I will find out why he is acting this way as soon as we are out of this tunnel and alone. I can’t fathom what would make him act this way, Arabella thought as she picked her way through the tunnel, careful not to trip over anything.
“We are almost out of the tunnel, Arabella. Do you know where this safe house is?” Bresor said over his shoulder.
The mermaid shook her head, clearing her thoughts before answering. “I know exactly where it is so once we are outside, let me take the lead okay?”
The centaur guard just grunted.
Adahy placed his hand on Arabella’s shoulder. “It’s okay, love. I think I know what is going on with your friend but we can talk about it after we get out of here.
The mermaid patted her mate’s hand, “Thanks, Adahy. Right now, I need to know if you guys have your scuba gear. We are still under the ocean, in case you’ve forgotten.”
The centaur laughed, “Yes, we have our scuba gear. Is the safe house far from here?”
Arabella coughed. “You could say that, it’s on land.”
Adahy’s mouth dropped open. “Why would your parents put the safe house on land?” The woman looked over her shoulder, “I will explain all of that once we get there. For now, you guys need to get your scuba gear on.”
While the centaurs donned their gear, Arabella cornered Lachlan. “Tell me what is going on with you, Lach. I mean, you have never thrown my royal status up in my face and the cold shoulder is getting old.”
Her best friend gave her such a cold look that she shivered. “You want to know what my problem is, Bella? I’ll tell you what my problem is! You have mated with a centaur and I don’t believe either of you have thought any of this through. Mermaids live under the ocean, they can’t live far from water at any given time, and centaurs live on the land. There have been no known cases where one has been known to live under the water. So, explain to me how the two of you plan to take care of your people and still be mated?”
Arabella shook her head. “We haven’t gotten there yet, Lach. Not only that, but the mating ritual hasn’t been performed. Yes, we know we are meant to be mated, but the logistics of the matter haven’t been hammered out yet. I was hoping you might be able to help us come up with some sort of solution.”
Lachlan’s mouth dropped open. “You want my advice on how to make your relationship work? Whatever for?”
The mermaid chuckled. “Because we are best friends, silly. Not only that, but didn’t I help you with your mating situation two years ago? How are things with you and Strom going?”
Her best friend blushed. “He and I are still going strong but that is what happens when you mate. Okay, Bella, I’ll tell you what, once we get to the safe house the three of us can sit down and come up with some sort of plan.”
Adahy cleared his throat, drawing their attention to him. “We’re ready to leave the tunnel now. Can we move on now?”
Arabella smiled and placed her hand on her lover’s arm. “Yes, darling, we can move on now. Lead the way, Lach.”
The merman turned around, making his way out of the tunnel. He swam ahead of the princess and three centaurs, trying not to swim too fast so as not to lose the centaurs.
***
The group stepped inside the house and had a look around. It wasn’t a huge space, just a two bedroom affair with a living room and a kitchen/dining room area. Adahy made his way to the couch in the living room and had a seat. Bresor and Dante stood by the door, making sure no one would be getting through it without going through them first. Lachlan had already made his way into the kitchen to fix something for them all to eat. Arabella stood up and headed into one of the bedrooms, crooking her finger after she caught her centaur’s attention.
Closing the door behind her, she leaned against it for a few minutes and took a deep breath. “So, it seems there are a few things we need to hash out before we can perform the mating ritual. These are some pretty important details we probably should have thought about in the beginning, but I guess they slipped our mind in all of our exploration.”
Adahy sat down on the bed and patted the space next to him. “I agree, but can’t those details wait just a little bit longer? I need to be with you again, Arabella. It has been too long since I have felt your skin next to mine.”
The mermaid smirked as she turned to lock the door. “I asked Lachlan to help us work on those important details. I hope you don’t mind, but I thought he might be able to come up with a game plan for how we can be together and still lead our people.”
The centaur smiled. “I don’t mind in the least, my love. We could use all the help we can get. Now, get your ass on this bed so that I can ravish you.”
Arabella giggled as she slowly approached the bed, stripping her clothes with each step. “Ravish me, huh? After everything we have gone through today, I must say a little downtime is suddenly very appealing.”
Adahy grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him. “Not too much downtime. We will be pretty busy for a little while. Do you remember what I told you the first time we had sex?”
The mermaid nodded. “You said that the next time we had sex you were going to take your time, but that didn’t happen the second time we found time to be alone, now did it?”
The centaur shook his head. “Nope, but if we hadn’t been interrupted at the castle, I would have made good on that promise. However, we are alone now and barring any more interruptions I do believe I can make good on my promise this time around.”
Arabella smiled at him seductively as she straddled his lap, claiming his mouth with a hungry kiss. As the kiss deepened, Adahy stood, causing the mermaid to wrap her legs around his waist.
There was a knock at the door. “I don’t mean to interrupt but I was wondering where we should put our scuba gear, Ms. Rossi.”
“In the closet by the front door is the perfect place for it, Dante,” The mermaid said as the centaur kissed her neck then set her down on the bed.
“Yes, ma’am,” Dante replied.
Adahy pulled his shirt over his head, revealing his well-defined set of six pack abs.
Arabella licked her lips as he slid his pants down his legs and watched his cock spring to life.
The centaur walked to the bed, stopping when he was standing in front of his lover.
The mermaid reached out and wrapped her hand around his cock, lightly tugging until he was as close as he could get. She licked her lips again before lowering her mouth to taste him. Rolling her tongue around the head, she took him into her mouth inch by slow inch, enjoying how it twitched.
Adahy threw his head back and placed his hand on the back of her head, running his fingers through her silky, silver hair.
“Oh Goddess, that feels good, my love.” The centaur moaned, moving his hips to meet her mouth.
Arabella pulled her mouth off of him and scooted back on the bed, reaching out for him. “As much as I am enjoying this, mate, I need to feel you deep inside of me. I need you to make me forget this terrible day I’ve had.”
Adahy didn’t argue, just took her hands and put his body over hers. The centaur slid his cock deep into her pussy, resting once he wasn’t able to push any further. The two of them found a rhythm, enjoying the feel of each other and the skin on skin exploration that they knew they would never get tired of.
Turn the page for an excerpt from Paranormal Anatomy by International Bestselling Author Elvira Bathory.
Excerpt from Paranormal Anatomy
With tension increasing between the six specialists that make up the Supernatural Bio-Medicine Department at New Hope Hospital, Aleah Macleod continues to work closely with Dr. Morgan and her fiancé Wyatt Masterson. The feline shifter is more than ready to bring the entire team on board with their studies of her blood but the Director of Supernatural Bio-Medicine has his reasons why that’s not a good idea. And William Wolfe, an aggressive feline shifter, happens to be one of those reasons.
William has become obsessed with Aleah since they started workin
g together, and since the announcement of her engagement to Wyatt became public, things have become worse. Once he started rumors flying about how close she and Dr. Morgan were, the rest of the team regarded Aleah as ’the woman who slept her way into her position’ in the hospital.
Trying to prove their theory wrong, she loses track of what is most important to her: her job and how to save the supernatural community.
Prologue
Hi there! Remember me? Aleah Maclead? The last time we met the supernatural world had come out to the humans and was doing their best to find their footing in a mostly human world. I am one of six specialists working closely with Dr. Morgan, the Director of Supernatural Bio-Medicine at New Hope Hospital, trying to figure out the differences between the paranormal and the normal. Right now we are conducting tests on shifters to see what their genetic make-up is but we have been able to get our hands on some medical research for vampires and witches as well. Seems only fair since it was a witch that outed us in the first place but that is neither here nor there. During our research we have been able to ease the humans’ minds concerning our natures and whether it is contagious or not. It’s not, just so you know.
As a Hematologist, and one of the best in the nation I might add, my specialty is blood. When Dr. Morgan and I started our research over a year ago we used some of my blood and found that I happen to be a very special case of shifter. What that means has yet to be determined but we have found something rather interesting in my blood. I had always known that I was different; being one of the only Servaline Genet shifters but the experiments and tests that the Director and I have been running on me have proven it. Just how different I am only time would tell.
Chapter One
Aleah rushed through New Hope Hospital looking for the Director of Supernatural Bio-Medicine, her fiancé Wyatt Masterson close behind. “Slow down, Aleah. If you’re not careful you’re going to break your neck.”
The woman giggled. “I’m fine, Wyatt. Truly. We just need to get these samples under the microscope as quickly as possible.”
Ever since the team had done research on their first vampire, Aleah’s level of excitement for her job was off the charts. Sure they were still looking into the anomalies going on with her blood but Dr. Morgan had been bringing more patients in for the team to work on which was becoming more and more time consuming. The two came to a stop right outside of the lab in the basement.
Aleah paused in the doorway, taking a deep breath and clutching the medical bag closer to her chest. “I can’t believe we have finally moved our studies over to witches. I mean they are closer to humans than any other supernatural being in the community. Haven’t you ever wondered what made them tick?”
Wyatt looked over at his fiancé, noticing her inquisitive tone. “Of course I have and now we have our chance. All we have to do is get this witch’s blood up under the microscope and see what’s what.”
She gave him a short nod and crossed over the threshold, heading to the automated analyzer, a medical laboratory instrument designed to measure different chemicals and other characteristics in a number of biological samples quickly, setting the medical bag on the counter top next to it.
As Aleah unzipped the bag she pointed toward the microscope standing on the other side of the room. “Why don’t you get that set up over there while I get these test tubes into our analyzer and see what’s what, as you so eloquently put it.”
Wyatt walked over to the lap equipment his fiancé had pointed out and began to set it up for the blood samples she was watching spin in their automated analyzer. “What did you do with your blood sample before the witch came in?”
She laughed. “I put it back in the fridge of course. Not that it matters, that sample has given us all the answers it’s going to if you ask me. And there aren’t that many. I just wish that Dr. Morgan would let the rest of the team know what we are doing here and why.”
The sound of a throat clearing interrupted the couple’s conversation and had them looking towards the door to the lab. “Oh! Dr. Morgan! We were looking for you earlier.”
The Director of Supernatural Bio-Medicine stepped into the room and took in the scene. “Still hoping that I will let the rest of the team in on what we have been doing over the last year and a half, Dr. Maclead?”
Aleah sighed as the analyzer buzzed, letting them know that the blood samples were ready to be removed. “Of course I am, Dr. Morgan. The tension between me and the rest of the team isn’t getting better, which is making it very hard to work with them. Now that we are getting more patients to study I need to be able to work with the rest of the team. They already feel that I am not a true part of the team since all I deal with is blood and I’m tired of trying to prove otherwise.”
Dr. Morgan walked over to the Hematologist and laid his hand on her left shoulder, “I hear you, Aleah, I really do. But until we figure out what is going on inside your blood we can’t include anyone else.”
Wyatt walked over to the two of them and took his fiancé into his arms, rubbing her back as he tried to comfort her. “I know all of this is hard on you, love. But the Director is right; until we figure out what is going on with your blood we need to keep it down to just the three of us.”
Aleah took a deep breath and pulled out of her lover’s arms, grabbing the four tubes of blood out of the analyzer. “Logically I get it but on a deeper level it is all very frustrating. Where are the slides?”
Wyatt and Dr. Morgan shared a look. The two had been working with the Hematologist long enough to know when they were being dismissed and the conversation they were having was being ended.
The Endocrinologist handed a long, flat, glass slide to the Hematologist, who took it without a word and stalked over to the microscope. She knew that she wasn’t going to get anywhere with the Director about her request yet she made it on a daily basis. Aleah was tired of her co-workers treating her like she was a Typhoid Mary because she was working so closely with Dr. Morgan.
The Endocrinologist walked behind his fiancé, wanting to offer her comfort but knowing there wasn’t anything he could do. “Breathe, love. There is no use getting upset about all of this. You know why Dr. Morgan feels the way he does.”
Aleah leaned into her lover’s embrace, leaning her head against his chest as she set the slide down. “Yes I know. But it would be nice if Dr. Morgan would just listen to what I have to say.”
The Director moved to stand next to the couple, wanting to explain his reasons behind his decision. “I know that you are upset, Aleah, but you need to understand why I want to keep this between us for a little while longer. It’s not just about your blood, though that is a good chunk of the reason. Let me see if I can explain it in a way that will ease your mind; when the Supernatural Bio-Medicine department was put together it was because some humans in high places wanted an area where they could keep track of the supernatural within their midst. Then they realized just how much information they would be able to gather of every supernatural living in the United States and what started out as a way to help all of the paranormal community turned into a way for the humans to keep better track of them.”
Aleah pulled out of her lover’s embrace and turned to face the Director. “That’s awful! As if the fear of being under a microscope wasn’t all too real for us as it is, the humans had to find yet another way to try and control something they don’t understand.”
She picked up one of the tubes of blood and dabbed a bit on the slide then set the glass under the microscope.
“This is why we have been conducting all of these tests and studies, Aleah. So we can help the humans understand us,” said Dr. Morgan as he leaned his hip against the countertop.
About the Author
Like most authors, Elvira Bathory has always loved to read. When she was younger, she had always been creative and dreamed of being the next big thing in music, but found she didn’t make the cut for that creative outlet, so she turned to other means of creativity. She started spi
nning worlds and fell in love with the idea of being a writer.
When she turned twenty-eight years old, she decided it was time for her to settle down and married the man who had been pursuing her for years. Shortly after the two got married, they started a family and Elvira decided it was time to dust off those old notebooks that contained her creative words so she would be able to stay home with her children.
Five children later and Elvira took a chance, submitting some of her worlds wherever she could. Despite the fact that she hasn’t been published for very long, she hasn’t slowed down in creating her worlds.
Elvira writes in the erotic genre, with a paranormal flair. She prefers to write about shifters, using animals that have never been used before, or haven’t been used that often, and she loves delving into the research to make her characters come to life. She’s been known to write a contemporary romance or two but just has more fun adding the paranormal aspect to all of her work.
Where to Find More of Elvira Bathory
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