“What’s so funny?” she asked.
“Your antics,” was all he supplied.
A draft scooted in under the covers as he peeled them away. The bed creaked softly beneath his weight and immediately the heat of his body wrapped about her legs. Daniela tensed, trying to gauge the distance between them. The bed suddenly seemed a few inches smaller. That or she’d underestimated how large the man was. She had a clear view of the floor. If she moved any closer to the edge she would find herself on it. For a moment, she entertained the thought of doing just that—sleeping on the floor. It was quickly dashed, for her body still ached. Exacerbating that could hardly be beneficial, especially at a time like this when her health and strength would be necessary to face whatever evil she had to in order to save Elaina.
The bed creaked again and she felt Nicholas moving toward her. She turned quickly to face him, wondering what he was about. He was reaching for the lamp, but paused. He looked at her, his eyes fleeting over her face.
“You have been crying,” he said.
She wanted to look away, but couldn’t. She was held fast by his attention. It seemed gentle, and if she didn’t know any better, she would actually think he cared.
“No,” she replied softly.
A smile tugged at one corner of his firm lips. “And who said a good thief made a good liar?” When she remained silent he continued. “My mother told me that you have suffered an injury to your head.”
“It’s nothing. She took care of it.”
“And what of the bullet wound to your thigh?”
Again she wondered why he seemed so concerned. There was hardly the need to feign interest, not now when there was no one about. Nevertheless, she swallowed her inquiry. She’d made a promise to be more civil with him, and now seemed as good a time as ever to start.
“It only hurts a little,” she admitted truthfully. “I’ve changed the dressing a few times, too. I’ll be okay.”
His attention drifted to the necklace that Amelia had given her. “It was a gift from your mother.” She didn’t want him to think she’d stolen it.
He acknowledged what she’d said with a grunt and his eyes remained on her. She found that she still couldn’t look away from him. He was so handsome beneath the soft glow of the lamp with his wild hair falling freely about his face and shoulders.
Flinching uncomfortably, she tried to disrupt the intimacy of the situation. “Did you have a chance to talk to your family about what you learned last night?”
“I did.”
“And what did they say? Is there any news about the man who’s holding my sister?”
He sighed. “We have reason to believe that he is one of the elders of our family. His activities of late have been questionable. Tomorrow he will be summoned before our clan’s council and expected to provide an explanation for his actions.”
“Will you be there?” she asked.
“No. My brother and I have other business to attend to,” he replied. “We are going to seek the advice of a sorceress. We only hope that she has some insight on how to neutralize the runes.”
“Neutralize the runes?” Daniela quickly pushed herself up on her elbows. “You can’t do that, not now.”
She frowned up at him. It seemed he was doing everything but trying to help her find her sister. Elaina was still out there, and the longer they took the more she would suffer.
“There is no choice,” Nicholas told her. “We will have to take the chance if it becomes available.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “And what do you think will happen to my sister if her captors learn that those runes are useless? Do you think they will simply let her go?”
Tears began to blur her vision and she suddenly felt very much alone. If he wasn’t going to make a determined effort to help her then she was wasting her time there. Beneath the covers she quickly adjusted her nightgown then tossed the bedspread off.
“I see I have to take control of this situation. I’m not going to sit and wait just to learn my sister is dead.”
She tried to swing her legs out of the bed, but Nicholas placed a muscled arm about her waist and held her where she was.
“And just what do you intend to do?” he asked.
She fought to pry his arm away. “Let me go! I’m going to find my sister.” Tears slipped down her temples and she stifled a sob. “I’ll go back to the monastery if I have to. I’ll make them tell me where she is.”
She’d always protected her sister. Even when they were in Brazil and their father’s anger and alcoholism had erupted into a fierce tirade of abuse. She’d never forgive herself if something happened to Elaina. She wouldn’t know how to go on living.
Nicholas gripped her flailing arms and brought them over her head, pinning her to mattress. “The only thing you are going to do is get yourself killed.”
She heaved beneath him, eager to get away. “Just leave me alone, please.” Her tears were flowing freely now. “She’s just a kid. She shouldn’t be out there. It’s my fault!”
“Stop this.” He said firmly. “To act without thinking will do none of us any good. You must be patient.”
Fighting him was useless. Her strength was nothing compared to his. Her movements stilled and she turned her face away. She didn’t want him to see her cry, but the weight of everything—of her entire life—came rushing over her. It wasn’t fair that their mother had left them. Or that she’d had no choice but to steal to survive.
“You are not alone in this, Daniela,” Nicholas said in a voice that was surprisingly very gentle. “I made an agreement with you and I will see it to its end. But you will have to trust me.”
The ache in her heart was overwhelming. She could feel Nicholas’s arms moving about her and soon found herself encased within his warm embrace.
He held her close to him, his fingers carefully stroking her hair. “I will do whatever I can to find your sister, I promise you.”
Despite herself, she clung to him. There was a certain security in his arms she’d never experienced before. She felt safe and protected. And as she listened to his words of promise, she believed him. If anyone could help her find Elaina, it was Nicholas.
“We have to do something, Nicholas. Time is running out… .” she started to say.
He pulled away from her and looked into her eyes. “I need you to trust me and to be patient.”
She wanted so much to share his confidence. Perhaps he knew something that she didn’t, or in his many years of life had encountered a similar situation. He was right and she knew it. She needed to stay calm and she needed to exert a little patience.
She nodded. “I’ll try.”
His gaze softened and he continued to hold her at arm’s length. Her body yearned to return to his embrace, and before she could stop herself, she looped her arms about his neck and closed the distance between them. She’d never needed anyone before, but right now she needed his warmth, his comfort, his protection. She needed him.
Her gesture was unexpected and she felt his body tense. It lasted only a fleeting moment before his arms wound about her again. Strong fingers traced a gentle path along her spine and she shivered. After a few moments Nicholas lowered her head to the pillow.
“It is late. You should sleep,” he said.
She nodded slowly, then Nicholas reached out and brushed a tear from her cheek. A stray curl had settled there too and he tucked it behind her ear. She allowed him to finish his task without objection. There was a tenderness about him that she would’ve never expected. It was difficult to believe that beneath his very hard exterior was this gentler side.
He didn’t move. He just watched her and his attention raked the length of her body. Her heart began to beat even harder, and Daniela suddenly realized that she was no longer beneath the covers, but stretched out b
efore him in nothing but the sheer nightgown. The cool air tautened her nipples and they rose beneath the gossamer fabric, summoning his attention.
When he met her gaze again, his eyes blazed with an emerald fire. They penetrated her, scorching her insides and making her acutely aware of her nakedness beneath the flimsy garment. Her skin began to prickle and she swallowed.
Slowly, Nicholas’s head dipped and without taking his eyes from her, he tasted her lips. The kiss was brief, but a sensuous invitation that sent her heart into a new chaotic riot. He withdrew slightly. The intensity of his stare couldn’t be misread—he wanted her. Yet he waited. It was as if he was giving her an opportunity to protest.
Daniela remained silent, but her mind screamed a warning that she was nothing to him. He was centuries old, otherworldly…a gargoyle. Yet at that moment none of it mattered. She couldn’t deny her intense attraction for him. Her body yearned for his touch and ached for his kisses. Perhaps it was out of vulnerability that she felt this way, but she didn’t care. If nothing else, she would have her memories when it was all over and they went their separate ways.
When she made no objection, Nicholas’s mouth found hers a second time. His kiss was very patient and tender. He coaxed her lips apart and his tongue slid into her mouth. A warm sensation began building inside her. It started within the pit of her belly and trickled down to pool in the soft place between her thighs.
As before, he withdrew from her and their eyes met. He hid nothing. His intent was clear: he was going to possess her. One large hand came up and he slipped the weightless strap of the nightgown from her shoulder, dragging it low on her arm so that her breast was revealed.
His hand moved to cover the soft mound, gently kneading her erect nipple. Daniela’s cheeks flushed and she fought to calm her breathing. Nicholas’s hand slid beneath the fabric to claim her other breast, which was pleading for his attention. “Have you ever been touched by a man?” he asked in a heavy voice.
His question was unexpected and she blinked at him. So scattered were her thoughts that it took a few seconds for her to decipher his meaning. She shook her head, suddenly feeling quite embarrassed. Being a virgin at her age was almost unheard of.
He didn’t look surprised. Instead, he dragged the other strap of her nightgown down, completely exposing her chest. He paused briefly to gaze upon her, then, with a feral growl, he claimed her right breast. His mouth, hot and wet, enclosed over her erect nipple and he devoured it greedily.
Daniela gasped, her back arching off the bed. She’d never experienced anything quite so wonderful. She could feel his thick, hard shaft pressing against her thigh beneath the bedspread. The knowledge that she had the ability to arouse him emboldened her and she brought timid fingers up along the sleek muscles of his arm.
He seemed to revel in her touch and the intensity of his mouth increased. He moved to worship her other breast while his hand found its way beneath the skirt of her nightgown. Roughened fingers caressed the sensitive skin there, moving lower until they lingered just above her soft mound of flesh.
His mouth found her lips again, smothering the gasp she emitted as two lean fingers found their way into the folds of her womanhood. Her legs began to tremble and fell slightly apart, encouraging his exploration. She was well lubricated and his fingers slipped easily over her sensitive little bud that was at present throbbing with an ache she’d never experienced before.
Nicholas groaned into her mouth, filling her chest with a deep and savage sound. Her hands continued to move over him and she enjoyed the feel of his powerful muscles flexing beneath her touch.
The probing of his fingers continued. They circled the moist entrance of her tight passage, taunting her into madness. Years of suppressed sexual frustration seemed to cascade over her and with a soft cry, she spread her thighs a little wider. As if by their own accord, her hips began to undulate in a slow and very shameless rhythm. She wanted him—needed to feel him inside her.
When she thought she could bear his teasing no longer, one lean finger eased into her. Her body clenched about the invading member and she arched higher off the bed. Nicholas’s finger moved deeper inside her, slipping higher until the roughened skin of his palm could be felt against her delicate flesh. She ground herself against his palm as she was overtaken by a yearning to be filled by him.
His firm lips traced a path from her mouth to her neck and it was there that he engaged his next onslaught. It was becoming increasingly difficult for Daniela to breathe. Her breath was coming in short gasps and her nipples grazed his skin with each intake.
To her dismay, she felt his finger leaving her body. He lifted his head then and their eyes met. The desire she read on his face was daunting. His hand came up and she could see that his fingers were slick with moisture. Slowly, deliberately and without severing their stare, Nicholas slipped his fingers into his mouth.
In awe, Daniela watched as he licked them clean. A bolt of something hot shot through her and a fire erupted between her thighs. There was something decidedly primal about Nicholas that called to her. It made her want to spread her thighs and surrender herself to whatever perversions he was inclined to.
He sat up and slipped the rumpled nightgown from her trembling body. He gazed upon her nakedness for a few seconds before kneeling and stripping his own tight-fitting boxers off.
Daniela swallowed as she trailed a path down his nakedness. The man was incredibly beautiful. He remained kneeled above her with his muscled body gleaming in the lamplight. His abdomen, as she’d recalled, was hard and perfect. His thighs were sculpted and exuded power. And to complete the package, he sported a large, thick erection. She used every bit of her will to avoid looking at it, but it was hardly a thing to be ignored. The sheer anticipation of having him sink it into her was sending her thoughts into a dizzying spin.
Nicholas spread her thighs and moved to kneel between them. He drew the bedspread over them and his massive body descended over her. She emitted another little cry as his mouth found her breasts again. His sensuous administrations seared a path down her abdomen and his head disappeared beneath the bedspread. Nicholas gripped her behind her knees and raised her thighs as high as her body would permit.
What came next was completely unexpected and her body was racked by a pulsating shudder. Nicholas’s head moved between her thighs and she could feel his hot mouth enclose over her. Like a man starved, he feasted, sucking and licking—extracting a wanton moan from her. Her fingers wove into his hair and held him in place. It wasn’t long before she was engaged within the throes of an intense orgasm. Spasms rippled through her body and she cried out.
Only then did Nicholas resurface. His eyes were dark with a burning and hungry lust. Almost bereft of her strength, Daniela looked up at him through the mist in her eyes. There was definitely no turning back now. She braced herself for what was to come. Her virginity was about to be lost and to an ageless gargoyle. Strangely, it felt completely right.
Nicholas positioned himself above her and leaned in for a kiss. She could taste herself on his lips and she returned his kiss with the passion of a woman who was ready to be possessed. The tip of his manhood nudged at her opening, gently probing until she moaned.
“Please…” she gasped before she could stop herself. “I need you.”
That seemed to be all the encouragement he needed. With a feral growl, he pressed into her. Daniela’s body tensed as a sharp pain erupted in that spot where their bodies were joined. Nicholas pulled her into his arms and placed a soft kiss against her cheek.
“The pain will be over soon,” he told her.
She held on to him and they lay like that for what seemed an eternity. The patience Nicholas exerted astounded her. She would have never guessed he possessed such traits. And as he’d promised, it wasn’t long before she acclimated to the new sensation of being filled by him.
He must
’ve sensed the tension being released from her body for he started to move within her. The pressure of his gentle thrusting fueled the fire building within her. She drew in a breath, wanting him deeper. His pace quickened and her body rose to meet each thrust. Together they climaxed, and as he poured his hot seed into her, his name trickled out on her breath.
Chapter 14
Nicholas entered the bedroom quietly. He moved to stand over the bed and his eyes raked over the slender form beneath the bedspread. The night he’d spent with Daniela had been unlike any encounter he’d had with any woman. Possessing her beautiful body had gone beyond the physical. The feelings she’d left him with were more than disturbing. It seemed they shared an emotional connection, and there was something that compelled him to protect her.
She’d shown him a vulnerable part of herself, one she hid very well beneath her independence and determination. Although he did admire those qualities, it had been intriguing to have a glimpse of the softer Daniela…almost too intriguing. After their lovemaking, they’d lain there in the darkness and talked. She’d told him about her life and the hardships she’d endured. And in return, he’d talked about his struggles and his experiences as a gargoyle. He’d also told her the truth about the rune stones and the twelve statues.
He slipped his leather jacket on. Sleep had evaded him and he’d spent the past hour lying beside her with random thoughts plaguing his mind. It had saddened his heart to see her cry. She was ready to risk her life once again to save her little sister, which was completely understandable. Her sister was really the only person she had in the world.
Driven by her despair, he’d decided that waiting was no longer an option. Even if Stefan was brought to trial, such an investigation could take weeks, especially with no solid evidence. Every moment wasted brought Daniela’s sister closer to a sure death. If Stefan was indeed Sabbath, then Nicholas was going to find out before the sun rose. As Simion had said, there were many ways to make one’s adversary compliant. He reached beneath the lamp and flicked the switch off, then turned and headed for the door.
The Enemy's Kiss Page 14
