He pulled me toward him, cradling my head in his large hands. Gently he stroked my cheeks with his thumbs. “I was dead inside until I met you.”
I merely stared at him, tongue-tied. This was real.
“You feel it too, don’t you?”
“Yes,” I breathed.
He kissed the pulsing hollow at the base of my throat. A low moan left my lips. Then he brushed a gentle kiss across my forehead, teasing me, tempting me to respond. Raising my mouth to his, I licked my tongue along his bottom lip. The electricity sparked between both of us and I closed my eyes as his mouth covered mine. Yes, take me. His tongue sent shivers of desire racing through me and I returned his passion. I was shocked at my own eager response to his lips.
***
“How did we get here?” I asked as he cradled me in his arms.
He remained quiet for a very long time. My question seemed to float along the air, threatening to fall into the water. Lightly I touched my fingers to my lips and felt the wetness from his embrace. My lips were still radiating and warmth. His kiss had sent new spirals of ecstasy through me. I want you deep inside me, I thought. As I settled back in Vincent’s arms, I relived our recent kiss over and over again in my head. I relived our lovemaking by the rock. I smiled up towards the white canopy and enjoyed the feel of his arms around me. Life with him would be Heaven.
“By way of the river,” he said finally.
“Yes, but where are we?” I questioned, remembering he had yanked me under the water. “How did we get here exactly?” I repeated.
Vincent stood up quickly, almost dumping me out of the hammock onto the wooden pier. “It doesn’t really matter,” he muttered. “I wonder where they are.”
“Who?” I snapped. I felt abandoned at his hasty exit. He should always be by my side.
“Michel and the others. We usually meet here.” His voice drifted off. He had changed into a long-sleeve blue shirt, same as I had worn before, and a pair of gray pants. For some reason, I wore a flowing mint green linen dress that I assumed he had clothed me with. That realization made my cheeks redden.
“Vincent?” I added an authoritative tone to my voice, letting the last syllable drop with a hint of seriousness. “I wanted some answers.”
“This…” he announced, raising his arms to the sky, “is the Lunar world. But it doesn’t matter, does it?” he growled. “You’ll be on your way home soon and out of my father’s clutches. He won’t take you as well, but I’ll lose you forever.” He pumped his fist into the palm of his other hand.
When I realized Vincent was referring to my relatives, a flood of wild grief ripped through me and I gasped.
He whirled around. Oh god, Emily. I didn’t want to tell you. I’m sorry!”
I covered my mouth in anguish preventing myself from saying anything because I immediately understood his meaning the same time he did. My eyes widened and a large lump formed in my throat.
Our eyes locked. The passion in his eyes died and they became flat, almost as unreadable as stone. He shifted his gaze to the water beyond us, refusing to look at me.
“Who. Is. Your. Father?” I uttered the words very slowly when I finally recovered my voice.
“I can explain.”
“Who is your father?” I screamed, brining my feet down hard on the wood as I attempted to stand without any luck. The wood of the pier beneath me cracked.
“Let me explain.”
“Tell me,” I growled.
“Lord Alichino. The demon that probably killed your relatives. He’s my father.”
“No!” Not wanting to hear Vincent confess to a death sentence by association, I covered my ears and shook my head. “No, don’t say that.”
Smothering back a sob, I fell into the hammock, defeated. Tears streamed down my face and I hid my face from Vincent who was standing over me. I’d lose him too. Death would take the one chance I may have at love, real love and I’d be powerless to stop it.
“Please Emily. I can explain.” Vincent knelt beside me in the hammock.
“No, no. You don’t have to. You’re not your father’s son. I can see that. You wouldn’t have helped me otherwise.” I swallowed down the sobs threatening to spill over into my voice. I rested my head on Vincent’s shoulder for a long time, trying to regain my composure. My mind raced and I struggled to keep control of the situation before the Wolf intervened.
“After you drank my blood, I could hear some of your thoughts, especially if we were touching. I heard you speak of avenging your relatives’ deaths. That came out when we jumped into the river and I grabbed you. But it’s more than that. I knew when I saw the new skulls on my father’s wall and he told me he had kidnapped the Princess of the Golden Kingdom. I knew he was likely hunting your family. I’m so sorry, Emily. Don’t you see? Don’t you see now why we have to get you out of here? What if you or your father is next?”
He wrapped his arms around my legs as he knelt beside me. “I’ll keep you safe. I’ll die for you if it means you can escape. I won’t let him have you, Emily.”
I stared down at Vincent as he stroked the outer curve of my calf. A warm golden glow of comfort flowed up from my soul and wrapped around my heart. Already he had been by my side more times than I could expect my father or mother to be. My family was gone with the death of my brother and aunt. It was my reality and I knew it. I rubbed my fingers through Vincent’s hair for a long time, watching the sunrays catch the reflections in his onyx highlights. He sat curled up at my feet, holding me close amid my knees and legs. He rested his head in my lap as I casually played with his hair. The bluish black lights glimmered and mesmerized me. My heart will never mend if I have to leave this man. There must be a way out of this ordeal.
Attempting to change the mood because my legs were falling asleep, I whispered to Vincent. “I hate this hammock. Can we find a better place to sit?”
He looked up at me. His mouth quirked with humor. “The hammock is a bad sitting spot, isn’t it?” he chuckled. “Let’s go to the beach and sit under the palm trees, okay?”
I returned a weak smile as I let him lead me off the pier. He took my hand in his and I choked back another wave of grief as it hit me. It was like every ounce of despair I had tried to hold back after losing my aunt and brother in the recent months surfaced in that one moment. Tears blinded my vision and I was thankful I had Vincent there to help me find my way. What if you or your father is next? The impact of his words slammed into my heart. I could be next if this Alichino demon, this father of Vincent’s found me.
Chapter 5 – Vincent’s Confession
This chapter is told from Vincent, the hero’s point of view.
Once we made it to the shoreline, I used my vampire speed and strength to create a place for Emily that would be more comfortable than the hammock she had been scrunched in. My large height of 6’2” and weight of a muscular 220 lbs didn’t leave much room for her to be in the hammock with me. I did my best to bury my thoughts of wanting her to sit in my lap or, more accurately, straddle my lap because I knew now was not the time to have such urgings. She needed my mind, not my body.
I couldn’t help but remember what we had already experienced together. It had been incredible. She was incredible, breathtaking. The silkiness of her buttocks. Her dusty pink nipples. The divine warmth of her sex. The sheer power of her werewolf form. Whether she knew it or not, Emily was indeed a rare werewolf. But was she a Livonian wolf? That I had to find out. It made the urgency to protect her even greater.
As I set to my task and began carving a sizeable bench out of the trunk of a fallen palm tree, I hoped Emily and I would have time to talk before Michel and the others arrived. I had expected to see my friend pop his dragon head up out of the water right by Emily’s feet, but he had not shown. None of the dragons were in their usual dwelling spots by the cove or the pier, and that had me a little more than concern.
Emily still seemed upset and dealing with her grief, so I shared the story of how I discover
ed the Lunar world when I was a boy.
She wandered around the grove of palm trees picking up small pieces of wood for an evening fire as I stole a few glances at her. She was a vision that would rival the gods.
***
“My father and I used to get along,” I began. “You wouldn’t expect me to say that, but it’s true. I idolized him when he and my mother were together. She brought out the best in him. Unfortunately, my inaccuracy with a bow and arrow damaged our relationship.”
“Why’s that?” Emily asked. She strolled along behind me like she was in a sort of a daze, only half-heartedly listening, but I continued as I worked.
“One day my father and I went hunting. Tigers were the big…” I paused and corrected my language to be more sensitive to Emily’s situation. “We were hunting for tigers across the wasteland. I wasn’t that good with a bow and arrow, so I missed the kill-shot for the cat. The tiger escaped into the water.”
“Tigers like water?”
“They do when they are running for their lives, but yes, to answer your question, tigers are fond of water.” I laughed at her sudden curiosity.
“When the tiger plunged into the water and disappeared, my father insisted I jump in and wrestle the animal out of the water. I hadn’t learned to swim at that time, so I refused.”
“There’s no time like the present,” he had replied. “And he threw me in the water. He refused to let me get out of the water until I came out with the tiger in a bear hug.” I paused as I finished fashioning one side of the bench to match the other side, waiting to see if she’d get my joke. She didn’t seem to notice. I continued.
“I struggled for the longest time to stay afloat, but after I grew tired I began to drown. My father stood there and watched me, not once helping me.”
Emily interrupted me. “Your father is an asshole.”
“I totally agree.” I smiled to myself, sighing as my heart swelled. This is a moment I’ll always cherish, I thought. I continued. “Once I fell beneath the water and assumed I had drowned, some force dragged me to the bottom of the sea. I woke up on this beach here with two dragons peering intently over me. I thought they were going to eat me, but I soon discovered that they were more fearful of me because they had never seen a creature that could walk on two legs.”
“You were the first human they had ever seen?”
I nodded, glancing her way. She was leaning against one of the palm trees, braiding her hair. I sighed again, exhaling slowly and resumed my work. After a few moments, I announced, “I’m almost done here.” I rested my hands on my hips. “Anyways, that’s how I learned about the Lunar world. Michel was the one who saved me. I’d say he’s as close as any brother I could ever hope to have. He and I are army friends. We go into battle together when any issues arise and we have to make peace with the other realms.”
“What about the other dragons?”
“The others are older and more reserved, but they are very nice once you get to know them. They’ll be very nice to you. Don’t worry. I’m hoping you get to meet them.”
“You expect them before nightfall?”
“They usually know when I’m on my way, so it doesn’t make sense that they wouldn’t be here now. Here,” I motioned for her to join me on the newly carved bench. “Sit with me.”
“This is beautiful, Vincent. Thank you. Look we can see out across the water. I can’t get over this view.” She cuddled up close to me and patted me on the knee. “That design. I understand now. It reminds you of who you are - a member of the Lunar army - not a demon like your father.” Glancing up at me with a satisfied expression, she asked, “That’s correct? Isn’t it?”
I nodded, brushing her braids over her shoulder. “Precisely. Now you understand. I’m not a demon. And just because I’m a vampire in the Dark Place does not mean I’m evil. I’m not. There’s a small group of us who fight for justice and that’s what I do.”
“You hear that, Wolf,” she announced.
I laughed out loud, then wondered if she meant something by that.
“I’ve met a vampire warrior who wants to save me,” she whispered as she gently ran her finger down the cleft in my chin. “I think your mother would be very proud. What happened to her? Did she leave your father?”
Taking her hand in mind, I lightly kissed her palm. “Parting from you will certainly drive me insane.”
“I don’t want to leave you,” Emily replied. Her eyes brimmed with fresh tears. “Couldn’t you go with me?”
“If it was that simple, I would. Yes.” I stood up to put a little distance between the two of us. I struggled to think as a sense of foreboding lodged in my stomach. Being next to Emily overloaded every nerve in my body. I wanted to make love to her beneath the palm trees. Immediately I redirected my thoughts. A wind gusted past me and a chill settled on my shoulders. Something was certainly wrong. I decided to continue my story. “Are you cold?” I asked.
“A little. Did you want to start a fire?”
“It’s almost sunset. I’ll make a small one, so we can watch the sun go down and I’ll finish my story. Okay?”
She nodded. “If you promise to sit with me.” Emily rubbed a place on the bench next to her a time or two with her hand.”
“You drive a hard bargain, my princess.”
I heard the soft chuckle of laughter floated along the breeze towards me. The sound was that of an angel.
“When my mother learned what my father had done, what he had allowed to have happen, she demanded that he apologize to me. I had managed to find my way home after being gone for several months and my mother thought I was dead. My father had refused to apologize to me or even act like anything had happened, and this made my mother very angry. She cast a spell on him and turned his skin red. She said he should be the color of blood to remind him of the blood he almost spilled, his son’s blood. For her defiance, my father banished her to the Beyond.”
“How long ago was that?”
“Some two or three decades now. I haven’t seen her in a very long time. I’m not even sure if she’s still alive.”
“Do you think we will see our loved ones again?” Emily asked.
Realizing I had brought up a sad subject again, I scolded myself. From the pile of wood she had gathered, I took a few arm loads and tossed them in front of the bench she sat on. The grief she knew because of my father’s actions outweighed mine. I arranged the logs in a stack on the sand. “I hope so,” I insisted. “There’s a lot out there we still don’t understand. Like the river. I never knew that was a portal. There could be more and we just don’t know about them. You could be right. If we can find the door, we may be able to see our loved ones again.”
“I’d like that. Doors to other worlds. What if it is like that? We could ask your mother when you find her.”
I paused and glanced over at her as I got ready to light the fire. Her comment caught me off guard. “I’ve never thought of that.”
“What?”
“To search for her. I always hoped she’d come back to find me.”
“But what if she can’t?” Emily joined me in front of the stack of wood. A need of urgency suddenly made her move toward me. “My aunt always said sorceresses are very powerful people. What if she calls to you, but you don’t hear her because you don’t know how to listen? You should try calling to her instead.”
“Voices from the Beyond you mean? I never thought that was possible. I’d love to hear her voice again.” The thought saddened me for a moment until I heard Emily speak.
“How are you going to light that by the way?” She grinned at me as a fire in her eyes already burned.
I winked at her because she knew without asking what I was going to do. “It’s one reason I want to join the Order of the Dragon.” I aimed my hands just under the stack of wood and sent a fireball from the center of my palm, hitting the wood dead-on and igniting the logs.
“You cease to amaze me.”
“Like I told you, I do have
a few tricks up my sleeve. Help me move the bench a little closer so we’ll stay warm.”
***
As Emily and I watched the fire, I felt the flames burning in my loins. I wanted to make love to her. I wanted to taste every part of her body again before it was too late. I pulled her tighter into my arms. She truly was unique, a rare jewel discovered in the Dark Place. I still marveled that she was probably a Livonian werewolf as I suspected. When a gust of wind drifted by, her golden hair wildly whipped around her face and shoulders, lacerating me a time or two on the chin. Occasionally, I sent another shot of flames at the fire to keep it going. I wrestled with my thoughts. Was it the right time? I decided to take a chance and tell her what I was feeling.
“I know our time together has been short and we don’t have much time left before you go home, so I want to tell you something.”
“Vincent, I don’t…”
“Please let me finish. I’ve never done this before. It’s not like me to voice my feelings. Okay?”
She nodded.
“I don’t need a century to figure this out. I knew from the minute I saw those wolf eyes staring at me from that cage that I wanted to claim your heart. I won’t deny it and I won’t spend my life being some macho shit. I don’t have time for it. Life is now. Here and now and I want my life with you, Emily. If it means, it’s only a few hours more or millenniums, I want you with me always.”
Unexpectedly she pushed her hands into my chest. “No,” she whispered hoarsely. “They’ll kill you. I can’t do this. I can’t do this to you.”
“Do what?” I asked, growing alarmed at her actions. I pulled her again into my arms.
“My father sent me to kill you, the son of the lord demon. That’s why I’m here, Vincent. To kill you.”
“No.”
She nodded as tears rolled down her cheeks. In her agitated state, she pounded her fists repeatedly into my chest. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to mislead you. I didn’t know who you were until you told me who your father is”
Darlings of Paranormal Romance (Anthology) Page 85