Jason stood there, grinding his teeth. A part of him didn't care that Alex had escaped. The bastard would probably be found and killed by any number of vicious creatures. But the other part of Jason, the part that acknowledged wars could be lost by a simple mistake such as this, recognized the damage that could be done. Alex could stumble upon Darius, could warn him.
'Jason,' Layel said.
The hairs prickled at the base of his neck, and without looking, he knew the vampire king was directly behind him. Jason slowly turned, hoping his features remained emotionless. 'Yes?'
'Two days. I want Darius and his army destroyed in two days.'
CHAPTER 18
Hours ticked by as Grace thinned the carpet in her tiny living room, pacing back and forth, from one wall to the other. The hallway had fallen silent half an hour ago. Every time she blinked, she pictured Darius sitting just beyond her front door, his eyes closed, expression pensive, his mind thinking of ways to leave her behind. She scowled. Darius might travel home in the morning, but not without her. Whether he approved or not, she was going.
Pushing out a breath, Grace rubbed her temples. Her shoulders slumped dispiritedly. What am I going to do ? Beneath her frustration with Darius hovered a constant fear for Alex, and she knew that was the true catalyst to her riotous emotions. Helplessness ate her because she knew there was nothing she could do but wait and pray Darius was right. That Jason Graves would keep Alex alive because her brother had something he wanted.
The medallion.
She laughed humorlessly. It always came back to that.
If she'd suspected the true value of that damn chain, she would have held on to it tighter. Where the hell was it?
She needed Darius. She needed him to reassure her. She needed him to wrap his arms around her and reaffirm wrongs would be righted and life would continue with promises of pleasure and happiness.
'Darius,' she said in frustration. What was he doing?
The air in front of her thickened and blurred, sparkling with crystallized raindrops. A whisper of heat, a waft of masculine scent, then Darius materialized right before her eyes. His features were taut as his gaze darted left and right. 'What is wrong?'
'I need you,' she said. 'I need you. That's all.'
His visage relaxed, fraying his worry but leaving behind lines of tension.
Their gazes locked. She stood frozen, drinking him in. More than strained, he looked… changed. Different somehow. Sexier than ever before. Scorching. Needy. He sensed her growing desire, perhaps, because his nostrils flared and his eyes lit with fire.
Grace's heart flip-flopped in her chest. Darius didn't resemble the man who accosted her in the cave, a sword raised over his head, death in his gaze. Nor did he resemble the man who had nearly choked the life from Patrick. Right now he reminded her of the man who found delight in colors and chocolate, who had tenderly kissed her lips, savoring her every nuance. He had licked her palms and soothed her bruises.
Oh, God, how she wanted this man.
But guilt swam through her, locking her in place. How could she want him, enjoy him, when Alex was hurt?
'You cannot help your brother right now,' Darius said, as if divining her thoughts. His gaze reached across the space between them, caressing her with quiet strength.
'I know,' she said softly, yearning for him all the more. She tried to absorb his comfort from a distance, but that wasn't what she needed. Only full-body, skin to skin contact would work.
He stretched out his hand. 'Then come here.'
Without another word, Grace launched herself into Darius's arms. He caught her with a humph and banded his arms around her waist, anchoring his hands on her bottom and backing her into a wall. Instantly he smothered her mouth with a kiss. No, not a kiss. A devouring. He worshipped her taste, and she reveled in his, and as their tongues danced, she became a part of him. He became a part of her. She moaned, and her legs tightened around him.
He pulled away. 'I will not stop this time,' he said raggedly.
'Good, because I wasn't going to let you.'
He trapped her earlobe between his teeth and gently tugged. The time had come; the wait was over.
One hand cupping his neck, the other kneading his back, she fit herself against his erection. The contact sizzled. A tremor moved through her, leaving a desperate arousal in its wake. He reclaimed her lips in total possession, branding her very soul.
She was his woman, and he was her man.
His tongue swept inside her mouth, and her desire raced toward the point of no return. No, that wasn't exactly true. She'd reached the point of no return the first moment she saw him.
She quivered with the force of her need, with the intensity of his heat, and the consuming ache to finally know him. All of him.
'Darius,' she whispered.
'Grace,' he whispered back.
This is where he belonged, Darius thought savagely, gazing down at Grace. Right here. With this woman. He'd never felt more alive than he did right now, in her arms. She showed him a world he'd never thought to see again, a world of colors and tastes… and emotion. True emotion. And he exalted in it. In her .
Slowly, seductively, her fingers crawled up his chest. She smiled a feminine smile. He nearly spilled his seed just then. The deepest, most primitive part of him had recognized her the moment she'd stepped through the mist. She was his mate.
His reason for being.
He would wed her, Darius decided in the next instant.
As he continued to watch her, Grace licked one of her fingers and drew a moist heart around his right nipple. Air hissed between his teeth.
By mating with him, Grace would become a citizen of Atlantis. His oath stipulated only that he kill surface dwellers who passed through the mist. If she were Atlantean… gods, yes. He would make her Atlantean.
The relief, the joy, resonated through him like a torrid rain.
He claimed her mouth with more ferocity, growling his need. She responded by weaving her hands in his hair and slanting her lips over his more fully. She rubbed herself against his erection, gasping, taking, giving. Their clothing only added to the friction. His fingers dug into the soft roundness of her buttocks, quickening her rhythm, and their kiss continued, hard and fast, then slow and tender.
'You are so beautiful,' he said brokenly.
'No, I-'
'You are. I burn for you. I flame.'
She melted against him. Into him. Her breasts meshed against his chest, her nipples pearled, waiting. Tasting them became as necessary as breathing. In all of his other couplings, Darius had rushed. He'd been savage, giving the woman pleasure, taking pleasure for himself, but offering nothing more. Never more. There would be no rushing now.
He wanted to savor and give.
'I will take care of you,' he whispered. 'Do you trust me?'
'So much, I ache.'
With her legs still wrapped firmly around him, he sank to his knees and laid her tenderly on the carpet. He gently gripped her chin and forced her to meet his gaze. 'This will not just be a coupling, sweet Grace. I am giving you me. All of me.' He paused and studied her features. 'Do you understand?'
Something he couldn't read leapt into her eyes. Uncertainty? Or excitement? She chewed on her bottom lip, then shook her head.
