After Sundown: Illumination Read online

  “Exactly,” Rebecca agreed, smiling brightly. “The garden has become a sort of lifeline for me.”

  Jason felt moved.

  This little human, this woman of bright smiles and fresh exuberance, took his breath away.

  She was light and laughter.

  And the darkness and violence in him was reacting to her the way a man stuck in the dry desert reacted to water. He thirsted for it, he thirsted for her.

  He wanted her.

  His body tightened. He shifted slightly, adjusting himself as he grew rock-hard. His jeans left little room and he resigned himself to spending the remaining time with Rebecca being uncomfortable.

  Rebecca was doing this to him without even knowing it. And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it.

  M’Tali. Ti sa movra.

  The mating words entered his mind unwanted. Jason tried to tamp them down but was only partially successful. Despite the fact that he knew on a rational level that he would never have a mate, his heart and body disagreed. The feeling was so strong it was hard for him to concentrate on anything else.

  M’Tali. Ti sa movra.

  Dammit! He needed to curb his reaction to her or she might pick up on his—

  “Did you just say something? “ Rebecca asked softly, a puzzled look on her face.

  Jason jumped to his feet, putting some distance between them. His thoughts had projected out to hers just as those of true mates were known to do. Swearing under his breath, he began pacing the room.

  “Um, Jason? Are you okay?”

  The nervousness in her voice was like a bucket of ice-cold water to his system.

  He was scaring her. He needed to calm down. He needed to get his body in control before she became afraid of him. If he wanted to protect her he needed to stay close to her. If she was fearful of him, that would make her protection more difficult.

  Taking a deep breath, he called on all his training as a Jutaka warrior. He let his breath out in a hiss, releasing some of the tension that was building up in him. He was in control of his body, not the other way around. Taking a few deep breaths, he reined in his out of control reaction.

  He stopped pacing, pasted a serene smile on his face and replied to Rebecca’s concern.

  “I’m fine, Rebecca,” he assured her. “I was just brainstorming.”

  He didn’t know what else to say. He was flying by the seat of his pants—his very tight, very uncomfortable pants.

  “Brainstorming?” she asked.

  “Yes. I was thinking about how your gardening helps you and wondering if it should become part of a therapy program for other patients.”

  Yes! He was good! He wasn’t sure how that idea popped into his brain but it worked.

  Rebecca got an excited look on her face.

  And his body got excited right back. The pressure in his pants was almost to the point of pain.

  What was it about this woman? In the short time he had known her she was slowly but surely driving him crazy.

  “What a great idea, Jason! I’ll bring that up the next time Dr. Everett and I meet. I bet other patients would benefit from working in the garden too. It will be interesting to see what he thinks.”

  Jason smiled encouragingly, relieved he had actually made some sense when his body was in such a chaotic state. “Why don’t you tell me more about your gardening strategy, Rebecca?” he managed to ask.

  “I’d be glad to. But don’t you want to sit down?” she asked. “You look uncomfortable standing over there.”

  Jason thought it was a good thing she didn’t know exactly how uncomfortable he was or she’d probably be running out of the room as fast as her beautiful legs would take her. No, better she remained oblivious, for both their sanity.

  His answer was immediate. “Uh, no, I’m fine here. As a matter of fact it feels good to stretch my legs. Please, go ahead.”

  There was no way in hell he was going to sit close to her again. If he inhaled her sweet feminine scent or looked too closely at her exuberant face and sparkling eyes he just might explode, literally. Nope, he was just fine where he was, across the small room.

  “Okay. Well, if you’re sure,” she responded before continuing. “What I’d like to do is make it an all-year-’round garden. In other words, I want plants blooming at all times. I’d like to coordinate it so that there’s a combination of different colored and sized flowers blooming, no matter the season. I’d also like to incorporate various non-blooming plants, just to add contrasting textures to the garden.”

  Rebecca spent the next twenty minutes discussing her gardening strategy.

  Once again Jason couldn’t help but admire her passion. She was the type of female who put her heart and soul into whatever she focused on. He liked that. Passion was admirable in anyone. He felt strongly that it was important to be passionate about something.

  As Rebecca continued speaking, he slowly got his body back under control. Not completely. That would have been impossible with Rebecca so close by, but he calmed down enough that he could actually listen to what she had to say and not feel like his jeans were about to burst from the pressure.

  Just when he thought he was going to make it Rebecca stood up and walked over to him. The urge to back up and put some space between them was strong but he held his ground. It amazed him that this petite woman could actually make him think about turning tail and running the other way. Hell, men bigger and tougher them him had never made him feel like this. It was a good thing she didn’t know what she did to him. That kind of power could be dangerous.

  Jason stiffened and clenched his hands by his sides as she walked right up to where he stood, lifted her chin and stared straight up into his eyes.

  Her eyes softened and a small smile played across her lush lips.

  She was so close he could feel the heat from her body.

  He made the mistake of taking a deep breath.

  Her scent filled him.

  The predator in him woke from its slumber.

  His body roared to life once more. Thoughts of her softness pressed against him filled his mind. Lust crashed into him in such strong waves he almost swayed from the force of it. Somehow he managed to hold his ground, barely.

  “Thank you, Jason,” Rebecca said, her voice soft and sweet.

  Then she stood on tiptoe and gave him a light kiss on his cheek. As she started to pull away, he couldn’t help himself. His body was vibrating with need. He wrapped his hands around her waist and held her in place.

  Searching her eyes, he tried to focus on what Rebecca was saying, not on the feel of her softly curved hips in his hands.

  His befuddled brain finally registered her words.

  “What? What are you thanking me for?” he asked.

  His voice was low and hoarse. As a startled expression filled Rebecca’s face, Jason realized that she had suddenly become aware of his desire.

  She licked her lips nervously and he groaned. He stared helplessly at her now moist, shining lips. They called out to him. They were made for his kisses, made for him. Just as she was made for him. He couldn’t help imagining how perfectly she would fit against him.

  M’Tali. Ti sa movra.

  The mating words beat strong and true through his mind, through his body and through his soul. He needed to say them again and again until Rebecca responded with the ceremonial words of acceptance. Once a gargoyle male found his life mate he didn’t rest until his female openly accepted him.

  “Um, I, well, thank you for listening and, uh, for being so supportive. I really appreciate that. It’s very, um, sweet.”

  Rebecca stumbled over her words, her nervousness completely apparent now.

  Jason chuckled low in his throat. It wasn’t much of a chuckle. In fact, even he acknowledged that it wasn’t a pleasant sound at all, coming out more of a growl than a laugh.

  He pulled Rebecca closer, so that she had to strain her neck back to meet his gaze.

  “Rebecca, there’s one thing I’m absol
utely not, and that’s sweet. Never forget that. Sweet is not something my friends or even my family associate with me.”

  “Oh.” That’s all she managed to say as her sky blue eyes grew wide as saucers and her sweet, luscious mouth remained in a perfect O shape.

  Jason couldn’t resist. Her startled, innocent expression called to the alpha in him. He smiled wolfishly. “Yeah, oh.”

  Those were the last words he spoke as his mouth descended to hers. Pulling her flush against his body so that she could feel exactly what she was doing to him, he lightly touched his lips to hers. The predator in him wanted to devour her mouth, force it open and delve inside to taste her sweetness but he held himself back. He didn’t want to scare her any more than he already had.

  Jason knew that what he was doing was wrong. He knew he should be keeping his distance but he just couldn’t stop. Rebecca got to him in a way no other female ever had. Touching her, kissing her and having her pressed against him felt so right.

  It felt so right.

  Rebecca’s eyes fluttered closed as Jason’s mouth softly touched hers. His lips created a desire that ran through her body like a locomotive, sending flames of need everywhere. The feel of his hard, muscular chest pressed against her. The lust that burned bright in his eyes before he pulled her close. And the thrill that had coursed through her as her own desire sprang to life. It all felt right. It all felt absolutely, without a doubt, one hundred percent like this was exactly where she was supposed to be and with whom she was supposed to be.

  Like two puzzle pieces, she and Jason fit together perfectly. And instead of frightening her, his large size reassured her, made her feel safe. She sensed that Jason would never, ever hurt her. In fact, his tall, well-built frame made her feel somehow more feminine, more womanly. And the desire she felt for him in that moment was definitely a woman’s desire. This was no schoolgirl crush. She wanted Jason in a very intense, very adult and very erotic way.

  Jason’s hands slid down her back and cupped her bottom. Rebecca lost the ability to breathe. Her legs turned to Jell-O as he squeezed and pulled her so close that the long, hard length of his erection pressed against her stomach. Her mind registered the thought that Jason’s body parts, especially one in particular, matched his tall height and large build.

  Jason teased open her lips with his tongue and coherent thought fled. As he explored her mouth their tongues touched and danced, hers retreating and his coaxing it back out again. The feel of him delving inside made her think of other places she’d like him to delve into. Her body felt swollen and sensitive, each place of contact intensely reacting to the friction as they rubbed against each other.

  Suddenly Rebecca didn’t want her clothes on any longer. They were annoying her. Getting in the way. She wanted to get closer to Jason. She wanted to feel his hot skin against hers. She wanted every part of their bodies connected until she didn’t know where she stopped and he began. She wanted to lose herself in this man who held her so tight and sipped from her lips like he tasted the most delicious delicacy ever discovered.

  She moaned low and pressed her hips forward. She wrapped her hands around the back of his neck, pulled his head closer and his lips more tightly against hers. She rubbed her breasts back and forth against his muscled chest, glorying in the responding growl Jason emitted deep in his throat. He grasped a handful of her hair with one hand and lightly pulled, trying to tilt her head back.

  Rebecca didn’t want to lose contact with his lips but the pressure, although not painful, let her know that Jason expected her to obey. Ripping her mouth from his with a gasp, she conceded, allowing him to pull her head back as she stared intently into his eyes.

  His silver pupils held an iridescent shine so bright it burned. His stare was intense and hungry. Hungry for her. He looked like he wanted to eat her alive. She couldn’t control the shiver that passed through her. But she wasn’t shivering out of fear. Rather, it was awareness. She was very much aware of what his tight face, hard body and glittering eyes were telling her.

  Her desire spun out of control.

  Her knees would have given way and she would have slid to the ground in a puddle of lust if he hadn’t been holding her in that moment because she knew, deep inside, down to her woman’s core, that the hunger she felt for Jason matched his own. She wanted to take all he had to give her. Open herself wide and receive him over and over again.

  But suddenly, unexpectedly, Jason shut down. He groaned deep in his chest like a wounded animal, pressed her even tighter against him for a moment then released his hold on her bottom. His eyes dimmed, his hold on her hair loosened and slowly, ever so slowly, he inched away from her until there was actually air between them.

  Rebeca wanted to scream in frustration. She needed Jason. Now. She wanted to yank him back against her and tell him to finish what he started.

  She did none of that.

  Instead she silently watched as he put more and more space between them. She noticed his movements were slow and jerky and that he kept clenching and unclenching his jaw. All the while his gaze, though not as bright as before, held her own with an unmistakable glittering heat.

  Unable to witness his hungry stare a moment more, her eyes ran over his body. His breathing was heavy and she could see his hard chest contract in and out as he struggled for control. She almost felt sorry for him because she knew exactly what he was feeling. Lust. It was plain and simple, undeniable and unmistakable. And she had just a bad a case of it as he.

  But then her gaze ran lower. His tight jeans hugged him in a way that told her exactly how turned on he was. The bulge in his pants was so huge it looked like it was about to burst free. She couldn’t take her eyes from it. She wanted to, she really did, but the evidence of his desire fired her up all over again.

  Dammit!

  Her unfulfilled desire and his obvious need made her angry. Her frustration was so intense the thought of yelling out loud struck her again. Why had he started this? Why had he created such a storm inside her if he wasn’t able to finish it?

  Why did I let him?

  That little voice of reason was one she really, really didn’t want to hear. Instead she wanted to blame Jason, make him the one at fault. But she knew in all fairness she couldn’t. She was a participant just as much as he was. And if she really wanted to get particular about it, she was the one who’d stood up, crossed the room and kissed him.

  Rebecca was startled to admit that no matter how innocent her actions may have been, and even that was questionable in the moment before she kissed him, she was the one who started this party, not Jason. And he was the one who showed strength and integrity by stopping and pulling back despite his obvious need.

  That admission was like someone pouring a bucket of freezing water over her. She tore her gaze from Jason’s body then stepped back and forced herself to look everywhere but at him. Attempting to calm down, she occupied her mind with taking slow, deep breaths.

  And little by little, second by second, she eventually managed to get her libido under control. When she was finally able to look at Jason again she saw that he had also calmed somewhat. Although a fire still burned in his eyes, it wasn’t the flaming inferno it had been minutes ago. She refused to look lower than his face, scared that if she saw that bulge in his pants again she wouldn’t be able to control herself.

  “Thank you, Jason,” she said softly.

  He looked surprised. “For what?”

  “For stopping something I started when I couldn’t.”

  Jason didn’t react, other than his eyes flaring for a split second before he shuttered his expression.

  It was enough.

  Rebecca knew she needed some space, and she needed it now. She didn’t know what might happen if she and Jason stayed in the same room.

  “Well, I, um, think I’m going to turn in for the night. I’m much more tired than I thought.”

  And without waiting for a response Rebecca fled the atrium as fast as her legs would take her
.

  On the one hand she felt like a coward, on the other she felt that, in this case, retreat was the best course of action.

  At least for tonight.

  She’d have to face Jason soon enough.

  Tomorrow.

  “Tomorrow,” Xander told his two gargoyle minions. “Tomorrow night. You will go to the hospital and finish off that bitch once and for all. Are we clear on that?”

  “But Xander, why can’t we just wait until she’s out of the hospital? It will be much easier to get to her that way,” one of the gargoyles whined.

  Xander slammed his staff into his face. The gargoyle grunted and slipped to one knee in pain.

  “I told you never to call me by my given name, Azkar. We’ve discussed this. You will refer to me as master. As I am the master of you and all your pitiful kind.”

  Fury and rebellion kindled in Azkar’s eyes as he wiped the blood dripping from his nose but were quickly extinguished when the wizard raised his staff again. Xander knew both creatures feared his magic, just as both knew that raising his staff could lead to both physical and metaphysical violence. The gargoyle lowered his eyes to the ground.

  “Yes, Master,” he said, cowering. “I understand.”

  Xander turned to the other gargoyle and glared at him. “Do you have a problem with that, Talon?”

  The gargoyle gave him a small bow. “No, Master. I have no problem.”

  Xander nodded his head regally.

  “Good, then let’s continue, shall we?”

  He didn’t wait for agreement.

  “You will go in tomorrow night, after midnight, and seek out Rebecca. I’ll use my enchantment spell on the guards at both the outer and inner entrances. Then I will conjure a fog spell to hide your progression before I leave. The woman has only one night attendant. I’m sure the two of you will be able to handle him. Then you’ll kill her quietly, as instructed, with this bow, remove the arrow and leave her there for the other humans to find.”