Hours of running, and by the time I reached the end of the spell, I was almost completely spent. I shifted back into my human form and beheld a ceremony.
Humans were gathered on the field; I heard voices and smelled blood.
Both lords were still connected to me, but once I caught her scent, another energy hit me hard. I recognized it instantly.
“Impossible,” I said, standing to my full height.
I saw him then—the warlock who cursed our families.
Lord Laurence Tyrell.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Celine
I couldn’t scream anymore. That man who claimed to be my father, had tricked me into going with him. Now, he stood over me with a large knife. My stomach was bare, and waves of nausea washed over me.
Laurence was prepared to butcher me and cared nothing of the fact that we were blood.
My head lolled to the side. I had no tears or strength left.
“Welcome to the event of the century,” Laurence said, and I turned to behold Thomas standing there, nude, and ready to rip my father to shreds.
A weak smile came to my lips as fresh tears blurred my vision. “You came for me,” I said in a hoarse voice.
He looked to me. “We all did. We are all here.”
I was right, he came to rescue me. I should have known that he would never abandon me. I would never doubt him again.
Laurence snarled and held the knife at my throat.
Before my father could slice my throat, Thomas shifted into a wolf so quickly that I could barely make out what happened right before my eyes. As quickly as he transformed, Laurence removed the knife and shot a blast of blue and purple light across the circle of fire.
The magic hit Thomas directly in the chest; light exploded, blinding me. A loud bang rang in the air and Thomas was thrown back. I gasped, noticing that my binds had melted and fell from my arms.
Laurence stood, staring down at the ground. I lifted my head and my heart jumped to my throat. Thomas lay at my father’s feet, injured and unmoving. The other cloaked humans fled, abandoning their quest to help my father gain immortality.
I had a chance to escape.
Thomas came to his feet.
“Come now, Thomas. We both know that you won’t be able to defeat me. You failed once, and I’m afraid that I might have to kill you this time,” Laurence said.
I tensed. The mere mention of killing Thomas did something to me. It took over every dark crevice of fear, and every shard of anger and resentment I had toward him and the others.
No. I would not let him die.
My fingertips began to spark as I collected energy from the air, trees, ground, and the moon.
“You can’t claim her. All three of us care for her, and if you hurt her, then I’m going to kill you with my bare hands,” Thomas roared, and then several spheres of light exploded from his hands.
He stepped backward, stunned that none of his magic seemed to harm Laurence.
“Now,” Laurence said, holding his palm out toward Thomas. “I said to stay down.”
Thomas cried out as another blast of magic threw him backward, and he crashed onto his back, sliding across the grass.
My heart broke into a million pieces as I watched my father approach him, ready to kill the man I loved.
I rose from my crouched position, trembling, but focused. Everything was blurry, but the waves of hatred towards my father gave me strength. The magic felt like it was reaching into my bloodstream, lifting me up. I would not be like my father.
I would be better.
Stronger.
The tingling started in the pit of my stomach. It bubbled and boiled forth, rising to my chest, and with a loud cry, I released it.
Bright white light exploded from my palms. My energy hit Laurence, and he gasped, turning to me with a look of horror in his eyes—the same shade of green as mine.
Roars emerged from the dark forest.
William and George.
My father was hit. An invisible force lifted him from the ground, and I cast him aside as if by an invisible rope. He flew through the air, and out of the dark sky flew Scarlett, who caught him in her golden talons.
It was done; my cowardly father wasn’t ready to battle with all three wolves—he wasn’t ready to face me.
William and George began to shift back into their human forms, approaching. The lies weren’t important anymore.
I ran to Thomas. He lay there, still naked, covered in wounds, and most of his chest was burned.
“Thomas, please. Tell me you are going to live!” I shouted, touching his face.
“He’s injured, and he needs magic to recover. Step away, Celine,” William said, and I clasped my hands over my mouth, thinking I’d lose him forever.
The next morning, I woke up to the bright sun pouring into the room.
Finally, I recognized some familiar surroundings. I was back in the same bedroom that I’d escaped from on the back Scarlett the dragon.
The lords came to my rescue, and I wasn’t angry with them anymore. I listened to the man who I’d never seen in my life.
There was no point waiting around. I needed to see if Thomas was all right. I quickly dressed and hurried downstairs. My heart skipped a beat when I heard voices in the dining room.
Then I walked in and the world was great again. George, William, and Thomas sat around the large table.
They all looked at me as I walked in.
“Celine, I was just about to send the maid to check on you,” William said, smiling at me. I stood in the door staring at Thomas’ scars. Thankfully, he’d already beginning to heal.
“How are you feeling, Thomas? You two shouldn’t have let me sleep. I was so worried about him,” I said, resisting the urge to tackle him with an embrace and kiss his scars. He was staring at me with that warmth, and my heart started to beat faster.
He wasn’t dead, and I was so happy to see him.
“I’m fine, darling. My magic is healing the wounds. But, I do believe that we all owe you an explanation. Please sit down,” he said.
I swallowed hard and sat down. I had never in my life acted on the impulse before. Escaping with my father was foolish.
“Was it always about my power to break the curse? Is that why you bid for me?” I asked, looking down at my hands.
Thomas took my hands and gave them a squeeze.
“Darling, you must know in the beginning we didn’t care about anything but breaking the curse. We were hungry to become immortals, we all wanted it. We needed a virgin, but as I got to know you, that goal became more about winning your heart,” Thomas explained, and warmth rushed through me.
“I told you all the truth, I didn’t know much about my father. This warlock showed up in my bedroom. I overheard your conversation earlier on. I saw that woman in the red dress, and I was so angry and disappointed. He told me that he could take me back to my mother, and I believed him,” I said, shaking my head.
They all exchanged hard looks with each other.
“We regret that you had to find out like that. The spell is important to us, but this part of the deal can wait. Thomas cares for you. We haven’t had a chance to get to know you just yet, but we would really like to carry on with our agreement, if you will agree,” William said, brushing his fingers over his chin.
George continued to stare at me with the same intensity as before. I’d misjudged them.
It was clear now that they all cared about me, more than I could imagine.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Celine
My luggage was all packed and loaded onto the carriage. The coachman was waiting to take me back to Thomas’ castle.
“All right, Celine, say your goodbyes to the lords. I want to spend as much time with you as as I can over the next few days,” Thomas told me.
I blushed again, seeing that William and George were going to be left here. I was going to spend some time alone with each one of them in the near future. It fe
lt strange to part with them now, especially after everything that had happened—after the intimacy we’d shared.
Now, it was merely about keeping me safe from my father and less about the bargain.
I walked up to William first, and hugged him. When we parted, he stroked my cheek, and gave me a soft kiss on the lips.
“Take care of yourself, Celine. I’ll be waiting for your return,” he said with a wink.
I smiled at him, and then went up to George. His eyes were penetrating as always.
“Goodbye, George,” I said to him, and he wordlessly embraced me with one arm.
“I can read your mind, and I know what you desire. Think about me when you’re with him,” he whispered in my ear.
“That’s enough with the pleasantries. We have to go now. She’s still mine, gentlemen,” Thomas said with a wicked grin that made William shake his head, and George chuckle.
They waved too, and a moment later, I was settled in the carriage with Thomas. He sat opposite me, and I looked out the back window as we left William’s castle.
I’d miss them, more than I’d thought possible.
We arrived back at his estate a few hours later. He ordered Alfred to prepare his study straight away. He had to have a stick to walk, and I felt for him, seeing him in so much pain.
“I need to gain my strength with potions. Tomorrow I should be fine,” he said.
“I don’t want to leave you,” I told him, but he insisted, so I went upstairs to my room.
It felt good to be home again, and the maids welcomes me with smiles. It was time to get back to normality, at least for another week or so. I felt like I was much stronger now, filled with new hope. I still couldn’t believe that I was the daughter of one of the most powerful warlocks in Marble Province. It seemed like I no longer knew who I was. Even my mother had no idea that the man she married wasn’t my real father.
I unpacked everything and took a bath. That dirty sex under the waterfall kept playing in my mind. I was getting warmer even thinking about it. Thomas wasn’t going to stop pursing me. I knew that he loved me, the way I loved him. But, I cared for them all, and wanted them all once more. It simply felt right.
That night I went to bed early, but the intense erotic dreams kept me up all night. I kept dreaming that three shifters were in my bedroom. That they all took turns in pleasuring me, and I loved every minute of it. In the morning, I felt tired and drained, but then there was a knock at my bedroom door.
“Morning, darling—are you ready to start this wonderful and sunny day?” Thomas asked, striding into to my bedroom.
His face was healed, and he looked like himself again. It seemed that his potions had helped him tremendously. “Get dressed. We are going to the vineyard today.”
I was just about to tell him that I never visited a vineyard when he leaned over and kissed me. He devoured my mouth and by the time he pulled away I was breathless, and rather aroused. My lips were swollen, and he was hard. The bulge in his crotch area was very apparent. Thomas winked at me and then left the room. All of this was very unexpected.
Then two maids showed up and helped me to get dressed. I kept wondering what he was planning, thinking about that kiss. We spent a wonderful day together in the vineyard at the back of his estate.
Thomas held my hand the entire time we were together. The last few days of our time together went that way. We simply enjoyed each other’s company and shoved all of the bad moments aside.
One evening, when we were in his study enjoying a glass of wine, he started kissing me. My senses were running wild, and when I thought that this was it, we were finally going to make love again, he backed away.
Frustrated, I went to my room, wondering what was wrong with me. My core was drenched every time I thought about him.
I thought about sleeping with him a lot, and I was even considering seducing him. I wasn’t completely clueless, after all, I was being paid to please men. He was a man of experience, but he was pushing me away for some reason.
Everything changed two nights before my departure. I was reading a book when he got up and approached me from behind. I looked at him, and my heart thumped in my chest. His eyes were heated, and I knew he was ready.
He lifted my dress, and I felt his erection pressing over my core.
He used his fingers to stimulate my nipples, and kissed me—gently at first—then, biting my lower lip.
“I know you’ve been waiting to have me again, and you will remember me every moment you’re with George and William,” he whispered, positioning his erection right between my legs.
I moaned loudly, filled with desire. He reached out with his hand and touched my damp panties. I arched my head backward, unable to take his tortures any longer. I wanted to be his, and that was the end of it.
“Say, “yes, sir.” Say, that you’re ready for it.”
“Yes, Thomas, yes. I want you … sir,” I said.
His eyes were shimmering with magic, and he took off his tie, then began unbuttoning his waistcoat.
“Stand up, and take off your clothes,” he said, and I obeyed.
Finally, I thought, ready for this moment.
He stared at me as I took off my dress. My hands shook a little; it was difficult because the laces were so long and tangled up. Once the corset was gone, I stood in front of him in only my undergarments.
“Now, everything off. I want to see you naked. I know you’re already dripping wet for me, Celine,” he said, and I nodded, stepping out of my white underclothes.
Goosebumps appeared on my skin, as he stared at me with fire in his eyes.
“Gorgeous, and all mine. I have been picturing this moment since the night at William’s castle,” he said and then turned me around, so his face was planted right at my core.
I whimpered, feeling his tongue on my clit. My hips were going to give out at any second, and I tangled my fingers in his red hair.
“You taste delicious, Celine,” he said, looking up at me. “Get on all fours, my dear.”
The room spun, but this felt better than I imagined, and the pressure was growing. I whimpered, knowing that I wasn’t going to last long.
His tongue was circling, moving in and out.
I collapsed on the floor as the orgasm continued rippling through me. He lowered himself over me and then kissed my lips.
I felt him behind me, my breath was heavy, and I waited for him to enter me. He slid his length inside me, and a smile came to my face.
“You are leaving tomorrow, but this is just the start dear, Celine. I have twenty-four hours to enjoy you,” he whispered into my ear.
“This time we are going slow and tender. You’re mine, Celine, and no one will ever give you the pleasure I can—not even William or George are capable of it,” he whispered, kissing my entire body.
I nodded, in a haze.
“Remember, I own you, Celine—don’t ever forget that,” these were the last words I remembered after we were done, before I drifted off to sleep.
“Farewell, my love. I’m broken that you’re leaving, but this is what we all agreed upon. I hope you’re going to miss me,” Thomas told me as I sat in the carriage all packed and ready to start my adventure with George.
Tears slipped down my cheeks. I couldn’t believe that we had to be separated again. This wasn’t fair. I could barely function after our wonderful night together.
Now, I wished I could stay longer, but a deal was a deal. I had to honor it.
“Please, visit me. Promise that you will,” I begged him, crying, and he smiled at me.
He kissed me; the taste of whiskey filled my senses.
“Of course, my dear. We will meet again. Just behave yourself,” he added, wiping the tears from my eyes. Then, he nodded to the coachman.
The carriage moved, and my heart broke into pieces. I watched him the entire time as he waved at me.
Is this what love felt like?
This was it, I was broken and now, I had to spend anoth
er month with George.
It was the beginning of another journey, but I already missed Thomas—I missed every inch of his body and soul.
The End of Book One
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