by Mandi Casey
“Don’t be so sure of yourself, vampire demon.” I smiled, and then I took off running with a renewed gusto.
His laughter followed me down the dark street. Turning back, I watched while the tense expression left his face, replaced by a smile of his own. “You know, Sydney, I’m not the coven leader.”
“So, what does your station have anything to do with what’s going on?”
He slowed the pace and, again, I was grateful.
“I don’t have the political concerns my boss does. You wouldn’t have to worry about where my loyalties lie. If we were together, you’d be my priority, no one else’s.”
A shiver coursed down my spine. I thought of what my grandmother went through, having her heart broken because Kieran, the vampire she’d fallen in love with, had stomped on it. The man of her dreams had chosen the coven over her because he thought it would be better to remain in a position of power instead of demanding that they were allowed to stay together.
I didn’t want to put myself in the same position. I knew I’d find myself having to deal with heartache if I chose to be Blake’s life-mate, despite his arguing he’d never choose anyone or anything before me. Blake was destined as the next leader of the Midwestern Werewolf pack, and he could never change that.
Daire had no such aspirations or worries.
I didn’t need him pouring on advances stronger than he already was. I struggled with his lusty glances, and it didn’t help when he showed his glorious body every chance he got. Even with the moon high in the sky, his skin glowed a light golden color, making me want to lick the length of him.
“Daire, let’s cool the talk about us until we take care of the spell.”
He shrugged as we continued to run back toward Aunt Judith’s.
“Don’t forget, you also have to think about the prophecies when choosing a mate. I don’t need you to ensure the existence of my people as they do, or to gain ability I don’t already have.”
I slowed the pace further to a comfortable jog. “Where is all this coming from? Besides, I don’t know if I’d ever be able to believe you. Don’t all vampires want to walk in the sun?”
He slowed, too. “Sydney, you’ve seen me in the sun. I don’t need you to share blood with the coven leader to fulfill the prophecy. I already enjoy to rays of the sun. Don’t forget, you also have to think about the wolf prophecy.”
I stopped jogging but continued at a quick clip to the house with Daire next to me. “Don’t you worry about who I chose to be with, because it’s none of your business.”
Taking the steps to the front door of the house, I said, “Good night, Daire.”
He stuck his foot in the doorjamb before I could close it behind me. “Sydney, are you going to sleep right away, or do I have time before you call me to your dreams?”
His words weren’t laced with the typical cavalier tone, but genuine curiosity.
“I won’t be going to bed any time soon, so you can go find amusement elsewhere.”
I tugged on the wooden door. He pushed the door against my hand, making his way into the house.
Stepping back, I said, “I didn’t invite you in.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “I didn’t ask to be invited. I’m your bodyguard and my boss says I have to stay by you. Whether in your dreams or in reality, you’re stuck with me.”
I went into the kitchen with Daire following close behind. Spotting a yellow sticky note on the refrigerator, I read Aunt Judith’s note saying she was spending time over at Meredith’s. She said not to wait up because she didn’t know if she’d be sleeping over there.
Crumpling the note in my palm, I walked over to the garbage pail to toss it where I saw three empty cans of protein shakes. I smiled with relief at the evidence of Aunt Judith tackling her weight loss problem.
That’s when I noticed a path of offensive debris on the pristine white floor, leading to Daire’s bare feet.
The thought crossed my mind to offer him use my shower, but images of his naked body with droplets of water beading on his bare flesh flashed across my mind, making me think better of that idea. I’d rather deal with a dirty floor than see Daire wrapped in nothing but a towel with glistening wet skin begging me to lick the drops off his body.
“I need to clean that.” I shook my head with frustration.
Daire stood with his hands on his hips, not seeing what he’d done wrong.
“What?”
I motioned to the filthy floor. The trail led from the kitchen door strait to his feet.
Opening the linen closet next to the food pantry in the kitchen, I grabbed the mop. A cold sweat broke out over my body and the hairs rose along my arm as I closed the door.
I turned toward Daire to warn him but he was already coming at me just as agonizing pain bloomed in my midsection.
Doubling over, I landed on my knees as the wooden mop handle clattered to the floor next to me.
“Sydney, what’s wrong?” Daire rushed over and knelt beside me.
I could feel the blood drain from my face. Daire put his palm against my cheek.
Leaning my face against the coolness of his hand, I moaned. “Rogue.”
That’s all I could get out before another wave of pain hit my gut as my stomach lurched. Hot bile rose and vomit erupted from my body as my muscles flooded with spasms.
Daire positioned himself so my head rested on his thigh once there was nothing left to expel from my body. He traced his fingers through my hair as I shivered from the rogue’s nearness. Whoever lurked close to the house wanted me dead. That was the only reason possible for my having such a violent reaction to their nearness. My Selected powers were growing. With them had come the ability to withstand rogue’s nearness better. What I was experiencing was excruciating, but I hadn’t lost consciousness, yet.
“Sydney, I’m going to leave you here. I need to go outside.” He lifted my head with gentle care so he could get his leg out from underneath me.
I grabbed his hand. “Don’t, the rogue can’t get passed the wards on the house.”
My body heaved while I shook on the cold, tile floor. Picking me up, Daire carried me upstairs to my room. He returned from the bathroom with a cool washcloth. He surprised me as he dabbed at my flushed skin. I didn’t know vampire-demons could be so kind.
That feeling hit me again, like someone was watching me while I was sleeping. My eyes popped open. Blake sat in the chair next to my bed, staring at me when I woke.
No smile.
No warm morning salutations.
My throat felt sore from projectile vomiting. “Blake, what are you doing here?” My voice sounded like a frog’s, low and croaking.
I surveyed my room and relief swept through me. Daire hadn’t left any evidence he’d spent most of the night with me.
Blake’s eyes narrowed. “Sydney, there was report of a rogue vampire in your area. I came to see if you were okay, or isn’t my checking up on you permissible any longer?”
His voice had a hardened edge to it, making me want to pummel him with the pillow resting next to me.
I uncovered myself from the bedspread and glared at him. I decided to go to the bathroom to freshen up without giving him an explanation of the previous night’s events. In my mind, he didn’t deserve one.
Toweling off my hair, I padded back into the bedroom not knowing if Blake would still be waiting.
He was.
He stood next to the window. The early morning sunlight came through the glass panes, bathing him in a warm glow. Once seeing his taut, muscular body over the view of my bed, the material from the towel began to feel rough against my skin. I’d forgotten to gather some clothes before I left to freshen up.
Blake turned his head. His eyes turned amber-bronze in color. I could tell he appre
ciated the view of me in nothing but a towel. Rotating his body, he came to me in a blur, then he grabbed my head with one hand and the top of the towel with the other.
He tugged at the material. With a groan of compliance, I let it fall to the bedroom floor. Standing before him in all my naked glory, I didn’t mind. Only one thought raced through my thoughts.
I wanted to see him naked, on top of me.
Blake’s mouth traveled over my shoulder, sliding his warm tongue toward the center of my chest. With a feverish vigor, I helped him pull his shirt off. His shoes went sailing through the air.
“Sydney,” he growled in a low, sensual voice. “I want you. I need you.”
Blake’s breath grew as ragged as mine. He kissed my skin until the back of my legs hit the mattress. I hadn’t even realized we’d moved.
I closed my eyes, relishing in the sensations of his hands moving over my body. Blake’s fingertips were warm and strong. He caressed my flesh as he continued to roam.
The sensuality of the force spell kicked into high gear. I wasn’t sure if it was me or the spell urging me on. I no longer cared. Being intimate with Blake felt right.
I wrapped my legs around his torso as we both fell onto the bed.
I had no idea of when he’d taken his pants off, but his bare skin met my own, accompanied by the length of his hard shaft pressing against my core.
“I can’t wait,” he groaned as he slid his length inside me.
We moved our bodies at a rapid pace as I felt the pressure build in my lower abdomen. Blake continued to undulate his hips as he went up onto his knees. When he placed his hands under my backside while never missing a stroke, that’s all it took.
Stars exploded behind my eyes. I yelled out.
The orgasm hit me hard.
I panted as Blake sprawled his body over mine. We laid there in silence, catching our breaths.
My body felt different.
The feel of Blake’s naked skin and sexy body against mine didn’t fuel the spell. The feeling was wonderful, and it was heaven to be held in his arms, but there was less of an urgency to have him take me.
For the first time since Rage had the spell cast upon me, my body was able to relax.
I had reached orgasm in the real world, not just in a dream.
The spell was broken.
Chapter 15
Reaching around him, I squeezed Blake closer to me.
He let out a chuckle and said, “Well, I’m glad to see you, too.”
I didn’t mind the smug smile he wore while I watched his eyes turn back to their original warm brown. He’d climaxed, too.
With a playful tap on Blake’s backside, I said, “Don’t push it, Mister. And, by the way, I’m glad you came to check on me. As you saw, the rogue did a number on me last night. My reaction was stronger to the rogue’s nearness than it has been in a while. I wonder if my Selected powers are changing or growing again.”
At the mention of my being the Selected, Blake rolled over onto his side and supported his head in one hand while kneading my upper arm with the other.
“Sydney, I know I should have told you everything I knew about the prophecy and the spilling of your family’s blood to fulfill it. I hope one day you can really come to trust I didn’t hide information from you because I planned to see the prophecy fulfilled.”
I put my finger to his lips and said, “Blake, you’re going to ruin the special moment we just had, aren’t you?”
Not wanting to let the warm afterglow of our lovemaking fade away, I tried humor.
He wasn’t buying it.
Grabbing my arm and pulling it away from his lips, he said, “Let me speak my peace. I didn’t tell you about the prophecy because once I met you, the prophecy no longer mattered to me. You are what matters to me, Sydney, and I’d never do anything on purpose to harm you or anyone in your family.”
I readjusted my head so it rested on a pillow—we’d forsaken pillows in our haste—and said, “Blake, I don’t know what to say. I’m having a hard time knowing who to trust and, right now, despite my feelings toward you, that includes you and the wolf pack.”
Blake’s brow furrowed a bit, but to my relief, he kept the temper of his wolf in check. “If I wanted to hurt you, or fulfill the prophecy above all else, I could have done so already. Sydney, I love you like I’ve never loved anyone in my life.”
“Blake, I know you have feelings for me. I don’t doubt that you do. I hope you can understand where I’m coming from. I’ve got to look out for my family, just as you do.”
Placing a gentle kiss to my forehead, I felt the warmth from his lips and it relieved some of the tension building between us.
“Good, as long as you know how I feel, then I can only work on making you feel the same way I do. Matter of fact,” he said while tracing his fingertips in lazy circles along my hipbone, “I think my ploy has already begun to take hold on you.” He smiled and climbed off the bed.
Blake continued to smile as he dressed. For good measure, I whipped the pillow at his back. When the soft projectile bounced off him without making him so much as budge from surprise, he stopped trying to hold it in and broke out into a fit of laughter.
“I’ll see you later, my life-mate.”
He waited for my reaction to him calling me life-mate. In a perfect world, I think I may already have chosen to have him bond with me.
It wasn’t a perfect world, though, and we didn’t live in perfect harmony.
“Blake, I’ll think about what you said.” I gave him a warm smile, because that was how I felt at the moment with him; warm and safe. It was such a relief to be rid of the dreaded spell.
Daire would realize my reactions to him were so strong because the spell was making me react in such a manner. I hoped.
Blake put his hand up in a salute to the sky and said, “That’s all I can ask, my love.”
After Blake left, I jumped back in the shower and let the heat of the water caress my body. It had been the first warm shower I was able to take in a while because of the spell. With every touch on my flesh, including water from the shower, my sensuality had hiked up the ‘I have to have sex right this minute’ meter. So, because of the spell, I’d had to use cold water to help quell the lust pouring from me in droves. I was finally able to enjoy the hot water without having to worry about having my sexual drive peak and make me do things I wouldn’t normally do.
My cell phone vibrated against the cracked glass countertop next to the register. Picking up the phone, I saw Morris’ number blinking on the neon blue screen. The leader of the werewolf pack didn’t make it a habit of calling me.
“Hello?” I said, not caring to hide the suspicion in my voice.
“Sydney? This is Morris. We need to have a meeting.”
I used the edge of my fingernail to pick at the cracked glass chips while pondering the reason for yet another meeting with the wolf pack. “I have to work, Morris. Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?”
“Selected, I must insist you come to the pack house when you’re through working.” Morris’ voice had a twinge of anger mixed with apprehension.
I took a deep breath and let out a sigh into the receiver of the phone. “Fine, but what’s this about, Morris?”
The leader of the wolves cleared his throat and said, “We’ll talk later.” After a moment of silence, he said, “Sydney, I’m not in a secure location.”
“Okay, yes, I’ll come over when I’m done with work.”
Morris, not one for phone conversation or manners of any kind, ended the phone call without so much as a goodbye.
The door chimes jangled at the front of the store while I was connecting the phone to the charging cord.
Blake entered carrying a small bouquet of yellow roses and a smi
le on his face.
I quirked an eyebrow. Blake had never brought me flowers before. I couldn’t help but smile. “To what do I owe the honor of this visit?”
Leaning over the counter, I gave him a quick peck on the lips and went into the storeroom to find a container to hold the flowers until I could bring them home and put them next to my bed in a cozy vase. The aroma filled the room and refreshed the air of the stuffy store. Stagnant air was one of the downfalls of having our store in such an old building with bad insulation. We always had to keep the doors and windows shut to keep the cold out.
Blake grinned and said, “I thought it’d be nice to surprise you.”
I didn’t know if Blake had an ulterior motive in stopping by. Regardless, it was nice to see him, and I was ecstatic I didn’t quiver with need at his presence, not that I had become immune to appreciating his well-toned frame. I felt confident in knowing he’d always be sexually attractive in my eyes.
“Well, it’s a nice surprise.” I didn’t want to give him the impression I didn’t trust him at his word. Blake would be crushed if he realized I didn’t have complete faith in what he said. I may not ever be able to put that kind of trust in anyone ever again.
Blake leaned against the counter and said, “Sydney, I don’t mind our having mind-blowing sex, but last night was different.” He shook his head and went on. “I can’t explain what I felt, but the bond we shared during our union was beyond just the physical.”
Blake’s eyes were turning amber-bronze. He was getting turned on from the memory, and so was I.
The door chimes jangled. Behind Blake, Kasdeya sauntered into my store like she owned the place.
Her everyday wardrobe consisted of black leather, and a lot of it. When she sauntered in, I noticed a curious change in her appearance. Gone were Kasdeya’s leather dress and crisscrossed swords on her back. She wore a powder blue sweatshirt and dark jeans with shredded holes in the front. Her black skin with silver swirls poked through the holes.