Caressed by Moonlight (20 page)

Chapter Twenty-Nine

The flames jumped and crackled in the silence of the warm cave. The rain pounded outside.

“Mean beast,” Victoria grumbled under her breath as the mare tauntingly tossed its tail at her.

Dorian chuckled as he sprinkled more dried weeds on the fire. “I told you she would find us.”

“Are the blankets dry yet?” she asked not wanting to talk about the animal that had given her a sore backside.

“Everything is still soaked.”

Victoria gave a disappointed groan as she wrapped her arms about her knees and drew them to her chest. Dorian sat by her side, drawing her against him. She rested her head upon his shoulder. Heat spread through her, making her fingers and toes tingle, and it was not because of the fire. It was because of her husband. He could drive every thought from her head with nothing more than a smile. Never in her most feral dreams did she imagine she would be wed to a man like him, gorgeous, unnaturally intelligent, a vampire. No, she would never have thought he would be a vampire, but it did not matter. Her heart had been captured.

“I wish we could stay like this forever,” Victoria sighed, her breath tickling Dorian’s ear.

“As do I, my kitten.”

But Kal and the Red Order would not allow it. Word of his departure from London must have reached the traitor by now. Kal would no doubt have hunters searching the land and setting up watch posts. He was surprised they had made it this far into his territory without being seen. He had been a fool to let his guard down in the woods and fall victim to his desire. He had no reason where Victoria was concerned. He had acted no better than a stallion in heat. Anyone could have stabbed him in the heart or shot an arrow through him and he never would have known what hit him. His death would leave Victoria alone and helpless. She had not yet fully transformed nor did she have any knowledge of weapons that could protect her. That thought chilled him to his very core. She could easily die.

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“My sweet,” he said pressing his lips to her temple. “I know of a game we could play while we wait for the blankets and clothing to dry.” Dorian stood bringing her up with him.

“What is it?”

“Target practice,” he answered reaching down and pulling a dagger from his boot. “You see that tree just outside? I'm going to carve a target on it. Don't worry you will not have to go out there, I'll fetch the dagger every time.”

Victoria nodded; she was not about to go back out in the bellowing storm. She had just managed to get mostly dry and warm. She watched Dorian strut to the tree, her eyes devouring him. Hearing her sinful thoughts, he glanced over his shoulder and winked. Victoria blushed and hurried to her bags to fetch the gift Sonya had given her right before they left.

“It's not perfect but it will do.” Dorian shook his head and droplets of rain sprinkled the cave floor. “All right here is–” He stopped cold. His voice turned hard, “Where did you get that?”

“Sonya gave it to me.”

“Of course, that was a dumb question,” he chided himself.

“Did she tell you anything about it?”

“She said that it would keep me safe.”

“Oh yes, it will keep you safe.” He slowly approached her, his eyes focused on the dagger in her hand. “Its a Shaw warrior's blade.”

“I thought they were peaceful witches.”

“Yes, but they are also the most deadly clan in existence.

No one dares cross them and that, my kitten, is a very dangerous weapon.”

“It's just a knife, Dorian. All knives are dangerous.”

Wrapping his fingers about her wrist he turned her and pulled her back up against him. “True,” his voice began to lighten,

“but that one you hold is poisonous. Normally you must pierce a vampire's heart or decapitate them in order to kill them, but with this weapon all you have to do is prick a little finger and they will crumble. Shaw magic is not something to play with. However, we are going to use it for target practice, since this is what you will be using for protection.”

Dorian refused to touch her dagger and displayed everything with his own. He let his fly and smiled when it hit the bulls-eye. Victoria sent hers cascading through the air and missed the tree altogether.

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“Go fetch.”

“Yes, your majesty,” Dorian chuckled, kissing her cheek before running out into the rain.

He effortlessly pulled his weapon from the tree then removed his coat, wrapped it about his hand, fished her dagger from the bushes, and hurried back. He did it six times before Victoria's knife hit home, embedding itself next to Dorian's dagger in the tree.

Clapping, Victoria beamed with excitement. Dorian, unable to resist her charm, yanked her to him and kissed her soundly. Passion raged between them when he pulled away.

Bringing his breath under control, he reluctantly went back out into the cold rain.

Victoria stood dazed a moment, her lips tingling, her body on fire. Did he have any idea what he did to her? Of course he did, he was a seductive devil. A smile tickled her lips. He was her seductive devil.

“Let's try it a couple more times to make sure you have it down,” he said, holding her dagger out for her to take.

“Only if I get a kiss every time I make it.”

“My kitten, I would be more than happy to oblige.”

Turning, she threw her dagger. “Looks like I hit it again."

Dorian tilted her chin up, his eyes capturing hers. “Bravo, but let's see if you can do it twice.” Giving her his weapon he stepped back. She fired it off and turned back to him.

“Now, I get two kisses.”

“Why don't you try it three more times and win more than kisses?”

Her heart skipped a beat as she nodded in agreement. He quickly returned and much to her pleasure she won more than she could have imagined. Dorian had her in his arms, stripped, and moaning in seconds.

“Thank the heavens that the blankets are dry,” she sighed curling up against his side. She rested her chin on his chest as he pulled the cover up over her shoulders. “With you I don't think I would need them to stay warm.”

“Unlike popular myth we are extremely warm creatures.”

“Why is that? I thought vampires were the living dead.”

She pressed her ear to his chest and listened to the strong thump of his beating heart.

“We aren’t exactly dead,” he said. “We don’t need food or water to survive, though we can eat and drink. We do feed off
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humans, but the need for blood diminishes over time until we require nothing to survive.”

“How is that possible?”

He shrugged, her head bobbed with his shoulder.

“Magic.”

“Truly?”

“That was the only answer Dimitri every gave me.”

She ran a playful finger down his abdomen. “Do you remember the conversation we had when you told me you were a vampire?”

“I could never forget.”

“You refused to tell me about your childhood.”

He took in a beep breath. “Yes.”

“Will you tell me now?”

Dorian stroked her smooth hair. He hated those memories of his past and for years he suppressed them.

“I know you said that it was unpleasant, but maybe if we talk about them – We are married and are now going to spend eternity together.”

Those last words of hers warmed his heart. She was to be at his side until the end of time. She was his wife, his mate. His life. She deserved to know all about him, she deserved to know
him
.

“I will tell you everything you wish to know, my kitten.” He took in another sharp deep breath then began,

“My father was a great Mycenaean warlord. He was wealthy, handsome, and favored by the king. Unfortunately, he was not favored by the woman he married. My mother had her heart set on another warrior, but her father thought it best she marry someone with great wealth. She was fifteen and my father was thirty-six. She loathed him and was relieved when he had gone off to fight invaders. But her relief didn’t last long. Not wanting to do anything that would please her husband, she was furious when she gave birth to his heir.”

“You?”

He nodded. “My mother was a spiteful young woman.

She named me after a group of forgein competitors from the North, enemies that my father had fought, the Dorians. When my father returned some years later, he was furious and he
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hated me. I received the worst kind of treatment during training and was severely beaten when I displeased him. It didn't take long before I no longer felt the lashes of the whip.

My heart quickly turned to stone and instead of breaking me, he made me stronger. I became the best warrior in his army. I was flawless in battle and men trembled when they heard my name.”

“What of your mother? How did she treat you?”

“Better than my father,” he said. “She acted as if I didn’t exist. She rarely look my way or spoke to me.”

“I'm so sorry,” Victoria whispered, her eyes filling with tears. She wrapped her arms about him and laid her head down on his chest, hoping to give him comfort.

“When I was twenty-seven, I was sent off to fight,”he paused and kissed the top of her head, “you know the rest of the story.”

She nodded. Her heart ached for him, for the little boy who was hated by both of his parents, beaten by his father and shunned by his mother.

“It may interest you to know that when my mother received word that I had been slain in battle, depression took hold of her. She wept constantly and refused to eat, slowly starving herself to death.”

“What of your father?”

“He died from fever when I was twenty-two.”

“I understand why you wish not to talk about your past.”

“Sharing it with you has lifted a heavy weight from my heart, my sweet kitten.” He massaged her back. “Thank you.”

Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, he added, “Now, it is your turn. I'm sure it will be a pleasant story.”

“My mother and father met at a country ball and it was love at first sight. However, my mother was poor and her family had no title attached to their name. My father was the opposite.

They were not permitted to marry, but that did not keep them apart.

Their loving soon put them in a difficult predicament, my mother quickly became with child. They were thrilled, but my father's grandmother was not. She stripped him of his title and just about all his inheritance, leaving him with an old manor house and seven-hundred pounds a year, which was barely enough to live off of.

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“They married and gave me all their love and when I was thirteen they had little Margaret. My mother always said she wished she had more children, but they had problems conceiving.”

Victoria's voice became low as she continued, “My mother became ill and passed on, leaving my father heartbroken. He would lock himself in his study for days at a time and refused to see me, for I resemble my mother too much. The only one that was allowed in his office was Margaret.” She swallowed hard trying to get rid of the knot that had formed in her throat. “One day, my father decided he could no longer handle his grief and he hung himself. Margaret was the one to find him in his study.”

“Then you came to London to live with your aunt?”

“My father had many debts and when he died, they fell upon me. I had to sell everything we owned including the house.

Having no way to support Margaret, I decided we should come to London. I knew my aunt would not want me here, but I had hoped for the best. We should have stayed in the country. I probably could have found work as a governess.”

“I'm glad you came to London.”

That brought a smile to her lips. “I have no doubt.”

“Good. And now that we have spilled our hearts out for each other I say we get some sleep.”

But sleep would not come easily or quickly for either of them. Questions still plagued Victoria's mind. She wondered what his life had been like once he was a vampire. Had he ever found a woman to love? Had a woman ever loved him back? Jealousy gnawed at her insides. She forced the images of him laying like this and telling another woman about his tortured past from her mind. Her jealousy unnerved her for it came along with an emotion that she did not want to acknowledge. She had admitted to herself once before that she loved him and all it did was bring her pain.

What would happen if she shared her feelings with Dorian? Did he love her in return? Victoria sighed and pressed herself even more tightly against him. These questions were too tiersome and she needed to get some rest.

Dorian knew the instant Victoria drifted off to sleep. He pulled her closer, placed her head on his shoulder. Their pulses throbbed together. He inhaled the loving, caring, womanly scent of her. He had never trusted anyone enough to share his life story. He had kept those secrets locked away for thousands of years. His memories had done nothing but cause him pain, except this time.

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Victoria had shown compassion and his heart swelled. This small woman had laid siege on his heart whether she knew it or not.

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Chapter Thirty

Dorian inhaled the fresh cool air. The rain soaked grass and trees were the most refreshing scent.

Home,
he thought.

He glanced back at Victoria. They had been traveling at a daring speed for almost two days, taking very few and short breaks. Now, they were less than a day from his keep. He needed to be on his guard and that meant he had to stop thinking about how beautiful and sexy his wife was. But no matter how he tried it did not make a difference. He constantly found his mind wondering back to the cave.

He had not slept that night. He had laid there holding her to him, wanting to absorb her warmth, her affection. He had never revealed so much of himself to anyone before. In fact, he had never trusted anyone enough to lay bare his injured heart. But it had felt so right making love to Victoria, to hold her in his arms, and to share with her. She had not pitied him, as he thought she might.

Instead she wished to comfort him and he wanted to be cuddled.

People had always feared him. They cowered from him every time he entered a room. His father had turned him into an unrelenting warrior, one who would fight to the death, one who would sacrifice all for victory. For many years he lived that way.

Women never looked upon him with any feeling, all they wanted was his body and money, both he had been willing to share. Dorian was not one to entangle himself in strings of love. He had scoffed whenever anyone mentioned the idiotic word.

“Love is not a weakness, Dorian, but a strength. It can
give you more pleasure, more sorrow, more power, and more pain
than anything on this earth.”
Dimitr’s words vibrated through his thoughts. The ancient vampire had seen right into his heart, he had seen the loneliness, the despair, and the desperate need of acceptance.

Deep in his soul he knew that he found what he had yearned for. Victoria was his beacon of hope. She could wash all his worries away with just one look. Her voice was like a silken caress, setting him on fire. His lust knew no bounds. He would take her anywhere and at any time.

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He turned his gaze from his lovely wife to scan the horizon. The Mylonas fortress was in sight, the tall towers stood proud in the dusk, the sun making the stone glimmer with brilliant shades of pink.

“Is that it?” Victoria asked, her mare bumping into his charger.

“Cassius’ Fortress,” he answered. “The Father of my clan had this keep built.” He leaned over and placed a kiss on her cheek.

“Your new home,” he whispered.

“It’s impressive and very intimidating.” She swallowed hard. The castle was full of vampires and she prayed they were nothing like the terrifying folk tales.

“I want you to keep your eyes and your ears open. This next part of our journey is going to be tricky,” he said, his voice stern. “We are going to be traveling on the roads now. Remember we are supposed to be messengers from Sonya, so keep her crest visible at all times, and let me do all the talking if we are stopped.”

“I won’t say a word,” she assured him.

He flipped the hood of his cloak up over his head and she followed suit. Sonya's crest was large and embroidered in gold on the back of their deep green mantles.

“Dorian, what do we do if we are discovered?”

He kissed her again and squeezed her shoulder. “I will protect you.”

She blinked back the tears that clouded her eyes. Since they had left the shelter of the cave a few days before her mind had been plagued with horrible thoughts of his death. Bile rose to her throat as she pictured him lying in a pool of blood, a dagger through his heart, or worse, his head severed. Her heart clenched at the possibility that she would never again see him, hear his voice, or feel his arms about her.

Victoria had been reluctant to admit to herself that she had fallen in love with Dorian. She had tried to ignore her feelings for him, but when she had awoken that morning in the cave to find Dorian gone, she felt lonely, empty. He only went to collect their knives, since he had not done that the night before, but she could not help but feel consumed by abandonment. It was foolish that she should feel sorrow when he was just outside, but her joy when he returned was so overwhelming that she could not resist the laughter that bubbled inside her. Dorian had thought her mad for laughing at nothing.

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Now, their mission was growing more dangerous. The risk they took was high, but she preferred to be here beside him than back at Sonya’s keep. She would have gone crazy waiting for him to send for her or hear word of his death. She had made the right choice by forcing him to take her. She did miss Margaret terribly, but her little sister was in good hands. Falcon and Sonya would see to her care and if she and Dorian did not survive she knew that Margaret would be safe.

“We need to get moving if we hope to reach town before midnight.”

Victoria said no more as she trotted along side her strong, proud husband. Everything about him bespoke of his station among his people. He sat tall and straight in his saddle and moved effortlessly with his mount. The title of King certainly suited him and she longed to see him sitting atop his throne. He would be a fierce sight to behold, and he would be beautiful.

He was a noble and just ruler. Sonya and Falcon both gave him the highest praise. He was beloved and trusted by his people and that was the reason why Kal had not been able to claim the throne, as of yet. His accusations of Dorian running away, of abandoning his clan were not believed. Sonya had told her that as long as Dorian still lived, the clan would not give Kal the crown.

Knowing this made her proud of her husband, but it also worried her. She knew that Kal would do anything to gain the throne and that meant they were now entering into dangerous severely territory.

They passed very few travelers as they made their way down the road; no one paid them much notice. When they reached the small town, Victoria let a sigh of relief escape her lips, even though she knew it was too early to think they were safe.

Dorian climbed down from his mount and Victoria mimicked his every move. She tossed her reins to the stable boy and took long strides to remain at Dorian’s side as they entered the lodge where they would be passing the night.

Walking straight to the desk, directly opposite the door, Dorian pulled a sack of coins from his pocket.

“I would like a room,” he stated, setting the purse on the desk.

Victoria gave little attention to Dorian or the innkeeper as they spoke. Instead, she was busy taking in all that decorated the common room. To the right of the desk was a dozen or so tables, where a handful of people sat either drinking ale or waiting for
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food. She was shocked to find that she could hear a difference between the heartbeats of those that were human and those that were vampire. Dorian had warned her that her hearing would improve but she had never thought that it would be this sharp.

Changing her focus, she glanced over to the left where a small stage and dance area was deserted.

“Would you like two rooms?” the vampire asked, as he looked the new comers over. He guessed the finely dressed gentleman before him must be a knight, power dripped from his solid frame.

“No need, he is only my attendant,” Dorian answered.

That comment snatched Victoria’s attention back to him.

He shot her a warning look and she kept her mouth shut.

“All right, room seven,” the innkeeper said, handing the key to Dorian. He glanced over to the humans sitting at the tables.

Need to keep up pretenses he added, “Food will be served in another half-hour if you are interested, Sir.”

“Thank you.”

Dorian turned on his heel and did not wait to see if Victoria would follow. He mounted the stairs, she was right behind him. Once in their room he removed her cloak.

“I am your serving boy?” she asked with a raised brow.

“Only a Black Knight would carry a missive from one monarch to another. I am the knight and you are my squire.”

She nodded and moved past him to the bed. Squealing with delight she fell, arms and legs spread wide, on to the mattress. A bed had never felt so soft. They had been traveling for weeks, sleeping on the cold hard ground.

“I never knew how much I liked pillows before now.” She hugged a fluffy pillow to her breasts as she sat up.

“Do you want to go down for dinner or do you want me to have it brought up here?”

“Don’t you think that it will look a little odd if we spend the rest of the night in the room?”

“What are you trying to say?”

Victoria’s cheeks blushed as she realized how her statement could have sounded.

“I did not mean that you are interested in your squire.”

He smiled. “I will have a bath ordered, after we eat.”

“Oh, yes, that would be heavenly. Bathing in nothing but freezing cold rivers leaves much to be desired.”

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Dorian removed his cloak, and donned a hat. The brim cast shadows across his face, hiding his eyes, and making it hard to recognize him. Victoria put on a clean shirt, tucked her hair up under a cap, and used some dust from the tops of her boots to smudge on her cheeks, hoping to cover up some of her femininity.

“You are one young, pretty boy, my little squire,” Dorian said with a chuckle. “You look twelve. No monarch would be interested in a child. We need a story, just in case anyone asks why a human boy is traveling with me.”

“All right.”

“You are orphaned and the Shaw witches took you in, they are known for that. You also have an illness that will claim your life if you are not changed. The Shaw’s assured Sonya, despite your sickness, you will be strong and brave, so she has decided to train you to be a knight and when you come of age you will be transformed.”

“But if there are vampires down stairs won’t they be able to tell by my scent that I’m a woman?”

He smiled. “I already thought of that and no, they won’t.

My scent is a million times stronger than yours. If you stay close to me they may not even pick up your weak mortal odor.”

“Are you saying that humans stink?” she asked, playfully hitting his arm.

“No.” He pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her throat.

“You smell very sweet.” She shivered from the feel of his breath against her flesh.

Clearing his throat, Dorian backed away and said, “Now, let us go below to eat. I could use some good wine.”

More people were gathered in the common room when they descended the stairs. There was only one table open in the back corner and they claimed it. The buzzing sound of voices was pleasant to hear, Victoria missed being in society. She had enjoyed their trek through the wilderness but was happy to be in civilization once again.

Dorian, on the other hand, was not so pleased. Since he and Victoria had entered the dinning area they had the undivided attention of three vampires in the opposite corner. He knew they would be trouble even before one of them stood and came to their table.

“Who are you, friend?” the man asked.

“I am Kiron of Voidukas.”

The curious man looked him over. “You a Black Knight?”

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Dorian nodded. “And this is my squire. We are on our way to Cassius’ Fortress.”

The intruding vampire shifted his gaze to Victoria who kept her eyes down. She did not want to risk someone discovering that she was a woman and not a young boy.

“Well,” he said after giving them both another studied look. “I hope you bring good news to Kal. He needs it.”

“I know naught of what Queen Sonya has written in her missive, but I’m sure that it bares good tidings.”

The vampire nodded and rejoined his group. They mumbled to themselves and repeatedly looked over their shoulders at the couple in the corner.

Victoria waited until the serving girl was finished ladling stew into their bowls before she asked, “Do you think we will have trouble with them?”

Dorian shrugged and said nothing. He kept his eyes on the trio. They were planning something and he would be ready for them.

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