by Lea Kirk
There was no going back now. A sharp prick at her neck, and euphoria exploded over her in a rainbow of color, flowing from her to him. He’d saved her life by stopping Ash; now she would save his. He would be healed. He would live.
“Farewell, courier.” Carnwennan’s whisper was the last thing she heard as dark peace enveloped her.
Chapter Fifteen
Voices pulled at Mikhail, teasing his memory and pushing away darkness. Familiar and distant. He reached for them, but they faded into oblivion. Had they even been there, or only in his imagination?
He drifted. This place was peaceful, and there was no pain.
Pain. He had been in pain. Agonizing, unending pain. Until she had come back with a single drop of blood on her finger.
Donnie.
The memory of the sweet taste of her faerie blood flowing into him emerged. He had taken it all…drained her of her life force. Completely. Killed her. Grief crashed over him, consumed him. He was a despicable creature, a murderer. Death was his destiny. He would find a way.
“He’s coming to.” A male voice. “I’m not sure how he’ll handle the news, so I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”
They would tell him that Donnie was dead, but he already knew.
Let me die, too.
The sound of a door closing broke the silence. A moment later, the bed dipped and a soft, warm hand covered his. He forced his heavy eyelids to open. An angel hovered over him.
Donnie, relaxed and smiling, with a faint golden aura around her. But, how could this be?
He worked his jaw, opening and closing his mouth twice before words came out. “I…killed you.”
She snorted. “Not hardly.”
“H-how?”
She reached up and tugged the emerald amulet from under her shirt. “Before you could drain me, my many times great-grandmother gave you quite a shock with this.”
How could he not remember something like that? “And that stopped me?”
“Yep.” She dropped the stone back under her shirt. “But I don’t remember much before Charlie, Sophie, and Nonny showed up. Nonny told me that our guide used his magic to show them where we were.”
He had been unable to stop on his own. He did not deserve her grace, or the loving look she gave him now. If he did not turn away, she would be—
“Don’t be an idiot, Mikhail.”
He gave her a surprised look.
She rolled her eyes. “After all I did for you, you better not shut me out. I am, after all, the multi-time great grand-daughter of the Queen of Faerie. See the green in my eyes?” She leaned toward him and he could see it. The emerald green. He should have been able to see it without her moving closer. “I’ve spent a lot of time since I woke up trying to find anything that connected me to her, because I still didn’t believe it. Even though Nonny confirmed it with a spell, and my blood turned you into a human again. But, all I found are those little flecks of emerald green.”
She was part Fae. He had drunk her blood. That meant…. He gazed around the room—Donnie’s room—then out the window. When he tried to bring the mountains in the distance into close-up focus, they stayed where they were. He pushed himself up onto his elbows.
“My vision is…normal.” Human. He gave his head a shake. “My hearing too.” A slow grin crept up and he met her gaze. “I am human.” Mortal. He would live, and die, as he should. With Donnie.
He sat up the rest of the way, the sheet sliding down his bare torso. Someone had cleaned him up. Had that someone been Donnie? If only he had been awake for that.
Worry filled her eyes. “Are you okay with that?”
“I am more than okay. Donnie, this is the most amazing moment of my life.” He stopped. “How did I fail to sense your heritage?”
“My amulet hid it,” she explained. “That, and my faerie-ness was buried under generations of human-ness. Charlie, of course, thinks Carnwennan had something to do with it too, but you know how suspicious he is of all things faerie. Although, he still seems to like me.”
“Not without reason.” He squinted his eyes at her. The golden aura was still there. “I think I can see your…faerie-ness, now. It is like a barely perceptible glow around you.”
Confusion clouded her eyes. “Wait, you can see it? You shouldn’t be able to, not now. You should be more human than I am.”
He ran his tongue over his teeth and gave his shoulders a shrug. “My fangs are gone.” And so was the music of Donnie’s blood. That was the only thing he would miss. “Latent powers, perhaps. Or perhaps because you are not full-blooded Fae. What? Why do you bite your lip like that?”
“Nothing. It’s just that I was afraid you were going to be mad when you found out.” She shrugged her beautiful, perfect shoulders. “I did kind of trick you into it.”
He reached out and took her hands between his. “You gave me a most precious gift, Donnie, and I love you for it. No, wait, I love you. Period.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks. Every male cell in his body screamed at him to do something to make them stop, but the only thing he could think of was to hold her. He wrapped his arms around her and drew her to his chest. “I am terribly sorry, love. I did not mean to upset you.”
“It’s not that.” Her breath caressed the skin of his neck, and a specific part of him noticed. She pulled away and met his gaze. “I love you too, Mikhail.”
He dipped his head to taste her, then stopped, his lips a hairsbreadth from hers. “How is it that I am in your room?”
“Um, well, by the time they got us to the cottage, I was doing better, but you went into cardiac arrest. So, I insisted they put you in here.” She shivered. “The change back wasn’t pretty, and I held you the entire time.”
An act of such selflessness took more courage than he could imagine. More so if the process was as traumatic as becoming a vampire. “Thank you, Donnie.”
“I love you, Mikhail,” she murmured against his mouth.
“I love you, too.” He captured her lips, gently molding and nipping, then pulled back. “How long did you say I have been lying here again?”
“Two days.”
And she was allowing him to kiss her? Must be love. “Before we do anything, I need mouth wash.”
Two minutes later, he emerged from the bathroom. The sight of her sitting naked in the center of the bed, her hair mussed by their brief kissing session, and surrounded by foil-wrapped packages was more beautiful than any starry night he had seen. Or any mountain he had hiked. Or any piece of rare art he had watched be created. It took five strides to cross the room, at a normal pace. His vampire speed seemed to be a thing of the past. He climbed onto the bed and used his body to press her backward onto the mattress.
“Donnie, I warned you.”
“About what?”
“About inviting me into your room.” He gave her shoulder a playful nip, and she squealed and writhed under him. “Now you must pay the price.”
He covered her mouth with his, exploring every crevice with slow, methodical intent before pulling away. “When I first woke up, I believed I had killed you and was ready to find a way to end my existence to be with you.”
Donnie cupped his face between her soft hands. “Shut up and show me how much you appreciate me, you silly man.”
~*~
“Are you sure you have to leave so soon?” Sophie asked.
Donnie fought the urge to glance at Mikhail.
So much had happened in the last month, some of it hard to believe. Wonderful, but still hard to believe. Mikhail had not lost his ability to distinguish paranormal beings from humans. Or mostly humans, as in her case. And she had developed an unexpected talent. She could heal. Not super-serious, life-threatening stuff, unfortunately, but little things. Nonny had told her the ability was part of her faerie heritage. Whatever the reason, it was pretty cool.
The exciting part was, the combination of their skill sets made them ideal for locating and helping persecuted paranormal beings find their wa
y to Magic, New Mexico, where they would be safe and loved. It was a calling she and Mikhail were eager to pursue together.
“We are certain,” Mikhail answered. “Thank you for your gracious hospitality, Sophie. And for loaning us the truck to get to Albuquerque, Charlie.”
As much as she would miss this quirky little town, she was finally going home to see her mother and brother. Mom had cried over the phone when Donnie had called the first time, and every day since.
“Just leave it in the airport parking lot,” Charlie said. “It’ll find its own way home.”
After hugs and promises to call often, she climbed into the passenger side of the pick-up. Mikhail drove slowly through town. As they passed the Krazy Kettles, Dev appeared on the sidewalk decked out in brilliant Kelly-green, and waved.
Donnie waved back to him. “I wonder what this week’s décor is.”
“Something with leprechauns, I imagine.” Mikhail smirked. “There are no words to describe how grateful I am not to have to wear some of the costumes Dev does.”
Ten minutes later, he slowed the truck to a stop next to the rock where they’d found each other again.
Mikhail stared at it. “Has it truly been more than a month?”
“It sure has.”
He raised one eyebrow in her direction. “Will you humor me by allowing me to take your picture next to the rock?” He was out of the truck before she could respond. Even without his vampire speed, he was still faster than most humans.
Well, they had plenty of time, so why not? Their flight didn’t leave until early the next morning. She got out and rounded the truck.
Mikhail took a lot more than one picture. More like ten.
“This is for you.” He handed her a small, squishy tube wrapped in blue and white striped paper.
She gave him a sideways look, then ripped the paper off and shook out the tightly rolled shirt inside. A laugh bubbled up inside her. “‘My husband went to Magic, New Mexico, and all I got was this lousy shirt.’” Wait. Husband?
She looked up at him, only he wasn’t standing up anymore. He was kneeling in the middle of the dirt road with a tiny jewelry box open in his hand. She hugged the shirt to her chest and gaped. “Oh, my goodness.”
“Donnie McAllister,” he said. “You have given me so much since I met you. Will you give me the honor of your hand in marriage too?”
This was too much. The tears wouldn’t stop streaming down her face. A marriage proposal shouldn’t be this messy. “Yes.” It was the only word she could eep out. “Yes!”
She kneeled in front of him and held out her left hand. He slid the ring onto her finger. “An emerald for the faerie in you, and a ruby for the vampire that was in me. They symbolize the magic that brought us together.”
A sob shook her.
“Are you all right?” Mikhail stroked his hand over her head and down her back.
“Mm-hm.” She nodded, then shook her head. “Un-uh.”
At this rate, he would think she didn’t want to marry him. But she did. She’d do it right this second, in the middle of the dirt road, if an officiant were available.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “Yes, I will marry you, Mikhail Cherneski.” A thousand times, if she could.
But, for now, sealing the moment with a kiss would do. She leaned toward him and he met her halfway. The touch of his warm lips set off fireworks in her head.
Pop. Pop. Pop.
That sound was too loud to be her imagination. She drew back. All around them, miniature fireworks exploded with brilliant cascades of red, pink, and purple heart shaped sparks.
“What…what’s all this?”
Mikhail grinned. “It’s Magic, my love.”
THE END
Thank you reading Made for Her. I hope you enjoyed my first foray into paranormal romance. This story first came to me in dream, which I woke up from with my heart racing. I had to make sure the heroine and hero escaped the villain because it didn’t look too good for them in my dream!
There are always so many people to thank because all authors have a “production team.” Here are some of the people who bless my life and career. If I missed anyone, please understand it was not intentional, and I value each and every one of you.
S.E. Smith, thank you for inviting me to be a part of this Magical world you created. It’s been a blast, and I appreciate the support you have given me.
Neal, thank you for prodding me to get this story finish. I don’t think you’ll be able to retire quite yet, though. And, I’m not sure if I’m ready for you to be home prodding me 24/7, anyway.
My nerd herd, thank you for supporting your mother, even when she makes crazy requests on social media.
Holly, for reading through an early draft and giving it the thumbs-up.
Sue and Laurel, because I write the words and you make them sound and look pretty. Any mistakes in this story are on me. And Melody, who wrapped it all up in my first “man-chest” cover. (This was a big step for me, people!)
Athena, Elissa, Jennifer, LeKesha, and Sandi, who got the beta reading job done in the ridiculous amount of time I gave them. (Again, typos are on me, not them.) And to all my Lucky Stars for their support. You guys rock!
The Blurb Babes for helping me hash out a blurb, and my CLAW sisters for all the tea time.
The authors and support members of Magic, NM Group #3—especially Sabine for the hilarious texts and Skype calls. You all are amazing to work with, and I hope we can do this again!
And finally, to every reader who has enjoyed my books. You are why I do what I do.
Until next time.
~Lea
Books by Lea Kirk
The Prophecy Series
Prophecy, Book One
Salvation, Book Two
Collision, Book Three (coming soon!)
All of Me, A Prophecy Series Short Story
SFR
Touch the Stars
(part of the Other Worlds boxed book set)
About the Author
Lea Kirk loves to transport her readers to other worlds with her science fiction and paranormal romances. She is the author of the sci-fi romance Prophecy series. Her fascination with science fiction began at six years old when her dad introduced her to the original Star Trek TV series. She fell in love with the show, and may have run through her parents’ house wearing the tunic top of her red-knit pantsuit and white go-go boots pretending to be Lieutenant Uhura. By nine years old she knew she wanted to be a writer, and in her teens she read her first romance and was hooked.
She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her wonderful hubby of twenty-seven years and their five kids (aka, the nerd herd).
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