Dark Diary (24 page)

Hypnosis was one thing, but to truly bring to life her deepest imaginings would take much more than the power of suggestion—and seduction. She had to see exactly what I wanted her to see and feel exactly what
she
wanted to feel. For the short time I would be in control of her mind, Kathera would believe she
was
Kathryn, and Kathryn would believe I was human.

It was going to trigger an unpredictable outcome, but it was the least I could do to dampen the true horror of what was about to happen.

I began by visualizing all the wonderful things the world had graced me with as a human—the things I had taken for granted. My body would feel warm to her touch as she sank closer into me. My heart would beat as though it longed to leap from my chest and consume her with its hunger and passion. And my skin… my skin would glisten with a
youthful glow and vigor as if kissed by the sun’s golden rays. It would not be cold or gray, and in the end, she would get what
she wanted.

Surely the pain would take her out of the trance regardless, but until that point, I had to keep her in
my
mind; I had to retain control over her thoughts.

“Kathryn.” I knelt down on the floor beside where Kathera
slept on the couch and caressed her cheek. She twitched slightly.

Holding my face next to hers, I whispered into her ear.

“Close your mind to all that you know. Forget this place. Forget this time. Remember only me… and give in.”

As I spoke softly, I felt her letting go. Her breathing deepened and she was releasing herself to my will.

“Kathryn, wake up.” I gently nudged her shoulder with my fingertips.

She opened her eyes and looked around. The room was not as she had left it. It was no longer dark and gray with undecorated walls and dusty floors. It had become warm and accented with elegant reds and golds, satin draperies softening the window frames and an elegant tapestry hanging where Kathryn’s painting once had been.

An illusion that trumped all illusions.

She sat up on the couch and remained silent and
awestruck. At her ankles rested the edge of a long white dress,
which she kicked at with her bare feet, ruffling the hem with her toes.

There was confusion crinkling her brow.

“Come with me.” I offered her my hands.

Her fingers slid instinctively into mine and I pulled her up and into my embrace.

She would not see my fangs or the folded wings that lay
dormant within my back, and my flesh was as warm and real to her as it had once been. Kathera—sincerely wanting the past to live
again—drifted deeper and deeper into the trance.

The room began to glow with the light of the distant illusory sunset as I led her to an open balcony, much like the
one we had stood upon years ago. I wrapped my arms around
her and embraced her just as I had done then.

“How can this be?” she asked, breaking away and turning to face me.

She slipped naturally back into her Irish accent—a surprise
to even me. Centuries had passed, but I had to quickly try to remember my own.

“Father will come after us!” The undying fear overwhelmed
her and her eyes widened. She took hold of my hand in desperation. “We cannot be seen like this.”

The fantasy was under
my
control.

“Yes, we can.” I brought her left hand up to eye level and grasped her palm firmly. There on her finger was a fine golden band gleaming in the sun’s fading rays.

Kathera gasped in disbelief and pulled back from me.

“I feel so ignorant.” She cupped her hands around her face and sighed heavily. “I do not remember any of it,” she muttered, rubbing her eyes. “How can I not remember such a thing as our wedding?”

Her doubts had a devastating impact on our surroundings. The images around us began to flicker in and out of shadow and light; red became gray and the sun became pale and white. The colors faded back into reality as she slipped from my control.

“Do not think about the past right now, Kathryn,” I said.
Quickly, I took her arm and pulled her back to me, putting a
hand softly on her face, locking eyes with her and keeping her focused on me.
“The day has been long. You will remember it. Give yourself time.”

She trusted me with her life and it showed in her expression
as the fear in her eyes dissipated with my words. The illusion took shape again and the disturbance in her vision had gone unnoticed.

“I will protect you with my life, Kathryn,” I promised. “I will protect you
forever
.”

The sunset faded into the horizon and the house became dim as the reddish glow of the fireplace beckoned to us.

The tips of my fingers playfully coiled around the blue lace that graced the short sleeves of her gown. She grinned coyly and fiddled with a flower that was nestled in a ribbon that had been braided into her hair.

I rested my weight against the nearby wall.

“Now that the sun has set and the darkness implores us to spend the night together, tell me, Kathryn, what is it you want?”

Kathryn’s eyes met mine for a split second and then darted away in a pointless attempt to shield her thoughts. A brief and vivid image escaped her mind and penetrated mine—
her body pressed helplessly up against the wall—me holding her there and kissing her breathless as our naked skin met and our fingers entwined.

She spun the wedding band around the base of her finger and shrugged.

“I already have exactly what I want, Matthaya,” she said. “Don’t you?”

“You and I both know that is a lie.” The vision I had just had and the wild flutter of her heartbeat spoke the truth
even when she refused to share it. She was stubborn but powerful,
and for once in her life, she was at a loss for words. I knew what she wanted.
Kathryn
knew what she wanted.

In our past lives, we had tried to be together. The complications of our situation and the impossibility of marriage at the time had clouded our young minds and sent us spiraling into catastrophe.

Given the chance, I would have never let her go, but the
last night we had spent together had left us broken—devastated.
Now, the physical distance induced by the
hormonal dampening effect of vampirism made me uninterested i
n sexual needs. It was difficult to express how very desperately my body had once longed for hers—and how often I had dreamt
of making love to her and knowing she was completely
mine.

Kathera coughed hard and a strained wheeze resonated within her lungs.

The clock was ticking.

She came closer to the wall I was leaning on and backed up against it, obviously allowing ample opportunity for me to take advantage of her. I moved, cornering her against the wall as she had fantasized. Her breath trembled as I took her hands into my own, tightening my grasp and pressing my weight into her. My lips lowered to the side of her neck and she tilted her face to the other side, welcoming the gentle kiss against her throat. It was enough to provoke a quiet, breathy groan from her mouth and a smile from mine.

My mind had indeed witnessed what she had thought she wanted
.

But I could do better.

THE SENSUALLY DARKENED
bedchamber enchanted the breath right out of me. Flushed with red velvet, romantic shadows, and dancing candlelight upon the walls, the room called to us.

Matthaya brought his hands up to cup my face and I again
noticed the gleam of the ring on his finger. He brushed his thumbs across my cheeks and smiled.

It was a lovely smile—honest and pure. His face looked so young and beautiful as his eyes sparkled with amber light from the fireplace. He drew closer and I tilted my head and lowered my lashes as our lips met in a long-awaited kiss. It was soft and sweet and I melted into his grasp as his hands slipped down to my waist, where they held me tightly, pulling me gently nearer.

I wanted to taste him—only him—forever. And in that
moment, he couldn’t kiss me long enough—or deeply enough
—to satisfy the overwhelming hunger I had for him. I wanted the world to disappear.

His fingers loosened; he cupped one of my wrists within his hand and raised it up to my eye level, caressing the sensitive flesh with his thumb. His face tipped and he pressed into my palm a slow and deliberate kiss. The heat spread and his eyes closed with a second kiss sliding down to the delicate inside of my wrist. I choked on my breath as the sensation made my chest tremble. Hot breaths teased my skin.

His lashes came up with his face, our eyes met, and he rested my hand on his shoulder.

The rapid beating of my heart made my breaths fluttery and anxious as he bent down and swept me into his arms. He carried me toward the bed and I was hesitant to take my hands off his neck as he laid me down onto the soft linens. In a moment, he was there beside me again, leaning over my body with an intense, hungry gaze fixated on me.

I reached for the buttons of his shirt and undid them one by one. When the last button came free, he sat back on his ankles, slipped the shirt down off both arms, and set it aside. The fair, golden color of his skin was exquisite and my fingers gravitated toward him again.

Then I felt
them
.

The scars…

They had long since healed, but the marks of my father’s rage would forever adorn Matthaya’s back and the ridge of both shoulders. I couldn’t help but trace them with
sympathy. They weren’t ugly to me. They were beautiful. But tragic.

“I’m sorry,” I apologized again for what had happened. They would never fade.

“They are part of me now,” he replied calmly. “They have
made us who we are.”

He pressed one of my hands more firmly against his skin.

“And you are as beautiful as you have ever been to me, Matthaya,” I added, massaging my fingertips in a thoughtful line along his shoulder. “They are part of you, as am I.”

He inched closer to me and his fingers crept up along my arms where he slid the sleeves of my dress off one shoulder and then the other. The tiny hairs on my neck stood on end, but the sensation made me squirm happily. I reveled in the soft, velvety sheets against my skin. Matthaya was
finally
mine and I could
think of nothing but giving him all of me.

His hands trailed down the sides of my waist and then down to my legs where he pushed up the lacy hem of my skirt
and bunched it across my hips. My chest shook with tiny gasps and my fingers drove through his silky hair as his palms
wandered up
my legs, followed by soft kisses against the inside flesh of my thighs.

The taste of his kiss came once again to my lips and Matthaya’s body pressed against me; my knees trembled as they pressed back. I imagined my legs squeezing him in closer and felt my grasp tighten around his belt as my fingers quickly worked to unclasp the buckle. All the while, his kisses trailed down my neck and across my collarbone; the anticipation
of his touch cloaked every inch of me in heightened sensitivity. I was powerless to contain a heaving groan of need.

The belt slipped out of my hands and to the floor just as he came down on me again. His mouth encased my lips beneath his and his tongue grazed mine.

Sweat beaded on my brow. Lust and instinct took over, driving my body to pulse and writhe as if under a spell.

My mind was in a thousand places at once—all of them, with him. I was hot, woozy, and disoriented, but desperate to be made his. I
wanted
the pain and I was ready to endure it to be bound to him always.

“Matthaya, please.” I exhaled a heavy breath close to his
ear. My fingers danced across his naked back and then tightened
at his waist. I felt the firm flesh of his abdomen and embraced the subtle curve of his hips with my palms.

The soft skin of his neck was inviting and I licked a trail of kisses across his throat.

He gasped.

It made me smile.

And just when I had thought that he was helpless in my grasp, his eyes met mine. A warm hand rested against my thigh and I froze, sucking in a quick breath.

“Don’t be afraid,” he said. The tone of his voice was melodic and soothing.

Perhaps, deep down, I
was
frightened, but the fear of it could not compare with the
need for it
.

“I will never fear you, Matthaya.” My words were bold and true.

The corner of his lip curled into a grin and he lowered his head to bring a powerful kiss down against the sensitive indentation behind my ear. Delicate bites to the base of my neck aroused and consumed me, the gentle pain making it difficult to breathe.

The heat of his skin sliding over mine sent a jolt through me, making my body arch to meet his. My arms tightened
around him and a short cry escaped me as my flesh gave in to his. I lost my breath and a ripple of emotion rushed through my veins as he sunk deeper into me. My fingers tensed against
his shoulders, nails almost scratching him too hard. Restless and unable to let go.