Darkness Revealed (Guardians of Eternity #4)(48)

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 br**sts, 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 br**sts. 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.”