She parted her lips and he slid his tongue over her lips before darting into her mouth. His hands came up to cup her face and hold her to his mouth. When it was obvious she needed to breathe, he moved his mouth to her neck.
“Do you need to feed?” she asked, already knowing that he did.
“Shh,” he told her. “Don’t think, just feel.”
Brea moaned when he nipped at the delicate skin of her neck, but he didn’t break it. He would take from her only when she was prepared to give it to him. Only after he had given her all she could handle.
He kissed down her collar bone and began blindly unbuttoning her blouse. He kissed each new part of her skin until she was bared to him from the waist up. “Mon amour,” he whispered. “Je t’aime et Je ne peux pas vivre sans toi.”
Brea felt the pain in her heart swell, then deflate as he declared his love for her over and over. He worshiped her breasts, taking each tip into his mouth and rolling his tongue over them. She fisted his hair in her hands and held him securely to her chest. She loved the way his hair felt over her skin. It felt like feathers as it brushed with each move he made.
He dipped his tongue into her belly button, which made her giggle. He looked up at her with mischief in his eyes before dragging her pants down her legs. He tossed them carelessly off the side of the bed. He sank down and Brea opened her legs wide for him as he settled his broad shoulders between her thighs. “I am going to make you scream tonight,” he said as he dove into her sex with his mouth.
He lapped at her, slowly at first, then faster and faster. Brea wanted to argue the screaming point, but couldn’t find her voice to argue. He was pushing her right to the brink then letting off so that she stayed right on the edge of the cliff. All she could do was hang on for the ride.
“Angel, please,” she managed to beg him.
He growled deep in his chest and did something wonderful with his tongue that sent her flying over the edge. He sucked at her until the waves died down. Then he sat up and ripped his pants off his body. He lifted her legs and held the back of her knees in the crooks of his elbows. With one forceful thrust, he entered her all the way to the hilt. He began a forward and retreat motion that was hitting her g-spot each and every time.
When he was certain he wouldn’t be able to control himself much longer, he let go of one of her legs and wrapped it around his back. He used his free hand to score the skin on his neck and lowered his body to her. She latched on with her mouth and his blood flowed into her.
White hot pleasure exploded in her body. The orgasm did, in fact, have her screaming. Angel felt his fangs drop down in his mouth and he sank them into her shoulder. As her blood flooded his mouth, sweet and delicious, his body shook with the need to come.
As another orgasm overtook her body, Angel couldn’t hold back anymore. He released her neck and roared into her hair as his body jerked uncontrollably.
“Told you I would make you scream,” he panted as he rolled off of her sometime later. He pulled her into his side and tucked her in around him.
“Angel,” she started to say but he interrupted her.
“Sleep, Ma Cherie. Sleep now,” and he closed his eyes as well. She was right, of course. She was usually right. The danger they were facing was like nothing they had ever seen before. There was a real possibility of people dying. If this was to be their last moments together, he didn’t want her thinking of anything but the two of them together.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Antonio lifted Macy off his chest and rolled them so that she was lying beside him. He brushed her sweaty hair off her neck and kissed her forehead. “I think I like it better here,” he said.
Macy picked up her head and looked at him quizzically. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Here, on Earth. It just feels so much more real.”
“Pfft,” she snarked at him. “See if you get laid on the other side for a while. Maybe then you might appreciate it more.”
Antonio laughed. “I will get laid no matter where we are because you are insatiable.”
Macy tossed him a fake glare. “Everything is more real here because when we are here, we are alive.”
Antonio felt exactly what she was saying. His body craved on this side. He had almost forgotten what the hunger felt like. “Speaking of which,” he started.
“You need blood,” she finished for him. He nodded. Macy didn’t hesitate, but angled her head so that her neck was exposed. Antonio couldn’t think of a more delicious invitation as he sank his fangs into his mate’s neck.
It was shortly before dawn when the men and Keelie returned to the estate. They walked into the family room, laughing and in good spirits because of what they had done.
“Hey Baby,” Ricco said, standing to greet his wife. Keelie jumped into his arms and kissed his lips hard.
“You won’t believe it,” she beamed.
“What?” he said, setting her back on her feet.
“Your girl there should’ve been a cop,” Samuel said as he hung his coat. “Girl’s got skills.”
“I know that already,” Ricco smiled. “But what happened tonight?”
“Hey, where is everyone?” Phoenix asked.
“Oh, they all went upstairs to um, rest. Yeah that’s what they said, but given the noises in this house, they are all fucking like jack rabbits.”
Rebel snorted. “Where’s Leigh?”
“Oh, she said that she was going to check on the kids. Then she fucking just up and disappeared.”
Rebel laughed. “Sorry about that man, she forgets that not everyone knows she can do that.”
“Do what?” Keelie asked.
“Teleport. It’s one of her dragon gifts. She doesn’t do it very often and she can’t take anyone with her, but she can flash herself from one place to another with little more than a thought. I wish I could do it myself.”
“You mean to tell me that all those wonderful things you got from your mate and that wasn’t one of them? As if eating food and prancing around in the daylight isn’t enough?” Samuel said with a roll of his eyes. Man, and that was one helluva mating. Rebel absorbed some of Leigh’s dragon magic when they mated, so he got to do all kinds of things that regular vampires could not do. Like eat. And sunbathe. And levitate.
“I know, I know,” Rebel said shaking his head, “It’s really unfair. I should get all her gifts.”
Samuel didn’t reply, but punched him in the arm.
“Ow,” Rebel yelped, rubbing his arm.
“We need Gage, we brought him a little something,” Phoenix said, stopping the banter.
“Honey,” Rebel called up the stairs, “We’re home and we brought a present!”
“You’re such an asshat.”
“But you love me,” Rebel grinned a toothy grin.
Slowly, the other family members joined them in the main hall. Samuel gave Angel the rundown of what happened and then handed the dealer’s phone number over to Gage. He may have been the king of his race, but Gage was also the best tech buff they had. He could design the best security systems, could hack any computer program or firewall, and could do some serious shit with his mind.
Gage took the number and set out to his office. Samuel watched as his family paired up and began talking softly to one another. Even Leigh came back. She just appeared out of thin air in the center of the room.
“Give a guy a heart attack why don’t ya?” Samuel told her.
“Sorry,” she said. “I just had to see if Toni was alright.”
“And how is she doing?” Rebel asked, taking her hand.
“Great,” Leigh answered. “She is flying with Michael every chance she gets. Jade is taking guitar lessons from Kelly.” She looked at Phoenix. “Your wife is very talented.”
“Don’t I know it,” he smiled.
“She is taking very good care of our kids,” Leigh continued. “They are loving it too. They are gonna be so spoiled by the time we get them home.” She shook her head. She had said when
they bring the children home, but what she meant was IF they brought them home. And that was the great big elephant in the room, wasn’t it. They all knew the danger they were facing. If it weren’t so, they wouldn’t have sent the children away. It did Leigh’s heart good to know that if something happened to her or Rebel, Toni would be in good hands.
Leigh had a little talk with Kelly while she was there. She kept it to herself save for Rebel, because she knew that he could hear every thought that spun around in her head if he wanted to. She had asked the petite woman to care for her and Brea’s children should they not make it out of this situation.
Kelly’s answer had been immediate. She agreed with no hesitation whatsoever. But Leigh promised that she would be coming back for them. And she never broke a promise. She was a dragon for crying out loud. She was the fiercest, meanest dragon on Earth. It didn’t matter that she was the only dragon except for her child. She would keep her promise no matter what, even if that meant she had to go to hell and back again. That didn’t mean that she wasn’t terrified.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
All the love in the family room was making Samuel feel sick. He had chosen this life over death by cancer because he selfishly wanted the kind of love in his life that vampires felt for their mates. And what do you know, he found it. It appeared in the form of a beautiful goddess that was way out of his league. He had no doubt in his mind that Azerial was his perfect mate. He also knew there was no way in fuck he was going to let her give up her grace for him.
And then his brothers reminded him that they needed her. Right after he had sent her away. For her own good, he had told himself. But now, he began to doubt his reasons. Azerial had been the one to mention her grace. And she had been the one to stop Samuel before he could take it. She had never intended to give him her grace in the first place, had she? No, she just wanted to be close to him. He didn’t send her away because he was afraid she would give up her grace, he was afraid. Afraid that he would take it from her.
He could have had a relationship with her that didn’t involve intercourse. He could have made her happy and she would have made him happy. He threw it away because he was chicken shit. That was the bottom line.
He sent her away because he was a selfish bastard and now they were all fucked because of it. He had to call her back. He had to tell her that he was sorry. He had to beg her to help his family. Even if she refused to speak to him ever again, they needed her help. He could live with that if it was necessary.
He had to get her back. He didn’t know how to call a goddess, but Gage told him that his mind was stronger than most. Maybe if he thought hard enough about her, she would hear him. Azerial, he thought as hard as he could, Azerial, please, I’m sorry. Come back, we need you.
He repeated the thought over and over in his head, concentrating as hard as he could. She had to hear him. I am so sorry for hurting you, he continued. I am the biggest jerk that ever lived. Please forgive me, Azerial.
He thought the words over and over until his head hurt. He had all but given up when someone knocked on his door. “What?” he barked.
The door opened and Gage walked through. “Hey man, I thought you might need some help,” he said, closing the door behind him.
“Help with what?” Samuel asked.
“With calling Azerial,” Gage replied. His face was a mask of indifference, but Sam could see the pity in his eyes.
“I don’t think she can hear me,” Samuel admitted. “I have been trying for a while now.”
“That’s because you aren’t calling her,” Gage said with a slight smile.
“The fuck I haven’t,” Sam retorted. “I have been thinking of nothing but her and trying to get her to answer me in my head. I got no response.”
“You have been thinking of her, that’s true,” Gage said as he took a seat on the edge of Samuel’s bed. He folded his long legs and leaned back on his hands. “You have been broadcasting. Everyone in this house can hear you. And, unless Azerial is hanging out somewhere nearby, I doubt she can hear you. You need to call her specifically.”
“I thought I was,” Sam grumbled.
“Like I said, I thought you could use some help.”
“Alright, how the fuck do I call her specifically?”
Gage motioned for Sam to sit beside him. “You have to start by clearing out your head. Think of it as a closet that is full of crap. Sweep it all out until the room is empty.”
Sam did as Gage told him. He imagined that his mind was a room full of old newspapers and boxes. He imagined himself using a broom to sweep it all out of the way and out the door. “Got it,” he said.
“Good, now imagine her. See her in your mind. See her hair and the color of her eyes. She is standing there in front of you. You can see her smile and hear her voice.”
Samuel was surprised at how vividly he could conjure a picture of Azerial in his mind. He could see the sun glinting off her blonde curls and the sparkle in her eye. He could see her rosy lips and her delicate fingers.
“Now, talk to her. Only to her. You don’t have to shout in your mind, just talk.”
Sam did that. Azerial, I am so sorry. I am a jerk. Please come back, we need you.
In his mind, Sam saw Azerial look into his eyes, as if she heard him, but then she turned her head away. “I don’t think it’s working,” he admitting.
“That’s ok,” Gage said. “If you two were mated, the connection would be strong enough to find her anywhere in the world. Since you’re not, we need a little witchy help. Come on, let’s go find Frankie. If anyone can call Azerial and get a response, it’s her.”
Sam stood with Gage, his sire, if he wanted to be specific, and trudged down the stairs. Not only did he feel like a complete douche for what he said to her, but now he could add failure to that as well. He had not only failed his goddess, but his family as well. They needed her and he couldn’t find her.
Gage dropped a heavy hand on Samuel’s shoulder but didn’t say a word. He knew all too well what it was like to feel that way. He led Samuel down the stairs and into the kitchen where the women were making coffee.
“Hello Ladies,” Gage drawled. Serena came to him immediately and planted a kiss on his lips. “What have you got on that phone number?” she asked him.
Gage shook his head. “Nothing yet. It was encrypted pretty heavily. I’ve got my pc running every algorithm in its hard drive on it. I should know something pretty soon.” He turned to Frankie. He could swear she gained beauty by the day. She had come to them only a witch, but to save her life, Jacque changed her. Now, she was probably the most powerful member of their family. “I want you to try and call Azerial.”
Frankie smiled. “I was waiting to see if Samuel could do it first,” she said.
Samuel groaned. That’s right, the whole house heard him begging her. Everyone except her.
“I have everything ready in my altar room,” Frankie continued. “I don’t know why she hasn’t been answering Sam, but with all the magic we have in this house right now, I think I am going to try something different.”
“Different how?” Jessica asked, blowing across the top of her coffee cup.
“I am not going to just call her. I’m going to summon her.”
“What’s the difference?” Samuel asked.
Frankie sat down in her chair and sipped at a glass of wine. She wasn’t old enough as a vampire to handle coffee yet, but wine she could do. She thought a moment on how best to answer Sam. Finally, she said, “When you call an entity, whether it is a goddess or demon, or anything else for that matter, you are requesting their attention. They may or may not respond to you and most often they do not come to you. When you summon them, you are bringing them to you, whether they want to or not. It’s tricky business, summoning someone, especially someone as powerful as Azerial. I don’t think she would hurt me for it, but those who have summoned demons and less pure entities have found out how dangerous it could be.”
“I don’t w
ant her taken against her will,” Samuel growled. He didn’t want Azerial to do anything she didn’t want to do. If he knew where she was, he was ready to grab her up and protect her, even if it was from Frankie, who was a most good witch.
Frankie laughed lightly. “I don’t either, Sam, but we need her. And, what if she is in some kind of trouble? What if that’s why she isn’t answering us?”
“You tried calling her too,” Sam said. It wasn’t a question. Frankie nodded, and for the first time in days, Samuel forcibly pulled his head out of his own ass and paid attention. Under Frankie’s light demeanor, he could see how worried she was. She was trying to play it off for the sake of everyone else, but she knew the Goddess like no other, and if she wasn’t answering Frankie, then one of two things was going on. One, Samuel pissed her off good and she had washed her hands of the entire family, or two, she was in trouble. Both were completely unacceptable scenarios.
“Let’s gather everyone with magic up and meet in my altar room. We need to try this sooner than later,” Frankie commanded.
“Where is everyone else?” Sam asked.
“Well, the guys are in the recording studio. They wanted to lay down a few tracks to distract themselves,” Frankie told him. Then she turned to Gage. “I only need Serena, Macy, Jessica, Phoenix, Keelie, you and Sam. The others can keep on doing what they do.”
Gage nodded and set off to get them. Since Serena and Jessica were already in the kitchen with her, he didn’t bother looking for them. He found Phoenix in the studio. Macy too. Keelie had been in her room, reading.
When they were all together in the altar room, Frankie began. They all held hands while she lit the candles for purity and light. Then Frankie stepped into the circle and closed hands with Macy and Phoenix. She began chanting in a language Samuel didn’t recognize. Over and over again, she said the same words. He didn’t know when he started saying them with her, but he did. As did the rest of the group.
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