Dark Curse Page 0,91

The pad of his thumb slid over her lower lip in a little caress.

Lara's gaze locked with his. Her breath stilled in her lungs. A shiver of excitement whispered down her spine. There was raw hunger in his burning black eyes, a desire that seemed to match the sudden smoldering in the pit of her stomach. Heat spread. Arousal skimmed over her thighs and breasts.

Nicolas bent his dark head toward hers. His lips brushed over hers, feather-light, a question, a demand, a soft entreaty and a firm insistence. She answered, drawing him into the soft haven of her mouth.

I'm so glad you're safe. Her voice was shy.

Nicolas let his lashes fall, blocking out all sensation but the wet, velvet heat of her mouth. He could get lost there, eating her up, drinking her in. Molten lava poured into his veins, thick and hot, fueling every

desire.

He deepened the kiss, took more of a command, pressing her a little to see if she would respond. It was getting more difficult to keep his hands off of her when the demons roared and his body hardened into one unrelenting ache. Everything inside of him knew Lara was the other half of his soul, the keeper of his heart. He feared she would never feel the same.

Her hands came up to curl in his hair, but she was tentative in her response, a little shy, not quite swept away as he wanted. He let it go. This wasn't the time or place, and she wasn't quite ready for that next step with him. He would have to be satisfied that she was reaching for him, even meeting him part way.

His hands were gentle as he allowed them to slip from her face. He loved the sexy, slightly dazed look in her eyes.

"Can you shift again?"

She blinked several times, her small teeth biting into her lower lip. She nodded.

A slow smile softened the hard cut to his mouth. "Follow the image in my mind and hold it. Each time you practice you will become more adept at it. When we get to Vikirnoff's home, it will not take more than a few minutes to make things right."

She knew he meant taking blood from Vikirnoff. He was swaying a little, she noticed, and the lines in his face seemed etched a bit deeper. There was no reprimand she could find in his mind, no looking down on her because she couldn't abide the thought of his taking someone else's blood. She found the genuine acceptance he gave her humbling and maybe a little healing. She breathed a little easier. "Let's go then. I don't want you to have to wait any longer than you already have."

He took a step to his right, holding mist uppermost in his mind and in hers. She felt the change almost immediately. The rush of adrenaline nearly stopped her from shifting, but she pulled back and let go of her physical body. It was much easier to accept the change this time and she was both exhilarated and proud that she managed to shift into mist and streak across the sky with Nicolas. She knew he was holding the image for her, but she didn't care. She'd done the impossible and it felt like a huge milestone to her.

I've learned a lot tonight, Nicolas, thank you.

He brushed her mind with an intimate warmth that poured over her like warm honey. Her heart contracted. He was finding his way inside her, past every barrier she'd erected from childhood. His gentleness was so unexpected when he was such a dangerous, arrogant man. He made her feel as if she were the only important person in his life. He didn't care if Natalya didn't approve of her-she was enough for him just the way she was and his acceptance went a long way toward making her feel much more confident in herself.

The house was built into the mountainside, so artfully arranged it was nearly impossible until one was right up on it to see it. Lara and Nicolas shifted on the rock steps leading to the cool shade of a porch, all built out of the same stone. Lara enjoyed the feel of going into a cave. The front looked like a home, with windows and a door, but made out of the mountain itself. The house itself was well lit with bright hanging lights, marble floors and gleaming polished wood everywhere.

"You have decided to settle here," Nicolas said, looking around the warm room.

"Unlike