Aftershocks

by Marie Harte

  Sucking softly on his cockhead before moving down over his shaft, she played with him, teasing him unmercifully. Her teeth lightly scored his length, and with a hard press of her tongue, she massaged the underside of his shaft, just below the head—his most sensitive and erotic zone.

  He tensed and moaned, and she smiled around him, taking him deeper into her throat. Waves of Dark, sensual energy filled her, stemming not only from her own desires, but Cadmus’ as well. Lexa’s words flashed, reminding her that her lover could be as Dark and sensual as a Djinn, and she revelled in the notion that only she could bring him such pleasure.

  “Ellie,” he whispered and inched deeper into her mouth. “Fuck. I have to come, baby.”

  She stroked him with her tongue, sucked him hard and added a hand to rub the hard sac between his thighs. Ellie wanted his release, needed it as much as he did. She grazed his buttocks, teasing the crease between.

  Cadmus jerked against her, his thrusts increasing in frequency. Ellie sent out several tendrils of energy to hold him in place, stimulating his sensitivity until he was nearly mindless with the need to come. She could hear him crying out in her mind, could feel him seeking bliss as animalistic desire began to consume him.

  Then she shocked him by shoving her finger into his anus while at the same time sucking him harder, and he yelled her name as he exploded in her mouth.

  Streams of seed shot down her throat, a salty and tantalising cream that made her squirm with the desire for her own relief. She pressed her finger deeper into his ass and massaged his balls, and he cried out as he pumped down her throat.

  “Ellie, oh Ellie.” Cadmus clutched her head with his hands, his grasp gentle but firm. “Baby, that was so fucking incredible.” He breathed hard, and as she removed her finger, she swallowed the last of him and let him fall from her mouth.

  “You are so mine.” He stared at her, his eyes a fathomless black, and she absently noted the earthy smell growing in the room. An almost lavender-like scent filled her head. Her nipples tightened and her clit throbbed.

  “Cadmus?”

  He grinned and rubbed her blonde hair between his fingers, nudging her to stand before him. “Don’t worry, love. That’s just my orgasm causing every plant in this damned room to blossom. That smell? It’s iria, a powerful aphrodisiac that grows in Tanselm’s valleys. And it’s at its most potent when in full bloom.”

  He inhaled and chuckled, staring deep into her eyes. “I barely have the energy to move, you little witch.” Hugging her tightly, he stumbled with her to his bed and fell with her into plush, thick blankets. He pushed her onto her back next to him, and they lay side by side, his breathing still heavy. “You’ll just have to lie back and let me relax a minute.”

  Ellie simply nodded. The iria was making it hard to think about anything but sex, especially since she still had his taste on her tongue, could still feel him pulsing inside her mouth. She closed her eyes and covered her face with one arm.

  When she suddenly felt breath over the curls between her thighs, she gasped in surprise. “Cadmus? I thought you were too tired?”

  “I am.” He sighed. “So I’ll probably only be able to do this once tonight.”

  Before she could ask what exactly he meant, he spread her folds wide and clamped his lips over her clitoris. Stars flashed behind her lids as she arched into his mouth. Shocks of delight burst through her body, and she moaned, dimly aware of Cadmus’ hoarse chuckle.

  His lips and teeth stimulated her clit, sucking her flesh with rapturous ardour before drawing down towards the glistening and empty channel of her vagina. With his tongue, Cadmus pierced the void, lapping the growing wetness gathering there. His fingers joined his tongue. First one, then two. Then he added a third to toy with her ass.

  She wanted to come, and when an electric touch massaged her breasts, she nearly did. Elemental energy swirled around her nipples, her belly, pulling at the ring around her navel and running along her breasts until she wanted to scream.

  “Please, Cadmus. Let me come,” she moaned, aware he kept bringing her close before pulling back, stroking her higher and higher.

  His teeth nipped at her clit and he shoved his forefinger up her ass, making her see stars, before he suddenly lunged up her body. In the blink of an eye, his cock replaced his tongue and he pummeled her with hard strokes, his thick shaft hitting the erogenous peak deep inside her body. Working her hard, he leaned close as he thrust, his chest hair brushing her nipples and causing her to cry out from the sheer pleasure making her mindless to everything but him.

  “You’re so good, so tight,” he rasped, thrusting his tongue into her ear as he rode her hard, unrelenting as he drove her to places she’d never before been. “Now come around me, affai. Suck me into your womb, milk me of my seed until it takes root within you.”

  He bit her earlobe and shifted, the new friction against her clit shoving her into a mind-blowing climax. She screamed and tensed, trying to will herself into his very being. The pleasure overwhelmed, the rapture of the moment so totally Dark, yet pulsing with streams of Light.

  Ellie felt herself burn in truth, and impossibly, the pleasure intensified. She heard Cadmus groan and felt him shudder, spilling inside her. On and on the ecstasy lasted, until sheer exhaustion pulled at her mind and body, and unwillingly, she began shutting down.

  Cadmus pulled her closer into his arms, still embedded deeply within her. “Shh, that’s it, Ellie. Go to sleep. We’ve had a long day, and I’m sure tomorrow will be even longer.” He kissed her forehead, and she sighed. “And if I haven’t already said it, welcome to Tanselm.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  The loving with Ellie was always so incredible. He stared down at her gloriously naked body, aware he’d been gifted with someone so very special. As he ran his fingers over her full lips and high cheekbones, he marvelled that her purity could be so Dark inside. And yet, it was that Darkness that made his Ellie so very alluring.

  He blinked, and suddenly, he stood in the hallway, his mind muddied at how he’d come to be there. The scent of iria tickled his nose and he smiled, reminded of their incredible lovemaking. His brothers’ shouts alerted him something had happened. As he strode towards the source of unrest, he passed Jonas barrelling in the other direction, a hard look on his face.

  Stunned, Cadmus raced towards his brothers, shocked to see them and their affai surrounding someone on the ground. He moved closer and pushed past them, the sight of his mother lying motionless shocking him to action.

  “Mother?” He stared in horror at the burning hole above her heart. The scent of scorched flesh and the remnants of blue flame made him ill.

  “Cadmus,” she moaned, her eyes fluttering. “How could you?”

  “Mother?”

  “How could you bring that into my home?” Her eyes narrowed in Ellie’s direction, and she coughed, blood splattering her lips. “Such evil does not belong here, my son. You have doomed us all to die.”

  Ellie stared at him without regret, her blue eyes shining bright, like the blue flame that had wounded his mother. The Netharat, those minions to Sin Garu, had done this. The Netharat—a conglomeration of ice wraiths, Shadren, and more importantly, the Djinn. The teachings of his father returned, stirring the shame deep within him that he had not been a better son, that though his father had been killed by the vile Djinn, Cadmus had disregarded the truth and accepted one of them into his home, into his heart.

  Ellie laughed, a shrill screech that mingled with the blood-curling cries of the Netharat now tearing at the castle’s very walls.

  Smoke and chaos filled the air as Light Bringer after Light Bringer fell, and then his brothers one by one. Until only Arim and he remained standing.

  “You stupid, Darkling fool,” his uncle sneered, turning several nearby wraiths into stone. “You’ve single-handedly destroyed Tanselm. Led by your cock instead of your brain. Typical.”

  Arim blurred, and the world around him faded until all that remained were two
blindingly bright blue eyes and the sound of feminine laughter as he lost all that was dear to him.

  Cadmus woke with a start, sweat streaming down his face. He glanced over at Ellie lying face down on the bed beside him. His hand trembled as he touched her skin, and the heat of her flesh served to shake him from the cold chilling his body. Warming, his thoughts began to clear, and he slowly nudged Ellie to her back, bemused to see her sleeping so peacefully.

  Like the dream, she looked angelic, perfect in sleep. A tremor shook him, and as he stared down at his affai, he wondered whether his dream had possessed any truth, or if his fears of the future were simply trying to leech away his happiness. He continued to study her, looking for flaws, for anything that might tell him if what he’d dreamt might have a hint of foretelling. But try as he might, he found nothing, and the tiny seed of doubt that had plagued his sleep took root.

  * * * *

  ‘Sin Garu blinked into the dark recesses of the between and bit at his lip, his teeth itching to tear into flesh, to soothe the new hunger that both strengthened and weakened him. He searched the stark, dank space of Orfel, a Dark Lord retreat, and found only wraiths, to his disappointment.

  Contemplating his needs, he couldn’t help the sudden smile that lit his face. So easy to tap into the Storm Lord’s dreams. The Darkness in the Earth Lord continued to grow, a delightful surprise ‘Sin Garu planned to take due advantage of. He wanted to extend his thanks personally to Elliara al il Ruethe. Such a lovely Djinn, and completely unaware of her potential. He pursed his lips and flashed into Ethim’s home, only to find it empty. He teleported to Ellie’s apartment, scowling to find it also empty and disturbingly neat, not at all as his Netharat had left it.

  Damn Arim.

  With a glance out the window, he spied an attractive woman with dark hair and a shapely body walking across the street. Much as he disdained what he was about to do, he knew he needed to bolster his strength. In just a few days, his plans would come to fruition, and he had to be ready. Closing his eyes, he looked inward and spied the source of his entry into Tanselm. He would have to hurry this feeding.

  He walked into Ellie’s bedroom and snapped his fingers. In a flash, he had his arms full of a stunned yet feisty brunette. “And what’s your name, lovely?”

  “What the hell? Where am I?” She struggled, unable to understand what was happening.

  ‘Sin Garu chuckled. He loved when they resisted. “I think, lovely lady, I’m going to like you very much.” He gripped her hair and ripped several strands out of her head, making her scream. “Do I have your attention yet?”

  “Fuck you,” she sobbed as her strength faded. “What do you want? Why are you doing this?”

  Her terror enhanced his hunger, and he stared at her with an emotion akin to affection. “Ah, pet, just turn your head away and all will be well.”

  She remained still in his arms, obstinate, and he sighed, his teeth lancing his cheeks as they grew, the tangy taste of blood filling his mouth.

  “I picked a winner,” he murmured as he yanked her head to the side and bit deep. Quickly draining her of what he needed, he dumped her the moment he finished, conscious of the mess she made on Ellie’s spotless wooden floor. With a wave of his hand, the dead brunette and her blood teleported to Orfel, where her carcass would be a welcome appearance to his starving Netharat.

  Wiping his fingers on his sleeve, he picked at the flesh in his teeth with his tongue and spit it out, disgusted that he’d been reduced to a blood drinker by that bitch, Lexa. Her deceit vexed him as much as it pleased him. Quiet Lexa Van Nostren, his timid little sister, had so much to answer for. Because of her, he’d killed his brother sooner than he’d planned. Because of Lexa, he’d lost a golden opportunity to exterminate not only Arim, but the conniving Aellei as well. He growled, extremely pissed he’d have to work twice as hard to kill Aelle’s new king, that fucking Sava, once he’d conquered Tanselm.

  He told himself to be patient, that the blood drinking tampered with his logic. Closing off that part of himself, the part that strengthened his physical body but hurt his mental faculties, he gathered himself together and shimmered, taking on the form that had recently garnered him much in his battle against the Light Bringers.

  When his Djinn informant tentatively requested an audience, ‘Sin Garu was ready.

  He closed his eyes, concentrated, and opened them once he felt the welcome return of his arousal that had lately been all-too-lacking. He shifted his head, letting his new, long black hair sway against the small of his back. In this form, he felt decidedly different, and extremely wicked. He grinned, looking forward to this new adventure.

  Remir, one of the Sarqua’s most experienced warriors, stood before him, looking bemused. “Mistress?”

  ‘Sin Garu smiled, knowing he had the young warrior’s attention. In this guise as his sister, ‘Sin Garu had found more than he could have hoped to aid him against the Storm Lords. Especially now that Cadmus had fallen to a Djinn’s enticements.

  “Yes, Remir, what have you to tell me?” He couldn’t help talking slowly, captivated by the sounds of his sister’s husky voice. By Dark’s deceit, he liked being a female. While most shapeshifters, to include the Djinn, merely presented the illusion of transformation, Dark Lords actually transposed their genetic material to match their target. In truth, at this moment, ‘Sin Garu was a female, and a carbon copy of Lexa at that.

  “Why do we meet here and not in Tanselm, as you had initially requested?” Remir studied ‘Sin Garu—Lexa—with puzzlement.

  Shit. He’d forgotten what he’d earlier told the Djinn. But how could he step foot in Tanselm without the fucking Light Bringers knowing the instant he entered their plane? He might have been able to mask his presence for a brief time earlier, but not now that he’d consumed blood. “Do you question your Dark Mistress?” he asked silkily. “Do you not remember how well I reward those in my care?”

  Remir’s eyes darkened and he licked his lips, his gaze centred on Lexa’s breasts. Pleased he’d recaptured the Djinn’s attention, ‘Sin Garu listened attentively to what Remir had to report.

  Then he removed his clothing, urging Remir to do the same. In moments, he had Remir’s undivided attention, and the secret to the Earth Lord’s downfall.

  * * * *

  When Ellie woke up, it was to an empty bed and a brief note from Cadmus.

  “Meet me in the dining hall for breakfast. Your clothes are on the table. C.”

  “What? No ‘Thanks for a great night’? No ‘Love, Cadmus’? No ‘To my dearest affai’? Jerk.” She smiled as she grumbled, her body and mind too replete from her adventures with Cadmus the previous night to be truly annoyed. After stretching, she searched for a bathroom and blinked at the majesty of his room during the day.

  She might have stood in a greenhouse. Plants of every colour and size bordered a ledge near the ceiling and covered one entire wall of his room. Several lavender and white flowers, the iria he’d mentioned, seemed to be smiling at her, their blossoms impossibly rich and abundant. The floor was stone, but around the massive four-poster marble bed laid a rug of intricate design, that of a gnarled and ancient tree, in an incredibly soft material, in shades of brown and green. Several portraits of Cadmus and his brothers adorned the wall, as well as a picture of his mother and father—a man with a large smile and a twinkle in his dark grey eyes that definitely called to mind her lover. Several mirrors reflected light from some source outside the castle, but to her surprise, she couldn’t find any holes in the walls or ceiling.

  Despite the grandness of the furnishings, the room reminded her of what she would have thought a castle room would look like. Stone floors, a heavy oak door, no windows. And no bathroom. Frowning, she searched, but the other door in the room remained locked. To her dismay, only a small cupboard showed any sign of relief in the guise of a chamber pot. She made use of it and the washstand in the corner, wishing heartily for a toothbrush or some deodorant.

  So much for ma
gic being the end-all. A chamber pot. Ech. But, making do, she completed her necessities and quickly donned the feminine clothing left over a table. A silky brown blouse and matching loose-fitting pants with leather slippers. After brushing her hair, she left the room. Not having the faintest clue to where the dining hall might be, she figured to ask the nearest person she passed. To her surprised delight, she ran into Jonas a few steps from the bedroom.

  “Jonas.”

  Dressed in the same simple trousers and tunic from the other day with a large sword strapped to his back between his shoulder blades, Jonas grinned and bowed. “I’m so pleased to be at your service, my lady.” He studied her outfit and whistled. “Nice clothes. Pure shevi silk. I’m impressed.”

  “Expensive?”

  “Very.” He approved. “And the brown is most befitting the Earth Lord’s affai.”

  She blushed, pleased Cadmus had given her something that clearly tied her to him. “Whatever. I know you weren’t happy to have to join me here, but I’m glad to see you.”

  “Who said I wasn’t happy? Though it would have been nice to have been asked.”

  They walked through several hallways, Jonas leading, chatting about Ethim and Amanda’s sudden merging of hearts.

  “It’s about damned time, in my opinion. You should have seen them together last night, Ellie. Necking like fools and grinning like idiots.”

  “You’ve obviously never been in love.” She wished she could have seen her parents so affectionate.

  He grunted. “Love? Love is for,” he paused, catching the hard glare she sent him. “For people who deserve it,” he recovered nicely. “Not for hardened warriors like myself.”

  “Sure, Jonas. Just remember your attitude when some woman kicks you in the ass.”

  “Kicks me?” He smirked. “I’ve turned down more offers from women than you can count, ‘little Djinn,’” he mocked. “How the mighty have fallen. I distinctly remember you telling me how much you disliked Cadmus Storm and anything to do with magic. Seems like you were sandbagging, hmm?”