I found nothing. Sandu should have sounded reassuring, but he didn’t.
When the others emerged, as pale and exhausted as Sandu, they all shook their heads. Andor glanced at Tariq and saw him exchange a long look with Gary and knew Tariq was communicating privately with his protector and adviser. Gary shook his head even as he took the wrist offered to him by one of the triplets. Tariq sighed.
“I understand you have not completed the ritual bond,” Tariq said.
“Not as yet,” Andor said, his tone warning the other man to back off. It was one thing to choose to follow him and protect him, it was another to have the man telling him what to do. He, as well as his brethren, didn’t acknowledge any authority over them. They still were uncertain whether or not the ruling prince was worthy of that position.
“I understand.” Tariq sat back in his chair. “You can have the use of the smaller house just beside the lake. The soil is excellent, Andor, and Lorraine will be comfortable in it while you rest and heal.”
Andor winced. That was a reminder that his woman would be alone and vulnerable while he was beneath the ground. No, while they all were beneath the ground. He detested that for her. He could plant a suggestion to sleep, if she allowed it, but that didn’t mean she would. Or he could force sleep, and that was the last thing he ever wanted to do. Lorraine would forgive many things, but he doubted if she would forgive force.
“Charlotte’s friend Genevieve watches over the children, as do another couple who stay within the compound. They would be glad for the company,” Tariq added.
Lorraine took a deep breath and stood, pushing back her chair as if she couldn’t wait to get out of there. He didn’t blame her. She had been the subject of their scrutiny for a long while.
They still suspect Sergey found a way to plant something in her. He sent that straight to Sandu. He knew the man was bound to Lorraine’s soul and only finding his lifemate would break that bond. In the meantime, he could touch her mind and feel her emotions. That would help to sustain him until he found her.
Do you not suspect this also?
Of course he did. Not only did he suspect, there was no other explanation.
You must convert her. Once her blood is replaced with ours, and her human body dies, whatever he planted will be far more vulnerable.
He knew that. Tariq knew that. The leader had been close to pointing that out to Andor, but Andor didn’t want Lorraine to make her decisions based on anything but what she truly wanted. She’d been traumatized enough. Conversion wasn’t easy, even with others aiding them, and then she would have to accept things such as sleeping beneath the soil and surviving on the blood of others.
He took her hand and walked out. Once out of the house and into the night air, he lifted his face to study the sky. The night seemed to be passing too fast. He knew, by the little shiver that ran through her, that she felt it, too.
“It’s beautiful here,” she commented.
“It is. I especially like that he found land where water and forest come together, yet it is clearly a modern estate.” The brethren had talked about how Tariq had situated his home for defense. He then bought up property all around his main compound with the idea that other Carpathians could settle close, making their protected world much larger and safer for their lifemates and hopefully any children that came along in the future.
Lorraine glanced at him, a quick little grin coming and fading just as fast. “Look at you, sounding all modern.”
“I could have pointed out the fact that this place is very easily defensible against any threat. Land, water or air.”
“I did notice that.”
She walked with him toward the house situated closest to the lake. It was far smaller than the main house and just a bit more so than the other homes on the property. The detail was attractive. All the houses were smaller replicas of Tariq and Charlotte’s home. He especially liked the porch. It looked cool and inviting. He would much rather be outside than inside, or rather, that had always been his preference until he found Lorraine. Now, he would be anywhere with her and be happy.
“What was Tariq going to say when you stopped him?”
His gaze flicked to hers. She wasn’t looking at him, but up at the exterior of the house. There was no lying to one’s lifemate. Avoidance might be a better way to go. “Lorraine.” He sighed when her gaze jumped to his and he found himself looking into those green eyes of hers. “Sometimes, it is better to let things be. You have been through a lot in a very short amount of days. We do not have to do everything at once.”
“No, but I would very much like to have all the information available to me. I’m like that, Andor. I need to know everything to make informed decisions. It takes a little while for me to process and then I feel like I’ve done the best I can with what I know.”
He took her hand and led her up the stairs. When he waved toward the door, it opened inward invitingly. He stepped inside and felt the wave of power under his feet and around him. This structure was protected. That made him feel better.
He tugged at Lorraine’s hand. She stood just on the threshold looking into the dark interior. Immediately he waved toward the inside, and lights sprang on. Hardwood floors gleamed. There was furniture in the room he could see. She took a deep breath and stepped inside. He watched her face and saw her look down at the floor. She felt that surge of power as well.
“The house is safeguarded. It allowed us in because Tariq gave us his blessing,” he explained, but he knew her hesitation came from the nightmare she’d stepped into when she’d returned to her family home from college.
She moved past him and stood in the front room, turning around to inspect everything. “I will be very grateful for a bathroom and an actual bed. Thank you for remembering my backpack.”
He saw that her pack was lying up against the wall where someone had put it when they had arrived. “The things in it matter to you.”
She sank down into what appeared to be a very comfortable sofa. He sat down beside her and when she shivered, he waved his hand at the fireplace. It immediately sprang to life, the flames flickering and dancing, adding warmth to the room.
“Please tell me, Andor.”
There was no resisting Lorraine when she wanted something. She didn’t whine. She just asked politely, and he could tell it mattered to her, just like those things in her backpack.
“By converting you, all traces of human would be lost. Carpathian blood would flow in your veins. If Sergey left something in you—”
“All of you believe he did, and so do I,” she interrupted.
He nodded. “There is no other reasonable explanation. So, whatever he left would have a difficult time hiding. Carpathian blood does not mix well with anything vampire. Also, you would be with me during our sleep cycle and I could better protect you.”
She sat for a long time looking down at her hand, specifically her left hand. He reached for it and slid his palm gently over her fingers.
“What is it?”
“I have my mother’s wedding rings. I always thought I would wear them. There are no rings on any of your fingers. Is that because you shift, or because that is a human ceremony?”
Was there regret in her voice? He didn’t want her to regret anything. “What each Carpathian pair has is different, because we are all different. You are my lifemate and I am yours. If we choose to wear rings, shifting with them is no hardship.”
She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue, and for the first time, genuine happiness crept into her eyes. “Then I suppose you had better get on with it.”
He frowned. “I missed something.”
“You told me it takes three blood exchanges. We have only had one. If we’re to do this by tomorrow night, you’d better take the second exchange now. Tomorrow you can convert me, right?”
“Lorraine, you haven’t had time to
process. You like to take things slow.”
“I’ve been thinking about it since you first told me I would have to become Carpathian. What do I have left to me? My family is dead. All of them. I have no friends. No other relatives. I have you and Ferro and Sandu. I have Gary. I hope to fit in here, but if I don’t, and you’re willing, we can go somewhere else together. I know I want to be with you.”
Andor couldn’t stop himself from gathering her into his arms. In spite of wanting to make certain, so that she would never have regrets, he nuzzled her neck with his mouth. “Csecsemõ, I want this for us, but you have to be so sure. There will be pain during the conversion. I can be there through it with you, so will the others to try to take most of it, but we cannot prevent all of it.”
“The alternative isn’t that great. Besides, I’ve had this taste in my mouth all night and I want to see if it’s as good as I remember.”
His tongue slid over her pounding pulse. His teeth scraped gently over the spot beckoning him. More than anything, he wanted to make love to her, but his body needed healing and he wasn’t a man to do things by halves. He sank his teeth deep, allowing her to experience more of that erotic bite, the flash of pain giving way to nothing but pure pleasure.
He hadn’t known how erotic feeding from one’s lifemate could be. His body nearly went up in flames, his blood pooling hotly in his groin. His mind found hers, and she was slick with need, her nipples pebbling, pushing against his chest while her body moved restlessly. He took his time, savoring every drop. Her taste was the finest he’d ever experienced and the craving was difficult to resist, but he forced himself to stop when he’d taken enough.
It was her turn, and his entire body clenched in anticipation. The moment her mouth moved on his skin, he threw his head back and roared. She had his entire body hard and hungry. So needy. This, then, was what sex was all about. The craving. The hunger. The drive that was so strong there was no resisting it.
We had better turn you fast, sívamet, or we both will not survive the taking of blood.
Her fingers stroked caresses over his skin, along the walls of his mind and, sun scorch the woman, over his groin.
You are not helping.
Oh no, was I supposed to be helping? I thought I was supposed to be showing you what we’re missing. You need to heal fast. That’s all I’m saying here.
Her fingers kept stroking, and the sane part of him knew he needed to stop her. Mostly he wasn’t sane at all.
13
You’re clearly wearing too many clothes.
Lorraine’s voice brushed along the walls of his mind so intimately Andor’s cock threatened to explode. She was right—he was wearing far too many clothes. He needed the physical touch of her fingers against his rock-hard flesh. Her hand slid over him, rubbed right over his trousers, and he felt the jerk and throb of pure need.
He waved his hand and he was completely bare to her. He couldn’t take the feel of her clothing rubbing on his skin. He wanted her naked as well. It took less than a second to achieve that. Her laughter was gentle, teasing in his mind.
That was not the plan. It was supposed to be you naked and needing me. Now it is both. How do we get out of this?
He gently inserted his hand between her mouth and his chest when he knew she had taken enough for a full blood exchange. His heart beat faster at the knowledge she was one step closer to his world—and to him. His body felt on the very edge of control. Even though she was no longer taking his blood, he needed her more than ever.
She obeyed the small command to stop feeding, but kissed her way down his chest to his belly. Everywhere she kissed, she left behind a trail of fire. Her hair brushed over his thighs as she slid to the floor, wedging herself between his legs, her mouth continuing its travels. The feeling of that silky mass sweeping over his body sent more hot blood rushing to his cock until he was so full and thick he felt it all the way to his toes.
He bunched her hair in his fist so he could see her face. He needed to watch her as she kissed her way over his groin. That hungry, intense desire was in her eyes. He loved that look. He knew he would keep that image with him always. She dropped her head lower, and he felt her breath, warm, against the crown of his cock. Small droplets leaked out, enticing her. For a moment, he thought she might swallow him down, but instead, she licked up his balls and then his shaft.
His entire body shuddered with need. He tightened his hold in her hair, this time to guide her where he needed her most. She lifted those long lashes, and stared up at him with sparkling green eyes. Teasing. She was teasing him. His cock jerked in anticipation. Life with Lorraine was always going to be an adventure because she did the unexpected.
We need to be very careful, she reminded. The healer told you to go to ground immediately. He was worried about your wounds.
He’d forgotten he had any wounds. Blood pounded through his cock. His heartbeat centered in his groin. There was a strange roaring in his ears. Every cell in his body felt alive. Anticipating. Waiting. He found he was holding his breath until his lungs burned.
“Lorraine.” Her name was a command. A powerful one. It came out hoarse. Almost desperate. Not nearly as authoritative as he thought it should have, as desperate as he was.
Her warm breath slid over him again so that his muscles tightened. Her eyes laughed happily and that caught at him. In that moment, there was only the two of them, the rest of the world locked out. Every problem. It was Lorraine and Andor.
Then her mouth engulfed him and there was no sane thought. Her mouth was hot and wet, sliding over him tightly. Her tongue danced and stroked. She did some kind of humming that sent vibrations right through his shaft, blowing out the top. It was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen, her mouth moving over him as she knelt there between his legs.
“Keep your eyes on mine, sívamet.”
Watching her watch him, as she gave him so much pleasure, was just plain erotic. That was another image he never wanted to lose. Those green eyes devoured him the way her mouth swallowed him. Tight and hot. Her tongue stripped him of thought so he was pure feeling. His hips began to move, small thrusts, taking him deeper. He was careful and very gentle, but his centuries of control and discipline were gone with every stroke of her tongue.
Flames teased at the base of his cock—sizzled at the base of his spine. Her mouth slid over him again, so tight. So hot. Flames rushed up from his toes, his calves, and then danced up his thighs to lick at his balls. The heat was tremendous. The fire burned up his spine, coiled in his belly, and burst into a firestorm as his cock erupted like a volcano. Jet after jet. Rope after rope. The hot seed exploded from him. He threw back his head and roared, even while he fought to stay in eye contact with her.
She sank back onto her heels wiping at her mouth, her eyes smiling at him. Apparently, you like sex, Andor.
Like was not the word he would use. His pulse struggled to return to a calm, steady beat. He waited until he could breathe before answering her. “Apparently, I love sex. I have learned a lot over the centuries. We study everything in order to please our lifemates. I think I can manage to please you as you have me.”
“The healer said you needed to go to ground.”
“The healer can go to ground. I still have some night left and I intend to make use of it.” He was watching her carefully and saw the small hint of apprehension. “What is it, Lorraine?” He beckoned to her and pointed to the spot between his legs. She hesitated, but she moved forward again. Her breasts brushed against his thighs and then his groin. A jolt of awareness teased his cock. Her skin was like satin. “What is it, csecsemõ, you have only to tell me.”
Her hand moved. Fingers slid over the inside of his thigh and caressed his shaft. She had no trouble touching him or putting her mouth on him, but now, she was unexpectedly shy.
“I didn’t expect to have sex with you, Andor. Not right away. I know that you’ve
been wounded and I thought I had time . . .” She trailed off with a small frown.
He rubbed the curve of her mouth with the pad of his thumb. “Are you afraid?” She wasn’t afraid of very much, and she’d been the one to initiate oral sex on him.
She shook her head. “I’ve been camping. There aren’t a lot of chances to get clean. You just wave your hand and you’re all fresh and smell like heaven. I’m pretty certain I smell like a skunk or something equally horrendous.”
He wanted to laugh. She could do that so easily. That faint humor in her voice told him, although it mattered to her, she still was able to laugh at the situation and herself. More reasons to fall harder for her.
“I was thinking you could do more hand waving, but toward me, this time.”
Now her laughter was in her eyes. He couldn’t help responding. The hand wave came, but she didn’t need it. She never did. To him, she smelled earthy and perfect. He tipped her face up to his and bent to take her mouth. Kissing her was another kind of heaven he hadn’t expected. There was that fire in her mouth she’d spread over his cock. He burned with her for a few minutes and then he gathered her into his arms and floated them to the main bedroom.
The bed was already made up in anticipation of Lorraine’s arrival. He made a mental note to thank Charlotte for her welcoming of Lorraine into the compound. The bedding was soft and he lay his woman right in the center, coming down over top of her, feeling the give in the thick comforter but the firmness of the mattress beneath. Her hair spread across the white comforter, looking more red than brown, the golden tones gleaming from the moonlight spilling in through the windows. Her green eyes were steady on his. Those lashes, feathery and dark, tipped with gold, fluttered, drawing attention to the beauty of her face.
Andor framed her face, his hips wedged between hers, his gaze moving over her possessively. He had never felt possessive in his life. He was all about duty and honor. Material things meant little or nothing to him. Carpathians acquired wealth to use as tools. He knew they owned several planes to take them from one continent to the another. That required money, but keeping up with the modern world meant they had to have the means to do so. Right now, the only possession that mattered, the only thing in his world he would die to keep, was Lorraine.
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