Dark Curse Page 0,74

defend herself if necessary; he could feel her mind preparing for trouble.

"Try the cluster of stars up there on the left. My pair would like to have a little one to play with."

"I lost control of my drawing once," she admitted in a low voice.

He felt the bites on his arms and legs as if those sharp teeth were tearing into his flesh all over again. He took her arm and kissed the small, faded scars. "You will not lose control this time, and if you did, I am here to help you."

She held his gaze for a long moment and then turned her attention onto the collection of bright stars forming the outline of what appeared to her to be a dog. She concentrated, drawing with her imagination, choosing the stars for the outline of the body of a young dragon. More slender, smaller and more compact, but with outstretched wings and a long spiked tail. She paid much more attention to detail than Nicolas had and that fascinated him. She had lived her childhood with her aunts imprisoned in the form of a dragon and she had obviously studied them.

Her dragon had rows of sharp teeth, yet kind eyes. The mouth was slightly open and a steady stream of vapor poured into the night sky, creating more stars. The head bobbed and the tail twitched. Lara smiled, but her body remained tense.

"Your dragon is amazing, much more detailed than mine," Nicolas said.

The smaller of his two dragons flapped its wings and bent its wedge-shaped head toward Lara's baby. The two dragons touched noses and the baby tumbled over backward. Lara's soft laughter filled the chamber-and filled his heart. His stomach muscles tightened and his groin pooled with hot blood, going hard and full in a rush of emotion.

"We need something else," Nicolas said. "Let me see what I can do."

He chose a longer, thinner constellation, using the stars to form the figure of a woman wearing leggings and a skirt.

"You're making me." Lara pointed to the head. "Don't forget my hair."

He rubbed his chin along her shoulder, injecting a teasing note into both his voice and his mind. "Have a little patience."

Her returned smile was tentative, but it was there. Nicolas deliberately fashioned the hair awkwardly, giving the two sides different lengths.

Lara nudged him, laughing aloud. "You aren't an artist."

"I am more of a musician. You do the hair."

She chose several bright stars, connecting them so they appeared to be long strands of hair blowing back from a heart-shaped face.

He caught her chin between his fingers and tilted her face this way and that, studying her facial structure. "Your chin is not pointy."

"Maybe not, but the star is right there in perfect alignment."

He waved his hand and another star appeared parallel with the first one.

"That's cheating."

He dropped a kiss on top of her head. "But much more like you. You have that tiny little indentation right there..." He brushed the spot with the pad of his thumb. "... that I absolutely love." He leaned in to graze the corner of her mouth and then that tempting spot with his lips.

Her heart hammered hard in her chest, but he only stretched lazily and slid off the bed to face the forest of trees. He lifted his arms and the music started. First the low beat of a drum, then the soft sound of a guitar. A piano joined in, followed by several wind instruments.

Lara closed her eyes and let herself drift on the music. It was quite beautiful, obviously an original piece. There was more to Nicolas than the aggressive hunter she first thought him. The water flowing out of the wall and into the pool added to the soothing feel of the forest and music. She felt him sink down onto the bed beside her.

"I have to go out for a short while, Lara," Nicolas said. "I must feed." He stroked his hand over her hair. "I would not do this, knowing it may upset you, but you are very weak and I need to bring you to full strength."

She moistened her lips, concentrating on the strains of music, her pulse jumping at what he meant. She knew it was true. She could barely lift her arms. If she was going to find the bodies of her aunts, or at least find the answer to what happened to them, she had to regain her strength. And now there was the puzzle of her father. The child hadn't seen