Redeemed in Darkness Read online

  “No, I’m fine.”

  She looked unconvinced, but let it slide. “I should get back to the children. It’s almost time for Shiri to start getting ready for bed, and Bavi likes to join us while I read to her. The books are too young for him, but I think it brings back memories of a better time.”

  “You’re giving him more good memories, Lusahn. Don’t forget that.”

  She raised herself up to plant a soft kiss on his mouth, one that was full of promise. “I have a few special plans for tucking you into bed tonight, too, Cullen Finley.”

  He squeezed her close again. “I can’t wait. In fact, I think I’ll head on downstairs and stay out of your way. Wouldn’t want to slow you down.”

  “See you soon.”

  She sashayed off, leaving him with his tongue hanging out. Damn, that woman sure knew how to move.

  Cullen checked his watch for the tenth time in thirty minutes. What was keeping Lusahn? There hadn’t been a single sound from upstairs in almost an hour.

  Had she decided against joining him? That didn’t make sense. Her last words to him had been full of sultry promise, and she wasn’t the kind of woman to play games. If she had issues, she would have been right up in his face about them.

  Was there a problem with one of the kids? That would explain her absence, but not the silence. If she needed help, or even if she didn’t, she would let him know that plans had changed.

  It was time to investigate.

  He kicked his shoes off, knowing he could move more silently in his stocking feet. He picked up his sword and started up the stairs. The hinges on the door creaked softly, but there was no reaction. He listened for several seconds, trying to discern any movement in the house.

  The silence was damned worrisome.

  He eased through the doorway and checked out the kitchen. The dishes had been dried and put away; nothing looked out of place, and the front door was locked. The living room was next. All quiet there, too.

  Bavi was right where he should be, curled up and sound asleep in his bed. That left Lusahn and Shiri. He pushed the door to Lusahn’s room open. It was empty, her bed undisturbed. His steps quickened right along with his pulse. Intellectually he knew it was unlikely that anything was wrong, but with adrenaline pumping through his veins, his need to protect was running full bore.

  As soon as he peeked into Shiri’s small room, he slumped with relief. The little girl was sitting up in bed, flipping the pages of a well-worn book, whispering the story to herself. Lusahn was curled up on the edge of the bed, sound asleep.

  He set his sword down in the hallway, not wanting to scare the little girl. When he crept into her room, she looked up from her book and put her hands over her ears and shook her head, her way of telling him not to make any noise.

  Cullen smiled at her and mimed picking up Lusahn and carrying her to her own bed. Shiri nodded her approval and obligingly moved away from Lusahn, giving him room to work. He worked his arms around her shoulders and under her knees and swept her up off the bed. She sighed and snuggled into his chest.

  With some careful maneuvering, he managed to carry her out of the room without bumping her head on the door frame or waking her up. When he reached her room, he realized he should have turned back her covers first. Luckily, Shiri had followed him and took care of that herself. He couldn’t strip off Lusahn’s clothes with the little girl watching, so he just removed her boots and pulled the covers up over her.

  Then Shiri took his hand and led him back into her room. She handed him the book and climbed back in bed, clearly wanting him to read to her.

  “I don’t speak your language.” He held up his hands, hoping she’d understand what he was trying to tell her.

  Shiri smiled, patted the bed beside her, inviting him to sit down anyway. Then she took the book back and pretended to read it to him. From watching her, he realized that she wasn’t paying any attention to the words, but that didn’t slow her down. He nodded in what seemed liked appropriate places until they reached the last page and she closed the book.

  He took his cue from her and stood to awkwardly tuck the blankets in around her. Evidently he did a passable job, because she closed her eyes and settled in to sleep.

  That left him the sole person awake, with the long hours of the night stretching out before him. He was too keyed up to sleep, at least in that lonely bed downstairs. His body was almost painfully aware of the woman curled up in the room right across the hall.

  Lusahn would probably rip into him in the morning, but there was no way he was going to miss the chance to hold her in his arms. He blew out the light in Shiri’s room and picked up his sword out in the hall before making his way to the far side of Lusahn’s bed.

  He stripped down to his skin and slid in beside her. Moving slowly so as not to wake her up, he eased across the bed to cuddle against her long, elegant back. With his arm across her waist and his face snuggled next to the back of her neck, he gradually relaxed. With the warmth of her body and the sweet scent of her skin surrounding him, he slept.

  There was a hand on her breast. She wasn’t fully awake, but enough that she knew she wasn’t imagining things. And her legs were tangled up with someone else’s. The room was too dark to see, but without a doubt it was Cullen Finley who was crowding her almost off the edge of the bed.

  She’d planned on spending the night with him, just not in her own bed. That lumpy mattress in the basement wasn’t as comfortable as hers, but it did offer more privacy. When had their plans changed?

  The last thing she remembered was sitting on Shiri’s bed as she and Bavi took turns reading. Then he’d gone off to his own bed. She didn’t remember anything after that—especially why she had on all of her clothes, while she strongly suspected her companion was naked.

  When she reached behind her to test her theory, Cullen immediately rose up to answer her unspoken questions. “You fell asleep on Shiri’s bed. She came with me to help tuck you in, so I left your clothes on. I didn’t want to freak her out.”

  Sweet man. She stretched and turned to face him. “So what’s stopping you now?”

  His teeth gleamed whitely in the darkness. “I had to take my own clothes off, lady. I’m waiting for you to do the same so I can watch.”

  She couldn’t help but laugh at his outrageous demand. “You won’t be able to see much in the dark.”

  “I’ve got great night vision and a well-developed imagination.” He sat up, leaning against the wall, his hands behind his head. “Go on. I’m waiting.”

  All right, two could play at this game. She left the bed to light a small candle, casting everything in a soft glow, enough to push the shadows back to the corners of the room. Then she stood at the end of the bed, out of Cullen’s reach but where he could see her.

  She started by undoing her braids, shaking her head to send her hair cascading down past her shoulders. Then turned her back to him as she bent over and eased her trousers slowly down her legs. He moaned, and she smiled.

  She tossed the pants aside and then started on her tunic. One by one, the buttons slipped free, until she could slide the garment off her shoulders and down to the floor. Finally, all that remained was the thin undershirt she wore, and her panties. Before she could remove those, Cullen held out his hand.

  “Come here and let me help you with those.”

  She crawled up the bed, straddling his lap. Judging by the strength of his erection, he had been more than pleased with her little show. He immediately filled his hands with her breasts, gently kneading them, abrading her nipples with the soft fabric of her shirt.

  “Kiss me.”

  His command was a deep growl, his mouth hot, wet, and demanding as their tongues dueled. She rocked against him, riding the ridge of his penis through the sheets and her panties, driving them both crazy.

  “I need your skin against mine,” he murmured.

  She held up her arms, letting him peel her undershirt over her head. He rewarded her by suckling her brea
sts as she threaded her fingers through his hair and pressed him closer. His whiskers felt softer than before, and she loved the feel of them against her.

  His hands followed the curve of her waist down to slip inside the waist of her panties. One hand cupped her bottom while the other eased down the front. She moaned and threw her head back, rocking against the sweet pressure of his fingers. When he delved inside her slick folds to test her readiness, she wanted to howl with pleasure as she strained to break through the pressure building inside her.

  “Come for me, Lusahn. I want to feel you come.” He increased the rhythm and pressure at the exact right moment to send her over that last hurdle, throwing her into a vortex of sensation.

  She collapsed against his broad chest for a few seconds, but only long enough to catch her breath. It was his turn. Or more correctly, hers. Smiling, she inched back down his legs, taking the sheet with her.

  “Oooh, look what I found.” She wrapped her fingers around the hard length of him and gently squeezed.

  Cullen’s hips flexed, his reaction pleasing her. She tried it again, this time a little firmer, a little quicker.

  “Lusahn, you’re killing me.” He fisted the sheets as he thrust himself up in her hands again.

  “Not yet, but I’m working on it.”

  She stretched out beside him so that her tongue could join the party. She gave a few quick flicks and then one tantalizingly slow lick from top to bottom. He grew harder, bigger, making her want the whole length of him inside her.

  “Again!” he demanded. “More!”

  Taking him in her mouth, she pleasured them both by pushing him to the limit.

  Finally, he pulled her up and kissed her before turning her onto her back and settling between her legs. He slowly worked his way down her body, stopping to kiss the curve on the underside of her breasts. Then he pressed his lips against the damp heat at the juncture of her legs. Even through her panties, the heat of his breath went right to the core of her.

  “Take me, Cullen,” she panted.

  “I’ve got a few things I want to try first.”

  He eased off her panties so he could run his tongue right up the center of her. She almost jackknifed off the bed at the warm sensation. He laughed, the vibration sending another thrill through her.

  Finally, when she feared for her sanity, he rose up over her and slowly thrust inside her. His thick length stretched her almost to the point of pain, but her body quickly adjusted to the sweet invasion.

  “Am I hurting you?” He rocked against her gently, pushing in just that much farther.

  She smiled up at him and ran her hands up his arms to hold on to the strength of his shoulders. “Not at all. Give me everything you have,” she whispered, squeezing him gently with her inner muscles.

  That did it. He began moving inside her, picking up speed and power until his hips were pounding up and down, the slap of his flesh against hers adding to the storm building between them.

  In a surprise move, he rolled over, hardly breaking rhythm as he pushed up inside her, his hands playing over her body. She rested her hands on his chest and met each thrust with her own. How could they survive this? It was too much and not enough, yet she wanted more.

  “Cullen!”

  “I know, honey, I know.” His dark eyes smiled as he rolled them back over one last time, and he put even more strength into his passion, this time weaving his fingers through hers, giving her an anchor to hold on to as the world around them burst into streams of color and light.

  Then he gathered her up in his arms and let their bodies melt into each other as sleep claimed them both.

  Chapter 8

  C ullen leaned against the wall to pull on his pants, not bothering with underwear since he was going right back to bed when he got downstairs.

  Lusahn stretched and sat up, blinking sleepily. “Where are you going?”

  “My bed.” He felt around on the floor for his shirt and socks.

  “What’s the matter? Do I snore?” She stretched out on his side of the bed and watched him pull his shirt on over his head.

  “Yep, that’s it. You may be beautiful, and you’re the best lover I’ve ever had, but I can’t take the noise.” He chuckled as he picked up his shoes.

  “Beast!” She tossed a pillow at his head. “Seriously, though, where are you going?”

  Was that insecurity he heard in her voice? She’d been sleeping so soundly that he hadn’t wanted to wake her up to tell her why he was leaving. Maybe he should have.

  He sat down on the edge of the bed and captured her hand with his. “I didn’t think you’d want Bavi or Shiri to find me in here, so I was going back downstairs before they woke up.”

  “That was thoughtful of you.”

  “I try.” He kissed her fingertips, one at a time.

  “Keep that up, and you’re going to have to take all those clothes right off again.” She made no move to tug her hand free from his grasp as he stood up.

  “Don’t tempt me—unless you mean it.” He paused at the side of the bed, torn between wanting to avoid upsetting the children and the overwhelming urge to shed his clothes and climb back in.

  When she didn’t insist he join her, he reluctantly released her hand, knowing it was for the best. “Get some rest. Tomorrow will be another long day.”

  “Do you know something I don’t?” She yawned and stretched, testing his willpower even more.

  “No, but tomorrow night is hours away. Keeping my hands to myself all day long is going to put a strain on my—”

  “Your what?” she demanded as she deliberately let the blanket drop down. Even in the low light, he got an eyeful that had him groaning.

  “It’s just plain mean to tease a man like that, Lusahn,” he groused. “And you’ll pay for it later.”

  She laughed as she snuggled back down into the bed. “I hope so, Cullen Finley. I truly do.”

  By the time he got downstairs, he was too awake to go back to sleep. The sky seemed to be getting lighter, signaling the start of a new day. Rather than waste his time tossing and turning, he decided to work out.

  He started with the stretching routine he’d learned watching both Barak and Lusahn. Once he was warmed up, he went through drills using his own sword before giving in to the temptation to try out Barak’s blades again.

  Would Lusahn care? He didn’t think so, since she’d invited him to try them out when they’d sparred together. The weapon felt good in his hand, but working with a single edge was a challenge. Gradually, though, his movements became smoother, more second nature, until he was lost in the sheer pleasure of the dance.

  By the time he stopped to take a breather, he’d gained an audience. Bavi sat on the steps, watching him with an enigmatic look on his face. He wished he knew more about talking to a kid, but his experience was limited to young Paladins who already knew the score.

  “Good morning, Bavi. I hope I didn’t wake you up.” Considering where he’d spent the night, he really, really hoped he hadn’t.

  Bavi shook his head. “No, I wanted a drink.” He mimed the action to make sure Cullen understood. “I heard you from the door. Came to see.”

  “A glass of juice sounds good about now.” He wiped the sweat off his forehead and started to put the blades away.

  “I bring.”

  Bavi was off and running before Cullen could respond. He came back in just seconds, carrying a tall glass of cold juice. When he reached the bottom of the steps he didn’t hesitate to approach Cullen, a far cry from the anger he’d exhibited at first.

  Cullen drained half the glass without stopping. It tasted good and went a long way toward restoring his energy. He sat down on the bed, and to his surprise, Bavi joined him.

  “Do you wake up this early often?”

  Bavi shook his head. “No. I was dreaming.”

  Cullen wasn’t sure he wanted to know what kind of dream had jarred the boy out of a deep sleep, but he had to ask. “What about?”

 
Bavi’s eyes dropped to stare at the blanket on the bed where his fingers were tugging at a loose thread. “My parents. It was a good dream about how we were. You know, before.”

  Damn, he’d been afraid of that. “You must miss them.”

  “I know they must be dead.” Despite his words, there was a note in his voice that warned Cullen that the boy was hoping he’d contradict him.

  Better to be truthful than to lead the boy on, no matter how much it hurt both of them. “They must be, Bavi, or else they’d be here with you. I know if you were my son, nothing short of death would keep me away.”

  Bavi’s head shot up, his eyes wide. Clearly Cullen’s bald statement of the facts had surprised him. “They needed the light.”

  Cullen nodded grimly. “That’s what Lusahn told me. Sounds like it was something they couldn’t help.”

  “I will follow them someday. So will Shiri.” The boy went back to fingering the blanket, his shoulders slumped in grim resignation.

  What could Cullen say to that, especially if it were true? Lusahn hadn’t mentioned that the craving for light was genetic, but it sounded as if Bavi believed that it was. God, how could these people live, knowing that madness followed by death at the hands of the Paladins was all that awaited them?

  Without knowing the facts, there wasn’t much he could say by way of comfort for Bavi. Someone had to have answers, or else should damn well be looking for them.

  “You in the mood to work with the blades? I could use a sparring partner.”

  He was pretty sure Lusahn wouldn’t be happy about it, but he had to do something to put some life back in Bavi’s eyes. The boy glanced up the stairs, obviously thinking along the same lines.

  “Let me worry about Lusahn, son. If she gets mad at anyone, it will be me.” Rather than give Bavi too much time to think about it, he gave him his orders. “Stretch out your muscles, and we’ll get started.”

  With the energy of the young, Bavi whipped through Lusahn’s system of stretches in record time. The promise of weapons practice was clearly enough to motivate the male of the species.