Darkness Everlasting (Guardians of Eternity #3)(105)

Lowering his head, he claimed her willing lips in a soft kiss. He didn't possess Dante's flamboyant sense of romance, or Viper's poetic nature. He didn't have the words to tell Darcy just what she meant to him, so he would have to show her.

He deepened his kiss, savoring the taste of her as his hands explored her slender curves. She was so tiny, so terribly fragile, but there was strength in her body as she arched firmly against him and dug her nails into his shoulders.

Careful of his fangs he slipped his tongue between her lips. Darcy gave a low moan as she abruptly began tugging off his shirt so she could run her hands over his chest and down to the waistband of his leather pants. Styx readily pulled back to assist her. Together they managed to get him naked and, with a deep sigh of approval, settled between her legs.

By the gods, there was nothing better than the feel of her warm skin pressed to his own. It was like being shrouded in heated silk. A fantasy for any vampire.

Dipping his head downward, he nuzzled her neck, nipping at her skin as the scent of her blood filled his senses.

With an effort he resisted the urge to slide his fangs into the curve of her neck. He was already hard and aching. The moment he tasted of her blood he would be lost.

Trailing his mouth over the line of her collarbone, he kissed the hollow beneath it before exploring the delicious curve of her breast.

Darcy gave a soft sigh as her fingers tangled in his hair.

"Styx."

"Yes, angel," he breathed, his lips closing over the hard tip of her breast.

"Styx, I want..." Her words broke off as he suckled her with growing insistence. "Wait, I can't think."

"You are not supposed to be thinking," he assured her, turning his attention to her other breast.

"But I want to complete the ceremony."

Styx froze before slowly lifting his head to meet her wide gaze.

"What did you say?"

She reached up to cup his face in her hands. "I want you to be my mate, Styx."

A fierce, near painful joy clenched at his heart, but he sternly kept his expression guarded.

"Do you know what you are saying?"

A sparkle of amusement entered her eyes. "I may look like the traditional ditzy blonde, but I usually understand the words coming out of my mouth."

His brows lowered at her teasing. "Darcy, to mate with me is not like a human marriage. You can't walk away from this. We would be bound for all eternity."

Her gaze remained steady. "Well, I don't know if I have an eternity, my love, but I do know that whatever time I have I want to spend it with you."

His fingers captured her chin as he searched her eyes for the truth of her words.

"This is what you truly want?"

"This is what I truly want."

A smile slowly curved his lips. His mate. For all eternity.

"So be it."

Her smile echoed his. "Tell me what I need to do."

Holding her gaze, Styx reached to lightly trail a linger down the curve of her neck. He could smell the warm blood that ran just beneath her pale skin.

"I must drink," he whispered softly.

He almost feared she might balk. Although she had freely given of her blood, this was more than just a feeding. It was a binding that would tie her to him with no hope of escape.

Besides, it wasn't the sort of romantic ceremony most young girls dreamed of.

But with a readiness that caught him off guard, she pressed his head down to her throat and softly urged him to take what she offered.

Styx gave a soft moan as he slid his fangs into her waiting flesh.

Swift pleasure flared through his body. He was prepared for the sensations. The intimate sharing of blood was always erotic. But he hadn't expected the surge of searing bliss that rolled through him like a thundering wave.

"Darcy."

With a low groan he slid his hand down her body, seeking the heat between her legs. To his relief he found her already wet for him. He needed to be inside her as he took her blood. To complete the binding in the most intimate way possible.

As if sensing his need, Darcy wrapped her legs around his hips and arched in silent invitation. Styx gave a soft hiss as he positioned himself and slid into her with a deep thrust.

A shudder shook his body as her tightness wrapped about him. This was paradise, he realized as his mind clouded with pleasure and his hips moved with a fierce insistence. This was the perfection of a man and woman truly mated.

Struggling against his building climax, Styx slipped his hand between them to stroke the center of her heat. He felt her shiver in pleasure, her nails biting deep into his skin.

He jerked in dark delight as her blood flowed through him. He could sense her heart, her pleasure, her boundless love, her utter commitment to him.

As if they had been seamlessly blended into one being.

And nothing had ever been so wonderful.

Styx heard Darcy's soft gasp and then the tiny ripples of her pleasure clenched around him. His brief moment of control was lost as he surged forward and poured himself into her.

"My mate," he breathed, his head lowering to press his face into the curve of her neck. "My eternal angel. My salvation."

Chapter Twenty-Five

It was a series of low curses that woke Darcy from her deep slumber. With a lazy stretch, she forced her heavy-lids open and discovered herself alone in the bed. Not surprising, she ruefully acknowledged. The past two weeks had taught her that Styx was ruthless in his demands on himself, sleeping only a few hours before returning to his endless duties of Anasso and of course, devoting a great deal of the night to pampering his mate.