by Sadie Anders
I wrapped my legs around him as we lost ourselves in each other once more. This time, there were no prying eyes on the dance floor, nobody to make me feel ashamed. I could be completely free with this man that I adored.
“Rafe, I’ve missed you so much.”
Raphael growled at me and started nibbling his way down the side of my neck. Clearly he missed me, too. He worked his way down my body with his hands, stopping to pull my jeans off of me. I raised up and took off my shirt, throwing it on the ground next to the bed.
“I’ve missed you, Alexis. You have no idea.” He sat back to take me in as I undressed. His smile was infectious.
I leaned forward and started unbuttoning his shirt slowly, pulling it open and running my fingers across his chest. I thought that vampires would feel cold, but Raphael was never like I expected. Everything I had learned about vampires from fiction, television, myth, those sources all told me that vampires were dead things without heat, without soul, without heart. As far as Raphael was concerned, that couldn’t be further from the truth. This was a man of compassion, emotion, and vitality.
He was as human as anyone else, arguably more so.
I climbed onto his lap, straddling him as I kissed him deeply. His nimble fingers unhooked my bra, and he started kissing my breasts, softly at first but then with increasing intensity. The feeling of his mouth against my skin drove me mad, and I wanted him more than ever.
“Do you know what you do to me, Alexis?”
Raphael picked me up with ease and lowered me back down onto the bed, running his fingertips across my torso, making my skin tingle with anticipation. I couldn’t wait, but he was taking his time teasing me. He worked his way across my entire body, and I writhed with pleasure at his touch.
“Before. At my house. I thought you told me you were mine,” he said, slipping his finger underneath the lace of my panties.
“Oh, yes, I am.”
“I don’t like being toyed with, Alexis.”
He brushed his finger lightly between my legs, and my body reached up to him, demanding more.
“Are you mine?” he continued. “Or are you unsure?”
“I’m yours. Only yours.”
Raphael kissed me through my panties, then slowly pulled them down my legs. He slid his finger inside me, and I lost my mind. I called out to him.
He flipped me over, onto my hands and knees. I felt his body behind me, hard and ready, as he reached his hand between my legs and continued his touch. His other hand grabbed one of my breasts and began kneading my nipple between his fingertips.
“Please, Raphael. I need you.”
I heard him unbuckling his belt. My body ached for him.
“Do you want me now, Alexis?”
“Please don’t keep me waiting.”
Raphael slowly slid inside me, making me explode with passion. He reached around and caressed me as he took me to places that I had never been before. Before long, I had nothing on my mind other than him, other than this moment.
No concern in the world could bother me now.
Time stood still for us.
I had no idea how long we stayed in the room, entwined around each other. When my mind refocused once again, I was lying on my stomach next to him, trying to catch my breath as Raphael brushed the hair away from my face. The weight of his body pressed against my side felt familiar and welcoming.
The last time we had slept together, it had been a fury of passion and losing ourselves in each other. Raphael had been hurt by the Furies to weaken him, and I had given him my blood. This kind of connection, a blood bond between a witch and a vampire, was something that was intensely intimate, a bridge that, once crossed, would change things forever, at least according to Raphael.
But this time, Raphael had taken his time, had explored my body completely, and it felt deeply intimate in a different sort of way. There was no ferocity to hide behind. We were completely exposed to one another.
And I was okay with that.
I never thought I would be. I wasn’t the relationship type, or at least I thought I wasn’t, judging from the mostly crappy experience I had had in dating before now. But with Raphael, it was different. Yes, I was intimidated by his wealth and power, not to mention by how impossibly handsome he was, yet none of that really mattered. I could tell that there was something more between us, and I wasn’t ashamed to be myself. I found myself slightly scared, yes, but that’s how I knew it was real. I cared about the outcome of this relationship. It mattered to me.
He mattered to me.
I looked into his eyes, his face etched with genuine happiness.
“Was it strange to you?” he asked. “To sleep together with these glamours active? To look like someone else?”
I thought it would be weird to have this different looking person next to me, but I knew it was Raphael, knew it was the person I was falling in love with.
Wow. I had never admitted it to myself before this moment. I was falling in love with him, always had been. This was so much more than mere attraction. There was something there. Something substantial.
“Not at all. I knew it was you inside.”
He kissed me. “I feel the same way.”
Raphael traced my back with the tips of his fingertips. It was soothing, and I loved the light tickle of it. I could tell that it wasn’t random patterns, though, and I tried to make out the shapes.
“What are you drawing?” I asked him.
“Not drawing. Writing.”
“Well, what are you writing then?”
“The words that are at the forefront of my mind right now. The feelings that I’m having.”
“Why are you writing them on me?”
“I like putting them out into the universe, celebrating them. They’re good feelings, and they deserve to be focused upon for a few moments.”
I closed my eyes and relaxed into the sensation of being caressed in this way. It was sensual and gentle and relaxing all at the same time. I felt my exhausted body drifting in and out of consciousness. When I was on the edge of being asleep, Raphael spoke to me.
“I’m pleased that you changed your mind, Alexis.”
I roused myself back awake a little bit. “Changed my mind about what?” I asked sleepily.
“About me. I didn’t think you would.”
I was completely confused, and I went through our past conversations trying to understand what he might be referencing.
“I don’t think…”
A soft knock sounded on the door, and I sat bolt upright in the bed. It had startled me, but then I realized it must be Kai. He said he would find us tonight, after all.
Raphael grabbed his shirt and began buttoning it up. “I see our friend has arrived.”
He finished dressing and went to the door.
“Just a moment,” he said. He turned and watched me as I put on my own clothes, looking amused.
“What?”
“It’s just a shame that you have to do that. I’d much prefer to stay as we were. Indefinitely.”
I blushed a little. “So would I.”
When I had finished dressing, Raphael cracked open the door, making sure that it was who we had expected, and then opened it wider for our companion to enter the room.
Kai entered with a sweeping bow. “Friends, thank you for waiting patiently for me.”
He glanced around the room, seeing the bed in disarray. “Although I see you have had no trouble occupying yourselves while you anticipated my arrival.” He laughed loudly and kindly, patting Raphael on the back.
He opened the flap of his satchel and produced a bottle and three glasses. Placing the gifts on the side table, he began pouring us each a glass. The pale liquid sparkled and fizzed as he handed it to me.
“Thank you,” I said. Raphael nodded his head appreciatively.
“The Kylix’s finest. Sparkling honey wine, or as my musical compatriots like to call it, muse mead.”
I took a sip of the mead. It was sw
eet and crisp and tingled my tongue and throat as it went down. The flavor of honey was pronounced when I licked my lips. It was unlike anything I had ever had before.
“It’s delicious,” I told Kai.
“I agree,” Raphael said. “Not too cloying. Surprisingly delicate.”
Kai smiled broadly. “High praise, especially coming from a vintner.” He looked at Raphael pointedly. Raphael prided himself on the wines from his vineyards. Perhaps Kai knew more about Raphael’s background than he let on.
He walked over to a chair and pointed at it. “May I? Performing all night isn’t the easiest on one’s feet.”
“Of course,” Raphael said.
Kai sat down and crossed his legs jauntily, sipping his honey wine. “You’ve returned so soon to Asphodel, after such immediate danger before. It makes me wonder why you’ve taken the chance to grace us with your presence at the Kylix once more.”
I shot a look at Raphael. We hadn’t really had time to come up with a game plan. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to come right out and tell people what I was looking for, or if I should be more guarded. Considering this was supposed to be a job that required some spy skills, I thought that it probably wasn’t best to be too brazen about my intentions. Still, I had no plausible story constructed.
Besides, given Kai’s own talents, he would probably see through any deception immediately. He had already proven that. Maybe it would be best to simply tell the truth. The encouraging look on Raphael’s face made me feel that he agreed.
“We’re looking for something. And since I don’t know anything about Asphodel really, I thought I would try to find some help. Here. At the Kylix.”
Kai looked surprised by this. “Well, the Kylix is never a bad place to start when looking to find something. Or when looking to lose yourself. We are equally skilled in helping with both.” He laughed loudly.
“I want to know how to get to a place in this realm called the Empyrean.”
Kai’s face turned serious. “The Empyrean is both in this realm, and it is not. It exists, yet it is beyond mere existence.”
So I’d been told. He was starting to sound like the Apollonian, his head full of stars and paradoxes.
Kai became silent for a stretch. Finally, he came back to the conversation. “Why in blazes would you want to go to the Empyrean? And why would you take the guardian there?” He nodded towards Raphael.
“We’re looking for a magical object. The Phos Eos.”
Kai raised his eyebrows suddenly. “Hmm. You know that most people think that this object is a myth, do you not?”
“We do,” Raphael said. “I believe that to be true myself.”
“Yet, you still seek it despite the danger.” It was not a question, but I still nodded.
“You seem to have heard about it,” Raphael said.
Kai smiled. “Oh, yes. Musicians are of Apollo, and Apollo is of the light. We have been students and teachers of all things illuminated for eons. Knowledge of such mysteries has been passed down through our songs and our craft and our community.”
“So, you can help us?”
Kai considered me for a moment. “Given the danger you face in returning here, I have the nagging sensation that you do not seek this item of your own accord. And that complicates matters.”
I didn’t admit that he was right, staying silent.
“Yet, if it is being sought, then I feel it is my obligation to ensure that it is protected and not abused. I am a servant of the light, of Apollo, after all.”
“That’s understandable,” Raphael said. “If the device exists, it is a dangerous thing to have out there in the world.”
Kai continued, raising his finger in the air. “Also, I have read your hearts. This, fortunately, is one of my many gifts. Therefore, an alliance can be made here. I’m not sure to what end, but I am willing to suspend a decision on that for the time being.” He thought for a second. “Yes, I will help you, to the extent that I may.”
He drained the rest of his drink and stood to leave.
“I will find you tomorrow, and we can discuss where to begin.”
“Thank you,” I said to Kai as he said his goodbyes and left our room. I felt relief wash over me. We had someone to help us, someone who knew something about this object. That was more than we had before, which was a whole bunch of nothing. It was a start.
Raphael locked the door, and turned back to me, a devious look on his face as he crossed the room towards me with purpose.
“Now then, my beauty. Where were we?”
7
“Tristan, get the crate of fish from the back and bring it in before the smell attracts the alley cats!”
A woman outside our hotel room window was yelling loudly, shouting orders to a worker or hapless family member, I wasn’t sure which.
“Got it, ma. Don’t get your skivvies in a bunch.”
Her son, apparently. Their interaction made me smile.
Other sounds of life stirred in the streets below, people starting to go about their day. I could hear people talking, vehicles puttering by. The day seemed to be in full force already.
I slowly peeped open my eyes and let them adjust to being awake again. Rolling over, I grabbed my watch to see how late it was.
It had frozen. Not a surprise. Time was wonky here.
Still, people generally tended to demarcate day from night in the lower city. I was surprised that the residents of Asphodel kept somewhat typical schedules. If I lived in a land that was in constant limbo between day and night, I’m not sure that time would have any meaning for me anymore. I would live in my pajama pants, but these people had obviously figured out a way to make society function.
I tapped at my glass watch face to try to get it started again, but no luck. I supposed that never worked for anyone, but I always felt the need to try it. People are strange creatures.
I rolled over in bed to face Raphael. He was already awake, smiling at me.
“Hello, beautiful,” he said. Words didn’t work yet in my brain, so I gave him a smile. He leaned over and kissed me while brushing the hair from my eyes. My bed head was probably pretty spectacular.
A big yawn escaped me against my will, my fatigued body not wanting to be awake quite yet. There was no telling how much sleep I had actually gotten last night. Raphael and I had had quite the evening together, one that I would never forget.
“I liked sleeping next to you.”
“I loved the not sleeping part, too,” I said.
He laughed. “Fair enough. It was a phenomenal night, and I’m proud you spent it with me.”
I realized that it was the first full night that Raphael and I had spent together in the same bed. It seemed so normal, something that I never realized that we would be able to enjoy together. He wrapped his arms around me, and I became acutely aware of the fact that I was still naked beneath the sheets.
A knock sounded at the door. Raphael placed another kiss on my cheek and stood to put on his pants. I pulled the covers up higher over me as he answered the door.
Timaeus was on the other side, a shy smile crossing his face.
“I thought you might want some breakfast,” he said.
My stomach growled. I was always a hungry girl, and this morning was no exception, especially after all the physical exertion of the night before.
“Thank you, yes,” Raphael said, inviting him in. Timaeus disappeared for a second. He returned with a tray, placing it on the table. Raising one finger, he disappeared again, then brought in another.
He stood in the doorway before leaving. “Maestro Kai says that you are friends of his, so I thought a little extra attention was in order. He left a message for you that he will be here mid-morning to catch up with you. I’d guess an hour or so.”
“Thank you,” I said. Raphael slid him a purple bill, and Timaeus’ face lit up. He gave a little bow and exited the room.
I threw off the covers excitedly and ran up to one of the trays. Raphael laughed
and eyed my naked body appreciatively.
“Enthusiastic as always.” He slid his hand down my back and drew me into a hug.
“For snacks, yes. Always.” I ripped into a buttery croissant as Raphael poured us each a glass of tea, adding cream and sugar. He remembered how I liked it. I took it from him and let the steam rise to my face as I chewed my croissant. I loved piping hot tea in the morning. This may have been a betrayal of my Portland heritage, with its deep and abiding love of coffee, but a girl wants what a girl wants. And it wasn’t like I didn’t love coffee, too.
I brought my tray back to bed and sat on the soft sheets.
“Timaeus didn’t seem to realize who we were. I guess Kai didn’t reveal that to him, even though they’re close. Maybe we can trust him,” I said, popping a raspberry into my mouth.
Raphael nodded. “Perhaps. But never trust anyone completely, especially when your life is in their hands.”
“You sound like Uncle Julian. He was always harping on about how caution is fundamental to prudent behavior or something like that.”
Raphael laughed. “Wise man.”
“Do you feel a little creepy about all this hiding?”
“Not really. People are rarely able to hide who they truly are. Everything is revealed in time.”
“Are you always so philosophical?” I asked.
“Unfortunately,” he said, sitting down beside me with his tray. “It can be a result of living so long. You think about the meaning of life more than is healthy.”
“I get that.” When you went through entire eras alone with your own thoughts, it was understandable to focus on the big picture questions. Why am I here? What am I doing? Who do I want to do it with?
To be fair, those were the questions I asked myself, too. I just wasn’t so great at answering them yet.
We finished our breakfast and Raphael took our trays, returning them to the hallway. He shut the door closed with a soft tut and turned to me. He took off his shirt and stood before me, his strong form reflecting the soft glow from the window.