Blood Lust - Alexandra Ivy Page 0,17
let me know?”
She shrugged. “I was terrified the Brotherhood would track me down before I could give birth. Then once I had her . . . once I held her in my arms . . .” Myst was forced to halt and clear the lump in her throat. No one would ever know the price she’d paid to protect her precious daughter. “I knew I couldn’t condemn her to sharing my life. As much as it hurt to think of living without her, Molly deserved so much more.”
Chapter Four
Bas ground his teeth, belatedly wishing he’d never started this damned conversation.
Twenty-four hours ago he was quite content to assume Myst was some unfeeling bitch who’d been too self-absorbed with her own life to give a shit about her daughter.
It made it easy to hate her for crashing into his life, turning it upside down, and then disappearing like a whiff of smoke.
Now he was forced to accept that she’d truly been trying to protect Molly. And that he wasn’t going to be able to simply toss her out the door and forget about her.
Shit.
“Did you go back on the run?” he demanded, leashing the urge to pace around the suite like a caged panther.
Trained Sentinels learned to conserve their energy. And since he was slowly coming to the conclusion he was going to have to reach out for allies among people who wanted him dead, he was going to need every ounce of his strength to survive.
“I traveled enough to cover my tracks,” Myst said, unaware of his dark thoughts. “I didn’t want anyone to realize that I did anything but pass through St. Louis on my way to Chicago.”
“And then?” he prompted.
Her fingers absently toyed with the tiny bow that held together the neckline of her dress.
“Then I traveled to Russia.”
Bas studied her with a flare of curiosity. “Why Russia?”
“Because the monastery there has one of the best libraries in the world.”
“True.” He deliberately allowed his gaze to skim over her slight form, lingering on the tempting swell of her breasts. Surely it was a sin against nature to have her shimmering beauty hidden in a dark, musty library? Of course, if he was going to be completely honest, he didn’t actually want to see that beauty anywhere but in his bedroom. Her hair spread like liquid moonlight over his pillow and her bare skin glowing like satin in the firelight . . . Hell. He was going to have blue balls if he didn’t get a grip on his fantasies. “Are you a big reader?”
Easily sensing his X-rated thoughts, Myst straightened her spine and sent him a chiding glare.
“As a matter of fact, I am. The monks were kind enough to train me to become a scribe.”
“Why?”
“After I had Molly I was tired of running.” She wrinkled her nose, her expression unconsciously wistful. “I wanted to see if I could find some clue to the meaning of my vision among the other prophecies. I hoped—” She bit off her words with a sharp shake of her head. “It doesn’t matter.”
Bas was moving before he could halt his impetuous need to touch this female, crouching down so he could grasp her hands in a tight grip.
“What did you hope, cara?”
Her thick fringe of lashes lowered in a futile effort to hide her vulnerable emotions.
“That I could discover how I was going to create such destruction.”
His thumbs pressed against the pulse fluttering beneath the skin of her inner wrists.
“If you knew what the weapon would be, you hoped you could change the future?” he asked in soft tones.
“Or at least minimize the damage,” she admitted. “After I had Molly it was no longer my life I was worried about. If I can’t find a way to stop the vision, then I’ll have to—”
“Last warning, cara,” he growled, his fingers tightening on her hands. “Unless you actually want to be tied to my bed? Because that can be arranged.”
There was no way in hell that he was going to let her even consider the possibility of harming herself.
No. Way. In. Hell.
He heard her breath catch. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Try me.”
The dark eyes flashed with a spirit that helped to ease the coldness that had lodged in the pit of his stomach.
She wasn’t going to give up without a fight.
That’s all he needed to know.
“It’s not your decision, Bas,” she snapped.
“It is now.”
“No. It’s not.” She tried to pull her hands from his grip, only to concede defeat with a muttered curse. Frustrated, she