Blood Tree: Silver Edition

by Scarlett Dawn

  I shivered as he took a step closer. I swallowed, but my voice was a quiet breath. “That’s good. I wouldn’t want anyone retaliating because she’s your child.”

  “And this is private. My personal life.” He lifted both arms and ran his fingers under the edge of the spaghetti straps on my shoulders, taking another stalking step toward me and closing the distance between us. The heat from his body penetrated my trembling form, warming my frigid limbs. Despite the anger still simmering behind his thick black lashes, he was extremely gentle as he bent and wrapped his muscular arms tight around my body.

  I stifled a shout as he lifted me off my feet, placing my hands on his broad shoulders. “What are you doing?”

  “Taking you to your bedroom.” He walked on sure feet, his destination knowing. “We can do this in there, and we’ll be able to see out the back window if Kenna comes through the backyard before her usual time.”

  “Oh,” I mumbled breathlessly. “That’ll work.”

  He kicked my bedroom door closed behind us and glanced around my room. “You cleaned up in here.” Dark eyes met mine. “I’m beginning to think your date tonight had the right idea of why you asked him out, even if you didn’t consciously realize it.”

  I ground my teeth together. “Please pretend like you haven’t been in here when my dirty clothes have been all over the place.”

  A head tilt to my nightstand next to my bed. “Or when you leave your vibrator out?”

  My cheeks instantly flooded with color.

  No words came. I was horrified.

  Samuel winked. “I won’t tell.” He walked forward and promptly lowered me onto my soft mattress.

  I stared wide-eyed up at him as he pulled his black sweater over his head and dropped it on my floor. My eyes drifted over all the tan and muscular flesh he had revealed. “Uh…just undress myself, huh?”

  “I’m not making love to your thieving ass,” he clarified carefully. His fingers were making quick work of his belt. “Hurry up and get naked. I really can’t take that long tonight.”

  “Right,” I mumbled and sat up to pull my own shirt over my head. “The quicker these…exchanges…happen, the better.” Get his Dark butt out of my home. I unclipped my bra, not ashamed of my body. And neither was he from the way he was easily undressing…and hell, he seriously had nothing to worry about. His slick muscles corded in all the right places, his biceps and pecs bulging with his movements. The ribbed hills of the muscles on his stomach led down to the most perfect cock. Which was quickly hardening as he watched me undress—my struggle to wiggle out of my tight jeans a real embarrassment. I grunted as I jerked them over my hips. “But I still think you’re wrong.”

  He sighed and leaned down, grabbing the waist of my pants, helping me. “About what?”

  “Nurture versus nature.”

  “For an Elf, it’s different. You’re thinking like a human.” He threw my jeans aside and literally ripped my panties off me. “Being an Outsider can change an Elf.”

  As he crawled over me, my chest pumping for air, I panted, “In what way?”

  His hard chest grazed my pebbled nipples and his dark eyes lifted to my wig. He raised a hand and pulled my wig off my head, my white hair spilling out onto my comforter from the careful bun I’d had it in. “It can change your way of thinking. Of the truth that an Elf and a human are not the same.” His head dipped down, and his warm lips landed on my vulnerable neck. “We’re not alike. Not by a long shot.”

  I flinched at that first touch, but his heated palms brushed my cheeks in a gentle petting, very soft for such a ruthless man, calming my nerves. His lips played at my neck, brushing and caressing until my body relaxed into the touch. My head tilted to the side, allowing him further access to my neck. His wicked lips stroked endlessly, his hands lowering to palm the swells of my breasts.

  A soft moan escaped as my back arched off the bed into his touch.

  He nipped my collarbone with his teeth before his moist tongue glided over the hurt. He growled a soft demand. “Quit being a coward and put your hands on me.”

  I groaned as I unfisted the covers I was squeezing. With hesitant actions, I lifted my arms and ran my fingers across his back. His muscles contracted under my light touch, power and man positioned over me while I was at my most vulnerable.

  And he never took advantage of it.

  Each brush of his hips against mine, every brush of his fingers against my most intimate flesh, the way his lips willed my body to move closer to his warmth, was all geared toward making my body susceptible for his invasion to come. I moaned as his hand landed between my thighs, his fingers sinfully talented as they played with my clit. I pressed my hands against his back and slid them down to his backside.

  “Fuck, your ass is still perfect.”

  He chuckled quietly, lifting his head from my right breast. He flicked his tongue over my nipple, and I jerked against the touch. “I remember you saying something about it.”

  “Shut up.” I groaned and yanked on his shoulders. “You’re in a hurry. Do you remember that?”

  He grunted, peering down at my mediocre sized chest. Though the way his eyes flared on them, I knew he liked what he was seeing. He bent his head and kissed each of my breasts again before lifting back over my body. “Yes, I do remember that.” His knees pressed my legs apart, and he glanced once out the window before he settled his remarkable cock at the entrance to my core. “I also remember how it felt to be inside you, even if you were unskilled. You thoroughly pissed me off when you ended up Light.”

  My hips pressed up against his, urging him on. “So this won’t be too much of a hardship?”

  “Sex with a Light?” His lips twitched. “As much of a hardship as it’ll be for you.”

  His hips slammed forward, and his cock slid deep inside me, filling me like a dream.

  “Oh, fuck,” I shouted. My head tipped back and my jaw dropped open.

  He hissed between his teeth, “You should have thanked me for the offer. Not argued.”

  My fingernails dug into the muscles of his ass. “Give me more.”

  He grunted. “I’m letting your body adjust to my size.”

  “Quit with that shit and just fuck me.”

  His eyes narrowed. “I don’t want to damage what could be my only hope—”

  “My damn vagina is fine. A baby has come out of there before.”

  His head cocked, and his dilated eyes blinked. “Good point.”

  The Dark Elf’s hips drove against mine, pumping his cock into me again and again. His heat and the heady scent of soap and leather surrounded me in a blanket of male dominance. He didn’t allow me to speak again, his mouth landing on mine in pure ownership—it wasn’t just a kiss. It was a taking as his tongue drove into my mouth, toying with mine and tempting me to play back.

  It should have scared me, but I could only feel right now.

  Every sensation as my nerve endings sparked to life with the demanding thrust of his hips or the way his mouth hovered over mine, baiting me to lift my head and find his lips again.

  I grabbed onto his hair and yanked his head back down, smothering his soft chuckle with my mouth, our tongues colliding again. Unable to help myself, my hips lifted and met his driving plunges, our bodies smacking and slick with a sensual sweat. I shouted as he ground his pelvis against my clit, rewarding me for my enthusiasm. He rubbed back and forth against my swollen nub, and my mouth jerked from his as my head thrashed back and forth on the bed.

  I hit my peak a second later, my body tingling before exploding in complete carnal heat, zapping every part of my body, and blowing my mind into wading bliss. A keening cry was my only sound as I fell over an edge so high I didn’t even realize it existed. I wrapped my legs tightly around his waist and my arms around his back, not letting his body escape.

  His frame tightened over mine, his fingers digging into my shoulders. He pressed his face against the side of mine as he hit his own climax. The Dark Elf convulsed against m
y trembling body, and his cock swelled deep inside me, pumping his seed where it needed to be.

  As our bodies gradually relaxed, our limbs going slack, his words were a muffled groan against my damp hair. “That, Ladies and Gentlemen, is how you make a baby.”

  My giggle was breathless.

  He flinched as my body vibrated. “Don’t move yet, Elf. My Dark cock is still bathing in your tight Light.”

  Age 40

  My shoulders hunched as I crept into my bedroom, careful of the debris littering the carpeting. I asked tentatively, “Samuel?”

  Thump.

  My chest of drawers shook at his feet where it landed, his black eyes furious with me. The muscles in his neck corded as he bellowed, “I know you’re lying!”

  I placed my purse on the carpet next to the red and orange watercolor painting that now had a fist-sized hole marring it, where it lay next to my feet. “Calm down.” We went through this every three months. His temper was a monster only he could tame. But I always tried to help. “You know I haven’t lied to you.”

  “Bullshit!” He stormed into my bathroom, disappearing inside. Items from my medicine cabinet started flying out the door in all directions. I ducked as my hand lotion zeroed in at my head. It smashed into a lamp farther into the room, making the thin light fixture totter back and forth. He shouted, “You have to be on some kind of contraceptive!”

  I exhaled a relaxing sigh, and darted my right hand out, catching my lipstick before it crashed into the wall. “You almost hit me a second ago. You need to check yourself.”

  The projectile items from my bathroom instantly altered their course, aiming at the other side of the room. While his fury—and so much damn hurt—wasn’t pleasant, he had never touched me while he was in a fit. He took care to stay far away from me while tossing items about.

  “Samuel…I promise you. I haven’t taken any type of birth control.” My lips pinched as he stormed back into my bedroom, his chest heaving from exertion and his fingers twitching with adrenaline. My words were soft, not blaming either of us. “You know this.”

  His nostrils flared, and he eyed me for a full minute, scanning each of my features to discover what he feared.

  The Dark Elf didn’t find it, my words true.

  He finally threw his palms out to his sides. “I don’t understand this shit! Four years, Juliet. Four fucking years and not one damn missed period.” He shook his head of black hair, the strands brushing his reddened cheeks. “How can that be possible?”

  I peered off to the side, my attention on my closet where my clothes now scattered the floor. My voice was monotone, tragic to my own ears. “I don’t know.” My gut clenched as I spoke my own secret terror. “Maybe one child was all we were meant for.”

  “I don’t believe that. I can’t believe that!” He pointed a damning finger straight at me. “Your inexperienced ideas robbed me. First words. Hugs every night. A daughter’s love and being there. All those special moments in Kenna’s childhood are gone for me. And I’ll be damned if your stubborn body deprives me of what’s owed.” His menacing stride ate up the distance between us.

  But he placed a gentle finger against my cheek.

  I sucked in a harsh breath as he pressed his hard frame against my soft curves. So much agony was hidden behind his thick lashes, only flashing through his dark eyes in a moment of weakness—like this. I spoke words I never had before, meaning them. “Samuel, I am sorry.”

  His black brows snapped together. “If I had done this to you, stolen your child from you, would a sorry be enough?”

  I closed my eyes against the heinous act I had done, my frame trembling in shame. I fisted my hands, and my small nails dug into my flesh. “No. It wouldn’t be.”

  His warm finger curved down my cheek, his tone choked. “I know how to please every part of your body.” He removed his finger and his hand landed much lower, right on my flat stomach—not swollen with his child. “And yet your body cannot please me.”

  My head jerked back, his words a verbal blow. I peered up into his eyes. His stare was unforgiving and ruthless, his mouth not opening in an apology. Unbidden, tears burned my eyes. I blinked furiously to keep them at bay. I whispered again, “I’m so sorry.”

  Samuel held my gaze for a moment longer, glowering down at me, before he turned on his heel and marched out of my bedroom. The front door slammed, shaking my entire house.

  My back slid on the wall as I fell to the ground.

  The aching sobs of the barren filled my room, letting it loose with the Dark gone. The hot trickle of tears only heated my flesh further. There was no reprieve for my past actions. I had messed up. I knew that now.

  And I would never have another child.

  Four years and not even a possibility of pregnancy.

  One child forever wasn’t enough.

  I didn’t give a shit if that was selfish thinking.

  I wanted another. And that man, that fucking original Dark Elf, had already given me the most precious and perfect offspring. I didn’t want anyone else’s genes mixed with mine.

  I only wanted his DNA to create a baby.

  Another Kenna or…God, help me, a mini-Samuel.

  Strong and so full of love for others. Of hope.

  I wanted his baby. Another precious child.

  My choices had left Kenna without a father.

  My actions had stolen a father’s love.

  But my body had failed the father this time.

  All around, I was a disaster.

  Twelve hours of sleep hadn’t been enough to calm my thoughts. Samuel’s words still echoed inside my head. Work was the last thing on my mind, but I pushed myself to go. Anything to erase the brutal truth of my actions would do, even if it meant staring at beauty ads and pretending I was okay to my co-workers.

  I nodded to my assistant, a smile plastered on my face as I walked toward my office. I stopped at her desk and grabbed the two envelopes she handed me. “What’s on my schedule for today?”

  Jessica glanced at her computer screen, tapped a few buttons, and stated, “You have a meeting at one o’clock. Other than that, you’re free.”

  “Perfect. Send a reminder to my phone about the meeting,” I responded, dumping the two letters into her trashcan. Junk mail. “Buzz me if you need anything.”

  “Will do!” she answered with cheer.

  It was about raise time. That high-pitched voice of hers always returned once a year. The rest of the time she was halfway manageable. All I had to do was listen and her exuberant squeaking reminded me to talk to HR and give her a decent jump in salary so she would act like a normal human again—if there were such a thing.

  I closed my office door behind me and placed my briefcase on my pristine glass desk. My false smile instantly fell and small wrinkles creased my forehead. I placed my hands on my lower back, and walked to the floor to ceiling windows, staring out at the Florida city. Jonas was all right to live in, not too big and not too little—everything we needed was available within a short driving distance. Kenna had adjusted well here, and she enjoyed her college studies. Having the school so close by had been a perk, allowing her to live at home still.

  But she wouldn’t live with me much longer.

  Her Blood Tree was only two days away.

  After that, she would want to live with Julius.

  Her mate.

  And she would leave me.

  I rubbed my forehead and cleared my throat. I was going to have to find a hobby, anything to keep me busy during the transition of an empty house. I sighed out at the town and shook my hips with hardly any enthusiasm. I muttered to myself, “Maybe I’ll go dancing again. I haven’t done that in forever.”

  “I remember watching you dance once,” Samuel’s voice whispered from behind me somewhere. “It attracted a lot of male attention if memory serves.”

  I twirled around, my eyes flashing over the interior of my office. My brows puckered though in confusion, nothing out of the ordinary. An emp
ty office except for my desk, my chair, two potted plants, my degree plaques hanging on the walls, and a guest chair facing my desk…

  I paused. And really looked. I let my power flare.

  Samuel’s energy signature blazed into my line of sight. It came from across the room. He was sitting on the chair opposite my desk, facing me. Invisible to the human eye.

  My lips pinched, and my voice was soft. “Have you come to say more hateful things? Or wasn’t yesterday’s bashing enough?”

  Samuel appeared, releasing his power. He wore a pair of casual—but expensive—jeans and a gray t-shirt, his booted feet spread in a relaxed pose. But his regard was anything but calm. Beneath his hooding lashes burned a deep, quiet ache. Pain-filled black eyes stared out at me.

  A crooked smile lifted his lips, void of any humor. “I’ve actually come to speak with you about that.”

  I walked forward cautiously and stopped in front of him, staring down into his eyes and crossing my arms. “What more could you have to say? I think you said it all yesterday.”

  His smile didn’t falter. “I’m sorry.”

  I glanced between his eyes, holding perfectly still.

  He had never apologized before.

  But, then again, he had never been that unkind.

  Gradually, his easy grin faltered. He sucked in a sharp breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “What I said, it was uncalled for. I never should have blamed you for us not being able to procreate again.” His lips thinned into a seamless line, his tone gruff. “The entire fault may fall square on my shoulders. Not yours. As I mentioned before, I’ve never been able to have children. Kenna may have been an anomaly for me.”

  My nostrils flared as I inhaled his scent of soap and leather, the aroma soothing my nerves. “I…”

  “Yes?” Samuel held my absolute attention.

  I shook my head and blurted in a heady rush, “But I don’t want to have children with anyone else. I don’t want twenty different fathers for my children like some Elves. I only want you. Kenna cannot be an anomaly.”