Page 56

K adie woke in Rylan’s arms. Sometime during the night he had carried her down to his lair and now he lay beside her.

She had come so close to losing him. She couldn’t imagine a life without him in it.

He had given her everything she had ever wanted, had saved her life on more than one occasion.

He had shown her the world. But, most of all, he had shown her love.

She sighed when she felt his lips brush her cheek. “Did I wake you?” she asked.

“No. I’ve just been lying here, reading your mind.”

“Oh!” Sitting up, she grabbed her pillow and hit him over the head with it.

“Hey! I’m the man you love, remember?”

“Hah!” She would have hit him again if he hadn’t taken the pillow from her hands and tossed it across the room.

In a move too fast for her to follow, he tucked her beneath him, his hands holding hers above her head. “What are you gonna do now?”

She wriggled beneath him, a smug look on her face when she felt his immediate arousal.

“I’m going to get up and have breakfast.”

“That’s what you think,” he said.

“You wouldn’t force me, would you?”

He glowered at her, then lowered his head and kissed her until she was breathless, her body on fire for the touch of his hands.

“Are you still hungry?” he asked.

“Starving,” she said, then groaned as he moved against her.

“What are you hungry for, darlin’?”

“You.” She gasped as he bit her gently, unleashing a wave of sensual pleasure. “Just you. Always you.”

“You’re in luck,” he said, with a wicked gleam in his eye. “I have just what you want.”

When he released her hands, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer. She cried his name when he possessed her, his dark eyes alight with desire as two became one.

Later, they showered together. Saintcrow sat with her while she had breakfast, his expression thoughtful.

Luca had been dispatched, hopefully for good this time.

Eleni had been destroyed. He had gone hunting late last night while Kadie slept.

After a week without feeding, it had taken a while to satisfy his thirst.

He drummed his fingertips on the table. Now that the danger was past, the thing that scared him the most loomed on the horizon. He had promised Kadie a baby when Eleni and Luca were no longer threats.

“You’re very quiet this morning,” Kadie remarked as she cleared the table. “Is something wrong?”

“No.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I’ve had so much on my mind lately, I feel like I should be worrying about something.”

Kadie laughed softly as she loaded the dishes into the dishwasher. “I know what you mean.” She sat on his lap when he reached for her.

Saintcrow swore a silent oath as his mind brushed hers. Here it comes , he thought.

“Do you remember what you said? About waiting until it was safe to adopt a baby?”

With a sigh of resignation, he said, “I remember.”

“I know you don’t want a child,” she said, her fingers threading through his hair.

“Kadie—”

She silenced him with a kiss. “Hush. I don’t think a baby is a good idea, either.”

Nothing she could have said would have surprised him more. “I said I’d support you. I meant it then. I still do.”

“I know. Just as I know you’d do anything to make me happy. But I am happy. Happy to be your wife, now and for always, just the two of us.”

“You’re sure about this? If you’re changing your mind about the baby because of me—”

She pressed her fingertips to his lips, silencing him. “I’m not. I did a lot of thinking about it, about the radical changes a child would make in our lives, and I’m sure.”

He couldn’t hide his relief when he let his mind brush hers again to make sure she was telling him the truth.

“I’ve been thinking about something else, too,” she said.

“Have you?”

She nodded. “I’d like to get dressed up and go out to dinner tonight. Some place wildly expensive.”

“Are we celebrating something I don’t know about?” he asked, although he had a pretty good idea where this was headed.

“Maybe.” She kissed him on the cheek. “I’m going shopping. I need a new dress. What will you do while I’m gone?”

“I’ve got a few things to check on at the hotel.”

“I’ll meet you back here at four, okay? We can go into Cheyenne for an early dinner.”

“Whatever you want, sweetheart.”

She kissed him again, then went downstairs to dress.

Saintcrow stared after her. And smiled.

Saintcrow whistled softly when he saw Kadie that afternoon. The silk dress she’d bought outlined every curve and showed off her slender legs and just enough cleavage without being too risqué. The bronze color emphasized her dark hair and golden-brown eyes.

“You look lovely, too,” she said, with a smile. And indeed he did. He wore black, of course. She had rarely seen him in anything else. But the long, black leather jacket looked great with his black hair and eyes, as did the white shirt. He wore black slacks and black boots.

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise.”

She frowned when he wrapped his arm around her waist.

“It’s too far to drive,” he said, answering her unspoken question.

“So, we’re going by Air Saintcrow?”

He grinned. “Do you remember the first time you said that?”

“Of course. You were going to take me to England but we didn’t make it.”

“Not that time,” he said. “But we went there on our honeymoon, remember?”

“Is that where we’re going tonight?”

He shook his head, and the next thing she knew, they were in Italy. Moments later, they were at a lovely Italian restaurant sitting at an outside table overlooking the ocean. Kadie ordered a salad and lasagna. Rylan ordered wine, of course.

“It’s so beautiful here,” Kadie murmured, looking out at the sea.

“You’re beautiful.”

“I’m glad you think so.”

“I know so.”

He sat back when her dinner came, content to sip his wine while she ate.

“I wish you could taste this,” she said. “It’s the very best lasagna I’ve ever had.”

“Happy to hear it. I’m sure they’ll bring you more if you like.”

“Oh, no. I’m saving room for cannoli.”

“I think I ate too much,” Kadie said, as they left the restaurant.

Saintcrow grunted softly. “Three cannoli? Might be one too many.”

“Maybe,” she agreed, taking his hand. “But who knows when I’ll get to eat chocolate cannoli in Italy again?”

Saintcrow gave her hand a squeeze. “Ready to go home, love?”

“Yes.”

Wrapping her in his arms, he kissed her. When she opened her eyes, they were home.

“Why don’t you start a fire in the fireplace?” she suggested. “I’m going down to get ready for bed.”

“Whatever you want, Kadie, darlin’.”

With a secretive smile, she sashayed out of the room.

Saintcrow stared after her for a moment, thinking he was the luckiest man in the world.

Removing his jacket, he tossed it over the back of a chair, slipped out of his shirt, toed off his boots, removed his socks and his belt. A thought brought the hearth to life, another turned off all the lights in the room and lit the candles on the mantel, filling the room with a soft, golden glow.

He turned at the sound of her footsteps, felt his desire spring instantly to life when she padded toward him clad in a flowing white nightgown that left nothing to the imagination. He inhaled the scent of her hair, her skin, her blood. His woman. His life.

He pulled her into his embrace and kissed her, a long, lingering kiss filled with love and passion and longing. Still holding her close, he sank down on the floor, his hands worshipping her as he whispered that he loved her more than his life, would always love her.

Nuzzling her neck, he said, “You made me a promise once.”

“What promise is that?” she asked, though she knew perfectly well what he was talking about.

“Don’t you remember?” He ran his tongue along the curve of her throat. “You promised to stay with me forever.”

“I was mortal when I said that.”

He nodded. “It was impossible for you to keep at that time. Just as it is now.”

She looked deep into his eyes, her own shining with love. “I guess we should remedy that.”

“Are you sure?” His gaze searched hers. “Last time the choice was life or death.”

“Very sure.” She had done a lot of thinking about her future in the last few days.

When the choice had been life as a vampire or death, she had chosen life to be with Rylan.

Now, given the choice between a few mortal years with the man she loved, or a few centuries, the decision was easy. “Always choose life,” she whispered.

“To life.” A thought removed her nightgown, his trousers and briefs. “I will love you forever and always,” he murmured, as he gathered her into his arms and made slow, sweet love to the only woman who had ever won his heart and captured his soul.

Kadie reveled in the wonder of his touch, the magic of his kisses, the husky timbre of his voice as he whispered words of love in her ear.

Later, sated and content, she turned her head to the side, giving Rylan access to her throat.

She closed her eyes as he drank from her and then gave her his blood in return.

Why had she resisted this, she wondered, as she felt the power of his ancient blood moving through her, transforming her.

How could she have forgotten how amazing it was? She was his again.

She smiled as the warm, velvet darkness welcomed her home. When she woke tomorrow night, she would be Rylan’s wife, his mate, his lover. Not just for a mortal lifetime but for now and forever after.

~ finis ~