Before he knew what he was doing, he was climbing into the bath with his clothes on and kneeling in front of her. “Sophie,” was all he said before he brought his mouth down on hers and kissed her. He cupped her face and gave her the gentlest of kisses. The kiss was filled with longing and a need to feel her alive and well. He pulled back and stared at her, drinking in the hint of rose on her cheeks, the elfin features that had captivated his interest at first and those eyes that he always wanted to get lost in. Her eyes were vamp red; she needed him too. Requiring no further encouragement, Sylvain dipped his head again and took what she offered. This time the kiss was fueled by passion and the frustration of having been apart. He drank her in with tongue, teeth, and lips, swallowing her sounds of pleasure.
Not breaking the kiss, Sylvain moved his hands from her face down her arms. Sophie’s sharp intake of breath stopped him. “You’re hurt,” he growled. “What was I thinking?”
“It’s okay,” Sophie placated, bringing his face down towards hers. “It’s okay.” Their lips touched and she took control, sweeping her tongue into his mouth and sucking until Sylvain forgot why he’d stopped. Sophie drew him in closer so that her naked breasts touched the wet, luxurious silk of his shirt. They continued to drink in the passion that poured into each other while their bodies caressed against each other with involuntary shivers of desire.
“I’m afraid I’ll hurt you like this,” Sylvain said, breaking away from her. He stood in the bath, towering over her like a God of Pleasure and began to take his clothes off. His actions were slow and deliberate, designed to tease. When the last piece of clothing was tossed onto the bathroom floor, the red of her eyes had become darker, mirroring the passion she felt for him. “Goddess,” Sylvain leaned in for a quick kiss, “I love that I do that to you.”
He picked her up and rose, making water move in tidal waves in and over the edge of the bath. Then he carefully carried her over to the huge bed in her room. Sylvain placed her gently in the middle of the bed before he lay beside her, propped on one arm. “How hurt are you?”
Sophie knew that words would not disarm him enough to continue. There was a voice at the back of her head that told her to say she was too sore and that she should say NO to what was happening between them in order. But, she ignored that voice; her need for the man in front of her was too great.
So, she stood on the bed before him the way he had stood in front of her moments earlier in the bath. She knew what she was doing to him. The pulse in his neck quickened, making her fangs drop. It wasn’t the taste of blood that beckoned her to him, it was wanting to taste his skin, and his desire as he moved inside of her.
Sylvain was unable to think of anything as he watched her lips move while explaining now the places she touched had healed sufficiently to make love.
“Sylvain?” She asked after she’d finished detailing her injuries. The question might have sounded innocent, but the smile that curved her lips could only be described as that of a temptress.
“Minx,” Sylvain growled before pulling her on top on him. Sophie laughed and the sound danced across his skin, eliciting an appreciative groan from him. Sophie placated him by licking her way down from his chin to his feet, and then she ran her tongue upwards until she captured his hard length in her mouth. She rolled her eyes upwards as she sucked and pleasured him, using her hands to massage his balls. The look on his face was pure desire. Reaching for a condom, Sophie turned the mechanical act of putting it on, into a masterful act of teasing. He stared down at her, his breath escaping in audible pants.
“I need to be inside of you.” He moved so that she could no longer feast on him and stopped her from voicing her complaints with another drowning kiss. Breaking the kiss, he stopped her hand from moving him in place at her entry. “But, I need to have you boneless and screaming my name more.” He shifted positions so that he was on top of her, and then he teased her in turn. He placed all his weight on his arms and toes so that the only parts of him that touched her were his mouth. With millennia of experience, he used his tongue, teeth, and lips to graze, lick, and alternatively blow soft touches over her skin. Sophie squirmed beneath him, pushing her body up so that she could feel more of him against her.
“Uh, uh, uh, no cheating,” Sylvain reproved, but the smile he gave her was all male. He allowed her to feel his body graze over until he reached her breasts. He settled there comfortably as though he tended to stay for a long time. And he did. He worshipped her breasts, exploring every part of each mound in turn with his lips, tongue, hands, and fingers, alternating hard pressure with feather-light touches, until Sophie arched against him pushing that aching wetness against his stomach. But, she wasn’t where she wanted to be, so she moved her body, wiggling beneath him to get to what she wanted inside of her.
Sylvain cursed, fighting the need to plunge inside of her. “Let me give you pleasure first,” he begged.
“You’ve given me pleasure,” Sophie argued.
“No, not enough, yet.” To make his point, he moved down her body, grasped her legs, and opened her widely, exposing her wet, aching need for him to taste and feast upon. The look he gave her before he settled his mouth stoked the flame that had begun to kindle. Using his mouth, he brought her over and over again until she could no longer scream. Her throat was raw and her voice was hoarse. Her muscles clenched with the after-shock of her orgasm as he entered her in one fluid stroke. Finding his rhythm, he began to plunge into her, long and deep. Another orgasm hit her making the walls of her vagina clench around him, milking him with every stroke, and pushing him over the edge. Sylvain groaned loudly, the deep, throaty sound of released passion echoing throughout the room and his body gave one last thrust before he spilled himself inside of her.
xxx
Sophie woke up with lips curved wide in satisfaction. She lifted her arms above her head and stretched, relishing in the aches that reminded her of the many times they’d given each other pleasure. Eyes still closed, she ran her hands across the bed next to where she lay but, instead of feeling the heat of his skin, they felt cold sheets that had long since been abandoned.
Anger and hurt rose within her as she sat up and looked at the empty space beside her. Then she saw the note on the pillow. She was afraid to pick it up, but her curiosity was greater than her fear.
“Thank you, Sophie. I’m sorry I had to leave. There are some things I must see to. We’ll speak again soon, Sylvain”
Chapter 16
Sylvain was waiting and idle time brought inner demons forward so they could torment the crap out of you. He was resigned to it. It was part of the process. But, it didn’t mean that he had to like it.
Perhaps her death was horrific, but her last moment was one of peace and fulfillment? Maybe it was a kind of acceptance?
He had said that to Sophie at the farmhouse and he had meant every word. Thoughts of Marianne’s last moments came to mind. Was that what she had felt too? That the horrors she was absorbing from around her was so much that death brought relief. That her last moments, contrary to what he had believed for three thousand years, had been peaceful? It was hard to accept. He’d hung onto the torment and guilt of what he had believed was her brutal ending. It had been strong enough to carry his resentment and anger through three thousand years.
Sylvain shook his head in wonder, his expression rueful. It was funny how good advice never quite applied to oneself until you got a kick in the ass.
Our estrangement, as you so put it, Sylvain, is another classical example of how pigheaded you can be and how difficult you find it to let go. To trust.
His sister had pissed him off when she’d said those words. And yet, she had been right.
“Brother,” the object of his thoughts said, by way of greeting. She moved up the podium stairs with grace and confidence. His sister was a beautiful and powerful woman. She was someone to be proud to call family. He inwardly berated himself for having acted like the jackass Sophie had once accused him of being. Vérène s
at in the throne next to his. The symbolism of holding a seat of power alongside him was one he could no longer ignore. “Vérène,” he returned. “Thank you for coming.”
She raised a surprise brow at his courtesy, but said nothing of it. “What’s this about?”
“My apology,” he offered.
Another raised brow. “Sorry, I don’t think I heard correctly. What did you say?”
“You heard,” he replied, a smile playing on his lips. She was going to draw this out.
“You said your apology?” Vérène inquired. “The one that’s three thousand years outstanding?”
“Yep,” Sylvain acknowledged. “That one.”
“Okay,” she sat back in her throne. “Go ahead, I’m all ears.”
Sylvain looked at her. “I’m sorry,” he got right to it. “I was wrong to maintain our separation for so long. I was wrong to keep our courts divided. You’re my sister and despite how coldly I’ve treated you, you breached our agreement, and came into my home, my friend’s home, because you thought I was in danger. You loved me enough to yell at me and tell me you thought I was an idiot when I needed to hear it.”
“Idiot’s a bit tame,” she interjected. “I called you a…”
“I know what you called me. Your creative use of language is not easily forgotten.”
Vérène’s laughter trilled across the throne room, bouncing off the walls to create a lyrical ode to her power as fae princess. It was infectious and a sound he remembered from their childhood. He joined in as naturally as he had back then.
“What changed things?” She looked at him with curiosity.
Feeling uncomfortable, he shrugged. “Sophie and what you said.”
Vérène rolled her eyes. “You’re such a guy! Geez! What about Sophie? What about what I said? I say many wise things, you know.” She flicked an imaginary piece of lint off her sleeve. “You’ll have to be more specific.”
Now it was his turn to roll his eyes. “I’m a guy. I get to speak in sentences, not essays.”
“That doesn’t sound like groveling to me,” Vérène pointed out.
“I won’t…” Sylvain began, and then checked himself. “Okay, okay,” he held up his hands, “you made your point.” He conjured two glasses of deep red and handed one to her. “Might as well get comfortable.”
The heart to heart was uncomfortable, but he felt lighter. It was surprising and oddly warming to his insides. Not that he would ever let his sister know that. She had been right on more account than she knew. Being a monarch, he had few people he could confide in. Conall was one, Sophie had become another, but there was something special about a filial relationship. Only his sister, as another fae ruler, could truly understand him. It didn’t undermine what he had with his other two confidants; it was just different with his twin.
“I’m sorry too, you know,” she touched his arm gently. She apparently felt the same way.
“I know,” Sylvain looked at her. “What had happened with Marianne was tragic, but I have mourned for too long and the Seelie and Unseelie courts have suffered for it. It is time to let go.” He looked at the woman who he'd blamed for her death - his sister. He waited for the anger to come rushing back, but it didn’t. Maybe Marianne was at peace and this was a sign of that. “She would have wanted me to move on ages ago.”
“Yes she would have,” agreed Vérène. “The Marianne I remember would also have understood your hurt and anger. She wouldn’t have liked it, but she would have understood.”
“You’re being too kind,” Sylvain replied.
“Oh no!” Vérène corrected. “Not kind at all - just saying things as they are. I’m still pissed you took three thousand years to get your stubborn ass to apologize,” she wagged a finger at him, her tone firm and her eyes soft. “Don’t think I’m letting you get off this quickly. I think the only reason why I’m not yelling at you now is because I’m still in shock. Here I thought you were going to tell me to stay the hell out of your life, but instead, you apologize. You’re nuts! You know that? You’re abso-fucking-lutely nuts!” She wasn’t done. “Don’t think I’m done with you. I’m still in shock.”
Sylvain dragged a hand through his hair. Goddess, he’d missed her. “I have no doubt you are planning many ways to kick my ass, despite your proclamations of shock! You’re welcome to try and do so. You won’t succeed.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Is that a challenge?”
Sylvain caught the anticipatory glint in her eyes. It took him back to where they had left off before everything went south. It would take time to re-build the relationship, but that was one commodity they had plenty of and given their aversion to failure. They couldn’t be what they had been in the past but, in future, with determination and commitment, they’d be better. “Oh yeah, sister. To quote you, 'abo-fucking-lutely'!”
xxx
“Girls, girls,” Sophie called out, “calm down.” She was standing in the bigger of the classrooms and the girls were in awe of their guests. They had met Arianna before but had never been tutored by her. The fae sorceress was impressive and oozed knowledge and power. Equally admirable was their other guest, Ida, Conall’s sister and one of the royal witch triplets. When teenage girls were in awe, they literally tittered and chirped like an aviary of birds.
“Nope,” Rose leaned in and whispered, “birds aren’t even this nosy. They are too engrossed in our visitors to hear you.” Rose had juggled a busy calendar of appointments to sit in on the lesson. After the first meeting that Sophie, Arianna, and Ida had held had gone so well, they decided to have a special lesson for the girls on empath skills. Not all of the girls were natural empaths but it was a good way to increase their general knowledge of magick and also to help them spot the true empaths as a trio so that they could take those girls under their wing and train them in the correct manner.
Sophie nodded at Rose. Frankly, she couldn’t blame the girls. The other women were just that extraordinary. “You have a point.” The lesson had to end soon and she had a dinner to prepare for, so she let down the shield on her empath powers and allowed a trickle of energy to wash over the group of girls. It was invisible, except to those with power. As all the girls possessed some magick, they all saw the calm blue energy settle first around them and then inside of them, like a gentle mist. Sophie purposefully did not send too much calm to them. It was important to her for the girls to be able to feel the myriad of always extreme, often confusing emotions that teenage girls do. Those emotions were a right of passage each of the Coffin Girls had been denied and these girls, their wards, would be afforded every opportunity for as normal a life as they could possibly be given.
“Ooh,” Mary exclaimed. “Can you teach us how to do that?”
“Yeah,” agreed Antoinette, a local werewolf. “Professor Farrell could do with some of that.”
Sophie arched a brow at Antoinette, pursing her lips together to keep them from twitching. Farrell was perfectly nondescript. He wouldn’t hit anyone’s radar except when he spoke of magickal history. Then, he became so passionate that the often lost himself, literally. They’d had to use location spells after each history lesson to first find the man, and then had to request that someone from the Enchanted Island, Conall’s home, went to whatever place and century he was, in order to bring him back. Unfortunately, Farrell was also a time-traveler. That would have been okay, but for the fact that whenever he went to another place in time, he often upset the apple cart. Thus far, his misdemeanors had had little impact, but upsetting the future through changing the past, however inadvertently, was not something to be taken lightly. As Farrell was also amongst the most knowledgeable magickal historian they had, they had taken to rotating other tutors to sit in on his classes instead of sending him back to the Enchanted Island. Thus far, it worked, but some calm would definitely help the situation.
Antoinette dropped her head demurely, which didn’t fool Sophie for a minute, but the apology that she gave afterwards was accepted.
Sophie turned to face the girls. “Arianna, Ida, and I will be holding one on one sessions with each of you tomorrow. If you have empath ability, we will begin more specific empath training to each one’s ability. We’ll start with the basics and take things from there.”
The girls began to wiggle around in their chairs and put their hands up, eager to begin training and at their age, it would be more for the power than the knowledge. That was to be expected and a quick glance at Ida and Arianna confirmed that they shared her opinion. The two women seemed as enchanted by the girls as they were by them.
Sophie faced the girls once more. “Our guests will be with us for a few more days. Arianna will be coming in daily from the hollow and Ida will be staying over at the plantation house. I can see that you have more questions, but they must wait for tomorrow because you have to get ready for your trip to Baton Rouge. I need to get back to the mansion, but will leave you in Rose, Ida, and Arianna’s capable hands.”
The girls barely heard her greeting. They chattered and giggled away in the manner that teenagers do, eagerly anticipating their outing later. The purpose of the school was not to isolate the girls, so, they went on excursions to New Orleans and Baton Rouge at least twice a week. Of course, Conall’s witches might be tutors, but they were also magickally powerful and more than capable of chaperoning and protecting the girls.
Supernatural Seduction (Book 2 of the Coffin Girls Series) Page 21