“You still have feelings for her.” The hurt in Syrina’s voice brought him out of his reflecting.
“No, baby. I don’t hold feelings for her. I did at one time, I won’t lie. But it was nothing compared to what I feel for you. Not even close. And it makes me feel guilty to admit that aloud. But it’s the truth.”
Syrina reached up and touched his face. “Why do you feel guilt?”
“Melinda gave her life for her country. Had I not been distracted by her, she might still be alive. I feel responsible for her death.”
“You could not have known what was to happen. You could have died as well.”
Brant thought about that for a moment. “I wanted to, felt I deserved to for a long time. But fate has a way of changing the outcome of one’s life. And I’m glad. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have met you.”
“I can dull your memories of that day, Brant.”
He shook his head. “I don’t want to forget Melinda. I would dishonor her and the fact that she died for me, for all of us. I hope you understand.”
Syrina’s gaze softened. “I do. I can feel your honesty, and I will respect your wishes in this.”
“I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone, Syrina. You never have to worry about that. I will never leave you, nor will I ever look at another woman with desire. I swear it to you.”
“I believe you, Brant.”
He kissed her long and hard, his shaft stirring to life inside her.
“Will you marry me?” he mentally sent, not wanting to break the connection he had with her lips.
Syrina moaned into his mouth, answering him in the same fashion. “We are already mated. Why would you feel the need for a human marriage?”
“Because I’m old fashioned, and it’s our way. It would make me feel good to take you as my bride before God and my family. To give our children my last name.”
Brant could feel Syrina’s heart swell with love. “I will happily marry you, Brant Henagar. But for tonight, I would like to explore you as you have explored me.”
He almost came again.
Syrina pushed at his shoulders, signaling that she wanted him on his back.
He lifted his head, his eyebrow slightly raised. “Are you sure you want to do this? I mean…”
A laugh quickly escaped her. “You are worried about my fangs.”
“Well, yeah. A little.” He chuckled in return. “That’s a very sensitive area to expose to a pair of fangs.”
Syrina flipped him over. “You do not trust me?”
“I do,” he began, only to suck in a breath when her hand closed around his erection.
“It is the blood filling your shaft that gives you pleasure, correct?”
Brant had a sinking feeling he knew where her question would lead. “It’s part of it, but…why? What are you thinking?”
“I would try something, if you will trust me not to harm you.”
With a groan of surrender he would likely regret, Brant nodded and moved his hands away in an act of submission.
Syrina crawled on her knees until she knelt between his thighs. She slowly lowered her head and touched her tongue to the head of his shaft.
Brant’s hips jerked in reaction. “Dammit Syrina, you’re killing me.”
Without looking up, she tightened her fist around him, opened her mouth, and sank her teeth into the mushroom-shaped head of his erection.
Brant was more shocked than in pain. He held completely still as her tongue slid along the underneath to form a sort of suction. And then a pulling sensation began. He could literally feel the blood rushing through his shaft to enter her fangs. It had to be the most erotic feeling he’d ever experienced.
His back bowed off the bed, his lips peeled back over his teeth, and his entire body began to shake with the force of the sperm that shot up his length.
A sound like he’d never heard before filled the room. It took him a moment to realize it came from him.
His release seemed to go on forever, taking his breath, along with his mind. He couldn’t think or even move for that matter. His legs had locked up on him long ago.
“Fuck!” he barked as she disengaged her fangs and moved them down an inch. They sank into him once more.
Brant was completely at Syrina’s mercy in that moment, and damned if he didn’t like it.
He’d never been the submissive type, yet it came easy with her. He had nothing to prove to Syrina, nor anything to hide. She could see into his mind, his heart…and she loved him regardless.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Syrina awoke the next morning to the sound of a tree branch slapping against the window.
“The storm hasn’t passed.” Brant stood next to the bed, freshly showered and shaven, holding a washcloth in his hand.
She rolled to her side and propped her head on her hand. “I did not know you were up.”
“You were sleeping so soundly, I didn’t want to wake you.” He moved closer until his knee rested on the side of the bed. “Lie back and let me have a look at you.”
Even though she’d shared her body with him the night before, Syrina still experienced a little embarrassment. “I am fine, Brant. I would like to take a bath before—”
“Nonsense.” He crawled closer. “The evidence of our love is nothing to be ashamed of. Now, open for me and let me have a look.”
Syrina held his gaze for long moments and then blew out a breath. She watched him move between her legs and push her thighs apart.
An apology immediately shone from his eyes. “There’s a lot of blood. How badly are you hurt?”
“I am a little tender inside, but I am not hurt. The blood is supposed to be normal for the first time. Have you never been with a virgin?”
Brant shook his head. “No. Never. I knew there would be blood, just not so much. This washcloth isn’t going to be much help. Come, I’ll help you in the shower.”
Syrina hated that he worried for her. She felt perfectly fine. In fact, she would love nothing more than to take him inside her again.
“No.” He bounded from the bed and held out a hand. “Come on. Wrap that blanket around you for the trip across the hall.”
Syrina sighed and threw her legs over the side of the bed. “If you insist.”
“I do.” Brant then scooped her up and carried her to the door.
“I can walk!”
He grinned down at her. “I know, but I like carrying you. I have to do something alpha after you submitted me the way you did last night.”
Devastation was swift. “Oh, Brant. I am so sorry. I did not mean—”
“Sorry?” he interrupted, his eyebrows shooting to his hairline. “Don’t ever apologize for something that amazing. I’ll submit to you anytime you want.”
Syrina laughed and laid her head against his shoulder. “Be careful what you promise.”
Brant trailed across the hall, stepped into the bathroom, and turned on the shower.
“Let’s get you out of this blanket.” Pulling the covering from her shoulders, he tossed it onto a chair and opened the shower door. “In you go.”
“You are not joining me?”
He jerked his shirt over his head and tossed it on top of the blanket. “Since you asked nicely.”
A chuckle escaped. She moved forward to give him some room and then sighed as he pulled her back against his chest.
“You’ve made me the happiest man alive, Syrina of Arkadia.”
“Not as happy as I am, Brant Henagar.”
She stood in the midst of the steam in a haze of contentment and happiness, watching as Brant grabbed a bottle of liquid soap and poured some in the palm of his hand.
Returning the bottle to shelf on their left, he lathered up his hands and brought them to her chest.
Syrina could only moan at the feel of his slick, soapy palms sliding down her body.
He bathed every inch of her, including her hair. Adding more soap to his hands, he coasted them down her abdomen and stopped at
her mound.
His mouth moved to her ear. “Open for me.”
Her inner walls clenched at his command. She spread her feet apart, dropped her head against his shoulder, and moaned aloud with the feel of his fingers sliding through her woman’s center.
The deep timbre of his voice echoed through the shower stall. “Does that feel good, Syrina?”
“Mmm-hmm.” Her body had come alive the moment he’d touched her breasts.
He continued to stroke her with one hand, bringing the other up to her neck to hold her in place.
The dominance he showed only heated her up even more. She wanted him right then, right there in that shower in any position she could get him in. “Take me again, Brant.”
“No,” he rumbled in her ear, increasing the pressure of his slippery fingers. “It’s too soon. It’ll be painful. Just relax, and I’ll make you feel good.”
Syrina rolled her backside against him, pushing back with her hips. She could feel his hard erection pulsing against her bottom.
She suddenly leaned forward and rested her palms on the shower wall in front of her.
“Dammit, Syrina.” Though his voice came out in a growl, she could feel the turmoil inside him. He wanted her as much as she wanted him.
She took the decision from him. Reaching behind her, she gripped his shaft, guided it to her opening, and then backed up a step. The movement forced him to enter her an inch.
“Jesus!” He enfolded her hips in his big hands and pulled her onto his thick erection.
They simultaneously moaned as their bodies connected.
The slickness of the soap on her skin, the steam of the hot water, and Brant pumping into her depths from behind pushed Syrina toward a release she was quickly learning to identify.
“Son of a bitch,” Brant snarled, his hands tightening on her hips. She could feel him shaking as he attempted to hold on to his control.
“Brant!” Syrina tightened around him, wanting, needing him to let go, to not hold back.
He slowed his thrusts even more. “No. I’m not going to hurt you.”
“You are not hurting me. Look inside me, Brant. Feel what I feel. See what I need.”
Something passed between them. She could feel the moment he sank into her mind.
He suddenly slammed into her with enough force her feet temporarily came off the tub’s floor.
Syrina’s eyes rolled back in her head. That was what she wanted, to feel him let go, to experience his pleasure through his mind.
Brant went wild behind her. He began to piston into her with powerful, sure strokes.
Bliss. Pure, unadulterated bliss took hold of Syrina. Her legs gave out, and she sank to her knees in that tub with Brant still connected to her.
He followed her down, pumping into her with hard, quick, fast thrusts.
Syrina’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. She couldn’t breathe, think, or move. Short, labored gasps was all she could manage as her orgasm flew through her, locking up her muscles as well as her mind.
Brant roared his release, his hips continuing to move against her. He fell over her, his body shuddering along her back.
He stayed there for several minutes before he pushed back enough to let her up.
But he didn’t stand. He simply sat down, straightened his legs out in front of him, and pulled her back against his chest. “You’re going to be the death of me.”
Chapter Forty
Brant sat at the dining room table at the bed-and-breakfast, listening to Oz speak to someone on the phone about delivering his yacht to Florida.
Oz finally ended the call and addressed Thrasher. “Now that that’s taken care of, have you heard anything from the pilot?”
Thrasher nodded. “I called him early this morning since I couldn’t sleep.” He flicked a gaze in Brant’s direction, telling him without words that he and Syrina had obviously been a little loud.
Brant glanced at the others seated around the table to find them all staring at him with that same look.
Kaspyn suddenly laughed, drawing Brant’s attention to her. “Do not worry about Thrasher. He was far more vocal the first time we mated. In fact, he is vocal every time we—”
“Kaspyn!” Thrasher scolded, even though Brant could see the teasing light in his eyes. “He gets the point.”
Thrasher shook his head and addressed the table at large. “The plane leaves here in an hour. I suggest we finish our breakfast and get going. It’ll take us a good twenty minutes to reach the small airport by foot.”
The front door abruptly burst open, and Astryd barreled into the room.
Everyone seated at that table was on their feet before Astryd skidded to a stop.
“They are coming! You must go now before they get here!”
Syrina glanced at Brant and then back to Astryd. “Who is coming?”
“Your father’s warriors. At least a hundred of them. They know about Lisa, and they have orders to kill her and her son! Please, go. Now!”
Lisa came rushing into the room, her face pale as a sheet. “They want me? But why?”
“Because you know about us,” Astryd whispered, her chest heaving from her run to the bed-and-breakfast. “You have to go. And hurry. They are not far behind me.”
Klause marched toward the door, calling over his shoulder, “Grab the child and move. I will not leave you behind to die. You go with us.”
Astryd skirted the table and disappeared down the hall behind Lisa. Brant assumed she was helping Lisa gather what she needed.
He looked at Syrina. “Astryd can’t stay behind either. They’ll know she warned us.”
Syrina nodded. “I agree. She must return with us to Aukrabah. Zyen will know what to do with her from there.”
Pyre pinched the bridge of his nose. “Zyen will not be happy about this. But you are correct. We have no choice.”
Brant waited for Astryd and Lisa to reenter the dining room and then held out his arms for her small son. “I’ll take him.”
Lisa shook her head and held up a pair of keys. “I have a van. We can get there twice as fast if we drive.”
Brant nodded, grateful for the head start they would have. They were all returning to Aukrabah with three new souls in tow.
Will it ever end? he wondered, taking Syrina by the hand and rushing out the door. He sure hoped so. He had a life to live, a family to make, and a mate to love. Yeah, life had to cut them a break at some point. He just didn’t know when.
Epilogue
Brant lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling of his apartment back in Aukrabah. Syrina lounged on his chest, enjoying the feel of his fingers sliding through her hair.
They had been back from Arkadia for two days now. Of course, Brant and Syrina had only emerged from their room long enough to bathe and have dinner. They couldn’t seem to stop touching each other.
Brant’s fingers coasted down to her shoulder to stroke in lazy circles. “Do you think Zyen is upset about us bringing his sister here?”
Syrina shook her head against his chest. “I do not think so. I imagine he will be grateful that she is safe. At the moment, it is not Astryd that has Zyen worried as much as it is Pyre.”
Brant slowed his touch. “What about Pyre?”
“It would seem that Trescina is no longer confined to her quarters, and Pyre has moved his things once again to get away from her.”
She could hear the laughter in Brant’s voice as he asked, “What has Trescina done to Pyre to cause this move yet again?”
“I am not completely certain, but from what Zyen informed me this morning, Trescina has not only slapped Pyre in front of a crowd of warriors last night, but she dumped her food in his lap as well.”
More laughter rumbled inside Brant’s chest. “And what caused this little altercation?”
Syrina found herself laughing also. “I do not know, but I would love to find out.”
Brant reached beneath her chin and tilted her head back. “Have I told you how
much I love you?”
“Only every second of every day,” she whispered back, her heart overflowing with emotion. “But I will never tire of hearing it.”
He rolled over, taking her with him, until his body lay on top of hers. “I will love you forever…my mate.”
“As I will you. I am so happy that I found you, Brant. It is difficult to believe that we were once like Pyre and Trescina.”
Brant suddenly turned thoughtful. “Pyre and Trescina… You don’t think…?”
Syrina wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him back toward her lips. “I doubt it very much. She obviously does not like him if she struck his face.”
“You’re probably right.”
“Of course I am right.” She nipped at his top lip. “I am always right.”
They laughed for a second, and then his mouth covered hers, sending all other thoughts scattering to the wind.
The love Syrina felt for this man surpassed anything her mind could ever have imagined. And she wanted him to know it, to feel what she felt.
She opened to him, allowing him into the deepest recesses of her heart, where she would keep him…always.
~The End~
Be on the lookout for Pyre and Trescina’s story – Coming Soon!
Read Below for a sneak peek into the pages of The Boy in the Window—a Psychological Thriller that’s sure to keep you up at night.
Chapter Four
Jessica moved through the rooms of her new house, undeniably detached. At any other time, she would have loved the new place, but not without Jacob.
A feeling of anxiety swept through her, sending the room spinning around her. She leaned heavily against the wall and squeezed her eyes shut tightly. She couldn’t have a panic attack her first day in the new place…she just couldn’t.
“Hello?”
The sound of a woman’s voice echoed off the walls of the living room, high-pitched and nasally. “Anyone here?”
Jessica’s eyes flew open. She sucked in great gulps of air attempting to rein in her panic. “I’ll be right there,” she managed to gasp between bouts of dizziness.
Brant: Science Fiction Romance (Enigma Series Book 11) Page 14