“They say love conquers all,” he growled.
Kata wrinkled her nose, not nearly so confident.
She loved her sister only to discover that she’d become the enemy.
She loved her daughter, only to have to sacrifice everything to keep her safe.
Love was . . . dangerous and painful and messy.
Now, however, didn’t seem the time to argue the point.
“I’m human again,” she instead pointed out. “Within a few years I’ll be old and gray.”
The dark eyes flashed with an intimidating ferocity. “Never.”
She frowned. “I won’t be turned.”
He shrugged, undeterred by her refusal to be made into a vampire. Understandable. Once a vampire was created they lost all memory of their previous life. She would no longer be Kata, but a new creature that was as likely to try and rip out his throat as to be his mate.
“The fey can brew potions to keep you young.”
She shifted her gaze to the delicate wildflowers that lined the bank of the stream.
His soft words were reminding her of when she’d been young and the world had been filled with possibilities. Including the hopes of a loving husband and a small tribe of children.
Blessed mother. She’d gone through the misery of having those dreams crushed once.
Was she willing to put herself in the position of having them destroyed again?
“This is a ridiculous conversation,” she muttered, more in an effort to convince herself than him.
Uriel stiffened, then with a low groan he lowered his head, pressing his lips to the pulse beating at the base of her throat.
“More than that,” he rasped, “it’s futile.”
“Futile?”
Slowly he pulled back, his expression somber. “If the Jinn’s curse is still active then I’m a walking time bomb. I won’t put you at risk.”
Contrarily, she was offended by his attempt at self-sacrifice.
Did he think he could claim she was his mate in one breath and then toss her aside in the next?
“Shouldn’t that be my decision?”
“No.”
“That’s it? Just no?”
“That’s it.”
She scowled, glimpsing the ruthless warrior who first came searching for her.
“Look, you stubborn vampire, if I decide you’re going to be my . . .” She struggled to form the word. “Mate, then that’s what you’ll be.” She leaned forward to nip his chin. “Got it?”
He shuddered, his fangs erupting as his hands skimmed down her back to cup her ass.
“And you call me stubborn?” he muttered.
Her mind fogged with a craving to wrap her legs around his waist and forget everything but the fierce need to ravish this beautiful vampire.
But first she had to get something straight.
“It’s been almost four hundred years since I’ve been able to make my own decisions,” she reminded him. “You’re not going to take that away from me.”
He was wise enough not to laugh at her empty words. Okay, she was trapped in the underworld with no plan of how to escape, but still she needed to feel some control over her life.
Stupid?
Of course.
But weirdly necessary.
“No, I would never take away your freedom,” he softly agreed, “but neither will I allow you to be hurt.” He suddenly scooped her off her feet and headed toward the shallow waters. “Not if I can protect you.”
Uriel intended to protest against his arrogant assumption that she needed his protection, but all thought evaporated as Uriel sank onto the mossy bank, settling Kata on his lap so her back was pressed against his chest and her legs fell on each side of his powerful thighs.
“Uriel,” she breathed, feeling oddly vulnerable as he buried his face in the curve of her neck and his hands began a slow, delectable exploration of her exposed body. “What are you doing?”
He cupped a full breast with one hand while allowing the other to blaze a sizzling path down the damp skin of her stomach. “Seizing the moment.”
A groan was wrenched from her throat, her head dropping back to his shoulder as his fingers stroked boldly through her eager clit.
“It feels like you’re seizing more than the moment,” she husked in approval.
He teased at the hard peak of her nipple even as he slid one finger into the damp channel between her legs. She hissed in pleasure, her arms lifting over her head to wrap around his neck.
“Who knows how long this illusion will last?” he said against her shoulder, his fangs lightly scraping the tender skin, although he was careful not to draw blood. “We should enjoy the solitude while we have it.”
Kata didn’t intend to argue. Her eyes slid closed as she concentrated on the sensation of his finger penetrating her with a slow thrust. It felt so good. So . . . she groaned, already sensing the looming climax.
“I suppose you have a point,” she moaned, turning her head to press her face into his thick curls.
She breathed deeply of his cool, masculine scent, her body bowing with a coiled tension as he caught the tip of her breast between his finger and thumb.
“You will soon discover I’m always right,” he assured her.
“Oh yeah?”
“Oh yeah.”
As if to emphasize the truth of his words, Uriel grasped her by the waist and with one smooth motion he had her poised above his erection. Kata made a small sound of pleading as he lowered her onto his hardness, her entire body shuddering with satisfaction as he filled her.
“Christ, you’re exquisite,” he breathed, lifting his hips until he was buried so deep inside her that Kata would swear they were now one.
“I bet you say that to all the women,” she muttered, shaken by the intensity of the sensations charging through her.
She could deal with lust. Even if it was titanic, oh-God-nothing-will-ever-be-as-good-again, lust.
But the tender rush of emotion that flooded through her was far more potent than mere lust.
It was the sort of feeling that made females sacrifice everything to hold onto.
“There are no other women, Kata,” he groaned, pumping into her with a slow, magical pace. “Just you.”
“Uriel . . .”
“Ssh,” he halted her protest, kissing a path of destruction up the side of her neck. “Just let me love you.”
Kata shoved aside the warning voice in the back of her mind.
What did it matter?
More than likely they would never get out of the underworld alive.
Why not do as Uriel suggested and simply seize the moment?