by Bea Paige
“What are you doing, Cia?”
“I…” I can’t explain that I feel inadequate.
“Don’t do that,” he says, snatching the throw from my body. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. Can’t you see what you do to me? Never cover yourself,” he grinds out, angry now.
I pull my knees to my chest, all the confidence I’d had a moment before smothered by sudden debilitating shyness.
“Uncross your arms,” he demands.
I look at him, my eyes wide.
“Cia, uncross your arms,” he says again, more gently this time. My arms fall away. “Straighten your legs,” he orders, his eyes never leaving mine. The sharp points of his teeth lower from his gums, pressing into his bottom lip, and this time I am not afraid of them. My heart rate increases as he removes his underwear. He stands before me, unapologetic in his virility. I press my legs together at his obvious appreciation.
“See what you do to me, Cia. This cannot be faked. You are beautiful, every part of you calls to me. The Claiming isn’t just about desire, it is about giving yourself up wholeheartedly to another, trusting them to take you over the edge. It is about accepting your most basic of instincts and allowing yourself the gift of pleasure. I stand before you naked, wanting you more than I have ever wanted another. Are you willing to accept me as I am willing to accept you?”
“Yes.” The word slips from my mouth before I am even able to think about it.
As he approaches, thoughts of Ezra and Devin flit cross my mind. I do feel attracted to Devin, and despite Ezra’s abrupt nature there is something about him I am also drawn to. Despite them both wishing for the Claiming to take place, the ridiculous thought that I am cheating on them somehow enters my head.
“Accacia, stay with me,” Rhain whispers, and the thoughts flutter away as he kneels on the bed, distracting me with his ocean deep eyes and sinful voice.
He lowers his mouth to the curve of my foot as his hands massage my ankles. Then he moves higher, his tongue and lips snaking a blaze of fire across my skin. I cannot take my eyes off him as he moves slowly up my body, his wet hair dropping cold droplets of water onto my heated skin. The tattoo on his arm seems to swirl and pulse as he pushes my legs apart, nestling between them. He looks at me and smiles, revealing the length of his sharp teeth.
“I won’t bite you, Cia, not unless you want me to,” he murmurs, before lowering his head and pressing his mouth against me. My back arches off the bed as he tastes me, the sensation of his wet tongue against my sex sending ripples of pleasure through my body. Rhain grips my hips, steadying me as the warmth of his mouth teases, until I am on the brink of losing all control. He chuckles and kisses the mound of my sex. “Not yet, Cia. I want to be inside you when you come apart.”
His kisses stray higher as he moves over my rounded stomach, his tongue dipping into my belly button. I feel the point of his teeth graze over the underside of my ribs before he rushes upwards and captures my hardened nipple in his mouth. He teases me with his tongue, lapping and pulling until I am almost undone whilst his free hand kneads my breast. Not able to stand it any longer, I grab hold of his head and pull him towards me. Our lips crash together as his tongue explores my mouth. One hand tangles in my still wet hair, whilst the other finds its way back to my breast. I groan into his mouth as he gently runs the pad of his thumb over my nipple. Rhain pulls away, smiling in that sexy way of his, before moving his mouth over my jaw and running his tongue along the curve of my ear.
“You are breathtaking, Accacia,” he whispers, the warmth of his breath making my skin break out in goose bumps. He adjusts his body over me as he slowly trails kisses down my neck and I can feel the rock-hard length of his lust teasing me as I squirm beneath him.
“Rhain,” I groan. My voice doesn’t sound like my own. It is so free, so unencumbered.
He pulls back, resting his arms either side of my head. The ends of his chin length hair fall forward in a shroud around us. His eyes are hooded and full of desire. I have never felt more beautiful.
“Cia, are you ready to be Claimed?”
I run my hands from the base of his spine up his back, and circle around to his chest. A tiny smattering of dark hair is soft under my palms. “I trust you,” I say, and I do. Whatever happens, I trust him to take care of me. He presses his lips lightly on mine as he pushes himself inside me, and for a short while there is only us and exploding pleasure as we rock together, Claiming one another as our own.
Chapter Twenty
I am pulled from sleep by a knock at the door. A moment later Devin peers into the room. He raises his finger to his lips, beckoning to me before ducking back out again. Glancing at Rhain, who is still sleeping peacefully, I get out of bed and pull on some clothes. Opening the door, I am greeted by Devin, who smothers me with a hug.
“How are you feeling?” he asks.
I laugh, my cheeks flushing slightly with the memory of this morning’s Claiming. “I feel good, Devin, thanks for asking.”
Outside the sky is dark once again and I realise that Rhain and I must have slept the day away, satiated by our coming together.
“I’m glad for him, and for you.” He pauses, a frown appearing.
“What?” I ask. I look at Devin. His black eyes are full of mischief.
“I don’t hear you anymore. I guess the Blending has worn off. You were pretty amusing while it lasted.”
“I was?”
Devin grins. “Especially this morning. Your internal thoughts were, um, entertaining.” He laughs at the look of horror on my face. I remember thinking about my attraction towards Devin and the way Rhain had made me feel. This time my cheeks burn bright red. I am mortified.
Devin loses his smile, serious. “Hey, don’t be embarrassed. It was beautiful, Rhain’s a very lucky man.”
“Vampire,” I correct him.
“Vampire,” Devin agrees.
There is an awkward silence as Devin steps closer, raising the pad of his thumb to my lips. I can’t take my eyes off him, his black eyes and even blacker hair. We stand like that, gazing into each other’s eyes, for what feels like an eternity.
“Evening, brother. I see you’ve awoken Cia,” Rhain says, watching us both.
Startled, I step away from Devin, feeling instantly guilty.
Devin shrugs. “You were comatose. We didn’t want to wake you.”
“I am awake now. I think we should head back to Nostra’s. Ezra is probably giving him hell.”
“I don’t doubt that for a second,” Devin agrees with a grin.
A few minutes later we are back riding on Phantom and Israel, who have waited patiently for us to re-appear. We pass by the Light fields once again, and I remind myself to ask Rhain about them when we have a moment. Twenty-five minutes later the horses come to a halt in front of an empty glade surrounded by the forest we’ve just passed through. Beyond the line of trees is the castle I saw briefly when we arrived. Now it is shadowed by the dark night and bright stars. Golden lights dance at the many windows. It is huge.
“Is that where you live?” I ask Rhain, pointing to the castle.
“That is where all Clan Lux live.”
I slide down from behind Rhain and he jumps down next to me.
“Queen Adrielle prefers us creatures of the night near her. We are the only clan, aside from the ones who are being tortured in the southernmost wing, that reside there.”
“Why is that?”
“We are her Dark Knights. We do her bidding because that is what she demands. It is easier for her to control us because she can kill us just by making us stand in the light.” Rhain gets a faraway look in his eyes. I grab hold of his hand and squeeze it.
“You are her knights? You never mentioned that before.”
“It is not something we are proud of, Cia, but the position affords us a little more freedom. Ezra, Devin and I have a reputation amongst our people. A reputation we must maintain if we are to stay in the Queen’s favour and b
e party to her plans.”
“Reputation?”
“Yes. There will be times ahead when you will question us and our actions, but I promise you this, Cia, we are not those men,” Rhain says fiercely. “The man you see before you now, that is who I am. I want you to remember that.”
He pulls me into his arms, and I can feel the surety of his heart beating beneath his chest.
“I will,” I promise. “Rhain, can I ask you something?”
“Of course. Anything, Cia.”
“The Light fields, where we found you. What is that place exactly? Before, Devin said that your people went there to regenerate. I don’t understand what that means.”
“Our people used to go there to regenerate spiritually. Clan Lux were once a people who worshipped the sun. The Light fields was our sacred place. A place we went to think, to reflect, to pray to the light goddess, Solaria. You saw how beautiful it was?”
Although it had terrified me, I could not deny the beauty of it. “Yes.”
“I often visit the Light fields at night and walk amongst the cylinders, longing for the warmth of the sun on my face, the feel of the light as it caresses my skin…” His voice trails off.
“I’m sorry for what she has taken from you, from you all,” I say.
“But I am not sorry that it has led to finding you.” Rhain dips his head and brushes his lips against mine. I lean into him, not able to prevent myself pulling away from the kiss. Eventually, our lips part and he presses a light kiss on my forehead.
Devin, who until now has been waiting patiently, walks toward us. He is holding Israel’s reins and now takes a hold of Phantom’s.
“I think it is time we enter. Follow me,” he says.
“Follow him where?” I ask, confused.
“You’ll see,” Rhain says, taking my hand in his. “Watch.”
Devin walks forward with the two horses. One minute they are in front of us, the next they are gone as though vanished into thin air.
“What just happened?” I say, surprise making my voice rise an octave.
“They’ve entered Nostra’s hidden hamlet.” Rhain smiles down at me. “Come now, Accacia, a little magic shouldn’t scare you after all you’ve witnessed these past few days.”
“I suppose not,” I sigh.
“Cia, it’s really not that bad.”
Together we walk forward. I press my eyes shut, like I used to as a child when I thought that by doing so I would be immune from anything scary happening to me.
“You can open them now,” Rhain whispers into my ear. I can hear the smile in his voice.
My mouth drops open as I see before me a bustling hamlet full of people going about their business. Even though it is night, the place is lit up with hundreds upon hundreds of lanterns all floating in the sky. They cast a beautiful glow about the place.
“How are they floating like that?” I ask.
“Nostra, of course.”
“Of course.”
Devin is leading the horses to a stable and has stopped to have a discussion with an elderly man. They seem to know each other well. There is laughter.
“Nostra’s place is through the village. Let us go,” Rhain says, guiding me.
We walk past the stables where Devin is dropping off the horses and walk through a market of sorts. There are women dressed in long dresses, with bodices laced at the back. They have scarfs wrapped around their heads and every single one of them is staring at us as we walk past. I suddenly feel woefully out of place in my jeans and jumper. One woman places a basket of apples on the table in front of her and comes around to greet Rhain.
“My lord,” she says, curtseying. “Do you wish for my services this night?”
Rhain stops, dropping my hand. I glance at his face, at the lack of emotion I see there.
“Not this night, but I will call upon you tomorrow.”
“As you wish.” The woman’s cheeks flush at the rebuttal. She turns and looks me over, dipping her head. “My lady,” she says, before returning to her stall and taking up a conversation with another woman.
“What was that about?” I ask as we move away.
“What she said. Ilana was offering me her services, Cia,” Rhain says. A small smile plays on his lips and I suddenly want to slap his face.
“I heard that part, but what did she mean by services?” The jealousy in my voice surprises even me.
Rhain’s face is serious when he stops me. We are standing by the opening of an alley between two stone houses and he pulls me into the semi-darkness.
“Cia, to survive I must take blood. It is a simple fact. One that I cannot deny.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “I remember what you were like when you drank another woman’s blood…” I say, remembering the woman straddling his lap in the club a few nights ago. I remember the look in Rhain’s eyes and the noises she made when he fed from her. There’s an odd sensation burning in my chest and I don’t like how it is making me feel.
“Cia, it isn’t the same as what happened between us.”
“Tell that to the woman who was riding your lap the other night, and to that woman just now who looked like she couldn’t wait for you to bite her.”
Rhain laughs. “Cia, are you jealous? How quickly things change.”
“Don’t laugh at me,” I say, pushing at his chest, furious that he has belittled my feelings so easily.
“Cia…” Rhain starts, the smile dropping from his lips.
“Oh, I get it. Now that you’ve claimed me, now that your life is no longer in danger, you can cast my feelings aside so easily? Is this a game to you? Am I just another one of your conquests? Another notch on your bedpost, is that it?” I turn to walk off. Where to I have no idea, but away from him and his laughing face.
Rhain grabs me on the arm and swings me back around again, pushing me against the wall. “That’s right, I have claimed you, Cia, but you mean more to me than an easy fuck. Yes, I can get that from any woman here in the village, but I don’t want to. They give me blood, that is all. From this day forth, I will seek no other pleasure from them. For the rest of my damned life, you are the only woman I will be making love to,” he says, before crushing his mouth against mine.
There is a desperation in his kiss, as though he is trying to prove to me the truth of his words by his need for me. I have no other choice but to respond, my body reacting to his desire even though my head is telling me to protect myself. Before long, his hand moves downwards, briefly skirting my breast before unzipping my jeans and dipping inside my knickers. I moan as his fingers begin to stroke me and I find myself rocking on his hand, unable to control my need for release. He pulls away, his fingers still stroking me, his sapphire eyes ablaze with desire.
“What you feel now, this is what I give to you and only you, Cia. I will worship and adore you. I will protect you with my life and I will never knowingly hurt you. Lights be damned, you are beautiful.” He smothers me with kisses once more and I fall into the precipice, knowing in my heart his words are true.
Chapter Twenty-One
“Where in Light’s name have you two been? Devin went looking for you some time ago, seeing as I am unable to leave this damn prison,” Ezra says the moment we enter Nostra’s home. He is furious. I have no idea whether he or any of the vampires sleep, but Ezra looks like he needs a good night’s rest. There is a grey look about his face, and he has dark shadows under his eyes. Then I remember the fact that he still refuses to take my blood and what that means for him.
“Calm down, brother, all is well.” Rhain guides me in, his hand resting on my lower back.
“Calm down? You tell me to calm down, when you were the one who was about to return yourself to the Light!” Ezra storms.
“Don’t be a hypocrite, Ezra. Isn’t that your intention too?” I say, not able to help myself. “After all, you refuse to take my blood…”
Nostra, who is quietly watching the exchange, considers me for a moment. “Accacia speaks the
truth, does she not?” he says, turning his attentions to Ezra. “It is why I have kept you in this prison, yes?”
Ezra crosses his arms. “It is not the same,” he mumbles.
“No?” Nostra shakes his head.
“Enough, Nostra. There is no changing my mind.”
Rhain holds up his hand. “Please stop. The Claiming is complete. We just got a little side-tracked. I am here now, brother, all is well.”
“Damn you, Rhain.” Ezra looks at him and I can tell he wants to say much more but he holds his tongue. He glances at me and his jaw tightens.
Nostra beckons us over, and Rhain and I sit at the kitchen table.
The room is warm, heated by an open fire. Mr Tickle is lying in front of it on a worn rug, stretched out, warming his belly. It makes me smile, I am glad he is safe. I can see something cooking in a large earthenware pot, hanging suspended over the fire. I am so distracted by the beautiful smells of slow-cooked meat, herbs and spices that I am not as surprised by the magic as I should be. My stomach rumbles.
“You are hungry, Accacia?” Nostra asks.
My stomach rumbles loudly once more and instantly a bowl of stew and a spoon appear on the table in front of me. A moment later I am eating, not able to hide my appreciation for the delicious food.
“Apologies, Cia, I hadn’t considered your needs…” Rhain says, looking guilty.
“It’s fine, I wasn’t really hungry before,” I mumble between mouthfuls.
Ezra shakes his head. “You need to take better care of her.”
“You all need to take better care of her,” Nostra says.
“I can take care of myself,” I say, placing the spoon back in an empty bowl.
Rhain and Ezra laugh simultaneously.
“What’s so funny?”