Darkling Lust Read Free

slammed into her with ferocious intensity, yet she wasn't distressed.
    Drykin. His name was Drykin.
    Mary smiled even as she fell. She might not live to see her Darkling again, but at least she'd give him a proper name, a name befitting his magnificence. She only hoped he would forgive her for doubting him and for not believing in her heart. She'd known from the moment she'd closed that book what her destiny had been, yet she let her fear and doubt cloud her judgment. Perhaps God would give him a second chance where she had failed him.
    "I'm so sorry, Drykin,” she whispered. “Please forgive me."
    It was funny. Mary always figured if she knew she was about to die, she'd be a lot more scared. All she felt was peace. Smiling, she closed her eyes and waited for death.
    A gentle chuckle caressed her mind then. You should know better than to think I'd let you die, or let anyone take you from me. I'd never have let you return to your world had I not had every confidence I could claim you again if you were in danger .
    Mary turned her head just as Drykin closed his arms around her, slowing her fall until they hovered several feet above the ground. The wind no longer pounded her ears, and the sun warmed any chill she might have had. Looking into the silver blue eyes of her Darkling gave her joy. This was where she was meant to be. She knew it without a doubt. There was nothing to hold her to this life. She had no family, no pets. Only her friend, Diana, would miss her should she leave.
    "Take me home,” she breathed and caressed Drykin's cheek.
    "Home?” He raised an eyebrow.
    "Our home.” Mary smiled as she said it, somehow knowing it would ease the ache she knew was in his heart. She could see his pain clearly in his eyes. Only now did she realize the pain he'd endured in letting her return home.
    "I had to know you wanted to be with me, my Mary. By the law we Darklings live by, you were mine by rights, but I wanted you to want me. Once I had you in my arms, I knew I could never bring you sorrow, no matter the cost to myself."
    "Did you know that Darkling would come after me?"
    Drykin smiled and started them on an upward climb into a cloudbank before moving them through the sky. “He was not a Darkling, and yes, I knew he or another like him would try to take you if you stayed long enough. I underestimated how quickly my scent on you would catch the attention of the other supernatural creatures in the area. For that, I apologize."
    "He meant to kill me. After a while. It's obvious he could have come for me any time he wanted. Why did he wait until now?"
    "Because he didn't want you only for a kill. It's a long story, but he was a Drakonion. They feed on the flesh of humans, but they get more sustenance from psychic energy. If he'd kept you and fed from your fear and pain, he could have lasted a very long time before he had to seek out another human, thus protecting himself from Darkling hunters. Fortunately, a human's psychic energy can't be tapped unless they have been claimed and mated by a Darkling. You wouldn't have suited his needs, but he wouldn't have known that until he tried channeling it. You have been claimed by me, but not mated."
    Mary shivered and buried her face in Drykin's neck. He hugged her tighter to his chest. “Soon, my love,” he whispered. “We'll soon be home and no others will ever be able to touch you there."
    She didn't doubt him. She could feel the sincerity and confidence in his own abilities within him. Mary knew she needed to ask him about that, but she couldn't right now. It was far from warm, but it felt good to be held so snugly, and she was very tired. The adrenaline rush had left her, and she was in worse shape than she'd been in before all the excitement.
    Knowing she was safe, knowing she was about to start a new chapter in her life that would change her forever, Mary wrapped her arms more securely around Drykin's neck, sighed contentedly, and closed her eyes. She'd deal with it when