Once Forbidden (10 page)

Sarah
closed her eyes and concentrated. She certainly didn’t want to be in this dark
room! “Devlin,” she said loudly. “I want to be with Devlin.”

“That’s
my girl,” he said approvingly with a chuckle.

Sarah
opened her eyes wide when she heard his voice. “I did it!”

“Yes,
you did it.” He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. “You scared
me, love. I’m still going to spank you for it.” He tightened his hug and kissed
the top of her hair.

Sarah
snuggled against him. “I was terrified, Devlin. I didn’t know where I was.”

“I
know, love. I think you were probably in Australia. I’m not sure though.”

Sarah
shook her head against his shoulder. “No, I’d have recognized those accents. I
don’t know where I was—but they weren’t speaking English!”

“It’s
okay. You found your way back.”

Sarah
looked up at him. “Did you find out who attacked me?”

His
eyes darkened. “No. But it had to be one of the Elders. Nothing else makes
sense.”

“You’re
right, Devlin.”

Devlin’s
head snapped up, and he put Sarah behind him. “Carina.”

Chapter Thirteen

“So
it was you,” Devlin said flatly. He glared at the woman he’d called friend for
a hundred years. The betrayal was painful in its intensity, but the rage was
worse. “Why?”

Carina
looked at him. “You need to go, Devlin, so I can finish this.”

Now
he was confused. “What? What the hell are you talking about?” he demanded
angrily. “I’m not leaving Sarah here with you!”

Carina
shook her head impatiently and took a step toward him before stopping herself. “You
fool!” she snapped. “Do you really believe that if I could hurt you?”

Devlin
felt Sarah tense behind him.
“Don’t move,”
he warned her silently.

“What
are you doing here, Carina?” he said carefully. Was that pain he saw in her
dark eyes? He didn’t understand. Had he been wrong about her? If she wasn’t
here to do Sarah harm then—“Giles? Or one of the other Elders?”

Carina
sat down on the large chair next to the wall and crossed her legs elegantly at
the ankles. “Just protect your woman, Devlin. I will take care of the traitor
in our midst.”

Devlin
shook his head. He pulled Sarah from behind him. “Sarah, this is Carina. She is
one of the Elders.”

Sarah
looked at the beautiful woman. “Hello.”

Carina
smiled. “I see why he is so taken with you. You’re quite beautiful.”

Sarah
returned the smile. “Thank you.”

Devlin
held Sarah’s hand and squeezed it gently. “Carina is the vampire who changed
me, Sarah. She saved my life more than a hundred years ago.”

Carina
inclined her head. “As I recall, you weren’t thankful at the time.”

Devlin
smiled a little sadly. “Not at the time, no. Now, though, I am.”

“So
it would seem.”

Sarah
watched the interaction between the two. She couldn’t compete with this
woman—with this history. “Devlin?”

He
turned his attention to her and smiled. “Yes, love?”

“Would
you like some time alone with your friend?”

Carina
smiled. “There is no need to be jealous, Sarah. I’m no threat to you. Devlin
and I are friends, nothing more.”

Sarah
flushed. “I just wanted to give you privacy.” Sarah didn’t like these feelings
of jealousy she was feeling at all. They were totally alien to her. “I’ll go in
the other room,” she decided, and suited actions to words, quickly leaving the
room.

Devlin
watched her walk out and sat heavily on the bed and sighed. “Talk to me,
Carina. What do you know?”

“You
know Bennett Wilmont?” Carina asked.

“Of
course. He’s a cop,” Devlin said, his tone dripping with disbelief. “I still
can’t understand why he’d want to work with humans every day as he does. What’s
he have to do with any of this?”

“He’s
useful, Devlin. I believe that Giles’ grandson is a Hunter. I’m having Bennett
watch him.”

“Giles
has a grandson that’s a member of the Hunters?”

“Yes,
I believe so. But it’s for me to find out whether or not Giles is involved. Only
the other Elders know that Giles even has a grandson. He wanted him kept safe.”

“Is
he a vampire?”

“No,
he’s not. And he doesn’t want to be. Giles accepts his decision. Although, I
don’t know how Giles could
not
realize that he had a Hunter living in
his own home, I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt until I know more. Bennett
is doing some quiet investigating for me,” Carina explained.

“When
did you find all this out?” Devlin asked.

“I’ve
suspected for a white now. When Sarah was attacked, I was convinced. Will you
give me time, Devlin? I think your Sarah is safe enough for now. Take her away
somewhere and keep her safe while I sort this out.”

It
went against all his instincts to let it go. This was his battle and his right
as Sarah’s mate to find the one responsible for hurting her. But, if it was an
Elder, it fell to the Council to handle the issue. “I’ll give you time, Carina.
That is all I can promise.”

“I’ll
sort it out, Devlin. You can trust me. I’m keeping a careful eye on Giles and
on his grandson. I will know what they plan. I’m making arrangements as we
speak.”

Devlin
nodded. “I’m sorry I doubted you, Carina.”

She
brushed that aside. “Just go take care of your woman, Devlin. She seems rather
insecure. Make sure she knows that there is nothing between us.”

Devlin
could hear the pain in her words, but there was nothing he could say. It was no
more than the truth. “You will always be my friend, Carina.”

“And
that is enough,” she said. “Be happy, Devlin.” With that, she was gone.

Devlin
found Sarah sitting in the dark in his living room. He sat next to her on the
couch and tugged her onto his lap. “What is it, love?” he asked quietly,
kissing the top of her head.

“I
should go, Devlin. I have to get back to my life.”

“It
takes time, Sarah. I’ve told you that. But, you know I can’t leave you alone.
Carina needs time to get to the bottom of this. If it’s an Elder, she will find
out.”

Sarah
lifted her head from his shoulder and looked at him. “I need to go home.”

“Sarah,
I love you. Don’t think I could let you walk away from me.”

“I
love you, too,” she said, her voice breaking.

“But
you want to go? Sarah, I thought you understood that I had to transform you. I
couldn’t watch you die.”

Sarah
nodded. “I do understand that, Devlin. I’m not angry with you any longer about
that.”

“Then
why do you want to go?” he snapped.

“Devlin,
you don’t have to be responsible for me!  You saved me. You gave me back a life.
I don’t want you to spend yours looking out for me!  Can’t you understand
that?” she cried.

Devlin
narrowed his eyes and tightened his arms around her. “You know, Sarah, for an
intelligent woman, you can show an amazing amount of stupidity.”

Her
eyes shot sparks of blue fire. “I’m not stupid!”

Devlin
wanted to shake her. “Didn’t you hear me, Sarah? I said I loved you!  I’ve
loved you since I watched you drag a little girl out of a burning building! Do
you honestly believe that it’s a burden to me to teach you? To love you?” He
glared at her, and gave in to the temptation to give her a little shake. “I’m
through talking, Sarah!” In the next instant, Sarah found herself flipped
across his lap. He yanked down her slacks and pulled down the thin panties she
wore. His hand slammed down on her bottom in a painful smack.

“What
are you doing?” she shrieked.

Devlin
wrapped his arm around her waist and anchored her across his lap. “I’m doing
what I’ve wanted to do since you disappeared to Timbuktu! I’m spanking you!” He
smacked her bared bottom again, although not as hard.

Sarah
was too shocked to struggle. When she felt a third smack land on her bottom,
she started to kick her legs. “Let me up this minute!”

“No,”
he said flatly, continuing to spank her. “I love you,” he said, punctuating
each word with a spank. “And I’ll be damned if I’m going to let you walk away
from me.”

Sarah
stopped kicking her legs. “You want me.” It wasn’t a question. Her bottom was
burning, but his words were melting her heart.

Devlin’s
hand paused mid-spank. “Of course I want you.” He spanked her again. “This is
for thinking I didn’t.” After a few more spanks, though, the smacks turned to
caresses.

Sarah
relaxed against his strong thighs and looked over his shoulder. “Are you going
to spank me every time I annoy you?” she asked conversationally.

“Quite
possibly,” he said huskily, caressing her pinkened bottom.

Sarah
wiggled against him and felt the hardness of him rise against her belly. “Just
checking,” she purred.

Devlin
slipped his hand down her bottom and to the tops of her thighs. He eased her
thighs apart and cupped her heat, feeling the moisture there. “I need you,
Sarah. Stay with me.”

“Yes,”
she agreed. “I’ll stay.”

Devlin
drove two long fingers inside her and flicked his thumb on her clitoris. “Good,”
he said.

No
more words were spoken for a long while. Devlin flipped her over in his lap and
then lifted her in his arms. He carried her to his room and placed her on the
center of the four-post bed.

“I
wondered whose bed this was,” she said, watching him as he undressed.

He
smiled. “I always brought you here in your dreams.”

“I
know that now,” she said. “Come to me, Devlin.” She held out her arms to the
man she loved—the man she’d love for all time.

Devlin
wasted no time stripping out of his clothes. Hers were gone just as quickly and
Sarah wondered when he’d teach her that particular trick.

He
sat next to her on the bed and leaned down to take her nipple between his lips
and teeth. When his lips found her breasts, Sarah forgot all about clothes and
was locked in sensation. His teeth nipped at her sensitive nipples and she
groaned aloud. He’d been right, all her senses were heightened now.

Making
love as a vampire was so much better than it had ever been as a human!  His
hands moved to her sides and his fingertips skimmed down to the juncture of her
thighs. She spread her legs for him and felt his fingers probing gently at her
moist core. The lightest touch sent a spiral of need through her that was
almost painful in its intensity.

“Now,”
she groaned. “Please, Devlin. Take me now!”

She
felt his chuckle against her breast and moaned. He was going to tease her. His
mouth moved to her other breast and gave it the same treatment, drawing the
nipple and areole between his lips, and she arched against him, holding his
head to her.

Finally,
he lifted his head. “Touch me, Sarah.”

She
didn’t need any further urging. She moved quickly then. Her hands moving down
to his nipples, and she teased them with her nails, before skimming her fingers
down his flat stomach to the hard length of him. She wrapped her fingers around
him and felt him harden and lengthen in her hand. “I want this inside me.” She
lowered her head and flicked her tongue over just the tip and tasted the salty
taste of him. She’d never done something so wanton in her life but when his
hips jerked, she knew he liked it.

Pleased
with her own power over him, she moved her tongue down his length, and cupped
him with her palm, then scratched his inner thigh lightly with her nails.

Suddenly,
she was pulled up and over him.

“I
was having fun,” she protested.

“So
was I,” he admitted with a growl. “Too damn much.”

Sarah
smiled when he grasped her hips and pulled her down over his thick penis to the
hilt. She tossed her head back and groaned with pleasure as he filled her. When
he pulled her head down for his kiss, she wrapped her fingers in his hair.

“I
love you,” he said huskily against her mouth.

“And
I you—for all time.”

“For
all time,” Devlin agreed, thrusting inside her deeply.

Sarah
felt her climax building and screamed with her release, then felt him arch and
tighten with his won hoarse shout of pleasure. She slumped against him, flushed
with passion and damp with sweat. “I have much to learn still,” she said
quietly.

“We
have all the time in the world,” he said quietly. “All the time we will need.”

Sarah
lifted her head and smiled at him. “We’ll fight.”

His
eyes twinkled as he looked at her. He patted her bottom. “I’ll win.”

Sarah
smiled. Sometimes she’d let him.