Dark Challenge. Christine Feehan. Dark Series – book 5

Desari tapped a long fingernail against her cheek. “Actually, yes. At least with Darius and Dayan. Barack was always filled with joy until recently. He is quieter now. And there was another, Savon, who turned into someone none of us recognized.”

“If we males do not find our true lifemate, the other half of our souls, the light to our darkness, disappears. We cannot regain our emotions. We are lost.” Julian sighed softly, watching the gathering dismay on her face. “We have two choices. We can walk into the sun and end our barren existence, or we can choose to lose our soul. We can become the undead, vampires preying on the human race for the ultimate rush, the power of the kill. It is the only feeling left to us.”

Desari knew he spoke the truth. Savon had chosen to become vampire. Darius had destroyed many such undead over the centuries. She swallowed hard and looked up at him. “How do people know for certain when they find their lifemate?”

Julian’s smile was like a physical touch, a soft caress. “I have lived centuries without seeing color or feeling emotion. And then I found you. The world is now beautiful again and filled with life, with color, with so much intense emotion I can barely process it. When I look at you my body is alive. My heart is overwhelmed. You are the one.”

“What happens if the woman does not feel it also?”

Desari asked, curious. This was an entirely new concept to her, one she had never considered.

“There is only one true lifemate for each of us. If the male feels it, so does his mate.” His white teeth flashed at her. “Perhaps she might wish to be stubborn and not admit it right away, not wanting her freedom curtailed for all time. Because there are so few of our women, they are guarded carefully from birth and given into the care of their lifemate as soon as they are of age.”

“What do you mean, her freedom is curtailed for all time?” Desari suddenly felt restless. Just watching the easy way his body moved could make her feel hot and achy. She didn’t like the sound of his voice, soft and arrogant, faintly amused when he’d said those words. It sounded as if the woman had no choice in the matter.

He grinned at her, then moved suddenly with astounding speed, fluid and graceful, looming over her when she thought herself safe. “You have no need to worry, Desari. I could do nothing other than see to your happiness.” He held out his hand. “You hunger. I feel your need inside me as if it were my own. There is no need for you to be uncomfortable.”

Her hand was enveloped in his before she could think, an instinctive reaction to the allure of sex that surrounded him. He was drawing her to her feet, his arm circling her small waist before she had a chance to protest. His body was hard and hot, the scent of him filling her mind. When she inhaled, she took him into her lungs so that he rushed through her body like a strong drug. Whatever the chemistry was between them, she could not deny to herself it was hot, inflammatory, and instant.

“I cannot take your blood,” she whispered, afraid if she tasted him she would be lost for all time.

Julian’s white teeth gleamed for an instant above her head; then he bent slowly, almost languidly toward her soft throat. His golden eyes were hot with desire, holding hers for a long moment before his lashes descended and she felt his mouth move against her skin.

Desari’s entire body clenched in reaction. His arms tightened like steel bands around her, yet his hold was oddly protective. His body swelled against hers with need, a raging demand he made no attempt to hide. His lips were firm and soft as they nuzzled her pulse. His teeth nipped gently; his tongue provided a rougher rasping that teased and enticed. “Would you deny me then?” he asked softly, his mouth against her satin skin.

She could deny him nothing. Her body was no longer her own, but his other half. Desari pressed closer, needing to give him whatever it was he needed so desperately. There was no room for thought. She felt his breath, so warm and enticing, his tongue stroking her skin so that heat pooled low within her and she ached for him. She closed her eyes, her arms sliding up to cradle his head. White-hot heat pierced her throat, a pleasure so intense it was almost pain. She heard herself moan, felt his mouth feeding on her, taking the essence of her life into his body, sealing them together in some erotic way she didn’t understand.