Warrior's Heart (Gifts Of The Ancients #1) (8 page)

Chapter Eleven

Jeff found them on the beach and signaled the rest of the unit to come help. Rick showed up first, laying his hands on Casey first, then on Hal to check if they were okay. Several anxious men waited for his pronouncement.

“They’re okay, just worn out.”

“Even the captain?” one of the men asked with surprise in his voice.

Rick nodded. “Even the captain. Although his lady’s temperature is somewhat lower than it should be. Let’s get them inside and into something warm.”

Several men lifted Hal in their strong arms while Rick took Casey, Jeff following closely behind. This woman was too important to their captain and therefore too important to them, to let anything happen to her.

They took them to the mostly empty barracks where they’d all been staying, and Rick shooed out everyone but Jeff, who wouldn’t leave Casey’s side for some reason. All of them had learned not to question Jeff’s newly weird ways.

The guy had been spooky before. Now he was downright scary. He knew things about the future, and they weren’t always good things.

Making a quick decision, Rick decided to treat Hal first. He knew the captain would want to be awake to watch over his woman, and even though Rick was a medical doctor, he didn’t feel right stripping her out of her wet clothes when just a quick application of his newly acquired healing talent would revive the captain.

“How is she?”

Rick smiled, realizing that Hal’s first words would be concern for his lady.

“She’s resting. Her body temp is a little low. I’m going to take care of that. I figured you’d want to help.”

The mischievous smile he spared for Hal was wasted as their captain stumble out of his bunk, caring only that he reach his woman’s side.

He was sopping wet, but Rick didn’t argue with him. Hal began stripping off Casey’s clothes. She was still unconscious, and Rick knew it was caused by exhaustion from their ordeal. That, and being stuck in the ocean for who knew how long.

“What happened to you two, captain?” Rick took one side while Hal worked on her other side, fighting with sodden material that didn’t want to come off her.

“Foreign agents got us. Syrian, or maybe Egyptian, I think. Took us out on a boat several miles into the Atlantic. They threatened to hurt her if I didn’t cooperate.”

“But you kicked their asses and escaped, right?”

Hal nodded grimly, wrapping Cas’s bare upper half in a warm blanket before moving to fight with her wet jeans.

“They’re dead. Unfortunately, there are more where they came from. Two speedboats full. Whatever we stumbled into in ancient Babylon, they want to know about it, and they’re willing to kill to get to us.”

“We’re hunted then.” Rick’s voice didn’t sound that surprised, just resigned.

“’Fraid so. I only hope we have the skills to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. And our government is behind us. At least so far.”

“Speaking of which, they’ve sent us a new team of scientists and specialists to hear our tale of woe and help us figure out exactly what happened.”

That was good news, Hal realized. It meant that they were not being abandoned by their superiors. His faith had been repaid.

“How did you get away from them?” Jeff was still there, his voice low and concerned. “I couldn’t see that far ahead, Captain. I’m sorry I didn’t warn you in time.”

Hal stood after he’d covered Casey’s bare legs, nodding to his team doctor. “Do your thing, Rick.” He turned to face the seer of the group. “Don’t blame yourself, Jeff. You gave me time to prepare and try to evade. That’s more than I would’ve had without your warning. You probably saved her brother’s life. He’s my best friend, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for that.”

Jeff looked oddly touched. He nodded, the blue flare of his eyes eerie in the twilight of the long room.

He paused on his way out the door to glance back.

“Take care of your woman, captain. She is important to us. So is the child.”

“Child?” Hal was shocked, but Jeff kept on walking. “Wait a minute. What child?”

Rick straightened from Casey’s side, an expression of awe on his face. He looked from his commander to the woman who was now awake and watching them both.

“Your child, Hal,” he said softly, his own gift flaring in his eyes. “Casey’s pregnant.”

“Good God.”

Her whisper brought Hal to his knees beside her. He touched her face gently, watching the shock be replaced by an overwhelming joy that flooded her eyes with tears.

“You’re happy about having my baby?” He couldn’t quite wrap his head around it. Having a child with Casey had been one of his long-held dreams. Life couldn’t get any better, as far as he was concerned.

She cried harder and threw herself into his arms, sobbing.

“Casey, sweetheart, what’s wrong. You are happy, right? Honey, you’re scaring me.”

She hiccupped, lifting her face to move between his and Rick’s.

“You don’t understand.” Her voice was ragged with her tears. “I was told I could never have children. I had some medical problems when I was in college, and they had to operate. Rick, are you sure?”

Both of them stared at the doctor. He beamed back at them.

“I’m positive. Your child is self-aware and happily growing.” He moved his hand gently down her abdomen, guiding her fingers with his. “Right about here. She’s tiny, but she’s got her mama’s determination.”

“A little girl?” Hal felt faint. The woman in his arms held his heart in her hands, his life in her smile and the new life of their daughter in her beloved body.

Rick nodded. “Have no doubts. You will be proud parents in about eight and a half months.” He got up to leave, giving them some privacy.

“It’s a miracle.” Casey sobbed into his chest, happiness invading every pore of her body.

“With everything that’s happened to me and my men lately, I definitely believe in those.” He stroked her hair and kissed her cheeks.

A thought occurred to her then. “Do you think what happened to you might’ve had something to do with this?”

“Only God knows for sure, sweetheart, but I wouldn’t be surprised.” He squeezed his big frame onto the cot, resting her against his chest and hugging her tight. “You will marry me, right?”

“You’re not asking me now just because of the baby, are you?”

He tugged her closer. “No, silly. Not just because of the baby. I wanted to ask before, but we were rudely interrupted by a dolphin. Remember when I said I loved you? I wanted to ask you then.”

“I remember. And Hal,” she whispered, her hands stroking loving circles on his chest. “I wanted you to ask. And I was going to say yes. But you didn’t ask.”

He sat up a little, frowning down at her. “Just to be clear, I’m asking now, brat. So what’s your answer?”

“Well, it’s not very romantic,” she teased, pouting. Then her face brightened. “You know I can never say no to you. So I guess my answer is yes.”

He gave a theatrical sigh of relief and tugged her back into his arms, hugging her close.

“I love you, squirt.”

“I love you, Hal. And I always will.”

About the Author

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Look for these titles by Bianca D’Arc

Now Available:

Dragon Knights Series

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Ladies of the Lair (print only)

The Ice Dragon

Prince of Spies

Wings of Change

I Dream of Dragons Vol. 1 (print only)

Dragon Storm

Tales of the Were Series

Lords of the Were

Inferno

Vampire Tales Series

One & Only

Rare Vintage

Phantom Desires

Brotherhood of Blood (print only)

Forever Valentine

Caught By Cupid (print only)

Sweeter Than Wine

String of Fate Series

Cat’s Cradle

Resonance Mates Series

Hara’s Legacy

Davin’s Quest

Jaci’s Experiment

Grady’s Awakening

A deadly crash changes the fate of one lonely vampire.

One and Only

© 2008 Bianca D’Arc

A
Brotherhood of the Blood
Story

Vampire enforcer Atticus Maxwell stands at the edge of his own oblivion…until the faint heartbeat of a desperately wounded mortal woman calls him back. The terrible crash that almost took both their lives has brought him a charming, intriguing woman who just might give him a reason to live again.

Lissa was headed for a conference at a resort in a last-ditch attempt to find a job. Instead, on a rain-slick mountain road that almost killed her, she finds the love of her life. A love with the most eligible, reclusive vineyard owner in Napa Valley—one that isn’t quite human.

No barrier—not even breaking the news to Lissa’s friends—seems too great to hold back their blossoming love. Until they learn the accident that brought them together wasn’t an accident at all, but a murder attempt by an unknown enemy.

Atticus saved Lissa once. Can he keep her that way in the face of a renewed threat?

Enjoy the following excerpt for
One and Only:

When Lissa Adams woke, darkness engulfed her. Straining to see in the absence of light, her breath accelerated as she panicked. Her apprehension only grew when she realized another person lay beside her. A soft dripping sound echoed through what she supposed was some kind of underground chamber or cave. That’s what it sounded like—and smelled like. She felt rough rock and scattered grains of sandy dirt beneath her palms.

She knew the mountains were dotted with such places, but she couldn’t remember how she’d gotten here. Or why she was so groggy.

She tried to sit up, but the effort it required nearly blacked her out again. The being beside her stirred at her movement, and she felt more than saw the person rise to lean over her.

“Where are we?”

“I moved us to shelter.”

Rich and warm, his voice bathed her senses in a dark and dangerous way.

Sexy, she thought. She’d heard that voice before.

It was accompanied by flashing eyes and chiseled features. A man’s face flickered through her mind. She’d been fascinated by him and instantly captivated. She remembered thinking he was quite possibly the most striking man she’d ever seen.

“You stepped on my foot.”

He chuckled at her innocent observation, setting her insides aflame.

“Indeed. But that was more than twenty-four hours ago.”

He stroked a gentle finger down her cheek and she shivered, not in fear, but in surprising arousal. If just the brush of his finger could elicit this response, she wondered what he could do if he really tried.

That thought stopped her cold. Men like this one didn’t usually go for women like her. Better to focus on the peculiar situation she found herself in than daydream about her rescuer.

“What happened? I remember the bus swerving…”

“Ah, yes. Just before we rolled down the side of the mountain. You hit your head very hard, I’m afraid. That’s probably why you’re still a bit fuzzy.”

“Where’s everyone else?”

He paused only slightly. “Dead.”

Her breath caught in shock as her mind raced. “How did we…?”

“Relax, sweetheart.” He moved closer. “I pulled you from the wreckage and found shelter, but I was badly damaged in the accident as well. I’m sorry for it, but I need your essence to speed my healing.”

“My what?” Hot breath bathed her ear as he settled closer to her side. His strong arms enveloped her shoulders as his mouth stroked over the line of her jaw and lower.

“Don’t be afraid. I won’t hurt you, but I need your blood, and I’m too weak to cloud your mind. You’ll have to trust me.” His words whispered against her shivering skin. He dragged sharp teeth back and forth over her jugular as if savoring the moment before the feast.

She barely had time to take in his words before he struck. A piercing pain registered only for a flash, followed by the greatest bliss she had ever experienced. Intensely sexual, it engulfed her in a way she’d never known. He sucked at her neck, licking at the essence of her, swallowing like a thirsty man in the desert. Yet reverence and gentleness communicated through his tender handling of her bruised and battered body.

Oddly, she didn’t object. She knew she should be afraid, but an intense arousal overwhelmed her. She didn’t have the strength to voice even the faintest protest.

He drank for what seemed a long time, his hands moving over her body, molding her breasts and stroking her skin. Only then did she realize she was naked. She gasped as his long fingers stroked down between her legs, angling inward, invading her most intimate places as his mouth caressed the tender skin of her throat.

He knew his way around a woman’s body. Those skilled fingers knew just where to stroke, just where to pinch to drive her excitement to the highest possible point. She teetered on the precipice as his fingers slid in the arousal he drew from her body. His mouth sucked at her neck, his breath feathering through her hair, his pleasing masculine scent teasing her senses. And the feel of him. He was hot and heavy against her, hard as only a man could be and muscular in a way she hadn’t expected.

One hand cupped her breast, teasing her nipple as his fingers finally pierced the imaginary boundary, sliding inside her, where few men had ever been. But this man—though she’d known him only a few minutes, really—was like no other man she’d ever encountered. He fired her senses like no other, sending slick, hot arousal to her core. Even the thought that he was some sort of dark creature out of legend couldn’t stop the most intense sexual experience of her life.

That one tantalizing finger pumped into her, stretching her. He added a second digit as she whimpered in need. She hadn’t had sex in a long time. She was tight, but her body remembered pleasure, and this man—this vampire!—proved himself a master at manipulating her responses. He owned her pleasure.

Two long fingers stroked within, his thumb teased higher, rubbing in perfect counterpoint. She came with a wrenching jerk of hips that threatened to dislodge him, but his great strength kept her easily in his clutches. He continued the stimulation, extending her orgasm for long, intense moments while his upper body covered hers, his lips feeding hungrily from the small incisions he’d made in her neck. The pleasure washed over her in the most intense waves she’d ever known and right then she didn’t care if he was a vampire, werewolf or Indian chief. All she knew was his mastery. And she already knew she wanted more.