by Sumida, Amy
“I've been waiting for you,” his soft lips thinned a little as they pulled back, baring sharp fangs in a show of frustration and strength. “I don't like to wait.”
“Maybe you need to wait longer,” I teased and pushed away from him, pulling my long hair around my body as I ran around the huge, silver bed that dominated the room. I hid myself behind a poster and grinned wickedly.
“Oh, I'm done waiting,” he growled, ripping his tunic apart and shredding his pants.
I gaped, taking in his wild red hair, glowing eyes, and the shimmering scales that were spreading down his neck and then along the sides of his chest. I tracked their movement as they continued to his hips, framing his erection before sliding down the sides of his legs and ending just above his ankles. Muscles twitched as he moved closer, bunching and releasing in a sensuous dance as he stalked me.
I couldn't look away from his body. The beauty of his form, thickly muscled and yet so sleek in appearance. It made me feel small, dainty but at the same time powerful, holding the reins of his desire. My breath came faster as I watched him approach, my core running hot for him. I couldn't move a muscle by the time he reached me, I was too ensnared by him, caught in those ember eyes.
His hands slid over my sides and then down to my hips, cresting over my ass and then cupping beneath it to pull me up. He lifted and pushed, throwing me on the mattress and following quickly. I backed away, further onto the bed, to give us more room, and he smiled dangerously as he crawled over to me. I laid back and let him come.
“Vervain,” his voice caught and I saw a moment of hesitation fill his eyes.
“What is it?” I held a hand to his cheek and he bit his lip, cutting it with a fang.
I inhaled sharply and immediately lifted my face, covering his mouth with my own and licking the blood from his lips. With the first taste, I knew him, knew everything about him. What he wanted from his life, what he wanted from me. I saw his determination and what motivated him to be so focused. I even knew his heart and what emotions were writhing through him at that very moment. I knew he didn't love me but there was a growing affection there that shocked me for some reason. Why hadn't I expected that?
He groaned and lowered his body to mine. He fit perfectly between my legs, my feet finding purchase on the back of his calves as he slid closer. I felt him hard against me and groaned into his kiss, writhing my hips up to try and pull him in. He broke away from me instead and stared into my face for long moments.
“I'm sorry,” he finally whispered. “I can't resist this. I want you, I want us, too badly and a dragon-sidhe always gets what he wants. Even if it takes forever, he'll chase his desire until it's caught.”
“Why are you sorry for that?” I laughed at him and his mood eased, his lips quirking up to mimic mine.
“I don't know,” he shook his head and then lowered it to my neck. “Men can do horrible things when they want something too passionately,” he whispered into my ear. “But I promise I will adhere to your wishes about your other magic. I'll make sure you don't go too far and give in to your dragon.” I would have asked him what he meant but it was then that I felt his teeth in my neck. I sucked in a breath with the brief pain but then he was lapping at the wound, sending these thrilling sensations straight down to my core.
“I want you too,” I whispered and pulled on his shoulders. I felt my nails lengthen, sharpen into claws and I couldn't resist the urge to dig them into his back.
He shouted in pleasure, surging forward into me and bringing my own cries to add to his. Hot, he was so hot against me, inside me, and it felt like Heaven. It felt like I'd been overheated, my fire raging out of control, until he tempered it with his own. Flames to flames, we completed each other, writhing in the fire we'd lit together.
He continued to stoke it, sliding in and out, generating more and more heat until we exploded together, our bodies running with flame and setting the linens on fire. We burned without burning, aftershocks of pleasure rocking through us both, as we languished in the inferno that was once our bed, until there were only ashes and bare metal left.
Chapter Forty-Four
“Where was I?” I asked Arach as we ate at a large silver table while we watched his goblins bring in a new mattress and linens.
“What's that, A Thaisce?” He ran a hand languidly over my exposed shoulder.
“Where was I?” I pulled my robe up to remove his distraction. “When you called for me, where was I?”
“Visiting a friend,” he shrugged. “I missed you, so I called you to come back.”
“What was this friend's name?”
“She's your friend,” he shrugged.
“Huh,” I looked over at the bed again. “Are we going to need a new bed every day?”
“No,” he laughed. “You've just come into your powers, they'd been building up. Last night was special. You should be able to control it better now.”
“Right,” I frowned, trying to remember. “You were going to teach me.”
“Yes and we'll begin those lessons later today. Now come here,” he pulled me into his lap and I smacked his hand when it went diving between my legs.
“Stop that,” I growled. “There are still goblins in the room.”
“They don't mind,” he smirked and I heard a twittering of goblin laughter as they left. “Ah, now we're alone,” he pushed away his plate and put me on the table in front of him. “I find myself hungry for more tender meat.”
He parted my robe and then my legs. I laid back, letting him open my robe completely and moaned as he started to knead my breasts. He squeezed harder, jolting up my excitement, and lowered his face between my legs. I forgot all about my questions, the gaps in my memory, as he licked and bit me into release.
It wasn't until later that night, as we lay sleeping in our new bed, that I remembered my questions. I frowned and got out of bed, walking to the window to stare out at the beautiful landscape. I had a fleeting memory of the first time I'd come to Arach's castle and how I'd stayed in one of the lower rooms. Yet now I was in the central tallest tower, in Arach's bedchamber which granted the most magnificent view of Faerie.
I let my eye wander over to the Forgetful Forest and frowned. I had a flash of running through the trees, of my heart pounding in fear, and the vicious plants cutting me when I fell. I shook my head and tried to concentrate further but all I got was glimpses of Arach. He was smiling but there was an evil twist to it and there was horrid laughter all around him, the goblins I think.
I had fallen, he was over me. We had an amazing kiss. Maybe it was a game we played. Maybe I had encouraged it or even asked for it but I didn't think so. I had a horrible ache inside me, a pressure like something was being pushed down, and if I was very still, I could almost hear the whimpering of animals. Strange, so strange, maybe Faerie itself was playing tricks on me. I knew it could be a mischievous place.
Then I looked down and saw him. A black cat with a shining white spot on his neck. I smiled and waved to him, there was something so familiar about that cat-sidhe. He shimmered into his man form and beckoned me urgently. I frowned and shook my head. He gestured again, calling something up to me that was lost to the distance. His eyes implored and I finally gave in, my curiosity winning out. Don't think the irony of curiosity leading me to a cat was lost on me either.
I snuck out of the room and headed down the central, spiral staircase of the tower, feeling my way through the castle by instinct. I veered right at the bottom and found an open door that led to the inside of the cave I'd come in through. I padded over the rough rock, hardly feeling the edges on my bare feet. I was dragon-sidhe, we were tough fey. At the mouth of the cave I stopped, looking around for my little visitor.
He was standing in the trees, hiding in their shadows, and looked much taller now that I was on level with him. I strode over to him, keeping a wary eye out for any kind of ambush. I may not remember a lot but I knew faeries were not always what they seemed. My arms clenched, in preparation
of throwing them down to release my claws, and I stopped dead in my tracks. My claws? I didn't have to throw down my arms to release claws. I had to simply will them to appear. What was this strange compulsion?
“Vervain,” the cat beckoned again. “Hurry!”
“Okay, okay,” I flowed through the brush, the snapping bushes and bladed grass backing away from me, knowing a bigger predator when they saw one. I had a moment's pause over that as well, thinking about how different things had seemed when Arach and I had played our game.
“My Lady Vervain,” the cat heaved a sigh. “Are you alright?”
“Of course,” I cocked a head. “Who are you? How do you know me?”
“Vervain?” His eyes went round and his hand shot out to grab my chin. I started to jerk back but he stopped me, “no, let me look, I won't harm you.” He continued to stare at me as he spoke. “I'm Roarke of the House of Earth, Prince of the Cat-Sidhe, and emissary to the High King Cian. You are my ward, my responsibility. I was to guard you but you ran out on me, tracing here without telling me and now I see why.” He pulled away and sighed deeply. “You're going to rebel against what I have to say but it will sink in within a few days time and you'll be able to fight then if you choose.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You, your memory,” he narrowed his gaze on me. “It hasn't been so great recently, has it?”
“Not really,” I frowned.
“It's because it's been taken from you, stolen by King Arach most likely, to compel you to come here, to him.”
“But he's my lover,” I denied. “I took his blood, I know his heart.”
“And what did you see there?”
“Strength,” I thought back, “Determination, power, and love.”
“Love?” Roarke scoffed.
“Yeah,” my tone went sharp, my voice unknown to me.
“He loves you?”
“He's getting there,” I huffed. “His heart has been cold for a long time, it won't awaken overnight.”
“And you?” He pressed. “Do you love him?”
“Of course...” I stopped and thought abut it, then let out a shocked whisper. “No.”
“No?” He raised a brow.
“No,” I said in a stronger voice. “I love another,” I frowned as the feeling hit me again and again and again. “Maybe more than one,” I said with shock. “Maybe even more than two but he's not one of them. Why is that?”
“Because he's tricked you into coming here,” Roarke threw up his hands. “I admit I wanted this too but not like this.”
“You wanted me to be with Arach?”
“King Arach and yes, I did because you're the last female dragon-sidhe there is and he the last male,” Roarke huffed. “You need to make lots of little dragon-sidhe babies and rekindle the race. Your human blood should make it easier for you to conceive too but like I said, I never would have approved of this method. You don't deserve this.”
“I'm not fully dragon-sidhe?”
“Yes, you are but yours is a unique situation and you are more than that,” he looked grim. “You're many other things, among them a goddess of love and lions.”
“A goddess?” I lifted a brow.
“Don't go getting all snobby on me,” he pushed a pointed finger into my shoulder. “You're better than that.”
“Sorry,” I crumpled. “This is all news to me.”
“See, right there,” he pointed at my face. “No fey would say that, that's a human saying.”
“No,” I suddenly felt very, very angry. Smoke was drifting out of my nose. “I'm not human. I laid in a bed of fire last night, no human can withstand that.” I turned and stalked away from the cat.
“Just remember what I said,” he called after me. “I'll take word to your lovers and maybe we can come back to get you. Just think about it.”
I stomped back into the cave and all the way up to Arach's bedroom. He was awake when I got there, pulling on pants, about to go looking for me, I assumed. He stopped, sagging with relief when I walked in. I eyed him carefully, Roarke's words haunting me and picking away at Arach's facade. I must have stared a little too long or a little too hard because he came to me and took my hands, bending to stare into my eyes.
“Tell me then,” he prompted.
“Who am I really?”
His shoulders slumped and he drew back, his eyes filled with hurt. “I wish you'd remember,” he went to sit on the bed.
“That makes two of us,” I walked over to stand in front of him. “Am I human?”
“Yes,” he whispered as if it hurt him and I suddenly knew it did. His parents had been killed by humans and my humanity was the only thing stopping him from fully loving me. “But only in body.”
“How can I have a human body and yet be sidhe?”
“Your mother loved a human and she hid you under a humanity spell so you could live among them safely,” Arach looked away as if the memory were hard for him. “She was killed and you never gained your sidhe powers, you died human.”
“I died?” I blinked rapidly, some memory tugging at me.
“Yes but you were brought back,” his eyes flashed at me once and then away. “Don't ask me how, I'm not privy to the method, but I do know that you were put into a human to be born and spent most of your life believing you were human. It was during this time that you acquired other magic, magics you told me you have no wish of giving up to come fully into your dragon-sidhe powers. I was going to teach you how to control your dragon, so you could have them all.”
“So that's what you meant,” I remembered what he'd said to me about not allowing my dragon to get out of control. Then I concentrated inward, catching a glimpse of something in the shadows of my soul. “These other magics, are they connected to animals?”
“Yes,” he nodded and peered at me thoughtfully. “You have love and lions in you. Do you remember them?”
“A little. They seem to be wary,” then I felt a fluttering. “The love, it's butterflies.”
“Is it?” He smiled indulgently. “So now you see why you wanted to retain the alien magic, even though it meant you'd never be able to fly.”
“Never fly?” My heart thudded faster. There was something about flying, something I wanted or enjoyed.
“Only a fully turned dragon-sidhe can take dragon form,” Arach explained. “Suppressing your dragon will keep it from harming your other magic but it will also prevent it from fully taking shape. Your body will remain as it is, human.”
“And you can't accept that,” I felt like I'd discovered his dirty secret, maybe the reason I'd run from him that night. “Did I go to this friend of mine to get away from you? Did I leave because you wouldn't or couldn't love me in this human form?”
He looked up, blinking, his mouth going slack. “I never realized,” he frowned and looked away. “Maybe you're right. Maybe that's what's holding me back.”
“You proposed, didn't you?” I had a strange memory of someone talking about marriage. “You asked me to marry you and I wouldn't because you don't love me.” The more I spoke, the more I was assured of the truth.
“Yes,” was his strangled reply but he couldn't look at me.
“Well I haven't changed my mind,” I took a deep breath. “I may not remember anyone else but I'll figure things out. I don't want to be with a man who doesn't love me, last dragon in Faerie or not.”
“Who told you that?” He stood up and grabbed my hand.
“What?”
“That we were the last dragon-sidhe?”
“A little kitty,” I smirked. “I may go see if I can find him.”
“Roarke,” Arach growled and I turned back in shock.
“You know him?”
“What else has he said to you?” He stalked closer, his hand encircling my wrist like a vise.
“Nothing,” I lied and he knew it. His hand tightened and I bit my lip to keep from crying out. “Stop it, that hurts.”
“You're hurting me if yo
u walk out that door.”
“How?” I pulled on my hand but to no avail. “How can I hurt you if you don't care about me?”
“Because I want you,” he pulled me closer. “I want the family you can give me.”
“Well I'm not giving you anything,” I growled. “I will not have children with a man who doesn't love me.”
“Why are you so hung up on a silly emotion?”
“It's not silly. It's perfectly reasonable to want the man you marry to love you,” I huffed. “Besides, I don't love you either, so it makes no difference.”
“What?” He looked like I slapped him.
“Oh, you expected me to fall for you without you reciprocating?” I snorted. “How very like a man. Oh, and just so you know,” I pulled my hand out of his loosened grip. “You're falling for me. I saw it in your blood and I hold love magic, so I know it when I see it. You're just holding back because of your parents.”
He slapped me, so hard I fell back and slid into the wall. I held a hand to my face as he stalked over to me and fear shot threw me. With it came a memory, walking through the High Court and feeling desperately afraid because these people, these fey were not like me. They didn't think like me and they didn't love like me. They were inhuman.
“Don't ever speak of them, you filthy human,” he spat and lifted me off my feet by the neck.
I started to laugh. It was a strangled, parody of laughter but it was enough to jolt him out of his anger. He dropped me and backed away as if I'd been the one terrorizing him. He backed into the bed and dropped down, sitting there to stare at me in horror. He looked down at his hands as if they'd offended him and then back at me.
“I,” he shook his head, put his face in his hands and wept.
“Oh hell no,” I grumbled as I got to my feet. “I'm not going to comfort you after you nearly strangled me to death.” He continued to weep. “I won't do it, you hear me? Just go ahead and cry all you want, I don't feel a damn thing for you, you twisted bastard. Also, fuck you for the filthy human comment.” I started to feel more and more like myself, the more I griped. I must have been someone who liked to sass people. “I don't care if you've had an epiphany and suddenly realized you care for a human. I don't care if you've had a breakthrough and feel horrible about hurting me. Nuh-uh, it doesn't make one whit of difference.”