Dangerous (Courting the Darkness Saga) (7 page)

He inched his face
toward hers, and she moistened her dry lips in anticipation. His lips gently met
hers, and her body trembled with a sudden need to seek more. She wanted to
taste what those sweet lips offered as fire coursed through her veins with the
sensation. A simple kiss had never had this kind of effect on her before. She
parted her lips and moaned as his tongue sought hers.

She entwined her
fingers in the hair at the base of his neck, pulling him closer, deepening the
kiss. The fingers on her other hand worked the top buttons of his shirt,
then
slipped beneath the fabric to caress his smooth skin.

This triggered an
approving growl from him as he broke the kiss. “Hold onto me.” He shifted his
hold so that she could wrap her legs around his waist. Using his free hand, he
cupped her breast, rubbing her sensitized nipple through the fabric.

The huskiness of his
voice sent a ripple of pleasure through her and his touch was driving her mad.
Her lips followed the path of her fingers, pushing the fabric away. She kissed
and nipped at his flesh as she trailed a path to his nipple. He rocked his hips
against her soft core as she took the round disk between her teeth and gently
bit then suckled the wound.

“Sherry!”

The shock in Desiree’s
voice brought her back to her senses. What was she thinking? She had never
behaved this way with anyone before. She heard Mica chuckle in the background. Her
eyes flew open and she reluctantly pushed away. She felt the heat rise to her
face, remembering the way she had just reacted to him.

When she looked up, he
was smiling, looking down at her. His fangs had dropped and his eyes held an
unnatural glow. The look in his eyes promised long nights of hot passion, and
her body was reacting to the open invitation, both reminding her that she was
dealing with a vampire and treading on very dangerous territory.

She took a quivering
breath,
then
spoke. “Please put me down.”

Drake laughed softly as
he complied, setting her on her feet. Her legs still felt wobbly and she
clutched his arm to remain steady.

“Thank you,” she
mumbled. She looked around the room,
then
shivered. The
light from the doorway flooded the interior, allowing Sherry to clearly see her
surroundings. She wrinkled her nose at the smell. The room was dank and musty.
Water droplets trickled down the walls. Three pedestals held coffins in the
center. Two benches lined the walls, one of which was occupied by Desiree and
Mica. Her gaze stopped on Desiree. “You both saw that, didn’t you?”

Desiree nodded. “Yeah
, kiddo—are
you okay?”

Sherry shrugged. “Yeah,
I guess. Waking up in a coffin probably took about ten years off my life.”

“Yeah, I imagine that
would be scary, but I was referring to just now.”

Drake frowned at
Desiree, and Sherry unconsciously stepped back, bumping into Drake. He wrapped
his arms possessively around her, alarming Desiree further.

Sherry shook her head.
“Desiree, I’m fine. It was just a kiss.”

“It looked like more
than a kiss to me.” She stood,
then
gripped Sherry’s
shoulders. “You’re playing with fire.” She shook her to stress her point then
shoved her toward the door. “Run!”

Drake tucked Sherry
behind him. “Mica, control your mate!”

Desiree slammed her
hands on her hips and yelled into Drake’s face. “I told you that you can’t have
my friend.”

“I am king!” he roared.
“You are one of my subjects and have no say in
who
I
see or don’t see. I can have anyone I please.”

She crossed her arms
over her chest. “Not Sherry!”

Mica gripped Desiree’s
shoulders, pulling her back.
“Desiree, enough.”

“But, Mica—”

“Love, she is a grown
woman and capable of making her own decisions.”

“Mica, I watched her
grow up. I taught her the craft—you don’t understand. She is like a daughter to
me—I have to protect her.”

Sherry stepped from
behind Drake and stood next to him. “Desiree, I’ve been taking care of myself
for quite a few years now—”

Desiree smiled sadly
and interjected. “I know. I also know I have no rights or control over your
life. But Drake is—”

“Is what?” She cut in,
losing her temper.
“Strong, handsome, too good for me maybe?”

Desiree shook her head.
“No, that’s not what I meant…you didn’t let me finish.”

Sherry crossed her arms
over her chest and continued to glare at Desiree. “By all means, finish,
Mom
. You won’t be happy until you do.”

“Sherry, please,
don’t
be that way.”

“I asked you to
finish.”

“Very well, I’ll
finish. I was going to say that Drake is dangerous.”

Sherry nodded. “And
Mica’s not?”

Desiree was taken aback
by that question. “I—”

Drake roared with
laughter and clapped his hands.
“Touché!”

Desiree huffed. “I
don’t find this the least bit amusing, Drake. She has no idea what she’s
getting herself into. She’s—”

“Desiree, you are my
very best friend, and I love you, but if you’re going to say that I’m naïve,
then you’d better not finish that sentence.”

Desiree threw up her
hands and looked away. “Fine, you’re obviously not ready to listen to reas….” Her
eyes widened and the color drained from her face. “Good God!”

Mica turned her to face
him. “I felt that…you’re trembling and afraid.” Mica searched her face. “And
pale. What just happened?”

Her eyes watered and a
few tears rolled down her cheeks. She closed her eyes and spoke to him in a
whisper. “Hargrove’s gone.”

Mica’s eyes glowed red
as his focus zoomed in on the corner. In the blink of an eye he had tucked
Desiree protectively behind him, his fangs dropping as he assumed a fighting
stance.

Sherry screamed,
stumbling backwards into a coffin, knocking it from the pedestal with a resounding
crash. Drake snatched her up before she could hit the floor. His eyes too were
glowing red, and his fangs exposed. She screamed again, struggling to get away,
sure that her life was about to come to an end. “Let me go.”

“Stop fighting me. I
have to protect you.”

“
What?
”

“Hargrove’s gone.”

Chapter Nine

Sherry stopped
struggling,
then
strained to see past Drake into the
darkened corner of the room. “Wh-where’d he go?”

Drake set her back down
on her feet, but kept her close. He glared at Desiree. “My guess is he slipped
out while Desiree was arguing with us.”

Desiree’s shoulders
slumped. “I guess it was bad timing. I still don’t think—”

A growl rumbled from
Drake’s chest. “Mica….”

Mica covered Desiree’s
mouth before she could finish her sentence, and she struggled against his grip.
“Desiree, please. You haven’t learned all our ways yet. We are a warrior clan,
as you know. Obedience is a must. If you persist, Drake could order me to
punish you—I would have no choice.” She froze.

Sherry brought a
trembling hand up to cover her mouth, giving Drake an uneasy glance as she
asked, “What’s the punishment for disobedience?”

Drake didn’t take his
eyes off Desiree as he spoke.
“A public flogging.”
Desiree’s eyes rounded. “In most instances the punishment is carried out by the
one wronged, or the leader whose orders have been disobeyed. With the threat of
this type of punishment there is very little disobedience. Orders are followed
without question. But in Desiree’s case the one wielding the whip would be her
mate, Mica. A vampire is not allowed to harm another’s mate, so the mate is
ordered to carry out the punishment. If the mate refuses to administer punishment,
then they are both put to death.”

Sherry gripped Drake’s
arm and shook her head frantically. “No, Drake, please don’t—”

Drake placed his hand
over hers. “She has tested my patience, little one.”

“Please?”

“I have already been
more lenient with her than any of my other subjects. I am grateful for what she
has done for me and my kind. Granting us the ability to walk in the daylight
gives us the capability of blending in with humans, and an advantage over other
clans. But as a leader, my orders must be followed by my people without
question. I am not a cruel master, but I do demand obedience. Mica is my best
friend and her mate. I sired Mica three hundred years ago, and through that
bond I can feel what he feels for your friend. They are soul mates. Vampires
are fiercely loyal and protect their mates with their life. Through their bond Mica
would feel every stroke of the whip as it rent through her flesh, and each
strike would tear at his heart. I, in turn, would feel
his
pain through our bond. I do not wish to cause her harm, but if
she slips and is defiant in front of others, I will have no choice but to
demand punishment or my clan would perceive my lack of reaction a weakness.
That, I cannot allow.”

***

Mica whispered in Desiree’s
ear. “Now do you understand why I keep intervening? I know the consequences of
your actions. I have seen the results. You remember Denise; she crossed Drake a
time or two. Her smart mouth has been known to test a man’s temper. One day she
pushed Drake too far and made the mistake of doing it in front of others. He
was left with no choice, and now her back will forever carry the marks.” Desiree
closed her eyes and a tear slipped from the corner as Mica continued. “That’s
why she doesn’t live with the nest. It took a lot from her to go back there
with us and fight last night. She fought the other clan and risked facing Drake
again for us. I know this goes against your independent nature, and I love that
part of you. If it makes you feel better you can argue all you want with me in
private. In fact, I look forward to it, but to cross Drake purposefully is
dangerous for both of us. Do you understand?” She relaxed in his arms and
nodded. “If I remove my hand, will you stop arguing?” She opened her eyes and
nodded again. He kissed the top of her head and dropped his hand.

She turned in his arms,
burying her face in his chest, sobbing. “My God, Denise, I had no idea. It must
have been awful.”

Her crying over Denise
surprised him. Not two days ago she herself had thrown a fireball at Denise for
her smart mouth. Denise hadn’t liked the idea that he was involved with a human
and had played a huge part in an elaborate plan to separate them. It had almost
worked too. Desiree was devastated when Denise lied and claimed to be his mate.
When he forced Denise to tell Desiree the truth, Denise had made the mistake of
making light of the situation.

He reached out and
touched her mind.
You’re crying over
Denise? I did not tell you about her to make you cry for her. I was just trying
to warn you—to make a point.

She sniffed.
I know, but Denise is my friend.

Friend?
Since when?

She and I connected in the cave. I like her. If it
hadn’t been for Caleb—

She wouldn’t have been there causing trouble in the
first place.
He finished for her.

Yeah.

You have a very large heart and are very protective of
those you love. Please, just let Sherry be. For whatever reason, Drake seems to
be attracted to her. To cross him—

She wiped the tears
from her eyes, then gazed into his, giving him a watery smile.
Back off. I get it.
He nodded.
I promise to try. I see that my punishment
would not just hurt me. I love you, Mica. I couldn’t bear to see you hurt
because of something I did. I promise to let Sherry be, unless—

Unless?

She shrugged.
If she comes running to me for help, I can’t
turn my back on her.

Promise me that you will come to me before you do or
say anything foolish.

I will try—in the heat of the moment, it doesn’t seem
foolish at the time.

Mica shook his head in
exasperation and wrapped her in his arms.
It looks like my safest bet is to keep you as far away from Drake as I can.

Good luck with that. I am his slave, remember?

Mica sighed.
How can I forget?

***

Sherry watched the
silent exchange between Desiree and Mica. She was happy that her friend had
finally found
love,
she just hoped that Desiree
wouldn’t do something stupid like crossing Drake. She smiled when she saw
Desiree smile up at Mica. “I’m happy for you kiddo,” she whispered.

“You are beautiful when
you smile.”

Sherry hadn’t realized
that Drake had been watching her until he spoke. Her body betrayed her, reacting
to his tone by flushing hot. She glanced up to see him smiling at her. Her
heart just about stopped. He had to be one of the most handsome men she had
ever seen.