“Because you’re special, as are all mortals who’ll mate with a warrior.”
“I miss him,” she admitted.
“As you should. He misses you, as well.”
“Is he all right?” Penelope asked, needing to know.
Adorah lifted her hand. A vision appeared. Obsidian kneeling over her body, his head resting on her chest as though listening for her heartbeat, wings covering her like a blanket. He wasn’t moving, but she could sense the pain in him.
Adorah’s hand lowered, the image fading.
Tears formed in Penelope’s eyes. “I don’t like the idea of him being alone for so long. He has to endure a full day of this.”
The smile that formed on their faces confused her.
Nevaeh reached over, touched her hand. “My sweet child, your day is up.”
“What do you mean? I just got here.” Panic set in. What if they weren’t sending her back? What if she was stuck here for eternity? She didn’t want to be without Obsidian. The thought had more tears springing forth.
“Relax, sweet child. Time simply moves much faster here.”
Something caught her eye, or rather someone. Penelope’s attention shifted to the man moving toward them. He had wings and they were spread wide, armor covering his chest, metal faulds hanging down to protect his hips and thighs, a sword tucked into a sheath at his side. His gaze skimmed over her briefly before he looked at the others, nodding ever so slightly.
Nevaeh reached for her hand, then got to her feet. Penelope followed suit, standing before her as she took her other.
“Take care of that dear boy, Penelope. In the coming years, he’ll need you more than he ever has.”
Before she could ask what that meant, a flash of light blinded her. She felt as though she was free-falling in darkness. There was no sound, no light, but there was also no fear. Suddenly, she came to a halt, still immersed in pitch-black, but she felt at peace, as though she was home.
“Penelope.”
Obsidian’s ragged voice drew her to him, though she couldn’t move, couldn’t see. It was as though she was entombed. Her eyes wouldn’t open, but she could hear him.
There was no pain, no sadness. She could sense the comfort of the room she’d been in with him, his warmth, his love.
I’m here, Obsidian.
Above all else, Penelope needed him to know that.
“AYREME … COME BACK TO ME. PLEASE. I need you.” Though he spoke the words aloud, Obsidian could hardly hear them over the pounding of his own heart.
He could feel Penelope’s presence. It had eliminated the brutal, devastating cold that had seemed never-ending.
His bones ached as he attempted to move from the position he’d remained in from the moment she drew her last breath. As his wings retracted, he forced the pain away, gently sliding his arms beneath her. He stood tall, staring down into her beautiful face, awaiting the moment she would open her eyes.
The door to the mating chamber had appeared, the one only amsouelots were allowed to enter. As he approached, it opened, revealing a room right out of a fairy tale.
Well, technically, it was a room right out of Penelope’s sweet, considerate mind. One that encompassed all the dreams she’d ever had for a moment such as this. A gift from Heaven.
The enormous round bed stood in the center of the room, a curved, upholstered headboard on one side, sheer curtains hanging down from silver rods overhead, concealing the plush comforter, which was a sparkling silver with thick white pillows tossed about. There was a solid wall of windows, the thin curtains revealing the sun as it rose beyond. For only this moment in time, Obsidian could feel the sun on his face the way Penelope obviously wished for them. The connected bathroom was an exact replica of the one in their room now, and it filled him with pride that his amsouelot found pleasure in it.
Settling her on the bed, Obsidian moved in beside her, brushing her hair back from her face. The blood stain that had marred the gown she wore had disappeared, no longer a stark reminder of the pain he had inflicted.
When her eyes drifted open, they immediately settled on his face, glittering gold and washing away a little more of his despair.
“There you are,” he whispered, smiling as another tear fell down his cheek. Those tears had been present from the second he’d lifted that blade, driven it into her precious beating heart.
Penelope didn’t move, didn’t speak, but he knew she had come back to him. He remained close, ensuring she knew he was there with her. Never would he leave her. Not ever again. And he would see to it that there was no more pain, either.
The minutes ticked by as he felt her strength returning, her body coming to life slowly. First her heartbeat sounded loudly in his ears. Her chest began to rise and fall with her breaths. Her arms twitched, fingers, too. Until finally, she turned her head and smiled at him.
He couldn’t have fought the emotion if he’d wanted to. Having spent the past twenty-four hours watching over the female who owned him, heart, body, and soul, it was surprising there were more tears, but he couldn’t seem to stop them.
Penelope’s warm hand lifted, wiped the wetness from his cheeks before she brought his head down, their lips brushing.
“Obsidian… I love you.”
Her voice was the sweetest sound, filling his chest with warmth chasing away the last of the cold loneliness.
“Oh, how I missed you,” he replied.
“I’m here now.”
He pressed his lips to hers, a soft brush of his flesh to hers. He found he couldn’t stop, loving the way her breaths fanned his mouth. She moaned softly when Obsidian slid his tongue into her mouth, licking against hers as her strength returned, her body shifting ever so slightly beneath him.
“I can hear your heartbeat,” she whispered. “It’s so loud in my ears.”
Pulling back, he stared down at her. “You need to feed, ayreme.”
She smiled, her hand moving to her lips. It was then she slid her tongue along the pointed canines inside her mouth. She giggled softly, as though pleased with the idea of having fangs.
Her eyes dropped to his neck briefly, then lifted.
The next thing he knew, Obsidian was on his back, chuckling at her brute strength. His beautiful female straddled him, her fingers lacing with his as she raised his arms over his head, pinning him there. He could only stare, letting the life he saw in her comfort him.
His skin prickled with warmth as he thought of her mouth at his vein. He wanted nothing more than to supply the blood that would give her strength.
“I love you, Obsidian.”
Obsidian smiled. “I love you, too, ayreme.”
Her steady gaze raked over his face, her eyes glowing as her fangs descended.
Turning his head to the side, he bared his neck for her. “Feed from me, love.”
Hesitantly, she lowered her head, her tongue sliding over his skin, hardening his entire body. There was a slight scrape as she teased. And when her fangs sank into his flesh, he went rock hard, a euphoric feeling coating his mind, leaving him breathless. Had he been inside her, he would’ve come. Something he intended to do in the very near future.
For the longest time, Penelope fed from his vein, and Obsidian could feel her more intensely as his blood began flowing in her veins, uniting with hers. He remained still until she sealed the wounds on his neck, her mouth trailing along his jaw, finding his lips once more.
With her fingers still linked with his, Obsidian rolled them, coming over her and kissing her softly.
“Are you ready?”
Her eyes narrowed, curiosity glittering in her brilliant gold gaze. “Where’re we going?”
“Trust me?”
“Always and forever.”
Love made his chest expand. Somehow he managed to shift his legs off the bed, pulling her along with him.
Taking her hand, Obsidian led her into the bathroom. With the power of his mind, he lit the hundreds of candles placed throughout, extinguishing the
light overhead so that the candle glow was all that remained.
After removing his jeans, he turned to face her, taking both of her hands in his. He stepped backward, leading her into the thigh-deep water, admiring the way the white gown molded to her perfect curves as the sheer fabric left nothing to the imagination. Easing himself down onto the wide ledge, Obsidian turned her so that she faced away from him, guiding her onto his lap. It was the same position he’d held her in that night at the hotel in Vegas, back when she’d taken a chance on him for the first time.
“This is the ritual?”
Obsidian grinned, kissing her neck as he ran his hands down her body, gripping the gown and inching it up her calves, her thighs. With the drenched fabric in his fists, he raised it upward, drawing it over her head and tossing it aside.
“I’m leading us into it,” he assured her. “No need to rush.”
Holding her against him with one arm banded around her ribcage, Obsidian reached for the rose-scented oil, poured some into his hand. He took his time, massaging every inch of her. Fingers, palms, wrists, working his way up her arms to her shoulders. He’d thought about this for the past twenty-four hours. Touching her, feeling her warm skin against his hands. The sight of her lying there, lifeless and cold, had almost killed him, and Obsidian vowed never to take her for granted.
When the oil wore off, he added more, coating her glistening skin, working his hands over her breasts.
“Mmm.”
“Like that?”
“Very much.”
Penelope rested her head against his chest as he allowed his hands to glide beneath the water. He gently kneaded the muscles in her thighs, spreading them wide, stroking her only briefly with the barest brushes of his fingers against her clit.
“You’re a tease,” she groaned as he shifted her so that he could access her feet.
“I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”
With her eyes closed, Obsidian admired his mate, the way she relaxed as he worked the tension out of her, ensuring he didn’t miss anything along the way.
Once Obsidian completed the full-body massage, he carefully dried them both, then carried Penelope back to the bed. Her eyes followed him as he moved around the room, retrieving the stones before joining her.
“Lie back.”
Penelope centered herself in the bed, then rested her head on one soft pillow.
After tossing the others to the floor, he reached for her. “Give me your hand.”
She held up her right hand, and he positioned her arm, elbow turned, wrist near her head, palm up before setting the color-changing gem in the center of it, then closing her fingers over it. He did the same with her other hand, another gem tucked in her palm.
“What are they?” Penelope asked.
“Alexandrite,” he explained. “The gem representing my birth.”
“They’re warming,” she said, watching as he crawled onto the bed, kneeling between her spread thighs.
As she lay there, positioned so seductively, he couldn’t resist the urge to touch her. Obsidian teased her sensitive flesh with his fingers, dipping one inside her briefly, making her moan. His tongue itched with the need to lap at her sweetness, so he gave in to the desire. Keeping his eyes on her face, he leaned down, pressed his lips to her hip, then slowly inched lower, caressing her smooth, hairless mound. When he separated her slick folds, Penelope gasped. And when he dipped his tongue through her slit, she whimpered. He feasted on her for long minutes, building her desire but not pushing her to the brink.
“Obsidian … please. I need to feel you inside me.”
Not wanting to deny her, he worked his lips up her body, pausing at her nipples, licking, suckling, before inching higher. Once he was positioned over her, he aligned their bodies and guided his cock toward the entrance of her body. As he pushed in deep, he groaned, her warmth consuming him, sending chills skating down his spine. She humbled him, the way her body accepted his so easily, greedy in its need for more.
Penelope moaned softly, her eyes never leaving his face.
Holding himself above her, he worked his hips, pushing in, retreating slowly. He could’ve remained like that for eternity, sinking into the glorious heat of her, feeling her soft flesh against his.
“I love you,” Obsidian whispered, watching as her golden eyes brightened, the color igniting from within, brightening until the room was bathed in brilliant gold.
He let it all in, the emotions building within him as he absorbed her warmth and light, her love.
Obsidian retrieved the moonstones he’d set aside, one in each hand. Resting his weight on his forearms, he twined their fingers, feeling the magic of the stones combining. The alexandrite gems and moonstones sealed in their joined palms. He did the same with the second stone and when both of their hands were clasped together, he felt the power.
Penelope’s beautiful eyes widened as the warmth radiated through her and into him, hearts, bodies, and souls joining for eternity.
“Obsidian…” Penelope’s head tipped back, hips bucking as her fingers tightened on his.
Retreating slowly, Obsidian pressed his lips to the center of her chest, then rolled his hips forward, thrusting deep. Her knees drew up, clutching his hips as he rocked forward, back, taking them both higher. He drove into her, barely able to breathe for the overwhelming intensity of it all.
“Look at me,” Obsidian commanded.
Her head tilted, eyes opened.
“Let me in, Penelope. All of me. I want to feel you.”
Her warmth infused him from the inside out.
“Love me, Penelope,” Obsidian whispered, though he doubted she realized it for the plea that it was. There was still an underlying insecurity within him, probably would always be there.
As he moved inside her, he met her gaze, held it.
“My heart and soul belong only to you,” he whispered. “From this night until eternity, it is I who will ensure your strength, provide you with light, and accept the same in return should you willingly accept me.”
Penelope’s eyes turned glassy with unshed tears. “My heart and soul belong only to you, Obsidian. From this night until eternity, I will accept your strength and your light, and give you mine in return.”
Fusing his mouth to hers, Obsidian kissed her, their bodies joined as one.
In that instant, images began flashing in Obsidian’s mind. All of her memories, every second of her existence came into his head. She tensed beneath him as he covered her body, continuing to move inside her as they merged, minds, bodies, souls. First the memories, then their combined strength. Her fingers tightened on his as she thrust her hips upward. He drove into her, deep and slow, cherishing the feel of her. Her body vibrated beneath his as she absorbed his energy, his powers.
For one breathless instant, his strength was depleted, draining out of him entirely, leaving him completely vulnerable. For that brief moment in time, he was as human as she had been, mortal, defenseless.
“Obsidian!” Penelope cried out as he ground his hips against hers, burying himself to the hilt in her tight sheath.
“Drink from me, ayreme,” he commanded, bringing her wrist toward his mouth as he lowered his head closer to hers.
As though she’d been waiting for that moment, Penelope sank her fangs into his neck at the same time he pierced the vein in her wrist. It was then they merged completely. The shockwave that hit him was so powerful, he nearly lost his grip on her hands. Obsidian clasped her fingers firmly as his strength returned with a vengeance, far more powerful than before.
Penelope whimpered, then her body clamped down on him so violently Obsidian hissed, unable to stave off the release that threatened. He bucked his hips, driving into her once, twice. When he came deep inside her, Obsidian threw his head back and roared, the thunderous echo extinguishing the candles, leaving them together in darkness, the only light coming from within.
Penelope was panting, her eyes wide as she stared up at him. The slow smil
e that pulled at her mouth kick-started his heart, his breaths slowly returning to normal.
He licked the wounds on her wrist, closing them. “That was…”
“Incredible? Cataclysmic? Life changing?” she supplied as she sealed the wounds on his neck.
Obsidian chuckled at the giddiness in her tone.
Releasing her hands, he gathered the stones, set them aside before rolling, bringing Penelope with him. He was still hard, still lodged deep inside her. When she was straddling his hips, Obsidian sat up, holding her tightly as she began to move, grinding her hips, taking all of him inside her.
Her arms curled around his head, fingers sinking into his hair as their bodies moved together once more. Two halves of a whole, intimately joined, completing one another in a way nothing else ever would.
This time, when he came deep inside her, it was with the knowledge that he would spend the rest of eternity with her at his side, and he at hers.
A sense of peace settled over him, perhaps the most compelling emotion of all.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Thursday, August 15, 2019
PENELOPE HAD TO ADMIT, THIS NEWFOUND POWER left her awestruck even though she had no clue what to do with it, how to harness it.
Every one of her senses was heightened. She could smell the sweetness of the rose oil in the adjoined bathroom, the heady aroma of sex, along with the potent, musky scent of the male she adored. She could hear the gentle lap of the water, the strong, steady beat of Obsidian’s heart. She could see the silver fibers in the comforter beneath them, the dust motes drifting in the air. And she could still taste the richness of Obsidian’s blood that had passed over her tongue.
But it was her sense of touch that Penelope was mesmerized by. Obsidian’s smooth, warm skin against her palms and her cheek. It would take time to acclimate to this heightened awareness, but for now, she relished it, seeing the world as Obsidian did.
A tremor danced down her spine, following the gentle sweep of Obsidian’s fingers as he brushed them over her back. She didn’t want to move, her body sated and heavy, content to remain where she was, draped over Obsidian’s enormous body right here in their own paradise.
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