by Tessa Lane
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Laina sat on her bed, already garbed for her wedding. She was alone, brushing her hair, which would soon be braided with pearls and gems. She heard rough growling from outside, and she ran to her window and looked down. “Michael,” she whispered, and she ran down the front steps with the clan close behind her. And she saw her love, vicious and wild, growling at the vampires surrounding her.
The vampires rose up in the air, poised for attack, but Laina turned and screamed up at them. She saw the dagger in Michael’s mouth, and she grabbed it. Brandishing the knife, she stood close to Michael, and the vampires moved farther away, into the air. “This will destroy you!” she screamed at them, and Byron floated farther away.
“Listen to her,” Byron screamed, and Laina was glad he believed in her power. “Let her go,” he said. “The king will deal with her in his own good time.”
Michael growled and pulled at Laina’s skirts with his teeth. She ran with him, not looking back, until they were in the woods once more. She remembered her mother’s face, icy with rage and fear, and she knew the king would destroy them for this.
Chapter Ten
They found shelter some hours later, another shallow cave, so like the others. Laina was pale with fear, and she held her Wolfen lover close, clinging to his body. She had the dagger now, but how could she kill her father unless he drank? And the king might have a dagger of his own. She felt her mortality like never before, and she was sure, before dawn came, that she and Michael would die.
The wolf licked her hands and face with affection. He did not seem frightened, and she longed for dawn, longed for the sun that would change him, so that she could talk to him. She stared out at the night sky, and she waited for her doom.
Michael slept, and she stroked his silvery fur. At least I shall have these moments with him, she thought, for nothing else has ever made me happy.
And the skies remained empty, and then grew lighter.
He was here, a man again. He thrashed and trembled, and she held him close, feeling his long limbs pressed tight against her body. She felt faint, just at his touch, and they kissed deeply and hungrily, their tongues entwined. The cave was cold, and the stone floor was hard, but it did not matter. Her whole body was on fire as he went on kissing her and tearing her bodice so that he could suck her breasts.
She pushed up her skirts with one hand, desperate for him, and grabbed at his body. “Please,” she begged. He entered her, and she moaned so loudly, for it had never been this good before, and she gave herself over to him more completely than ever before. Her eyes were closed tight as she felt him move in and out of her, and she opened them to slits, and saw his face, so perfect in the gloom. She shuddered, long deep shudders that wracked her body, and the pleasure seemed to go on, over and over again, in waves.
Michael spilled his hot seed inside of her and lay against her chest, his breathing ragged. Neither spoke, and they were entwined for many moments in quiet ecstasy, until Michael rose up and covered her bare chest with his shirt.
“I killed your father,” he said. “But I will kill no more of them. We will leave this forest forever, and we will have our dagger, always ready, and we will begin anew.”
“He is gone?” Laina murmured. A world without the king did not even seem possible.
“Yes, gone forever, turned to grey ash, and he cannot keep us apart anymore. No one can.”
“But your revenge is not complete,” she said, staring into his strange eyes. He was fully a man now, so strong, and she could not stop staring at his beauty, which always made her dizzy and weak with love for him.
“It does not matter anymore. Being away from you is too high a price for revenge. Even the few nights we spent apart were like a hell that I cannot relive. From this day forward, you shall be mine, my mate, and we will live somewhere where they do not dare to come.”
“My mother is not so powerful,” Laina said. “And Byron is afraid. He knows what I can do. When the king does not return, the clan will suffer, and there will be power struggles, and infighting. The clan will not hold. They will scatter in terror. We shall be safe . . . for now.”
“We will find a new place, a perfect home, and you will paint your pictures upon the walls. We will lie in front of the fire, and we will be together forever. The Creator has blessed us, and I have more powers now. I can truly protect you as I failed to do before.”
“You have never failed me. When I was away from you, I could barely survive. And then you came . . . you came for me.”
“You are my mate. Never again will anyone harm you or make you do their will. I swear it.”
Laina laughed softly and reached out her arms for him. The sun was shining, warming their dim and simple shelter, and her eyes were warmer still. “I love you, my Wolfen lover. I will love you forever, through the veils of the worlds, through . . . anything.”
“And I love you, my darling. My angel . . . whatever you are. I accept it, and I love you for it.”
Laina’s heart was light as they went on their journey. There was nothing more she could want, but simply to walk by his side. By day, she rested with him and made love to him. By night, she moved over the land with him, closer to freedom. Laina felt quiet joy as the Great Forest became only a memory. They found a new place where they were safe. The new cave was a sanctuary, close to another village, and she feared nothing now. She knew their love was a shield, blessed by the Creator. No one could harm them anymore.
The End
About the Author
Tessa Lane is devoted to writing the hottest erotica for today’s readers. She enjoys playing Mozart and Bach on her piano as well as red wine, French perfumes, and great works of literature.