Dark Magic Page 0,45

touched her hair because he couldn't help himself, and he was surprised when she didn't flinch away from him. It pleased him to hear her talk as if she accepted that they would be together in the future. He didn't respond, however, afraid that whatever he said would break their fragile truce.

She reached behind her, found his arm with her palm, and touched him. She felt his pulse jump beneath her fingertips and kept her smile to herself. "So, are you going to explain to me how the vampire was able to use my own mother's voice to draw me out? I am presuming it was a vampire. And how come I felt a compulsion to answer? I am Carpathian; a compulsion shouldn't have worked so quickly or easily on me." She continued to stare out the window.

Flames were licking up the length of his arm from where her hand rested. Savannah had somehow worked out for herself that he believed her safety was in jeopardy. "The vampire is an illusionist, much like yourself. He has practiced mimicking voices for centuries. Now he uses the talent for calling others to him. I recognized the brush of compulsion in the tone, and, of course, your mother would have chosen to use your private channel of communication, not the standard." His voice was emotionless, not in any way condemning her blunder.

She blushed anyway. Why hadn't she caught that? Stupid, stupid mistake. A mistake like that could have gotten her, perhaps both of them, killed. She turned to face him. Gregori's sensual features were carefully impassive. His silver eyes merely reflected back her own image. "I guess I owe you an apology for calling you names. I acted childishly, and I'm sorry."

He blinked. She had surprised him. Savannah felt her heart warm, a funny, melting sensation. "I want you to do something for me. I realize I am not very experienced with vampires, but rather than arbitrarily demanding my obedience, perhaps you could tell me what is going on. I'm going to rely on your judgment, Gregori. I won't try to defy you. I just have this problem with someone telling me what to do. Even as a child I had a hard time with it - don't you remember?" She deliberately referred to her childhood, the one happy bridge they had between them.

His mouth didn't smile, but a hint of warmth crept into the bleakness in his eyes. "I remember. You did your best to do the exact opposite of everything you were told."

Her smile was intriguing. Gregori couldn't stop staring at her mouth.

"You'd think I would have grown out of it by now, but I haven't. Try to work with me on this."

Her enormous blue eyes pleaded with him. He felt as if he was falling into their depths. "Please."

He wrapped a length of her hair around his wrist. "I will try, bйbй, but first comes your safety. Always."

She laughed softly. "Gregori, I know you will never let anything happen to me. It isn't something I worry about."

"It is uppermost in my mind." He sounded very stern.

She tilted her chin at him. "Has it occurred to you that I have been all by myself these last five years and that nothing ever happened to me?"

Gregori smiled then, lending a sensuality to the curve of his mouth. "You have never been truly alone, chйrie, never at any time. When it was too dangerous for me to be near you, I made certain others were close."

Her quick temper flashed in spite of her every resolution not to let it. Her blue eyes scattered sparks. "You had someone watching me?"

There was something about the way the color rose in her cheeks, the flash of her eyes, the lift of her breasts when she was angry, that made him want to keep her that way. "I was not the only one, ma petite.

Your father would never have allowed you to be without protection. You should have known that."

"My own father?" How could she not have known? It would be just like Mikhail. Just like Gregori. Here she thought she had acquired such independence, that she had struck a blow for all Carpathian women, and all the time they were having her watched. "I hired a security company to work my tours," she said, wanting him to recognize that she hadn't been careless about her safety.

"Humans." His tone said it all. "You needed one of us."

"Who? Who did you trust enough, Gregori?" she asked, curious. Trust