Taken By Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #7.25)(14)

“My hunger remains insatiable, but it is no longer varied,” he confessed. “I desire no woman but you.”

“For the moment.”

He pulled back to capture her wary gaze. “Since I first caught sight of you.”

“Are you implying…?” She sharply shook her head. “No, it is impossible.”

“I can be deceitful when the occasion demands, but I will never lie to you, little one,” he swore. “That you can depend on.”

Chapter Four

Juliet’s heart forgot to beat as she gazed into the silver eyes, mesmerized by the promise that shimmered in the beautiful depths.

Was it possible?

Could he truly have forsaken women since meeting her?

And if he had, why would he?

He had to have a potent reason to deny himself. It was, after all, unheard of for a vampire to go even a few nights without sating his sexual appetite.

So why…

It was the yearning ache deep inside her that abruptly shocked her out of her inane thoughts.

Good lord, she had known for two years that she lusted after Victor. Hardly a shocking realization. What female in London did not desire the handsome beast?

But to long for something he could never, ever offer her was utter madness.

“This is hardly the time or place for such a discussion,” she forced herself to say, spinning out of his hold and heading toward the far tunnel before he could guess her intent.

“Juliet. Damn.” There was a stir of cold air before Victor was grasping her arm to bring her to an abrupt halt. “Where do you think you are going?”

“To see if we can help the humans.” She squared her shoulders. “And then to find Levet.”

“Do not be a fool.”

“Fine. You remain here. I will go.”

“Absolutely not.”

She steadily met his smoldering silver gaze. “We have already been through this, my lord. You are not my keeper. In truth, you have no right to tell me what I can or cannot do.”

His jaw tightened with frustration. “You have always possessed an independent spirit, but you have never willfully courted danger. Why are you being so stubborn?”

Her gaze dropped to where his slender fingers wrapped around her wrist, genuinely considering his question.

“Because I am weary of allowing my fears to isolate me from the world,” she at last confessed.

“You are hardly isolated.”

“Perhaps not physically, but I have avoided becoming emotionally involved.” Her voice was soft, edged with regret. “I told myself that it would be illogical to become attached to others when I would eventually be forced to leave them behind. Spending time with Levet has made me realize I was simply being a coward.”

He gave a short, humorless laugh. “You have readily defied the most dangerous demon in the entire British Empire. You consider that the behavior of a coward?”

“More like the behavior of a lunatic,” she muttered, lifting her head to meet his glare. “But I was referring to my habit of avoiding relationships out of a fainthearted fear of experiencing the same pain I endured when I lost my parents. It has kept me in a prison of my own making.”

“I would be the first to applaud your desire to share your life, so long as it is with me, but what does this newfound need have to do with recklessly endangering yourself?”

She shrugged, ignoring his frigid displeasure. Stupid, of course. Only a fool would willingly cross swords with a vampire.

But over the past months she had been plagued with a growingly restless need to break free of the fear that had held her captive for far too long.

“Truly being a part of the world means taking risks, as my mother taught me. Whether it is with your heart or with your life.” She sent him a challenging frown. “Do not try to convince me that you would not do whatever necessary to rescue a vampire who had been kidnapped.”

“It is my duty as clan chief.”

“Well, this is my duty as a…”

“Yes?”

She yanked her arm from his grasp. “As a mongrel, I suppose.”

His brows snapped together at her brittle tone, but before he could continue his lecture, she was moving down the tunnel, refusing to halt until she reached the heavy metal door that blocked the passage.

She pressed a hand to the wall of the tunnel, knowing better than to actually touch the door until she was certain there were no nasty surprises. Her brow pleated with concentration. Unlike full-blooded demons, she did not possess finely tuned senses that allowed her to easily determine every nuance of her surroundings.

Which only meant she had to work harder, she grimly told herself.

Ignoring the annoyed vampire hovering protectively at her shoulder, Juliet pushed out with her senses, nearly going to her knees at the staggering odor of unwashed bodies and barely leashed panic.

Her every instinct urged her to turn around and flee, just as it had all those years ago when she had been in the bowels of the slave ship. Hardly unexpected. No creature with the least amount of sense would be eager to confront whatever was behind the door.

But now, as then, she called on the thought of her parents. Her fierce, fearless mother who defied her own coven to be with the imp she loved. Her impulsive, charming father with his ready laugh and open delight in his only child.

They believed in her, never allowing her to accept she was less because she was a mere mongrel.