Exile: Sídhí Summer Camp #3

by Jodie B. Cooper

  When she didn’t turn away from him, he leaned forward. His firm lips brushed hers. Groaning, he pressed forward, capturing her lips in a world-changing kiss, capturing her heart with a gentleness she had never seen from him, capturing her soul as his eyes promised her forever.

  Sliding his arm around her slender waist, he pulled her onto his lap. Heat built between them, growing quickly into a fiery flame as the tip of his tongue swept across her lips.

  Opening, she drank him in, relishing the spicy taste of him.

  His lips trailed down her neck, licking her pulsing vein. Desire pulsed through her and she shivered from the demanding force of it.

  A single thought hammered at her brain, trying to reach past the burn of his touch. There was something she needed to do, something she needed to say, but she couldn’t think as his tongue and teeth danced a path across her skin.

  “Wait,” she managed to say in a breathless whisper.

  Breathing hard, he stopped. A shudder rippled down his body. The muscles of his chest contracted with tension.

  “Stop?” he questioned as he rubbed his cheek gently against her silky hair.

  He pulled back and looked into her eyes. He must’ve seen the doubt flicker across her face. “Too fast?”

  She sighed disgustedly, knowing she might as well stop trying to control her emotional responses around him. He was simply impossible to resist. Her lips quirked and she said, “Too fast and too slow, all rolled into one.”

  He chuckled. “At least you didn’t tell me to go away. I’ll take whatever I can get just don’t shut me out.”

  She knew - at that moment - he believed every word he said, but how would he feel later? If nothing, she needed to give him time to meet his next mate. She didn’t think her heart could stand his rejection, not after hearing his words of love.

  She entwined her fingers with his. “You pretty much blindsided me.”

  He squeezed her fingers. “You’re afraid I’ll change my mind.”

  At her startled look, he shrugged his wide shoulders. “I deserve your doubt. I’m ashamed to say that I’ve earned it.”

  Air slid through her teeth in a frustrated hiss. “I’m sorry. Everything you’ve said is like this dream come true, but one fact still remains: one day soon, your synth will sing for someone else. Your body will see her as your perfect mate, and you will feel compelled to love her.”

  “You are perfect for me. No one else matters,” he paused, “but I really do understand your fear.”

  “Fear?” she asked with an arch look.

  “We all feel fear. Even you, my fierce exile,” he chuckled.

  She looked at him and true understanding crashed around her. He wanted her, wanted everything about her. She had destroyed something beautiful when she had her lifeBud burned out.

  She shoved the grief into the back of her mind, shutting the painful emotion in a dark place. What was done was done. She couldn’t change the past, but she could work towards making the future as perfect as possible.

  Nodding, she came to a decision. “Can we take it slow? Give it some time?”

  So very gently, he kissed her forehead before looking into her eyes. “However long you need as long as I’m the only one allowed to do this,” he said, giving her a quick kiss on her lips. “I’ll kill anyone else that touches you.”

  “That goes the same for you,” she said in a deadly soft tone, a low growl rumbled from her chest. An instant later, she ruined the effect with a playful grin. Yes, a grin, if anyone ever found out, it would ruin her rep. “Does this mean we’re going steady?”

  “Exclusively,” he said, holding her tight.

  ____________

  Nick rubbed his thumb across the smooth surface of Sarah’s leg. He couldn’t get enough of simply touching her. For an hour, they had sat together, talking about movies, music, and other not-too-touchy subjects as they tried to learn each other.

  “Which movies have you re-watched more than three times?” he asked.

  Her pearl-colored skin turned pink, and he chuckled.

  “Laugh at your own risk, vampire,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes.

  “It’s worth the risk. Watching your face, seeing your true emotions puts me on a high.”

  A small frown marred her forehead.

  “I’m not asking for your secrets. I’m just sharing how I feel,” he said somberly.

  “I know, but you need to hear one thing,” she said, looking him in the eyes. She opened her mouth and snapped it shut. “Sorry, I really am trying.”

  “I know you are,” he said gently.

  Her hand restlessly caressed his arm. Her hesitation was entirely his fault. He had shoved his distrust in her face for so long that he wouldn’t blame her if she never told him everything. “That day at the cave,” he began slowly, testing the waters, “you offered to share some things with me if I swore on my honor I’d never repeat them.”

  She cocked her head. “Not some things, I said, I’d tell you every secret I had.”

  Yes, she had, but that was before he pushed her into a horrible mistake.

  “I don’t need every secret, only the ones you want to share with me,” he said, listening to her heart rate increase, seeing the hope flair in her eyes, was worth every word.

  “On my honor, I swear an oath of silence to you. Anything you tell me in confidence, I will take to my grave. I swear to you, my love, I will never betray you,” he said. As he gave his oath, he felt an invisible strand stretch between them, tying them together. It wasn’t a lifeBond, but given time, as more truths and promises tied them together, perhaps they could create a full life together, a life built on love and trust instead of a mental bond.

  He watched the same knowledge appear in her eyes. “Thank you,” she said, heart in her eyes. She took a deep breath. “Okay, don’t freak-out okay?”

  “If you tell me you are Chi’Kehra, I might freak-out a bit,” he chuckled at her look of slack-jawed shock. “Anything else has no shock value for this tough-as-nails vampire.”

  Her soft laugh warmed him from the inside out. Leaning her head on his shoulder, she sighed. “Well, then, I won’t admit to being the boogieman, not just yet.”

  “Good,” he said grinning. “My parents will love you, but if you had been Chi’Kehra it might have made family picnics a bit tense.”

  Pulling back, she looked into his face and blurted, “Richard is not dead.”

  He stopped breathing, not daring to say anything, primarily because his brain had ceased functioning. As she started speaking, he knew his mouth had to be hanging wide open.

  “When Richard slipped into Trellick Valley, he had already made several dhark lords angry. Then he stumbled onto one of Trellick Valley’s secret, a very critical secret. I gave him a choice of house arrest or service. Now, that I know him, I’m not surprised he refused the first option.”

  “Know him?” he parroted, still unable to absorb her words. His heart began to race. His brother was alive! “Oh, God, Sarah, he’s really alive?”

  “Yes,” she said gently, caressing the hard muscles of his shoulder. “I couldn’t tell you. You were so angry and I just couldn’t take the chance of the empire finding out my first assassination target had been faked.”

  “It’s okay,” he said as his entire body shuddered with emotion. “It’s all part of a charade, isn’t it? Your sadistic reputation is somehow connected. It’s all a way to keep your people safe.”

  “Yes,” she said, a worried frown covered her face. “Nick, I’ve wanted to tell you everything for a long time.”

  “But I’ve been a jackass,” he said, snarling through clenched teeth.

  Her body tensed against his. If he hadn’t held his ice princess so close, he would never have noticed.

  “Sarah, I’m not snarling at you. None of this is your fault. I’m chastising myself for not trusting you sooner.” He paused, trying to think of a better subject, something that would make her smile. “What’s my brothe
r up to?”

  Her eyes brightened as a ghost of a smile hovered around her lips. “When I laid it out on the table for him, he asked to join my guard.”

  He snorted. “Why does that not surprise me?”

  “For several years, he worked in an outlying area. When his superior realized he had an affinity for animals, she noted it in her evaluation report, and I asked him if he’d like to become one of my trainers.”

  “Trainer?”

  “Wyvern, werewolf, sasquatch, khatts… You know how intelligent Sídhí animals are. Raised properly, and with a good trainer, they make amazing additions to our standing army. Surprised?”

  He snorted and shook his head. “No, more like, I’m stunned. He always considered working with animals as a hobby, not a career choice.”

  Her stomach growled.

  “Hungry?”

  “Starved,” she admitted, gazing hungrily at his neck before looking away quickly.

  “You don’t need to ask. Anything I have is yours, including my blood,” he said, tilting his neck to better expose his jugular. The rate of his heart kicked-up a notch as anticipation rushed through him.

  Leaning forward, she kissed the vulnerable area. “No blood, not yet, but thank you.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s not that I don’t want your blood, but ever since I was a baby, my body has been on a strict diet of blood. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve cheated here and there, but not enough to turn my eyes black. Since I’ve been on a blood diet for so long, my body needs time to adjust. If I start drinking blood - even after my eyes turn black - I’ve been told they might revert to red at the drop of a hat.”

  He growled, hating himself. “Red or black, you’re beautiful with either eye color.”

  Her eyes widened, and she blinked in surprise. No doubt, remembering the numerous times he had ridiculed her red eye color. “Thanks, that means a lot to me, but I actually have another reason. The longer my eyes stay red, the longer I burn in the sun. It would be great to go swimming or ride a jet ski.”

  Nodding his understanding, he pulled her to her feet and they headed toward the shore. When they reached the trees, he curled his large hand around her delicate one and her face filled with joy. He promised himself, he’d never again intentionally hurt her, never.

  Halfway to the cabin, Nick urged her toward the lake. She seemed hesitant, but finally agreed. Stepping from the forest, they walked along the beach under the shade of the tall trees.

  When a few teenagers appeared along the deserted section, she tensed and tried to pull her hand from his. The move made him realize why she had wanted to stay hidden within the trees.

  “Even a scary, badass exile can have a boyfriend,” he said, holding her hand in a firm grip.

  She hesitated.

  Looking deep in her eyes, he saw a flicker of yearning. She wanted to agree with him. “Holding my hand doesn’t have to change your ice princess face.”

  She snorted so softly he nearly didn’t hear her. “You try holding a gorgeous guy’s hand, one that you love beyond rational thought, and not show emotion. Not easy,” she grumbled, fixing her face in an immobile mask, showing less emotion than a marble sculpture.

  Not daring to hope, his breath caught in his chest. Earlier, she had completely avoided the L word. Now, under the scrutiny of a handful of teens he didn’t dare comment. If she believed her mask to the world was necessary then he would do everything to help her maintain that pretense.

  “Totally not into gorgeous guys,” he said with a snort, “but thanks for the compliment.”

  At the sound of his deep voice, one of the teens turned toward him. The older woman she was with frowned at them. “Nick!” Shelby, his ex-girlfriend, shouted enthusiastically, eyes dancing with excitement. “I heard you and several of the Andrews cousins would be here.”

  He sidestepped, avoiding the hug the girl obviously wanted to give him. “Sarah, this is Shelby. We dated a while back.” When it came to his exile, he didn’t want any type of misunderstanding between them.

  “Yeah, we had a lot of fun,” Shelby said wistfully.

  The woman with Shelby grasped the teen’s shoulder with a gentle hand, while offering her free hand to Nick in greeting. “I’m Eve, Shelby’s cabin mother.”

  He briefly shook her hand.

  Sarah gave the woman an icy stare, refusing the polite contact.

  “Nick, I’ve really missed you,” Shelby said in an unsteady voice.

  Ignoring Sarah, the girl stepped boldly up beside him. “You know we really clicked. I was hoping we could get back together.”

  Frowning, Nick pulled away from her outstretched hand, putting several feet of space between him and the dark haired girl.

  Sarah’s hand clenched his fingers. If he hadn’t been looking at her face, when Shelby made her move, he would have missed the slight snarl curling her upper lip. Her eyes never wavered from the girl. Her intense gaze reminded him of a hunting mega-grizzly.

  “Sorry, Shelby, I’m not available.”

  “Oh,” the brunette sounded unhappy. Glancing at his and Sarah’s clasped hands, she added, “Well, maybe another time.”

  “Not later, not ever,” Sarah said softly, deadly. “He is mine.”

  “Sarah is my mate,” he said emphatically, thrilled with Sarah’s adamant claim. “There will be no other time.”

  “Mate?” Shelby questioned in a hiss of disbelief. Her eyes flashed with temper, her fangs lengthened. “She’s lying to you! The only Sarah I’ve heard about is a white-haired halfling. Your synth would never sing for a filthy exile that has killed hundreds of people.”

  “All right, everyone needs to calm down,” Eve said firmly. The fair-eyed woman looked to be in her late-twenties. From her protective stance, she took her cabin parenting duties very seriously.

  “No problem,” Nick said, nodding to the woman.

  Ignoring Shelby, he turned to go, gently tugging on Sarah’s hand.

  “No, wait,” Shelby said in a pleading voice.

  For a split-moment, Sarah refused to move. Her eyes changed from emotionless orbs to bottomless pits of fury, an entry into her soul opened, a passageway that lay filled with the promise of death. She blinked and her mask dropped into place once more, as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

  ____________

  “You screwed up,” Clarabelle said, snarling at Eve.

  In jerky, uneven steps, Eve paced around the small grove of trees. A gust of wind rustled through the trees. The Dyrst’Lye swung into the breeze, inhaling the various scents.

  “Are you listening to me?” Clarabelle demanded snappishly, pushing away from the blue trunk. She hated when people ignored her.

  “Did you smell that?” the woman asked nervously, rubbing her palms down the sides of her beige shorts. She didn’t just appear uncomfortable, she looked out of place.

  In a trendy, silk outfit, the woman looked dressed for a day at the mall instead of a summer camp located miles from civilization, smack in the middle of Dragon Valley’s largest forest. “What did you smell, furble trees and the werewolves in the preserve just east of here?” Clarabelle asked with snort of mockery.

  “No, them, did you smell one of them?” the woman demanded quietly as her gaze darted to a pocket of dark shadows.

  “You and my mate would make perfect partners. Both of you are more worried about shadows than jeopardizing our plans,” she said with a sniff, wishing she could induce that kind of fear.

  “Of course, I am worried. You should be too. If we fail them, they will take our heads and we’ll never see the blow coming.” On the last word, her voice trembled.

  “This isn’t getting us anywhere. Explain your failure,” Clarabelle snapped.

  “I didn’t fail,” she said haughtily.

  “That boy destroyed everything!”

  “That is not my fault. Lawrence…” her words strangled to a halt. Her eyes bulged with fear.

  Spinning around, Clarabelle came
face-to-face with a mouth full of sharp teeth.

  The first blow hit Clarabelle in the back of her head, knocking her to her knees. Through blurry thoughts, she realized there was more than one of them.

  Remembering her earlier words, she shuddered and felt her stomach cramp in terror. Bile rose in the back of her throat. They would never let her words go unpunished.

  Several shapes stepped from the shadows.

  “It wasn’t my fault!” Eve shrieked, looking around wildly. The white of her eyes grew bigger as she frantically jabbed her finger toward Clarabelle. “It was her plan!”

  “Well, now, why don’t you let me decide whom is actually at fault of being a failure,” a sinister voice said from the shadowed tree line. “Until that time, the beautiful Bruxcilla will bring Chi’Kehra’s mate to me.”

  A tall, willowy figure stepped from the trees. The appearance of her pebbled skin, the color and texture of a bright green avocado, sent a shaft of warning through the two women who visibly cringed away from the arrival.

  “Witch!” Clarabelle hissed is disgust. No one, but the most depraved of dhark lords worked with the witches.

  “Of course, Master, but I might need a little energy boost in order to control the lamia,” the woman said hungrily, eyeing both dragons.

  The monster from Clarabelle’s worst nightmare chuckled, motioning the witch toward the cowering women. “Take what you need, but don’t kill them.”

  Mixed screams of fear rocked the clearing. Clarabelle jumped to her feet, but a harsh kick to her back sent her sprawling. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Eve receive the same treatment.

  Clarabelle’s mate suddenly ported into the clearing. His deadly growl stopped instantly. Dropping to his knees, he bowed his head.

  “Councilman, did you require something?” the monster asked, never taking his eyes off Clarabelle.

  “No, Master,” Maynard said. He shuddered. “But whatever has displeased you, I would be honored to receive the punishment in place of my mate.”

  The harsh sound of the creature’s grunt mixed with the witch’s quiet laughter.

  “You admit she is at fault? That she is a failure?” the dark voice asked.