“Good.”
She shot him a dark look. Was that his intention for making her come? He must have one. This man wouldn’t have given her an orgasm out of the kindness of his heart. Well maybe once upon a time.
“You know you can take the cot tonight. The floor won’t bother me.” She’d slept many nights on a hard floor before. Cassie clamped her eyes shut. Thoughts like that had no place in her mind right now.
“I’m not letting you sleep on the floor, Cassie.”
“Did I ever tell you that your voice makes me shiver? Seriously it’s like the sexiest thing ever.” He let out a long sigh.
“Don’t say things like that.” Too bad his warning only made her want to do it more.
“So tell me about your family then.” He sent her a surprised look then scowled.
“Why?”
“Because that’s what people do when they get to know each other. They talk about things like family, favorite movies—Terminator series--
and things like that. I’m sure you recall doing that, lykaen.”
“I have two brothers and a sister.”
“Are you the eldest?”
He shook his head. “Vane is. I was born a year after him. Then my brother Rome and Vera is the baby.”
“Oh my, a sister roaming in a sea of lykaen brothers. Must have been a chore to be her.” A faint smile pulled at the corner of his mouth.
“Yeah, she did get it pretty rough. Since she was the only girl we made it our duty to let her know that she was a girl at every turn.”
Cassie rolled her eyes. “Boys.”
“Yeah, that was a long time ago.” He cleared his throat.
“Tell me about your parents.”
“They died in a car accident when we were all young.”
“The coroner and police said the drunk driver was going at least a hundred and twenty. He hit mom and dad and smashed their car like a pancake, sent them flying off the road. They didn’t stand a chance.” Cassie knew that lykaens were strong but could still die under serious impact. No one was above death.
“I’m so sorry.”
He shrugged. “It was a long time ago. Your turn,” he shot a look straight into her. “Tell me about your family.”
Cassie wanted to crawl under the covers and die. He’d shared though and if she wanted to help him then she had to open up a little about herself too. She thought over her words carefully before speaking.
“My mother died in childbirth but probably not in the way you’re thinking. She had just given birth to me, the nursemaid was cleaning me up, and then Anton barged in. He was...well the story goes that my mother had an affair with him while mated to my father. She ended things to be with my father but Anton didn’t like that. Apparently, he also was homicidal because he murdered my mom with a knife to the heart just seconds after she pushed me out, and then he murdered the nursemaid. The guards said that when they got there he was just about to kill me too. They got to him first, luckily. I guess.”
“Where the hell was your father?”
“He was negotiating a treaty with another vampire clan or something like that. I don’t really remember. No one saw it coming though. He was a wreck after that. I grew up with him for five years before he finally gave up and committed suicide.”
Cassie couldn’t look at him. She smiled softly even as her heart broke. She’d been the told the stories so many times by the workers around the house. It was like she could remember these things actually happening as if she’d been there. She honestly couldn’t though. She was too young. The only memories she had of her father would good ones and for that, she was thankful.
Tears blurred her vision so she rolled away from him on the cot.
“It looks like we’ve both suffered the loss of loved ones.”
Cassie snorted. “What a way to get to know someone. I should have just asked you your favorite color instead.” She heard the soft, gentle sound of his laughter and the tight vice around her heart eased.
Of course there was always one thing she’d never understood. One thing that no one had ever been able to explain to her. Why her father had promised to marry her to Daniel when she turned twenty-five.
She missed her dad so much, and yet he was the cause of her problems right now. A thought hit her. Pulling her lip between her teeth, she nibbled on it. Could she do it? She glanced over at the dark lykaen sitting in front of the flames. For him, she could. Before she had to go, she had to help him. Cassie shoved the nasty thought aside with brutal force. She realized during her conversation with the lykaen just what she had to do.
The one time he was vulnerable to her was when she pleasured him. At least that was the road she was willing to take, because this whole baring your soul thing was too rough for her.
She had no idea if her plan would work, but she was thrumming with excitement to find out.
Darien, get ready to have your socks knocked off.
Chapter 7
It took hours before Darien’s eyes closed and he finally drifted off to sleep. Cassie whispered a thank you that at least he had moved to the floor and not stayed in that blasted chair. Her plan would hardly work otherwise.
She crawled down next to him, gingerly testing the floorboards for squeaks. When it was safe, she laid down, resting her head in his lap as gently as possible. When he didn’t move, she sighed. The man really was a heavy sleeper. She almost laughed remembering how bad she’d been before. She’d never put her mouth on a man that way before and damn if she didn’t like it.
The idea of waking Darien up again by sucking his cock had her nipples tightening into points. She sighed. Soon, my lykaen. Soon.
She relaxed against his big warm body and drifted off to sleep with him. Tomorrow she’d start her seduction.
The second she fell into the dream world, he was there. His eyes were cold as he stalked towards her. She started to take a step back but he grabbed her shoulders.
“I saw you today. I’m close, Cassandra. I’m going to find you.”
She shook her head. “No!”
“Come back to me now. I won’t hurt you, you have my promise.”
Her wretched laughter grated on her own ears. “I remember how well you keep your promises. You might keep them in one way but you still punish in others.”
He pulled back his hand and slammed his fist into her face. Her head snapped back and sharp, hot, blooming pain burst around her nose and mouth. It was only a dream, yet the pain felt so real. He had the power to make it that way just like he had the power to invade her dreams.
“Where are you sleeping at, Cassandra?”
“In a tiki hut.” He pulled her hair hard, ripping several strands out.
“Try again,” he hissed in her face. She dragged open her eyes and cringed at the menace in his face.
“Bangladesh. I took a little trip there heard the food was good.” The environment around them shifted and contorted like a black tar monster rising from the ground. Globs rained down around her and turned white into the shape of a wall. The shapes fell flat and straightened into a tiny four-cornered room. Fear clogged her throat, sent her heart racing as he slammed her whole body back against the wall.
She needed to run. Just move! He could invade her dreams but they were still hers. She could make a door appear if she just focused hard enough.
She didn’t see his fist coming but she sure as shit felt it. Her head cracked into the wall and dry wall fell down around her.
“You are mine. You will always be mine and no one else’s.”
“Oh, yeah. Says who?”
“Said your father. Says me.” Cassie pushed him away with everything she had and made a dash to the left. She pushed her mind hard, envisioning a swinging door she could push right through. Relief filled her as it appeared. She ran into it but it wouldn’t budge. She screamed and slammed her fists into it, kicking it as footsteps came closer behind her.