make a contest of it. First to find a Hunter – wait! I did not say to start! Rasshol.”
That particular voice faded. Sounds of shuffling took over. She heard the sounds clearly, even through the mass of debris atop her. Choking her. Stifling. Pressing her down into rock with the sheer weight.
No.
Wait.
It wasn’t rock atop her. It was Thanos. He’d covered her with his body and taken the brunt of the cave-in. She should’ve known he’d be heavy. But this was ridiculous. A cave-in couldn’t hurt them. She shouldn’t be feeling anything. Should she? Weren’t they immortal? What good was immortality if pain and suffering were still involved? Darcy shifted. His body shifted slightly. Inanimately. As if—
No .
Her eyes filled. Her heart thumped in a beat that contained pure pain. And that’s when she knew for certain. She didn’t just like him. She was in love with him. Hopelessly. Fully. Completely. And if she lost him...
Stop it, Darcy! She wasn’t finishing the thought. He was a vampire, for pity’s sake. He couldn’t die. She wouldn’t allow it! Darcy maneuvered a hand free, ran it up his arm, along his chin, and then used it to tip his face down to hers.
“Thanos?” she whispered.
No answer. Darcy ran her thumb along his lower lip.
“Thanos? Please answer me. Please? Oh my heart! I love you! I need you. You can’t leave me! Thanos... please !”
His body jerked, and a hint of breath touched her fingers. Darcy’s entire being seemed to fill with light and joy. She almost couldn’t contain it.
“Thanos?”
His lips curved. “Did I just hear you say...you love me?”
“Uh...yeah.”
“It’s true?”
“Oh yes.”
“Oh, my love!”
He was definitely aware and awake. His lips were just the first hint of it as he touched them to hers. And then he stiffened. Groaned.
“What is it?”
“You have a hard breastplate, love. And a very sharp blade. No. Don’t move.”
Her eyes widened.
“It is in my thigh. Just above the knee. And you were right. It really needs a bit more weight at the tip.”
Darcy giggled. He groaned again.
“Hey! I heard that. Macedonian! You in there somewhere?”
The rock shifted atop them, gaining some light. Air. Thanos touched another kiss to the tip of her nose.
“I have to answer him,” he told her.
“I love you,” she answered.
“Oh darling. There are no words—”
“There you are! Up! And, oh boy. You need help with that?”
Thanos was ripped out of her arms. An extremely large man held him on his feet as he gestured to where her sword was definitely sticking out of Thanos’ leg.
“Got it handled. Just get...my mate.”
She watched Thanos pull the sword out and then slap a hand onto the wound, clamping it. Even covered in dun-colored dust, he was pretty fine. Sculpted. Defined. Much more so than their rescuer.
“You must be Darcy.”
She got the same lift out of the debris. And the same jolt as he set her on her feet.
“Allow me. Name’s Darryl Bailes. Waiting for us topside is my mate, Reika. We usually handle covert hits. Not tonight, though. Nope. Akron’s got us doing search and rescue...and when we finish, we get to relocate you, too. Hey. New acronym. I like that. We’re doing SRR work. Not to worry. We have a 4D Team on our ass. And...damn. Look at you. You’re tall. What are you, six feet? I think the Macedonian has gone and snagged himself an Amazon.”
Darcy’s face fell. Thanos held out her sword by the blade.
“Here, love. Answer him with this.”
The big guy lifted his hands, palms outward. “Now hang on just a minute. I’ve got my mate waiting topside, holding a very nice chopper ready. So. As much as I’d like to stay and play pincushion with you, well. Like I said. I’ve got my mate up there. Waiting. And...where the hell are those Icelandic twins?”
He turned and loped toward the corridor. Thanos held out his hand. A downward glance showed only a faint slice of scabbing as his wound sealed. Then
That particular voice faded. Sounds of shuffling took over. She heard the sounds clearly, even through the mass of debris atop her. Choking her. Stifling. Pressing her down into rock with the sheer weight.
No.
Wait.
It wasn’t rock atop her. It was Thanos. He’d covered her with his body and taken the brunt of the cave-in. She should’ve known he’d be heavy. But this was ridiculous. A cave-in couldn’t hurt them. She shouldn’t be feeling anything. Should she? Weren’t they immortal? What good was immortality if pain and suffering were still involved? Darcy shifted. His body shifted slightly. Inanimately. As if—
No .
Her eyes filled. Her heart thumped in a beat that contained pure pain. And that’s when she knew for certain. She didn’t just like him. She was in love with him. Hopelessly. Fully. Completely. And if she lost him...
Stop it, Darcy! She wasn’t finishing the thought. He was a vampire, for pity’s sake. He couldn’t die. She wouldn’t allow it! Darcy maneuvered a hand free, ran it up his arm, along his chin, and then used it to tip his face down to hers.
“Thanos?” she whispered.
No answer. Darcy ran her thumb along his lower lip.
“Thanos? Please answer me. Please? Oh my heart! I love you! I need you. You can’t leave me! Thanos... please !”
His body jerked, and a hint of breath touched her fingers. Darcy’s entire being seemed to fill with light and joy. She almost couldn’t contain it.
“Thanos?”
His lips curved. “Did I just hear you say...you love me?”
“Uh...yeah.”
“It’s true?”
“Oh yes.”
“Oh, my love!”
He was definitely aware and awake. His lips were just the first hint of it as he touched them to hers. And then he stiffened. Groaned.
“What is it?”
“You have a hard breastplate, love. And a very sharp blade. No. Don’t move.”
Her eyes widened.
“It is in my thigh. Just above the knee. And you were right. It really needs a bit more weight at the tip.”
Darcy giggled. He groaned again.
“Hey! I heard that. Macedonian! You in there somewhere?”
The rock shifted atop them, gaining some light. Air. Thanos touched another kiss to the tip of her nose.
“I have to answer him,” he told her.
“I love you,” she answered.
“Oh darling. There are no words—”
“There you are! Up! And, oh boy. You need help with that?”
Thanos was ripped out of her arms. An extremely large man held him on his feet as he gestured to where her sword was definitely sticking out of Thanos’ leg.
“Got it handled. Just get...my mate.”
She watched Thanos pull the sword out and then slap a hand onto the wound, clamping it. Even covered in dun-colored dust, he was pretty fine. Sculpted. Defined. Much more so than their rescuer.
“You must be Darcy.”
She got the same lift out of the debris. And the same jolt as he set her on her feet.
“Allow me. Name’s Darryl Bailes. Waiting for us topside is my mate, Reika. We usually handle covert hits. Not tonight, though. Nope. Akron’s got us doing search and rescue...and when we finish, we get to relocate you, too. Hey. New acronym. I like that. We’re doing SRR work. Not to worry. We have a 4D Team on our ass. And...damn. Look at you. You’re tall. What are you, six feet? I think the Macedonian has gone and snagged himself an Amazon.”
Darcy’s face fell. Thanos held out her sword by the blade.
“Here, love. Answer him with this.”
The big guy lifted his hands, palms outward. “Now hang on just a minute. I’ve got my mate waiting topside, holding a very nice chopper ready. So. As much as I’d like to stay and play pincushion with you, well. Like I said. I’ve got my mate up there. Waiting. And...where the hell are those Icelandic twins?”
He turned and loped toward the corridor. Thanos held out his hand. A downward glance showed only a faint slice of scabbing as his wound sealed. Then
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