MistUnveiled

by Nancy Corrigan

  “I made my choice the moment I saw Rune.”

  He inclined his head. “I know. You cannot blame me for trying.”

  “Then why are you here?”

  He snorted and ran a hand through his hair. “To save my enemy.”

  “Rune?” She tensed. “What’s wrong with him? Where is he?”

  “He’s dying, but I don’t know where he is. He melded with the mist. It carried him away.”

  Her heart pounded hard. “He can’t die. He’s immortal.”

  “He never told you?”

  She stepped closer, fists clenched at her sides. “Told me what?”

  “That once he fed from you, he’d never be able to bite another person or animal. You would become his sole source of nourishment.” She gasped and he gave a small shake of his head. “He’ll starve. It is the only way a child of an element can die. It was why some of my species committed the crime they did.”

  Rune had told her that. Well, not in such explicit detail, but he’d said biting her would guarantee he’d never be able to leave her.

  “If he does die, you can choose another child of mist to act as your weapon.”

  She glared at him. “I don’t want anyone else. I love Rune.”

  “Which is why I stayed here. I watched Rune battle my father. I saw Surtr die at Rune’s hands. Die, not just rejoin our element. When Rune left without you, I suspected you had, though. Joined your element, that is.” He grinned at her. “I was right.”

  She studied him through narrowed eyes. “Why try to save the man who stole your consort from you?”

  Draven shrugged and turned around. He walked toward the door but stopped with his hand on the knob. “Some of my unmated brothers and cousins have been free for several decades. They’ve emerged bitter.” He glanced over his shoulder. “They want ultimate control over the world and the Wardens, not just our element. They think walking in the footsteps of our fathers is the way to accomplish that.”

  “They plan to birth another generation then kill their women?”

  He clenched his hands. “No, they plan to absorb the life force of the gifted humans before they become too powerful.”

  Oh God. Surtr had told her he would eat her heart and absorb her soul but to hear the confirmation of the hideous act from another demon chilled her. She wrapped her arms around her chest. “And you don’t want power?”

  He flashed her a smile. “Oh I want it, but I’m not willing to pay the price my brethren have in order to get it. I’d rather earn my strength the way God intended.”

  “By becoming a weapon?”

  “Yes. I too will win a female.”

  She thought back on his pathetic attempt to earn her affection by trying to manipulate her emotions. “Women aren’t prizes, Draven. We can’t be won.”

  “No, you’re treasures, exactly as was foretold. I had not realized what that meant until I listened to Rune grieve over your supposed death.”

  Rune had cried for her. She blinked back her own tears. Her heart squeezed for the pain he’d endured.

  “It made me jealous as hell,” Draven went on. “I want that, to feel again. I’ll get it too.”

  Draven opened the door and stepped out, right into a cloud of smoke.

  “Wait!”

  The hazy tower he’d merged with puffed and he disappeared.

  Cat clenched her hands. Dammit, she wanted to get a sample of his blood. Too late, though. She set aside her worry of the virus and focused on her concern for Rune. He needed her. She didn’t know how long he would last without her blood to nourish him.

  She ran outside and returned to the cliff. The eagles waited for her.

  “Can you take me to Rune?”

  The bird on the right took flight. The other joined it. They flapped their wings and within moments rode the winds. She stood there and wondered how to rejoin them.

  She stretched her arms to the heavens and willed her body to become mist.

  Nothing happened.

  Great. Rune is starving to death and I’m fumbling with the unknown.

  Something cool tickled her feet. She glanced down. Mist weaved between her legs. She willed it to help her. It rolled across the ground and weaved a floor of white next to the cliff. She stepped to the edge. The rocks shown below the hazy cloud.

  “You’re kidding, right?”

  No answer, not that she expected one.

  She took a deep breath and conjured Rune’s image. He needed her. He loved her. She felt the same. She held the emotions close. They gave her strength. Eyes closed, she stepped off the ledge but didn’t fall. Wind whipped around her, pulling at her skin. Her body felt as if it were breaking apart. She didn’t fight it.

  The gust lifted her into the air and pushed her out over the water. The eagles flanked her. I did it. She only hoped she would get to Rune in time to save him as he had her.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Rune sat on the grassy hill overlooking the bay. Cat’s familial estate in Maine would’ve been a perfect spot to live with his mate. The gusty winds off the ocean called to him, urging him to join it, but he couldn’t. He was too weak.

  He heard a car door click closed. A peek at Cat’s delicate gold watch lying next to him on the ground told him which Warden approached. All of his brethren who returned with him to the States took turns checking on him.

  “Brother, what news do you bring?” Rune greeted without looking at him.

  Jaron crouched next to him. “Lyal has returned to Greenland to look for the female he spotted. She too must carry the essence of one of the Norse gods.”

  Rune nodded. His cousin had berated himself for letting the woman go. They had to get her before the eldjötnar did. Mating her wasn’t an option if she was with a human, however. They’d have to protect her, the same as they would with the human who held the other half of Odin’s essence.

  “And how is Sam adjusting to his fate?”

  Jaron chuckled. “As well as can be expected. However, he did make it quite clear he won’t try to awaken his abilities through sex with one of us.”

  Rune gave a matching chuckle, not that he felt the amusement his brother did over Sam’s reaction. Over the past week, Rune had learned how to fake his emotions. It seemed kinder to his brethren who were grieving his death already. There was no use dragging them into his depression.

  “And the other Norse gods, any leads on their whereabouts?”

  Jaron shook his head. “Sam and the older male, Roland, are helping, but the eldjötnar’s influence has hampered our efforts. I suspect they’ve been free for over a decade, maybe longer. They have a huge advantage over us.”

  “The Wardens will prevail. You have honor and the one-god’s favor.”

  Jaron swallowed loud enough for Rune to hear and glanced away. “We have honor.”

  Rune folded his hands behind his head and stretched out on the grass. He had to; otherwise he might’ve toppled over. Weakness had gripped him hard in the past few hours. “True, but this is no longer my fight.”

  “You will leave us tonight?”

  Yes. He shrugged.

  “Call for me before you do.” Jaron turned and walked away before Rune had to lie. They both knew he wouldn’t.

  The car started. The rumble of its engine faded and left Rune alone. He closed his eyes and willed death to take him, but his heart kept beating and lungs expanded and contracted on his breaths. He would have to suffer longer. So be it. Death had become a friend he wished to embrace. It would come soon.

  He didn’t know how long he lay there, but the wind picked up. It tugged at his clothes, whipping his shirt up. He reached to pull it down. Delicate fingers locked around his wrist. His arm was yanked above his head. He popped his eyelids open. The blue-green eyes of his consort stared down at him.

  Solid. Real. Alive. Her chest rose and fell on quickened breaths.

  “Cat?” The word came out as a whisper. “Is it really you?”

  “Who else would it be?” She g
rasped his other hand and pulled it taunt over his head before he could respond. Both were shoved hard into the earth. Mist slithered over his wrists, forming a band. It tightened, locking his arms together. She released him and sat back on bent knees.

  He let his gaze take in the sight. She knelt next to him, deliciously naked. Her nipples stood erect. A flush warmed her skin. She was as gorgeous as the last time he’d seen her. Hunger rose along with disbelief. She’d returned to him.

  “How?”

  She skimmed her fingertips down his arm and across his chest. “I faded into the mist then reemerged alive. You weren’t there any longer.” Tears glistened in her eyes. “You left me.”

  He stared at her, not believing what she said, but the truth knelt before him. “I didn’t know. We didn’t finish mating.”

  She shook her head. “No we didn’t, but I finished bonding to my chosen element the last time we made love.” She pressed her lips to his. “It welcomed me in death and returned my life so I could be rejoined with to you.”

  “Cat.” Her name was all he could manage.

  Emotion choked him, left him raw and open. He wanted to wrap himself around her, never again let her go. He darted his tongue into her parted mouth. She eased away before he could kiss her. Not acceptable. She was here with him. He needed her. He shifted to get up. His arms didn’t move from where she’d placed them. He tugged anyway.

  “Release me.”

  She shook her head. A smile played on her lips. “No, Rune. I see that look in your eyes. You’re hungry.”

  As if she willed them, his fangs descended. “I am, Cat. I need you.”

  She leaned over him. His gaze darted from her breasts to her neck and finally her mouth. His dick stirred and his teeth throbbed. He wanted all of her.

  He jerked on the cuffs of mist she’d bound him with. They didn’t release even with his willpower shoved into the command.

  “Dammit, woman, do you want me to beg?”

  She chuckled. The sound tightened his balls.

  “No, Rune, I want to ensure you get what you need and I know how easily you get distracted.” She popped the button of his jeans and dragged the zipper. His erection sprang free. She fisted his length and gave it a rough tug. He groaned. “If I leave the choice up to you, you’ll get distracted with thoughts of sex.”

  “I won’t.” His gaze drifted to the small patch of curls between her legs.

  She leaned closer. Her breasts pressed into his chest. Using a single finger, she tipped up his chin and waited until he focused on her. “Look me in the eye and tell me that.”

  “Release me.” He couldn’t lie to her. He’d take both, her body and blood, in that order. Her touch chased the weakness away. Somehow, she fed him her strength. The how didn’t matter. Only the end result did. He had the energy he needed to love her. “I’ll satisfy both of our cravings.”

  “That was my plan too.”

  “Good.” He tugged his arms. They remained locked to the ground. “I cannot pleasure you if I can’t move.”

  She glanced at the cock she held in her hand. One corner of her mouth rose. “Really? I think you can.”

  “That’s not what—”

  “Quiet, Rune.”

  She released his dick and made quick work of getting his shoes off. She tugged at his pants. He lifted his bottom and she dragged the material down. She straddled him but didn’t lower herself on his rigid length. She pressed her hot core against his stomach and traced the mark of his element. She’d called it a tattoo, but he’d been born with the design and the tie to his guardian animal.

  “I blame myself for this situation. I took the choice out of your hands.” She dropped her gaze to his stomach. “I know you didn’t want a consort. I—”

  “I love you, Cat.” He let his gaze caress the sweet skin he longed to lick. “I do not care how we got to this point. We are here. You are my life now, but you must know it isn’t one I will force upon you. If you do not love me or want me, then walk away and let me fade into the afterlife. I will not resent or blame you for it. I made my choice, you. I will face the consequences of it whether they are good or bad.”

  She rolled her eyes, not the response he expected.

  “Do I look like a fool?”

  She didn’t wait for an answer. She maneuvered herself over his face. He groaned. Her glistening lower lips hovered above him, so close he could almost taste her. He strained to reach her slick cleft. She eased away.

  “I’m not going to walk away from the man I love. Besides, we didn’t get the chance to fulfill my fantasies.”

  Saliva pooled in his mouth. “Then let me star in them, Cat. The night wanes.”

  She lowered her hips. He licked her and circled the opening of her drenched center with the tip of his tongue. Arousal flowed. He lapped it up. She wiggled her bottom, a demand for more, but he continued to tease her. She deserved a little torture for restraining him. He didn’t mind delivering it.

  “Bite me.”

  He groaned. Her command gripped him. She rubbed her sex over his chin, his mouth, his nose. The scent of her desire filled his lungs. His control snapped. He growled and thrust his tongue into her center. She cried out. The tight grip on his wrists released. He shifted his hands to her hips and held her while he worked her sex. His fangs nicked her. The tang of her blood mixed with her arousal. It ignited his hunger.

  He craved more. Flicks of his tongue hardened her clit. He teased it, licking and nipping. She tensed and sucked in a sharp breath. He waited until her orgasm crashed over her and bit. Blood and arousal filled his mouth. He swallowed both, his heaven, and the female screaming his name was his angel.

  The small amount of blood he took didn’t satisfy his need. Only one thing would. He weaved a bed of mist, gripped his female’s waist and tossed her on it. He joined their bodies on a hard thrust.

  She clutched at his shoulders. “Oh God, Rune.”

  He captured her mouth with his. The lingering taste of her blood and arousal flavored the kiss. She groaned and dueled her tongue with his, not allowing him to control the moment. Her needs radiated to him. She craved his touch as much as he did hers. They’d been separated too long. Never again.

  The passion they shared took over. He loved her with his body and poured everything he felt for her into the each thrust. She groaned with the hard smacks of his flesh to hers but lifted her hips to meet him and accepted his demanding kiss.

  His perfect mate. He savored her every breathy moan, but the need for more of her blood forced him to pull his mouth from hers. She turned her head. The vein in her throat showed starkly against her pale skin. He licked the length once then sank his fangs deep.

  She cried out. Her inner muscles clenched hard around his driving length. He kept fucking her through the tight grip of her sheath. The squeeze on his dick threatened to take him with her. He resisted. He wasn’t done with her. She hadn’t fulfilled his craving. He sucked hard on her throat.

  “Yes, more. Take more.” She held his head to her neck.

  He took her gift. Deep pulls of his mouth filled him with the blood he would crave for eternity. His ambrosia. His heaven. His everything.

  She dug her heels into his ass and pulled him closer. Her core squeezed his dick with a second release, or maybe it was still the first. Either way, he was joining her. He pushed as deep as he could and gave her his seed as she gave him her life. On and on, they shared their passion, love and life. Finally, their release eased. Their rough breaths slowed. But the love binding them didn’t lessen. It tied them together.

  He slipped his cock free and cradled her in his arms. For a long moment, silence stretched. Over the short time he’d spent with his female, he’d learned that with Cat, quiet wasn’t a bad thing. She needed it to think. Him? It gave him time to enjoy having her close, knowing he always would, no matter where they ended up.

  She trailed her fingertips across his jaw. “I ran into Draven.”

  He tensed. “Did he try t
o hurt you?”

  “He’s not our enemy.” She propped on her elbow and looked into his eyes. “He’s someone’s weapon.”

  He sighed. “Mist or fire.”

  “Yes, and I think he might become a valuable ally.”

  He listened to her recount her conversation then cursed. “It appears it’ll be a race to find the gifted humans.”

  She nodded and flashed him a wide grin. “I’m just glad I was first. Now I can focus on getting a sample of Draven’s blood and finding a cure for UP-33.”

  “As your weapon, I can kill the cursed eldjötnar.”

  She shrugged. “You’re only one man, Rune. You can’t save the world by yourself.”

  “No, I can’t. That’s why I have you.”

  She kissed him. “Exactly.”

  About Nancy Corrigan

  Nancy Corrigan has always had an active imagination. When she finally sat down to pen her first novel, she found her sweet romance had too much spice. After trying to tone it down and failing, she gave in and let her characters have their way. She’s glad she did. Because isn’t the best romance the kind with lots of amazing sex anyway?

  She’s lucky enough to share her cat's home with three wonderful children, husband, dog and snake. When not writing, she works in a pharmaceutical lab.

  Her passions beyond family and reading include music, classic cars, tattoos and animals (all of which have found their way into her writing in one form or another).

  Nancy welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email addresses on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.

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  Also by Nancy Corrigan

  Hunter Betrayed

  Royal Pride 1: Unexpected Find

  Royal Pride 2: Beautiful Mistake

  Royal Pride 3: Favorite Obsession