Born of Night

by Sherrilyn Kenyon

  Or was he only angry at her?

  "The doctor told me."

  She hated the lack of emotion in his voice. "Oh . . . Are you happy?"

  "What do you think?"

  Her heart sank. She remembered his rage at finding Thia and knew this didn't thrill him half as much as that. "So what does this mean to us?" She was terrified of the answer, but needed to know his take on the situation.

  His body tensed around her. She felt his heart pounding under her shoulder blade and wanted so much to comfort him, but knew she couldn't.

  "What do you want to do about it?"

  Tears gathered in her eyes. "He's not an it, Nykyrian. The baby is our child." And what she wanted was to live with her baby's father and raise her family like her parents had done. To watch Nykyrian play with their child, teach the baby all the languages he knew, hold him or her when he or she cried and needed soothing.

  But all of that was a futile dream.

  Nykyrian would never stay with her.

  "I was planning to raise the baby on Gouran."

  "Probably for the best. Once I finish with Aksel, no one else should ever bother you again. I know Driana won't tell anyone about you and I'm sure my mother won't, either."

  Kiara's stomach churned with dread of the next question she had to ask. "Will I ever see you?"

  Nykyrian tensed as pain tore through him. He couldn't stand the thought of living without her, of returning to his solitude, especially now that she carried a part of him with her.

  The fact that she would keep their baby . . .

  How he wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss her. To keep her with him forever. But he couldn't be that selfish.

  And if he were to ever see her with his child, he knew he would forget his common sense, his survival skills, and stay with them.

  But he couldn't. He refused to risk their lives for his own selfish desires. "No."

  Kiara winced. She'd known his answer before she asked the question. Once he killed Aksel, she would lose him forever.

  Her soul screamed out in pain. She didn't want to live without him, she wasn't even sure if she could.

  You're going to have to. Because she had a baby who needed her now.

  She stared down at Nykyrian's gloved hands, remembering how good they'd felt on her body as they created the new being inside of her.

  And she refused to let him go. I will find some way to keep you, Nykyrian. The rest of the world may have thrown you away, but I won't. Somehow, she was going to make her dreams come true, no matter what it took.

  Even if it was dangerous. She didn't care anymore. Life wasn't for the timid. It was harsh and it was biting.

  But the one thing that made it bearable was the people you cared for. It was finding that light in the darkness. That peace in hell.

  It was being with the man she loved . . . the father of her baby, even when the rest of the world plotted against them, and she wasn't going to let her fears tear that away.

  Yes, he had enemies. She had them, too.

  But the best revenge was to live their lives while thumbing their noses at them. To love each other even while those people tried to rip them apart.

  That was what she was going to give to her child and, most of all, to Nykyrian.

  Even if she had to beat him to do it.

  CHAPTER 27

  Jullien sat in the security room of the embassy, his temper boiling. The moment his mother and aunt had returned from their shopping trip, he'd known the bitches were up to something by the furtive glances they'd cast about the hallway before they secreted themselves in the study.

  He'd learned a long time ago to beware his Aunt Tylie's treachery. That bitch hated him, and she seemed to delight in getting him into trouble.

  Now, as he listened to them talking about his missing twin brother through the hidden mic, he realized just how dangerous a position he was in.

  While everyone had been told of Nykyrian's supposed death as a child, his grandmother had confided the whole sordid story to him several years ago of how she'd bribed his cousin to pretend to be their mother--a final act of cruelty for which his grandmother was famous. Parisa had put Nykyrian on a shuttle and the bastard was supposed to be dead. God knows, his grandmother had paid enough money to the orphanage to see his brother starved and abused.

  No one should have survived his treatment.

  Unlike his grandmother, he knew better than to trust a hireling. If you wanted something done right, you had to do it yourself, especially when it involved murder.

  He clenched his fists in anger. If his mother and aunt had their way, they would reinstate Nykyrian back into the empire. He would have to split all his inheritance.

  And there was just no way he'd do that. Ever.

  Jullien tapped his fingers against the wooden desk, his mind whirling with various plots. His mother had to be stopped. He would be the sole heir to the Trioson and Andarion empires.

  By God, he would tolerate no encroacher!

  But what could he do?

  His knees shook with nervous energy as he planned action against Nykyrian. He would secure his position as sole heir no matter the cost.

  Kiara adjusted the black lace of her robe, then fluffed a few wisps of her hair around her face.

  Nykyrian was in his office, working at his computer. They still had four hours before they were to meet his mother for dinner, and she'd decided she wasn't going to give him a reprieve.

  Any day, Nykyrian might have Aksel, and send her away. But she wasn't going to be expelled without a fight.

  An image of Syn's flat went through her mind, followed by the afternoon she and her mother had been kidnaped.

  I will not be intimidated.

  She replaced those images with the ones she wanted to have as memories. Nykyrian holding their baby.

  That was what she was fighting for. Since he knew about the child, she was going to make him part of their lives.

  With her resolve set, she opened the door and headed for him.

  Nykyrian's neck tingled like someone was watching him. He looked up from his screen to see Kiara standing in the doorway, her long hair swirling about her lithe body that was covered by a robe so thin he could see her nipples standing firm underneath the silk.

  His breath caught in his throat.

  No! I won't touch her. I know better.

  She stared at him with those amber eyes as she closed the distance between them. As soon as she reached his side, she slowly undid her belt and shrugged the robe from her body. It pooled at her feet, leaving her completely naked before him.

  Oh, she was fighting dirty.

  Before he could move, she took his hand and led it to her stomach, which was just starting to show her pregnancy. He stared at his gloved hand, aching with the memory of how soft her skin was.

  He knew what he did was wrong, but he couldn't stop himself. He was drawn to her against all his reasons that told him this was suicide.

  Kiara sensed his defenses, but she'd breached them enough times to know what she had to do to keep him from pulling away. She ran one hand over the stubble of his cheek and buried it in the silken, white hair while she removed his shades with the other and placed them on his desk.

  He closed his eyes and kissed the inside of her elbow. Giddiness welled up inside her. With him here with her now, his leaving her alone these past weeks didn't seem to matter. Even the pain over him not coming for her was gone.

  She doubted if he could ever do anything she wouldn't forgive. She loved him too much to hold a grudge.

  At least for too long.

  Nykyrian watched her in awe as she sank to the ground in front of his chair. He didn't know what she intended until she moved her hands to his fly. His breath catching, he watched as she undid his pants and freed his erection. She ran her fingers down the underside of his cock, making his body jerk in response.

  Locking gazes with him, she slowly lowered her mouth to take him in.

  Holy sain

ts . . .

  His eyes rolled back in his head as her lips and tongue caressed him. Never had anything felt more incredible. Snatching his gloves off, he buried his hand in her hair as he spread her hair out over his lap.

  The sight of her on him . . .

  His resistence to her shattered. How could he have ever thought to live without her?

  "Kiara, please . . ."

  She gave one luscious lick to him before she pulled back. "Please what?"

  Don't leave me. But he couldn't say those words. They hung heavy in his throat and heart.

  Unable to stand the pain of the reality that couldn't allow him to keep her and the need to hold on to her forever, he pulled her to his lips so that he could kiss her. His head swam as he lifted her up and set her down in his lap.

  Kiara gasped as he filled her completely. She opened his shirt as she rode him slowly and ran her hands over his flesh.

  Nykyrian allowed her to pull his shirt off and drop it to the floor.

  "I love you, Nykyrian," she whispered before she brushed her tongue over his fangs.

  How could she do this? How could she love him after he'd abandoned her?

  "I love you, too, Kiara."

  Kiara froze at the words she'd never expected him to say. "What?"

  Instead of answering her, he kissed her deeply, with more passion than she'd ever experienced.

  He slung his hand out over his desk, sending everything on it straight to the floor--including his computer. Without leaving her body, he stood up and laid her back against it.

  His thrusts were furious now, pounding through her as he braced one hand on the desk and cupped her breast with the other. Arching her back, she tightened her legs around him, drawing him in ever deeper.

  Nykyrian stared down at her, savoring the feel of her body. He pulled back enough so that he could see where they were joined and watched as he slammed into her.

  Kiara didn't know why, but she felt so exposed to him like this. As if he were seeing her completely naked--something that made no sense since he'd seen her naked many times before.

  And yet . . .

  She ran her thumb over his lips, letting his fangs graze her knuckle before she trailed her hand down his chest over his stomach and then lower until she could feel him sliding between her fingers, into her body.

  Her covered her hand with his and the look of complete pleasure and possession on his face sent her over the edge. Crying out, she came with the fiercest orgasm she'd ever had.

  Nykyrian let go of her hand to cup her head in his hands as he quickened his thrusts, intensifying her pleasure. Her warm body enveloped his, sending him over the edge until he joined her release.

  Entwined, they stayed there while he felt her heartbeat thumping furiously against his chest.

  She touched his face. "Are you still wearing your pants?"

  He laughed as he realized that he was also wearing his boots. "Yeah."

  She tsked at him. "I think I should be insulted by that."

  "Trust me, baby, it's not an insult. It's a tribute to how bad I wanted you." He started to pull away, but she tightened her legs around him.

  He stared down at her naked body as he ran his hand over her breast.

  "I love the way you feel inside me."

  "Kiara--"

  She put her fingers over his lips, silencing him. "I will always be yours, Nykyrian. Always."

  His link's whistle rent the air. "Nykyrian!"

  He cursed as she opened her legs and released him. Kneeling down, he scooped up his link from the floor where it'd landed. Then he made the mistake of looking up for the best view of his life.

  "Nykyrian? Are you there?"

  Kiara . . . emergency . . . Kiara . . . emergency . . .

  The emergency won out, but only barely and only because he was afraid it might impact her safety.

  "What the hell do you want, Caillen? And this better be worth your life."

  "Fuck you. We have a major problem here. I'm pretty sure this is Syn's link that I found at my sister's place, along with a contract signed by her for his life . . . and yours. I haven't seen her, Syn, Tessa, or Kasen for weeks. I came over here to find Shahara, and instead I find what looks like a war zone . . . Just what the hell's going on?"

  Nykyrian went numb as Kiara sat up to stare at him with wide, concerned eyes. "Where are you now?"

  "Shahara's condo."

  "Is there anything else of Syn's there?"

  The pause stretched out. Nykyrian's fear increased every second that went by without a response. What the hell had happened?

  Where was Syn?

  "Yeah. I've got his flight jacket--you know, the one he loves to wear."

  Nykyrian bit back a curse. Syn wouldn't have left that behind if he'd had a choice.

  When Caillen spoke, there was a hesitancy to his voice. "You don't think Shahara's hurt him, do you?"

  Nykyrian clenched his teeth and looked at Kiara. "How should I know? She's your sister."

  "If she'd killed him, she wouldn't have taken trophies. That's not her way. They have to be together somewhere."

  Yeah, but the question was where, and more importantly, why?

  Nykyrian ground his teeth as he tried to sort this out. "Can you tell when they were last there?"

  "Judging by the condition of the milk left out, I'd say a few days at least."

  He looked at Kiara and debated what to do. He wanted to take off right now to find Syn, but he didn't dare leave her here alone, unprotected.

  The safest place would be to take her to his mother. Aksel would never look for her there. No one knew anything about his mother, and as a royal heiress, she had the best guards in the business. Surely his mother would do this one favor for him . . .

  "Look, I have something I have to take care of first. Why don't you meet me at Jayne's around ten and we can try to figure out this mess?"

  "All right. I'll keep trying to contact my sisters until then."

  Nykyrian tossed the link aside and rubbed his hands across his face. "And the hits just keep on coming . . ."

  Kiara brushed her hand through his hair, trying to soothe the pain she saw in his eyes. "Isn't this good news? Doesn't it mean Syn's alive?"

  He kissed the palm of her hand. "I don't know what it means."

  She reached down and tickled him until he laughed. "Stop being so dour. Lighten up a bit. Syn didn't die in his flat. He might be all right."

  "How can you believe that?"

  "I have faith that things will work out."

  He shook his head, amazed by her optimism. "I don't know how I'm going to let you go," he whispered in a ragged voice.

  "Then don't."

  His eyes went dead. "We both know that's impossible."

  Kiara traced the line of his lips. "I bet if someone had told you six months ago that you would smile for me, you'd have said the same thing."

  Nykyrian moved to pull away, but Kiara wrapped her arms and legs around him, holding him close to her. "I'm not giving up on you, Nykyrian. People have done that to you your entire life. And I intend to fight for you--no matter what. I'll die for you if I have to."

  "And that's exactly what I'm afraid of, Kiara." He slipped out of her hold.

  Kiara laid there as the significance of those words hit her. The man who feared nothing, not even death, had finally admitted to fearing something.

  Losing her.

  She listened to him entering the bathroom across the hall. Her heart beat a painful rhythm in her breast as she pulled her robe up from the floor and put it on.

  She'd always thought love was supposed to be easy. When you found that special someone, the two of you lived out your lives together, forever happy . . .

  Why hadn't someone warned her that love didn't answer all of life's problems, it just created more?

  Stop it! She wouldn't let her doubts and fears ruin this. So long as they were alive, there was hope, and so long as she had hope, she wasn't going to give up on this.