Cannot Unite (9 page)

“Uh…daylight. You know. Sun. I hear its
murder to a vampire.”

He smiled. That was more devastating.
Jeannette quickly looked away. At the walls of what could be a
cave. But if it was, it wasn’t large. It didn’t look much larger
than the front of her shop back home.

“I don’t have a problem with daylight,” he
said.

“Well, let’s just toss another bit of
vampire lore…right out the window.”

“What?”

“Vampires are supposed to fry in the sun.
Turn to dust. You know. Wither away. I’ve seen the movies. That’s
what happens. No?”

He dropped the wood from his other arm. She
heard it. She didn’t move from watching his eyes. He didn’t look,
either. It was pure luck nothing bounced onto a bare toe.

“Only the newly turned. Age brings immunity.
And I’m old. Only a bright Mediterranean sun bothers me. And then
I’d just need a hat and dark glasses. Maybe.”

“Figures. So, why stop here?”

“You.”

“Me? I have absolutely no problem with
sunlight. All I might get is a bit tan. And that’s iffy, since it’s
not even summer yet and I’ve been outdoors already this year.”

“Humans are weak. Fragile. They need rest. I
think that comes after fire. And that’s after water.”

“I’m not thirsty. And…we need to talk.”

He licked his lips. There he stood; rock
solid, perfectly crafted male. Wow. Jeannette pulsed against him,
completely surprised at the reaction. And worse. She wanted more.
To an incomprehensible level. Almost like she craved him. Needed
him.

Jeannette had never been fainthearted. She’d
embraced her specialness years ago. In that padded room. She lived
with images and impressions that others scoffed at; dealt with
impossibilities on a daily basis; welcomed oddities. She was
open-minded. Interpreted strangeness. Channeled weirdness. She
probably should have violated Rule Number One earlier. Maybe she’d
have seen KayNan coming into her sphere. Her heart rate sped up
again. He stiffened.

“I’d…better see to the fire.”

He released her, the move dropping her fully
onto cold, clay-like floor. And then he stepped back one step.
Another. Jeannette grabbed at a blanket end before it fell off her.
He didn’t notice. He looked completely occupied with breaking the
limbs into smaller pieces as if they were toothpicks.

“
Kay
Nan.” Jeannette dragged the
first syllable of his name out, using a low tone.

He went completely still. Taut. She watched
as it looked like a shudder ran his frame. And then it passed, as
he efficiently assembled the broken wood into a pile.

“Fire first. Then water. You’ll need water.
You know you will.”

“
Kay
Nan,” Jeannette said it again,
exactly like before. He stilled again. And this time, she could
swear she saw a nerve sticking out one side of his jaw as he looked
down at this kindling.

“And then I’ll hunt you something. To
roast.”

“I’m not hungry, either.”

He dropped to his knees beside his wood
pile, scuffing the material at his knees. The man obviously didn’t
know how to treat a thousand dollar suit. And he’d lost his tie
somewhere in their adventures, for his collar gaped open at least
two buttonholes. He still wore his jacket, fastened at the lowest
button. She watched him fish through his pile for two short
logs.

“KayNan. I don’t need food. Or water. And I
don’t need fire. I need to talk. With you.”

Jeannette watched his fingers tighten on the
logs, and then he moved. He probably rubbed them together, but it
was so rapid, all she saw was a blur, a thin opaque smoke thread,
and then a lot of flame. She yanked the goggles off. Those
film-makers had that right, too. Instant bright light was
debilitating. It took some time to see clearly again. The view was
impressive. KayNan’s every facial feature was imbued with fire
glow. She’d thought him attractive before. She’d been wrong. He was
very handsome. And he was avoiding looking anywhere near her.

“KayNan,” she said again.

“Water.”

He stood. And if she didn’t say something to
stop him, he was probably planning on flying away.

“Something happened to me in that place.
That…prison place.”

“The underbelly of Khanate Palace.”

“What?”

“That place. It was beneath the palace of
the Khan.”

“I…look. KayNan, I need you closer. Okay?
I’ll just spread this nice space blanket out…like this. And we can
sit and watch the fire. And we can talk. Fair?” She’d been
spreading the blanket as she spoke and now went to her knees as she
waited.

At least he’d looked at her, although his
eyes were wide, his expression indecipherable.

“You don’t know what you ask.”

“Probably not. I’m still asking it. Come
here.” She patted the blanket beside her. He stiffened and went
straighter.

“Oh, come on, KayNan. You’re acting a bit
immature now. I only want to talk. And I’d really hate to chase you
down. Now come over here. We need to talk.”

“I don’t think…that’s wise.”

“No lie. It’s probably plenty un-wise.
Besides, there’s no way I’d catch you.”

“Very funny,” he replied.

“Come on, KayNan, you destroyed a hotel
room, jumped from a plane with me and then stuck me in a cave. The
least you can do is give me the time of day.”

“I did not destroy the room. Hunters did.”
He looked at his wrist. “And it is four twelve. In the
morning.”

“What?”

“The time of day.”

She giggled. He stiffened even more.
“Honestly? That’s…uh, cute. I didn’t mean that, though. It’s an
expression.”

“Another one? Why does everything have a
different meaning now?”

“Progress. And what that particular phrase
means is that after everything I’ve been through, the least you can
do is explain. And that means we need to talk.”

“What do you wish to talk about?”

“You’re not going to join me?”

He shook his head. The rest of him trembled
afterward for long moments. The man was eye-catching gorgeous and
radiated virility. And doing strange things to her pulse.

“Fine. We’ll talk across a fire.”

“I am trying not to frighten you.”

Jeannette raised her brows and did her best
to look skeptical. “I’ve got a special gift, KayNan. I’ve seen some
scary stuff. I had to come to terms with it a long time ago. That
means I don’t frighten easily.”

“You’re not frightened of me?”

“Should I be?”

He looked up at her and his eyes no longer
looked green. They looked obsidian black, reflecting red and yellow
hues of the flames. Jeannette’s eyes widened, and then her lips
parted.

“Never. You are my mate. The one. The
only.”

“That’s um…yeah. That’s one of the things I
want to talk about. This mate thing. I mean, it’s not that I’m
totally against the idea, but—”

“A vampire only gets one mate. One. And that
only if we’re lucky. Some of us never are.”

“I get it. Sort of like soul mates?”

“No. Like real mates. There is nothing
sort of
about this.”

“You seriously think I’m your mate?”

“No. I do not think it. I know it.
Everything on me knows it.”

“How?”

“Finding your mate…brings sensation back.
Emotion. Feeling. I touch something and I can actually
feel
it again. My heart even began beating. Everything on
me came to life.”

“Everything?”

It looked like he glanced down at his crotch
and then back up, guiltily. He also looked ruddy with a flush, and
she hadn’t even meant that.

Well…maybe.

“Look KayNan. I’m not saying I’m for or
against this idea. I mean, I’m not buying it wholesale or anything,
but something happened back there…something strange. I can’t
explain it.”

“How could anyone buy an idea?”

“What? Oh. That’s another expression. It
means…screw it. I need an answer to this.”

Jeannette lifted her hands to him, palms
outward. He immediately jerked his head away and stared at
something to her left. That was definitely a nerve in his cheek,
too. The fire highlighted it for her. It also glanced off the cleft
in his chin. The perfect nose. The strands of hair that trailed his
face, having escaped from the queue.

“KayNan.”

“You have…blood on your hands.”

His voice was a growl. It somehow matched
the view. His massive body pulled taut. Poised. All strength and
barely-leashed might. Power.

“Yes I do. I have blood on my hands. I
scraped them. At that Khanate torture chamber place. And they
sting, and now they’re bleeding. And I need to find out why. Why?
I’ve never had physical manifestations of my vision. Never. Ever.
You understand?”

“You have blood. On. Your. Hands.”

He said it again, stabbing the words into
existence with a snarl that lifted his upper lip. And he had fangs
again. Even keeping his face in profile to her, it was obvious. As
was the shuddering that seemed to encompass and overtake him.

“KayNan?”

The name made sound a moment before he
reached her.

Perfection!

Oh…sweet gods! Nothing had ever felt like
this. Nothing. KayNan had her in his arms, breasts smashed against
his chest, arms hooked beneath her jacket to enwrap her, while her
hands weren’t just resting at his upper arms. They were holding to
him. Him! Everything on him focused on experiencing this amazing
reality. He had a mate, he’d actually found her, and right now -
thank the gods - he was physically holding her! Close. Attuned.

It was difficult to ignore the almost
imperceptible tapping of the vein along her throat, tapping with
the same pulse his heart now beat to – the one that had dragged his
into rhythm with it just yesterday. The feeling was intense.
Massive. Awe-inspiring.

He’d never felt such immense emotion.
Ever.

KayNan blinked rapidly against the sting of
tears as he held her, absorbing how it felt, even through their
layers of clothing. His body vibrated with a will of its own, and
took hers along. His senses reeled. Careened. Crashed. He somehow
kept his eyes locked with hers, his gaze from her perfect line of
throat…the place where a bluish vein throbbed with her life fluid.
Calling him. Begging him.

“KayNan? We’re just…talking. Right?”

Talking?

Hell.

And damnation.

If he tried to speak, he’d sob. He almost
did, anyway.

“KayNan?”

Her breath was the utmost joy and gravest
temptation, adding to his agitation. It touched the tip of his
nose, slid along his lips, and then reached his throat where the
collar of his dress shirt gapped. The sensation thrilled, and then
it weakened. Good thing he was already on his knees, for they’d
have buckled. He locked his thigh muscles against any other
weakness, and it actually worked against the tremors. Barely.

He grunted.

“Okay. If we’re not going to talk…um. Are we
going to maybe…kiss?”

Kiss?

The gods be praised!

KayNan had never been kissed. He didn’t know
how to initiate it. He didn’t even know where to start. It was
beyond comprehension that she’d asked. And she must have known all
of that, for she moved first; sliding her hands along his shoulders
to his face, to cup it much like before. Holding him. Steadying
him. Her thumbs grazed his cheeks, and then the slight dusting of
stubble on his upper lip. She followed the line of his lip once.
Again.

With the third caress, her thumb pads
stopped at where his canines created dual bulges. It wasn’t
possible to halt the tremors afflicting him. They radiated outward,
reaching her. Especially as her actions seemed to embolden and
excite her somehow. The heartbeat they shared amped up. Breath
rushed quicker through her parted lips, toying and teasing against
his. But nothing broke their locked gazes. Her eyes weren’t just
deep golden brown. They were limpid pools of brown mystery. Fantasy
depths to be plumbed. Inexorable caverns of secrecy. Realms of
wonder…

She tipped her head slightly as she lifted
his upper lip, displaying his bite. It might terrify her if she
looked. She didn’t. She kept her eyes on his. Rarely even blinking.
Somehow questioning. Welcoming. Beckoning.

And he was going insane.

His skin even felt too tight. The suit added
further irritant. His clothing itched. Restricted. The jacket
encased him like the leather breastplate he’d once worn to his
fights. The shirt stifled and smothered. The trousers pulled and
chafed. Even the cotton/spandex, thigh-length briefs he wore rubbed
and abraded.

And all of that melded into annoyance and
irritation, and something that probably reflected in his eyes, and
should scare the hell out of the goddess in his arms. But it
didn’t. His fangs didn’t seem to frighten her either. She took
graduated moments of time to slide her thumbs down his canines,
simultaneously reaching the razor-sharp tips. Testing. And that was
too much. KayNan reacted, nipping subconsciously and swiftly,
opening twin cuts that immediately welled blood. And at the first
taste, a jolt resembling lightning pierced him. Branding. Searing.
Shocking.

The next moment she moved, her fingers
sliding through the hair at his temples, pulling more hair loose,
and she did it in order to hold him. Position him. And then…

Oh…heaven!

She pulled toward him, matched her lips
against his, and then she kissed him! The movement of her lips
sliced and pulsed and laved, gifting him with absolute paradise. Or
damn near it. There wasn’t any stopping his groans. They fled his
throat without thought, one upon the other, creating a long,
drawn-out symphonic throb. The sound hung in the air before getting
altered, harmonizing somehow with the low-toned series of moans
emanating from her…almost like she purred.