Christian began to kiss Jazmine on her earlobe, taking the soft flesh between his teeth. He pulled at it and licked with his tongue. Then he inched his way to the delicate curve of her neck, fighting the urge to sink his teeth into her. Her hands still pinned above her head against the wall, Jazmine squirmed and wiggled as the sensation of his lips on her skin excited her. She could feel a stirring between her legs as he continued to place kisses on her neck.
The feeling of being restrained excited her even more. Jazmine closed her eyes while his mouth continued to explore the crevices of her neck and then back up to crush her lips. His mouth was demanding and almost cruel, a small part of her wondered if he was jealous that Celeste had just made love to her only a few mere hours ago.
Christian released her arms. “Walk over to the bed and take off your clothes slowly,” he commanded. Jazmine did as she was told. Christian’s gaze never wavered as she began to remove her shirt, then bottoms, and lastly her bra and panties. She stared back at him as intensely as he watched her. Both of them locked in a battle for power and control.
Christian followed suit and removed every last piece of article of clothing before advancing on her. He pulled her into his arms. “You will always be mine,” he growled. Placing his lips on hers, he sealed his promise with a kiss so intense that Jazmine’s legs almost buckled under her own body weight. Now she was his and would never want anyone else for the rest of her existence.
Christian’s hands stroked her back in soft caresses as his lips claimed her as his own. He needed to leave his mark on her, sinking his teeth into her soft flesh, so the whole world would know she belonged to him for eternity. Gently he guided her down onto the bed, his body on top of hers. He slid a hand up her lean thigh, finding her entrance ready and waiting for him. He continued to kiss her while his engorged cock slid inside her.
Jazmine gasped when he entered her, the feeling of her walls being stretched wide was a delicious sensation. Christian rocked back and forth, slowly at first and then picked up speed. The need to possess her was urgent and his body followed that feeling. He could feel his release coming soon as he thrust in and out. The walls of her pussy tightened around his thick rod and with one last thrust he came inside her as she cried out.
Christian’s body covered hers as his arms released his own weight, falling on top of her. Jazmine’s reached her hands up and wove them through his tousled locks. She gazed into his eyes, “I’m yours, body and soul.” She placed a delicate kiss on his lips, then he rolled over to lay by her side. He reached out and clasped her hand in his and whispered, “Forever,” before they fell asleep.
********
Over the next several weeks, the whole place was in a flurry of activity. Vampires and witches came and went. By the end of the first three weeks, Jazmine had no idea how many of them there really were. At first, she figured a few hundred and then it seemed to double, then triple. The emotions swirling around had become almost unbearable for her by the end of the fourth week and she found herself hiding away from everyone most of the time. Christian, on the other hand, was in the thick of it all with Shane. She watched him lead and command them all, admiring his control. Jazmine realized that he had truly been born for this moment and the realization made her wonder even more why she was the other chosen one.
While Christian seemed so natural to get out in front of everyone and tell them what to do, all she wanted to do was cower away and hide. She wanted to run away from it all. Jazmine had no desire to lead, the only thing she knew for sure anymore was Christian was her true mate and she would walk to the ends of the earth for him. To be a true Queen, to lead a nation of vampires and witches was not what she wanted, or even thought was something she could truly do. She felt like an imposter, a joke, and she wondered how many others thought the same.
She also saw the way so many of the female vampires and witches rubbed a hand or brushed an arm up against Christian. Vying for any type of attention, a look of lust on all of their faces. Jazmine wondered how many of them wanted her dead so they could take her place to stand alongside him. When she walked in the halls, she could get a sense of their thoughts sometimes. Many tried to mask what they were thinking, and others did not care if she knew. She could hear their voices echoing, “You are weak, he deserves a better Queen, and we only follow him.”
Jazmine wondered if he knew, she speculated he had to, he was able to read anyone’s thoughts, no one could hide anything from him. She had worked on the skill for so long with him, trying to conceal her private thoughts from him. She was almost able to, but if he wanted to know something, he could always find a way in. He knew that no matter how much she hated Thane, a small part of her still did not want to see him die. But she also knew there was no other way. It was either them or Thane. If he lived, they would never live in peace.
Jazmine walked out to the atrium to find Christian with Shane. Their heads were bent low in conversation. As Jazmine approached, they both stopped talking and greeted her. “Good evening,” Shane smiled. Christian’s face lit up upon seeing her. He patted the chair next to him, indicating for her to take a seat.
“Thanks,” Jazmine replied as she sat down.
“We’ve been going over some different strategies and Shane has been updating me on the Lamia’s movements. One of our scouts got a glimpse of them close to a thousand miles away. He was undetected thankfully, but they’re moving closer,” Christian stated, filling her in on their conversation.
“How much longer do you think we have?” Jazmine asked, a bit of fear setting in with the realization that war was imminent.
“A few weeks, maybe,” Shane interjected. “We have placed many spells on this compound to hide it. But eventually they will figure out where we are, we only hope that we can be ready before they find us. We’ll stay here as long as it’s safe, and only leave at the last minute.”
Christian smiled at Jazmine, “Have you sensed him yet?” He knew she would be the first one to know if he was close. Jazmine on the other hand was not so sure of this. Her powers had not been where she wanted them to be and everyone else seemed to believe she was more powerful than she was. She knew her mother had been one of the most powerful witches of her time, but she was not sure she even had any of her mother in her.
Jazmine smiled at him weakly, “No.”
“He may not reach out to her, we need to be prepared either way,” Shane reminded him. “We had a hundred more vampires pledge their loyalty to us this week alone. Our numbers are building, but size alone will not make this an easy fight. Thane has become more powerful than you realize, and I believe Jazmine has only seen a fraction of what he is truly capable of.”
Jazmine knew Shane spoke the truth. Even over the last few months, Thane had seemed different to her, darker. He had been able to erase her memory, a power he had never possessed before. He had been able to block her from reading his mind for months now and she felt like she no longer knew the man he used to be.
Christian nodded in agreement, “I believe you’re right. Jazmine has told us all she knows and I agree that this will be a hard fight...I acknowledge that many of us will die.” Christian’s face changed. Jazmine had never seen him look scared since she met him and in the moment she caught a glimpse of real fear in his eyes that they may not succeed.
Chapter Thirteen
Jazmine spent most of her time over the next few weeks, working with Christian on her skills, trying to regain what powers she had lost while with Thane and to build on new ones she never realized she had. The rest of her time was spent getting to know several of the leaders of the various groups that came to fight. Christian told her she needed to know them and understand why they were here.
Jazmine also used it as an opportunity to work on her mind reading skills. When the night was finished, she would go to bed exhausted, both physically and mentally. She had also not seen Celeste since their night together and she was not sure if it was on purpose or just a coincidence.
Her days at the compound flew by, time moving quickly. She could hardly remember how long they had been there, but she knew it had been a few months. She had no idea how much longer they would stay or when Thane would finally track them down. Every morning she went to sleep, fearful that Thane would come and steal her away. She truly didn’t believe he was capable or powerful enough to do this. But, a small part nagged at her that she was wrong.
As Jazmine was getting ready to lay down, Christian came into their room. “Did Shane find you today?” he asked, removing his shirt to get ready to sleep.
“I did not see him. Did he need something?” Jazmine asked, already lying in bed.
Christian removed the rest of his clothes, coming to bed naked like he usual did. Jazmine watched him with sleepy eyes, admiring his lean form. He was a god to look at and she could never get enough of him sexually. Christian walked towards the bed and sat down next to her, swinging his legs in and covering the lower half of his body. “Not sure, he mentioned something about the Lamia and a few more sightings. I just wondered if he came to speak to you about it,” he smiled and placed a kiss on her plump lips.
The feel of his lips on hers sent goosebumps down her arm. It was not in the least bit cold in the room, but the feel of his skin against hers always excited her. She felt butterflies form in her stomach as his arm brushed against hers when he leaned in to kiss her. He wrapped his arms around her as his lean body molded to hers. The last few weeks had been long and they both needed to rest.
Jazmine cozied up closer to him, feeling secure and safe next to him. Her eyes started to flutter shut, she did not even try to fight the urge to sleep any longer. She could hear his slow rhythmic breath, telling her that Christian had already fallen asleep. Jazmine smiled to herself as she succumbed to the exhaustion.
********
Jazmine’s eyes sprung open, her body keenly alert to someone else watching her. She could still feel Christian’s arm draped over her waist, so she knew he was still next to her in bed. His breathing was heavy and slow, indicating he was in a deep sleep. Jazmine made no attempt to move. Her body frozen still, afraid to make a motion. Her eyes locked on a figure sitting across the room.
The bedroom was still very dark, the shades drawn to keep the sunlight out. As her eyes tried to focus on the figure only a few feet in front of her, a sick feeling came over her. Her body broke out in a cold sweat, knowing Thane was sitting there watching her and Christian.
He sat quietly, his legs crossed and in his hands, he held something that Jazmine could not make out at first. As her eyes strained to see what he held in his grasp, it registered that he had her mother’s diary. He was not reading it though, Jazmine knew he didn’t need to as he had lived through all the passages her mother had written. His lips curled into a wicked smile as he sat there motionless.
Jazmine opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She placed a hand to her throat trying to force her vocal cords to work. Thane watched with amusement as she struggled. He chuckled softly and broke the silence between them with his silky voice.
“I’ve searched for you for a long time now. I wasn’t sure I’d ever see you again, Shane has hid you well from me. But,” he sneered, “not well enough.”
Jazmine tried to speak again, but only a croak came out of her mouth. She still could not move and Christian lay next to her sound asleep. She figured Thane had placed some type of spell on him to keep him asleep.
“I see you finally found your mother’s diary. I always wondered when you would find out the truth about yourself and who you are. Now you know why I chose you, we were always meant to be,” he smiled.
“You know, I did grow to truly love you...if you ever wondered. But I promise you this, as much as I love you still, I will kill you if that is what it takes for this prophecy to end,” he smiled coldly, his eye’s black.
Jazmine knew he spoke the truth. He would spill her blood to keep Christian and her from ruling. Jazmine could feel her blood boiling with pure hatred for him. She tried to get up, to run over and attack him, but it was no use. She was a prisoner, and he would not let her free until he was done talking.
“It was good to see you,” Thane continued. “I promise, we will meet again very soon.” Just like that he vanished into thin air. Jazmine let out a large gasp of air as the bonds he placed on her broke. She turned over, shrugging Christian awake. His eyes opened as she shook him.
“He’s found me!” she cried.
Chapter Fourteen
Christian jumped out of bed. He threw on a pair of black jeans and a black shirt and raced out the room to find Shane. Within minutes, they had assembled everyone at the compound and had called back all their scouts. The time had come, they had no more time to prepare. Shane and Christian knew it would only be a matter of a few hours before the Lamia and the rest of Thane’s allies were upon them.
They knew if they stayed at the compound and waited they would be sitting ducks. They needed to leave quickly and get to the spot they had set up for the attack. They had found an old village that had been left deserted several years ago. No one even knew it existed anymore and the locals in the area stayed clear as there had been rumors of supernatural entities that haunted the area.
They had planned to have a few scouts lure Thane and his allies to the area where the rest of them would be waiting. The hope was to catch them off guard. Shane and Christian only hoped their plan would work. If it didn’t, they knew many would die this night.
Jazmine walked into the atrium and many of the leaders of the different clans were already there going over the final details one last time. Jazmine had come to know many of them well over the last several weeks and her heart hurt to think she may never see some of them again. As she walked up to the large table to sit, she cast a quick glance towards Celeste. She locked eyes with Jazmine for one split second before returning her attention back to Christian. They had not spoken since that night and Jazmine knew there were no words left to say. That night had been their goodbye and it had been bittersweet.
As the room filled, Christian began to direct everyone to their location. He had hoped they would have had more time to prepare, but it was now do or die and he had no intentions of dying. The room began to slowly empty as clans left to begin this final battle. Leaving only Christian and Jazmine alone.
“No matter what happens tonight, you’ll always be mine and I’ll never lose you again,” Christian stated as he pulled her in close.
Jazmine laid her cheek upon his hard, muscular chest. She was scared that tonight would be the last time he held her in his arms. Christian squeezed her tighter, trying to reassure her that they would be okay, but that was not a promise he could make. He knew Thane was stronger than the last time they had fought and tonight there would be no mercy.
“We better go,” he murmured.
Jazmine released her hold of him and slipped her hand into his. They needed to join the others.
********
When they arrived at the village, the place was empty. Jazmine knew Celeste and the scouts had already deployed and were on their way to lure the Lamia to them. She only hoped the trap that they had set worked. Christian and she walked around assessing the situation. Once Christian got the signal from the lead scout that the Lamia was in pursuit, they planned to try and separate Thane from his clan.
Christian knew Thane was only after one person and one person only and that was Christian. So, he planned to make sure Thane got his chance to be alone with him. In the end, Thane needed Christian dead, or he would never ever truly be king in this world. Jazmine could feel her blood pounding as they waited. The minutes ticked by and every second felt like hours.
Then Christian finally got something, he could hear screams and cries of terror from the scouts that had been sent out. He received a vision from Celeste, he watched in his mind in horror as he saw the Lamia rip through the group like a storm. Somehow the Lamia had been expecting them and they had walked right into their trap.
He watched the bloodshed play out like a movie.
Christian glanced at Jazmine who could not see what was happening, but she could feel everything Christian was feeling. She felt sick to her stomach as she knew everything had gone terribly wrong. He grabbed Jazmine by the shoulders and screamed, “RUN!”
Jazmine did not move, her feet were stapled to the ground. She knew she was supposed to listen to him, to do as he said, but she could not leave him. She could not leave him to die. She refused to move and shouted, “No. I will not leave you. We live or die together. This time he has to fight us together, not alone.”
Christian’s eyes pleaded with her to go, but he knew it was no use. “Okay, but we can’t stay here. We still have to try and draw him away from the group. Got it!” Jazmine nodded.
Christian grabbed her hand and together they fled to the open field they had chosen hundreds of miles down the road. The night sky was black and the moon was hidden by a layer of clouds that threatened a storm at any minute. Together they stood as one waiting for Thane to arrive. In the village they could hear the cries of death, the Lamia had descended upon them and now it would only be a matter of time before Thane did the same.
Jazmine whipped her head around, looking behind them and in front trying to figure out where Thane could be. When a shrill scream resounded throughout the night sky, Jazmine released Christian’s hand to cover her ears from the deafening sound. Jazmine bent over trying to escape the noise and when she stood back up, Thane stood within inches of her. In his arms, he held Celeste.
Jazmine reached out to try and tear her from his grasp, but he yanked her back just out of her reach. Looking around, she no longer saw Christian by her side. Thane laughed, his head flung back as the high pitched noise rose from him. “Not so fast, my pretty pet,” he tsked. “I thought I’d bring you a present, or a trade per say. I’ll let your friend go and you give me your boyfriend. Agreed?”
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