Awakening

by Warneke, A. C.

  Swallowing, she spoke the ancient words softly, then repeated them in English. “I bind you to me. Wherever you go, you will always return to me.”

  When her voice trailed off and she swayed, he whispered, “Is that it?”

  She smiled slightly and took a steadying breath before she continued. “As my blood flows through you, it binds you, it guides you. You will always return to me.”

  Replacing her wrist with her mouth, she kissed the wound and then breathed the binding spell into his heart, healing him. Ancient words shimmered over the fading mark, binding him to her. With a kiss, she closed her eyes, feeling her fingers tingle as her blood continued to surge from her wound. Darkness was closing in around her and if she didn’t get the bleeding to stop…. “Auberon.”

  He barely heard her say his name as the scent of her blood wrapped around him, knowing what he needed to do. She was a Queen; only the saliva of an Apocritum could heal her wounds. Rolling them until he was on top, carefully keeping his cock firmly embedded in her body, he reached down and grabbed her arm with one hand as his other supported him. Keeping his eyes on her pale face, the way her lashes curved in perfect arches against her cheekbones, he brought her wrist up to his mouth.

  Using his tongue, he closed the wound, rocking his hips and taking his pleasure. Lifting her arm above her head, he lowered his body until his chest flattened her breasts. He fought against every instinct to move but it was so difficult when he wanted her so much. With an unexpected surge of determination, he started to pull from her body when she whispered, “Wait; there’s one more thing I have to do.”

  His body screamed in agonizing confusion, desperate to pull out before he no longer had the strength. Lifting his head, he was surprised to feel her arm wind around his neck, holding him in place. “Celeste?”

  Lifting her head, her breath was hot against the curve of his throat. Sharp teeth pierced his skin and his body exploded into a million rays of radiance. His hips pounded into her in a gluttony of ecstasy as his orgasm tore through his body. For untold eons, he remained in bliss, until she pulled her teeth from his neck and released him from her spell. And then he gently drifted back to reality, to the feel of her soft body crushed beneath his.

  Light filled the room, light that came from Celeste. Looking down, he gasped at the whirl of power that blazed in her eyes. “You’re… glowing.”

  She smiled up at him, “You’re bound to me.”

  “I love you,” he murmured, falling to the side and reaching for her hand. Turning his head, he looked at her, “I love you.”

  “I’m not going to lose you, Auberon,” she whispered, squeezing his fingers for emphasis. “Hold me in your thoughts; don’t forget me.”

  “I couldn’t even if I tried,” he teased, letting the moment go. He still had to say goodbye to his brother. How was he going to face him after… after fucking his girl?

  “You’re thinking too much.” She smoothed his frown with his thumb. “You’ve shared women before.”

  “This can’t even begin to compare, Celeste,” he told her. “I would kill him if you were mine and you fucked him.”

  “Auberon, you’ve been banished,” she reminded him. “He’ll get over it, just so long as you return to us. Now, come, let us dress and say our goodbyes properly.”

  “You’re not the same girl we met in Paris,” he whispered, swinging his legs off the edge of the bed and looking at her.

  “Oh?” she looked at him with an arched eyebrow, hurt lining her beautiful face.

  He laughed, capturing her hand and bringing it up to his mouth. “Before, you were a bud; now you have blossomed into a glorious flower.” Holding her eyes, he kissed her fingers, “I pledge my loyalty to you, my Queen.”

  She laughed, the sound as beautiful as the girl. As she sat there, a simple dress wrapped itself around her body; he hated to see her naked flesh disappear. Her eyes drifted to the iridescent mark on his chest and she blushed, “I’m glad it worked.”

  He stared at her as comprehension dawned on his face. In false outrage, he tackled her, enjoying the sound of her laugher a little too much. “You didn’t know?”

  “I had hoped,” she grinned, even as moisture glistened in her eyes, eyes that retained some of the swirling power. Gods, she was magnificent! He could only pray she defeated the Queen; otherwise he would prefer remaining lost rather than coming back to a world without her in it.

  Closing those beautiful eyes, she pressed her palms against his chest and he felt the softest silk caress his body, a loose pair of pants and a loose top. Looking down, he saw the garish colors: a bright orange and lime green striped tunic over fluorescent yellow bottoms. But the smile of accomplishment on her beautiful face made it worthwhile.

  “I did it,” she beamed. Then she started to laugh when she realized what she had dressed him in. Covering her mouth to stifle the sound, her shoulders continued to tremble. “I am so sorry.”

  “No problem.” He quickly changed the clothes back to his normal leather pants and tight black shirt, secretly keeping the clothes she made him close to his body.

  “The next time I see you I’ll be able to do that,” she said wistfully. Realizing what she said, the implications, her eyes flew to his.

  Before she could apologize, he pressed a finger over her lips, “No regrets, love. Now come, let’s go say our goodbyes properly. Thank you, Celeste.”

  Adam’s stoic posture as they said their goodbyes ripped Auberon to shreds. Auberon saw how his brother avoided looking at Celeste, how he kept a distance between them. And Celeste, sweet, naïve Celeste, was unaware of her lover’s torment as she continued to hold onto him, tears in her green-blue-gold eyes. And selfish bastard that he was, he let her hold him, soaking in all of the warmth she offered.

  Too soon, the tug of banishment curled around his soul and he knew that it was time. Reaching out, he clasped Adam’s hand in his own, “Forgive us, Adam.”

  “I will,” Adam growled low in his throat, shaking his brother’s hand and clenching his jaw. Although he wasn’t sure if was to prevent himself from slamming his fist into Auberon’s face or to keep from howling at the thought of losing his brother, his closest friend for so very, very long. “Return soon.”

  Auberon smiled, about to say more, when Celeste threw herself into his arms, bawling uncontrollably. His arms wrapped around her lithe body and he breathed her in, closing his eyes. “Forgive me.”

  “Auberon, there’s nothing to forgive,” she whispered, cupping his cheek in her hand conveying her understanding without words.

  “I love you,” he said once more before he could stop himself. In for a pound… he bent his head and placed his mouth over hers in a gentle kiss. “Gods, I love you.”

  “I know,” she breathed against his lips, tightening her hold as if that could keep him. He could feel her body shudder with each breath she took and he wished he could stop hurting her. Never wanting to let her go, he vowed to remember her, to remember how she felt in his arms, her delicate scent, her soft skin. Everything. “Hurry home.”

  Still feeling the softness of her lips as she kissed him one last time, he opened his eyes. There was only darkness. His banishment had begun and his soul cried out for Adam, for Celeste; for the child. “Forgive me.”

  Chapter 20

  As Auberon faded away, Celeste turned to Adam for comfort, unable to stop the tears from falling. Instead of taking her in his arms like she expected, he turned away from her and she finally saw the enmity radiating from him. How could she have missed it? It was almost physical in its strength. She reached out, but let her hand fall short of touching him, afraid that if she did he would shatter. “Adam, forgive me.”

  “There’s nothing to forgive, Celeste,” he ground out. “You did what needed to be done; you ensured my brother’s return. How can I hold that against you?”

  She reached for his arm but he jerked away, purposefully hurting her. At her sound of distress, he growled but kept his back towards h
er. “I said there’s nothing to forgive, so drop it.”

  Softly, her heart breaking with each beat it dared to beat, she said, “The only other option was to have him lost to us forever.”

  “I know,” he said through clenched teeth, his jaw hurting with the effort to keep his heart from spilling out of the gaping wound in his chest. He didn’t understand the rage that was clawing at him, the agony. It wasn’t as if he and Auberon had never shared lovers before; they had, frequently; sometimes they shared a woman at the same time. But that was before Celeste; he had never felt this… jealousy before, this rage.

  Even knowing that Celeste’s heart belonged to him couldn’t prevent the beast from ripping him to shreds. He couldn’t stand looking at her, being near her, wanting to take her in his arms and comfort her and wanting to scream at her for hurting him in a way no one had ever hurt him before. “Just… I need some time, Celeste. Just give me some time to… figure things out.”

  “Adam, this is unfair!” she cried, grabbing his arm to prevent him from leaving. “You’ve known hundreds, thousands of women and if there had been any other way…. It was for Auberon!”

  He made himself turn around and face her, hating the desolation on her beautiful face, hating her and loving her so damn much…. “Please, Celeste.”

  She nodded her head, her eyes pleading with him to forgive her. “I love you.”

  He closed his eyes in despair, her words burning a hole through his heart. Without saying another word, unable to say anything else, he turned from her and walked away. It didn’t matter what he knew in his head, he couldn’t forgive her. Someday, but not now. He just needed to get away, remember who he was before she barged into his life and disrupted his orderly world. God, he loved her.

  He hated her.

  He loved her.

  *****

  Celeste stared after him with tears streaming down her face, her heart shredded on the floor at her feet. There wasn’t enough time to find another way, she had had no choice…. Her thoughts were empty, her excuses meant nothing, not when it meant Adam hated her. She saved Auberon only to lose her Adam. And it was all her fault, everything was her fault, from dragging the Vespari twins into this twenty-three years ago to falling in love with them a few months ago.

  Straightening her shoulders, taking a deep breath, she knew what it was she had to do, the only thing left for her. Already, a plan was forming and she could only pray that when it was all over, Adam would find it in his heart to forgive her. If she survived. If she didn’t, then it wouldn’t really matter; she would be dead, Auberon would be lost and Adam would have to find his brother on his own. Knowing Adam, he would find a way, eventually. It may take him a thousand years but he would find Auberon.

  “I take it he wasn’t too pleased with the binding spell,” Kim said. Celeste turned and saw her friend leaning against the door way, her arms crossed beneath her breasts as she stared down the hall where Adam disappeared. “I was afraid of that.”

  “Did you know this was going to happen?” Celeste asked.

  Kim lifted a shoulder in a familiar shrug as she pushed herself off the wall and walked towards Celeste. “I figured something like this would happen, I just didn’t expect Auberon to be so noble.”

  “You don’t like the Apocritae very much, do you?” Celeste asked, watching as Kim crossed the room. Standing side by side, but not together, was painful; the girl that Celeste had loved as a sister was a virtual stranger. How much did she change when the Guardian Angel awoke?

  “Seruli despises them,” Kim said indifferently with that damn shrug.

  “Then why is she – why are you – my Guardian?” Celeste’s mind continued to formulate a plan, rearranging it as new information came to her; could she trust Kim – Seruli – if her life was on the line? She was the new Queen of the Apocritae, would Kim – Seruli – allow her to live?

  “All unknowns are given a Guardian; Seruli lost,” Kim answered. Facing Celeste, the cool mask hiding her thoughts, she said, “That is why she chose to live as a human, to grow up beside you, to… forget her purpose until it was time to remember.”

  “I see,” Celeste said slowly, wishing she could read her friend once more, to discover her true allegiances. “Do you – does Seruli – regret being my… Guardian?”

  “Of course not,” Kim said, letting the mask slip and letting Celeste see the sincerity of her words for a brief moment. “You are our beloved.”

  Celeste’s brows drew together, “Even though, if I succeed, I will be Queen of the Apocritae.”

  Kim’s lips tilted upwards in an enigmatic smile, “You’re still partially human; the angels and demons will just have to learn to accept the Apocritae.”

  “Wh… why are the Apocritae so despised?”

  “They think they are better than everyone – everything – else.” Kim smirked, “They disdain humans, angels, and demons alike, keeping to themselves and generally making all of our lives all the more difficult with their arrogance and their… fuck ups.”

  “The Calices,” Celeste murmured.

  “The Thraell,” she sneered. Kim’s face changed completely, becoming warm once more, as she looped her arm through Celeste’s and pulled her down a hall to an unoccupied bedroom. Standing outside the door, she kissed Celeste’s forehead, “Now, get some sleep, my beloved; everything will be better in the morning.”

  “One can only hope,” Celeste said, offering a tremulous smile.

  Kim grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look up. “Promise me you won’t do anything rash.”

  “I promise,” Celeste said effortlessly enough. It was an easy promise to make; what she planned on doing was very deliberately thought out

  “Celeste, I’m serious,” the familiar Kim was back, imploring her with concern abundant in her heavenly blue eyes. “I will be right outside of this door; you will not be able to get past me if you decide to do something stupid.”

  “After my heart has been shattered do you really think I am going to do something reckless?” Celeste asked light-heartedly, hoping Kim still thought of her as the girl she grew up with and not the woman she had become.

  Kim’s easy smile assured her that Kim didn’t know her that well anymore. That probably wasn’t something to be glad about, but she didn’t want any more of her friends to get lost or hurt, including Kim. “Should I let you spend the day in bed tomorrow?”

  Celeste almost sighed in relief. Nodding her head, “I don’t think I will get out until Adam forgives me.”

  “That shouldn’t take too long,” Kim assured her with a confidence Celeste wished she could share. “He loves you.”

  With a few last words, Celeste locked herself in the room, pressing her back against the door as her bruised heart pounded in her chest. Either Kim was exceptionally gullible or she knew what Celeste was about to do and she was willing to let her go. Either option had its downfalls but that wasn’t something Celeste wanted to dwell on; there was only a little bit of time left before she knew whether or not she was going to be the Queen.

  There wasn’t time to write a note to Adam; besides, what would she say? Sorry I fucked your brother but I didn’t like the alternatives; forgive me. I love you? It all seemed so pointless. Instead, she changed into a pair of blue jeans and a t-shirt, slipping into a pair of tennis shoes and tying her hair back into a pony tail. Calling out, hoping Kim kept her promise to be just on the other side of the door, she said, “Good night, Kim; sweet dreams.”

  “Good night, Celeste,” came the reply.

  With a smile, Celeste closed her eyes, picturing the garage where Auberon kept his car. He wouldn’t mind if she borrowed it; he was going to want a new one when he got back anyway. She felt the cool metal next to her hand and smiled, opening her eyes and seeing the sleek Italian sports car right next to her. Climbing into the expensive vehicle, she ran her hands over the leather steering wheel, sighing in bliss; Auberon never would have let her take it out if he had still been around.

>   Turning the key, she just sat there for a moment to appreciate the purr of the engine. With a sigh, she backed out of the open garage, taking one last look at the mansion that had become a home over the past several weeks, a home that wouldn’t be a home if Adam couldn’t forgive her. Ignoring the tear the trickled down her cheek, she drove along the deserted road, knowing the first stop she had to make, hoping she would be able to find the discreet door.

  *****

  Celeste stood before the non-descript door in the middle of downtown Minneapolis. It hardly seemed right that such a place existed within city limits but Celeste figured demons had their own rules and as long as they were discreet, the human world probably never even knew. What an introduction into the Otherworld! Letting out the breath she had been holding off and on since she climbed into the car, she pushed the door open.

  The interior was lit in red, giving it a decadent, sensual feel; which was as it should be considering what sort of business it was and the clients it catered to. The air was scented, spicy with an undertone of musk; Celeste didn’t linger too long on the cause of the muskiness. A low, erotic beat pulsed through the house as sensual vocals sang in French or Italian; one of the Romance languages. The place was designed for pleasure: bold, unashamed and beautiful.

  A sinfully gorgeous woman appeared wearing an unusual black leather dress; it was sleeveless and had an intricate clasp in the front. She didn’t look very old, but there was something about her that let Celeste know she wasn’t as young as she appeared either. Her long, blond hair hung to her waist as she stared at Celeste with exotic pale green eyes, a look of haughty disdain on her attractive face. She had a slight accent as she asked, “Are you lost?”

  Even her voice was seductive, low and earthy. Celeste swallowed back the unease, “Um, I’m looking for Genevieve.”

  “Who?” the woman inquired coolly, arching a delicate blond eyebrow. Celeste was pretty sure the woman knew who Genevieve was but was purposefully being obtuse. Damn, what was Gen's professional name?