inevitable.
"How do you feel?" He kept his voice level, burying all emotion.
She shifted in his arms and her nose rubbed the hair on his chest. She'd thrown one
of her legs over his thighs while they'd slept and she shifted it ever so slightly, moving
it closer to his groin. His cock swelled and hardened immediately and he silently cursed
his unruly body. Now was not the time or the place for this, but he had little control
around this woman.
He took a deep breath and realized his mistake immediately as he breathed in her
sweet scent. She squirmed, trying to get comfortable, and he could feel the soft mound
of her breast pushing against his side, the hardened tip poking into him. He wanted to
roll her onto her back, mount her and fuck her slow and soft, then hard and fast,
making her come over and over until she screamed out his name.
Stefan shuddered and clamped his hand over her thigh to keep her leg still. Now
that they were both awake, it was time to talk. He savored the feeling of her body
snuggled close to his, filing away every single detail so that he could take it out and
relive it in the dark nights to come if this was the last moment they shared together.
Tightening his arm around her, he held her close to his beating heart. He was loath to
release her, but he was a Dalakis and a Dalakis did not shirk his duty.
He longed to kiss her, to taste her lips one more time. Instead, he gently lifted her
head off his chest and rolled out of bed in one quick motion. It was easier this way. He
heard the shuffling of covers behind him, sensed her confusion, but he ignored it as he
hauled on his jeans and boots. Snagging his shirt off the trunk at the foot of the bed, he
shrugged it on but didn't bother to button it as he turned toward her.
Laurel Rose sat against the headboard with her knees drawn up to her chest and
her arms wrapped around her legs. Her face was still pale, but she looked much better
than she had the night before. That relieved Stefan. The conversion had been hard on
her. The knot in his gut loosened slightly as he realized that she was on the road to
recovery.
Her fingers clenched the covers tight. "I'm feeling much better." A slight blush
tinged her cheeks as she looked away. "I'm sorry that you had to see me like that."
Stefan raked his hands through his hair as he stared at her incredulously. She was
embarrassed because she'd been sick in front of him. Why wasn't she yelling at him,
demanding explanations? He'd expected her anger and confusion, not embarrassment.
Two strides brought him back to her side and he sat down on the bed next to her.
Cupping her beloved face in his hands, he tipped it up so that she was forced to look at
him. "You have nothing to apologize for. It is my fault that you were ill." His thumbs
brushed her cheeks, and he marveled as always at the softness of her skin. "What do
you remember?"
Laurel Rose shrugged and tried to pull away, but he held her tight, not allowing her
to turn from him. "I remember everything. Or at least, I think I do." Her brows
furrowed and he smoothed out the lines with his thumb. "I remember the kidnapping
and what came after. I remember knowing I was dying and that you brought me back
to life." She paused and took a deep breath. "I'm like you now, aren't I? I have a vague
memory of you telling me that. I was so sick it was hard to concentrate on anything."
"Yes." Stefan would not flinch from the truth. She was his true mate, his woman,
his only love and he would not lie to her to make his life easier or to soothe his own
conscience. "I converted you without your permission. You were dying and I made the
choice for you."
Her hands came up to cover his where they cupped her cheeks. Stefan closed his
eyes against the pain that her simple action caused him. Her goodness shamed him.
Here he was telling her that he'd taken the choice of her life away from her and she was
comforting him. Her touch was unbearable, reminding him of the monster he truly was
to sentence a beautiful soul like hers to the darkness, to tether her life to his for all
eternity.
Stefan pulled away from her and her hands fell back against the mattress. Drawing
a deep breath, he closed his mind to everything but his duty. She was his now and he
would protect her, even from himself if necessary. She needed time and space to think
and to decide how she wanted her life to proceed from this moment forward. He'd
taken one choice from her, and now it was her turn to decide both their fates.
Standing, he stared down at the woman gazing up at him from beneath the mound
of blankets. She was so much smaller than him and incredibly delicate compared to his
massive size and strength. Yet she had never once flinched from him or backed down in
an argument. She possessed a core of steel, a strength of will that constantly amazed
him.
"You will find that your psychic powers and your physical senses have increased.
The only reason you have not been bombarded with the sights and sounds is because
you possess a natural barrier already, one that you've built over the years to protect
yourself. If you practice strengthening it daily, you will be fine. Your sight, your
hearing and your physical strength have all increased. You will be faster and stronger
than you can even imagine." He paused, but she said nothing.
He began to pace the room. He paused in front of her dresser and absently picked
up her hairbrush and traced his fingers over the bristles. His cock flexed and strained
against the front of his jeans as sweet memories bombarded him. Swearing under his
breath, he tossed it down and swung back toward her.
"No one will bother you again. The threat to you and your land is gone." Crossing
his arms over his chest, he glared at her, daring her to argue with him. "I have money.
You will never want for anything." It was his right to take care of her.
"I don't need your money." Her voice was tight with anger as she glared at him, her
dark blue eyes blazing.
He growled, furious at himself for broaching the subject so crudely and at her for
her refusal to allow him to provide for her. "I will teach you the extent of your new
powers, teach you how to survive."
"Don't put yourself out. I can take care of myself." She turned away from him,
pulling the covers closer around her body and staring at the wall.
The pain in his chest was almost overwhelming. It seemed that she didn't need him
for anything. Didn't want him for anything. He had to get out before he made a fool of
himself and fell to his knees, begging her to let him stay in her life.
He strode toward the door. "If you need anything. Anything at all." His voice
threatened to break and he swallowed back the rising emotion. The further away he got
from Laurel Rose, the harder it became for him to breathe. Pausing in the doorway, he
leaned against the frame for support, but he didn't look back. "All you have to do is
think of me and I will be there for you."
Not waiting for an answer, he pounded down the stairs and burst out into the
night. Ripping the clothing from his body, he shifted as he leapt from the back steps. By
the time he landed, the man was gone, replaced by a large, shaggy wolf who tipped
back his head and released his sorrowful cry into the night. And then he ran. Racing
through the woods, he sought some relief from the pain that burned in his soul.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Laurel Rose stared at the wall, unable to believe what she was hearing. Stefan stood
there, his expression unreadable and his eyes colder than she'd ever seen them. He was
blocking his thoughts from her, making it impossible for her to pick up even the
slightest inkling of what he was truly feeling. Shivering, she wrapped the blankets
tighter around her body. He was offering her money. Money! She didn't need money.
She needed him to wrap his arms around her and tell her that he cared for her, that they
would be together forever. Instead, he was offering to teach her how to survive.
She heard herself replying to him. "Don't put yourself out. I can take care of
myself."
She felt cold inside. Cold and dead. She almost wished he'd let her die. But that
wasn't what had happened and Laurel Rose knew she would do what she'd always
done.
She would survive.
His parting words washed over her. Laurel Rose bit her lip to keep from begging
him not to leave. She felt as if her soul was shriveling up inside her. She only prayed
that he left before she broke down totally. Swallowing back her tears, she said nothing,
hoping he'd make a clean break of it and leave quickly.
She would let Stefan go without a scene, without any drama. He'd already given
her so much in their short time together. He'd taught her that she was beautiful and had
shown her that lovemaking could be breathtaking and special between two people who
cared for each other. She didn't doubt that he felt some affection for her. His every
action had shown her that and she trusted her own instincts.
Yes, he'd talked of her being his only love and of her being the only woman for
him, but that was far different than expecting to spend eternity with someone. The man
had come to her rescue and saved her life. She would not ask him for more. If he
wanted to leave, all she could do was make it easy for him to do so.
The pounding of his footsteps were still echoing in the house when the back door
slammed open and he was gone. She could feel the emptiness, the void that now existed