Once again Tariq sent the small sound waves crashing through her body, keeping his focus on her white blood cells. Instantly the same thing happened. A few of the white cells engulfed red cells, effectively eating them. At the same time, just to his right, along her ribs something wiggled for a moment and then settled back into the bones. His breath caught. The splinter had attached itself to the bone and had become part of her skeleton. Just the very tip remained. It was still pushing its way inside the bone.

He struck fast, using the burn of the white healing light to surround the small piece of ancient, cursed wood, to settle over it, needing to destroy it fast. The splinter didn’t move. He couldn’t see where her bone started and the splinter left off. Only just that little tiny piece wiggling to try to get away from the burn of white light.

He knew at once he couldn’t remove it. The splinter had become part of her and would not be destroyed. Since there was no removing it, he had to forge a cell around it strong enough that the sliver couldn’t penetrate it to do more damage to her body. Perhaps one of their greatest healers could perform a miracle and remove it. Unfortunately, none but Dragomir was close. Dragomir was… difficult. Not Carpathian. Not vampire. Somewhere in between perhaps. No one was certain whether they could trust him – including Dragomir. Siv… might, but again, he was very much like Dragomir. It seemed they lacked a talented healer in the area. All of them could get by, but right now, Tariq knew, he couldn’t wait any longer. He had to send for a master healer, even if that meant one needed to come from the Carpathian Mountains.

He was meticulous in his work, taking his time, encasing the rib in a strong binding safeguard, weaving it with healing light the splinter winced away from. It tried to burrow deeper into the rib to escape the light and then when that failed, it curled itself around the rib, lying as flat as possible, like a fish’s tail against the bone. He wove the cage stronger, thicker, layering the light through the safeguard until he was certain the splinter couldn’t penetrate from any side and escape. When he was absolutely certain, he added several more layers. He wanted her safe. Only then did he move out of her body and back into his own.

He opened his eyes and she was watching him, a small frown on her face. Her hand smoothed the lines in his face, and then cupped his jaw. “You’re so pale, honey. That took you forever.”

He hadn’t been aware of time passing, but staring into her eyes, he realized he’d been working on containing the splinter for some time. He hadn’t fed, and leaving one’s body and becoming pure spirit took a tremendous amount of energy.

“Tell me what you need, Tariq,” she whispered, her voice dropping an octave. Husky. Seductive. A blatant temptation.

His woman had great instincts. He reached up, cupped the back of her head and pulled her face down to him so his mouth could take hers in a long, wet kiss. Hard. Meaning it. She ignited like she did for him, taking them both higher, burning hot and a little out of control. He kissed her over and over, his fist bunching her hair, controlling her head to keep her tilted just the way he wanted so he could drink his fill of her.

He kissed his way down to her chin, along her sweet jaw and down her neck to that intriguing little pulse point calling to him like a beacon. She knew, the knowledge was there in her mind, and she wanted his mouth on her. His teeth. He used them ruthlessly, scraping on her tender skin, marking her as his. He loved putting his mark on her and knew it was a trait of his kind. Possessive of their women. Needing others to know she belonged to him, was part of him – the best part.

“Keep you safe,” he murmured against her throbbing pulse. “Always keep you safe.” His teeth bit down, gently. He caught her skin and tugged. “Always.” He emphasized the word, made it a command, all the while using his teeth to put an exclamation point on the end of his declaration.

Charlotte gasped, stretching her neck as if she could get away from the sharp teeth that had her trapped and held close, but she didn’t pull away, instead arching her body, pressing her breasts tight against him, as streaks of lightning seemed to zigzag through her body straight to her sex. She loved when he used his teeth. She never once in her life considered that she might, but it was the most erotic sensation when he bit down. Gentle or rough, it didn’t matter.

His low, husky growl stating he would keep her safe only fueled the fire in her. She wanted his teeth, even needed them. She held her breath. The moment went on for an eternity, that perfect blend of anticipation, need and the ultimate hunger. His lips moved on her neck, right over her pulse, so that her heart beat right into his mouth. Her sex clenched. Wept. Burned. His teeth sank deep and pleasure burst through pain, radiating throughout her body so that every nerve ending was alive and desperate for him. Burning for him. A wildfire out of control.

His hand slid up her back to her neck and then his fingers slid into her hair, fisting, pulling her head back even farther until there was a distinct ache. That only added to the heat coursing through her veins. She felt the hard thick length of him pressed tightly against her stomach. Inches from where she needed him to be. Her core pulsed. Her sex spasmed. She shifted her body minutely. Subtly. Sliding down just that couple of inches.

Tariq didn’t relax his hold on her hair, or allow her head to move at all. His mouth and teeth gripped her neck tighter. She felt that all the way to her soul. That connection. The primitive yet beautiful way they were joined together. She heard her own gasp. Her moan. She sounded… sensual. She felt sensual, something that had never happened in her entire life until Tariq. She wrapped her fist around the heavy length of him and guided him into her body, sinking down onto him.

His heavy erection pushed through the sensitive folds of her body, an almost excruciatingly tight fit. He took her breath. He sent waves of sheer pleasure building and building so that she felt tension coiling deep inside. His mouth moved again, his tongue sweeping over the marks on her neck to close the small wounds. Once, twice, his teeth scraped over the brand he’d left behind and each exquisite pass caused her body to bathe his shaft in liquid fire.

His hands slid down her sides, from her breasts, along her rib cage, her waist, to settle on the flare of her hips. “Move, sielamet. Ride me hard.”

She wanted that. She sat up slowly at his urging and then leaned back when his hands pressed to her belly.

“Put your palms on my thighs.”

His eyes were dark with passion. With lust. Soft with such emotion she was forced to catch her breath or her lungs would have burned raw. “You’re so beautiful,” she whispered, meaning it. Unable to keep her opinion inside. He was beautiful. Not just on the outside – and he was that. It was the way he felt in his mind. The way he was with the children. The way he not only wanted to protect them all, but needed to.