Beneath the Shadows of Evil... Treasured

by Jolynn Raymond

  Mikhal shook off his thoughts full of dread and instead let the joy of being reunited with Alliana fill him. He had missed her terribly, and now it was time to hold her once again.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Mikhal returned to the chamber where his love lay sleeping, entering soundlessly so as not to wake her from her healing sleep. The heavy drapes were drawn on all sides of the massive bed, except for a small space that was pulled back to allow Thalia to watch over her mistress. She looked up when Mikhal approached the bed, and he noted the strain of fatigue upon her face. Though she was clearly exhausted, Thalia had stayed beside Alliana. She’d been loyal for many years now, and Mikhal knew it was really she who had taken to running the castle while his mate and Lucian tended to Natalya. It was true that Katia was home, but Thalia was the one who knew what needed to be done, and was seeing that all had food and medicine. She was ever alert for what was needed by both the peasants and the nobles.

  Mikhal beckoned Thalia so they could speak without fear of waking Alliana. She rose; sparing one last glance at her mistress to assure all was well.

  “Has my wife rested peacefully?”

  “Yes, Sire. She hasn’t stirred. Her breathing is steady and without any wheezing, there is no sign of fever, her color is good. The milk of poppy has allowed for a deep sleep without the pain of dark dreams.”

  “Very good. My daughter is in my sister’s chambers seeking an answer to this sickness; Lucian wishes to be alone in his grief, and I will be staying here to watch over my wife. You need to rest. The minions will protect all from any rouges that may wish to seek access, and Rowen is tending the sick. You are to go to your chamber.”

  “Yes, Sire. My heart is heavy over the loss of Mistress Natalya. It seemed as if we were going to save her but...”

  “All was done that could be. You did well. Send word to the kitchen that bread and broth with meat scraps is to be kept ready. I wish for Alliana to be kept strong.” Mikhal frowned for a moment, in truth he didn’t know how much food they had. “Have all been fed? I’ve been gone so long and the war has hurt so many. Much of the land is burned. Do we have food?”

  “Yes, Sire. Master Lucian made certain our food stores have been kept up. We were able to harvest the crops outside the walls, and new ones were planted within. If not plenty, we do have what we need. Emillian has taken to overseeing things now. He...” Thalia stopped upon seeing the look of confusion on Mikhal’s face. It was clear the Master of the castle was not aware of his daughter’s husband.

  “Emillian? It was my understanding that Sebastian had been left in charge.” Thalia didn’t speak to shed light on who she’d spoken of, and to her relief the Master decided to let it pass. His eyes had gone back to the bed where Alliana laid, worries over the castle and its inhabitants taking second place in his mind.

  “That is all Thalia. I will send for anything we require, otherwise we are to be left alone. I trust my daughter can take care of herself. She has instructions to consult me before she does anything with Marishka’s spells and potions.”

  “Very good, My Lord. I will send word to the kitchen and then retire.”

  Mikhal nodded, Thalia already forgotten, as he moved towards the bed, dismissing the serving woman. Alliana was all he needed now, and she him. He was home where he belonged, and he would move heaven and earth to keep his love well and safe.

  Mikhal pulled back the heavy drapes and looked down at his sleeping wife. Even in sleep, her beauty called to him and made love swell inside. She was his mate, his love, his very life. The thought of losing her, of putting her in the cold ground, made the demon inside him scream. Could he let her go when the time came? Like Natalya, Alliana had no wish to become a creature like him. Though she didn’t fear him, nor believe that his kind couldn’t love or have compassion, she had no wish to stay upon the earth when death came calling. It wasn’t that she wished to be parted from him; it was that she had seen too much. Thoughts of Marishka and the crazed evil thing she had become haunted her still. There were no guarantees that if turned, Alliana would remain a loving woman instead of becoming an evil being that preyed upon mankind.

  Mikhal spread one of the extra furs that lay at the end of the bed upon it, and then carefully pulled back the covers and lifted Alliana into his arms. He set her down for a moment, only to wrap her in the fur he’d made ready, the scooped her up again, and carried her to the big chair before the hearth. The fire had been tended recently, and gave off warmth that would keep his love from catching cold; as did the fur she was wrapped in, so that even though he couldn’t warm her with his cold body, she wouldn’t catch a chill.

  He settled in, clutching his mate to his heart, making sure she was cradled oh so close, then sat and gazed at the woman in his arms, thinking back over all they had been through, the terror, the joy, the love. Sometimes it still astounded him that his wife was once a poor Gypsy girl who he’d stolen away for his own twisted desires. He’d been so very cruel to her, her life had been a series of horrific scenes, played out one after another until he’d been given the gift of empathy. So much had been done to her, and yet, in the end they had found love. Now he would do whatever it took to protect her; he wouldn’t become a shell of a man filled with only agony like Lucian, the thought was unbearable.

  Mikhal lowered his head and brushed his lips upon Alliana’s forehead, giving her the lightest of kisses, then inhaled her sweet scent. She was sleeping very deeply because of the milk of poppy, and so he chanced a kiss upon her lips as well. She was so warm, so lovely, and she was his. She was his beautiful mate, the mother of his children, his very life. All he did, he did for her.

  Alliana made the faintest of sounds, deep within her dreams, and Mikhal couldn’t help but nuzzle her again. He pulled back the fur around her face so her neck was revealed, his mark of claim bared; then kissed her upon it, knowing that this kiss would reach her through her sleep, and offer comfort.

  Her pulse fluttered beneath his lips, and he kissed her a bit harder. He had no wish to wake his wife, but needed this nearness. He suckled the twin punctures for a moment, feeling the spark of their connection rise up inside, even as his wife’s soul called to him from her deep sleep. Alliana mewled softly, and then moved her head to offer up her throat to him, even unconscious, she responded to her mate.

  Mikhal ran his thumb over the small scar then pulled the fur back to cover her more completely, unwilling to wake her despite his need to look into Alliana’s eyes and hear her soft words of love. Making himself be content with simply being near her, Mikhal held her tighter, then lay his head back, closing his eyes, letting himself be drawn into the world of the dark room completely. It was quiet and warm, dark but for one lamp and the flames of the fire, his wife’s scent surrounded him in comfort, and the weight and warmth of her held so close soothed him like nothing else.

  Though he dozed, Mikhal was acutely aware of Alliana. Her soft but steady breathing, the beating of her heart, her warmth, and the serenity that filled her due only to the draft of potion she’d been given. It was true his presence had invaded that sleep to some extent, their bond was too strong for her not to be aware of his closeness, and his kisses upon her mark of claim had reached her in her dark depths, but it was a thing that gave comfort without real awareness. Their blood bond joined them in their hearts, minds, and bodies.

  As time went by, the depths of Alliana’s sleep lessened, and the awareness of her husband’s arms danced on the edge of consciousness. She responded to his nearness even though she still slept, turning her head to nuzzle into his hard chest. Her mind reached out to him and his own answered though it was nothing done with thought. She sighed, part of her realizing that the man she’s missed so desperately was finally there with her, and though her despair and grief still engulfed her, there was comfort too.

  Mikhal heard his wife sigh and felt her nuzzling. His arms tightened around her and he purred softly in reply, not awake, but not really asleep either. His sound of conten
tment reached her and pulled her back into the land of living, and with it came the pain of remembering along with the joy of realizing Mikhal’s presence wasn’t just a dream.

  Alliana’s breath caught as the reality of Natalya’s death came back, the grief hitting her hard. She stiffened then made a moan of despair that woke Mikhal completely. His eyes opened to see hers staring up at him, her face a mixture of joy and pain.

  “Mikhal” The one word held so much emotion. He was home, really home, and oh how she needed his strength. “Natalya’s gone.”

  He lowered his head and kissed her forehead, and then he kissed the tears that trickled from the corner of each eye. “I know love, I know. I came as fast as I could when I felt your pain. I’m here now.”

  Her hand came up to touch his cheek, her eyes dark pools in the dimness of the room, shimmering with tears. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  Mikhal lifted Alliana as he brought his head down. Mere words couldn’t express the depths of the emptiness he felt all those months away from her. His lips were soft at first, giving reverence, tender and sweet, seeking an answering passion inside his mate. She was grieving and exhausted, he should simply hold her, but it had been too damn long. Alliana’s lips opened and her hand moved to tangle in his hair, holding his head down and deepening the kiss, giving him the answer he sought.

  His kiss went from soft to one that held all the passion bottled up inside the both of them. He kissed her for all the time he’d been alone, for all the time he’d raged against the emptiness of being unable to reach their son. He kissed her for the fear about her safety that never left him, for all the times he’d seen women who had been raped by the invaders sitting shattered and broken by their burned out cottages, he kissed her for all the times just the thought of her had made his passion for her burn inside him, for all the bloody nights of fighting to make certain they stayed free. He kissed her for all of it. All the loneliness, the pain, the fear, the passion, for everything he’d felt but been unable to share, and Alliana answered with a kiss as insistent as his own.

  Mikhal backed off for a second, looking down at his mate, making certain he wasn’t pushing her too hard, and knew at once that she wanted and needed his loving as much as he did.

  “Now, Mikhal, make it all go away. I need you, Husband.”

  He rose with her in his arms; his entire being responding to her words, the heat of her body pressed to his, and carried her back to the bed. The room had grown chilled, and Mikhal gave a look to the fire, knowing he wouldn’t be able to warm her with his cold flesh, but Alliana turned him back to face her, shaking her head.

  “The heat you cause inside me will be more than warm enough. Make love to me. I need you.” Her voice broke on the last of her words, chasing any lingering fears over the cold in the room from his mind. He cradled her with one arm and threw back the furs and bed cloth with the other, then laid Alliana down with a lingering kiss. He tried to rise, but her arms wrapped around his neck, not wanting to let him go, even for a moment, but he was insistent, he needed to feel the heat of her body and her soft silky skin upon him and under his hands.

  Mikhal stood, and Alliana rose up on one elbow to look at him. Her eyes smoldered with desire, the pain having fled if only for a while. She watched as he removed his boots one at a time; then unbuttoned his shirt, letting it fall before moving to the ties of his breeches. The room was dim, but not so dark that Alliana couldn’t make out the sleek form of her husband. The sight and scent of him filled her, as did the taste of him upon her tongue.

  She watched as he rid himself of his breeches and then stood before her in all his glory. Alliana scoot back then patted the bed next to her, her fingers going to the buttons of her lamb’s wool nightgown. Mikhal knelt on the bed, and then clasp her hand in his. “That is a task I have been waiting to do for far too long. You won’t deprive me of the pleasure.”

  He pushed her onto her back and made short work of the buttons on her gown with practiced fingers. When they were all unfastened, Mikhal ran his finger down between the soft fabric; then slowly, almost reverently, parted the sides to bare her breasts, tracing as far downward as he could. He lowered his head and followed the tracing of his finger with his tongue, then slowly drew it back upward until he once more captured her lips with his.

  Their kisses went on and on, neither in a rush to hasten to the end of their reunion. Mikhal broke off once; just long enough to pull Alliana’s nightgown over her head then resumed loving her. Arms, hands, legs, lips and tongues entwined, seeking, fulfilling the longing of all the days spent apart. Desire soaring, hurts rising and bubbling over, tears shed as the pain of the past year and especially that of the past days rose and was driven away with passion and love.

  The fire burned down to embers leaving them in the dark, but it didn’t matter. They saw each other with touch, remembering each place that elicited small moans and mewls, each soft curve or hard sleek expanse as if they’d made love only yesterday. Mikhal’s lips ignited a fire deep within Alliana despite his touch and tongue being cool. They caused a burn like no other, and her touch did the same for him. Higher and higher their passion rose in the dark room, small whispers of love and growls of lust interspersed with moans and cries.

  Her hand closed around his hard shaft as it pressed against her belly, feeling like silky fire as it slid down over the head of his cock then back up, making Mikhal hiss, his demon roaring to life at the depth of pleasure her touch evoked. A pleasure it had been denied for far too long. He slipped his finger between her slick soft folds in answer, his fingers trailing up and down grazing her entrance and teasing her clit, making her cry out beneath the hard press of his lips, her head spinning as he brush his mark of claim with his thumb with the other hand.

  “Alliana, love you so much. I missed you, sweet.” The words were spoken even as he continued to kiss her, his hand reaching down and pulling hers away from his cock. He was in danger of spilling his seed into her hand like a schoolboy and that would never do.

  Alliana made a small noise of displeasure but it was replaced by a cry of passion as Mikhal’s fingers strummed over her clit, sliding in her hot wetness, building the fire in her belly as he rolled her onto her back, lips demanding more kisses, one hand between her legs, the other wrapping around under her, pulling her close then closer, molding her to him, and her eliciting a growl of deep pleasure when she wiggled against him.

  “My beautiful wanton wife. Shall I ravage you?” Any hurt his word could cause had vanished years ago. The monster that stole the girl she had been and forced her to live in his castle of evil was long gone. He’d been replaced by a man who had loved and protected her and their children, a man who instilled passion and undying love, a man who had shown himself to be worthy of her devotion and trust, a man, not a beast. His beast remained, it held her captive body and soul, but it was a captivity she never wanted to be free of.

  Mikhal ran a finger round and round her clit, his thumb strumming her mark of claim, his chest crushing her breasts, his lips and tongue dancing upon and in her mouth. He was everywhere, his touch and his scent. One finger slid deep inside her and Alliana cried out and bucked her hips forward. Oh how she needed him inside her. She rolled her hips, encouraging him to give her more, her slick juices spilling onto his hand, as her body’s yearning grew even fiercer.

  “Now Mikhal, please, now. It has been too long.” He moved his hand away much to her displeasure, then captured both of hers, holding them over her head as he knelt between her legs, hers spreading wide, welcoming him, needing him. Mikhal lay upon her, his weight pressing her down as his mouth made a trail of kisses from her lips to his mark of claim, then bit down upon it with blunt teeth as he surged into her, making her cry out, the sound of her pleasure filling the room as an orgasm torn from her very soul rolling over her like a wave crashing and surging, made powerful by his bite and the thrust of his cock deep within her.

  It took her by surprise and she fought him, but only to fre
e her hands so her arms could wrap around him. He released them and slid an arm under her hips, tilting them so he could fill her completely, the walls of her womanhood spasming about his hard shaft. He drew back even as she was cumming and thrust again, his teeth still latched upon her neck, making her scream in pleasure, her mind spinning, her hands clutching at his back because of the intensity of the feelings. Her body was a riot of emotion and sensations, the yearning to be with him on all those dark nights driven away to be replaced by the ecstasy of joining with her mate.

  Mikhal slowed his thrusts as she came down from her climax, allowing her a chance to breathe, then tangled his fingers in her hair and beginning slow deep thrusts as he lapped at his mark of claim and whispered sweet words of passion. Their joining drove away the hollow darkness that had engulfed them both while they were apart, it sealed the promise of their blood bond, giving comfort and driving away the pain of their long separation. Mikhal’s lips upon her neck, his body hard upon her, his shaft filling her beyond fullness made her entire body hum, hot embers of liquid fire shot through her from her core, making her body squeeze his cock in a velvety hot grip.

  Mikhal growled, thrusting harder, unable to fight the need left by time spent away from Alliana. He slowed, trying to make their first joining last, but Alliana refused to dampen her hunger. She trusts her hips, twisting, squeezing her already tight passage making Mikhal howl as his beast rose to the forefront, refusing to be tamed any longer.