by Vella Day
She disappeared and returned a second later. “This is Magnolia.”
Wow. The two couldn’t be more different. Magnolia had wavy black hair. “Thank you for helping me,” Zulema said.
“Of course.”
The two sisters held hands and closed their eyes. Their lips moved slightly, but Zulema was a bit surprised there was no hand waving, candles suddenly lighting, or herbs magically appearing on the table. When they stopped, Zulema looked over at Bevon and sucked in a breath. “It’s you!”
“Thank goddess,” he said.
She turned to the special ladies. “I can’t thank you enough.”
Poppy smiled. “Seeing you two happy is my thanks.”
That might have been a dumb thing to say, but seeing his face again tongue-tied her.
Bevon grinned. “Does that mean I can have a kiss?”
Heat raced up her face, mostly because three people were watching. “A quick one.”
Zulema leaned over and kissed him briefly, despite her body demanding more.
“Later then?” he asked, as if he could read her mind.
“For sure.”
He stood and Zulema followed. Once outside the store, Bevon hugged Tory. She in turn hugged Zulema. “Welcome to the family,” Tory said.
That sensation of belonging provided much needed warmth and comfort. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
Tory teleported, probably to her home. Most likely because Bevon didn’t want anyone to see him create a portal, he teleported them to some high mountain crest where the view took her breath away. The landscape wasn’t as bright or as green as the mountains on Feyrion, but this site was equally as impressive.
“Alone at last,” he said with that devilish look in his eye that she’d come to enjoy.
Zulema wagged a finger at him. “Don’t get any ideas.”
He laughed. “About what? I was merely mentioning it, because I can now create a portal, and no one will see us. You weren’t referring to having hot, desperate sex with me, were you?”
She couldn’t stop the heat from racing up her body. “Never.”
“I can tell when you’re lying, princess.”
“Okay, maybe I was thinking about some carnal pleasure. It’s been days since I’ve seen you. All that worry had built up a small desire.”
“Only a small desire? You can’t fool me.”
The man was so infuriating. “Fine. A huge desire. What do you have in mind?”
One moment they were on top of this isolated mountain top fully clothed, and the next she was naked.
“Bevon!”
“What? You aren’t shy, are you?”
“Why don’t you kiss me and find out?”
Chapter Seventeen
Waves of need in epic proportions swelled inside Bevon. Staying away from his mate for so many days had ratcheted up his desire something fierce. Not wanting this experience to be uncomfortable in any way, he swept a hand to create a blanket.
“Shall we?” he asked.
“Let me divest you of your clothes first.” Zulema wagged a finger. “And no help from the magical realm, okay?”
He couldn’t help but grin. To see his mate so forward, thrilled him. “I promise.”
“Take off your shoes,” she commanded.
“I thought you were going to remove my clothes.” Bevon wasn’t sure why he enjoyed challenging her so much. Zulema planted a hand on her hip. “Okay, okay. Shoes off.”
She watched as he shucked them. “Good. Now hold still.”
Zulema stepped behind him, slid her hands under his shirt, and slowly lifted the material. When the shirt was almost to his shoulders, she placed her cheek against his back and inhaled.
He chuckled. “What are you doing?”
“Memorizing your scent in case you decide you need another new face, and I can’t see the old one.”
Never had a woman ever said anything so romantic to him before. “Would you like a key phrase that you can ask me, so you’ll know it’s me for sure?”
She let go of the material and stepped to the front. “I like that idea. What do you have in mind?” she asked as she took off his shirt. Her eyes widened. “Whoa. Daylight shows off your body wonderfully.”
“That’s not a real phrase,” he said, teasing her.
“Sorry. You distracted me.”
Bevon held in a smile. “Seriously, you’ll know it’s me, because I call you princess.”
“And if you don’t realize your real face isn’t appearing to me?”
“Ah…how about when you ask what my pet name for you is, I will say kill me now?”
She laughed. “That’s not a name, not in the least, but it will do. No one else will think of it.”
“Now that our code phrase has been decided upon, prepare to be impressed.” Bevon grabbed his woman around the waist, pulled her close, and kissed her. When Zulema melted against him, he couldn’t help but use his magic to remove his pants.
She stepped back. “You said you wouldn’t use magic.”
If she’d sounded the least bit upset, he would have replaced the clothes. “That kiss blocked out all memory of what I promised. Sorry.”
Moving closer, Zulema planted her hands on his naked chest, and her fingers burned into his skin. “What’s the key phrase you’ll use to prove it’s you?”
“Kill me now.”
She laughed. “Your memory seems fine to me.”
“You are too sassy for your own good.”
As Bevon kissed her again, he dragged Zulema down to the blanket and pulled her on top of him. Without prompting, she broke the kiss, straddled him, leaned over, and fed him a breast. Excitement and lust soared through him. Zulema was an amazing woman.
He lifted his head to better feast on her. He licked, sucked, and then ran his hands down her back and butt. If she hadn’t sat on his cock and then wiggled, he would have been completely absorbed in her offered feast.
A dragon shifter flew high overhead. Damn. Trying to be as unobtrusive as possible, Bevon created an invisibility bubble around them to prevent them from being detected. Safe and sound in their cocoon, he returned to pleasuring her body.
“My turn,” she announced.
Before he could object, Zulema slid down and rubbed her face against his cock. The sensation was soft yet sensual—until she grabbed the base and licked the tip. Because he’d been without his mate for days, each touch was like putting a match to a pile of dried leaves. His body caught fire. While Zulema seemed to enjoy licking and sucking his cock until he exploded, he wanted to provide her with some joy of her own. “Enough.”
“You’re that much of a lightweight?” she asked.
“You are asking for trouble, princess.” He flipped them over.
“You know I wasn’t finished.”
“Uh huh.” Bevon kissed her once more. From the way she invited him in, she wasn’t upset. Good. Like the warrior that she was, Zulema met his thrusts with conviction, and her intermittent moans added to the enjoyment.
A dragon shifter squawked overhead, and she looked up. “We need to move. It could be the Zon.”
The fear in her voice broke the sensual bond. “He can’t see us. I put an invisibility shield around us.”
Zulema glanced up again. “Are you sure?”
“Have I ever lied? Don’t answer that.” Even though he didn’t think he had. “We’re safe.”
She returned her focus to him and smiled. “Where were we?”
“That’s my girl.”
He rolled onto his side and dragged her against him so that almost every part of their bodies was touching.
Zulema smiled. “I like this. Maybe we can just stay here.”
He pretended to look crestfallen. “You don’t want to catch my cousin’s killer and free your family?”
She pinched his shoulder. “Way to bring reality into this.”
He was a cad. “How can I make it up to you?”
“Mmm. I’m
sure the great lover, Bevon Forrester, can figure it out.”
“Great lover, you say?”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s what the dossier on you said. The actual words were that you were a womanizer.”
“That hurts. Let’s see if I can change your perception of me.”
She slapped his butt. “Bring it on, Prince Charming.”
He laughed and then returned his attention to her divine lips. As much as he, too, wanted to spend a leisurely day making love, they couldn’t afford the luxury.
Who was he kidding? Much more of this touching would cause him to explode before he wanted to anyway. Lasting all day with Zulema truly was impossible.
Bevon flipped her over and then slid between her legs. He bent her knees and then ran his tongue over her wet opening.
“Yes!” she moaned. “You are a true master.”
“Only with you, my love.”
She dug her rather sharp nails into his shoulders and wiggled her hips. Her eyes had turned the prettiest shade of purple, and her skin had heated. Bevon dragged his hands up to her breasts, cupped one, and lightly pinched the nipple of the other. Zulema lifted her hips.
“Take me,” she panted.
He loved her desperate tone. Truth be told, he needed her more than she needed him.
Bevon sat up, drew her onto her elbows and knees and pressed his dick to her wet opening. The scent of her sex and the delightful aroma of her skin drove him crazy. Using all of his control, he eased into her. She bucked at first and then widened her legs to accommodate him.
Zulema lowered her head to her hands and pressed her hips back. That was about as much as he could handle of this siren. Bevon took hold of her and drove into her over and over again, the white glow around his body growing. Glorious desire and, dare he say, love, flowed through him. It was an emotion he’d never really experienced quite this way before, but it was overwhelmingly wonderful.
Releasing his hands, Bevon dragged his palms up to her breasts and massaged them. Every time he plucked her nipples, his excitement grew—if that was even possible.
When Zulema arched her back, he tunneled into her one more time, and she clamped down on his cock so hard, he came—and so did she.
Not only did his arms glow, his whole body lit up their intimate bubble. When his dick finishing pulsating, he slid out, rolled onto his back, and drew her on top of him. “I think we should always make love outside.”
Her whole body lay limp. “Uh huh.”
Bevon held her until the heat from her skin slowly dissipated. After a long rest, he rolled her off of him and magically cleaned them both up before redressing them. “As much as I hate to suggest it, we need to return to Feyrion. We don’t want your sister and friend to remain incarcerated any longer than necessary.”
She nodded. “Maybe I should try to call Derrick again and demand he send them back.”
“Again?”
“He didn’t answer the first time. Between my fake arrow and the other assassin’s real one, Derrick should be convinced you died. No matter where they look, they won’t find you.”
He loved her feisty attitude. “If you use the medallion to contact him, what’s to say he won’t teleport to you and then kidnap you again?”
“Why would he do that?”
“He might have other uses for you.”
She let out a long breath. “I was worried about that. By me contacting him, I would, in essence, be giving him my location.” Her shoulders drooped. “This sucks. I’m not even sure if we find the killer that he’ll stop.”
“Then we’ll just have to kill him.”
She laughed. “Seriously?”
Did she doubt him? “Why not? If he returns your family, I’ll reconsider.”
Zulema pressed her lips together, and then nodded.” Sounds good. Once we find the killer, I will demand an audience with him.”
His mate was something else. Bevon made a portal, and they immediately arrived at the cabin where he had been staying. It had been nice to get out, and it had been genius on his part to have a spell that allowed Zulema to see the real him. The last thing he wanted was for her to make love to a man who looked so different.
“Hungry?” he asked.
“Do you eat all the time?”
He planted a hand on his chest. “I need my fuel. In this case, I was thinking of you.”
“Fine. I could use a steak, some sautéed vegetables, and maybe a salad.”
She was testing him, but that was okay. “Have a seat at the table. We’ll need a plan for how to uncover the killer.”
Zulema sat. “How about some paper? I like to jot down my ideas.”
Paper and a pen appeared before her. A second later, a full meal showed up in front of her. She looked up at him. “You did it!”
“I am a Fey.”
“I love that you are.”
A part of him had worried that she wouldn’t want to be with someone who was so different from herself. Apparently, he’d worried for nothing.
“Eat first and then brainstorm?” she asked.
“Works for me.”
Chapter Eighteen
Zulema leaned back in her seat. “That might have been the best meal I have ever had. What kind of meat was that?”
“Nothing you would have heard of.”
Perhaps it was better if she didn’t know. “Regardless, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He swept his hand, and the dishes disappeared.
“Whoa.” Sure, he’d told her he could clean up using magic, but to witness it was something else altogether.
He grinned. “You’ll get used to it. Now, on to why we are here. How do you want to start?”
He was asking her? “How about we speak with Tristan first? Derrick said he claimed you were the killer. He must have based it on some incriminating evidence.”
“I wonder why he picked me to point the finger at. I hardly know Tristan. What would be his motive for claiming I killed my own cousin?”
She’d given it some thought. “Maybe it was because you weren’t on Feyrion to deny the claim.”
“Could be, but I wasn’t here when she died either.”
“Is Tristan always aware of your comings and goings?” she asked.
“No, but if he’d asked anyone in my family, they would have set him straight.”
His family seemed very protective of all of its members. They probably wouldn’t have pointed a finger at one of their own, regardless of guilt. “Perhaps Tristan killed Tamarella and had to tell Derrick something.”
Bevon pointed a finger at her. “That begs the question: How did Derrick learn I was the supposed murderer? Did he show up at Tristan’s house demanding answers? Or did Tristan go to Tarradon? Though why would he?”
“Good question. Unless Tristan commissioned Derrick to kill you.”
“Anything’s possible, but I don’t see it. If anyone learned of his deceit, he’d die a terrible death.”
“Okay. Tristan didn’t want you killed. If his family was in dire straights financially, he’d be the last person to want your cousin dead, right?”
“Right.”
“Your death wouldn’t help him in any way. According to your aunt, both parties saw it as their obligation to help strengthen each family.”
He nodded. “There has to be a reason for why Tamarella was killed though, and it might not have anything to do with money.”
She snapped her fingers. “Is it possible Derrick planned to kidnap her at the last minute, and Tristan decided that if he couldn’t have her, no one could?”
Bevon drummed his fingers on the table. “Excellent point. I could look at the logs to see if he entered the portal, but if Derrick had a special device like he gave to you, he would have avoided me on the Tarradon end and our portal guards on this end.”
“We have Derrick, Tristan, and even you. You didn’t do it, and I’m thinking Derrick didn’t either.”
“Why?” he asked.
&nbs
p; “I don’t see him as the killer even if he could teleport into her room without notice. I also don’t see him taking orders from someone on Feyrion.”
“Maybe not. The only reason Derrick would have for killing Tam would be if he was convinced his mate planned to go through with the union with Tristan. We could use the same argument. If he couldn’t have her, no one could.”
“Then why take me? To take the heat off of anyone coming after him for the murder?”
Bevon shook his head. “I don’t think so. Just by being on Tarradon, Derrick’s fairly safe. Not that we wouldn’t go to another realm to find a killer, but we would look here first. I agree, take Derrick off the table.”
She scratched off his name. “Next?”
“I suppose Tristan’s brother, Carmen, is a suspect.”
“Why him? Was he against the union?”
“I’ll ask Tally to be sure, but Carmen was always hot headed. He was jealous of his brother.”
“Why?”
“Tristan was better looking, smarter, and a more powerful warlock. Perhaps Carmen believed if Tristan spent his time with Tamarella that he would be forgotten.”
That was a stretch. “We’ll keep him for now. Who else?”
“I could make up something, but without more information, we will be wasting our time.”
As if she didn’t know that. “Your aunt is still in mourning over her daughter’s death. I’m not sure she’ll be of much help.”
“I might be able to get her to open up.”
Zulema couldn’t wrap her mind around this. “There has to be a motive for why your cousin was killed. Wounded heart aside, who would benefit the most by her death?”
“I wish I knew.” Bevon pushed back his chair, swept his hand, and created a standing white board. “I like to be organized.”
Zulema crossed her arms. “Seriously? I thought you took everything in stride.”
His face turned a pretty shade of pink.
“Fine. I thought you would like to have a place to write down your thoughts—other than on paper. This way, we can both see it. Just use your finger to draw.”
Zulema got up from the table and stepped over to the stand. “Let’s start with Tamarella’s family to see if any of them would benefit.” She listed their names. “This is an awesome tool.”