Tourmaline Truth by Khloe Wren Page A

desperate to get Darcy back that I wasn't thinking about anything else. And I knew so little about Vampires—I had no idea about Nobles before a shop owner saw them after me and explained a little about them that morning."
    A gasp escaped her as she was lifted from her chair. With her gaze turned down, she hadn't seen Barret approach her. He moved to the lounge area and sat on an overstuffed deep-red suede couch. She happily curled up in his lap as he began to stroke her hair.
    "I too am sorry, love. I should have explained things to you before I claimed you. I knew you didn't have much knowledge of Vampires, but my need for you grew too great to resist. And I stupidly thought you wouldn't work out which door was the outside one. Well, at least not before you made enough noise to wake me up."
    "It did take me a while to find the damn door. Your place was wonderful, by the way. I loved every room, how you'd decorated it. Wonder what happened to it."
    "Madison has hopefully stayed in the house. She was only in her twenties when we were taken so she'd be in her forties or fifties now I guess. Hopefully she met someone, has a family filling the upstairs rooms. I know she'd never enter my lair. No one but me has the codes. We should go there soon, see if she is there. If she's sold the house, it will be harder I guess. I'll need to go to the bank too, see if my accounts are still open. Madison had access to withdraw money but couldn't close or rename the accounts. I suppose this will be a test of how trustworthy she really is."
    Sharon nervously traced circles on Barret's bare chest. "Um, I've been thinking…"
    Oh hell, she had no idea how to talk about this with Barret. How on earth did you discuss children you'd birthed to your captor with your lover?
    "You can tell me anything, love. What's on your mind?"
    "My sons. I have five. I want to find them. The twins are only three-years-old. If we can find them, we could save them from becoming Nobles. The next eldest is twelve, we might be able to still save him. I think the eldest two at twenty-four and sixteen might be too entrenched in the Noble way of life. But considering how Karl took the news of what happened to the Brides...maybe if they hear the truth, they can be saved too?"
    She held her breath as she waited for him to respond. He'd gone very still as she'd spoken.
    "Of course, we will attempt to save them all."
    His voice was hoarse, like he was forcing the words out.
    "You don't sound too happy about it. Will you be okay raising children you didn't father?"
    With a finger beneath her jaw, he tilted her face up so her gaze locked with his.
    "As I told you twenty-seven years ago, I will accept any child you birthed as my own. I'm struggling with the reminder of how those sons were conceived. It's still raw and fresh in my mind and heart, love. Give me time to process it all. But I promise you, no matter how deep my hatred for Nobles and Toki in particular, I will never take it out on your sons. It was not their fault."
    She reached up and pulled his face down to hers.
    "I love you, Barret."
    Before he could respond, she pressed their lips together. Naturally, he quickly took over the kiss, holding her face in his strong hands as he devoured her mouth. She banished all thoughts other than her need for this one male. Craving more of him, she moved to straddle his thighs. With no panties on, her aroused flesh rested against the rather large bulge in his pants.
    She ran her fingers into his hair then scraped her nails lightly over his scalp. A moan rumbled from deep in his throat so she did it again. His hands moved from her face down to the hem of the over-sized shirt she'd thrown on when a Vampire had arrived delivering their breakfast. Pulling away from her lips, he quickly removed it, leaving her bare before him. His fingers roamed her body, cupping and caressing her breasts, following the indent of her waist down over her hips. She rose up a little so he could move his