Legacy of Blood

by J. L. McCoy

  Chapter Nineteen

  Ruarc shook Archer’s hand and then followed his men out the front entrance. Archer returned to me and pulled me off the barstool.

  “I do NOT think you are unholy, baby,” Archer said softly but sternly, tilting my head up so our eyes met. “I just don’t want to take any chances with the sword. That’s all I meant by it.”

  I should be mad he had read my mind, but I learned long ago that whenever I thought extra hard on something or if something particularly bothered me, my thoughts tended to broadcast themselves loud and clear.

  I nodded my head and allowed him to pull me into a tight embrace. “Why don’t you go ahead and go upstairs while I finish up down here. We’ll stay the night in my apartment. I’ll call Gunnar and have him bring you by a few sets of clothes, okay?”

  “Yeah,” I nodded again. “Okay. I’ll go call Dean and see if he wouldn’t mind helping tomorrow.”

  I called a quick goodbye to everyone and accepted a comforting hug from Trey. As soon as I was in Archer’s office on the third floor, I closed the door, sat down behind his desk and picked up the business phone. Using his phone reminded me that I really needed to replace my broken cell phone as soon as possible. I cursed my temper as I punched his number in.

  The call to Dean was just as I expected. He was all for helping me but he cursed my new condition, Ruarc, and particularly “that sick, psycho son-of-a-bitch” Amun. He said he would ask his best trackers to help but couldn’t promise anything. The fact that he was even friends with a vampire would not go over well with his pack and he wasn’t going to force anyone to help me against their will, no matter how much he liked me. He said he’d call a meeting tonight and he’d see me in the morning at eight.

  I hung up the phone, sat back in Archer’s big leather chair, and sighed. The fact that Dean was even willing to help me was huge. I knew how much vampires and werewolves hated each other and the fact that he was trying to maintain a friendship with me spoke volumes. I didn’t think I would ever be able to repay him fully for standing by my side and helping me through all of this bullshit Amun drama. His willingness to stand by me touched me deeply. It was suddenly very obvious to me that Dean was one of those ultra-rare ‘ride or die’ friends; that he would stand by me no matter what or die trying. I loved and deeply respected him in that moment and knew I had to find a way some day to tell him how much his friendship meant to me. Friends like him were one in a billion and I hoped I would get a chance to ‘ride or die’ for him one day and return the favor.

  Archer was still busy downstairs so I decided to take a shower and get ready for bed. I was exhausted and knew I needed to be in top form tomorrow for the hunt. I quickly got undressed and hopped into the shower. I spent more time than I needed to in there but it gave me a chance to think. I worried Amun wouldn’t show himself to me if he caught wind of An Dilis or Dean. I tried to find a way around them but couldn’t. There was no way in hell I was going searching for Amun without backup. I told myself that maybe I’d think of something tomorrow and cut off the shower and dried off.

  In my haste to shower, I forgot to grab something to wear from Archer’s closet so I wrapped myself tightly in the towel and opened the door. Archer was sitting on the bed drinking a bag of blood and glanced up at me as I entered.

  “Are you okay?” he asked, his brow furrowed slightly. “You were in there a while. I was starting to worry.”

  “I’m fine,” I said, managing a small smile as I walked over to his closet. “I just have a lot on my mind. Would you mine if I borrowed a shirt? I don’t have anything to wear.”

  “Help yourself, love. Gunnar will be here in a few hours with your clothes.”

  I fished through his closet and came upon one of Jameson’s vintage Rolling Stones concert t-shirts. I thought about the messages he had left me and quickly put the painful memory aside. I was sick of hurting; sick of the drama, sick of disappointing people, sick of being judged because I wasn’t perfect like everyone wanted me to be. I just wanted to forget everything, for one night. For one night I just wanted to be Skye Morrison, the person; not Skye Morrison the human or Skye Morrison the vampire… just me… fatally flawed me. I selected a white button down dress shirt, threw it on and dropped the towel as I lowered it down my hips.

  “Can you give me a hand?” I asked, turning to Archer and holding up one floppy sleeve.

  Archer smiled as he unbuttoned the cuff and started rolling each sleeve up. When he was done I sat down on the end of the bed and silently waited for him to get undressed. I shamelessly watched as he removed each article of clothing; his sculpted body demanding my utmost attention. Oh. My. Yum… I stared at the way his muscles shifted and moved as he did; his strong, fit form a veritable work of art. He’s perfection incarnate; God’s magnum opus. Lord, he’s beautiful. What I wouldn’t give to lick those abs… God definitely knew what he was doing when he created Archer Rhys. And God said ‘Let there be Archer Rhys’, and there was and He saw that it was GOOD! I giggled aloud at the thought at the same time Archer laughed.

  “Reading my mind again, Mr. Rhys?” I asked, biting the corner of my bottom lip.

  “Kind of hard not to, Miss Morrison,” he replied sexily as he turned to me wearing only his white boxers and a cocky smirk. “I take it you like what you see?”

  “I’d like it better if it were in this bed with me,” I dared, challenging him.

  He slowly came around the bed and I opened my legs so he could stand between them. I ran my hands up his bare torso and lifted my lips to kiss each rippling ab. Archer made a low, sexy growling noise in the back of his throat that made me instantly wet for him. I looked up the length of his body into his ice blue eyes and the look he returned took my breath away. It was so unguarded, raw, and needy.

  “Let me do something for you,” I whispered as I rested my chin against his stomach. He softly brushed the damp hair from my forehead and nodded once.

  I gently licked and kissed the sensitive skin around his hipbone as I hooked my fingers into the waistband of his boxers and slowly lowered them. The smell of his skin was enough to drive me insane; it was citrusy, woodsy, clean, and all man.

  I kissed my way down and took his thick, considerable length in my hand as I ran my tongue up the side of his protracted shaft. When I reached his mushroomed head, I looked up into his eyes as I lightly flicked and teased my tongue along its underside. Archer’s mouth slightly opened and I saw him take a deep breath in as he moaned and closed his eyes. That one sound turned me on like nothing had ever before and made me sigh in answer.

  I took him into my mouth and swirled my tongue around the head, getting it nice and wet as I fisted him in one hand and held the back of his thigh with the other. He ran his fingers through my hair and fisted it as I drew him further in, concaving my cheeks and applying just the right amount of pull. Archer whispered something in his language and I didn’t need an interpreter to know it was good. I gazed up to see him watching me with a look of absolute adoration in his eyes. The feeling was mutual and I showed him how much I cared as I made love to him with my mouth.

  After a time, Archer started rocking his hips in synch with my movements and I could tell he was getting close by the way his breathing pattern had changed.

  “Skye,” he whispered suddenly.

  I glanced up and was surprised by the look of sheer determination on his face. He took a step back, startling me, and lifted me to stand. He ripped the buttons off my shirt in his haste to dispatch me of it and I gasped as he pulled me to him and pressed his mouth to mine. Our tongues slid together in a frantic and hungry dance. I hardly noticed as he lifted me and crawled into bed.

  Archer moved his attention from my mouth to my neck as he licked, nibbled, and bit; each action sending a jolt straight down to my center. He slowly made his way across my collar bone and down between my breasts before he took my left one in his mouth. The feel of his fangs scratching against my sensitive skin had me moaning as my back arched
up to meet him. I whispered his name as he turned his attention to my right side, gasping as he gently palmed and pinched the left.

  He gazed up at me with devious eyes as he began his slow southern descent; licking and kissing down my stomach before gently biting my hip. His chin brushed against my mons and I whimpered with need as he slid one finger inside my folds and into me.

  “You’re so wet,” he whispered and he licked his lips. I could only manage to jerkily nod a few times as he stared up at me.

  “Tell me what you want.”

  I moved against his finger, rolling my hips.

  “Ah ah ah,” he tsked as he cocked his eyebrow and smirked. “Tell me.”

  “Please,” I whispered desperately.

  “Please what, baby.”

  “Please,” I begged, my body starting to shake from need. “Please kiss me.”

  He smiled in victory and lowered his head. A second later I felt his tongue spreading me as it found my pleasure center. I cried out and my back arched off the bed when his tongue finally started its slow, sensual, and unrelenting assault. His kiss was exquisite, his tongue sheer perfection. My climax quickly built as his fingers worked in synch with his mouth. My breath quickened and as I was about to reach my peak, Archer adjusted his finger against my front wall and found that secret spot that drives every woman crazy. I swear I saw heaven when I exploded, moaning his name like a sacred prayer.

  Archer slowly withdrew his fingers from me and kissed his way back up my body as I shook with tiny aftershocks. My legs felt like Jell-O and I smiled as he positioned himself between my legs.

  “You are so beautiful,” Archer whispered as he looked down at me.

  “So are you,” I smiled and cupped his face with one hand. “That was incredible… beyond words.”

  “Well if you liked that, then you’re going to love this,” he chuckled.

  I felt his thick head press against my opening and I sighed as I nodded in encouragement. “Make love to me, baby.”

  “I’ve waited an eternity to hear you whisper those words to me,” Archer growled and gently pushed into me. I gasped at the size of him and tried to relax as he slowly buried himself to the hilt.

  “Oh hell, Skye…you’re so tight,” he whispered as he rested his forehead against my neck and growled again. “Fuck me. I knew you would feel good, but I had no idea you would feel this good. Jesus.”

  I whimpered as he slowly withdrew and pushed into me again. He felt so amazing inside of me; so heavy and full and I knew another climax was close. My fangs descended as he started to move faster and I cried out as I finally found release.

  Archer pulled back and changed positions, lifting one of my legs on his shoulder as he continued to pound into me. The change in position brought deeper penetration and I gasped as he hit my cervix.

  “Yes… oh God, yes,” I cried out as the pain added to my pleasure.

  My cries pushed Archer closer to his release and I was suddenly blasted with a tidal wave of his emotions. I was shocked at how much love, happiness, and contentment he was feeling and I pulled his face to mine and kissed him until I was breathless.

  “I love you too,” I whispered when I finally came up for air.

  “My sweet Skye,” he breathed as he lowered my leg and slowed his movements; his hand gently brushing the hair from my face as he gazed down at me. “I’ve loved you for so long. Waiting for you was the hardest-”

  “Sshh,” I silenced him with a gently finger as I rolled us over and took control. “Let me love you, baby.” I turned around on top of him and faced away as I lowered myself onto him again.

  I slowly circled my hips against his and sighed at the new sensations the reverse position brought. I started out slow, rising and falling as I rocked my pelvis. Archer moaned and raised his hips in time with my movements, his participation encouraging me to move faster.

  My climax started to build again and I groaned and writhed on top of him. Archer wasted no time taking control as he wrapped my long hair in one hand and flashed to his knees, my back against his front, our bodies still entwined.

  “I’m close, baby,” he growled softly in my ear and I reached back and wrapped one arm around his waist to hang on as I let him take full control.

  Archer let go of my hair and slid his hand down my stomach, between my legs, to touch and rub my nerve center. His other hand palmed my left breast and he teased and pinched my nipple as he moved faster behind me.

  “Don’t stop, baby,” I cried out, my legs starting to shake, my climax imminent.

  “God you feel so good,” Archer moaned in my ear. “You taste so sweet. You are all mine, do you hear me? I’m never letting you go.”

  “All yours,” I breathed as I leaned further into him and rested the back of my head against his shoulder. “I’m all yours, baby. Only yours.”

  Archer groaned as he buried his head in my neck and scraped his fangs against my skin. I reached up and pulled his head harder against me, encouraging him to do what I knew he wanted to do most.

  “Yes,” I moaned a second before he sank his fangs into me.

  That was enough to send me over the edge and I screamed out my mind-blowing pleasure as Archer quickened his pace and joined me a few heartbeats later.

  He withdrew his fangs and held me tightly to him. “I love you so much, Skye.”

  I turned my head around so I could gaze up at him. “And I you, Archer.”

  He gently withdrew from me and pulled me down to lay beside him as he grabbed the bed clothes and pulled them over us. Archer lifted his arm and I laid my head on his chest and cuddled into him.

  “That was amazing,” he whispered and kissed the top of my head.

  “Mmm-hmm,” I moaned contentedly.

  We were silent for a long time, basking in the afterglow, as we held each other. I was almost asleep when his whisper caught my attention.

  “I’m going with you tomorrow. I want to be there to make sure nothing happens to you.”

  “No, honey,” I shook my head and sat up on my elbow, looking down to see the torture in his eyes. “I need you safe, Archer; your family needs you safe. I won’t be able to do what I need to do if I’m worried about you.”

  “I can’t lose you to him, Skye.”

  “Baby,” I frowned at the pain in his eyes and gently kissed his lips. “You won’t lose me. I’m here and I’m not going anywhere. Dean and Ruarc and An Dilis will be there watching my back. You know they won’t let Amun get within fifty feet of me.”

  “I’ve waited 1308 years for you and the thought of losing you now when I’ve only just found you is excruciating.”

  “Damn, you’re old,” I smiled, trying to lighten the mood.

  “I feel like I’ve aged a thousand years since Amun first kidnapped you,” he whispered as he looked up into my eyes.

  “I’m coming home to you tomorrow, so you can stop worrying. And, I know you want to protect me but the best thing you could possibly do for me is to stay with your family and stay safe. I can’t lose you either, Archer. I don’t want you anywhere near Amun. Have you forgotten he’s hell-bent on killing you; especially now that he knows you gave me your blood? He’s out for revenge and it’s doubly bad now. Please do this for me; please stay and protect our family.”

  Archer reluctantly agreed with a nod and a sigh and pulled me back against him.

  “You know, you’ve never told me how you became a vampire,” I changed the subject as I snuggled up against him.

  “No, I guess I haven’t. It’s all very boring, really.”

  “Still, I’d like to know. Tell me the story?”

  Archer pressed his lips to my forehead and sighed as he began.

  “I was born in Ireland in 672 and I was three years old when Cináed found me. I was wandering in a field all alone, naked and starving, and he took pity on me and carried me home with him while he searched for my parents. From what he could gather, they died from illness and I had no other family. Sadly, I don’t
have any memories of my parents at all.”

  “Oh, honey,” I whispered, holding him tighter. “That’s so sad.”

  “Cináed became my father,” he continued. “He raised me, taught me religion, taught me how to read and how to hunt and feed myself. I always knew he was a vampire. He never hid it from me and I always just accepted it as the norm. Never once did he feed from me in all the years I was with him and never did my two uncles, his vampire brothers.

  “When I was eighteen, I asked him to turn me. He refused and told me I needed to live this life first, so I did. I took a wife and she gave birth to our daughter Émer two years later. Life was good for a few years. I saw Cináed and my uncles often. Cináed especially had a soft spot for my daughter, always spoiling her with trinkets and carved wooden toys. One night while I was away with our sheep, a man from our village came and raped my wife. After he was done, he killed them both in an attempt to cover his crime.”

  “Oh my God,” I gasped, covering my mouth as I fought off tears. I could feel the pain radiating off Archer and it took my breath away. “That’s horrible! I-I’m so sorry.”

  “Baby,” he whispered, gently kissing my forehead as he rubbed my back. “Don’t cry. It’s okay… it was a long time ago.” I nodded my head and wiped my tears as he continued. “Cináed found the man and made him pay for his crimes. We buried my family at sundown the next day and I couldn’t look back. It took years to convince my father to finally turn me. He thought I was only doing it because I had lost my family; that was only part of it, though. I had wanted to be like my father since I was a child; I looked up to him and my uncles.

  “I was 32 when he finally agreed, practically an old man in my day. The year was 704 when I awoke as vampire. After a few decades, I left Ireland and traveled around Europe with my brother Treasach, Cináed’s first son. Word reached us a few months after Cináed died but we didn’t go back home. I couldn’t bear to. I didn’t return with Aoife until 1744 and met Jameson my first day there. He made the homecoming bearable. We stayed in Scotland for a few years with Treasach and his family before finally moving to the States. We settled in Boston to start and the rest is history.”