Cherished: A Perri & Hans Spin-off Novella (Helena Hawthorn Series Book 4.5)

by May Freighter

  “I am sorry that I wasn’t there to prevent these injuries from happening.” He kissed the bandaged knee first and moved on to her palm. His irises ignited with a green flame. Capturing her chin, he pressed his lips to hers only this kiss tasted like copper.

  Perri accepted his blood nonetheless. His worry was her worry, his pain was her pain. She didn’t like him being upset because of her injuries. If the gods were on their side, she wished that she would never get hurt to keep from witnessing his regret.

  Once he finished giving her some of his blood, he broke away and studied her kiss-bruised lips. “After tonight, I will never let you go. I know that you are young and, in the future, you may wish to run from me. Because of that, I will ask you this once. Are you certain that being my woman is what you truly want?”

  “I’ve wanted to be with you for as long as I can remember. No other man will ever be able to compare to you or hold my attention long enough to give him a second thought.”

  He planted a soft kiss on her forehead. “You are the purest treasure, my love. I feel as if I do not deserve such happiness or that it will be taken away when I least expect it.”

  “I won’t be taken from you,” Perri assured him. She gathered up her courage and pulled her oversized T-shirt over her head. Tossing it to one side, she tried to tug down her shorts, but Hans stopped her.

  “Allow me,” he said, removing her hands. Carefully, he helped her out of her shorts, leaving her almost naked on the bed.

  Unsure of what to do, she lay on her back.

  Hans’ eyes flared green again and he cleared his throat. “You are beautiful.”

  Her hands nervously moved to cover up her chest.

  He removed his suit jacket, tossing it on the armchair by the window. Perri’s eyes were glued to his fingers that were unbuttoning his shirt. Her mouth went dry when he reached midway. A small spray of dark hair coated his chest, making her sit up and reach out to stroke it. Without a word of complaint, he let her touch him as he finished undoing the buttons. He left his shirt open while she traced the taut muscles that were always hidden from view and the hard abs she didn’t expect him to possess.

  When her hand moved to the button of his suit trousers, he caught her wrist. “Let us take things slowly tonight. I do not wish to make our first time rushed.”

  On the inside, she was already burning up with the need to touch more of him and the desire to kiss him all over his torso. Had she been given the chance, she would leap up like a tigress and throw him on the bed before climbing on top. Yet, she was not a voracious animal nor had she the courage to do as her mind had fantasised.

  He went down on his knees and lifted her leg. Leaving light pecks on along her skin, he climbed his way to her knee and then past it to her thigh. She sucked in a sharp breath when he paused above her underwear and looked up at her for what seemed to be permission.

  Perri nodded and lifted her hips, allowing him to remove her undies.

  He licked his lips and spread her legs open, exposing her to him. Until now, she had never felt such a mixture of conflicting emotions. On one hand, she was on display, and on the other, she anticipated what was to come.

  Hans used his fingers to part her lower lips and leant in. His tongue stroked her between her folds. Each lick brought out a moan from her. Perri buried her hands in his silky hair. Any pleasure she had ever given to herself on her own could not compare to his tongue. Her body burned as if she had a coal fire starting in her core. That warmth spread from her centre to every part of her being.

  His index finger sank inside of her, and she cried out in pleasure. Covering her mouth, she wished to trap her voice from further betraying their actions to the rest of the vampires in the Council building. Though, she knew it was futile.

  Looking up at her with his mesmerising eyes, she saw a glint of amusement there. He pushed her to lie down on the bed and resumed the sweet torment.

  Minutes ticked by. Her whole world was consumed by him and the movements of his tongue that circled her swollen clit. The muscles in her legs tensed as her pleasure built, but he didn’t allow for her to move away. Instead, he continued to glide his finger in and out of her to the melody of her moans.

  With the next stroke of his skilful tongue, her breath hitched, her muscles clenched, and a mind-blowing orgasm took over her. He didn’t stop there, tormenting her with each wave of pleasure that made her hips move up and down against him. Her fingers grasped the bed sheets in an attempt to tether herself to something. If she didn’t do something, she thought her mind would splinter into a thousand pieces.

  He lifted his head and smiled at her. “You were delicious.”

  Red painted her from the neck up. Had she enough energy, her first reaction would be to run to her room. She covered her face with both hands and attempted to steady her breathing.

  Hans climbed on top of her. The bed sank under his weight, and she peeked at him through the gaps in her fingers.

  “Are you dissatisfied?” he asked.

  “No, of course not!”

  “Then allow me to see your rosy cheeks,” he whispered near her ear.

  Lowering her hands, she planted them on his shoulders. He still had his shirt on, even though it was unbuttoned. She became distracted with his smooth skin and hard muscles. His body was sculpted just for her. If only she could keep him to herself for all eternity.

  “What are you thinking?” He landed a kiss on her lips.

  Between love-filled kisses that ignited her heart, she mumbled, “I was thinking about how much I want to possess you.”

  He leant back enough to study her face. “I am yours, Perri. There is nothing and no one who will ever sway my heart. After all, we are spirit-bound.”

  “That’s what I’m afraid of.” Her hand stopped over his heart. There was nothing there, no beat, no life. How could he know for sure that he loved her when most of the emotions a human felt came from their body’s response? His heart didn’t beat fast in her presence, his face did not flush when their eyes met, and his palms were never sweaty from nervousness. He was immortal—a being frozen in time.

  Hans’ amusement vanished instantly. He rolled them over until they lay on their sides and hugged her close to his chest. “We have talked about this in the car. You are mine, Perri. I am not going to leave you.”

  “I know, I just—” She pulled on the material of his shirt and inhaled his scent. “My heart hurts so much with my love for you that I don’t know what to do.”

  He kissed the tip of her nose, making her look up. “For the remainder of time we have together, whether you’ll become a vampire or not, I will cherish each and every day.”

  She kissed him, full of yearning, and moulded her body against his. Hans’ kind words had melted the doubts she had about their life together. Whatever the future would bring for the two of them, she knew that she would do anything to keep him by her side. Because love was a rare thing, and love granted by a goddess was even rarer.

  That night, they ignored the troubles that lay ahead and let their love for each other be expressed by their bodies until the sun came up.

  11

  EPILOGUE

  HANS

  A week had gone by. Helena and Lucious had returned from Italy, but Hans could tell that something was amiss in their relationship. They would no longer speak to each other with the same openness. Whatever the Order of Eight did to them had worked.

  Whilst Hans opened the negotiations between then the two werewolf packs, Perri decided to return to her original plan to look through Master Vincent’s old journal translations. Yesterday, she came to his office, breathless and brimming with excitement. In that moment, she could have asked for the moon, and he would have given it to her. That woman had opened him up and changed his life for the better.

  Today, they stood by the beach near Land’s End, encased with granite cliffs on either side of them. The fine sand was wet from the rain that descended on them with a low hiss. In the distanc
e, the blue waves of the sea rose and fell with sluggish pushes of the chilly wind. He knew it was cold because he saw Perri shivering a few times when they made their way from the nearby car park to the beach.

  Holding an umbrella above her head, he looked at the beautiful woman he was with who held the last remains that belonged to his sire. It was Perri’s idea to find Master Vincent’s favourite place and scatter his remains there. His sire loved the sea, the adventure every journey on a ship would bring and the smell of salty air. That was part of the reason why Vincent had built his castle in Scotland near the shoreline. He once told Hans that the sea reminded him of his better human years when he was nothing more than a son of a fisherman and the Councilman duties were a distant nightmare.

  “Are you ready?” Hans asked her.

  Perri pressed her lips together and nodded. Her eyes focused on the small urn she was holding. “I wish the others could be here with us. They must miss him as much as we do.”

  “I have asked Rupert to give everyone at the castle a day off. I am certain they are here with us in spirit.”

  She smiled at him and headed towards the sea.

  Hans picked up the pace, careful to match hers to avoid her getting wet unnecessarily. They could have waited until the weather cleared up or the evening came, but she wanted to grant Master Vincent peace as soon as possible. His woman had the gentlest soul and the most amazing heart a human could possess.

  Pausing at the edge of the water, Perri allowed for the waves to lap at her purple wellies. She lifted the lid of the urn and scattered the dust-like remains.

  “Master Vincent,” she began in a shaky voice, “I am thankful for everything you have done for me. I was an orphan, unneeded by this world. You gave me an education, a purpose, and the chance to meet Hans. I know you would support our love if you were still here.” She wiped at the tears that streamed down her face and buried her face in Hans’ chest.

  “It is alright. You did well,” Hans cooed. He lifted his head to study the sea and thought, I cannot repay you, Master Vincent, for giving me this second life and for allowing me to find the woman I will love and cherish for the remainder of our years together. There are so many things I wish to ask you, so many troubles I want to share… From the bottom of my heart, thank you, sire.

  He stroked Perri’s hair and kissed the top of her head. “Do you want to go back to the car where it’s warmer?”

  “No.” She turned to face the sea. “I want to stay a little longer with Master Vincent.”

  Hans wrapped his free arm around her, pressing her back against his chest, and they quietly watched the moody sea lap at the shore.

  FATED ORIGINS PREVIEW

  HELENA HAWTHORN SERIES

  1

  SUFFOCATED

  HELENA

  Sweat beaded on Helena’s forehead as she ran to the upbeat pop music blasting into her eardrums. Morning sun kissed her slightly tanned skin. Her muscles ached from the long jog and her throat was starved for a sip of water. Breathless, she stopped and unscrewed the cap off of her water bottle, letting the cool liquid pour into her dry mouth.

  It had been three months since she moved to Clearwater with her parents. After the accident, strange emptiness resided in her soul. No matter how hard she tried to fill it with exercise and fun, nothing seemed to help alleviate her loneliness. It was as if something was missing—a piece of her that she couldn’t remember.

  Once her breathing evened out, she resealed her bottle and jogged for the last two hundred metres before arriving at home. She pushed open the metal gate and made her way to the orange-roofed house while contemplating an excuse or two to do another lap around the block. Everything here seemed so different to Dublin. The roads were wider, palm trees littered the front gardens of their neighbours, and sun burned her skin when afternoon arrived. No matter how she looked at it, she preferred the overcast Irish weather.

  She entered the bungalow and headed to the kitchen where she knew her mother would be waiting for her. With another sigh, she managed a smile and set foot on the tiled floor. “Hey, Mum. How are you feeling?”

  Her mother rubbed her baby bump with a concerned expression Helena had grown used to over the past couple of months. “I’m doing fine. As happy as I am about your newfound need for exercise, I’d rather you stayed at home more.”

  To keep from talking, Helena poured a glass of water and drank the contents.

  Her mother drew closer. “I worry about you, Helena. After your accident, you should take better care of yourself.”

  Helena carefully wrapped her arms around her mum. “I’m exercising to get healthier.” A lie she liked to tell her family as well as herself. She didn’t know why exercising became important to her. The moment she was out of the hospital, and they moved to Florida, she had this need to move and get away from her mother’s suffocating regime. Not only did she go to college where Richard worked and liked to ‘visit’ her during lunch breaks, her mother wouldn’t let her stay out past ten.

  What kind of twenty-year-old has a curfew in this day and age?

  “I guess you’re right…” her mum said.

  Helena beamed at her. She rinsed her glass and checked the time on her watch. “I have to take a shower. Britney is picking me up in thirty.”

  “Tell me when you’re leaving,” Sasha called after her. “And don’t forget to check in when you get to college!”

  “I won’t forget.”

  Helena slipped into her bedroom where she stripped out of her sweaty tank-top and shorts, dropping them on the messy floor. She started running the water in the shower. While waiting, she undid her ponytail and her dark brown hair reached her shoulder blades in soft waves. Glancing in the mirror, she contemplated getting a haircut at the mall. Britney Martin, her new best friend, had relatives almost everywhere in town. It helped, especially when she wanted to get a discount.

  She stepped under the warm spray of water. When was the last time I laughed? She couldn’t remember expressing happiness without forcing it since they moved. Her hand rested over her steady heartbeat. Am I unable to adjust to living in the new country?

  After the shower, she packed her bag and waited for Britney in her bedroom. A familiar honk penetrated her windowpane, and she burst out of the house shouting, “I’m going out!”

  For October, the heat in Florida remained unbearable. Even with a thin grey T-shirt and black shorts, she cursed the sun with every trudge to her front gate.

  “Heya,” Britney cheered from her pre-historic convertible. Her fair hair shined almost as if she had a halo above it. She lowered her voice, “Did your mom give you hell again?”

  Helena collapsed in the passenger seat. Closing the door, she mumbled, “Not hell exactly. She’s become suffocating. Her paranoia seems to get worse as the days go by. I can’t say anything about it since she’s got one more month left before giving birth.” Helena groaned, relaxing into the seat. “One. More. Month.”

  Britney laughed and put the car in gear. “You’ll need to sneak out with me tomorrow to that Halloween Party our campus is raving about. Maybe we’ll find some hot football players there. I’m dying for some affection.”

  “I’m pretty sure everyone in this town is your cousin, Brit.”

  Britney snorted. Her coffee-coloured doe eyes sparkled with life, and she pulled out onto the road. “You could be right. We can go on a forty-hour road trip and pick up a guy or two in Hollywood. Maybe I can score a date with a Hemsworth brother.”

  “You’d have a better chance becoming a Pop princess.”

  Her friend’s glossy pink lips pressed into a pout. “You have so little faith in my beauty. I used to be Clearwater Beauty Queen at one point.”

  “Oh, when was that?”

  “When I was ten…Yeah, let’s not talk about it.”

  Helena rolled her eyes. “Sorry. My outlook today is a little on the dark side. I’ve been single my entire life. With the way my mother is, I’ll probably end up as your average
next door cat lady.” She turned on the stereo in the car.

  The rest of the way to the university campus, they sang along to the recently overplayed tunes on the radio. When the songs stayed the same for weeks at a time, it was hard not to memorise even the dullest of lyrics. Even so, Helena parroted the empty words.

  By four o’clock, Helena cursed her classes. Her mother was adamant on her changing majors. Until Helena did that, she couldn’t attend. Being out of the house was better than being confined between four walls with a mass of hormonal stress her mother had become. Seeing no other choice, she accepted her mother’s demand and took up Marketing as her major instead of History and Mythology. Yet, she couldn’t figure out why she wanted to study such subjects in the first place. The only good thing that came out from that change was meeting Britney who became the class representative through a popularity vote.

  Helena stretched in her seat after the last lecture ended.

  Closing her notebook full of scribbles and doodles of sexy men, Britney grinned at her.

  “What’s with the creepy smile?” Helena asked, suspicious.

  “Oh, nothing much. Just there’s this good-looking guy over there. He’s been stealing glances at you all day.” She pointed to the front row and frowned. “Where did he go?”

  “I’m guessing he was checking out the beauty queen and not the foreigner,” Helena replied.

  “Ha-ha. You’re hilarious. But, no. I’m pretty sure he was eyeing you up.”

  “If he was, he’d come over instead of running off.”

  Britney stood, draping her bag over her shoulder. “Alright. See it however you like. Want a ride back home or is your step-dad picking you up?”

  “I’m meeting Richard at the car park later.”

  “Awesome. I’ll get going. See ya tomorrow, hot stuff.” Britney bent down and hugged Helena. “Don’t forget about the party. Wear something sexy.” She winked and scurried out of the lecture hall.