Seared by Desire (13 page)

Chapter Eight
– A Vampire’s Needs

Lucian stood, silently cursing himself as he did so. Already
he wanted her and every second they were alone together led him
further down a path he could ill afford to travel. He needed a
buffer, something or someone to come between him and his far too
tempting bride and he’d just walked away from them. He cursed
again.

“
Come, we have a meeting to attend.” He pulled her to her feet
intent on becoming so surrounded by others that her affect on him
was diminished.

“
Meeting?” Sara asked confused. “What meeting and why do I
have to go?” His strong grip easily pulled her from the library and
they were soon moving along the busy corridor.

“
The meeting is about the war effort and you’re going because
you’ve offered your help and because it’s your fault it isn’t
already over.”

“
How is it my fault?” She began struggling against his grip,
offended by his highhanded behaviour.

“
You interrupted us,” he answered coolly. “You were on fire.
Who, besides me, was going to stay in the room with you when you
looked about ready to finish us all off for some perceived slight
that I’d done to you?”

“
I wasn’t going to finish you off but if you don’t stop
pulling me like some sort of animal then I might have to
reconsider.”

He stopped, pulling her so close to him that his breaths
caressed her face as he spoke. “You wouldn’t hurt me, you need
me.”

“
Well if you want to win this war then you need me as well.
Partners Lucian, nothing less than that. We need each
other.”

He didn’t want to tell her just how right she was.
“Partners,” he conceded reluctantly.

She easily fell into step with him now that he wasn’t simply
pulling her along. “So what’s this meeting about then?”

“
The war Sara, I would have thought that obvious.”

“
Care to tell me why you’re at war with these people? Partners
don’t have secrets it leads to a lack of trust and trust is
essential when you’re fighting to save each other.”

“
Believe it or not, I haven’t always been the leader of my
people.”

“
No!” she gasped, feigning at shock.

A smile tugged at his lips but he restrained himself from
grinning at her humour. “Yes, I know, it sounds so ludicrous as to
be unbelievable but it’s true. Before I came to power many vampires
killed when they fed, taking all the blood in a human’s body. We
were hated, hunted. We have a weakness that everyone knows about.
We can’t go out into the sun and when we slept during the day
humans came into our lairs and killed us while we were at our most
vulnerable.”

“
What happened?”

“
I happened. I fought and fought and fought, unifying my
people under my rule. I imposed law and order.”

“
By yourself?” she sounded appalled at the very
idea.

“
Of course, who else was going to do it? I’m the oldest living
vampire, which makes me the strongest. No one else was up to the
task.”

“
I thought vampires could live indefinitely, what happened to
the others? Or are you saying you’re the first vampire?”

He laughed at the idea. “I’m definitely not the first, I’m
just the only one who hasn’t succumbed. The other old ones were
killed because they didn’t think their actions through properly and
had to deal with the consequence of rushed decisions that more
often than not created powerful enemies or they grew tired of life
and walked into the sun.”

“
What makes you so different? Why didn’t you follow in their
footsteps?”

“
I know the value of prudence and I started the war. Now I
have a people,”
and a
bride
, “to take care of. My life has
purpose.”

“
Really? It seems sort of lonely. Don’t get me wrong,” she
rushed, trying to clarify her words. “It’s just that I don’t think
I could do it. All that fighting and killing only to have my loved
ones die…it just doesn’t seem worth it.”

“
I’ve made a difference to the lives of all vampires. That, to
me, is worth it. Do you think I want to be the Lord of my people?
I’m not who I am now because I’m power hungry. I fight because I
have to, because if I don’t vampires will be hunted to extinction.
I lead because if I don’t, anarchy will rein. I never had a choice.
The Malachites will see our people in ruins. They won’t submit to
my power, they continue to kill as they feed. They must be dealt
with in order for vampires as a species to prosper. Yes, humans are
weaker than we but that is no reason to kill them. There are far
more of them than us and as they’ve shown in the past, they can
kill us if they put their minds to it.”

His emotional confession touched her heart, making her want
to do nothing more than pull him close and take away the years of
loneliness he’d suffered. Power, and the acquisition of more, were
all important in the world she’d just escaped. Lucian was an eye
opener. He was so unlike the arrogant fire elementals she’d known
throughout her life, a reluctant leader. One who put his people
before his needs.

In that moment she was drawn helplessly towards him, she
wanted to act on the image she’d seen earlier in her mind. She
wanted to kiss him, let him find peace in her body. She shook her
head as she continued to look at him. Lucian was a true leader,
what would he want with a fire elemental who, once Seraphina was
gone, would once again be weak and useless? To him this was
business; she had to think of it in the same way. “You’re a good
man Lucian and those are rare to find.”

I’m your man that is all. That is all I want to be.
He coughed, slightly embarrassed by her kind
words. Words like hers were rare in his world. He was often
complimented on his ability to wield a sword, to command an army,
his steadfast determination to defeat his enemy but never had he
received a compliment about himself. “Thank you.”

“
You’re more than welcome.”

“
We’re here.”

Yet another pair of large, daunting doors stood before her
opening as though by magic on Lucian's arrival. Voices spilled out
into the corridor as the doors opened and Lucian led her inside.
Eyes were instantly drawn to her small form as she walked at
Lucian's side, their hands tightly linked. A few irate vampires
even hissed at her as she walked in, their voices dying down as
Lucian approached the head of the table. The room was filled almost
to bursting, all but one seat at the large rectangular table
occupied.

I guess I’ll be standing then,
Sara
quickly concluded.

She was therefore reasonably surprised when Lucian forced her
to sit in the seat that had been reserved for him and if the gasps
that filled the room were anything to go by all those present were
equally surprised. She tried to stand only to be forced back into
the seat by Lucian's firm hand on her shoulder. Quickly realising
resistance was futile, she sat, pulling the collar of her dress to
the side to expose her skin to his hand.

“
This is Sara Quicksilver, the sword maker. She has agreed to
enter the war effort on our side, crafting her legendary swords for
our entire army. With her help, we will win this war
quickly.”

“
What does she want in exchange?” a voice called.

“
That is strictly between her and I. As soon as she has the
necessary equipment, she’ll start work. Russell, I want you to see
to it that she has the finest tools available. Can you test them
yourself or do you need help?”

“
Thanks for the offer Lucian but I’ve been making swords since
I was a girl, I can test them myself, in fact it’s probably better
that I do so.”

“
Fine,” he stated before swiftly turning his attention back to
those gathered. “Now where were we?”

“
This war has gone on for long enough my Lord,” Russell
answered easily. “If we want to end it, then perhaps it is time we
started to talk peace. A people can only live by the sword for so
long.”

“
Peace?” Gareth scoffed. “What nonsense! The only peace they
understand is from the blade of my sword.”

Ah yes, I remember. Gareth is on one side and Russell is on
the other. This is going to be a long night.

The talks dragged on and on, seemingly endless to Sara whose
eyes had begun struggling to stay open not long after they’d began.
Words were not for her. Words were for leaders and diplomats who
weren’t going to be spilling valuable blood on the battlefield, not
the sword makers dedicated to ending wars quickly one way or
another. Time passed slowly but it wasn’t long before her head
began lolling against her chest, tiredness washing over her. Though
she tried her best to stay awake, her efforts were in vain. Those
surrounding her were vampires, nocturnal beings who hadn’t been
awake all day waiting for their saviour to wake, they were used to
staying up all night, she was not.

“
That is enough,” Lucian commanded, his voice soft, careful of
waking his sleeping bride.

“
But my Lord…”

“
Sara is tired, I’m taking her to bed, enough
talking.”

“
My Lord,” Gareth began, “I don’t understand why we let her
sit in on the meeting in the first place. She is an outsider.
Though she claims to be willing to help us win the war, her
motivations are unknown, for all we know, she could be a spy
working for the Malachites plotting your downfall.”

“
She is not.”

“
How can you be so sure?” he pressed.

Lucian moved around the chair to stand by Sara’s side, easily
lifting her into his arms, making sure their skin remained
touching. All eyes were on him, desperately hoping that he had an
answer to Gareth’s question. “I can be sure because she’s mine.
She’s my bride and when this war is over she will rule beside me.
None outside of this room can know of this, not even Sara is aware
of her true value to me and it will remain that way until I say
differently.”

Mouths hung open at Lucian's news but he walked past them all
uncaring, moving swiftly back to his chambers. Setting her against
the satin sheets, he began his nightly routine, checking the
windows to ensure that they were all well guarded against the sun’s
harmful rays. He stripped efficiently, laying both shirt and
breeches against the chaise ready to be taken away and cleaned for
a different day’s use.

It was then, almost as naked as the day he was born, he
turned his attention to Sara, virulent curses flying from his lips.
She’d claimed that it was only through his touch that the spirit
was calmed, how much skin would she need access to in order to
prevent another episode? He regarded her thoughtfully for a moment
before reaching for her soft, pliant body. He pulled the dress from
her body, trying desperately to remain unaffected as more and more
of her body came into view. It was an attempt that was doomed to
fail from the very first.

Dressed only in a thin linen shift, the heat from her body
was hardly dimmed but he could now make out the plump curve of her
breasts, the rosy tint to her hardening nipples. She pulled herself
closer against him, pressing her body against his own and another
curse fell from his lips.

“
She’ll be the death of me,” he groused as he pulled her
beneath the heavy sheets.

Her heat continued to pour into him as she draped herself
over his chest, her fingers lightly caressing his neck. “Why is it
that I can’t even resent her for it?” He returned her embrace fully
aware that it was only under the cover of darkness that he could
hold her like this, press their bodies so close without fear of her
finding out exactly what she was. Unable to resist her, he placed a
gentle kiss to her brow, wishing that he could have more even as he
succumbed to the lure of sleep.

******

When Sara woke it was to the delicious sensation of Lucian's
bare limbs entangled with her own. She should have been
embarrassed, should have felt shame to be lying so intimately in a
bed with a man who wasn’t her husband, instead all she felt was
dismay that she hadn’t been awake to watch him undress, that she’d
slept through such an important experience.

She turned to look at him, noting that his usually hard
features softened as he slept. His jaw was relaxed, his shoulders
devoid of the heavy burden he wore. His lips looked even softer in
sleep and she couldn’t resist lightly running her thumb over the
lower one, testing whether they were as soft as they looked. Her
senses told her that she had slept most of the day away, the heat
from the sun fading as it set. Lucian would be awake any minute and
she doubted he would appreciate her fondling his body as he slept.
She pulled her hand away from his soft mouth, counting down the
minutes until the sun would be fully gone from the sky.

When Lucian woke it was to the delightful heat of a body
pressed against him and he smiled faintly as his bride’s scent
teased his senses. Blood pumped through her body, rich with
vitality and the exotic taste that was uniquely hers, it was then
he came to the startling realisation that he hadn’t fed in what was
going on three nights. Fangs exploded in his mouth and he bolted
from the bed, covering his mouth to hide the sight from
her.