by Kim Knox
“And who said you can’t be taught?”
Smacking him. Hard. That felt like a good plan right then. I should’ve simply stuck to it being lust. Blake did not inspire any finer emotion in me.
“Funny.”
I stared at my skin-covered feet and curled my toes against the cold floor. Yesterday, I’d had complete control over my life. I knew my job, got happily drunk with friends, hung out at the dockside dives, and lost myself in my magic books. Not a riveting life, but I’d been happy. And not sitting practically naked in a metal box with a man I’d known—in every sense—for no time at all.
“The cycle is coming to its end. It must begin again.” Blake stood up, the stark light from the curved ceiling drawing heavy shadows down over his features. My heart tightened, and its thudding beat made my head light. His gaze narrowed, and the glitter of gold shone from his eyes. “So the cycle of my time with you has one last turn.”
“Blake...”
I wanted to say that Professor Jones would be monitoring the room, that the technicians outside would be crowded around a screen watching every stroke of him into my body. But the ability not to care about who saw us took away that embarrassment. No, my reluctance came from it being the last time, the very last time Blake would touch me.
We were bound, almost a part of each other. That—the knowledge that Blake would break our bond—edged a pain as sharp as implanted tech under my skin. Why, I didn’t understand. It should simply be all about lust. But it wasn’t.
“I don’t want us to end.”
There. I’d said the words that couldn’t be taken back and watched Blake pause as he crossed the short distance between us. He stared down at me. “It has to end, Leona. What I do, it always has to end.”
His incredible age shot through my mind. “How many candidates have you presented to the Council?”
Blake’s bleak expression didn’t change, his thoughts a wall of shining, impenetrable glass. “Enough.”
A wry smile pulled at my mouth, but I didn’t find the strength to hold his gaze. How many had he fucked and brought to ecstasy with wraith-fired heat? How many stupid candidates forgot they were simply a tool for him and for the Council and started to—I cut out the word before it formed a shape in my mind that he could read.
“Leona.”
Blake knelt before me. His hand brushed my skin-covered thigh, and the cold, wet substance rolled back from me, the stuff melting away in a quiet rush with no effort, no pain.
Within a moment, the last of it rippled from my face, my eyes, my mouth, and I shook my hair free of its constriction. I pulled in a deep, releasing breath and his dark gaze held me.
“You’re different.”
“From the many you’ve fucked up against a wall?” I winced, hating that I cared.
He leaned in, and his mouth touched mine in the lightest caress. The wraith stirred, its heat burning in my cheeks, little licks of flame teasing my lips. I felt his smile. “Not once have I shared this. Only with you.”
The need to be sarcastic matched the wraith for its burn...but with his kiss, Blake’s thoughts caressed mine. He was telling the truth. Candidates were a duty, nothing more; he did what he had to, used sex combined with his power to prepare them.
Yet, I... No. I didn’t believe him. This could be more lies to twist me. “Is this what you tell them all? That they’re the special one?”
His large hands parted my thighs, his thumbs drawing lazy patterns against the sensitive inner curve. “I’ve given you the truth.” He pressed light kisses to my jaw before his mouth hovered over my ear. “It would be easier for me if it were a lie.”
My head fell back against the metal wall as his fingers teased over the crease of my thighs. I had to stop him. He twisted the truth, had fucked countless people down through the centuries...and hell, he wasn’t even human.
He smiled against my neck. “Admit it. The wings turned you on.” Unseen hands pushed his jacket from my shoulders as his magic drew it back from my skin. It crumpled into a puddle of cloth on the metal bench. Blake strung a line of kisses along my shoulder, the wraith meeting each fleeting touch with a point of fire. “So...should I mention my tail?”
Laughter broke from me. Damn the man. “You have a tail?”
“A thing of beauty.” His tongue drew a line along my clavicle, and I sucked in a quick breath. “And at my full command.”
I threaded my fingers through his dark hair and tried not to go where his words took me. I failed. “Kinky.”
“But that excites you too.”
And that was the price to pay for having sex with a man who could read my thoughts. “Maybe,” I admitted.
His soft laughter brushed my skin, and he kissed his way to the curve of my breast. “If I could, Leona...” His tongue curled around my nipple, and I tightened my fingers in his hair, my spine arching at the unexpected spike of joy. The wraith chased down my belly, eager as I was for Blake to find me, to fuck me. “I would make love to you.”
The words contracted my heart, and tears stung my eyes. “Damn it, Blake.”
“Stand,” he murmured, his fingers gripping me, urging me up.
The metal bench vanished as I put my weight on my feet and slid my spine up the cool wall. Yet more of his magic. I stared down at Blake, the stark light illuminating his face. I frowned. He’d stayed on his knees.
His wicked smile grew and caused my heart to flutter. “But I can do this.” His mouth pressed to my mons, and the wraith showered sparks of brilliant heat under my flesh. “Taste you, eat you.” His low growl pricked my skin, and his thumbs stroked the sensitive flesh of my thighs. “Make you scream for me.”
I closed my eyes. The intense sensation of the wraith and of Blake licking me flared warmth through my flesh. His soft, appreciative growls vibrated through my flesh. He lifted my leg, supporting it with his shoulder, and his thumbs teased my folds.
I gasped, my fingers fisting in his hair. The raw fact that he had never taken a candidate—man or woman—in this way burned over my thoughts. And his hunt for candidates stretched back further than the measly Council’s four centuries. I felt the weight of millennia press against me.
Samuel Blake was ancient.
“Who are you?” My question came out on a huff of air, the curl of his tongue around my clit bursting wild joy up through my flesh. The flames of the wraith curled around me, intensifying the hot surge and flashing sparks behind my eyes. My limbs trembled, and Blake’s hard fingers gripped my thighs and held me up. “What are you?”
He didn’t reply, simply increased the quick licks, pushing closer and closer to where I ached for him. My heart hammered, desperate for him to find me, fuck me with his tongue, knowing that it would be over. That when I came, we would be finished.
“Leona...”
His mind touched mine, and I pulled in a sharp breath, denying the pain of no longer sharing my thoughts with him. It was crazy, to have this want, this need of him, when I’d known nothing of Samuel Blake before that morning. “I don’t understand...”
“Lose yourself.” The hint of forbidden decadence flavoured his words. “Think of my mouth on you. Of wings against your skin. How a tail would bring you such…pleasure.”
An image flashed of Blake wrapped around me in his true form, not the harsh human flesh he wore for the benefit of others. But…vast wings, as soft to the touch as the satin smoothness of his naked skin.
And a tail slipped across my leg—real, so real—curling around my thigh, smooth and warm and delicious. The blunted end teased across my backside and my belly squeezed. Tight. Fuck… I bit my lip, wanting and denying the image, letting the heat of his mouth and his tongue, the sharpness of his teeth on my clit fire over me.
The deep throb in my flesh promised to fill me, take me—
“Give in to it, Leona.”
Blake’s command rioted joy through my flesh, and still he licked and sucked, driving the wraith into a searing spin, driving the wildness de
eper until a second release broke over me. I cried out against its fierce power, every inch of me shaking, my thoughts chaotic and lost.
A soft moan escaped me as Blake wrapped me in his arms. I buried my face against his shirt, breathing in his unique scent. I fisted my fingers in the thick material and resisted the hard pain in my chest. “I don’t want to lose you.”
He tensed but then let out a slow breath. He rested his chin on my head. “We will never be together as we are now, Leona. But I will be with you. Always.”
Tears burned and my throat hurt. Blake’s mind was stone, yet an undercurrent pulsed, something that hinted at the reality of his being with me. And all that I could feel was pain and regret. From me or him, I didn’t know.
“Blake, we don’t have to do this.”
“It is…my ancient duty.” He paused and then stood back from me, his hands covering mine to ease them free of the heavy material of his black shirt. “None of us can oppose it.”
The air shimmered, and for a second, his other self was imprinted on the air. My heart lodged in my throat, and I folded my arms across my breasts.
This was it.
We were over.
My gaze skimmed the shadow of his vast wings as they brushed the ceiling, dropping to catch his blunt-headed, sinuous tail curling over his thigh. A wry smile pulled at my mouth. Yes, I would’ve had so much fun with that tail. His harsh features mixed with those of the beast, pale horns curving and twisting from his forehead.
Samuel Blake was terrifyingly beautiful.
I pressed my lips together, needing to deny that I wanted the creature he was as much as the man. And I still didn’t know what he was. It didn’t matter. Whatever he was, he was a part of me, would always be, as much was the wraith still and silent in my flesh. And that was another thing I couldn’t explain. I pulled in a heavy breath, my chest tight. Already he was fading before me, slipping into thin air, and would soon be gone.
I lifted my hand, wanting a final touch, but my fingers ghosted through his. “Goodbye, Blake.”
He mouthed words I couldn’t hear, and then he vanished.
I sank down, finding the metal bench returned and Blake’s coat under me. Shrugging the heavy material over my shoulders, I hugged it closed for warmth and wrapped myself in Blake’s rich scent. Breathing it in only deepened the sharp ache under my heart.
I slumped back against the wall, pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes and and willed myself not to cry.
“He’s gone, as he abandons all the candidates, Ms Munro.” Clair’s synthesised voice reverberated against the metal walls. “Did you honestly think you’d be any different?” The door shot back, and the councillor stood framed in the archway.
I forced myself to sit straight, wormed my hands through the sleeves of Blake’s jacket, and buried them in the empty pockets. My fingers curled back into my palms, and my heart thudded. Blake was gone. I had no idea what would happen to me now.
“So what’s the next test?”
And there was Clair’s cold political smile. Something gleamed in her hand.
The cold sting of air hit the back of my throat. “What the...?” I crashed to my knees, swayed, and fell forward. Fuck, fuck, I couldn’t control my muscles. A hot wave of panic hit me.
“Samuel Blake has chosen you. I'm sure you’ll be able to tell us.”
With those words, my world faded.
Chapter Twelve
Cold ran goose bumps over my skin. My bare skin. I’d lost Blake’s coat, and its absence hurt. I had no connection to him now. Nothing.
I stretched, and the lumpy mattress dug into my ribs as my feet dangled over the thin side. I pulled in a deep breath and winced. Shit. The air smelt musty, dry, the thick odour of dust and plaster tickling my nose. There was something else too, but I couldn’t quite grasp what it was.
I risked opening an eye. The room was dark, only thin streaks of sunlight chinking through the broken slats of a dirty window to stripe the floorboards. There was just me, my bed, a closed door, and no other furniture.
I rolled upright and stared down. Yes, I was naked. “Fantastic.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
I jumped, curling my knees up and wrapping my arms around my bare legs. The room had been empty. It had. But there stood Tobias Conrad before the dirt-smeared window. His walking stick tap-tapped against the wooden floor I a rhythm that strained my already taut nerves and he dropped his head to one side. “Though what’s-his-name—Blake?—seemed thoroughly interested.” He jabbed his walking stick at me. “There are clothes at the end of the bed. Boots under it. Unless you intend to remain naked?” His walking stick dropped again. “It’s a risk you can take. However, my over-keen colleagues might not find you so unappealing.”
My own jeans and shirt were neatly folded, socks and underwear on top. “How did you get me out of the Council chambers?” I waggled my fingers. “Magic?”
Tobias paced the room, his heels clicking loudly. “Oh, something much more simple.”
I shrugged into my clothes. Warmth spread over my skin, and I stared at the still-pacing Tobias. He hadn't spoken again in the few minutes it had taken me to dress. “Is it a problem with magic users, this inability to answer anything?”
Tobias laughed. “Nothing if not blunt.” He pointed his walking stick toward the door. It opened with a slow creak and a fall of grit and plaster. “The Council has performed their little test. Now it’s our turn.”
I blinked. A sudden chill ran down to my fingertips. “A test? From you?” I scanned the room. But then my brain kicked in. This was North Bank. Technology was frowned on, and the ceiling corners were too dark and thick with cobwebs for me to see any sign of sympathetic magic. “I’m a null.”
“A deliberate choice.” Something crossed the man’s face, but the fleeting expression of doubt passed. Something about me being a null disturbed him. With the magic flowing through his veins, it was probably distaste. “No. The immaculate Councillor Musgrove gave you to us.”
My heart turned over. “You know her?”
“The Council and certain guild masters have a long and intimate history.” He stood by the door. “Not as intimate as I would like...” And he smirked. “But then Councillor Musgrove has an insane aversion to magicians without truly understanding our potential.” Pale eyes narrowed on me. “However, I think you might.”
My cheeks burned, and I forced myself to stand. My head felt light and my stomach cramped. I was hungry. How long had I lain unconscious? It probably wasn’t a question Tobias would answer. Not right away. I pushed forward with the questions he seemed happy with. “So the two Banks are in collusion?”
“Not exactly.” He let me precede him from the room. “Factions within factions, my dear Leona. But we all agree, if you are the Chosen, then it’s time to act.”
The Chosen? What the fuck was that? I was tired of everyone I met being full-on cryptic. I stood in a long corridor. A bulb buzzed, and its intermittent light flickered over the closed doors and peeling walls. “Nice place.”
“The centre of North Bank is closed to the general public. Guild master decree.”
I frowned. I’d thought everyone in the North Bank peninsula had access to magic, that only the degree of ability limited them. “Why?”
“You've read the books.”
I had. Hunger had obviously clouded my brain. Of course, there was one area sacrosanct to magicians. The heart of their magic. The place that gave them their powers. “The Source is in the old Basilica.”
Tobias smiled. “Precisely.” He touched my arm and then threaded it through his own. He patted my hand. “And the crusty old guild masters don’t want young upstarts leeching their precious power.”
“But they let you in.”
“You have quite a nasty streak, don’t you?” He started a quick walk along the dusty corridor. His cane clicked. “Councillor Musgrove and I have come to a nice little agreement. And now that the choice—Blake’s candida
te—has made it to North Bank”—his gaze slid to me—“we can once again move forward.” He grinned and waited for me to precede him down a twisting stairwell.
I took to the stairs, the wood creaking under my boots. Chill air worked its way under my shirt, and I wished they’d remembered my coat too. “What do you want?”
“The delectable Ms Musgrove wants magic gone. And I want to make her happy and provide that service.”
I stopped. “But you’re a magician.”
“Yes. And I intend to become a very powerful one.” He pointed into the dark turn of the stairs where the landing split and offered two ways down. “This way.”
I pushed down the old riot of anger. Shit, I should be used to these people by now. “Does anyone not talk in riddles?”
There was a sharp crack and a fizz. Brilliant white light bloomed sharp shadows. I glanced back. The tip of Tobias’ walking stick flared, lighting our way. “In your case, ignorance is a shield. Know too much, think too much, and it doesn’t work.” His voice echoed over the stairwell.
“That’s ridiculous.”
Tobias shrugged. “It’s how it’s going to be. The Council assures me that Blake has been around a long time. If he’s doing something in a certain way...then I’m not going to fool with it.”
The stairs stopped. The light from his cane faded away. Tobias wove his hand with an intricate flourish, and a shimmering light filled the cracked bulbs lining the wall, washing over shabby chairs and the once-rich fabrics covering the walls. Boarded doors creaked open onto an empty street, dust falling through the grey beams.
Tobias glanced at me and planted his walking stick on the floor. “Aren’t you going to be even a little bit impressed?”
“With light?” I thought of the dormant wraith coiled in my chest. “No.”
He smirked. “Maybe I can see what Blake sees in you.”
“You’re crazy.”
He flashed me a brilliant smile. “I’m a magician. I thought that was a given.”
We stepped out onto the narrow, cobbled road. Tall, boarded buildings stretched up either side, their plaster and brick crumbling. The air smelled damp, and a chill wind cut across my face. Ahead, the road ended with the curve of an older stone building, stretching up beyond the shattered roofs. The infamous Basilica, a place about which even my extensive library had only scant rumours and hearsay.