Dark Prince - Feehan Christine - Страница 49
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Mikhail rose out of the pool, water streaming off his body. Raven’s breath caught in her throat. He looked magnificent, so masculine and powerful. In one fluid leap, he launched himself into the air, jackknifed, and cut cleanly into the deep pool. She found her heart beating frantically, her blood singing for him. He came up behind her, his hands spanning her waist, dragging her close, his powerful legs keeping them afloat.
“You would still be human,” he agreed, his voice a black magic spell that could send heat coiling through her despite the cold water.
“If I had stayed human, how could you have remained with me as a lifemate?” She pushed her rounded bottom against the cradle of his hips, enjoying the sudden excitement as his body swelled and hardened in response to the pressure. She laid her head back on his shoulder.
“I would have chosen to grow old with you and die when you died.” His reply was husky, and one hand cupped the softness of her breast. Her hair was brushing his body like so much silk, sending darts of pleasure through him.
Raven lifted her head abruptly, swung around to face him, her blue eyes searching the mysterious depths of his eyes. “Do you mean that, Mikhail? You would have stayed with me as I grew older?”
He nodded, trailed his fingers down her cheek in a gentle caress. “I would have aged right along with you. When your breath ceased, so would mine.”
She shook her head. “How can I resist you, Mikhail, when you steal my heart?”
His grin turned her heart over, somersaulted her stomach. “You are not supposed to resist me, little one. I am your other half.” His hands settled around her neck, urged her close to him until his mouth found hers and they melted together, sinking beneath the cool waters of the natural pool.
Half the night was gone when Mikhail carried her back to their home. Raven hastily wrapped herself in one of his shirts. “Do you realize I don’t have any clothes here?” She couldn’t quite meet his eyes, blushing every time his dark gaze brushed her body. She could still feel the imprint of his body on hers, the strength of his possession. “I need to get back to the inn. All of my things are there.”
His eyebrow shot up. Now was not the time to tell her she really wouldn’t need clothes. Her personal things would help ease the transition. He reached a lazy arm for his own clothes. “I’m sure Mrs. Galvenstein will deliver your things for us. I will call and make sure it is done immediately. I will be going out for a short time, Raven. There are a few loose ends that need to be taken care of. You will be safe here.”
Her chin lifted in challenge. “I’ll throw something together and come with you. I never want to go through another day like the one I had when I couldn’t reach you. It was hell. It really was, Mikhail.”
At once his dark eyes touched her face with gentleness. “I never wanted that for you. Gregori placed me in a healing sleep, little one, and I could not answer your call. That was not supposed to happen. I sent Father Hummer to you, thinking I would be asleep, but if there was great need, I would surface enough to reassure you.”
“But it didn’t happen like that.”
He shook his head. “No, Raven. Gregori sent me into a healing sleep. One does not surface when Gregori has elected otherwise. He did not know about you, about your need for my touch. It was my failing, not his, and I am sorry.”
“I know,” she acknowledged. “You can see why I can’t be without you now. I’m afraid, Mikhail, afraid of everything, myself, you, what I’ve done here.”
“Not this time, little one,” he said very gently, wishing it could be otherwise. “It is essential to find the other assassins. I cannot let any danger come near you. You will be safe here. I am not asleep; I can touch your mind with mine and you can just as easily reach for me if necessary. There is no need for fear.”
“I’m not the stay-at-home-and-be-safe type,” she objected.
He turned, large, powerful, his face an implacable mask. Mikhail looked menacing, invincible. Raven stepped backwards involuntarily, her blue eyes darkening to a deep sapphire. Instantly Mikhail took her hand and brought it to the warmth of his mouth. “Do not look at me like that. Your life was nearly taken from me. Do you have any idea what it was like for me to awaken to your cry? To feel your fear, know that disgusting excuse for a man hit you? To feel the blade slice into your body again and again? You nearly died in my arms. I breathed for you, kept your heart beating. I made a decision I knew you might never forgive me for making. I am not ready to take a chance with your life. Can you possibly understand that?”
She could feel his body trembling with his intense emotion. His arms wrapped around her, dragged her to him. “Please, Raven, let me just keep you in a cocoon, at least until I get that sight out of my mind.” His fingers tunneled into the thick mass of blue-black hair. Mikhail molded her slender form to his larger frame, held her close as if he could shelter her from any further harm.
Raven wound her arms around his neck. “It’s all right, Mikhail. Nothing is going to happen to me.” She nuzzled his neck, seeking to reassure him, to push his fear away, as well as her own. “I guess both of us are going to have to make some adjustments.”
His kiss was tender and very gentle. “You need to take it easy. Six days of sleep and healing were not enough.”
“Six days? That’s incredible. Has anyone ever analyzed your blood?”
Mikhail released her reluctantly. “None of us can go near a human medical facility. We take care of our own.”
Raven picked up a brush, idly began to use long strokes to smooth the tangles from her damp mane of hair. “Who was the woman trapped in the ground?”
His face closed down, all traces of gentleness gone as if they had never been. “Her name is Eleanor. She gave birth to a male.” His tone was devoid of emotion.
She sat cross-legged on the bed, tilting her head sideways as she brushed her long hair. “You don’t like her?”
“She betrayed you. She allowed that devil woman to overhear her and I nearly lost you.” He was buttoning his shirt, and the sight of his long, lean fingers performing the simple task fascinated her. “You were under my protection. What that means, Raven, is that all Carpathians must put your safety above their own.”
Her small teeth tugged at her lower lip. She sensed, beneath his emotionless mask, a relentless, merciless fury directed toward that unknown woman. Mikhail’s feelings for her were ferociously intense and unfamiliar to him. Just as Raven was having difficulty adjusting, so was he.
She chose her words carefully. “Have you ever seen a woman give birth, Mikhail? It is painful and frightening. For the woman to be in control, she needs a safe environment. She feared for the life of her unborn child. Please don’t judge her so harshly. In her circumstances I would have been hysterical.”
He cupped her face in his large palm, his thumb caressing her soft, satin skin. “You have such compassion in you. Eleanor nearly cost you your life.”
“No, Mikhail. Jacob nearly cost me my life. Eleanor tried as hard as she could. There is no blame, or all of us must share in it.”
He turned away from her. “I know I should have kept you by my side. I should never have sought the refuge of the earth’s healing powers. It took me too far from you. Gregori thinks only of my protection.”
In the mirror, Raven could see pain etched clearly on his face. “There was a moment, little one, when I awoke to your cry, and I was encased in the soil and powerless to help you. Only my fury fed the storm. As I clawed my way to the surface, I felt every slice of the blade, and I knew I had failed you. In that moment, Raven, I faced something so terrible, so savage and monstrous in me, I still cannot examine it too closely. If he had slain you, no one would have been safe. No one.” He made the admission in a tight, controlled voice, his back rigid. “Not Carpathian, not human. I can only pray that if such a thing should ever happen again, Gregori will slay me immediately.”
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