by Laura Kaye
She nodded and eased off the bed. He wrapped the heavy fabric around her. Miles too big, she wouldn’t have traded it for the world. Infused with his scent, it was almost as good as being in his arms. Almost.
Fingers interlaced, they crossed the room to the bathroom in the corner, where earlier she’d showered and dressed. Henrik flipped on the light and froze, his gaze glued to the mirror. At first, his expression gave nothing of his reaction away. “You should know it may not last.”
Her heart squeezed. She threaded her arm through his and met his reflection’s gaze. “I hope it does, only because maybe it means your illness is cured. Or better, at least.” She tugged him to face her and placed her hand over his heart. “But, Henrik, the man who saved my life, who attracted and intrigued me, who admired my work and who made me feel things I’ve never felt before—that man is in here.” She pressed her skin more firmly against his and struggled with how to phrase what she next wanted to say. “No matter if your eyes are dark or pale, that man will still be here, for me.”
“But you deserve a male who—”
She pushed onto her tiptoes and kissed him. It broke her heart to think he feared she couldn’t accept him because of how his illness had changed him on the outside. Her heart? So much had happened in such a short time, she couldn’t say for sure how she felt about all of it. But there was no doubting that her heart was involved.
When she pulled away, his eyes flashed a vivid, warm blue.
“So what does the mating mark mean in practical terms?”
He licked his lips, the tip of a fang peeking out. “I agree with the magic, Kaira. I feel like I have been waiting for you my whole life. Not just because your blood has the ability to heal me, but because when I am with you, I feel whole in my heart. I feel peace in my soul. We know very little else about one another, and I understand this is all very fast in human terms.” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, his tenderness so remarkable for someone so big, so powerful. “But to answer your question, the mark gives us the opportunity—three days—to decide whether to become mates, to build a life together, with you at my side as my queen and my partner. I would share my whole life with you, my blood, and, if this healing takes, I should be able to share my immortality with you, too.”
Her brain struggled to keep up with the flow of truly amazing information. That real feelings had already taken root in his heart. That she could have a place to belong. And that she could be with him...forever. “You said the mark gives us three days?”
He nodded. “There is a ceremony that consummates the mating, but it has to be performed within three days of when the mark was made, or it will fade, and the opportunity to mate will go with it.”
Three days? How was she supposed to decide what essentially amounted to the rest of her life—and a version of her life she never could’ve imagined before this moment—in just seventy-two hours?
He kissed her with warm, soft, commanding lips. Looking her right in the eye, he said, “This is why I said you have a decision to make. Everything about our time together has been intense and overwhelming. I know that. And I don’t want you to feel any more pressured than you already do.” His hands slipped around the back of her neck and massaged. “I want you to go back down to Tromsø.”
“What?”
“Wait. Just listen. I want you to go into town and enjoy the rest of your exhibit and the judging ceremony the day after tomorrow.”
“How did you know about that?”
“I have been thinking about this all day, about what would happen if we matched. So much will change for you. I know the sacrifices are unfairly weighted on your side. No matter what, I didn’t want you to have to give up something you’ve obviously worked so hard at and have such a talent for.”
At those words, her heart got a whole lot more involved. She hadn’t had to say it, or beg for it, or rail about the injustice of it. He’d just known how important the show and her photographs were to her. He got it.
And, honestly, she had no one in her life. No family. No real roots. The sacrifices weren’t as many as he thought.
“I won’t send you alone,” he continued. “One of my warriors will drive you down and get you checked in at a hotel right in the center of town.”
“I don’t need—”
“Yes, you do. I won’t have it any other way.” He arched an eyebrow that was as sexy as it was humorous. “He’ll stay in town with you, out of sight but watching over you just in case. I will give you a phone number. After the show, call and let Jakob know what you’ve decided. I will respect your decision, Kaira, whatever it is.”
A tidal wave of emotion crashed over her. Confusion. Fear. Uncertainty. Excitement. Love.
Love?
Very possibly love.
“I don’t know what to say.”
He pulled her in for a long, slow kiss, one she felt into the tips of her left-hand fingers and all the way down to her toes. His arms wrapped around her and he bent her back with his height and the intensity of their connection. His taste, his smell, his touch—it was all-encompassing. And it was also goodbye. Tears pricked at the backs of her eyes before they’d even broken apart.
She’d remember that kiss for the rest of her life. Which is exactly what he intended. Just in case.
He pulled away and caught a stray tear with his thumb. “I don’t want you to go. I need you to know that I want you. I want you, Kaira Sorensen. And I hope to God you come back to me.” Another stray tear straggled to his hand holding her face. “But, for now, I want you to get dressed. My warrior will be waiting right outside the suite ready to take you back. Go, and live your life, and think this through.” His voice cracked and he swallowed roughly. “And kick some ass in the competition.”
Kaira gave a sad laugh, and two more fat tears spilled from the corners of her eyes. “Okay,” she whispered, though agreeing to leave him felt like a ten-pound weight had taken up residence on her chest.
“Okay,” he whispered in return. He pressed a long kiss to her forehead.
She slipped out of his robe, hating to part with it when she was losing him, too.
He accepted it and stepped to the door. Just when she was sure he wouldn’t look back, he did. “Goodbye, min kjære.”
* * *
Kaira ghosted through the next two days. Her sleep was fitful. Her concentration was shot. Her appetite was gone.
As much as the exhibit and the competition continued to excite her, most of the time she felt out of place and out of sorts. Like this world—the one which she’d known her entire life—wasn’t real. And the real world, the one with vampires and Soul Eaters and an ancient war of immortals—and a vampire king, her vampire king—was nowhere to be found.
Not surprising, perhaps, since her father had known of Henrik’s world and been a part of it himself. At least, that’s what the file said that had been slipped in among her belongings. The one that also included a sheet of lab results explaining that her extraordinarily high white blood cell count, a result of the CML, was what served as the curative property for Henrik’s illness. Did that mean anyone with her same disease could do what she’d done for him? She didn’t know the answer. And she wasn’t sure she wanted to.
Those weren’t her only questions, either. What would she do as queen? What did that even mean? And what if Henrik wasn’t cured long-term? What if he died? What if his blood couldn’t cure her leukemia? Their doctor had no training to treat her. How would she get the care she needed so she could live as long as she could?
There were so many unknowns that she was paralyzed—trapped between the wild yearnings of her heart and the logical misgivings of her head.
And it didn’t help that a mild but continuous sensation of pins and needles continued to play over the skin of her left hand.
As the hour of the judging ceremony, Kaira paced her posh room at the city’s nicest hotel in an incredible beaded silver gown that had been delivered anonymously the previous morning. Sh
e was so certain it was from Henrik that she smelled it to see if she could catch his dark spice on the fine fabric. That she couldn’t made her no less certain.
In just three hours, she needed to call Jakob. She needed to make a decision. She needed to have an answer. And she had no earthly idea how to do any of that.
Every time one part of her brain came close to convincing her she wanted Henrik, another part reminded her that they’d met when he attacked her, bit her and took her against her will.
Finally, she couldn’t stand to be in her room for one more minute. Maybe the fresh, crisp night air and the short walk to the auditorium would clear her head and shed some light on how to choose the right path. On autopilot, she made her way through the hotel and out onto the crowded, festive, aurora-lit street. The lights were already putting on a show, a diffuse green providing a backdrop for a brighter, rippling wave of the same color. Everywhere she looked, people were paired or grouped up. Friends, lovers, spouses, siblings, parents, children. She heaved a breath, swallowed her solitude, and made her way down the street.
Gasps rang out. Then oohs and ahhs. Ahead of her, people broke into quick walks and runs to the intersection. Kaira glanced up in time to see a curtain of red flash through the sky.
How remarkable! City lights usually obscured all but the strongest color variations. Sometimes they couldn’t be seen by the naked eye at all, only captured on film. Oh, why didn’t she have her camera? She reached the intersection, but the gathering onlookers formed a wall she couldn’t get through or see around. She tried anyway, people seeming to give way when they saw how fancy she was dressed.
Finally, she stepped through an opening in the crowd and looked up through the break in the buildings.
Her heart leapt into her throat. A towering cathedral of red stretched to the heavens, supported by an undulating wave of green. And, at the very bottom, hanging so low in the sky you could almost touch it, was a perfectly formed band of blue light.
It was the once-in-a-lifetime blue aurora, and it was the color of Henrik’s eyes.
Seeing this rarest aurora, when their love of the lights was one thing that had bonded them, had to be a sign. With a final ripple, the blue faded away.
The crowd erupted in cheers and applause. Kaira scrabbled to find her phone in her purse. Her hands were so shaky it took three tries to pull it out. People dispersed, heading back on their merry way again, leaving her in the middle of the intersection to make maybe the most important call of her life.
“Jakob? It’s Kaira. I want him,” she said when he answered the phone. “Tell Henrik I want him. Please tell him to come get me now,” she blurted out, her hand stinging and her chest filled with such a mix of emotions that it was hard to draw a deep breath. What if he’d changed his mind? What if she’d waited too long?
“Thank God,” Jakob said. “Tell him yourself.”
“What?” Phone still pressed to her ear, she looked up, her gaze scanning right and left. She did a double-take when she saw him, standing right in front of her on the opposite side of the intersection. Something seemed different about him, but she was too emotional to think on it. Her breath shuddered in her chest and tears formed of fear and happiness pooled in her eyes. “I see him.”
But Jakob didn’t answer. The line was dead. And, this time, she didn’t need him to tell her what to do. Her heart had already made the leap across the square, she only had to join it.
Dodging groups of festivalgoers, she wove her way through the space. And then she saw what was different. He’d filled out, a monumental understatement. The hollows of his face were gone, the bones of his hands no longer protruded, and he now carried the muscular bulk she’d feared the first time she’d met him would make him imposing. And, was it the lights, or had his hair even taken on the faintest blond hue? As if all that weren’t enough, a thin braid, like the one Jakob and the other warriors wore, hung down the left side of his face where, two days ago, he’d had a bald patch.
He was devastatingly handsome and fiercely masculine. And she was so happy for him she could’ve thrown herself around him and squeezed with all her might.
“Henrik? I called Jakob.”
He stepped down off the curb and came close enough she felt the heat from his body through the cold night air. Why wasn’t he saying anything?
Her heart was doing quadruple time in her chest, nearly making her breathless. “And, if you still want me—”
The kiss was a full-body experience. She hadn’t even seen it coming. Arms tight around her, he picked her up, claimed her mouth and made it blazingly clear just how much he wanted her. She was dizzy and breathless and recklessly aroused by the time he returned her to her feet.
He gripped her shoulders, his hands strong and warm. “I want you with everything I am, kjære, but I need you to be sure. What about all you will sacrifice?”
She shook her head. “I have no family, no real career. You live in the best possible place in the world for me to do my photography. And, if your blood can’t cure me, I can find a doctor here.” Kaira stepped tight against his newly big body. “I’m sure. This feels like what I’m supposed to do.”
His eyes flashed. “I am strong now, because of you. My blood will work. I feel it.”
The thought of being healthy again sent a shiver of amazement over her skin, but that wasn’t why she was choosing him. “Either way, I love you, Henrik.” The words were out of her mouth before she’d thought them through, but she immediately knew their rightness.
He groaned and held her tight. “You are my heart and my light, Kaira. I love you, too.”
“I want to do this now. The mating.”
“So do I. But your ceremony starts in—” he looked at his wrist, so much thicker than it had been before “—eight minutes. You’re not missing it.”
“But—”
“No buts. I’ll not have it any other way.”
She bit back a smile. “You know, that’s not always going to work with me.”
“What?”
“That line. I don’t know if that works with your guys, but you need to know that sometimes I’m gonna say ‘too damn bad.’”
His eyebrows raised to his hairline. “Will you, now?”
She lost the battle against the grin and finally just gave in. “I will.”
“And, is this one of those times?”
Kaira was nearly mad with her need for him. Her hand tingled. Her core ached. Her throat was oddly dry and scratchy. She was hungry for him.
But the show was its own once-in-a-lifetime, wasn’t it? And it was only an hour. Surely, she could wait an hour. Right? He licked his lips and flashed the promising tips of his fangs. Oh, he didn’t play fair. No, she could do it. Besides, where else was she going to wear a gown this gorgeous? She heaved a breath. “No, this isn’t one of those times.”
“Very well.” He turned and offered her his arm. “May I escort you, then?”
A thrill shot through her. “I would love for you to escort me tonight.” She snuggled into his side.
His eyes smoldered and flared with blue light. “And tomorrow?”
“And all the tomorrows.” Heat bloomed on her cheek.
A low growl tumbled out of him. “Let’s go collect your prizes and get out of here.”
Kaira laughed. But she loved his faith in her. And she loved his plan.
Because she was completely taken by her vampire king. Now and forever.
* * * * *
Learn more about Laura and the other books in the Vampire Warrior Kings series at www.LauraKayeAuthor.com. And be sure to check out the following titles in the series from
Harlequin Nocturne Cravings:
In the Service of the King (2012)
Seduced by the Vampire King (2012)
Taken by the Vampire King (2013)
Look for these other sensual tales in Laura Kaye’s Vampire Warrior Kings series, available now from Harlequin Nocturne Cravings!
In the Service of the Ki
ng
Kael, Warrior King of the Vampires, loathes the Night of the Proffering. He needs the blood of either his mate or a human virgin to maintain his strength, but hasn’t enjoyed the ritual since he lost his mate centuries ago. Kael doesn’t want a new companion, yet his resolve is tested when he lays eyes on his new offering, Shayla McKinnon. He is drawn to Shayla’s beauty and poise...and the submission she offers. She is eager to give him anything he wishes, including her innocence, to please him. Will Kael give in to their overwhelming desire—even if it means risking Shayla’s life?
Seduced by the Vampire King
American exchange student Kate Bordessa has fled to Russia to escape her family’s hopes that she’ll become one of the Proffered, human women who feed and mate with elite vampire warriors. But when she stumbles upon a wounded vampire in the streets of Moscow, she’s instinctively driven to protect him—and feels an undeniable spark of desire.
Grieving over the deaths of his brothers, Vampire Warrior King Nikolai Vasilyev has thrown himself into battling his enemies, focused only on vengeance. Until the attack that brought him to Kate. Their sexual attraction explodes into a night of uncontrolled passion—a night that marks them as mates. Is their connection strong enough to convince them to embrace a destiny neither of them was expecting?
Don’t miss the other sensual, paranormal reads from Harlequin Nocturne Cravings, available at www.ebooks.eharlequin.com and wherever ebooks are sold. Titles include:
The Demon’s Forbidden Passion by Zoey Williams
Mated by Moonlight by Jessa Slade
Threshold of Pleasure by Vivi Anna
The Darkest Embrace by Megan Hart
Hunting the Jackal by Seressia Glass
Heart of the Jaguar by Katie Reus
Her Wicked Wolf by Kendra Leigh Castle
Demand of the Dragon by Kristin Miller
Seducing the Jackal by Seressia Glass
Looking for more paranormal romance? The sizzling and spine-chilling books of Harlequin Nocturne are available at www.Harlequin.com or your local bookstore.
