“Yeah. You okay?” Santiago asked, his eyebrows drawn together. Jace hoped the wolf shifter didn’t get a whiff of his arousal.
“Yeah, it’s just an emergency at the hospital,” Jace responded as he made his way to the front door.
“Ok, see you later. Thanks for the help,” Orlando called out to him.
“Sure. Elsie, Cailyn, it was great to meet you. Hopefully, I’ll see you again soon,” Jace said to the two females.
He allowed himself one last look at Cailyn. He had been covertly stealing glances at her since his arrival. She was stunning with her light-brown hair and hazel eyes. And then there were her big, full breasts. They way her flesh overflowed from the v-neck sweater should be outlawed.
He scrambled out the door and gulped down the fresh air once the door shut behind him. It wasn’t enough as the image of Cailyn was imprinted on his mind forever. Disconcerted by the arousal, he scrambled for the nearby bushes. Anger coursed like lava through his veins as he lost the contents of his stomach. It was always the same.
*****
Excitement raced through Zander’s veins as he impatiently wiped the rain from his eyes as he stood outside Elsie’s apartment. He missed her already. It had been several hours since they talked. He shook his head in disbelief. Him, sitting and talking with a human. He was a man of action and struggled to sit through council meetings when they ran long, but he loved every second with Elsie. He had never enjoyed anything more in his long life and wanted to be back in that apartment with her.
He learned so much about her. They couldn’t be more different. She loved to cook where he didn’t have the first clue as to how to boil water. He had chefs to prepare meals.
Elsie was a hands-on female, and constantly touched everyone around her. He suspected she needed the physical contact. Zander was more comfortable with several feet of space between him and those around him, except where she was concerned. He wanted her as close as possible.
Zander could use someone like Elsie to help him rule the vampires. There was this aura about her. She went out of her way to make sure each of them felt welcomed and their needs were met. The only thing he gave was orders. It would go a long way with his subjects and warriors if he focused on them as individuals.
Their differences highlighted everything he needed in his life, but she was human. She was vulnerable and easily killed which made her determination for vengeance so frightening. Zander knew Elsie wasn’t going to let that go until she had eliminated every skirm. He forced back his anger over that before it led to him do something he’d regret. He hadn’t experienced this fear since his parents were killed. He loved her tenacity but it was a double-edged sword.
Orlando’s voice brought him back to the matter at hand. “What do we do about SOVA? You didn’t manage to get any new information from her and Killian hasn’t been able to find anything out.”
None of them had any idea how difficult making these decisions were. Zander took a deep, calming breath. Honeysuckle had his body tight as a bow-string. Blood rushed through his veins, and his heart raced. He’d never felt so alive, and he wanted to lose himself in Elsie’s delectable heat so badly his balls hurt.
“We are going to have to follow her and the others when they hunt. ‘Tis the only way we will be able to gather more information,” Zander offered.
He paused and considered the female who captured his attention. Elsie was remarkable, and he almost lost it at her sounds of pleasure over the caramels. He imagined dripping caramel all over her body and slowly licking up every drop, paying special attention to her nipples. He would lap it from her sex until she was screaming his name.
He shuddered with repressed desire. Not having Elsie was more torture than spending hours in the sun. He closed his eyes as he held his breath and regained some composure. His eyes opened to meet his warriors’ curious stares.
He ignored the questions he saw there. He didn’t have the answers. “Get to your patrols and keep an eye oot for the SOVA members,” Zander ordered.
“Liege, are you joining us tonight?” Gerrick asked.
“If you ask me, he’s staying right here to ogle Elsie. It’s what I would do in the same position. The skirm are hard to pass up, but—” Gerrick smacked Orlando on the back of his head, cutting off his ribbing.
“Santi, Gerrick, you guys join Rhys downtown. Orlando, stay here with me. I need to enter her dreams to see if I can get information on SOVA. As you pointed oot, we don’t have the information we need. You will protect me while I dreamwalk with her,” he stated.
Ignoring his desire to ravish Elsie, Zander watched Santiago and Gerrick disappear into the shadows.
“I want her to trust us and confide in us. I will be there as much as possible, but you need to get closer to her since I canna be there during the day. And, Orlando, by closer, I doona mean that you tup her. That is something I willna tolerate. She mentioned her sister is leaving tomorrow, so my guess is that she will be meeting with SOVA soon. Hopefully, we will find oot who their members are. If they are patrolling for skirm, we need to keep them safe,” he expressed to Orlando.
“That will be my pleasure. I like Elsie. She’s spunky,” Orlando responded readily.
Zander bit back his jealousy. Realistically, he had no reason to have such feelings. He wasn’t planning to take the relationship further with Elsie, no matter how much the desire beat at him.
Anxious to be near her again, he leaned back against the evergreen, closed his eyes, and accessed his dreamwalking powers. Within moments, he was inside her mind and immediately stunned. She was dreaming about making love to him. He hadn’t expected that. Shocked by the erotic nature, he forgot to cloak his presence. He wanted to be inside her alluring body.
He would lose control if he went anywhere near her. “I canna do this, ‘tis too much,” Zander choked out in a whisper.
Intending to take one last look, he became transfixed by the sight of her breasts as they jiggled, and the desire to leave died. Need consumed him. Before he could form a coherent thought, he felt his shaft enveloped by her tight sheath and was pounding into her body from behind. He had lost control of his dreamwalking for the first time in his existence.
His fangs shot out from his gums with a hiss, as his lust for her blood rivaled his desire for her body. He could not recall a time in his life when he felt a stronger bloodlust. His eyes fixated on the pounding flow of blood through the main artery in her delectable neck. He could lean forward and take a sample and she would never know. He clenched his jaw shut, refusing to give into that desire but he was unable to stop his cock from thrusting into her heat. Nothing had ever felt so good.
He reached around and grabbed her breasts. Her rosy nipples pearled in his hands. He pinched and pulled, eliciting a moan from her.
“Oh, Zander, yes. Dear God, don’t stop,” she cried out. The way she pleaded his name sent him into a frenzy.
It didn’t matter to him that he was not physically with her. Spiritually, physically, and emotionally, he had never experienced anything more satisfying. The connection between them was tangible. He forgot that she was a fragile human and grabbed her breasts, slamming into her molten core. Her muscles began to tremble and spasm. She was close. He gave her breasts and nipples one last squeeze and ran his hands down the silky planes of her abdomen.
Elsie’s skin was soft as cotton, and he caressed the slight roundness of her stomach before trailing his fingers lower. He was touching and making love to her. His hands shook with emotion as he worshipped her body. His fingers grazed her closely shorn mons then found the engorged nub at the apex of her thighs. It throbbed beneath his fingers. He wished they were awake and experiencing this in person. He was beyond the moon that this fiery, little female wanted him despite the fact she had rejected any thought of a relationship.
Her body clenched his shaft tightly, and he groaned in pleasure. “Careful, a ghra, I want this to last. You bring me to my knees and unhinge me. Goddess, you feel incredible.”
“Oh, yes. Zander…I’m close…” He knew what she needed. He pinched her clitoris and rolled it between his fingers and she detonated.
Elsie cried out her pleasure. Zander stilled and clenched his teeth against the spasms surrounding his cock. Not yet. He wanted that again.
He continued to tease her flesh and brought her down only to withdraw and slam back in.
“No, it’s too much. I can’t,” she protested while she continued to meet him thrust for thrust.
“Yes, you can, a ghra. I want to feel that again,” he growled as his hands explored her back and the round globes of her firm ass.
His movements became frantic, and he chastised himself. Get control, he admonished. Savor her. Show her how pleasurable it can be. Don’t rut on her like a rabid animal.
He slowed his movements, but her lust was too high. “Mmmm…no, harder. Please,” she begged.
A beast took over. One that was intent upon having all of her. He bared his fangs as he pounded into her and lowered his head to her neck. A much needed moment of clarity struck. She feared vampires and wouldn’t like being bit by one.
He kissed and sucked the tender flesh of her neck then traveled to nip her ear. Her breathing was erratic, and her muscles clenched his cock. She was getting close again, and he couldn’t hold back much longer.
“Zander,” she pleaded, and attempted to turn around and look at him.
With one hand, he grabbed her hair, holding her head in place so that she wouldn’t see the glow from his eyes or his fangs. She arched and moaned. He nudged her legs with his knees, spreading her wider to him. He sank impossibly deeper, and a groan slipped out. “You...are so verra…beautiful,” he groaned while he continued his frenetic pace.
He refused to cum before she gave him another orgasm. His free hand rubbed across her buttock and hip then curved around. His fingers slid through her slick channel. He rubbed and pinched her clitoris, sending her tumbling into another orgasm.
Eyes squeezed shut, Elsie screamed his name over and over. It was enough to send him over the edge.
“Fuck. I’m cumming…Elsie!” he shouted as his hot seed filled her.
His release continued and showed no sign of waning. Pain tore through his back, scorching his skin. He arched and tried to see what it was even while his release raged on. Pleasure and pain surrounded him until he knew nothing else.
“Holy crap, you’re amazing. Damn, I love this dream…It’s…oh, shit, I’m going to cum again,” Elsie gasped as he pounded her body.
Zander leaned over and growled, “Give it to me. Give it all to me,” and ground himself against her ass. That was all it took.
After Goddess only knew how long, their orgasms ended and they collapsed to the bed. His weight was probably crushing her, but his body couldn’t move. He managed to roll to the side, pulling her with him, mindful of his burning back.
“That was incredible,” he breathed as he traced circles on her arms and kissed her neck.
Zander glanced down and was stunned silent. There was an iridescent Celtic cross behind her left ear. It couldn’t be…
“This isn’t real,” she murmured.
“What?” he replied sharply as he stared at the mark behind her ear. It was more real than Elsie realized.
“Dream,” she reminded him. “This is a dream.”
“Felt more real to me than any encounter I’ve ever had.”
Zanders powers slipped away and he woke from his dreamwalking. The hard bark of the evergreen tree scraped the brand on his back, reminding him what happened.
Elsie was his Fated Mate.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Elsie and Cailyn drove through the entrance to Mt. Pleasant Cemetery to visit Dalton. It was her and Dalton’s wedding anniversary, and she needed to be close to him. It was the second anniversary without him, and her black hole throbbed. After her erotic dream about Zander the night before, she was racked with guilt. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t real. She had betrayed Dalton.
She gazed out the windshield at the beautiful landscaping. Mt. Pleasant was forty acres atop a hill in the middle of the historic Queen Anne district in Seattle, and was home to the largest variety of mature trees in any cemetery on the west coast. The sprawl of gravestones interspersed with the trees created a calm and peaceful atmosphere, even though it was a place of death.
She parked on the street close to Dalton’s gravesite. All those months ago, an invisible hand guided her to this particular spot. Stone angels topped the marble headstones. Each enormous angel had outstretched, black wings and stood sentry at the entrance to this section of the cemetery. She exited her car and waited for her sister. She took the flowers from Cailyn’s hand and walked across the sprawling lawn.
She traced her fingers across one of the intricate black wings of Dalton’s angel. Goosebumps raced across her skin. There was leashed energy beneath the stone. She couldn’t explain or describe what she felt, but her sister agreed. Neither of them understood why certain objects felt different to them, but they learned at a young age to keep their abilities and odd experiences to themselves. Elsie shook off her brooding. Dalton’s angel stood amongst these powerful protectors and brought her comfort.
“I love these headstones. The first time I saw them, they spoke to me. They remind me of Dalton and how he protected, and gave his life, for those kids,” Elsie confessed.
Her black hole pulsed painfully in her chest. She missed him so much, and it was worse today because she betrayed him.
She knelt in the damp grass over Dalton’s grave, and placed the flowers in his vase. “I love you, D. I miss you so much. I was able to get new detectives assigned to your case. They told me that Jag did this to you and that he is dead now…” she broke off and let the tears flow.
Her sister crouched next to her and smoothed the tendrils of hair from her face that escaped her ponytail, and handed her a tissue. Elsie wiped her eyes. Cailyn was always taking care of her. It warmed some of the ice around her heart.
Her sister was the one she went to when she had been called a ‘freak’ and teased at school. When Elsie’s first boyfriend had dumped her, they shared a gallon of chocolate ice cream. And when Dalton proposed, Cailyn was the first person she called. She was there for her best days, and for her worst. She was the best big sister imaginable, and Elsie thanked God every day for blessing her with Cailyn.
“I’m so sorry that you’re going through this. I wish I could take your pain away,” Cailyn cooed.
Elsie put her arm around Cailyn and hugged her tight. “I love you, sis. Thanks for being here for me.”
“I wouldn’t be anywhere else. We’re all that we have now,” Cailyn said with a squeeze.
They sat in silence, arm in arm, for some time. Elsie’s arm fell to her side when Cailyn crouched, making kissy noises.
“Come here, kitty, kitty,” her sister crooned.
Elsie looked over and noticed a beautiful, white cat approaching Dalton’s burial plot. The animal was solid white except for one black spot on one of its front legs. They laughed as it rolled over and exposed its stomach for attention.
As they petted the cat, it dawned on Elsie what seemed familiar about the animal. “Look at its eyes, Cai. The green color reminds me of Orlando’s eyes,” she stated.
Picking up the cat, she stroked its soft fur. The cat curled into her chest, purring loudly.
“This little guy has no collar. I wonder where he belongs. He doesn’t look malnourished or anything,” Cailyn speculated as she reached over and petted the cat’s head.
They both scanned their surroundings, searching for its owner. There wasn’t another soul in the place. Was it homeless? Elsie hadn’t seen it in the cemetery before. Unfortunately, she had stuff to do and didn’t have time to search for its owner, so she set it down with a final pat on its head.
She stood up and watched the cat run into a stand of trees at the outskirts of the gravesites. She turned to her sister and blinked against t
he tears welling in her eyes. “As much as I hate to see you go, we’d better get you to the airport.”
Her sister wiped her cheeks with her thumbs. “Hey, none of that. I’ll be back in a couple of months for your graduation.”
*****
The day Zander had waited for his entire life had finally occurred, yet it brought no peace. He was going out of his mind. Images from his dream with Elsie tortured him.
His connection to her grew by the minute, and through that bond he sensed her conflict. She shifted from grief and sadness to guilt and shame and back again with dizzying speed. He surmised that Elsie was agonizing over the passion she not only welcomed but instigated in the dream.
Discovering one’s Fated Mate was a day to celebrate. Especially considering there had been a mating curse in the realm for seven centuries.
Zander was given the grandest blessing in the realm, yet there were no parties, no big announcement, and no celebration. The Goddess had not blessed a single soul with their Fated Mate for seven hundred and fifteen years. This was huge news, and he wanted to share it with his subjects and give them the hope they had longed for, but fate was biting him in the ass.
He was given a human mate, and was honored, but also worried about her vulnerability and fragility. And then there was the fact that his mate was involved with a vigilante group that hated what she believed were his kind. The cherry topper would be that his enemies killed her husband and she refused to entertain the idea of a romantic relationship with anyone.
Frustration beat at Zander. He hated not knowing anything, yet couldn’t go to her until the sun set. Unable to tolerate anymore he sent Orlando to his mate’s apartment in his place.
The warrior informed him that he followed her and her sister to her late husband’s grave. That explained the grief. Zander ordered Orlando to shift and stay close to her. Now, he was pacing his rooms, waiting for an update. When his frayed nerves were ready to snap, his cell phone rang.
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