your head ache."

"He kind of grows on you," she protested. "We have a lot in common." Her blue eyes held defiance.

"His cologne is not cheap. And he's very handsome."

All at once his large frame was blocking her path, and she ran right into him, her face pressed into the niche of his sternum. One of his hands circled the slender column of her throat. "Not to you, he is not." His thumb drew a line over her lower lip.

At once her body was throbbing with need. Just like that. He blocked out the cool night air, the very stars, everything but his solid muscles, his heat and strength. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s felt uncomfortably taut; her blood rushed through her body.She could hear his heart pounding. In his veins, blood was singing, calling to her. Hunger gripped her, acute, biting. She tried to pull away, a small moan escaping her. She had been enjoying herself, actually managing to forget for a time that she needed to feed on another being to exist.

But the realization drowned out everything else, so that the beauty surrounding her was at once barren and ugly. Fear for him surged through her. Planting both palms on his chest, she attempted to shove him away. It was like trying to move a wall of concrete.

Aidan simply smiled at her. "Stop fearing what is natural to you. Do you really think you could harm me?" His arms closed tightly around her, and she felt her feet leave the ground. His mouth brushed her ear. "But I do thank you for the concern."

Clutching his waist, Alexandria peeked beneath his arm to see the ground dropping away. They floated upward, a lazy, casual motion that struck terror into her heart. "Now might be a good time to tell you I'm afraid of heights," she ventured, her heart thudding loudly in her ears.

"No, you are not, little liar. You are simply afraid of things you do not understand. Have you not always dreamed of flying? High above the earth? Look at our world, piccola. Look at the wondrous things you are capable of doing." There was tender amus.e.m.e.nt in his voice. "You can soar free at your will."

"Dreaming about it and doing it are two different things. And I'm not doing it; you're the one in control."

His laughter was low and wicked. "Would you like me to let go of you? It is not as if you are not capable of floating on your own."

Her fingers twisted convulsively in his shirt. "Don't even joke about it, Aidan." But he never once loosened his hold on her, and she felt safe and protected. Taking a deep breath, Alexandria looked around her.

Wisps of fog drifted past her. She wanted to reach out and touch one, just to see if she could, but she wasn't quite comfortable enough to relax her death grip on Aidan. The stars glittered overhead, and below her the waves raced across the ocean and crashed on large rocks, spraying white foam in all directions. The droplets looked like sparkling diamonds scattered across the deep blue of the sea. The wind was tugging at the treetops, so that they bowed and swayed, branches waving up at her.

Alexandria felt a burst of joy. She felt free. The heavy, oppressive weight crushing down on her was lifted for the moment, and she was laughing, really laughing. The sound of it pierced Aidan's heart, wrapped it up, and squeezed hard. His arms tightened even more. He wanted to hear her laugh like this all the time. The scent of her, the feel of her, was pushing at his control, calling to the wildness in him.

She felt the change in him. The way his body stirred against hers, the way it hardened in urgent demand, the possession in his arms as he held her to him. They were on the balcony of his house now, the one that wrapped around the third story, his private quarters. His feet touched down, but hers didn't, and he carried her easily to a plush lounge chair just outside the intricate stained- gla.s.s sliding doors.

"Aidan!" It was a breathless protest. Panic welled up. She could not be alone like this with him. He was too much of a temptation, and she was too vulnerable, her emotions ragged and raw.

His mouth skimmed over her eyelids, her cheeks. "Did I not tell you that you should trust me?" He settled her on his lap, his hips cradling her bottom. She was pressed against him intimately, and it didn't seem to matter to him that she could feel his violent need of her. Secrets between them did not exist. She could have easily reached into his mind and found the same information.

Alexandria shivered, suddenly afraid. There was something different about him, some elemental change she had noticed since he had awakened her this last time. He looked at her differently, as if she was his alone, as if his right to her was complete, unchallenged. There was tenderness but also a deep resolve, a relentless purpose. She touched his face with trembling fingers.

The night shone on his masculine beauty, the thick ma.s.s of tawny hair spilling to his broad shoulders. She could see his lush eyelashes, the elegant nose, the strong jaw and perfect lips.

"Merge your mind with mine." It was a soft command.

She stiffened and shook her head. Her life had already been taken over, changed forever.

Instinctively she knew he was dragging her closer to him, drawing her further into his world. She had to control something. "I won't, Aidan. I don't want this."

"I only intend to feed you, cara, nothing more, although I will admit the temptation is almost more than I can bear. Merge your mind with mine." This time his voice dropped an octave, became mesmerizing, hypnotic, a low, lazy, seductive lure.

She struggled against the hard strength in his arms. Her mind echoed the words feed you. Her stomach somersaulted. Her heart pounded. Instead of revulsion, there was hot antic.i.p.ation, the s.e.xual tension between them rising even higher. She stifled a low sob. This wasn't her. None of it.

She didn't want a man so badly that her entire mind and body ached and burned with need. She would never consider biting into someone, yet at the thought of her mouth against his chest, his neck, her body clenched and throbbed in reaction. Liquid heat pooled deep inside, a steamy sensuality she had never known.

"Merge your mind with mine," he whispered again, the words like a seduction against her skin. His tongue caressed her pulse, and her body tightened in antic.i.p.ation.

In desperation she did as he wished. His mind was a haze of hunger-physical hunger, urgent, demanding. Erotic pictures danced in his head. His tongue stroked again, lower this time, as his fingers slowly threaded through the pearl b.u.t.tons on her sweater. She was bathed in heat, need, hunger. Her skin was ultrasensitive. She heard herself moan, felt the cool air blow tantalizingly across her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

He touched her, his hand sliding up her narrow rib cage to close possessively over the satin skin below her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. His teeth nipped her neck, her throat. He murmured something inarticulate. I want you, Alexandria. You belong to me. You are mine. His teeth skimmed down to one breast, lingered, sc.r.a.ped erotically. His velvet tongue stroked the hard peak, once, twice. I am your lifemate. You will take from me what you need. Feed, cara mia. Take from me what only I can give you. She felt his mouth close over her softness, the heated pull erotic and strange.

Her eyes closed. She was in a dream world. Her body felt heavy, was unfamiliar with yearnings she had never experienced and her entire being raged for a release she needed as desperately as she hungered. His hand opened his shirt, and they were skin to skin. For a moment he held her there, savoring the feel of her creamy flesh against his hard muscles. Aidan's hand came up, and he brought her head to his chest, simply holding her there in an unbreakable grip.

His mind reflected back her need to feed, amplified it until the red haze in him was in her. Her cheek nuzzled his taut muscles, felt the roped sinews beneath the skin, breathed in the surge of his life's blood. She felt his body harden even more, hot and full with need. A slow, feminine smile of satisfaction curved her mouth. Her tongue tasted his skin, the flavor of him, masculine and spicy. Addicting. Her lips brushed his pulse.

Aidan's muscles contracted, clenched. His teeth came together, and he closed his eyes against the demands of his body. She was like hot silk and white lightning. Fire skimming over his chest. It spread across his flat belly, lower still, to torment him with a painful, unfulfilled promise of release.

Her tongue teased, dancing over his skin until he thought he might go mad.

Alexandria possessed a natural sensuality, heightened by the Carpathian blood now flowing strongly in her veins. Aidan was her lifemate, and despite the fact that she refused to acknowledge what was happening, her body craved his, needed and hungered for him. Her natural inhibitions were being pushed aside, her humanity swept away on a tide of rising pa.s.sion. Her blood, raging with fire, cried out to his. Her body moved against his, seeking a closer bond, skin to skin without the confines of their clothing. Her mind was meshed with his, woven together beyond all solitary thought. What he wanted, she wanted. What she needed, he needed.

Her tongue caressed his pulse, swirled lightly over his muscles, stroked a brown, flat nipple. He threw back his head and groaned aloud. A fine sheen of sweat coated his skin, and his body swelled in urgent demand, his jeans far too tight, his body straining to break free. Her teeth sc.r.a.ped lightly, insistently. A trembling started somewhere in his legs and took over his body. His very blood pulsated with waves of urgency, a molten volcano ready to explode. He wanted her more than he had ever wanted anything in all the long centuries of his existence. His arms tightened possessively. He bent his head to brush his mouth over her silky hair, her closed eyelids, her temples.

And then he was gasping for breath, a strangled sound somewhere between a moan and a hoa.r.s.e cry escaping. His muscles and sinews clenched as white-hot pain coursed through his body, as unbelievable pleasure flooded his every cell. Her teeth had pierced deep, and his blood flowed into her, her mouth moving in a sensuous feeding frenzy. Erotic. Hot.

Her hand slid over his chest, stroked his flat belly, followed the trail of golden hair until her fingertips were brushing the waistband of his trousers. Aidan shifted his weight, tried to ease the tightly-stretched cloth covering his throbbing body. He needed relief, was desperate for it.

His incisors were sharp against his tongue, his mouth filled with hot need. He nuzzled the nape of her neck as she fed. The act was more erotic than all the times, faded now, in his memory of s.e.xual encounters over the earlier centuries, before his emotions, urges, and feelings had disappeared.

His teeth clamped down of their own accord on her shoulder, pinning her in place in the age-old Carpathian display of dominance, an instinct he hadn't known he possessed until this moment.

His body clenched, drenched itself in sweat, pulsed with need, and burned with fire.

Her hand moved over the constriction of cloth. Her mind, so deeply merged with his, was lost in fiery need. She could see the images in his head of the two of them tangled together in ecstasy.

She knew exactly what he so urgently wanted, what his body demanded. His need was hers. Her hand freed him from the confines of his tight trousers. She felt him shudder as her fingers wrapped around the thick length of him, as she stroked and caressed the hard shaft.

His teeth came together, his body arching. There was thunder in his ears and a haze of red desire before his eyes. Jackhammers were beating at his skull. His hands pushed at her sweater, rough and insistent, wild and dominant. His teeth bit down when she would have moved.

Some small sense of self-preservation surfaced, and Alexandria became aware of what she was doing. It had been like some erotic dream, but now she was conscious of the cool night, the heat of his body, the demands of his hands, her own uninhibited behavior, her mouth feeding so sensually at his chest.

"Oh, G.o.d!" She let go of him as if burned and tried to move away. His hand held her head to him, and she felt the trickle of blood making its way down in his chest "Close the wound with your tongue. Your saliva carries a healing agent. There is no mark unless we wish it." His voice was like a caress, soft and husky yet gravelly with need. His hand forced her compliance.

She did as she was told because she was terrified to defy him. He was in such a state of arousal, with one wrong move he would sweep her resistance aside. And he could. She knew it. He knew it.

They were locked together with one mind. She held her breath as he struggled for control. His body was as hard as a rock, taut with leashed aggression, and so hot they both were burning up in the flames. A low growl rumbled in his throat. He was more beast than man, and she realized she had no concept of what kind of being she was dealing with."I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She chanted it like a litany, humiliated that she could have been so bold, so wanton. "Please tell me that you hypnotized me and made me do those things. You did, didn't you?"