“I’ll take you to him.” Faith released her hold on Hope and nudged at her to stand. When they had both risen and Faith faced Talia, she could not look her in the eyes. “What I did, I did for you. Whether you choose to forgive me is up to you. Follow me.”
It took a little prodding, but Talia and Faith were able to pull Hope along with them, promising that when they got to Hunter, they would all return here and would give Ian a proper send-off.
The trip through the maze of corridors was long and silent, the only noise the occasional whimper that escaped from Hope as they walked further away from Ian’s fallen body. They passed by countless doorways, through hidden passages and past the Main Hall into an area that Talia was unfamiliar with. As they approached a stairwell, the walls took on an even gloomier appearance which Talia was awed at because she hadn’t thought it even possible. The pale gray stones of the wall were near black in color, the floor coated with a sheet of dust. The only invasions on its perfect settlement were two sets of footprints. Talia assumed the petite print belonged to Faith and hoped that the larger one was Hunter’s and that he was safely hidden somewhere within the dark maze.
As they stepped up to the stairwell, Hope gasped and stopped, grabbing Faith and pulling her so that they faced each other.
“What have you done?”
“I told you,” she snapped, “I did what I felt was best. Just shut up and follow me. We’re almost there.” Faith yanked her arm free, turned back to the stairs and proceeded up until she vanished into the dark shadows.
Hope then Talia followed behind her, but at a slower, more cautious pace, Talia’s heartbeat picking up speed as her worry for what they would find played through her mind. Faith was bordering evil, but she and Hunter had been friends and Talia had to believe that she would not have intentionally hurt him. Perhaps she’d just locked him away, keeping him from harm’s way, or maybe she’d secretly hoped that the Shadow Witch would have won the battle and Talia would have been sent to the Veil if he had not been a key player in the fight. Either way, Talia could barely control her panic when Faith suddenly stopped in front of a charred door and turned the knob.
The glow of candlelight poured out in to the hallway and inside a shadowy figure paced back and forth. Talia pushed in between Hope and Faith, expecting to see Hunter, but when she came face-to-face with Josef, her breath caught. She’d all but forgotten that Faith had gone to see him. Everything had happened so quickly in the library that there had not been time to find out about her visit with him. He stopped when he saw her and then looked past her to see who hovered in the doorway.
“Faith?” His voice was low and alarmed as he called out to her.
As Talia stepped further into the room, the bed came into view and atop it she saw him. Hunter lay there, eyes wide and locked on the ceiling. He did not appear to be moving or breathing and panic filled her as she shoved passed Josef and ran to Hunter’s side.
On her knees beside the bed, she grabbed a hand in hers and placed her free hand on his face. His skin was warm with life but even at her touch he did not move.
A dark glare crossed her face as she stared up at Josef and his accomplice who had snaked her way into the room.
“What did you do?”
The two exchanged glances and Faith was the first to speak.
“I found something—it was a way for Hunter to be free so that he could choose to be with you. I–I came to Josef for help, but there was no guarantee…”
“Talia,” Josef interrupted, “he’s in there somewhere. I just think he’s lost and he won’t respond to me. Perhaps if you call out to him he will hear you and you can bring him back.”
He turned to Faith. “We should give her some peace.” He pulled on her hand in encouragement, and as they headed toward the door Faith took hold of Hope and pulled her along with them. When the door clicked shut and Talia and Hunter were alone, she turned her focus on him.
“I was lost not so long ago,” she began, her voice a near whisper as she slowly released her gift into him, “but you found me and saved me. Please let me save you this time.”
She watched and waited and when there was no movement, tears began to brim her eyes. After everything she had been through, it seemed horribly unfair to have the one person that could finally love her be taken. She carefully crawled up on the bed and lay beside him, still allowing her gift to flow into him through her touch. Sadness filled her as the thought of being alone began to creep in. A life outside of the Veil would not be worth living if she could not live it with Hunter. With tears streaming down her cheeks she reached up and pressed her mouth to his.
“Please don’t leave me, Hunter,” she whispered against his lips.
“Never.” Hunter’s whisper came out strained as his word hummed against Talia’s lips. Surprise pulled her back as she stared down at him, disbelief flooding through her.
“Hunter?” She hesitated to speak his name for fear that she was imagining things, but feeling his hand cup her cheek and pull her face back down to his so that their lips could once again touch—she knew he was real.
“I will never leave you,” he whispered. His kiss was filled with passion and as he slid his warm tongue into her mouth, desire ignited in her body. She returned his kiss in kind, their lips dancing across one another, tongues intertwined and breath as one. He reached his hand over and as his fingers slowly tugged at the fabric of her dress, she pulled away and pushed herself up to sit beside him.
Without a word, she lifted the dress up and over her head and threw it to the floor, revealing her naked body to the man that she would give herself to time and time again without regret. A smile curled at the corners of his mouth and desire fired up in his eyes as she felt him trace the curves of her body with his stare. She felt vulnerable and exposed but it sent an excitement through her that pricked at her skin and moistened her pussy. His hunger for her was intense and as his tongue darted out and wet his lips, Talia’s nipples perked in response. In one fluid motion, Hunter sat up effortlessly and gripped her breast into his hand, his fingers digging in her soft flesh. He pulled her nipple into his mouth and as he dragged his teeth along the nub, her body tingled with desire. With his free hand he teasingly pinched her other nipple before he trailed his fingers gently down the lines of her body, down her breast, along the flat of her stomach, over her thigh and into the crevice between her legs. Instinctively she spread her legs to allow him access and he took it in full force. His thick fingers pulled back the folds of her skin, and he pushed one then two fingers deep into her pussy. Her body lurched at the pleasure and she pressed her hips against his hand, aching for him to go deeper. He obliged and pushed in as far as far as he could, spreading his fingers out and rubbing them around inside of her. A spark ignited in her and she released a moan of pleasure as she threw back her head and arched her back. As she moaned in response to his touch, he tightened his teeth down onto her nipple, encouraging a squeal to break through the moan. The pain brought her unparalleled pleasure, and what was once her moist pussy was now a pussy that dripped with lust and need, and it ached to be filled with his impressive cock.
She frantically searched for the leather knot that held his pants closed, and her fingers brushed up against the bulge of his dick, fully erect and ready for her. She pulled and fussed at his pants and when the knot finally released, she yanked his pants down, freeing the dick that she ached for. Pulling his fingers from her body and releasing his bite on her nipple, Hunter pushed her back so that Talia was lying on the bed, knees bent, legs spread wide. She was awed at the sight of his dick, long and thick and glistening with droplets of his seed. He did not wait to remove his pants—laid his body over hers and pushed his dick deep into her aching pussy. Talia cried out in ecstasy as he rocked his hips hard and fast against her, ramming into her and diving his dick as deep as possible.
As he continued to fuck her and her moans echoed through the room, Hunter pulled his torso up and placed his hands on the inside o
f her thighs, pushing her legs farther apart and revealing the nub of her clit that ached to be rubbed. As his dick slid in and out, the tight lips of her pussy clinging to his shaft, Hunter pressed his thumb against her clit and rubbed circles across the tip. The tingle brought on by his touch traveled through her body and silver stars filled her vision. He was bringing her to climax and as she drew near, her cries grew louder and her sensitivity to his touch became almost unbearable.
With sudden intensity, the tingle exploded and Talia came, rocking her pussy against him, coating his already slick dick with even more of her juices. As she tightened around him and arched her back, still begging for more, Hunter’s dick pulsed and a deep groan burst out of his mouth as he reached release and filled her with his seed. His body was stiff as he continued to pound against her until he had nothing left to give, and when they were both spent, Hunter collapsed on top of her and Talia wrapped her legs around his body.
Slick with sweat and the scent of their love lingering in the air, Hunter remained inside of her until he slipped out naturally, their rapid breath slowing until sleep threatened to take her. Hunter rolled away and slid the rest of the way out of his pants and pulled back the musty linens, inviting her to curl up next to him. Tucked into his arm, her head resting against his muscled chest, Talia could feel the weight of all that had been lost lifting away from her.
She suddenly remembered how she had gotten here.
“Why were you in here with Josef?”
Hunter’s chest rose and fell with the deep breath he pulled and through his sleepy tone, he told her.
“He’s part of The Cleanse. He did me a favor, thanks to Faith, although I think it may bring him trouble for what he did.”
“Did he hurt you?” she hesitated to ask. She’d heard stories of the powers that The Cleanse harnessed and all of it came with great pain.
“Yes, but it was worth it so that we could be together. I’ll tell you about it some time, but not tonight. I want to enjoy this moment right now before we have to focus on the problems that wait on the other side of the door.”
Talia wondered briefly if she should tell him about Ian, but she chose not to. He was right. They were exactly where they needed to be—wrapped in each other’s arms, building their strength for the struggles that lay ahead.
Talia nestled in to Hunter’s arm and listened to the beat of his heart fall into a steady rhythm along with his breathing. She knew that no matter what awaited them, she and Hunter would remain strong. Their love was true and pure and she had no need to worry about their future together. As sleep took her, her last thoughts were of Hope. She worried for her friend and wondered if she would ever recover from the loss of Ian. Only time would tell, but when that day came, Talia knew it would be an amazing love story.
THE END
WWW.TASHABLACKSTONE.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
There was never a day in Tasha’s life when she wasn’t creating new worlds, characters, or story lines. Even as a little girl, she was often locked away in her grandfather’s office drawing, cutting, pasting, and writing short stories to give to her mom. Using all methods from crayons, pens and pencils, typewriters, and word processors, she found her favorite was the typewriter. The clickity-clack sound that the keys made as she wrote her stories ignited excitement, and at the young age of eight, she knew she wanted to grow up and be a writer.
Tasha thanks her grandma for her love of books. Her grandma’s home was, in all aspects, a library with hundreds and hundreds of books on the shelves, all of which Tasha was allowed to read regardless of her age. With the exception of the typical children’s faeire tales, Eye of the Dragon by Stephen King was the first fantasy novel Tasha had read and she was hooked. The freedom to create a world without having to follow traditional rules was the most amazing thing ever! Of course, as she grew and decided that boys were no longer gross and infected with cooties, but rather cute and tempting, she turned to romance. Her favorite pastime became writing short stories for her friends and featuring them as the heroine and their crushes as the love interest. When one of the moms found a story and mistook it for a real event, Tasha knew writing truly was her calling.
Though it took a little longer than she had hoped to achieve her dream, the waiting was well worth it. She is thrilled to add published author to her list of accomplishments.
For all titles by Tasha Blackstone, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/tasha-blackstone
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Waking Beauty [Windsong Keep] (Siren Publishing Allure) Page 15