Mentally bracing himself, he aimed the enchanted gem set in his gauntlet down into the hole and activated it with a whispered chant. White light spilled from it.
The little corpses lay naked, piled like dolls tossed aside by a sadistic child. “Oh, Merlin’s Grail,” he whispered hoarsely. “No.”
As he stared helplessly, one of the bodies stirred. For a moment, his heart stopped, thinking perhaps the boy had somehow survived.
Then a face looked up at him that didn’t belong to anything still living. “Why didn’t you come in time?”
A hoarse scream tearing his throat, Galahad jolted awake.
7
“GALAHAD?”
He jerked around, his muscles coiling to strike out. Caroline blinked at him, her dark eyes wide and startled. His sleep-drugged brain jarred to full consciousness with a sense of relief.
A dream. It had been a dream.
He rolled out of bed and staggered toward the stairs, vaguely aware that she was hurrying after him. “Galahad? What’s wrong?”
He didn’t trust himself to answer. The sticky weight of fear and failure clung to his shoulders like a rotting shroud.
The minute he reached the exercise room, Galahad stripped off his pants and dove into the pool with the desperation of a man hungry to wash his demons away.
The shock of hitting the water blasted him fully awake, and he started stroking hard, trying to power his way through his lingering depression.
Sometimes he fucking hated this job. No matter how many battles he won, the war never ended. There was always another fight, on and on, world without end: Nazis, communists, terrorists, serial killers, psychopaths of every stripe.
And no matter how many bad guys he killed, he was always too late to save some innocent. The pit in his dreams had no fucking bottom. Gritting his teeth, he swam harder.
Finally he stopped pushing and rolled over on his back to float, his muscles jumping from the effort he’d demanded of them.
“You want to tell me what’s eating you?” Caroline said.
Galahad looked over at her. She stood on the edge of the pool, watching him. The silky peach pajamas she wore emphasized the length of her legs and the sweet, high curves of her breasts. Hunger rose, sudden and violent. He tried to push it aside. She was still gun-shy from that asshole Dominic. “I hate the day-sleep,” he told her finally over the patter of the waterfall. “I get nightmares like you would not believe, but I can’t wake up.”
Sympathy warmed her dark, lovely eyes. “I know what you mean. I had some nasty ones myself. I doubt I got more than four or five hours sleep.” She sighed, making those lush breasts rise and fall. Her tight little nipples tented the fabric.
He remembered the way they’d felt hardening against his palms. Remembered the slick, tight grip of her sex as he’d stroked a finger inside. She’d feel impossibly good around his cock, which was suddenly rock-hard and aching.
God, he needed her. He needed the forgetfulness he’d find in her body. She was so damn clean. So innocent of the kind of shit he had to wade in every single day. He wanted to see the passion overtake that pretty face. Wanted to forget all the innocents he’d failed, all the men he’d killed. He wanted to plunge into her the way he’d plunged into the pool and just forget. His cock hardened in a hungry rush, arching over his belly as he floated on his back. “Caroline.” His voice came out rougher than he intended, rasping with need rather than the smooth note of seduction he’d intended.
She took a wary step back. “As impressed as I am by that morning broadsword of yours, may I remind you we’ve got vampires to kill?”
Dammit, she had a point. “I assume they’re back in their burrow by now.”
“Actually, no. Not yet.”
Galahad jackknifed upright until he could stand in the cool, shoulder-deep water. Despite both the temperature and the situation, his cock refused to get the message. He ignored it. “Any idea where they are?”
“No.” She shrugged, a gesture that did marvelous things to those sweet, unbound breasts. “I spent the afternoon trying to figure out how to work a locator spell. No luck. But according to the vision that started this mess, they are coming back.”
“So we wait.” He gave her his best wolfish grin. “I have a couple of ideas about how to pass the time.”
Caroline took another step back. “Pinochle?”
“How about a nice, rousing game of hide the broadsword?”
That pretty pink tongue crept out to lick her lips. “Don’t do this to me, Galahad. I’m still recovering from Dominic.”
“That prick needs his ass kicked,” Galahad growled, frustrated. “My father was a court seducer before he met his new wife. They’re supposed to keep it light, not convince you you’re in love.”
“Yeah, well, Dominic all but promised me a ring.”
“You want me to beat him up?” He bared his teeth, meaning it.
She laughed, the sound throaty and impossibly seductive. “It’s tempting.”
Galahad stared at her, aching. “I need you, Caroline.” The words emerged as more naked than he intended, but he didn’t take them back. “Help me forget this. Just for an hour. That’s all I need.”
She looked at him. Her expression softened at whatever she saw on his face. “All right.”
Light flashed, and the pajamas became a string bikini that made his dick rock-hard all over again. Before he could get the full effect of all those luscious curves, she dove in.
Galahad grinned, his heart lifting at the prospect of having Caroline to himself. Suddenly he was in the mood to play.
WHEN Caroline surfaced, the lights were out, leaving the room lit only by the Mageverse sky and moonlight reflecting off the water. Galahad was nowhere to be seen—not that she could see much anyway.
What’s he up to now? Her heart began to pound as she looked around, expecting him to surface any second and pounce. The reflections on the water were so bright, she couldn’t make out anything under them. Automatically, she tried to conjure a light.
Nothing happened.
“If I don’t want you to use magic in my house, you can’t use magic in my house,” Galahad said from behind her, his breath warm on her ear.
Caroline jumped and whirled around barely in time to see the ripple as he submerged again. “Come back here, you big jerk!” She tried to levitate him out of the water, but he was gone. There must be a dampening spell built into the house he could order on and off. Which meant she was helpless.
All alone in the dark with a horny Galahad. A wicked little thrill ran up her spine.
This was going to be fun.
Which didn’t mean she was going to make it easy. She had her pride. Drawing in a deep breath, Caroline ducked under and shot toward the other end of the pool, swimming in long, strong strokes. As she flashed through the water, male fingers brushed her ankle, just missing a grab.
Ha! Caught him off guard.
Not for long. Powerful arms closed around her waist and pulled her upright. Her head broke the surface. As she gasped in surprise, Galahad’s mouth covered hers in a devouring kiss. He hauled her close against the hard strength of his body, one hand cupping her backside, the other stroking her breast, fingers teasing one nipple into aching erection. She leaned into him with a moan of hunger. He lifted his head, flashed her a triumph grin, and let her go.
And then he was gone.
Unsupported, she sank. Shutting her mouth barely in time to avoid sucking in a lungful of pool, Caroline looked around wildly. Underwater in the darkness, she couldn’t make out a damn thing but dim flashes from the surface.
While vampires could see in the dark. Dammit.
Okay, so he had an advantage. They’d just see how long it lasted. Kicking twice, Caroline broke the surface, drew a breath, and dove under again.
Fingers tweaked her nipple through the thin fabric of her top. The fleeting pleasure almost made her gasp. Her heart pounding in a blend of atavistic fear and arousal, she kicked hard, trying to make it a little tougher for him to get those wicked hands on her.
But the minute she surfaced again, he grabbed the ties of her bathing suit top. One ruthless jerk snapped it. Before she could turn, he freed the knot holding the top around her neck and pulled it away.
Caroline whirled in time to see the top disappear under the surface with him. “You’re beginning to piss me off, Galahad!”