by Renea Mason
The fourth strand. The hope provided, a path so clear.”
And the fifth. “Will now be truth, instead of fear.”
The sixth. “Now and evermore.”
My hands began to tremble as I no longer heard Eli’s cries of pain. I had to continue. It was almost done.
My fingers trembled with the seventh. “I call forth the spirit of air to erase this fate.”
A sigh escape with the eighth. “To cleanse the soul and clean the slate.”
“For now and evermore.” With the final strand unraveled, the book and ribbons burst into flames Fire engulfed my wrist. Where I once wore the braided strands was now branded flesh, like a raised tattoo. I ran my fingers over the surface of the skin, but I didn’t have time to investigate further or consider the significance. Three bodies lay on the ground nearby.
Stretching my muscles I rose from my seated position, then scrambled toward the carnage. “Eli?” I shouted, “Where are you?” There was no answer.
I ran to my mother and with one look, I knew the truth to all her lies as if her illusion dissolved with the fate spell. She was not my mother, but my abductor, and I, her victim. I reached down to feel for a pulse. None. The smooth skin of her neck left only one truth. I had killed her, not Eli. The truth imparted to me by the spell overpowered any feelings I may have harbored for the woman. I may grieve her later or at least, who I thought she was but now, other forces compelled me. I had to find Eli.
Near her lay the witch Eli had killed. Scrambling on my hands and knees, I crawled to where the one who started it all lay. I rested my fingers against her wrist just above the circlet of charred flesh. In the same place, I was marked with the same design ripped from her skin. Her flesh pitted and charred. I didn’t have time to worry about what it all might mean. Eli. Where was he?
I screamed into the night air. “Eli, where are you?”
A subtle moan carried on the wind. I gasped when I turned toward the sound.
Pinned to a nearby tree was Eli’s body. The witches had secured him with various lawn ornaments used as long spikes. His legs rested on the ground, but his chest was pinned by a dozen or so pinwheels, chimes, and small glass orbs.
“Eli.” I ran to him and dropped to my knees. “Please… No, Eli… look at me.”
But he didn’t. His head slumped forward and blood poured from his wrists and throat from the magical cuts she had given him. I wanted to kill them all over again.
One by one, I pulled the spikes from his body and tossed them aside. With the last one free, his body slumped over onto its side.
I laid down on the ground beside him, cupping his face. “Please… tell me what to do. Please… You can’t leave me.”
Blood. Maybe he needed blood. I grabbed a spike with a glass globe attached and slammed it against the tree.
“Eli… wake up.”
I rolled him over onto his back, picked up a shard of glass and sliced it across my wrist.
As soon as the red bubbled to the surface his eyes shot open. “No,” he rasped. “Don’t.”
“I can’t let you die.” Tears dripped from my eyes onto my wrist and left pink stains on my shirt.
“I’ll have no control.” Blood spluttered from his lips.
“Well, you will have to fight me, and it doesn’t look like you’re in much shape to do that.” I pressed my bleeding wrist against his mouth. My blood coated his lips as he formed the word no, repeatedly. But he had told me he was mine, so it wasn’t his decision.
It didn’t take long for the primal part of him to take over. He clutched my arm to his mouth in an iron-like grip, sucking and lapping at the blood that flowed from the wound.
He forced the air from my lungs with the impact of his body on top of mine, pinning me to the ground. The last thing I remembered was the momentary sting of his teeth sinking into my neck.
11
Abandon
I woke up in the most luxurious bed in which I had ever had the pleasure of sleeping. Better than any five-diamond hotel. The door creaked open, and I saw the belly before I saw the woman.
“Oh, you’re awake. I hope I didn’t startle you.” Lillie McCaffrey stepped in and closed the door behind her.
I sat up in the large bed, trying to remember how I got here.
Lillie waddled her way to the chair in the sitting area in front of the fireplace. With one hand wrapped around her distended stomach, she eased herself onto the cushion. She sucked air through her teeth with a whistle.
“I take it I’m at your home?”
She nodded, still trying to catch her breath. “If this baby doesn’t come soon…”
“When are you due?”
She chuckled. “Last week, but apparently babies born to vampires sometimes take longer. Anyway… I just wanted to be here when you woke and let you know that everything is all right, you’re safe with us. In fact, Eli informed us we’re family. Colin is so excited to talk to you. You should have seen him when Eli told him you are his sister. No one ever told him he had a sister.”
I smiled. I wanted to get to know him too, but first… “Where’s Eli?”
She inhaled deeply. “You know vampire men can be stubborn, right?”
I clasped my hands in my lap, praying nothing bad happened to him. “Is he OK?”
“Oh, yes. He’s fine. Just stupid.” She groaned and shifted her weight to the other hip.
I rubbed the branding on my wrist. “Where is he?”
“He left because he’s worried about you. He told us about Nasha. About how the curse made you think you were his mate. How you broke the curse and about how he nearly killed you when you offered yourself to save him.”
My brow furrowed. “I don’t understand. I forced him to drink from me. It wasn’t like he violated me.”
Lillie let out a soft grunt and then rubbed her stomach. “It’s not that. By taking from you again, he could subjugate you without even knowing. Vampire compulsion can be powerful. He left so there would be no risk of influencing your free will.”
“Oh.” I ran my finger back and forth over the skin where the ribbons once encircled.
Lillie raised an eyebrow. “You don’t seem happy about him being gone.”
I looked at her knowing I had to be honest with us both. “I’m not. Nothing changed when I dispelled the curse. I expected to feel different, to be disgusted like I used to be, but when I saw him… I would have died there with him, and gladly so to let him live. I was never cursed.” I turned my palm over. “I’m his mate.”
“Then... problem solved.” Her wide smile rivaled sunshine.
I sat up straight. “What do you mean?”
“We call him and tell him to come home and mate with you. He can turn you at the same time. Once you’re mated, he can’t control you. You will have chosen him.”
I felt the blush creep into my cheeks. “What exactly does that entail?”
She smiled. “Well, there’s sex and blood as you can imagine. There’s a sequence of events. You’ll need human blood besides your own. Your brother was my donor, but I’ve seen several mates drink the blood from a goblet instead of the source. On the last round of sex, he’ll drain you, and you’ll sleep for three days. And when you awake…” A rosy blush flooded her cheeks. “You’ll fuck for weeks on end, needing each other more than anything else. I don’t know how I ever lived without Baron before our bond.”
Tracing the lines on the palm of my hand, I knew what I needed to do. “Will he be coming back soon?”
“As soon as I can get out of this chair and tell him to come home.” She winked.
12
Reward
Several days later…
I sat in the great hall of Baron and Lillie’s New Orleans mansion in front of the fire with a book on fate magic in hand. As soon as Baron saw the marking on my wrist, he whisked me away to his library and showed me where to start. Apparently, the witch who cursed the covens was a fate witch and in destroying her I inherited her power.
I would have to keep my newfound talent a secret. Fate witches were much sought after and often imprisoned, I was in good hands with Baron and his family… I mean, our family.
The front door opened, and Eli stepped over the threshold. I sat the book on the coffee table, ran to him, and threw my arms around his neck. “I missed you. Are you OK?”
A soft, contented hum coursed in his throat. “I missed you, too.”
I leaned back to stare into his dark eyes. “Where did you go?”
“Remember when I told Sophia that she would owe me if we succeeded?”
I had to focus hard on his words because feeling his body against mine had my heart racing and panties wet. “Ah… yeah…”
“Well, I went to them and told them about how you broke the curse and killed the witches, while I was busy holding up that tree. I also told them how you saved my life.” He rubbed his hands up and down my arms. “You know covens are very selective, especially here in New Orleans. Well, you are welcome to join one of them.”
“Eli… that’s so sweet. You could have asked them for anything.”
“I asked for what I wanted. You to be happy. You have somewhere to practice your craft. Somewhere you feel you belong. Besides, having you on the inside keeping an eye on them isn’t a bad thing.” He winked.
I smiled at him. “But I feel you might have wasted an opportunity.”
His brow furrowed. “Why is that?”
“You see… when Lillie invited you to dinner, they’re throwing us a party…”
He raised an eyebrow. “What kind of party?”
“A mating party.”
His eyes grew wide. “Are you serious?”
“I wanted to make sure it was all planned before you got here and started blaming everything on your influence. I arranged everything before you got here. I mean… that’s if it’s something you want.”
His mouth crushed against mine, his arms encasing me in a bruising grip. “God, you don’t know how it’s been killing me, not knowing how you felt after we lifted the curse, and then I worried…”
“Shh…” I laced my fingers between his, pressing our palms together. “It’s fate.” I placed a lingering kiss to his lips. “But if I’m turned, the coven will never accept me.”
He kissed my forehead. “Call it hope, but I made it a condition that they accept you no matter your form. I guess I didn’t want to stop believing that our future had nothing to do with the curse.”
We stood on the veranda overlooking the beautiful gardens with stars twinkling bright above. “You look handsome in a tuxedo.”
“Well, I was the envy of every man in the hall tonight.” His lips brushed against my forehead.
My black flowing gown billowed in the night breeze. “Lillie gave me an overview of how we must do things tonight. Are you sure this is what you want?”
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a ring and slipped it onto my ring finger. It was the same woven pattern on my wrist. “There is nothing I want more than for you to be my wife, my lover, my mate and eventually the mother of our children.”
I took his hand in mine. “Come on, let’s go.”
“Well, aren’t you an eager minx?” He shot me the sexiest grin. “Looking forward to tonight’s festivities?”
“You have no idea.” I pulled him down the hall until we stood in front of our bedroom door.
I opened the heavy wooden door, and inside were rows of candles basking the space in a soft glow. Red roses by the dozens lined the bedside tables. The light floral scent reeked of romance. Soft music drifted through the air with the stars twinkling above through the round skylight.
Eli wrapped his arms around my waist. “Baron sure knows how to throw a party and an afterparty. I think he missed his calling as a wedding planner.”
My gaze scanned the room, taking in the opulence. “This is so beautiful.”
His lips pressed against the sensitive skin at the base of my neck. “Is it wrong that I couldn’t care less about the décor because I’m dying to get you out of this dress? There is nothing on Earth or in the heavens more beautiful than you.” He pinched the zipper on the back of my dress and lowered it. With a swipe of his fingers, he slid it from my shoulders.
I stepped out of the garment and took his hand, leading him to the bed.
In a hurry, he began heaving his clothing into a large ornate hamper outside the ensuite bathroom.
I picked up the chalice from the stand beside the bed. “Is this…”
His erect cock bobbed as he strode toward me, his hands immediately unclasping my bra. “Yes, it’s blood. We could have had a human join us like Colin joined Lillie and Baron, but Lillie probably figured you might need to ease into our arrangement. I’m sure that’s why we’re here alone and not downstairs in the middle of the room too.” He slid my panties down my legs.
“Wait, you mean mating is a public event usually?”
He smirked and lifted my hand to his lips. “Darling, you have so much to learn, but yes, traditionally mating is usually part of the wedding, but I think I prefer this. I want you all to myself.”
Once naked, he lifted me and positioned me in the middle of the large ornamental bed. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
I smiled at him. “Yes.”
“This is your last chance. Once I’m inside you, there is no going back.”
I grabbed his hand. “Do you think I would have helped arrange this if I had any doubts? I never wanted you to leave.”
He kissed my lips softly. “I didn’t want to risk controlling you. I love you too much. You have no idea how relieved I was to get Lillie’s call. I ache for you. You are my everything.”
“I don’t want to wait for you to turn me.” We had not discussed the specifics. Mating was one thing. Turning was another.
He pulled back and stared into my eyes. “You don’t have to, we can wait until you’re more comfortable with the idea, it doesn’t have to be tonight.”
I stared down at our entwined hands. “When I thought you were dead, it felt like my heart stopped. Like I died. I never want you to feel that. I want no regrets. You said you waited with Elizabeth out of some misguided insistence that she experience human life. I’ve already done that. I’m much older than she, I’ve lived my life and am old enough and wise enough to decide. Fate has already decided for us, why gamble with chance.”
“Oh, Clancy… I…”
“Make me yours in every way.” I pulled him down on top of me, his naked skin against mine.
“Never have I heard anything more beautiful, but are you sure it's not my influence. Because there’s nothing I want more.” He searched my eyes for the answer.
“I told Lillie two days ago. I could go get her but she’d probably be annoyed you made her walk all this way in her condition. So, you need to trust me.”
He brushed a strand of my hair over my shoulder and rested his pelvis against mine. “All right then. Just so we’re clear, we need to make love three times. I need to come inside you each time giving you all of me, but the second time we will exchange blood and the last and final time we’ll share the contents of the chalice, and then I’ll take all of you into me, draining you. You won’t wake up for three days. Again, I ask… Are you sure?”
“You talk too much.” I pulled him hard against me and crushed my mouth to his.
He moaned and let his hand drift between us. Grasping his cock, he teased my entrance and clit, slipping back and forth until he had coated himself in my essence. With a quick thrust of his hips, he buried himself to the hilt.
“Fuck.” I dug my fingers into his back, loving the feel of him inside me where he belonged.
“Indeed, love.” His hips began to move at a fevered pace. We had both been on edge and desperately needed release.
His thrusts slowed, but I protested, “Please, don’t slow down. I need—”
He gave me a fierce kiss. “Oh, thank God.” He rested his forehead against mine. “I wanted to make
it last as long as possible, but I need you so much…”
“Yeah, later. Round two or three, maybe, but now… I don’t want to wait.” I bit his lip and growled. “Apparently, I’ll want to fuck you senseless when I wake up so you can make it up to me later.”
“Oh, I’m looking forward to it.” His pelvis met mine with each deep punctuated thrust. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders enveloping me in his warmth and drove into me hard and deep.
The deep moan that escaped his throat sent me over the edge. My body tightened around his as his rhythm slowed to a halt.
“Oh, Clancy…” He sank his fangs into my neck the moment I felt the first hot splash of his seed inside me, leaving me slick with his gentle movements.
My body continued to quake around him from the orgasm his lovemaking conjured and then I crested with the climax his bite drew forth. “Fuck… that was….Fuck.”
He pulled his teeth from my neck and licked the blood from my skin. “That was nothing. We’ve just started.” He never left my body and began a series of subtle thrusts. “You haven’t tasted my blood yet. I’m dying to feed you while I fill you again.”
I had never felt such an intoxicating mixture of lust, release, and anticipation all in the same moment. There was usually a sequence, but with Eli, the sensations were intermingled.
“Where do you want me to feed from?”
“Right here.” He pointed to the side of his neck. “I want to feel you like you just felt me. Soon you’ll have teeth to penetrate me while I penetrate you.”
“Sounds kinky.” I grinned.
“I hope so. Just one thing I’ll show you…” With one hand he grabbed the headboard and began bringing our lover’s dance to a refrain. He used his grip as leverage and pounded me hard with deep staccato thrusts while the other hand squeezed my breast.
“Eli… I’m close.” I gripped his arms holding on tight.
He reached across the bed and pulled a jewel-encrusted dagger from atop a small pillow. Blood bubbled to the surface as the blade sliced the skin where his neck and shoulder met. “Drink. Take me in you.”