Rising Darkness- Cynthia Cooke *Silhouette Nacturne 2007 - الصفحة 6

24-11-07, 09:41 PM

المشاركة رقم: 26

المعلومات
الكاتب:	darla
اللقب:	سندريلا ليلاس

البيانات
التسجيل:	Aug 2006
العضوية:	11023
المشاركات:	5,556
الجنس	أنثى
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نقاط التقييم:	758

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كاتب الموضوع : darla المنتدى : الارشيف

Chapter 15
N icholai pushed Damien into the clearing. Without hesitating, Damien strode toward the girl. She hung limply, obviously in distress from the heat. “This is why I’m nothing like you. Feeding on your victims is not enough for you, you must torture them, too.”

Nicholai laughed. “Does she look tortured to you? She’s just hanging there, while we admire her beauty, and she is beautiful, is she not?”

“Yes, beautiful and scared, with streams of tears running down her face.” Damien grabbed one of her wrists, releasing her bonds. The woman clung to him with her free arm.

“Look in her eyes, dear brother. What do you see of our poor victim?”

Damien looked down into the young woman’s eyes, and saw nothing but fear and hopelessness. He turned back to Nicholai with disgust on his face and anger in his heart. “She’s only a scared girl, not much older than our sisters were the night they were slaughtered by a band of vampires no better than you.”

In a move so fast Damien didn’t see it coming, Nicholai had him pinned against a tree. Damien hung there, surprised by his brother’s strength, his feet barely touching the ground. Nicholai leaned in close, his face mere inches from Damien’s. “You’ve never tasted it?”

“Back off,” Damien demanded, and pushed. Nicholai didn’t budge.

“I knew you denied yourself the sweet drink but you’ve never once tasted human blood? You sit there staring down your nose at us in righteous indignation, and you’ve never once drunk the elixir that will complete you and make you who you are—a guardian of the night.”

Damien laughed and shook his head. “A guardian? You delude yourself, brother. You’re no guardian. You’re a murderer, a fiend, the worse kind of monster.”

Nicholai stood back, letting Damien’s feet touch the ground. “You let those so-called protectors of mankind emasculate you. You might as well have given them your manhood.”

“They have given me more than you could ever understand,” Damien retorted.

“Really?” Nicholai challenged. “And that’s why you’re wandering aimlessly, without purpose, without hope. An empty shell?”

Damien couldn’t respond. How could he? Nicholai was right. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he defended, knowing the words sounded as lame as he felt.

Nicholai belted him hard across the face. “Tell me again how strong you are. Tell me how all your spiritual mumbo jumbo and working with crystals has made you stronger, has helped you discover your inner self.”

Damien rubbed his jaw, then jumped to his feet and lunged. He got in two quick blows before landing with a thud face-down in the dirt. The vampires surrounding them roared with approval. In the midst of their raucous laughs and bellows ringing through the air, he heard a woman scream.

He looked up to see Nicholai scraping a long, sharp nail across the tender white skin of the woman’s breast. Deep-red blood seeped from the cut and dripped down her chest. The sight of it, the smell of it filled his chest, burning down his throat, tensing his muscles. The woman’s screams died down to choked whimpers. Nicholai retied her bonds.

Damien jumped to his feet, only to have Nicholai hit him again, this time square in the jaw. Rage surged through him and his fangs descended. If Nicholai wanted a fight, Damien would give him one. He squared his stance and kicked, landing a hard blow to Nicholai’s stomach.

Nicholai grunted and bent over, but before Damien could go at him again, Nicholai had him on the ground at the woman’s feet. He reached up and ran his index finger through the woman’s blood, then shoved it into Damien’s mouth. It was only a taste, a drop, but it burned his tongue, his throat, his soul as anguish swept through him.

“You are one of us. You are a vampire. When you look into this whore’s eyes, you should be able to see her sins.” Nicholai pulled him up, dragging him up close to the woman. Horrified, Damien could only let him.

He couldn’t fight back, nor could he understand the burning in his stomach, the wanting of more, the hunger that pierced him through and through. He wanted to, he needed to, he couldn’t take his eyes off the trickle of blood dripping down the girl’s creamy flesh. And when Nicholai pushed his face into her glorious breast, it was all he could do not to lap up every sweet drop.

As the sweet elixir ran down Damien’s throat, he felt as if he’d been a man without food, without sustenance, and now he was fed. Fulfilled, in mind, body and spirit. Even the world around him changed, the colors sharpening and coming into clearer focus, his hearing intensified and so did his senses.

He could hear the woman’s heart beating beneath her rib cage, could smell the delicate, intoxicating scent of her fear, could taste her soul in her blood.

“Now look into her eyes, dear brother,” Nicholai said, grabbing Damien by the scruff of his neck and pulling him up to stare into the girl’s eyes. What Damien saw horrified him.

“Just because they’re human, brother, doesn’t mean they’re not evil. Doesn’t mean they don’t deserve to be part of the food chain. What separates us from the animals is that we can pick and choose which of them deserve to die, which of them should die.”

Nicholai leaned close to the woman and took a small drink off her neck. Instead of screaming in pain, in fear, as Damien had expected, she swooned, her sweet nipples growing erect, the musky scent of her desire filling his nose. She whimpered and rubbed herself against him.

“She’s my gift to you. Take a drink, Damien. Give the wench a moment of unending pleasure unlike any she’s ever felt before she succumbs and dies.”

Feeling his erection pushing at his pants, Damien wanted to do exactly as Nicholai said. He wanted to drink more of the sweet blood. Self-loathing filled him, and he turned and ran. Not because he was afraid, but because of the hunger, the drive, the need to grab that woman and sink his teeth into the soft skin of her neck was more than he could stand.

More than anything, he wanted to break into her flesh and suck deeply of her elixir. He wanted to hear her heartbeat thundering in time to his own, to drink from her until there was nothing left. He ran, because his unrelenting thirst and need scared him senseless.

He didn’t get far before two of the goons stopped him, and dragged him back to the clearing, back to the girl. They brought him to her, and he couldn’t control himself, he couldn’t stop himself and he did what he had believed he never would, he fed, drinking as if he were just born and had no control over himself. He fed, devouring every last drop, hearing Nicholai’s laughter and the rumble of rushing blood.

And when the woman’s heartbeat slowed to a mere murmur he stopped, and fell to the ground, sick to the bottom of his soul.

“You’re one of us now, brother,” Nicholai mocked.

“This is crazy,” Lucia grumbled as they passed the maze and moved into the forest. “We should go back to the house right now.” The small flashlight wavered and bobbled, barely lighting the path before them.

“Damien needs us. I’m not going to leave him. Trust me, I can handle myself against a few vampires. I’ve been trained,” Emma said, out of pure desperation.

Lucia snorted.

“Okay, so I’m full of it, what do you expect?” Emma admitted. “I’m as scared as you are, but I’m not going to leave him.”

“Emma, he’s Cadre. He’s the professional. He knows what he’s doing a whole lot more than we do.”

“We’re a team. We work together.”

“You’ve known him for a few days! How can you even be sure he needs help?”

“I don’t know,” Emma admitted. “I just am.”

Lucia looked back over her shoulder as they hurried through the trees, trying to keep to the narrow pathways. “Why haven’t we seen those wolves?”

“Why are you complaining?”

“It’s unusual. They’re always hovering around.”

“I don’t know,” Emma said, looking around her and biting her lip, “but count your blessings.”

“Consider them counted.”

They slowed and grew silent as they approached the clearing. From here, the bonfire was huge and, for a moment, Emma worried whoever had started it wouldn’t be able to control it. What if it got out of hand? They could lose half the forest, not to mention Wolvesrain.

“I don’t feel good about this,” Lucia whispered, as they crept around bushes trying to get a closer look.

Emma had to admit that she didn’t either. What if she were wrong? What if Damien was nowhere around here? What if she’d just led Lucia into a trap? How would she ever forgive herself? She stiffened her shoulders. These vampires wouldn’t have stoked the fire so high unless they’d wanted it to be seen. The thought sent a chill coursing through her. She stepped closer, peering through the tall bushes, hoping she wasn’t making a huge mistake.

“What do you see?” Lucia whispered, bumping into Emma’s back as she tried to get a closer look.

“Nothing. Except a lot of people standing in a semi-circle around the bonfire.” In greater numbers than she expected. An almost hysterical laugh bubbled up in her throat as the futility of the situation hit her. What made her think she could save Damien? Even if he was here? Even if he did need her help? “Do you think they’re all vampires?” she whispered.

Lucia crossed herself. “We have to go back. Now.”

Emma agreed. Lucia had been right. This wasn’t just wrong, it was crazy. A fool’s errand. She took one last glance over her shoulder as she turned away, then stopped. The crowd had parted, and she saw Damien bending before a young woman tied between two trees. His face had changed, his mouth stretched, his teeth extended into something vicious.

Unable to comprehend what she was seeing, Emma froze. Small sounds erupted from her throat as she tried to make sense of the deceit playing out before her. It had to be a lie, some awful game designed to confuse and trick her.

Unable to move, she stared at him, her eyes watering as she saw his teeth sharpen into fangs and pierce the girl’s skin. Blood spurted, and Emma let out a soft cry as her knees weakened. Blackness circled the edge of her vision. Round and round her head spun, as nausea turned her stomach and the ground came up to meet her.

Vampires. Not Damien.

Her mind screamed. She retched and held herself. Lucia grabbed her around the waist and guided her away. “Hurry,” she whispered, but Emma barely heard her. Bent over, they started running away from the clearing, moving as fast as they could away from the bonfire, away from the madness and back toward Wolvesrain.

Vampires were living right here, right in the forest behind her home. And they always had. Memories long-buried rose to the surface and assaulted her. They’d always been there, and she’d always known. She’d seen them before. When she was a child. In the cellar.

They’d come for her mother. They’d drunk from her, until there was nothing left of her. They drained her mother, and left her there to die in Emma’s lap. A primal guttural moan, starting deep in her stomach, rose out of her chest and filled the air.

“Shhh,” Lucia demanded and hurried her even more, until they were practically running blind down the darkened path. The single beam of their flashlight bounced back and forth as they ran toward the safety of Wolvesrain, and away from the creatures who’d hurt her so much more than the wolves ever had.

Mental images assaulted her; all those memories she’d repressed for so long came flooding back. Just as Damien and the Cadre had wanted, and all she could think of was the blood.

So much blood. Everywhere.

A sharp pain pierced Emma’s temples and burned behind her eyes as the fear and adrenaline pulsed and pounded. She remembered her mother holding her hand, squeezing it too tightly, pulling her toward her.

Just as Lucia was doing now, half pulling, half dragging her through the forest and toward the maze, toward the fountain filled with black water that emitted the stench of rot and decay. Back toward the cellar where it had all happened before, where her mother had looked down on her, a wicked smile playing across her face, and an evil glint in her eye. The vessel for Asmos.

Suddenly there was another man in the room. And he was smiling at her—his teeth sharp and pointed. They fought, the man and her mother, but the vampire won. He bit her mother, ripping open her neck. Her eyes widened, almost popping out of her head, as he sucked on her skin. And then the wolves attacked, and the man ran back the way he’d come, disappearing into the darkness.

Her mother’s slackened mouth fell open, and her eyes fluttered closed. She moaned once or twice before falling to the floor. Emma held her head in her lap and brushed the hair back off her face. And that’s when Mummy had made her promise never to fall in love. She’d pleaded with her, warning her of the Curse, and then all the life had gone out of her eyes and she stared up at the ceiling.

And Emma had begun to cry. And had never really stopped.

She swiped the tears off her face. A vampire had killed her mother. Not a wolf, not a pack of dogs and not a demon.

A vampire.

Damien…the voice whispered, like an insidious cold mist reaching deep within him to pluck his tightened nerves. He closed his eyes and sucked in a breath, trying to clear his mind. Go after her, Damien. Save Emma.

Emma? Here? He thought of her, and then he felt her. Felt her terror. Felt her flight. In gut-wrenching horror, Damien shook his head, clearing the blood-induced haze, the waves of pleasure undulating through his system. He looked up at the girl’s lifeless form, and realized she was dead. And that he most likely had killed her.

He rolled over onto his knees and retched.

“Go after her,” he heard Nicholai yell, and look up to see several of Nicholai’s goons running toward Wolvesrain. He could hear Lucia’s voice in the distance urging Emma forward, but worse, he could hear Emma, too. Her soft cries haunted him, and he knew they’d live forever in his heart.

“No,” he yelled, pleading with his brother. “Let them go.”

“Let them go?” Nicholai laughed. “What do you think all this was about, dear brother? You and your everlasting soul? You aren’t that significant,” he sneered. “It’s about the girl. It’s always been about the girl. You were just the bait. And you made it so pathetically easy.” He winked and then turned and followed his men out of the clearing and toward Wolvesrain.

Toward Emma.

Damien got to his feet. He wavered unsteadily as the girl’s blood rushed through his system. Two of Nicholai’s cronies cut the ropes that held up the woman and threw her corpse into the fire. The smell of burning flesh sickened him, turning his stomach, until he retched again. His fists clenched with bottled-up rage and frustration.

All his life he’d trained, he’d studied, he’d worked to keep himself pure, and, in one short instant, Nicholai had taken all that from him. Now he was no better than the monsters standing in front of him laughing and pointing. Predators without souls, without hearts, without forethought or purpose. A perfect waste of life’s precious gifts. All they knew how to do was prey, feed and kill.

Rage surged through him, flowing along his veins, milking his adrenaline, tightening his muscles, and sending a rush to his brain. With brutal precision he pounced, using the silver dagger in his pocket to destroy the two vampires in front of him. Even if they’d seen him coming, they wouldn’t have stood a chance. As easily as they’d disposed of the girl, he picked them up and threw them into the flames.

He watched them burst into dust, and was surprised and horrified at the same time how good it felt. Like a dopamine rush, the pleasure, the thrill of the kill moved through him. He moved on and took more, fighting and killing as many of Nicholai’s clan as he could. They would not take Emma. They would not take him. Not while he was still alive to do something about it.

His brother would pay for what he’d done to him. And for what he wanted to do to Emma. He approached a female, hiding in the bushes and, for a second, toyed with the idea of letting her go, of leaving her to fend for herself. But then he smelled the blood on her, the stench of death and deceit.

She would kill no more.

24-11-07, 09:42 PM

المشاركة رقم: 27

المعلومات
الكاتب:	darla
اللقب:	سندريلا ليلاس

البيانات
التسجيل:	Aug 2006
العضوية:	11023
المشاركات:	5,556
الجنس	أنثى
معدل التقييم:
نقاط التقييم:	758

االدولة

مدونتي

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كاتب الموضوع : darla المنتدى : الارشيف

Chapter 16
W ith Lucia a step ahead of her, Emma ran as fast as she could. Every part of her burned—her leg muscles, the bottoms of her feet, her lungs as she struggled to draw in enough air. She could hear their pursuers moving quickly through the bushes behind them, as the crush of footsteps reverberated around her. Terror gripped her, but she had to look back. She had to know.

She took a deep breath, and without slowing a step, turned and looked behind her. Her pursuer wasn’t more than two arms-lengths behind her. And he wasn’t alone.

She gasped, and tried to increase her speed, but her legs, already feeling like rubber, tripped over a tree root, sticking up out of the ground. She stumbled, regained her footing, and carried on just as an errant branch scraped across her face.

Hot tears of fear, of heartache blurred her vision. After all this, after all these years, she was going to die, not because she’d had a taste of love, or because demon wolves had ripped her to shreds, but because of a vampire. A monster who wanted the demon essence in her blood.

The maze, the house loomed ahead. She felt something brush her shoulder. She bent forward, willing her legs to carry her faster. If she could just make it to the maze, to the fountain, she would be all right. Didn’t vampires need an invitation to enter her home? Or was that a myth? How could she not know? Why hadn’t the Cadre, why hadn’t Damien, prepared her for vampires?

Damien. Just the thought of him sent a burning, twisting pain through her heart. Because he was a vampire. And for all she knew, he wanted the essence in her blood, too. She pushed the thought out of her mind. She had to focus.

Focus on me. On my voice. My touch.

“Damn you, Damien,” she muttered, and grasped one of the wooden stakes Lucia had given her just as the vampire behind her gained a hold on her shoulder and yanked her backward. Lucia cried out.

Emma hit the ground, hard. The air whooshed out of her chest. The vampire pounced on top of her, right onto the stake she was holding upright. He looked down at her, his eyes filled with feral hatred that widened into surprise before he burst into a shower of dust.

“Oh, my God, Emma,” Lucia screamed. She ran back and pulled Emma up off the ground. “Keep going,” she said, and turned to look behind them at the seven or eight vampires in heavy pursuit.

“We’ll never escape them,” Emma cried, as the futility of the situation hit her.

“Yes, we will. We need to get back in the house. Hurry.”

Emma ran, following her. She could see the maze now, but as they approached it, the wolves stepped out from behind the overgrown hedges, one by one. Emma gasped and pulled Lucia to a stop. The two women clung to each other.

“Now what should we do?” Emma looked toward the kitchen door at the back of the house. Close enough to see and yet still so far. Huddling next to one another, they stepped, slowly and carefully toward that door, knowing they would never make it once the wolves decided to attack.

Behind them, the vampires stopped as they saw the wolves. They looked at one another, at Emma, then back at the wolves. “Vampires behind us, demon wolves in front. Thank God your father isn’t here to see this,” Lucia muttered.

Hysterical laughter bubbled in Emma’s throat. There truly was nowhere for them to go, no way to escape.

“Emma, I’m here to help you,” one of the vampires behind her said. “Now turn around and walk slowly and very carefully toward me. Don’t make any sudden movements.”

Emma turned and looked at the vampire who promised rescue with his golden voice and slippery tongue. He held out his hand to her and stepped forward in front of the others. She knew his face, his obsidian eyes peering at her under sharp black brows, and it made her stomach turn. She took a quick step back, clutching Lucia as the wolves growled.

“Ah, so you remember me,” he said, with a hint of amusement in his voice.

And she did. She remembered those eyes, the way they stared at her as he had sucked on her mother’s neck, drinking her life force, then throwing her away, as if she were nothing more than a used paper cup. He’d taken her mother from her, her childhood, her peace of mind.

With the tenacity of a clinging vine, rage moved through her system, consuming her, replacing the fear, filling her with strength and purpose. She would not be this monster’s victim any longer.

She pulled away from Lucia and tightened her hand around the silver dagger in her pocket. “I do remember you. You will not have me as easily as you had my mother.”

Lucia gasped.

“Lucia, get into the maze or the house. Anywhere but here.”

“I won’t leave you.”

Emma didn’t have to turn back to see the determination written all over Lucia’s face. She could hear it in her voice. And she knew, win or lose, she wouldn’t have to fight this battle alone.

For a second, she allowed Damien’s face, his voice, to enter her thoughts, but she pushed him away. She would not think of him. She had believed in him, she’d given him her heart, but he’d lied, leading her to believe they had a chance. A future. And he wasn’t even human.

From now on he was dead to her. The conviction in her heart fueled the fury moving through her and hardened any lingering feelings she might have had left for him. She would do this without him.

“You have nowhere to run, darling. You might as well face the inevitable.” The man, beast, whatever he was, stepped forward, his handsome face breaking into a wide smile.

Emma took a quick step back and bumped right into Lucia.

“I’ve got your back,” Lucia said, and Emma could see her loading up the crossbow.

Hoping to block Lucia from the vampires and keep their attention focused on herself, Emma asked, “What have you done to Damien?”

“I’ve helped my brother see his true nature.”

“Brother?” Emma asked, confused. Looking closely, she could see the resemblance in their stature and color. In the commanding way they both had of looking at her, in the cocksure confidence that they would succeed at anything they attempted, and in the annoying way they had of thinking they knew what would be best for her.

They didn’t know, and this time they wouldn’t succeed.

“Don’t listen to him,” Lucia spoke harshly behind her. “He’s trying to weaken and confuse you.” She pulled pack on the crossbow’s strings and let the arrow fly. Emma held her breath as the wooden arrow drove straight toward Damien’s brother.

Feverishly, she hoped it would pierce his evil heart, but somehow he saw it coming, and ducked. The vampire directly behind him disappeared in a plume of dust.

“Now, that wasn’t nice,” the vampire said. “And here we were, just having a friendly chat.”

“You come any closer, and you will all die,” Emma threatened, mustering as much bravado as she dared.

The vampire laughed. “You are a spitfire. I can certainly see why Damien is so fond of you.”

His words sliced through her heart, and left a burning ache in her chest.

“Ignore him,” Lucia hissed over her shoulder and let loose another special arrow. This time it only grazed an arm.

“You ladies are starting to wear on my patience,” the vampire said, losing his smile.

“We beg your pardon,” Emma said, and flashed him a smile of her own.

“Kill the old one, but bring Miss McGovern to me. Untouched,” the vampire ordered, then moved to the side, as his band of fiends charged.

Before Emma could so much as utter a gasp, she heard a ruckus behind her, turned, and saw the wolves charging her way. Her eyes widened as fear rushed through her veins, leaving her incapable of taking even the smallest step. Lucia yanked her backward, and within seconds the wolves were on them—and past them.

They rushed by, their legs moving in choreographed harmony, their nostrils flaring, their fangs bared as they pounced on the vampires. Emma stood shocked, her mouth hanging open, as the wolves ripped through the flock of bloodsuckers.

“What’s happening?” she yelled.

“I don’t know, but get ready,” Lucia warned as several vampires ran past the wolf blockade, escaping their vicious fangs, and charged toward them.

Lucia sent more arrows flying through the air as she rushed backward toward the maze. Emma stood her ground, and using the techniques Damien had taught her at St. Yve, was able to hold her own, to fight, to defend.

As she fought off the vampires, she couldn’t help thinking of Damien, but every time she did, she saw the blood, the fangs. That poor dead girl, hanging naked and covered in bite marks.

My brother.

Damien was a vampire. He’d always been a vampire. That’s why the Cadre thought he would be the best agent to help her with Asmos and his wolves. Why hadn’t he told her? Why let her bare her heart for him, her soul? He’d known what was happening, and still he’d let her fall in love with him.

Anger set a blaze to the pain in her heart. And with the fury came the power. And with the power came the strength. One by one, Emma annihilated any vampire that came near her, and with each kill, she grew more certain that she would win. She had the power to triumph over evil. No longer would she live in fear of the wolves, of demons, or even vampires. Now, they would live in fear of her.

With the conviction of her thoughts, power surged through her. And she liked it. Liked the control it gave her, the courage, the confidence of knowing that from now on, she could take care of herself. She didn’t need anyone, certainly not Damien the vampire.

In the clearing, Damien fought, killing one vampire after another. It wasn’t too difficult, since it appeared the higher echelon of the vampire clans, along with Nicholai, had gone after Emma. He heard her scream, and his blood ran cold. All he could do now was hope that they wouldn’t kill her before he had a chance to get there.

Rage filled his veins and made it easy to do what needed to be done, to do what the Cadre never would have agreed to—one by one, massacre what was left of Nicholai’s clan. He hated to admit it, but it felt good. He felt as though he was accomplishing something, even though most were fledglings, scavengers who fed off what was left of the warrior’s pickings. They disgusted him.

But as he looked around the clearing, he disgusted himself. There wasn’t one vampire left. He melted into the bushes, moving quickly, heading for Wolvesrain, for Emma. As he reached the edge of the estate, what he saw made him stop in his tracks. Lucia and Emma fighting off two or three vampires and holding their own.

Even more surprising were the wolves, ripping and tearing into vampire flesh, biting and gnawing until the vampires pleaded, screaming for death. They appeared to be fighting as a team, Emma and her legion of demon wolves. The scene was so much like what had happened before, back on the night that he’d been reborn, that all he could do was stare in dumbstruck horror.

He recalled the tormented screams of his gypsy clan, of his sisters, as Asmos, in the body of Camilla, had decimated his people. And if Asmos hadn’t been bad enough, the vampires came, wanting in on the action. His maker, Nicholai’s maker, had wanted Asmos’s essence. The rest of his clan just wanted blood.

Remembering that night and the carnage they’d left behind was the reason he’d become who he was and joined the Cadre. He believed in the Cadre’s philosophy and what they did. And sometimes, as now, trapping and ridding the world of evil demons and bloodthirsty vampires was a worthy endeavor.

But sometimes the Cadre’s rules left the hunters vulnerable, and the cost became too high to pay. This was one of those times. The Cadre would not be receiving any specimens for study and interrogation this time. In fact, they’d never receive anything from him again. His days with the Cadre were over. It was too late for him, he had too much blood on his hands. Too much blood within him.

His heart, saturated with human blood, was no longer pure. Never again would he be able to resist the bloodlust flowing through his veins. In fact, he was certain he no longer had the strength necessary to pull Asmos or any other demon into the containment crystal. He was too tainted. Too far gone.

And because of his weakness, Emma would pay the price. Emma. He looked at her, rocked once again by the overwhelming feeling of déjà vu. Only this time it wasn’t Camilla fighting against the vampires, it was Emma.

A shudder moved through him. Asmos. The demon was already working his insidious magic. Already calling to her, tempting her, lying to her. Making her feel powerful, making her believe she could trust in him, that he was her answer, that he was the one who could give her what she needed.

Unable to tear his gaze from her, he watched, sickened, as she bent to embrace the wolves, smiling as she rubbed her face into the soft, thick fur around their necks. His fault. All his fault. He’d let her down. His lies and betrayal had given Asmos the way in, the foothold he needed.

So, consumed with guilt and remorse, Damien didn’t see the last warrior coming. Didn’t noticed as the warrior raised the club high above him. He sensed him, though, and, at the last minute, looked up as the club came crashing down to shatter against his skull.

Damien’s knees gave out and he dropped to the ground, his world turning black as the sound of Emma’s screams ricocheted through his mind.

24-11-07, 09:43 PM

المشاركة رقم: 28

المعلومات
الكاتب:	darla
اللقب:	سندريلا ليلاس

البيانات
التسجيل:	Aug 2006
العضوية:	11023
المشاركات:	5,556
الجنس	أنثى
معدل التقييم:
نقاط التقييم:	758

االدولة

مدونتي

الإتصالات
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كاتب الموضوع : darla المنتدى : الارشيف

Chapter 17
E mma looked up in horror as the vampire brought the club down upon Damien’s head. He dropped instantly, heavily, to the ground. She screamed and scrambled to her feet. Before the vampire could club him again, an arrow whizzed through the air past Emma and straight into the vampire’s evil heart.

Emma raced toward Damien with the wolves following close behind. They positioned themselves protectively around Emma and Damien, each facing outward as if they were keeping watch. As she looked at them, she wondered again why they were helping her.

Why, after all these years when she had lived in fear of them, were they suddenly there for her? Perhaps it wasn’t the wolves she’d needed to be afraid of, but the vampires. Perhaps that’s why they’d come back again and again, year after year, to protect her from the vampire who’d killed her mother.

Damien’s brother.

Her heart broke with the thought. Was Damien in on this horrible plan with his brother all along? Had he meant her to fall in love with him? She’d been lured out of the house and into the vampires’ trap by her certainty that Damien was in trouble. That he needed her. Had she been right? Had he needed her? Had she arrived too late?

She lifted his head onto her lap and stared down at him, brushing the hair back from his forehead, the same way she had done for her mother on that dreadful night so long ago. The side of Damien’s head was covered in blood. A deep gash split his skin where the club had hit him.

“We should get him back to the house,” Lucia muttered, staring over her shoulder at the wound.

“How do you know we can trust him?”

“Because of you.”

“What?” Emma looked up at her in confusion. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“When you saw that vampire attack him, you reacted with your heart, not your mind. You know in your heart you can trust him. That he means us no harm.”

As Emma thought on Lucia’s words, tears burned her eyes. Was Lucia right? Did she know in her heart that Damien’s intentions were pure? Did he love her? Or was she just a fool? Emma pushed the thoughts away. “It doesn’t matter. We can’t take him back to the house anyway. He’s too heavy. Besides, you might be sure I can trust him, but I’m not.”

“Well, we just can’t leave him here,” Lucia protested. “He’s part of the Cadre. They sent him here to help us.”

Emma almost laughed out loud. “Since when do you trust or even care about the Cadre?”

Lucia’s lips thinned into a straight line. “I’m not always right all the time, you know.” She took a step back and looked around them. “There don’t seem to be any vampires left.”

“Sounds too good to be true,” Emma muttered.

“I’m going to go get some ice and towels. Will you be all right here?”

Emma nodded. “I’ll stay. I have the wolves.” She looked at the four animals keeping guard around them and smiled as a feeling of warmth stole over her. Suddenly she knew the wolves would always be there for her, would protect her and take care of her. She was no longer alone.

Damien stirred. She took his hand in hers. There was blood under his nails, and she couldn’t help wondering if it was his or the young woman’s. How could she have been so close to him and have missed all the signs? He wasn’t human, and she hadn’t even noticed.

She ran her finger across his lips, remembering the way they’d felt against hers, remembering the soft, loving caress of his tongue, and her heart ached for him, for the dreams she’d had. His eyes opened and he stared at her, his blue gaze drawing her in, pulling her to him.

“Emma?” he whispered.

She tried to give him a reassuring smile, but just couldn’t seem to make her lips move. “You’re going to be all right,” she whispered over the large lump in her throat.

He winced and tried to sit up, but fell back against her. “Where’s Nicholai?”

She looked around her. One of the wolves whined at the name. “There’s no one here. I think—I hope— they’re all dead. In any case, no one will be bothering us now. Not anymore. Not with my wolves here.”

He winced. “He’s dangerous.”

“Your brother?”

“Yes.” He sat up, and cradled his head in his hands.

“So, how long have you been a vampire?” she asked casually, as if she were asking if he wanted milk and sugar with his tea.

“I know I should have told you,” he whispered.

Her eyes narrowed. “Damn right.” She didn’t bother trying to hide her rage, her fury at his lies.

“Nica warned me. I just didn’t…”

“Didn’t what?” she asked, as her patience quickly fled.

He looked up at her. “Didn’t want you looking at me the way you’re looking at me now.”

“And how is that?” she asked, but she knew. She could only imagine. “With disgust, revulsion? Absolute to-the-core hatred?”

“You don’t really feel that way,” he said, and leaned in close to her. “I know how you feel about me. How you really feel.”

Her heart quickened at his nearness while her jaw stiffened. “It was a lie. Everything between us has all been lies, from the very beginning.”

He hung his head, his shoulders slumping, and, for a moment, for the teeniest, tiniest second, something akin to pity moved through her. She had cared once. A lot. She didn’t want to hate him. But she did.

“I remembered something tonight,” she said.

“Yes?” He looked up at her, and the raw emotion in his eyes bored through her defenses. She stiffened her resolve.

“Your brother. I’ve seen him before.”

Concern and something akin to fear filled his expression. “When?”

“The night my mother died. He fed off her. He killed her.”

Damien stared at her for a moment, his gaze hard as he processed the information.

“I saw him. I was there. He…” Her voice cracked. “He smiled at me.”

“I’m sorry.” He moved to touch her, to offer comfort, but she wasn’t interested in his comfort, in anything he had to offer.

He took a deep breath, and tried to capture her gaze, but she wouldn’t let him. “My brother—” he began “—like our maker, feeds off demon essence, for the rush, the power.”

“So he hunts down innocent people and kills them, just because they’re unfortunate enough to have a demon’s essence within them? That’s disgusting.”

“I suppose, but that’s the way things are. Some vampires feed off the weak, some the mentally deranged and the criminally inclined. Some prefer demons.”

“And you?”

“I drink animal blood. Before tonight, I had never touched human blood.”

She stared at him, searching his face, his eyes, probing for the lies, the deceit, the path he was trying to dig back under her defenses and back into her heart. “What happened tonight?” she asked, with a shaky voice. Knowing the moment the question was out that she’d given him a way back in.

“Nicholai was determined to tear me down. And he knew just the way to do it.”

“And you couldn’t refuse? You couldn’t stop him? That girl is dead.”

“Trust me, there was nothing I could do.” The dejection in his voice, the raw pain emanating from him, did more than his words ever could do to convince her he spoke the truth. And, for a moment, she almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

“I’m sorry, Emma. I’ve failed you.”

She choked. “Excuse me?”

“I won’t be able to help you now. With Asmos. We need to call Nica. We need reinforcements. I’m no longer pure, no longer strong enough to pull him out of the wolves and into the stones.”

She stared at him confused. “Just because of a bump on the head? Don’t you vampires live forever?”

He smiled. Weakly, but it was there, and damn him if it didn’t cause the smallest whisper of a flutter inside her battered heart.

“It’s because of the woman’s blood. It’s weakened my resolve. It’s made me more susceptible to evil.”

“Perhaps, but it seems to me if you’ve been able to resist the bloodlust all these years, then you should be able to resist the call to evil.”

He stared at her, contemplating her words.

“In any case, I’m stronger now. Stronger than I’ve ever been before. Together we can still fight Asmos. If need be.”

“No, we can’t.”

A surge of anger fired up inside her again. “Stop being such a defeatist! Stop telling me what I can and cannot do.”

She had to clamp down just to keep from shrieking at him.

“It’s Asmos’s essence that’s giving you the strength, the rush that makes you feel all-powerful. It’s what Nicholai wants from you. It’s the same feeling he gets after drinking the essence. Asmos is growing stronger within you, even without you fulfilling the curse, he’s filling you, feeding off your rage, transforming you. I’m worried…if you let him, if you succumb, he could take you over completely.”

“That’s absurd,” she countered. But even as he said the words, a trickle of fear seeped into mind, expanding and growing until she felt consumed with it.

“Is it? Think about it, Emma. You referred to the wolves as yours.”

“What?” she said, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

“You said ‘my wolves.’”

“Did I?” She tried to think back, but couldn’t remember. Was he right? Had she thought of them as hers? She looked at the animals and again felt warmth and peace steal into her heart. She pushed out Damien’s words, his negativity. He just didn’t understand.

“Emma, close your eyes. Practice the breathing I taught you. Look inward and tell me what you see.”

“I can’t.” She didn’t want to. She didn’t want to fall for any more of his tricks. His lies. She liked the way she felt right now—in charge, in control.

“You can.”

Of course, she could. But why should she? He was bringing back the fear. She could feel it encroaching, pushing on the borders in her mind. It was growing, permeating her blood vessels, tightening her muscles and constricting her lungs until suddenly she wasn’t sure she could breathe.

Damien took her hands in his. “It’s okay. Just focus on my voice, on my touch. On me. Push it out, Emma. The darkness, the fear. Imagine the light. Bright, white light. Pull it in, until it chases the darkness away, so there isn’t a corner left it can hide in. You can do it, you have the power.”

Yes, she had the power. Her breathing evened and she did as he said, pulling in the light, riding the light, feeling it as it pervaded every part of her, until suddenly she could breathe again, and she wasn’t so angry, or so scared.

She opened her eyes and looked down at her hands clutched in Damien’s. She looked deep into his blue eyes, and felt tears well in her throat. “Thank you,” she whispered, and let her forehead rest against his.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded. “I am now.”

“Come on, let’s go in.”

The wolves whined as they stood. Damien watched them nervously, but they didn’t follow as they walked toward the kitchen door.

Lucia was waiting for them with towels and ice. Damien took them from her. Emma almost seemed her old self again as she scooped her little dog up into her arms and covered its face with kisses. Damien couldn’t help smiling and feeling a little sad at what they’d had, and what they’d now lost.

He wouldn’t dwell on it, not tonight. He was exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to rejuvenate. It had been too long since he’d slept, and he knew the pain, the emptiness of his life would catch up with him soon enough.

Probably as soon as he walked out Wolvesrain’s front door.

It looked as if the old Earl of Wolvesrain would get the last laugh after all. He took out his cell and called Nica, and filled her in on the night’s activities. Well, not everything. There were some things she and the Cadre were better off not knowing. For his own safety. The last thing he wanted was to be entombed under St. Yve.

“The night of the Equinox is almost over. Emma has made a truce of sorts with the wolves and with Asmos. I don’t foresee any more problems. At least not this year.”

“How can you be sure?” Nica asked.

“It’s just been a long night. A lot has happened. Asmos came, he left, the party’s over.”

“And your brother?”

“I’m afraid most of his clan had to be terminated.”

“There was no other way?”

“I’m sorry. We did the best we could, but we were terribly outnumbered. I completely understand if this means I will no longer be able to be of service to the Cadre. Or be welcomed at St. Yve. I’ve made my peace with that.” In fact, he was more than at peace with it. If he didn’t lay eyes on St. Yve for another millennium, it would be soon enough.

“You did what you had to do, Damien. There are some of us here who believe that, who believe in you.”

Her words twisted in his gut. “I appreciate that.” And he did, he just wasn’t quite sure he believed it.

“You didn’t mention what had happened to Nicholai,” Nica pressed.

“I can’t be sure. I doubt we got rid of him that easily, but I haven’t been able to sense him anywhere around here.”

“Well, let’s hope he’s gone for good.”

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Damien muttered, and planned on spending a few more weeks in his flat in the village just to be certain Emma was safe.

“And the Curse?”

“I believe we’re good for now. Asmos and his wolves appear to have gone back to whatever demon dimension they hail from. I can’t sense them around either. We’ll just have to wait and see if they come back again next year.”

“Thank you, Damien. For everything. Tell Emma we’ll be sending her father home in a fortnight. He has made a remarkable recovery.”

“I will. She’ll be pleased to hear it.”

Her voice softened. “Take care of yourself, Damien.”

“Always.” He disconnected the line. Only a few more hours left until daylight. He kissed Lucia on the cheek. And Emma, his lips trembling as a slight tremor went through his system. He would miss her sweet smile, and the way she used to look at him with those beautiful, shining cornflower-blue eyes.

But she was no longer interested in making time with monsters. He could read it in the way she stiffened as his lips touched her skin, and the guarded look she gave him.

He turned, and went up the stairs to his room, closed the curtains, and searched for any sign of his brother and the wolves one last time before he moved the armoire into place in front of the window.

All was clear.

It was finally over.

He lay on the bed, closed his eyes and fell instantly to sleep. The last images flitting across his mind were fields of heather swaying beneath a cornflower-blue sky.

24-11-07, 09:44 PM

المشاركة رقم: 29

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الكاتب:	darla
اللقب:	سندريلا ليلاس

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التسجيل:	Aug 2006
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كاتب الموضوع : darla المنتدى : الارشيف

Chapter 18
E mma watched Damien climb the stairs, his shoulders slumped but his head held high. She’d heard his conversation with Nica. Now that Asmos and Damien’s brother were no longer a threat, he would be leaving soon. Maybe even before she woke, and chances were she’d never see him again. He’d disappear back into the darkness from which he’d come and become nothing more than a shadow on her memory.

A blip of happiness in a lonely life. Sadness filled her for what could have been. If only…she turned away.

“Go after him,” Lucia said, softly.

“No,” Emma responded, fighting back the tears. It was better this way.

“You can’t run from love. Just because he’ll be gone, doesn’t mean you’ll stop loving him. That you won’t think about him every day and wonder if perhaps you’d made a mistake. Don’t live your life in regret, Emma. Go talk to him. Be certain before you let him go.”

She knew Lucia was right, but that didn’t make it any easier. Some things were better not faced. And the fact that he was a vampire was a big one. “What about the Curse, Lucia? Weren’t you always warning me against love? Why the sudden change?”

“Because I want you to be happy. You can’t live the rest of your life rambling around this big old house with me. And besides, you heard what Damien said on the phone. Asmos and his wolves are gone for now. Next year, I’ll worry.”

Emma looked around the kitchen. Was Lucia right? Would the two of them still be standing here in another twenty or thirty years talking about this night, talking about what could have been? A shudder moved through her.

How would she feel if she never saw Damien again? Did she still love him, even after what she’d seen? Even though she knew the truth about him? And even if she did, how could they possibly make it work?

“You know,” Lucia said, while pulling a container of butter pecan ice cream out of the freezer. “Sometimes these things get a little messy. There aren’t always easy answers to life’s big questions. Sometimes you just have to follow your heart.” She opened the cabinet and reached for a bowl. “Want some?”

Emma shook her head. “No, thanks.” She thought of what Lucia had said, and tried to listen to her heart, but she just wasn’t sure how she felt any more. She wished Damien were here with them, sharing a bowl of ice cream. Maybe then she’d know whether or not his mere presence could still make her heart skip a beat. Or if he still caused that strange flutter in her stomach when he looked at her, or if he could still make her feel beautiful.

She sighed. “I’m going to bed. I’ll see you in the morning. Maybe by then I’ll know what to do.”

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Lucia said, and smiled as she savored a bite of sweetness.

Emma climbed the stairs to her room, dropped Angel on her bed, then turned toward Damien’s room, her feet feeling like lead as she walked down the hall. Would he want to see her? Did he still care? She knocked softly on the door and, for a second, feared he wouldn’t be in there. That she’d open the door and he’d already be gone, and her chance would be lost.

How would she feel if she never saw him again? Pain constricted her heart at the thought. She raised her hand to knock again when the door swung open. Damien stood before her, hair rumpled, dark shadows under his eyes.

“I’m sorry to bother you.”

He stared at her, no smile, no warmth in his gaze, just the darkness of defeat. An awkward silence hung between them.

“I was afraid you’d leave and I’d never see you again.”

A shadow passed before his eyes, and she knew that was exactly what he’d been planning.

“We need to talk. I need you to promise me that you won’t disappear before we have a chance to work this out, to determine how we really feel for one another.”

“I can’t do that,” he said softly, with no emotion in his eyes or his voice.

Fear clutched her heart. “Damien—”

“Look Emma, I’m tired. I can’t do this right now.”

“Then later?” she asked, her voice rising.

He nodded, and shut the door.

But he hadn’t promised. And as she stood there, she knew there wouldn’t be a later. If she didn’t do something about this, about him now, she’d lose him forever. And forever was just too long a time to live alone, to live without love.

She ran back down the hall to her room, a plan already forming in her mind.

As Emma showered and changed into something soft and slinky, she wondered if she was doing the right thing. Did she really want to take this step? Was she making a mistake falling in love with a vampire? A monster?

She brushed out her long hair, then stopped and looked at her face. Really looked, and this time she saw what Damien saw—a beautiful woman with a few ugly scars. They were a part of her, but they didn’t make up who she was. He had showed her that. He saw past the scars to the woman within. Would a monster do that?

She thought of Nicholai and knew there was no comparison. He was the monster. He was the one who’d given up his soul in his quest for power, not Damien. Nicholai was the one who enjoyed human suffering, who had no more heart and compassion than a psychopath.

She took one last look, assuring herself that this was what she wanted, then crept back down the hall to Damien’s room. Quietly, she cracked the door open. For a moment, as she stepped into the darkness, she feared he’d left. But then she heard his deep rhythmic breathing and knew she wasn’t too late. She still had a chance to prove to him that they belonged together. That together, they could fight anything.

Hadn’t he been the one to tell her that?

She lit the candle on the bedside table, and waited for him to stir. As she watched the light flicker across his handsome face, she knew she didn’t want him to leave. He’d warned her not to fall in love with him, but she’d done it anyway. Now here she was, for better or worse, in love with a vampire.

She shook her head and sat on the side of the bed. She wasn’t even sure what that meant. What did she know about vampires? All she knew was that she couldn’t let him walk out her door without him knowing the truth about how she felt for him. She couldn’t take the chance that he’d leave and she’d never see him again. She couldn’t spend the rest of her life alone at Wolvesrain. Especially not now that she’d had a taste of love. Of happiness. She couldn’t let him leave her, at least not until she’d had a chance to show him how much he meant to her.

Making her decision, she pulled up the covers and slipped into the bed next to him. He stirred gently but didn’t wake, so she kissed him, softly at first, then deeper, brushing her tongue across his lips. They parted slightly and she slipped her tongue into his mouth, tasting him, moving her lips over his.

He moaned and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her and deepening the kiss. She smiled, even as he crushed his lips to hers, and stole her breath. Then his eyes opened and he pulled back, immediately releasing her.

“Emma?”

She smiled, and barely touched her lips to his. “Hello handsome.”

“I thought—”

“I couldn’t wait,” she interrupted and rained kisses down his chin, his neck, gently pulling the skin in the hollow between his neck and collarbone into her mouth. “I know you said we’d talk tomorrow, but I don’t want to talk. And I don’t want to be alone. Not tonight.” She ran her hand down his smooth chest, realizing he was naked. Her smile widened as her thoughts turned wicked.

She loved him. And she was ready to show him how much. Even if he left her in the morning, she wanted her first time to be with someone she loved, with someone she knew loved her back.

“Emma, this isn’t right. We can’t—” He didn’t finish.

She kissed his smooth skin as she inched lower down his body. She pressed the palm of her hand against his heart and felt his heartbeat quicken. “It will be all right,” she said, and ran her tongue lightly across his nipple, pleased when it jerked to attention. “I just want to show you how much you mean to me.”

“Emma,” he said roughly, and grabbed her arms.

She might have been alarmed by the intensity in his eyes, by the harshness of his tone, if she weren’t feeling his long, hard erection through the thin satin of her nightgown. He wanted her, too.

“I’m not letting you leave me without a proper goodbye,” she insisted, and shifted, rubbing herself suggestively across his erection, giving him no possible way to refuse her.

He inhaled a quick breath. “Are you trying to seduce me?”

The hint of incredibility in his tone had her smile widening. “Would that be so bad?”

“But you know the truth about me.” His voice cracked as he said the words, and the pain hidden in the depths of his eyes made her heart ache.

“You’re right. I know how special you are, and what’s more, I know how you make me feel. I love you, Damien. And I want to share that love with you.”

Damien wasn’t sure what to do, how to respond. Every fiber in his being was telling him this was a mistake. It was all happening too fast, and things were quickly spiraling out of control. But with each light touch of her soft fingers and her sweet lips, the fire running through his veins grew hotter and hotter. She was becoming more and more difficult to ignore.

“I don’t think this is such a good idea,” he began, but lost his thought as she continued with her insistent kisses, and delicate touch. She pressed herself against him. Her nipples, hard little buds through the satin of her gown, rubbed erotically against the bare skin of his chest, making him stiffen with each lithe movement.

He moved his hand up and down the sweet curve of her hips, loving the feel of the smooth satin against his skin. Tentatively, he touched her breast with his thumb and forefinger, sliding his fingers down, encircling, teasing. She gasped a breath.

“Emma, you’re very beautiful, very desirable, and I’m sure you can feel how much I want you right now, but this…this really isn’t such a good idea. Not now. Not yet.”

She brought her hand lightly over his as he continued to caress her breast. “You’re right, Damien. I can feel how much you want me,” she said, then she sat up, and to his astonishment, pulled that satin garment up over her head.

Except for her panties, she was naked, and with the glow of the flickering candlelight against her skin, utterly breathtaking. Blood roared through Damien’s ears, and his breath quickened. She lay down next to him, with nothing to stop him from feeling her silky smoothness, or the heat of her desire. She was so beautiful, so perfect.

“It’s okay, Damien. We can just lie here…and talk,” she said, and ran her fingers lightly down his chest, his stomach, stopping just below his bellybutton. His erection jumped at the nearness of her touch. She looked at it and smiled.

He pulled her to him, crushing her tightly against him, her lips to his, her sweet breasts pressing hard against his chest. He kissed her deeply, tasting her innocence, her passion, her yearning.

She moaned slightly, and tried to push herself closer to him. He parted his legs, and she slipped between them, the weight of her pushing against his erection, making it throb with anticipation.

“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice breathy, as they broke from another kiss. He pushed the hair off her face so he could see her eyes, could look into her soul to make certain she knew what she was doing, and that she wouldn’t regret it later.

“More than I’ve ever been sure of anything.”

“I won’t hurt you.”

“I know.”

But did she? Could she be so sure? He had to wonder—did she really trust him? Was she completely free of doubt? Or perhaps she really had no idea what being a vampire really meant, the kind of power he had.

To prove to himself whether or not she really trusted him, he ran his lips in a spring of kisses down the exquisite column of her throat, nipping gently, but being careful, not to break the skin. He’d never hurt her, but he had to know if she really trusted him. After everything that had happened, could she love him without that trust?

Now that he had human blood racing through his system, the transformation was complete. After more than two hundred and fifty years, he was truly a vampire. And he felt it in his blood, the power, the lust. The need for blood. Would he be able to fight that need? Would he be able to stop himself from biting even Emma? The one person he truly loved in this world?

He could have cried out with the horror of it. He could never, would never, hurt her. But how did he really know? Now that he’d drunk the elixir, could he really trust what he might or might not do?

Emma tensed under the ministrations of his tongue, as he moved it steadily back and forth down her neck and over the delicious lines of her collarbone. Was she tensing in fear, or passion?

He knew from the response of the girl tied to the tree how she would respond to his bite. The pure eroticism of his teeth piercing her skin, the metallic taste of blood on his tongue, no matter how slight, would be heaven for them both.

She would reach pinnacles of pleasure never before experienced. The joining of their bodies, physically, mentally, he’d feel what she felt, and it would be magnified a hundredfold for her.

He ran his hand across her full breasts, teasing her tight hard nipples, lightly pinching, pulling. She gasped, then let out a small moan and arched, pushing herself into his hand, squeezing those beautiful, soft thighs together.

And he knew what she was feeling, for he felt it, too. The exquisite pleasure building between her legs, longing for pressure, for him to take the small nub buried within her satin curls and do to it what he was doing to her breasts. But he wouldn’t, not yet.

Instead he took her breast in his mouth, and suckled gently at first, reveling in the feel of her hands tangling in his long hair, in the soft fullness in his mouth.

“Damien, please,” she pleaded. Oh, and he liked the sound of her pleading. But he wouldn’t give her the release she was looking for, not yet.

“I can make you feel things you’ve never felt. I can make you scream for me. Do you want me, Emma?”

“Oh, yes. Yes.”

“Do you trust me?”

“Yes. Yes.”

“Are you sure?” He sat up and looked down into her face, into her beautiful blue eyes laden with desire, and searched for the truth. She grabbed him behind the neck and pulled him down to her. “Yes,” she whispered, and thrust her tongue into his mouth.

Fire ran rampant through his system. He crushed his lips to hers, tasting her, demanding, devouring. She tasted sweet, trusting, innocent. Her innocence was almost overwhelming. He had to do it right, to be careful, or she’d sweep him along with her desire, and they’d both be lost.

Patting, stroking with his palm flat, he slid his hand across her body, moving to her feet and rubbing the soft curves of her calves, running his tongue in the grooves behind her knees and up the insides of her thighs.

She whimpered, little mewling sounds of pleasure, and suddenly he believed what she believed, that he wasn’t a monster. That he was a man who could make her happy, who could love and protect her for a lifetime.

“You mean so much more to me than I can show you physically. I could never touch you gently enough, or make you feel enough passion to describe how I feel,” he said, his voice husky as he spoke the words.

Her body trembled beneath him. He slid both hands up her hips, caressing every inch of her, with his fingers, his tongue, his lips.

Emma couldn’t catch her breath. Her mind went blank as Damien touched her, as he pressed his body against hers. He was long and hard, sliding against her, his need rampant and intoxicating. She squeezed her legs together as overwhelming sensations swamped her body, blocking out all thoughts but the feel of his touch as he stroked her backside, his fingers moving under the edge of her panties.

“Yes,” she breathed, her voice raw. “Take them off.”

His touch was magic; his deft fingers stroked and probed places that had never been touched before. Lost in the arousing sensations, she found herself almost desperate for something she didn’t understand but had to have. His touch, his kiss, him, inside her.

He continued his teasing as he gently opened her legs. Her body tensed, tightening with such need she thought she might explode. She grabbed him closer, shifting until she felt the tip of him moving against her. She wasn’t afraid, in fact, she welcomed it. She wanted it, more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life.

As he nestled between her legs, she spread them wider, then grabbed his buttocks and pulled him to her. In one quick movement, he was where she wanted him. He was hot and hard, the pain was quick and brutal, and then it was gone.

He moved slowly at first, giving her body time to adjust, to expand around him. Like butter cleaved by a hot knife, she melted, surrounding him with her warmth.

She lifted her hips, matching his rhythm, letting the passion build once more. It expanded within her, hot and languid, filling every part of her mind, her body, her soul. As they moved, two bodies joining and becoming one, she was pushed closer to that unknown edge, and he was all she had to hold on to.

She grasped his hands, her fingers intertwining with his, as he moved faster, harder, pushing deeper and deeper. She rocked, canting her hips. Her breath came in quick gasps, unable to stay more than a second in her chest.

“Please,” she begged. Wanting some sort of release from this sweet torment. Needing it to stop, yet not wanting it to at the same time. Wanting the pleasure to go on and on always.

“Damien,” she whispered his name, and the sound of it felt wondrous to her ears. His tongue filled her mouth, and she tasted him, and knew she could not go another day without his taste, his smell, his touch.

“I love you. Please, don’t leave me.” There she’d said it. She’d laid her heart there on her sleeve, and she hoped he would take it.

“I won’t. I promise. I couldn’t.”

She was getting closer, rising higher.

“You mean everything to me,” he said. “You’ve given me back a reason for being. I love you.”

Tears filled her eyes at his words. Then, as she moved closer and closer to that unknown edge, she grabbed his arms, tilted her head back and screamed. And just before she plummeted over, she heard something, softly at first, then louder.

Laughter. And the howling of wolves.

24-11-07, 09:45 PM

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الكاتب:	darla
اللقب:	سندريلا ليلاس

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التسجيل:	Aug 2006
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كاتب الموضوع : darla المنتدى : الارشيف

Chapter 19
T he laughter grew louder and louder in Emma’s mind, and with it came the thick, inky blackness filling her as if she’d slipped into a pool of cold, liquid tar. The sludge moved slowly through her system, leaving a trail of fear in its wake.

In a far-off distance, she could hear Damien’s voice. She reached for him, but couldn’t seem to find him. She opened her mouth to speak, but her tongue was too thick, too heavy to move.

Asmos.

With the name, terror shot through her system. It was the Curse. Asmos had been there, hiding, waiting, for this exact moment. For her realization of true love. Panic slammed into her chest.

“Emma!” As if from a lifetime away, she heard Damien calling her name. She tried to concentrate, to focus on his voice, to fight off the demon trying to control her, but Asmos was too strong.

“Damien…” If only she could see him, maybe then she could believe that he was still there. That he could still save her. But she was lost in a cloud of darkness, buffered from the outside world by a thick haze of rancid smoke that filled her lungs and choked her.

She reached with her mind, as Damien had taught her to do. She pictured heavy steel walls closing in around her, closing out the darkness. She filled the small room around her with warmth. With love. With a bright, white light.

And suddenly, she could breathe. The overwhelming pressure within her dissipated and her panic receded. She didn’t have much time. She had to focus on pushing the demon out. She tried, until tears filled her eyes and ran down her cheeks, but she might as well have been beating her head against the wall.

She turned and sank to the floor, then gasped. She was no longer alone in the stark white room. A woman stood before her draped in a red gossamer gown.

Her heart clenched. “Mummy?” Was it possible that her mother was standing there, clasping her hands in front of her, a sweet, happy smile on her face?

“Hello, Emma.”

Pain and longing shot through her. It was her mother’s voice—the same tone, the same tilt of her head.

Her mother reached a hand toward her. “Let go, Emma. Leave all this behind and come with me. There is no more pain where I am. No loneliness. No emptiness. Come be with me.”

Fresh tears stained Emma’s cheeks. Oh, how she wanted to believe. With all her heart and soul, she wanted to believe that, somehow, her mother was there to take her away from all this, to bring back the joy and happiness of her life before the wolves, before the nightmares.

Emma stood, and her mother took her hands within her own. Emotion filled her, overwhelming her as she felt her mother’s gentle touch.

“Emma!” Damien’s voice reverberated through her mind, bringing her back, and reminding her where she was, and what was happening. She felt something touch her, but it wasn’t her mother. They were no longer touching, and when she looked at her mother, at the perfection in her face, at the love in her eyes, she wished it were true, with all her heart, she wanted it to be true. Please be my mother!

“Focus, Emma,” Damien’s voice echoed through her mind, bringing with it the realization that her mother wasn’t there. It was a ruse to trick her into giving up her soul. Sadness permeated her every fiber as her mother vanished, disappearing along with the bright light and the steel walls.

And she was once again wandering in the dark mist, aware that she wasn’t alone as she heard movement in the shadows. Her fear became almost tangible, almost an entity unto itself, as her anxiety grew into a painful knot deep within her.

She had to fight. She had to be strong. She pictured Damien and his steely blue eyes boring into her. Demanding that she focus. Demanding that she concentrate on the stone. She thought of the crystal, remembering the striations and the movements within. She pictured Asmos trapped within the stone the same way she was trapped within the darkness now. But if it was working, she couldn’t tell. Nothing changed.

Something in the shadows moved. A dark, unspecified shape that solidified and expanded before her. She froze, staring at it in wide-eyed horror, before something broke loose inside her, and she ran.

“Damien!” she screamed, and then he was standing before her. Relief washed over her like a tidal wave and she rushed to him, throwing her arms around him and clinging to his chest.

He stroked her hair and murmured into her ear. “It’s okay. You’re okay. I’m here now. Nothing is going to happen to you. I promised you that, didn’t I?”

She nodded and, smiling, looked up into his face as tears of joy glittered in her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you for coming for me.”

“Focus on my voice, on my touch. I’m here for you.” He smiled down at her. And suddenly, his face stretched, and his teeth, long and distorted, burst out of his gums, dripping blood down their sharp points.

Emma screamed and pushed away from him.

“I won’t hurt you,” he said, garbling something as blood filled his mouth and oozed out the corners.

Kill him, Emma!

Damien walked toward her, and suddenly she had a silver dagger in her hand. Horror-struck, she stared at it. He came closer, reaching.

Kill him! The voice urged.

“No!” Emma dropped the knife, turned and ran, but fell as the pressure within her grew. She doubled over and grabbed her stomach as pain ripped through her gut. Suddenly the walls were back, surrounding her again. Only she hadn’t imagined them. This time they weren’t there to comfort, but to imprison.

She placed her hands against them, moving around the perimeter, searching for an opening. Suddenly, they began to move, closing in around her and the only way out, the only escape, was a small dark hole in the floor.

The space between her and the walls tightened, narrowing, pushing her toward the hole. Emma started to cry as panic overwhelmed her, squeezing her chest, stealing her breath.

“It’s all right, Emma.”

Gulping her tears, Emma turned toward the voice. The walls stopped moving and her mother was back, crouching in front of her, this time dressed in white silk that shimmered in the dim light.

“Stay away from me,” Emma sputtered, trying to gasp a breath.

“If you don’t let go, you’ll be trapped here in the darkness forever. Asmos is in control now. There’s nothing you can do.”

“Damien,” she cried.

“No one can help him now.” Her mother’s tone was soft and soothing, but it didn’t diminish the fear in Emma’s heart. “You’re going to kill him,” she said. “You won’t be able to help yourself, any more than I could help killing Charles.”

Emma closed her eyes against the memories assaulting her. “I saw you. I was there.”

“I know. I’m sorry for that.”

And then the wolves came, one by one they sat by her, the large male laying his head in her lap. She stroked his fur, comforted by his presence, by his warmth. She looked into his brown eyes and saw love, saw compassion. If only she could curl up next to him and go to sleep, then maybe she’d wake up and this nightmare would end.

“We’ve been waiting a long time for you, Emma. We’ve missed you. Come with us and you will never have to be scared and alone again.”

More than anything Emma wanted to believe her. She wanted to let go. She was so tired of fighting. But she couldn’t. She had to hang on just a little longer. For Damien.

Damien lay next to Emma and took a deep breath, feeling the languor of their lovemaking spread through him. He could get used to this, could get used to spending the rest of his life watching over her and taking care of her. He smiled and ran a finger along her jaw.

But she didn’t turn to him. “Emma?” And then he smelled it—the brimstone wafting through the room—and terror gripped his heart. He switched on the bedside lamp next to him and looked down in horror as Emma looked up at him, an evil smile splitting her face.

“Emma!”

Her hand reached for his neck. She grabbed him with her claw-like grip and squeezed, cutting off his airflow. He jerked back, surprised by her strength, by the way her eyes changed, slanting, looking a lot like wolf eyes.

He pulled away from her, backing off the bed, until he heard a low growl from behind him. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. The wolves were surrounding them.

“Lucia!” he yelled, hoping whatever potion the woman had used the last time to scare off the beasts would work once again. Emma lay back on the pillows, staring at him, a wide smile on her face. He eased off the bed, moving slowly and stepped into his pants. He had to get the crystal. He had to draw Asmos out of Emma before she was lost to him forever.

“Lucia!” he yelled again, and was rewarded by the sound of her footsteps running up the stairs. “The wolves are back!” he warned her, then slowly crossed by the snarling beasts to get the duffel bag with the stone.

“Damien, what’s the matter?” Emma asked. She chewed on her nail, pouting at him. “Come back to bed.”

“I’m coming,” he muttered, and grabbed the stone.

“What’s that?” she asked.

“A gift.” He eased past the wolves who were just sitting there, staring at him. Waiting for Emma to kill him, for the bloodshed to begin.

He climbed back up on the bed and sat across from her.

“Come closer, Damien,” she whispered.

“Here, look what I have.” He handed her the crystal.

She smiled and took it. “Pretty.”

He placed his hands over hers and started to concentrate, to pull the impurities from her system, to shake Asmos loose.

“Is it working?” Emma asked, smiling. She pulled her hands out from under his and ran them up his arms, pulling him closer. “Don’t you want to make love to me, Damien?”

He ignored her and focused his energy on the stone, on the evil within her.

Lucia walked into the room and gasped. “What’s happening?” she demanded. Her shrill voice rattled, breaking his concentration. Not that he’d made any progress. “You said he was gone!” Lucia continued. “You said we had nothing to worry about.”

Her words sliced Damien through and through. Yes, he’d been wrong. He’d screwed up. And he only had one chance to make it right.

“I made a mistake. Now can you help me fix it and get rid of these wolves?”

She held up the rag and lit it. A noxious smoke filled the room. Whatever she was burning turned his stomach. Emma hissed and drew back from him. The wolves started to bark and whine. Lucia moved further into the room, swinging her arm back and forth, driving Emma into a fury. She launched herself at him, biting and scratching, trying to tear him apart.

The wolves jumped into the fray and attacked. He fought them off, but suffered multiple scratches and bites before the room filled with smoke and they ran off down the stairs, disappearing somewhere within the house. The rag lay on the carpet and had set fire to the wool fibers.

Lucia lay on the ground next to it, blood seeping from a gash in her head. He couldn’t tell if she was breathing. But worse was Emma, and the red glow in her eyes. He could see nothing left of the woman he loved. She’d become Asmos.

“Emma! Look at me. Focus! Can you hear me?” He grabbed her hands and put them back on the crystal. “Fight him, Emma. Fight!”

She pulled back and stepped off the bed. In desperation Damien grabbed the stone, and alone started the ritual that would pull Asmos out of Emma and into the crystal sphere. He only hoped it wasn’t too late. He couldn’t lose her. She’d become…everything.

He started the meditation process, whispering the Latin incantations, and tried to focus, tried to distance himself from the fear flooding his system. He breathed deeply, counting backward, feeling the energy expand in his chest as he moved into the zone, going to the place he mentally needed to be to pull Asmos to him.

He put all of himself into it, giving everything he had, and he still couldn’t seem to pull it off. The ancient demon was just too big, too powerful. Damien closed his eyes, and entered a deep trance using all his strength, focusing all his energy, knowing he was making himself vulnerable to Emma and any attack she chose to launch.

As he worked, he felt Asmos coming toward him, felt his bulk, his hate. With all his mental strength, Damien wrestled the demon in a tug-of-war for Emma’s soul. And, for a second, Damien could swear he felt Emma’s presence, could swear he could hear her calling to him. It wasn’t too late!

“Emma!” he yelled. “Help me! Focus, Emma. Fight!”

“You’ll never win, Damien. Lick your wounds and leave.” The voice, sounding so much like Emma’s, filled him. And he knew he would never leave. He would stay until the death, fighting for Emma’s soul. No matter what it took, he would not lose her.

“Damien!” He was really there. Emma could feel his presence in the darkness. With her heart and soul, she reached for him, clinging to all she had left—her love for him. She tried to focus as he told her, on his voice, his touch. But she couldn’t find him.

She spun around looking, but saw nothing through the gray mist. Worse, her mother and the wolves were gone. She was alone in the dark among the shadows. As she ran through the maze of corridors, she lost her balance. She tripped, falling, suddenly sliding toward the hole. She screamed, as she careened toward the edge, toward the dark abyss, knowing that if she went over, she would never return.

As if pushed by Asmos himself, she couldn’t stop, and slid right over the edge. At the last second, she reached out and grabbed hold of the lip. She looked down into the darkness, and saw a light beyond the black horizon. The heady scent of earth, of forest reached her, and a cool mist touched her face.

She was so tired of fighting, of trying to hang on. Her arms ached, and as she tried to pull herself up, tried to adjust her weight, she realized that it was time to face the inevitable. Time to do as her mother asked and just let go.

Tears filled her eyes as she loosened her grip. “I’m sorry, Damien.”

Suddenly, she was being pulled back. Yanked out of the hole, out of the dark fog. Nausea turned her stomach, and a cold sheen of sweat covered her skin. But the shadows were receding, the pressure and the overwhelming feelings of fear and hopelessness.

“Damien?” Had he found a way to save her?

A sharp pain pierced her neck. Her head swam, and she felt weak and tired. Then the fear came back, but this time it was different. Asmos was gone, she knew that, and yet, something was wrong. She couldn’t open her eyes.

She couldn’t feel anything.

And she was so tired. Too tired to fight anymore. Too tired to care what was happening. Sleep overcame her, drowning out her last thought, her last hope.

Damien.