around, he hauled a battered Chase to his feet and yanked the gag out of the boy's
mouth. Chase stumbled as he was dragged towards Lucian, but managed to stay on his
feet. From the bruises and swelling on his face, it was obvious that they had beaten the
boy badly, but he still managed to glare at his captor.
"You shouldn't have come." Chase spit the words at Lucian.
Lucian ignored Chase, knowing he feared for his sister's life. Prince smiled cruelly
as he backhanded Chase's already battered face. Chase bit back a cry as he fell
sideways, striking his head on the floor as he landed. He lay there moaning, his eyes
closed and his body still.
"Enough." Lucian's softly spoken command cracked like a whip, causing all of
them to freeze. The time had come to end this. He turned his attention to Prince,
focusing all his energy on him. "Come to me."
Prince looked surprised, then shocked before his face went lax and his gun hand
dropped to his side. As if pulled by some unseen hand, he stumbled towards Lucian.
Lucian could sense Smith's surprise and sent him a mental command to freeze.
Everything was under control until the door to the office slammed open, causing
him to lose concentration for a split second.
"Chase!" Delight cried as she raced across the room.
Lucian took it all in at a glance. Stefan burst through the door behind Delight,
followed by a disheveled Detective Cassidy. Smith broke free of Lucian's thrall, raised
his own weapon and turned it on Delight.
Not wasting any time, Lucian grabbed Prince by the neck and gave it a violent
twist, breaking it in one easy motion. He let the body drop to the floor, even as he was
moving towards Smith. He knew he wouldn't make it.
The gun went off just as Stefan reached Smith, wrapped one heavily muscled arm
around his neck and snapped it like a twig.
Lucian howled in anguish as he caught Delight's falling form in his arms, lowering
her to the carpet. Her lifeblood was spilling through his finger and soaking his clothing.
Stefan was by his side in a flash, shoving him aside and applying pressure to the
wound.
He could hear Cassidy in the background checking the bodies and untying Chase,
but nothing mattered to Lucian but Delight. He could feel her slipping away from him
and knew that his life was over.
Chase scrambled to his side, his battered face white as he stared at Delight's still
form. "Do something. She can't die. She can't." Grabbing the front of Lucian's shirt, he
shook him hard. "Do something."
Stefan continued to lean hard on the wound, but blood was still seeping from under
his fingers. "You only have one choice, Lucian."
Cassidy was on the phone calling for backup and requesting an ambulance, but
they all knew that they'd never make it in time to save Delight.
Lucian stared down at the woman he loved more than life itself and willed her to
open her eyes. They fluttered and then finally opened. Pain and anguish shone from
their pure depths and he could sense that most of her pain came from the thought of
leaving him and her family behind.
"I'm sorry, Lucian..." Her voice trailed off as a wave of pain racked her body.
"Don't talk. Listen to me." He leaned down until his nose was almost touching hers.
"There is one chance. I can try to change you so you become as I am. You would be
vampire, but your life would be linked with mine. If I die, then you too will die. You
would be susceptible to other dangers as well. But I would be by your side for eternity,
and no man living or yet to be born will love you as I will. Your happiness and
protection are my life's work and my life's joy."
Ignoring the startled gasps from behind him, he focused all his concentration on
Delight. "Choose."
Her hand slowly raised and grazed his face before falling limply back to the floor.
"You," she gasped. "Choose you." Lucian was moving as Delight's eyes fluttered shut.
"I'm losing her." Stefan's voice seemed to come from far away, but Lucian heeded
the warning.
Kneeling on the floor amidst her spilled blood, Lucian pulled Delight into his arms.
Bending his head, he sank his fangs into her neck and began to drink from her. She
unconsciously arched her neck towards him.
"What the hell is he doing?" He felt Cassidy's hand on his shoulder, but kept his
concentration on Delight. He had to stay linked with her or he could lose her.
"Leave him alone." Chase ripped Cassidy's hand away from Lucian. "I don't know
what the hell he is, but he's her only chance."
"But he's killing her."
"No." Stefan stepped between Chase and Cassidy, momentarily taking his attention
off his brother. "He is offering her a chance at life."
Lucian felt the last of Delight's life start to slip away. Bringing his wrist to his
mouth, he bit down hard. His fangs ripped through his skin and opened a vein.
Cradling her head against his chest, he held his wrist to her mouth as his own blood
seeped from his body and flowed over her parted lips. "Drink, my love. Stay with me."
She lay totally unresponsive in his arms. Lucian looked up at his brother, anguish in
his eyes. Stefan dropped to his knees, grabbed Delight's lifeless fingers in his own and
began to chafe them. "Come, little sister. You must try."
Lucian could feel his brother's energy combine with his and was shocked at the
extent of Stefan's power. It was enormous and gave him renewed hope. Focusing all his
love on Delight, he begged, pleaded, scolded, and commanded her to live. Rubbing his
wrist over her lips and coating them in his blood, he silently urged her to drink.
"This is sick," Cassidy muttered in the background, but he made no move to stop
them. The scent of blood and power was strong in the air as they all waited and hoped.
"Come on, Delight," Chase encouraged as he reached out and stroked the back of
her head, pushing it closer to Lucian.
She jerked slightly in his arms and her lips moved ever so slightly. "Drink. I'm
ordering you to drink, damn it." Lucian's voice rose with every word he spoke until he
was screaming at her.
Delight stiffened and then her mouth latched onto his wrist and she began to suck.
Lucian could feel the tears welling in his eyes as he closed them and tipped back his
head. "Thank you." His words were like a whispered prayer in the silence of the room.
As Delight drank, her wound began to close and the bleeding slowed until it finally
stopped. Lucian knew that after several days' rest, there wouldn't even be a mark left
on her skin. When he felt she'd had enough, he eased her mouth away from him. She
gazed up at him and smiled before closing her eyes and falling into a deep sleep.
Raising his wrist to his mouth, he traced the open wound with his tongue. The skin
closed over and the bleeding stopped. Bending down he licked the traces of blood that
still clung to her lips.
"How the hell am I gonna explain this?" Cassidy's outburst shattered the silence.
"You're not." Stefan stood and walked towards the detective, pure menace in every
step. "We were never here. No one ever saw us. This is obviously a falling out among
criminals."
Cassidy smirked at Stefan. "That's going to be a little di
fficult to pull off."
Stefan's eyes were blazing as they locked on Cassidy. "No, it isn't. Lucian and I will
take Chase and Delight to our home. By the time I finish with the guards, none of them
will remember seeing us. One of the guards will say he asked you to come up and
investigate when he found the two dead bodies."
"Is that right?" The detective crossed his arms over his chest and glared back at
Stefan. "And how are you going to explain the blood on the carpet?"
"I will take care of that."
"Enough, you two." Lucian stood with Delight cradled in his arms and motioned to
Chase who had passed out and was lying unconscious on the floor. He faced Cassidy,
noting the lack of fear in the man's eyes. This man could be a powerful ally and right
now they needed help. "I will give you all the answers you seek later, but for now you
must believe what Stefan has said will happen."
Cassidy's gaze went to Delight's limp form and his face softened. "I don't know
what the hell I believe anymore." He raised his eyes to meet Lucian's straight on. "But I
do know that she was as good as dead a few minutes ago and now she isn't."
As the sounds of sirens filled the air, Stefan bent down and deftly rolled the thick
blood-stained carpet into a bundle, making sure that not a drop of blood remained
behind on the floor. Tossing it over his shoulder as if it weighed nothing, he scooped up
Chase and strode from the room without a backwards glance. Lucian waited to see
what Cassidy would do. He knew he could alter the other man's memories, but he was
loath to do so. There was something about the man he liked.
"Go on." Cassidy motioned him towards the door. "I'll clean up the mess here."
Lucian was almost out the door when Cassidy's parting words reached his ears.
"But you can bet your ass, I'll be coming to get some answers when this is all over."
Joining Stefan at a back door, they stepped out into the night just as the police were
racing through the club and up the stairs to the office. Lucian knew that his brother had
already taken care of the guards, planting the appropriate memories in their minds.
None of them would remember seeing anyone but the police detective. For now, they
were all safe.
He could hear Cassidy identifying himself as a police detective and taking over the
investigation. Stefan shifted beside him, adjusting the large carpet that was still draped
over his shoulder, while easily retaining his hold on Chase. They would dispose of the
carpet later. Satisfied that everything was under control, they started for home, each of
them carrying a precious burden in their arms.
"Race you." Stefan's words were barely out of his mouth before he disappeared.
Laughing, Lucian tightened his grip around Delight and raced after his brother.
Chapter Seventeen
Delight's head was pounding when she awoke. She'd swear she had a hangover
except she wasn't much of a drinker. The sound of someone moaning made her head
hurt even more and she wished they'd shut up. Ever so carefully, she moved her hands
to her ears to shut out the sound, but she could still hear it. She felt pity for whoever
was in such pain, but she still wished they'd shut up.
"Shh," a voice whispered near her. "I know it hurts, but this will help." Her hands
were pushed away from her face and a cool cloth was placed upon her forehead.
Delight sighed with relief and was surprised to discover that the moaning had stopped.
It took her befuddled mind a few seconds to realize that it had been her who was
making the ungodly noise.
She tried to focus her thoughts. There was something important that she was
supposed to remember, but she just couldn't think what it was. Her brother's face
suddenly popped into her mind and the memories and fear came flooding back.
"Chase?" Even though it hurt, she tried to sit up in bed. A strong hand steadied her
and lowered her back to the pillows.
"Don't try and move, love." The covers were tucked around her shoulders. "Chase
is fine and sleeping comfortably in another room. The doctor has been here and gone."
A large hand cupped the side of her face and Delight snuggled closer to its warmth. "I
won't lie. He was beaten badly, but surprisingly nothing is broken. He's got a few
cracked ribs, a sprained wrist, some minor cuts, and a hell of a lot of bruises. It'll take a
while, but he'll be fine."
She licked her dry lips and tried to speak, but it came out more of a croak. "What
happened?"
"Drink this." A straw was placed near her mouth and she sipped a small amount of
water, easing some of the dryness in her mouth.
"What's wrong with me?"
Delight sensed Lucian's reluctance to talk to her. That surprised her as he hadn't
flinched from the raw truth since their first meeting. A huge knot formed in her
stomach and she could feel her palms get sweaty. His silence was scaring her.
Pushing the damp cloth off her face, she cautiously opened her eyes, sighing in
relief at the darkness of the room. Only a dim lamp was lit in the far corner of the
bedroom. Delight immediately recognized Lucian's room and a soothing comfort
enveloped her.
Blinking several times to steady her vision, she turned her head towards Lucian,
but most of him was lost in the shadows. "Lucian?" Her voice shook and her hand
trembled as she reached out to him. He seemed further away from her than he'd ever
been, even though he was sitting right next to her.
Lucian heaved a deep sigh, gently clasped her hand in his and moved closer to her.
ravaged. His skin was pulled taut against his face, his green eyes were cold and his thin
lips were clamped together. He looked hard and unforgiving as he stared down at her.
She felt very small and fragile in that moment. There was a remoteness to Lucian that
made her feel incredibly cold inside. It was if he was distancing himself from her.
"What have I done?" The question was torn from her lips before she could stop it.
She pulled her hand away from him and slapped it over her mouth, but it was too late
to stop the words from spilling out. As a strong, independent woman, Delight was
appalled at her question, but as a woman in love, she needed to understand what had
come between her and Lucian.
A look of horror and pain flickered on his face before the hard, cold mask
descended once again. "You have done nothing wrong. What do you remember?"
Delight thought hard. The memories were a jumble in her head. "I tricked Stefan
and snuck out of the house." Lucian's scowl deepened. "Chase is my brother and I had
every right to try and help him. Besides," she mumbled. "I did call Detective Cassidy."
"You did not trust me." Pain echoed in each word he spoke.
"I did trust you. I do trust you." Reaching out, she grabbed his hand and tugged
him closer. Although his expression didn't change, he allowed her to tug him down
onto the bed until he was seated next to her.
She had to find a way to make him understand. "I didn't trust Prince and his men. I
couldn't bear it if anything happened to you or Chase. I thought if I was there that I
could help you in some way." She watched his face, searching
for any reaction at all,
even a flicker that he understood and could forgive her for interfering. "I couldn't let
you face them alone."
The reaction she got almost made her wish that his cool mask was back in place.
Fury radiated from every pore of his body. Every muscle in his body tensed, his hands
clenched into fists as he pulled away from her, his eyes blazed pure fire, and his lips
curved up into a cruel smile. His fangs gleamed a pearly white in the faint light as he
gave a bark of laughter.
"Do you have any idea what you have done?" His words fell on her like hot coals.
There was no mistaking the fact that she had angered him and she didn't think he
would get over it any time soon.
Delight felt an icy cloak envelop her from the inside out. She welcomed the
numbness as it helped block out the pain of his withdrawal from her. Her actions
seemed to be unforgivable to him and she could stay here no longer.
Home. She needed to go home where she could be alone and nurse her broken
heart as well as her brother. Right now, she didn't know how she'd survive it, but she
would.
Turning away from Lucian was the hardest thing she'd ever done in her life.
Throwing back the covers, she edged to the end of the bed and carefully stood.
"Where in the hell do you think you're going?"
Delight could no longer feel his anger. In fact, she could feel nothing. It was if she
no longer inhabited her own body. Not bothering to look back, she began to make her
way towards the door. It really wasn't that far from the bed, but the way she felt
physically, mentally and emotionally, it looked as if it was miles away. Each step was
excruciating as it took her further away from Lucian. Ripping out her own heart would
hurt less.
"Delight?" His guttural tone stopped in her tracks, but she didn't turn to face him.
She just didn't have the strength. It was easier just to let him have his say and then
leave.
Swaying on her feet, she waited for him to speak. Time had no meaning and she
waited with a detached patience.
"Don't leave me."
She frowned and felt the first crack in the ice that surrounded her. That couldn't
happen. She needed it to protect her, but the pain in his voice was more than she could
bear.
"I had no choice. You left me none." His voice was angry now, almost accusing.