She looked over Nicu’s shoulder right into Benedek’s eyes as the Carpathian ancient gave her a courteous bow. Benedek didn’t look or feel the least bit remorseful.
You have pretty friends, Benedek. I don’t fit with them.
His expression changed instantly from the mask of indifference to something dark and unreadable. Those icy fingers crept down herspine in warning. Benedek might be the most attractive man she’d ever seen, but he was also the most dangerous.
“Thank you for coming,” she murmured to Nicu politely as she stepped to one side and waved them through the door.
She didn’t belong with these people. If all the women looked like Tora with her sensual allure, and the men, despite battle scars, were truly gorgeous, she knew she would stick out like a sore thumb. In any fight, she had every confidence she would be an asset, but standing by Benedek’s side and being introduced to his friends and family, she would always be at a disadvantage. Just the fact that she was young, a mortal and plain in comparison would always make her noticeably different.
“Invite us in,” Nicu ordered. At her puzzled look he flashed a brief smile that didn’t light those gray eyes. “This is a formal meeting. We need the formality of an invitation into your home.”
He sounded businesslike. Matter-of-fact. But something was off. Her warning system suddenly shrieked at her. Her gaze jumped once again to Benedek’s face. He was back to wearing his mask, making it impossible to read him. But she knew she was missing something very important, and she hesitated.
Fenja came up behind her, giving her a little frown of reprimand. “Please do come in, Nicu and Benedek. We welcome you.”
Silke pressed her lips together, all the while watching Benedek closely. Had there been a change in his eyes just for the briefest of moments? Satisfaction? Or was that her imagination? Was this another reason to have Fenja present rather than Tora? She had no choice but to step completely out of the way to allow both men into her home. The moment they crossed the threshold, she felt the shift of energy, of power.
Tora, why would Nicu and Benedek insist on being invited into my home?
The moment she sent the query to her friend, both men spunaround to face her, Nicu stepping slightly in front of Benedek as if to protect him or possibly her.
“We keep this meeting strictly between the four of us in this room,” Nicu said. “It is highly unusual and could undermine Benedek with his enemies should word of it get out.”
That left her more confused than ever. He wasn’t lying—exactly. Instinctively she knew Benedek wouldn’t care who knew of their meeting. It wouldn’t make him fight his battles with less skill. In fact, if his enemies underestimated him, he would consider that all to the good. Still, she knew they didn’t want the meeting discussed outside of the four of them for a reason other than the one Nicu gave her.
“Why isn’t Tora answering me?” She didn’t try to hide the suspicion.
“All communication is being blocked,” Nicu said. “We intend to negotiate in good faith, and we’re assuming you will be doing the same.”
That was strictly the truth. She heard it in his voice. There was no point in worrying about what the pair was up to. She had to do this, whether she wanted to or not. To her it was a matter of honor. She had her own code. Somehow the universe had decided it was her duty to save this Carpathian. She had no idea why or how it had happened, but despite the strange energy she found in him, she knew he was a good man. That made her responsible for him.
Benedek pulled the chair out at the end of the table for her. “We can do this,o jelä sielamak. Have a little faith in us.”
Light of my soul, she interpreted. She found she liked that. His voice, with that growl in his throat, was sexy. His earthy, feral scent added to the dangerous attraction she had growing for him. Then there was his height. She was tall, but he made her feel as if she were delicate when she’d never felt that way in her life. His shoulders were wide and his chest thick with muscle. It was difficult not to stare at him. He had such an edge to him. Something wild and feral that could never be replicated in another man attracted her like nothing else could have.
The touch of his knuckles as they swept down the back of her neckwas featherlight but felt as if his skin sank into hers, branding her. The way he saido jelä sielamak, with that accent of his, stole her breath. She didn’t want to be so susceptible to him. That didn’t bode well for her future. She would have to guard her heart carefully if she entered into a business contract with him.
O jelä sielamak,“light of my soul.” That was clearly how he thought of her. She found that intensely romantic, and she wasn’t a romantic person.
She looked up into his eyes. A mistake. That black, black obsidian. Who had eyes like that? That color? She could fall right down into that dark abyss. Free-fall. Float through the darkness and just stay in that calm well of tranquility. He had a way of looking at her, so intense, so focused, that made her feel as if she were the only woman in the world. His world. Yet she recognized a hint of something else. He was cautious. Guarded. Shielding himself from others, including her.
He was temptation walking. The virtual definition of carnal. He wouldn’t have to look at a woman twice to persuade her to have sex with him. What was she thinking, even coming to the table to negotiate a lifetime with him? He could have any woman he wanted, his soul be damned or not. He’d never look at her twice if she wasn’t the guardian. The keeper of his soul.
“Shall we begin?” Fenja asked.
Silke couldn’t tear her gaze from Benedek’s. He didn’t look away from her, even as he took the seat opposite her. She felt like she really had leapt off that cliff into the dark abyss and was free-falling.
Without warning, Benedek reached across the small space between them and captured her hand. “Silke, you haven’t once called me by name.” The pad of his thumb slid over the back of her hand.
A million tiny sparks flashed over her skin, finding their way into her bloodstream. The rush was hot and exhilarating but scary as hell. She didn’t want those flickering flames burning through her. She couldn’t afford it, especially when they were negotiating her future.
She tried to look away from those stunning, rugged features. Upclose he was terrifying, not only because she found him so attractive but because she couldn’t fail to see the predator in him.
His thumb slid over her hand again, and when she attempted to pull away, he tightened his fingers around hers. “Say it.”
It was silly to resist. It was just his name. She swallowed the large lump forming in her throat and complied. “Benedek.”
His fingers released her, and as she pulled away from him, she felt the brush of his skin sliding sensuously over hers. Nerve endings responded, going on alert, leaping to life. She jerked her hand away, threaded her fingers together and dropped them in her lap.
