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He could no longer fool himself Sloith infinite weariness, Mikhail Dubrinsky closed the leather-bound first edition This was the end He could no longer bear it The books he loved so much could not push away the stark, raw loneliness of his existence The study was lined with books, floor to ceiling on three of the four walls of the rooreat er provided solace for his mind The books fed his intellect but broke his heart

He would not seek sleep at dawn, at least not the healing sleep of renewal; he would seek eternal rest, and God have one He had tried it all, skifis, physical and y Mikhail had filled his life with art and philosophy, ork and science He knew every healing herb and every poison root He knew the weapons of man and had learned to become a weapon himself He remained alone

His people were a dying race and he had failed the a way to save those he looked after Tooup their souls to become the undead in desperation There were no wo them back from the darkness in which they dwelled They had no hope to continue Theand spreading in theray, cold world For each it was necessary to find hishiht Grief overwhelmed him, consumed him He lifted his head and roared out his pain like the wounded anier bear to be alone

The trouble is not really in being alone, it's being lonely One can be lonely in the midst of a crowd, don't you think?

Mikhail becaerous predator scenting danger He inhaled deeply, closing his mind instantly, while all senses flared out to locate the intruder He was alone He couldn't be wrong He was the oldest, theNo one could penetrate his safeguards No one could approach hie Curious, he replayed the words, listened to the voice Fehtly, testing paths, looking for reed He realized he was holding his breath, needing the contact A huave a damn? He was interested

Soo into the mountains and stay by myself for days, weeks, and I'm not lonely, yet at a party, surrounded by a hundred people, I am more lonely than ever

His gut clenched hotly Her voice, filling his mind, was soft,in centuries; his body had not wanted a wo this voice, the voice of a hu fire in his veins

How is it you can talk to me?

I'm sorry if offended you

He could clearly hear that she y

Your pain was so sharp, so terrible, I couldn't ignore it I thought you ht like to talk Death is not an answer to unhappiness I think you know that In any case, I'll stop if you wish it

No!

His protest was a co used to instant obedience

He felt her laughter before the sound registered in his

Are you used to obedience from everyone around you?

Absolutely

He didn't kno to take her laughter He was intrigued Feelings Emotions They crowded in until he was nearly overwhelmed

You're European, aren't you? Wealthy, and very, very arrogant

He found hi He never smiled Not for six hundred years or more

All of those things

He waited for her laughter again, needing it with the sa

When it caers on his skin

I'm an American Oil and water, don't you think?

He had a fix on her now, a direction She would not get away from him

Aht methods

He drawled it deliberately, anticipating her reaction

You really are arrogant

He loved the sound of her laughter, savored it, took it into his body He felt her drowsiness, her yawn So hther to sleep so he could examine her

Knock it off!

Her reaction was quick withdrawal, hurt, suspicion She retreated, sla up a mind block so swiftly, he was astonished at how adept she was, how strong for one so young, strong for a human And she was hu that he had exactly five hours till sunrise Not that he couldn't take the early or late sunlight He tested her block, careful not to alarm her A faint s, but not nearly strong enough

His body, hard-corded th, shi beneath the door, streaht air Droplets beaded, collected, connected, fored bird It dipped, circled, and swept across the darkened sky, silent, lethal, beautiful

Mikhail reveled in the power of flight, the wind rushing against his body, the night air speaking to hialy So si, full of life and laughter, a human with a psychic connection to hith Death and damnation could wait another day while he satisfied his curiosity

The inn was se of the forest where the mountain met the tilowing softly in one or two rooms and perhaps a hallhile the humans took their rest He settled on the balcony outside her second-storyand becaht Her bedcha that she was unable to sleep His dark, burning eyes found her through the clear glass, found her and claimed her

She was small-boned, curvy, with a tiny waist and a wealth of raven hair tu down her back to draw attention to her rounded bottoht in his throat She was exquisite, beautiful, her skin like satin, her eyes incredibly large, intensely blue, fringed with thick, long lashes Not a detail escaped hih, full breasts, and bared the line of her throat, her creamy shoulders Her feet were se

She brushed her hair, standing at the , looking out with unseeing eyes Her face held a faraway expression; there were lines of strain around her full, sensuous mouth He could feel pain in her, and the need for sleep that refused to co every stroke of the brush Her movements were innocent, erotic Imprisoned within the bird's form, his body stirred He reverently turned up his face to the heavens in thanks The sheer joy of feeling after centuries of enduring no emotion was beyond measure

Every action with the brush lifted her breasts invitingly, e to her body, revealing the dark vee at the juncture of her legs Talons dug deeply into the railing, left long scars in the soft wood Still Mikhail watched She was graceful, enticing He found his hot gaze dwelling on her soft throat, the pulse beating steadily in her neck

His

Abruptly, he pulled away froht, shook his head

Blue eyes Blue

She had blue eyes It was only then that he realized he was seeing in color Vivid, brilliant colors He went utterly still It could not be Males lost the ability to see anything but drab gray about the same time they lost their e emotions and color back into a ht to the male's darkness His other half Without her, the beast would slowly consume the man until he was coive birth to life woly hopeless situation Hued It had been tried This human woman could not possibly be his lifemate

Mikhail watched as she snapped off her light, lay on the bed He felt the stirring in his

Are you awake?

Her question was tentative

At first he refused to answer, not liking that he needed this so much He couldn't afford to be out of control; he didn't dare No one had power over him Certainly not soth than good sense

I know you can hear htless of ain But just for the record, don't try flexing your ain

He was glad he was in the form of a creature, so he couldn't smile She didn't knohat muscle was

I was not offended

He sent the reassurance in gentle tones He had to answer; it was nearly a compulsion He needed the sound of her voice, the soft whisper brushing in his head like fingers on his skin

She turned over, rearranged her pillow, rubbed at her temple as if she ached One hand curled over the thin sheet Mikhail wanted to touch that hand, feel her warm, silky skin under his

Why did you try to control me?

It wasn't purely an intellectual question, as she wanted it to be He sensed he had hurt her in so for her lover

The thought of her with another s after hundreds of years Sharp, clear, in focus Real feelings

It is my nature to control

He was exhilarated, joyous, yet at the saerous than he had ever been Power always needed control The less emotion, the easier the restraint

Don't try to control me

There was so he sensed more than named, as if she kneas a threat to her And he kneas

How does one control one's nature, little one?

He saw her sistered in his heart and lungs, sent his blood soaring

Why would you think I was little? I' as a house

I am to believe this?

The laughter faded froered in his blood

I' with you

But?

He proently

Good-bye

Finality

Mikhail took flight, soaring high above the forest It wasn't good-bye He wouldn't allow it He couldn't allow it His survival depended on her So, someone had aroused his interest, his will to live She had rehter, that there was more to life than existence

He soared above the forest, for the first ti branches, the way the rays of the moon spilled over the trees and bathed the streaiven a priceless gift A hued to do this for him And she was human He would have known instantly had she been of his race Could her voice alone do the sae of despair?

In the protection of his hoht of her soft skin, hoould feel beneath his palht of herhis heated body, the line of her vulnerable throat exposed to hihtened unexpectedly Not the , but a savage, de, relentless ache Shocked at the erotic twist his thoughts began to pursue, Mikhail iid discipline He could not afford real passion He was shocked to find he was a possessive es and protective beyond measure This kind of passion could not be shared with a huerous

This was a woht his nature at every turn He was not hus with animal instincts, imprinted before birth Better to keep his distance and satisfy his curiosity on an intellectual level He uarded every point of entry with i chareater threats If he gave up his existence, it would be of his own choosing He lay down on the bed There was no need of healing soil deep within the earth; he could enjoy

Mikhail's body refused to obey Hisscenes A vision of her lying on her bed, her body naked beneath white lace, her arreet her lover He swore softly Instead of his body taking hers, he pictured another e shook him, raw and deadly

Skin like satin, hair like silk His hand moved He built the picture with deadly precision and purpose in his mind He paid every attention to detail, even to the silly polish on her toenails His strong fingers circled her sht in his throat, his body tightening in anticipation He slid his pal, h

Mikhail knew the precise moment she awakened, her body on fire Her alarm slammed into hi with, his palh, stroked, caressed

Stop!

Her body ached for his, for his touch, for his possession He could hear the frantic pounding of her heart, feel the strength of her le with him

Has another man touched you like this?

He whispered the words in her mind, dark, deadly sensuality

Damn you, stop!

Tears glittered like jewels in her lashes, in her mind

All I wanted to do was help you I said I was sorry

His hand her because he had to, found heat and silk, tiny curls guarding treasure His palle possessively, pushed into the moist heat

You will answer me, little one There is still time for me to come to you, to put my mark on you, for me to own you,

he warned silkily

Answer me

Why are you doing this?

Do not defy me

His voice was husky noith need His fingers moved, probed, found her most sensitive spot

I aentle with you

You already know the answer is no, she whispered in defeat

He closed his eyes, was able to calh his body

Sleep, little one; no one will harht

He broke contact and found his body hard, heavy, bathed in perspiration It was far too late to stop the beast in hier, consu along his skin and nerve endings The beast was unleashed, deadly, hungry He had been entle She had inadvertently released theas he believed her to be

Mikhail closed his eyes against his self-loathing He had learned centuries ago that there was little point And this ti sexual attraction he felt; it was fardeep within hi deep within her Perhaps she craved the wildness in hihter and compassion in her Did it matter? There would be no escape for either of them

He touched herhis breath to cease She eeping silently, her body still in need from the effects of his mind touch There was hurt and confusion in her, and her head was aching Without thought, without reason, he enveloped her in the strength of his arms, stroked her silky hair and sent warmth and comfort to surround her

I a of me Go to sleep now and be safe

Heher forehead in gentleness, brushing her mind with tenderness

He could feel the curious frag her mental capabilities to follow so wounds in her mind that needed to heal She was too worn out froht hi her heartbeats until she relaxed, drowsy and worn He sent her to sleep, a whispered coether, yet apart, she in her roo chamber

The pounding on her door penetrated the deep layers of sleep Raven Whitney fought the thick fog forcing her eyes closed,her body heavy Alaraze found the small alar She had slept the day away She sat up slowly, feeling as if she ading through quicksand The pounding on her door began again

The sound echoed in her head, thundered at her teh her heart was slaainst her chest She was in trouble She needed to pack quickly, run She kne futile it could be Wasn't she the one who had tracked four serial killers following the hts'? And this man was a thousand tiued that another person had psychic abilities She had never met anyone like herself before She wanted to stay and learn froerous in his casual use of power She would have to put distance, perhaps an ocean, between them to be truly safe

"Raven, are you all right'?" The male voice was filled with concern

Jacob She had ht in the dining room when they had first coroup of about eight people She had been tired and the conversation was a blur

Raven had come to the Carpathian Mountains to be alone, to recover fro the twisted mind of a depraved serial killer She had not wanted the coht her out They had been wiped frohts very efficiently "I'm fine, Jacob, just a touch of the flu, I think," she assured hih her hair "I'm just so tired I came here to rest"

"Aren't we having dinner'?" He sounded plaintive, and that annoyed her She didn't want any de she needed was to be in a crowded dining room surrounded by a lot of people

"I'm sorry Another time, maybe" She didn't have time to be polite How could she have ht'? She was always so cautious, avoiding all contact, never touching another huer had been broadcasting so much pain, so much loneliness She had known instinctively that he had telepathic powers, that his isolation far exceeded hers, that his pain was so great, he was considering ending his life She knehat isolation was How it felt to be different She had been unable to keep her mouth shut; she had to help him if she could Raven rubbed her te in her head It always hurt after using her telepathic powers

Pushing herself up, sheher without contact The thought terrified her No one should be that powerful She turned the shower on full force, wanting the steady stream of water to clear the cobwebs

She had come here for rest, to clear the stench of evil froift was draining to use, and physically she orn Raven lifted her chin This new adversary would not frighten her She had control and discipline And this time she could walk away No innocent lives were at stake

She pulled on faded jeans and a crocheted sweater in defiance She had sensed he was Old World and would frown on her A clothes and makeup as fast as she could into the battered suitcase

She read the train schedule in dismay There was no service for twoa ride fro in the small confines of a car for an extended period of time It probably was the lesser of two evils

She heard

You would try to run from me, little one

Raven sank down onto the bed, her heart beginning to pound His voice was black velvet, a weapon in itself

Don 't flatter yourself, hotshot I'm a tourist; I tour

She forced her ers on her face How did he do that? It was the lightest caress, but she felt it down to her toes

And where were you thinking of touring?