Forsaken Hunger Page 12

  Although those had been some of the darkest years of her life, she’d had reason to hope. Emily had never given up on her. What must it have been like for Saden, with no future except that of a trained killer? To be disowned by his entire race and made a Drakon.

  A slave.

  The term was one she was intimately familiar with. A brand from her past that still haunted her dreams.

  She had to talk to Saden. Had to know what happened to him and how Gabriel fit into the picture. The only problem was finding him.

  That night, Daneya tucked her daughter into bed but instead of joining her, decided to make use of the weapons room upstairs. It’d been a while since she had practiced weapons combat and she needed to release her pent up energy. Just as she stepped out of the room, she heard a door close at the opposite end of the hallway. Blade never came to the second floor and Cherri’s bedroom was downstairs. It could only be Saden.

  She rushed down the hallway on bare feet and swung open the door, not wanting to give him the chance to disappear again. When Saden turned at the sound of her entrance, she stopped abruptly and felt heat course through her. He was wearing only a towel that hung low on his hips. Beads of water glistened on his tan skin, and the light from a single lamp marked the contours of his muscles. She couldn’t keep her eyes from roaming over the ridges of his abs up to his broad chest covered with a light dusting of black hairs. He was clean-shaven and the lines of his face arrested her as they had before. His green eyes gleamed dully, then narrowed in concern.

  “Is everything all right?”

  Daneya swallowed past the dryness in her throat. Everything was so far from all right she didn’t know where to begin. She’d forgotten the way her body reacted around him, as if it had a mind of its own. He was just a man. A dangerous one at that. Yet, he provoked something inside her that she couldn’t control.

  “No,” she said, at the same time realizing what he’d meant. “Yes. I mean, everything’s fine. I just wanted to speak with you.”

  He frowned slightly then turned to go to a walk-in closet. Daneya’s gaze was drawn to several pale lines spanning his broad back in a crisscross pattern. She’d seen the like before once on a kid in one of her previous foster homes. They were whip marks. He came back out a minute later in a pair of black jeans, tugging on a T-shirt. His hair was mussed and fell in wet tendrils down to his jawline.

  “What do you want to talk about?”

  “I want to know what Gabriel has to do with you becoming a Drakon.”

  His mouth dropped open in surprise. “I see you’ve been talking with Blade.”

  “I have a right to know if he’s more to you than just a target,” she pressed on. “He was after me, remember? Besides, trust works both ways. You know where I live and who I work for. It’s only fair that I learn more about you.”

  She held her breath, waiting for his answer. While her logic sounded good, she held no real advantage over him. If he wanted to, he could keep her in the dark until he finished his business. Especially since information on Gabriel was tied to his past. But she was determined to piece together his puzzle.

  Amusement conflicted with the knot of dread churning in Saden’s gut. He’d known Daneya would eventually find out about his involvement with Gabriel. She was too smart and inquisitive to be satisfied with anything less than full knowledge.

  He hadn’t been prepared to face her, however. Her last line of questioning had affected him more than he’d expected. In all the years he’d protected and admired her from afar, never once had he thought one day he might be judged by her. Or that it would have such an impact on him.

  It was ridiculous that her opinion mattered at all. Looking at her, though, he knew he’d be a fool to deny it. She’d captured his heart and interest from the day Marco had asked him to watch over her, and his feelings since then had only grown.

  He sighed inwardly and opened the large oak chest at the foot of his bed. She was right about deserving to know what he did about Gabriel, even if it meant revealing his past. Inside the chest underneath a stack of documents, he pulled out a picture frame bundled in a silk scarf and handed it to her.

  She unwrapped it and stared at the photo for long moments. Her dark, honey eyes flicked up to him then down again in disbelief. “This is you and your family…with Gabriel.”

  “He was my uncle,” he said hesitantly, trying to gauge her reaction. Whatever her past was with Gabriel, it couldn’t help to know he was related to the bastard.

  Absently, she walked to his bed and sat down hard. After reading the caption on the back of the frame, she met his gaze again. “Your name isn’t on here.”

  “I was called Jeremy Aikins at that time.”

  “That’s right. Blade told me your names were taken away. What does Saden mean?”

  “‘Forsaken’ in the Vampyre language. It was given to me by my Drakonem.” At her frown, he added, “When I told him the truth about what had happened, he found it amusing. He gave me the name to always remind me of my past.”

  “And what did happen?”

  Her voice was soft, free of disdain, and he wanted more than anything to keep it that way. It seemed fate had other plans. If he didn’t tell her, her distrust would eventually turn to resentment and hatred. After this assignment was done, he would no longer spend countless nights wondering what it might be like to have her look upon him as a decent man. He would know it could never happen.

  And if he did tell her…

  Well, he was a criminal with blood on his hands. She, a vigilante whose job it was to rid the world of filth like him. How could she not condemn him for his past? His only gift, only future, was death. There was no sense in fighting what he couldn’t change.

  He scrubbed his face then leaned back against the dresser behind him. “Gabriel’s preyuna and unborn child died during childbirth years before I was born.”

  “Preyuna?” Daneya cut in.

  “His mate, or wife in your language. After that, he became a korvaute, a leader in the field of biology, and devoted his entire life to the propagation of the Vampyre species. He tried everything, even using the power of his aethra to manipulate the genetic code of female Vampyres in hopes of increasing the amount of eggs they’re born with. Nothing worked. When my parents died, he accepted responsibility for me and my sister. I took care of her and went into training to become a leisonguarde like my parents.

  “One day, he came home and told me the Djinn were about to attack his facility. That they wanted to destroy his research and kill anyone associated with it. He feared with the information in his files, they would be able to track down everyone involved, including me and my sister. Since my power was the ability to read and alter the functions and operations of electronic devices, he wanted me to destroy his computers after he’d saved as much information as he could. I didn’t know…”

  He remembered that day clearly. The urgency and sense of duty that had compelled him to do whatever it took to save his remaining family from the Djinn. He’d have done anything Gabriel had asked.

  “He took me to the control room at his facility then left to get the rest of his assistants out. I sent my aethra into the mainframe, but when I started the process of destroying his files, I discovered the information they really held. Gabriel wasn’t running from the Djinn. He was in league with them. He’d been using their power to circumvent the need for bonding, allowing him and his men to successfully impregnate human females. He had lied to me. By the time I’d pulled out of the mainframe to question him, it was too late. He had rigged his security system to blow just minutes after it detected my interference.

  “The explosion should’ve killed me. When Gabriel and his men came back and found me alive in the rubble, they tried to finish the job before their authorities got there. They failed.”

  His skin tingled in memory of the steel cable Gabriel had used on his back. A group of Gabriel’s men had joined in after that, breaking most of his bones with their boots and fists.
How he had survived the next day of his trial and sentencing was anybody’s guess. He would’ve welcomed death, especially after being told the lies Gabriel had stacked against him to the Vampyre council.

  “Next thing I knew, I woke up, healed, in my Drakonem’s office. Serrakus told me Gabriel had claimed that I blamed him for the death of my parents. That I sabotaged his research out of revenge and blew his facility. Three humans were found dead in the wreckage. When I told Serrakus the truth about Gabriel’s dealings with the Djinn, he was pissed off but for a different reason.

  “Apparently, one of his Drakons had witnessed a Djinn kidnapping a human female and taking her to Gabriel’s facility. Gabriel must have found out that he was being investigated and used me to destroy the evidence of his crimes. A few days later, Serrakus discovered that the humans who’d died in the explosion had been hosts to three of the Djinn working with Gabriel.”

  Saden let the familiar blanket of his cold rage keep his other emotions in check. He couldn’t look at Daneya. Couldn’t face the scorn that was probably burning in her eyes. It was because of him that Gabriel had been able to continue his experiments on humans. If he had stopped to think for just one second—put his reason above his pride and seen through his uncle’s lies, maybe…

  “Why didn’t you tell this to your council?” she asked in a hushed tone. “They could’ve acquitted you of the charges.”

  He laughed sarcastically. “And pitted the word of a renowned korvaute responsible for increasing their numbers and ending their war with the Djinn against that of an orphaned nine year old? They would never have believed me. Besides, it couldn’t change the fact that three humans were dead because of me. And Serrakus wouldn’t have given me up regardless.”

  Deafening silence filled the room. He slid his gaze to the door, waiting for Daneya’s back to fill it as she left. He waited for the fury of her shouts and insults. For her to fly at him in a rage. When none of that happened, he risked looking back to her and frowned at the expression on her face. It was calm. Contemplative.

  “It wasn’t your fault,” she said finally.

  Saden could only stare in disbelief. “It was because of me that Gabriel got away with what he was doing. I still have no idea how many females he’s used and thrown away since then. If I had let the Drakon investigating him finish the job, Gabriel could’ve been stopped years ago.”

  Her next words punched the breath out of him. “Blade told me you were Serrakus’ slave for five years. What did he mean?”

  He was going to kill Blade next time he saw him. “It’s irrelevant,” he said, shaking his head.

  “Saden—”

  “Don’t!” He moved to his desk beside the balcony doors and took a knife from his harness to check the blade. The air in the room was filled with tension so thick it sang along his nerves. That period of his life had no bearing on their current discussion. It was a dead memory, buried in the grave he had erected for it in his mind. There was no need for her to know.

  The picture of Daneya’s fear-stricken face in Gabriel’s file flashed before his vision. The image he hadn’t stopped thinking about since he’d seen it in the Vampyre’s house. For all he knew, she had been Gabriel’s slave at the time the picture was taken. Before Saden had become her guardian. If that was the case, could his past really be so different from hers? The thought sent chills down his spine.

  He wrapped his hand around the blade and squeezed, pressing harder when the edge bit into his palm. “The Drakonem get bored from being trapped in their realm for most of each year. It’s not unusual for them to give certain Drakons the opportunity to take a break from their duties in exchange for sexual favors. Serrakus just doesn’t care whether his slaves are consenting or not.” A drop of blood fell from his palm and splashed onto the desktop. He stared at it unseeingly until a hand reached out and covered his own around the blade.

  He lifted his gaze to find Daneya watching him. Her eyes were so steady and clear, he wanted to escape into them. Leave the brutality of his life behind and lose himself in her strength. For it was nothing less that kept her with him now.

  She slowly opened his fingers, set the blade aside then wrapped his palm in the silk scarf. “It wasn’t your fault,” she reiterated. “Sometimes things happen that are beyond our control.”

  Her faith struck him deeply. She had every right to curse him for his mistake in trusting Gabriel, yet here she was offering solace. Standing so close he could barely breathe. “How do you know?”

  Her brow creased as a tear fell past her thick lashes. “I have to. Otherwise my life doesn’t make any sense.”

  That tear crushed all of his reservations. Never had he thought to be in the position to comfort the one who’d unwittingly kept his sanity all these years, but he wasn’t about to fail her.

  Not when she needed him.

  He cupped her face in both hands and tilted it back. Her beauty was mesmerizing, in spite of the inner turmoil that strained her features. When he slanted his mouth across hers, he could feel her rigidness. Taste the salt of her tear on his lips. Then she opened to him and made his head spin with a rush of pleasure.

  He delved into the cavern of her mouth. It was so much sweeter than anything he could’ve imagined. Her courage and vulnerability. The way her tongue danced with his in a slow caress. More than that was her willingness to trust him, even if only for the moment.

  He breathed in her soft sigh and whispered, “You are braver than anyone I’ve ever known, leisontee.”

  “You keep calling me that. What does it mean?”

  “Little warrior.”

  She splayed her hands over his chest, a small smile lifting a corner of her mouth. “You think I’m brave?”

  Conviction filled his voice when he answered, “I know you are.”

  After a brief pause, she stepped into him, bringing their bodies flush to one another. Warmth seeped into him and he wrapped his arms around her. Wanting more, needing more. This time when their lips came together, she held nothing back. He could feel her urgency in every sweep of her tongue. It was intoxicating and sent a wave of sensation coiling through his gut.

  “Stay with me tonight,” she murmured softly.

  The hushed plea was more than he could resist. He clasped her slender waist and lifted, moaning when her legs wrapped tightly around him. Her pelvis pressed against his burgeoning thickness and shot a spike of adrenaline through his system. They stayed locked in their embrace until he lowered her onto the bed. His hands seemed to have a mind of their own as they traveled down her narrow ribcage to the hem of her tank top. Her skin beneath was incredibly smooth, tempting him to explore further.

  Everything about her body contrasted sharply to his. She was small to his large frame, soft to his hard flesh. Still, he could feel her firm muscles rippling beneath his hands. He kissed his way down the column of her neck to the shallow of her throat. It wasn’t until she pulled off her top to reveal her bare breasts that he came back to himself.

  This night wasn’t going at all how he’d expected. It was better, by far, but still dangerously out of control. He didn’t want this to be a mistake. To see the regret on Daneya’s face when she woke up in the morning.

  “Are you sure about this?”

  “Not a bit,” she said breathlessly.

  When she reached to pull him down for another kiss, he resisted hesitantly. Part of him wanted to slap himself for being cautious even as he knew it was necessary. “Daneya—”

  She huffed exaggeratedly then looked at him with such yearning, it scattered his thoughts. “I can’t say that I know what I’m doing. I’ve never done this before. But I do know I’m tired of being safe. My whole life has been a series of calculated risks and missed opportunities. I’m afraid all the time of what might happen. Just once, I want to know what it’s like to be free.” She brushed her fingers lightly across his lips. “Please, Saden. Give me this.”

  He took possession of her mouth again and closed the distance be
tween their bodies. Her words circled his thoughts like a desert storm, hot and furious. She had no idea what they meant to him. For so long, she had been his savior, reminding him what it was to be free with her perseverance. Now, she was asking him to return the favor. The irony of it left him feeling lightheaded.

  He spanned her tapered waist and moved lower to take each of her rosy nipples into his mouth, sucking on them until they were firm and hard. She arched up with a low moan and threaded her fingers through his hair. Moving farther down, he trailed kisses over her small, round belly and slowly tugged off her cotton pants.

  Long, slim legs parted for him and he suppressed a shiver at the sight of her glistening entrance. He knelt between her thighs on the edge of the bed then leaned down to nibble on her neck while bringing one hand to the nest of her curls. They were soft and slick with her desire. When he pushed in first one finger then another, the feel of her muscles clenching him made him swell to the point of pain.

  Without warning, she flipped him over and straddled him. Her hair fell like a curtain around them, closing them off to the rest of the world. She hurriedly took off his shirt then skimmed her lips over his buds, flicking them with her tongue. The sensation of her nails gently raking his abs to his waistline had him near panting with anticipation.

  She sat up then and smiled, a lock of her hair covering half her face in coy mystery. But when she began unfastening his jeans, he saw her hands tremble slightly. It reminded him with sudden clarity that she was no more experienced than him at making love. Perhaps even less so. Not once had he seen her take home a lover or even spend casual time with a guy. For a while, he’d had his suspicions about Vincent, though they’d never been confirmed.

  He helped her pull down his pants then kicked them to the floor. The rush of cool air on his aching erection was replaced by the warmth of her hand. A groan was torn from his throat as she stroked him tightly. Pressure rapidly built within until he thought he might burst.