Nikolas was having a difficult time containing his nature. He was a powerful immortal, a fierce warrior, and his anger was growing. “Did he hurt you?” He attempted to hide his rage, but his voice was so dark and menacing it sounded as if he’d growled the words.
Brianna nearly jumped out of the chair. She would’ve if he weren’t holding her down. “No.” Her heart was racing frantically, painfully.
“Forgive me, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Nodding, attempting to smile, she swallowed the lump in her throat. “Do you think he hurt Sara?”
“I don’t know, but I promise to find out what happened to her.” Regardless, Nikolas was killing Demetri. He released Brianna’s hands and stood up. “It’s getting late. Give me a moment to put something more presentable on, and we will get going.”
Changing his clothing with a thought, Nikolas walked over to the window. Staring out at the setting sun, he ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. Slowly exhaling, he glanced at Brianna over his shoulder. The worst had already happened. Demetri had killed his own mate. It was the vilest crime his kind could ever commit. What would drive a demon to kill something so exquisite, so fragile? He closed his eyes and leaned forward to rest his forehead against the cool window. Some would say Demetri’s power was his downfall. It was believed ultimate power was the only thing that could so completely destroy a demon’s sense of honor and loyalty.
Nikolas opened his eyes to gaze out the window once more. He wasn’t worried Demetri would ever be able to harm Brianna. He had every intention of doing whatever it took to protect her, and he had faith in his abilities to do so. By the end of the night he would secure her future and walk away from her for forever. Ultimate power had corrupted Demetri. He didn’t want to believe it was true. He’d lived just as long and possessed just as much power as Demetri, and he wanted to believe he would never commit such a despicable sin. But it was inevitable. Guilt crushing down on him, he took a deep breath and held it. He wouldn’t take any chances with Brianna’s life. For hundreds of years he’d felt the influence of utter darkness building in his soul. It was why he’d kept his distance from everyone. He was warrior. He was a killer. It was far too late for him to claim his mate. Resisting the urge to shatter his reflection in the window, he closed his eyes once more. If he tried to hold onto Brianna, he would eventually use his powers, his strength to destroy her.
Brianna felt the crushing waves of his agony. She stood up. “Nikolas?” He didn’t answer. She felt drawn to him in a way she’d only ever experienced with her sister. She didn’t hesitate. She took a step away from the desk and then, following the waves of his sadness and pain, she kept taking one step after another until she was standing directly behind him. Just as she had with her sister so many times in the past, she reached out and touched his back, hoping to ease his pain. “Nikolas?”
His head snapped up. His deep pain and sadness instantly vanished, leaving him feeling so at peace that tears of joy burned behind his eyes. He didn’t need to ask how she’d made her way across the room. He saw it in her mind. They shared a connection. And it was stronger than he’d ever imagined it would be. He was hurting, his heart was breaking, he needed her, and she came to him. He placed her hand over his heart and held his hand over it. Despite being unable to see her unfamiliar surroundings, she came to him without any hesitation or fear because of the powerful connection she’d shared with her twin.
Feeling his steady, strong heartbeat beneath her palm caused her to shiver. “I never thanked you.” Lifting her chin, she smiled up at him.
Mesmerized by her smile, he stared down at her, his breath harsh, his body shuddering with need. “You’re welcome, Brianna.” He bent his head so his mouth was so close his hot breath tickled her ear. “But you don’t need to thank me.” His voice was deep and husky, his breaths ragged.
She stepped back. The heat of his breath, the deep, lustful sound of his voice when he’d whispered in her ear heightened a sexual hunger in her she’d never known existed. More than anything, she really wished she could see him. Not seeing his gaze, but feeling it on her, she lowered her head. She folded her arms behind her back to resist the temptation to touch his face.
“I would love it,” he whispered. Then leaning back to look at her, he softly trailed the backs of his fingers up her neck and kept going until he forced her chin up.
Brianna gasped at his touch. “Huh?” She held her breath. She knew exactly what he was saying, but she was so embarrassed. It wasn’t his words that brought color to her cheek; it was the way his touch caused her body to ache.
He felt her desire. “I would love for you to touch me.” His voice was a low, lustful whisper.
She felt the heat of her blush deepening. She struggled to take even, steady breaths. His nearness, the warmth radiating from his body, was wreaking havoc in her body. She fought to steady her nerves, but it was no use. Hands trembling, she reached up and placed them on his face. Electricity arced between them, through them. For a moment, startled by the fiery, intoxicating sensations racing through her body and over her flesh, she froze. Finally able to move, she started to explore his face.
Nikolas thought his heart was going to explode right out of his chest. Her tiny fingers caused lightning to rip through his body and thunder to rumble in his ears. It was nearly impossible to resist the urge to wrap his arms around her and pull her closer. He’d never known such a desperate need to feel a woman’s body against his. Every muscle in his body ached from the strain it took to remain still so she could finish her exploration. It was the most perfect form of torture imaginable. He never wanted it to end. It was a good thing she couldn’t see the color of his eyes turn to black. She would be horrified. She would know he wasn’t human.
Tilting her head to the side, she smiled up at him. “I don’t need to see the color of your eyes to know you aren’t human. I don’t need to see the power in and around you.” She paused. “I can feel it.”
“What did you say?”
“Oh no.” She immediately removed her hands from his face. “I’m so sorry, Nikolas. I didn’t mean to intrude. Sometimes when I use my hands to see a person I can hear their thoughts.” She frowned. “Sometimes I don’t know it’s happening. It sounds as if the person is talking to me. It usually only happens when I have a strong connection with the person. Mostly Sara.”
Turning away from him, she quickly took a few steps to put some distance between them. As luck would have it, she ran into something solid and tripped. Thankfully, it was right into his arms instead of flat on her face on the floor. “You think I’m a freak, right?” Besides commenting on his thoughts, attempting to walk away from him was just about the dumbest thing she could’ve done. Thoroughly humiliated, she buried her face against his sternum and didn’t move.
“No,” he whispered, smoothing her hair, holding her as close as he dared to. “Not at all.” He was shocked. He was too well guarded for most of his kind to ever freely hear his thoughts. “You’re the most intriguing woman I’ve ever met.” Resting his chin on the top of her head, he breathed deeply, filling his lungs with the sweet scent of her soft, silky hair. “I’ve always had the ability to hear the thoughts of other people. It can be confusing. The fact that you’re able and willing to merge your mind with mine is the most fascinating feeling.”
“You’re a liar. Why would you want me in your head?” She laughed at his attempt to make her feel better. “You don’t even really know me.”
Normally, he would’ve shrugged it off. He was a demon. Being called a liar was no big deal. He’d been called worse. He gently pushed her out of his arms, and then he took her hands and brought them to his face and opened his mind fully, hiding nothing from her. “I belong to you, little one. From this day forward until the end of time I will be watching over every breath you take and every move you make. Though we’re apart I will always be aware of every beat of your heart. I will do whatever it takes to make sure you’re safe.”
Brianna’s head was spinning. Being so deeply merged with him there was no doubting his sincerity, but it didn’t make sense. It was wrong for him to have such deep feelings for her, wasn’t it? He didn’t know her. Love at first sight was a fairytale. It wasn’t real. It couldn’t be real. Then she realized it wasn’t real. He wasn’t real. Duh. He hadn’t existed until she’d passed out from smoke inhalation. He was a figment of her imagination. He was a fairytale lover that came to sweep her off her feet while she was in a coma.
“Will you do something for your fairytale lover, Brianna?”
It didn’t bother her that he referred to himself as her fairytale lover. It was no mystery how he was able to hear her thoughts—he was a figment of her imagination. “Sure.” She smiled up at him. “Why not?”
Reaching behind his neck, he removed his most powerful possession. Then he took her hand in his to show it to her. “I want you to wear this necklace.”
It took her a minute, but she eventually figured out what it was. “It’s a dragon, right?”
“Yes.” Nodding, he smiled.
There was too much power in it. Dark, deadly power. It actually felt as if there were a life force in it. “I can’t take something so valuable from you.”
“It was made for you a very long time ago.” Refusing to take no for an answer, he turned her around slowly and pulled her long, reddish brown hair over her shoulder.
It hit her hard. She knew what was happening at that moment was real. “This isn’t a fairytale, is it?”
“No.” He placed the chain around her neck, and then he bent his head to trail kisses across the back of her bare shoulder and up her neck. “This is real,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m real.” He turned her around to face him. Then he looked down at the dragon nestled between her breasts for a few seconds. Leaving her was inevitable. It was the only way he could ensure her safety. And hopefully, he would find Zack before it was too late. He framed her face in his hands. “It’s a part of me. The power you feel in it is me. It won’t harm you. It’s protection. Never take it off.”
“Why are you giving it to me?”
“I told you that it was made for you.” Nikolas wrapped his arm around her and started to walk. “We need to get going, or we’ll be late.”
~ Twenty-Two ~
“OH GOOD, YOU’RE here. Caylee is finishing up. She’ll be out in a minute.” Mia turned her head to glare at Joseph, and then she looked at Haden. “Please, tell me that he isn’t coming with us.”
Grinning, Haden nodded. “Sorry, I tried, but I couldn’t get rid of him.”
Mia rolled her eyes. “Wonderful.”
Haden turned to Joseph. “I don’t think she likes you.”
“Duh.” Shaking her head, Mia took a deep breath and released it with a sigh of frustration.
Completely capturing Haden’s attention, Caylee walked out from the back of the boutique. He closed the distance between them immediately. He’d dropped her off only an hour ago and had waited right outside, but the physical separation from her had been torturous. Naturally, he couldn’t stand to be away from her, but the fact that she was being hunted made his need to be near her more insistent. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her as if they’d been apart for days.
Joseph reached for Mia’s hand. “It’s wonderful to see you again.”
Mia glanced down at his hand and then glared up at him. “Get the hell away from me, Joseph.”
Undeterred by her hostility, he took her hand, brought it to his mouth, and kissed it. “Stop being so difficult, angel.”
Glaring up at him, she yanked her hand out of his. “One warning. That’s it. Touch me again, and I’ll shoot your ass.” She turned to walk away from him.
“You’re all talk and no action. I’ve already told you I would be thrilled to wrestle with you.”
She spun around. “Are you mocking me?” Looking as if she could to do some real damage to him if she wanted to, she took a step toward him.
“Me, mock you? Never.” Rather than take a step back, he took a treacherous step toward her while openly allowing his eyes to explore every inch of her body. “You look beautiful tonight, angel.”
“It’s never happening.” Turning her back to him, Mia snorted indignantly. “You’re such an imbecile, Joseph.” Fumbling with her bracelet, she attempted to close the clasp, but it fell. She bent over to pick it up. And so did Joseph. He won. When she reached out to take it from him, he grabbed her arm and helped her stand up. Once she was standing upright, she tried to yank her arm out of his hand.
“Why do you always feel the need to act so mean? I’m only trying to help you again.” Touching Mia, taking her pain, attempting to impart healing energy into her and to remove the morphine from her blood, Joseph pretended to struggle with the clasp he could’ve easily closed with a thought.
“Get away from me.” She reached over the counter to grab her pepper spray, but, as luck would have it, it wasn’t there. “Let go of my arm.” Wrapping her fingers around the handle of her gun that was there, she smiled.
“Stop being so difficult, angel.” Finally closing the clasp, he let go of her arm and looked up to meet her gaze but instead he found himself staring down the barrel of a gun.
Apparently, there was a lot of morphine in her blood. Too much. “Oh, damn.” Holding his breath, he locked his gaze onto hers. She had a crazy, wild look in her eyes. She’d snapped. He knew it was the morphine heightening the ferocious, unpredictable temper of her lycan nature. And her belief that he was a murdering, blood thirsty vampire didn’t help.
“You don’t really want to shoot me?” She nodded slightly. “Fuck.” She did. He couldn’t even put up a protection shield. They were standing too close. The bullet would likely bounce off it and hit her. The bullet wasn’t going to kill him, but it was about to give him one hell of a headache. She was going to squeeze the trigger. It was going to hurt bad, real bad.
“No, don’t do it, Mia!” Caylee shouted.
Casually wrapping his arm around Caylee and holding her close so he could shield her if Mia fired and a bullet ricocheted, Haden smiled. “Joseph, what did you do? I thought you were going to be on your best behavior tonight.” I’m thinking you’re going to regret playing with a lycan under the influence of morphine. Haden focused on the bullets in the gun and used his mind to remove them. It wasn’t an easy thing to do. In fact, few of his kind could do it as quickly. But it was a special talent Haden possessed. Also, if you plan on playing with her again in the future you should consider letting her know you’re not a vampire.
Joseph turned his head slightly to glare at Haden. “I just helped her put the bracelet on.”
Lifting his brow, Haden nodded. “Did she ask for your help?”
“Not really.”
“What? Not really?” Mia cocked the gun. “I told you to get away from me. I told you to let go of me.”
“What do you expect? One minute you’re trying to get me to wrestle with you and next you’re pretending you don’t want me to touch you.” Growling, Joseph flashed his most sexy, devilish grin. “You can’t blame me for being confused with all the mixed signals you’re giving me.” He shrugged casually and then opened his arms wide. “There’s no need for you to get all frustrated and worked up. This isn’t preschool, angel. We’re not playing tag on the playground. We’re both adults. If you want me, take me.”
“Mia,” Caylee said, “I’m sure he didn’t mean any harm by trying to help you. You can’t shoot him because he didn’t get away from you or because he’s acting like idiot.”
“Well,” Haden said, “she can, and I wouldn’t blame her, but I don’t think she wants to deal with the mess in here. It would be bad for business.”
Caylee stared up at Haden. “Huh?”
“Don’t worry,” Haden whispered as he opened his hand to show her the bullets.
Narrowing her gaze, Mia squeezed the trigger. Click. “Damn.” She squeezed it again. Click. “Oh, da
mn it.”
“You knew it wasn’t loaded, right?” Jaw dropped, Joseph stared at Mia. He saw the disappointment and frustration in her eyes and knew beyond any shadow of a doubt that when she’d squeezed the trigger, she’d believed the gun was loaded. “Damn, woman, you’re just … you’re so … you’re vicious. I love it.”
Mumbling obscenities, Mia set the gun down behind the counter. She smiled up at Joseph. “It will be in your best interest to stay the hell away from me. I never make the same mistake twice. Next time it will be loaded.” She headed toward the door. “We’re going to be late.”
Joseph was right on her heels. “You will dance with me tonight, right?”
Mia whirled around and took a step to close the tiny gap between them. Hands clenched at her sides, looking quite ferocious, she glared up at him. “Screw you, Joseph.”
Pinning her gaze with his, he smiled. “Anytime and anywhere, angel.”
Mia didn’t hesitate; she certainly didn’t give him a chance to savor the fact that he was getting under her skin. Without saying a word, she doubled up her fist and punched him right square on the nose.
* * *
Brianna was thankful for the way Nikolas kept his arm around her as they entered the crowded building. This particular party wasn’t just a yearly event—it was the event. Hundreds of people attended it. She’d always stayed away from it. In fact, until Julie and Mia had convinced her to attend it, she’d never even considered it. She’d been blind from birth, so she didn’t really understand what she was missing by not seeing her surroundings, but she did understand that to avoid bumps and bruises from embarrassing collisions with animate and inanimate objects, avoiding crowded gatherings was a good idea.
Feeling as if his life had purpose for the first time in thousands of years, Nikolas led Brianna toward a table. He pulled a chair out and guided her into it. Hands on her shoulder, he leaned down near her ear. “I need to go and talk to my brother.”
Oh, great. Her heart skipped a beat and then fluttered. He’d finally come to his senses and was dumping her off. Preparing herself to be left alone, she tried to remember the way they’d walked. She frowned. It was going to be a challenge. Besides the fact that they’d made several turns since they’d entered the building, she hadn’t focused on anything other than the fabulous ways his large, heavily muscled body felt against hers. She really hoped Julie would show up.
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