Dark Carousel (Dark 26)

His hands slid down her sides, from her breasts, along her rib cage, her waist, to settle on the flare of her hips. "Move, sielamet. Ride me hard."

She wanted that. She sat up slowly at his urging and then leaned back when his hands pressed to her belly.

"Put your palms on my thighs."

His eyes were dark with passion. With lust. Soft with such emotion she was forced to catch her breath or her lungs would have burned raw. "You're so beautiful," she whispered, meaning it. Unable to keep her opinion inside. He was beautiful. Not just on the outside--and he was that. It was the way he felt in his mind. The way he was with the children. The way he not only wanted to protect them all, but needed to.

He watched her moving for some time, his hands on her waist at first and then as her body flushed and coiled so tightly she thought she might not live through it, they slid to her breasts. His fingers tugged and rolled her nipples, and then he was sitting up, shifting so that deep inside her, his cock burned across her most sensitive parts, creating that out-of-control wildfire. The fire overtook her, consumed her, and took him with her. She sank into him, her face in his throat, desperate for air but uncaring if she ever breathed again.

Tariq wrapped his arms around her and held her close to him. She loved the way his fingers massaged her scalp. For a long time the world stayed at bay and she could just drift in that place he sent her with his body. He held her for a long time, but eventually she felt his body tense. The moment he did, she tightened her hold on him.

"I don't want to move," she protested.

"Those three men, the ones that followed you from Paris and were in my club the other night, they are outside my gates, skulking instead of just coming up and asking to talk to me. I have to go deal with that, Charlotte."

She sighed. "I knew they weren't going to let us be. Should I go with you? Solidarity and all that?" She didn't lift her head; instead, she nuzzled his throat and pressed little kisses up his jaw. She didn't want to deal with another serial killer. Another monster. She wanted, even needed, normal. Lourdes. Genevieve. A life outside a monstrous world.

"No, sielamet, you stay as far from them as possible. They can't tell the difference between Carpathian and vampire and they kill indiscriminately. You, the children, Genevieve and Emeline are all in danger from them. They could pose a danger to Donald and Mary as well. I'll talk to them and see about giving them a little push to leave us alone."

"Be careful, Tariq. They were in the psychic center for testing, and my guess is, they have some kind of abilities." She pushed up with resignation and the action caused a minor quake to ripple through her body. Charlotte gasped and tightened her thighs around his hips, holding him to her.

"I'm always careful, Charlotte. I've chosen to live among humans for most of my hunting years. Centuries now. I know how to fit in easily. I also know that some humans have extraordinary powers. Some are kind, the best people I've known, and others are sick and cruel, nearly as bad as the vampire. I've seen it all, and it's made me careful. You take care of the children and visit with Genevieve. Be normal. Settle in. I'm going to have to bring you fully into my world soon, sielamet. You will waste away if I don't. So you need to feel that your decision is the right one, the only one for you."

She already felt that way. She was more alive with him than she'd ever been in her life. She had always been seeking something--she hadn't known what, but she traveled the world to find it--only to realize now that it was here with Tariq. A family of sorts. Danger. Peace. Bliss. Everything she'd ever wanted was right here in bed with her.

"There are so many other hunters here. Can't one of them talk to these men?" She knew he was powerful, but still, she'd seen the man with the stake through his heart.

He smiled at her and stroked another caress down the back of her head, his fingers tangling in her silky hair. "The other hunters, aside from Maksim, do not have lifemates to anchor them. Can you imagine Dragomir talking to those men, seeing their intentions? He would kill them immediately without thought of consequences. He doesn't live with humans, Charlotte; he never has. He has never been civilized. Just being here is probably extremely difficult for him."

"I can't imagine what he would do with a woman. He's so . . . rough."

"He is a hunter. A predator. He always has been and he always will be. Lojos, Tomas and Mataias are wild cards. Val, the hunter Vadim tortured, lies beneath the earth, healing in the soil. They feed him, and care for his wounds, which are severe. They would not like the idea of another threat to their brethren and they would also kill the three vampire hunters without thought of consequences."

"So you're saying you're the one who has to deal with them."

"Yes, sielamet, but I promise to be careful."

"What about the splinter?" She knew she was stalling, wanting to stay with him, but truthfully, she hated the idea of having that splinter inside her whether Vadim could see what she was doing or not.

"I'm sending for a Daratrazanoff. That lineage is incomparable when it comes to healing."

"Where are they now?" Meaning how long would it take for one of them to get there. The idea that a tiny piece of Vadim was inside of her made her feel sick, especially now that Tariq confirmed he was even more worried about it than she was.

"In the Carpathian Mountains."

Her breath caught and held in her lungs. If Tariq was sending for a healer all the way from the Carpathian Mountains, he was very concerned about the splinter.

She didn't ask any questions. She didn't want the answers right then. She wanted normal. She wanted to visit with her friends and maybe have a cup of tea without getting sick. She wanted to hear the sound of laughter.

"You're in my mind," she whispered, bending once more to move her lips against his jaw. She loved the hard line of his jaw. He was handsome, gorgeous even, but he was all man. That jaw of his indicated his strength, his determination. He knew exactly what she wanted, what she needed, and he was giving that to her.

"Does it bother you? I try to stay just to the forefront, not intrude, but after so many centuries without you, searching for you, I find it difficult to separate entirely."

There was a hint of vulnerability in his voice. She kissed her way from his jaw to his mouth. Placing her lips right over his, she told the truth. "I love that you are in my mind. I don't like to be away from you, either."

He took her mouth the moment the last word was uttered. One hand was at the back of her head, holding her firmly the way he did that always gave her a thrill. His mouth moved gently, though, lovingly, even leisurely, exploring and tangling his tongue with hers to stroke and caress. She loved kissing him. She could kiss him forever. He took his time and she loved that about him, too. He had somewhere to be, people to protect, but he still took his time with her as if she mattered more to him than anything else.

"This is your last night as a human, Charlotte."

It was a decree, not a question and her heart jerked hard in her chest. She was often lulled into a false sense of security because Tariq was sweet to her. He was reasonable. He was sophisticated. He was also a predator just like Dragomir, only he disguised it better. Dragomir didn't bother, while Tariq did. Tariq's thin veil of civility could shred at any moment.

Still, Charlotte knew she would choose him every single time. He was the man for her. Born for her. And she was born for him. She leaned down and kissed him again and then slowly slid off his body. He didn't have to change for her; she wanted him just the way he was.

"Okay," she agreed softly. Because for her, there wasn't any other choice. "I'll be ready." She wanted to go see Lourdes and talk with Danny, Amelia, Liv and Bella. She wanted to visit with Genevieve and Emeline and maybe meet Blaze for the first time. Be normal in a world that wasn't hers anymore.

He reached for her as she slid off the bed, his hand cupping her face, thumb sliding gently over her lips. "I'll take care of you always, Charlotte. You'll want for nothing."

She believed him, but

that wasn't what was important to her. "Just feel about me the way you do now. Always."

"It grows every single day. It will continue to grow. Your courage in taking on Danny, Amelia, Liv and Bella astounds me."

"You're taking on Lourdes and Genevieve for me."

He nodded and was up, towering over her, waving his hand to clean and clothe her. She liked her soft, vintage blue jeans and equally soft dove gray sweater. He had good taste in casual clothes. Her bra and panties were sheer lace, but the bra was supportive, and her boots were gray leather with three leather ruffles down the back. She loved them.

"You'll be able to do that yourself," he said, and bent to take her mouth. When he straightened, he was dressed in his immaculate and very sophisticated clothes. "Go have fun. Don't forget Emeline. She's ours, too."

"I won't forget. I have Vadim's splinter in me and I detest it. She hears him as well. At least we have that in common, and in Paris, we were becoming fairly good friends. Hopefully that will count for something."

She kissed him again, just a brush of her lips across his, but it was enough to claim him. To tell him that he belonged to her.

13

Lourdes and Bella were in the bathtub playing with rubber ducks when she entered the bathroom. Charlotte had never seen so many kinds of ducks. They weren't the standard yellow ones she'd had as a child. These were various characters, and the girls clearly loved them. They chattered away together, laughing like old friends--or sisters. She sent a small grateful warmth to Tariq for thinking of toys for the girls.