by Ford, Rinna
Xan wrapped his arms around my shoulders, bringing me into his chest. “I usually am. Baby, why don’t you do your thing so we can relax for a bit, huh?”
I looked up at him in confusion, then it dawned on me. He wanted me to spell the room so no one would be able to enter. I learned the spell from Dev’s book and had been using it everywhere we decided to rest as added protection.
I nodded and pulled away from my mate, walking into the center of the room.
“Bon vorta tiamos.”
The words were spoken softly, but clearly. A ripple of power moved from my center out to the walls, doors, windows, ceiling, and floor of the room, sealing us in.
“You’re getting good at that,” my mate told me and reached for his bag. “You want to shower first, last, or at the same time?”
I tilted my head and gave him an incredulous look. Silly dragon.
Without actually answering, I reached for the hem of my shirt, pulling it up and over my head. I dropped it on the floor next to me and turned around, heading for the bathroom while I reached behind me for my bra’s clasp. Before I had a chance to unhook it, my hands were pushed aside and replaced with larger, familiar ones. His mouth found the crook of my neck as he slid the bra forward, sliding it off my arms and dropping it to the floor.
He reached around, palming my breasts and pushing them together in the same movement. I smiled and closed my eyes because feeling his hands on me was heaven, especially when it was something like that. My mate knew exactly what felt good and what felt incredible. He was a master of my body and used it to my advantage whenever he could.
Xan continued walking me forward until we got to the bathroom door, where he stopped and turned me around so our backs were against the opposite sides of the frame. The wood felt rough against my back, but I didn’t care. All that mattered was the shifter in front of me and what he was doing to me.
“So fuckin’ gorgeous,” he murmured against my collarbone as he worked his way down, sucking and licking my skin. “So milky white and perfect. All for me…”
He kneeled down in front of me, kissing my stomach as his nimble fingers unbuttoned my jeans and worked them down my legs. I lifted one foot at a time, allowing him to remove the offending clothing easier.
He continued working his way down toward my left inner thigh, bringing my leg up and over his shoulder as his mouth found my sensitive heat. He licked, sucked, and nibbled around my pussy, never using anything other than his mouth to give me pleasure. It was maddening and exciting all at the same time. I didn’t know what he was going to do next, but I did know for a fact, whatever it was, it would feel damn good.
When I was a moaning, weak mess, Xander removed my leg from his shoulder and stood up, kissing me soundly. I could taste myself on his tongue and that only made me more excited.
His hands worked on his pants and underwear, pulling them down and off his body, followed by his shirt so he was as naked as I was. Having him naked in front of me, underneath me, behind me… it was always my ultimate goal when it came to us, and my mate never left me disappointed.
“Hang onto the doorframe, baby,” he told me.
I didn’t really understand his command and my face showed it until he lifted me up, lining my pussy with his cock and pulling me straight down onto it. I leaned back into the doorframe and my fingers curled around the small ledge of wood at the top, giving me the support I needed while Xan knifed in and out of me.
It was new and something I didn’t expect, but from that angle, it all felt so amazing. It didn’t matter my fingers began to cramp up within minutes of the pounding I was taking. I didn’t care. I stared into Xan’s beautiful eyes and came undone in front of him. He followed right behind me and his movements slowed until he was spent.
He lifted me off of his cock and slid me back down to Earth, kissing my neck and shoulder as he did it.
“My world,” he murmured against my skin.
“And you’re mine,” I replied, because it was the truth.
Chapter Four
Xander and I walked into the dining room feeling more refreshed and relaxed than we had been since running from Dev and Ainsley’s. We knew we weren’t exactly safe being there in a strange place, knowing no one, but we at least knew we were the safest we could be at the moment. Until things were resolved with the Council and their strict rules about the races mixing, we would never be completely out of harm.
The fact I surprised Di with my magical abilities was also a boost to my overall attitude. If I could knock her, the leader of this little troop, off her game, then it must be something, right? Hopefully she would think twice before trying to use my mate or me.
If Di and her stooges learned Xan’s dad was Chei Yun Liu, the head Councilman for the shifters, then it was a possibility she would either try to throw him out of the house out of fear, or she would try to use him against his father. It was obvious that Chei Yun loved his son and would do anything for him. I also knew Chei Yun was a good man for the most part, like Xan said, but I still didn’t care for him. How could I? My world crumbled when I was twelve, because of his “duty” to the Council.
I shook my head to clear the thoughts and took Xander’s hand, squeezing it gently. He smiled down at me then looked into the room. After our delightful shower, Xan and I talked about the situation we were in and what our next steps should be. For one, we needed to try to make sure people there didn’t know about my dual nature and his parentage. That was a no-brainer. The second thing we needed to do was learn as much as we could about the rebellion we were in. We had no plan to out them to the Council and we were on the fence about helping them, but information was power. We needed to be prepared for anything.
We were some of the first people to arrive for dinner so we found a couple of seats on the far side of the table and sat down. A few people were bringing platters of food in and setting them along the center of the large table before returning to the kitchen for what I assumed was more food. It would stand to reason that the majority of the supes in the house ate food rather than blood, so I imagined with 20-some people that would mean a lot of it was needed.
We watched as more and more people came in and found seats around the table, leaving the chairs around us empty. The residents eyed us warily and made no effort to talk to us, that was until our guide into the crazy house, Grayson walked in holding the hand of a much smaller woman with fair, almost porcelain-looking skin and long hair. It was jet black and slowly changed color all the way down to deep red. She was gorgeous, and completely contrasted with the bear of a man she was holding hands with.
Grayson smiled at us and led the woman to the chairs directly across from us. He let go of her hand and pulled out her chair, letting her smoothly glide into her seat. Her demeanor screamed vampire with how perfectly beautiful she was, but then I realized that she was a caster instead.
Wait. Grayson was obviously a shifter, if I couldn’t tell by his smell and his size, and he was holding hands with someone from another supernatural species. The way they acted, they were definitely a couple. They revolved around each other.
I looked down the table and noticed almost all of the people were coupled with someone from another species. Since meeting vampires, I was getting pretty good at distinguishing all three species by looks and smell. I squeezed Xan’s hand under the table when the realization hit me.
Di was telling the truth about the rebellion’s wants for a united society. The residents of the mansion were all refugees of a sort. They were hiding.
“I don’t know you. Who are you?” the woman narrowed her eyes and stared us down as she leaned forward in her seat.
I raised one eyebrow and my girl crush quickly faded away with her rudeness.
“Camille,” Grayson sighed. “Don’t pay any attention to her.” He then turned back to us. “She, like everyone else here, is a little scared of newcomers. Babycakes, they’re the people I was telling you about.”
Grayson was turned back
toward the woman and was trying to get her to see reason, but it only angered Xan and me. He told someone about me?
“What did you tell her?” Xan asked, his teeth clenched together.
Grayson sighed and collapsed back in his chair, obviously feeling torn between us and the woman beside him.
“What do you think he told me?” Red shot back at Xan.
Boy, she was rude.
“Hey, I just told her there were some new people Di was helping out, that’s all. I swear it, man.” He held up his hands in surrender, and I could tell he meant it. There was no fight in him at that moment.
I started to feel bad for our guide, for more than the singular reason that he was trying to keep our secret. His girlfriend was a bitch.
“But you’re obviously a mated pair. What could Di be helping you with? Huh?”
I huffed out an exasperated laugh as Xan growled at the same time. My eyes slowly shifted down the table and noticed everyone there was not so subtly paying attention to our conversation. They were all curious too. At least they weren’t rude about it like the one in front of me.
“We are a mated shifter pair. Is that a problem?” I finally answered Camille the bitch.
“You don’t belong here, so yeah, it’s a problem.”
Her eyes glowed with anger and I sat stiffly in my chair, my expression reflecting hers, and waited for her to make a move, but Grayson beat me to it.
“Now hold on, Camille,” he said to the woman turning her chair to face him. “If Di’s helping them, that’s none of your business. You know I can’t tell you their reasons for being here, but trust me, they need our help. So, stop acting spiteful and just believe me when I say they belong.”
He put his beefy hand on her cheek and she visibly deflated in front of us. It was weird how fast her entire demeanor changed.
She sighed and leaned her face further into his hand. “You know I trust you.”
“Then let it go.”
She nodded and turned back around toward us. “I still don’t like you,” she told me.
“Believe me, honey, the feeling is mutual.”
Look at me, making enemies wherever I went. How fun. I understood her hesitancy to accept us and that stung. We lived in a society where her relationship with Grayson was forbidden and there we were, a sanctioned mated shifter pair. At least, that was what we appeared to be. I wondered if she and the others could even figure out my situation wasn’t exactly what they thought. Could they sense my dual nature like Grayson and Di could? They had to be able to, right?
People started digging in before I could think on it any further, and Xan and I followed suit. I ate slowly while I observed the people around me. They all seemed to somewhat relax after Grayson’s assurances, but I could tell they were still curious. I would be if I were in their position, which in fact, I was in a way.
I swallowed a bite of food then turned my attention back to Grayson.
“How long have you and Camille been together?” I asked him. I knew the question would seem probing, but I was just trying to be polite and make conversation.
“Why do you want to know?” Camille snapped.
“She’s just trying to be nice,” Grayson quietly told her. “We’ve been together here for about a year. We were together in secret for a lot longer than that.” He squeezed her leg and smiled sweetly at her. She melted in front of us again. “When Di told us about this place and what they were trying to do, we had to come and be a part of it, you know? I mean, she may not be my fated mate, but I could never live without her. Never.”
The pair looked deep into each other’s eyes and I felt their love for each other. I glanced at Xan with watery eyes and I saw him watching me, trying to gauge my expression.
I tilted my head up and gave him a slow, gentle kiss before pulling away and wiping the unshed tear from my face. Xan and I may be fated, but I’d choose him all on my own if I had to. I always would.
“I completely understand,” I told them. “I’m glad you both found each other.”
Camille raised one eyebrow in surprise, but then shrugged and took a sip from her glass.
The rest of the meal was quiet as everyone talked in hushed tones to the people around them. We were almost finished when I noticed Di saunter in and pull out the chair next to Camille. She was holding onto a crystal goblet filled with a deep red liquid. Blood obviously, and slowly sank into the cushion.
She took a dainty sip then lowered her glass to the table and sat back in her chair.
“How are you two settling in?” she questioned us. “Everyone treating you well?”
“As well as can be expected,” I smiled diplomatically.
“Oh? Please explain.”
“People are curious, that’s all,” Grason answered for me.
She looked back between Xander and me. “You mean you haven’t told anyone what you are yet? Interesting. We’re all friends here!”
Xander growled and put both hands on the table as he rose to standing and leaned forward toward the vampire. I gripped his closest arm and stood up beside him.
“I’m sure you can understand why, Di,” I sneered at her. Man, I really didn’t like her. “And we would appreciate if you let us tell people our story in our own time. I mean, it is our story, isn’t it?”
She smiled back at me condescendly, unfazed by our posture. “The Council is corrupt, Emelia. I’m sure you know that being what you are. You can do some real good here.” Xander and I both growled loudly, but she kept going. “We want to help you and in return, we want you to help us. Don’t you see that this relationship can be mutually beneficial?”
“All we see, right at this moment, is you plan on using your leverage against us to make us do your bidding,” my mate replied. “But hear me, vampire. We will not be used. My mate will not be your puppet.”
She laughed and waved her hand in the air, dismissing him. “Who said anything about using either one of you? We just want your help. That’s all! I swear it.”
She smiled sweetly, but you could see she didn’t really mean it. I gripped Xander’s arm tighter and began pulling him away from the table. We needed to regroup. This woman was getting under both of our skins and we were giving too much away.
“We had a long trip and we’re both pretty tired, Di. I hope you don’t mind us skipping out on chores, just this one time.”
“I think we can make tonight an exception,” she replied thoughtfully before dismissing us with a dainty wave. “Sweet dreams, you two.”
I nodded my head before dragging Xander further out of the room and to the staircase. Once we hit the first step, he all but scooped me up and ran up the stairs to our room, closing the door and turning the lock.
“Ward. Now, Emi,” he commanded.
I didn’t hesitate. The spell flew from my lips with the power rushing out toward the room around me, sealing us in safely.
“They’re gonna know,” I told him before he was able to speak. “The people will figure it out, sooner rather than later because it’s easy to tell how different I am. Please, hear me out.” I put my hand up when he began to speak. He pinched his lips together angrily and waited for me to continue. “They’re scared, Xan. Don’t you see? Those people are my parents. They just want to be able to be together and they’ve been told it’s wrong. The people here need to know our situation, my situation, in order to accept us!”
Xan turned away and began pacing the length of the room. He then suddenly stopped and faced me, enraged.
“Why? We don’t need them! We don’t need anyone else, Emi! Just you and me! Secrets are meant to be kept quiet because they can hurt the people the secrets are about! I will not lose you because someone can’t keep their mouth shut!”
His chest was heaving with anger and desperation, and all I wanted to do was have him hold me. So that’s what I did. I walked slowly toward him and wrapped my arms around his waist. It wasn’t long before he held me back.
“Xan. I love you,” I si
ghed, “but we do need help. We have no plan. I am being hunted because of who I am and we don’t have any idea what to do about it. Honey, we’re out of options. I wish it could just be you and me, but this so much more than we can handle on our own. You have to see that.”
He let out a deep breath as the anger slipped away and lay his head on top of mine in defeat, but he didn’t answer me. My mate wanted to protect me from the entire world, but he wasn’t strong enough. Not by himself. I knew that it stung, but there was nothing I could do about it.
I pulled away and looked up at his solemn face.
“These people have almost as much to lose as we do if the Council finds out about this place. We may not know anyone here or even trust them, but we should at least trust their desire to stay together. So tomorrow, we start over. We become open and honest, and hope we make allies because we need all the help we can get.”
He took a deep breath and nodded. “I still don’t trust her. That bitch is up to something. I know it.”
I knew he was referring to Di without ever saying her name.
“I agree. We’ll keep an eye on her and her inner circle while we try to win over the other supernaturals here.”
He leaned down and gave me a slow peck on the lips and sighed. “I hope you’re right about all this.”
“Me too, honey. Me too.”
Chapter Five
The next morning I was slipping on my brown boots when I heard a knock on the door. Xander stuck his head around the bathroom door, his toothbrush sticking out of his mouth and a scowl on his face.
I finished zipping up my boot and padded over to the door. “Who is it?” I asked and put my hand to the door’s surface.
“Irna,” the person on the other side replied in a soft tone. “I wanted to see if you needed help at breakfast.”
I glanced over my shoulder at Xan to see him dart his head back into the bathroom, and then released the protection ward on the room and opened the door. The caster shifted from foot to foot, appearing nervous, much like she did the day before. I didn’t want her to be scared of me, but I understood her hesitancy if she was my uncle’s fated mate. What an awful situation we were in.