Nikolai turned toward the voice slowly so as not to appear aggressive. The Time Folders were a strange lot—almost pacifist in behavior unless you angered them; then they shocked the shit out of you. Literally. And at this point, Nikolai was not up to a jolt.
“Ah, and you brought a naked human. How…appropriate?”
Nikolai snatched Elena’s towel from the floor and wrapped it back around her body, tucking it in under her arm. “I seek your help.”
Darvaak leaned casually against the doorframe through which he’d appeared. “I’ve never heard that from a Slayer before. Not since yesterday, anyway.” He walked to the wet bar and pulled the stopper from a crystal decanter of what appeared to be Scotch and poured two glasses. “I said no then, too.” He handed Nikolai one of the glasses.
The Time Folder looked Elena up and down.
“Pretty.” He took a sip of Scotch. “Not of the Underveil.” He cocked his head to one side, gaze still locked on her. “Not human entirely. She’s in the middle of a conversion, yes?”
“I believe so.”
“Why are you dirtying up my living room, smelling of sweat and vampire blood with a naked woman, Nikolai Itzov?”
He held out his wrist. “I need this restraint removed.”
Darvaak shook his head. “You need a lot of things worse than you need that. First, you need a shower. But more importantly, that woman needs food. Protein especially. She smells diabetic.”
He was relieved the Time Folder hadn’t kicked him out yet, but his superior attitude begged an ass kicking. And the heightened sense of smell had always bugged the crap out of him.
“I’m not sure I can get her to eat. She’s pretty out of it.”
“So I see. Though, I can’t say that I blame her, considering the company she’s keeping.” He took another sip of his drink. “I’ll wager I can get her to eat.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. You can get women to do anything. Even eat out of your hand. I remember.” Losing that bet still rankled.
He laughed. “It was a long time ago that I made that claim, Itzov.”
“Only a century.”
“Let’s hope this woman will eat out of my hand. She might be dying, which by the looks of that cord and your own soul’s presence in it, would be terrible news for you. Congratulations are in order, I suppose.” He shook his head. “Poor woman. Does she know?”
Nikolai consciously uncurled his fists. Fighting with the arrogant prick wouldn’t serve his purpose, no matter how good thrashing him would feel. “No. She doesn’t know, and I’d like to keep it that way.”
The Time Folder placed his half-empty glass on the bar. “Wise. If she knew, chances are she’d never come back to reality. I mean, centuries with…” He flippantly gestured to Nikolai and then leaned casually against the bar. “Fortunately, Slayers can survive if their mate does not, and humans potentially have multiple mates. Depending on what she converts into, she could escape this fate yet, yes? Well, as long as you free yourself of the soul-bonding cord.”
They could escape it, but they had to stay alive first. “Yes.”
Darvaak gestured to a leather chair to his right. “Please sit and put her in your lap if you don’t mind.”
Nikolai did as he asked. Then, he downed the Scotch in one gulp and set the empty glass on the table next to him.
“Wrap your arms around her to keep her from hurting herself.”
Hurting herself? “What are you going to do?”
He crouched in front of them. “A simple transference of energy. Similar to electroshock therapy, only my way is safe and effective.”
Nikolai tensed at his words. He was going to shock her.
“Be calm, Slayer. I won’t hurt her. She appears to be in a trance state of some kind, retreating into her mind like someone who has been through severe trauma.” His gaze traveled up and down Nikolai. “From the look and smell of you, I would venture to guess she saw you butcher someone or several someones?”
Nikolai said nothing. Time Folders not only had superior senses, they had fantastic analytical capacity as well. The guy didn’t expect a response. He already knew the answer.
Darvaak put his hands on either side of Elena’s head. “Sweet girl. You need to come back to us now. We want to help you.”
He closed his eyes and bowed his head as if praying, but Nikolai knew he was acting like a conductor and summoning a charge to send through her. Nikolai gritted his teeth and prayed it didn’t hurt her too much. He’d been shocked by one of these creatures, and he hoped to never experience it again.
Darvaak exhaled slowly, and Elena’s body jerked. Then she gasped, and her eyes flew open.
“There you are, I’m so glad you decided to join us,” the Time Folder said with a smile.
Elena had never seen a man this beautiful—well, except Nikolai, but they were different. This man was the exact opposite of her death angel. He was gentle with a soft voice. His blonde hair framed a fine-boned, angular face that featured crystal clear blue eyes—eyes that were eerily pale and intensely focused on her face. He was speaking to her, but it was difficult to isolate words. He was talking about food.
Food. She was hungry. She tried to stand, but something constricted her. Turning, she bumped noses with Nikolai. His gold eyes locked on to hers as if he were trying to see straight inside her. “Steady,” he whispered. “You’re safe.”
Safe. Nothing in her felt safe. The tangy smell of blood was all over his skin. Images of the evil creatures that invaded the hotel room flooded her head. She was one of them. “No!”
Nikolai’s arms banded around her like steel. She needed to get away. Had to get away.
The man with the gold hair put his hands on her shoulders. “Shhh. Be peaceful. You are under no threat.”
Not from outside, but what about the monster inside her? The one with red eyes she saw in the hotel mirror. She struggled to free herself. She had to get away from the smell of blood. “Let me go!” Her voice sounded faint and distant.
Nikolai released her, and she leapt off of his lap and skittered as far away as the blasted cord would allow. “You have to let me go.” She covered her nose and mouth. “The smell.”
The blond man stood. “See? You didn’t take my word for it. You stink, Itzov.”
“Shut up and help her,” Nikolai shouted.
The guy walked to a marble-topped bar and picked up a drink. “Why, Nikolai Itzov, if I didn’t know better, I would think the great Slayer had a weakness after all.”
“My only weakness was in my judgment—to think that coming here was a good idea. Thinking that you could help us.”
The blond man drank the contents of the glass in one shot. “I can.”
“Then do it, dammit.”
He set the glass down gently. “There’s a price.”
“There always is.”
The two men stared at each other. Nikolai with a heated glare. The blond man with amusement. Both were equally beautiful and terrifyingly powerful. Elena held her breath.
“One moment, please,” the blond man said, disappearing into another room. He returned quickly with a covered bowl. “Follow me.”
The bathroom was enormous. Big enough for a party. The man set the bowl on a counter and picked up a remote control. After pushing a few buttons, the lights dimmed and water gushed from a wide spout into a huge, sunken tub in the center of the room.
“I hate to see you roughing it like this, Darvaak. Compensating, perhaps?”
The blond man simply smiled. “Life is good.”
“Where is your mate?”
He picked up the bowl and uncovered it. “I said life it good, not great.”
“Did she ditch you already?”
Elena held her breath as the man Nikolai had called Darvaak approached. He exuded confidence and power but didn’t seem to take offense at Nikolai’s obvious taunt. He reached into the bowl and pulled out a strawberry. “My life-mate hasn’t met me yet.” He held the strawberry in front o
f Elena’s lips and smiled. She couldn’t help but smile back. “Open please,” he whispered.
She did. It tasted delicious. God, she was hungry. It was all she could do to not grab the bowl from the guy and shove her head in it like an animal at a feed trough. The image made her giggle.
The man’s smile broadened. He selected another strawberry. “Again, please,” he said.
Nikolai’s voice sounded unnecessarily harsh. “How is that possible? I thought your species wilted and died like delicate flowers if separated.”
“Please sit here.” The man gestured to the side of the tub.
Elena, still holding the towel in place by clamping her arms tight to her side, lowered herself to the marble ledge.
He smiled as encouragement. “You appear sufficiently recovered to manage this yourself, now.” He placed the bowl of strawberries in her lap.
She took a bite of another berry as he turned his pale eyes to Nikolai and his smile faded. “Being apart from my life-mate is painful. It would not be my first choice of strategies, but it’s my only option at this time. Revealing myself to her would put her in danger.” He stuck his hand under the running water, testing its temperature. “I’m nothing if not patient.”
Elena looked down to discover she had almost emptied the bowl. Still, she was famished. She took a deep breath, feeling much closer to normal. She needed to relax and let her body process the sugar and stabilize her insulin.
The blond man picked up a bottle of blue liquid and poured some of the contents into the running water. Bubbles frothed over the surface, emitting an intoxicating smell that covered up the lure of the blood coming off Nikolai’s skin.
“You don’t expect me to bathe in that, do you?” he asked.
The blond man smiled. “Will you wilt like a delicate flower?”
Nikolai growled.
The guy shook his head. “It’s for her, Slayer. It’s to cover your stench and…” He looked directly at Nikolai’s crotch. “And spare her from the sight of other undesirable aspects of you.”
Nikolai growled again.
The tub was almost full and covered with iridescent bubbles. Darvaak punched a button on the remote, and the water stopped. “In you go, Itzov,” he said, and then turned to Elena. “You, my dear, might want to look the other way until your stomach is more settled.”
Feeling much better now, she smiled. The man’s teasing was entertaining. Nikolai didn’t seem to think so, based on the dark look he shot the guy.
“I’ll be back with more food in a moment. And I’m going to call my tailor. Your situation calls for some creativity. You can’t run around half-dressed until you’re free of that cord.”
And with that, they were alone.
Nikolai sat on the marble ledge next to her and pulled off a boot. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but clamped his lips shut and pulled off his other boot. He sat for a moment, looking defeated, and her heart pinched.
“I’m…” He took a deep breath and lifted his wrist bound by the cord. “We’ll find a way out of this. I promise.”
Obviously, getting away from her was a high priority, not that she could blame him, but the cord was the least of her worries. Not becoming a monster was foremost in her mind.
“You should have killed me back in the store,” she said.
He stood and slipped off his pants. She didn’t even pretend to look away. At this point, what did it matter? Her fate was sealed. There was no way she could allow herself to become one of the red-eyed demons. She might as well take in the sights while she still could. And the sights were mighty fine.
“You were already dead when I found you.” He stepped out of his pants and froze…well, except for the part of him that obviously approved of her stare. It practically waved and shouted “Howdy!”
“For God’s sake, get in the water, Itzov, before you make the girl throw up. We’re supposed to keep food down her, remember?” The blond guy stood in the doorway with a tray in his hands. “Here you are, Elena.” He set the tray next to her while Nikolai stepped into the tub. “Shall I feed you?”
“No!” Nikolai said.
The blond man ignored him totally. “Now that you are feeling better, let me introduce myself.” He held out his hand. “I am Stefan Darvaak. Welcome to my home.”
She took his hand, and a slight electric current jumped through her, causing her to jerk her hand back quickly.
“Only those under the Veil can feel my energy. What are you?” He sat next to her, both of them with their backs to Nikolai, who was submerged in the bubbles up to his neck. “Or rather, what are you becoming?”
Tears filled her eyes. She wiped them away with her fingers.
“I’m sorry,” Stefan said. “I don’t fully understand your situation.” He stood. “Just call if you need anything.” He put the remote next to her. “The red button will alert me.” He paused before exiting. “Be nice, Itzov.” He held up his hand and wiggled his fingers. “Electricity and water don’t mix.”
Nikolai slid completely underwater, disappearing beneath the blanket of bubbles, leaving Elena alone with the tray of food that looked like a dream. Nuts, cheese, more fruit, and what appeared to be sliced turkey. Yep. Turkey. Her stomach growled as she chewed. Then it dawned on her that Nikolai hadn’t eaten either. In fact, he hadn’t even had any of the juice. He had to be starving.
He broke the surface with a splash and wiped his face with a washcloth.
She gestured to the tray. “Want some?”
He nodded and opened his mouth. She turned to give him access to the tray.
Bubble-covered hands emerged from the water. “Help me out here.”
She selected a slice of turkey and rolled it up. Like a baby bird, he opened his mouth and bit off a piece. That mouth. Her face got hot, and she turned away. After a moment, he cleared his throat, and she turned to find him eyeing the other half of rolled turkey slice in her hand. She raised it to his open mouth, and he grabbed her wrist, taking the bit of turkey and her fingers into his mouth, too. His lips and tongue were so warm. She squirmed as pulses of excitement bolted through her as he sucked on her fingers. This should not have been so stimulating. He was her captor. A man sent to kill her. A man who should kill her, seeing how she was about to turn into a monster. How long would it take before her eyes turned red and her soul black? Not long enough, she realized, looking at the gorgeous man with his lips wrapped around her fingers. Not nearly long enough.
Nikolai saw it in Elena’s eyes: lust, pure and simple, just like that coursing through him. She wanted him. There was no doubt about it. And he needed her. Like he needed to breathe, he needed this woman.
“Join me.” His voice was barely a whisper—more of a prayer, actually.
Her pupils dilated slightly, but her knees clamped together and she stiffened and then turned away. Her mind was battling with her body.
He relaxed back against the marble, willing her body to win the war. “I won’t touch you. I promise. The water is perfect.”
She looked at him over her shoulder, and he almost shouted “Hallelujah.” She was close. He knew it.
“I didn’t violate you last night at the hotel. I promise not to touch you now…”
She jerked around, leaving her back to him again. Her shoulders rose and fell with rapid breaths. So close.
“Unless you want me to.”
Her breathing stopped. He had no doubt she craved his touch, but he also knew she was stubborn and scared. Her world had changed completely in the last two days. He wished they could have met under different circumstances—just a man and a woman with no barriers between them.
“And if I don’t want you to touch me?” she whispered, still facing away.
“Then I won’t.”
She swiveled to face him. “I don’t.”
Liar. “Very well.”
She set the tray down and stood, clutching the top of the towel wrapped around her. “Please turn around.”
“Yo
u didn’t.”
Her face flushed red.
God, she was beautiful. He almost couldn’t stand it. He had to find a way to help her—to save her from her fate. Hell, to save him from her fate. There had to be a way to trick biology. He turned away to give her privacy. When he heard the gentle splashing as she entered the water, he almost groaned. When he met her eyes, he did.
A startled look crossed her face, and she slumped lower in the water until the bubbles were up to her neck. “You promised.”
Unsure of how his voice would come out at that moment, he simply nodded.
“This tub is like a swimming pool,” she said after a few moments. “Huge.” She ducked under, and he offered her a washcloth when she surfaced. She wiped her face. “Exactly what is…um…?” She pointed with her thumb to the door.
“Stefan Darvaak?”
“Yeah, Stefan. What is he?”
“A pompous asshole.”
She wiped her hands on the cloth and grabbed a piece of cheese, exposing the side of her breast as she did. Nikolai let his head fall back against the tile with a thud.
She settled into the water. “Seriously. He’s not a Slayer, obviously. And he’s not a vampire. What else is there?”
Nikolai closed his eyes to prevent going crazy at the sight of her. “You name it, it’s out there. Conjurers, sorcerers, channelers, vampires, shifters, Banshees, Skin Jumpers, demons of all kinds, and even Time Folders like Stefan Darvaak.”
“Time Folder,” she repeated.
Something brushed his lip, and he sat up and opened his eyes with a start. She smiled and waved the piece of cheese. He opened his mouth, and she dropped it in, pulling her fingers away before he could suck on them again.
“So what does he do?”
He shrugged. “Besides piss me off? He makes an obscene amount of money.”
She rolled her eyes. “Why is he called a Time Folder?”
“Because he folds time…if you pay him enough.”
She sat forward, and for a moment, he thought her breasts would rise above the bubbles. Correct that. He hoped they would, but they didn’t. God, he wanted to touch her. She was only a foot or so away from his hands—and other parts of him for that matter.
Love Me to Death (Underveil) Page 6
