Dark Challenge (Dark Series - book 5)

by Christine Feehan

  His smile was pure masculine arrogance. “You are madly in love with me. Face it,

  cara mia,

  you know you cannot resist me.”

  Her small fist thumped him in the middle of his chest. “When you talk like that I can. Occasionally I think I must be insane to put up with you. ‘Madly in love’ is not a way I would put things.”

  His arm swept around her waist. “Sure you would,

  piccola,

  if you were not so stubborn.” Julian bent his head to bury his face against the slender column of her neck. He loved her scent. She smelled so clean, so tempting. Beneath his wandering mouth, his stroking tongue, he felt the rush of life in her veins beckoning to him. Deliberately he nuzzled her neck, his teeth scraping back and forth over her delicate skin, an enticement that sent shivers down her spine and caused a trembling to start deep within her.

  Desari moved even closer to him, her soft body pressing invitingly into his. “We might actually be alone if we move fast enough.” Her smile was frankly sexy, her long lashes sweeping down in invitation.

  Julian’s arm tightened almost to the point of crushing her, yet he held her carefully, so that she could feel the power in his arm but know he was protecting her from bruises. She loved how he made her feel feminine, treasured and cherished, while taking nothing away from her. “Why is it that I want you so much?” she whispered against his ear. “Why do I feel such a burning need that is so much more than mere want?”

  His low laughter was all satisfied male. “Because I am so incredibly sexy.” He was rising from the earth with her while all around them the night enfolded them in loving arms. The wind rushed past Desari’s face, so she kept it buried against his chest, her arms winding around his neck.

  “That may be true, arrogant one,” she conceded with that soft rasp of velvet that turned his insides to molten lava, “but it is more than that. My skin cannot bear to be apart from yours. My mind tunes itself to yours. My heart and lungs do, too. Inside I burn for our joining. It grows stronger with every passing moment. Why is this?”

  “We are lifemates,” he answered seriously, his hands beginning a slow exploration of her back even as they flew through the air. “You know this area much better than myself; show me an image to guide me where we can be undisturbed.” There was a gravelly edge to his voice that sent her heart somersaulting, as if he, too, was so impatient for their joining that he could not wait much longer.

  Automatically she brought up her memories of the area and her private resting place deep within the bowels of the mountain. Her skin was so sensitive she could barely restrain herself from ridding herself of the clothes rubbing uncomfortably against her, keeping her from feeling his skin pressed tightly to hers.

  “Lifemates have so close a bond,

  cara,

  that they must share one another’s bodies and minds often. It is a need when our souls and hearts are so connected. Two halves of the same whole must be brought together very frequently or the demands become so great that control is no longer a possibility.” He had picked the information he needed out of her mind and was descending into the very top of the mountain through a narrow crevice barely discernible to the eye even from above.

  The relief in both of them was tremendous. Living with her family was as much a part of Desari as breathing, but the strain of not being alone with Julian was overwhelming. She raised her head even before they began the descent through the passageway that wound deep into the inner regions of the slumbering volcano. Their world. Their home.

  Her mouth found his blindly. Clothes were simply wished away, tumbling off unchecked as their bodies continued to wind downward through the channel. At once Julian’s hand moved to cup her bottom in his palms, urging her body to his.

  Desari laughed softly, breathlessly, the heat of the mountain interior itself mixing with the fire burning in her body. She wanted him right at that moment, moving through the air with a languid pace. “We cannot do this, can we?” she asked him, her tongue stroking caresses over the pounding pulse in his neck. His entire body clenched in reaction so that she couldn’t help but do it again, the erotic scrape of her teeth adding to the temptation of her bare skin against his. Her full breasts, aching with need, thrust temptingly against his chest, and she pressed the invitation of her hot, creamy entrance against his abdomen.

  Julian groaned aloud, his hands lifting her over the thick evidence of his desire. “Do it, Desari, right now,” he whispered hoarsely as he began to lower her over him, fitting them together like a velvet glove. “Do not tease me,

  cara mia.

  Let me feel my blood flowing into you as I take what I so desperately need.”

  Her power over him was all-consuming. To have this Carpathian male with his enormous strength, with all his skills and abilities, so completely enamored, so in need of her, was exhilarating. She lapped gently at his shoulder, tracing a trail of fire over corded muscle to his neck to find his strong, steady pulse. He groaned softly deep in his throat as she allowed her teeth to tease his skin.

  Desari!

  Her name was a plea for mercy.

  They were moving so leisurely now, Desari was barely aware they were still floating through the passageway. She could feel his body invading hers with exquisite slowness. Julian felt her tight, fiery sheath surrounding him, adjusting to his thickness, squeezing him with strong muscles so that he clenched his teeth to hang on to a vestige of control. Then her teeth sank into his neck, sending a bolt of blue lightning streaking through his body, slamming into him with such sexual ecstasy he had no other recourse but to surge into her with hard, sure strokes, to thrust decisively into her mind to share his erotic thoughts, the emotions and the sheer, passionate pleasure her body was giving his. He felt her pure, uncensored joy in the sharing of their minds and hearts, their bodies and souls, in the spice of his blood flowing like the finest wine into her. Desari’s hair fell around them in a cascade of ebony silk, brushing their sensitive skin like millions of fingers caressing them. He tasted wild and untamed, an erotic blend of animal and man. Julian could taste the very essence of his life through her, and it was erotic beyond anything he had ever known. They hovered in the air, mating wildly, Julian plunging into her again and again, holding her body exactly where he wanted it, exactly where he needed it to be so that the friction building and building was fiery hot and gripping him almost to the point of pain.

  Desari closed the tiny pinpricks in his chest with a slow, leisurely lap of her tongue clearly designed to drive him to madness. She threw her head back, exposing her throat in a clear invitation to him. Her arms circled his neck, and she began to move her hips, riding him almost helplessly with the same fast pace he had set. She looked beautiful, her dark eyes glazed with passion and her mouth a lush enticement impossible to ignore.

  Julian’s mouth wandered down her satin skin, between the soft swell of her breasts, his breath catching in his throat, in her throat, so that she gasped with pleasure. A small sound escaped, a low cry of need. Desari arced into him even as her hips matched his frantic rhythm. She wanted the whip of lightning flashing through her body, burning her with leaping flames. His tongue stroked her skin, the curve of her breast; his teeth teased her erect nipple gently while his body claimed hers with a fierce possessiveness he had never known he could feel.

  “Julian,” Desari whispered in an agony of anticipation, a siren’s temptation, her melodious voice sending feathers of pleasure down his spine. “I may burn up before we have finished.”

  He answered her as only a lifemate could, sinking his teeth into the pulse beating so frantically over her breast. She cried out and clutched him tighter as white-hot heat pierced her skin. Incredibly his hips thrust harder into her, his hands holding her still while he drank deeply. The sensation of her body spiraling, gripping him tighter and tighter, went on and on until he could no longer think. There was only feeling, only pleasure, only the erotic taste of her. One skin, one heart and soul. They
were soaring together through time and space, and it went on for eternity. How he loved her! How he needed her! She made him alive after centuries of such a bleak emptiness, and he could barely believe his happiness would last. He felt that at any moment it might be wrenched away from him. And he knew he would be far more dangerous than he had ever been in his life.

  Savoring the taste of her, their combined scents, he was drowning in ecstasy.

  He could feel her surrounding him, her velvet muscles rippling with strength, while she cried out to the very top of the mountain. The intensity of their shared climax rocketed them through the passageway, over cliffs and boundaries of time and space. She clung to him while he feasted, while his body remained locked to hers. Desari’s soft little sigh of total acceptance brought him out of his daze, where there was only pleasure, only senses reeling out of control. That sigh brought him back to the here and now. Desari’s head was pillowed on his shoulder, her long lashes fanning her cheeks. She looked pale beyond belief, her skin nearly translucent.

  Julian swore as he impatiently closed the tiny wounds over her breast. His palm swept back the long hair from her face. “Desari. Look at me,

  piccola.

  Open your eyes.” It was a clear order, delivered in a voice filled with compulsion, filled with naked worry.

  She smiled drowsily, leaning into him so that he was bearing her weight. “You must feed,

  cara. I

  have taken far too much blood from you in my insatiable hunger. It is unforgivable that I would not see to your care even in the midst of such passion. I have no excuse, my love, but you must drink.” He pressed her mouth to his bare chest.

  Desari’s head lolled back on her neck. She murmured something unintelligible, a sound of love. Julian took them both safely to earth and gently untwined their bodies. Her protest was more a slight frown passing across her dark winged brows, a faint pout to her lips, than anything verbal. Julian cursed himself and his utter lack of control once again. There was no censure in her mind or heart. She was as accepting of the animal side of his nature as she was of the Carpathian male side. He had taken far more blood than he should have, indulging his passion at the price of her strength.

  Julian cradled her in his strong arms, bending to kiss the corner of her mouth.

  Hear me,

  piccola,

  love of my life. I have taken far too much from you. You must replenish yourself with what I provide.

  This was no soft plea; it was a strong and deliberate command, a compulsion sent mind to mind by a male of their species with tremendous powers. He gave no thought to it, simply issuing the order to ensure her health and safety. Julian slashed a line over the heavy muscles of his chest and pressed her mouth firmly to him.

  He was angry with himself, angry that he had been so selfish in his passion. Had he spent so much time with animals that he had forgotten how to behave as a man? He was more beast than civilized. His newfound emotions were far more difficult to deal with than the most powerful of the undead he had ever vanquished. The lines in battle were always so clear to him, yet now his emotions rendered his unshakable control dust. He found himself tied up in knots, not wanting to hurt her feelings or do the wrong thing, that she might think less of him. He found himself constantly at war with his own instincts. He wanted to carry her off and keep her safe for all time and eternity.

  Julian lay his head over hers. “It seems I need to keep you safe from your own lifemate.”

  Desari stirred in his arms even as she fed under his hypnotic command. Deep within the layers of compulsion she felt his fierce anger at himself for what he considered his abusive nature. She sent him her warmest love. She managed to project the gentle smile forming in her mind to share it with him, the deep feelings she had already developed for him. It was astonishing to Julian that she was already so much a part of him that she could feel the depths of his rage at himself and seek to soothe him.

  And she had somehow managed to do so. He became more calm and accepting of his nature. He was what he was; he could never change that. He wasn’t even certain he would want to if he could. Desari saw his strengths and allowed him to view himself through her eyes. It was another priceless gift she offered him, and he would treasure it always. He was finding out quickly why the male of their race so desperately needed the balance of their lifemates. Their women brought light and compassion to their inner darkness.

  Julian lifted his head and regarded her carefully, searching her face for signs of recovery. Color ran under her skin, a much healthier glow. Breathing a sigh of relief, he allowed her to awaken slowly. His arms cradled her protectively. “I am sorry,

  cara.

  I should have been far more restrained in possessing you.”

  Her hand brushed his throat, sending heat coursing through him, a sense of belonging and acceptance he had never known. Her smile tugged at his heart. “You are my love, Julian. You would never harm me. I know that as surely as I know I would be incapable of harming you. I was quite satisfied, if you must hear me say it, although I suspect you know that you provided me with pleasure such as I could not have imagined before.”

  He stroked her hair, his eyes like molten gold. “It is more than giving you pleasure that I want, it is sharing something beautiful beyond compare, and that I cannot do if I cannot control my desire for you.” His expression held infinite tenderness as he watched her face.

  Desari found she couldn’t breathe for a moment. Julian Savage was a beautiful male of their species, but he always looked so remote and rather harsh. She could not believe she was now seeing such tenderness in the depths of his eyes, in the curve of his mouth, in the touch of his hand. “Do you think that I would trade you for someone gentler?” she asked very softly.

  He closed his eyes for a moment to hide the pain those words caused. “You have no choice who your lifemate is; we both know that, Desari. If you had, perhaps you would have wanted someone far different than me.”

  Her smile robbed him of air. “I believe in God, Julian. I always have. Living through the centuries as we have, I have witnessed many wonderful, miraculous things he has wrought. I believe we were created two halves of the same whole. I had no idea this was so until I met you, but I am now convinced. I would never want another, never fit with another. I can feel that we are right together, and I do not believe God would put together two creatures who did not suit one another.” She rubbed at the frown on his face with the pad of her thumb. “I find your enthusiasm for me very sexy, Julian. You can want me like that anytime.” Her smile was a siren’s teasing enticement.

  Effortlessly he shifted her in his arms so that he could press her against his heart, and he found himself breathing again after holding his breath. “I do not ever want to be without you, Desari,” he admitted softly. The words were torn from his heart; he felt them leave his body, felt the truth in them.

  She wound her arms around his neck, liking the feel of his long hair against her skin. “I do not expect you to ever allow us to be apart. I am counting on that, lifemate. Now stop talking so much and find us a place to rest this night. Tomorrow we will proceed to Konocti in the bus with the others. They will remain at the campsite we have established this night.” A faint grin curved her soft mouth. “That is, if the bus will actually run. It is a disgrace that none of us have mechanical abilities. Even I read the owner’s manual, and found it too boring.”

  “We do not need mechanical abilities,” Julian reminded her as he spun around, taking her with him as if she weighed no more than a feather. “We were meant to travel differently, under our own power.”

  “If we want to blend in with the rest of the world,” she pointed out, “we can do no other than travel in the mortals’ machines.”

  “It is much faster to travel our way through time and space.”

  She laughed softly, the sound a husky blend of velvet and wine pouring over him, into him, so that Julian knew the meaning of joy. It was a woman’s laughter, her smil
e, the glow in her dancing eyes. “It certainly is less frustrating to simply join the wind and go where we wish without following those endless ribbons of highway,” she agreed.

  He took the right-hand tunnel entrance, drawing the directions from her mind. The path opened almost immediately into a wide chamber. At once he waved a hand to open the earth. “It is early dawn,

  cara,

  and I would spend more time enjoying your company, but you have performed in front of so many people, and you are tired.”

  “I do not mind, Julian,” she told him. “I rather like the way you spend your time with me.” She pressed closer to him, her naked breasts against his bare chest. His answering kiss was slow and tender, a gentle exploration. “In this one thing I will have to insist. Your health must come before all things, even our pleasure. On the next rising we will have more time together. This dawn you must rest.”

  She tried to keep the amusement out of her mind. He was so positive he was giving her an order. “Of course, Julian,” she murmured softly, her long lashes feathering down to cover her dark eyes. Her body moved restlessly against his, her full breasts pushing into the heavy muscles of his chest. “If you say we cannot, then I must agree with you, but I am sorry to hear that it is so.” Her hands were moving over his buttocks, her fingers tracing their toned muscles. Her fingers moved to his hips, caressed his thighs, worked their way to cup the weight of his rising desire in her palm. “I will do as you say, lifemate, if that is what truly pleases you.” Her mouth drifted down over his throat and chest, following the pattern of golden hair to the taut muscles of his belly.