She sat cross-legged on the huge, flat boulder overlooking the series of pools. Above and to her left the long waterfall filled the chamber with a deafening roar. Jaxon was becoming adept at turning down the volume of sounds and now did so with ease. It was good to be sitting on something solid where she felt safe and far from the rays of the sun.

Lucian was setting his safeguards to ensure they were not disturbed. She wasn't certain exactly what he was doing, but she knew he was powerful enough to protect them from anything that might come their way. She drummed her fingers on the rock surface, wishing she had access to a telephone.

"Why?" The sound of his voice startled her.

Jaxon turned to see him gliding toward her. The way he moved took her breath away. "I thought I'd call back to the captain and make certain nothing had happened since we left."

His hand unerringly found her hair. "You are still worried about Drake." His voice was soft with compa.s.sion.

She nodded. "I know it's probably best that we left, especially if we really are being trailed by... vampires." She stumbled over the word, the idea to her still something out of a Gothic tale! "But I can't help feeling as if I deserted everybody." "Drake will follow us, honey," he said gently, his fingers tracing the delicate line of her collarbone. "I know he will. There is no reason for him to hurt anyone else."

"I just wish I could be certain we did the right thing," she said worriedly.

"Merge with me," he invited softly.

Jaxon hesitated for a moment only because his mind was becoming so familiar, so natural, so much a part of her. She was slipping in and out of it constantly, her mind often reaching for his even without conscious thought. It was disconcerting how much she craved being a part of him. Lucian waited patiently, never hurrying her decision, simply watching her with his dark, fathomless eyes. Jaxon allowed her mind to melt into his. At once she felt safe, sheltered, loved. She felt power and confidence. A sense of completeness.

Antonio? All is well with you?

Jaxon was startled. The mental path Lucian used to contact the man was completely different from the one he used with her. She found Lucian's hand, weaving her fingers through his.

Yes. And you and your lady?

Both of us are fine. She is worried that Drake has retaliated.

All is quiet here. I am keeping a low profile, expecting him to visit your home tonight. Tell her not to worry.

Thank you, Antonio, and good day to you.

Jaxon found herself smiling at how old-fashioned and courtly Lucian managed to sound even in thought transfers. "Can he contact you anytime?"

Lucian shook his head. "No, although I am certain I would feel his anxiety if he were in a situation where his life was threatened. His family has served Aidan Savage's family for hundreds of years. They are human but well versed in the ways of our people. To my knowledge they are among only a handful of humans trusted with the knowledge of the Carpathians' existence. Antonio is an exceptional young man. I consider him a friend."

"Are you sure the main vampire followed us as well?"

"Absolutely, Jaxon. He broke off from our trail earlier than did the two lesser vampires, but he has followed. No doubt he thinks we are unaware of him. He will know I am conscious of the two following, but he has a very high opinion of himself and his ability to hide from me."

"Perhaps it's because he deserves it," she suggested quietly.

Lucian arched an elegant black eyebrow at her, a lofty gesture that spoke volumes silently.

Jaxon burst out laughing at his arrogance. "What?" she demanded. "Isn't it conceivable that he has managed to stay alive for centuries because he's really good at being a vampire? Maybe he's more powerful than-"

"I know you are not going to say more powerful than me." His voice dared her to challenge him.

She pushed at the wall of his chest, completely unafraid. "Isn't it possible?"

"Absolutely not." "You really believe that, don't you?"

"I know it, angel. There is no vampire as powerful. I have great control, tremendous discipline, and I have learned what others have not. Only my brother Gabriel comes close to having the knowledge and abilities I possess."

He was not bragging, he spoke matter-of-factly, unconcerned with his power.

He accepted it as he had accepted everything else in the world around him. It simply was.

"What if you're wrong? What if you underestimate him?"

Lucian shrugged with lazy casualness. "I can underestimate him easily enough without being less powerful. Some vampires are quite cunning, all are ruthless and wholly evil. I am certain this one has lived long and acquired much knowledge. It will not do him any good. It is my duty to destroy him, and I will do so."

"How did you hold out for so long when so many other males have turned?"

Lucian touched her face with gentle fingertips. "I would like to say that I knew you were going to be born and I held on for your sake, but the truth is, I did not believe I would be so rewarded. I met a man many centuries ago. Some say he was the Son of G.o.d. Others say he did not exist, and still others say he was merely a good man who lived an exemplary life. I know only that we walked together one night and talked. I touched his mind with mine. In all the days I have walked on this earth, I never met another such as he. He was like me yet different. He was like a human, yet different. There was only goodness in him.

Only that. He knew things no one else knew. He was gentle and compa.s.sionate.

I had already lost my ability to feel, yet when I was in his presence, I was comforted." Lucian sighed softly and shook his head. "He asked me if I could have anything in the world granted to me, what would I ask for. I replied, a lifemate for Gabriel. He told me Gabriel had a lifemate and he would find her, but we would have to hold out far longer than any other of our kind. I knew he meant that, without my aid, Gabriel would not survive so long a time."

"And you believed him?"

"You do not understand. This man could not tell an untruth. He was not capable of deceit. I made a promise to myself I would never allow my brother to go the way of the undead. Much was asked of us-the constant killing of our own kind, the isolation the hunter must endure. Gabriel was different; he felt emotions far longer than was normal for our males. I believe it was because his lifemate was alive. She is one of our people. We were moving so often, hunting and destroying and battling, Gabriel missed finding her. Eventually I pretended to become vampire when I knew my brother was close to turning. My doing so prevented him from having to make kills, which is dangerous to those close to turning. He had to hunt me instead. After years of battling me and chasing me across the continents, Gabriel managed to lock us both in the ground." His slight smile was rueful. "A miscalculation on my part. Gabriel actually managed to surprise me. It was only by chance that we surfaced before his lifemate chose to meet the dawn."

"You did all that for your brother." Jaxon was awed by his sacrifice. He told the story casually, in a few simple words, but she was still a shadow in his mind, and she saw his painful memories clearly. The details were vivid, the carefully constructed scenes of death and mayhem planned meticulously to convince his twin, a man who was lethal and well aware of what a vampire kill looked like, that he had turned. It had been a difficult existence, to say the least.

"Even when I could no longer feel such an emotion, I knew I loved my brother and that he had followed my lead. It was my decision to fight for our people and battle the Ottoman Turks and destroy the undead. Gabriel followed me and remained steady and loyal throughout his life. He deserved happiness. It was my duty to ensure it came to him."

"Whose duty was it to ensure yours?" she asked softly.

He smiled at her instant defense of him. "I was given tremendous gifts, honey. I was strong and better able to hold out against the gathering darkness.

And even more than that, I had touched the light as no one else had ever done. I could not forget that moment, touching a mind so pure and beautiful, so completely good. It was a gift I could not turn my back on. I never had a choice to lose my soul after that. I would never turn my back on something so completely of the light. I knew the truth. I knew we were here for a purpose and that our lives counted for something."

She shook her head. "You amaze me, Lucian, how little you ask for yourself."

He laughed then, a soft sound of love. "I would never give you up, Jaxon.

You are everything to me. You are the only thing that matters now. Believe me, my love, I am no saint, no martyr. I would no longer ask for your presence in my life, I would demand it."

His gaze was suddenly hot, a dark intensity centering solely on her. It made her feel hot and achy, a curling excitement blossoming deep within her.

Jaxon shoved impatiently at her hair, the action lifting her b.r.e.a.s.t.s beneath the thin material of her blouse. "Why have I so easily accepted our relationship when before I would never allow anyone close to me?"

"Even before you were converted to our blood, your heart and soul were still the other half of mine. Once I spoke the ritual words, we were finally bound together as one." He turned up her hand to kiss her knuckles in a tribute. His tongue licked the inside of her wrist. It was s.e.xy and intimate. "We belong. We are complete now. You are the light to my darkness. I am the predator, and you are compa.s.sion. I need you just to be able to feel emotion, to see the colors in the world, to enjoy each day and night. You need me to protect and cherish you, to be certain of your happiness. It is not exactly the same relationship as that of humans; it is more intense and continues to grow so as the years go by." His gaze burned over her possessively, his fingers sliding along her thigh, ma.s.saging her knotted muscles.

"You believe that? That we were destined to be together even before birth?

That I am really the only woman in all the centuries you existed who was for you? That there is only you for me?" Jaxon could barely breathe, could barely get the words out, all too aware of his palm sliding between her legs, pushing against the core of her right through the fabric of her jeans.

His black eyes smoldered at her, a s.e.xy, brooding look that melted her insides. "Do you?" He pushed harder, rubbed, caressed until a soft moan escaped her throat. She thought about the question for a few minutes, turning it over in her mind before answering. Did she believe they were meant to be together? She couldn't imagine her life without him. She, who had never shared her life with another human being, wanted to never leave his side. She wanted to share his mind, his memories; she wanted the feeling of belonging always. And when she touched his mind, she found an intensity burning there, a need of her as elemental as breathing. He thought only of her, no other woman. She had touched no memories of another woman. She was his life. Very slowly she nodded. "It must be your bad influence on me, but I can't imagine life without you anymore."

"It is a good thing, angel, so do not say it as if it is a fate worse than death."

He bent his head, his teeth nibbling at her shoulder. "Take off your blouse, Jaxon. I'm so hard and hot, I think I may explode." He leaned closer, his mouth against her ear. "I want to taste you, wet and wild and hot for me. You are-I feel it."

Jaxon loved him hot and hard for her. Loved hearing him admit it, that soft hitch in his voice, a slightly husky note that caught at her insides. She slipped her top off obediently and tossed aside the lacy sc.r.a.p of bra, spilling her b.r.e.a.s.t.s out under the heat of his gaze. She watched his shirt follow her bra and helplessly leaned over to taste a small bead of sweat on his skin. His body trembled.

"Lie back, honey, and stretch your hands over your head." He gave the instructions softly, but there was nothing soft in the way his black gaze moved over her.

Jaxon's heart leaped, but she lay back along the flat rock, her arms stretching past her ears until her hand connected with a long, thick stick. She wrapped her fingers around it and held on, knowing it was what he wanted. It left her breathless, stretched out under his hot gaze, her body an offering for him. Little beads of sweat were running along her rounded b.r.e.a.s.t.s, into the valley between them.

Lucian tossed his pants aside and caught at her waistband to slide the material from her body. The tiny curls beneath, already damp with her invitation, caught his attention. "I think about you like this all the time. Open your legs for me, angel. Invite me in." He was hard and thick, aching with the urgency of his own need.

Jaxon spread her legs wide, deliberately slowly, a carnal enticement, tightening her grip on the piece of wood in antic.i.p.ation of his reaction. He looked so big, so desperate for her body. It was incredibly s.e.xy, and she was rather shocked at herself that she felt so uninhibited. "You have no idea how much I want you. Touch me, Lucian. I need to feel you touching me." Her tongue touched her lush lower lip; her nipples were hard peaks beckoning him.

He stroked her leg, her thigh, his fingers lingering in her damp curls so that her body jumped, her hips arching toward him. Lucian smiled, his teeth very white. "Do not let go, angel. I want you like this, just like this, open to me."

Watching her face intently, he inserted a single finger into her hot, wet core. At once her body clenched around him, velvet soft, tight. He felt her response, her muscles gripping his finger. He pushed deeper, watched her gasp her pleasure.

"I know how tired you are, Jaxon, so you just lie there and let me make you feel good." He brought his finger to his mouth, his tongue capturing the juices. Lucian inhaled, taking in her spicy scent.

Her eyes darkened, trembling with a terrible need. "Lucian." There was an ache in her voice.

His answer was to lift her legs to his shoulders, his tongue stroking a hot caress along the tiny curls. She cried out, the sound husky, needy, a soft, wordless plea. His tongue probed deeply, plunged and retreated, in a wicked game that brought her to mindless rapture. Her body tightened, spun out of control, fast and furious, catching her unaware in a shattering series of earthquakes.

Lucian dropped her legs to his waist and thrust his throbbing, aching shaft against her hot, moist entrance, watching as he slowly began to push into her.

She was small, tight, and so hot he shuddered with pleasure as her body took more of him, inch by slow inch. She was spiraling again, her body going up in flames, colors dancing and spinning, gasping for air, for mercy. "More," he said softly. "You can take all of me. I belong here, inside you, my love. I belong."

His sanctuary, his haven.

He began to move, thrusting with long, hard strokes, driving deeper, welding them together, building the friction at a furious pace, unrelenting in his need. He indulged himself, taking her body for his own, giving her his body without reservation, bringing her again and again to shuddering ecstasy. He felt the building heat, could feel the endless clenching of her muscles around him, tight and hot, gripping and milking until he was no longer in control, until her body took his soaring with her.

Jaxon was exhausted, unable to move, her eyes closed, her body rippling endlessly, tight around Lucian, holding him inside her. He leaned forward, his tongue catching the bead of sweat on the tip of one breast. The action sent her body rippling again, but she was so tired she could only lie beneath him, going up in flames. He lay over her, breathing her in, her small body swallowed by his.

Their hearts beat as one; their lungs labored together. Jaxon slowly allowed her fingers to loosen her hold on the wood, her arms falling limply to her sides. She couldn't find the energy to hold Lucian to her; she could only enjoy the sensations his mouth at her breast was producing. They lay together, their bodies entwined, his mouth nuzzling gently on her in silent worship. She slid into a hazy, dreamy state and was shocked when he stirred, reluctantly pulling his body from hers.

Lucian sat up, his arm curving around her shoulders to lift her, cradling her close. They had made it to the cave just as dawn was breaking. Aboveground, the sun would be climbing high now. Because Jaxon had expended so much energy her first time flying, she had been tired when they arrived. Their lovemaking had been long and rough. He could feel her exhaustion beating at him. "We should seek rest."

Her heart jumped wildly. There was no sleeping chamber here with a cozy bed. She knew he would bury them both deep within the earth and make no apologies. The idea was unsettling even as tired as she was. "I'm very different from other Carpathian women, aren't I?" She sounded sad. It bothered her that she couldn't readily adjust to all the necessities of her new life.

He found her mouth with his, his tongue dancing with hers, searching, probing deeply, loving her, rea.s.suring her. His eyes were glittering possessively as he lifted his head. "You are different in a lot of ways, angel, but not in the ways you think. Our women would never hunt the vampire, with their lifemates as you wish to do. Hunting the vampire is more than a wish to you. If it were only that, I would have denied you the opportunity. It is a need, a part of your personality, your nature. I can only accept you as you are, not as I would have you be, quiet and secure within my safeguards. That is the only difference that in any way calls for me to compromise."

She shook her head in denial, then nuzzled his chest, her eyelids drooping.

"I'm a cop. I've always been a cop. It's who I am."

"You are my lifemate, not a cop. When we hunt, we hunt together, but you will follow my lead." He made it more than a statement; it was a command, an order. He said it with centuries of authority in his voice.

Jaxon leaned against him, pressing her pet.i.te body into the sheer masculine strength of his. If he wanted to give her orders, it didn't really matter. She would never go out hunting vampires without him. The idea was terrifying. She had led her share of men because she was brilliant at what she did. But she could concede leadership in the hunt for vampires to Lucian. He had been battling the undead for centuries and was a master at it. "All right, Lucian, just get it over with. Let's go to sleep before I fall over."

Lucian found her mouth again tenderly. "You will be safe, my love."

"I know I will," she murmured, her mouth against his neck, her long lashes sweeping down. "I just don't want to know the details. I'm finding some things are best left alone."

"You are safe within my care," he repeated, wanting her to believe. And she would always be safe. He cherished her. His every thought was of her. He would have done anything to make her transition easier, but he also wanted it to be at her pace. He bent his head to hers slowly, his smoldering gaze on her soft mouth. He ached for her. Even with the sun rising higher and higher and his body turning to a leaden weight, he still ached for her. He kissed her gently, leisurely, as if he had all the time in the world to savor her.

Jaxon relaxed against him, giving herself up to the wonder and magic of his mouth. It was the last thing she remembered, the last thing she took with her into her sleep. Sleep well, angel. Take me with you deep into your dreams. You will not awaken until I command you. You will have no fear of the earth and its welcoming arms.

Lucian's mouth captured her last breath as she succ.u.mbed to his demand that she sleep. His gut clenched hotly, every muscle in his body taut all over again. She was so beautiful, so perfect. He would never get used to the idea that she put his desires, his safety, and his happiness before her own. She watched out for him, worried about him, needed him. A soft groan escaped. She thought only good of him; she didn't have the sense to be afraid. It didn't occur to her that he would be capable of ma.s.s destruction should anything ever threaten her.

She trusted him implicitly. She had complete faith in him. She had no idea what that did for him. For centuries, the very people he had dedicated his life to protecting had feared him. Jaxon had every reason to be afraid of him, of the changes he had forced on her, yet she gave him her trust, and this filled him with humility.

Lucian? Gabriel's voice startled him. It came from far away. You have need of me? The sun was already set where Gabriel dwelled, and night was upon him.

I have a need, but not of you, Gabriel. Is all well with you and Francesca and with Skyler? What about little Tamara? Tamara, Lucian knew, was still very much at risk.

Jacques and Shea Dubrinsky, the Prince's brother and his lifemate, have arrived to help us in finding a way to keep Tamara alive. She is doing very well. Skyler is quite brilliant, but you know that. She misses you but is happy that you touch her mind often. Francesca is much happier with Shea here.

Shea has developed a formula, and it seems to be helping.

I will come to you should there be need, Lucian a.s.sured him unnecessarily.

He had not yet told Jaxon about the terrible reality of having a much-wanted child and watching it fade away despite everything the healers could do. He, like so many other Carpathians, was counting on Shea, Francesca, and Gregori to find answers to why their kind lost so many females soon after their birth, threatening the continuation of the species.

I thank you for that. You worry for your lifemate.

I will protect her. I can do no other.

I will aid you should there be need. Gabriel made the identical offer instantly.

Lucian smiled, grateful that he could feel the intensity of his love for his twin brother, not just a remembered emotion, but one heartfelt and real. I know you would come, Gabriel, and I will call should I have need. Francesca and the children have a greater need at this time. Jaxon and I are followed by three of the undead. Jaxon fears them less than the human monster we are attempting to lure.

Perhaps she has good reason to fear the human. Watch yourself. I could leave now and be there on the next rising.

Thank you for the offer, but you are needed there. I can take care of these evil ones with no problem.

And the human?

Do not start, Gabriel. It is bad enough to have my lifemate think such a puny one could defeat me. I do not need you to side with her.

Soft laughter met his statement. The hour of the day was beginning to tell heavily on Lucian. He was an ancient and very susceptible to the effects of daylight. His body needed the earth. He set more safeguards and his warning system in place to keep humans and immortals alike from their resting place.

Gliding out of the cavern of pools, Jaxon cradled in his arms, Lucian followed a narrow tunnel leading deeper beneath the earth. He avoided the molten pools and found rich, dark soil teeming with healing, rejuvenating minerals and opened a bed several feet under its richness. As he floated into the beckoning arms of the earth, he focused his attention on scanning the surrounding areas. He held Jaxon to him, curling his body around hers protectively. He went to sleep with a smile of satisfaction touching his mouth.

The sun tried valiantly to bathe the mountains with light, striving to reach through the heavy foliage to the ground below. At noon, when the sun was at its highest point, the winds began to pick up. Clouds gathered, moving in from the south. By four the clouds were heavy enough to dim the light of the sun. At five the wind was strong enough to bend the trees and throw the branches into a wild frenzy of dancing. Deep beneath the earth, in the very bowels of the mountain, Lucian stirred awake.

He moved the soil above him easily and stretched with lazy pleasure, his fingers unerringly finding the silken strands of Jaxon's hair. She lay perfectly still, her face pale, no discernible heartbeat in her body. Gently he extracted himself from where their bodies lay entwined. He floated to the surface and stood quietly for a moment, debating. He did not want her to awaken and find him gone while she lay buried in the earth. She was not ready for such an experience. Yet his command had sent her to sleep, and she should not wake until he gave the order.

Technically. A ripple of unease touched his mind. Jaxon was strong and intelligent, a force to be reckoned with already, and she was but a mere fledgling.