Sarim's Scent

by Springs, Juliette

  Hearing her low cry of pleasure, Ivan started pumping into her, gently at first, then with stronger, harder thrusts.

  The only thing that mattered were the incredible sensations Ivan was creating throughout her body. She shivered and welcomed the powerful waves of pleasure coursing through her.

  She opened her eyes to a glowing Ivan, literally. His eyes were shut and his face tight in concentration as he continued to pound into her, seemingly out of control. His eyes shot open, as if he knew she was watching him. They glowed the same copper color that was surrounding his body.

  He continued to hold her gaze captive as her body became wetter, making his thrusts glide in smoother and deeper. The same tight coiling sensation as before began to form deep inside her. She could barely catch her breath. As the sensation became unbearable, she begged him to give her relief, that the feelings were too much. She couldn’t close her eyes, still held prisoner by Ivan’s intense gaze. She screamed as her body exploded for the second time that night. She closed her eyes against the powerful feelings. Her core clenched Ivan in a tight hold. She vaguely heard him scream her name and felt his hot seed course into her body. Then she felt like she was floating gently in the air, timelessly, for what could have been hours or minutes before she felt the firmness of her bed underneath her. She lay quietly, trying to catch her breath and regain control of her body.

  “Where did you get that tattoo done?”

  She opened her eyes as she felt Ivan’s fingers trace the spot on the side of her neck where her tattoo had appeared all those years ago. She looked at him, still slightly out of it from the lovemaking. “I got it when I was a teenager.”

  He continued to stare at her with a troubled expression.

  “What is it?” Her heartbeat spiked. That look on his face. “Do you know what it is?” She sat, reaching out to touch his arm. “Please, Ivan. If you know something, tell me.”

  He pushed her back down to the mattress. “Sleep” was the last thing she heard as she once again slid into the welcoming darkness.

  Chapter 12

  Ivan opened his eyes as he receded from Victoria’s mind. He looked down at his hands, surprised to see they were shaking. Shock flowed through him. He could not believe what had just transpired between him and the woman in the next room. Their coupling had blown him apart. He had never in his life lost control with a female. He had always been in charge during issanvi, never breaking a sweat, demanding and totally in charge. He had lost himself in Victoria, unable to control his body. His manhood had acted like it had a mind of its own. It had to be the most mind-blowing experience in his life. That was only the issanvi.

  He dropped his head in his still-trembling hands. He couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact she was his mate, that fact revealed when he saw the unmistakable copper glow surrounding her body, then spotted the same copper glow surrounding his body as well. Why did Sarim’s daughter have to be his mate?

  But that was the least of his worries. He would be surprised if she didn’t end up pregnant after tonight. But was it possible for her to become impregnated in dream sex? He would have to wait and see. He let the word ‘mate’ run through his mind. He was mated, and he wasn’t scared. In fact, he felt at peace for the first time in a long time. He felt complete. All his devious plans for Sarim took a back seat to what he had gained tonight. What did scare him and had him shaken to the very core was the other piece of information he had discovered about Victoria tonight.

  When he had been searching her face to see if she had been as deeply affected by their sexual experience as he, he’d noticed the small tattoo on the side of her neck. At first he’d thought nothing of it. Humans, for some strange reason, loved to decorate and paint their bodies in the most peculiar manners. But when he sharpened his focus to see what exactly she had engraved on her neck, he was stunned. The tattoo of a pair of feminine hands holding a flower was unmistakable. There could be no other explanation. He knew the truth of it even as he demanded to know where she had gotten her “tattoo”. So shocked by what the symbol meant, he was unable to respond to her questions, and instead of answering, he sent her to sleep.

  He would have to alert his father eventually, but first he had to come to terms with this new situation himself. No doubt his father would be ecstatic at the unexpected bonus gained from Operation Seduction Victoria. This new information would play right into his father’s hands. No one was sure the other Dalili Nakissas existed. Children of the Shadows were supposedly mysterious, elusive creatures who were looked upon with envy and fear. They hardly revealed themselves to Taalib Dumas because of the way they were regarded. Abus had been known to lock them up and keep them for their exclusive use.

  Sarim had no idea the treasure his heir was. Khafil’s gut tightened. Sarim would use her to further his purpose and gain absolute control of all Taalibs. However, since she was mated by someone not of his choosing, Sarim would be unable to control her, or her powers.

  Dalili Nakissas, Victoria’s clan, had the rare privilege of being intermediates to the Darvan Gods. They alone were held in favor to the Gods who were often indifferent to the plight of their worshippers. They had the potential to sway the Gods’ opinions and request favors from the Gods as well. If they were harmed, whoever was responsible was tortured and executed. There were a few drawbacks to this. They had the task of carrying out the punishment the Gods gave to Taalib Dumas who broke sacred laws. One of their most powerful gifts was their ability to enter inside a being’s body (human, Taalib Duma, whatever), take on their persona and do what they wanted as that being. Some were even rumored to predict the future. He wondered which gifts Victoria had been bestowed with.

  Her first loyalty was supposed to be to be her mate. They were now interlinked, their life forces forever interwoven. He knew once she found out about his deception, her loyalty to him would be nonexistent. But she would need him. While she didn’t have to feed, she would now live off of his energy. Whenever he fed, she would gain the benefits and strength of the feeding as well. If he was injured, she suffered as well.

  “Khafil, I summon you.”

  His head jerked up as he heard his father’s voice in his head. He stood. It was time he updated his father on the change of events.

  His father was standing alone in his receiving room when he entered the doorway. He had his back to him, but Khafil was no fool. His father was aware of his presence as soon as he had entered the Imvura residence. Since his father was the leader of this branch, he had his own quarters in the stronghold, which was comprised of several sleeping quarters, servant quarters, and a feeding station, living quarters, and meeting rooms. The Imvuras held all meetings in the stronghold, and the main meeting room was located in their leader’s quarters. Khafil had lived in those quarters as a child. They were luxurious and spacious. His father always demanded the best and would cut no corners to make sure he got it.

  Khafil admired his father’s unwavering determination. He had fought long and hard to have the Imvuras recognized and respected as a branch of the Taalib Dumas. Since a majority of the Imvura’s looked like Anglo-vaxens, they were treated with contempt and not considered true bloods due to their mixed heritage. His father appeared to be an Anglo-vaxen. His eyes were blue, hair blond, and complexion milky.

  Khafil had gotten his complexion from his mother’s side of the family. She was from the Soga Brotherhood. His mother and father had enjoyed a long, prosperous marriage that had lasted for many years before he was born. His father had loved and respected his mother and had never gotten over her untimely death at the hands of an assassin. An assassin whom his father believed was linked to Sarim.

  His father had never remarried, even though he had had many offers. He often told Khafil no other female could hold a candle to his mother, Millicent, and he was not one to settle for seconds. A portrait of his mother hung in the main living quarters of the Imvura. It was hard to imagine his father as a Taalib Duma, warm and compassionate enough to love and cherish a
female, or anyone for that matter. After his mother’s death when Khafil was three, his father had changed to a cold, hard man whose sole purpose seemed to be bringing down Sarim and putting the Imvuras in leadership by placing himself in the Chair of Drumhani. A plan his father had plotted and executed for decades. Even to the point of sacrificing his only son to the cause. He wondered how his father would react when he found out his plans had worked flawlessly, to a point.

  “Father.” Khafil bowed his head and addressed his father when he turned around.

  Zanhoden stared at him with cold, blue eyes. “Have you an update for me? You’ve been given the extra time you requested?”

  “I have,” Khafil answered.

  “Well?”

  “I have located Victoria and as we speak she is sleeping in my guest bedroom.”

  “Excellent,” his father said. “What about the other part of your assignment?”

  “I have done as you have instructed,” Khafil stated emotionlessly. “However there are some issues we must address at once.”

  “What issues?” his father said with a barely concealed sneer. “There should be no issues if you have done what you were assigned to do. All we have to do now is wait to see if the activity was fruitful.”

  Khafil felt a surge of anger. It was time his father realized things would be done his way from this point on. His father was not in a position anymore to arbitrarily call the shots. “Father,” he started, then hesitated, waiting for his father’s full attention.”

  His father paused his pacing.

  “She is my mate and she also—”

  “This is beyond perfect,” his father hissed, his voice filled with excitement.

  “Wait, Father,” Khafil interrupted him. “There’s more.” His father lifted his eyebrow and waited for Khafil to finish.

  “She’s a Dalili Nakissa.”

  “What? Impossible,” his father stated. “There are only a few known ones left.”

  “Well, I have encountered a known one. I’ve seen the Dalili mark myself on the side of her neck.”

  “Impossible,” his father whispered again. “If what you say is true ...”

  “... then we will have the bastard on his knees,” Khafil finished. “The Council will have no choice but to grant our tribe leadership and the chair.” Khafil paused. “However, there is one thing.” His father looked at him expectantly. “I feel uneasy continuing to deceive Victoria. She is my mate after all. That fact alone dictates honesty on my part.”

  “I understand your reluctance to lie to your mate. Mated relationships deserve respect from both partners.” He frowned. “Nonetheless, Khafil, we are so close ... To reveal our hands before the game is over may cost us success. We have waited too long for this.”

  “I know, Father.”

  “I have asked much of you, Khafil. You have always done what I’ve asked of you without complaint, with honor and dignity even as you has been placed in situations that may have broken a stronger Taalib. I have no right to ask anything else of you.” He stopped and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I beg of you for the Imvura Brotherhood, for your mother ... wait until the last stage of our plans are set before you reveal the truth to her.”

  “You ask a lot, Father.” Khafil replied.

  He didn’t want Victoria to hate him. However, he and his father had indeed waited and plotted for decades to get to this point. He was so close to avenging his mother’s death and gaining the Chair of Drumani for the Imvuras. His brothers, his family members who had been outcast and treated with barely veiled disgust because of their heritage, something beyond their control. He couldn’t let them down, or his mother’s memory, or even his cold-hearted father. Duty weighed on him and left him with no option.

  He would have time, their entire lives, to make up for the lies to Victoria. She was his mate, and she may very well be mad, justifiably so, but she would eventually get over it. She needed him. He would have to supply her with the energy necessary to sustain their life force. If she were breeding, she would need him even more and would not have time to be angry for long.

  “You win, Father. I will wait before I tell Victoria. But you need to get it together as quick as possible.”

  “Of course, son,” his father stated, obviously relieved. “We will also need time to find the proper Taalibs to help your mate deal with who she is and with being a Dalili Nakissa.”

  “You’re right,” Khafil said. “I can’t think of any local Taalib who has expertise in this matter. The Imvura Council must be notified. They will know the proper way to handle this situation.”

  Khafil also had to figure out how to handle the situation as well. He had to find a way to convince Victoria to stay with him. It was forbidden to use mind manipulation on one’s mate, no matter the circumstances. He didn’t want to add to his list of sins. He did, however, want this to be over; the sooner the better. He had a life to lead, one that included his mate, Victoria.

  Zanhoden sat in the head seat at the empty Imvura Council table. He had a lot of things to think about since the meeting with his son. Revenge was so close he could taste its honey. He had waited so long, planned and plotted for decades to get to this point. The fact his soon-to-be daughter-in-law was a Dalili Nakissa was an added bonus. Getting Sarim’s heir pregnant was a brilliant move, and even though he’d stressed to his son the importance of doing so, he was never sure Khafil would actually complete the task and certainly not on the first try. He reined his excitement in. First, it had to be determined she was impregnated. Then he would celebrate the success. But he knew if she wasn’t—which was highly unlikely—she would be soon.

  He had instilled a strong sense of duty in his son at a young age. Khafil was his only son and next in line for the Imvura Council leadership. He was his legacy. He understood the enormity of what that position entailed. Khafil understood that the Imvura Brotherhood would depend on him to lead them in the right direction and make sure their interests were met, represented, and spread throughout the Taalib Duma Nation. It was a hard, burdensome task, but it was his task. His son was the future of the Imvura, and now with revenge and success standing so close by, Khafil had to comprehend the situation more than ever.

  It was the reason he had asked him to wait to tell Victoria the truth. The relationship between mates could be an emotionally and physically satisfying one. On the other hand, a mate’s relationship could also be a source of hell. There were stories of mates who betrayed each other, even killed each other, and mates who had tumultuous relationships. He had enjoyed a passionate union with his mate, Khafil’s mother, who was at the center of his quest for revenge against Sarim. She’d been beautiful, intelligent, and loving. She’d also been Sarim’s intended. The relationship had never been consummated, but it was understood they may eventually marry. However, when Zanhoden first saw her, he felt an instant attraction he could not walk away from. He unashamedly pursued her, driven by some unexplainable need, an almost insane desire to have her. She rejected him at first, saying she belonged to Sarim, and she would bring great shame and dishonor to her family if she didn’t honor the intended union.

  She’d been raised and and groomed to become Sarim’s bride. It had never happened, and Sarim had never forgiven him. Zanhoden remembered the day as if it were yesterday,

  He had been following her, watching her for months. That night, he had managed to sneak in Millicent’s room after bribing servants to gain entry into her family’s home. He had waited until she had entered her room and was preparing for migrata. He materialized, alarming her. Though her eyes were fearful, they also had the element of something else ... desire. He felt the electricity in the air when their eyes met. She admitted her attraction for him and how she didn’t want to acknowledge it because she would be Sarim’s.

  Zanhoden had kissed her, unable to resist her closeness. Sparks exploded as their lips met. Millicent gave in to the desire, no longer able to fight it.

  When he saw the “mate’s glow” a
round Millicent, he knew he’d been right to pursue her. He spent the night with her, the first of many. He convinced her to tell her family with him by her side. When it was shown they were mates, her family had no choice but to support her decision to end the unifying marriage agreement with Sarim. The Sogas, who had screamed bloody murder, had been forced to rescind their complaint.

  Zanhoden chuckled.

  Revealing when Taalib Dumas were mated was an extremely intense experience. You and the Taalib, who is your proposed mate, are given a bed and surrounded by council members of your tribe and the Taalib opposing your union. He and Millicent had to have issanvi in front of the audience, who were waiting to see if the mate’s glow became visible. If it did, all was forgiven. If it didn’t, both Taalibs were killed instantly. The Mate’s Glow was only seen when mates were about to climax. He had enjoyed making love to Millicent and shoving it in Sarim’s face. He and Sarim had shared an intense mutual dislike of each other. The situation with Millicent only heightened it.

  But Zanhoden knew Sarim, while forced to accept the Millicent’s defection, had never let it go. Afterward, he had staged a personal vendetta against the Imvuras and began his campaign to have them seen as Anglo-vaxen wannabees. The Imvura’s were watched by other Taalib Dumas and seen as untrustworthy and disloyal. Sarim was responsible for that, just like he was responsible for Millicent’s death. He couldn’t prove it, but remained suspicious about the circumstances surrounding her death. When he received a note after her funeral saying, You should have never taken her from me. If you hadn’t, she may have been alive. He knew Sarim was behind it.