by Audra Hart
“I know, Morna.” Elias says evenly. “I didn’t mean to sound like I was complaining.”
“You didn’t sound like you were complaining. You sounded wistful to be there to help me. I am hoping that it doesn’t come to battle, but I am determined that we are ready for whatever it does come to, and that is why I want everyone rested. So you people do what you need to do and get some damned sleep.” Having said that, Morna turns on her heel and leaves the room. Luca follows her after quick good nights to his children and friends.
When Luca enters their bedchamber Morna is trying to settle comfortably in their bed. “I wish you would use the chamber, my love.” He says quietly.
Morna sits up and takes his hand and pulls him into the bed with her. “You can put me in that blasted contraption after I fall asleep in your arms.”
Luca laughs and starts kissing her and pulls her tank top over her head. He is gently cupping her breasts when she asks, “Do you think I am rushing it, letting Aideen come with us?”
“Morna you have been coaching her on the practice field, I have not. I trust your judgment. Besides, if she gets into trouble, we will be there to back her up as will Agnar, George and her grandfathers.” Luca says before he takes one of her breasts into his mouth.
Morna moans softly and lovingly cradles his head closer to her body. Eventually she says, “I just want her with me because of the prophesy. What if we encounter Kyera?”
Luca raises up and kisses his mate. “Baby, do you want to make love or talk battle strategy? I can do both at the same time, but I really don’t want to.”
Morna laughs and says, “I want to make love, of course.” She starts unbuttoning his shirt, but quickly becomes impatient and rips it off of his hard, perfect body. “Sorry, darling.”
“I am not complaining.” Luca says with a laugh as he quickly pulls her shorts and panties off of her. And growls softly when he buries his face in the sparse patch of hair. He nips her pubic mound and parts her legs gently. He inhales her scent and growls again. He nips the tender lips of her labia and is rewarded when she growls in pleasure herself. Her growls of delight roll over him as his fingers gently expose her clitoris and teases it with his tongue. He inserts his thumb into her vagina and quickly brings her to an orgasm. “That’s my girl! Come hard on my hand, baby. I want to savor your sweet cream.” He continues to lap at her wetness as the waves of the orgasm wash over her body.
When her rigidity and tremors cease, he stands to remove his shoes, socks and slacks before he rejoins her on the bed. Morna takes his beloved face in between her hands and kisses him deeply. He kneads her breasts for a few moments and then rolls over and pulls her over on top of him. He sits up and gently guides her to mount his shaft. He grunts in satisfaction when a small orgasm ripples through her body. She finally breaks the kiss and looks into his eyes. He is pleased with the glassy look in her eyes and the obvious love he reads in them, as well.
He leans down and sucks a hard nipple into his mouth. He gently caresses her back, leaving trails of fire burning in her skin, as she smoothly moves up and down on his erection. He trails kisses from her breasts to her throat, and breathes deeply of the scent of her blood coursing through her body. He plants kisses on her throat and along her shoulder until he reaches the spot where he had drawn blood. He gently nips that area with his teeth. Taking care not to break the skin this time. She moans in pleasure as the burn and tingle settle in. She draws his face back to hers and kisses him deeply.
He is shocked and pulls back when he tastes her blood. “What did you do baby?”
“I bit my lip. I didn’t mean to break the skin, but what the hell. We might as well enjoy it since I did.” She says with a laugh and kisses him again. He growls and deepens the kiss. He sucks gently on her lower lip, and moans at the sweet taste of her blood. She is driving her body fiercely upon him and roars in satisfaction when a massive orgasm rips through her body.
When she finally relaxes and the tremors cease, he gently lies her on the bed and hovers over her, without breaking the kiss. He starts to slowly move in and out of her, while holding his weight off of her body. He laughs when he feels the baby kick. “We seem to be keeping him awake,” Luca says. He brushes the sweat soaked hair from his mate’s face and kisses her gently.
She strokes his face lovingly as she meets his gentle thrusts. He tenderly sucks on her oozing lip and trails kisses to her throat. Where he nuzzles at the site of her pulse throbbing just under the skin. He inhales deeply and kisses the spot tenderly. He returns to her mouth and kisses her tenderly. He brings his hand up and heals the tiny break in her lip and kisses her again. He cups her face lovingly as he continues to thrust in and out of her eager body. He picks up tempo because he feels her tensing as though another orgasm is building. He wants to join her in her release this time. Finally they both achieve climax and cling to each other as they ride the waves of pleasure. He smiles because she finally closes her eyes, and he knows she is asleep.
He strokes his mate’s face tenderly, and gently kisses her lips again. The intense love he feels for this woman overwhelms him momentarily, and he almost feels frightened by the intensity of it. He hovers over her for several minutes, relishing the peace he sees on her sleeping face. He gently lifts her to the healing chamber and covers her with her silk robe. He is shutting the lid when she says, “Go hunt, baby. You need sustenance for tomorrow.” He kisses her again, and chuckles because even in sleep she is thinking of her warriors and their welfare.
He dresses in jeans, tee shirt and running shoes before joining the group in the small study. Agnar raises an eyebrow when Luca rejoins them. Elias, Micah and Mordir are gone, but Aideen has joined them. “Well, did you take your walk through my son’s mind?” Luca asks Agnar.
“I did. He isn’t holding anything back from us. There is no deception in him. He’s pretty amazing. A lot like Aideen. They both yearn to be close to their mother,” Agnar says. And then he looks at the brother and sister and says, “I am sorry, perhaps I should not have said that.” Kylor and Aideen both just shrug like it is no big deal. “They both feel like you, Luca, are pretty straightforward with them, but with Morna, they feel like she holds herself back in some strange, indescribable way. And she does.”
Everyone looks at Agnar with surprise and wait for him to say more. “I should probably get her okay before I say any more.” Agnar says thoughtfully.
Luca turns his head toward the bedroom and then chuckles. “She said to go ahead and get it off of your chest.”
“Isn’t she asleep? I would swear she is. Her shield is down and she is in deep REM sleep,” Agnar says, doubting his ability to read Morna.
“Agnar, Mom can carry on a conversation in her sleep. She always has been able to, as long as I have known her. She can do other things in her sleep too.” Aideen says with a chuckle. “The only time she couldn’t talk in her sleep was during the Natalie years. Autism apparently does strange things, even to the most incredible of brains.” Aideen adds thoughtfully.
“Fascinating,” says Agnar. “Well, Morna does hold herself back. Especially now, since the exposure and since the pregnancy hormones are raging in her body. But even years ago, I know she held herself tightly in check. But now, she is reining in the beast inside of her. That is why she gets tired so frequently. Her body heals quickly, but the constant vigilance of her mind tires her. I personally think she needs more blood. And to just give the beast free rein once in a while.”
“What do you mean, the beast?” Luca demands.
“The beast that could easily break even you in half, Luca. The beast that wants to feed, to gorge on human blood. The beast who wants to be a total savage when she is intimate with you. I am sorry. I wasn’t trying to pry. But sometimes, Morna lets her shield slip ever so slightly. I can’t imagine what feelings I would get from her if she didn’t keep herself so tightly in check.” Agnar says solemnly.
“You are wrong,” Luca rebukes Agnar harshly. He roughly rubs his fa
ce and runs his fingers through her hair. “She is not a beast! Please tell me I did not do this to her?”
“Father, she is. But she has made friends with the beast. She accepts it as part of herself. And it was there before the change. The venom only empowered it. But the part of her that is good, loving, kind, fair minded, and duty driven, that part still reigns supreme in her.” Kylor informs his father. “But I suspect that she will turn that beast loose someday in battle. She will not fall and allow her family, friends and Guild to suffer.”
“What the hell have I done?” Asks Luca.
“Exactly what Mother wanted you to do?” Kylor says softly. “I suspect that she always, ultimately gets what she wants.”
Luca nods at that. “Especially from me.”
“True,” says Agnar. “But I can only imagine what she would willingly do for you. Her instinct to protect and make you happy is one of the strongest features of her personality. Her love for you is so intense, so deep, and so complete, it’s actually indescribable.”
Luca chuckles and says, “I didn’t need you to tell me that. Well Morna insists that anyone going with us needs to get their rest. That means you three,” Luca points to Kylor, Aideen and Agnar. He walks over to Breena and holds out his hand to her. Breena you have been silent during all of this. Are you okay?”
Breena takes his hand and stands up. She wraps her arms around her brother in law and he can sense her uncertainty, even a little fear. He holds her tightly and strokes the back of her head. “What is it, darling girl?” he asks.
“I sensed what Agnar sensed when Morna let her shield slip. I can’t believe that is inside of my sister.” Breena says and tears run down her cheeks.
“She is still the same sister she has always been. If she is keeping some beast in check, she will continue to do so.” Luca assures her as he continues to try to comfort Breena.
“Breena?” Morna speaks from the doorway. She is wrapped in her robe, her hair is tousled and she looks as though she is still half asleep. “Breena, I promise I am still the sister who taught you how to weave rainbows, the same sister you used to crawl into bed with when we were children. I am still all of that, but there is more to me now, and not all of it is pleasant. I have been fully aware of the change since Chicago. If I thought I was even remotely dangerous to those who aren’t my enemies, I would have left long ago, and I would never allow my children anywhere near me.”
Breena rushes to Morna, and Morna takes her into her arms gently and holds her. “Morna, I am not afraid of you. I am afraid for you. I hate it that you are working so hard to control that part of yourself.”
“Sister, I am sure it will calm down once the baby is delivered.” Morna assures her. Morna looks at Luca and says, “I am taking my sister to bed, you need to hunt.” Morna looks at her daughter and future son in law. “You two need to sleep, or you will stay behind tomorrow. I don’t want to have to back either one of you up because you are sleep deprived and become careless.” Morna turns her attention towards her son, “Kylor, same to you, kiddo. You can tell me more about Mars and his minions after you sleep.” Having said that Morna turns and walks out of the room with her sister under her arm.
Luca looks around at everyone left in the room. “You heard your mother, make a move!” And then chuckles when Agnar starts to protest. “She is soon to be your mother in law. Deal with it, Son.”
Luca laughs all the way to the park. He takes his time with the hunt and feeds on two massive boars. When he returns to his home two hours later, he goes by the kitchen and gets a sandwich and a double cup of blood for his mate. As he makes his way to their bedchamber, he can hear his daughter and Agnar sleeping soundly in their rooms, but is troubled because he doesn’t hear Kylor sleeping in his room. He stretches his senses and chuckles. The boy is sleeping on the sofa in their sitting room. He finds Morna dozing in the chair across from the couch. He takes her snack and blood to their bedroom intending to go and carry her back to bed, but he hears her send Kylor to his room and follow behind him.
Once inside the room he sets the sustenance down on the bedside table and turns to his mate, erects a buffer spell and takes her into his arms. “Why was Kylor sleeping on our couch?”
“He said sometimes women who have been victimized have nightmares after a mind walk. He said that while I am not a victim, I still might have some issues. He wanted to stay until you came back. He didn’t want me to be alone. I just woke him up and sent him to his room.” Morna kisses her mate and holds him closely. “I know I must have been a victim of some sort, or he would not have done that mind walk on me. It is disconcerting to know this, but not to remember what he had to heal in there. I feel like all of my memories are intact.”
“Sit and eat my love.” Luca says pointing to the food. Morna sits cross legged on the bed and eats the sandwich and drinks the coke. Luca sits across from her and says, “Would you like to test whether or not your memories are intact?” Morna nods with a mouth full of sandwich. “Okay, what do you remember of your life as Roxie?”
“I had really bad parents who drank a lot and fought incessantly. We all died in a car crash. It was a miserable existence.” Morna says without emotion.
“Okay, that sounds right. What do you remember about Hilda’s death?” Luca asks reluctantly.
“Kyera ordered a group of vampires to attack me. I managed to kill two, but the four remaining killed me. It was a difficult death.” Morna says thoughtfully. “Can that really be all there was to it?”
“Sounds right to me,” Luca lies smoothly.
“What about your time in college as Deidra? What do you recall of that? Especially the last two years.”
“I think it was fairly typical, except for the fact that I worked my way through school working at Mad Mike’s. There were some rough times dealing with some of the bikers. Especially that bunch that came through from L.A. that time. But for the most part it was pretty uneventful.” Morna says openly.
“What about your friends?” Luca asks leadingly.
“I hung out mostly with Tracy and Cindy. But I did hang out with Lou some. He was a brilliant physicist and philosopher. We had a lot of long conversations on many, many a night. But he also partied some with me and the girls. But nothing traumatic ever happened.” Morna says honestly.
“This too sounds right to me. What about your time as Natalie?” Luca asks for his own curiosity.
By now Morna has finished her sandwich and her coke and is drinking the blood. “I remember Aideen and Rinda. I spent hours upon hours with those two. I remember sitting on the porch at night, back to back with you. I remember desperately wanting to turn around and touch you. But your icy hard skin would cause a sensory overload, and make me vibrate painfully. I remember loving you so much that I was physically in pain.” Morna blushes and says; “But I also remember going to you in my sleep. I remember touching every inch of you, lovingly, slowly. Seeking to keep every detail of how you felt and looked in my mind. I remember taking your hand and guiding you over every inch of my body. I remember seeing the same love that I felt for you, in your eyes. I knew, even when I was awake that you loved me completely, endlessly.”
Morna’s eyes take on that glassy, intoxicated look they get when they make love, and Luca is totally undone by that and her confession of her time as Natalie. He takes the empty cup out of her hands and sets it on the bedside table. He quickly strips her out of the robe as he kisses her, the taste of the blood in her mouth and the passion her memories evoked in him nearly drive him over the edge.
He knows well the monster his wife has been keeping at bay since her exposure. He has been keeping his own beast under control for over five hundred years. He has just had more time to learn to master it. At this moment he yearns to release it and for her to do the same. Their eyes meet and they immediately understand the needs of the other. By unspoken agreement, their inner monsters are given free rein.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Hours later when they both come
to their senses they look around at the destruction they have wrought on their bedroom. They are lying on the floor, limbs entwined and Luca is brushing her sweat soaked hair from her face. He detects a trace of her blood in her hair. “Morna did I hurt you? Did you get any cuts and bruises?”
She laughs and says, “Sure, most of them deliberate. But either I would heal them or you would. I am fine. My love, I am better than fine, I am fully satiated, exhilarated, and powerful. More powerful than I have ever been. But we are going to have one hell of a time explaining this mess to Ingrid. And every empathic person for miles around may blush in our presence for a while.”
Morna nuzzles lovingly into her mate’s chest and then straightens immediately when she hears Heimdall’s voice in her head. “Sorry, Baby Girl. I wasn’t eavesdropping. In fact, you woke me up from a very sound sleep. When I felt what was starting with you two, I put up a barrier. I felt Collingwood do the same. No one knows your secret. Even we don’t. We didn’t, nay couldn’t listen in. His barrier kept me out and mine kept him out. But I could detect a drop in intensity. So we both let our barriers drop and that is how I am able to speak to you now.”
Morna blushes and says, “Thank you Heimdall.” Morna kisses her mate again and says, “We have a pair of guardian angels that protected our privacy. I need a bath. Luca stop looking for injuries. There aren’t any.”
“Morna, you should have used the iron-lion.” Luca chides.
“Hell no! I wasn’t going to miss any of that. Besides, I didn’t need it.” Morna says happily as she gets up and strides to the bathroom. Luca catches up with her and strokes her belly. She looks down and looks back at her mate. “What the hell?”
“I don’t know. But you look like you are six months or more along now. You bathe and I am going to get Gullveig and Reagan. It will take too long to get Micah from Airendell.” Luca says calmly.
“No need. I will get Heimdall to summon them both.” Morna says.
Luca continues to stroke her belly and says, “I didn’t realize that I was having to expand the spell. I have gotten so used to doing it without giving it any thought. I can feel immense power from him. What if your emotions are affecting him?”