The Forsaken

by Laura Thalassa

His hooded eyes burned into mine as his fingers found my core, and I jolted at the sensation, even as he let out a groan. “Ah dios mio,” he said, “you feel even better than I imagined. And how I have imagined.” His fingers stroked me rhythmically, and I found myself moving against him. “I cannot wait to taste you, soulmate.”

  Taste?

  I was panting. Oh my God, I was panting like a freaking animal.

  Under his stare I felt stripped bare, and there was nowhere to hide. All my vulnerabilities were laid out for him to judge. If his face was anything to go by, I had his wild approval.

  His tempo increased as he moved down my body. He used his free hand to tug my clothes farther down my legs. Then he bent his head down, and—all that is holy—I lost myself to sensation.

  Breathing heavily, I lay boneless on the bed.

  Needs met. Needs most definitely met.

  Andre gathered me to him on the bed. Limply, I rolled onto his torso.

  He chuckled and stroked my back, holding me close. “This is my heaven. Your scent on my skin, your taste in my mouth,”—I definitely managed to get a blush going at that—“your spent body draped over mine.”

  I buried my face into his chest, at a loss for words or action. What was the etiquette here? Did I reciprocate? Did we do more? Should I thank him? I should probably thank him.

  “Thank you,” I whispered.

  Beneath me, Andre stilled. “‘Thank you’?” he repeated.

  I knew it was the wrong thing to say by the tone of his voice.

  He sat up, forcing me to look at him. “Soulmate,” he chastised, “that is not how this works—how we work. You never need to thank me for anything I give you. Especially not that.”

  I winced. Now would be a great time for a horde of angry supernaturals to strike—anything to break up this awkward-as-hell conversation that I just had to start by opening my big, fat mouth.

  Seeing my expression, Andre cursed under his breath. “I did not mean to embarrass you.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I forget sometimes that you have not been with me since the very beginning. That you are young and your feelings are fragile yet.”

  “Andre,” my voice was barely a whisper, “you are killing me. Can we please change the subject?” I mumbled.

  He gave me a sly smile. “Of course—though I’m afraid it will be hard for me. My mind is replaying the last twenty minutes on repeat.” More quietly he added, “You cannot know how long I’ve craved you like that.”

  Andre was proving to be horrible at changing the subject.

  He lay back down, and I readjusted myself so that I was half on half off of him.

  “Soulmate, that is only the beginning,” he whispered in my ear.

  I shivered.

  Not the beginning, a small voice whispered. The end.

  Chapter 6

  “Why is there a blanket over my face?”

  “Hmmm?” I stirred, hearing the rustling next to me.

  A moment later I was flipped onto my back. I blinked several times and stared up at Andre. He gazed down at me with amusement in his eyes. “Did you cover my face to protect me from the elements?”

  I rubbed my eyes. “Blanket?” I dimly remembered Andre falling asleep. I’d been nervous that the material over our heads wouldn’t be enough against the power of the sun, so I’d made sure to cover him with another layer.

  “You did.” He appeared oddly touched by the action. “I promise you I am more resilient than that.”

  His fingers brushed the skin of my lower belly, and my thoughts went back to the previous evening. My pulse picked up at all the things that Andre did. Judging by his smoldering expression, he wanted to resume last night’s intimacy.

  Andre stiffened, his eyes unfocusing. He canted his head, his hungry look changing to one of concern.

  His eyes refocused. “The forest has betrayed us.” He spoke so low even I had to strain to hear him.

  I sat up at that. Oh, I knew this was going to happen. One does not fuck with forests.

  “The trees must have whispered our location to the folk that live here,” Andre continued.

  “How do you know that?” I asked quietly, reaching for my weapons. Andre helped me strap them on before getting his on as well.

  “I can hear them.”

  Them who?

  “They haven’t found us yet, and they’re still some distance away. If their senses aren’t too good, we might be able to slip by undetected.”

  “Who are the folk that live here?”

  Andre shook his head, his eyes concerned. “We might find out soon enough.”

  Andre’s form blurred as he rapidly deconstructed the tent. I did my part by shoving our provisions back into the enchantment bag after I dressed.

  I still hadn’t heard any of these forest folk, and I really hoped that was because they were far away and not because they were covertly surrounding us.

  “Ready, soulmate?” Andre asked, putting the last pieces of the tent back into the sack.

  “Where’s our bike?” I asked, glancing around.

  Andre sauntered towards one of the trees and reached out. His hand seemed to sweep the air, until it wasn’t sweeping air. It looked like a rip in space as he pulled off the same refractive material that made up our tenth. Beneath it was the motorcycle.

  I grabbed my helmet and fitted it over my head while Andre stowed away our provisions in the bike’s little trunk.

  “Is it safe to ride this motorcycle two days in a row?”

  Andre came around to the front of the vehicle and pulled out his shades. “Of course.”

  “But what if they trace our plates?”

  Andre smiled at that, like I was cute. “My license plates are enchanted. They rearrange themselves for each pair of eyes that read them.”

  I whistled. “That seems useful for breaking the law.”

  “It’s served me well.”

  Yep, Andre was definitely a bad dude.

  Andre patted the seat. “Ready?”

  I hopped onto the back of the bike. “Let’s do this bitch.”

  We’d been on the bike for only a few short minutes when I began to hear what sounded like thunder. Slight tremors ran through the earth, making me think that the devil himself was about to split the ground open and crawl out from beneath.

  A flash of movement blurred in my peripherals, but by the time I turned my head, it was gone. Another blur sped by on the opposite side. This time when I swiveled, I got a good look at the source.

  Holy-mother-of … hooves. Those were the forest folk?

  Centaurs?

  I’d barely had time to process the sight when a dozen of them converged on either side of us, carrying crudely made weapons.

  I let out a little squeak. I’d assumed the forest folk would be pixies or ethereal elves. Not these scary-ass beasts that seemed intent on taking us out.

  Andre turned his head slightly. I couldn’t be sure, but I thought I heard him say, “You good?”

  No. Absolutely not. Four-legged men were chasing us. Even over the roar of the engine I could hear their pounding hooves.

  I squeezed Andre tighter as he gunned the vehicle, and I swear I heard him chuckle, like this was his idea of fun.

  They couldn’t keep up, not really, but they seemed to be herding us towards more of their comrades who were waiting for us farther in.

  A spear—no joke, a spear—whizzed by, narrowly missing us. Then another. Had these people never heard of gunpowder?

  With alarm I realized that while these centaurs might not be able to keep up with us, they could throw these javelins faster than the speed of out motorcycle. So far, all of them had clattered innocently enough to the ground, but I could see the barbed tips of each. If one of those spears embedded itself into flesh, it would hurt like a mo-fo to get out.

  No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than I heard the sickening thump of one lodging itself snugly between my ribs. My grip loosened and my lips parted as the pain hit
me. I gasped.

  Sweet baby Jesus, that burned.

  Andre cut the bike sharply to the right and slammed on the brakes. I moaned as my body jerked and the spear cut deeper into flesh. He threw a hand out to help cushion me—big thanks there—and cut the engine.

  I would not glance over my shoulder at my wound. I would not.

  I peeked, and oh God, I had a pole sticking out of my side. I could feel the skin beginning to seal over it.

  Just when I assumed the worst thing would be pulling out a barbed spear from one’s skin, my body had to up the ante and reseal the wound with the weapon still embedded in it.

  Joy.

  Dozens of centaurs circled us, rallying war cries. Some held up their spears and fist pumped the air with them. Not all of those that encircled us were men. A few were women, their breasts bound with linen wrappings. They looked just as fierce as their male counterparts.

  Amidst all this, Andre swung a leg off the bike and casually pulled off his shades. He nodded to our opponents, assessing them as they surrounded us.

  I slid off the bike, biting back a cry when the spear handle banged against the vehicle, jostling the injury.

  “Give us the girl,” one of the centaurs demanded. His voice rumbled much deeper than a human voice, despite the fact that the upper half of the centaur looked identical to a man.

  Andre flicked a lazy glance over his shoulder at me, his face hardening at the sight of a giant freaking weapon protruding from my body. A low growl emanated from somewhere deep in his chest.

  His hair shifted and rippled. It was his calling card. The vampire king’s equivalent to the flick of a cat’s tail, a signal that he was getting pissed.

  He swiveled back to face the centaurs. “I don’t think so.” His hair began to whip about him.

  I had no idea what Andre was planning, but chances were, a lot of centaurs were about to die. I wasn’t just going to sit here and watch.

  Gritting my teeth, I grabbed the base of the spear. Using one hand, I braced the head of the thing. I wrapped the other around the shaft and yanked sharply down. Wood splintered, and I twisted it the rest of the way off.

  When I glanced back up, I noticed several of the centaurs had crept unsettlingly close. Near enough to make a lunge for me while Andre was distracted.

  But the ones who crept up on me were all male, and their leers did nothing to settle me.

  “Whoa, back the hell up.” The helmet muffled my words, earning me a few chuckles from the centaurs nearest me.

  My skin flared up in irritation, and I whipped off the helmet.

  Go screw yourself. The words were on the tip of my tongue before I realized that I had no idea what would result from that command when the siren was riding my voice. Curious though I was, I did not want the visual.

  I glanced at Andre, who’d pulled out two daggers, leaving the sword sheathed. He casually flipped them in his hands, like he’d handled them thousands of times before. He probably had, and hot damn if that was not sexy.

  His hair was still rippling, his unearthly anger only just kept in check.

  One of the centaurs goaded him. “Getting a taste of that piece of ass before the devil does?”

  Andre lunged, his body a blur. He drove the blade of one of his weapons into the centaur’s heart. His victim didn’t even have time to scream before Andre was finished with him. And then he was moving onto his next victim, a blur of anger and action.

  And, cue the mayhem.

  The centaurs at my back descended on me all at once. Strong hands grabbed me and dragged me with them. I was pressed against the bristly fur of one centaur’s chest, the action grinding the spear deeper into me. I hissed at the sensation, the pain making me woozy.

  My nostrils flared and I breathed in a lungful of horse as another centaur pressed in close, fingering my hair. “Pretty thing, this one. Perhaps we shouldn’t kill her right away.”

  I glanced over at him, his human torso tapering away to his equine body. When he caught me staring at him, he spoke again. “If you’re lucky, I’ll let you ride me first.”

  One should not mess with a siren. We can get you to do things. Unnatural things.

  I let the monster in me rise. The centaurs leaned towards me as my glowing skin beckoned them closer. “Why don’t you all ride each other?” I said, my voice ringing melodically. I’d let them interpret that one however they liked.

  Though it wasn’t a direct order, the centaurs within hearing range all took up the suggestion. The creature pinning me to his chest now released me to grab the man who’d only seconds ago made the lewd comment. Others began to grapple with one another as each tried to mount those next to them.

  Across from me, Andre paused to glance over at the commotion on my end of the circle, and he did a double take. Behind him a centaur reared up with a spear.

  “Duck!” I yelled, the siren entering my voice. Immediately the entire gathering—including those centaurs still trying to ride each other—ducked. I bit the inside of my cheek to cut off the crazy laughter that I wanted to let loose.

  “She’s commanding people with her voice!” one of the centaurs shouted.

  Before anyone could even try to cover their ears, I yelled, “Stop fighting and listen up!” Movement halted. Some paused with spears raised.

  I shrugged off a hand that had grabbed at me, drawn to my glowing skin, and sauntered into the middle of the group. “Andre, I command you to ignore everything I’m about to say.” He gave the barest inclination of his head before he turned away, already following my orders.

  “Centaurs,” I said, addressing the remaining group, “in thirty seconds you are all going to forget that I exist. You’ll never be able to recognize my name when you hear it, or my face when you see it. You’re going to run back the way you came, and you’re only going to stop once you’re close to collapsing.”

  After thirty seconds ticked by, the group of centaurs kicked up dust as they retreated into the forest. A couple of them awkwardly got off each other, averting their eyes with embarrassment as they did so.

  My skin dimmed. Only when the siren had descended back into me did I approach Andre. I placed a hand on his shoulder, and he blinked several times, as though waking from a stupor. He rubbed his temples and shook his head. “Remind me never to piss you off.” His cheeks were flushed, and he wiped a drop of blood from the corner of his mouth. He had several holes in his attire and smears of crimson where their weapons must’ve pierced him.

  Littered around us were the bodies of several fallen centaurs, their throats slit or, in some cases, ripped open. Looked like Andre had bummed breakfast off of the forest folk while he fought.

  His eyes roved over me, stopping when he saw the broken end of the spear still sticking out of my back.

  He stilled. “It didn’t work its way out?”

  “Was it supposed to?” I asked, peering down at it.

  Andre sheathed his knives, his attention wholly focused on me. His arm brushed my side as his hand wrapped around the base of the spearhead.

  “Andre—”

  “Do you remember the first time we saw each other?” he asked me, dragging my attention away from the weapon.

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  His fingers were now probing the wound. “I saw you across the room. The connection for me was instant. You were the sun, and I was a moth drawn to your brightness.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “I swear if you yank this thing out while you’re talking, I will make you hump a tree, then film it and sell it to the media.”

  His hand fell away from the spearhead, clearly convinced I’d make good on the threat after my little show with the centaurs. “You’re wounded and in pain, soulmate. The sooner this thing is out of you, the sooner you’ll feel better.”

  Maybe, but …

  I hugged my arms. “It’s barbed,” I said, like that was any type of explanation. It would reinjure me on its way out.

  “You’re my brave
mate. This is nothing.” Andre knelt, getting a better look at the entry point. I shivered as his thumb traced over the surrounding skin. He leaned in and kissed the point of entry. He was being tender with me; it was a shocking contrast to the killer I’d seen only moments before.

  “We need to leave soon,” he said. “If I don’t take the spearhead out now, you’ll have to ride with it in.”

  I tried to imagine riding over the bumps and dips with the weapon still lodged in me, every jostle scraping the bone of my ribs.

  I put the pad of my hand to my eye. “Fine.” He just had to be reasonable.

  This was so going to hurt like a mo-fo.

  Andre readjusted his grip, but I laid a hand over his, forcing him to pause. “Talking won’t distract me.”

  A sculpted eyebrow rose, and an edge of Andre’s mouth curved up. He stood, and his hand reached out and stroked my neck, his thumb rubbing circles around my jugular vein. “I can think of a few other things that might suffice.”

  He pressed a kiss to my cheek, and I turned into the touch, my mouth meeting his. I could still taste the blood on his lips. A month ago it would’ve made me recoil. Now my fangs dropped, and I deepened the kiss, my nature craving more. Andre’s mouth eagerly responded, our tongues twining.

  All the while Andre drew slow circles over my jugular vein. The sensation coaxed the siren closer and closer to the surface. She’d only just withdrawn into me, but the taste of blood and the promise of passion were too much for her to stay away.

  Andre broke off the kiss, his eyes moving to my neck. He stared at my pulse, mesmerized by it.

  Do it. I clamped my mouth against the command, but when his eyes met mine, I nodded in consent. I didn’t mind the prospect of a spear getting yanked out if it meant I’d get to experience Andre’s bite.

  He hesitated, I’m sure remembering the last time when he’d drawn too deeply from me. Lust shaded his eyes. Blood-letting and sex weren’t so different for vampires.

  “I don’t want to hurt you.”