“That’s what I thought. I’ll take care of you later. Believe me when I tell you your life is now worthless.”
Tobias ran from the restaurant with Octavia in his arms. He ducked into a small alley, and they were gone in an instant. He entered his bedroom and lay Octavia down on the bed. He stripped her of her clothing and then took off his own. He knew what he had to do, although he had never done this before. Something told him to melt into her body in order to absorb the poison that was quickly ending her life. He covered her and pressed down into her. He could feel the heat that was destroying her. He pressed into her further until their bodies were as one. He opened his mouth and breathed into her lungs. Over and over he blew his own air into her, continuing to absorb the poison into him. He could feel her skin cooling, her pulse becoming stronger. With one final push, his body drank from hers before he lifted himself from within her and passed out.
“Tobias!” Octavia’s cry penetrated his subconscious, bringing him back into the real world. He could feel her hands shaking him.
“Octavia,” he whispered.
“Oh, dear god, Tobias, please come back to me.” Octavia’s lips were on his, willing him to respond.
He opened his eyes. The eyes looking into his were wild with fear. “Tobias, please, oh please, don’t die.”
“Octavia,” he breathed. “You’re okay.”
“Yes,” she said joyfully, her eyes lighting up from his words. “You saved me. I felt you inside of me, extracting the poison, taking it into yourself. I was silently begging you to let me die if giving me life meant your death.”
“You remember,” he said hoarsely.
“Everything. I remember everything, including our time together after the concert. I love you. I love you so much it hurts.” Her tears wet his face.
“And I love you,” he said hoarsely, feeling the wetness from his own eyes.
They lay in each other’s arms, not speaking. Tobias had never felt so happy or so enraged when he thought of what could have happened if he had not been there to save her. She would have died and been lost to him forever. Pierce Lacroix would pay for this. He would hunt him down and kill him with his bare hands.
“How did you know?”
“My mother came to me in Japan and told me what Pierce had planned.”
“She was part of this?” Octavia’s eyes widened.
“Yes and no. She was convinced that our being together was not in the best interest of the Klawinken. She’s the one that made you forget that night and told me why I could never be with you.”
“But why? There’s so much I don’t understand. And for them to want me dead. How could they think I was such a threat to your people?”
Tobias hugged her close before he released her. “I need a drink. I think I’m strong enough to get up now. I’ll explain everything.”
Octavia moved from him, her eyes still glued to his. “I’ll get you a glass of water.”
He nodded, sitting on the side of the bed. He reached for his pants and pulled them on. Octavia remained naked. She walked to the minibar where she poured him a drink. She poured another for herself.
When she sat back down, they both took a minute to quench their thirst. Tobias took a breath, “You see, my love, your mother was Beaucomp, and so are you. My mother is Beaucomp, and so am I.”
“Beaucomp. I’ve heard it means whore.”
“That’s what they wanted us to think. It really means that our gifts are many. The rumor was that a woman who was Beaucomp could not be satisfied with one mate. That was never true. Beaucomp are actually a higher level Klawinken. The Klawinken Council, knowing this, manipulated the dreams of those they suspected as Beaucomp to ensure their mating would be with a Klawinken, who could suppress their gifts. They did not want the gifts passed on to their children, who could be the catalyst for the end of their own kind and the beginning of an elite Klawinken race. Their efforts were not only unethical but unnatural. In their eyes, you and I are dangerous because our children would be the first of their kind, to have both parents Beaucomp. They were willing to sacrifice you as I’m afraid they did your mother to keep that from happening.
“My mother,” Octavia cried out. “They killed my mother!”
“I suspect your mother’s dreams had been manipulated as ours were. They felt James Andreas would be a safe match. Your mother must have figured it out, and I think that your real father was Beaucomp. Your powers are great, Octavia, even greater than mine because I believe you are the product of two Beaucomps. Your real father must have gone into hiding after your mother’s death.”
“So they were willing to kill me, too?”
“I promise you they will never again be able to manipulate dreams and kill their own in the name of self-preservation.”
“How are we going to stop them?”
“My mother has called a meeting of all the Klawinken. I can feel her thoughts. She is telling them now. The Klawinken Council is no more. They have been banished and their powers stripped.”
“But how can she do that?”
“She can’t. Not by herself. We must go to the meeting. She needs us.”
Tobias watched as Octavia dressed. He threw on a shirt and shoes, and together they left the room as they twirled together into the nothingness that took them to where Tobias’s mother waited for them.
When the mist cleared, Octavia look around and saw that she was in a large snow-covered field that was filled with people. Magda walked over to them with her daughter Elwina. Behind them were Evenela and Carl. Others moved closer.
Magda held up her hand. “Please, everyone, listen to Tobias.”
With his arm still around Octavia’s waist, Tobias lifted both of them above the ground so they could gaze down upon the others. He looked around meaningfully at the faces before him, including Mathieu’s.
“I know my mother has spoken to you all through your thoughts to tell you about what has happened this night and what preceded Pierce Lacroix’s attempt to murder Octavia Andreas. The Klawinken Council has lied to us, manipulated our dreams, and committed murder, all in the name of what is best for the Klawinken. They killed Marta and James Andreas because they were afraid of Beaucomp. We now know that Beaucomp means many gifts and not what they had led us to believe. Gifts are never to be feared. They are to be cherished. That is the way of the Klawinken. Sadly, our Council went against everything we know to be true, and that is unforgiveable.”
“How do we know what you’re telling us is true,” Mathieu shouted as he rose above the crowd. “You took Octavia from me. She was my mate. Is this nothing more than a manipulation by you to secure her for your own and disrespect the powers you’ve never believed in or cared about before?”
“Mathieu,” his mother spoke walking through the crowd to rise up next to her son. “They speak the truth. I know this. I know your dreams were manipulated. I always knew it, but I kept silent because your father said it was the only way. I knew early in our marriage that my own dreams had been tampered with, but I wasn’t strong enough to do anything about it. I’m so sorry. I know you may never be able to forgive me for keeping silent.”
Mathieu looked at his mother, who had crumbled to the ground. His face was drained of all color. “Mother,” he cried out. “It can’t be true.”
“She does not lie.” Pierce Lacroix floated through the crowd to where his son watched his approach in shock.
“Father, what are you saying? Tell them the truth. That you’re not what they say.”
“We went too far. We really were only trying to protect our people, but it went wrong. I went wrong. What we did is unforgivable. The Klawinken Council members are dead by their own hands. They knew their time had ended as soon as Tobias saved Octavia. I’m sorry, my son, so sorry.”
“Father,” Mathieu screamed. Pierce Lacroix fell to the ground. Mathieu followed, the crowd stepping back as took his father’s limp body into his arms. “Father, please, what have you done?”
“It’s for the best, my son. We all drank the poison I gave Octavia. We knew there was no saving face with our people for what we’ve done. Whatever happens now, happens as it should. Forgive me, Mathieu. Forgive me.” His eyes closed. He was gone.
Epilogue
Octavia rolled over to the sun streaming in through the curtains. A soft breeze brought the fresh scent of salty air. She felt Tobias stir beside her. Turning, she said, “Are you awake?”
“I am now.” He laughed, grabbing her to him. “I’m beginning to adjust to only a few hours of sleep a night in between our lovemaking.”
“Are you now,” she squealed, laughing as he hauled her naked body on top of his own, which was already showing signs of his arousal.
“You little minx, you don’t really think I’ll ever be able to get enough of you, do you?”
“I hope not.” She smiled, her eyes drinking him in. She wanted him all over again.
He brought her lips to his, and with his tongue he opened them, his kiss all-encompassing, taking her breath away. Her heart raced faster as the wetness seeped from between her legs. His cock, now fully extended, was waiting for her.
She moved downward until she could take him into her mouth, sucking his shaft deeper. She loved the taste of him, especially when he tasted of their mating. Her tongue swirled around his cock as she fondled his balls that were heavy with his need. When she thought he was ready to come, she lifted herself upward. She wanted to feel him deep inside her.
She turned and got on her knees. She felt his hands caressing the cheeks of her ass before he felt her wetness. With one thrust, he pushed deep inside her pussy that sucked him inside his mate. She felt his balls pounding against her ass with each thrust of his perfectly shaped, hard erection.
“Come for me, Octavia,” he cried.
She felt his body shake with the power of his orgasm that took her with him into the world they had created from their love. Over and over she felt he body rise and fall with each wave of passion that overtook her. Tobias was everything she could ever want or desire. She now knew what it meant to be Klawinken. Her choices had almost been taken away from her. However, Tobias had brought her back from the dead and given her his love and another chance to find herself. She now knew that the choice had always been hers. She had found her place among the Klawinken without losing her parents, and more importantly, with Tobias, she had found her one true mate, the man who would father her children and love her every day for the rest of her life and beyond.
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Natalie Rosewood resides in the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania with her husband and their two children. She has a great job as an administrator that offers her the flexibility she needs to care for her family and write. Attending a Phillies baseball game or watching it on television is a fun activity that she and her family share. Her days are busy, however, at night and sometimes into the early hours of the morning when the house is quiet; her fantasies unfold into the stories that bring her as much pleasure as the characters she breathes life into.
Also by Natalie Rosewood
Siren Allure: Submission of Innocence
Siren Classic: Hard to Resist
Siren Allure: The Klawinken 1: Octavia’s Time
Available at
BOOKSTRAND.COM
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Rosewood, Natalie - Octavia's Choice [The Klawinken 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 9