She rubbed her face against his shoulder, against his thick hair, which was now threaded with gray. His badge of love for her. “You are such a miracle, Dayan, and you persist in thinking it’s me.” She looked at him with a critical eye. “Why are you so pale? You’re never like this.” She touched his face.
“I need to feed,” he said simply. “In a little while I will hunt, but not right now. I want to spend every minute, every second, in your company.”
She lay quietly for a moment, absorbing what he was telling her. “Will I have to do that, Dayan?” She rolled onto her side to look at him. “Because I’m not certain I can. With you it’s different, but I don’t know about anyone else.”
Dayan’s black eyes moved over her face in a kind of dark, brooding study. “I did not think of such a possibility. I do not like the idea much.” He was quiet for a brief time while the rain and wind blew at the walls and windows. “Now that you have brought it up, I do not recall Tempest ever feeding in front of us.”
“Tempest was human,” Corinne said with hope. “She’s Darius’s lifemate.”
“Yes, she was human when she came to us. I do not ever recall seeing her feed.” A slow smile touched his mouth. “Darius would never tolerate her feeding from another male, human or otherwise. I think it is best for us to adopt the same policy. It is entirely possible I have a jealous streak.”
Corinne laughed at him. “You cannot be in my mind and ever be jealous.” She tugged at his hand. “Come on, lazy, let’s go outside again. I want to run.”
His eyebrows shot up. “If you have an overload of energy, I can think of other far more pleasurable things to do besides running. I am being good because you need to rest.”
Corinne laughed softly. “You think I need to rest?” She stretched, lifting her arms to the sky. “You’re the one who stopped, not me. I want to get the hang of being a Carpathian. I want to run, Dayan. For the first time in my life, I can do it. I really want to run. Please, let’s go running.”
“Right now?” He lay back in lazy contentment, linking his fingers behind his neck, watching her closely, drinking in the perfection of her body. He loved the way she moved, loved the joy in her, the naturalness. “There is a storm out there.”
Her laughter filled the room with warmth, filled his heart and soul. “I think there’s a storm in here too. A little storm never hurt anyone.” She bent over to kiss him, her hair sliding over his chest, the silky strands causing him to shiver with anticipation. “Don’t say no. I’m not overdoing it, really, Dayan. I need to run.”
“You are a crazy woman.” He sighed heavily because he knew he was going to run in the storm with her. How could he resist her happiness? It was impossible for him. He wanted to snuggle up with her somewhere safe, but Corinne wanted life. She faced her new world with the same lack of fear she had faced her former life.
Corinne caught his arm and tugged. “Come on, lazybones, or I’m going without you.” She was looking around the room. “What in the world did we do with our clothes?” She was blushing, crimson creeping up her neck to her cheeks so that she looked like she was glowing.
He shifted position, turning onto his side, propping up his head on his hand as he regarded her naked body with glittering, hungry eyes. “I do not think you need clothes, honey,” he observed matter-of-factly, his black gaze dwelling intently on her full breasts.
At once her body began to tingle with heat. “You stop it, Dayan.” She backed away from his reach, but she didn’t attempt to cover herself. She liked him looking at her with that intensely hungry gaze. “You were the one who said we had to stop. Come on.” She turned her back on him and walked slowly, provocatively, to the door, her hips swaying in invitation and her firm bottom beckoning to him. She had beautiful legs and a long, elegant back. She took his breath away.