7
" He followed another voice. “This isn’t real, man. Maybe we’re having some kind of mass hallucination.” “Well, you stay and check it out then,” someone called back. “I’m getting the hell out of here.” The wolf loped closer, scenting the human. The man was slowing down, certain none of this could be reality. The wolf leapt, covering a considerable distance in a single spring and catching the human by the seat of his pants. He got a mouthful of denim, and the man gave a high-pitched scream. Without looking back, he bolted to join his friends, his boots loud on the street as he escaped. Aidan laughed out loud this time, the sound echoing eerily, carried on the thick bed of fog. He couldn’t remember the last time he had had so much fun. "
― Christine Feehan , Dark Gold (Dark, #3)
9
" I can’t believe he sent me flowers.”
A rude noise escaped from somewhere deep in Aidan’s throat. “I just saved your life. What are roses compared to that?” He was glaring at the long-stemmed flowers, his golden gaze intent and menacing. Alexandria glanced up at him, saw the dark, determined set of his mouth, and burst out laughing. She spun around and went up on her toes to cover his eyes with her palm. “Don’t you dare. If my roses wither, I’ll know exactly who’s responsible. I mean it, Aidan. You leave my flowers alone. You can probably destroy the entire bouquet with one ferocious glance.”
Her body was soft against his, her laughter warm against his throat. His arm circled her small waist, locking her to him. “I was only going to make them droop a little. Nothing too dramatic. "
― Christine Feehan , Dark Gold (Dark, #3)
10
" I’m used to doing things my way, and Aidan is set in his medieval ways.”
“What’s medieval?” Joshua wanted to know.
“Ask Aidan. He’s good with answers,” she replied resentfully.
“Medieval refers to the days of knight and ladies, Joshua. Alexandria thinks I would have made a great knight. They were men who served their homeland with honor and always recued and took care of their fair maidens.” Aidan drained the contents of a third glass of ruby liquid. “A fitting description, and quite a compliment. Thank you, Alexandria.”
Stefan coughed behind his hand, and Marie hastily turned to look out the window.
Alexandria found a reluctant smile curving her soft mouth. “That’s not all I could call you, but for now, we’ll leave it at medieval. "
― Christine Feehan , Dark Gold (Dark, #3)
11
" But even as he reached out to cup he face he heard an angry buzzing, and a huge black bee dive-bombed him from out of nowhere. With an oath, Thomas jumped back, swatting ineffectually at the persistent insect. As his left foot came down he turned his ankle and nearly fell.
Alexandria’s hand covered her mouth in horror. Aidan, stop it right now!
I cannot imagine what you are accusing me of, Aidan returned innocently from the living room. But I have not done anything. He smiled and moved slowly toward her. Yet.
“Marie!” In a panic, Alexandria called out as loudly as she could.
Aidan laughed as the housekeeper hurried in. Little coward, run while you can.
Though they were half a room apart and Marie was squarely between them, Alexandria felt the brush of his fingers on her skin, her face, her throat. They trailed lower, feather-light, to touch the aching swell of her breast before the sensation was gone.
“What is it, Alexandria?” Marie asked, her hands on her hips, glaring at Aidan.
He held up a placating hand, laughing. “I am innocent. I was a perfect gentleman to her visitor.”
“He spilled Thomas’s coffee, made him sneeze, smeared whipped cream over him, and chased him with a bee,” Alexandria accused.
While Marie struggled to keep a straight face, Alexandria delivered a final outrage. “And he was going to wither my flowers.”
“Aidan!” Marie reprimanded sharply, but there was laughter in her eyes. "
― Christine Feehan , Dark Gold (Dark, #3)
12
" The first ripple of unease hit him. He lifted his head for a moment, and his prey’s blood spurted out. He bent once more to his task, this time all efficiency and quickness. It was Alexandria. He could feel the first wave of pain hitting her.
He flew to her, to be close when she called out for him. And he hoped, for both their sakes, that that would be soon. She needed him, but he had promised to compel her no further than the blood exchange. She had to call for him.
Outside the underground chamber he paced, Alexandria’s pitiful cries sending shards of pain through his own heart. A dozen times he reached for the door, wanting even needing to kick it in. But she had to call for him. She had to express faith in him or she would never believe he was helping, not harming, her.
He rested his forehead against the door, then was shocked to see a crimson stain from the contact. He was sweating blood, in agony hearing her pleas and feeling the pain twisting and burning within her body. The physical agony he could manage, but his heart and his mind were in torment.
“Where are you? You promised to help me. Where are you?”
He had waited so long for the invitation, he thought he was hallucinating when it actually came. He hit the door with the flat of his hand and burst inside. She could see her own agony reflected in his eyes. There was a scarlet smear on his forehead. "
― Christine Feehan , Dark Gold (Dark, #3)
13
" She lifted the tails of his elegant silk evening shirt. “Some that don’t reach my knees?”
He cleared his throat. He liked her wrapped in his shirt, surrounded by him. “Well, actually, as Joshua knows, that is one of your annoying habits. You like to run around in my shirts. You think they are much more comfortable than your own clothes.”
Alexandria regarded him with wide blue eyes. “Oh, I do, do I? I take it you grumble about it.”
“Often, to Josh. We laugh together about the idiosyncrasies of women. He thinks you look cute in my shirts.”
“And what would give a little boy an idea like that?”
He looked unrepentant. “I might have mentioned it a time or two.”
His golden eyes slid over her body, making her aware of her bare skin beneath his shirt, of every curve of her body, of the fact that they were completely alone in some secret chamber of his home.
“It is true, after all. You do look cute in my shirt. "
― Christine Feehan , Dark Gold (Dark, #3)
16
" I think the living room is the perfect place to put the flowers,” Alexandria agreed. “When Thomas comes over, he’ll be able to see them.”
Aidan found himself gritting his teeth. Alexandria was already flitting from the kitchen. He caught Marie by the shoulder before she could follow, leaned down, and put his mouth to her ear. “Couldn’t you have thrown the damn things out?” The words came out somewhere between a hiss and a growl. “And just for the record, you traitor, Ivan is not her man. I am.”
Marie looked shocked. “Not yet, you’re not. I believe you still have to court her. And of course I would never throw roses out, Aidan. When a man goes to the trouble of giving a woman flowers, she should at least have the pleasure of seeing them.”
“I thought you didn’t like this bum.”
“He can’t be all bad. You should have seen his concern for her. I tell you, Aidan, he’s really taken with her.” Marie was deliberately, innocently, enthusiastic. “I don’t think you’ll have to worry about her when she’s with him.” She attempted to sound reassuring.
Behind them, Stefan was choking again. Aidan swore eloquently in three languages and followed Alexandria out of the room, shaking his head over the workings of the female mind.
Stefan put an arm around Marie. “Wicked, wicked woman.”
She laughed softly. “This is fun, Stefan. And it’s good for him.”
“Be careful, woman. He is not like other men. He might kill to keep her. His nature is that of a wild predator,” Stefan warned gravely. “We’ve never seen him like this. "
― Christine Feehan , Dark Gold (Dark, #3)
19
" He entered the house quickly, pushed past the detectives, and clasped both of Alexandria’s hands in his.
Something deep within Aidan coiled dangerously at the sight of her hands in Thomas Ivan’s. His breath stopped. His heart ceased to beat. The demon within stirred and roared for release, fangs exploded into his mouth, and the red haze of the beasts flamed in his eyes. As Thomas leaned in close, intending to kiss her cheek, Aidan fought for control so that he could casually wave a hand, directing a flurry of dust spores to whirl and dance beneath Ivan’s nose. As Ivan inhaled, he began to sneeze violently, the spasms wracking his entire body. "
― Christine Feehan , Dark Gold (Dark, #3)
