by Caris Roane
Davis intruded. “Which of the girls are you communicating with?”
“Becca.”
He frowned suddenly and covered his eyes. He gripped his lips together firmly, but his shoulders started to shake.
Becca cried out telepathically, Dad, don’t. Please don’t cry.
He looked up, his hand still in front of his face. He peered at Becca, now visible to him and drew in a sharp breath. “I heard you inside my head and you’re wearing jeans.” He wiped his eyes.
Emma was a little surprised that she’d heard Becca at the same time. Sharing in group telepathic conversations wasn’t something that happened often in Five Bridges, perhaps another unexpected side effect of her relationship with Vaughn.
Becca smiled at her father. It helps when people see us if we look something like we did when we were alive.
“You’re so beautiful, sweetheart.” He took his wife’s hand, glancing at her. “Can you see our Becca?”
Samantha nodded, tears streaming down her face.
But, Dad, why did you do it? Mom, we never wanted this for you.
Samantha drew close to Davis, still holding his hand. “Please try to understand. We had to. But it wasn’t just your abduction that made up our minds. You know the family at the end of the street? Well, their oldest boy was given the vampire alter serum and now lives in Crescent. It’s an epidemic here in Phoenix and in about every major city throughout the country. It must be stopped. Don’t you see? We have to be part of the solution, especially since we’re each convinced that if we’d gotten involved sooner, we’d still have our family.”
Becca drew close to Davis first, and though a tangible physical embrace wasn’t possible, she slid her ghostly fingers down his face.
His brows rose and he gasped. “I could feel your touch.”
Becca nodded. Sorry I can’t do more or I’d hug you.
When she did the same for Samantha, more tears followed.
Now that the ice was broken, Emma suggested the girls and their parents move into the living room. They had a lot to discuss, and no doubt a long conversation would follow.
Emma left them alone and headed back out to the patio. She shared the details with Vaughn and Beth.
Both were just as surprised as Emma that anyone, no matter how motivated, would choose to become an alter species. While their curious attention became fixed on events in the living room, Emma watched Vaughn with his sister. Beth had been able to see the triplets for a while now and took a lot of enjoyment in their presence.
Beth sat close to him, holding his hand. She had circles beneath her eyes from both prolonged second-hand drug use as well as from years of starvation. She would regain her full health eventually, but it wouldn’t be a quick process.
When she released her brother’s hand and leaned her head against his shoulder, Vaughn slid his arm around her, holding her tight.
Beth sighed. “Look how happy the mom is. It may not be the same, but she has her daughters back.”
Vaughn nodded, his gaze also fixed to the odd family in the living room. He squeezed her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. His eyes misted over.
She knew how grateful he was to have Beth back.
Emma’s heart swelled as she watched him. She loved Vaughn with every altered fiber of her being. He’d become the sun, moon and stars to her, the spin of the planets, the breadth of the galaxy.
He took her to bed often and spent hours making love to her. She couldn’t believe he’d come into her life. She’d thought after Max’s death she’d be alone forever. Nothing about the corrupt nature of Five Bridges life had given her a reason to believe anything approaching a normal relationship could exist.
But here was Vaughn and their sharing of their alter powers and abilities had become a promise of good things to come.
He met her gaze, his lips curving softly. I love you, Emma. Even his voice had a deep tenor within her mind.
I love you, too. Thank you, Vaughn, thank you for changing everything.
~ ~ ~
Even after three weeks, Vaughn still couldn’t believe his good fortune. Together, he, Emma and Beth had defeated one of the most heinous monsters in Five Bridges, and they were all alive to tell about it.
Now he was here, held tight in the center of a family he’d never thought to have in Five Bridges. He had his sister back, and he loved Emma with all his heart.
Emma said he’d changed everything for her, but she’d done the same for him.
His gaze shifted to the triplets in the living room. The girls were lively now and fully engaged with their parents.
They, too, were a family.
He gave his sister another squeeze of her shoulders.
Beth leaned back to smile up at him. She even patted his cheek. “I should head out. I’m spending the day with my therapist, and right now I’m feeling the sun trying to crawl up my spine.”
Beth spent most of her time in therapy, working hard to recover from years of imprisonment and torture in Loghry’s labyrinth.
He glanced up at the sky, still dark and star-studded. But dawn wasn’t far away, and he was feeling a creepy sensation through the vertebrae of his back as well.
When Beth rose to her feet, he joined her along with Emma. By then, the family in the living room had made their peace with each other and were also ready to leave.
He and Emma walked them all to the front entrance. He opened the door first, stepped outside and checked Emma’s latest security spell. He wanted to make sure it was intact before anyone left the house. He was under no illusion that he and Emma were out of harm’s way. Because of their safe house, they’d become targets of the sinister elements in the province. But Emma’s spell held and seemed to grow more powerful every day. More than one spellcaster had remarked that even the dark coven witches and warlocks couldn’t create this powerful a shield.
The evolving design had striations of gray which Emma said matched his eyes. He was part spellcaster now, sort of. He didn’t make use of Emma’s spellroom or her gift creating potions, but he could draw on her abilities almost at will. They’d become a very literal power couple, probably the thing Dagen had coveted in Emma all those years.
Vaughn spent part of each night practicing the unique spellcaster skills, just as Emma worked her levitation and her recently acquired ability to create a vampire cloak to shield herself from other spellcasters. She often used her teeth to bite into his neck and give him the thrill of vampire enthrallment. He was thinking he wanted to do that again, as in now.
With everyone gone, he closed the door, then took Emma’s hand.
She squeezed it in response. “Something on your mind, Vaughn?”
How well she knew him.
He turned to her, released her hand and drew her into his arms. “You’re a feast for me these days.” He drew a lock of her long auburn hair, pulling it forward over her shoulder. “I love your hair, your beautiful green eyes, milky skin.”
Her quirky smile arrived. “And what do you want to do tonight. I mean, exactly.”
He smiled, something he was doing a lot lately. “I want your teeth in my throat like a vampire.”
He watched a full-body shiver flow over her. “I love doing that to you.” She cupped him low. “Should I do this at the same time, or would you rather I climbed on board and rode you for a while?”
For a moment, he couldn’t speak. Both images sent desire hurtling to his groin.
When he could finally open his mouth, he said, “How about we do both?”
She gave a small cry, then threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. He lifted her off the ground, teasing her lips with his tongue until she opened for him. He thrust inside steadily until her body melted against his.
He had to draw back to see where he was going, especially since he decided to levitate and make it quick. “Time for bed, Emma.”
“Oh, yes.”
He flew swiftly to the bedroom and worked hard for the next couple of hou
rs to take her repeatedly to the heights of ecstasy. His ultimate goal, however, was to wear her out because he loved having her fall asleep in his arms.
He held her now, cradled against his side.
The sun had long since risen, taking over the world of Five Bridges. Mostly his world slept through the day and would rise at night to begin the cycle once more. But now he was with Emma and together they would fight to make Five Bridges a decent place to live.
Until the night called once more, he held her close, his heart beating as one with hers, his arms savoring each rise and fall of her chest against his. She was alive, and she was his. For the rest of his life, no matter how many days he was given to be with her, finding Emma would be his solace, now and forever.
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Coming Fall 2015: Book 3 of the Flame Series - DARK FLAME: Find it on my website
Now Available: EMBRACE THE HUNT, Book 8 of the Blood Rose Series
A powerful vampire warrior. A beautiful fae of great ability. A war that threatens to destroy their love for the second time…
EMBRACE THE HUNT: Find it on my website
Coming Soon/Fall of 2015: EMBRACE THE POWER, the final installment of the Blood Rose Series! Find it on my website
Also, be sure to check out the Blood Rose Tales – TRAPPED, HUNGER, and SEDUCED -- shorter works set in the world of the Blood Rose, for quick, satisfying reads.
BLOOD ROSE TALES BOX SET: Find it on my website
LIST OF BOOKS
To read more about each one, check out my books page: http://www.carisroane.com/books/
The Flame Series…
BLOOD FLAME: Find it now on Amazon
The Blood Rose Series...
BLOOD ROSE SERIES BOX SET, featuring Book #1 Embrace The Dark, Book #2 Embrace The Magic, And Book #3 Embrace The Mystery. Find it now on Amazon
EMBRACE THE DARK #1: Free on Amazon
EMBRACE THE MAGIC #2: Find it now on Amazon
EMBRACE THE MYSTERY #3: Find it now on Amazon
EMBRACE THE PASSION #4: Find it now on Amazon
EMBRACE THE NIGHT #5: Find it now on Amazon
EMBRACE THE WILD #6: Find it now on Amazon
EMBRACE THE WIND #7: Find it now on Amazon
EMBRACE THE HUNT #8: Find it now on Amazon
LOVE IN THE FORTRESS #8.1 (Companion to EMBRACE THE HUNT): Find it now on Amazon
BLOOD ROSE TALES BOX SET: Find it now on Amazon
Guardians of Ascension Series...
VAMPIRE COLLECTION (Includes BRINK OF ETERNITY): Find it now on Amazon
THE DARKENING: Find it now on Amazon
RAPTURE’S EDGE – 1 – AWAKENING: Find it now on Amazon
RAPTURE’S EDGE – 2 – VEILED: Find it now on Amazon
Amulet Series...
WICKED NIGHT/DARK NIGHT (Boxed Set): Find it now on Amazon
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Caris Roane is the New York Times bestselling author of thirty-two paranormal romance books. Writing as Valerie King, she has published fifty novels and novellas in Regency Romance. Caris lives in Phoenix, Arizona, loves gardening, enjoys the birds and lizards in her yard, but really doesn’t like scorpions!
Find out more about Caris on her website!
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Author of:
Guardians of Ascension Series – Warriors of the Blood crave the breh-hedden
Dawn of Ascension Series – Militia Warriors battle to save Second Earth
Rapture’s Edge Series (Part of Guardians of Ascension) – Second earth warriors travel to Third to save three dimensions from a tyrant’s heinous ambitions
Blood Rose Series – Only a blood rose can fulfill a mastyr vampire’s deepest needs
Blood Rose Tales – Short tales of mastyr vampires who hunger to be satisfied
Men in Chains Series – Vampires struggling to get free of their chains and save the world
The Flame Series – Vampires battle it out with witches for control of their world