by Maya Daniels
“Do you want to know why I lost consciousness earlier?” Artemis asked her softly, and Iris narrowed her eyes but jerked her head in an affirmative nod. “I left my weapon back in my realm. They are using it to pull me back through the portal. With everything that I know now…” her words trailed off.
Iris’s eyes narrowed even more as her jaw ticked while she clenched her teeth. Raphael growled low in his throat, too, at that revelation. Artemis stayed focused on Iris without blinking.
“I need to retrieve my weapon or they will pull me through eventually. If that happens, between Lazarus and me …only one will be left standing, and I’m unsure if I’m in a position to face him at the moment. Not like this.”
“I’m going with you!” Raphael’s words had a finality to them, making Artemis finally turn her head and look at him.
“You will be killed. You’re proof that I’m compromised. It’s best to not show our hand from the start. Not until I know the truth.” She took special care to sound reasonable and make him understand how stupid that idea was.
“I’m going!” He frowned at her. “I’m not letting you out of my sight…I don’t think I can, even if I agreed with you.”
“I’ll do it!” Groaning and trying to stop the argument that was sure to start, Iris buried her face in her hands. “I’ll open the damn portal. You two walk in, grab the weapon and walk out. Thirty seconds! That’s all you’ll have. After that, they can kill you there for all I care!” Her words, muffled by her fingers, sounded pained.
“Out!”
The words were soft, but there was no mistaking the warning in Raphael’s voice. He didn’t look away from Artemis as Iris was the first to jump from her seat and bolt through the door like she’d been waiting for the first chance to get out of there. Shaking his head and sighing, Claude followed her, closing the door behind him. Artemis didn’t look away. She watched Raphael curiously, wondering what in the world she was doing by allowing this craziness or glitch by the fates to continue. He was her mate. It was unheard of and ridiculous.
Forbidden.
“You think me a monster…”
“I think no such thing.” She cut him off. “What is this? All of a sudden you think you know me so well that you know what I think?” Lifting an eyebrow, she waited for his answer.
“I don’t regret killing my maker. I cared for her at one point in time, as misguided as that was. But she was a cruel, manipulative abomination and someone needed to do it. I had the honor.” Raphael searched her eyes, looking for something she knew he would never find—judgment.
“There is no need for this conversation, Raphael.” She watched his eyes burn hot when she said his name, making stupid butterflies flutter in her stomach. He radiated hunger through his entire being, making her heart speed up and her breath shorten. “You forgot that a few days ago, you were hunting a monster.” As her head tilted to the side, she smiled at him. “Me!”
“What you did was different. Now that I know your reasons, I can’t blame you. The more I learn, the easier it is to justify everything you did. If I am honest, I might say I would’ve been crueler if our roles had been reversed.” One side of his mouth lifted a little as he brought his face closer to her. “I am a monster, too. Compared to me, you are a saint.” His breath tickled her lips.
“What is a saint but a sinner who never got caught?” she whispered before his lips crushed hers in a hungry kiss.
Raphael felt possessed.
Hunger like he’d never known before overtook him. Wrapping his arms around her, he dragged her over himself as he devoured her mouth. He had known lust, but this was way beyond any he had felt before. It was an all-consuming need.
His hands roamed her body. Crushing her to himself, he glided them over her sides towards her narrow waist, down to her hips. Sliding his fingers into the waistband of her pants, he didn’t stop until he’d pushed them down and his hands had a firm grip on her ass. She moaned throatily in his mouth and a feral sound rumbled in his chest.
Artemis didn’t stay docile, either. She gave as much as she got, clawing at his shoulders and ripping his nicely-pressed shirt. A dark, sinister chuckle escaped Raphael as he released her mouth and started trailing kisses from her jaw down her neck. Artemis rocked her hips, pressing harder on his bulging erection while gripping his waist with her thighs. She was breathing harshly and her breath caught in her throat as she felt him drag his fangs down her neck—hard enough to speed up her heart to a whole new level but not hard enough to pierce her skin.
“I will not bite you without permission. You have my word,” he panted in her ear before devouring her mouth again.
Artemis lost all ability to think and she gave herself over to her instincts. Exploring his mouth and twining her tongue with his, she tried to take control. A rumble that sounded suspiciously like laughter sounded from Raphael before he flipped them so fast she felt dizzy for a second before she realized that she was pressed, bent over the sofa with Raphael behind her. A ripping sound split the silence and hushed their hard breathing a second before she felt the chilly air on her skin.
It was a peculiar situation for Artemis. She wasn’t used to not being the one in control or the stronger one of the two. Yet here she was, bent over, naked, while Raphael was still fully dressed behind her. Preparing herself to argue or push him away, she looked over her shoulder at him, and it felt like everything around her stopped.
Raphael’s shirt was open, exposing a glimpse of his chiseled torso as his muscles bunched and jumped with each movement he made. Slowly, as if giving her a show, he took his shirt off and dropped it on the floor. Her mouth watered at the sight. When Artemis tried to move, he pressed one palm on the small of her back, holding her as she was. Her heart sped up and the blood rushing to her ears made so much noise that she felt dizzy.
An arrogant male smirk graced his full lips as he watched her, holding her still one-handed. Painfully slowly, his other hand went to the belt of his pants. Artemis zeroed in on that like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. Her channel clutched emptiness as heat pooled low in her belly. She watched the belt slide slowly loop after loop until it was in Raphael’s hand. Before realizing what he was up to, Artemis found that belt looped around both her wrists as he wrapped the other end around his wrist.
“No running away for you now.” He whispered harshly in her ear just as she heard the sound of the zipper being lowered. Her insides clenched and she felt herself trembling in anticipation.
Raphael was holding on to a thin thread. His entire body was coiled like a spring, waiting to snap at any moment. He wanted to give her time to be ready for him. He should’ve known better. She was a predator just like him. As soon as the zipper was lowered and he pushed his pants halfway down his hips, she jerked her body back, pushing her ass on his erection, and he almost physically felt his control snap. He was so hard that it bordered on painful as his cock jerked at the skin contact and the heat that radiated from between her thighs.
With one hand pressed next to her shoulder on the sofa and holding the belt, he wrapped his other arm around her waist, lifting her slightly before embedding himself to the hilt. Both of them moaned deep and long. She was tight like a glove around him, making him wish to stay like that forever. She threw her head back, closing her eyes, and her lush lips were parted as he watched her over her shoulder. Sliding his hand up her belly, Raphael filled it with her breast, his fingers pinching and teasing her nipple. Artemis became restless and started wiggling her hips a second before he pulled almost all the way out and then slammed back in one jerk of his hips.
Artemis felt full to the brim. It should be even painful, but it felt too good for her to be able to feel anything but pleasure. Raphael was a large male, and she should’ve known that large worked in all aspects for the vampire. Her legs were shaking and his arms caging her were the only thing holding her up. The sounds of skin slapping skin were echoing around the room, and the scent that was making her dizzy was
so potent it made her want to claw out of her skin. Now she knew it was Raphael’s scent that she reacted to, not a weapon.
Lifting her lower body almost off the sofa, Raphael changed the angle, getting even deeper inside her with his thrusts, and the sounds she was making were driving him insane. His fangs throbbed in his mouth but he ignored them. Liquid was gathering in her and was running down his thighs as he kept a relentless tempo. She was getting close to her orgasm as her channel started quivering and tightening around him and he sped up his thrusts. Determined to push her over the edge and still keep his word, he kept his face away from her. Piercing the inside of his mouth, he groaned at the taste of his own blood as he was inside Artemis. His eyes burned bright amber, casting orange shadows on her back. He thought he was good, under control. Then she tilted her head, baring her throat to him. He froze.
Artemis didn’t know what possessed her. Whatever it was, she was all instinct, and it felt right. She bared her throat and expected him to attack like a savage. But he froze, and she turned her head to look at him over her shoulder. He looked fierce and terrifying. His body was glistening with sweat, his hair was falling over his forehead and there was a look of determination on his face that took her breath away. He searched her face. She watched him for a moment longer before turning her head and baring her throat again.
“Are you sure?” His voice was deeper than she had ever heard it and his words were slurred by the fangs.
Without answering, she pushed her hips back, causing friction that made them both moan. One second. That was all the time he gave her. Pistoning his hips, he brought her to the edge many times until she was ready to beg. She felt his breath on her shoulder before the butterfly kiss made her stop breathing. She was so close. The rubber band was pulled beyond its limits in her belly, ready to snap. Then, as she felt his fangs pierce her skin, the most intense pleasure made her burst into million pieces. Lights flashed behind her closed eyelids and she thought she heard herself scream Raphael’s name, but she couldn’t be sure. What she was sure about was Raphael’s roar of her name as she summoned enough strength to look over her shoulder and see him at the peak of his passion. His eyes were closed and his head was thrown back, muscles bunched up as if ready for an attack. His lips were parted with his fangs gleaming as her blood ran in rivulets down his chin and neck. He finally looked down at her, and his eyes lost the hunger as they softened. Artemis closed her eyes and drifted to sleep with a slight smile on her face.
“Where is the male?” Claude glared at Iris, getting angrier by the second because she refused to answer any of his questions.
“He’s not here, as I’ve told you ten times by now!” she looked at everything else but him.
“You’re hiding him from me because you’re one of them. Aren’t you, witch?”
“No! And I said to leave me alone!” Iris snapped at Claude. “Everyone has a right to say whatever they want. It doesn’t mean it’s true.”
Pacing across the large room, she wondered how smart it was to have brought the deranged vampire to a place that had been soundproofed, cut off from everything around it. She just needed some time away from everyone, time to think about all the implications that came with Artemis’s revelation.
Claude, on the other hand, was happy that the witch had finally brought him to her ritual room, since here he didn’t have to listen to the sounds of sex that almost drove him insane. It took him a while to convince her, but when she started feeling uncomfortable herself and started shifting in the seat, she relented. In this room, he could finally think about everything that had been said earlier. He told them the gist of it, but not everything. He wasn’t even sure about all the details, but he knew one thing for sure. Anissa couldn’t shut up about the effect Fae blood had on vampires. That’s why she was so obsessed with opening that portal. Until vampires started dropping like flies, Claude thought all that was just a bullshit story told by a psychotic bitch. His ambitions to stay on top of the game proved beneficial once again. Only an idiot will pass on any information. No matter how insignificant it seemed at the time, it can come in handy. Like it did right now.
“The bug didn’t sound confused…” Looking at Iris contemplatively, he mused as his handsome face morphed into a mask of deadly beauty. “As a matter a fact, she sounded very certain.”
“She’s guessing. It’s all stories told to little children. Changeling, my ass. And you do know I’ll tell Raphael that you keep calling Artemis a bug, right? It’ll be fun to watch him dangle you around like a dog with a bone.” Iris gloated even as her brain was screaming at her to shut up and leave him alone.
“Not if I drain you right here, you won’t.” A cruel smile split Claude’s lips as she took a step back. “I’ve heard that blood of the Fae is an aphrodisiac for us. If what she said is true…” His words trailed off as he took one step towards her.
“You wouldn’t dare!” Iris hated the fact that her fear was evident in her voice as she took another step back. “They need me to open the portal. Raphael will rip you limb from limb and you know it!”
“Like I give a fuck! Who will stop me now, witch? It’s just you and me here.” Lifting an eyebrow Claude took another determined step towards her.
Iris tried to run. With her heart in her throat, she bolted towards the door, but Claude was a vampire. He moved as fast as the wind and as silent as death. She hadn't taken two steps before he slammed into her back and together they hit the closed door at such a speed that Iris almost lost consciousness as all the air from her lungs was pushed out.
Grabbing a handful of her long hair, Claude wrapped it around his hand, jerking her head back as he rasped his fangs over her neck. The urge to hunt made him as hard as a rock and he nestled his cock in her round ass, pressing her more firmly to the door. Feeling how she trembled in his hands made him want to start gorging on her blood until there wasn’t even a drop left. He knew that everything that happened tonight had gotten to him and this wasn’t something he normally did. There were enough willing humans around that he didn’t need to attack anyone for it. But the fear he felt because of Raphael had made him angry. The attraction he felt towards Artemis, while she ignored him, made him livid, and the witch taunting him only made it worse. He needed to feel like his usual self, respected and feared as he should be. Draining the witch would make him feel better, if nothing else. Somewhere in the back of his mind was this little voice telling him that hurting her was an idiotic idea that could get him killed, but he was beyond rational thought.
“Raphael!” The piercing scream that ripped from her throat made Claude loosen his grip as he stumbled back, covering the closest ear with his hand. “Help!” Iris kept screaming.
“Shut up!” Claude snapped at Iris, backhanding her and sending her sprawling on the floor.
Iris tried to lift herself off the ground, but her chest was hurting like she had a broken rib and her face was throbbing as she tasted blood in her mouth. Twice she tried to push herself up and twice she failed, dropping down to press her cheek on the cold floor. Tears streamed down her face as her vision blurred. This can’t be the end. I can’t die now. Her mind sounded as desperate as she felt. Through the curtain of her hair that covered her face, she watched Claude’s shoes as he started coming closer. The click, click, of the shoes on the floor was like nails in her brain as fear clogged her throat and she found herself unable to breathe. Her fear made her release control of whatever beast had been sleeping inside her since the day she was born. She could almost physically feel it stretching and purring in her head, as if satisfied with her decision to let it loose. All the gods and the universe help them now that has been unleashed.
“Ancestors, don’t fail me now,” She murmured under her breath, gasping for air as energy started swirling in her chest like a tornado. “Hear my desperate plea, heed my call. When witch’s blood is spilled, payment is taken from all.”
Stopping where Iris was curled up on the floor, Claude crouched next to her. “W
hat did you say, witch?” Moving her hair out of her face with his fingers, his fangs throbbed at the smell of her blood.
He had only enough time to lock eyes with her. Green eyes were burning with rage and so much power that it almost made Claude fall back on his ass. A blast of magic slammed into him, sending him careening back to the other side of the room. His body wrapped around one of the silver statues, almost bending awkwardly in half before he dropped, unmoving, to the floor. Iris lifted her head slightly, just enough to make sure that he wasn’t moving. Before losing consciousness herself, the last thing she remembered was the door banging open and rushed footsteps coming her way. It might have been a foe, but she couldn’t stay awake even if it meant that she would die this night.
The magic being unleashed made Raphael hiss in pain as he bolted upright. He was holding Artemis wrapped around his body, enjoying the feel of her skin on his, but this ruined his moment of peace. His reaction made her sit upright as well, looking around, alert, as if she hadn’t been in a deep sleep a second ago.
“What in the world was that?” Her eyes connected with Raphael’s.
“Iris!” Raphael was gone the next second, making Artemis’s hair fly around her face as the door slammed against the opposite wall before swinging a few times.
Without waiting, Artemis followed him. After their passionate moments, she felt much better instead of exhausted. She found it strange that her body was guiding her towards him, out of her control—as if she knew where he was even when she couldn’t see him. Her skin was itching and felt tight with the urge to shift, but she pushed it down. As her feet brought her to the door of the ritual room, she slowed down.
Raphael was standing butt naked in front of a heap on the floor, glaring towards one of the silver statues. Her eyes followed his muscular frame as his arms bulged while he clenched his fists, baring his fangs at the statue and confusing her. His firm ass was trying to get her attention as heat pooled in her belly at the magnificent creature in front of her, but she knew that she had to focus. The vampire would be the death of her if he kept on making her check him out instead of paying attention to the danger that was making him look almost feral.