Standing directly before the open elevator doors, Cezar ignored the wind that whipped around him, and braced for Anna’s approach.
“Anna? Anna, can you hear me?” There was no response. Not even a flicker of her dull, unseeing eyes. Not until she lifted her hand and pointed it in his direction. “Anna.” Her name was wrenched from his lips as the blast hit him and he was tossed away from the elevator and into a wall.
Glass shattered and screams filled the air as he struggled back to his feet, indifferent to the deep gashes that marred his skin. Impatiently wiping away the blood that flowed from his forehead and dripped into his eyes, Cezar watched as Anna stepped into the elevator.
“No.” Launching himself forward, he was too late.
Smoothly the elevator doors slid shut, cutting off the violent winds and leaving behind a trail of destruction and an eerie stillness.
There were shouts and screams behind him, but Cezar barely heard them. Nothing mattered but getting to Anna. Reaching the elevator doors, he ignored the buttons and simply punched his fist through the metal. Sticking his fingers into the hole he’d made, he gathered his strength and pulled the elevator doors apart.
There was a piercing screech as the doors reluctantly parted to reveal the empty shaft. Without hesitation, Cezar leaped onto the descending elevator, landing lightly on his feet and instantly reaching to rip open the trap door.
Anna stood in the center of the elevator, never even glancing up. She didn’t need to. The blast of wind knocked Cezar on his ass even as the elevator jerked to a halt and she was stepping out of the compartment.
Dammit, he had to stop her before she reached the streets.
If he didn’t then Viper would.
Dropping through the open trap door, Cezar darted out of the elevator and entered the underground parking garage. He hissed softly as he watched Anna walk through the shadows, her power tossing expensive cars out of her path as if they were no more than twigs.
Dios.
Now he understood the Commission’s belief that this woman was born to be an Oracle. Even untutored, her power was an awesome sight to behold.
Unfortunately, it was also a pain in the ass. At least in this moment.
Cezar was accustomed to his own (not insubstantial) strength enforcing his will. Now he not only had to find some means of halting a woman who could crush him with a thought, but one he couldn’t hurt, no matter what the circumstance.
Perfecto.
Following in her destructive wake, Cezar resisted the urge to physically try to halt her steady retreat. Instead he closed his eyes and concentrated on his psychic skills. She was too strong-willed for enthrallment, but if he could reach her mind then perhaps he could help to break whatever spell held her captive.
Using his senses to keep from stumbling over the rubble left in Anna’s path, Cezar closed his mind to all but thoughts of the woman before him. The fact that he held her blood within him made matters far easier, giving him a bond that went deeper than a mere sexual connection.
Or at least it should have been easier.
As they neared the ramp that would lead to the streets of Chicago, Cezar found his thoughts ramming into a steel wall.
Someone was already in there. Someone who smelled of pomegranates and who was determined to keep him out.
A trickle of panic wormed through his heart. Already he could sense the heavy approach of dawn. If Anna made it to the streets he would be unable to follow her for long. Always presuming that Viper wasn’t already out there waiting with his guards.
He had to get into her mind. And he had to do it now.
Clenching his teeth, Cezar gathered his will. There was no way to do this subtly. He would have to crash through and simply pray that Anna wasn’t hurt.
Focusing once again, he sidestepped subtle and went straight for one swift, brutal thrust.
Pain shot through him as he crashed into the thick barrier, nearly going to his knees as he battled not to be thrust out. For a moment the intruder was laid bare to her senses, revealing her greed, her conceit, and her ugly lust for power. More importantly, she revealed her identity. Morgana le Fay. Then, Anna stumbled as well, falling to her knees and clutching her head in her hands.
Reaching her side, he stretched out his hand to touch her face. The intimate contact strengthened his powers, allowing him to at last breach the power that held her captive, shattering it with enough force to send him sprawling backward and to make Anna cry out in pain.
“Anna?” With a shake of his head to clear the lingering shards of agony, Cezar crawled forward, not trusting his legs to hold him as he gathered a trembling Anna into his arms.
Just for a moment she stiffened in fear, then her beautiful eyes cleared and she gasped in a deep breath of air.
“Cezar?”
“I’m here.” He gently pushed her hair from her face. Her hazel eyes painfully attempted to focus on his face. Then they widened in horror at the cuts that had yet to heal. “Oh God, Cezar.”
“Sssh.” He touched a finger to her lips. “It’s okay.”
“I hurt you.”
He savored the feel of her in his arms, his body trembling with relief. For a moment there he truly feared he might not be capable of breaking Morgana’s hold on this woman.
“Nothing that won’t heal.”
Her hand lifted in a weak motion so her fingers could touch the gash on his forehead.
“I’m sorry, I couldn’t stop it. It was like I was possessed or something. A part of me realized what was going on, but I couldn’t stop myself. I had to…” She broke off with a shake of her head.
“Had to what?” he prompted.
Her brow furrowed as she struggled to remember. “I had to get somewhere. This voice kept calling to me and I had to follow it.”
“Morgana,” he said bleakly.
“Are you certain?”
“I glimpsed into her mind while she held you captive.”
Her tiny body stiffened in his arms. “She possessed me?”
“In a way.”
The air around her began to heat. Whether out of anger or panic was hard to determine.
“Damn her.”
He brushed his lips over her curls. “You’re safe, Anna.”
“Yeah, but for how long?” she demanded, her voice unsteady. “If she can take control of my mind then there’s nothing to stop her from making me go to her whenever she wants.”
It was a thought that Cezar refused to contemplate. He had every intention of putting an end to Morgana before she could strike again.
“I’m here to stop her.”
Regret flared deep in her eyes. “At what price? I could have killed you.”
Cezar shrugged. It was true enough. The woman possessed enough power to destroy just about anything that stood in her path. The knowledge, however, didn’t frighten him.
In fact, it was a relief.
Whatever happened to him, Anna would soon be able to protect herself.
“I’m not so easily put in my grave, as many have learned to their regret,” he said with a wry smile. “Besides, you can learn to keep shields in place so she is incapable of intruding.”
She made a choked noise deep in her throat. “Can I learn to shield in the next five minutes?”
“There will be no attacks for awhile.”
“How can you be so certain?”
His finger absently traced the outline of her lips. “I’m not precisely certain, but I do know that when I broke through to your mind it shattered Morgana’s hold on you, and not in a pleasant way. I could hear her screams before the connection was severed.”
The hazel eyes darkened. “Good. I hope she has a freaking headache from hell.”
Cezar chuckled, his head abruptly lifting as he sensed the rapid approach of vampires.
“No, Viper, it’s over,” he growled, his arms tightening around Anna until she gave a squeak of protest.
Sliding from the shadows, Viper regarded them with open concern. “Is she harmed?”
Anna pushed herself to a sitting position, as if she disliked appearing vulnerable before his brothers.
“Apart from a raging headache and a weird taste of pomegranates in my mouth, I suppose I’m fine,” she said, not giving Cezar time to reply.
Viper’s lips twitched as he turned his dark gaze to Cezar. “And you?”
“I’m fine.”
Surging to his feet, Cezar helped Anna stand, keeping an arm around her waist as he sensed her give a sudden shudder.
“Holy crap,” she breathed, her gaze surveying the tumble of cars, more than one of them destroyed beyond repair. “Did I do that?”
“Si.”
Her already pale skin turned a sickly shade of ash. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
Viper dismissed her apology with a wave of his hand, a hint of respect in his expression as he studied Anna’s delicate body. A vampire was always swift to appreciate power. And even more swift to consider the best means to use that power for their own benefit. “It doesn’t matter. The owners will be compensated. I will speak with them now.”
Viper disappeared as he wrapped himself in shadows, leaving Cezar alone with the trembling Anna.
Unlike the vampires, she didn’t seem to see the glorious wonder of her abilities. In fact, she seemed more terrified by what she had accomplished than she had by Morgana’s hold on her.
For long, silent minutes she simply studied the impressive destruction, her breath coming in shallow gasps.
“This is horrible,” she at last muttered. “I could have killed someone. I could have killed everyone.”
“Anna…”
“I don’t want these powers,” she interrupted, her eyes flashing. “They’re dangerous.”
“Powers are always dangerous.” Ignoring the stiffness of her body, Cezar pulled her close and touched his lips to her temple. “That’s why we must discover some means to control them.”
She shook her head. “Can’t you just make them go away?”
Cezar absorbed her heat, allowing himself to drown in the feel and scent of her. He had come way too close to losing her.
“They’re a part of you. They flow through your blood,” he said softly. “Besides, I wouldn’t take them away even if I could. Those powers might very well save your life.”
“Or take away yours.”
“I’ve told you, I’m very difficult to kill.” Without giving her time to argue, Cezar swept Anna off her feet and cradled her against his chest. “Dawn is coming, I must return to our rooms.”
She frowned, but by some miracle she didn’t struggle against his hold. Actually, she buried herself closer to his chest, as if unwittingly seeking the comfort he was so eager to offer.
“Are you sure Viper will let me stay?” she muttered.
Cezar chuckled as he headed for the nearby stairs. He was still aching from his last elevator ride. “Viper has had his clubs destroyed by rampaging hellhounds, hexed by angry imps, and on one memorable occasion set on fire by one of Levet’s misdirected spells,” he assured her. “You don’t even rate in the top hundred of spectacular mishaps.”
A faint smile touched her lips. “Thank you.”
“There’s one thing though.”
“What’s that?”
He easily moved up the stairwell, Anna so feather-light in his arms she seemed almost ethereal. A strange sensation considering she had just finished trashing a dozen cars.
“I don’t think I have to worry about any of my brothers troubling you while we stay here.”
“Why not?”
He smiled down at her puzzled expression. “You just scared the hell out of them.”
Anna had been certain that she wouldn’t sleep a wink. Not after her stunning imitation of the Incredible Hulk.
It wasn’t every day that a woman had her mind seized by a homicidal fairy and forced to rip her way through a determined vampire and several high-end automobiles. That sort of thing was bound to keep a person walking the floors.
But despite her eventful night (or perhaps because of it) she was barely able to keep her eyes open as Cezar carried her to the elegant apartment, avoiding the shattered mess of the once solid doors, and tenderly tucked her into bed.
The fear and confusion that pounded through her poor, abused brain was no match for the beckoning darkness. Her troubles would be waiting for her when she woke up (damn the luck). It would be nothing short of a blessing to enjoy a few hours of oblivion.
Allowing herself to slip away, Anna fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. A sleep that remained undisturbed for nearly ten hours as her body and mind struggled to recover from the strain of using so much power.
It was at last the sensation of fingers at her neck that brought her out of her coma-like state.
Waking with a sense of confusion, Anna’s first thought was that she was completely naked beneath the heavy ivory comforter. A shocking discovery considering she wasn’t the sort of woman to sleep in the buff even when she was alone. The next thought was that those fingers that had woken her were still tickling the back of her neck.
Slender, cool fingers that she would recognize even if she were dead.
Wrenching open her eyes, she discovered Cezar leaning over her, his chest deliciously bare and his dark hair framing his lean face like a curtain of black satin.
Wow. Wow. Wow.
This was how a woman liked to wake up.
A mouth-watering, drop-dead gorgeous, gloriously naked vampire hovering over her with a heart-stopping smile and wickedness in his dark eyes.
His hands smoothed down her chest and she glanced down to realize that he had placed his signet ring on a gold chain and clasped it around her neck. The gesture was not lost on Anna despite her ignorance of the demon world.
This ring was obviously more than just a piece of jewelry. It held an importance to him, and more importantly, it revealed a level of trust she was not entirely certain she deserved.
“How do you feel?” he demanded, his voice deep and gravelly, as if he’d just awakened.
Her sluggish blood started zinging through her body as those clever fingers drifted over the curve of her breasts, his touch light, but skilled enough to make her entire body tingle with excitement.
“The way your hands are wandering I think you could answer that question better than I can,” she said, her voice already thickening with desire.
His fangs lengthened as he lowered his head and buried his face in her neck. “You feel spectacular. So delicate and yet curved in all the right places.” He pressed close enough to her body to reveal it wasn’t just his bloodlust that was aroused. The thick hardness of his erection brushed against her hip as he nibbled the sensitive skin at the base of her throat, his fingers finding the tips of her breasts. He chuckled at her soft gasp of pleasure. “And warm. So deliciously warm.”
Her lashes fluttered downward as her breath rasped loudly through the air. His tongue was teasing the racing pulse at the base of her neck, his leg shifting to part hers with an unmistakable intent. All too soon she would be beyond thought. At least any thought that was rational.
“Cezar?”
“Mmmm?” He nipped lightly at her skin, one hand skimming down her quivering stomach.
“Shouldn’t we be worried about Morgana?”
He planted a path of searing kisses down her collarbone. “There’s nothing we can do about Morgana right this moment except try to forget about her.”
Her hips arched off the bed as his fingers slid between her legs and found the moist readiness awaiting him.
“And I suppose you have a plan to accomplish that?” she panted.
“I have my ways,” he murmured before his mouth closed around a straining nipple. Anna’s hands lifted to grasp his shoulders, an explosion of pleasure rocking through her body. She had encountered hundreds, even thousands, of men over the years, and yet not one of them had managed to stir her interest. Certainly none of them had made her long for their touch. She groaned softly, sucking in a deep breath as his fingers slid deep inside her. Cezar lightly scraped his fangs over the sensitive skin of her breast. “Dios. I have never desired a woman as I desire you.”
“Never?” She forced her lashes to lift, meeting his smoldering black gaze. Despite the heat pounding through her body, she wasn’t so far gone as to believe complete nonsense. After all, she was hardly the sort of experienced woman he was accustomed to enjoying. “You’ll forgive me if I find that hard to believe.”
His expression became unexpectedly harsh. “It’s the truth, Anna. Since I first touched you…”
“What?” she prompted as his words trailed away.
There was a tense silence before he gave an abrupt shake of his head.
“There’s been no other woman.”
Anna gave a tiny jerk, her hands shifting to frame his beautiful face.
“What did you say?”
The dark eyes flashed with an unreadable emotion. “I haven’t been intimate with a woman for two centuries. Not until last night.”
This potent, sexual creature remaining celibate for two centuries? Not freaking likely.
“Is this a joke?” she demanded.
His lips twisted. “No man, demon or otherwise, would ever joke about something like that.”
“But…why?”
The long tangle of his lashes lowered to hide his eyes. “I wanted to blame the Oracles, but now I’m afraid the answer is not nearly so convenient.”
Anna frowned. “Is that supposed to make sense?”
He gave a shake of his head, his lashes lifting to reveal a simmering intent in the dark eyes.
“Maybe this will.”
Swooping his head downward, he claimed her lips in a fierce, relentless kiss. She moaned as his tongue slipped into her mouth, his finger moving between her legs in a steady rhythm.
Her body was swiftly melting beneath the hungry onslaught, but her mind was still reeling from his astonishing confession.
Turning her head from his marauding lips, she tried to catch her breath, succeeding only in filling her senses with Cezar’s spicy, erotic scent.
“Cezar?” He ignored her as he nuzzled her cheek, the curve of her ear, and down the line of her throat. Anna shivered in ecstasy. “Cezar, are you trying to distract me?”
He teased her nipple with the tip of his tongue, his thumb finding that tiny nub of pleasure between her legs.
“Am I succeeding?”
“Oh,” she moaned, her legs parting as her heels dug into the mattress. Holy crap, he was more than succeeding. He was a few strokes away from a complete, total victory.
He gave her nipple a last lick before trailing a line of heart-stopping kisses down her stomach, pausing to tease her belly button.
“How about this?” he husked.
She twisted her head on the pillow, no longer able to recall what had been so important. In this moment all that mattered was the molten heat that was pooling in the pit of her stomach.
His lips continued downward, nipping gently at her hip and then stroking a blazing path to her inner thigh. Anna’s eyes glazed over and her entire body trembled with anticipation.
“Cezar.”
Slowly he angled his head so he could meet her gaze, his eyes glowing like polished ebony.
“Don’t ever doubt how much I want you, Anna Randal. You are a part of me.”
As the soft words left his mouth his fangs struck, sliding smoothly through her skin into the vein that ran through her inner thigh.
Anna gasped, her hands tangling in the sheets as she felt his first tugs. Oh…God. A thundering wave of pleasure crashed through her, ravaging her senses and clenching her body with a climax that tore a scream from her lips.
It happened so fast that her head was still spinning when she felt Cezar shift over her and with one stroke he was deep inside her. Instinctively her hands lifted to clutch at his shoulders, her lips parting to accept his devouring kiss.
The tiny tremors were still wracking her body as he rocked his hips with a slow, steady rhythm, his smooth chest rubbing over her tender breasts. Impossibly, she felt her hunger stirring again as she arched her back to meet his devastating thrusts.
Then again, maybe it wasn’t such a surprise.
She’d waited two centuries for another taste of passion. What woman wouldn’t be a little greedy now that she had this glorious vampire back in her bed?
Allowing her thoughts to drift away, Anna gave in to pure sensation, the feel of him moving inside her, the scent of his skin, the lingering taste of his lips on hers. She groaned in bliss, her gaze locked on the beautiful warrior’s face poised above her.
It was worth the wait.