A shift in the wind carried the faint fragrance of her perfume. During the nights she had been with him, he had memorized the silky texture of her inky black hair, the softness of her petal pink lips, the delicate curve of her throat. But it was the scent of her blood that sang to him, a dulcet song that called to him like nothing else he had ever known. The taste of it lingered on his tongue long after he had sipped the crimson nectar that flowed warm and sweet through her veins.
He had tasted her several times in the nights she had been with him. Never more than a few sips at a time, to be sure, but a few sips of her blood was more satisfying than a pint of any other. With luck, he could keep her with him indefinitely.
He came to a halt when he reached the meadow nestled between a pair of low hills. The lake, located in the middle of the grassy expanse, gleamed like a sorcerer’s dark glass in the moonlight.
“Oh!” Elena breathed, turning a slow circle. “It’s lovely!”
Drake nodded.
“Does all this belong to you?”
“Indeed.”
“Can we go down by the water?”
“If you wish.”
With a smile, she hurried toward the lake, then paused as an owl swooped down out of the sky, coming to rest on a tree branch. In the light of the moon, she saw that it was a barn owl. They were beautiful birds, with their white, heart-shaped faces and golden buff-colored feathers. She took a step toward it, sighed with disappointment as it took wing, soaring effortlessly out of sight.
Continuing on, she made her way to the lake where a myriad of ferns and rushes grew along the shore. Night birds called to each other across the lake’s expanse.
“It’s so beautiful,” Elena murmured. But it was more than beautiful. It was an enchanted place, filled with wonder. A magical place where anything might happen, where dreams might come true. Had she been a princess in a fairy tale, she would have met her handsome prince here, by the lake, and he would have carried her away to his castle.
She glanced quickly at Drake. He had a castle. Was he a prince in disguise? The thought made her smile.
Pausing at the lake’s edge, she sank down on her knees and leaned forward, her fingers trailing lightly back and forth in the water, which felt refreshingly cool.
She was thinking how daring it would be to shed her clothes and underwear and slip into the cool, clear water, when Drake knelt beside her. The idea of swimming in the nude, with Drake looking on, brought a flood of heat to her cheeks.
“Shall we go for a swim?” he asked.
She looked at him sharply. Was he reading her mind? The thought of swimming while Drake looked on had been outrageous enough. But to go skinny-dipping with him . . . did she have the nerve?
“Together?” It was all she could do to force the word past her lips.
“Why not? It is dark and we are alone.”
“But . . .” She felt her cheeks grow even hotter, if that was possible. All her life, she had been called a prude. Chicken. Scaredy cat. The most daring thing she could remember doing was sneaking out of the house and going to a movie with Jenica. Elena had thought it the height of daring to be out at night without her uncle.
Drake was watching her, one dark brow arched as he waited for her answer. Elena was about to say no when some rebellious part of her asked why she was hesitating. She was a big girl now. Besides, no one would ever know.
He grinned at her, a wicked gleam in his deep blue eyes. “I know you want to.”
Goaded into action, she gathered her courage and gained her feet. Her courage wavered when she began to undress, and she turned her back to him.
Drake grinned as he pulled off his boots, then stood and shrugged out of his shirt.
Elena was careful to keep her gaze averted as he undressed, yet the same naughty imp that had urged her to agree to swim with Drake had her continually darting glances at him. His back and shoulders were broad and well muscled, his skin smooth and pale in the moonlight. His arms were long, corded with muscle that rippled as he moved.
When he unfastened his trousers, she dashed into the lake, keeping her back to the shore.
The water was cool but not cold and she struck out for the other side of the lake, reveling in the touch of the water on her bare flesh. She couldn’t believe how different it was, how exhilarating it was, to swim in the nude.
She was halfway to the opposite bank when Drake swam up behind her. How had he caught her so quickly? She slid a glance in his direction, felt her insides quiver at the brush of his naked thigh against her own. A rush of heat suffused her, and with it a sudden need to touch him, to run her hands over his broad shoulders, to sift her fingers through his long black hair, to press her mouth to his.
Good grief! What was she thinking?
She gasped as his arm circled her waist. What was he doing? She couldn’t reach the bottom. Thoughts of drowning flashed through her mind.
“Relax,” he murmured. “I have you.”
She noticed he wasn’t treading water, so why weren’t they sinking?
All thoughts of drowning fled her mind as he drew her body closer to his, crushing her br**sts against his chest. Did he mean to ravish her, there, in the middle of the lake?
There was no mistaking the lust that burned in his dark eyes, or the evidence of his desire pressing against her belly. She had never been sexually active, but she wasn’t totally ignorant, either. She had taken biology in high school and talked about it with her girlfriends. Sex had been their main topic of conversation. Who was doing it? Practically everyone. Where were they doing it? Practically everywhere, including the back of the school bus.
“Elena.” His gaze moved over her, hot and hungry.
She stared at him, troubled by the insidious thought that he wanted more from her than sex, though she had no idea what that might be.
“Moonlight becomes you,” he said quietly.
Her gaze slid away from his as she murmured, “Thank you.”
A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as a flush rose in her cheeks. “Not used to sweet talk, are you?”
She stared at him, not knowing what to say. Her uncle had often complimented her, but instead of making her feel pretty or desirable, his flattering words had made her feel dirty somehow.
“You are of an age to be married,” Drake remarked, his brow furrowing thoughtfully. “How is it that you are still unwed?”
“No one ever asked me.”
“Except your uncle?” he guessed.
“Yes.” She shuddered at the mere mention of him.
“If you were to marry someone else, your uncle would have no further claim on you.”