Knowing she shouldn't, she slowly turned around and faced Lucian. He had moved
silently from the side of the bed and stood right behind her. Startled, she took an
involuntary step backwards, away from him.
He flinched as if she had struck him. She felt confused and off-kilter, as if she was
missing an important piece of the puzzle. "I don't understand what you want.
Obviously, you find my actions unforgivable, so I'm leaving." She rubbed the pain in
her temples, wishing it would go away. "I thought that's what you wanted."
"Oh, Delight. What have I done to you?" Falling to his knees in front of her, Lucian
hung his head. "It is not you who have done the unforgivable. Do you remember
nothing?"
Delight sorted through the images in her head and one by one, they clicked into
place. "I got shot." She looked down at herself, only then realizing she was clad in one
of Lucian's soft linen shirts. Plucking the fabric away, she searched her naked flesh
beneath, but could find nothing but a pale white scar.
"You were dying." Throwing back his shoulders, he met her bewildered gaze with
a defiant one. "I did what I had to do."
"You took my blood." Everything was becoming clearer now. "And gave me
yours." She remembered sucking at his wrist and swallowing his blood. It should have
been repugnant and appalling to her, but it hadn't been. His blood had tasted better
than the finest wine, warming her, feeding her hunger. She'd wanted to keep on
drinking from him for forever, never letting him go.
"Yes." He made no move towards her, but she could feel him willing her to come to
him.
"Am I like you now?" She couldn't quite bring herself to say the word.
"Vampire." Lucian had obviously read her thoughts and had no trouble spelling it
out in black and white for her. "Yes."
This was something she really needed time to think about. But later. Right now she
wasn't feeling very well. Her head was pounding and her stomach was roiling, but
Lucian wasn't finished.
"I understand if you cannot forgive me for what I have done. But know that
whatever you choose, I will honor your wishes."
"What choices?" It was becoming increasingly difficult to follow his train of
thought. She was getting sicker and sicker by the second.
"You can live alone and I will support you for eternity. You can choose to embrace
death and I will gladly die with you. Or," he paused for a moment. "You can choose to
stay with me, knowing I will love you for all time. No man living or yet to be born will
love you as I will. Your happiness and protection will be my life's work and my life's
joy."
The familiarity of his words shook her. "You've said this to me before."
"When I changed you."
Delight didn't quite know what to say or do. She wanted to reassure Lucian that
everything would be fine, but her stomach was rebelling. Covering her mouth, she
turned from his penetrating gaze.
The howl of pain brought her to her knees. At first, she thought it must be from her.
The pain inside her was growing like a living beast, devouring everything in its path.
Rolling to her side, she watched in shock as Lucian howled in anguish again. His head
was tipped back and he looked like a man consumed with pain.
The need to comfort him overwhelmed her and she swallowed down the bile in her
throat and started to crawl towards him. The pain made it almost impossible, but she
pulled herself along the floor, inch by inch.
As if he sensed her movement, his head swung towards her. She reached her hand
out to him, but it fell to the floor. Silently, she pleaded for his help as speech was
beyond her capabilities.
Lucian moved so fast that he was a blur. He scooped her into his arms and carried
her to the bathroom just in time. Lowering her head, she was violently ill. Just when she
thought she was finished, her stomach would rebel again. Over and over, she emptied
her stomach until she swore there was nothing left in her body. Through it all, Lucian
held her and soothed her with comforting words. When she was finished, he carefully
laid her on the floor.
The tile was cool against her flushed cheek and she sighed when she heard the
sound of running water. She felt sweaty and sticky and longed for a nice warm bath.
The smell of lavender filled the air, relaxing her and making her feel calmer. She
decided that she'd move in a minute, but right now she was content to just lie here on
the floor. It was such a relief after being so violently ill.
Lucian's strong arms wrapped around her and plucked her from the floor. Before
she could gather the energy to speak, he'd stripped off the shirt she was wearing and
lowered her into the steaming bath. A huge sigh of relief escaped her.
"It will get better now." He dragged a washcloth over her arms and torso, cleaning
her thoroughly.
"I don't know what's wrong with me." She'd meant to sound strong and sure, but
instead sounded weak and shaky.
Lucian's lips tightened. "It is part of the change as your body is purging itself of
your human wastes."
Shivers began to rack her body so all she could do was nod. Lucian pulled her out
of the tub, quickly dried her with a huge, fluffy towel, and carried her back into the
bedroom. Tucking her naked under the covers, he yanked off his clothes and crawled in
next to her, pulling her into his arms.
His heat surrounded her and she snuggled closer to his chest, nuzzling the crisp
hair there. She couldn't seem to stop shaking and that worried her. "Is this part of
changing?" she managed to get out between her chattering teeth.
"Yes." He ran his arms up and down her back and over her shoulders, warming her
and comforting her. "You will feel better when you awake tomorrow evening. Then you
can make your decision."
She felt sleep pulling at her and longed to give herself up to its healing powers, but
there was something she had to do first. "Chase?"
He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I'll make sure Chase and Miss Nadine are
looked after."
Delight sighed in relief, but she still had one final thing to do before she succumbed
to sleep. "You."
"Me what?" He leaned down so his ear was near her lips. "What do you want,
Delight? I'll do anything for you. Give you anything. All you have to do is ask."
"Choose you. Not leaving." Totally exhausted now, she slumped on his chest.
Lucian stiffened beneath her, but her body was crying out for rest, so she gave into it.
"Delight?"
She managed to whisper two final words as her world went dark. "Love you." Her
body drifted into a state that was deeper than sleep and more like death. Her heart
ceased to beat and her body went lax. She didn't feel the lone tear that drifted down
Lucian's cheek and onto hers.
Chapter Eighteen
The first thing Delight noticed when she next awoke was that she felt surprisingly
good for someone who had been shot. Lying in Lucian's large bed, she took stock of her
entire body. Wiggling her toes and fingers, she was pleased to note that everything
seemed to be in working order. Her stomach was calm and she actually felt energized.
A low pounding
sound reached her ears. Cocking her head to one side, she listened
intently, trying to figure out where it was coming from. A blast of noise struck her with
such force, she actually flung her head back to try and avoid it. Slapping her hands over
her ears, she tried to shut out the racket assaulting her poor eardrums.
"Imagine a button in your mind and turn down the volume." She didn't know how
she heard Lucian over the din, but she focused all her attention on following his
instructions. Surprisingly, it worked and the jumble of sounds became a low hum in the
background.
Carefully, she removed her hands from her ears. When the noise remained muted,
she smiled up at Lucian who had propped himself up on one arm in the bed and was
leaning over her with a frown on his face. "What was that all about?"
He brushed back a lock of hair from her face with his fingers. "You will find that
things are different now that you have changed. All your senses are sharper now, but
you can easily learn how to control them."
She nodded her understanding. "What else?"
"As I told you before, you need blood to survive. But we're civilized now and no
longer need to drink from humans, unless we choose to. We purchase blood through
many sources and always have a large supply on hand." Lucian watched her like a
hawk, gauging her every reaction. "You can easily drink wine or water and after a time
you can tolerate a small amount of food if you choose, but it is no longer necessary for
you to eat to live."
Licking her lips, she asked herself how she really felt about these things. She'd miss
food, but if she could occasionally enjoy her favorite ones, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
"Once your body has had time to adjust, you may be able to enjoy the early
morning or late afternoon, but I'm afraid that sunlight is now lost to you forever."
Bending over, he brushed her lips with his. "For that, I am truly sorry."
She nodded, sensing he was holding something else back from her. "Tell me the
rest."
"With time and practice, you may be able to shapeshift. Not all Dalakis brides are
able to do so as their minds cannot accept the possibility and they block their natural
ability to change." At first she thought that he was joking with her, but the look on his
face was deadly serious.
"Into what?"
"The wolf is the most common, although Cristofor can shift into an owl as well."
Lucian paused as if searching for the right words to explain it to her. "You let your
mind go and think of the wolf and you become the wolf. It is very freeing to roam the
woods at night in that form. I admit that I do not do it much here in New Orleans, but
when I return home to the mountains of Transylvania, I cannot resist."
She couldn't believe she was lying here calmly discussing the fact that the man she
loved could change into a wolf. But she figured if she could accept that fact that he was
a vampire and that she was now a vampire, then she certain wasn't going to let a little
matter of shapeshifting bother her. The more she thought about it, the more she was
intrigued by the idea even if she wasn't sure she'd ever be ready to try it.
Her mind was whirling at the thought of being able to do such a thing. It was
almost too much to handle on top of everything else. She'd have to figure out a way to
deal with all the changes in her life. All that truly mattered was that she and Lucian
were together. Well, that was almost all that mattered. "I won't sleep in a coffin or
underground." Just the thought made her shudder in horror.
Lucian threw back his head, his laughter echoing throughout the bedroom. Delight
hadn't thought her demand had been funny at all. In fact, she was quite adamant about
it. She opened her mouth to scold Lucian, but got sidetracked by the strong column of
his neck.
Her nipples tightened and she felt the familiar flood of liquid between her thighs
that was common whenever she was with Lucian. Now that she was no longer totally
focused on her new reality, she was noticing other things. Like that fact that they were
both totally naked and lying in a nice big bed.
She could feel Lucian's shaft twitch and grow as she snuggled closer to his side. A
pulsing began deep inside her that radiated outward until she felt as if her entire body
was vibrating with need. Her teeth ached and she was filled with a longing to lick and
suck at his neck. Lucian was right about all her senses being sharper. Her skin felt
totally sensitized and alive.
Still chuckling, he leaned back down and kissed the tip of her nose. "My love, I
would never ask you to sleep in a coffin. We will sleep here in this room. It has many
protective features built into it. But there are secret rooms underground for safety's
sake, but they look no different from this one."
Delight slid her hands over the hard planes of his chest, loving the play of muscles
underneath her fingers. Everything about Lucian was strong and masculine and called
to everything feminine within her. She longed to belong to him, just as she longed to
claim him for her own.
Brushing her fingertips over his nipples, she was rewarded with a rumble of male
approval. Desire flared in his eyes as she bent forward and licked the hard nub before
lightly scraping her teeth over it.
over her. Clasping her hands in one of his, he raised her arms over her head and pinned
them to the pillow. With his free hand, he lazily stroked her breast, feathering his
fingers over the aching tip. Moaning, she arched towards his hand. He smiled down at
her as he rolled the nub between his thumb and forefinger.
She could feel his hardness between her thighs and spread her legs to accommodate
him. His cock slipped between the wet folds of her sex and she undulated her hips,
rubbing her throbbing clit against his cock.
Lucian bit the lobe of her ear before tracing the delicate whorls. "You feel
everything more deeply now. Every part of your body is more sensitive than before."
Plunging his tongue into her ear, he stroked it in and out before nipping at her lobe
again.
Fire shot through Delight's body. Every stroke his tongue made at her ear, she felt
between her legs. She'd never felt need this strong before. It was almost frightening just
how badly she wanted Lucian. There wasn't anything she wouldn't do for him or with
him if it meant she would eventually have his cock buried in her pussy and his teeth
sunk into her neck.
"Don't think." Lucian licked the curve of her neck, raising goose bumps on her skin.
"Feel."
Heat. That was all she could feel. Heat and need. She felt wild and free and
elemental. She could smell her own desire wafting on the air and it made her even
hotter. Bucking her hips, she tried to fit Lucian's hard length into her body.
He just gave a small, sexy laugh and pinned her to the bed with his lower body.
"Not yet. Soon," he promised as he ground his hips into hers.
Delight was panting for breath as she tried to tug her hands free from his, but it was
no use. His grip didn't hurt, but it was like a steel band, totally unbreakable. She was
totally at hi
s mercy and that turned her on even more.
He slipped his hand between her thighs, coating his fingers in her cream. Stroking
her heated flesh, he touched her everywhere but where she longed to be touched.
Around and around her swollen clit his fingers circled, but never touching where she
needed it the most. Crying out, she desperately tried to move her hips so his fingers
would make contact with her where she needed them the most.
But he was ruthless and moved his hand away from her clit. Stroking downward,
he trailed his fingers through the cleft of her behind. She tensed, but then relaxed as he
rhythmically rubbed the tight little mouth of her ass. Slowly, he inserted the tip of one
large finger inside. She could feel the muscles tightening around it at the unfamiliar
invasion.
But he didn't stop. Moving steadily, Lucian pushed his finger until it was all the
way inside her. Her ass burned with pain even as pleasure pulsed within her. She tried
to move, not sure if she was trying to pull away from Lucian's finger or to get closer.
Conflicting sensations were warring within her. But Lucian had her trapped with his
body and hands and she couldn't move. All she could do was lie there and let the
waves of pleasure and pain wash over her.
"This time I want to take you from behind." He flexed his finger and pulled it out a
short ways before pushing it back again. The pleasure-pain sensation washed over her
again. "I want to bury my cock in your ass and know that you belong to me totally, in
every way I want to take you."
"Yes," she hissed. It might kill her, but she wanted that too. She wanted to feel his
cock deep inside her behind as his fingers filled her pussy and stroked her breasts. Her
chest was heaving now as she struggled for breath.
The muscles of her behind clamped down hard on his finger as he pulled it free. She
bit her lip to keep from crying out in dismay. She wanted him inside her so badly.
He released her hands and rolled off her. His eyes were burning with desire and his
fangs were fully extended as he sat up next to her in the bed. The hard muscles of his
chest gleamed with a thin layer of sweat and his cock jutted out proudly from his body,
long and thick.
As she watched, a pearly bead of liquid seeped from the tip. Without thought, she