Dark Promises (Dark 25)

"You closed your eyes when you shot it. Your hand jerked and that sent you off target twice," he pointed out. "And then you forgot to take the stopper off the vial of holy water."

She glared at him. "It isn't very nice to sound arrogant and amused when you're pointing out a couple of minor mistakes. I'm certain I'll improve with practice."

"Lifemate. You have enough attitude for ten women."

"Exactly." She was more than pleased he saw that. That should send him screaming for the hills and respecting her vampire-hunting kit, even though it was kind of lame and needed a few improvements, which she intended to see to.

He was standing close one moment and the next he was there. Right there. In her space. The gun was in his hand and he tossed it away. She hadn't even seen him move. She'd blinked and there he was. All gorgeous, a hot, hunky mass of muscle in her space. Touching her. She raised both hands to ward him off. Her palms landed on his chest and she closed her eyes, feeling the muscle definition there.

"I like attitude," he whispered, his mouth against her ear.

She felt the brush of his lips on her ear and a multitude of tingles moved through her body on a real rampage. There was no controlling that reaction. Pushing against the wall of his chest wasn't an option, not when his mouth moved against her ear and his tongue touched just behind it in a small, delicious swipe that sent a little tremor through her body. Waking her up. She couldn't be woken. She'd tamed that monster a long time ago. She wouldn't know what to do with a man like him.

"Don't." One word. That was all she could get out. Her mind was sort of fraying around the edges. His mouth was hot on her skin. Seductive. She thought to resist. She knew better than to play with fire, but her body suddenly wasn't her own anymore. She felt too weak to move.

Are you saying no to your lifemate?

She heard the words in her mind, not aloud. She thought she heard them. But his mouth was at her neck, his tongue sliding over her skin, over her pulse, and she didn't want him to stop. She needed him to stop, but she didn't want him to.

Te avio palafertiilam. You are my lifemate.

She had no idea what he meant by lifemate, but he sounded serious. She tried to concentrate, but his mouth was on her neck, teeth scraping back and forth, and it felt erotic. Very erotic. She loved the way it felt, although her brain continued to try to function properly and protest.

Entolam kuulua, avio palafertiilam. I claim you as my lifemate.

His voice was so sexy, with a deep timbre. She loved his voice. But she loved his mouth on her neck more. She even turned her head to give him better access. Whatever the lifemate business was, just this once she might put up with it just to feel his mouth on her.

Ted kuuluak, kacad, kojed. I belong to you.

She liked that he belonged to her. Just for that moment, of course. She was no young girl with dreams of a future. She knew men didn't stick around, especially not at her age. Especially when they looked like him. She was beginning to think she was caught in some kind of dream. If so, she was quite willing to stay asleep a little longer.

Elidamet andam. I offer my life to you. Pesamet andam. I give you my protection. Uskolfertiilamet andam. I give you my allegiance.

Oh my. She had never had anyone offer their life, their protection or their allegiance. She felt the honesty of his words and her eyes stung with tears. Truly, this was some kind of weird dream. Gorgeous men didn't rise up from under the ground and proclaim they would offer their life for you.

His mouth burned at her neck. Right over her pulse. Her pounding pulse. Her heart had accelerated until she was afraid it would burst out of her chest. Her breasts actually ached. She didn't know what to do with that.

His teeth sank into her pulse and her head fell back. Her body arched in his arms, and she heard a soft moan escaping her throat as a bite of pain gave way to pleasure. No. More than mere pleasure. Fire rushed through her veins straight to her core. She felt as if she might be sleeping beauty, asleep for decades and now awakened by the bite of a master.

Sivamet andam. I give you my heart.

His voice. That voice. Sexy. Tempting. Raspy. Perfect. She could listen to it forever. And she didn't want his mouth to ever stop working against her neck.

Sielamet andam. I give you my soul.

That was so beautiful, the tears in her eyes trickled down her cheeks. She had thought she couldn't be moved by anything anymore. She was past her time to dream, but here she was, caught in a dream, and it was more beautiful than she could ever have hoped. She found it rather creative and amazing of her that she could dream up a man as gorgeous as Fane. His name. His accent. His looks. And he wasn't even a brother. How weird was that? After her daughter's experience she never let her gaze stray. Okay, maybe that wasn't altogether true. Some men just looked good in a fine pair of jeans cupping their ass just so perfectly.

Lifemate. You do not look at other men's asses, and not when we are saying our vows. You pay attention to your man.

Whoa. She wasn't saying vows. No way. She was remaining silent and just letting the dream unfold. He was bossy and arrogant and liked to use that tone. So okay. The tone was all right, even though he did sound bossy and arrogant. It was hot. And in her dream, she was okay with hot.

You do not want me to stop saying our vows.

There it was again. Bossy. Arrogant. So freakin' sexy a woman couldn't help but get all fired up, even when the engine hadn't worked for ages. So no. She didn't want the dream to end. His mouth on her neck was so amazing, sending streaks of pure fire spreading through her body like the blood in her veins.

"No. Don't stop," she murmured.

Ainamet andam. I give you my body.

She sincerely appreciated that gift, although she didn't have the first clue what to do with it. It had been too long. Decades too long. She was an all work, no play kind of girl as much as she didn't want to admit that to her dream man.

His mouth took one last pull and he reluctantly lifted his head, his tongue swiping over the spot so that she shivered. "You taste exquisite, lady. You are like a drug in my system. Addicting. I will never get the taste of you out of my mouth, nor do I want to."

His shirt seemed to have disappeared and her hands were against pure steely muscle and hot skin. She turned her head and nuzzled him closely. There was a part of herself that seemed separated from her, looking on, a little shocked at the gesture. That wasn't at all like her. Still, he smelled delicious. He felt even better. And she liked that he called her lady when no one else ever had and she'd tried to make herself into one for her granddaughters.

He murmured something she didn't understand, something in that language he uttered before telling her what it meant. This time there was no explanation, but she found herself licking along his chest, right over his heart. She tasted his skin. Tasted his pulse. Then she tasted him. Hot. Spicy. Addicting, just as he'd said she'd been. His hand cupped the back of her head, holding her to his chest, her mouth moving against him, drawing out the perfect blend that acted on her like an aphrodisiac.

Her body moved restlessly against his. His free hand moved down her back, into her hair, over her hips. Every place he touched went liquid so that she felt as if her bones melted right into him.

Sivamet kuuluak kaik etta a ted. I take into my keeping the same that is yours.

Oh. Wow. He was taking her body into his keeping. She liked the sound of that. In her dreams, of course. In reality, she would run screaming for the hills, or try to shoot him again with her vampire-stake gun. Because . . . really . . . he couldn't know she was practically a virgin at her age. How utterly humiliating.

Han sivamak.

His voice was so sensual, when he whispered the words into her mind she felt beautiful and sexy. She felt his. She didn't even know what it meant, but she knew it was something he called her and it was an endearment of some kind.

You are avio palafertiilam, my lifemate. There is no need ever for embarrassment or humiliation. I will always ta

ke care of you. Ainaak olenszal sivambin. Your life will be cherished by me for all my time. Te elidet ainaak pide minan. Your life will be placed above my own for all time.

Tears burned her eyes. He took the breath from her lungs with the beauty of his vows to her. No one had ever cherished her or placed her life above their own. He was a stranger to her, a dream man, but still, he said all the things a woman would want to hear.

Te avio palafertiilam. You are my lifemate. Ainaak sivamet jutta oleny. You are bound to me for all eternity. Ainaak terad vigyazak. You are always in my care.

Fane's hand came up to slip between her mouth and his chest. She was reluctant to allow him to stop her from drinking the very essence of him. He was so perfect in every way. He tasted delicious. Still, he tipped her chin up toward his face and brought his mouth down to hers.