The Soul Collector

Chapter THIRTEEN

A lifelong existence of solitude wears heavy on the heart

“What, in the name of Heaven and Hell possessed you?” Lucien ground out in a furious undertone.

Eva shrugged, unable to arrive at a single plausible excuse. Tears threaten and she turned away, knowing he was correct in his fury. She had done the unthinkable and, this time, she couldn’t apologize.

Ah, damn!

She bit her lip, stilling the words, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill. Unable to think of a plausible excuse, Eva shrugged again, too tired to care to phrase any sort of response.

“You can't explain yourself?” Lucien managed through a clenched jaw, pausing as a frown pursed his brow.

….back off

“The last thing I need is you, Reese!” He snarled in a low voice. He stood in Eva's path, forcing her to halt in her own sleep befuddled steps, her features tense and drawn.

….D'Angel

“You can't ever do that again!”

“I couldn't help it,” she mumbled, the words disjointed. She rubbed her eyes with her fingers, the pain behind the burning orbs informing her of an ensuing headache.

“You can’t touch me when I'm working.” He raked trembling hands through his hair. Lucien shuddered before he flung himself away, throwing his hands up in resignation.

The paranormal investigators took their respective turns touring the Mendelssohn site. Each investigator had been paired with a partner as they explored the darkened house, and there had been a mass of digital recordings and personal experiences. Eva noticed, from her place before the various computer screens placed in the van, there had been a few mystifying sounds. The evening had been calm, until the murmur of a disembodied voice had been detected. The tones had been barely recognizable, but they were unmistakable on the high-tech equipment.

When the opportunity for Eva's turn had arrived, she had assumed she be either Deborah or Brice’s partner. Instead, a bare handed and grim-faced Lucien accompanied her. She should have known the night would turn from bad to worse the moment he approached. The sight of his bare hands, the disfigured palm concealed against his trousers, caused Reese to vanish in a huff of chill wind.

She remained at Lucien’s side as they traversed the darkened halls and rooms. Ethan had taken the place of one of the camera operators and the pair trailed a discreet distance. The youth was silent, focused, and kept the soundman close to his side.

She wasn't disappointed. Lucien was thorough and exacting in his investigation. Granted, his unspoken power gave him an advantage. The darkness seemed as thick as a blanket, holding secrets invisible to the common eye, but he could travel the halls of the old building without fumbling about in desperation.





….damn, he's pissed

“Reese.” Eva warned beneath her breath. Somehow, she sensed his normal, smart-assed repertoire wouldn't be appreciated.

“Vanish, Reese!” The command was obvious in the low growl of the words and Eva shuddered. Cold, calculating, and infuriated was a side of Lucien she’d never wanted to witness.

….can't tell me, D'Angel

“Don't tempt me.”

Lucien's words came from clenched teeth. He swirled about, his dark coat spinning wide. The threat he delivered was clear, for he hadn’t sheathed his hands into the familiar leather of his fingerless gloves. The slight glow emanating from his palm was sufficient warning of his power.

….Evie wouldn't allow

“Reese.” she pleaded, noting the obvious battle of wills as the sepia image stepped before her. She understood her brother would do his damnedest to prevent any harm from befalling her. She shut her eyes, blocking her brother's concerned features. “He's won't hurt me.”

….You think not, Evie?

“No.”

….you forget the Destroyer

"Lucien’s not him,” she whispered. She opened her eyes and lifted her chin, a shroud-like coldness covering her, and knew Reese attempted to envelop her.

….he wouldn't dare.

“He won't, Reese.” She sighed. “I think there's a million other things he would like to do with me, but murder isn’t anywhere on the immediate list.”

Lucien's jaw clenched and he stared into Eva's trusting features. He lifted a pale hand and paused on the lenses. He pulled the offending weight from his face, almost crushing the frames, and peered at her with glowing black eyes.

“I won't harm her.” He heaved the promise, still refusing to stare into her brother's shadowy image. There was the obvious sound of crunching vertebrae when he rolled his shoulders, attempting to relieve his tenseness. “Although I would enjoy breaking her lovely little neck at this moment, I vow I won’t harm a single hair on her body.”

….Evie

She strove to calm her frayed nerves. It wouldn't do for Reese to see her so unsettled by Lucien's warranted fury. She had just about blown the assignment, and risked revealing Lucien's secret to the public.

“Go, Reese.”

….Evangeline

“Please.”

His image faltered and wavered, echoing with uncertainty. A blast of a sudden and sighing breath filled the hall before warmth flooded her. Eva stared into Lucien's lightening eyes as the remnants of her brother's familiar scent lingered.

“I suppose sorry wouldn't be enough?” She questioned.

“You risked everything!” He ground out as the color of his eyes returned to the hue of molten steel. Exasperation creased his features and there were dark shadows beneath his eyes.

“It wasn't intentional.”

“Damn it all!” He exhaled a breath he didn't require. “You can't comprehend the impact you could have had on the crew!”

“That's where you're wrong, Lucien.” Eva retorted, beginning to grow irritated. “I've berated myself all the way back to the hotel! Besides, you can't fault me for doing what’s natural.”

“Natural?” He flung his sunglasses to the floor, his frustration obvious. He stalked away, reaching the door of his hotel room first. Lucien pulled the key from the depths of his coat and attempted to insert it into the lock. His hand trembled, and he was unable to complete the action.

Eva came to his side, and waited until he placed the card in her upturned hand. There wasn't a word uttered as she slid the key into the slot and swung the door wide. He stormed past her, flinging himself on the bed.

“Yes, natural.” Eva hissed. She followed him into the hotel room, kicking it shut. Thankfully, the portal closed without the expected bang, and she planted her balled fists on her hips. Lucien didn't appear surprised at her intrusion and, instead, stared up at the ceiling. “I can't help that I had the living crap scared out of me!”

“You knew what to expect!” He countered. He pulled himself upright, unbuttoning the cuffs of his shirt. He chose not to focus on her, preferring to stare at the wall behind her.

“What one sees on television and experiences in life is as different as night and day!” Eva threw her hands up and stalked toward him, drawing his attention. “Why is it so hard for you to understand a simple human fallacy?”

“Stop it.” He shook his head, his pale fingers tugging the silky material of his shirt from the waist of his trousers.

“Until I met you, I didn’t believe in the paranormal. I went about in my own little haze, living life as the living do. Since we’ve met, I’ve had more unbelievable shit thrown at me than I could imagine!” She stilled the urge to throw her hands up. “There was a shadow, Lucien. I saw the image of a woman walking toward us, in period dress. There was something in that house!”

He heaved a heavy sigh, his anger draining away. “It was the spirit of the eldest. She has, apparently, remained behind to keep a watchful eye on the residence.”

“Your hand, Lucien….”

His hands dropped to his lap and formed into tight fists. Perhaps her reaction was his own making, he pondered. As a rule, he managed an exploration before the other crewmembers would set off in their pre-assigned pairings. Without a camera lenses or a boom mike focused on him, Lucien gathered whatever souls lingered at NADGEL investigation sites.

Pensive, he considered her words. He had scarcely been over the threshold at the Mendelssohn House when he removed his gloves. Instantly, an eerie and frightening glow had radiated from his stricken hand. Away from the other investigators and the ever-capable camera lenses, everyone remained unaware of the change.

Evangeline was aware of his glowing palm, as well as the angels and demons within seeking lost souls. The incandescence increased as the specter glided toward them, unhappy. Apparently, the last of the Mendelssohn family understood the paranormal investigators had invaded the residence for the night.

“Your hand was glowing.”

“I'm aware of the fact.” His admission was rough, his jaw tightening as he flexed his hand. “You, alone, know the scar illuminates when there's a spirit present. Whether good or evil, my mark serves one purpose.”

“You were going to gather her, weren't you?”

He inclined his head sharply. “You interrupted.”

Eva neared him. It was a colossal effort for Lucien not to jerk away, after the devastating faux pas. She wasn’t able to rationalize what frightened her most, the glow from his hand, or the shadowy spirit of a woman long dead.

At the Mendelssohn House, Eva had reached for Lucien as the spirit neared. Unconsciously executed she grasped the hand leading into another realm, and the results were intense. A sudden heat scorched a trail across her shoulders and into the depths of her stomach. She shook, unable to wrench away.

The contact sent Lucien careening into the wall. The house shook with the violent impact, pictures vibrating in their frames, and brass knobs rattling in the closed doors. Pulled after him, she collided into the rock hardness of his chest. Almost collapsing, only his hand kept her upright. His breath had escaped him in a loud and choking gasp, and he stared into her fearful features.

At the same moment the incident occurred, Ethan was more preoccupied with a malfunctioning digital camera. For some undetermined reason, the battery had died on the expensive bit of equipment. He had been attempting to find another, speaking to the man carrying the boom mike. Distracted, they hadn’t witnessed the contact.

Eva forced an inane giggle at her own clumsiness as the technician turned. Forcing repeated apologies, she thanked Lucien for steadying her, claiming she had fallen headlong into the wall.

“You jeopardized my existence.” He managed in a low tone and wrapped his arms about his torso. His gloveless hands were a stark and amazing shade of white against his silk shirt.

“I'm sorry, Lucien. I'm so sorry I touched you.” She approached him, her heart aching, and she longed to erase the pain from his shivering body.

“I regret….”

Her nearness disconcerted him. Barely able to manage the words, his attention became riveted. To his more normalized vision, he observed the glow seeping from her lashes. A sprinkling of stardust drifted across her rounded features and settled on her sleeveless blouse.

“What do you regret, Lucien?”

He blinked and attempted to shake the image of glowing stars from his eyes, the bed depressing with her weight. She was careful not to touch him, a hand's width separating the curve of her luscious thigh from his rigidly muscled leg.

“I….” He couldn’t speak as she peered into his shadowed face. She blinked and a scattering of light rose from her flesh and dispersed, as weightless and downy as feathers.

“Do you regret knowing me?”

Lucien remained silent. Her breath escaped her with a soft sigh and the air filled with shimmering stardust. On his own accord, without his normal reticence, he leaned forward. His eyes closed with undefined rapture and he ran the tip of his tongue over his lips, capturing the distinct flavor of peppermints.

Oddly enough, Lucien didn't experience the explosive sensations that usually assailed him.

Instead, there was deep warmth and sweeping calm, accompanied by the slight sound of his heart. The slow thud of the organ was barely perceptible at first, increasing in tempo when he brushed his mouth against her startled lips. He was unable to stop from stealing a forbidden kiss, savoring the resonance of his rapid pulse and the warm blood flooding his veins. A low and contented sigh slipped from him and he leaned in closer for yet another taste. His lips became lightly insistent as he parted the tender flesh of her mouth, coaxingly running the tip of his tongue over the moistness.

Lucien longed to gather the rays of starlight radiating from her. He wanted to become part of the world she mutely promised with her every action, and lose himself in her.

“Lucien?” Eva questioned, confused when he pulled back. His expression was bemused, and flushed with a tenuous bit of color.

“Yes, Evangeline?”

“No body jarring impact?” She questioned. “No gasping lack of air?”

“Don't question the moment,” he whispered huskily. “Whatever reprieve I've been granted, I’ll gladly accept.”

Eva trembled against him, the depth of his meaning echoing in her ears. His tongue traced her lower lip, teasing the sensitive flesh into tingling life. She inhaled a shuddering breath, savoring the undeniably earthy scent radiating from his clean flesh. Beneath her fingertips, his body thrummed. Her hands clutched his shoulders, the silk of his shirt smooth beneath her touch. The thudding of his palpitating heart and the rush of breath flowing from him was apparent, as was the bright stain of color flushing his cheeks.

Eva closed her eyes as his features filled her vision. His gaze was dark with need as he grazed her lower lip with the tip of his tongue, and a low-pitched moan escaped her. Her lashes fluttered, and her grip tightened as she endeavored to remain steady, the world crumbling into a gaping nothingness around her.

She floundered to suck in a desperate wisp of strangled air. His firm lips slid across her sensitive skin and brushed her jaw, leaving behind a scintillating trail of raging fire. Except for the gentle pressure of his mouth against her sensitive flesh, Lucien didn’t place a hand on her. Eva pressed closer, her restless and trembling body seeking his lean length.

“Evangeline, I haven't any regrets, where you're concerned.”

The muffled heat of the words whispered against her neck. He inhaled her scent as profoundly as possible. Before him, an unseen cloud of light showered off her flesh, dusting his shirtfront and bathing him in luminescence.

He breathed in, again, dragging the bright star light deep into his lungs. She had become a forbidden drug to him and he drew each glistening fragment of her essence into his body, the most delicious tingling assailing him. He hungered for more of her taste and the air surrounding her, more of the warmth radiating from her ripe figure.

Lucien pulsated with an all-encompassing need that seared his loins, and he slid a trembling hand to her curvaceous hips. Her reaction was immediate and she leaned forward, lifting her mouth to reach the insistent touch of his lips. The ever-tightening pressure of his fingertips anchored her to his side while he unerringly sought the luxury of her delicious mouth. A moan developed deep in his chest as he savored the simple action and the excited chill rising over her.

She pulled away from the onslaught, her breathing a ragged and shuddering echo. The soft groan of his name fell from her and her trembling fingertips brushed his neck. His thoughts scattered to the wind, vanishing into nothingness, save for a desperately mortal need gnawing at him.

He arched in sheer agony, his fingers digging into her waist before moving across her back and tangling into her hair. The solid warmth of her generous breasts came into hard contact with his chest, whisking him further into an ever-spiraling chasm of desire.

He groaned her name as another unbidden tremor shot through him. Soft words fell from his lips, in a language he hadn’t used in centuries, regaling her with the sensations exploding from his heart. She mewed as his heated breath brushed her neck, the flurry of words indecipherable, but fluidly erotic. He fell silent while he sought the delicate flesh of her ear, his teeth nipping at the tender skin.

“I feel so wicked,” she gasped, straining against him. Her breathless words were an understatement, for she wanted to do things to his body that defied thought and reason.

“Angels aren't wicked.” His words sounded distant, even to his ears. He moved a hand from the curve of her spine and tenderly caressed the softness of her pliant body beneath the thin material of her shirt.

Ah, but she was so deliciously wicked, a distant part of Lucien's dazed mind whispered. She was undeniably sinful, arousing, and temptation indefinable. Only she enticed him beyond practical reason, drawing his soul and his thoughts deep into the enticing warmth of her sensuous body.

Eva's head fell limply back, her neck exposed to his fervent lips. She groaned deep in her throat, shuddering against him. Her delicate fingers plucked at the fine material of his silk shirt, pleading for him to relinquish the offending bit of cloth.

Lucien's mouth hungrily sought hers, craving the satiny pleasures hidden beyond the delicate petals of flesh. The kiss was poignant and filled with an aching pain and need. He was drowning in her taste, savoring the caress of her sensitive flesh, and his aroused body throbbed.

“I don’t repulse you?” He managed with a shuddering breath. Eva slowly opened her eyes, the pupils dilated, and her expression dazed.

“Repulse me?” She repeated in a stupor, his words barely registering to her desire clouded thoughts. Lucien felt the weight of the world returning, his expression intensely troubled. Dawning comprehension filled her as she pressed her cheek into his scarred palm, placing her lips to the mutilated flesh. The slight flush of longing flooded her face and his carefully constructed willpower quickly crumbled beneath her touch. “You’ll never repulse me, Lucien.”

“My glorious angel, abounding with fire and light, save me.” He managed to say. Stinging warmth filled his eyes, and he bit his lower lip. The bitter taste of copper became apparent, the forgotten flavor of blood redolent on his tongue.

“The last thing I want to be is your angel.” The delicate pressure of her fingertips scanned the front of his shirt, releasing each button and revealing flushed skin. As the material fell away, she released a slow whistle of appreciation. Her hungry eyes examined the lean and tightly honed muscles rippling beneath the heat of his skin. A groan escaped as she ran tentative fingers over the well-defined planes of his quivering stomach, causing him to quiver in response.

“Mon ange promis,” he gasped and captured her fingers, drawing the soft flesh to his mouth. Ecstatically, Eva closed her eyes while he laved each finger, jolts of fire shooting through the nether regions of her body. She was faintly aware of his hand reaching for her blouse, his repetition of her action executed with shaking fingers.

Slowly, she opened her eyes when he halted in the seductive onslaught performed with his mouth. She stared at him, as he slipped the delicate material aside.

For once, she was pleased with her breasts, watching the flame of desire grow in his shadowed eyes. She whetted her dry lips as he traced the deep valley of her cleavage, dipping slightly before tracing the swollen nipple beneath the gossamer scrap of lace. She shuddered, lost in the want filling her, and surged eagerly into his hand. He cupped the rounded mound, the flesh tightening against his unsteady touch.

“Lucien, please.” She pleaded breathlessly as he caught her eyes with his own, his expression unreadable as her fingertips moved nervously across his leg. Lucien read the unspoken entreaty, and deliberately reclined on the bed.

He held his breath as her quivering fingers unerringly managed the fastenings of his trousers. He arched, focusing on the ceiling of the room. His eyes closed in wonder as the turgid length of his maleness sprung free, proud, full, and craving the silken promise of her body. Lucien swallowed as her hand encircled the pulsating length of velvet. She slid her hand up and over the engorged flesh, eliciting a tortured groan.

“Stop!” He growled with sudden viciousness, stilling the caressing actions. She examined his flushed features as he opened his dilated eyes, her hand tightening on the quivering flesh of his silken staff. His breath shuddered past trembling lips and his lean hips quaked with each pulse throbbing through him.

His groan agonized as she released her hold and Lucien grasped her hand. He brought her fingers to his mouth, pressing a series of feather light kisses on the tip of each one and sending a shuddering tremor of longing through her. Their gazes remained locked as the warmth of his tongue slipped to her palm, circling seductively and performing a liquid trail of suggestive fire against the tender skin. Eva moaned deep in her throat, her heart clamoring loudly in her ears as his strong teeth nipped at the tingling pad.

“I need you.” She managed hotly while he pulled her unresisting figure over his throbbing body. Without uttering a word, he used one hand to release the swollen flesh of her aching breasts from the bit of material holding them bound into place. Swiftly, far quicker than her mind perceived, Lucien unerringly slid the last vestige of clothing from her.

“Then, have me.” Lucien commanded and rolled her to her back. The contact of her flesh beneath him sent rippling waves of want pounding viciously through him. Eva's lids lowered, her dark lashes fluttering as she reached for him, unsteadily pressing her lips to his unresisting mouth.

He hungrily tasted her proffered warmness, adeptly assuming control of the kiss. The tip of his tongue began a languid duel against hers, coaxing and teasing, mimicking the former pressure of her hand as she caressed his maleness. Eva shuddered again, hearing soft moans of acquiescence escape her, as she became a melting mass.

“I don't know….I can't let….” He didn't seem capable of enunciation. Yet again, her name escaped him in a plea, echoing from whatever would have been labeled his soul.

“Allow it, Lucien. For once in your existence,” she paused, searching for the correct words. Smiling seductively, she uttered instructions in the beguiling voice of a mystical enchantress. “Allow yourself to fall, Lucien. For once in four hundred years, let go of the weight of the world and fall.”

“Fall,” he mouthed unsteadily, the unmistakable thudding of his heart apparent beneath her fingertips. He twitched in response to her touch and a surge of powerful want rocked him.

“Allow yourself to fall.”

His lips were inches from her tantalizing mouth, his eyes drifting shut. She was unaware her silken flesh drove him mad, each breath he exhaled catching painfully.

“If I fall,” he appeared awed by the thought, the experience one long forgotten. Lucien's eyes closed, and then opened, attempting to focus on her beloved features. “Where will you be, Evangeline?"

“Here,” she vowed, her heart obvious in the sultry depths of her warm eyes. “I’ll be here.”

“Promise me, Evangeline.” He expressed in his rasping tones, his words hot on her skin. His hand moved to gather her lush form close. The turgid length of his manliness throbbed and pulsated against her, his need obvious with every beat of his heart.

“Forever, Lucien.” She assured throatily.

The words were an inaudible caress, and dashed the last semblance of his rigorously controlled thoughts aside. Inflamed to an unspeakable level that only she was capable to sending him, his hand slipped about her waist and ground her suggestively against him.

“My precious angel,” he whispered, trembling with the need he couldn't deny. She set his senses ablaze, every nuance of her tormenting the hungry depths of his starved being. He held her pinned in a possessive embrace, driving all reasonable sense of sanity and convention from her, his hands molding tightly on the tender flesh of her hips. He sighed her name before the firmness of his mouth slanted across hers, stunning her into immobility with the magic in his tender assault, leaving her breathless.

As a slow and yielding groan slipped from her, he released her lips from his mind-debilitating onslaught. She had been the one in control, relishing the power she held over him as she ruthlessly stroked his heated body. The tables turned as he touched her with a gentleness that defied her torrid thoughts.

Lucien's body trembled against her. Tiny flickers of flames consumed him, before shooting through him. Low and throaty growls slipped from his parted lips, while centuries of harnessed restraint rose and crested. Evangeline was his angel, his fire, the woman he had sought for an eternity. He was unable to prevent himself from falling under her silken spell, and he couldn't halt his inflamed response.

His scarred hand journeyed to the aroused swell of her breasts. Her ripe body arched with the contact, pleading for more. The unsteadiness of his fingers was scintillating, and she shuddered.

Evangeline gasped at the pure pleasure burning through her. He surged shamelessly against her, tormented, and aroused. His skin was hot with the soft incandescence of unleashed longing, and his eyes darkened. He shuddered, his body tightening, and the blood roaring in his ears. Issuing a pained groan, he clutched her to him, his finger digging into her tender flesh.

Eva moaned his name at the precise moment the surging length of his manhood filled her eagerly awaiting dampness. He gasped in wonder and his lids drifted shut as the pleasure of her throbbing sheath hungrily enveloped him, threatening to drain every vital fluid.

Her hips rose, unconsciously pulling him further into her aching flesh. Lucien shook with the onslaught, his straining muscle heated with a fire long denied. Eva's luscious form arched again, drawing him deeper, enveloping him in her dewy warmth. A strangled semblance of a laugh escaped him before he pressed unerringly forward. He felt he were seeking her essence and arched upright, grinding the heat of her body against him.

“Please, Lucien.” She pleaded and he eased anew into her throbbing dampness. He clasped her hip in one hand, and drew her more firmly to him. He focused on her sweat-dampened features, and his actions became even more deliberate. This moment had to last for it was the one memory he would hold close to the shattered pieces of his ancient heart.

Eva strained against him, drawing him deeper, rising to meet his steady thrusts. He braced his weight on a single arm, and stared into the glowing essence of her beloved features. Unfulfilled hunger filled her dilated eyes, and the soft exhalations escaping her tight chest he hungrily echoed.

Eva stared up at him with heavy eyes, engrossed with the glorious lines of his beautiful face and sensing the uncertainty that lingered. She lifted her hands to cradle his face, her trembling fingers tracing his jaw before trailing through his hair. Wordless, she pulled him closer, seeking his lips.

Her body palpitated with need, longing for the completion she could only achieve in his embrace. Lucien jerked his head away, preferring to peer into her eyes. She trembled, her hands quivering, her nails digging into his skin.

He continued, each movement a persuasively languorous and teasing dance of enticement. Eva surged against him, following each lethargic glide of his heated flesh. Their gazes locked before he sought the warmth of her lips, teasing her before drawing back.

She clutched at him, her fingers digging deep into his flesh. Her eyes flew wide as she tensed, surging upwards and drawing him deeper into her throbbing flesh. The ripples of satisfaction were intense and penetrating, shooting across her quivering flesh, and tearing the last figment of her breath from her.

A strange flash of color burst from behind her closed lids.

“Look at me, Evangeline.” He commanded hoarsely.

She barely heard him, the blood shouting in her ears and her limbs heavy, but she did as he asked. Eva stared at him with drowsy eyes, realizing he radiated with unexplainable light.

His eyes swept her flushed and sated features. As his climax crested, the glow so often associated with her, intensified. The shimmering rays of incandescent starlight surrounding her fractured, blinding him as she gasped his name.

Lucien clutched her to him, captured in the ethereal light that was such a part of her. Bathed in glorious warmth, bits of starlight seeped and flowed into the depths of his pulsating flesh.

At the precise moment, when he succumbed to the aching need and plunged into her welcoming flesh, a single thought filled his mind.

She succeeded in gathering what he still possessed…his soul.