by C. L. Quinn
Katerine pulled back and grabbed Cherise’s hands gently, then pulled her over to the edge of the huge bed.
“Have a seat. We must talk. I have never met an empath. I’ve been in the America’s too long. And then here with David for the past two hundred and fifty years. We travel, but I have never had the opportunity to meet an empath.” She paused and stared into Cherise’s eyes. “I feel it. Your power. It’s strong. More than other empath’s, perhaps? You carry within you so many stories. You’ve touched so many souls. Ah, you are truly special, Cherise.”
“So, he told you about me?”
“Not much. In that way, he is exactly like his old self. He’s always been a quiet man. He doesn’t over share. But…he’s changed. He seems more open than he used to be. I don’t know yet. It doesn’t matter. I love him so much and I’m so grateful you brought him back to me. We must have a feast tonight to celebrate.”
All Cherise heard was how much she loved him. It ripped her heart into pieces. Well, any tiny shred of hope she had was gone. He was well mated, and even Cherise herself admitted he couldn’t have a finer match. She looked up to see Katerine staring at her again.
“You are sad. Terribly. What hurts you so?”
Well, it was disconcerting to have someone who could read her. Cherise shook her head and tried to smile. “It is the life of an empath. We don’t get the luxury of being alone in our heads. I’m fine. Um. I am very happy to meet you, too, Katerine. David has told me about you.”
Katerine laughed. Yeah, it figured. It was a lovely tinkling laugh, not a great big snorting one.
“Well, it couldn’t have been much. He doesn’t remember shit about me, right? We can sense each other’s life force, but after he disappeared, I couldn’t find him.”
Cherise lost some of her forced smile. “That’s okay. It’s why I’m here. His life force was damaged, fractured, by what they did to him. But I can help. I told him we need to start tonight. He’s in danger.”
“Yes, he told me. But we have two first bloods here. And other vampires besides. I think we’re safe.”
“We had three first bloods at a compound in Vancouver last year. It was still a bloodbath.”
“True. I know about that. Eillia was an old friend. I still can’t imagine the world without her. So, I’m being naïve. We are almost invincible, but not completely. You are right. I am arrogant. Then, after the celebratory dinner to honor you, we will retire to chambers and help David rediscover himself.”
A second hug came suddenly, and then Katerine stood up. “I will send someone for you and the elf shortly.”
Cherise barely had time to nod her head and Katerine was gone. Out of nowhere, she smiled. Well, there was the relief that came with resolution of a problem. David was never going to be hers. She must find a way to accept it and live with it. And then there was the elation of meeting a first blood who was as kind and gentle as Park, who was a dear friend with a shared tragedy. Each soul that touched an empath left an imprint...the first bloods most of all. Cherise believed it was what created a stronger power in each of her abilities. She lay back against the soft silk coverlet and closed her eyes. Yes, she could feel it. Stronger, truer, faster…her power was still evolving.
She was lying there searching her own emotions when another knock interrupted.
“Come in, please.”
Leo came through the door this time. He was smiling, too. “Did you meet her? Damn, it’s a shame I’m a married man.”
Cherise sat up and swung her legs off the bed.
“She’s taken, too. She belongs to David.”
Leo’s eyes got huge, the smile dropped. “Oh. I’m sorry. I am so sorry, Cherise. None of this is fair to you.”
She slipped off the bed and came over to him, smiled, and kissed him on the cheek. “Leo, nothing in life is fair. It’s the first truth an empath learns. Good things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to good people. Fair is just a weathercast. Are you hungry? Katerine is preparing a feast for us.”
“Absolutely. We do the job, and go home, right? Now that we know he’s going to be okay.”
“Absolutely,” Cherise repeated. A third knock brought a tall slender black man that reminded her eerily of Eugene. She shook her head and thought how odd the world really was.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The last thing they should be doing right now was celebrating. They should be seeing to their defense for David’s sake. But Katerine was not worried. So Cherise and Leo followed her into a large dining room with oversized tables and chairs and a buffet that ran the length of one long wall. Leo’s eyes lit up.
“Vampires,” he said. “I’d forgotten how well you eat.”
Katerine leaned over and whispered in his ear. “And it is all delicious!”
He grinned, at both the anticipation of the food, and the attention of Katerine. Cherise could feel how much he adored his little wife, but he was enjoying the attention of such a stunning powerful woman. It was harmless.
As several other large men entered the room, Katerine made introductions. They were all interested in the gorgeous empath who had arrived unexpectedly to help David. One of them claimed the seat beside her. Cherise was uncomfortable with the attention, but she could see his aura and knew he was a gentle, kindhearted soul. She smiled at him .
Then she felt David very near and looked up to see him enter the room at the other side. As he walked across it, her breath became ragged and she could feel her heart rate pick up. He was just so magnificent. He moved with grace in spite of his huge size. His hair had grown, too quickly, like first bloods often did, so he pulled it back at the nape of his neck. Her eyes dropped there, to where his shirt was buttoned just below the collarbone, and then travelled down the amazingly ripped body she wanted so badly to touch. Although she had never cared for the oversized, oversexed vampires she’d known before, every part of his body turned her on. She tried to calm her respiration, but it couldn’t be done. This would be a trial by fire. The flames were already licking at the place between her legs. God, could she bear to stay in the same room with him and his lover?
He approached her and smiled, took her hands in his and kissed the palms, one and then the other, lingeringly. Her eyes flew to his. What was he doing? His lover was right there watching this. Cherise glanced at her, but she was smiling too. Then she came over and pulled him away to sit next to her on the opposite side of the table.
“Everyone, this is Cherise, whose empathic abilities cleared David’s mind enough for him to make it home to us. Please take a moment sometime tonight to come over and meet her personally. She’s lovely, just lovely. And this gentleman is Leo. He’s an elf and also a new friend of David’s. Welcome to CastleRock. It’s built into a mountainside, and the lower levels are impenetrable by the sun. We are blessed you’re here to help him come home completely. This feast is for you.”
Cherise didn’t hear much of it. She couldn’t take her eyes off David. Katerine had pulled him up next to her, but he was still locked on Cherise, too.
When she realized people were noticing this, Cherise dropped her eyes and sat down. The big vampire next to her leaned in.
“It’s alright, dearie. Watch your breathin’…ya don’t want to hyperventilate,” he whispered in her ear.
He was right. Cherise made a concerted effort to block her basest emotions, as she often did when she was blocking other people’s incoming emotions. She reached for cool air and pulled it in, laid her hands on the tabletop to force herself to find a balance and calm her racing heart. He was just a man who needed her help. That was all. Calm, breathe…breathe, calm…
It worked and she shot her eyes up to the man beside her. “Thank you. That was humiliating.”
Katerine’s hands were on David’s shoulders, but he was still looking at Cherise. She sent him a mental message…Stop it, you can’t be doing this. I can’t be. Your eyes should be on your woman.
He stared harder, then looked at Katerine, who was sm
iling up at him. Three people with trays were circulating and offering hors d’oeuvres. Katerine looked over to Cherise and Leo.
“You must try these. They are a local favorite. I understand you own a bakery…this may be something you will want to take back. I will have the recipe prepared for you if you like.”
For Cherise, the pretty little pastry tasted like dust. She couldn’t focus on anything. When she noticed her hands were shaking, she laid them in her lap, and looked up to find the big vampire at her side grinning at her. He leaned in and whispered to her again.
“If you’ll let me, I’ll try to help. I’m Bryn, by the way. I knew the man David better than anyone else on this earth, but I’m having to acquaint myself with the one you call Kav. Perhaps we can help each other. I know you were close to him. It can’t be easy now to see him back with Katerine. But hold onto me…I’ll be your life raft. I understand what you’re going through. I’ve loved before to see her choose another. The heart recovers, but very, very slowly.”
She felt his hand in her lap, reaching for her fingers…and she welcomed the touch. It really did feel as if her were keeping her afloat. His aura brightened and seemed to reach towards hers. Cherise watched in fascination. This was a very special vampire. She’d never seen anyone’s aura do that. It was almost as if he was a vampire empath, and although she had never heard of such a thing…
It felt as if he was transferring some of his strength to her…it shored up her sagging belief that she could do this. He was a godsend. Cherise curled her fingers around his and smiled up at him.
“Whatever you’re doing, thank you. I guess even an empath needs help with emotions sometimes.”
He smiled back and squeezed her fingers in acknowledgment.
“Aye. And don’t hesitate to come to me if you need me again. We fly highest who stick together.”
“What a beautiful quote. Who said it?”
“I don’t remember.” He answered, his brogue thicker. “It’s something I used to tell a girl about a million years ago.” He paused. “She didn’t stick with me, and I fell a long way. Didn’t stay there, of course, but the climb back up was a bitch.”
Cherise almost laughed. “Well, you seem good, now, and I’m sorry you ever had that pain. I’m sorry for anyone with an unrequited love. You’re right, though. Someday, I’ll be okay again. You’re making it easier.”
Her eyes lifted and she saw David staring at her and Bryn. He was furious. He stood and came to the other side of the table, and when he saw her hand in Bryn’s, he pulled Bryn up and hit him square in the jaw. The big man flew backward and landed on the table behind him, which crumbled under his crashing weight. Cherise was standing now.
“What the hell are you doing!?” She yelled, and was shocked when David grabbed her arm and pulled her over his shoulder, striding quickly out of the room, yelling back to stunned diners, “Finish without us!”
He took the stairs two at a time, carrying her down to his underground rooms. The huge door groaned, but gave as he kicked it open and carried her over to the massive bed and threw her down. Cherise was so amazed at his actions, she was just now recovering. She tried to scramble off the bed, but he stood at the foot and stared at her.
“Don’t you dare!” He yelled.
She was on her knees in the middle of the bed, breathing hard.
“What did you say? You think telling me not to do something is the best way to get me to not do it? And where the hell do you get the right? I am not your concern!”
“Fuck that! You belong to me…don’t even try to say you don’t.”
She sat down and looked at him. He was still excited, upset, his chest heaving, his face flushed, his breathing hard. She knew it wasn’t easy for him, either.
“David,” she said softly. “I don’t. You are back with a woman you have been with, have loved, for two centuries. I cannot compete with that. I shouldn’t, anyway. When you get your memory back…”
He dropped onto the bed and moved toward her. “I don’t want it back if it means I can’t love you.”
Cherise crawled forward and took his face in her hands, tears quietly slipping from her eyes.
“Oh, Kav, you won’t want me then. You’ll remember who you really love…and I’ll be the sorry one. But I’m okay. Well, I will be. David, it isn’t that I don’t want you. It’s that I can’t have you.” She realized she’d called him by the name she had known him by. Dreamer.
“I can’t watch another man touch you.”
“I’m sorry for that. But he was helping me deal with this situation. He has an ability to pass his life force to others. I’ve never seen it before. And I think he’s your best longtime friend. You need to apologize to him.”
“If he touches you again, I need to eviscerate him.”
“Idiot. David, let me begin right now. Let me make you whole again. Then, there will be no doubt in your mind. It will be finished.”
He pushed her back. “Not until I make love to you.”
She shoved herself back away from him. “No. No…” He had to stop.
He didn’t listen. His large hands curled around her face and held her against the pillow, then he lowered his mouth to hers. She felt his tongue touch her lips and she groaned. Her mind reeled. Without permission from her brain, she began to kiss him back, her hands buried in that thick brown hair. She yanked the tie out and pulled the silky strands through her fingers, tangling them tightly and holding him to her mouth as they kissed like it was the last time. He had to stop? Their lips stayed locked for another several minutes, then he pulled his hair loose from her tight hold.
David lifted her up and slid her pants off in one motion, pitched them away, then moved downward. Cherise moaned as he reached the top of her legs and began to nip. She felt the hot flush of moisture between them and threw her head back against the bed, her eyes rolled up to stare at the ornately tiled ceiling.
Why couldn’t she be with him one time? Katerine would have him forever. Why couldn’t she feel the man she would always be bonded with just this one time? She couldn’t see why, and found she couldn’t move now that he was already there and where she wanted and needed him to be more than anything else in her life. Just submit, her inner empath told her. You need him, and after tonight, he’ll be lost to you forever.
It was all over when she felt his tongue inside her, the decision made. She would make love with him and keep this as the sweetest memory of her life. Her body responded by opening up completely to him, and letting the waves of pleasure lift her to heaven. When her orgasm came, he held her to him, his face buried in her belly, his tongue not finished with its exploration. He lifted her up and pulled her to him…sat her on his lap as he tugged her shirt over her head. The lace-edged bra died a quick death as it was torn apart at the clasp and tossed halfway across the room.
He stared at her breasts. “You are the most gorgeous woman in this world, Cherise,” he said and pushed her back down to stretch out long beside her to take her breast into his mouth. She couldn’t stop the tears. To know that this would be the first and last time with him…
Cherise pushed away. “I want to be inside you. Right now.” She shoved his clothes off, ripping buttons, and tearing at the stubborn zipper on his jeans. They were extremely tight, and she knew why, as she pushed them away to reveal he was fully erect and ready for her.
“Gorgeous,” she repeated, and ran her hand down his length as she pushed him back onto his back and climbed on top of him. She’d never been with a vampire before. And although he was huge, she didn’t hesitate as she fitted herself down over him, and slid down against his body. They both gasped. His arms came around her as he lifted his hips and very gently pushed into her. Just feeling her bare skin against his bare skin was almost too much, and they both moaned at the contact. As they started to move together, the scatters of pleasure grew into the most explosive orgasm either of them had ever known. Even without his memory, David knew this.
He held her a
fter they dropped from the final spasm of ecstasy, couldn’t keep his fingers off her skin as he caressed her. He sighed with pleasure.
“That was everything I expected it would be. I could feel you with me…not just physically, but I could feel you. Like I was part of you. Like we were one.”
Cherise had her head buried against him. He smelled so good. “It’s the bond. I can’t help but open up my heart, mind, and soul to you. In that, in this…you do own me. I was able to know you, too. You are the noble vampire you once told me you hoped you were. Oh, Kav, I’m glad I didn’t let myself leave. I’ll remember this always. You are a magnificent man.”
She sat up and scooted away from the bed, not looking at him, and said, so quietly he almost didn’t hear it, “Katerine is a very lucky girl.”
David vampire-moved off the bed and onto the floor, his hands around her, caressing her bare waist.
“It wasn’t Katerine I just made love to. Cherise, that wasn’t sex. I made love with you. It isn’t her I want!”
Cherise brought both her hands up and buried her fingers in his hair again, looking into his amber eyes. They were glowing.
“Yes. Yes, we did make love. I will treasure it for the rest of my life.” She sighed and slid forward, gently pushing him away and off the bed, comfortable with no clothes. “Well, we’ll see, when I open up your past to you. We’ll see. I need to go. People will be talking.”
He grinned. “They better be. Will you come back and begin my session? I want to get this working. I need my memory back so I can prove to you that I love you.”
“Alright. We’ll begin tonight. I just need to go clean up.”