Page 53 of Dark Embrace

She was terrified—and in his arms. And it was a soft, warm, caring woman he held. He wanted to soothe her, but not the way he’d so often soothed Ian in his previous lifetime. He wanted to soothe her by moving over her, by kissing her face, her breasts, her hair. All he had to do was take her face in his hands and press her down onto the bed. His body was already hot and inflamed. When his body was in hers, she would not be thinking of this nightmare, his deamhan father and the dream death.

But he made no such efforts.

Moray was hunting her now.

It had become terribly clear. Moray would use her against Aidan, just as he had begun to fear. He must not take her, touch her or soothe her, not in any way. He already cared to protect her, and that made her—and him—terribly vulnerable.

He must send Brianna to Iona immediately.

For one more moment, he held her in the circle of his arms, acutely aware of her warmth and caring, and even of her love. If he did not behave with extreme caution, she would suffer the same fate as Ian—or even a worse one.

“I’ll guard ye while ye sleep. I willna allow anyone to step into yer dreams.”

Her eyes widened. She glanced down between them, where he throbbed helplessly against the linen leine. “I can’t sleep now,” she whispered.

And he realized he hadn’t shielded his desire from her—or his anger and fear. Instantly he put a block between them, but that didn’t change what he really wanted to do. It didn’t ease his body, which clamored for her. He released her and stood up.

Very careful to sound indifferent, he said, “Yer a beautiful woman, Brianna. Ye ken a Highland man will always respond to beauty with virility.” He shrugged.

“I’m not beautiful,” she said, her green eyes unwavering on his. “Aidan, I just died.”

He went still and his heart lurched. Was this another new power? “Are ye certain?”

She nodded, looking lost and vulnerable, pulling her covers up to her chin. “No one dies in a dream. I died.”

He did not know what this could mean. She had died in Moray’s arms, from his own power. He shrugged, forcing indifference. “’Twas only a dream.”

“I felt the last moment of my life—I knew it was over. I felt my life leave,” she stressed, as pale as his son’s ghost. “I even saw the holies—I went to their light.”

He met her gaze and saw so much emotion shimmering there. He saw fear and helplessness, which enraged him, and he saw courage and determination, which he admired. But her strained gaze also beckoned him.

He understood the plea and lurked anyway. She wanted him to slip into her bed and make love to her. Of course, she thought about making love to him all the time. He didn’t have to lurk to know it. Her eyes gave her away. It was often annoying, sometimes infuriating and always provocative. His body seemed to have a mind and will of its own, for it always responded to her. Now she stared and it only furthered the tension coursing between them.

He swiftly poured her some wine and handed the glass to her. She smiled wanly at him, and he was suddenly sorry that he hadn’t taken her to bed previously. Now there would never be that chance.

“I really need Tabby and Sam. Claire said she’d contacted Allie. Maybe she’ll show up soon.”

He understood why she was so upset, and damn it, he wanted to distract her. “Lady Allie can persuade Royce to come to ye, if anyone can. Brianna…forget about the dream.”

“I can’t.” Then she added, “At least I lived to wake up.”

“Drink yer wine. It will comfort you,” he said. “A dream isna reality.”

She gave him a look. “Yes, it is. I’m a Rose, Aidan. I come from a long line of powerful women and we know all about the other worlds.”

He crossed his arms. He had wondered about her empathy for him. “Why do ye have more empathy fer me than others?”

“I don’t know, exactly, but it’s helped me understand you—and made me even more determined to help you.”

“I dinna care fer ye to feel so much of me,” he said. “I have to guard myself all the time to block ye.”

She slid from the bed, and his eyes widened at the sight of her legs and pink underwear. “You invade my privacy whenever you feel like it. I guess now you know what it feels like.”

He stared at her pale, lush thighs and the pink bikini. His pulse was roaring impossibly. Then he raised his eyes. “Ye need to get dressed.”

She didn’t move. “I felt your desire a moment ago, too, before you shielded it. It was different. It wasn’t about power, not at all. It was the same desire you had in our dream.”

He did not like her husky tone and sidelong look. “A Highlander needs sex like his daily bread, while a deamhan needs power. I am a Highlander and a deamhan,” he said harshly. “I have sex an’ take power every single day.”