The Lasaran (Aldebarian Alliance #1) - Dianne Duvall Page 0,82
fantastic a lover for me to abstain. You’re bound to hear the thunder and feel the tremors, and I don’t want you to be afraid.”
Lisa wasn’t quite sure how to respond. “So everyone knows whenever the two of you make love?”
“Yes. I was pretty dismayed at first, but…” Leah’s eyes acquired a faint golden glow as she sighed dreamily. “Damn, that man is talented in bed.” Then she blinked, and the glow receded. “Anyway. Get some rest. If you need anything—food, something to drink, someone to chat with or to check on Taelon, anything—just poke your head out the door and give a shout.”
Lisa stared at the door after Leah departed. This was not at all what she and Taelon had expected to find here. It almost seemed too good to be true.
Hell, it did seem too good to be true. But exhaustion kept muddling Lisa’s thoughts.
Rolling onto her side, she scooted over and snuggled up against Taelon. She tugged his arm around her, wanting to rest her head on his shoulder instead of one of the cushy pillows. She drew a knee up and draped it across his thighs. Her palm she rested on his chest where she could feel the slow, strong beat of his heart.
Her eyelids drooped as her own breathing slowed.
Then darkness embraced her.
Chapter Fourteen
Taelon sighed. Consciousness beckoned, urged on by a low rumbling and subtle shaking. A loud clap of thunder struck, sounding almost like an explosion. His eyes flew open.
“Wow,” Lisa muttered, burrowing into his side. “She wasn’t kidding.”
They were in bed, but he didn’t recognize the room.
And the bed was shaking.
He gave their surroundings a quick look.
Everything was shaking. Was this an earthquake?
He tightened his hold on Lisa.
Stiffening, she raised her head. “You’re awake.”
He nodded, alarm rattling him as much as the damn bed did. “What’s happening? Where are we?”
Relief blanketed her features as she slid over on top of him and hugged him as tightly as her tummy would allow.
He winced in anticipation of the pain it would cause… then blinked. The pain was gone.
All of it.
Wonder filled him. Pain had been a constant companion for so long that he had forgotten what it felt like to be free of it.
He frowned. Wait. Why was he free of it?
The earthquake intensified, as did the storm outside the windows.
“Lisa? Where are we? What’s happening?”
She sat up, dragging her hands down his chest as she did. Her nose was pink. Her eyes glistened with moisture.
When her fingers rasped across the stubble on his chest, he glanced down.
Shock tore through him, widening his eyes. “What the drek?” His wounds were gone. The ugly incision, the half-assed stitches… Not a trace of either remained.
He stared up at Lisa, seeking answers.
“We found Amiriska,” she said, sniffing back tears. “She goes by Ami now. She’s healthy and happy and not here against her will. You collapsed. Then Seth healed your wounds. Every single one of them, even the tiniest scratch or bruise. He just laid his hands on your chest and your head and the wounds disappeared like magic. And he said the baby is healthy and—”
“Wait.” Tucking his hands under her arms, he lifted her easily and shifted her back a bit onto his thighs so he could sit up. And so her every movement wouldn’t stimulate his already hard cock and distract him further. “We’re…” He combed his fingers through his hair. “Where are we?”
“At David’s house. He’s Seth’s second-in-command. Seth is the leader of the Immortal Guardians.”
Taelon clasped her upper arms. He remembered coming here and climbing the gate, but nothing after that. “You’re okay? They didn’t hurt you?”
She smiled. “I’m fine now that you’re awake. And no, they didn’t hurt me. They’ve actually gone out of their way to be kind to me and to help you.”
He struggled to grasp it. “So Seth is an immortal, not a vampire?”
“Yes. So is Roland. And Marcus. Most of the men and women here are immortals, I think, with a few humans mixed in. Leah is Seth’s wife and has visited me twice while we waited for you to wake up. She’s been explaining it all to me. Apparently Immortal Guardians hunt and kill psychotic vampires to keep them from preying upon humans. Both groups get their speed, strength, and regenerative capabilities from a virus, but it isn’t contagious.”
He shook his head, trying and failing to catch up. “Where’s Riska?”
“She’s here.” Smiling, Lisa raised her voice as the storm intensified. “And she’s well. Really well. Seth and