Awakening

by Warneke, A. C.

  Reverently, he ran his hands over her body, dragging the hem of her nightgown up and over her head until her naked form was exposed to his eyes. He hovered above her, worshipping her with his eyes. Reaching up, he trailed his fingers along her collar bone, between her breasts, over her sternum.

  Celeste watched Adam’s face as his hands moved over her. She swallowed past the lump in her throat as he splayed his hand over her stomach, over the baby that grew within. When he lifted his head and their eyes met, she felt her heart expand in her chest; pure love was blazing in his dark eyes. “Adam.”

  Bending his head, he replaced his hand with his lips, devotedly kissing the smooth skin of her stomach. The air surrounding them began to change as his kiss deepened, as he moved his head up her body and captured a pebbled nipple in his mouth. The sensation rocked through her soul and her back arched off the bed. Closing her eyes as tendrils of pleasure wrapped around her, she felt something… different.

  Power bubbled just beneath the surface, scary and exhilarating. Her hands smoothed over the planes of Adam’s chest, finding the buttons and ripping his shirt open. His head shot up in surprise and she smiled wickedly up at him, “You’re wearing too many clothes.”

  His lips curved upwards as he shrugged out of the ruined shirt. Sitting back on his heels, he unfastened his pants before pushing them off his hips, his body. As his erection sprung free, he had to catch his breath as Celeste sat up and wrapped her warm hands around his penis. Her smile widened as she took the tip of his cock into her mouth, swirling her warm, wet tongue around the tip.

  Adam’s midnight essence filled her mouth as she ran her tongue along the length of his erection. She didn’t know that tasting him like this would be so erotic, knowing that she held him in her power. She could grant him release or deny him, even if it left the hollow between her thighs, her body, bereft of his fullness.

  His fingers curled into her hair as his hips thrust back and forth, mind-numbing pleasure shooting through his body. His balls tingled as she too quickly brought him to the edge; where was his control? “Celeste, I’m going to come….”

  She dug her fingers into the flesh of his ass, holding him to her as she continued to pulse her tongue against the sensitive ridge of his cock. The warm heat of her mouth was too much and his hips bucked in a jagged rhythm as pleasure shot through his body and he filled her mouth with fluid.

  She sucked out every last drop before sitting back and smiling up at him. Her eyes sparkled as she wiped a few drops of moisture from her lips with the tips of her fingers. Holding his black gaze, she slid the fingers into her mouth, closing her eyes as she savored the last of Adam’s orgasm.

  He groaned, grabbing her around the shoulders and throwing her back onto the bed. Covering her with his body, he stared down at her, his nostrils flaring at the triumphant smile on her glistening lips. “My turn.”

  Beaming as she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him closer even as he pushed his still hard cock into the depths of her body. His chest pressed against hers as he lowered his arms, thrusting his tongue into her mouth as soon as their lips met. She moved her hips upwards to take him deeper and deeper.

  His lips trailed along her jaw as he continued to plunge into her wet heat, silently promising her that he wasn’t going to bite her, even as he felt the blackness filling his eyes and the fangs lengthening in his mouth. Torturing himself, he kissed the heady pulse along her throat, feeling it beat against his tongue. Lost in a haze of lust, he barely felt her lips moving along his jaw, his throat.

  Pleasure exploded down his spine as sharp teeth pierced his neck. His back arched, bringing Celeste with him as orgasm spiked through him. He may have screamed as ejaculate flooded her body, as pleasure flooded his soul.

  Celeste held him to her as she continued to greedily consume his blood, orgasm ripping through her body in great, torrential waves. Nothing compared to the rush of pleasure that was raging through her, exploding and sparkling along every nerve. The air became incandescent as light began to fill the room.

  As Celeste collapsed back onto the bed, a satiated smile on her ripe lips, Adam realized that the light that filled the room emanated from her. Her entire body was glowing with power, with brilliance. She was glorious! He could only stare in awe as the light faded, returning to Celeste.

  Slowly, Celeste recovered from her orgasmic coma and opened her eyes, smiling up at the man she loved with her whole being. His head was bent so she reached out and ran her fingers through the dark strands of his hair. “Adam.”

  “My Queen,” he breathed deeply, chivalrously.

  “Adam,” she whispered, sitting up before him, touching his chin and bringing his head up until their eyes met. He looked at her with love, devotion. She traced the line of his face, his strong jaw; he was so gorgeous and she hated seeing him in such a submissive role. Twisting until she was kneeling before him, she pressed her body to his, wrapped her arms around him. Kissing the strong column of his throat, she murmured, “My King.”

  He gathered her into his arms, holding her slender body with devotion and affection. “I love you.”

  “I love you,” she said, stifling a yawn. While she was brimming with power, she was exhausted; her body needed rest but her mind raced with thoughts. There was so much happening, from the final gift her mother gave her to Adam’s blood…. She sat back and stared at him in horror, “I bit you!”

  He smiled down at her, tangling his fingers in her hair and giving a gentle tug, “You bit me.”

  “But… how?” she asked, slapping her hand to her mouth, pushing her fingers against her non-existent fangs.

  As she explored her mouth for fangs she wasn’t going to find, Adam studied her, seeing the subtle changes in her: the luminous skin, the color of her eyes…. “Celeste, your irises….”

  In spite of her exhaustion, she leapt from the bed to find a mirror, needing to see if her eyes were black like Adam’s or if they had become alien like the rest of the Apocritae. Her eyes widened as she stared at her reflection; her eyes weren’t black at all, but seemed to almost glow in blue and green and gold. They were…. “Beautiful.”

  Adam came to stand behind her, staring at her over the top of her head. It always surprised her to see just how much taller he was but it did not intimidate her; she felt safe in his arms. Cherished. And as if she willed it, his arms came around her, enveloping her in his warmth, his body. “Extraordinary.”

  After the rush of adrenaline passed, her legs could no longer support her weight; if Adam had not been holding on so tight, she would have collapsed. How on earth was she going to defeat anything, let alone the fearsome Queen, if she couldn’t even remain upright? As Adam walked them back to the bed, nestling them beneath the covers and surrounding her with his body, she wanted to know more about Adam, about the race of beings she was going to rule. If she survived.

  “Why aren't the other Apocritae like you and Auberon?” she asked, snuggling further into his hold, her back to his chest, his arm around her waist. "Your mother had the gestation tank still."

  He balked at her words but didn't ask her any question. When he finally spoke, his breath was warm against her neck and she shivered. “Yes but that was all she had left. Six thousand years ago this world was far more advanced than anything you could possibly imagine and Mother threw it all away for power."

  "So she's a long term planner," Celeste murmured, feeling the stiffness in Adam's body as he spoke of the woman who created him.

  He huffed out a reluctant laugh, "Something like that. Besides, the Apocritae that followed us were designed by Mother to be perfectly subservient. They are content with the scraps she throws their way, as long as they can convert a human every now and then and live a life of sexual decadence."

  "The others don't seem to go out into the world much," she murmured, idly stroking his naked chest, loving the feel of his smooth, warm skin. "When are they creating all of these new Calices?"

  “They find time,�
�� he said with a chuckle, kissing the top of her head. “Usually it is late at night because humans are uncomfortable around us; it's easier to skulk about in the dark.”

  “But not you and Auberon,” she said with a slight smile. “And Shaw I’d imagine.”

  She could feel his smile, “Not to the same extent.”

  “It’s the eyes,” Celeste murmured without a doubt, caressing his forearms and staring absently across the room. “The unrelenting blackness of most Apocritum is so strange and alien. But your eyes are extraordinary, like you.”

  “Perhaps," he rasped, softly kissing the nape of her neck. "In truth, the Apocritae are a cold race.”

  She laughed abruptly at that, slamming a hand over her mouth when she felt the tension in Adam’s arm. Wiping the smile mostly from her face, she glanced over her shoulder at him, “Sorry. Please, continue.”

  His lips quirked up in a half-smile; how he loved her! “It’s true, Celeste. The Apocritae hate having to touch humans even as they desire the pleasure of drinking human blood.”

  “Did you ever despise touching humans?” she asked softly.

  He was silent for a long time before he answered her, “I was raised to believe that humans were inconsequential, that their only purpose was to serve the Apocritae. It has been… difficult to see the truth, to accept the truth and it has taken many years to free ourselves from the Hive, from Mother.”

  “Oh, Adam,” she murmured, holding his arms to her as she tried to imagine what he had been through; what he continued to go through. “How did you get out?”

  He gave a self-deprecating laugh, “Auberon was relentless, even though I was so damn stubborn. In the end, my eyes were opened. Mother is unaware of the enemies she has made of her children."

  *****

  Celeste sat on the couch next to Adam, while Kim stood guard just behind her and Auberon lounged languorously in the over-stuffed chair across from them. It was time to come up with a plan of attack, knowing that whatever safeguards that were put in place to protect Celeste were quickly disappearing. The Fates must have figured that as soon as Celeste had her powers returned, it would be safe for her to be exposed.

  Fates were fickle that way, not really caring that exposing her before she was ready would be her destruction.

  “You need to stop working at BioGenesis,” Adam said, holding her eyes with his and compelling her to see reason, just this once.

  “No,” she said simply, shaking her head and making Auberon smile with her resistance. “So far, there has been no indication that I am at risk there and that’s where the books and scrolls are. There might be something that can help….”

  Adam shook his head, flabbergasted by her reply. “Sweetheart, the Queen is sure to know of your existence by now; hell, the entire world is probably aware of it.”

  “They may be aware that I exist but they don’t know that I am the one who exists,” she said, her words making an odd sort of sense. “I mean, they don’t know that I am the chosen queen; I’m just a girl who works in research. Who would suspect me?”

  Auberon snorted and when Celeste turned her penetrating gaze on him he had to fight the urge to sit up straight. Damn it, she made him want to be a better man; but he was perfectly comfortable wearing leather and fucking whomever he wanted. As soon as the war session was over, he was going to have to go to the Adytum and choose a Calix to deal with this lust, this… longing.

  “Auberon?” she asked softly, raising an eyebrow at him.

  “I didn’t say anything,” he mumbled, shifting uneasily under her scrutiny. It was going to take several Calices to make this feeling bearable. If only they held the slightest appeal….

  “Celeste, be reasonable,” Adam said, trying to control his temper. “The Queen is extremely powerful and if she discovers you right under her nose she will be furious.”

  “I didn’t think she would bring out the champagne and greet me with open arms,” she mumbled under her breath, loud enough to make Auberon laugh. She smiled at her ally, encouraging him to stand with her in this. “Besides, in order to defeat her, I need to learn how. I have to learn what I can do and I hope I am able to find something in Research.”

  “She does have a point, Adam,” Auberon said, working on his own plan to save her. With a teasing smile, he winked at her, “No one would expect the new Queen to be foolish enough to work so close to the present Queen.”

  Celeste’s mouth opened at his good-natured insult. Grabbing the pillow she had been resting on, she threw it at him, laughing as it hit him. “Thanks for that, I think.”

  Holding the pillow to his chest, Auberon shrugged, “If I accompany her, then I will be able to protect her while making it known that she is my… pet.”

  “Pet?” Again, her eyebrow went up at his choice of words.

  Adam closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose to stave off the headache his brother and his Queen were giving him. “I don’t like it.”

  “It’s not for you to like or not like,” Auberon said, coming to his feet, still holding the pillow. “You know that it is for the best. Promise us that none of this will touch you; she’ll need your strength when this all blows up and you know that it will.

  “I will accompany Celeste to the office for a few days and help her discover anything that might prove helpful,” Auberon continued. “You are going to continue going to the meetings and pretending that the Apocritae world hasn’t been flipped onto its head. Remember, you know nothing.

  "We can reevaluate our strategy in a week.”

  Chapter 16

  “Celeste,” her father’s gravelly voice reached her as she walked through the doors of BioGenesis a few days later. For nearly a week she had been going to work without incident and while Adam continued performing his role in the Council to perfection, Auberon had become her shadow. He made a point of casually touching her at all times, especially when he sensed the presence of any supernatural beings close by.

  Not to be outdone, Kim remained glued to Celeste’s other side, the angelic personality refusing to budge even a little to let Kim shine through. She was wary of anyone who approached Celeste, so when her father called out her name, Kim stepped in front of her, shielding her from her own father.

  With a scowl, she stepped out from behind Kim, her lips easing into a smile when she saw her father approach. Surprised by his uncharacteristic behavior, Celeste held out her hand in greeting, “Father.”

  “Celeste,” Stephen repeated, crossing the atrium and coming to a halt in front of the girl, shooting a disgruntled look at Kim and a venomous look at Auberon. He forced his lips upward and cleared his throat but he couldn’t quite meet her eyes, “Could I have a moment of your time?”

  "Of course," she readily agreed, her heart fluttering in her chest that he was reaching out to her. She began to follow him until he stopped and glared at Auberon as he followed as well. It bothered her that her father disliked Auberon simply because he was an Apocritum but she supposed she understood; most people were leery around the Apocritae.

  Gruffly, glaring at Auberon, he sneered, “Alone.”

  “Of course,” she murmured, eager to learn what her father wanted to speak with her about. Placing a hand on Auberon’s chest, she looked at him and offered a slight smile, “Meet me back in the library and while you wait see if you can find any more writings regarding the Neolithic Era. That seems to be where we are having the most luck.”

  He smiled down at her, covering her small hand with his, “I’d rather wait until you were with me.”

  Her lashes lowered and she blushed at the innuendo, even though she knew he was doing it for the benefit of those around them. “Ask Jon to help you; he’s really good at finding archaic information.”

  “As you wish,” he murmured, bending his head and placing a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. Holding her eyes, he softly promised, “I’ll count the minutes until you return.”

  She bit back a smile as he turned to the right and headed fo
r the stairs that would lead down to the library while her father led her towards his lab. She wasn’t surprised to find that Kim had refused to leave her side; apparently her father wasn’t bothered by her best friend’s presence.

  Quietly, they made their way through the building, turning down an unfamiliar hall. Celeste felt Kim move closer, almost as if in preparation. “Father, where are we going?”

  “Someplace where we can talk,” Stephen answered without looking at the girl, his pulse beating rapidly in his throat. A bead of sweat trailed from his temple and he nervously wiped it away with the back of his hand. Celeste saw that his hand trembled and her belly tightened in apprehension.

  “I do not trust him, my beloved,” Kim whispered in her ear, her body tense with unease.

  Celeste’s lips quirked upwards at her friend’s dire tone but her own misgivings were not helping. Looking at Kim, she tried to smile reassuringly, “He’s my dad, Kim.”

  “I do not trust him,” she repeated gravely.

  Remembering that Kim wasn’t the same person she was just a few days ago, Celeste came to a halt. Perhaps it would be wise to listen to her friend, her Guardian. ”Maybe you’re right.”

  “Come, my beloved,” Kim said, wrapping her hand around Celeste’s elbow to lead her away. “I will return you to your Apocritum.”

  Before they could take even a single step, the hallway filled with Apocritae, their black eyes glistening in the light as they converged on the angel and the inexperienced Queen. She watched in horror as Kim was bashed over the head and the her body crumbled to the floor. That was too easy; wasn’t a Guardian Angel supposed to be able to withstand more?

  “Kim.” Her voice was barely there as she realized she was a fool; she never suspected her father could do such a thing. But, maybe her Guardian Angel was wrong, maybe her dad hadn't planned this ambush….