“Za’rae.” Minn ran up to the form. “It’s good to see you.”
Za’rae’s harsh features softened when she saw Minn. “Aw, my favorite girl.” She sort of smiled. Allantra thought it came off as more of a sick grin. The woman was too surly to show real joy. “So, this is your vampire.” Her penetrating gaze settled on Khaelen. “Those two must roll you quite a bit.” She laughed. Allantra tried not to blush. “Oh, stop it. Everyone here knows you have not one but two spectacular specimens of cock in your bed. Every girl should be so lucky.”
“A pleasure to meet you.” Khaelen grinned at the woman. Actually grinned. Allantra was shocked that Khaelen seemed to have found the crude woman likable. Even more shocking, Za’rae blushed. Good gracious. Allantra was going to be sick. “May I ask the purpose of this unexpected but charming visit?”
“The wizard here needs to step things along.” She gave Dharean a reprimanding stare. “The people are getting restless and tired of hiding like cowards. They want in this fight. After all, it’s their futures at stake as well.”
“We are making our way, Za’rae. We’ve had a little bit of trouble.” There was a slight note of irritation to Dharean’s voice. Allantra knew it didn’t help that Za’rae was a little sweet on Khaelen. “I’m glad to hear my people are learning that they must help fend for their lives as well.”
“Some of them have fallen victim to a few of that dogface vamp’s shenanigans.”
“How? They’ve reached the hiding place?” Dharean said in alarm.
“You know as well I as do you don’t need to be in front of a person to cause them harm. I believe they were out hunting and simply had no chance. Time grows short. Are you even aware of what goes on in your land?” She addressed the question to the vampires, but her gaze remained on Khaelen.
“We left in a hurry. We really haven’t had time to take stock of the Civil Lands. I was hoping to keep this ensuing war from happening. The plan was to make the change in government go as quietly and smoothly as possible.”
“I’m afraid that is not going to happen, blood drinker. Dominica has several powerful vampires aiding her.”
“Those were the seven I was referring to earlier,” Claudium said with regret.
“Who are you?” Za’rae took in his appearance with apparent approval. Allantra wanted to be sick. Watching a woman a quadrillion years old lust after men was … unsettling.
“Stop those thoughts, girl!” Za’rae scolded her as if she read Allantra’s mind. “I’m old, not dumb. A beautiful man is a beautiful man,” she said with a cackle. Allantra shivered.
“I am Claudium, leader of the Council of Elders. At least the old Council.”
“Very well. You will have a place on the Council still, mark my words—if you all succeed.”
“What are the vampires up to?” Dharean asked.
“They have been rallying up the resident vampires in the Civilized Lands. The half-breed shifters got wind of it. They are uneasy and angry and I must say rightly so. The humans know it is in their best interest to side with the shifters. The lesser creatures are divided. It would seem the vampires have promised a utopia to those who fight by their side.”
“They will slaughter many, and keep others prisoner to feed on later.”
“You know this of Dominica’s plan?” Allantra asked Claudium.
“Yes, because in the past it is what I would have done.”
“But you’re no longer that person.” Minn laid a comforting hand on Claudium’s shoulder. Za’rae’s sharp gaze noted the interaction. She said nothing but a warmth came to her eyes that Allantra had never seen before.
“Be that as it may.” Za’rae pulled her attention from the pair. “The war has already started in the Civil Lands. Blood pours into the street. Children have been slaughtered and displayed as trophies. Something must be—” Her words were cut short as something caught her eye. This time tears poured from her eyes. “It can’t be.” Her voice cracked as she floated toward Taraema’s pallet. “Taraema.” The name was a rough, broken sob.
“Who is she to you?” Allantra said breathlessly. The ancient leader looked down upon Taraema with such emotion it took Allantra a moment to figure it out.
Za’rae said nothing at first. “You never wondered why I didn’t kill you outright? A shifter with the scent of a vampire on them is reason enough for death. But I knew you were the scion.” She paused. “You wanted to know my secret that day I unlocked your power. Now is the time. I will tell you a part of the prophecy not in the tome.”
Chapter Nineteen
“And so the lost princess lives,” Za’rae whispered. She looked around the small crowd. Her black eyes took in everyone as if suddenly measuring their worth. “It was such a small part that it was never recorded. I doubted its relevancy but hoped. The moment I discovered your synergetic powers I saw deep in your mind. The lost princess had obviously been visiting you. Like a ghost.” At her last words she looked at Dharean.
“The dreams,” Allantra whispered as the memory of the dreams surfaced.
“What have you kept from me, old one?” Dharean’s voice seemed strained with an emotion Allantra couldn’t quite read. He blocked her access into his mind. She could have insisted, but respected his wish.
“Just as the prophecy told of a scion coming to the Savage Outlands, it mentioned an ally. It was but one line, though it was at the beginning, and many of us doubted its worth in the outcome of the war. Not to mention, no one could decipher its meaning.”
“Tell us now,” Allantra urged, as she went to her mother and gently stroked her forehead.
“A Royal Spectre lost in mind, will give warning to the blind.”
“It makes sense. Mother is like a ghost of sorts. Here but not really. But she has been warning us, in a strange way. We’ve only just realized this.”
“Ah, the horrors she must have been through, being captive all these years.” A weak smile flitted about Za’rae’s lips. “But soon like me, she will be free.”
“Don’t you start that,” Minn snapped. “Somewhere some poor girl is frightened out of her mind thinking you’re dead.” Minn sniffed but it lost its effectiveness as the shifter gazed upon the ancient one with tear-rimmed eyes. “I had no idea you could teleport so far.”
“Don’t worry yourself about what I can do, girl.” Za’rae cackled as her onyx eyes trained on Claudium. “Worry about what you can do.”
Minn had the nerve to blush at the implications. The Blood Twins had obviously grown bored of the phenomena that was Za’rae; they snorted at her comment. At that, she turned to them. “You two should have a care, for when this is all over, neither of you will be the same.”
“What does—” Braelius began.
“—she mean?” Draelius finished.
“Who knows.” Minn dismissed the question. “I’m tired and I need sleep.”
“We all do.” Dharean spoke at last.
“We all should retire for the night,” Claudium suggested. “You two keep watch,” he directed the Blood Twins. “Armin, watch the princess and pups.” He looked to Minn, as if waiting for her to protest. When she said nothing, he then excused them both, took Minn by the hand, and disappeared.
“Well, one guess as to what those two will be doing.” Za’rae laughed. A small pop sounded then she was gone.
“I will keep watch by air,” Masque announced stiffly then was gone as well.
“Wow,” was all Allantra could muster as she recovered from Za’rae’s visit. Dharean seemed unusually solemn. “What is it?” she asked softly. Dharean didn’t answer right away, but she could feel his anguish. “Tell me.”
“Now is not the time,” Dharean replied.
“Promise to share later?” Allantra rose and approached the Black Wizard. “We are all in this together. We share everything.”
“I am aware of this.” Dharean smiled weakly as the vampire stepped up behind Allantra. “But this night I do not care. I need you, mate. I will have yo
u as the fates see fit. But I will have you,” he said on a growl.
“We will have you,” Khaelen corrected. “We do not know how this will end. I for one will not go to ground, not knowing the touch and sweet taste of my mate at least once more. Or at the very least as many times as I can this night.”
Allantra shivered as awareness coursed through her. She could feel the need of both men pulsating in the air. By the gods, she could now smell their desire for her. Everything was mingling now. Their thoughts. Their traits. Their power. Their desire. They left the pups and her mother to Armin and sought a place of their own.
* * * *
Dharean lay on the cool ground, not caring about the light wetness of the grass. He beckoned Allantra to him. Her beautiful brown eyes seemed unsure yet excited. On her knees she crawled to him while the vampire patiently waited to see what Dharean had in mind. With his finger crooked he urged her on until she climbed the length of his body and she wrapped her long, lean legs around him. Still he wagged his finger. She edged farther along his body until she straddled his chest.
“Turn around,” he ordered. As she did so, he wished their clothing away, so that now her sweet scent wafted uninhibited around him. Her beautiful brown bottom rested against his chest. He pulled her gently by the hips until she now hovered above his face. “I want to taste you.” He mumbled the words against her, his tongue already delving inside of her.
The taste of her, as always, made his head spin. His pulse quickened with every stroke of his tongue through her soft sleek folds. She grasped his erection, closing her small hand around it tight. Lightly she began to pump it. Her hips began to rotate in the opposite direction his tongue swirled. Her moans were cut short by the cock Khaelen placed at her lips.
Khaelen, who had also divested himself of his clothing with just a thought, gently thrust his cock toward his lifemate’s hot mouth. Her tongue swiped the thin trickle of liquid from the head of his cock. She sucked him into her mouth, first concentrating on just the head, running her tongue under it. As Dharean’s tongue penetrated her folds she sucked harder in response on her vampire’s cock. Dharean moved her hips back and forth, forcing another wave of desire with the new friction. She moaned on the member in her mouth.
Khaelen firmly held her head in place as he pushed into her mouth and down her throat. With one hand she stroked Dharean’s cock; with the other she held Khaelen’s full sac, squeezing it gently as she suckled from him. Dharean’s tongue fucked her harder and she began to lightly bounce, taking it deeper inside of her. “Shit!” she moaned on a breath. Dharean could tell she began to feel the first waves of her orgasm. He wedged his face between her thighs, catching every drop of her cream as she peaked.
*
But Khaelen didn’t let up as he pummeled into her mouth, the earthy taste of him familiar and delightful. She slid him out from between her lips, licking the head. Slowly she sucked on the vampire’s sac as she stroked the wizard. “Not that way, flammulae,” Dharean ground out roughly, somehow maneuvering her down. She lost the grip on his erection, but not for long. He manipulated her until she could feel the pulsing heat of him between her thighs. He impaled her. Without warning. Without preamble. She cried out in sheer ecstasy.
He stroked in and out of her at a mad pace. He held her in place as his hips shot up, driving his hard velvet cock deep inside of her. Khaelen pulled out of her mouth and stepped back. All she could do was dig her nails in the wizard’s thighs as she bounced. The sound of their flesh meeting echoed around them. Khaelen stroked himself as he watched them. Dharean was sitting up now; his cheek cradled her back as he pulled her down hard and ground his erection deep inside her. He roared as his seed spilled within her.
Dazed, Allantra felt hands grab her by the waist, freeing her from Dharean’s still hard member. She could barely stand on her wobbly legs. Dharean stood as well, letting her lean against him for support. She felt his hot semen run down her leg as Khaelen bent her over roughly, the top of her head against Dharean’s stomach, arms around his waist.
Khaelen’s hand was between her legs, smearing the mixture of her cream and Dharean’s seed on the puckered hole of her bottom. “My turn, mate,” he announced, bathing his cock between her folds before he gently pushed into the tight hole. Steadily but gently he worked his way inside of her until he was settled at the hilt. Then slowly he stroked in and out of her. “So tight,” he muttered as his pace increased. Her arms tightened around Dharean as Khaelen mated with her. “So fucking tight.” He moaned again.
Dharean stroked her hair with one hand and tweaked a nipple with the other. Allantra’s breathing was coming in spasms as another orgasm began to bubble up. Khaelen reached around and played with the hard nub between her folds. She pushed back against him wildly. Their tempo increased and in between she somehow found Dharean’s erection so close to her lips. She let her head slide down a few inches before she began to lick him. She felt his intake of breath at the feel of her tongue.
Fully hard again, now he slid into her mouth. She tasted herself and his cum on his cock. Khaelen stroked inside of her hard, causing Dharean’s erection to slide farther down her throat. Happy with this arrangement, she closed her lips tightly around Dharean and let Khaelen set the pace for them all.
Allantra, however, didn’t last long as another orgasm erupted, Khaelen fast behind her. He pulled her ass tight against him as he unloaded in her; they both sank to their knees as Dharean slipped out of her mouth. As she looked up to reclaim her prize, Dharean had already taken matters into his own hands. She watched with fascination as he came again. Ribbons of semen jetted out, splashing about her face.
“Open your mouth,” he growled and Allantra did, taking the last of his cum into her mouth.
They stayed in place, breathing heavily. No one said a word as they finally made their way to the nearby lake and cleaned themselves. No one commented on the sounds of lovemaking from Minn and Claudium that floated on the night air. The air was heavy with deep thoughts and uncertainty for their futures. Their lives.
The triad lay together under a large tree. Masque, they knew, was somewhere out there patrolling the skies. The Blood Twins policed their perimeter. In the early morn, they would embark on the last leg of their journey and hopefully reach the caverns by nightfall.
Tonight would not be a night of sleep. They would all try to rest, despite the angst. For tomorrow was the beginning of the Apocalypse. And they all knew there was a good chance that not everyone would survive.
Chapter Twenty
“So today it begins,” Allantra whispered low to her mother. “I want to free you, Mother. After all you have been through I wish you to find peace.” A tear slid down Allantra’s face as she stroked her mother’s hair. She could feel the support from Dharean and Khaelen as they stood several feet away to give her time alone with her mother.
“Love. We must go,” Dharean said softly.
“I know.” Allantra sniffed, trying to remember every feature of her mother’s face.
“Armin will protect her with his life,” Khaelen assured her. “He will come when Claudium calls and bring them all safely to us.
Allantra leaned over and placed a tender kiss on her mother’s forehead. She stood then and took a deep breath. Allantra looked around the small, loose circle of fighters around her. They were all going into battle knowing they could lose their lives. Yet no one faltered. Each had risen early in the morning, a strategy carefully planned out. It was time to go on the offense.
Minn had her two pups in a tight hug, tears streaming down her face. Allantra couldn’t imagine going into a fight knowing she might leave her two children motherless. Minn was a brave woman. The two kids held onto their mother tightly before she urged them to go with Armin.
Masque shook the hand of each of the pups as if they were grown men. They looked up to their uncle with such love and respect it glowed upon their faces. Masque knelt down and whispered something to each boy. Their eyes rounded and the
ir mouths hung open as if to speak. Slowly he nodded his head and the boys clamped their mouths shut. Instead, they threw their small bodies against him as they hugged him. Masque returned the hug with equal ferocity. Allantra wondered what he had said to them.
Her gaze then traveled to the Rare Breed, the Blood Twins. They stood closely, facing each other, not saying a word. Allantra knew they were communicating. Stiffly they bowed to one another, then clasped arms in a warrior’s wish for a good and safe fight.
Claudium found his way to Minn and they stood close without touching, whispering to one another. It would seem life was cruel in so many ways. Minn had found someone in circumstances that didn’t give their attraction to one another much of a chance.
Then Allantra turned to her destined mates.
Khaelen stood proud and tall, his hair tied back at the nape. His dark clothing fit well, and was made to move with him. His hazel eyes looked at her with a softness she never thought she’d see from the Executioner. She smiled at him. Then looked to her other mate.
Dharean let his hair blow freely in the gentle breeze. He wore his traditional shifter garb of nothing but warrior boots and a tiny piece of cloth covering his private parts. A small pouch hung closely at his hips. It amazed her that both men stood exactly the same way. Feet spread apart, arms at their sides, hands coiled in fists. She knew they detested her going into the battle, and yet she was the key. Their key to winning. Without her they had no chance.
She approached them and, standing on the tips of her toes, she placed a kiss lightly upon their lips. “I will not say good-bye.” She fought back the tears that threatened her bravery. “We will win this, because we have to.” Both men nodded and said nothing.
She then walked the short distance to Armin. The hulking vampire smiled innocently at her and she smiled back at him almost as if he were a child. But she knew he had great strength. He liked the boys and he would do anything Claudium ordered him to do, which was take care of her mother and the boys.
Apocalypse Page 11