by Caris Roane
“However, you’re a blood rose and connected to a powerful mastyr vampire. Maybe this will make the difference. All I can suggest to you is to go with your instincts, follow your call on your faeness.”
Samantha turned toward the central circle of tile. As she glanced at the floor, she realized she was looking at blood red pavers made up of crystals. She took a deep breath and moved forward quickly, pulling her hand from Ethan’s. This first part of the process she had to do herself, but the moment she stepped onto the round garnet tiles, pieces of the puzzle clicked into place. Her fae vibration became a sudden solid stream within her, a line that ran from her feet through her entire body, flowing up and up.
She gasped, shoulders tensing.
A brilliant flash of light followed.
Then nothing.
She awoke staring into Ethan’s concerned, smoky, light brown eyes. He held her hand. “What happened?”
“You passed out.”
She blinked, trying to make sense of why she lay off to the side of the crystal pathway. “I felt my faeness like a river through my body.”
She turned her head slightly meeting Vojalie’s concerned gaze, but a light shone in her eyes as well.
“Did I experience what you’ve been looking for?”
Vojalie nodded. “I think so, but the power that flowed overwhelmed you.”
“Yes, it did. The last thing I remember was a burst of light.” She sat up expecting to feel dizzy. Instead, she felt good, really good. Alive.
She gained her feet with the help of both Ethan and Vojalie and before they could stop her, she stepped onto the ruby-red disk again. She wanted more and opened her faeness quickly.
Another explosion of light.
When she opened her eyes this time, Ethan’s jaw worked. “Don’t do that again.”
“I have to. And, it’s not bad. It doesn’t hurt. In fact, the sensation is wonderful but I’m meant to do this, to connect with my power through the crystal ceiling.”
“We know that,” Vojalie stated. “But it’s clear to me you need support. This time, let Ethan hold you, be a sort of anchor while the power flows. At the very least he can catch you if you pass out again.”
Samantha let Ethan lift her to her feet and she nodded. “Are you willing?”
He lifted a brow. “Of course.”
Samantha’s breath caught and held. She had so many questions about her place in Bergisson and she had questions about where she should land, whether the Nine Realms or Shreveport. But in this moment, she knew one thing for certain: She could rely on Ethan because he said ‘of course’ without batting an eye, without the smallest hesitation.
This vampire could go the distance. At his most essential, this was his truth.
Moving to the edge of the circle once more, she stared at him, her lips parted.
What is it? His voice in her head startled her, a sensation that soon gave way to pleasure.
You amaze me, Ethan. I’ve never known anyone like you. I know you’d rather be with Finn and your Guard right now, but instead you’re here. And not just here: You’re fully present. You’re with me.
His brows drew together and he shook his head. Where else would I be? You need my help, so of course I’d support you.
That the concept seemed as natural as breathing to him, tightened the very bottom of Samantha’s heart. Again, ‘go the distance’ came to mind.
She turned to face the circle once more.
How would you like me to hold you?
The question made her smile. Tight, both arms wrapped around me, front-to-front, my arms sliding around your neck as you kiss me.
He chuckled. Enough of that or I’ll embarrass myself in front of Vojalie and you know exactly what I mean.
Yes. And I’m hoping we get to do that again soon.
A slight pause, then his voice seemed softer within her mind as he responded, Me, too.
He met and held her gaze but no words, telepathically or otherwise, followed. He just looked at her.
Samantha looked back, savoring his smoky gray-brown eyes, the hungry look coming from the depths of him. She could even feel that she would need to donate again. She nodded, wanting him to know that she understood.
He dipped his chin in return.
“Put your arm around my waist, walk me beneath the minaret roof, then hold on. I have a feeling that what will happen will be as sudden as before, maybe even more so because you’ll be with me.”
“Understood.”
He slid his arm quickly around her and without hesitation, she resumed her place. He shifted to stand behind her but enfolded her in his arms. She’d never felt more secure.
As before, her faeness formed a quick river of energy through her body and she connected with the crystals overhead. She waited for the light to consume her, to take her consciousness yet again, but instead, Ethan acted as a ground and the light moved through her and through him.
Power. That was what she felt. A wonderful stream of fae power that she could access, at least so long as Ethan anchored her.
Extraordinary. His single thought slipped through her mind.
I could stay here forever. And here was her truth, that being held in Ethan’s muscular arms and at the same time having this power flow, made her want to stay in Bergisson forever.
She couldn’t imagine though, to what purpose such power could be put, but right now that wasn’t important. The only thing that seemed to matter was feeling Ethan, knowing him, embracing who he was in his world.
Was this just the blood rose part of her talking? Was it her faeness in response to his realm-ness? Or was it him, that he could go the distance, that she’d already made love with him and it had been incredible?
She didn’t have answers, none that made any real sense. She’d lived long enough to know that this moment, as amazing as it was, would pass and the cold reality of day-to-day life would return, of waking up grumpy, of PMS, of having a bad hair day. He would become irritable with Finn or his realm-rule and she’d argue with him about why he left his deodorant sitting on the bathroom sink, all those little things that robbed a relationship of its magic and mystery in that thing called life, whether long-lived or not.
So a kind of war waged in her mind, between just enjoying the moment or holding it up for swift examination. Maybe the trick to life was knowing when to do which of the two.
So, she chose in that moment to let the future go and to just savor.
Ethan seemed to know when that happened because his arms tightened. I need you, Samantha.
And I need you. More hard truths. She needed him in her life, a man who could go the distance. But we should step out of this stream. Vojalie will want a report.
He moved her easily, side-stepping them both off the red disk, but once the flow of crystal-energy stopped, he didn’t let her go. Instead, he turned her in his arms and kissed her, a full-blown, tongue-invading kiss that sent her hands sliding over his back, over the buttery leather of his Guardsman coat and beneath his long mass of golden hair. She kissed him back, not caring that Vojalie stood nearby.
She wanted Ethan to know that he wasn’t alone in how he felt.
After a moment, he pulled back and looked at her, smoothing a hand over her face, searching her eyes. What the hell is this between us?
I don’t know. And she didn’t, though it felt like love. But how could she possibly be in love with a vampire, and one she’d only known for a couple of nights? Yet love was what she felt, flowing through her right now, just as the power of the crystals had poured along her fae pathway.
Vojalie cleared her throat.
Samantha drew back and blinked several times. Only then did she discover that at least a dozen powerful fae women stood in various places throughout the space.
She might have been embarrassed, but the sisterly spirit of the fae rushed toward her, a sensation of communion and excitement. Ethan must have felt it as well, because he stepped back several feet, then yards, as all t
he women drew near Samantha, Vojalie as well.
Questions flew: ‘What did it feel like?’ ‘Does the power stay with you?’ ‘What does it mean?’
Vojalie met her gaze. “Did you have the vision of Ry?”
Samantha shook her head. “No, I didn’t get there. But I want to try again.”
More questions flowed and Samantha took time to answer each one as best she could but mostly she kept saying, ‘I don’t know’. All the while, her gaze sought Ethan’s, but he rarely made eye contact. He seemed distressed, or maybe it was just his overpowering desire for her that she felt.
As she focused for a moment on her suddenly pounding heart, she realized her vampire needed to be fed again.
She was about to suggest they take a break and take care of business, when another vampire, a male, appeared in the doorway opposite from Ethan. The fae all turned and Samantha’s heart now pounded heavier than before, recognizing the vampire for who he was: Another starved but powerful mastyr.
Quinlan had arrived.
Her feet were in motion, heading toward him, before she realized she was moving. This new vampire needed her as well, needed to feed. She could sense his blood-starvation like a metallic flavor on her tongue, starvation that needed easing. Now.
He moved in her direction as well, a dark force; dark hair, black eyes, lowered chin, bigger than Ethan, the one in her vision, and coming at her like a freight train.
Then a wind blew past her, but it wasn’t a wind.
It was Ethan.
Chapter Seven
Ethan saw red, lots of it, a bright haze over his vision.
He rammed into Quinlan which sent both of them into the air, then into the wall opposite. The building might have shook, he wasn’t sure.
He came up lunging and battling, striking Quinlan with his fists then gathering his power into his shoulders and his arms, until his hands sang with killing energy.
Quinlan did the same.
Ethan released by spreading his fingers wide and met Quinlan’s battling energy, both streams engaging in the middle so that sparks flew in every direction.
“Ethan, what the fuck are you doing?” Quinlan’s deep voice broke through the fireworks, but Ethan’s mind had become locked onto the necessity of killing the vampire who’d gone after his woman.
“You need to die,” left his mouth.
“Fuck. Sweet Goddess. Vojalie, do something. Get Samantha to intervene.”
Ethan, calm down.
Samantha’s sudden voice in his head startled Ethan, jarring him for a moment from the energy he kept focused at the enemy.
You need to feed and I’m ready. Ethan come to me. Take from my vein. Take what you need. I want my hands on you, stroking you until you’re ready for me. Let me lie down for you, pull you down on me. My vein is ready.
The erotic images began having an effect. He felt confused and his battle energy began to fade. At the same time, the enemy’s eased back as well.
That’s it. Come to me. I’m here, to your right.
Then he felt Samantha’s touch, her hand on his arm, and he shifted his attention to her. He had to get her out of this place, he had to take her to safety, and he had to let her know she was his.
Without looking back, he gathered her in his arms and flew her at a speed he’d never used before. He saw women scatter as he sped through the halls and down the stairs. Once he reached the open doors that led to the fairgrounds, he shot into the night air, Samantha tight in his arms.
He couldn’t take her back to his main house. He needed someplace safer, where he could be alone with her. He had a secure cave-dwelling not far from here.
He flew west, Samantha’s raspberry wine scent pouring over him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. Ethan, I need you. Her hips rocked even while he flew.
Oaks gave way to a forest of beech trees.
Skimming over the top, he searched for the opening in the canopy, the only overhead signal to his fortress home. He flew almost straight down, one arm holding Samantha over her back, the other supporting her bottom.
She was his, and Quinlan couldn’t have her. No other mastyr would ever have Samantha. She belonged to him. He’d been inside her, branded her with his seed, made her his even if they hadn’t completed the joining that would mark her permanently.
Once below the canopy, he flew along a narrow path, one he’d flown thousands of times before. He knew every twist and turn. Finally, he reached the hillside and the house he’d built of more steel and glass that fronted a cavern and grotto he’d created for his own use. Of his several homes, this one was the most secure.
He touched down in front of the door, but never let go of Samantha. He unlocked using a keypad, passed over the threshold, then sealed up his hiding place.
If he’d ever wondered at his purpose in creating a retreat like this for himself, he now understood why.
The chemicals that still raced through his blood, fogged his mind, telling him his woman was in supreme danger. His rational thoughts hung back, shouting at him, but he couldn’t hear the words.
Nothing made sense except the woman in his arms.
She looked up at him, stroking his cheek with the backs of her fingers, turning into him and biting his shoulder through his woven shirt. He must have lost his coat when he’d gone after Quinlan.
He carried her down a set of stairs, shifting into levitated flight so that he floated.
I hear a waterfall.
Yes, we’re in my grotto. I need your blood.
A soft groan left her lips and this time she bit his muscled arm, then moved upward to sink her teeth into his shoulder once more.
When he reached the waterfall, at the far end of the cavern, he settled her on her feet then stripped her out of her flowered dress. He might have ripped her bra into two pieces, he wasn’t sure.
She stuck close as he got rid of his shirt. She helped him remove his boots and battle leathers. He drew her backward, toward the waterfall and sat down on the stone bench so that the warm spring water struck his back. He spread his legs and drew her between them, pulling her close to take a breast in his mouth.
In this position, he plundered both breasts, sucking on her nipples, working each with his hands, plucking with his fingers, riding his tongue over each mound and rigid tip. She held onto his shoulders, her body undulating as she flexed the breast in his mouth, pushing, wanting more. He sucked harder. She cupped the back of his neck.
Take what you need, Ethan. Take all that you need. Everything. My heart pounds for you now, laden with the supply you’re after. Let me feed you.
Samantha, he’s not for you.
He’s not for me. You’re for me.
You’re mine.
I’m yours.
He left her breasts and rose to his feet, taking her in his arms. He kissed her hard, driving his tongue between parted lips.
She encircled his neck, dropping her arms to embrace his shoulders, then sinking her nails. The sensation worked him, like everything else worked him right now, whether her voice in his head, her body plastered against his, or the soft recesses of her mouth that he drove into again and again.
How do you want my blood? At my neck? Or how about at my groin, or my arm while I nurse on you low?
He groaned hard. Hold your breath. I want you to experience this while I make you come.
Experience what?
The water.
She glanced at the waterfall, then at the stone bench. He turned and pivoted the bench to lie underneath the flow of water.
Oh, I see. Genius.
Ready? He didn’t need an answer, not really, not when the scent of her sex now permeated the moist, cool air.
He pulled her backward, beneath the waterfall, protecting her from the full force of the water. He then stretched out on his back and beckoned for her to lie on top of him.
She glanced around first. Ferns grew in abundance because of a natural crevice of light high overhea
d.
Paradise, she murmured.
Because you’re here, yes. He met and held her gaze and took her hand, pulling her close. Now, mount me. Take me inside you.
She shifted a leg over his hips and looking down, used one of her hands to guide him to her opening. Her back arched as she sank down on his cock.
I’ve needed this. Her voice in his head rocked his hips and she moaned heavily.
He held her waist, his hips moving to seat himself deep. Now lean over me, I’m going to shift beneath the waterfall so that it hits you just right.
She obeyed, a good thing right now given his mood.
He enfolded her in his arms and wondered if anything could feel better than his woman, pressed against him, locked in his embrace.
He shifted down the bench, positioning them both beneath the flow of water, until the waterfall hit her mid-buttocks, which would give her the best feeling.
“Oh, I see what you were getting at.” She moaned softly. “That feels so good.”
She looked down at him and her hips began to rise and fall. Her mouth opened wider and wider. “That’s incredible. All that sensation. And your frequency is pounding me as well.”
She was right. His frequency had opened to its fullest breadth, needing to brand her in this way, to reaffirm that while he was with her, she wasn’t to service another vampire and definitely not another mastyr vampire. He aimed his frequency, rapid pulses of vibration from his abdomen, directly into her.
She moaned heavily as her own fae frequency responded, meeting his and entwining as they had before, locking into place, pulsing together rhythmically. He gave a cry as pleasure spiked low, tugging at his balls, stroking his cock. He’d never known so much intense sensation before, or need, or desire.
But the various reactions created a new demand. Give me your neck. He still didn’t speak out loud. He wasn’t sure he could. He felt trapped within his possessive nature.
She pushed her hair to one side. He saw her vein pounding and even above the rushing water and the scent of the ferns, her raspberry-wine blood called to him.