Dalakis Passion 3 - Stefan's Salvation (26 page)

her face in her pillow, she sobbed, releasing all the emotions swamping her. She cried
for what she'd been through, for what she'd had and lost and for what she'd hoped for.
She cried until her eyes were swollen, her head was pounding and she was almost sick
with grief.
Gasping for breath, she rubbed her hands over her face. She had to stop. Dragging
herself into a sitting position, she hauled herself out of bed and down the hall. The
blanket she'd wrapped around herself dragged on the floor behind her as she stumbled
into the bathroom.
The light was harsh, almost blinding her and she switched it off almost as quickly
as she'd turned it on. It was then that she discovered that she didn't need it anyway.
Even in the dark, she could see everything. It was a strange sensation to be able to see
herself perfectly in the mirror even though the room was unlit. Her eyes were puffy and
red and she'd bitten her lip so hard that she'd drawn blood. Her hair was a tangled and
tousled mess and her skin was pale. But that wasn't what drew her attention. Her eyes
were fastened on her right cheek and she reached out and flicked on the light again. She
couldn't believe what she was seeing.
She blinked and squinted, waiting patiently until her eyes adjusted. Then she stared
at the woman in the mirror. The hand reflected in the glass was shaking as she reached
up to touch her face. Her scar was all but gone. Only the faintest trace of it remained. It
was all but invisible to the naked eye. But that was impossible. Wasn't it?
On a hunch, she dropped the blanket and stared down at her leg. Goose bumps
raised on the smooth, white skin as she poked at her thigh. The scars on her leg had all
but disappeared. It was almost disconcerting after living with them for all these years to
find them gone. It was as if a defining part of herself no longer existed.
Laurel Rose turned away from the mirror and stepped toward the bathtub. Her leg
moved easily, even though she'd automatically adjusted for its weakness. Taking a
deep breath, she slowly lifted her left leg, bending it at the knee so that all her weight
was on her right one. Instead of crumpling to the floor, she stood tall and strong.
Holding her breath, she bent and hopped forward. She landed firmly, her leg still
strong and steady.
"Oh my God," she whispered. By changing her, Stefan had given her back the full
use of her body. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but she flicked them away as the salt
burned her eyes. She'd cried enough for now.
Dragging herself into the tub, she turned on the shower and stepped beneath the
spray, allowing the hot water to wash away all the sweat and tears from her skin. When
she'd washed and scrubbed her hair and body, she rinsed and turned off the water.
Stepping out, she grabbed a towel and dried herself off. She wrapped the towel around
herself and grabbed another one, wrapping it around her wet hair.
Now that she was calmer, she began to think more rationally. The conversation
with Stefan replayed over and over in her head. Laurel Rose methodically began to
examine their relationship from the first moment they'd met. Stefan was a very
protective and possessive man. From the very beginning, he'd put her well-being ahead
of his own. It was as natural to him as breathing. He'd done it without thought, totally
by instinct.
Padding back to the bedroom, she toweled off her wet hair and pulled her comb
though the long, damp strands. She concentrated on trying to recall exactly what he'd
said to her that first night. She remembered him telling her that she was his destiny, the
only woman he would ever love. But it was her choice as to how they would live.
Choice
. That was the key word. That's what Stefan had emphasized. He felt guilty
about taking the choice away from her. Her brows furrowed as she followed her train of
thought. She knew she was on the right track--she felt it right to her very bones.
Tossing her comb onto the top of her dresser, she yanked open a drawer and pulled out
a clean pair of underwear. She dropped the towel from around her body and stepped
into her panties, tugging them up over her thighs.
He was protecting her
.
It was if the words were emblazoned across her brain in
neon lights. He felt guilty about what he'd done and was now stepping away from her
so that all the choice was hers. The man was protecting her from himself.
"Of all the stupid, lamebrain things to do," she muttered as she hauled on a pair of
jeans and grabbed a blouse. She didn't even bother with a bra. Stefan was somewhere
out in the woods. She sensed he was still close. He would not leave her without being
certain she was all right.
He might think he was giving her a choice, but by leaving he was once again
making it for her. He automatically assumed that she wouldn't want to be with him. By
offering money and assistance, he was protecting himself emotionally.
Yanking on her sneakers, she was muttered under her breath. "How dare he just
leave?" She was going to find him, and after she'd finished yelling at him and shaking
some sense into him, she was going to love him so hard that he'd never have any
doubts about her feelings again.
Slumping back on the bed, she buried her face in her hands. She knew she was
right. She had to be. His every action showed his love for her even if he didn't say it.
"Stubborn man."
Laurel Rose's head jerked up as feminine laughter filled the air. "You must be
talking about Stefan. Dalakis men are all alike." A brown-haired, blue-eyed woman
walked toward her with a smile on her face. "I'm Delight Dalakis, Lucian's wife. You
must be Laurel Rose."
Laurel Rose stood and faced the other woman. "I know you. You were here last
night."
Delight nodded. "All of us were here in case Stefan needed us. Where is he?"
"I don't know." Bending down, Laurel Rose tied her sneakers.
"Trouble?" Delight moved closer. "I don't mean to pry, but if there is anything I can
do to help, all you have to do is ask."
Laurel Rose sensed the other woman's sincerity and it rocked her to the core. She
was so used to being alone, used to doing everything for herself, that asking for help
was a totally foreign concept to her.
"I don't know if anyone can help, but thank you. I'm going to go looking for
Stefan." She brushed past the other woman as she headed toward the door. Laurel Rose
stopped and looked back at Delight, uncertainty filling her. "But, if you're around when
I get back, maybe..." She took a deep breath and plunged ahead. "Maybe we could
talk."
Delight smiled at her. "Of course, Laurel Rose. But a word of advice, if I may." She
paused and waited until Laurel Rose nodded. "Whatever has gone on between the two
of you, Stefan feels very deeply for you. More than you can even begin to imagine. And
whatever he's done, he's had your best interests at heart."
"I know," she whispered, her eyes going back to the crumpled bed covers. Stefan
always seemed to be taking care of her. Now it was her turn to take care of him. "I'll be
back."
Hurrying down the stairs, she rushed out the back door. She sensed other people in
the house, but she wasn't ready to deal with anyone but Stefan. Trusting her instincts,
she plunged into the forest to the right of the house and when the night swallowed her
in its dark embrace, she began to run.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Stefan sat on his haunches, panting for breath as he stared at the moon. He'd been
running since he'd left Laurel Rose, but his journey had taken him full circle and once
again he was in the woods just beyond her home. He could not leave her. She was the
very breath in his body, the light in his life, his reason for existing.
A slight noise off to his left alerted him that he was no longer alone. It was no more
than the brush of fabric against a leaf, but he didn't need any more than that. Keeping
himself still, he waited as she entered the small clearing. She stumbled to a stop when
she saw him sitting there.
Tipping back his head, he howled once again--a large, silver-gray wolf baying at
the moon. Part of him was hoping that she'd be frightened of the beast and leave him to
his solitude. But he knew better. She hadn't been afraid of the wolf before and she
certainly wasn't afraid now.
"Stefan?" She inched closer, one step at a time, as if not to frighten him away. "It is
you, isn't it? I meant to ask you about that before, but the right opportunity never
arose." She laughed. "I could hardly come right out and ask if you could shift into a
wolf, could I?"
Stefan was frozen as she continued to move nearer to him. Her hair was a black
curtain flowing down her back as it fluttered in the light breeze. Her eyes were dark
and mysterious in the moonlight. But it was the gentle smile on her face that was his
undoing. The inner beauty of her soul shone from within as she approached him.
His lips curled back and he growled at her, baring his sharp teeth. She hesitated,
but only for a heartbeat. "I know you won't hurt me."
Not hurt her
! He'd barged into her life and changed it forever. The last thing he'd
ever wanted to do was hurt her, but there was no disguising what he'd done. Before she
touched him, he began to transform. His limbs lengthened and changed as the hair on
his body receded. Before her wide, stunned eyes, he transformed from beast to man. He
waited for her to scream, to turn and flee from him.
Her eyes widened. "That is so cool." She took the final step that brought her beside
him and placed her palm in the center of his chest, right over his beating heart. "Can I
do that?"
He frowned, his brows drawing together. Why wasn't she running in terror?
"Given time and practice, you will be able to shift. The wolf is the easiest form for us to
take, but you may be able to shift into others as well."
"That's just amazing." He could see the awed expression on her face as she stared
up at him. Her hand was rubbing small circles on his chest and he realized that she had
no idea she was doing it.
Back in human form, his body immediately reacted to her presence, tightening and
swelling with anticipation and growing need. The urge to claim her was strong. The
beast inside him demanded he mark her as his, bind her to his side and never let her
leave him. It was a constant struggle, a battle he fought within himself, but he managed
to leash his animal instincts. Barely.
He was still more man than beast and he'd already taken too much from her. That
which was not freely given had no value at all. The long, lonely centuries in darkness,
studying human nature, had taught him that much.
The light breeze cooled his heated flesh and he welcomed it. His cock was hard and
heavy, thrusting out in front of him. He could smell the familiar scent of her soap and
knew that she'd bathed. She looked fresh and clean and pure standing before him. She
was all he'd ever wanted, but he cared too much to take any more from her.
He forced himself to take a step backward, away from her. Her hand dropped to
her side and he inwardly cringed at the flash of momentary pain that filled her beautiful
blue eyes. "Why are you here?" His voice was harsher than he intended and she
flinched.
"Because you are."
Her three simple words almost destroyed him, but he kept his expression
impassive. Crossing his arms over his chest, he stared at her, careful to keep all
expression from his face. "Did you need something from me?"
She raised her hand toward him and then let it fall again. "Yes, I did." Sighing, she
rubbed her fingers across her forehead. She sounded tired. It took every ounce of
discipline he possessed not to wrap her in his arms and promise her that everything
would be all right. "I though you might need something too, but I was mistaken."
"What did you need?"
She shook her head and turned away from him, wandering around the small
clearing. "Will you leave now and go away?"
Stefan's jaw clenched tight. "Yes," he spit out.
Laurel Rose nodded. "So our relationship meant nothing more to you than a roll in
the sack. I was just a convenience to you."
A red haze covered his eyes as a fierce fury rose up within him. He didn't
remember moving, but his hands were locked around her upper arms and he was
shaking Laurel Rose. "Don't you say that. Don't even think it."
"Why? You were quick enough to leave."
Anger pounded in his brain and coursed through his body. That she would even
think such a thing was an abomination to him. "I was protecting you."
"From what?" Her soft, gentle voice flowed over him like a cooling balm.
He dropped his forehead until it was touching hers. "From me. From what I am.
From the life I live." Sighing, he soothed his hands down her arms and wrapped them
around her waist. Laurel Rose snuggled closer, nestling her body against his. "I did not
give you a choice, Laurel Rose. You do not understand how your life has changed."
"Tell me?"
His hand automatically began to stroke her back, offering her silent comfort.
"Sunlight is beyond your grasp for all time. The night is your only haven now." He bent
down and kissed the top of her head. "I have taken it from you."
"The night's not so bad." Her words were muffled against his chest as she placed a
soft kiss there. "I like the night."
"You must have blood, or you will die. You do not have to take it from humans if
that is distasteful to you. I can arrange for blood to be shipped to you on a regular
basis."
"But I've seen you eat." Her nimble lips kissed a path to his flat nipple before
flicking it with her tongue. It was becoming harder for him to think.
"Yes. Your body can tolerate small amounts of food. You do not need it to survive,
but if you still want to taste something, you can. Given time, you can even consume a
full meal if it is something you wish to do." His fingers flexed around her skull, holding
her face tight to his chest as she continued to torment him with her clever tongue.
"Good. I definitely don't want to have to give up chocolate or ice cream."
Her answer made him think of his sisters-in-law and he laughed. "Johanna and
Delight said much the same thing."
"Smart ladies." Laurel Rose stroked one of her hands over his chest, sliding it lower.
Stefan trapped it against his stomach. "I have tethered your life to mine now. If I