Post by darkmaid on Sept 27, 2007 13:18:40 GMT -5
These are the three deleited scenes.
Skyler and Dimitri
Skyler glanced across the room and met burning ice-blue eyes. Her
heart fluttered in response. She wanted to look away, but she could
only stand, mesmerized, feeling the heat of his gaze, and seeing the
stark hunger in the depths of his eyes. Her breath caught in her
throat and her hand went to the pendant lying hidden beneath her
blouse. She drew it out, fingers wrapping around the little blue-
eyed wolf, holding it in the palm of her hand. At once it grew warm,
and to her astonishment, she felt lips press into the exact center of
her palm.
She couldn't open her hand or look away. She could only stare
helplessly as the man rose gracefully from the bar stool and made his
way across the room to her. He moved without hurry, muscles
rippling, fluid and graceful, every line of his body exuding power.
His long black hair was brushed back from his face, accentuating the
carved features, the strong, masculine jaw. Her gaze flicked to his
mouth and then jumped back to his glacier-cold eyes. Everywhere his
strangely colored eyes touched her, her skin grew hot.
Dimitri held out his hand to her. "One dance, little one. Nothing
more. It will have to last me a long time."
She could see the bleak loneliness in his eyes, but his face was an
expressionless mask. She hesitated, wanting to give him this one
gift. It was Christmas, after all, and he wasn't asking that much of
her. "I have a difficult time touching people," she admitted. "I
can feel their emotions and know their thoughts. It's uncomfortable. "
"I healed your hands earlier, Skyler, and you had no problems. I can
block you without too much effort and it will be well worth the
trouble."
He kept his hand out, palm up, simply waiting for her. His
compelling gaze never left hers. She stepped closer to the heat of
his body. All around them, people crowded close, but she was
oblivious to anyone but him. Clutching the pendant as if it was a
charm able to break spells—a sacred talisman—her thumb caressed the
wolf's head, sliding over the shaggy head to caress the blue eyes.
The sapphires were exquisite, flawless and tiny, a rare find made by
an actual gem-caller centuries earlier, as was the pendent itself.
She felt its power—its protection—from all but this man.
Her fingers touched his. Warmth slid up her arm, curled in the pit
of her stomach and spread through her body until she grew shamefully
hot. Before she could snatch her hand back, his fingers closed over
hers and with a tenderness that stole her breath, he pulled her
against him, so close her body brushed up against his. He felt hot.
Hard. Safe. Dangerous. Everything rolled into one.
Skyler swallowed hard and moved with him, her heart pounding so loud
it thundered in her ears.
"Relax," he breathed the word in her ear, his breath teasing her
senses, his lips skimming her earlobe. "I'm not seducing you, little
one, only dancing with you."
But he could seduce her. She recognized it the moment she was in his
arms. Her body no longer belonged to her. His arms felt a safe
refuge, yet her body reacted with urgent need. It was impossible to
control her response to him. For all her protests, for all her
fears, she realized this man was in control of more than just his own
fate—he controlled hers. If he did more than treat her gently—as he
was doing—she could be lost, swallowed by the magnetic pull of
lifemates, the need to be with him no matter what else she felt—no
matter the personal cost. She didn't need to love him, but she had
to be with him.
Tears welled up. His fingers slid into her hair, pressed her head to
him, so that her reaction was shielded by his chest, so that the
tears fell on his shirt rather than trickling down her face.
I have not bound us together. His voice, velvet soft, whispered in
her mind. You are safe—even from me, Skyler.
She shook her head. How could she be safe? How could she live with
herself knowing he suffered because of her inadequacies? Dimitri
lived in a world of violence and he was truly a dangerous man, yet
with her, he was so gentle and kind. But it wasn't real. Beneath
the veneer of civilization, she caught glimpses of that very
frightening man, so confident in a world where survival really was of
the fittest. In a world of kill or be killed he was comfortable—and
she could never be.
Forget the future and the past. Live with me now—in this moment.
The temptation seeped into her mind—her heart. Dimitri shifted her
in his arms, holding her with great care, his body leading hers with
graceful rhythm. She took a breath and let go, allowed herself to
sink into him, into his heat and his care.
Barack and Syndil
Barack stared out over the blackened ruins of the battlefield. The
vampires had reduced a once beautiful land to smoke and ash. The
trees wept poisonous tears that dripped and ran down twisted trunks.
Brittle branches had sheared off leaving jagged stumps along the
cracked and bleeding trunks. Below, on the ground stripped of all
green, lay broken branches like fallen warriors.
A lone woman walked barefoot in the middle of the massacre, her arms
widespread, her head thrown back, looking up at the heavy, snow laced
clouds. Her mass of long hair blew around her like a silken cape,
caressing her shapely hips with every step she took. She wore a
simple skirt that fluttered and a brief peasant top, yet she looked a
queen as she moved through the barren land. Behind her, like a
bright carpet of hope standing out starkly against the devastation,
in each print of her foot, green grass and tiny sprouts pushed
through the blackened soil.
The wind carried the sound of her voice, soft and melodious, as her
chant coaxed the ground to give up new life. She began to sway with
the rhythm of her song, her feet following a centuries-old pattern
known only to the women of her lineage. Her hands wove an intricate
graceful design in the air and with every sweep the wind rustled
through the wilted leaves and breathed life back into them.
Barack held his breath as he watched Syndil perform the dance of
healing over the scarred land, his heart keeping time to the music,
his pulse thundering in his ears. She was beautiful. Ethereal. She
was a legend come to life, moving with such grace and beauty through
the utter devastation of the land that the contrast brought to light
the struggle of life and death and good and evil.
Syndil seemed oblivious to the ring of watchers, but Barack was
acutely aware of them, of the awe on their faces, the respect and
shock. There was such power in her feminine magic. The males of his
species were warriors, dark and dangerous, calling down the storms,
using the lightning, yet their women had such influence in
harmonizing the universe. They were gathered as well, standing
shoulder to shoulder with the men. The wind ruffled their hair and,
as one they stepped forward, lifting their arms and swaying to
Syndil's rhythm. Desari lifted her voice first, her song rising to
blend with Syndil's chant. The ancient words, unlike the more
guttural sounds of the healing chant, were a blend of melodies
pleasing to the ear.
One by one the other women joined in, until the forest rang with
their song, aiding Syndil's power, so that energy crackled in the air
all around the blackened field. New shoots sprang up even faster,
leaves on trees burst forth in vibrant hues of greens. Their feet
found the pattern of Syndil's dance and the graceful movement of her
hands, and they moved in a circle around the area where she was
working, all the while feeding their strength to her.
The men formed a tighter ring of protection, wary eyes seeking the
interior of the forest surrounding them, taking in the tops of the
trees and the ground where Syndil performed what amounted to a
miracle.
Barack almost missed the slight rise of the soil, as something
sinister followed Syndil with stealth, moving just beneath the
surface, pushing the dirt up no more than a half an inch. Syndil!
Behind and below you! He called to her on their most intimate path,
knowing, even as he took to the air, that she never heard anyone or
anything when she healed the earth
And here we are the third one. This deleted scene only is in the new book of Dark Celebration in paperback.
Gregori and Savannah
Savanna sat in the middle of the floor, cross-legged, sobbing. His heart stilled in his chest. Savannah crying
was heart wrenching. Savannah sobbing was terrifying.
Gregori glided across the room to sit down beside her, wrapping her up in his arms, sweeping her against
the shelter of his body. "What is it?" The baby?" His palm found the small mound of her stomach and covered his
child protectively.
He tried to still the fear flashing through him, and already his mind was reaching out to find his child
and ensure it was perfectly healthy. They couldn't lose this baby. As a healer he was doing everything he knew how
to make certain the child would survive, but the truth was, nature was against them. Savannah had already beeh
having a few problems. He kept her off her feet as much as possible, and they hadn't told her parents yet, not
until they were certain she would carry.
He touched the baby lightly, sending soothing warmth, a gentle inquiry-and got...He was so shocked he found
himself thrown back into his own body, something that hadn't happened in centuries. He scowled down at Savannah.
She loved up at him and nodded, biting her lip nervously.
He shook his head and leapt to his feet. "This is not happening." He raked both hands through his long
hair in agitation. "Do not do this to me, Savannah."
Her tears stopped instantly and she glared at him. "To you? I'm doing this to you? You did it to me." She
reached for the countertop to pull herself up.
Gregori was there before her, catching her around her thickening waist and yanking her to her feet,
although he set her down very gently. She pushed at him.
"Twins? You expect me to deal with twins?" he asked. "I was expecting one child."
She looked outraged. "You were expecting one child. I'm carrying them you big dope! Look at me, Everyone
is going to know I'm pregnant the minute they see me. I'm going to turn into a house in another month."
"Not if you weren't carrying twins."
Her eyes flashed fire. She actually considered breathing flames at him like a dragon. He wasn't giving her
any sympathy and she didn't know the first thing about children, let alone having two of them at once. "Again, this
is your fault, not mine, I didn't produce two eggs."
He folded his arms across his chest and looked down at her from his superior height. "They are females."
"That absolutely for certain is your fault. The man determines the sex," Savannah pointed out triumphantly.
"Well, this man didn't. Desari was a fluke. She is the only female born into our like and our father was
older. And tired."
Savannah's eyes widened in shock. "I'm telling Desari you called her a fluke. And that you made it sound
like she was some kind of aberration."
"Of course whe isn't an aberration. I'm just saying my fatger was very old when she was conceived."
She put her hands on her hipsk, her scowl deepening. "I thought you wanted every pregnant woman to have
female children. You said we needed them desperately. This is supposed to be a good thing."
He shool his head. "All of the other Carpathians can have female children. I am supposed to have sons. I am
not equipped to father daughters."
"well, okay then. You've found me out. I had an affair ant the children aren't yours. I'm leaving you and
going to their father. He'll love and cherish them regardless of their sex."
For a moment there was dead silence in the house. the walls expanded with the sudden influx of sheer power.
The air thickened around them. Savannah looked small and fragile, her long hair down to her waist, not in the lears
intimidated by his anger. He was losing his touch. He stalked to her across the room, each step deliberate, his
eyes flat and cold, his mouth set. She didn't back up.
Gregori reached down, wrapped one arm around her waist and dragged her against him. "Show me the man and I
will break his neck." He kissed her gently, letting his love was through him and over her. "Our daughters need no
other father to love them. I fear they will be loved so much they will fret for freedom, which they will never get.
You, on the other hand, were distracted enough to stop crying."
Savannah reached up with her slender arms and brought his head back down to hers. "You're terrible," But
she kissed him as if he were the most wonderful man alive.
Skyler and Dimitri
Skyler glanced across the room and met burning ice-blue eyes. Her
heart fluttered in response. She wanted to look away, but she could
only stand, mesmerized, feeling the heat of his gaze, and seeing the
stark hunger in the depths of his eyes. Her breath caught in her
throat and her hand went to the pendant lying hidden beneath her
blouse. She drew it out, fingers wrapping around the little blue-
eyed wolf, holding it in the palm of her hand. At once it grew warm,
and to her astonishment, she felt lips press into the exact center of
her palm.
She couldn't open her hand or look away. She could only stare
helplessly as the man rose gracefully from the bar stool and made his
way across the room to her. He moved without hurry, muscles
rippling, fluid and graceful, every line of his body exuding power.
His long black hair was brushed back from his face, accentuating the
carved features, the strong, masculine jaw. Her gaze flicked to his
mouth and then jumped back to his glacier-cold eyes. Everywhere his
strangely colored eyes touched her, her skin grew hot.
Dimitri held out his hand to her. "One dance, little one. Nothing
more. It will have to last me a long time."
She could see the bleak loneliness in his eyes, but his face was an
expressionless mask. She hesitated, wanting to give him this one
gift. It was Christmas, after all, and he wasn't asking that much of
her. "I have a difficult time touching people," she admitted. "I
can feel their emotions and know their thoughts. It's uncomfortable. "
"I healed your hands earlier, Skyler, and you had no problems. I can
block you without too much effort and it will be well worth the
trouble."
He kept his hand out, palm up, simply waiting for her. His
compelling gaze never left hers. She stepped closer to the heat of
his body. All around them, people crowded close, but she was
oblivious to anyone but him. Clutching the pendant as if it was a
charm able to break spells—a sacred talisman—her thumb caressed the
wolf's head, sliding over the shaggy head to caress the blue eyes.
The sapphires were exquisite, flawless and tiny, a rare find made by
an actual gem-caller centuries earlier, as was the pendent itself.
She felt its power—its protection—from all but this man.
Her fingers touched his. Warmth slid up her arm, curled in the pit
of her stomach and spread through her body until she grew shamefully
hot. Before she could snatch her hand back, his fingers closed over
hers and with a tenderness that stole her breath, he pulled her
against him, so close her body brushed up against his. He felt hot.
Hard. Safe. Dangerous. Everything rolled into one.
Skyler swallowed hard and moved with him, her heart pounding so loud
it thundered in her ears.
"Relax," he breathed the word in her ear, his breath teasing her
senses, his lips skimming her earlobe. "I'm not seducing you, little
one, only dancing with you."
But he could seduce her. She recognized it the moment she was in his
arms. Her body no longer belonged to her. His arms felt a safe
refuge, yet her body reacted with urgent need. It was impossible to
control her response to him. For all her protests, for all her
fears, she realized this man was in control of more than just his own
fate—he controlled hers. If he did more than treat her gently—as he
was doing—she could be lost, swallowed by the magnetic pull of
lifemates, the need to be with him no matter what else she felt—no
matter the personal cost. She didn't need to love him, but she had
to be with him.
Tears welled up. His fingers slid into her hair, pressed her head to
him, so that her reaction was shielded by his chest, so that the
tears fell on his shirt rather than trickling down her face.
I have not bound us together. His voice, velvet soft, whispered in
her mind. You are safe—even from me, Skyler.
She shook her head. How could she be safe? How could she live with
herself knowing he suffered because of her inadequacies? Dimitri
lived in a world of violence and he was truly a dangerous man, yet
with her, he was so gentle and kind. But it wasn't real. Beneath
the veneer of civilization, she caught glimpses of that very
frightening man, so confident in a world where survival really was of
the fittest. In a world of kill or be killed he was comfortable—and
she could never be.
Forget the future and the past. Live with me now—in this moment.
The temptation seeped into her mind—her heart. Dimitri shifted her
in his arms, holding her with great care, his body leading hers with
graceful rhythm. She took a breath and let go, allowed herself to
sink into him, into his heat and his care.
Barack and Syndil
Barack stared out over the blackened ruins of the battlefield. The
vampires had reduced a once beautiful land to smoke and ash. The
trees wept poisonous tears that dripped and ran down twisted trunks.
Brittle branches had sheared off leaving jagged stumps along the
cracked and bleeding trunks. Below, on the ground stripped of all
green, lay broken branches like fallen warriors.
A lone woman walked barefoot in the middle of the massacre, her arms
widespread, her head thrown back, looking up at the heavy, snow laced
clouds. Her mass of long hair blew around her like a silken cape,
caressing her shapely hips with every step she took. She wore a
simple skirt that fluttered and a brief peasant top, yet she looked a
queen as she moved through the barren land. Behind her, like a
bright carpet of hope standing out starkly against the devastation,
in each print of her foot, green grass and tiny sprouts pushed
through the blackened soil.
The wind carried the sound of her voice, soft and melodious, as her
chant coaxed the ground to give up new life. She began to sway with
the rhythm of her song, her feet following a centuries-old pattern
known only to the women of her lineage. Her hands wove an intricate
graceful design in the air and with every sweep the wind rustled
through the wilted leaves and breathed life back into them.
Barack held his breath as he watched Syndil perform the dance of
healing over the scarred land, his heart keeping time to the music,
his pulse thundering in his ears. She was beautiful. Ethereal. She
was a legend come to life, moving with such grace and beauty through
the utter devastation of the land that the contrast brought to light
the struggle of life and death and good and evil.
Syndil seemed oblivious to the ring of watchers, but Barack was
acutely aware of them, of the awe on their faces, the respect and
shock. There was such power in her feminine magic. The males of his
species were warriors, dark and dangerous, calling down the storms,
using the lightning, yet their women had such influence in
harmonizing the universe. They were gathered as well, standing
shoulder to shoulder with the men. The wind ruffled their hair and,
as one they stepped forward, lifting their arms and swaying to
Syndil's rhythm. Desari lifted her voice first, her song rising to
blend with Syndil's chant. The ancient words, unlike the more
guttural sounds of the healing chant, were a blend of melodies
pleasing to the ear.
One by one the other women joined in, until the forest rang with
their song, aiding Syndil's power, so that energy crackled in the air
all around the blackened field. New shoots sprang up even faster,
leaves on trees burst forth in vibrant hues of greens. Their feet
found the pattern of Syndil's dance and the graceful movement of her
hands, and they moved in a circle around the area where she was
working, all the while feeding their strength to her.
The men formed a tighter ring of protection, wary eyes seeking the
interior of the forest surrounding them, taking in the tops of the
trees and the ground where Syndil performed what amounted to a
miracle.
Barack almost missed the slight rise of the soil, as something
sinister followed Syndil with stealth, moving just beneath the
surface, pushing the dirt up no more than a half an inch. Syndil!
Behind and below you! He called to her on their most intimate path,
knowing, even as he took to the air, that she never heard anyone or
anything when she healed the earth
And here we are the third one. This deleted scene only is in the new book of Dark Celebration in paperback.
Gregori and Savannah
Savanna sat in the middle of the floor, cross-legged, sobbing. His heart stilled in his chest. Savannah crying
was heart wrenching. Savannah sobbing was terrifying.
Gregori glided across the room to sit down beside her, wrapping her up in his arms, sweeping her against
the shelter of his body. "What is it?" The baby?" His palm found the small mound of her stomach and covered his
child protectively.
He tried to still the fear flashing through him, and already his mind was reaching out to find his child
and ensure it was perfectly healthy. They couldn't lose this baby. As a healer he was doing everything he knew how
to make certain the child would survive, but the truth was, nature was against them. Savannah had already beeh
having a few problems. He kept her off her feet as much as possible, and they hadn't told her parents yet, not
until they were certain she would carry.
He touched the baby lightly, sending soothing warmth, a gentle inquiry-and got...He was so shocked he found
himself thrown back into his own body, something that hadn't happened in centuries. He scowled down at Savannah.
She loved up at him and nodded, biting her lip nervously.
He shook his head and leapt to his feet. "This is not happening." He raked both hands through his long
hair in agitation. "Do not do this to me, Savannah."
Her tears stopped instantly and she glared at him. "To you? I'm doing this to you? You did it to me." She
reached for the countertop to pull herself up.
Gregori was there before her, catching her around her thickening waist and yanking her to her feet,
although he set her down very gently. She pushed at him.
"Twins? You expect me to deal with twins?" he asked. "I was expecting one child."
She looked outraged. "You were expecting one child. I'm carrying them you big dope! Look at me, Everyone
is going to know I'm pregnant the minute they see me. I'm going to turn into a house in another month."
"Not if you weren't carrying twins."
Her eyes flashed fire. She actually considered breathing flames at him like a dragon. He wasn't giving her
any sympathy and she didn't know the first thing about children, let alone having two of them at once. "Again, this
is your fault, not mine, I didn't produce two eggs."
He folded his arms across his chest and looked down at her from his superior height. "They are females."
"That absolutely for certain is your fault. The man determines the sex," Savannah pointed out triumphantly.
"Well, this man didn't. Desari was a fluke. She is the only female born into our like and our father was
older. And tired."
Savannah's eyes widened in shock. "I'm telling Desari you called her a fluke. And that you made it sound
like she was some kind of aberration."
"Of course whe isn't an aberration. I'm just saying my fatger was very old when she was conceived."
She put her hands on her hipsk, her scowl deepening. "I thought you wanted every pregnant woman to have
female children. You said we needed them desperately. This is supposed to be a good thing."
He shool his head. "All of the other Carpathians can have female children. I am supposed to have sons. I am
not equipped to father daughters."
"well, okay then. You've found me out. I had an affair ant the children aren't yours. I'm leaving you and
going to their father. He'll love and cherish them regardless of their sex."
For a moment there was dead silence in the house. the walls expanded with the sudden influx of sheer power.
The air thickened around them. Savannah looked small and fragile, her long hair down to her waist, not in the lears
intimidated by his anger. He was losing his touch. He stalked to her across the room, each step deliberate, his
eyes flat and cold, his mouth set. She didn't back up.
Gregori reached down, wrapped one arm around her waist and dragged her against him. "Show me the man and I
will break his neck." He kissed her gently, letting his love was through him and over her. "Our daughters need no
other father to love them. I fear they will be loved so much they will fret for freedom, which they will never get.
You, on the other hand, were distracted enough to stop crying."
Savannah reached up with her slender arms and brought his head back down to hers. "You're terrible," But
she kissed him as if he were the most wonderful man alive.
