The Darkening (Immortals)
Page 28
Darius didn’t give her much time to think about it before he had her beneath him on the bed. Holding himself above her, he looked strong and capable. When he dipped his head to tease first one nipple and then the other, liquid desire pooled deep in her abdomen, and she felt her pulse quicken.
The blunt tip of his erection probed her swollen flesh at the juncture of her legs, and she shifted her hips in anticipation. When his cock finally pushed into her, filling her, Lexi thought she’d never felt anything quite so exquisite. As if realizing the effect he was having on her, Darius started moving with deliberate slowness. It caused the tension in her to quickly build. Soon she was skating on the edge of a powerful orgasm, waiting for that last driving stroke that would send her crashing over the edge. She tightened her inner muscles, and when Darius surged into her one last time, together they found their release.
Afterward, they lay in each other’s arms for a long time, spent yet satisfied.
Lexi thought she had everything in the world that she wanted—the man of her dreams, a child on the way…
Reality raised its ugly head. What if Darius didn’t want children?
“I need to tell you something,” she said tentatively. “And I hope it won’t spoil things between us.”
Darius look at her with obvious concern. “What is it, love?”
“I’m pregnant.”
He grinned. “I know.”
“What…How…?”
He took a deep breath. “As an Immortal, I can control the release of my seed. When we made love that time in the chamber, I didn’t know if the spell to forget would claim me again. If it did, I wanted to leave you with something to remember me by—something as precious to me as my life or yours. I’m sorry we didn’t talk about it first, but there was no time.”
She felt her heart swell. “When I found out I was pregnant, it was like getting a part of you back in my life. I had a reason to live again. I could never regret being pregnant with our child.”
Darius smiled. “Whew.” He dipped his head and kissed her. “But if I seem extra protective in the coming days, you would do best to humor me.”
“Why? What’s happening?”
“We leave for Seattle tomorrow—to meet up with Amber and Adrian.”
“We?” she asked, not sure she’d heard correctly.
He smiled at her. “You don’t seriously think I’d go without you?”
“So Amadja is still out there?”
He frowned. “I’m afraid so.”
“And Tain?” She almost hated to mention his name.
Darius sighed. “He’s out there as well.”
“Will you and Adrian be enough to defeat them?”
“We’re still hoping that Kalen and Hunter can be found, but if not, it still won’t be just me and Adrian. Amber and you will be there, as well as the Coven of Light witches and some of Amber and Adrian’s friends.”
“And Ricco and Mai,” she added.
Darius gave her a startled look. “What?”
She nodded. “Mai called me last night and told me she and Ricco—who have been seeing a lot of each other, by the way—made plans to join forces with the others in Seattle. I hadn’t decided yet whether or not I was going.”
“And now?” Darius asked.
“I go where you go,” Lexi said, leaning close to kiss him. “Wherever you go, my love.”
Acknowledgments
I would like to acknowledge the following Web sites, which I found very informative and which I used as references for the spells and witchcraft. Any errors are wholly my fault.
Enchanted Oak, www.ytown.com/oak Ivy’s Pentacles, http://members.aol.com/ivycleartoes
I would like to thank:
Jennifer Ashley for her creation of the Immortals.
Leah Hultenschmidt for bringing me in on the project and for being such a terrific editor.
Joy Nash and Jennifer Ashley for all their hard work and effort on this project, which extended beyond the writing of their respective books.
Michelle Grajkowski for generally being a terrific agent.
Donna Grant, Mary O’Connor and Georgia Tribell for being supportive critique partners.
My readers—above all—who make it all worthwhile.