Blood Of Fire (The Blood Burden Series) (21 page)

The clock on her nightstand glowed three
twenty in the morning when Nicole finally gave up on sleep.  She flung the
covers back and walked out to the balcony.  The night air was warm but it still
gave her bare arms goosebumps as it danced across her skin and seeped its way through
her white, silk gown.

The town below was quiet and the streets
were empty.  The whole world seemed to be asleep except for her.  The
excitement of the night wouldn't allow her to rest.  She had spent the rest of
the evening dancing with her Dad and even Luke during the remainder of the ball
along with laughing as Kat told stories about how she and Rhys had become the
most unusual but blissfully in love couple that they were now.

The evening had made her so happy but at
the same time she felt like a piece of her was still missing.  Sage nor Slade
made an appearance that night and she was worried about both.  She knew that
Slade was mad at her so she guessed that was his reason for staying away but
what about Sage?  What could be so important that she would leave without a
word?

A pull in her mind tugged her way from
her worries.  She could feel Luke moving around the castle thanks to their
bond.  She could also sense faint pin points in her mind that were other
warriors inside the castle but Luke's had his own signature: like it was made
just for him and she could tell he was making his way in her direction.

You can't sleep either? s
he whispered
telepathically to him as she grabbed her robe then unlocked the door to her
room.

No and I could feel that you were up so
I thought we would talk, if that's okay with you
,  Luke
responded back through their mental connection.

Sure, the door is open.
She slid her
arms into her robe and tied it around her waist just before the door opened.

His dark blond hair was tousled from his
restless attempt at sleep but it only added to the mysteriousness that Nicole
liked about him.  He wore black drawstring pants and a plain white t-shirt that
fit snug around the defined muscles of his arms and chest.  Nicole felt her
eyes lingering too long on him so she cleared her throat and turned back to the
balcony, "I was enjoying the night air.  You want to join me out
there?"

Nodding he followed her out the doors. 
He leaned against the railing as Nicole gazed out at the night but he never
took his eyes off of her, "Why can't you sleep?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "I
don't know, maybe the threat of war has me a bit on edge." She said
sarcastically trying to hide her unease with being alone with him.

"I was hoping that having your dad
and Kat here would help you rest a little easier."

She smiled at him, meeting his eyes for
the first time, "I never said thank you for that.  It is a wonderful
feeling to have them with me again."

"But you're still worried?"

She nodded, "Yes, I…don't know what
the hell I'm doing, Luke."  Nicole found herself surprised by her own
confession but not knowing what to do or how to end the war was really the root
of her problems.  She was worried about failing everyone.  "What if I
can't put an end to this war?  What if people die because I'm not strong
enough?"

Luke pulled her into his arms laying his
cheek against the top of her head, "Calm down.  You're stronger than
anyone I've ever known and that's saying a lot since I've been around for
hundreds of years."

Nicole relaxed into his arms, "I
don't feel very strong."

Luke leaned back to look into her face,
"Well, tomorrow we start training again.  General Moyer is calling in his
best troops from the field and has asked me to oversee your preparation.  Even
he was amazed by the power you displayed tonight."

The mention of tonight's fireworks
between Luke and Slade made Nicole's heart ache.  She gently pulled out of
Luke's embrace and leaned her back against the railing, "Thanks, I really
do need to get refocused on the job at hand.  Training is just what I
need."

Luke tilted his head studying her face,
"Is it what you need to get ready or is it what you need to distract your
mind from something else?"

Nicole refused to meet his eyes.  She
turned her back to him and looked out across the moonlit town.  She could feel
him move closer to her though he didn't say a word.  He stood behind her, his
body heat caressing her back, and then slowly he slid her long curls away from
her neck with one finger letting the night air touch the once hidden skin.

Without thinking she tilted her head,
enjoying the simplest kind of touch.  Her heart thumped hard in her chest as
the warmth of his breath slid across her earlobe.  Luke tenderly kissed the
place where her shoulder met her neck causing a breathless moan to escape
Nicole's lips, "Tell me you want only me," he whispered as he kissed
her neck again. "Tell me that there has never been another man you wanted
more than me."

Nicole took a shaky breath but before
she could speak Luke slid her robe off one shoulder, tracing each new inch of
skin with his lips.  Her body was becoming weak as she fought to remain in
control.  She needed to stop this before it went too far, "Luke." She
turned around to face him but before she could say another word his lips
covered her own.  Heated and needy he held her face in his hands as he kissed
her again.  Nicole tried to pull away but the fire was too much.  The desire
had been held a bay for far too long.  Wrapping her arms around him she
returned his kiss with the passion of a woman who had been without water for
weeks and Luke eagerly presented what she had been missing.

Luke pulled away to look at Nicole,
"Tell me you want me." He demanded with a faint glow of red circling
his hazel eyes.  He was having trouble containing himself but needed to hear
her speak the words he had waited to hear for so long.

Nicole could see her own glow of red
reflecting off Luke's tan skin but she didn't care.  She was tired of having to
pretend like she was someone else.  With Luke she could be who she was, never
having to second guess.  He was the one.  "I want you," she breathed
then wrapped her fingers into his hair deepening their kiss with a slide of her
tongue.

Luke pulled her up into his arms and
carried her back into the room to lay her across the bed.  He trailed his lips
down the center of her neck as he worked to untie her robe.  Nicole eagerly
pulled his shirt over his head then traced the muscles of his chest with her
fingers greedily.

Her back arched as her desire built. 
She quickly slid out of the robe and let Luke pull the gown from her body.  He
stared down at her bare skin as he slowly traced a line from her collar bone
down the center of her breast with a single finger ending the path by sliding
just inside the waist band of her white lace panties.

"You're so beautiful," he
whispered in a husky voice.

In a flash of warrior speed Nicole was
standing in front of Luke removing his pants then pushing him back onto the
bed.  She straddled his hips pressing her body against his hardness causing
Luke to let out a deep moan.  He grabbed at her hips pulling her harder against
him as she leaned down to kiss his smooth chest, "Tell me you want
me," she purred, reversing their roles with a sly smirk.

His hands glided up her sides and around
to cup her breast but she grabbed him by the wrist and pined his hands above
his head, "Tell me," she breathed as her long hair created a curtain
round their faces.  She ran her tongue along his lips and watched as Luke's
eyes changed from a faint red to a fiery crimson.

The edge of his lips turned up into a
lopsided grin showing a sexy dimple in his cheek just before he flipped Nicole
over on her back pinning her arms above her head.  He pressed his body against
hers so she could feel the effect she was having on him, "I want you right
now," he pressed his lips to hers until they were both breathless then
released the hold on her arms so he could cup her face, "I want you
forever."

**~***~**

The rising sun cast an orange glow
across the room causing Nicole to blink as she opened her eyes.  The birds sang
their song outside the open doors leading to the balcony in a joyful way that
Nicole had never heard before or maybe she had never cared to listen. 
Everything was so vibrant and new like the whole world was hers for the
taking.  She listened to the rhythm of Luke's heartbeat as her head lay on his
bare chest.  "Awake already?" Luke asked as he kissed her head.

She smiled up at him, "Yes,
why?"

"I've waited so long to watch you
sleep in my arms that I didn't want it to end," he rubbed her back gently
as she placed her head on his shoulder.

Nicole smiled to herself while she
thought about the night they had spent together.  They shared a passion that
ran deep into her soul and ignited every sense in her body.  There were moments
as they made love the air around them cracked with red and blue energy as their
bodies became one.  It was like no other experience Nicole had ever felt
before.

"I wish we could stay like this
forever," She looked up into his eyes and for the first time since they
had been reunited she could see genuine happiness in Luke's smile.

"We have forever, Nicole."

She stretched up to kiss his lips softly
but a singed smell reached her nose as the covers moved, "Do you smell
something burning?"

Luke laughed a full, husky laugh pulling
her lips back to his kissing her passionately, "That would be the smell of
our bed thanks to you, my dear."

Nicole jumped up and flipped the covers
back to see two large charcoal holes burnt in the sheets.  She blushed brightly
as she recalled knotting her hands in the red sheet while Luke sent her over
the edge.  "Wow, so…are we training today?" Nicole giggled at her
lame attempt to change the subject.

"Well, I'm thinking that if we want
to keep you from literally setting the bed on fire next time then yes, we must
get you trained," he winked at her then stood to pull on his boxers.

Nicole put on her robe reluctantly as
she admired Luke's lean, muscular body while he dressed.  She longed to have
his strong arms around her and his lips on her skin again but with a groan she
walked to her vanity to brush out her hair.  He was right; it was time to
prepare for the task that lay ahead of them.  She wouldn't be any good to
anyone if all she could do is set some sheets on fire.

When she grabbed the brush from the tray
a gold tube of lipstick rolled to the floor.  Nicole picked it up and opened
it, admiring the deep crimson color that only Sage could dare ware.  As she
studied the color her mind began to spin, "Luke?"

"Hmm," he mumbled as he
searched for his t-shirt under the bed.

"What kind of mission do you think
Sage was sent off on?"

Luke stood up with his retrieved
treasure in his hand, "What do you mean?"

"The Queen said Sage had some
unexpected business to attend to," Nicole mimicked Teya's proper voice as
close as she could as she rolled her eyes.

Luke's brow creased as he thought,
"It isn't unusual for us to be given assignments without notice but
usually the Queen has no part in them."

"So why did she know that Sage was
gone?"

Luke shrugged his shoulder then slid his
shirt over his head cutting off the view that Nicole was still secretly
enjoying, "Maybe General Moyer told her.  He's who usually oversees
matters like that."

Nicole dropped her eyes back to the
lipstick for a moment then recapped it, "Maybe." She agreed but
something was telling her that this was wrong on a much deeper level.

Luke stepped up behind where she sat and
took the brush from the table.  He glided the bristles through her hair
slowly.  Nicole melted back into her chair as the soothing rhythm of Luke
stoking her long hair relaxed away a bit of her anxiety.  "I need to see
Moyer this morning about your training.  If it will make you feel better I will
ask him about Sage.  Keep in mind he won't tell me any details but at least you
will know the truth."

Beaming a bright smile up at him Nicole
stood and wrapped her arms around his neck, "You're the best."

He laughed and kissed her on the nose,
"You just remember that when Slade starts snooping around your room
again."

A bit of Nicole's energy seeped away
when she thought about Slade.  She wondered if he was still mad at her.  Having
him on her side would be wonderful and she was sure there were things he could
teach her during her training but his and Luke's constant bickering was going
to have to be fixed.

"Luke, don't you think you could
try to be nicer to Slade.  After all he did help us escape from Loch."

"I'll be nice to him when he stops
trying to steal you away from me."

Nicole's couldn't believe his words,
"Steal me away from you?"  She stepped back from his arms,
"Since when do I belong to anyone?  No one can own me or choose my life
for me
—
not you, not
Slade, not Loch or anyone else."

Luke rubbed the back of his neck,
"Nicole, I just mean that I want you to be with me and only me.  I've
always wanted it to be us," he pleaded.