“You’re the only person who’s ever said that to me in a way that makes me believe it.”
Criminal. It worked out well for him though. He ran his hand down her spine one more time and then turned her over and captured her lips with his as he brought them to the surface. “Put your arms around my neck.” She obliged him, and he carried her out of the water and laid her on the ground atop a soft spattering of moss.
She looked up at him, a content smile on her face, droplets of water hanging on her eyelashes and dotting her face. The sight seemed so simple and incongruous with the events of the last day. Hell, with the last months. There was nothing but him and Amaia. They could go anywhere and do anything. The rest of the world melted away. In that moment, he felt they were the only two creatures on God's Earth. Everything around them had been made especially for them, for this moment. The soft moss, the tall trees, the stars twinkling overhead. All for them. He'd expected to ride out the lingering high from battle inside her. Yet when he looked at her, it all drained from him. Her body offered him rest, and he took it.
“What are you thinking?”
“What?”
“You went quiet and still.”
“I don't think I've ever been this relieved.” He had wanted to say that he was happy, but the relief that infused him at the sight of Amaia, knowing they were both safe, was too immense to allow him anything else.
Amaia's face softened in understanding. This had been yet another shared experience that solidified their bond to one another. She reached up and cupped his face, applying pressure until he acquiesced and laid his head on her breast. Her fingers massaged his scalp, and every muscle in his body relaxed. He pulled her closer to him, his hand on the curve of her hip.
“I'm sorry for all of this,” Amaia said.
“It's not your fault. It just is. But it's over now.”
“What about the other clans?”
“I don't care.” He didn't. He couldn't. There was no room inside him to care. “I know I said I wanted to destroy them all, but I was wrong. As long as they don't bother us, I don't care. You're safe. I can finally be with you in the way I've always wanted without fearing that my very existence is endangering you. It's past time for us to simply live our lives.”
“Given the way things ended, I do think that Ezekial will leave us in peace. I don’t believe he’ll disband his clan, but he won’t grow it, at least not until a worthy adversary emerges to take Zenas's place. He won't try to institute the tribute system again. Ezekial never cared about riches the way Zenas did.”
“And they'll have no reason to bother with us.”
“No. And what about the vampires we created? Are you upset about any of that?”
“No.” The admission surprised him a little. He felt no guilt about turning and killing those people. As soon as they had transformed, they ceased being human, and he didn't have a problem killing vampires. Before, they had been evil, condemned. He couldn't feel guilt over that. “I really do feel I've found my purpose. Contrary to your concerns, I feel as if I've done something useful. Those people will never return to victimize anyone ever again. Even if it weren't a way to sate the killing urge, I'd still want to do it.”
“I'm glad. You seem more at peace in this moment than I can ever remember seeing you. There's been tension in our lives from the beginning, even when we were both mortal and couldn't marry. Now it's gone.”
“Yes.” It had started with Lawrence and had ended with his death.
They lay in silence, enjoying the peacefulness, the stars fading as the sky lightened with the first rays of sun. Michael pulled his hand across his wife’s stomach, marveling at the soft silkiness that was uniquely Amaia. Her hand had stilled in his hair a while ago, and he moved to lick her navel. The resulting giggles from Amaia were immensely satisfying.
“What are you doing?”
“What we came here to do. What I should have done the moment we were alone.” He nibbled at her stomach a while longer while he caressed her breasts and sides. He continued until she subtly undulated her hips beneath him and moaned her need for him to advance.
He moved down until he felt the delicate folds of skin under his tongue. God, to be able to make a woman like Amaia come so thoroughly undone gave him more pride than anything else he'd done in his life. Whether that was good or not, he couldn't say, not when Amaia cried out above him and clenched her thighs around his head as she came. He felt echoes of it through their bond, which only served to make him ache for her more.
As soon as she descended from her orgasm, he moved to enter her. Number two would come around his prick.
“I love you.” The words didn’t seem to do justice to his feelings.
“I know.”
In some ways, it felt as though it was the first time he'd ever made love to her. Even though they'd celebrated his immortality, this was the first time they'd been truly free while coming together.
Knowing they had forever without the fear of imminent danger, he chose to forego another orgasm and settled into the peaceful position on Amaia's breast he'd occupied before.
“So what do we do now?” Amaia ran her fingers through his hair, leaving the decision to him.
“I have an idea, but it will require money.” He smirked. “You know, it’s not really stealing if the owner’s dead and there are no heirs.”
Amaia’s hand stilled. “I know of some homes Zenas had nearby.”
“Good.”
“How much money are we going to need?”
Michael kept his gaze on the stars. “A lot.”
Chapter 42
The lightness surprised Amaia. She hadn’t realized the weight she’d been carrying for practically her whole existence until it vanished. Walking with Meg in the seaside village they’d run to after the battle while Michael and Liam worked on some unknown project was such a simple act, yet it was the first time in two hundred years she had been able to do it without either internal conflict or an external threat. She felt safe in the surety that nothing threatened her and Michael any longer. Even when she wasn’t with him, she felt the security of their partnership.
“I love you.” She missed Michael, and it was made worse by the fact that she didn’t know what occupied him.
“I know, Amaia, and I love you too, but I’m still not telling you what it is.”
“I hate surprises.”
“You’ve always liked mine.”
Michael and Liam had spent the last several days together, leaving Meg and Amaia to explore the village on their own. In a way, it was nice to be able to peruse the shops at their leisure, but Amaia couldn’t stand not knowing what her lover was up to. She’d left the future in his hands. His choices had been severely limited for so long that she had no desire to restrict him. She trusted him, but she wished she knew what he had planned.
“Oooh, it looks like there’s a market today!” Meg clapped her hands.
“Wonderful. I think we’ve run out of shops to look at. What do you want to see?”
“The clothing.”
Amaia suppressed a groan. They’d already bought several outfits from the tailor with the money they’d stolen from one of Zenas’s properties. With his demise, they no longer needed to practice caution, so they had taken an absurd amount. Michael seemed to have plans for a large bit of it, but that still left plenty for frivolous spending. Amaia had already lived a life full of expensive clothes and jewelry, and now such things held little interest for her. Perhaps they would again one day after she’d settled into her new life with Michael, but right now all she could think about was the future. Still, Amaia could remember how much she used to love pretty knickknacks and baubles that served no purpose. Meg had never had such a life, and she deserved to buy every silly thing her heart desired. “You should look at some hats. You need some.”
“I’ve never liked hats.”
Of course not. Hats were annoying and cumbersome when running through the countryside or killing humans. “Fa
shions change so fast, you might like what’s in vogue right now.”
“I suppose so. Besides, who knows how long Michael and Liam will keep us here? Perhaps I’ll be a visiting aristocrat.”
Meg and Liam had always taken on the roles of lower-class people. It made it easier to move around unnoticed and suited their personalities best, but Meg had always loved living vicariously through Amaia and hearing all about the exploits of the wealthy. “You should. There’s no harm in trying it. We can always move on if you don’t like it.”
Meg looked sideways at Amaia from where she had been looking at a handkerchief. “So you think we’ll be staying together then?”
Amaia furrowed her brow. “Meg, what a thing to ask! Of course. Unless you and Liam don’t want to.”
“I just thought that maybe you and Michael would want to be alone.”
“Only when it rains.”
Meg laughed. Michael’s fascination with having sex in the rain showed no signs of abating. “Good. I couldn’t stand the thought of us parting ways again.”
“How does Liam feel about it?”
“He’s developed something of a friendship with Michael. Despite their differences in beliefs, Liam respects him. That’s always been what matters most to Liam.”
On the edges of Amaia’s consciousness she felt the familiar vibration of a vampire’s energy. “There’s someone nearby.”
Meg stilled and then nodded after a few seconds when she felt it herself.
“Do you want to meet whoever it is or wait here?” Amaia left the decision to Meg.
“Is it only one?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s meet somewhere a little more private. I’m assuming whoever it is does not intend to stay silent.”
Amaia led the way in the direction of the energy. Whoever it was followed them once they were close enough for their energies to be felt. Since the battle, Amaia did nothing to disguise her aura.
“You’re meeting a stranger, and I had to find out about it from Liam?”
Amaia hadn’t even considered telling Michael. “I didn’t think it merited a mention.”
“Meg seemed to think so. I don’t like it.”
“You can come if you like, but there’s no need. Meg and I can handle a single vampire even if the worst happens. We won’t hesitate to kill whoever it is if need be. I’m not about to endanger myself after we finally have some peace in our lives. But, if you don’t want me to, I won’t.”
“I hate it when you’re reasonable. No, go ahead. Even if I did come to your defense, I’m sure I’d only be a spectator while you handled yourself.”
“Thank you. It’s time we stopped living in fear. You can trust me.”
“I know. Contact me when you’re finished.”
The unknown vampire’s aura intersected Amaia’s and Meg’s on the side of the road leading east out of town. Standing before Amaia was a woman clothed in a tattered dress, her chestnut hair wild, and brown eyes lit with excitement.
“So you’re her?” The woman’s words poured out of her as she stepped forward and then caught herself.
“Excuse me?” The unknown vampire had her gaze fixed on Amaia.
“You’re Amaia. So the rumors are true. You did survive. And they’re gone. The clans.”
“I doubt that. But they’ll not be bothering anyone.”
The woman lunged for Amaia. There had been no negative change in her aura to signal this sudden move. Amaia couldn’t recall the last time she’d been genuinely surprised. Instead of attacking, the woman grabbed Amaia’s hand, pulled it to her mouth, and pressed kisses to it. If vampires could cry, it appeared this woman would be.
“Thank you. Thank you so much. A clan killed my parents.”
The outpouring shocked Amaia into stillness. She’d never been so uncomfortable in her entire existence. “You’re welcome, but I did it for my own safety. I’m glad you benefited, but there’s no reason to thank me.”
“Please, let me join you. I’ve been alone since they died.”
“Excuse me?” That made two surprises from the same woman.
“I want to be with someone who can provide safety from the others.”
Amaia didn’t know what to do. The woman looked at her with such desperate pleading in her eyes that Amaia feared the woman would snap if she denied her.
Meg stepped forward and took the woman’s hands in her own, forcing her to release Amaia. “I’m so sorry for your loss.” She paused until she had the woman’s full attention. “It must be very difficult for you living alone. But the answer isn’t to join us. You need to live your own life, find a mate, explore, start a family of your own if you like. You’ve existed so long with this pain that you need to experience life without it. This isn’t the right place for you.”
“But—”
“No, there’s nothing else to be said. It’s time for all of us to enjoy the peace.”
The woman looked to Amaia with a question in her eyes.
“She’s right. All I want is to live with my mate. That’s what I fought for. You need to do the same. Don’t turn me into the enemy I just defeated. You’re a strong woman to have survived this long. Don’t give that strength up to anyone.” It was the only genuine advice Amaia had to give.
Slowly the woman nodded as understanding dawned on her face. “Thank you. I’ll always cherish having met you.” And then she was gone, moving much too fast for a prudent vampire on a road so close to town.
“How did she find us?” Amaia looked to Meg for answers to her confusion.
“She appears crazy. That’s what happens when our kind are alone. She’s probably stumbled into every town in the area looking for us. Maybe we should kill her before she exposes us to the humans.”
“No. I can’t do it. I won’t kill another innocent vampire. She’s a victim. If she does anything inappropriate, the humans will simply think she’s mad. She doesn’t seem like the type to start indiscriminately killing.” Amaia felt pity for the woman. A twinge of something that might have been guilt had Amaia not felt she deserved this reprieve niggled at her mind. She couldn’t be responsible for every vampire just because she’d defeated Zenas’s clan. “Thanks for talking to her. I couldn’t have been that diplomatic.”
“I know. I could see you preparing to respond in shock. It was bold of her to ask. I thought it’d be better to explain things to her more gently.”
“She’s gone.” For some reason it seemed important to let Michael know. She had been prepared for a violent confrontation, but what she had experienced had unnerved her. She could only hope that this woman hadn’t been the first of a new trend.
“It was a woman?”
“Yes.”
“What did she want?”
“Apparently to express her undying gratitude to me for stirring up a war so I could sleep with you.”
“Well, when you put it like that, we should be having a lot more sex.” Laughter hung in his words.
“She also wanted to join us, become a part of our little clan.”
“Are you serious?” Michael’s voice had sobered.
“Yes. Luckily, Meg handled it beautifully. I was ready to tell the poor woman off.”
“Well, Liam and I are almost done. Let’s meet back at the room in a half hour.”
Exactly a half hour later, Amaia entered their room across from Meg and Liam’s where Michael waited for her. “You were quicker than you said you’d be.”
“I didn’t want you nearby and able to tell where Liam and I were coming from.”
“Really, Michael, do you think I’d be so devious just to find out what your silly secret is?”
Michael guffawed. “Silly secret? If you weren’t already dead, the suspense would be killing you. I half expect you to start trying to seduce Liam into telling you what it is.”
“Liam takes too much pleasure in seeing me put out to be seduced.”
“Which is why he’s the only one who knows. You and Meg will just
have to learn patience.” Michael pulled her to him and into a kiss. Perhaps the waiting wouldn’t be so bad if they spent the time in such pleasurable activities.
“Do you feel that?” Amaia stilled and resorted to their mental link to avoid the possibility of being overheard.
“Yes. Is it the same one as before, returned with a friend?”
“No.” A knock sounded on the door. “It’s a mated pair. If they meant us harm, they wouldn’t be knocking.”
When Michael opened the door, Amaia saw a middle-aged male vampire with his female mate. Behind them stood Meg and Liam in their open doorway. Amaia gave a brief nod to Meg before focusing her attention on the newcomers.
“We mean you no harm,” the man said, holding his hands up slightly.
“Good. We’re tired of killing.” The threat hung implicit in Michael’s words.
The woman looked from her mate to Amaia. “We came to join you. We used to belong to one of the smaller clans that Ezekial eventually took over. With Ezekial no longer leading us, we wish to join your clan.”
“We don’t have a clan,” Michael said.
The woman looked behind her at Meg and Liam and then back to Michael, the question clear in her expression.
“We are friends who enjoy travelling together, nothing more.”
“That’s what clans originally were,” the man said. “We wish to cast our lot with yours.”
Liam, pulling Meg along with him by the hand, moved to stand facing the newcomers. “We don’t want to see any more clans. We travel together, the four of us, alone. There’s no reason for you to seek our protection. There’s nothing to protect you from, and even if there were, we’ll be too busy in the future to do it. Now leave us be to the peace we’ve earned, and spread the word to others you meet. We’re not replacing the clans with one of our own.”
The man stared into Liam’s eyes, most likely looking for any movement, and of course, he found none. “Fine. I wouldn’t have believed it. No one’s defeated a clan that big before without taking power. But I see you speak the truth. We’ll leave you and dissuade others from seeking you out.” He nodded, put his arm around his mate’s waist, turned, and they walked back the way they had come, appearing to be a regular mortal couple.
Immortal Echoes (Haunting Echoes Book 2) Page 23