Eternal Hearts (A Darkness Within)

by Jennifer Turner

  He knew he should turn away, but when Derek wrapped one arm around Toni’s waist, turned her sideways, and then leaned her back, he couldn’t do anything but watch.

  She stiffened and squeaked as Derek plunged his tongue into her mouth while he pulled her knee against the side of his hip. Whether he moaned purely for her enjoyment or just the general torture of the few people left in the lobby, Drake wasn’t sure, but he absolutely despised it when Derek kissed women movie style.

  Drake fisted his hands. Leave it to Derek to stick his mouth where it didn’t belong. He’d definitely punch him for that later. He cleared his throat again in an attempt to get Derek’s attention, but the fucker only tightened his arm around Toni’s waist then slid the hand holding her knee up the back of her thigh in response. She gave a muffled squeal and her eyes flew open when Derek tautly grabbed a handful of her ass.

  Derek barely pulled his lips away from hers before he smiled. “You’re a very good kisser,” he whispered, then bit and tugged on her bottom lip.

  Toni blinked her glazed eyes a few times and then did something Drake would’ve never believed if he hadn’t seen it himself…

  She scowled up at Derek. “Let me go.”

  Derek’s face reflected the same shock Drake felt. “What?”

  “If you don’t let me go,” she growled between clenched teeth, “you’re not gonna like the next place my knee goes.”

  The second Derek set Toni on her feet, she wrenched free of his hold and reassumed her place next to Drake. She curled her cool fingers around his hand and lowered her eyes to the floor. “I’m so sorry, Drake.”

  Time seemed to stand still as Drake stared into Derek’s narrowed blue eyes. Half of him wanted to roar in all out victory because Toni had chosen him, and she’d done so in a way that Derek’s old ass would probably never forget. But the other half of him, the other half knew if he didn’t choose his next set of words and actions just right, he’d find himself in a world of trouble.

  He tightened his grip on Toni’s hand but kept his eyes locked on Derek. “I know if there’s a beautiful woman within ten feet of you that you’ll find a way to touch her somehow, but I think this one would prefer you didn’t. At least, not unless you ask first.”

  “What?” Derek asked as he shrugged and gave a piss poor rendition of an innocent but completely false smile. “Did I do something wrong? Is there something going on between you two that I should know about?”

  Icy panic flooded Drake’s body but he refused to let it show. “There’s nothing going on between us that you don’t already know about.” He looked to Toni as he inclined his head towards Derek. “Toni, meet Derek Ballard, the Billionaire Playboy of Ballard Industries, and Lord Locke’s very, very touchy Elder.”

  Her mouth dropped open as she slowly raised her head. “You’re an Elder Trump, like Christian? I knew you, um…” She paused as her eyes scanned the lobby but then lowered her voice, “owned Ballard Industries and all, but a Trump…really?”

  The look of pure disgust that spread across Derek’s face almost made Drake forget about punching him. Almost.

  “I’m an Ancient Trump, thank you very much. And I’ll have you know I was stalking the night well before that little English snot Locke was ever born.” He scrunched up his face. “But what’s with the familial slur? Was the kiss really that bad?”

  Drake offered a hesitant smile when Toni looked up at him. Her clear brown eyes seemed to search his face for a long moment before she focused back on Derek. “I’m sorry, Mr. Ballard. I don’t really know any other name for your family.” She squeezed Drake’s hand tight. “And it wasn’t that the kiss was bad, actually, it was great. I guess you just caught me off guard. I’m sorry if my reaction offended you.”

  “Oh, on the contrary, Miss Tutoro,” Derek said as he carefully smoothed the unblemished sleeve of his tuxedo jacket. “Your reaction told me exactly what I wanted to know.”

  Her eyes slowly narrowed on Derek while she assumed the rigid, defensive posture she’d taken when confronted by Lord Locke the night before. “Yeah. Smooth as I’m sure you think you are and all, it’s pretty obvious you were trying to get some kind of rise out of Drake. Did you get what you needed? Can we go now? Because, I mean, I don’t know about you and your flashy ego, but I’ve got a lot better things to do than stand here with some pompous Trump who clearly thinks he’s God’s gift to women everywhere.”

  Drake bit back a smile as Derek’s eyes widened. “Well, well, well,” he quipped. “When Clint said you were sweet, I didn’t think to ask if he meant the bitter kind.”

  “I’m not bitter,” Toni snapped. “I just don’t appreciate some guy I only know through newspaper headlines sticking his mouth where it doesn’t belong, especially when he’s only doing it to piss off one of my friends.”

  Derek arched a blond brow as he stared between Toni and Drake. “One of your friends, huh? Well then, as funny as that concept is considering what you are, if that’s the case, won’t you please accept my sincerest apologies for trying to help you?”

  The look on Toni’s face clearly said she didn’t appreciate Derek’s sarcasm. “Trying to help me…are you serious? How does jamming your tongue in my face translate to helping me?”

  Derek cracked a grin. “Jamming my tongue in your face? Good God, with imagery like that it makes me wonder if you’ve been hanging out with...” His face sobered right before he eyed Drake in a rather unpleasant way. “Has Odin been anywhere near her since she got back?”

  Drake stiffened at the odd question. “No. I haven’t seen Odin since I came back from Detroit. Why does it matter?”

  “Who’s this Odin I keep hearing about?” Toni asked. “What are you two talking about? What the hell is going on around here?”

  “Oh, no,” Derek groaned. “The Warrior Princess is getting angry. And if she’s anything like Clint, I think I’ll go now. I just bought this tux. I’d like it to stay in one piece.”

  Toni released Drake’s hand and took a step towards Derek. “Don’t you dare talk bad about Clint.” She jabbed a finger into his chest. “He’s more of a man than you’ll ever be.”

  “I’m well aware of what Clint is,” Derek said with a smirk. “After all, he has been my best friend for the last few thousand years.”

  A look of sheer disbelief swept across Toni’s face before she paused in mid poke. “You’re the Derek that Clint is best friends with? You?” She looked him over as her lip curled slightly. “Are you serious?”

  “Yes, I am. And I have to admit that you’re everything he told me you’d be.” In a sublimely confident and completely unexpected motion, Derek reached out and gently cupped Toni’s cheek. “He said you were his beautiful, sweet, sharp-tongued little she-demon.”

  Drake watched in awe as all the anger seemed to drain from Toni’s face, only to be replaced by a faint smile that he didn’t quite understand. It was as if she were happy, sad, hopeful and terrified, all at the same time.

  She stared up at Derek as tears crept into her eyes. “Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve heard him call me that?”

  Derek nodded as he lowered his hand to rest on her shoulder. “Between you and me, probably a lot longer than either of you ever wanted. And trust me, if I wasn’t hosting the charity dinner about to start in the ballroom behind me, I’d deliver you to Clint myself.”

  “That’s actually where we’re headed,” Drake said. “We were on our way to Grey’s to surprise Clint, at least we were, but then your nosey Viking ass got in the way.”

  “Funny,” Derek said as he narrowed his eyes on Drake. “It looked to me like you were busy making random debutants fall asleep in the middle of the lobby.”

  “Yeah, well…karma’s a bitch, isn’t it?”

  Derek shot him the infamous I’ll-deal-with-you-later look, then turned his attention back to Toni. “To answer your earlier question about helping you, Robert said you were standing by the elevator like a deer caught in the head lights, whi
ch is the main reason I came over to greet you.” He made a flippant motion towards Drake. “I figured I’d make for a good distraction, but the big bad ogre beat me to it with his voodoo sleep spell.”

  Toni regarded Derek for a long moment, her eyes moving from his head to his toes and then back again. “Next time, I’d really appreciate it if you just stopped at saying hi.” She inclined her head towards the ballroom. “I’m sure there are plenty of women who wouldn’t mind being kissed by you…but I’m not really one of them.”

  “Fair enough,” Derek said, but Drake didn’t miss the slight hint of dejection in his tone. “It was a pleasure to finally meet you though. And I hope Clint is as happy to see you as I think he’ll be. He’s been rather worried about you these last few years.”

  Toni offered him a guarded smile. “Thanks, Derek. Have fun at your charity thing.”

  Derek returned her gesture. “I always do.” He slowly raised his head to meet Drake’s, a silent warning burning behind his Ancient eyes. “Have a good night, Mr. Black. We’ll talk more tomorrow.”

  Drake ignored the sliver of unease that slipped down his spine when Derek turned and disappeared into the crowded ballroom in favor of smiling down at Toni. “Are you ready to go see Clint now?”

  She inhaled a deep breath then nodded. “Yes, please.”

  They walked in a sort of comfortable but thoughtful silence all the way to the parking garage before she stopped in mid step and turned to look at him. “My car is two levels above us. Where are we going?”

  He pointed towards the rear of the garage. “See the black Navigator at the end of the row?”

  She tipped her head. “Yeah.”

  “Well, since I’m pretty sure I won’t fit in your car, I figured we’d take mine. Is that all right with you?”

  She started walking again, but frowned as confusion played across her face. “Sure…but I thought you didn’t have a car.”

  He chuckled. “Of course I have a car. I just didn’t have it close by last night. I had a friend drop it off for me this afternoon. He brought the keys up while you were sleeping.”

  “Oh.” She climbed up into the leather passenger seat after he opened the door for her, but put her hand out to stop him from closing it. “Were you awake all day?” Her brown eyes searched his face, as if the mere thought of him being awake while she slept made her uncomfortable.

  “Not all day. Why? Does it bother you that I didn’t sleep all day?”

  “No. I just…” She pulled her arm back from the door then awkwardly folded her hands in her lap. She sat quiet for a few seconds before she finally shook her head. “Nevermind. I’m sorry. I guess the whole Derek thing just threw me off.”

  Drake carefully closed the passenger door then rounded the back of the car and slid into the driver’s seat. He jammed the keys into the ignition, but instead of throwing it into gear when the engine roared to life, he leaned back in his seat. “What’s wrong, Toni?”

  “Nothing.” She picked at a wisp of thread hanging from the hem of her t-shirt. “I’m fine.”

  “You don’t look fine.”

  “I’m just…I’m frustrated, okay?”

  “Okay. But why?”

  She sharply turned in the seat to face him. “For starters, I can’t shake the feeling that something’s going on that I’m completely oblivious to, which I try to remind myself isn’t really a big deal because I feel like that all the time anymore. Then there’s the fact that I’m really nervous about seeing Clint again, mostly because I’m afraid he’s gonna be mad at me, or disappointed…or something else bad that I’m not even thinking of. And then top it all off with some guy I don’t even know jamming his tongue in my mouth, right in front of the guy I’m really starting to like…even though I know I’m no good for him.” She went silent while a rather endearing shade of pink spread across her cheeks to the tips of her ears. She lowered her head. “And now I just feel stupid…”

  For a moment, Drake wasn’t sure how to respond. The vulnerability underlying her words tugged at the heartstrings he wasn’t supposed to have anymore. The very same heartstrings he couldn’t afford to have anymore. But even while every self-preservation instinct he possessed screamed for him to get as far away from her as possible…another part of him didn’t want to.

  And it was that side of him – the side so willing to defy his natural instincts – that terrified Drake more than anything. Because it was that side of him that had wanted to stay with Klesa even when instinct had told him to run.

  “Drake…please say something.”

  Don’t say anything. Just drive. Drake reached down and rested his hand on the gear shifter. “I really don’t know what to say, Toni.” He closed his eyes when he caught the glint of a tear sliding down her cheek in his peripheral. “I’m sorry. I’m just not very—”

  “No, it’s okay. You don’t owe me an apology.” Her voice was practically brimming with feigned resolve. “I’ve never been good at picking up the subtle things about people anyway. Back in the elevator I thought maybe you…but it’s clear now that…” She cleared her throat right before the rustle of denim against leather filled the air. “Clint always said I never learned when to stop talking. I guess he was right.”

  Drake opened his eyes just in time to see her reaching for the door handle. Without thinking twice or giving instinct a chance to intercede, he leaned over and grabbed her hand. “I’m not very good at giving advice or trying to comfort someone, but I think feeling oblivious is just part of being a young vampire.” He held her sad gaze when she slowly turned back to look at him. “As far as Clint goes…I don’t know him very well, but if Derek thinks he’s gonna be happy to see you, you probably don’t have much to worry about. I hate to admit it, and I’ll blatantly deny that I did if you tell anyone, but Derek’s usually right.” He released her hand and raised it to cup her cheek. “And although I can’t say I know what it feels like to have Derek jam his tongue in my mouth…I know I didn’t like the way watching him kiss you made me feel.”

  The corners of her mouth began to curve into the kind of soft, feminine smile that he wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to forget, even if someday he wanted to. “You didn’t?”

  “No, I didn’t.” He lowered his head when she leaned in close, her gorgeous brown eyes fixed on his mouth. “I did like the way what you did after he grabbed your butt made me feel though.”

  She made a throaty sound that teetered somewhere between the beginning of a laugh and a satisfied moan. “I’m glad you approved.” She brushed her nose across his bottom lip then tipped her head to the side. “I kinda hope this works for you, too.”

  The feeling of warmth that seeped into Drake’s skin as Toni slid her hand up his arm to the back of his neck was nothing compared to the fire she ignited inside him when her lips touched his. She used her tongue as a sensual weapon against him, taunting as she deepened her incredible kiss, then teasing when she pulled back slightly only to deepen it again.

  She kissed him with every ounce of the passion Warrior’s were known for, all while holding onto him as though he was the only man she’d ever wanted. And it was that notion combined with the maddening back and forth motion of her tongue rubbing against his that sent every drop of blood in his body rushing to his groin.

  He’d heard the expression before, but he’d never known what it meant to be kissed breathless until now. The intensity behind her kisses, the compassion and care she conveyed as her mouth moved over his was so overwhelming that he had to break from her lips to breathe.

  Drake sucked a mouthful of much needed oxygen into his lungs as he stared down into her eyes. Breathing was the only action that allowed him to maintain control of his teeth, and while he wanted nothing more than to drag his fangs down the soft skin of her throat and even lower if she’d let him, he wasn’t sure she was ready for that yet.

  He watched when she moved to lightly kiss his cheek then settled back into the passenger seat. “You can drive to Grey’s now if
you want. I swear I’ll stay on my side of the car.”

  “Are you sure?” he asked.

  “Uh huh.” She chewed at her bottom lip for a few seconds before a playful, sexy smile spread across her face. “I’ll be good…at least while you’re driving anyway.”

  Drake put the car in gear and pulled into the lane leading out of the parking garage. “I’m not sure if you’re doing me a favor or not. Because if that was you being bad…I think I liked it.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” She let out a long sigh as she clicked her seatbelt into place. “I know we kinda moved past it and all, but for what it’s worth…I really am sorry about what happened with Derek.”

  He waved away her concern. “You don’t have to apologize for Derek, Toni. That’s just how he is. That’s the way he’s always been…and I’m pretty sure that’s the way he’ll always be. He can’t keep his hands to himself when a beautiful woman’s involved. And in my opinion – that’s exactly what he was dealing with.”

  She gifted him with a shy smile then stared down at the floor as color stained her cheeks again. “Thanks for saying that.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “So you really aren’t mad?”

  “Not really. I suppose in a way it’s not entirely his fault. If I remember my history right, the Vikings weren’t exactly known for keeping their hands to themselves. I’m pretty sure stealing other men’s women is hardcoded into his DNA.”

  She laughed, and it wasn’t until the melodic sound filled the air between them that Drake realized how much he enjoyed hearing it. “You make a good point. Is he really older than Christian though?”

  He nodded. “By a couple thousand years if I’m not mistaken.”

  “Are you sure? He doesn’t act like it at all.”

  “No, he doesn’t, does he?”

  She shook her head. “He acts so…human. And Christian comes off so stiff and stodgy.”

  “That’s because Derek doesn’t have the weight of an entire city resting on his shoulders,” Drake said as he maneuvered out of the parking garage and onto the street. “He’s old enough to do whatever he damn well pleases and there aren’t many people who can tell him otherwise. Actually, I take that back. There are plenty of people who can tell him otherwise, there just aren’t many with the power to make it stick.”