The Illuminated Witch

by Imogene Nix

  “What if I want to learn something else? Magic for instance?”

  Celina gazed at Lucy, where she sat in front of her. “Then I will personally find you a mentor, who will find out what skills you have. We mean what we say. Not all vampires are ugly creatures. Not all feed off the unsuspecting and unwary. There are some who are good.”

  Lucy relaxed in the made-up bed.

  “Now the best thing you three can do is go back to sleep.”

  She waited while the three dropped off to sleep. She would have liked children, but knew realistically that without Javed’s interference, she’d probably be dead by now. His actions had given life. Now he’d given her this chance at a family too.

  Suddenly she needed him. Needed to tell him how much she appreciated all he’d given her.

  She swept into the bedroom, where he waited for her, sitting on the side of the bed. “I heard you. I heard what you said. Not all of us are monsters. It’s only taken me eight hundred years to find a woman who can make me believe that.”

  Celina stopped as he raised his head to look at her, stretching out both his hands, and she gripped them firmly. “I should have asked before. Be my life partner, Celina. Since you’ve been here, the greys of night are alive. You are the stars in my darkness.” He framed her face with his hands. She felt the shake of them and saw the uncertainty in his gaze.

  “How could you doubt that I would accept? I’ve told you I love you. From that first moment I saw you on the street. It was like a bolt to my heart.” She let him see the joy that radiated deep inside her. “I will be your life partner. I can’t think of anything else that I want more.”

  She couldn’t have said who moved first, but now they mashed their lips together, wild and hot. He tugged at her clothing and she wanted to cry loud her delight. “Oh God! We have to be quiet! The children!”

  He laughed against her collarbone. The zing of desire overtook her. Her body reacted instinctively. Celina’s knees felt weak and she slid her hands into his midnight black hair. She played with the silken strands as he kissed his way over her neck and shoulder freely.

  With an arch of her spine, she tugged him toward the bed. Wait! She stilled her body taut like a bow at his thought and he shut the door with a swift motion.

  Her breath escaped in a whoosh. Great thinking!

  A gentle push from his hand had her falling to the bed, still warm from his body, and he leaned so gently over her, his breath a subtle caress on her heated skin.

  “Well, since we have to be quiet, we’d better be inventive.” The impact of his words sent a curling heat spiraling deep within. Javed brushed away strands of red hair, pushing them out.

  “A halo of red. The angel that saved me from my own darkness.”

  She reached for him once more, savoring the touch of skin as she toyed with his pajamas. “Your angel wants you to get naked.”

  He gazed down at her and she grinned. “Truly, my lady? And what boon would you give me, then?”

  She wanted to tell him how much she treasured him. “Forever? Every night that comes? Because all of them are yours.”

  They kissed. It was harsh and greedy, tearing away the thin tissue of urbanity. Now he clawed at her clothes, dragging them from her body while he nipped at the tender flesh he uncovered.

  Celina returned the act, pulling the pajama shirt from him, uncovering his muscled chest and planting her hand against his pectorals, savoring the smooth warmth. The beat of his heart beneath her touch told her plainly of his arousal, in the way it beat a rapid tattoo. She lifted her hand to take his, placed it beneath her generous breast. “Feel that? Feel how much I need you.”

  The slide of his hand curved upwards, taking the weight of her breast. He flicked his thumb over her nipple so that it quickly distended. His gaze turned fiery as he continued his sensual ministrations. “Such bountiful breasts and tipped with the most exquisite nipples.”

  He rubbed over the nubs and each touch ignited another little flickering fire in her core. “Javed?”

  At her cry, he released her breasts. “There is more bounty, though, my lady.” He gave a lopsided grin, but his face was flushed and damp, like her skin. He hooked his fingers in the elastic waistband of her pajama bottoms and she raised her butt, allowing him to slide them off her.

  With care, she scooted back to the center of the bed and he climbed up before prowling along her side. She saw his nostrils flare, smelling the heady scent of musky arousal on the air.

  He stopped at her hip, lowering his head toward her belly. The touch was electric. Her body clenched as he slid his fingers over the sensitive flesh of her mound. He traced over the slit at her center, back and forth with aching tenderness. She worked to contain the moans that rose in her throat.

  The next pass saw him dip one finger within so that it grazed over the sensitive point between her thighs. She couldn’t contain the hiss this time.

  He pulled back. “Slick, warm and ready.” He raised the moisture to his mouth and licked, watching her. Her breath fled and she arched as his hands returned again to their pleasurable torture.

  “Javed, please. Now.”

  But instead, he dipped his mouth down, covering her and running his tongue between her legs. She mewled and bucked, the pleasure streaking like fire through her.

  Her chest heaved and she twined her fingers in the cotton of the bed as she sucked in air, staring blindly at the ceiling. The torture continued as the spring wound tightly within her belly.

  She bit her lips. Javed! Please! Please, now! Don’t make me wait.

  He surged up and she released her grip on the sheets, grabbing at his shoulders. He toppled to the bed as she rose. Celina kissed her way along his belly, flat and lean. She tasted and laved, mad with need, while she played her fingers across his sweat-slicked flesh. She found his hips and gripped before following the small line of hair from his navel with her mouth.

  His cock was proud and erect. She slid her mouth over the bulbous head, teasing it with her tongue before pushing down. This time he groaned as she glided up and down.

  Javed tangled his fingers in her hair, tugging. Now! I need to be within you.

  She crawled up his body, noting his graven features and the golden shine in his eyes. One movement of her legs and she straddled him. Forever.

  Then with exquisite care she lowered herself, until she was impaled on his length.

  The ride was wild.

  Fast.

  The gyrations mad as he rose up, kissing her, their combined tastes mingling. The coil snapped and she arched. Celina gave in to the pleasure, aware that he too had achieved orgasm. Their bodies, still entwined, finally became quiet.

  Then she slumped, safe in his embrace.

  * * * *

  Javed followed Celina out into the communal area, the three children lagging behind, still desperately unsure of the others. They stayed close to Celina. He made a mental note to have Kharisma assess them in case they required psychological assistance.

  Waiting for them were Hope and Xavier. Hope had dressed in her favored uniform of jeans and peasant shirt. She smiled as the small unit moved as one, but Xavier just quirked an eyebrow.

  One of the nestlings, an older lady, came forward and Celina introduced them. “Lucy, Marian and Rachel, go with Jean. She will get you some food and organize what things you will need so we can order clothes. Then Kane wants to talk to you about school.”

  “We don’t want to.” Lucy jutted out her chin, though she checked the reactions of those either side.

  Javed felt frustration at her words. “I can come with you if you’d like.” He had little experience of children, but if that gave them comfort, then he would do it.

  “We want Celina.”

  Javed shook his head. “She has meetings now. People have come to talk to her. When they are done, we’ll make arrangements.” He saw the mutinous expression on Lucy’s face and leaned forward. “They are all human. You will be safe with them.”

&n
bsp; Lucy’s gaze was distrustful but she finally nodded. “We stay together, okay?” Then she looped her arms through the other girls’ and they followed Jean to the kitchen.

  Celina welcomed their visitors to the nest. He grinned at the easy way she talked to Hope and Xavier. They were his closest friends beside Kharisma and he wanted her to feel comfortable with them.

  The door swung open and Cressida arrived, Caridad following her closely. Daniel was descending the stairs. “Fine. We are all together. Let’s head to my office.”

  They filed in and took up spots at the conference table. In deference to the fact that it was his nest, Caridad sat beside Javed, who was directed to the end of table. Celina accepted Cressida’s instruction that the other end was hers.

  “After all, you’ve accepted him as life partner, haven’t you?” Celina blushed and Cressida shot him a glance.

  “You did ask, didn’t you?”

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but I did.”

  Cressida sat back smugly in her chair, fingers steepled. “So?”

  “I accepted.” Congratulations flowed at Celina’s quiet words.

  Finally the room quieted. Cressida cleared her throat. “We are, however, not here to discuss your union. Last time I was here I asked Kharisma for details of Celina’s test results. After it threw up that Daniel was her half-brother, it reminded me that Hope is his cousin, on the maternal side. As she’s now a vampire, her results were excluded from the initial trace. So I gave instructions that they should be reviewed. They matched.”

  “How do they match?” Javed sat straight in his chair.

  “Hope and Celina are cousins. That leads me to think there is more still to this than meets the eye.”

  “Well damn.” Celina put her hand to her forehead. “That would explain it then. Creedar looked at me like he knew me.” Her eyes were wide. “When I held him back, he sort of stared at me. I’m sure there was a kind of recognition in his eyes.”

  “How did you manage to hold him back? Your magic is from the sun.” Kharisma leaned forward. “What changed?”

  Caridad sighed. “That’s easy to answer. Our strength comes from the stars and the night. I’d say her body has finally adjusted to her new state. That her affinity has settled to the night.”

  Celina smiled, the sight breathtaking. “You have no idea how pleased I am to hear that.” She laced her fingers together and breathed deeply.

  “But back to Creedar?” Her eyes flickered, her gaze lowered to the tabletop as if she were thinking over a great puzzle.

  “Celina?” Caridad stared at Celina and Javed while a ripple traveled through the room. “I know what you’re thinking, and it’s excellent. There is no reason that some kind of latent DNA couldn’t be present still in your blood.” She inclined her head to the newest vampire in the room.

  “I don’t get what you mean?” Adrenaline spiked through Celina again.

  “Blood. The prophecy was about blood. Either our mixed blood that created the vampire race or shared blood… History. I pondered it all day. Four siblings. But one survived, meaning three descendants to beat Creedar. Family connections. Descended from one. Me. My children before I was turned.”

  Everyone gazed at her. “Well, I was hardly likely to share that last night. Hearing that procreation was banned? But yes. I did bear a child. A daughter.” Caridad giggled, then settled with a smug and satisfied expression on her face.

  Javed rose, shoving away from the table, and his stride ate up the distance. “If that’s true… Kharisma!” he bellowed, knowing she would hear him. Her footsteps clattered on the tiles.

  “Javed? Are we under attack?”

  He brushed her words of concern aside. “How soon can you run a DNA trace on blood samples?”

  She screwed her nose up at his question. “Well, probably overnight. I know someone…” Kharisma searched his face as she obviously started to put the information together.

  “Get your kit. Four samples. Whatever it takes, I need the results by tomorrow evening.” Her face blanked, but she hurried from the room.

  He regained his seat. “Right, so if this theory is correct…?”

  “We need to find Daniel’s mate. The sooner that happens, the better.” Caridad spoke firmly and Javed winced.

  He chanced a look at his Yeux Secondes. He’d barely gotten to know him, but was happy with his services so far. Surely he wasn’t about to lose him just as the nest was finding its feet? Then he castigated himself for his shallow thoughts.

  Caridad rose. “I would suggest, for now, we leave Daniel, Hope and Celina to get acquainted.” As she spoke, Caridad looked at Javed, Xavier and Cressida meaningfully.

  As one they rose. Kharisma rushed into the room to take her samples from the three waiting, then did the same with Caridad. She sealed them in a specially marked bag and nodded to her partner who took the bundle.

  Javed and the others left the room. They waited in the dining area, while the nest settled into its now familiar routine.

  Impatience ate at him. One hour then another ticked by.

  Finally, Daniel, Hope and Celina entered where they sat, with an air of togetherness, and he stood, his gaze searching for hers. She was smiling. His heartbeat resumed its normal rhythm as she took his hand.

  “We’ll leave you now, Javed and Celina.” He bent forward as Hope brushed her lips over his cheek. “She’s lovely.”

  As a group they made for the front door, where Cressida stopped as the others filed by, into the night. “By the way, the three children? Lucy, Marian and Rachel? The government has agreed to allow you to have full and unconditional custody of them. There is no contest.” Then she walked away, leaving them open-mouthed.

  The tail lights glowed red in the darkness and he thought of the glow of Creedar’s eyes. “He’s out there. Waiting for his chance.”

  Celina shivered and he pulled her against his chest. “We’ll beat him. All of us together. I can feel it in my bones.”

  Right now, though, we have it all. Home. Family. Commitment. I never thought to have them.

  She chuckled. And three kids. Don’t forget them. He grinned, then they headed inside, ready to embrace their next adventure.

  Also available from Totally Bound Publishing:

  Hesparia’s Tears

  Imogene Nix

  Excerpt

  Chapter One

  The spaceship entered orbit and Jessa watched the tracking on the television. Since learning of the existence of extraterrestrials, it was about all she wanted to do. See where they were and where they planned to land.

  The reporter came back on the screen. “We believe they will make their landing somewhere on the continent of Australia. There have been no further radio communications from the craft, however. So it is, at best, an educated guess right now.”

  Jessa giggled at the sober face of the young, twenty-something reporter standing outside the Parkes Observatory and the inane follow up comment made by the thirtyish female news anchor.

  “Jessa, it’s time for bed!” her mother yelled again.

  She sighed dramatically. At twenty-four she was no longer a child, even though her parents seemed to struggle with that small fact.

  Maybe it’s time to move out. As quickly as the thought had crossed her mind, she dismissed it. Leaving home meant more expense than she could possibly afford. The thing that really irked her was paying an outstanding legal bill for something she hadn’t even done. It was a refrain that had played through her mind over and over again since the event had taken place. It may have happened years ago, but she continued to pay for her youthful indiscretion. One she had long regretted.

  Jessa stood, before heading down the old hallway to the bathroom. Living at home meant sharing a bathroom with her little brother, Ben. Of course, being a boy of sixteen, he was disgusting. There were used razor blades, splashes of water, foam from his recent shaving experience and hairs in the sink. Knowing it would make no difference complaining about
it she carefully picked up the discarded detritus and placed it in the bin beside the vanity unit, wiped away the mess and began her own night-time ritual.

  Emerging from the bathroom, she spied her mother, standing at the end of the hall in her fluffy blue dressing gown with matching slippers, and her blonde hair sitting high on her head in soft curlers. It was the same scene every night. “Night, Jessa.”

  “Night, Mum.” What else was there to say? In a funk, Jessa entered her room, before closing the door then sat down on her single bed. She breathed deeply, letting the oxygen flow through her system, before slowly levering herself down across the mattress. Her blinds were open so she had an excellent view of the star-studded sky. It was a major positive to living on the edge of town, the absence of bright lights.

  “Whoever you are, I certainly hope you’re friendly,” Jessa muttered, before closing her eyes, rolling onto her side and willing herself to sleep. For some reason, an excited thrill ran through her system.

  Finally, visitors from the stars. No longer was it a figment of someone’s imagination or something from a science fiction novel. The time had come for them to have contact with another species. That was a sobering thought. The Prime Minister had sent a radio message to the ship. God, I hope the Prime Minister didn’t act like a pompous dick. Jessa snuggled down under the covers, waiting for the touch of sleep. Her mind wandered and she drowsed.

  Her mobile, sitting on the bedside table buzzed and vibrated. Jessa muttered in the dark, groping for the device. She reached out and found the red leather covered item and dragged it to her ears.

  “‘lo?”

  “Jessa, it’s me. Seth. Can you come to the office at the telescope? I need you.” He sounded excited.

  She squinted. “I was asleep, Seth. Besides which, I’m off duty until Saturday.” The room was gloomy and she screwed her face up into a scowl, knowing sleep would probably elude her now. “What could be so important that I need to come in right now?” Jessa pushed back the covers, swung her legs over the side then slipped her feet into her old gray slippers beside the bed.

  “I can’t tell you over the phone.”