CHAPTER THREE

“Who are you?” The voice was as rough and low as I remembered. “You are not the charmer. You cannot be. What are you doing in this house?”

Sebastian was bound to a chair, held by a thin nylon laundry line Damian had found in the basement. Before I could answer, Sally, only just returned from a quick trip to my flat, gasped and floated over until she was directly in front of him. “Elle est very charming! Vous êtes tres rude!”

“He said charmer, not charming,” I said slowly, racking my brain to dig out information on charmers. Fleeting thoughts skittered away as I was swamped with the memory of Sebastian’s mouth on mine.

“So?” Sally contined to stand with her hands on her hips, glaring at Sebastian. He glared right back at her.

“A charmer is someone who can unmake curses,” he said, turning his gaze to me. I felt it as if it were a physical touch.

“That’s right—they lift curses and wards and things. You are quite correct; I am not a charmer. My name is Ysabelle Raleigh. I am tutoring Damian. I take it you are Sebastian?”

“Yes. Where is Adrian?” His brows pulled together as he looked down at himself, noticing that his arms had been tied behind him. When he looked back up to me, his gray-blue eyes were flashing with indigation and just a smidgen of disbelief. “You think to hold me prisoner?”

Sally’s form shimmered indignantly. “Oui, vous êtes dérangé man! And there you’ll stay jusqu’à ce que vous expliquiez why you’re attacking pauvre Belle!”

Sebastian’s eyes narrowed at her for a moment. “You are aware, are you not, that you are not speaking actual French?”

“Le gasp!” Sally said, following word by deed and gasping in a thoroughly shocked manner. “Je suis too!”

“No, you are not. You are mangling a perfectly nice language—”

“Zût alors!” she interrupted, shaking an ethereal fist in his face. “Je frapperai vous on the nose—”

“All right, that’s enough, you two.” I gave my spirit guide a very stern look. She bristled, her eyes flashing. “Sally, please leave us alone.”

“Like enfer I will! You are not safe—”

I shooed her toward the door. “Don’t be silly. He’s bound quite tightly, and if I need any help, I’ll yell for you.”

“Mais—” She shot both of us a shared indignant look as I shoved her through the door.

“I’m sorry about that,” I said, giving Sebastian a wide berth as I returned to the desk I’d been leaning against. “She’s a bit ecentric.”

One of his eyebrows rose. “An understatement, but one I am willing to let go in order to deal with more important issues.”

“Yes…your injuries seem to be healing. I take it you received them fighting the demon? Why did you do it?” I asked, desperate to distract myself from the strange attraction.

Damian and I had half dragged, half carried the unconscious Sebastian into the library, a room filled with comfortable leather chairs and several bookcases, all dominated by a large rosewood desk. As my aching arms attested to, he was a big man—imposing, but not fat—with hair the color of rich honey, his eyes a stormy grayish blue. Despite his arrogance, my fingers itched to run along the stubborn line of his jaw, to feel his touseled hair, to gently brush the width of those broad shoulders, tracing the solid planes of his chest down to that flat belly, and still farther below to where tight jeans accented masculine attributes. My lips positively burned with sensual delight at the thought of kissing him again.

“I disabled the demon…after a bit of a fight. What were you thinking, running straight into it?”

“I was running down the alley because you told me to.”

He had the audacity to look annoyed. “I told you to turn left. You would have been safe if you’d done so.”

“Moot point,” I said with a smile. “I am…erm…sorry about running into you. And the…er…kissing. I’m not normally so forward.”

He frowned. “That also is a moot point. Where is Adrian and the charmer? Why have you tied me to this chair?”

“Mr. and Mrs. Tomas are in Germany at the moment. As for the bonds—I’m sorry, but I felt it prudent given the nature of your arrival and Damian’s avowal that you’ve come to destroy him.”

“I have,” Sebastian said simply, pulling uselessly at the ropes. Because of my weaving experience, I could tie a quality knot. “Germany. I should have known. Very well, we will go to Germany once you give me the ring. You will release me now and bring it to me.”

I rested my hip against the edge of the desk, considering the man before me. “We? We will go to Germany? We as in you and who, exactly?”

“You try my patience, Beloved. You know full well I am referring to you. Now cease these games and release me. I have limited time to destroy Adrian, and we must Join as soon as possible.”

“Hold on,” I said, raising a hand to stop him. “Back up a moment—you expect me to go to Germany with you?”

“Of course. You will go wherever I go.”

“Are you insane?” I couldn’t help it, I goggled at him for a moment. “I don’t know you! Wait—is this because I kissed you back?”

The look in his eyes was almost insulting. “Why do you pretend ignorance? I am a patient man, but you are pushing my limits. Release me!”

“Not on your life. This is about that kiss, isn’t it? You think you’re going to take me away to Germany just because I kissed you? Once? God’s blood, what do you do with the women you sleep with—marry them?”

“I will marry you, yes. Now cease with this useless conversation and release me.”

I shook my head. “I’m going to call in some professional help. Honestly, I think you must have bumped your head on the pavement when we fell. You’re not making any sense—”

He swore in French, and his muscles bunched for a moment before the rope exploded around him. One second he was sitting, the next he was before me, his hands hard on my hips as he yanked me up against him. “We do not have time for these games. Your presence complicates matters somewhat, but we will overcome the obstacles you present. The first task at hand is to complete the Joining. Remove your clothing.”

“What?” I shrieked, trying desperately not to melt against him.

“We must make love to complete the Joining. We will do that first, then retrieve the ring.”

His body was hard against me, hard and aggressive and overwhelming to my senses, but it was an oddly exciting feeling, not at all the frightening one I’d expected. He was a vampire, I desperately reminded myself. A cold, heartless parasite who preyed on humans.

We prefer the term Dark One, actually, he said. With a start I realized he was speaking directly into my head. And I assure you I am anything but cold and heartless. Right at this moment, I am very, very hot.

My eyes widened as his head dipped toward mine, freezing as his gaze narrowed for a second on me. I had the sensation that he was seeing deep into my soul, baring all my secrets. I knew then that he’d noticed my handicap, and I turned slightly to avoid his piercing gaze. I felt like a succulent bit of prey watched by a dangerous predator—a feeling I did not enjoy, no matter how many tingles of excitement rippled down my body.

His voice, which had been deep and forceful, softened. “You do not know what I am talking about, do you?”

“No, I don’t. All I know is that you mean Damian and me harm—”

“Beloved, I could never hurt you,” he said, his thumb sweeping along my lower lip, teasing me until I turned back to look into those all-seeing eyes.

“You are a vampire. Hurt is what you do best, isn’t it?” For some reason, I felt it necessary to remind my errant body that this man was not for me.

“I am as you see me. And you are—”

“I am quite well aware of my handicap, thank you,” I interrupted, looking down, trying to control my breathing. Being pressed up against him was proving to be an overwhelming experience, one my body wanted to explore more fully.

“Handicap?” His heavy dark honey brows pulled together. “You consider having a double soul a handicap?”

“We are not here to discuss me,” I said sternly, trying my best to ignore the bizarre attraction. It had been too long since I had been married, that’s all. My hormones were simply kicking in and focusing on the nearest male body they could find.

“On the contrary, at this moment I can think of nothing more I wish to discuss.” His gaze flickered over to the clock on the mantel. He sighed. “But I do not have time to indulge myself. Very well, since you are not aware of what has transpired in the last hour, I will give you a summary. You are a tattu, bearer of a double soul, and my Beloved, the one woman who can redeem my soul and save me from millenia of anguished existence. I knew that the moment we exchanged blood.”

“Exchanged blood?” I asked, my head whirling. “When did we exchange blood? I kissed you, that’s all! And, for the record, you started it by licking my lip!”

“Your lip was cut when you landed on me. I bit my tongue when I was knocked backward. We exchanged blood when we kissed. And now we must complete the other seven steps of Joining for you to be safe from the demon that will be pounding on the door at any moment. Once that is completed, I will be able to protect you. Until that time, you are vulnerable.”

I touched my lip. It was sensitive, still tingling from Sebastian’s kiss, and in one spot, slightly tender from our collision. I shook my head again, unable to digest it all. “Even assuming that I am your soul-saving person, why do you think that demon will be coming to Adrian’s house?”

“He will follow your scent just as I did,” he answered matter-of-factly.

I wanted to bristle at the idea that I smelled so strongly people could track me all over London, but the heated look in his eyes generated an answering heat that pooled deep within me, and left no doubt in my mind that whatever it was I smelled like, he did not find it offensive.

“You are tattu, a great prize for the demon’s master. Do you believe it will not do everything it can to find you and take you to Abaddon?”

I shivered, leaning into him for a moment. I had just met this man, this vampire, but already I felt safe with him. It was as if an empty part of me was suddenly filled with life. “I…I don’t know what to believe. This is all going too fast for me.”

“I am sorry,” he said, his eyes filled with regret. “I would do this differently if I could, but, Beloved, we have no time. We must Join now so I can protect you. It is my duty. I do not wish to frighten you, or force you into something you are not ready for, but you must believe me. We have no time for wooing.”

His lips brushed mine, gently teasing the edges of my mouth until I sighed and started kissing him back. The world had gone mad, everything I knew was being turned on its head, but damn if I didn’t care.

“We have completed several of the steps,” he murmured into my mouth, his tongue flicking against my lips. I moaned and sucked his bottom lip, shamelessly pressing myself against him. “But we must exchange fluids once again for the Joining to be complete.”

“I’m not going to make love to you,” I whispered just before I deepened the kiss, tasting his mouth, twining my tongue around his.

“You must,” he groaned, pulling my hips tight against his. I had no doubt that he was as aroused as I was, but even though I was giving in to this unexplained attraction, I wasn’t stupid.

I pulled my mouth from his. “I have been married five times, Sebastian. I’m no stranger to either men or lovemaking. But I do not indulge in casual sex, no matter how…metaphysical the relationship is. There seems to be something between us that I wouldn’t mind exploring further, but I am not sleeping with you.”

Your souls are at risk, he said, nibbling my lower lip. My knees buckled, leaving me swooning in his arms, my head spinning with the scent and taste and feel of him against me.

Do you think they have never been so in the past? I slid my hands under his shirt and let my fingers dance across his back. I wanted to touch him, all of him, but I knew one of us had to keep some control, and clearly Sebastian was not going to be that person. I confined myself to stroking the planes of his back as he kissed me, allowing him to explore my mouth.

This is Salvaticus, he reminded me, his tongue dancing against mine. For a week, all will be chaos, but even when Salvaticus is over and Vexamen upon us, the demon will not forget you. You will be in danger from here to the end of your days if you do not Join with me.

“I can take care of myself,” I mumbled against his mouth as we came up for air. “I always have.”

“That was before you were marked by a demon. No, Beloved, the only answer is for us to Join. Now.” Hot kisses burned my neck as he found a spot that sent shivers of absolute pleasure down my back.

“Can you explain…oh, dear God, yes, right there…can you explain just how this Joining is going to save my souls? As far as I can tell, it’s just some sort of emotional commitment. I don’t see how that will help protect me from a demon or its lord.”

Unbidden, my hands skimmed around to his sides, sculpting the long, sweeping lines of his torso. He nipped my neck when I found a pert nipple that was all but begging for attention. “A Beloved is the mortal woman who redeems a Dark One’s soul. In return, he is bound to her, and protects her at all costs.”

“You don’t have a soul?” I pulled back enough to peer into his eyes. They glittered hot with desire, but I didn’t see anything in them to indicate he was soulless. There was no sick feeling of dread emanating from him, as was common in a creature of the dark. The only feelings I got from him were desire, need, want, and an overwhelming sadness that pulled at my heart. “You don’t look like a demon.”

“I am not a demon. Dark Ones are cursed to remain soulless until their Beloveds regain it for them, but we are not demonic.”

His eyes, dark navy-gray, regarded me as I tried to sort through what he’d told me. “You seriously believe I can regain your soul for you?”

“I know you can. It follows the Joining.”

A little burst of pain zinged through me at the realization that I was means to an end for him. I was certain that the whole business with him protecting me from a demon was simply a little sugar-coating over the more important issue of his soul. Regardless of all that, I was shaking my head even before he finished the sentence. “I can’t be your Beloved.”

“You are.”

“No.” I pushed back on his chest. To my surprise, he released me. My breath came hard and rough, my heart beating wildly as I tried to regain composure. “I’m sorry, Sebastian. I realize that I look like a get your soul back free card, but there’s a big point you are missing.”

He watched me for a moment. “That is not an issue. You are my Beloved. I feel it. I tasted it in your blood. I know it in my heart.”

I said nothing for a few minutes while I tried to sort through my tangled thoughts. If what he said was true, then I had very little time to make a decision that would change the path of my life. I hated feeling pressured into doing anything, and here I was being asked to commit myself body and soul to a man—a vampire—I’d just met. Could I do it? Did I even want to try? He said my handicap made no matter in the issue of Belovedness, but did he truly know that? What if we tried and it failed? What if he were just using me, manipulating me into giving him what he wanted without regards to the future? Did I really have any alternatives? Salvaticus would be over soon… but somehow, I knew that he spoke the truth. The demon had seen me for what I was, and it would move heaven and earth to return to its master with me as a prize. The man before me held the key to my salvation, just as I did for him.

Sebastian said nothing as I wrestled with my thoughts, simply holding me in a loose embrace, his eyes flashing bluish gray lights that mesmerized me.

“Very well, I will Join with you,” I said finally. He needed a soul, and I could redeem it for him. I would do it his way because the alternative was unthinkable.

I didn’t want to die. Not again.