Shiela Stewart - [Darkness 05] Read online

  There was one way he could cure her. One way he could have her for his from now on. Though he promised her he would never turn her, he saw no other way to curing her.

  Without wasting any time, he hurried to enter the code. He took a deep breath, then pressed the red button that would shut off the liquid nitrogen that had cooled her body to preserve her DNA. He watched as her life support continued to breath for her, continued to cause her heart to beat, knowing that the instant he shut them off, he would have to revive her himself. It would take several minutes for the cryogenic freezing to shut down. While he waited, Cooper prepared the medications and tools he would need to bring her back to life. Setting the syringe filled with adrenaline to start her heart on the table beside her, Cooper watched the seconds tick away, waiting for the green light to indicate it was time to shut off the life support. When it beeped and turned green, he flicked the switch to stop the machines. Pressing the button to open the chamber, he anxiously waited for it to open. The instant it did, he was there with the syringe.

  Pressing the needle over her heart, he injected the adrenaline, then set it back on the tray and prepared for other methods of CPR.

  When her body jolted, so did his. When she gasped for the air that hadn’t been natural to her for over twenty years, he was right there, prepared to give her his.

  Her eyes flew open and she gasped several times before finally relaxing.

  “That’s it, my sweet, come back to me now.” He stroked her face, watching the machines emitting her pulse and heart rate. They were erratic, but that was to be expected.

  She coughed, she gagged, then drew in one long breath before settling.

  “There you go, that’s my girl.”

  Her eyes drooped and she blinked them several times. Her mouth worked as she tried to swallow and attempted to speak.

  “Just relax, my sweet. Take your time. I’m here. I’m here for you.”

  She turned her head to him and her eyes lit up. Then she smiled and said, “Cooper.”

  Chapter Five

  “Yes, oh yes, I am here, Gabriella. I am here.” It had been so long since he’d tasted her lips, since he’d felt the warmth of her skin. He wasted no time now, lingering for several moments as he kissed her face. He knew he was grinning like a fool when he lifted up, but he didn’t care. “I am so glad to see your eyes. I have missed your eyes.” The need to taste her lips was so great he just couldn’t resist kissing them as well. He wanted to kiss every inch of her.

  “Am—” She coughed, swallowed. “Am I…alive?”

  “You are alive, my precious dear. You are definitely alive.” He couldn’t stop himself from touching her, from stroking her delicate skin. It was as soft now as it had been on that last day they’d spent together, making love for hours.

  “How…how long…have I been…gone?”

  “Far too long. Twenty years,” he supplied, kissing her forehead.

  “Twenty…oh my.” Then she smiled as she looked up at him. “You look as handsome now as you did when I fell asleep.”

  Taking the hand she held out to him he pressed his lips to her palm. “And you are as radiant as the day I first laid eyes on you. Let’s get you out of this contraption.” He couldn’t wait to release her, but he knew she would need to take it slowly. Though her body had been fed and kept healthy in her stasis, the machines working her muscles so they didn’t atrophy, he knew she would be extremely weak.

  He didn’t mind one bit having to lift her and carry her to the bed.

  Scooping his arms under her body, he lifted her up then just held her to him as he wept.

  “Oh, sweetheart. No tears. I’m here now.” Though her arm was wobbly, she stroked her hand across his face, wiping away the tears. “This has been hard on you. I knew it would be.”

  Laying her on the bed, shaking his head, he gathering himself. “I have you now and that is all that matters. You’re shivering.”

  “I feel chilled to the bone.”

  Her body was still trying to regenerate and become accustom to life. “A hot bath will do wonders. I’ll run one. You stay here.” He left her with a long kiss on her lips.

  As quick as he could, he filled the tub with warm water, adding her favorite bath bubbles to the flow. When it was filled he shut off the water and hurried back to her. Fear clamped around his heart at seeing her eyes closed. “Gabriella? Gabriella?” He raced to her, praying she wasn’t gone. As her eyes fluttered open, he breathed in a sigh of relief. He couldn’t lose her now. “Oh, thank the stars.”

  “I’ve slept for so long. One would think I’d had enough rest, yet I can’t seem to stay awake.”

  He stroked her face with a gentle hand and smiled down at her. “Your body needs time to recuperate. You’ll feel tired for several days yet. The water is ready for you, if you still wish to bathe.”

  She nodded, her eyes drooping. But when she tried to unbutton her blouse, her hands just fell to her sides.

  “Allow me.” With shaky hands, he began to unfasten each pearl button that ran along the front of her white silk blouse.

  “I feel so useless, yet at the same time…energized. It’s been some time since you undressed me. For you that is.”

  He caught the twinkle in her eyes and smiled in return. “Indeed it has.” Like so many times before, Cooper enjoyed every minute of it. Folding her blouse perfectly, he set it at the foot of the bed then drew the zipper at the side of her skirt down. Though he knew he shouldn’t feel aroused by it, there was definitely an erotic feel to what he was doing.

  It had been so long since he’d seen his wife naked, was it any wonder he longed for her?

  “Did you miss me, my dear Cooper?” she asked teasingly.

  The grin slipped out as he slid her skirt away, folding it as perfectly as he had her shirt. “Immensely.” As he stripped her of her undergarments, the longing grew.

  Getting a hold of himself, he hooked his arms beneath her—God, her skin felt so soft—and carried her to the tub. When her hand came up to caress his face, he was actually startled by it.

  “How difficult this must be for you. Unless, of course, you’ve found someone else to satisfy you since I’ve been gone?”

  “Never! I have been true and faithful to you in your absence.”

  Her hand still on his face, she smiled softly. “As I suspected. I give you, now as I gave before, my body to you to do with as you wish.”

  “When you’re stronger.” Placing her in the water, he watched as the frothy white bubbles swallowed up her nudity.

  “Oh, this is heavenly,” she sighed, lying back in the warm water.

  “It’s not too hot, is it?”

  “No.” She opened her eyes and smiled at him. “It is perfect. You are perfect. It’s as if no time has passed for me. Twenty years?”

  He nodded. Taking the sponge at the edge of the tub, he dampened it and began to wash her arms. “I’ve visited you every day. Kept the flowers watered and fresh. Would you like me to bring some to you now?”

  “I would, yes, thank you.”

  With akiss to her head he hurried to the stasis room to gather as many flowers as he could. Then he paused as he caught sight of the bed. He remembered the flowers Basil had laid out for Trinity the night he made her his. It was the perfect touch to give the woman you loved. So, before rushing back to Gabriella, he scattered some of the tulip petals on the bed. Hurrying back to the washroom, he was delighted to see her eyes wide open when he entered the room. “For you, my lady.”

  She giggled, as she did so many times before when he would bring her flowers. “How lucky I am to have found the most perfect man. I think I would like to get out of the tub now.”

  “Of course.” Grabbing a towel, he laid it out on the floor, then pulled the plug on the tub. Her skin was warm, slick, and pink as he
lifted her out of the bubbles. He placed her on the towel, wrapping it around her before gathering her up in his arms. “I’ll have the heat up in a moment.”

  “I love you.”

  He paused, his heart skipping a beat. It had been far too long since he’d heard her utter those three words. “Oh, my sweet, I love you so dearly.” He kissed her now, not quickly, not gently, but with an urgency to feel. Then he realized what he was doing and pulled himself back.

  “Don’t stop. I want to feel you. Taste you.”

  He set her on the bed with many regrets. He knew it would take all of his strength to dry her off without touching her. “In time.” He melted when her palm rested on his cheek.

  “No, now. Touch me, Cooper. Make me feel alive.”

  His eyes met hers and it was as if no time had passed for them. Cupping her chin in his hand, he lowered his mouth to hers, drinking her in. When her arms wrapped around his neck, he took the kiss deeper.

  Her lips were like the tulip petals, silky and warm. Her mouth was hot, needy, so he gave as he took. Their tongues tangled in their dance of lips, and his hands found their way to her body. At first, he only stroked her arms, her shoulders but with each stroke, he moved them lower until he separated the towel to expose her nudity.

  “Touch me. Taste me,” she pleaded against his lips, breathlessly. “Bring me back to life.”

  Cupping her face in his palms, he kissed her mouth once, then slowly worked his lips along her chin, her neck, savoring the delicate skin under her ears.

  She moaned.

  Her skin was as pale as the moonlight and as soft as silk warmed in the sun. She tasted like heaven.

  He sought her breasts and suckled on one, then the other, drawing out the moment.

  She arched into him.

  Taking one tulip stem, he slid the bright yellow head over her face, along her neck, then over her chest. Her belly quivered as the silk petals glided over her skin.

  She spread her legs for him.

  Taking his time, Cooper slid the flower over her hips, down her thighs, knees, and to her feet. He kissed each pink toe before moving to the next. He repeated the motion, slowly sliding the flower along her leg, up her thigh, to the pink silk glistening between her legs before teasingly running the flower over the other leg.

  She welcomed him.

  He wanted nothing more than to take her in one quick motion, but he knew they both needed time. It had been too long since he’d felt the silky warmth inside a woman and he knew it would take one stroke for him to spill deep inside of her.

  Gabriella was too weak in any case to have him bury himself with haste.

  So he took his time.

  His lips caressed, his tongue sampled, his fingers sought.

  “I must have you, Cooper. Before I go insane.”

  With a sly smile, he lifted himself up. “I wish you no discomfort.”

  “Then finish me already,” she panted, smiling up at him.

  “My sweet goddess, Gabriella. We will never be finished.” He disrobed, taking as much care with his clothing as he had hers and when he was standing in front of her, completely naked, he saw the look of anticipation in her eyes.

  “You are still so damn beautiful.”

  She reached out to him, looking like a woman in love. “And you still take my breath away. Come to me, my lover, and give to me.”

  He positioned himself between her legs, but before he took what he so desperately needed, he plucked the petals from the flower, laying them on her chest and abdomen. Then, with the last one, he eased it over her lips. “No truer beauty have I ever seen than that of my true love, Gabriella.”

  Her eyes glistened.

  He spread her, then gently slipped inside.

  She cried out.

  He took her lips, soothed with gentle kisses as his body slid inside her silky treasure. Her legs spread for him as he moved in and out, as the moisture stroked over him. Her hands stroked his back, her nails scraping along sensitive skin. Her mouth was hot and hungry. With each stroke, she began to come more alive.

  She moved for him.

  Cooper felt his body ready, felt the surge that was building. As he pulled his lips free, looking deep into her eyes, he knew just what he had to do.

  “I love you with all my heart, Gabriella. Today, we will be one forever.”

  Her body pulsated with the orgasm that rippled through. As she arched her back, crying out with her release, he lowered his mouth to her neck. When his own release burst free, he penetrated her neck with his teeth.

  “Cooper…no!”

  “It’s the only way,” he said, then sunk his teeth back into her neck. He drank in her blood, sating not only his thirst for her, but his need to have her as well. He felt her struggling beneath him and knew he needed to calm her before the final release. Rising up, he cupped her face in his hand, steadying her as he looked into her eyes.

  “There is no cure, my sweet, and I could not live without you in my life any longer. This is the only way. I love you,” he proclaimed and took her neck once more. As he drank her life into his, he felt something damp slide over his fingers. Glancing up, he saw that they were her tears. It would all be better in no time and then they could be as happy as they had been so long ago.

  When he felt her heartbeat slow and her pulse weaken, he pulled away and bit into his wrist. “Drink from me, my sweet. Drink and live.”

  Her eyes drooping, she opened her mouth—she knew to protest—but he placed his bloody wrist over her mouth instead. “Drink, Gabriella. It’s the only way to save you.” She hesitated but when the blood coated the back of her throat she gagged. To ward off choking, she began to swallow. She drank and drank and drank until Cooper felt his own pulse slow. He pulled his wrist away and took her lips. She tasted of his blood mixed with the sweetness that was his Gabriella.

  He could feel her body as it began to regenerate, as it began to meld with his blood. When her mouth grew more eager, he pumped himself into her until they both screamed with their release.

  “Why?” she whimpered, her arms falling to her sides.

  Pulling free, he laid at her side, stroking her face. “It was the only way for you to have a life. Shh now, you need to sleep. Your body needs to reform.” He kissed her once more and sent her to a sleepy slumber.

  Cooper dressed, feeling more alive than he had in more years than he could count. Mostly it was from the fresh human blood which he hadn’t had in many years, but he also knew it was because he had his love back.

  Looking down at Gabriella as she slept, her body pink from their lovemaking, he felt the love wash over him.

  Finally, he had her back.

  Now all he needed was to bring her home.

  Chapter Six

  Trinity lay in Basil’s arms, feeling the afterglow of their lovemaking and the comfort of being in the arms of the man she loved. Once again.

  But her mind was not as still as her body.

  “What do we do now?”

  Basil stroked a hand along her arm, sending chills into her body. “Catch our breath.”

  She sat up, her hair falling over her shoulder. “You know what I mean.”

  He sighed. “Yes, I do, but I was also hoping for a few more minutes to bask in the afterglow.” He let out another breath before he spoke. “I’ve attempted several times to call out to my mother. I can’t even open the door to the Realm of Mystics with my mind. Rajana has it securely sealed.”

  “Maybe if I try. I should have tried before now. Damn it!” He stilled her with a kiss and it was just what she needed to calm herself.

  “You needed time.”

  “I took too much time.”

  He kissed her lips shut. “There is no going back. Only forward. We need to end this darkness once and
for all.”

  “I know.” She settled into his arms, calmed by his heartbeat. “We need to find out where Chaos is.”

  “He isn’t at his compound. I checked,” he informed her when she lifted her head. “The fang brothers and I went to the compound to find him.”

  She tilted her head. “The fang brothers?”

  “The Vega boys,” he supplied, running his hand along her hair.

  “Oh…I get it. That’s funny. Okay, so you went in with Dante and Danny—wait, how is Dante doing? How is he handling being a vampire?” She hadn’t spoken with anyone, really, since her daughter had been…snatched away.

  Basil continued to stroke her hair calmly. “He seems to be handling it fine. I’ve seen him and Danny out on quite a few occasions, patrolling. They seem close.”

  “I’m glad. I was worried he would hate Danny for doing that to him. So you went to the compound.” She lifted her head when it occurred to her. “Just the three of you? Are you insa—”

  He kissed her mouth shut again. “I used mind control to make the others believe there were more. Come back here.”

  She went willingly into his arms. “You’re sure he isn’t there?” She yawned.

  He kissed her head. “Positive. Sleep now. We’ll get to it after you’ve rested.”

  Snuggling into his arms, she muttered softly, “I want my baby back.” Before falling asleep.

  ***

  Cooper laid Gabriella on his bed, spreading her hair out onto the pillow and covering her up with the blanket before taking a step back. She would sleep for a bit more, her body would need the rest. She’d been through a lot in the past hour.

  She looked so perfect on his bed.

  Leaving her to sleep, he began to tidy up for her awakening. Though he was diligent with keeping his home clean, he hadn’t been here in days and the dust had accumulated. He wished he had thought to bring some flowers back with him.