Dark Challenge Page 0,45

true, like nothing he had ever heard before.

Desari could not escape him; he felt quite complacent in that regard. Her expression, as she glared down at him, trying to be exasperated with him, could not erase the softness of her dark eyes. She didn't have a mean bone in her body.

Julian simply reached up, caught her waist, and lifted her easily with his extraordinary strength. He shifted his body at the same time, a fluid motion that settled her directly over him. Her long hair brushed his thighs, his hips, dancing over his skin as erotically as the most skilled fingers. When he lowered her gently, his body had already surged to life, hot and hard, eager for the feel of her velvet sheath tightening around him.

Desari gasped as he filled her, driving every thought from her mind but the need of her body to match Julian's insatiable appetite. Her eyes went wide, and Julian reached up to cup her breasts while his golden eyes held hers captive. They were sharing more than their bodies, Desari knew; she was looking into his soul, and he so clearly could see hers. He moved his hips, rocking her gently, telling her more about him than his wild, untamed possession had.

"There is no one more beautiful than you, Desari," he whispered softly, "not in all the world."

Her smile was slow and seductive, the smile of a woman certain of the power she wields. She traced the definition of his muscles, ran her fingers through the mat of golden hair on his chest. Time seemed to stand still as they went on a lazy, sensuous exploration together with mutual silent consent. His hands followed the satin contours of her body, lingering in every intriguing place, memorizing the feel of her.

His hips picked up the pace a little more aggressively, and she could feel the hot, slick passion rising with every stroke. Deliberately she began to ride him, tightening her muscles so that the friction increased, so that hot velvet gripped and teased him. She loved watching his face, the way his amber eyes heated to molten gold, the way his breath became labored, the way passion emphasized his dark sensuality. His hands gripped her waist hard, his teeth clenching, a harsh cry tearing up through his body as she exploded around him, ripple after ripple, taking him with her. They soared together, climbing higher than either would have thought possible in so short a time.

Desari lay over him, safe in the protection of his arms, content to be still, uttering no words to mar their remaining time together. She could hear the branches of the trees brushing against the side of the cabin, see the moon lighting the room with a silvery glow. Dawn was approaching faster than Desari would have liked, but they still had time to be together for a while longer.

The wind blew through the open door into the room, filling the air with tales of the night. All at once Julian's hands on her waist gripped her hard, keeping her motionless. The warning came to her from his mind, a silent urging to quickly clothe herself, while he rolled off the bed, coming to his feet in one fluid motion. Everything about him suggested menace. He made a motion with one hand, instantly providing his muscular body with civilized trappings.

You stay put, he ordered without looking at her, already moving out of the cabin and down the steps, determined to meet any intruder as far from Desari as he could safely get. He had been an arrogant idiot to take her from the protection of her family unit when she was hunted. The darkness in him provided an even brighter beacon for the undead, for his sworn enemy. Whatever was out there, stalking them in the night, was close. He felt it, sensed it, although he could not identify the threat.

He inhaled sharply, studied the sky, the woods, the very ground itself. He looked every inch of what he was, a dangerous predator.

Dam, if an attack comes, call to your brother to meet you, and go to him immediately.

Desari had no intention of doing any such thing. If anything threatened them, she was not going to run like a rabbit and leave him to face an attack alone.

What is it?

she asked.

Desari's soft tones eased some of the tension in Julian.

What do you feel?

He demanded her answer, his demeanor reminiscent of her brother's.

There was a moment of silence while Desari's senses