“Then, I suppose you’ve never experienced the opposite, either,” Zosime said. “Waking up, one night, and realizing, quite simply, that your love has faded.”
The mere thought of such a feeling made Rose’s chest ache with sympathy. “My ex-boyfriend and I,” she sighed, “did kind of…drift apart, at the end. I don’t know if that’s the same, though.” She frowned. “Is that what happened to you?”
“Oh, no,” Zosime said with a wave of her hand. “I’d never let it happen.”
“Uhh,” Rose stammered, her frown deepening. “Wait. What?”
“I looked into the future, and I saw it happen,” Zosime explained, “so I divorced her.” She sipped her drink, as if she’d said nothing out of the ordinary.
Rose blinked in shock. “You ended a relationship,” she said slowly, trying to wrap her head around it, “because you were afraid it would end? In the future?”
Zosime set her glass on the table. “I spared us both centuries of sadness.”
Rose glanced over her shoulder, at Ligeia—who happened to look quite sad, as it was. “How so?” she said, turning her gaze back toward Zosime. “You’re still divorced. How is that any different from what would’ve happened, anyway?”
“We would’ve drifted apart,” Zosime explained. “It would’ve hurt me.”
Rose shrugged bewilderedly. “Did it not hurt you to lose her this way?”
“Of course it hurt,” Zosime said. There was no reluctance in her answer. Zosime clearly wasn’t afraid to express her feelings—unlike Ligeia. “But trust me. This was better for both of us. I won’t have to watch her cling to duty, instead of me, as we drift apart, and she won’t have to blame herself for breaking my heart.”
Rose leaned back in her chair, her heart shattering at the realization. What Zosime had seen in her vision was that Ligeia was at fault for the failure of their marriage. So, Zosime had ended it—making it her own fault, instead. “That’s…”
“Sad, yes,” Zosime said with a shrug, “but we still work together. I didn’t lose her completely.” Her brown gaze shifted toward Ligeia. “I do wish she’d be less distant—stop pretending that we didn’t share everything, once upon a time.”
“Zosime,” Rose said slowly, her brows furrowed, “I know we’re…future friends, as you call it. Not real friends, yet. But can I tell you what I think, anyway?”
Zosime smiled. “Of course. I’d love to know what the Eklektos thinks.”
“Rose,” she corrected. “These are my thoughts as Rose. Not as whatever else I am.” Rose offered her a nervous smile. “These are my thoughts as a friend.”
The smile that unfolded across Zosime’s face was radiant. “You said it!”
Rose laughed, “Yes, I said it.” She shook her head, amused by the quirky, ancient vampire. Her smile faded. “I think you should tell Ligeia what you saw.”
Zosime’s smile vanished. “No. I couldn’t,” she said, quickly shaking her head. “If she knew it was her fault that we drifted apart, she’d hate herself, Rose.”
“Or maybe she’d fight harder to make sure it didn’t happen,” Rose said.
“Normal people can’t change fate,” Zosime said. “Only you can do that.”
Rose straightened. “Wait. What does that mean? How do I change fate?”
Zosime didn’t answer that. Instead, she stood, taking her glass with her. “If you’ll excuse me, I’d prefer to get out of the way before this next…mishap.”
Rose watched with a frown, as Zosime turned and left. “What mishap?”
The scent of Kara’s blood suddenly filled the air, as the door burst open.
Rose’s confusion only grew, as she watched Princess Myrinne chase Kara across the room—with Kara laughing, all the while. Kara bolted straight for Rose, leaping over the table and shattering glasses, to escape the princess. “What the…”
Princess Myrinne’s shouting continued, “Listen to me, you barbaric…”
Rose stepped in front of Kara, before the princess could reach her. “Uhh, whoa,” she said, frowning. “If you have a problem with her, you can talk to me.”
Princess Myrinne froze, clearly not willing to take on Rose as aggressively as Kara. “Fine,” she snarled. “I will talk to you.” She glanced past Rose, narrowing her eyes at Kara. “We’re preparing for war, and your lover is wounding my people!”
Kara laughed. “It’s not my fault your warriors can’t keep up with me.”
The princess growled, “Can’t she go one night without causing trouble?”
Rose tried not to laugh. She really did. “This is Kara we’re talking about.”
Princess Myrinne narrowed her pale blue eyes. “We have a war to fight!”
“She’s good at that,” Rose said. “It’s the not-fighting that’s hard for her.”
“Well, she needs to do better,” the princess said, before spinning on her heels and heading off to deal with whatever chaos Kara had unleashed this time.
“Hey, look!” Rose said with a delighted smile. “No bowing this time!”
Kara laughed weakly. “I don’t think Princess Uptight likes me anymore.”
Rose turned to face Kara. “Anymore?” she said with a laugh. Her brows lifted. “It probably doesn’t help that you’re getting into fights every half hour.”
Kara shrugged, wincing a little, as that worsened the pain in her shoulder. “People are going to hate me either way. I might as well have some fun with it.”
Rose’s gaze drifted downward, toward Kara’s shoulder, where she sensed a sharp, burning sensation. “And,” she said, “getting wounded in a fight is…fun?”
“Wounded?” Kara scoffed, wincing yet again. “It’s only a sword wound.”
Rose squinted bewilderedly at that. “As opposed to what?”
“Besides,” Kara said with a grin, “you should see the other guy.”
Rose rolled her eyes. “Oh, yeah. I’m sure.”
“No, seriously,” Kara said. “He’s dead, and we need to hide the body.”
Rose just gaped at her for a moment, her eyes wide and her mouth ajar, but gradually, that horrified look morphed into a hesitant smile. “You’re joking.”
A guilty smile broke through Kara’s grave façade. “What gave me away?”
Rose lifted her eyebrows. “Honestly? I don’t think you’d hide the body.”
Kara snorted at that. She leaned against the table, curling her fingers over the stone edge. “So,” she murmured, “did you have any fun, while I was gone?”
The scent of Kara’s blood caused Rose’s head to spin with hunger. Rose glanced at the table, which was covered in shattered glass. “Not as much as you.”
Kara grasped Rose’s hoodie, tugging her closer. “Can I have a kiss now?”
Rose’s gaze shifted down, lingering on Kara’s soft, pink lips. They looked wet and glossy, as if Kara had licked them recently. “You came back wounded.”
“It’s a small wound,” Kara said, tilting her face closer. “Doesn’t count.”
Rose’s thoughts scattered, as the warmth of Kara’s breath danced across her mouth. “It does count,” she mumbled. She’d almost surrendered to the kiss, anyway, but then, she leaned back on her heels. “Let me heal the wound, at least.”
A flush spread across Kara’s face at the thought. “I’d never refuse that.”
Rose picked up Kara’s jacket and shoved it into Kara’s arms. “Let’s go.”
Kara held the leather jacket against her chest, grinning at Rose. “Gladly.”
—
Rose found the first empty room in the temple. A prayer room, possibly? Rose didn’t really look long enough to see. She dragged Kara into the room with her and closed the door behind them. Candlelight danced along the wall, cast by a candle in the corner, but otherwise, the room was dark and quiet. “Could I see it?” she asked, meeting Kara’s gaze. “The wound—it’s on your shoulder, isn’t it?”
“You can see whatever you want, sexy,” Kara murmured
seductively.
Rose blushed. “Uhh…well…at this moment, I’d like to see the wound.”
Kara laughed at her nervousness. She reached up, slipping her fingertips beneath the strap of her shirt and tugging it down her shoulder, revealing the skin from her collarbone to her shoulder. Just beneath the curve of her shoulder was a deep, bleeding gash, left by a sword. “Nice use of your instincts, by the way.”
Rose’s blush deepened. “Thanks. I think…I’m getting the hang of it.”
“I think so, too,” Kara said, watching as Rose licked her lips hungrily.
Rose glanced up at Kara, blinking, as she seemed to suddenly remember what she was doing. “Sorry,” she mumbled. “Can I heal it now? Is that okay?”
Kara raised an eyebrow, laughing at the question. “More than okay.”
Rose smiled shyly. She looped her arms around Kara’s neck, careful not to brush the wound—she didn’t want to cause her any pain, after all—and then, she pulled Kara closer, until the front of Kara’s body, all warm and firm, pressed against the front of Rose’s. She leaned in, trailing her lips along Kara’s neck, first. Her instincts drew her there—where the artery coursed with the freshest blood.
Kara threaded her fingers in Rose’s thick, red hair, groaning softly, as she felt the warmth of Rose’s lips on her neck, first. Then, her shoulder. Rose’s mouth found the wound, kissing the skin around it. Then, her mouth covered the wound itself. A low, needful moan escaped Kara’s lips, as Rose licked the stinging wound.
Rose licked the gash slowly, tasting the sweetness of Kara’s blood, feeling the stickiness of that blood on her tongue. She licked the skin of Kara’s shoulder again, feeling the skin heal beneath her mouth. It was a strange sensation—to feel the skin mend itself—but the way Kara arched against her, clutching Rose’s hair tighter, was so wondrously distracting that Rose barely noticed anything else.
Rose stepped back, glancing up at Kara, meeting her dark, lust-filled gaze. “Do you,” she said breathlessly, “have any other places you need me to…heal?”
Kara raised an eyebrow. With a smile, she tugged the collar of her shirt down, taking her sports bra with it, revealing a small portion of her left breast—just the slight curve of softer flesh. She tapped it with her finger. “Here, I think.”
Rose stared at the smooth, flawless skin that most certainly did not need to be healed, and then, she leaned forward, anyway, and traced the curve of Kara’s breast with her tongue. It wasn’t a steep curve. Kara’s breasts were small, after all. And gorgeously perfect, all the same. Rose felt Kara’s fingers twisting at her hair, a pained moan spilling from her lips. “Anywhere else?” Rose asked breathlessly.
Kara glanced down at Rose, and there was so much need in those intense, ice-blue eyes of hers that she actually seemed at a disadvantage, for once. If Rose didn’t know any better, she would’ve thought that Kara was ready to beg, if that’s what it took. But it wouldn’t take that. Because Rose wanted to taste Kara’s skin every bit as much as Kara wanted her to. “Mmm-hmmm,” was all Kara managed to say, as she tugged her shirt lower, revealing one of her hardened, pink nipples.
Rose immediately covered Kara’s nipple with her mouth—licking it, first, then sucking a little, then licking again. Painful desire pulsed between her legs, as she felt Kara tremble against her, as she heard Kara cursing under her breath, as she felt Kara holding her closer—urging Rose to keep doing what she was doing.
When Rose finally stepped back, the look on Kara’s face was…desperate.
“Kara,” Rose laughed. She tried to sound snarky, but she was too hungry, too breathy. “If you want me to lick every inch of your skin, you could just…ask.”
Kara just stared, for a moment, her brows high, her eyes wide and dilated. Then, a hungry growl escaped her lips, and before Rose could react, Kara shoved her against the wall, her lips crashing against Rose’s. Rose moaned, something in her delighting at the roughness of the kiss, the wildness of it. She looped her arms around Kara’s neck—feeling Kara’s breasts against her own, Kara’s hips against her own. Rose wasn’t sure if she’d ever sensed such a hunger, like the one she felt in Kara now. Kara’s fangs were sharp, her tongue warm, as their lips connected.
“You’re so,” Kara growled against her lips, kissing her still, “fucking hot.”
Rose found that hard to believe, but she didn’t have enough oxygen left in her lungs to argue, as Kara continued to take her breath with every hungry kiss.
Kara couldn’t wait any longer. She needed Rose too much. She needed what Rose offered. Not just the pleasure. The connection. The intimacy. All of the things that scared her. The things she normally avoided. She wanted that from Rose, no matter the consequences. Even if it gave Rose the power to rip her apart.
If being with Rose ripped her apart, she’d still enjoy every minute of it.
Rose felt the coolness of air on her skin, as Kara stripped off Rose’s shirt with surprising speed. She moaned, as Kara trailed kisses down her neck—down to her exposed chest. She gasped, as she felt Kara’s warm, wet tongue on her skin.
The door flung open so suddenly that, for a moment, Rose wasn’t even sure what had happened. It wasn’t until Kara stepped back and angled a smile at the person in the doorway that the realization that they’d been caught fully set in.
“You disappeared,” the princess said, her eyes wide. “We were worried.”
“Ah, you know how it is,” Kara murmured, not even a little embarrassed, “sometimes a woman just needs to…lick every inch of…another woman’s skin.”
Blinking in shock, Rose turned toward Kara, glaring murderously at her.
Kara winked at her, more than a little amused by Rose’s reaction. But of course, Rose wasn’t the only one mortified by what Kara had said. The princess looked pretty beside herself, as well. “Well,” Kara teased, “you’ve seen that your precious Eklektos is okay. Why are you still here? Don’t tell me you want to join.”
Princess Myrinne straightened, anger twisting at her face. “Excuse me?”
“Oh,” Kara said, feigning remorse, “it’s not that I’d have a problem with it. I couldn’t care less, honestly. But I doubt Rose would like it. She’s quite shy.”
“How dare you,” the princess growled, “speak to me in that…manner?”
“I’m sorry,” Kara began—which was a good start, at least, “that you have no sense of humor.” She stepped closer. “But you could always just not interrupt.”
Princess Myrinne stepped back, her face twisting with murderous rage. She bowed quickly—almost curtly—to Rose. “Please, return soon, my Eklektos.”
Rose watched, her face warm, as the princess spun on her heels and left.
As soon as the door clicked shut, Kara doubled over, bursting into a fit of hysterical laughter. “I think we offended the princess’s precious sensibilities.”
“You offended her,” Rose muttered. “I just stood here, blushing, like an idiot.” She fumbled with her shirt, trying to put it on. “A half-naked idiot, at that.”
Kara straightened and stepped closer, helping Rose pull down her shirt—since the incident had apparently left Rose too clumsy to figure out her own shirt. “A very beautiful,” Kara said, desperately trying not to laugh, “half-naked idiot.”
“Thanks,” Rose said sarcastically. “That’s really helpful.”
Kara chuckled at her snarky attitude. “So…should we behave and go back to the party?” she said with a sly smile. “Or should we go to our room, instead?”
Rose blushed at the suggestion. “I might have a more…romantic idea.”
“Is that so?” Kara said, amused. She leaned closer. “Let’s hear it, then.”
A sheepish smile spread across Rose’s face. “What if, instead of making out in the temple,” she said, her cheeks reddening, “we make out on the beach?”
“I think you, my love,” Kara said, her smile deepening, “are brilliant.”
—
When they f
inally reached the surface and stepped out onto the moonlit beach, Kara turned to Rose with a smile. “Sword-fighting and romance, all in the same night?” she laughed. “You know your way to a woman’s heart, don’t you?”
Rose’s brows furrowed. “I…had nothing to do with the sword-fighting.”
“And now, you’re correcting me,” Kara teased. “You know I love that.”
Rose suppressed a smile. “Kara, I hate to break it to you, but I think the way to your heart might be a little different than the way to most people’s hearts.”
“Then, it’s all the more impressive that you found it,” Kara said. Her lips curved into a deep, amused smile. “You might as well give up. I’m complimenting you, whether you like it or not.” She stepped closer to Rose. “I can go all night.”
Rose squinted at that. “Uh. So, what do you want to do? Go for a walk?”
Kara chuckled at the sudden change of subject. “How about a swim?”
Rose glanced out at the reckless, dark blue waves. “In the ocean?”
“No,” Kara said. She flashed a flirty smirk at Rose. “In the sand.”
Rose nodded, appreciating the sarcasm. “I earned that, yeah.”
Kara laughed. She took a step back, her boots sinking into the sand. “So, what do you say, sexy?” she said with an enticing smile. “Do you want to swim?”
Rose just stared, enamored by the sight of Kara in the moonlight. “Sure.”
Kara bent, her dark, silky hair falling around her face, as she unlaced her boots and kicked them off. When she felt Rose’s gaze on her, she looked up, her eyes bright and intense, shining between strands of black and blue hair. She smiled slyly at Rose. “What are you waiting for, sexy?” she murmured. “Get undressed.”
Rose’s eyes widened, as Kara began to unbutton her pants. “Undressed?”
“You’re not planning on swimming in that, are you?” Kara said, her gaze drifting down to Rose’s jean-clad legs. “Those pants will get very uncomfortable.”
“I,” Rose said, her cheeks reddening, “hadn’t thought that far ahead yet.”
The Reign of Darkness Page 44