Dark Guardian by Christine Feehan

faint smile lit her large eyes for a moment "You admit it so easily. How many others like you exist out there?"
    "Not many anymore. We Carpathians are dying out. Very few of our males can find their lifemates."
    She closed her eyes. "I know I shouldn't ask. I know I shouldn't, but I can't help myself. What is a lifemate?" Her long lashes lifted, and laughter danced warily in the depths of her eyes, despite their shimmer of teardrops.
    He ruffled her hair, his fingers combing it into some semblance of control. "You are a lifemate, honey. My lifemate. It has taken nearly two thousand years to find you, and I never dared to believe in such a miracle in all that time."
    She held up a hand, palm out. "I knew better. I knew I wouldn't want to hear this. Nearly two thousand years, you say? That would make you way old. You're right—you're far too old for me."
    His strong white teeth flashed. They were perfectly straight, his mouth sensuous. Everything about him was perfect. She glared at him. "Couldn't you at least look wrinkled and dusty, with most of your teeth missing?"
    Lucian laughed, the sound so beautiful she could feel the whisper of butterfly wings in her stomach. He was incredibly charismatic. She knew she had fallen under his spell. Were her emotions real, or was he suggesting them to her? She had never had these feelings for anyone. It was frightening how strong the emotions he evoked in her were.
    "Neither have I felt such before." He said it starkly. Honestly. The purity of his voice made it impossible for him to be lying. "I have never wanted another woman this way, Jaxon. For me, there is only you."
    "You can't have me. I live in a world that doesn't include love. There's no room for you. Tyler Drake may not be a vampire, but he's very dangerous. I will not be responsible for any other deaths. I have enough blood on my hands for an entire army." She wasn't going to believe in this vampire nonsense, she decided. That was all there was to it. Otherwise, she would have to be committed. God in heaven, maybe she wanted to be committed.
    He took her hands in his, turned them this way and that to inspect them carefully. He brought her palms to the warmth of his mouth, then pressed a kiss into the exact center of each hand. "I do not see one drop of blood, honey. You have never been responsible for what Tyler Drake has chosen to do."
    "You aren't listening to me." She sounded sad, snuggling more deeply into the pillows. Once again she felt safe, when she knew that couldn't possibly be true. "I will not take chances with your life."
    Lucian laughed again. Jaxon could hear the genuine amusement in his voice.
    "You still do not understand me, young one, but you will soon enough."

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    Chapter Three
    The sounds and smells told Jaxon she was in a hospital. She opened her eyes warily. She was lying in a bed, but she could still feel her gun in her hand. A nurse was hovering nearby.
    The woman smiled at Jaxon. "You're awake. Good. The doctor is planning to release you this evening. He was worried about your going home alone, but your fiance assured him you would be well taken care of."
    Jaxon's heart sank. She was hoping she had merely dreamed about vampires and dark, sexy, "Carpathian" strangers, but she was more than certain she had had no fiance prior to being shot. She stayed very still. She had no idea what to say, how to respond. She didn't know even know how she had come to be in a hospital. The nurse was bustling around, opening the curtains, and allowing Jaxon to see that the sun was already down.
    Jaxon realized she no longer felt safe. She was in an environment where she had little or no control. If Tyler wanted to get to her, it would be easy. He could disguise himself as an orderly and waltz right into her room. And she was alone again. For a few precious moments of her life she had really shared with someone—Lucian—however bizarre that event had been. Now she was alone and once more responsible for the safety of