Dark Curse Page 0,49

exit. Nicolas stood there, his body still, arms folded across his chest, his jaw tight, mouth cruel, eyes as black as night, burning with some inner fire that threatened to consume her.

Lara halted abruptly a few feet from him, a roaring in her ears and a vice around her heart. Guilt edged her mind, but she refused to accept it. "I want to leave. Get out of my way."

"Where would you go when the sun has already risen?" The question was issued in a mild voice, yet it carried the sting of a lash.

He was furious. She could feel anger radiating off of him, although his expression remained blank and his voice quiet.

She lifted her chin. "I have a room at the inn."

"Which is occupied at the moment. It would be dangerous for you to go there and you are very aware of that. Also, the inn is a great distance away and you would burn in the sunlight. You cannot shift without me and risking your life getting off this mountain is ludicrous when there is no reason for it."

"I want to leave this place."

"We will leave together in the evening when it is safe to do so. For now, I brought food and drink for you."

"I've said I want to leave." Lara's hand fluttered to her neck, her palm shielding the twin marks over her pulse. She could feel his mouth there, his breath warm-no-hot, the brush of his lips, soft and sensuous against her skin.

"You are obviously not thinking clearly, Lara," Nicolas answered. "It is dangerous for you to leave. I cannot allow you to place yourself in harm's way."

"That isn't your choice," Lara snapped. She detested that he sounded rational while she was beginning to sound hysterical. This was madness, yet he stood there, real and solid, preventing her from leaving the cave-just as she'd been prevented as a child. She fought down panic, determined to try to be

reasonable in an unreasonable situation.

"It is not only my choice, and my right, but my duty as your lifemate."

She touched his mind, more because she couldn't help herself than because she wanted to. As before, he was entirely open to her, allowing her to see both predator and man. He was angry at her defiance, certain of being right and unused to anyone questioning his authority. He was a dominant male, centuries on earth, a highly skilled hunter and it was an affront to his pride that his lifemate question not only his ability to protect and care for her, but worry that he might harm her in some way.

He didn't like anyone defying his orders, let alone his woman, and he had no intention of allowing her to leave the cave when he deemed it dangerous. As far as he was concerned, she was slightly hysterical and completely irrational.

Lara forced down panic and took a deep breath. Nowhere in his mind could she see that he was attempting to control her mind. There was some relief in that, although she was fairly certain, unless she could convince him otherwise, that he had no intention of letting her leave.

"I think we don't understand each other. I appreciate you trying to take care of me, but I've been doing that all by myself for some years now. I don't need nor want you telling me what is good for me."

"Obviously that is not the case or we would not be standing here at the entrance to a cave in broad daylight." He glided forward, one step, two, turned slightly and raised his hands.

Lara felt the surge of power, saw his arms lift and knew he was sealing and safeguarding the cave, which meant no one would get in-or out. Panic hit hard and she leapt forward toward the light spilling into the cavern. She caught a glimpse of his face, all sharp edges, beautifully carved, very masculine, the light throwing the details into sharp relief and highlighting the smoldering anger in his burning black eyes.

Alarm shot through her, but it didn't matter, nothing mattered, except getting out of the cave before he sealed the entrance. She ran fast, using a burst of blurring speed, speed she hadn't even known she was capable of. Desperation drove her past Nicolas. He reached out so fast she couldn't actually see him move, snagging her wrist, whipping her around and bringing her body up hard against his.

She struggled instinctively, trying to free herself from his grip, but he was enormously strong, his body