Bound By Darkness Page 0,87
The ice momentarily melted as she turned to stab him with a blazing gaze. “You truly are the most stubborn vampire.”
Chapter 19
Ariyal pulled his damp hair into a long braid as he stepped out of the upstairs bathroom of the farmhouse. Despite the lack of hot water, the shower had at least washed away the dirt from the caves. Not to mention his more recent activities in the cellar.
Wicked, decadent, extraordinary activities.
A smile curved his lips at the delicious memories of the day spent in the arms of his mate.
The past few hours had been a revelation.
After centuries of being trapped in a harem he would have sworn there was nothing that could shock him when it came to sex.
There wasn’t anything he hadn’t done.
A thousand times.
But being with Jaelyn wasn’t just sex.
It was a connection so intimate that there had been moments when it felt as if they had truly discovered paradise.
Unfortunately, the day had eventually disappeared. Along with their excuse to linger in the cellar.
The wizard still held the child, and now Ariyal had to worry about the leeches that his mate had warned would be gathering for a full-out assault at midnight.
He understood, even applauded, her desire to rescue the child, but he intended to make sure that his people were protected from the approaching vampires.
Entering the bedroom, Ariyal pulled on his jeans and boots before tucking a dagger into a holster attached to his ankle. He was reaching for his sword when he sensed Jaelyn approaching the door.
She’d been oddly adamant when she’d announced she intended to search the house in hopes of finding a shirt for him to wear, muttering something about covering his bare chest. As if she wasn’t strutting around half naked.
Watching as she stepped over the threshold, Ariyal was briefly distracted by her sheer beauty.
From the top of her glossy raven hair that had been pulled in a tight ponytail, to the tips of her bare toes, she was lethal elegance that made his heart race and his knees weak.
And, of course, there were the predictable manly parts that hardened in ready approval.
Lost in his silent appreciation, it took a moment to realize that she was holding up a gaudy yellow Hawaiian shirt with huge pink orchids splashed across the silk fabric.
His smile faded as folded his arms over his chest and scowled at the amusement that shimmered in her indigo eyes.
“Are you kidding me?”
“Hey, it was that or this.” She pulled her other hand from behind her back to reveal a frilly apron with the phrase KISS THE COOK splashed across the bib. “Take your pick.”
He snorted. “You did this on purpose.”
“Do you think I actually want my mate to look like an overgrown orchid?”
His irritation melted like dew beneath the summer sun. “Mate,” he murmured, moving to wrap her slender body in his arms. “I like the sound of that.”
She shivered as his lips found a tender spot just below her ear, but, dropping the offensive shirt and apron, she pressed her hands to his chest.
“So do I, but you’re not going to distract me.”
“You mean distract you with this?” He stroked his lips down her throat. “Or this?” His hands gripped her hips to pull her against his growing erection.
She groaned, but arching back she stabbed him with a warning glare.
“Ariyal, you promised after your shower you would finish our discussion.”
“Discussion? Is that what you call it?”
“I was attempting to get you to listen to my perfectly logical suggestions.”
He nipped the lobe of her ear before grudgingly dropping his arms and stepping back.
He couldn’t afford to be distracted. Not if he intended to win this particular argument.
“They sounded more like orders than suggestions, poppet,” he said dryly.
She folded her arms, her chin tilting to that familiar angle.
“Only because you refuse to be reasonable.”
“I don’t call asking a Sylvermyst to sashay into a herd of waiting vampires reasonable,” he countered. “In fact, I would call it downright suicidal.”
“Sashay?” Her brows lifted. “Really?”
He held her gaze, his expression somber. “Jaelyn, I trust you with my very life, but don’t expect me to extend that trust to your brothers. They’ve been my enemies for a very long time.”
She wasn’t foolish enough to try and convince him that her fellow leeches were prepared to accept him into the family just because they were mated. He was more likely to believe they were plotting the quickest means to dispose of his body.
“You’re a warrior,” she said with a shrug. “You know that there are