FALL (The Senses) (30 page)

She met his eyes. Bastard. It was
obvious wasn’t it? Vamp attacked someone in this house and she had a bandage on
her neck. Go figure.

He casually strolled across the
tiled floor. Confident. Self-assured. He stopped when he was toe to toe with
her and she bowed her head. His scent was a mixture of coumarin, almonds, and
vanilla, maybe a hint of rose—extraordinarily sensual. She took a long, deep
breath as it wafted into her senses and she felt a wave of heat run across her
skin in response. Damn, this sucked. She wasn’t scared of getting hit, beaten,
tortured, or bitten, but she was terrified of the raw attraction she had
towards this man. She kept her eyes lowered.

“Standing right here. Best look
at me, babe.” His finger came under her chin as he urged her head upward. “Not
one for repeating myself.” He held her clip in his opposite hand. When had he
picked that up? She slipped it from his grasp and waited for him to back away.
He didn’t.

Instead, he stared, eyes watching
her with such magnitude that she was unsure of what he was doing.

“A Senses with unreadable
thoughts and…does Xamien know you’re a Healer? Thinking not.”

How the hell did he read that?
She’d never once let anyone know she was a Healer. All these years, she’d
managed to keep it hidden. She tilted her head down to avoid his watchful eyes
and his hand fell away. A lesson she’d learned real young—appearances were
everything. Never let anyone know your true emotions.

She could see Jasper’s tattooed
chest through his white shirt. She licked her dry lips.

“Liking the lip action, but keep
it tight or you’ll be losing that towel,” Jasper said. She slipped her tongue
inside. “Morals rarely cross my mind, babe. Think I’ll take the bedroom next
door.”

She had to say something and the
best she could come up with was, “Yes, sir.”

“Sir? Not your sir, babe.
Anything but one. Best you remember that.”

She looked up for a second and
their eyes locked. She gasped when she noticed the corners of his mouth curve
upward and sparkling warmth invaded his eyes. Jasper was breathtaking.

He turned and walked out, leaving
the bathroom door ajar.

Max collapsed onto the toilet
seat. She just met the devil himself.

****

Delara was leaning over the sink
to wash her hands when Xamien strode into the kitchen. He came up behind her
and put his hands on her hips, his breath sweeping like a warm breeze across
her neck.

Delara froze, the taps still running,
her hands covered in soap. “Xamien. Where’s Waleron? What did he say about
Damien?”

“I’d rather not talk about
Waleron right now.”

She could feel his fingers
through the denim of her jeans. The sensual heat of his chest so close to hers,
yet not touching. She knew what this man desired and normally she’d be a more
than a willing participant, but now…now she couldn’t stop thinking of Waleron.
She knew he’d tried to scare her off.

Xamien took her hands, rinsed
them under the tap, and reached for a dishtowel, drying them for her.

She turned and met his eyes. They
were filled with craving and something else she didn’t recognize. It was
undeniable what existed between them, a carnal fervor that sent her body into
flames. Hadn’t Edan done that though? And Liam brought her to the brink often
enough. Still, she felt close to Xamien, as if he knew what she needed without
having to ask or read her mind. She trusted him, and that was something that
didn’t come easily.

He grabbed her hand. “Come. As
promised, I will show you a remarkable sight. I’ve wanted you to see this, but
you’ve never been here this time of year.” Without waiting for her to decide,
Xamien guided her to the back door and out into the brilliant sunshine.

The occasion was on two white
Lipizzaner horses. Xamien’s gorgeous stallion had flaring nostrils and a mane
and that reached past his shoulders. It reminded her of Gandolf’s horse in
Lord
of The Rings
, especially since the horse didn’t wear a bridle, but instead
a single, thin rope around its neck.

“The horses.” Delara kicked
herself for forgetting their deal.

“Kitten, this isn’t about the
deal. I want you to know the magnificence of my horses. I want you to
experience it.”

He didn’t say it, but it was
there between them. He wanted her to experience it in case she never came back
here.

Xamien held the mare Delara was
going ride. She was smaller than Xamien’s, but with the same compact muscled
body and long, flowing mane. Delara’s horse, Xadea, wore a simple leather rope
around her like a bridle, but with no bit in her mouth. Delara wondered how on earth
she’d ever be able to stop this powerful horse without a bit.

Xamien offered his hand to help
her into the saddle. It was unlike the usual leather saddles she’d seen;
instead, this one was a fleece pad with a leather back and no stirrups. Delara
hesitated and he chuckled.

“Xadea is gentle and kind. She
will listen to anything I ask her.” Xamien waited patiently while Delara eyed
the beast. The mare lowered her head and snorted while shaking her neck back
and forth, sending her long mane to dance across her coat—obviously
she
wasn’t
very patient.

“I’m not so sure about that. Xamien,
you know I can’t ride.”

“She will look after you,” Xamien
urged. When she still hesitated, Xamien sighed. He nodded to the man holding
his stallion and the man led the horse back into the barn. “Come,” Xamien said
holding out his hand. He let Xadea go; she was loose and yet she remained
standing exactly where he’d placed her.

“What are we doing?”

Xamien rolled his eyes with
exasperation. “We will walk for a moment.” He kept hold of Delara’s hand as he
began to walk down a path towards a river at the bottom of the hill.

Delara heard the clip clop of
hooves behind her and gasped. “She’s following us.”

Xamien laughed. “Yes. You did not
believe me when I said she will do anything I ask?”

Well, no she didn’t. This was a
horse, not a dog. She glanced over her shoulder again, and Xadea strolled
behind, head low, ears half-back as if listening.

“I’m the same with horses as I am
with people. I never lie to them. I don’t ask for what cannot be given and I’m
extremely patient. Well, except when it comes to you between my legs. But I
demand respect, but first I earn it with trust.” Xamien stopped and the mare
stopped too.

Delara glanced back at the horse,
seeing the kindness in her eyes, the trust they held. An animal so powerful
trusted this man who could harm her with the blink of an eye. Yet, the mare’s
spirit was there; she didn’t obey because of fear, she obeyed out of respect
and trust. The mare gave all of herself to Xamien.

Xamien let go of Delara’s hand
and walked up to his mare, standing at the horse’s shoulder. “Well, Xadea,
shall we make it easier for her?” He stroked her solid, thick neck, then down
her shoulder to lightly tap on it, as if he were patting her. Xadea lowered her
head further. He winked at Delara and she watched in utter amazement as Xadea
slowly sank to her knees and then after a moment’s hesitation sank to the
ground. Xamien crouched down beside her and murmured soft soothing words in
another language, Delara guessed Spanish, while he stroked her neck.

“Come here, Delara.” He held out
his hand.

Mesmerized by the scene before
her, she walked slowly towards them. Xamien took her hand and with his over
top, he stroked Xadea’s neck, over her head, muzzle, then back to her neck
again.

“Ready?”

Delara nodded. She was finally
the old Delara, the one who wasn’t scared of anything. That feeling in her
chest was building again and it felt exhilarating.

Xamien steadied her as she put
her leg over the saddle. Delara expected the horse to come roaring to her feet
and take off in a mad gallop; fear sliced through her like a blade for a single
instant. Nothing happened, except Xamien’s tap on the mare’s shoulder and she
quietly stood on her hooves.

Delara smiled, leaning forward
and stroking the mare’s mane. It was an incredible feeling, sitting atop a
massive beast with so much power beneath.

Xamien pointed to the mare’s
flank and the horse turned on her haunches so she was facing the barn. Delara
picked up the leather straps and held tight, but Xadea shook her head pulling
them from her hands.

Xamien laughed. “Here.” He took up
a handful of mane. “Hold this. You do not need reins with Xadea, she will
follow.”

Xamien brought his fingers to his
mouth and made a loud, piercing whistle. Xadea’s ears flicked forward, but she
remained stock-still. Delara gasped as his stallion came barreling from the
barn, flowing mane flying like a kite, hooves pounding on the soil. He was
magnificent.

The horse skidded to a stop
several feet in front of Xamien, then lowered its head. Xamien approached him,
and greeted him speaking softly in what definitely was Spanish. The trust
between them was something Delara would always remember. There was such
unexplained giving, as if they were speaking to one another. A true bond
between animal and man.

Xamien vaulted into the saddle
easily. “And this is Kos. I’ve had him and Xadea for near ten years. They’re
half brother and sister as they share the same father.” He stroked his horse’s
neck and she saw the love he held for his horse. “Shall we, Kitten?” He urged
his stallion forward just by a mere shift in his weight. Xadea followed beside.

Chapter
13

Jasper had just finished scouting
the area when he saw the hot and enthralling Max walk into the house with a
package in her hands. Shit. Stupid girl. Where the hell had that come from?
She’d gone to the mailbox, no doubt. Hadn’t Xamien given her strict instruction
to not touch anything? Fuck, this is why Jasper was here.

He took off running towards the
front door. It may be nothing, but he hadn’t lived as long as he had without being
cautious. The closest he came to trusting anyone was Xamien and that was the
only reason Jasper had agreed to come and keep an eye out for any disturbances.
Besides, this is what he did—hunted and killed. For payment of course.

Jasper heard a crash. Fuck. When
he reached the front hall he saw the cause of the noise; a china statue lay in
pieces on the floor. Glunk and the mysterious and alluring babe Max stood
immobilized staring at the ground.

Out of the corner of his eye, he
saw movement. An olive colored snake slithered along the stone tiles, weaving a
path towards some sort of safety. It was an Inland Taipan, aka fierce snake,
the deadliest snake on earth. Survival after a bite is rare. Respiratory
paralysis happened within minutes if enough venom was injected.

The snake curled up behind a
potted plant. As long as it wasn’t threatened it should be simple to coral it.
He looked at Glunk holding a wrinkled and yellowed piece of paper. “What’s
that?”

“It was inside the statue.”

Xamien underestimated this Tarek
guy. Obviously he already knew Delara was here and had been prepared. It was no
easy task to get this particular snake here. “Need a pillow case.” Jasper
turned towards the snake’s hiding place just as Max leaned over to pick it up.
“No!” Jasper shouted and dove for her, shoving Max out of the way.

The snake reacted to the sudden
movement. It hissed then clamped onto his arm. Jasper threw his head back in
pain and swore. He felt the fangs penetrate his skin and the sudden rush of
poison slide through his veins. Soon he’d feel it in his respiratory and then—

“Stay still,” Max said grabbing
the snake by the back of the neck and squeezing. The fangs released and Jasper
sunk to his knees. Hell. This shit stung. Assassin gets killed by a fuckin’
snake. Nice.

Glunk came running with a pillow
case, looking from Jasper on the floor to Max holding the snake. He opened the
pillow case and Jasper watched as Max cautiously coiled the snake into the bag,
releasing the head last at the same moment Glunk closed it.

Jasper fell to his side, his
breathing raspy.

Max leaned over him. He met her
eyes with a glower that did nothing to change her expression. “I fuckin’ said
no and still you grabbed it. Not good, babe.”

“I know.” She shoved his hand
away from his wound. “Sorry, sir.” Her hands started to glow a bright orange as
she held them over him.

He groaned, falling onto his
back. He inhaled with difficulty—as if something had hold of his lungs and
wasn’t letting him suck in air. A few more breaths, he suspected, and that
would be all. At least he had a hot woman leaning over him as he died.

He focused on her face as she
tried to chase the poison through his bloodstream before it killed him. Quiet.
Calm. There was no panic on her face, just attentive concentration. Her thin
brows lowered and eyes were open, watching him. He noticed her flinch and the
unease in her breathing as if the poison was seeping into her.