At the same instant he realized she wasn’t reacting violently to his touch, or the brush of his lips, her sweet scent filled his senses. Her hair smelled faintly of vanilla and cinnamon and his desires exploded against his control again. Not just to feed, to cure his nighttime hunger with Lily’s blood, but to savor, to relish, to worship. All it would take was one shared taste to make their connection complete. Instinctively, he knew it would solidify the bond they had created, the inexplicable bond borne out of his desperation and her tortured agonies. Sharing blood had created the link between himself and his creator. Some things were never forgotten. He refused to commit that sin with Lily even if he felt he should with a longing and need that struck him as brutally as one of Diego’s power bolts.
He’d been careful to not get so close to her, resolutely giving her all the room she needed. It didn’t matter she’d reached for him first. Not tonight, or the first time he’d ever heard her voice.
Joaquin closed his eyes and rested his chin gently on top of her head, burying the hunger to make that connection in the depths of some lost well in his soul. He knew she had breaking points. Tonight had been a roller coaster for her. Her exhaustion was apparent in the slack way she bowed into him, simply standing together. The fact that she did lean into him, stood preciously folded within his arms, was not lost on him.
It felt to him as though she had scaled one of the largest barriers of trust between them, or maybe she had simply lowered the wall enough to finally make the single leap over it. Either way, it was a triumph. It would take time for the exposed wound to heal, but it was a beginning. He would ensure she had every opportunity to have any amount of time she could need.
“Close your eyes, lovely,” he soothed, letting her fall deeper into her own self-hypnotic relaxed trance with a little help. “Hold on.” Her arms locked obligingly around his frame. Keeping her mind in a languid state, he defied gravity by reversing his weight balance to gradually float upward away from the ground and over the treetops. No sense in scaring her with what she wouldn’t understand. Within minutes, he set them down near the front of the house. He usually wouldn’t have manipulated her memories, but she was worn out after her adventures and outbursts, mentally drained.
“Go inside and rest. I’ll check on you before sunrise.” It was a gentle order.
Golden lashes fluttered to reveal slumberous eyes watching him through an unfocused haze. The effect of having her body next to his, her lips beneath his, so close, so tempting, was volatile. She swept common sense clear away. The globes of her breasts pressed into his chest tighter when she arched in invitation, and he answered before he could question why she would, or tell himself why he shouldn’t.
There was no fear resting in her mind. He found nothing but absorption in the moment. A natural reaction to a mutual desire that was gradually beginning to rise out of the ashes of her pain. The reality of their shared attraction made him ache in places he’d forgotten even knew how to feel.
He leaned downward, a slow inch at a time, until he rested over her mouth. He touched her, a mere tease of his lips to hers, and waited, each breath a faint flowing caress against his skin. A heartbeat, two, and he closed the space, sealing her to him.
Intense, scorching heat filled him. Though, as it consumed him, he changed nothing of his actions or touch. It flowed inside of him and sank into every cell. It flared within him, and he drank in each pulse like the sweetest wine. The sensation of her against him was divine. There had never been a heaven for him in this world.
Until now.
Sensitive to her every thought, he closed his eyes and kissed her, losing himself in the rapture of feeling, the giving return of her lips on his. Nimble fingers pressed into his sides in answer. His palm slid down the back of her head, cupping beneath her ear, his thumb stroking the smooth silk of her throat. So easily, he found her pulse, the hard tattoo of it pounding into his palm.
With tight control, he sipped at her lips, waiting for her to open for him. He could so easily lose himself in her kiss, desperately wanted to. The merest chance he could frighten her kept him from moving too fast, or pushing for too much. A ravenous hunger for the temptation at his fingertips gnawed at him, but he refused to answer it. He would never take from Lily.
With learning touches, he flicked the tip of his tongue against the arch of her upper lip, then the corners, seeking the sensual heat within. He traced her with only the slightest weight of his tongue, felt the warmed shake of her body, the rising heat of her blood as she responded, as she awakened to him. Restraint. He never imagined himself capable of it at this magnitude. But for Lily, there was no other way. He willingly gave it.
Tentatively, her rosy lips parted and he found the bottom one, nibbling its softness tenderly between his teeth, then stroking away the sensations. Pure energy zinged into his bloodstream with each tender sip. She tasted like honey and cinnamon, like the memory of a summer dessert, and he wanted to devour that sweetness with all the abandon of his childhood behind it. A shudder struck him blind at the hesitant touch of her tongue rising to meet his, learning him in the same slow, seductive dance he’d just performed. A low, growled groan rose as her actions became more sure, more teasing. More Lily.
Electricity pulsed along his skin, burned him where she touched him skin to skin. Sweet like a delicacy and as memorable as his last sunrise, he feasted on her kiss. The abundant wealth of her hair wound around his fingers as he massaged her neck, the strands like rich woven cotton as they slipped under his hand.
The craving to have her touch on his body as he fed on her sweetness, to have her kiss in unbridled passion, clawed at him. So was the want to have more, more of Lily. To feel her like a woman. For her to be a part of him.
To claim her.
He stopped the kiss, stunned, releasing her lips with a final taste of their heaven. He had no idea where that want, the instinct to do something so unknown to him, had materialized from. He was careful to keep his thoughts guarded. From the kiss he shouldn’t have started to the thoughts borne from their kiss. More than he’d ever hoped to find, and shaken at the enormity of what he was feeling.
He straightened, gazing down at her with her hair wild in his hand and her eyes glazed with a need that shocked him as much as it called to him. A passion had awakened in this woman of strengths, calling to him. The same deep, untapped passion he had thought dead to the world surrounding him. It called to him like a woman’s siren call to a man.
“Go.” He firmly pushed this time. Another kiss like it and he’d never let her out of his sight. It was tempting to take her away as it was, damn the consequences.
She nodded in answer, then turned to climb the front steps leading to the large porch running along the home. The door closed between them, separating her from him. It almost killed him to not follow.
“Joaquin.”
Diego’s voice reached out to him and he stilled, no longer shocked by the other vampire’s abilities. The other man’s voice was as effective as a sheet of ice water being dumped on his racing thoughts about the redhead he’d just kissed, though. It was best to lock them away for the moment to be savored at a later time.
“Sí?”
There was a warning edge in Diego’s voice as he communicated on the semi-private path all vampires shared if they attempted it and personally knew the one they sought. The communal path was broad and wide open, much like a broadcast radio signal. Anyone available could hear. It also meant Diego was aware of every detail of what had transpired between himself and Lily in the last few hours. Joaquin should’ve known Diego would never leave those behind completely unwatched, no matter how far away he had to go. The proof Joaquin was right was in the man’s next words. He knew perfectly well Lily had exposed the darkest, wounded parts of her soul tonight. Whether he approved or not remained to be seen. The repercussions or punishments would have to be worried about at a later date and time.
“We have found another of Tenorio’s holding prisons.”<
br />
Joaquin’s eyes narrowed as Diego relayed the visual of the site. Several cells of steel bars barely large enough to walk across. Cold iron chains wrapped through rings on walls with more welded to the legs of metal beds. No natural light. Only one door in or out. It was a prison not unlike the barbaric prisons of his long ago life and gave new meaning to Lily’s pain. That was the life she’d been freed from? He asked his conscience, knowing the answer immediately. He strengthened his vow she would never know that kind of torture again.
“If he was holding people here, he moved them some time ago. All the electronic equipment has been removed or disabled. There is no information in them any longer.”
Joaquin felt the frown develop at that news. A dead end. “What are your plans?”
“We will return tomorrow night. Have there been any problems?”
Joaquin knew what he was asking. “No.” The beacon had, as of yet, not brought them trouble.
There was a short pause before Diego’s rumbled tones reached out to him again, proving Joaquin was right with his statement. Nothing else mattered so long as he protected one and all, including Lily. Joaquin didn’t break his promise to Diego to keep them all safe, and he also kept his promise to Lily. The road she took to heal was a road only she had the right to choose. Trusting Joaquin tonight, trusting any man, was a choice only she could make.
“I do not think we have a lot of time before that will change. Nathan will stay behind to track Tenorio and his movements. We have a new name to work with—Ron Hawthorne.” The bite of anger was modulated, but not hidden. There must have been some sign of this man to raise Diego’s ire.
“Do you think he was behind the attack on the cabin?” Joaquin blended into the trees to continue with his nighttime watch, doubling the wards as Diego had shown him to lend his strength to their protection. He wasn’t as adept, but allowed, Diego had a couple hundred years of practice on him.
“I do. We will share what we learned when we return.”
Joaquin nodded, then the discussion ended. He got the feeling the news would not be good at all.
Chapter Eight
Lily turned over in her bed, nuzzling down into her comforter and pillow, taking a deep breath of the scents. Cotton, warm and clean. It brought so many memories, good memories this time, of her family and her home. It was one of the few moments in her day when she knew exactly where she was and knew she was safe. The blinds were drawn to keep out bright sunlight so she could sleep during the morning hours. She loved to watch the morning sunrise before she went to sleep and wake in time to see the setting sun. The same sights that, before her imprisonment, she’d taken for granted. Now she didn’t want to miss a single one.
She showered, then with a towel around her hair and ignoring the bathroom mirror’s reflection, dressed to join the others and spend some time in Tabitha’s room.
A knock followed by an excited squeal at her door before she was fully ready grabbed her attention.
“Lily! Are you up yet?”
She opened the bedroom door and found Amy bouncing on her toes. Electricity popped on the air she was so excited. “She’s awake!”
Lily felt the immediate hard press of joyous tears at the news. Amy could only mean one thing. Tossing the damp towel on the bed, the two women raced down the wing to Tabitha’s room. David and Houston stood outside in the hall watching the scene. None of the guys ever entered her sanctuary. After the tales of their imprisonment, no one would jeopardize Tabitha’s health by making her feel captured again, or threatened by any male influence, if it could be avoided.
Kathy sat in the chair, holding Tabitha’s hand. Tears shimmered on her cheeks, but the broad and glowing smile was impossible to mistake.
“Is she?” Lily choked out a controlled sob of happiness. She began to shake with all the pent up emotions she’d held for Tabitha’s hopeful recovery.
Kathy looked up and nodded. “She clasped my hand! She’s waking up.”
Lily rushed to the side of the bed and sank to her knees. “Tab? Honey, can you hear me?” Her voice shook. She drew a fast, hard gulp of air to calm the waver in her voice.
Tabitha’s chest rose and fell where she laid, the coverlet keeping rhythm with her breathing, an uneven tempo that betrayed her silence.
“I know you can hear me, Tab. Squeeze my hand if you can hear me.”
Kathy gasped and shivered as her gaze snapped up and Lily stared. “She can hear you!”
“Hallelujah,” she heard Houston say with heartfelt sincerity from several feet away.
“That’s wonderful!” Her vision dropped to watch Tabitha’s reactions again. “Okay, honey. It’s time for you to come back all the way. You’re safe. We’re all here. Kathy, Amy, and me. We’re all together and we’re free, Tab. Open your eyes. Please.”
She held her breath and waited.
“Needles,” the injured woman breathed, her voice coarse and rusty from not being used.
“It’s vitamin supplements, Tabitha. Healthy junk food for you.”
“Needles,” she said again, harder, clearer.
Alarm escalated quickly when she realized what Tabitha was getting at. Lily leaned in, adding firmness to her words. “Tabitha, I know you can hear me. You are safe.” She punctuated the word. “Tenorio is gone. There are no drugs. You have been very sick. The needles have kept you alive. You are safe,” she repeated, then waited for another reaction.
“I think she passed out,” Kathy pointed out, holding a limp hand in her palm.
“We’ll have to watch her, make sure she wakes up coherently enough to not cause herself damage by trying to strip the lines,” Houston warned them from across the room. Both the other girls nodded in agreement.
Laney walked up in her robe, rubbing her eyes. She stood with Houston who curled an arm around her waist. “What’s happening?”
“She’s coming out of the coma, and she’s very incoherent. She thinks she’s still being drugged because she can feel the needles,” Houston explained. Worry gave them all grave expressions.
“We’ll watch her,” Amy said. Kathy laid the hand she held on top of the covers with a last squeeze and a concerned look at the woman who had suffered so much.
“Of course we will,” Lily replied firmly, searching the faces closest to her from where she knelt next to the bed. “She’s a fighter. She’s come this far. We all have. She will make it.”
She refused to believe otherwise. There had been a long road before her and she knew the strides she’d made. She met the other women’s gazes and all reflected the same thoughts. There was no way Tabitha wouldn’t improve if they had anything to say about it.
“I’m going back to bed,” Laney said a moment later. “Wake me when they get home.” She looked up at Houston and, even though his expression was somber, he nodded, offering her a quiet kiss.
“Go rest. You need it.”
Lily looked closely at the blonde and noted she had a pale glow to her complexion. She’d been scarce the last two days.
“You’re not sick, are you?” Lily walked up with Amy and Kathy trailing, concern growing when Laney dropped her eyes with a tinge of guilt wafting in the air surrounding her. Getting medical help all the way out there was hard enough as it was. Getting it anonymously was next to impossible.
“No, not sick.”
“What’s wrong?” Amy asked, usually the quietest of the four women.
Laney and Houston stepped out to give the trio a chance to join them in the hall. Lily took the hint and partially closed Tab’s door. Laney looked to her husband, then at them. With a lopsided, guilty grin, she told them, “I’m pregnant.”
Lily gasped while Amy and Kathy gave quiet shrieks of happiness. It was a surreal moment out of their nightmares for all of them. All three gave hugs to her, except Lily immediately knew why it bothered the tall blonde more than elated her.
“Are you going to stay?” She looked at both, receiving an arched brow from Houston and widened eyes from
Laney at her directness, but knew they weren’t offended by it.
“We both want to,” Houston explained with a nod of agreement from Laney. “Diego and Tani are coming home tonight.” Houston shifted his weight, appearing less tense now that neither he nor Laney had to hide the truth. Even Laney relaxed a little more into his one-armed embrace. “Tani’s my best friend and Diego is almost like a brother to me now. We, neither of us, can leave them with all of this hanging over you girls.” He shook his tawny head, his worried, somber look returning. “We couldn’t do it to you.”
Lily sniffed and quickly blinked to stop the sudden burn under her eyelids. She’d never felt more blessed than when they did or said something so selfless.
“We just weren’t expecting it. I’ve been on the pill since we married.”
“Nothing is foolproof,” Kathy remarked.
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