Bound By Darkness (Guardians of Eternity #8)(64)
Author: Alexandra Ivy

It had lasted less than a few seconds, but it had been enough to convince him that it couldn’t be the normal passage. Who the hell would ever travel to this place if it threatened to eviscerate them?

Pushing away from the gold-veined marble wall that had been keeping him upright, he glared at the female who stood in the center of the corridor.

“You did that on purpose,” he growled, as annoyed by the sight of her perfection as by the lingering weakness in his knees.

The raven hair flowed smoothly down her back, framing her exquisite, icily composed face. Her robes were unwrinkled, without a speck of dust. And her slender hand was infuriatingly steady as it stroked over the large medallion lying just over her unbeating heart.

Worse, he suspected there was a hint of amusement in the dark eyes as she regarded him with a faux air of innocence.

“Did what?”

“Yanking me through the Veil like I was a barnacle you were hoping to scrape off,” he snapped, his hand instinctively reaching to make sure his sword was safely stowed in the scabbard angled down his back.

She shrugged. “You were in no danger, I assure you.”

“No danger? I was nearly fried.”

Her dark brows lifted as his words bounced eerily among the forest of columns.

“Is anything hurt beyond your pride?”

“Do you care?”

“I will take that as a no.”

With a faint smile she crossed toward the nearest doorway, moving down the long corridor. Still seething, Santiago followed in her wake, barely noticing the occasional glimpses of vampires moving through the columns, or the doorways leading to libraries, antechambers, and a dozen other rooms, which they passed at a rapid pace.

He’d heard rumors of what was beyond the Veil.

Glorious buildings constructed by the finest artists all shrouded by constant night. An endless countryside that remained untainted by humans. Or even demons. Gardens that bloomed with flowers that had no need of the sun.

And no doubt the roads were made of gold and the rivers ran with honey, he silently mocked.

A regular Garden of Eden.

Without the serpent.

Or was it?

The same rumors he’d heard regarding the beauty of this world also hinted that while the vampires lived in peace, they had maintained ancient powers that had been lost to his brothers.

Shape-shifting, mist walking … mind control over lesser vampires.

And now one of them might be determined to unleash hell on his world.

“You are being frighteningly quiet.” Nefri at last broke the silence, halting to study him with blatant suspicion.

A humorless smile curved his lips. “Just taking in the magnificent sight of Shangri-la.”

“This is my home, not a fabled paradise.”

He grimaced. Home? It felt like a mausoleum.

“You have a real thing for marble, don’t you?”

She tilted her chin to a proud angle. “I enjoy beauty.”

Santiago stepped toward her, oddly annoyed by the sight of her standing there, so aloof and untouchable she didn’t appear quite real.

“Cold perfection?” he taunted.

“I beg your pardon?”

He was moving before his brain could remind him just how stupid it was to provoke a vampire who was not only stronger than him, but whose own territory he was standing in.

While he was very much the outsider.

“True beauty should be untamed, even flawed,” he growled, one hand grasping her upper arm as the other lightly circled her slender neck, his thumb stroking the cool satin of her skin. “It should entice and entangle the senses.”

The dark eyes widened. “What are you doing?”

Now that was a good question.

A fan-fucking-tastic question.

“You had your fun” was his lame comeback.

He felt the cool rush of her power, but she made no move to pull away from his touch.

“What fun?” she inquired.

“You made the journey through the Veil as unpleasant as possible.”

There wasn’t the smallest hint of apology on her pale, lovely face.

“I am unaccustomed to having a passenger.”

He snorted, not fooled for a minute.

“And you didn’t enjoy watching me squirm?”

“I told you …”

Deciding to be hung for a sheep as for a lamb, or whatever the hell the saying might be, Santiago tossed away the last of his common sense and leaned forward to halt her words through the simple process of kissing her.

“I know what you told me,” he whispered against her lips.

“Santiago.”

She pulled her head back, but not before Santiago tasted her fleeting response.

And was struck by lightning.

Perhaps not physical lightning that came from the sky. But it was just as potent and seared through him with far more damage than the traditional bolt.

Dios. She tasted of exotic woman and forbidden pleasure.

His brooding gaze lingered on her parted lips, a heady desire pulsing through his body as his fingers continued to caress the bare skin of her throat.

“I like my name on your lips,” he said, his voice harsh in the still air.

“Halt this at once,” she commanded.

“Halt what?” He moved closer. “Touching you?”

“Yes.”

“Why? Like you, I appreciate beauty.”

The dark eyes flared with an indefinable emotion. “Does that mean you consider me flawed?”

He chuckled, his fingers drifting to trace the line of her jaw.

“Clever women are always the most dangerous.” He dipped his head down to nuzzle the corner of her surprisingly sensuous mouth. “And the most exciting.”

“Enough of this nonsense.” With an ease that scraped against Santiago’s pride, she pushed him away, turning to resume her trek down the corridor. “I must speak with the Elders.”

With fluid speed he moved to block her path. “Do they know that we’re here?”

She halted, her expression smoothed to an unreadable mask.

A certain sign she had something to hide.

“They would have sensed my return,” she admitted. “Even now they are gathering in the Great Hall.”

Santiago went rigid as he was struck by a nasty suspicion. “You can sense them as well?”

She was silent so long he thought she might refuse to answer. Then at last she gave a dip of her head.

“Yes.”

“Are they all accounted for?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s simple,” he rasped. “Have all the Elders gathered?”