dark strands. She looked a little disheveled, her large gray eyes still sleepy, her skin smooth, looking petal soft, her hair tousled. Need slammed into him before he could stop it, ran unchecked through his veins, the slow heat turning to flames.
“Tell me about India. I haven’t been there,” Joie admitted, oblivious to his growing hunger.
Traian drank her in. The sight of her, the scent of her brought him a peace he’d never known. He had risen, appreciating after centuries the richness of his homeland’s soil. He saw beauty in the land around him as if seeing with new eyes—and maybe he was. Colors were vivid, even scents seemed more pleasing. She was in the world. Joie.
“Tell me,” she repeated. “It’s important to me to know what your life has been and the influences on you. You see my family. But tell me of the early days in India.”
He was pleased she wanted to learn about him, but he had other much more pleasing ways to pass the time before the evening’s demands would be on them. He swallowed a small sigh and indulged her.
“India was forest and jungle when I first arrived there. I felt at home very quickly in that environment. I found myself spending quite a bit of time with elephants. Over time my emotions and memories faded, more so with each hunt and kill of the undead and for some reason, when I stayed around the elephants, I could tap into them. For many centuries they were content and peaceful, teaching me an acceptance of life, of the ways of the land shaping the future. They do not fight what they cannot control. Eventually many were harnessed into the service of man, and still, they lived their lives as patiently and as well as they could. Buddhism was very influential and I couldn’t help, at times, to compare the teachings, the quiet acceptance of life, the living in the moment, with the way the elephants lived their lives.”
He spread his hands out. “I have managed to shift into every animal I have come across and fooled the others of the species into believing I belonged, but not the elephants. They accepted my presence among them and as time went on, I believe they looked forward to my company, but they always knew I was not a true elephant. There is something very special about them.”
Joie frowned. “Traian, you’ve been all over the world and had experiences, watched the world change century after century. I have such a different background. How can someone like me hope to keep a man like you from being bored after a few days or weeks in my company?”
“Is that what worries you?” His voice was tender.
“Among a million other things,” she admitted. “Seriously, how could you possibly be happy with someone who has such little experience compared to you living centuries and seeing the world take shape? You’ve been here when there was barely a population and have lived through wars and plagues and things I can’t even imagine.”
Joie pushed strands of hair behind her ear and regarded him thoughtfully. “I was raised to be very independent. I think for myself and I’m a woman of action. Compared to the knowledge you have, I’m a child. Being with you, as tempting as it is to throw myself into your arms and just take whatever you’re offering to me, I’m afraid eventually I would lose who I am. I like making my own decisions, it’s who I am. I need to climb cliffs and find caves no one’s been in. I find satisfaction in my job.”
She thought herself safe sitting there on the bed, her body covered up by the man’s shirt that only managed to make her look sexier than ever. He shook his head. “I cannot believe you are worried you will lose yourself when you are with me. Joie, I want you the way you are, not changed into something else. You are a very intelligent woman. You are a warrior and I respect that, and your need for action. I also know that when you are working with anyone, whether you are climbing or going deep into a cave or protecting someone, if another person has more knowledge than you, your ego would never get into the way. You would listen. I trust you implicitly to do that.”
She pressed her lips together tightly.
“Do you think I will not listen to you? I have no knowledge of the way