The emotions he had felt for those two women had been the strongest in his life so far. Yet nothing, not even those combined, could touch what he felt for Nadia. He had known back when they danced at Cole’s party that something life changing could come from him knowing that she secretly desired him, and he could feel it happening, had felt it for awhile. He had tried to restrain himself, tried to badly to keep what he felt for her under wraps, but he knew if he went any further with her those hidden feelings he had they wouldn’t be so hidden anymore.
She was the one that could turn him into a raving sexual lunatic or surprisingly enough calm and control the beast, like she had last night. The fact that he hadn’t taken her against the wall in the shower was proof enough that his Druid side calmed from her touch. More than likely it realized the purity of her and the strong feelings that Drake had and it held back, trying to save face in front of such an unexpectedly strong woman.
Drake stepped out onto his deck and listened to the night sounds around him.
He would let himself as close to Nadia as he could get. There was no point in denying the inevitable. She would be his. It was only a matter of time. And as far as Drake was concerned, he would do his damndest to make sure that she never felt threatened, forced, or terrified of him in anyway. If he had to go at her pace, he would. Doing without wouldn’t kill him, and besides he had some control; he would just have to learn how to use it.
You won’t scare her off Thompson. She is tougher than she looks. Just be gentle.
Ah, now his conscience was for this relationship. Amazing how accepting things could also make things much easier. He smiled into the night and waited for Nadia to show up.
Chapter 15
Nadia pulled on the edge of her tee shirt and glanced down to see her bare toes peeking from the edges of her jeans and the flip-flops she had on. She wasn’t exactly the epitome of sexual seductress, but Drake had said to get comfortable and she had. Now she was walking up his meandering steps, and she could hear music blaring from inside the house while security lights blazed all around.
Nickelback sang loudly about “something in your mouth,” and Nadia couldn’t help the smile that broke out on her lips. Drake listened to just about anything, but she had never thought that the large Texan would like that particular band. Apparently the lyrics made it more interesting.
Taking a deep breath she knocked as hard as she could on the front door, hoping he could hear her through the loud music. Seconds later she saw a massive shadow appear behind the hazed glass, and then the music lowered and he was pulling the door open.
His eyes were dark in the low light of the foyer and those tingles traveled over her body once again. “Hey angel, come on in.”
“You didn’t have to turn the music off. I like Nickelback,” she told him as she walked in, noticing the music was off now. “But that’s okay because on the way over here I remembered some questions I have for you.”
One dark eyebrow rose suspiciously. “I like a woman who wants to know more,” he leaned down slightly and winked at her, “that means you’re in it for the long haul.”
Nadia laughed, but quelled the fluttering of her heart in her chest. With his strong abilities he probably could sense everything she felt right at this moment. It would be best to keep her feelings close to her chest, not out in the open for him to feel. Was she even able to hide them like that, or could he still feel them regardless?
He took her purse from her and said, “I know the last two times you were here you weren’t exactly able to see the whole house. Do you want to now?”
“Sure…my mind whirls when I imagine just how many rooms you have in here,” she told him as she took in the large expanse of his living area. Intensely masculine leather sofas and loveseats were the furniture. He even had a huge lump of driftwood sitting on the hardwood floor that was holding up a large glass coffee table.
“There are four bedrooms, each with their own full baths. I also have a gym, a library, and a game room, not to mention my office.”
She heard him, but her eyes were glued to another fabulous driftwood piece that dominated the furniture. “That has to be the most unusual piece I have ever seen.”
He chuckled, “I get that a lot.”
Nadia let her eyes roam over the beautiful natural colors on the walls and the exposed beams of the ceilings. It really was a man’s house, but even though it was intensely virile and sturdy, she felt at home and more than welcome here. An extremely large, but low fireplace was in the middle of the living area and she noticed as she looked closer that she could see another room through the huge opening. “It is double sided?” she asked him with another glance through the opening.
“Yeah, the other side is the den, which is where I spend most of my time besides being on my deck outside.” He walked up behind her and placed his hands low on her waist. “C’mon, you know you want to see it.”
She laughed and let him push her around the corner of the living room gently. His hands were large on her waist and so very hot. Pushing the thoughts away, she focused on the questions she wanted to ask him and the rest of the house she was desperate to see, trying to keep sexual arousal out of her mind.
“This is my den,” he told her with a sweep of his hand.
The room in question was cozy and smaller than Nadia would have first thought. Off to the right, she could see part of an arch that led to the kitchen which apparently connected to the living area via a large hallway. The den was painted a deep beautiful red, which Nadia found surprising, and on the walls were stunning paintings and photography of wild animals. The furniture was overstuffed and looked very inviting and in one corner Nadia could see the large music setup that was still glowing, telling her it was on but muted.
“Well, I like this room too.” She turned her gaze towards him and slyly let her eyes take in everything from his jeans to his green tee shirt and bare feet. The tips of his hair were still damp and her fingers itched as she remembered his damp hair from last night and the way it had felt sliding through her fingers.
“I have some sandwiches and a salad if you are hungry.” His voice was deep and it was what she needed to snap her out of her perusal of him.
“Sure” She cleared her throat, “I’m starving.”
He smiled and then gestured for her to follow him.
The kitchen was through the arch and it was massive too. Large industrial sized equipment gleamed chrome in the light. A gigantic two door refrigerator was one of the staples along with a six range oven. “Dear God, you can’t tell me you cook this much?”
“I love to cook, and I do whenever I get the chance.” He grabbed the salad from the refrigerator and another platter with sandwiches then turned to the bar that ran along the back of the island. “I would have cooked tonight if we would have had more time, but it’s already going on nine ‘o clock, so I think this will do.”
“Of course, I love simple suppers.”
“What would you like to drink? I have beer, soda, water, basically everything under the sun.” He told her with a smile.
“Soda is fine.” She said and then grabbed her some salad and sandwiches from the platter. Minutes later they were both sitting at the bar and going through the food quietly. Nadia found herself looking at him while he ate his beautiful jaw clenching as he chewed. Why couldn’t he smack? Why couldn’t he shove food in his mouth like a slob? Did everything about him have to be gorgeous?
“Is something on my face?”
Her eyes flew to his. “Uh…no, I’m sorry.” She tucked her head back down and berated herself for being crazy about him.
“It’s okay.” Things got quiet again until, “You want to ask those questions now or later, because it wouldn’t bother me either way.”
Wiping her mouth with a napkin she looked at him. It was still amazing too with everything he had told her and shown her the other night, that he was actually some paranormal being. “Okay, I was wondering…you said there were others, ri
ght?” At his nod she continued, “Well, I’m assuming that not every single one of you are all the same age and from the same place, so how did you all find out about each other? Like if there is an Amber Druid from France how would you ever find out about him or her? Is there some sort of website you all go to?”
He took a sip of his drink and smiled at her, “I’m pleased to notice that you gave us this much thought.”
Nadia couldn’t control the smile that came out at his words.
“All right, let me start at the beginning, or what I assume to be the beginning.” He smiled then continued, “There was a small group of Druids practicing in Scotland so many centuries ago. Somehow they found a way to attach their abilities and gifts into one single spell. They cast that spell onto themselves so that their ancestors would be graced with extraordinary speed, agility, sensory abilities, and a warning to any enemy that may come around.”
“Amazing,” she breathed, thoroughly engrossed in the story.
He gave her a wink and kept on. “The Amber Druids I know have all come to the same conclusion about our eyes being the reason for the Amber part of our name. We all have amazing eyesight, fiercely strong abilities, fangs, and the talent for calming, soothing, or wiping a mind of our image. Now with that said, we each have different gifts’, mine is the capacity to converse with animals.”
“This is the reason why your clinic is so successful.”
He nodded at her. “Very plausible deduction Nadia. I am continually amazed at your mind’s capacity.”
She wrinkled her nose at him. “Smartass.”
He ignored her jibe and continued, “Now after having said that, as far as I or any of us know, every Druid we come into contact with has Scottish ancestors, and we all have the same marks on our bodies which have been there since we were born. Our Druid mark denotes us as special, and lets us know on our twenty-fifth birthday that we will go through the change that makes us fully capable with our powers.”
Nadia knew her eyes had to be huge again with wonder. “So this mark is like a birthmark?”
He stood in that swift Druid way of his and seconds later was pulling away the left half of his button fly, showing her his tattoo, set permanently into his skin right under his left hipbone. “See the circle in the center? That is the mark. It is a small circle with many different sized red dots inside.”
“So the tattoo isn’t part of it, it is just the circle that is the actual mark?”
“Yes,” he told her and in seconds he was once again buttoned up and sitting. “Now as for the reason we all know each other, and like you said, we aren’t all from the same place, whenever another Druid goes through the change, a shockwave of sorts travels to each and every mature Druid out there.” He looked deeply at her, “You still with me?”
She nodded, still deeply intrigued.
“Okay, just wanted to make sure. So all the mature ones feel the shockwave and at the same time we all catch this distinctive and very clear picture of who and where this person is. The change to become a mature Druid is very, very draining and at times has been known to kill a lesser human being, one that hasn’t the strength of mind or body to stay in control through the transformation.”
“Oh my,” she said in wonder.
“Did you have another question?”
Nadia tried to think past the astonishment that was crowding through her brain at the moment to remember what she had wanted to ask him. “Oh…is every Druid born a Druid, or is there another way to make someone like you?”
“I can ‘gift’ you into my world, but as far as I know there have been very few successful attempts. It is accomplished with a simple spell that I mentally chant into action over your body and then I ask you if you are willing to have this special gift; if you agree, I bite you, not to suck your blood, but more or less to inject you with the same powers that I have.”
“Like a vampire…this is all so unreal to me,” Nadia told him. “It is like a science fiction movie that I’m stuck in.” She smiled at him before a horrible notion dawned. Oh God, how come she hadn’t thought of this before? Her stomach heaved and she was sickly faint all of a sudden. Tears immediately burned behind her eyes.
“Nadia, what’s wrong?” He was by her side in an instant, his strong arm pulling her out of the barstool to stand in front of him.
She swallowed a painful lump in her throat as she realized just how much he must have gone through in the past just to be where he was now. “I just realized that you had to have had a family and that they must be gone, unless you ‘gifted’ them over. How did you survive knowing that you would live on and on in the years to come, all alone without them?”
His large hand cradled her cheek and surprisingly enough he smiled at her, even though she could plainly see the sadness in his eyes. “Ah my little angel, so worried about me, but honey, I’ve had years and years to get over the pain. I was the only one in my family that was marked and it was extremely hard because we were so close, but no, they wouldn’t accept my gift, and I couldn’t force them to take it.”
Hot tears scalded her cheeks as she imagined the suffering he had gone through to watch his family leave him one by one. Her heart broke for him. She roughly grabbed his waist and pulled him to her, sniffling into his shirt and trying not to bawl like a baby. “I would have begged you to bite me if the other option was to die without seeing you again.” She wanted to bite back the words the second they left her mouth, but all she could do was squeeze his chest even tighter.
He’d stiffened beneath her hands when she said that, but now his large hand was smoothing her hair. “Sweetheart, you don’t know what you would have done in that situation. A lifetime is a very long time when you know you can’t die normally. It would take decapitation or extreme bodily harm to kill me. As it is, I never get sick, so I won’t die from infection either.”
She was glad he hadn’t put too much emphasis on her words. Instead he had turned the tables back to what he was. She nuzzled his shirt, inhaling his luscious woodsy smell. “I’ll bet this isn’t the sort of night you had planned, was it? I distinctly remember you saying something about second base.”
He laughed, and it rumbled into her ear where it was pressed against his shirt. “Honey, we have all night to worry about second base. Right now you need to make sure you understand everything I am.”
Her insides warmed at the fact that he wasn’t abandoning her seduction. Even though she knew she was headed for heartbreak, she wanted to feel him touching and kissing her again.
***
Drake looked over at Nadia as she licked ice cream from the spoon. His body stirred to life the instant she had crossed the threshold of his home; now he was merely biding his time before he could touch her.
They were sitting in the den, in the deep, overstuffed and extremely comfortable loveseat. She hadn’t drawn in on herself after their question and answer session in the kitchen, or even after her heart stirring emotional words she had uttered into his shirt. Drake could have sworn his body had turned to mush at that moment. To know that she would ask him to do that overwhelmed him. Becoming something like him wasn’t a small undertaking, and neither was the change that anyone would have to go through. He wasn’t sure he could ever do that to her, knowing she might not come out of it alive. But then he remembered how she had argued with him in her home, standing toe to toe with him and accusing him of sleeping with some other woman. She had spunk, which was definitely good.The stronger the mind and body, the easier the slip into being Druid.
“You’re melting on yourself.”
Her voice slipped into his head. “What…I’m sorry?”
She nodded towards his hand where his ice cream had overflowed to the top of his small bowl and was now dripping onto his fingers.
“Damn, I need to pay attention.”
She smiled at him then took another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth. Drake almost groaned. In two or three bites, he had most of his ice cream finished.
“Thank you for being so patient with me, answering all of my questions.”
“I would rather you know all about me than be scared off by assuming that I’m a monster,” he told her honestly, remembering his two failed marriages.
“So, you were married twice?” She asked, placing her now empty bowl on the table beside the sofa and leaning back on the soft cushions, close enough for him to reach over and touch.
“Yes, my first marriage was to Loraine. My second wife was Maria.”
“You loved them very much, didn’t you?” Her green eyes were curious in her face and Drake didn’t have the heart to lie to her, even though he knew that the truth would upset her.
“I did, very much,” he told her, taking his hand and placing it behind her shoulders, wanting to reassure her even though he hadn’t touched her yet.
She nodded, but didn’t say anything until seconds later. “They must have been very beautiful women to attract your attention.”
“They were beautiful, but they weren’t strong enough to handle me and my Druid side, Nadia.” He had to let her know somehow, that those women and she were nothing alike. “Loraine lasted longer than Maria, but Maria was nervous around me for months, before finally gathering the courage to leave me. She just couldn’t take it anymore. Living with me, sharing my bed, was too much for her to handle. I was too much for her to handle.”
Nadia didn’t say anything, and Drake wasn’t sure of how to take that. Then he felt her hand come over his thigh to capture his left hand with hers. “I haven’t run yet.” The words were softly spoken and even through the loudest racket on Earth, Drake would have heard them. He smiled, absurdly pleased with his little angel.
Her Druid Desire (The Amber Druid Series) Page 23