Part 4 (1/2)
”How do I know you're telling me the truth?” Alexandria asked tiredly. ”Don't all vampires lie and deceive?”
”I am Carpathian. I am not yet vampire. I must know how much blood Yohenstria has given you.”
He spoke patiently, gently, his voice never changing inflection. ”How many times did he exchange his blood with you?”
”You're very dangerous, aren't you?” She bit at her lower lip, then winced when she painfully sc.r.a.ped blisters and sores. ”You have this way about you, making everyone want to do everything you say. You made the vampire believe you could defeat him, didn't you?” It hurt her to talk, but it was comforting that she could.
”I use the power of my voice,” he acknowledged gravely. ”Less wear and tear on the body when hunting vampires, although I have had my share of wounds.” He touched her then, the lightest of caresses across her forehead. ”Do you not remember your own story to young Joshua? I am the hunter, come to rescue my fair lady and her brother. Joshua recognized me as such. He told me so. Do you not find it a strange coincidence that you described me so accurately?”
Her mind refused to think about that, so she changed the subject. ”Joshua saw the vampire kill Henry. He must be so frightened.”
”He remembers Henry's death as a heart attack. To him, I am an old friend of the family. He thinks he called me to come and help you because of your illness. He believes you fell ill at the restaurant.”
She studied his appearance. He was physically beautiful. His hair was rich and thick, waves of gold reaching past his wide shoulders. His eyes, a peculiar molten gold, intense and frightening, gazed back at her with the unblinking stare of a jungle cat. His lips were impossibly sensual. It was impossible to judge his age. She would have guessed he was somewhere in his thirties. ”Why don't you erase my memories?”
A small, humorless smile curved his mouth, revealing strong, even, white teeth. ”You are not so easy to handle, piccola. You are resistant to my direction. But we need to address what is happening to you.”
Her heart began to pound. ”What is happening to me?”
”We need to further dilute the tainted blood in your system.”Alexandria wanted to trust him. The smell of the herbs, the sound of his voice, his seeming honesty all made her want to believe he was trying to help her. And he didn't force her decision, or even attempt to rush her, though she sensed he was concerned that whatever was going to happen would happen before he was adequately prepared to deal with it. She took a deep breath. ”How do we do that?”
”I must give you a large amount of my blood.”
He said it quietly, matter-of-factly. Alexandria looked away. Those golden eyes of his never blinked.
She was afraid if she stared into them too long, she would fall forever into their depths. ”You will give me a transfusion?”
”I am sorry, piccola, that will not work.” There was real regret in his voice. He touched her again, turning her chin so she would face him again. The feather-light stroke sent her heart pounding.
”I can't... I can't drink blood.”
”I can put you under compulsion if you are willing for me to do so. It will aid you. It is our only chance, Alexandria.”
The way he said her name sent b.u.t.terflies winging through her stomach. But was it possible that drinking more blood was the only way to make her well?
”If it is impossible for you to drink of your own free will, you must consent to my aiding you,” he said.
”I'm not sure I can do it.” The very thought repulsed her. Her stomach was churning, already rebelling at the idea. ”There must be another way to make me well. I don't think I can do it,” she repeated.
”His blood is tainted, Alexandria. Even though he is dead, he can cause you much pain and suffering. We have to dilute it before you go through the transformation.”
There was that word again-transformation. She s.h.i.+vered.
He reached behind him for an immaculately white silk s.h.i.+rt, clearly one of his own, and, his eyes holding hers, he gently put it on her, handling her as if she were a fragile porcelain doll. They both pretended the act was impersonal, but there was something in his touch, some quality in his gaze that could only be described as possessive.
Exhausted, Alexandria tried to think. The vampire had been grotesque, and the thought of any part of him living in her bloodstream was terrifying. ”All right. Do it.” Her blue eyes met his golden gaze.
”Put me under compulsion to get rid of the vampire in me. But nothing else. Don't take away or put anything else into my head. Nothing else. You have to give me your word on that.” For whatever that would be worth.
He nodded. She was far too weak to sit up, so Aidan cradled her on his lap. She began to tremble, her heart pounding so hard, he was afraid it would shatter before he could heal her. Deliberately he reached behind her to braid her long hair, to soothe and distract her. Then he silently began a low chant in her mind, murmuring in the ancient tongue, bringing a measure of relief to her. She visibly relaxed.
”I want to command you to sleep through your conversion. It is quite brutal, piccola. I will wake you when it is over.” His velvet voice made the suggestion, and she felt the notes wrapping around her like safe, warm arms, compelling her to do as he wished.
Instantly she pulled back, her mind slamming shut, turning away from him. She simply was not willing to be that vulnerable, to give up all control, even consciousness, to a stranger. Especially one capable of the things this man could do. What was he, after all? Possibly another vampire, despite the distinction he drew about being ”Carpathian, not yet vampire,” whatever that meant.
”I will a.s.sist you in diluting the vampire's tainted blood, Alexandria, nothing more, if that is your wish.” He chose his words carefully. He had been in her mind several times already, and the bond was strengthening with each mental sharing. She was unaware of it as of yet, and for now it was better to keep it that way. He knew she was confused and mistakenly hoping that the conversion about to take place would restore her to human life. For now he would have to mildly deceive her in that regard to spare her the agony of the inevitable transformation, already begun, to Carpathian life.
Alexandria sighed. The feel of his hands in her hair, the soft whisper of his husky voice, the total confidence he exuded was mesmerizing. ”Let's get it over with before I lose my nerve.”
As soon as the words slipped out of her mouth, he s.h.i.+fted her slight weight, cradling her on his lap, and bent his blond head slowly to her throat. The touch of his mouth was like hot silk on her skin. She felt that wildly erotic touch right down to her toes.
Alexandria stiffened, suddenly afraid of losing far more than her life. His lips were on her throat, right over her pulse. You have to trust me, piccola. Let yourself feel me in you. I am part of you.
Reach for me now, as I reach for you. The words seemed to be in her mind rather than spoken aloud. He was strength and heat, fire and ice. He was power and protection from the insanity engulfing her.
A white-hot heat pierced her throat, and then she felt an erotic intimacy so beautiful, it brought tears to her eyes. She had never felt so cherished, so beautiful, so perfect as she did at that moment. She felt him in her mind, exploring her secret thoughts and desires. He was soothing and healing her, tasting her, sharing her mind. He examined every memory, the strength of her block against him.
When he was certain he had taken enough of her blood to ensure a proper exchange, his tongue reluctantly stroked over the wound and closed it.
With a fingernail he opened a line over his heart. Drink, Alexandria. Take what is freely offered.
His mind was ready, reaching to take control of hers, to compel what she did not wish to do. His body clenched as her mouth moved over his skin, found what it was seeking, and his life's blood flowed into her. His heart slammed hard against his chest. He knew she was the one. She was his.
His entire being responded to her. The chemistry between them was electric, exact. He had waited so long, seemingly forever, for her. And now he was taking no chances on losing her. He began the chant that would bind them together for all time.
I claim you as my lifemate. I belong to you. I offer my life for you. I give you my protection, my allegiance, my heart, my soul, and my body. I take into my keeping the same that is yours. Your life, happiness, and welfare will be placed above my own. You are my lifemate, bound to me for all eternity and always in my care.
He spoke the ritual words in her mind, both in her language and in his native tongue. The ritual would not be complete until her body was bound to his, but, this done, no one would be able to take her from him, nor could she escape him.
Aidan gave her as much blood as he could. He wanted the vampire's blood thoroughly diluted when the conversion began, during which she would expel whatever might remain. They had little time before the transformation would begin, and he was weak and pale. He desperately needed to hunt before she needed him again, which would be very soon.
Alexandria lay back, her long lashes thick crescents resting on her cheeks. Even in her hypnotic state, he could see the pain twisting her body. It was difficult to keep his promise and not command her to sleep the deep, healing sleep of immortals. But if Alexandria was ever to trust him, he had to keep every promise he made. She had exceptional cause to despise his kind. Her trauma and terror would never be fully erased, even as she came to understand their race.His call to Marie brought the older woman to the chamber immediately. ”You will stay with Alexandria while I hunt this night.”
Marie watched him, appalled as he staggered with weakness. She had seen him weary and wounded from battle, but she had never seen him so starved before. He was nearly gray. ”You must take my blood before you go out, Aidan,” she said. ”You are too weak to hunt. If a vampire caught you is such a state, he would destroy you.”
He shook his head, touching her arm gently. ”You know I would never do such a thing. I do not use those I care for, those I protect.”
”Go then, and hurry.” Marie watched with anxious eyes as he bent to brush his mouth across the girl's forehead. He was suddenly so tender, this man she had come to know so well. He had always been aloof, remote, even to those he called family. This rare gesture of tenderness made her want to cry.
Aidan whispered the command to awaken Alexandria from her trance. ”I must go now,” he told her.
”Marie will stay with you until my return. Call to me if you have need of me.”
For some strange reason, Alexandria didn't want him to leave her side. She curled her fingers in the sheet to keep from calling out to him. But he moved quickly with his peculiar grace, like a great jungle cat, and soon was gone.
Marie held a gla.s.s of water to her lips. ”I know you're sore, Alexandria-may I call you that?-but some water might help. I feel I know you, what with young Joshua telling me such tales of his wonderful sister. He loves you very much.”