by Janet Jones
When he held out his hand, she crawled into his embrace as though he had the power to move heaven and earth.
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Chapter Seven
Ellory picked her up and rose into the air, straight up like an elevator that moved too fast. Talisen's stomach lurched to see the ground fall away, and she clutched at him, but she was shaking too hard to cry out. They were ... flying.... She was flying. Nestling into the shelter of his big body, she hid her face in his shirt.
She didn't look up until he landed on the ground. It felt like jumping out of a tree. Ahead of them the front door of the summer house swung open, and they seemed to glide up the walk.
Ellory sounded weary. “My thanks, Meical."
"You're welcome. And don't worry. I'll watch your back tonight."
Talisen squeezed his arm, her eyes fixed on the fourth button of his shirt. “Wait. I should thank your friend, too."
He turned so that she faced his companion. She held out her hand. The man came just near enough to catch her fingertips in his. There was no mockery in his face now.
He bowed over her hand like someone out of a Jane Austen novel. “Ms. Davies, I find it scandalous that we haven't been properly introduced. Meical Grabian."
She squeezed Grabian's cool, strong fingers. “Thank you for helping Ellory tonight."
His gaze met Ellory's and slanted away. “The pleasure was entirely mine, madam. I owe him much."
He dropped her hand and strode into the shadowy garden.
The house was dark and deserted inside. Had the others gone down into the cellar?
Ellory carried her up the stairs. His voice was calm, as though they'd been out for a stroll and gotten caught in the rain. “A bath would warm you up."
She still couldn't look at him, but she felt his gaze on her. She drew a deep breath and exhaled with a tremble, shaking her head. “I just want to get it over with."
In her room, he set her down in the chair by the fireplace. One minute the room was dark and chilly; the next, it was lit and warmed by a blaze in her hearth. Not like the fire he'd wielded against Blazek. Maybe he was a demon. She stared at the flame, dazed and shivering.
Ellory ran a hand over the crown of her head. “Get ready for bed, Talisen."
He scarcely made a sound as he left her room, only the soft click of the door closing. She sat in the golden glow of the fire and stared at the wall. She knew without asking that what he was going to do to her would change her. She tried not to think about that while she undressed.
Her fingers shook as she put on the sleep-shirt and socks she'd laid on her bed earlier. She clutched at her ring on the chain around her neck, grasping at thoughts of Grandma. The ring had made her feel safe in her darkest hour.
Not this time. Because it had once belonged to Captain Ellory Benedikt. It had come from him.
Talisen teetered between disbelief and hysteria at the thought of it. It drove the strength from her limbs and doused her in numbing apathy. In one way or another, Ellory had always been there in her life, in the back of her heart and mind. Maybe she did belong to him, in a sense.
She slipped the chain off and watched the firelight glint off the silver band, the last link to her childhood. She wanted it safe and secret and uncontaminated by all of this, like the memories of her life with Grandma.
Crossing the room to the dresser, she opened her jewelry box and laid the ring inside. When she closed the lid, it made a soft thumping sound that echoed all the way to her soul. Like a door closing on a part of her she would never see again.
She turned from the dresser. The darkest corner of her room beckoned to her. She padded into the shadows and sank into the floor, pulling her knees up close to her chin. The cold wall made her wince. Stupid scratches from the pine Blazek had shoved her against. Miserable, Talisen settled back against the wall, unable to sit up without support.
She could run away again, but the thought of being caught once more by those ghouls terrified her as nothing had ever done. If not for Ellory, she'd be dead.
The apathy deepened. She let it come. Nothing mattered. She could dissolve and feel nothing. Absolutely nothing.
A soft footfall made her look up. Ellory slipped into the room and pulled the door closed, slinging a towel over his shoulder. The firelight etched his face in warm orange and hugged the contours of his powerful body. He took her hairbrush from the dresser and tapped the back of the chair at the fire.
His voice was so companionable, as though it were perfectly normal to find her huddling in a corner. “Come to the fire. I'll dry your hair for you."
When she hesitated, his eyes sparked at her, and she found herself blanketed in his gentleness, felt it close over her, squeezing past the apathy she was clinging to so desperately. He exuded comfort she couldn't resist. She found herself on her feet, approaching him, sinking into the chair. Caught without a sound.
Ellory draped the towel around her head and massaged her hair with firm, tousling strokes. She closed her eyes, but the apathy had deserted her. She felt every gentling move of his hands. More vampire magic.
Moments passed that she measured in breaths. The towel was laid aside. She felt him pull her brush through her hair with long, slow strokes. The warmth of the fire at her feet stole into her flesh and bones. Her breath came a little easier. Her trembling lessened. But all her senses were acutely awake.
"When I was a boy, my most memorable summer was the one I spent at my aunt and uncle's dairy in Massachusetts.” He gave a leisurely laugh. “I had thirteen cousins, most of them boys. The girls were all petticoats and pure mystery."
Images rose and fell in her mind of a ruddy-faced, brown-eyed boy tumbling in a pile of grubby arms and legs. He emerged with a black eye and bloodied nose, fists flying. Talisen closed her eyes, stunned. The vision went on. It burst to life and drew her in. She smelled the hay and cattle, heard the shouts of the young wrestlers, felt the soil under her feet.
If Ellory was capable of this, what couldn't he do? The power of it overwhelmed and calmed her at the same time. It brought her face to face with the fact that his eyes had seen three hundred years of history come and go. Her Captain.
Ellory laughed again. “At milking time, my cousins took mean delight in leaving me the honor of milking the lead heifer, a formidable girl by the name of Old Sally. Meanest creature on God's green earth. Not a welcome sight at four in the morning, I can tell you. She'd stand there bawling to be milked, but the minute I'd get close enough with my pail and stool, she'd kick me hard enough to jar my teeth."
She saw it happen, like a video playing on the back of her eyelids. A brawny boy picked himself up from the hay, cursing as he approached the brown-and-white cow again. She recognized the formidable frown on his face, his fiery black-brown eyes. She heard the laughter of his cousins as they paused at their milking to watch. She smiled before she could help it.
That was when she realized what Ellory was doing. These were the memories of his human life, the life of her Captain. He was trying to quell her fears by touching the human element they shared, separated though it was by the tide of time.
He chuckled again. “I have Old Sal to thank for my decision to become a sailor, instead of a farmer."
Talisen couldn't resist asking. “Did you ever manage to milk her?"
"Yes. I hobbled her until she daren't so much as switch her tail at me.” He ran the brush over the back of her scalp slowly. His free hand followed in its wake. “She found I had a gentle touch, and that ended our misunderstanding."
She heard the click of the brush being set aside on the dresser. Ellory bent over her chair and wrapped his arms around her. It shouldn't feel this good to be held by him. Not now, not when she knew what he was and what he was about to do to her.
Talisen stiffened. “I have some questions."
He straightened to massage her shoulders. “Sure."
His hands were firm. He found every achy-shaky place where her muscles were
tensing. She sighed. “I understand about the blood in the fridge now, and the fact that I've never seen you eat. And you all sleep in the cellar because of sunlight?"
"Yes."
The pads of his thumbs rubbed up and down the base of her neck, and she put her head forward, feeling lethargy steal over her. “And Jenny got sick on a hamburger, because hamburgers aren't part of the food chain."
"Right."
"So, she's not your foster child at all."
"Actually, she is. She was a human runaway. She wound up in the company of my worst enemy. He turned her into one of us. I rescued and adopted her."
She looked up at him. “Why do you do that?"
"Adopt fledglings? I don't know. I always have. I had another family before this one."
"What happened to them?"
His voice deepened, razor-sharp. “Dylan happened to them."
Talisen winced when Ellory's fingers brushed over the scratches on her shoulder blades.
He lifted her shirt. “Why didn't you tell me about this?"
She scowled. “Seeing as how you're going to bite my neck and drink my blood, a few scratches kind of pale in comparison."
With a sad sigh, he brought her to her feet and turned her so that her back was to the fire. When he lifted her shirt higher, she grabbed at it.
"Ellory, what are you doing?"
"Be still."
A second passed. No more. She felt his warm, wet tongue against her tender skin. Her heart catapulted into her throat. Her knees shook. A subtle vibration rose along the path his tongue made, darting lower. “Hey, what's going on?"
She heard him drop to his knees behind her, felt his hands on her waist. “Our saliva heals. Better than antiseptics and a lot more fun."
It didn't make sense. She didn't care. It felt divine. The tension in her body gravitated to her pelvic muscles. She felt like an ice cream cone. Double Dutch chocolate with vanilla swirls.
"Hold the chocolate,” he murmured against her skin. “Make mine Very Berry Red."
"You are a wicked man, but I'm going to make a fortune selling your spit."
He laughed, his tongue lingering on the last of the scratches with long, lazy lapping motions. She was almost sorry when he drew her shirt down to cover her again. Her body tingled, like after a long, hot shower.
Ellory came around to face her, his eyes glinting in the soft light. There was as much tenderness in them as resolve, but it was the resolve that left her weak all over. He didn't have to say it. It was time.
She shuddered like a leaf clinging to its stem in a gale and suddenly felt a need to stare at the floor. She'd had dog bites. How much worse than that could it be? Maybe if she didn't look. She closed her eyes hard.
She felt him slip around her to sit down in the chair, felt his hand curl around her arm. He drew her down into his lap, pulling her legs up close to her, and nuzzled her face.
"We can do this one of three ways. I can put you to sleep first, and you'll feel nothing. I can put you into a trance, and you'll feel very little. Or I can leave you aware of what's happening, and I promise you, it will be different from what you're expecting. I leave it to you to decide."
It had to be a vampire thing, this propensity for sounding utterly rational while contemplating hurting someone. Options? She hadn't expected that. A bitter laugh bubbled beneath the surface of her trepidation, but the sound that actually emerged from her mouth was a moan of desperation.
Ellory pulled her closer.
Option one offered oblivion, but it seemed more frightening not to know what was happening to her in her sleep. What if she never woke up? Option two sounded like something she'd felt tonight already. She didn't want to be half-aware, expecting the blow, but not knowing when it would come. Option three. There'd be no surprises, but nothing to ease her fears, either.
Don't count on that, he whispered inside her mind.
She rubbed her temples with shaky hands. “Stop reading my mind. It feels weird."
"Now you're not being honest."
Talisen steeled herself. “I don't want to be asleep or dazed-out and not know what's going on."
His mouth feathered along her cheek. “Do you have any idea how much I care for you?"
She turned and stared at him. “You're telling me this now? Bad timing, buster."
"I don't think so."
She looked away. He cared for her? Tears stung her eyes. A few hours ago she'd have thrown her arms around him and covered him with kisses to hear it. She forced the wobble out of her voice. “Let's just stick to one thing at a time, shall we? What's this going to do to me?"
"You'll be able to speak to me inside your mind, the way I speak to you."
She pushed her hair out of her eyes. “How?"
"When I drink from you, it will create a bond between us."
She met his gaze. “A bond or a chain?"
He flashed her a smile. The firelight glinted on his long, sharp canines. “A mutual understanding. I will know where you are, who you're with and what you're doing. You will know that I know. You will find it—uhmmm—difficult not to see things my way. And you will need to be near me."
She glowered at him. “Where's the mutual part in that? It's not like that with everyone you bite, is it?"
"Why? Jealous?"
She jabbed his chest with her elbow. “You wish."
"When I feed, I erase the memory of the experience from the mind of my prey. No memory, no bond. And the bond I have with my fledglings is different also. Between you and me, it will be—almost—a oneness."
"Almost?” She concentrated on breathing before uttering her next words. “Then you're not planning for us to ... uhm...."
He shook his head. “One ‘first’ at a time. I expect only sustenance from you. For now."
Talisen allowed herself to think about what he meant only long enough to feel relieved. Contrary to a few hours ago, she couldn't begin to contemplate making love with him now. She'd seen enough tonight to convince her of two things: she was powerless, and Ellory was capable of dispensing with the laws of physics. What sort of challenge would her protests present to him? No, she'd have to rely on her wits. He'd have what he wanted from her this once, but never again. She was going to get herself out of this. Somehow.
She felt a sigh leave his body, and he cupped her chin and tipped her face back so that her head rested on his arm. The instant his mouth met hers, her desire locked arms with her fear until it took her breath away.
His hand slipped down to her neck. His thumb rode her pulse for a moment. She felt his sudden response underneath her, hard and hot through his jeans, and lost herself in the feel of his mouth as it meandered down her throat. Try as she might to cling to her defiance, it ebbed away in the onslaught of sheer pleasure. Just his kiss could do that. The feel of his mouth on her flesh ... magic in his mouth....
The roar in her head was too loud for her to hear her own gasping breaths. She closed her eyes. Red-black darkness swallowed her. When had the room gotten so hot? She broke out in a sweat that left her chilly and weak. “Ohhhh, I feel like I'm falling."
"Don't be afraid, Talisen. I've got you."
"Th-that's what I'm a-afraid of, y-you jerk."
Even the sound of his soft laugh turned her on. She felt his hand slip down to her stomach to make soothing circles there. Warmth and relaxation emanated from his touch. Her quivering middle relaxed to a familiar throb.
He traced her ear with his tongue while he slid his hand under her shirt to span her bare abdomen. His teeth teased her throat. His hand glided lower.
She arched into his caress even as she drew her legs up to block it. “J-just bite me and let that be it, okay?"
He kneaded her belly. “I want this to be perfect for you. Let me show you. Just a taste. No more."
She couldn't catch her breath long enough to answer him. His voice whispered through her mind, urging her to unfold. Where was her will? Gone. Evaporated in the heat somewhere.
; The moment she let her legs go slack, he slipped an arm under her knee so her leg dangled over the crook of his elbow, parting her. He passed his hand over her abdomen again, caressing his way beneath the waistband of her panties.
When he touched her, their gasps mingled.
Talisen's body clenched and quivered as his hand settled into a slow, enticing rhythm. She turned her head away, but he shouldered her face toward his and nipped along the base of her throat. “Relax for me, Talisen."
Relax? With her body screaming? She let herself go limp and felt the pleasure melt her right into his hand, turning her slick and warm.
He groaned softly, his fingers gliding now. “Oh, yes...."
He opened his mouth on her throat. The delicious spasm mounted inside of her. A low moan whooshed out of her. He wouldn't leave her aching this time.
She caught his murmur in her mind, something about a dance for him alone. The pleasure intensified until she wanted to squirm, but the only movement she seemed capable of was to follow his hand with her hips.
His fangs slid over her jugular, followed by his tongue, and then his fangs again. She teetered closer to the edge. Light and dark, red and black. She rode an icy flame. The gathering sensation transcended anything she'd ever experienced.
Until she felt his canines pierce her.
Monstrous pleasure. Unbearable. Soft cries sprang from her mouth with every breath she took, cries she could scarcely believe were her own. His nuzzling mouth fed the sensation that ripened in the bead of flesh beneath his fingers. She felt her life's blood flow into him, her light and warmth spread through his darkness, and saw herself through his eyes. The devotion in him was her undoing.
He slowed his caress, drinking her down. She whimpered, dancing around a ring of light just out of her reach. His hand slowed to a tantalizing circle that eased her toward the blinding precipice.
Vampire. The word rang through her mind. How could she trust him? She shook her head, backpedaling against the current that rushed her forward.