The Vampires Bride - By Gena Showalter Page 0,121

hint of her delectable fragrance.

A fragrance he planned to surround himself with for the rest of his life. Though he'd blamed her eyes for triggering his nightmares, all this time it had been his eyes that were the faulty ones. He hadn't seen deep enough to the wonderful woman she was.

And, to be honest, he was glad her eyes reminded him of what he'd lost. Glad, because he would never forget how quickly someone he loved could be taken from him. He would not take her for granted again. Besides, those eyes were a part of her and he wanted every part he could get. She was his. His demon, his vampire. His love.

He scanned the area, an area vastly different than he remembered. A village had been built here. Once there had been forest, now there were homes with thatch roofs scattered in every direction. Minotaurs and centaurs worked together in harmony, gardening, pruning, drawing water from wells. Children frolicked and played, laughing in carefree abandon.

Shivawn leaned against the wall, trying to appear inconspicuous. But several females had already gotten a whiff of his nymph scent and were lingering, trying to catch his eye. Lust colored several of their faces, and in turn fury colored several of the men's.

He was a nymph. That was business as usual for him. He was only astonished he hadn't picked up a trail of females on the daylong journey here. Perhaps his scowl had scared them all away.

He'd been forced to self-pleasure what seemed like ten thousand times just to garner enough strength to get here - and for the fight he knew was to come. But he was ready now. He had thoughts of Alyssa in his mind, thoughts that kept him aroused and strong enough. At least, he hoped.

Alyssa rounded the corner of a far stable, kicking stones with the tip of her boot. She wore a long yellow robe, the hood draping her face. He recognized her sensuous stroll, the sweet tilt of her head. More, he knew it was her, sensed it with everything inside him.

His joy, lust and love returned in full measure, stabbing at him fervently. His body shook as he drank her in. Did she think to hide her heritage from the creatures? Most races feared vampires and demons alike. Or had she heard of his arrival and assumed he wouldn't know her if she hid her face?

That was not something he could allow his woman to do.

Her gait never slowed, and she drew closer and closer to him. Was almost within reach...almost...he pushed deeper into the shadows as she stilled, raised her head. The hood fell back and she sniffed the air. Horror blanketed her features, and she stumbled backward.

Unwilling to give her a chance to run, he dove on her, rolling them midair to take the brunt of the fall himself. She was gasping and sputtering, but managed to pull a dagger and hold it to his throat when they finally stilled.

"Stab me if you wish, but know that I'm here because I care for you," he said, holding her tightly to prevent escape.

"You're here for revenge," she spat.

"No. For you."

She pressed the blade deeper and he felt a bead of blood trickle. Around them people watched, no doubt unsure of what to do. "Go about your duties," he called, not removing his focus from Alyssa. Gods, she was lovely. How had he resisted her for so long?

"I won't accept punishment for what I did," she told him. "It was necessary."

Her weight was delicious atop him, but he rolled them over, inserting his legs between hers for better leverage. Her eyes narrowed, and she kept the blade balanced. Thankfully she didn't try and scoot away.

"Why did you come here?" he asked. "To this place?"

"I won't discuss that with you, either. Now get off. I will kill you."

He cupped her chin with one of his hands, tender, gentle. "Sweet, I know who your brothers were. I know you were here that night."

When his words registered, she gasped. Tears sprang into her eyes and she shook her head.

He groaned, hating the pain banked in every hollow of her face. "Do you hate me for killing them?" he asked softly.

Her mouth floundered open and closed. "I should."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"No." She sighed, a troubled sound. "Even then, I understood."

His relief was a palpable force.

"I would have done the same," she admitted. "I didn't know them, was only there to watch them, learn about them. So many

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