Dark Promises

by Christine Feehan

  She swallowed hard. She could see the darkness in him. See it stamped on his granite features, the ruthless set of his mouth, but mostly, it was there in his eyes.

  "I don't know what I'm doing, but I want to make it good for you. You'll have to help me." She knew they had chemistry, which convinced her they were in fact lifemates, but she didn't love him. She didn't expect that she would enjoy their joining, but she was determined that he would.

  He stared down at her for what seemed an eternity. He took a breath. She did, too. Her heart was beating so hard she was afraid she might have a heart attack, but she would save this man. She could see him struggling. She could see he was afraid for her. She knew, without looking into his mind, that he was a good man. She'd brought him to this and if it was the last thing she ever did, she would fix it.

  Something flickered in the depths of his eyes. Something very frightening. She knew that was the moment he made up his mind. "I know you do not know me, Gabrielle, but you will be safe in my care. I will make this good for you. I am more animal than man, right now. There is no light in me, but I will do right by you."

  She knew that was a warning, she just didn't quite understand what it meant. Still, because he was the scariest man she'd ever met--and many of the Carpathian males were very scary--she nodded her head.

  He stepped back from her and at once she felt the loss. He had been her anchor. Her protector, as strange as that sounded. Now, she felt alone and more frightened than ever. His masculine features were hard, his eyes so green they actually appeared to be green fire.

  "Remove your clothes for me."

  She looked around the room. The stark, cold room, devoid of all furniture. Devoid of all signs of life or love. No warm fire. No field of flowers. No white horse . . .

  A long, slow growl rumbled through the room. He was on her in seconds, his fist bunching her hair, dragging her head back. "What did I say to you? That man will not be in this room with us."

  "He isn't. I wasn't thinking of him," she denied, tears gathering because her scalp really hurt. There was darkness in him. Set deep. She could see it. She could see he was battling. "Just leftover childish dreams. Please, don't hurt me."

  Instantly he loosened his hold on her hair. To her shock, his fingers massaged her scalp, easing the ache. He leaned forward and shocked her further by brushing a kiss over first one eye and then the other. His mouth followed the trail of her tears, sipping at them, removing them with his tongue. It was . . . intimate. So intimate, the brush of his tongue and lips sent another wave of curling heat to her stomach.

  "I am sorry, o jela sielamak, it is difficult to control intense emotions after so long without them. You have said you will not tell me an untruth and I choose to believe you. I will have more care with you." His gaze dropped to her eyes. "I have need of you. Right. Now."

  He said the last two words against her mouth and then he was kissing her. Not just kissing her. Kissing her. She hadn't known a kiss could be like that. Demanding. Rough. Nearly savage it was so rough. She thought she wanted gentle. She needed gentle. Maybe her mind did, but her body responded to the hunger in his mouth, the harsh, near violent way he devoured her. Flames danced through her body. There was no slow smoldering; his kisses took her straight to the fire.

  Her body moved against his restlessly because there was no controlling her response to him. Her clothes hurt her skin. She needed to feel his skin, and she did, slipping her hands under his shirt to slide up his broad back. She could feel every muscle, and that heat--that incredible heat pouring off of him. All the while he kissed her. Claimed her. Put his brand on her. With just his mouth.

  He kissed her like a starving man. He kissed her like he owned her. His mouth was hot and demanding. He tasted like paradise. And her body . . . Her body forgot who was in charge. Her brain just shut down. Short-circuited. She kissed him back. Really kissed him. Not just let him sweep her along, but she kissed him, her hands taking in as much of his smooth, hot skin as they could. She couldn't stop herself. She had no idea what she was doing, but somehow, following his lead, she learned fast.

  She could tell he liked her kisses because when their tongues tangled, his arms tightened until she was afraid she'd be crushed under his enormous strength, but she didn't want him to stop. Her body had come alive with just his mouth on hers. Alive. Singing. Screaming for more. Every single cell was aware of him. An electrical current seemed to have taken up residence in her bloodstream. She'd never felt anything like it in her life. She hadn't known a woman could feel like that. He moved and she tightened her arms, whimpering a little, trying to keep him there.

  He smoothed his hand down her hair as he lifted his head, removing the intricate braid so that her dark hair fell in clouds around her face and down her back. His green eyes were darker. Filled with hunger. Her heart thudded. Her sex spasmed.

  "I like your hair down. Wear it down for me."

  His mouth was back on hers before she could protest. Not that she was going to protest. She couldn't think past the need to kiss him again. His kisses burned even hotter. His hand went to her throat, tipping back her head while his other arm became an iron bar at her back, pulling her tightly into him.

  He lifted his head again. Just inches. Green eyes blazing down into hers. She went up on her toes, trying to follow his mouth.

  Aleksei brushed her mouth with his but held back. "Are you going to give me that, Gabrielle? When it is just the two of us, will you give that to me? Your hair down where I can feel it on my body? Against my skin?"

  God. God. He robbed her of breath.

  "My woman does not say no to me. Not ever. She trusts me to do right by her. Are you going to give me what I want?"

  Mesmerized, hypnotized by his dark sensuality, without taking her gaze from his, she nodded.

  "And you will not say no to me."

  Could she give him that? She didn't know if she was strong enough to make herself into what he wanted or needed. She was so afraid of him. Trusting him was going to be very difficult.

  "Gabrielle." His tone told her he was losing patience.

  She swallowed her fear and shook her head. "I'll try, Aleksei," she promised.

  Instantly he rewarded her, his mouth at hers, breathing fire down her throat so that the flames reached her breasts. So sensitive. So aching. So needy. Just with his mouth on hers.

  He tugged at her tee and it disappeared right off her body. Her bra was next. Both of his hands went to her breasts, cupping the soft weight in his palms. A small cry escaped. His touch was rough, not gentle. She didn't expect gentle from him, his kisses were far from that. But she hadn't expected that rough would only make her hotter. Her legs threatened to give out as his mouth traveled over her chin and down her throat.

  "I don't think I can stand up," she whispered truthfully.

  He took them to the floor, stripping them both as they went down, cushioning her fall, but just barely, his mouth already on her breast. His hand was at her other breast, his fingers rolling and tugging while his mouth suckled strongly. Her hips bucked, the heat building in intensity, forks of lightning streaking from her breasts straight to her sex.

  Deep inside the tension began to coil tighter and tighter. Her breath came in gasps. His mouth went to her other breast and his finger was at her nipple. She arched her back, giving him more, needing more, her arms wrapping around his head to cradle him there. The feel of his hair, all that black, salt-and-pepper silk, drove her wild. The sight of him feasting on her was erotic. The strength in his arms and the heat of his mouth fed the fire burning so deep inside.

  His mouth left her breasts and began to travel down her body. He kissed under both breasts, her ribs and down to her belly button. His tongue tasted every inch of her as he made his way down her body. His hands were everywhere, his palms sliding over her skin possessively.

  Her body was restless. It was too much, yet not enough. Without thinking, she dug her heels into the carpet and tried to slide away. She didn't
know where she was going or what she was going to do, only that if she kept feeling this way, her entire body was going to come apart.

  Aleksei growled deep in his throat and his hands went from gliding to gripping. Hard. Her heart jumped at the sudden aggression. She thought he'd been aggressive, but obviously she'd made a mistake and triggered the very dangerous side of him. His head came up and his green eyes glittered at her.

  The look on his face frightened her as nothing else could have. She didn't dare move. His features were hard, aroused. His gaze dropped from her face to completely and utterly focus on the junction between her legs. Just the way he looked at her, all that darkness. Stark. Raw. Erotic. Hungry. She couldn't quite get air through her lungs and past her throat.

  He was naked. Muscles everywhere. His body hard and hot. His erection was long and thick, throbbing against his stomach. One hand circled the width of it, just for a moment, and she couldn't take her eyes from the sight of that steel spike wrapped by his fist. She didn't see how it could possibly fit inside her. Fear mounted but at the same time she wanted him even more. The hunger and burning need inside of her kept building. Higher. Hotter. Delicious. Terrifying.

  "Be still," he growled.

  His voice was raspy. Harsh. Still, there was a silky quality to it that was mesmerizing--that stroked over her like a caress. She wanted to obey him. She had promised herself she would give herself to him, any way he wanted, but the sensations were too much. Mind destroying.

  He lowered his head again, and her breath was trapped in her throat as his large hands went to her inner thighs to spread her legs open for him. Wide. So wide. So exposed. So vulnerable. She cried out, trying not to writhe against the carpet. Trying to do what he wanted but just lying there so exposed to his fierce, lust-filled, hot gaze nearly destroyed her.

  His hands felt rough and hard against her soft inner thighs and she heard a soft moan escape, the only evidence that she could still breathe. She couldn't take her eyes from him, from the harsh lust etched there in his face, so sensual, so raw and beautiful. His fingers moved close to her center and she gasped. Whimpered. Struggled to stay still when she needed him inside of her, putting out the terrible fire that he'd built. That was still building.

  Then his mouth was on her. Right there. His tongue stabbed deep, then circled her hard, little tight bud in torturous circles. Then he lapped at her, lapped at the cream spilling from her body. There was no way to stay still. Her hips bucked, jerked. She arched her back, pressed tighter against his mouth. She desperately needed to hold on to something to keep from screaming and flying apart, so her hands settled in his hair, fists bunching that thick silk tightly.

  Aleksei didn't protest or snarl at her movements this time. He gripped her thighs in his strong hands, an unbreakable grip holding her open to him as he devoured her. Gabrielle was afraid her heart would burst it was pounding so hard. The pleasure was so intense, it skirted the edges of pain. His mouth was relentless, taking what he wanted, driving her ruthlessly up until she was shaking with need. Pleading. Begging him. Terrified she was going to lose her mind.

  His breathing was harsh, ragged, his face a mask of pure sensuality. His mouth suckled, his tongue flickering over her clit, and the fire rushed over her. Before it consumed her, he pulled his mouth away, his eyes piercing hers. Dark. Glittering. Filled with lust. With hunger.

  "Who is with you, Gabrielle? Who is giving this much pleasure to you?"

  Pleasure? She wasn't certain that pleasure was the word she would use. The sensation was too intense, skating too close to pain. Still, she didn't want him to stop.

  His fingers plunged into her aching, melting flesh. Her head tossed back and forth. "Aleksei." She managed to gasp out his name, only it came out like a plea. "You have to stop. Stop."

  "O kod belso." He spat the curse out in his ancient language, fury burning in his eyes, heightening the lust there.

  His mouth was on her immediately, his tongue flickering and laving, his mouth relentless, sending her crashing over the edge. She bucked, her low cries filling the room. He didn't stop. Didn't give her time to recover. His tongue drew the honey from her body, drew her clit into his mouth and attacked the raging nerve endings even harder. Even rougher. More insistently.

  She bucked her body, trying to move his head. He was building the fire inside of her, too hot. Too fast. Pushing her too high. When his hands held her hips still, she tried pulling his head away from her by using his hair. He snarled at her. Like an animal. A wild, feral creature. His mouth never stopped feasting on her. Ravenous. Devouring her. Sending more sensations crashing through her.

  She cried out, needing more. Feeling desperate. She tugged at his hair. "Please. Aleksei. I need you. Right now." Because she was unraveling. Coming apart. Feeling empty. She needed more.

  His tongue stabbed deep and her sheath convulsed. The shock waves spread out from her core throughout her body. Up to her heaving breasts. Down to her jumping thighs. She opened her mouth to scream but another wave hit her, this one stronger than the last and she couldn't catch her breath. Couldn't think. She just fragmented and still, it wasn't enough.

  Aleksei rose above her, holding her thighs apart, his face a harsh mask as he lodged the broad crown of his heavy cock in her entrance. She tried to push down, tried to impale herself on him.

  "Are you going to tell me to stop now?" he demanded. His voice and hands were rough. He bit the words out on a snarl, his teeth white and bared. He appeared untamed, dominant, totally savage. The devil himself. And she couldn't resist him.

  She bit her lip, her gaze clinging to his. She shook her head, and he pushed deeper. It burned. It stung. She gasped as he slowly invaded her body, stretching her impossibly. She mewed softly, insanely and turned her head away from him. He stopped advancing. She could feel him inside her, pushing against the tight muscles, forcing her body to accommodate his. It was sexy. Sensual. Erotic. And it definitely was somewhere between pain and pleasure. She couldn't decide which, but she didn't want him to stop.

  "Look at me," he commanded harshly. "Keep your eyes on me."

  She didn't know if he wanted to see her eyes to see what she was feeling because he wasn't in her mind, or because he wanted her to see him and not another man when he took her. Maybe both. Either way, he wasn't going to move until she did as he demanded. She brought her gaze back to his face. She would have sworn, at the moment, he looked like sin incarnate. The lines in his face were cut deep. His green eyes were filled with lust and a ruthless intent. He looked every inch the predator.

  "Do you feel me inside you? The way I feel you wrapped around me. So tight. So scorching hot. Your body is mine, kessa ku toro. Now look at me and ask me for what you need. Say my name."

  She had no idea what kessa ku toro meant, but she didn't think it was a curse word. Not like the one he spat out earlier.

  "I didn't mean . . ." She trailed off, watching his gaze drop to where his body met hers. He looked so huge, intimidating. Still, it was sexy. Seeing him stretching her like that, his finger moving over her lips where they wrapped around him so tightly.

  "You said it." He was implacable, his voice going from harsh to guttural.

  She knew he was at the edge of his control. She knew when he took her he would be just as savage, just as rough as when he kissed her. His fingers slipped through the slick heat at her entrance, the slick liquid fire that coated his cock, her thighs and gleamed on his jaw. His other hand went to her left breast, gripping her nipple and tugging roughly. Fire shot straight to her sex. Blood rushed hotly through her veins. Her sheath spasmed around him, sent more liquid bathing the thick, broad head buried in her.

  His eyes were hooded, heavy-lidded, his teeth bared as he waited for her to obey him. It cost him, that wait, and she knew one word would shred the last of his control. Not movement. Her surrender. That's what he wanted from her. Total surrender.

  She had nothing left. Nowhere else to go. No one else to turn to. There was only this man,
the ancient she'd wronged. An ancient who was more feral than tame. An ancient who was not in the least civilized. There was only Aleksei and the things he was doing to her body.

  "Don't stop, Aleksei," she whispered, because she needed him desperately.

  His eyes changed. Dark. Dangerous. Breathtaking. Staring into her eyes, he took her, slamming his cock home, tearing past her thin shield to bury himself to the very hilt. He seemed to lodge in her womb. His heavy sac pressed tight against her buttocks. Pain warred with pleasure as her body struggled to accommodate his size, her tight muscles stretched beyond belief. It was too much. The pleasure rushed over her, catching her by surprise until she didn't know what was pain and what was paradise.

  She lifted her hands to push him away, her body flinching from his, but he caught both wrists in his viselike grip and slammed them to the carpet on either side of her head, his eyes glittering in warning.

  "Do not take back your word," he hissed. "Fighting me now is far too dangerous."

  She didn't have time to tell him that wasn't her intention. She just needed a little breathing room. A little time for her body to assimilate the streaks of lightning, the fire gathering like a terrible storm. The pressure building too fast. Too hot. His mouth came down on hers, a wild, savage kiss that took what was left of her sanity. Then he was plunging deep, setting a harsh, ferocious pace that jolted her body with every stroke, sending streaks of fire straight to her core.

  She gasped and caught at him for an anchor, the pleasure so intense she feared she might actually pass out. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't find a release. He just never stopped, pushing her higher and higher until she was certain she couldn't take it. She was being pulled somewhere else. It was terrible. It was beautiful. It was terrifying.

  "Stop fighting me," he hissed, going to his knees. "Kessake, you like this. You want it. I can feel your need, your hunger. Your fighting only makes me lose all control. Relax for me." He growled the words, but she could tell he was trying to settle her. There was an underlying plea in his command. "Let me help you."