He needed blood-and so did she. As weak as she was, he doubted if she could go more than a couple of hours before he would be forced to give her another exchange and he was uncertain how best to broach the subject with her.
«I'm not afraid of being here.»
That hadn't been the trouble, Nicolas knew. And he caught her desire, hastily suppressed, to be in the open where she could feel free. He didn't want to move her, at least not until she was significantly stronger.
Nicolas settled against the headboard of the bed with Lara in his arms. He rested his chin on top of her silky hair and held her in his arms, close to his chest. His heart was beneath her ear, a steady rhythmic beat meant to reassure her. She wanted to be outside in the open. A small smile touched his mouth and
he directed his attention to the high ceiling of the cavern.
The flickering candles suddenly snuffed out, leaving behind complete darkness. Immediately the sensation of the room growing and expanding struck them and then the dark was lit by a thousand stars. Lara gasped, lifting her gaze to sparkling constellations scattered across the ceiling. The sky turned a midnight black, a perfect backdrop for the glittering stars. A faint breeze swept into the cavern, bringing the scent of wild flowers and freshly cut grass. She blinked and found that the stalagmites, large columns of minerals deposited from water dripping over the centuries, had twisted into thick tree trunks, branches spreading across the chamber floor to twine with one another and form a forest. Leaves fluttered in the breeze, creating a whisper of sound.
She leaned back and gazed upward, spellbound. «It's beautiful.»
Nicolas couldn't take his eyes from the rapt expression on her face. For the first time since he'd met her, he'd done something right.
«See that constellation up there?» He pointed to a grouping of stars. «Watch it.»
At first the stars remained stationary in the sky and it was difficult to distinguish what he meant by constellation, but then an outline emerged, twin dragons slowly taking shape as the stars began to glow brighter, forming the bodies, sweeping tails and heads. One dragon stretched, leaning forward, lifting a clawed foot in a graceful movement. The second dragon threw back its head and let out a stream of roiling white vapor. As she watched, the gasses began to spin, drawing together as if pulled by gravity to form a long, flowing opaque tube.
The dragon pumped its wings, the stars shaping its body glowing white-hot. Its twin rose up on its hind legs and fanned the sky, spreading stars in all directions.
Her soft mouth curved into a tentative smile, even as she leaned back against him. She was already exhausted, unable to sit up she was so weak. He laid her against the pillows and slid to one side of her, propped up on his elbow, continuing to build the illusion of being outside the cavern in open air.
The crystals in the room began to vibrate, sending the leaves dancing and the tree trunks humming. Flowers covered the floor, springing up all over, lining a path that led from the bed through the archway to the chamber with the pool. The archway disappeared under vines as they wound around one another and climbed up the walls.
Lara kept her gaze fixed on the stars. The dragons leapt about playing with carefree abandon, their antics making her laugh.
«You try it,» he said.
She shook her head. «I can't do that.»
«Of course you can.» Nicolas caught her hand and laced her fingers through his, pointing as he did so to a group of stars just above the heads of the dragons. «Choose a cluster that reminds you of an animal.»
She swallowed visibly and Nicolas could feel her body vibrate with tension. In her mind she traced the dragon that she'd drawn on her wall. It had leapt out at her and attacked viciously. The solution to their problem might be simple enough in theory, but it would take time and patience. He needed to make her feel the power running through her body and in her mind. She was Dragonseeker, from one of the
legendary and most revered bloodlines. Knowledge, not only of ancient Carpathian ways and abilities, but mage as well, had been dumped into her mind. She had tremendous potential. He had to show her that power.
But she might try to leave him. The thought came unbidden and he felt the darkness in him rise to take the bait. Even his teeth lengthened. Now that his emotions were involved as well, he was more dangerous than ever. He fought back the need to dominate and leaned closer to her, pressing his lips against her ear so that his lips brushed the velvet soft lobe.
«You have every ability, that of your aunts, your father, and mine, in your head. You have only to find the right information and put it to use. You mind is merged with mine. Follow what I did and you will have complete control of the illusion. That is all it really is.»
Lara shivered, her blue eyes swirling with green. Her hair banded with color, going to a deep red. «But it seems so real. If I touched it, I believe I would feel scales.»
«Of course, or I have not done my job properly.»
Lara reached toward the sky with one hand. The stars seemed very real, as did the surrounding forest and meadow of flowers. She cast another nervous glance toward Nicolas, reminding him again of a wild creature cornered and fearing for its life. She was ready to defend herself if necessary; he could feel her mind preparing for trouble.
«Try the cluster of stars up there on the left. My pair would like to have a little one to play with.»
«I lost control of my drawing once,» she admitted in a low voice.
He felt the bites on his arms and legs as if those sharp teeth were tearing into his flesh all over again. He took her arm and kissed the small, faded scars. «You will not lose control this time, and if you did, I am here to help you.»
She held his gaze for a long moment and then turned her attention onto the collection of bright stars forming the outline of what appeared to her to be a dog. She concentrated, drawing with her imagination, choosing the stars for the outline of the body of a young dragon. More slender, smaller and more compact, but with outstretched wings and a long spiked tail. She paid much more attention to detail than Nicolas had and that fascinated him. She had lived her childhood with her aunts imprisoned in the form of a dragon and she had obviously studied them.
Her dragon had rows of sharp teeth, yet kind eyes. The mouth was slightly open and a steady stream of vapor poured into the night sky, creating more stars. The head bobbed and the tail twitched. Lara smiled, but her body remained tense.
«Your dragon is amazing, much more detailed than mine,» Nicolas said.
The smaller of his two dragons flapped its wings and bent its wedge-shaped head toward Lara's baby. The two dragons touched noses and the baby tumbled over backward. Lara's soft laughter filled the chamber-and filled his heart. His stomach muscles tightened and his groin pooled with hot blood, going hard and full in a rush of emotion.
«We need something else,» Nicolas said. «Let me see what I can do.»
He chose a longer, thinner constellation, using the stars to form the figure of a woman wearing leggings and a skirt.
«You're making me.» Lara pointed to the head. «Don't forget my hair.»
He rubbed his chin along her shoulder, injecting a teasing note into both his voice and his mind. «Have a little patience.»