He rode the crest with her, driving into her harder and harder, his body straining toward that ultimate release. And, suddenly, they were flying together, soaring, shattering, then floating slowly and blissfully back down to Earth.
Lukas lifted his head, then managed to roll them over on the sofa until he was on the bottom, and she was lying atop him, cradled in his arms, her head tucked against his chin.
“Did I hurt you?” he asked quietly.
“No. I never imagined anything so wonderful.” As she stroked his chest, she wondered how this male could be real. And how, even if he lived, they could ever have a life together, coming as they did, from such totally different worlds.
Chapter Nine
LUKAS STROKED THE warm, silken back of the beauty in his arms, the precious darling of a woman who’d stolen his heart the first time she’d smiled at him. Sweet and beautiful, his Lizzy. Never had he known anyone so full of life, so full of love.
“You are mine,” he said quietly, wonder in his voice that she could love him at all, let alone after he’d revealed himself completely—his fangs, his eyes, his need for blood.
Lifting up, she propped her forearms on his chest and met his gaze, softness glowing in her lovely brown eyes. “As you’re mine, Lukas Olsson. Since you can’t leave here, neither will I.”
His heart clutched. “No, sweetheart.” His hands slid down her back to her buttocks, reveling in the feel of her soft curves, then up again. “You must go, Lizzy-mine. You aren’t safe here, and I can’t keep you so. Too many vampires within Vamp City have lost hold of their consciences. Too many want only to feed off your fear or your pain. And if I try to protect you and fail, too many will enjoy hurting you just to get at me. I’ve never been a fan of the kovena to which I’ve been forced to pledge allegiance, and many know it.”
He reached for her hand, pulled it to his mouth, and kissed it. “Somehow, I will find a way to set you free, then you must go. For me.”
That stubborn light ignited in her eyes, and as much as he wished it hadn’t—not over this—he loved that she treated him no differently than she ever had, even knowing what he was.
“I won’t be separated from you again,” she insisted.
He gripped the back of her head and lifted his own, kissing her. When he pulled back, he found tears in her eyes, and they were almost more than he could bear. “I would give anything to keep you by my side, Lizzy-mine, but my mission is to hunt for the sorceress, to find her before Cristoff Gonzaga’s vamps do. My master’s own liege wishes to control the power, and, at the moment, the sorceress is that power.”
She nestled against him again, her cheek pressed against his heart. He stroked her hair, his heart melting.
“Vampires don’t sleep, Lizzy. We work day and night, hunt day and night. I haven’t stopped in more than a week. What would I do with you?” His fingers weaved into her silken hair. “I would have to hide you, but then I wouldn’t be able to protect you. And there are far too many here who would do you harm.”
He placed a kiss against her hair. “You have to go back to the real world. Then I want you to leave Washington and not come back until I contact you.”
“What?” Her head popped back up as she frowned at him. “You said I needed to stay out of the Vamp City area. Not all of D.C.”
“I know. But you’d be safest far away from both Washingtons. Outside the Vamp City area, you won’t accidentally walk in through a sunbeam again, but there are still those who hunt humans to sell at the slave auction. You’d be safest away from here.” He held her gaze, willing her to hear the truth of his heart. “I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you, sweetheart. I couldn’t bear it.”
Her gaze turning pained, she tucked her precious head once more beneath his chin, then plucked gently at his nipple with her fingers, making him smile even as he stifled a groan. His body began to stir all over again, but hers was softening in that way it always did when she was tired and ready for sleep.
“You have to come back to me, Lukas,” she said quietly.
He kissed her hair. “That is my only life’s goal, sweetheart.”
Her hand stilled, tucking beneath her chin. Peace enveloped him, a peace he’d never known in Vamp City. A peace woven with steely resolve to keep her safe.
Love pulsed inside him as he held her, stroking her back, listening to her precious heartbeat. If it was the last gift he gave her, if it was the last good thing he did in this too-long life of his, he would see this woman safely out of Vamp City once and for all.
Even if he could never follow.
Chapter Ten
SEVERAL HOURS LATER, Elizabeth rode nestled against Lukas’s chest through a dimly lit forest on their way to meet someone. A vampire named Arturo. Lukas’s arm curled around her waist, his thumb gently stroking the underside of her breast. The ride itself wasn’t particularly comfortable, but there was no place she’d rather be than here, with Lukas. The thought of saying good-bye to him again filled her with an aching misery.
Forcing her mind on other things, she studied the twisted, gnarled trunks of the trees all around them, trees totally lacking in foliage despite the fact that it was only early September.
“The trees look dead,” she murmured.
“They are dead. They grow that way.”
“That isn’t possible.”
“Magic, dearest,” he said, giving her waist a gentle squeeze.
Magic. The evidence of it continually boggled her mind. And yet this world’s very existence was the greatest evidence that it did. She was glad to be getting the opportunity to see a little more of Vamp City before she left. Assuming Lukas could really get her out of here. As badly as she didn’t want to leave him, neither did she want to make his existence an ordeal, as she could if he were forced to constantly try to hide her. He needed to be able to concentrate on finding the sorceress who would save him so that he could come back to her.
A couple of hours ago, they’d left Georgetown, stopping at a small house in Foggy Bottom that, for a change, had been occupied. Lukas had bought a small loaf of freshly baked bread and . . . of all things . . . a cold can of root beer from the owner. Then he’d given the man a hefty amount of cash to deliver a message.
Afterward, they’d headed back toward Georgetown, this time riding down to the Potomac, where they’d dismounted and wandered around the fascinating ruins of the nineteenth-century waterfront while she devoured the bread and washed it down with the root beer. Mounting again, they’d headed into the woods just north of Georgetown, where they’d been watching . . . and waiting . . . ever since.
Arturo was apparently a friend of Micah’s, the vampire Lukas trusted to help her. Unfortunately, Arturo lived somewhere Lukas couldn’t take her. And without cell phones, hand-carried messages were the only form of communication, as unreliable as they might be. Arturo might never show up. For all she knew, they might have to wait for him for days.
“Do you hear that?” Lukas asked.
The sound of a vehicle, a Jeep, if she wasn’t mistaken, carried faintly on the breeze. “Is that him?”
“I hope so.” He lifted her onto the horse and mounted behind her but stayed within the questionable shelter of the trees.
Down one of the streets, Elizabeth caught a glimpse of what looked like a Jeep Wrangler. Moments later, it came fully into view. Yellow, she thought, though it was impossible to tell for sure with so little light.
As the Jeep came to a stop, Lukas urged the horse forward.
The driver cut the engine and alighted, walking toward them with long, confident strides. He had the look of the Mediterranean—his hair and eyes dark. With a name like Arturo, he was certainly Italian.
“Lukas,” he said.
“Arturo. Thanks for coming.”
Arturo dipped his head. “You claimed it was urgent?”
Lukas tensed slig
htly. “I need to get a message to Micah. I’m in need of his assistance.”
Arturo looked at him for a long moment, then began to smile. “What is this about?”
“Forgive me, Arturo, but you are one of Cristoff Gonzaga’s most trusted. The favor I would ask of Micah is a task I can only entrust to one I’ve worked with many, many times.”
Arturo watched him for several moments more, then dipped his head, as if conceding the point. “What do you want Micah to know?”
“I need him to meet me at the Boundary Circle. As soon as possible.”
Arturo’s gaze flicked to her, his eyes narrowing in speculation. “I see.” Slowly, he nodded. “Be at the Rock Creek entrance at midnight. Micah will be there.”
“Thank you.” With that, Lukas turned the horse and headed back into the dead woods.
“He’s Gonzaga,” Elizabeth said with disbelief. “And you trust him?”
“Not really, no. But I do trust Micah, who is also Gonzaga. Arturo’s the only one who might be able to get word to him.”
“So this could all go south.”
“It could, yes. But Micah’s our one chance.”
And if Arturo didn’t come through? What if he betrayed Lukas and sent more Gonzaga vampires to kill him, instead?
“I don’t like this plan,” she whispered.
Lukas kissed her hair. “It’ll work. It has to work.”
Elizabeth sighed. The thought of going with any vampire who wasn’t Lukas made her queasy. But apparently only a vampire could set her free. And Micah was the one Lukas trusted.
Her bigger fear was that in his determination to see her safe, Lukas was risking his own life. And that scared her most of all.
Chapter Eleven
“IT’S GETTING DARKER.” Elizabeth peered into the woods around her, barely able to see the shapes any longer. “Either that, or my eyesight’s going.”
“Night is upon us.”
“Then I’ll really be in the dark.”
Lukas pressed a kiss to her hair, his arm around her as they rode the horse. “Once the moon rises, you’ll be able to see. For now, though, I’m taking you someplace where I can get you a decent meal and a soft, warm bed with clean linens. You need some sleep.”
“With you?”
“Of course.”
“Then you just described Heaven. And where is this miraculous place?”
“It’s in the Cleveland Park area. Though in V.C., it’s still country. The house is owned by a couple of vampire friends of mine, neither of whom are likely home. Their Slavas will feed us and give us a room where we can pass the evening.”
“You trust them?”
“I do. Both vampires and Slavas. Unfortunately, they’re all as stuck in this place as I am.”
Through the trees, Elizabeth thought she saw lights. Soon, a house became visible through the night’s shadows, an old-style two-story farmhouse with a wide, wraparound porch. The flicker of candlelight or hearth flames were visible through several of the windows.
Pulling up in front, Lukas dismounted and tied up the horse, then he swung Elizabeth down and led her up the steps to the shadowy porch. He rapped on the front door, and, several moments later, a woman appeared.
“Lukas, welcome!” An attractive woman of perhaps forty stepped back and let them in. “The masters are out. What can I do for you?” Her hair, while blond, glowed with that same shimmery shine that Ricky’s had.
Lukas smiled at the woman fondly even as he curled his arm around Elizabeth’s shoulders and pulled her close. “Cyn, this is Elizabeth. She’s newly arrived to V.C., human, hungry, and in need of a soft bed for a few hours.”
“Hi, Elizabeth.” Cyn’s expression turned sad and sympathetic. “I’m sorry you got caught here.” Her gaze swung back to Lukas. “Would you like her to eat with me, or shall I bring a tray to her room?” Her knowing look said she knew exactly what Lukas was about.
“A tray to her room would be preferable.”
Cyn smiled. “I’ll give you the back room to the left of the stairs. It’s the only one ready for company.”
Elizabeth looked around with interest. The house was actually very nicely furnished if a bit old-fashioned—150 years old-fashioned. The living room sported a wide, blazing hearth with a beautifully carved mantel, a velvet sofa, and a couple of chairs. A writing desk sat against one wall, and against the other . . .
Elizabeth laughed. “A foosball table?”
Lukas snorted. “You haven’t time-traveled, woman though it might feel that way.”
Cyn chuckled. “I don’t know about that. The majority of the vamps in this city haven’t left in decades. Some not since 1870. There aren’t that many of you who feel comfortable in the twenty-first century, Lukas.”
“I suppose that’s true.”
“Go on upstairs,” Cyn said cheerily. “I’ll bring your tray. One meal or two, Lukas?”
“Just one.”
Cyn’s smile turned knowing again, and she turned away.
As Lukas led her up the stairs, Elizabeth eyed him curiously. “I didn’t think to offer you some of my bread earlier. But you eat food, don’t you? Of course you do. When we were dating, I was always feeding you, or you were taking me out to dinner.” She looked at him with confusion. “I thought vampires only drank blood.”
“I don’t need food to survive, but I’ve always enjoyed it.”
“You’re not hungry?”
He took the hand he held, lifting her wrist to his mouth and slid his tongue along the veins there. “Not for food,” he said huskily.
Elizabeth shivered. And not from fear.
“But you’ll eat first,” he murmured, placing a kiss on her sensitive wrist before lowering her hand. “Then we’ll see to . . . my appetites.”
“I’m beginning to realize just how much I don’t know about you.”
As they reached the top of the stairs, he turned left toward an open doorway. “What would you like to know?”
A hundred things. A thousand. “Where are you from? When were you turned?”
He ushered her into a small, if neatly furnished, room that looked as if it could have been modeled after one in her great-grandmother’s house. A double-spindled bed sat in the middle of the room covered in a colorful, patchwork quilt. Small throw rugs lay scattered across the hardwood floors, while calico valances hung atop windows that appeared . . .
“Are the windows painted?” she asked in surprise.
“They are. Many have taken to painting the windows black or boarding them up in case a sunbeam breaks through outside.”
She sat on the bed. “So?”
He lifted a brow, a smile hovering at the corners of his mouth as he sat beside her. “So . . . what?”
She broke into a full smile. “Are you avoiding telling me how old you are?” The funny look he gave her made her laugh, and she nudged him with her shoulder. “Give it up, old man. No secrets, remember?”
With a pained sigh, he took her hand and started playing with her fingers. “I was born in Sweden. The best I can figure, since we didn’t keep track of time the way people did in the Roman lands, it was around the tenth century.”
“A.D.?” she asked.
He scowled at her. “Yes, A.D. I’m not that old.”
She gaped at him. “You’re . . .” The breath escaped her lungs on a whoosh. “You’re a thousand years old. More.”
“A little more.”
“And here I thought you were close to my age. Were you a Viking? I’ve always thought you’d have made a wonderful Viking.”
He curled his arm around her neck and pulled her close. “Sorry, baby. I was only a hunter, my tribe nomadic.”
“Have you had many wives?” she asked quietly, not really wanting to know. Of course he had. A thousand years.
“A few
. Not many. None in the past few centuries. Vampires make lousy wives—I’d never take one as my mate—and wedding a human is complicated and difficult, requiring tremendous amounts of subterfuge. And they die,” he added quietly, the pain in those last three words radiating out, sucking the laughter out of the room. He rested his cheek against her hair.
The impossibility of their sharing a future hit her fully for the first time. She would age, grow old, and die. And, assuming Vamp City was saved, he never would. They’d have two or three decades together before she started looking like his mother. Unless . . .
“You could turn me.” The words were out of her mouth before she even gave them any thought.
Lukas straightened, turning her to face him, his hands firm on her shoulders, his eyes suddenly deathly serious. “I love you, Elizabeth Bryant. More than I’ve ever loved another.” She heard the great big but hanging like a noose at the end of his words.
“Lukas . . .” she said miserably. “I wasn’t serious.” The last thing she wanted was to force him to try to explain that while he might have feelings for her now, they wouldn’t last.
He gripped her chin. “I’m serious, Lizzy. I have loved before, don’t get me wrong. Or I thought I had. But with you . . .” He shook his head. “With you, it’s different. It’s as if I’ve always known you. It’s as if you were made just for me. There is nothing I want more than to keep you close to me.”
“But . . . I heard the but, Lukas. You can say it.”
His mouth softened. “Sweetheart, there is no but concerning my love for you. The problem is, turning a human is extremely dangerous. Most don’t survive.”
“Oh.”
“And for some reason, the women who do survive often lose their souls in the process. Or they act like they have.” He gripped her face in both hands, tipping his forehead against hers. “If I were to try to turn you, I would lose you, Lizzy-mine. Either in death, or by turning you into a woman incapable of love. I would kill the you I love, either way, and I can’t do that to you, or to the people who love you. Or to me.”
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