Something close to humor flickered for a moment in her eyes. “I cannot say you are a total success in that area.” But his praise of her talents had warmed her, as had the drawling caress in his voice, the admiration in the depths of his eyes, the depths of his mind.
His hand found the nape of her neck and drew her inexorably to him as he bent his head to hers. His mouth descended with infinite slowness, then fastened to hers so that he could taste her sweetness. She felt her heart leap at his touch, and her body went into instant melt down. She felt his great strength, the desire surging through him as the heat arced between them. His mouth moved to tease the corner of hers, to blaze a trail of fire along her jaw, her chin.
“I am, however, quite good at one or two other things,” he murmured with casual confidence. His teeth nibbled at her chin.
“Is this supposed to get you out of trouble?” She asked it with her eyes closed, savoring the touch and feel of him. All at once it seemed imperative that they be alone.
“I should not be in trouble. I am as new at this as you are, Desari. Up until now I have spent my life entirely alone.” His lips skimmed the silken column of her neck. “Trying to fit into this situation is as alien for me as it is for you. If your need is to be with this family unit, then I can do no other than be here with you. But you must recognize that I have needs also. I do not wish to find other males near you, nor do I want you to question my judgment when your safety is in jeopardy.”
When she would have protested, he gave her a little shake. “Think what you say before you speak. I am in your mind. I know you do not want another authority telling you what to do with your life. I, better than most, understand this in you. But you would obey your brother in matters of safety. The same responsibility he accepted for your security is now mine. I require the same trust and loyalty that you have always given to him.”
“Trust is earned, Julian,” Desari pointed out softly. “And it goes both ways. My brother does not arbitrarily dictate to me what I can and cannot do. But I am in your mind. I feel the sometimes violent emotions you are contending with, your intense dislike of other males close to me. You do not even want me to feed.”
He felt the words like a stab to his gut. Every muscle clenched in protest as a vivid picture sprang into his mind. Desari luring a male to her with her beauty and mystery, bending close to him so that their bodies touched, so that her lips could drift along the male’s neck to find the pulse beating there. Rage exploded in him, deep, nearly uncontrollable, certainly like nothing he had ever experienced before. It was wild and untamed, a berserker’s rage.
Julian shook his head. It was illogical to feel such an intense emotion over something as natural as feeding. Nothing in his centuries of living had prepared him for such a thing. He didn’t understand it. “You will not feed from any other than me,” he declared, unable to stop himself from so commanding her.
Desari was watching him closely, monitoring his thoughts. Julian made no attempt to censor anything from her. He wanted total truth between them. It was not her fault that he was experiencing difficulties he hadn’t been prepared for, nor did he want her to think so. Her soft mouth suddenly curved into a smile. “You are right, Julian, I will not. I have no wish to get so close to another male.” Her fingertips brushed his jaw, her first real show of affection toward him without his prompting. “It will be no hardship to allow you to provide for me if that is what you need.”
His relief was tremendous, the curious somersaulting in the region of his heart unexpected. “I will do my best to come to some kind of compromise over your family unit and your need to sing. It is a great gift, Desari, your voice and what you are able to do with it. I feel pride in your accomplishments, but I cannot lie. I fear for your safety. Your schedules are announced far in advance. I believe you will be safe from the human assassins for now, but we must explore the very real possibility that vampires are congregating in this region with the express hope of finding you and the other female.”
Now more than ever it was imperative he succeed in his centuries-old quest to destroy his vampire mentor, or she would never be truly safe again. The ancient could so easily track her now through Julian.
Desari winced at his last remark. “The ‘other female’ is Syndil. I love her as my sister. You have access to my memories. You can see that. You can also see why we are especially protective of her and why she chooses to take the leopard’s form at this time.”
“While she is in the leopard’s form she does not have to cope with her trauma,” Julian mused, “but you must see, Desari, that it is not right. It only prolongs her recovery. All of you think you are helping her, but she needs to be strong on her own. She can cope. Pretending the assault did not happen will not allow her to recover. She needs to be encouraged to start taking back command of her life.”
Desari tilted her head to look up at him, astonished at his perception. “How could you know this when you have not even met her? Why did we not realize we were only lengthening her recovery?” Desari’s anguish throbbed in her musical voice. “It was my negligence that this has not been attended to.”
Julian smiled down at her. “You take far too much on your shoulders, Desari. All of you tried to shield her. I am certain in the beginning it was exactly what she needed. Now that has changed. Sharing your mind yet seeing things from a fresh perspective allows me to show you the conclusion you yourself would have come to in time.”
Desari moved restlessly, wanting the warmth and comfort of his larger frame. Julian responded immediately by pulling her close to him. His strong arms en folded her and held her tightly against him. “It will be all right, Desari. I promise you.”
“Darius has told Dayan you are to be treated with respect,” she whispered into his chest.
Julian shrugged carelessly before he could stop himself. He did not seek approval or protection from anyone.
Chapter Eight
Desari glanced up at Julian’s face. It looked as if it had been carved from stone, an implacable mask, unreadable and stony. She sighed softly. Integrating Julian into their family was not going to be easy. He was not one to follow another man’s lead. He walked his own path. Darius and he were bound to clash at every turn. The other men in her family were certain to treat Julian with distrust, and that very well could be like lighting a match to dry timber. Julian carried himself with arrogance and had a wry sense of humor often bordering on contempt. His hand slid possessively up her arm, lingering for a moment on her soft skin before his seeking fingers twined themselves in the rich luxury of her hair. He bent down so that his mouth was close to her ear, his warm breath teasing her. “I can read your thoughts,
cara mia,
and you should have more faith in your lifemate. I can do no other than see to your happiness. If you wish us to live for a time, in peace, among your family,”
rather overrun with territorial males,
“then I can do no other than offer my friendship to them.”
Desari burst out laughing. He had tried to sound sincere but had ended up sounding pained. In any case, she could read his thoughts as easily as he could hers. “‘Territorial males? What does that mean? We do not have our own territory, unless you count the coast of Africa, where we lived for so long.”
“I spent some time in Africa, among the leopards,” he said to get off the dangerous subject of her family.
Her eyes, so enormous and beautiful, sparkled at him. “You did? How incredible. We spent nearly two hundred years there, and we still sometimes return to visit. It would be funny if we were on the same continent at the same time and never met. Especially if you were running among our leopards.”