"The things I chose to do. I was born a predator, sivamet. I am still a predator, and I will go into the next life a predator. You cannot mistake me for anything else." He stepped into the canoe with complete balance and reached up for her.
His grip was strong and comforting as he put her on the end close to where the canoe had a backrest. It curved at the top in the traditional sense, but clearly Tariq had designed the canoe for comfort.
She worried a little that Dragomir kept insisting she wasn't seeing everything about him. Of course, she wasn't, but she did see what mattered most. He was kind and courageous. He devoted himself to her. He accepted her baby without hesitation. What was he referring to over and over?
She settled on the floor of the canoe and watched him settle opposite her and take the oar in his hand. One strong pull had them gliding fast out over the water. The sensation took her breath away. She loved the quiet of it and the feeling of moving over the wide expanse of the lake. The color of the water was different depending on where the sliver of moon shone, or the depth and the darkness. The farther out they got from the lights of shore, the darker the water appeared.
"This is beautiful," she whispered, looking up at the stars, one hand trailing in the water. "Thank you. You've given me so many experiences I never thought I'd ever have. I appreciate every single one of them."
"I love giving you things you want, Emeline." Another powerful stroke took them gliding farther away from the shoreline.
Her gaze jumped to his face and then drifted over his chest and arms. He was hers. All that unadulterated male beauty was hers. "I love knowing you're mine." She felt a little shy telling him, but at the same time, she wanted him to know. That was more important to her than revealing her embarrassment. He deserved to know what he meant to her.
"Do you feel safe with me?"
"That's an odd question. Of course I feel safe with you." She wrinkled her nose at him, wondering where he was going with that line of questioning.
"Then why are you gripping the edges of the canoe until your knuckles have turned white?"
She looked down at her hands. He was right, she was gripping the edges and her knuckles were white. She absolutely loved the teasing note in his voice. "I'm hedging my bets."
His eyebrow shot up. "You do know I could float us out of the water, turn upside down and still keep you from falling."
She didn't like that matter-of-fact way he asked. "I am certain you can, but I prefer that we stay in the water, exactly as we are meant to."
"Humans are meant to. They don't fly. We fly."
"This part of 'we' is just trying out canoeing and enjoying it. Flying can come later. I watched the children on their dragons and was a little envious, I won't lie."
"The beauty of being Carpathian is you can do both. You can fly by yourself in any form you choose, and you will be able to fly a dragon if you really want to do that."
"I do." She drew up her knees cautiously and one by one pried her fingers from the side of the canoe so she could wrap her arms around her legs and settle her chin on her knees. "Do you remember the first time you ever flew?"
Dragomir shook his head. "Memories faded over the centuries. Even after getting my emotions and colors back, I don't remember much from my childhood. I can remember every vampire and how they fight, what their preferences are in lairs and safeguards, but I can't remember my mother's face."
He sounded crushed by that, but his expression hadn't changed. She realized he often refused or more likely didn't recognize an emotion that was sad or negative. He didn't dwell there. He felt them, but he didn't identify with them. Emeline couldn't make up her mind whether she thought that good or bad.
"I don't think about my parents much," she said, needing to give him something back. "I didn't really have family. Maybe that's why I fought so hard to keep Carisma. I heard her screaming in pain and I just couldn't hate her. She was an innocent caught in Vadim's ugly world." She rubbed her chin on her knees and then put her head down, staring out at the water. "He does that, you know--he hates innocence and does his best to strike at it."
There was a small silence. Two more powerful strokes of the canoe sent them parallel to the shore. "I hadn't thought about that, but you're right. That's exactly what he does."
"He's determined to kill the children, Dragomir. All of them. He targeted them for some reason as well. It wasn't just because he knew it would draw me into the underground city, either. He had a reason he went after those children. I tried to find out about their talents, but then I realized if I knew them and Vadim was in my head, then he would know their talents as well, so I stopped asking. They don't let others in easily, but Blaze, Charlotte and I are closer to them than anyone else here. Probably I have to include Tariq in that as well. Still, I don't think anyone knows what they can do."
"Valentin would know. Liv, the little girl, is his lifemate. What is in her mind, he knows."
"I didn't think of that. I thought he left."
"There was that trouble with the lightning when we were converting you. He came back to protect Liv."
"I don't understand how he would know she was his lifemate. She's too young. I thought it had to do with sexual maturity."
"That plays a huge part," he admitted. "Sometimes being in close proximity over time can make a man aware his lifemate is near. His colors fade but don't altogether leave him. His emotions don't completely disappear and he has a sex drive. One that won't go away. I've heard all kinds of things that tip off the male. Most don't have those luxuries. Valentin most likely discovered it when Vadim brought the child to him to take her blood. Vadim had kept Valentin starving for so long, he thought when he gave him a child, Valentin wouldn't be able to resist killing her. It was Vadim's poor luck that he handed Valentin's lifemate to him."
"What will Valentin do?"
"He will watch over her until she is of age. What else can he do? She's too young to claim, nor would he ever consider it." Dragomir shrugged his broad shoulders and gave more powerful strokes of the oar so that the canoe slipped over the water easily.
Emeline realized he was keeping along the shoreline for her, recognizing that, although she loved the water and what they were doing, she was nervous. She licked at her lips. "I don't know how to swim. I never had the chance to learn. I was more of a dancer."
Dragomir's look wasn't one of shock or judgment. His eyes had gone soft and his incredible mouth curved in that sweet smile that always shook her. "Now you don't have to worry about it, sivamet. You are Carpathian. You can swim, fly or dance up to the stars."
Her breath caught in her throat. She loved dancing. She lost herself in dance. "Blaze's father paid for dancing lessons for me. I was homeless, crawling in his daughter's window at night, and he paid for my dance lessons. That was better than eating regularly, although he let me raid their fridge and cupboards whenever I wanted."
"But you didn't." He set the oar across his lap, his focus completely on her.
She shook her head. "I didn't trust easily in those days. He was a really good man, but I didn't dare wear out my welcome. At first I was very young, and the streets were intimidating. Then I grew up and there was an entirely different set of obstacles."
"You still don't trust easily."
"It's difficult to believe you're for real," she admitted, her hand moving in and out of the water, as if she were dancing on the surface with her fingers. She'd given him her body and her heart. She was fairly certain she wouldn't survive without him, but he was right. There was a part of her that didn't trust that he'd stay. Maybe she'd never be able to trust that he'd stay.
"I'll stay. And if you really want to dance in the stars, we'll do that, too."
"Any time you want to go dancing in the stars, or the clouds, or on the pier, I'm ready," she assured him.
The sound of childish voices drifted on the wind and made Emeline smile. She hadn't seen the children yet and she missed them. She turned her head toward the sound. The boat
glided over the water as the oar cut through it, powered by Dragomir's strength. She made out Danny with Lourdes on his back. Bella ran beside them, calling out to him that it was her turn. The scene was familiar to her. Danny gave the youngest ones rides all the time. It was the two littlest ones' favorite pastime.
Liv had a book in her hands and walked with Amelia, talking softly; the sound carried on the slight breeze, but the words were lost. She was animated as she talked to her sister, occasionally stopping to make a point. Amelia took the book from her when Liv's wild gestures threatened to send the book skittering across the lake.
Amelia indicated the ground, and Liv crouched low, searching for a moment. She picked up a rock and sent it skipping across the surface of the lake. Amelia followed suit. Both girls laughed.
"I love to see them like that," Emeline said. "Sisters are so wonderful together. Do you want more than one child, Dragomir?" She rubbed her palm protectively over the place the baby was nestled and safe.
He frowned, and her heart clenched hard in her chest. "As many as you want." His gaze remained on the children rather than on the lake.
She sat up straight, her hand going protectively over the baby. "Dragomir? Do you not want children? Because if you don't . . ." She trailed off. She was having a baby. If he didn't want children that was a big problem. Huge.
"Of course I want children. Why would you ask me that?" He dipped the oar in the water and they went soaring over the glassy surface.
He'd frowned, and she'd panicked. That was another testimony to the way she felt about herself. Unworthy. Not good enough for him. For someone to really love her or want a life with her. She was going to be the problem if she didn't watch it. What man liked a woman who was afraid every minute that he was going to leave her?
"Emeline." He said her name softly and her gaze jumped to his. His eyes had gone that molten gold she loved, as if it was melted and hot. "I want you any way I can have you. Children. No children. You're always going to be my world. There is no other and there never will be. I know you have a difficult time understanding the concept of lifemates, but you'll get it eventually. I would tell you to stop worrying, but I can see that won't help."
"I'll try, Dragomir," she promised. "It's just that for a moment I thought maybe you didn't want children, and I do. I want it all. The family, the home, the man who adores me just as much as I adore him." She ducked her head, her gaze going to the water, anywhere but facing that penetrating stare. "I want you to want that same thing. Especially the children."
"I want the same thing," he assured. "The more girls we have, the more lifemates we give to the Carpathian people."
She rested her head back, letting the gentle sway of the water lull her. "I never thought about that. How a child we have might save one of the males of the Carpathian race. All those women . . ." She broke off and closed her eyes, shaking her head as if to get the sight out of her mind.
"Those women?" he prompted.
"In Vadim's underground city. They were psychics. He told me they were, but not strong enough for his purposes. The bodies were piled up, and I could see half-formed babies, some fully formed, all dead. When those women died, they were lifemates, weren't they? Lifemates to some of the hunters waiting."
"More than likely. The loss was felt deeply. The souls will be reborn but there is no way of knowing if the hunters can hang on that long. That was part of Vadim's plan. If he takes the lifemates away, destroys them, more hunters will turn, helping him to create a larger army."
"If they know they'll be reborn . . ."
"There is no way of knowing when they will be reborn. What century. Where. The world is a big place, and some of these hunters have held on for centuries. When there is nothing to hold on to but honor, it can be very difficult."
She studied his face. He had suffered. It was there in his harsh male features. Dragomir would never have been called handsome in the traditional sense of the word--his features were too angular and male. Almost brutal. But he was beautiful and sensual. The scars on his face and body added to his appeal. He looked dangerous. Walking into a room, she knew he would command attention and scare most people. Maybe all of them.
"I hate that you had to wait so long."
"You are worth every moment of that wait." Sincerity rang in his voice.
She turned her head toward the shore where the children were playing. "Listen to the frogs. So many. It sounds like they're gathering for a frog concert."
"Noisy little things," he observed. "If I'm going to take you dancing in the stars, we need better music."
She liked the sound of dancing in the stars. For the first time, she allowed herself to fully relax. She tipped her head up and studied the constellations scattered overhead. The sky looked beautiful, so dark it was nearly blue, the stars and sliver of moon hot and glowing against that backdrop. There were a few drifting clouds, but they looked inviting rather than threatening.
More childish laughter caught her attention, and she turned her head to see the Waltons standing with Danny, talking to the two youngest. Mary Walton carried something cradled in her arms. Her husband, Donald, had a large gun slung around his shoulder. She sat up so fast she nearly spilled into the water.
"What in the world?" She stared at the couple as they laughed and talked with Danny. "Dragomir, they're carrying guns. Both of them. They're the sweetest couple. They live in the boathouse. I've never been in it, but the children tell me it's really nice and homey. Why in the world would Mary be carrying a gun? Or Donald, for that matter. They could hurt themselves."
"My understanding is they know how to use them. They're both efficient at it."
"I suppose they're protecting the children. I hate that Bella and Lourdes have to see that. And poor Liv. She's only ten, and she had those terrible creatures of Vadim's tearing at her, eating her alive. If it weren't for Valentin, she never would have made it out of there. I couldn't have saved her, nor could Blaze. It was Valentin."
The sound of the frogs increased and, along with them, the crickets started. She found herself laughing softly. She almost couldn't believe anything could make her laugh, not when she'd been thinking about Vadim's underground city and the atrocities he'd committed on men, women and children there. The frogs and crickets added a magical reality to the night.
"Listen to them. Any minute I expect them to burst into song."
"They are singing," he said. "Dance with me, sivamet. I believe I have pulled enough information out of your mind to lead you in a waltz." He put the oar down and the canoe glided by itself over the water to the dock nearest the Waltons' boathouse and away from the children. It was darker and more secluded.
He stood up, balancing easily, and held out his hand to her. She hesitated. They were still in the canoe and if she moved wrong, they could both fall into the water. He might be right--that she could swim--but she didn't want to test his theory there in the dark.
His white teeth flashed at her and his lower lip curved into the soft, intriguing smile she found herself watching for. "Emeline. Really? You think I would allow you to fall into the water? Especially since you're afraid. That would be cruel. I'm capable of great cruelty, but never to the woman I love. Give me your hand." He held out his hand to her.
Her heart went crazy, for him or out of fear, she wasn't certain which, but it beat like a drum out of rhythm. She placed her hand in his and allowed him to pull her to her feet. The canoe didn't so much as rock. That was all him. Looking out for her.
He moved then, shifted his feet, took them into the air so that her sandals hovered just above the canoe. His arm went around her back and he brought her hand up. His frame was superb, as good as any of the professionals she'd danced with. She put her hand on his shoulder and allowed him to pull her into his body. Close. Closer than she would ever have allowed any other dance partner.
His body felt wonderful. Strong. Male. Pure Dragomir. No other man could ever make her feel the mixtures of things he did. Or give her
the intensity of emotion he gave her. She felt safe and sexy, beautiful and intelligent. He listened to every word she said. Gave her strength and made her hope--believe--even if it was just for a few minutes.
Dragomir enfolded Emeline into his arms, guiding her body into the shelter of his. If dancing was what she loved, then he would be an expert dancer, guiding her up through the air toward the stars. The song that was playing over and over in her head played in his as well. He brought the music to life, hearing the beat in her head, feeling it in his body.
Below them, on the ground, the children continued to play together, Liv and Amelia skipping rocks on the lake, Danny and the little girls talking with the Waltons and Genevieve, who had joined them. The scene seemed surreal. He didn't care about any of them right in that moment. Only Emeline and her happiness.
They moved together in perfect rhythm. Dancing was like making love, he decided, his body guiding hers through the intricate steps as they danced up unseen stairs, going higher and higher until the clouds drifted past them.
He allowed her to step on one, ensuring that to her it appeared a fluffy white floor. He whirled her out and brought her back into him. All around them the stars shone brightly. Their cloud drifted across the sky as they danced to the music, her body moving in rhythm with his. He always was in control, yet when he was with Emeline, his body refused to listen to his commands, taking over, rebelling. Swelling with urgent need. She couldn't fail to feel his cock, hard and aching, pressed so tightly against her stomach.
"I love that you want me, Dragomir," she whispered. Her head was against his chest, her ear over his heart. "I want that always. I want to know when I walk into a room, you're aware of me. I'm always aware of you."
The sound of her voice whispering against the immaculate suit jacket he wore ratcheted up the hunger beating through him.
"From the first time I saw you in the yard with the others, I thought you were the sexiest man alive." She turned her head so her chin dug into his chest and her eyes were on his. "I daydreamed of you. I fantasized about you. I dreamt of you at night. Before Vadim's attack and certainly after, I never thought about sex. After I saw you, it was all I could think about."
Dark Legacy Page 23