As Twilight Falls

With a wave of his hand, he dimmed the lamps, then ignited a fire in the hearth.

Kadie looked up at him. The light from the fire cast golden highlights in his thick black hair. It didn’t seem right for a vampire to be so outrageously handsome. He was a killer. No doubt he had killed the vampire who had accosted her, and probably hundreds, maybe thousands, of others, human and vampire alike.

“Thousands?” Saintcrow asked, his voice thick with amusement. “Really?”

“Too few?” she asked sweetly.

Saintcrow shook his head. “You really have a low opinion of me, don’t you?”

“In spite of your name, you’re no saint.”

“True, enough. But I’m hardly the monster you think I am, Kadie. If I was, you and all the others would be dead by now, drained of blood long ago.”

“Only a monster keeps people enslaved. Whether it’s for gold, glory, or blood, it really doesn’t matter to the people you’re keeping here. We’re still slaves. Worse than slaves. We’re like cattle to you, aren’t we?”

“I’m guessing you see the world in black and white, don’t you? Right and wrong. No middle ground. No shades of gray.”

“Pretty much.”

“Would you rather I had let Kiel feed on you against your will and then just let him go?”

“Of course not!”

“I warned him once. He knew what the penalty would be if he touched you again, and he paid it. I don’t have many laws here, but the ones I have are inviolable. If I’d let him get away with it, the others would see it as a sign of weakness. I can’t afford that.”

“Weak? You?”

“I can take them all, one at a time, or all together, but I’d prefer not to.”

“You let Carl go.”

He nodded, but said nothing.

“Where have you been?” She put her cup aside, then clasped her hands in her lap.

“Not far. Why? Did you miss me?”

She thought of lying, but what was the point when he could read her mind? Her gaze slid away from his. “You know I did,” she admitted, her voice little more than a whisper.

“I missed you, too.”

She looked up at him, everything else forgotten when his gaze met hers.

“What do you want from me, Kadie?” he asked quietly. “Besides your freedom?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?” He closed the distance between them. Kneeling in front of her, he ran his hands up and down her arms.

His touch was light, yet it burned through her like fire. His gaze trapped hers and images rose in her mind, images of the two of them lying on his bed, their bodies entwined, their skin slick with perspiration as they writhed together. Even though his hands were now resting on her shoulders, she could feel them moving over her, caressing her. She tasted his lips on her own, felt the sweep of his tongue.

She swayed toward him, gazing at him through heavy-lidded eyes. “Kiss me,” she murmured.

He muttered something in the same foreign language he had spoken once before as he pulled her body to his. His kiss was bold, his tongue demanding as it dueled with hers in sweet, subtle seduction.

She leaned into him, her legs suddenly unsteady, her heart pounding a rapid tattoo in her chest.

Eyes blazing with desire, he said, “Tell me. Tell me what you want.”

“You know what I want.”

“Say it.”

“I want you to make love to me. Here, now.”

He growled low in his throat as he lowered her to the rug in front of the hearth. His hands made short work of getting rid of her clothing and then his own.

Soft sounds of delight rose in her throat as she ran her hands over him. In spite of the scars that marred his chest, he was beautiful, each muscle sharply defined as though sculpted by an artist’s hand. His skin was cool beneath her questing fingertips as she explored the width of his shoulders, his six-pack abs, the long, ridged scar that ran the length of his back.

Frissons of desire stirred deep within her every time she touched him. It was hard to believe he was a vampire when he lay quiescent beside her. His muscles quivered when she caressed him. It gave her a sense of power, knowing that her untutored hands could arouse such a magnificent creature. And he was definitely aroused.

He let her explore to her heart’s content and then he turned the tables on her, his calloused hands quickly learning the contours of her body, stroking the hills and valleys, whispering words of endearment in her ear as he aroused her until she cried out, begging for him to take her, demanding that he put an end to the exquisite torture. Mindless with need, she held him close, her fingers digging deep into his shoulders as she urged him on, certain she would die if he didn’t ease the yearning he had unleashed within her.

When she cried his name, he covered her mouth in a searing kiss as he rose over her, possessing her with one quick thrust.

She whimpered with mingled pain and pleasure as their bodies became one, heard him mutter something indistinguishable when he realized he was her first lover.

Chapter 18

“Why didn’t you tell me you were a virgin?” he asked much later.

They were lying on their sides, face-to-face, arms and legs still entwined.

“The subject never came up, until now.”

“How is it possible you were untouched? Most girls these days have sex in their teens.”

“Well, I didn’t. I grew up in a very religious home. My mother taught me early that sex outside of marriage was wrong, and I believed her. I was tempted several times to see what all the fuss was about, but then my best friend got pregnant at fifteen. The boy she loved, the one she was so sure loved her, refused to have anything to do with her when he found out. I decided then and there it would never happen to me. After high school, I went to college. I didn’t hang around with the ‘cool’ crowd because I didn’t drink or smoke and I wasn’t a party girl.” She shrugged. “I hardly dated at all. After I graduated, I was too busy working to have much time for anything else.” She looked at him, her brow furrowed. “Who would have thought my first sexual encounter would be with a vampire?” She jackknifed into a sitting position. She had made love to a vampire. Unprotected love. Suddenly frantic, she stared at him. What if she got pregnant?

“Relax,” he murmured. “It’s impossible.”

“You’re sure?”

“I’m sure.” He drew her down beside him so that her head was resting on his shoulder. “You should have told me you were a maiden.”