> tom handed jaxon a glass of water and watched as she drank. he had always thought her beautiful, but now there was something more. she had a mysterious, ethereal quality to her. and her voice was so beautiful, he could listen to it forever. her eyes were classic bedroom eyes. he had heard the description before, but he'd never really known what it meant until he looked into her eyes. she moved with a flowing grace, innocently sexy. he had a difficult time keeping his gaze from devouring her.

jaxon flashed a smile, completely unaware of the havoc she was creating. tom was watching her so closely, she was embarrassed. she ran her hands through her hair. "i look awful, i know. a complete mess."

she looked so vulnerable, he had the urge to gather her up and protect her for all time. without meaning to do it, he settled his hands on her shoulders, intending to massage the tension from her. before he could do so, a cold wind swept through the room, an icy draft of ominous warning. when jaxon and tom looked up, lucian was looming over them.

at once jaxon could barely breathe. there was something wild and untamed in him, something dark and dangerous in the depths of his black eyes. not rage. icy death. when he looked at tom, jaxon was suddenly afraid for the man and not really certain why. "lucian?" she said his name softly, a whisper of inquiry.

lucian didn't turn his head toward her, but he stepped close so that his body was firmly between hers and the police officer. he smiled, almost pleasantly, but it looked like the smile of a hunting wolf. "i do not believe we have met. i am lucian daratrazanoff, jaxon's fianc§?" he extended his hand, his black eyes fathomless, dark pools capable of mesmerizing. his voice was as soft and gentle as ever. "you must be tom. jaxon has spoken of you often. i appreciate your looking out for her." he stepped forward and whispered softly. tom nodded several times, smiling in return.

jaxon's heart was beating so hard, it terrified her. she couldn't fault lucian's courtesy, yet his show of power, right out in the open, had rendered everyone in the squad room utterly silent. they were policeman, detectives, hardened cops used to dangerous situations, yet something about lucian stopped them dead in their tracks. that frightened her. had she escaped drake, only to attach herself to someone worse? lucian certainly had enough power to be worse. what was it in her that brought out the worst in men?

nothing, angel. you are the perfect woman for me. i am a carpathian male and cannot be anything other than what i am.

she was reaching up to try to comb her hair into some semblance of order, a nervous habit she couldn't help. she felt at a great disadvantage, looking so disheveled. lucian caught her hand and carried it to the warmth of his mouth, his gaze suddenly centering solely and completely on her.

do not, little love. you are beautiful just the way you are.

at once the ice in his black gaze heated to a black-velvet hunger, to a blatant love he didn't bother to hide from her. his touch was extraordinarily gentle as he drew her under the protection of his shoulder.

"thank all of you for helping to look after officer montgomery and for trying to end this nightmare that refuses to leave her life. you are all very loyal to her, and i appreciate that, as i know she does. if there is ever anything we can do to repay such loyalty, please do not hesitate to tell us. barry radcliff will be moved to an undisclosed location as soon as they are finished with him in the emergency room. he is going to be fine. he put up quite a fight before we got there. whoever attacked him must have heard us coming and run. he was gone before we had a chance to catch him."

he bent his head to brush a kiss on the top of jaxon's head. "i am going to take jaxon home. it is nearly dawn, and she is exhausted. she can return this evening to finish her report. the doctors have said it is imperative she rest, so i can do no other than to see that she obeys. i am sure your captain will understand."

there were a few derisive snorts over that. "don't count on it," one of the detectives said. "he's never what you call understanding."

lucian smiled appropriately, but his eyes had gone flat and cold when his gaze turned away from jaxon and rested on the speaker. "he will have to be."

harold dawkins stared defiantly at lucian. "jaxon, i need to talk to you in private for just a minute. you understand, mr. daratrazanoff - police business."

lucian shrugged casually, a small smile curving the edge of his mouth. instead of softening the touch of cruelty there, however, the smile only served to make him look more imperious, more dangerous than ever. a warrior of old, untamed and savage.

jaxon reluctantly left the shelter of lucian's body to follow dawkins across the room. "what is it, harold? i'm exhausted, and if the captain doesn't understand that, too bad." harold dawkins had worked with her for several years. he was nearing retirement and always looked upon jaxon as a daughter.

"who is this guy? what do you know about him? he isn't even from this country. i think he's dangerous, jaxx. it's in the way he moves, the way he holds himself. you don't see through all that european charm. he could take you off to some foreign land and hide you away where no one could ever help you. there's been too many cases of that kind of thing."

"seriously, harold, i don't think that's going to happen." jaxon tried not to laugh as she patted the older man's arm affectionately. lucian did rather look the type to secret her away in a harem. "i'm not some sweet victim who can't defend herself. as it is, lucian thinks i'm a bit of a lunatic. he says i own an arsenal."

"i wish you'd listen to me, jaxx. don't rush into anything. take some time before you commit yourself. this guy is..."

"my fianc§? harold. he only looks scary. he's really a teddy bear," she lied. lucian reminded her more of a huge wolf, lean and mean and highly intelligent. except with her. he was always unfailingly gentle with her. she wanted to defend lucian. he had saved barry. he had protected the human race for centuries. but she couldn't say that, couldn't explain to harry that lucian had dedicated his life to the safety of others.

she turned back to lucian, who immediately walked across the room to her side. he enveloped her small hand in his, bringing her palm to his chest to hold it over his heart as they walked out of the station house together.