by Salo, C A
“Excellent,” Triton boomed as he rose. “Mariwen, make use of this night and bed your man,” he laughed as he wrapped an arm around a brown haired female. “And you, my love, can bite to your heart’s content, it won’t hurt me a bit. But just so you know, I may bite back.”
“You’re so overconfident, you horny toad!” Mari called out listening to his laughter.
“Mariwen,” Rhys smiled. “I like it.”
“Well I’m glad, seeing as how it’s my name.”
“So your mother is an ancient?”
Mari’s chest pressed tight against her shirt as she breathed deeply and turned to meet his gaze. “Yes.”
“And my soon to be father-in-law?”
Her eyes lowered. “My father is—my father is…”
“Are you embarrassed by him?”
“No!” Her eyes whipped up meeting his gaze. “I love my father. I’m just very protective over him is all.”
Rhys stepped forward drawing her into his arms. “That’s fine.” His chin rested on top of her head. “When you’re ready you’ll tell me. Now tell me about this Arouser of Atlantis.”
Mari slapped his back, his chuckle echoing in her ear. “That was a long time ago.”
“How long? You still haven’t told me how old you are, Mari.”
“Older than you can imagine,” she whispered before lifting her head.
“You have to tell me some time.”
“I will. I’m just really tired.”
“You did expel a lot of energy calling Triton. Why don’t we go up to my bedroom and I’ll get you in a hot bath with a glass of wine.”
Mari’s lips parted as Rhys lifted her effortlessly into his arms. She draped hers around his neck as he brushed her lips gently with his, sending tingles coursing through her body. She’d only been to his room once when she’d woken up there after the incident in the clearing with Olivia Roven and the Golem. She’d insisted on her own room after that and he’d put her right across the hall from his own. She also knew that Rhys wanted to question her about everything from her parents to her past. She had to hand it to him though; he wasn’t demanding answers like he would have done when she’d first met him months ago. Glancing up she watched him as he headed down the hall to his rooms. She admired his strong jaw and good looks. Any female would be honored to have him for a life mate, but she, she was just scared.
“Why are you frowning?”
“Wha…I, um, I was just thinking.”
“Of?” Rhys asked as he stepped into his master bath.
“Why I’m so scared.”
“Of us?” He frowned as he set her on a padded chair. “I thought we went through this earlier.”
“We only grazed it, Rhys. Just because I spilled my guts to you doesn’t mean I’m not afraid.”
Rhys knelt down in front of her, taking her hands within his own as their eyes met. “Answer me this. Did your first husband know about your gifts and who you were or did you hide it from him?”
“He knew.”
“And he chose to stay by your side correct?”
“Yes.”
“He made his choice, Mari, as we all do, as I do. Are you afraid that I’ll die?”
“Yes,” she whispered breathlessly.
“We all have to die sometime. When it’s our time, it’s our time, and there’s nothing we can do. What we have to do is fight to survive and live our life to the fullest every day because we don’t know what’s right around the corner. Do you think I had any idea this darkness would emerge and come after us? No, I was living my life between doing my daily responsibilities for the coven, securing Alston and partaking in pleasurable bed sport.” He smiled when her eyes narrowed. “I’ve never claimed to be a saint, Mari, but all that was before I met you and we started fighting to save this town. Since the night we met and I sensed the bond between us, I haven’t been with another woman. I think my body damn well knew you were it and that was that. Frustrating as hell let me tell you.” He grinned as he rubbed the backs of her hands with his thumbs. “I’m one thousand eight hundred and eighty years old and I’ve never felt what I feel with you. If that’s not a sign that we’re not only life mates but soul mates, you tell me what is.”
Mari’s mind was whirling. “What if once you find out what I am you don’t want me anymore?”
“Your mother’s an ancient right?”
“Yes.”
“If your father was good enough for your mother, and the ancients and Gods saw fit to allow a child to be born, then who am I to say otherwise? Would you turn your back to me if you found out I was half human or Triton’s brother?”
Mari squeezed his hand. “No.”
“I’m not by the way, human or Triton’s brother,” he chuckled.
“Oh that I know.” She smiled bringing her hands to his shoulders. “Rhys, if you think about it, we really don’t know each other very well, and I’m feeling a bit rushed and that’s spiking my anxiety as well. I know what I feel between us. I know our bodies are telling us we’re supposed to be together, as well as my mother pointing that out.” Her breath shuddered as they stared at each other, her fingers playing with the short strands of his soft hair. “I never expected to be part of someone again; I’ve lived so long on my own.”
Rhys gripped the sides of her thighs. “Just because we’re to be mates doesn’t mean we have to jump into the ceremony straight up. There’s no law that says, ‘up, that’s it, you’re together, now marry’.” The side of his mouth went up as her eyes widened. “Is that what you thought, that I’d make you jump right into the binding ceremony?”
“A part of me I guess.”
Leaning forward he kissed her softly. “Baby, this is going to be new to me as well. Like I said, I wasn’t exactly a saint. You are, however, the first woman to ever grace my bedroom with her presence. Well, outside of my mother, sister, and housekeeper. No female I’ve slept with has ever been here. I need a little time myself to acclimate to us.” Leaning back, he met her gaze. “You don’t snore do you?”
Mari chuckled as she smacked a kiss on his lips. “No. Well, only when I’m really tired. But I don’t drool and I like the right side.”
“Perfect, I’m a lefty. Now let’s get you in the tub.”
Mari stood and let him help her take her clothing off. “Um, just because we’re not…you know, going through the bonding ceremony right away, doesn’t mean you want to wait, to well, you know.”
Rhys’ brow lifted. “The Sex Kitten of Shangri-la can’t say sex?” he chuckled.
Mari slapped his arm as she lifted her shirt. “Remind me to smack Triton for his big mouth.” Once the shirt was off, she noticed where his gaze was and turned to look in the huge mirror. Her eyes went to the black ink dragon tattoo starting on her right shoulder and going down across her back with its tail ending right above her belly button. “Does it bother you?”
“Hell no.” Cupping her shoulder his fingers trailed down, following the art.
“You’re hard aren’t you?”
“Hell ya.”
Mari smiled as she backed up, rubbing her bottom against his groin, his hands going to her hips to stop her as he groaned.
“No, not tonight. I promised you a hot bath and a glass of wine, and you’re tired. I can see how pale you are right now and when I take you as mine,” he lowered his mouth to her ear, meeting her eyes in the mirror, “I want you fully charged.”
Take her as his—damn, now her panties were wet. “Don’t talk like that unless you want to do something about it. It’s been a long time since I’ve been intimate with anyone.”
Rhys smiled as he backed up. “Yes, ma’am.”
Mari took her pants off as he started the water, her eyes widening when he turned to her. His blue eyes were glowing translucent as his fangs descended.
“I can smell your arousal. I need to go, sweet, before I attack you.”
“Don’t forget my wine,” she called out as he quick-stepped out of the room.
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* * * *
Mari groaned as she rolled over in the warm comfortable bed. Stretching her arms out above her as she stretched her body, a soft smile played on her lips as an arm went around her waist. “Morning.”
“Don’t you mean afternoon?”
“What?” Rolling over she noticed that he was fully dressed. “What time is it?”
“Twelve-thirty.”
“Oh crap,” she exclaimed, tossing the comforter aside. “I’m late. I promised Livi I’d train her today.”
Rhys grabbed her, bringing her back down to the bed. “She’s here. She came with Drake and the Elders to talk with Triton.”
“There was a meeting and no one woke me up?”
Rhys moved to lay over her and smiled. “You needed the rest, sweet. You didn’t even budge when Triton came up here booming about how you still had panties on and didn’t take his advice to get laid last night.”
Mari scoffed at his grin. “Uh, that idiot.”
“Don’t worry,” he said as he lowered his mouth to kiss her neck. “I made him feel guilty, telling him if you hadn’t expelled so much energy calling him I would have gotten a piece last night.”
Mari chuckled then moaned when he nibbled on a sensitive area of her neck. “Oh I like that.”
“Mmmm.” Mari’s hips came up and her breathing deepened when he bit her a little harder. “Am I allowed to bite you?” he breathed as his eyes changed.
Her lips parted on a silent moan as the smoothness of his descending fangs caressed her skin. “No, not right away. Not until I…” her breathing hitched when his hand cupped her pussy. “Oh damn, Rhys.”
“You smell so good,” he groaned. “Like an exotic spice and bright warm sunlight mixed together.”
Her hands moved to the front of his pants, his moan filling her ear as she lightly caressed his hard cock. Her knuckles slid down it as she lowered his zipper, and her back arched as he rubbed her clit. They both froze with a knock on the door.
“What?” Rhys yelled.
“My lord, young Olivia is inquiring as to Ms. Mari’s wakefulness, and Prince Triton is—egging her on if I shall say, sir.”
Rhys groaned as he lifted his head from the corner of her neck. “Thank you, William, we’ll be down in a few moments.”
“Remind me again to smack Triton when I see his watery ass,” Mari grumbled as she sat up on her elbows.
“I’ll hold him for you.” He smiled as he jumped up.
* * * *
Mari smiled as Olivia concentrated. “That’s it, Livi, now put your hand out and concentrate on making the energy into a ball on your palm.”
“It’s hard.”
“I know, but I also know you can do it. Think of a ball or sphere.” Mari grinned when a small orb the size of a golf ball appeared. “Open your eyes, Livi.”
“Oh wow, I did that?”
“Yes. Now the more you practice the easier it will be to call the energies forth, and the bigger you can make them. When needed they can become a weapon.”
“Mari?”
“I feel it.” Turning, her eyes narrowed as she scouted the area around the river where they sat. “Livi, get away from the water for me.” Backing up, she kept Livi behind her. “Call for your father, Livi, call now!” Backing up she pushed Livi further back as a creature sprinted out of the river. “What the hell? It’s a Kappa.”
“A what?”
Mari kept her eyes on it as she bowed deep. “I am guardian of this land, why are you here?” Mari gasped when it ignored her and charged at them. Bringing her hands together she conformed the energies around her, just as she’d shown Livi a few moments ago, and let a sphere the size of a baseball go, hitting the reptilian-like creature right between the eyes. Hers widened as it shook off the hit and came at them again. “Run, Livi!”
“Daddy’s coming. I won’t leave you, Mari!”
“Livi, run!” Mari yelled as the Kappa flew right over her head, pouncing on Livi and knocking her to the ground. The child screamed and transformed into her wolf self and ran away from the Kappa as it tried dragging her to the water. Mari’s powers were kicking up. Streaks of lightning coursed through her as she tackled the Kappa from the side, oomphing as they went flying. The damn thing was so stocky she couldn’t get it to tip onto its side as its webbed feet slid across the ground. Mari grunted when the Kappa renewed its efforts to get to Livi after she’d sent up a howl. “You stay away from her!” Mari shouted as she lifted her hand, gripping its beak-like mouth. If she could tilt the beast’s head to the side, the water from the lily-pad-like bowl on top of its head would spill and render it immobile. Mari growled as the Kappa flung her back, knocking the breath out of her as she landed hard. Her head swam as she felt it crawling up over her. She screamed when the beast swung, ripping the front of her jeans to shreds in an attempt to rape her. “No you don’t!” Mari yelled as her blood heated. She lifted her hands to its chest as Livi yelled for her in the background. Her hands had just started burning through the Kappa’s scaly skin when it disappeared. Gasping, she moved her head to see Rhys tilting the Kappa’s head, emptying the water.
“Mari, are you alright?” Drake asked as he knelt down next to her side.
“Yes. Livi?”
“Fine. She’s getting dressed.” He smiled before walking over to Rhys.
“What happened?” Triton asked.
“It came up out of the water and charged us. I tried bowing and it ignored me, going after Livi first. It tried dragging her to the water and then she wolfed up and got away as I tackled it. The damn thing was too strong for me to overpower physically and it tried to…”
“Rape you,” Triton said as he laid his shirt over her stomach and private area. “Why didn’t you transform or power up?”
“I was. He has burns on his chest from my hands.”
“You know what I mean, Mariwen Gawain!”
“I haven’t transformed in centuries,” she whispered, noticing Rhys and Drake staring her way.
“You haven’t…Gods woman, you’re not out fighting a human to survive! You’re smack in the middle of an Other Kin war! What the hell would you have done if we hadn’t arrived in time?”
“I was handling it!” she growled, sitting up. She kept his gaze.
“Yeah, you handled it really well! I’m ordering you to tell Rhys who you are, maybe then you won’t hold back when you need your powers!”
“You are not my Prince! I don’t take orders from you, Triton!” Jumping to her feet, she held the shirt up as a cover. She growled at him, the beast within her wanting to fight.
“You feel her wanting to come out; your eyes are glowing and your skin is heating.”
“I can’t transform!”
“Not unless you get what you need, and I’m sure your vamp will be all too glad to help you with that!”
Mari’s chest rose with a deep breath, slowly letting it out through her nose, sighing tiredly. “You don’t understand. It’s not like I can hide my other self easily, Triton. I can’t just delve into the sea and disappear. Well I can, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make. If someone saw me, if someone—do you know what they’d do to me, Other Kin or human alike? They’d cut me up so fast…”
“You forget, Sissy, how powerful you really are. No Other Kin or human invention can contain you if you don’t want it to. You need to remember that. You may need to shift to fight the darkness.”
“I know, I just—” she whispered, glancing over at Rhys. She knew she was more powerful when she was shifted to her other self, and that power may need to come out.
“Mari, has it hit your mind that if your father has the power to kill or seal the darkness away, then you may too? You are his blood and he is here if you really need him to arise.”
“It’s dangerous to wake him before his time.”
“Don’t you think if he knows you’re in life or death danger he’d wake on his own?”
“That’s impossible,” she mumbled, me
eting his gaze.
“Not as impossible as you think. My uncle Zeus said he’s seen it before when a…” Glancing over at Rhys and Drake, he turned her so their backs were facing them, “…a you know who’s child is in danger, it woke up on its own to protect and take down the threat. Now that’s why Pompeii happened, but the…you know what…was sleeping beneath the volcano.”
“Oh wonderful, so are you telling me that if my father wakes up to protect me he could literally destroy Alston?”
“Not knowing where he’s sleeping, I can’t say.”
“Trust me when I say, the whole of Alston could be wiped out if he woke suddenly.”
“That’s impossible. Alston is huge, at least ten thousand square miles,” Rhys stated as he joined them.
Mari frowned as Triton’s brows went up and he scooted away, saying he’d let them talk while he took care of the Kappa. “Rhys, my father is—very powerful.”
“Apparently so are you from what Triton said, and he’s right. You should have shifted. The Kappa could have very easily overpowered you and then what?”
His voice rose with his last words. She just stared as he ran a hand through his hair. “Well if you were listening, Mr. Big Ears, then you would have heard me tell him I couldn’t if I wanted to,” she sniped.
“And what is it you need from me to help you shift?” he snarled right back.
Mari’s insides twisted as they stared each other down, all quiet around them.
“Your blood,” Olivia whispered.
Mari lowered her eyes as they closed with a sigh.
“I’m sorry, Mari, but I agree with Triton and Rhys. It almost got the both of us. Any blood will do, not just a Vampire’s, but she needs it in order to shift fully.”
Mari lifted her gaze, meeting Rhys’.
“It’s not secure here!” Triton bellowed. “Go now, back to Beven Manor. Now, Mari, go!”
Mari caught one last glimpse of Rhys before she took off running. She glanced to her left and saw him quick-stepping to keep up. She stopped short of the door to his home, waiting for him to appear. Her chest rose with the deep breath she inhaled, letting it out slowly through her nose as Rhys appeared with Triton.