Stefan's Salvation(19)

she never stirred from her sleep. It was his own fault for not being more careful with

her, for underestimating the power of his own need.

But he would not lie to her. The time had come for her to learn the entire truth.

Whether or not she was ready to accept it was another thing altogether. But after what

had happened, he owed her nothing less. He was a Dalakis. He would not shirk from

what had to be done and he would not be defeated. Not when success was so close at

hand.

Forcing himself to relax, he stared at the ceiling and allowed the soft rhythm of her

breathing and the beat of her heart to relax him. Several hours passed and Stefan found

peace within himself with Laurel Rose in his embrace.

But time waited for no one and Stefan stirred when he realized that his was running

out. He had to wake her and confront her fears. The dawn was swiftly approaching and

the sun would be up within the hour.



The voice seemed a long way away, but Laurel Rose could hear the urgency in the

tone. Struggling, she tried to wake from the deep sleep that had claimed her. When had

she fallen asleep? Frowning, she tried to remember what had happened. Heat crept up

her cheeks as she remembered the explosive lovemaking between her and Stefan. But

after that, her mind seemed blank.

She was climbing closer to wakefulness with each passing second, but it was

incredibly hard to do so, which surprised her. Usually she woke quickly, fully refreshed

in the morning. Forcing her eyes to open, her frown deepened when she noticed the

darkness still shrouding the room. The only light came from the window as the night

sky began to brighten with the coming of the dawn.

"Is it still night?" Her thoughts were muddled as she tried to push herself up to a

seated position. Her voice was little more than a croak and she lifted her hand to her

neck, wondering why it felt sore. There was a metallic taste in her mouth and her throat

was incredibly dry.

Stefan quickly wrapped his arm around her and half lifted, half slid her until she

was sitting upright with her back propped against the headboard. "Yes. It's less than an

hour until dawn."

His eyes were not on her face, but lower. Looking down, she realized that she was

naked and the sheet had bunched around her waist. Her nipples tightened and

puckered under his gaze and the familiar pulse began low in her belly.

When his hands reached down and gripped the covers, she expected him to pull

them away. Instead, he tugged them up around her and tucked them under her arms.

Reaching over to the bedside table, he flicked on the small brass lamp, its muted

glow illuminating the room. He picked up a glass that sat there and turned back to her.

"Drink this." His voice was brusque but his actions were gentle and she didn't object

when he placed the rim of the glass to her lips.

The orange juice was cold and slid easily down her throat, soothing it. "It's good."

She licked her lips. "Thank you."

His mouth tightened into a thin line and he gave her a curt nod as he returned the

glass to the table. For some unknown reason, her gratitude seemed to anger him.

Totally bewildered, she pushed a few loose strands of hair out of her face and tried to

make sense of the situation.

Her body ached in places she'd never had aches before, but that was to be expected

considering the sexual activity that she and Stefan had engaged in. The pain in her

throat had lessened, but her neck still seemed slightly sore. Absently, her hand stroked

the side of her neck.

The mattress shifted as Stefan rolled off the bed and stood. Her eyes were

immediately drawn to the long line of his spine. His hair hung over his shoulders

almost to his waist. She'd never known a man who had such long hair before. On most

men it might have looked strange, almost effeminate, but no one would ever mistake

Stefan for a woman. He exuded strength and power even when he was at rest. There

was no doubt that this was a man in the prime of his life.

As she watched, he strode to the end of the bed, bent down and snatched up his

jeans. She got a mouthwatering view of his butt when he leaned down. The man had

the tightest ass in the world. Her fingers clutched at the bedcovers as she watched him

haul on his jeans. Disappointment filled her that he didn't turn around one last time

before tugging up the zipper and fastening the button. She would have liked to have

one last peek before he left.

His tension increased as he pulled on his socks and stamped his feet into his boots.

She could feel it in the air, see it in the rigid way he held his shoulders and head. His

shirt was next and he turned to face her as he slipped it on. It was hard to believe she'd

slept against that chest. It looked as hard as steel and was roped with muscles, yet it

had pillowed her head and his skin had felt warm and alive under her hand.

"What's wrong?"

The question seemed to surprise him. He dropped his hands from the buttons of his

shirt, allowing the tails to fall open, framing the broad expanse of his torso. Sighing, he

came around to her side of the bed and sank down onto the mattress. His face could

have been carved from stone, there was so little emotion there. He looked very austere

and almost forbidding as he sat and stared at her. Laurel Rose began to get a sinking

feeling deep in her gut.

Releasing her grip on the covers, she slid one hand down to cover her stomach to

try and settle the churning inside it. She was very much afraid she knew what was

coming next. Swallowing hard, she squared her shoulders and waited for him to deliver

his blow.

He opened his mouth to speak and she forced herself not to look away. Here it

comes. She braced herself for the "It's been fun, but I have to go" speech. It wasn't as if

she expected a man who looked as gorgeous as Stefan to hang around for long. She was

realistic and knew that she wasn't most men's ideal woman by a long shot.

Laurel Rose knew there was nothing exceptional about her looks. The best she

could say about herself was that she was fit, in spite of her bad leg. Her face was, well, it

was okay except for the faded white scar that ran down her right cheek. Surprisingly

enough, Stefan had never seemed to notice her scars, never commented on them. He'd

also seemed to understand her odd ways and accepted her psychic ability.

What surprised her was that she'd ever attracted a man like him in the first place.

And he did seem to be genuinely attracted to her. That in itself had been a gift that

she'd never expected to experience, and for that, she would always be grateful. The sex

they'd shared had been totally beyond anything she could have ever imagined and

she'd never regret it. Neither of them had even mentioned using protection of any kind,

but that didn't bother Laurel Rose. The thought of a dark-haired baby filled her with

joy. She wouldn't mind if he left a part of himself behind.

Stefan sighed and dragged his fingers through his hair. Sitting on the side of the

bed, he twisted around, bending one knee onto the mattress and turning his body so he

was facing her fully. Lifting her hand in his, he brought it to his lips and lightly kissed

each knuckle before lowering it again. But he didn't release it. Instead, his grip

tightened as he spoke the words she'd been expecting. "We have to talk."



Chapter Thirteen



"All right." She kept her voice calm as she tried to tug her hand from his. Finally,

she gave up when it became apparent that he wasn't going to relinquish his hold on

her.

"I am a Dalakis." His voice was a low, sexy rumble that wrapped itself around her.

"We have always been different."

Laurel Rose knew what it felt like to be different. Empathy welled up inside her as

she imagined the challenges he had faced in his life. She knew them well, having had to

deal with them herself. His choice of words, however, struck her as odd. "We?" she

questioned.

He relaxed slightly and one of the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. "I have

two brothers. My parents have been gone a long time, but my brothers and I have

always been close."

It boggled the mind to think of two more men like Stefan running around the

world, wreaking havoc on the female population. "Younger or older?" Her curiosity got

the better of her and even though she knew he'd be leaving her soon, she wanted to

learn everything she could about him.

An actual smile formed on his lips and once again, she was struck by just how

ruggedly handsome he was. "Both older." She could hear the obvious affection in his

voice as he spoke of them. "Cristofor is the eldest and Lucian is the middle son."

She hoped he'd tell her more about his family, but he sighed and shook his head

slowly as if to clear his thoughts before returning to the point. "As I said, we are

different." His green eyes seemed to glow. She knew it had to be a trick of the light, but

it was still unnerving.

"You're different," she prompted when he stopped once again. "I understand that."

"No. You don't understand." All signs of a smile vanished and his face once again

was hard and set. "You have no idea just how different I am." The muscles in his jaw

worked as he seemed to struggle for control.

Laurel Rose didn't know what to do or say, so she just sat patiently and waited. His

fingers tightened around hers. She thought she was ready for anything.

She was wrong.

"I am a vampire." His words, stark and blunt, lay between them. She waited for