Lucian found himself laughing aloud. The sound startled him. He couldn’t remember laughter. It felt good. He placed a palm on the bathroom door. He had endured nearly two thousand years of emptiness, of darkness and violence. No emotions. Nothing. His own people, those he had protected, had been so afraid of his power and skill that they whispered his name and hid when he passed through the land. Yet one small human woman had worked a miracle and brought laughter into his life.
He had no qualms about what he was. A killing machine designed to protect Carpathians and humans alike from evil. He was more than good at his role. He destroyed easily without anger or remorse.
But Jaxon Montgomery was the most beautiful thing he had ever encountered. She was his, and he would never give her up. But was she changing him? His palm caressed the door behind which she bathed, his heart turning over strangely, unexpectedly.
The hot water warmed Jaxon’s insides but stung her healing wounds. She frowned down at the evidence of the recent shoot-out at the warehouse. She should have died from those grave wounds. And all her misery finally would have been over. She drew up her knees and rested her head on top of them. Now her burden of responsibility was worse than ever. She would have to protect the world not only from human criminals but from the things of nightmares. She couldn’t do it. Not anymore. She just couldn’t be in this world anymore and be so completely alone. The mere thought of it left her raw and aching.
You will never be alone again, honey. The voice, so soft and beautiful, was filled with compassion.
Jaxon made every effort to rally. “I told you not to talk to me.”
I am thinking, not talking. The tenderness mixed with amusement in his voice made her heart turn over, made her feel all the more vulnerable.
“Well, don’t think either.” She ran a hand through her wet hair. This kind of thing just didn’t happen to normal people. Why did she attract such weird things?
I am not a thing.
“I can’t hear you.” She was smiling in spite of herself. There was something almost endearing about him, if such a frightening creature could be called endearing. Her eyes suddenly widened. He had known she was out there. The entire time. He had known she was on that balcony.
“You did, didn’t you?” She whispered it, but she knew he would hear her. If she could hear him in her head, he could hear her whisper.
Yes.
“And you can erase all this from my mind.” It made sense. How else could someone like Lucian remain hidden from the world? “Why did you let me see that hideous thing? I’ll never get that image out of my head.”
You would not want me to erase your knowledge. Not of anything. I know you would not. The temptation is there, naturally, but you would not wish such a thing, and I have too much respect for you to make the decision for you.
She rubbed her aching forehead. He was right. It was a temptation to forget the horrors she had seen. She wanted to scream at him that no one could assimilate such knowledge. But he was right. She would hate for him to make such a decision for her, and she would never choose ignorance. But what did this new knowledge mean to her future? What could it mean?
For no apparent reason, Jaxon started to cry. Once the tears started, she could not control them. Great sobs welled up, shaking her with their intensity. She never cried. Never! Jaxon deliberately went under the water, hoping to wash away the tears. It would be humiliating to have Lucian catch her crying. At once came the knowledge that he had to be aware; he was there in her mind, a shadow monitoring her most private thoughts and memories. She came up so fast, she hit her head on a faucet. Yelping, Jaxon stood up in the enormous tub, water running off her body.
Lucian materialized directly in front of her, his black eyes anxious as he reached for a large bath towel. Jaxon gasped audibly. “My God, you just appeared out of nowhere! You didn’t even come through the door!”