The Immortals After Dark 11: Dreams of a Dark Warrior

He'd grudgingly accepted his sweater back-it was far too big for her to climb in-but he'd rol ed up his sleeves, displaying his brawny arms. The flat scars over his skin looked almost like tribal tattoos.

And damn, if he didn't look bigger every hour. Maybe the drugs he'd taken had kept the berserker in him in check?

Natalya gave a little wave at Thad. The kid sat under a rock overhang, trying to talk to Lothaire, but the vampire didn't look lucid. "So now that you've sampled Chase," she said in a low tone, "are you going to keep him?"

"I can't forget about the curse," Regin said firmly. Because she was tempted to do just that. To take that wicked Irishman behind a rock and have her way with him.

"How does he compare to the original Aidan?"

"They're similar in a lot of ways." And those similarities kept tugging on her heartstrings, making her soften toward him. But there were definite differences.

Whereas Chase seemed comfortable with the idea of her fighting, Aidan probably would never have all owed her to go into battle.

Aidan had put her on a pedestal, awed that he was with a Valkyrie.

Chase wanted her to be his ... friend.

Seeing him with Brandr like this-both of them so tal , nodding in agreement over whatever they were discussing-brought back so many memories. Just as before, she could tell there would be a bond between the two men.

But Chase won't have enough time to see it grow.

Chapter FORTY-NINE

"So I guess one of my biological folks was a vamp?" Thad asked Regin and Natalya on their fifth day of trekking.

As Chase and Brandr walked behind them in easy conversation, Regin and Natalya hosted day two of their vampire crash course. They'd started it yesterday, mainly to counteract all the things "Mr. Lothaire"

had been tell ing Thad:

"You can teach yourself to half-teleport, becoming as good as invisible to spy on people... Valkyrie blood tastes ambrosial. ... Stealing money from humans is rewarding both financial y and spiritually. ...Females crave being bitten-they lie if they deny it. ..."

Regin peered around for the vampire, her hand unconsciously falling on the schwag sword she wore at her hip. Lothaire was MIA yet again. He often went off by himself.

Natalya told Thad, "Most likely your dad was. Vampire females are as good as extinct."

Thad was aghast. "No females?"

Natalya patted his shoulder. "You can date other species, Tiger. Don't you worry. I've already thought of some ladies to relieve you of your big V. One's a nymph-"

"Over my dead body," Regin said. "Two-bit hookers, every one of them."

Thad scratched his head. "Mr. Lothaire said every male needed a purring nymph or two chained to the foot of his bed. As pets."

Natalya gasped. "Al right, lad, no more talking to Lothaire."

Though Regin was strong enough to confront that vampire over his crimes against the Valkyrie, unfortunately, Lothaire had come in handy.

If their crew of six passed groups of evil demons, he always appeared in time to defuse the situation.

The demons fawned over him like he was Elvis or something, saving them a fight-and saving them time.

They were already cutting it close to get to the boat. For the last five days, they'd pushed hard through the mountains, but the never-ending storms and wind made for slow going. And on the second day out, they'd spotted throngs of Wendigos teeming in the forests below, so their crew had clung as high as possible to the rocky peaks, taking extra time.

All the while, Regin had continued to sense another Valkyrie, yet couldn't pinpoint it enough to go searching. She'd asked Chase about it, but he'd sworn no other Valkyrie had been in the facility.

"Nat, are my fangs looking any bigger?" Thad murmured, his tone dire. "Be honest."

As Natalya oohed and aahed over his "manly" fangs, Regin only half-listened, glancing over her shoulder at Chase. Earlier, he'd tried to draw her into conversation, but she'd been too out of sorts. Now she was lost in her own thoughts, about to introspect like a son of a bitch.

She feared she might be a jot more than infatuated with this reincarnation. Like on her way toward fal ing-off-a-skyscraper-onto-your-face in love with him.

Which she could never all ow.

But gods, that man appealed to her in so many ways. Regin liked that he was complicated, and that he was trying. She admired that he'd overcome so much and was striving to be a better man.

Other males might feel sorry for themselves or rail against fate. Not Chase. He just picked himself up again and again.

For each of the last four nights, the two of them had gone off by themselves. He'd never tried to kiss her mouth or make love to her-as if he knew she'd pul the plug on their arrangement. After they'd slaked the worst of their need, they talked into the morning, with her curled against his chest. He'd pet her hair while she traced his scars, wishing she could take away the pain that had rendered them.

Last night, he'd finally told her of the days and nights he'd been a captive of the Neoptera. Though his tone had been brusque-as if he were relating a military report-he'd physical y reacted to the memory.

Sweat had dotted his upper lip and brow, his eyes lit with misery.

Afterward, when he'd eventual y passed into a fitful sleep, she'd lain awake, dazed, wondering how he could possibly have endured that pain.

And to what end? Why would he survive so much just to have his life ended now?

Though he slept little, when he did he continued to dream about his past lives. One night, he'd experienced the battle when Gabriel had captured Regin's ship. Another night, he'd relived the Spaniard's wicked bed play with her. She'd woken to Chase's fingers plunging deep inside her as he stroked himself in time.

His intense gaze had swept from his busy fingers to her mouth. When he'd wet his own lips, she'd quickly said, "No kissing."

"I can wait you out, Valkyrie," he'd rasped. "Now that my prize is in sight. ..."

Each dream sent her panic escalating. Soon he would remember all , and then Aidan would rise to the fore, taking over.

Declan Chase, the man, would be no more, his life just a memory, his body soon to perish.

The cycle continued, the curse grinding on.

"I need your help," Declan muttered to Brandr as Regin climbed ahead with Thad and Natalya.

Brandr raised his brows. "You know that's what I'm here for."

Declan did know that. The man was proving to be a staunch all y. still Declan had difficulty asking others for assistance. "How do I talk Regin past that curse?"

Brandr said, "You don't, if you want to stay alive."