He enveloped her in the towel. She was far too much of a temptation standing there naked, confused, her eyes enormous and water running off her slim body. Pulling her into the shelter of his large frame, he began to dry her. “Doors really are not all that necessary, honey.”
“Evidently locking them wouldn’t do much good,” she pointed out. She tilted her head to study his handsome face. “I’m tired, Lucian. I need to lie down.”
He swept her into his arms. She looked so fragile. One good, strong wind might blow her over. “If you cry anymore, honey, my heart is going to break.” He meant it, too. His heart actually ached for her. There were dark circles under her eyes. Cradling her close to his chest, against the steady beat of his heart, he glided through the house, up the stairs, and back to her bedroom. Very gently he placed her back in bed.
“You will sleep now, Jaxon,” he commanded. His voice made her want to do whatever it was he asked of her. No, commanded of her. That was what it was—a command—and she was so mesmerized by the beauty and purity of his voice, she succumbed to his power.
“Am I right? Is that what you do?” She allowed him to help her into another shirt His fingers once again spread flames everywhere they brushed her skin as he buttoned it for her. Resolutely, he pulled the covers up to her chin.
“Yes, with my voice and my eyes I can easily control others.” He admitted it shamelessly, the same way he did everything else, matter-of-factly, in his soft, gentle tone.
A faint smile lit her large eyes for a moment “You admit it so easily. How many others like you exist out there?”
“Not many anymore. We Carpathians are dying out. Very few of our males can find their lifemates.”
She closed her eyes. “I know I shouldn’t ask. I know I shouldn’t, but I can’t help myself. What is a lifemate?” Her long lashes lifted, and laughter danced warily in the depths of her eyes, despite their shimmer of teardrops.
He ruffled her hair, his fingers combing it into some semblance of control. “You are a lifemate, honey. My lifemate. It has taken nearly two thousand years to find you, and I never dared to believe in such a miracle in all that time.”
She held up a hand, palm out. “I knew better. I knew I wouldn’t want to hear this. Nearly two thousand years, you say? That would make you way old. You’re right—you’re far too old for me.”
His strong white teeth flashed. They were perfectly straight, his mouth sensuous. Everything about him was perfect. She glared at him. “Couldn’t you at least look wrinkled and dusty, with most of your teeth missing?”
Lucian laughed, the sound so beautiful she could feel the whisper of butterfly wings in her stomach. He was incredibly charismatic. She knew she had fallen under his spell. Were her emotions real, or was he suggesting them to her? She had never had these feelings for anyone. It was frightening how strong the emotions he evoked in her were.
“Neither have I felt such before.” He said it starkly. Honestly. The purity of his voice made it impossible for him to be lying. “I have never wanted another woman this way, Jaxon. For me, there is only you.”
“You can’t have me. I live in a world that doesn’t include love. There’s no room for you. Tyler Drake may not be a vampire, but he’s very dangerous. I will not be responsible for any other deaths. I have enough blood on my hands for an entire army.” She wasn’t going to believe in this vampire nonsense, she decided. That was all there was to it. Otherwise, she would have to be committed. God in heaven, maybe she wanted to be committed.
He took her hands in his, turned them this way and that to inspect them carefully. He brought her palms to the warmth of his mouth, then pressed a kiss into the exact center of each hand. “I do not see one drop of blood, honey. You have never been responsible for what Tyler Drake has chosen to do.”