"never?" she forced her lashes to lift, meeting his smoldering black gaze. despite the heat pounding through her body, she wasn't so far gone as to believe complete nonsense. after all, she was hardly the sort of experienced woman he was accustomed to enjoying. "you'll forgive me if i find that hard to believe."

his expression became unexpectedly harsh. "it's the truth, anna. since i first touched you..."

"what?" she prompted as his words trailed away.

there was a tense silence before he gave an abrupt shake of his head.

"there's been no other woman."

anna gave a tiny jerk, her hands shifting to frame his beautiful face.

"what did you say?"

the dark eyes flashed with an unreadable emotion. "i haven't been intimate with a woman for two centuries. not until last night."

this potent, sexual creature remaining celibate for two centuries? not freaking likely.

"is this a joke?" she demanded.

his lips twisted. "no man, demon or otherwise, would ever joke about something like that."

"but...why?"

the long tangle of his lashes lowered to hide his eyes. "i wanted to blame the oracles, but now i'm afraid the answer is not nearly so convenient."

anna frowned. "is that supposed to make sense?"

he gave a shake of his head, his lashes lifting to reveal a simmering intent in the dark eyes.

"maybe this will."

swooping his head downward, he claimed her lips in a fierce, relentless kiss. she moaned as his tongue slipped into her mouth, his finger moving between her legs in a steady rhythm.

her body was swiftly melting beneath the hungry onslaught, but her mind was still reeling from his astonishing confession.

turning her head from his marauding lips, she tried to catch her breath, succeeding only in filling her senses with cezar's spicy, erotic scent.

"cezar?" he ignored her as he nuzzled her cheek, the curve of her ear, and down the line of her throat. anna shivered in ecstasy. "cezar, are you trying to distract me?"

he teased her nipple with the tip of his tongue, his thumb finding that tiny nub of pleasure between her legs.

"am i succeeding?"

"oh," she moaned, her legs parting as her heels dug into the mattress. holy crap, he was more than succeeding. he was a few strokes away from a complete, total victory.

he gave her nipple a last lick before trailing a line of heart-stopping kisses down her stomach, pausing to tease her belly button.

"how about this?" he husked.

she twisted her head on the pillow, no longer able to recall what had been so important. in this moment all that mattered was the molten heat that was pooling in the pit of her stomach.

his lips continued downward, nipping gently at her hip and then stroking a blazing path to her inner thigh. anna's eyes glazed over and her entire body trembled with anticipation.

"cezar."

slowly he angled his head so he could meet her gaze, his eyes glowing like polished ebony.

"don't ever doubt how much i want you, anna randal. you are a part of me."

as the soft words left his mouth his fangs struck, sliding smoothly through her skin into the vein that ran through her inner thigh.

anna gasped, her hands tangling in the sheets as she felt his first tugs. oh...god. a thundering wave of pleasure crashed through her, ravaging her senses and clenching her body with a climax that tore a scream from her lips.

it happened so fast that her head was still spinning when she felt cezar shift over her and with one stroke he was deep inside her. instinctively her hands lifted to clutch at his shoulders, her lips parting to accept his devouring kiss.

the tiny tremors were still wracking her body as he rocked his hips with a slow, steady rhythm, his smooth chest rubbing over her tender breasts. impossibly, she felt her hunger stirring again as she arched her back to meet his devastating thrusts.

then again, maybe it wasn't such a surprise.

she'd waited two centuries for another taste of passion. what woman wouldn't be a little greedy now that she had this glorious vampire back in her bed?

allowing her thoughts to drift away, anna gave in to pure sensation, the feel of him moving inside her, the scent of his skin, the lingering taste of his lips on hers. she groaned in bliss, her gaze locked on the beautiful warrior's face poised above her.

it was worth the wait.

chapter 12

it was nearly two hours later when cezar at last sprawled across the bed and tucked anna close to his side. he had never felt so warm and utterly sated in his very long life.

a sensation that could be easily explained by having just enjoyed the rich, powerful blood that flowed through anna's veins, but cezar wasn't entirely convinced.

the contentment that filled him wasn't that of a power rush. or even just a wild, intense bout of sex. this contentment went bone deep. the sort of contentment that could last for an eternity.

which was enough to send clanging alarms racing through his mind.

thankfully the blissful feel of anna cuddling next to him was enough to stifle the urge to explore the dangerous feelings. as long as she was safe in his arms, then he didn't give a damn about anything else.

a smile that held an edge of smugness curved his lips as anna allowed her fingers to trail lightly over his chest, drawing aimless circles that sent a shudder of pleasure through his body.

soon the tray of food he called for would arrive and it would be time to rise and prepare for the coming nightfall. until then he simply desired to soak in the peaceful pleasure that shimmered between them.

as the silence stretched, anna at last tilted back her head, her gaze searching his content expression.

"you said that after you were...transformed, or whatever you call it, into a vampire, that you awoke in the uniform of a conquistador, but that you have no memory of being a human?" she demanded.

cezar blinked, startled by her question. it certainly wasn't what he'd been expecting.

then he realized he should have been.

anna was not the sort to give herself lightly to a man. hell, she'd had no other lover but him.

it was only natural that she would need to know something about the creature she had put her trust in.

"i remember nothing."

"that's strange, isn't it?"

"not really." he allowed his fingers to trail through the strands of her hair. "a vampire must first drain the blood of a human, and then before the human takes his last breath, he must make his victim taste of his own blood. that's how the demon is transferred."

her brows lifted. "you mean you have to kill them."

"si," cezar admitted without apology. he was what he was. there was no changing that. "it's my belief, although viper would argue with me, that the demon can't take command of the body until the soul has departed."

"and the memories go with the soul?"

"of course. they are a part of the very essence that was once human."

it was obvious that she battled against her natural instinct to be disgusted by his calm explanation. a common reaction. there were few who could understand the compulsions that drove a vampire.

"then the demon is left with an empty body to fill?" she demanded.

"in a manner of speaking."

"did you ever..."

"ever?"

"ever transform someone?"

he smiled faintly at her reluctance to ask the question that was clearly troubling her.

"si. i've sired others. even vampires feel the urge to procreate."

she shivered, her beautiful eyes darkening. "so you have children?"

cezar felt an ancient pain tremble through him. unlike many of his brethren he had never turned a human and left them to fend for themselves. a habit that had nearly been the end of vampires.

instead he had taken them as clan members and did his best to make sure they possessed the skills necessary to take their place in the demon world.

unfortunately, his tutoring hadn't been enough to save them from the savage vampire wars that had once spread across europe. or even from their own stupidity.

"it isn't quite the same," he said softly, regret in his voice. "and no, none of those that i sired has survived. the last was staked by his lover shortly before i met you."

she lifted her head, her expression shocked. cezar hid a small smile. dios. in some ways this woman remained heartrendingly naive.

"by his lover?"

he gave a small shrug. "vampires can be as foolish in love as anyone else."

she pondered the notion a moment before a faint smile curved her lips. "and obviously you don't have a prejudice against other species."

he allowed his gaze to deliberately roam over her gloriously naked body.

"obviously not."

she gave his arm a small pinch. "i mean that styx chose a werewolf as a mate, which i assume is something like a wife."

mate. a strange quiver rushed through his body. one he was determined to ignore. nothing could match a vampire when it came to ignoring things he didn't want to acknowledge.