“I haven’t any idea.” She shook her head. “I tried to talk to Papa about it, but he told me ‘twas not in my best interest to second-guess the Goddess’s will or interpret too much into the guidance she delivers me.”
“I would agree with him.” Weaving his fingers together, he tapped the knuckles of his forefingers to his lips. “You can’t read aught into what may or may not happen.”
“Then why did the Goddess send me the vision if not to learn from it?”
“Perhaps you are looking so hard at the details you fail to see the forest for the trees.”
“How so?”
Her youth glowed on her dewy skin. “Eliza, sometimes this,” he pointed to her and then to himself, “is all you have. The passion we share. The joy we find being together is all we need.” At least that was how he interpreted the dream.
“So, you don’t think there is any underlying meaning? A bit of doom and gloom coming from a higher power?” Her smile bloomed on her lips.
“If there is then there is little we can do about it save wait and pray we are strong enough to overcome.” He grinned at her when the glimmer entered her eyes. By God, how I’ve missed you. “Feel better?”
“Aye. Thank you, William.” She set her reticule aside. For the first time in days, she lost the stiffness to her shoulders. “I will have faith in us.”
“As will I.” ‘Tis all I can ask for from you.
He suspected she wanted to clap with glee when she moved to sit beside him. “Did you enjoy your journey through the Borderlands? I dare say I love it there.” She leaned her head on his shoulder. Holding his hand, she snuggled up to him.
Draping his arm across her shoulders, he held her close. Obviously you didn’t travel through some of the realms I did. “Do you?” Her good mood infectious, he rested his head on the squabs.
“Perhaps, if your schedule allows for it, we can honeymoon near the Sea of Serenity.” She traced her fingers across his wrist and down the front of his coat.
He stopped her from going further by grabbing her wrist. She snuck the arm tucked against his side out so she could caress his thigh. Her gentle touch headed for his burgeoning erection. Oho, so you have some feminine wiles. “We’ll see.” He couldn’t make any promises.
The carriage came to a stop. Peeking out the window, he smiled. Home. His base desires rose in direct proportion to the realization in quick-time he’d have Eliza alone. His wolf growled with impatience and anticipation.
He flicked the door open and hopped down. “Eliza.” Holding his hand out to her, he assisted her from the carriage after she’d reclaimed her reticule. “After you,” he motioned toward the shop with a nod. Collecting her satchel, he paid the driver, and then walked her to the door.
His cock grew hard as he unlocked the door and opened it for her. Like his parents’ shop in London, the ground floor held his business. He scowled at the light coating of dust shrouding the wood counter and the few cobwebs he noticed hanging from the ceiling like the tattered threads of a ribbon. It is what it is.
“This way,” he told her and led her toward the stairs at the rear of the workspace. “The kitchen is back there,” he pointed toward the rear of the building. “We share it with my aunt who resides on the second level.”
“Oh,” Eliza muttered. She took in the place with a slashing gaze. “So, we are on the third floor then.”
“Aye.” A bit worried she’d look down on him for their living arrangements, he escorted her up the stairs to their rooms. “I will not apologize for my humble existence, Eliza.”
“I say, you have no reason to.” A blush tinted her face. “Forgive me if I seem a bit put-out. That is not my intention. ‘Tis that I wondered how we will…” She rolled her hand in the air. “…with your aunt about.” She held her palms to her flaming cheeks. “I mean—you know?”
His passion, which had dampened somewhat, came roaring back to life. He set her satchel on the bench set along the back wall of their main room. Before she could complain about the cold he had a roaring fire blazing on the hearth. “My aunt rarely comes to this floor. So, in our rooms, we may play all we want.” He kicked the door closed and walked to where she stood. “If you are speaking of clandestine dalliances in the shop, she is known to go to bed early.” A low, ominous growl rumbled in his chest. The thought of Eliza being available for his every sexual whim took all notions of gentlemanly behavior from him.
“That’s good.” A horrified giggle escaped her lips. “What I meant to say—”
“There’s no need to explain.” He rested his hands on her shoulders. Slowly caressing the heavy wool of her cloak to where the frog held the collar closed, he undid the closure. The garment slid from her shoulders to puddle on the floor. Gratified when she shivered, he palmed her bodice-covered breast. Beneath his hand he felt her nipple become taut. “Kneel.”
He waited for her to comply. Nearly in a frenzy to sink into her hot, welcoming body, he almost tore his coat from his body. Harried, he undid the laces of his trews and thrust them down. With his fingers gripping her chin, he held her still as he positioned his cock on her lips with his free hand. “Take it in your mouth.”
Her tongue peeked out to taste him. Small laps of the head were soon followed by her working her lips around the head. Resisting the urge to fuck her mouth, he closed his eyes to the delightful sensation of her oral ministrations.
His seed crept up his cock. Not yet. He pulled her to her feet. “Undress,” he ordered.
“I can’t reach the laces,” she admitted. A tiny gasp of pleasure sounded from her when he swatted her bum. “I can’t reach the laces, my Master.”
Without preamble, he spun her around and had the laces loosened before she could say “aye.” He jerked her gown up and over her head. Next he undid her corset. “Finish. I wish to watch you.”
Without even righting his clothes, he grabbed his coat and her cloak and hung them on the pegs pounded into the wall. He spun around to eye Eliza as she shimmied out of her pantaloons. “All of it off,” he commanded when she kicked her pantaloons to the side, leaving her clothed only in her camisole, garters, stockings and shoes. He stroked his cock from base to tip.
The ether grew heavy. Garments littered the floor. He stripped his shirt from his frame and tossed it onto the pile. Toeing off his boots, he nudged them away with his foot. By God, you are delectable, he thought when she stood in the middle of the room naked.
Shoving his pants down, he growled when he stepped out of them. Desire jolted through him. “Lie down and spread your legs.” The memory of her tight walls hugging his cock as he plunged into her had him sucking in air on a sharp gasp. “I’m going to fuck your arse.”
She shivered.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you, slave.”
“Aye, my Master.” She wiggled her hips against the worn-smooth floorboards.
Kneeling between her thighs, he slid his fingers across her slick folds. His erection throbbed for release. Drinking in the heady scent of her musk, he took in her beauty. “It pleases me that you are wet.” Rubbing her juices on her anus, he inserted his middle finger into her dark hole. His index finger entered her pussy. “Clasp your hands over your head and arch your back.” The new slant to her spine drove his fingers deeper. She moaned.
There wasn’t going to be any foreplay this go ‘round. Nay time to tie her up and show her the true eroticism shared by a Master and his slave. Nay. He could barely contain his lust. Sliding his cock into her cunt, he plunged once—twice—thrice. “Are you ready?” he asked through gritted teeth.
She nodded. Her long, dark hair in wild disarray around her shoulders, she reached for him.
“Touch yourself. Fuck your pussy with your fingers,” he ordered as he teased the head of his cock into her anus. His throat tightened as her hand skimmed down her belly and through the thatch of curls at the juncture of her thighs. “Aye. Slide your fingers in your hole.”
Her breaths came in sharp gasps. He b
egan to move. “Aye. Fuck yourself.” He plunged into her with steady, hard thrusts. Grasping her thighs, he pulled her to him. Buried to the hilt, sweat broke out on his brow.
Feeling her fingers pumping her channel through the thin membrane of skin separating her pussy from her anus, a low, keening growl broke from his throat. The urge to bite her—to place his territorial mark on her shoulder—grew to immense proportions. His wolf wanted—nay—needed the world to know she was his forever or until death took them from each other’s arms.
The first twinges of her orgasm sluiced down his cock, milking his seed. Nay. He fought the infection flowing through his veins and his wolf’s howl inching up his throat. Resisting his shift prickling his skin, his seed shot into her in the same instant she screamed his name.
“William!”
“Nay!” he shouted. Scrambling off her, his instincts screamed, “bite her” and “finish this game.” His chest heaved as the internal battle for control continued. The pain of his transformation came in short spurts. Closing his eyes to the agony etching his skin, he ran for the window.
Get out of here.
He stared at the last dying rays of daylight. Two days until the full moon. ‘Twas the power of the waxing moon that had him acting like a deranged lunatic. He’d been here before. The memory of his virginal transformation forever etched on his mind.
‘Twas as if he’d been infected all over again.
Glancing at her, he fisted his hands at his sides. “I’m going out for a bit.” I’m going to run hither and yon over the countryside to clear my head. He might even go as far as hunt for a deer. “Keep the door locked until I return,” he informed her gruffly.
“Did I do something wrong?” she asked as she struggled to her feet.
His gaze traced her pristine shoulder blades. A foul taste filled his mouth. ‘Twas familiar. ‘Twas the precursor to his transformation. “No, my sweetling. ‘Tis the Wolf’s Bane.”
She nodded. The tears glistening in her eyes made him feel like a heel for his callous attitude. I’d move mountains to comfort you, but I will not chance my wolf’s determination to bite you. “Do not open the door or window for anything.” He strode for the door. “Promise me.”
“I promise,” she vowed. A tear slid down her cheek.
“I won’t be gone long.” With that said, he walked out of their apartment and began his shift.
* * * *
“Not long?” Eliza paced before the windows dressed in her camisole. “Not long?!” Angry with fear that he’d met up with another werewolf or a vampire, she stopped to stare out the window. I can’t see how six hours is not long in your book, Mr. Cope.
Sick to her stomach with worry, she forced herself to calm. It does me no good to fret so. Willing him to appear in the garden, she was at her wit’s end when the clock tolled one in the morning. “Where are you?”
So far her brain had conjured up every worst case scenario it could think of and a few she’d never considered before. What ifs and what might have already happeneds kept her tied in a knot of nervous tension. Sitting on the bench, she blew out an exasperated sigh. Clasping her hands in her lap, she bit her lower lip to keep from shrieking in frustration.
Her heart clanged hard in her chest when the next scenario socked through her. “If only…” she whispered. Closing her eyes, she prayed to the Goddess of the Tuatha de Danan for insight. “If only I could teleport.”
Tingles raced over her skin. Cold air rushed over her scantily-clad body. “Oof.” The air gushed from her lungs when she hit something hard. “What the blazes?”
“Eliza,” William’s voice permeated her thoughts.
She opened her eyes to view a sight that made her stomach roil. Her fingers clutched his broad shoulders as he slumped to the ground. By the light of the nearly full moon, she took in the damage to his body. Several stab wounds marred his chest and shoulders. The smell of blood and dirt filled her nostrils. “What happened?”
“Vampires,” he whispered. His head lolled to and fro on her shoulder. “Wish yourself to your father’s house. Now.”
“I won’t leave you.” With great care, she settled him on the ground. Blood—his blood—soaked her camisole. “You stay with me, William Cope. Do you hear me? Don’t leave me.” Sobs gathered in her chest. She placed her hand on his chest and willed his heart to pump stronger. “Don’t do this.”
The tears broke loose when he lay on the ground as still as death. The blood oozing from his wounds turned a grizzly black as it stained snow. “Nay!” she wailed. She tried to rouse him. “William?”
He peeked at her. His words slurred. “Eliza, you have to wish yourself to your father’s house. ‘Tis not safe for you here.” He tried to raise his arm. For what purpose, she didn’t know. “The vampires want to destroy you…” his voice trailed off.
“Elfheim. The home of the Elves.” Her brain raced rough shod over her limited options. Not even her full-blooded fae father could save William. But the elves—“You said you’d traveled there in hopes of finding an antidote for the Wolf’s Bane.”
Panic infused her when he remained silent. “Of course, the Elves.” The oldest and wisest of the Goddess’s creations, they were the great hunters of her forests and renowned healers. “Please,” she begged the Goddess. “Please, help me.”
She stared sightlessly at the ground. Knowing what she had to do to keep him alive long enough to get him to the great Realm of Elfheim, she blew out a breath. She’d diminish as well. Only unlike her father, she wouldn’t let her gifts go slowly but would bestow all her essence on William. “Whatever gifts I’ve been given, let them pass to him, for I cannot and will not allow this noble soul to pass into darkness.” She cried all the harder when the tingles didn’t dance across her skin. Silently she screamed for a little more magicke. She had to have a bit more of her gift she could give to him. “Nay.” Hugging him tight, she rubbed her cheek against his chest. “Oh, nay.”
Pulling him closer, she rocked back and forth. Tears ran unchecked down her cheeks to splash on his handsome face. I…
“You must love him very much. ‘Tis not often that I am called to Earth by a half-caste fae,” a man said.
Blinded by the blazing white light the man emitted, Eliza flinched when he came forward. “Who…who are you?”
“I am Soren Elfson, Prince of the Elves.” He knelt beside William. A frown creased his brow. “His wounds were made with a silver blade.” Eliza’s gaze met his and locked. “I cannot heal him here.” The news devastated her. “He needs all the wisdom of the elves to release death’s hold on him.” He turned his torso to face a thicket of chestnut trees. “Liv, come here.”
“Aye, Uncle.”
A Valkyrie. Eliza eyed the woman cautiously as she strode toward them. Mystic protector of a warrior’s soul, they were the stuff of myth and legend even to the paranormal world.
“Eliza, take Liv’s hand,” Prince Elfson commanded in a no-nonsense allowed tone.
“How did you know my name?” Eliza wanted to know.
Prince Elfson pinned her to her spot with a glare. “Do as I say.”
Eliza didn’t think twice. She clasped the immortal warrioress’s hand. An Ethereal Gate opened for them. Eliza squealed when the Valkyrie jerked her to her feet and pushed her through the vortex.
She stood on a narrow bridge that spanned a cloudscape. Up a steep slope she spied the glittering branches of the World Tree, Yygsdril. Recalling the stories her father had told her of the elves, she remembered him saying that in the days of the ancients, the three Norns, immortals who determined every man’s destiny, performed their duty at the base of the mystic oak.
She was in the most distant realm in all the Borderlands. “Elfheim.”
“Aye,” Liv acknowledged. Prince Elfson with William slung over his shoulder stood a few steps behind the Valkyrie. “Head for the Great Hall. ‘Tis just beyond Yygsdril. We need to hurry. His life-force is waning.”
Eliza didn’t need to
be told twice. She headed toward the massive oak tree, putting all her hopes and faith for William’s very existence in the hands of the Elves.
Chapter Nine
Thanks be and merry make.
February 20, 1814
“Good morn,” Eliza told the man lying in her arms. “’Tis been a long journey for you.” And then some.
“Eliza,” William whispered. “Where?” He winced before cracking his eyelids. “The last thing I recall is being in the woods. The vampires wanted to hunt you down.”
“Shh. I know.” She’d heard all about William’s brush with death from Prince Soren who’d been given hourly reports from the elders who’d cared for her beloved. She was still awed that William would fight as hard as he had to protect her from a vampire attack. Then, mortally wounded, he’d tried to walk back to his shop to tell her to go home where she’d be safe.
He’d risked all for her.
Brushing her fingers through his hair, she turned her gaze to the stretch of water spread out before her. The sea seemed bigger now than it had in her youth. Unapproachable. Deadly. “We’re on the banks of the Sea of Serenity. The Elves saved your life.”
He pulled her attention back to his face with his fingers on her chin. “You feel different.” He sounded confused. “I sense a change in you.”
She thought about those days when the elves worked their mystic power over him and she came to grips with her decision to diminish. A simple statement was all it took. “I gave you something, a part of me, which sustained you until the elves could heal you.” I don’t regret it either.
“What did you do?”
“I passed my minor magicke to you.” She traced her fingertips across his brow, trying to smooth away his frown. “Without you, there is no future for me.”
“I don’t understand.” He cupped her head in his hand.
“William, rather than live on without you, I chose a mortal life.” How can I explain to you how much you mean to me?
“Nay.” He sat up and shook his head. “Why would you do this?”
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