Part 18 (1/2)

Savannah wanted to let her elation flood over her, but she was still stung by the way they'd left things back in Boston. ”You hurt me, Gideon. You weren't honest with me. Without that, we'll have nothing.”

”I know.” He stroked her cheek. ”I know, and I'm sorry. Let me make it up to you. Let me love you.” He caught her nape in his big, strong hand and pulled her to him for a brief, tender kiss. ”Say you love me, and let me start being the man you make me want to be.”

She let out a sigh, unable to resist him or refuse him. ”I do love you, Gideon.”

”Then let me bond with you properly, the way I want it to be for you, for us. Be mine, Savannah.”

”Yes,” she whispered against his lips. ”Yes, Gideon. I will be your mate.”

He pulled her against him, letting her feel his arousal. ”Let's make it right, now.”

She reached out with her index finger to push the ridiculous sungla.s.ses down on the bridge of his nose. Amber sparks shot through the pale blue of his eyes. ”You're only a few hours out of death's doorway, and you want to make love?”

He grinned. ”Oh, I want to do more than that.”

”My sister is in the other room,” she reminded him, whispering on a scandalized laugh.

Gideon was still for a moment, time during which the bedroom door quietly closed on its own volition, the lock softly clicking into place.

He kissed her, then trailed his lips along the side of her neck. Savannah's heartbeat throbbed in response to the subtle grazing of his fang tips at her pulse point. He dragged her farther up alongside him and rolled toward her, grinding his rigid length into her hip in invitation and demand.

”You're very bad,” she said, as he opened his mouth over her carotid.

And then gently, sensually, she felt those razor-sharp points pierce her delicate skin. Her veins lit up, electric and hot with power, as Gideon drew the first deep swallow from her vein.

”Oh, G.o.d,” she gasped, pleasure flooding her. ”You are very, very bad.”

And as her body melted into him, Savannah was thinking how a lifetime with Gideon was going to be very, very good.

Character Reference Guide (alphabetical order by first name or most common name) -A-.

Alexandra ”Alex” Maguire Breedmate of Order member Kade. Alex was born and raised in rural Florida swamp region. When she was nine years old, her mother and little brother, Richie, were killed one night in a brutal attack by Rogues (though at the time, she didn't realize what the attackers truly were). Alex and her father, Hank, fled as far as they could, settling in a small Alaskan town.

Alex's best friends are her wolf dog, Luna, and a former Alaska State Trooper named Jenna Tucker-Darrow. At twenty-seven, and her dad dead from Alzheimer's, Alex ran the family bush-piloting business, until on a supply run to the interior, she discovers a horrific crime scene that resembles the attack on her family. This discovery brought her into the center of an investigation being conducted by the Order-and into the arms of Alaskan-born Breed warrior, Kade.

Hair: warm blond Eyes: brown Breedmate mark: on the front of her left hip Bloodscent: honey and almond Unique ability: internal gauge that tells her with a touch if someone is being honest Mate: Kade Heroine in: Shades of Midnight (Book 7) First mention in series: Appears in Shades of Midnight.

Alexei ”Lex” Yakut (d.) Breed male, second generation. Son of a corrupt Gen One named Sergei Yakut. Living at his father's rustic but expansive woodland hunting lodge outside Montreal, Quebec, Lex served as right arm to his father, commanding Sergei's security detail, which included a female Breedmate bodyguard (see Renata).

Lex's arrogance and l.u.s.t for power proved his undoing when he arranged for his father's murder by Rogues and attempted to frame the visiting Order warrior, Nikolai, for the crime. In an attempt to insert himself into Dragos's inner circle, Lex arranges to hand over Niko to one of Dragos's lieutenants (see Edgar Fabien). Lex augments his bargain by offering up a child seer (see Mira) to Fabien for a sum of two million dollars. In the end, Lex himself is double-crossed by Dragos and his a.s.sociates, duped into thinking he was to be escorted to a VIP meeting and is instead slain by a group of Enforcement Agents sent on Dragos's command.

First mention in series: Appears in Veil of Midnight.

Amelie Dupree Human. Older half-sister to Gideon's Breedmate, Savannah. A former midwife, Amelie has lived at the Atchafalaya swamp for seventy years. She is widowed with two daughters and a son, and eight grandchildren. Her eyesight is gone now, leaving her with clouded, milky eyes, but she copes very well on her own. In contact with Savannah only occasionally since Savannah became mated to Gideon. Amelie is fond of Gideon, and is aware of the Breed's existence due to an incident that occurred outside her home three decades ago, when Savannah and Gideon were shot and nearly killed. Amelie saw Gideon save Savannah's life by giving her his blood, a secret Amelie has kept all the years since.

First mention in the series: Appears in Deeper Than Midnight.

Ancient, the (d.) The last surviving alien and grandfather to Dragos. The Ancient was believed killed during the Order's war against their otherworldly forebears, but Dragos's father (also named Dragos) secreted the Ancient to a mountain cave in the Czech Republic, where the Ancient remained in a hibernation chamber until modern day. The Ancient was later removed by Dragos to his breeding lab, but then escaped to Alaska, where he was killed by the Order in Shades of Midnight.

First mention in series: Referenced in Kiss of Midnight as part of original group of Ancients who crash-landed on Earth thousands of years ago; referenced specifically in Midnight Awakening; first actual appearance in Veil of Midnight.

Andreas Reichen Breed male, mate of Claire Samuels Roth. Born more than three hundred years ago in Germany, Andreas Reichen was leader of a Berlin Darkhaven. Reichen is smooth and sophisticated, cultured and cool-the ultimate charmer.

Although not formally trained as a warrior, Reichen has been long-acquainted with Tegan, who a.s.sisted the German Darkhaven leader with the elimination of a band of Rogues who'd been preying on civilians in his area in 1809. Reichen and Claire had been in love about fifty years before the timeline of Midnight Awakening, but the couple was betrayed (see Wilhelm Roth) and they endured a long separation before reuniting in Ashes of Midnight.

During his time apart from Claire, Reichen took a human lover, s.e.x club owner Helene. The relations.h.i.+p ended in tragedy when, during the timeline of Veil of Midnight, Helene was turned Minion and led Enforcement Agents into the Darkhaven to slaughter all inside. Reichen comes upon the aftermath and has to kill his human lover in an act of mercy. He then burns his Darkhaven to the ground with a ma.s.sive fireball, conjured by the power of his ESP ability.

Reichen and Claire are now mated and reside in their Darkhaven in Newport, Rhode Island. Reichen is currently a member of the Order, serving primarily on covert overseas missions while he works to gain control over his pyrokinesis.

Hair: chestnut brown waves, generally worn loose Eyes: hazel Unique ability: pyrokinesis Mate: Claire Samuels Roth Hero in: Ashes of Midnight (Book 6) First mention in series: Appears in Midnight Awakening.

Anna Breedmate and old friend of Elise Chase's. Elise encounters Anna at Andreas Reichen's reception in Berlin. Anna's Breed son, Tomas, had been friends with Elise's son, Camden, when they were boys. Anna had not heard of Cam's death and is clearly uncomfortable with the news. Friendly to Elise, offers to show her around Berlin if Elise were staying for a while.

First mention in series: Appears in Midnight Awakening.

Annabeth Jablonsky Human. Resident of Harmony, Alaska, and waitress at Pete's Tavern. Under the name Amber Joy, Annabeth used to dance at a strip club in Fairbanks, where Teddy Toms saw her perform and developed a crush on her. Annabeth was partying with friends and Teddy Toms the night Teddy and his family were killed by the Ancient. She also saw Kade at Pete's the night after Alex met him and thought he was s.e.xy.

First mention in series: Appears in Shades of Midnight.

Arno Pike (d.) Breed male, Deputy Director in the Breed's Enforcement Agency, secret lieutenant to Dragos and a loyal member of his inner circle. Pike had been mated, but his Breedmate was killed in a mugging about a year before the timeline of Darker After Midnight.

Pike is at the Agency's Chinatown sip-and-strip when Dragos arrives to bask in his victory over the Order, which had sent the warriors scrambling for new headquarters after Dragos helped expose the Boston compound to human law enforcement. Pike is anxious about a public appearance by Dragos, but capitulates when his boss insists on a private table and the best females in the club. Pike soon joins in, and the night ends in wholesale slaughter of all the humans in the club.

Later, Pike is captured by the Order and questioned about his connections to Dragos. Pike tells Lucan it's too late to stop Dragos, but he refuses to say anything more. Hunter is tasked with finis.h.i.+ng the interrogation by reading his blood. But the first bite reveals that Pike has ingested poison, and Dragos's lieutenant takes the truth with him to his death.

First mention in series: Appears in Darker After Midnight.