Tempered (Et Lapis Sanguis Book 1)

by Dawn Ibanez

  The corner of her mouth tilted up. They both knew, if someone else had killed De Leon, she would have thrown a party. Augustina leaned forward and licked at his lips. “I’d burn them out for you,” she said before kissing him.

  Elijah made quick work out of the tie around the back of her neck. Augustina was working on his belt and pants when she hissed in frustration. He chuckled. “Problems?”

  “You wear too many fucking clothes.” Her eyes narrowed as he laughed at her. “This won’t hurt, promise,” she said before her hands ignited.

  Elijah could only watch frozen as she burned the clasp of his belt and the waistband of his pants. She had been right. Her flames hadn’t hurt. When she touched his chest again, her skin was warm, but there was no burning sensation. He reached up and pulled her closer to him. As he kissed her, she quickly finished stripping him of his clothes. “I hope you don’t plan on burning all of my pants,” he said.

  She smiled as she stood long enough to finish taking off her own clothes. “It’s a thought,” she said before straddling him again. “You’d probably look delicious in jeans, a tee-shirt, and leather jacket,” she said before kissing him.

  Elijah filed the idea away for later. He groaned as his hands traced her thighs. She wrapped her hand around his manhood, and Elijah tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. He trailed kisses down the side of her neck and scrapped his own teeth against the column of her neck. Her hand tightened as she pumped him. “And you would look rather edible in a ballgown, encrusted in jewels.” He laughed when she snapped her teeth at him. “My feral consort,” he said before kissing her.

  Augustina climbed on to his lap and moaned as she guided him into her. Elijah concentrated on their kiss. Her body was just as exquisite as before. She rolled her hips and sat up. A second roll made her bite down on her lip. Elijah let her take control of their dance, allowing her to set the pace. He reached up and palmed her bouncing breasts. She leaned over him and shook her head.

  “I can’t,” she whispered.

  He rolled them over covered her body with his. Her body wrapped around his as he took over her movements. He kissed her savagely and his tongue brushed against a small cut on her lip. He lifted her up into his arms and tightened his arms around her. “Together then,” he breathed against her skin.

  She nodded as they continued to make love. Elijah tried to concentrate on anything around them, but her body tightening around his was becoming too much. He buried his face in the side of her neck. He licked at her throat and was humbled as her head fell back. Elijah reached down between them and found the small nub hidden by her lower lips. As he caressed her in time with his thrusts, her eyes were wide as they found his. He kissed her as per body tightened even more. His consort’s pleasure was worth it.

  Her body became a vice as she screamed out in pleasure. Elijah’s own pleasure soon followed. He held her against him as hips moved of their own volition. The room around them brightened, and Elijah fell back into the bed with Augustina on top of him.

  He held her against him and ran his hand through her hair. He frowned when she started to laugh. “What is it?”

  She looked at him. For the first time he caught a glimpse of the playful girl she could have been. “I was so scared I’d burn the place down.” She looked around the room. The smile she wore was radiant. “Nothing burned.”

  “My pants and belt.”

  She waved off the items and cuddled closer to him. “It’s not like you don’t have a thousand more,” she said. She then traced a line from his chin to down to his chest.

  He caught her hand and kissed her fingers. He then held her hand against his chest. “There were times when I thought Tati wouldn’t let you return. Then, I tried to reason with myself. You weren’t gone that long. Your sister and I were doing well trying to function.” When she looked at him, he frowned. “That didn’t come out right.”

  Augustina shook her head. “I know what you mean.” She then reached up and traced his lips. “I’m still adjusting to the heightened senses. Your skin looks and feels different from before.” She pressed a kiss to his chest. “We really should be focusing on work,” she said lowly.

  Elijah shook his head. “There hasn’t been any movement from the cult since the attack at Sector Central.”

  She went back to her idle tracing and fell quiet. Elijah wanted to press her for more information. More conversation. More of anything, but he didn’t know where his consort was mentally. Elijah’s fingers brushed against the scar along her back again and she shivered. He turned her face to him.

  “Let me see?” he requested.

  Her eyes bore into his. He didn’t know what thoughts ran through her mind. He could only be grateful she sat up and turned her back to him. She took a breath and pulled her hair over one shoulder.

  Elijah sat up behind her. His hands shook as he looked at the visible reminder of how close she came to death. He moved closer to her and pressed a kiss to her shoulder. “Thank you,” he whispered into her ear.

  She looked at him and caught his lips in a kiss. “You’re the only one that can break me, Eli. You know that, right?”

  He shook his head. “If anything should happen to me, you will hunt down whoever took me from you and exact revenge. Mel and the others would ground you enough that I am confident you would be fine.” He frowned as she rolled to the other side of the bed and left it. “Augustina?”

  “I’m glad you have that confidence. I don’t. As a matter of fact, I can tell you right now, if anything happens to you, you will be avenged. Anything after, that’s up in the air.” She turned away from him and went into the bathroom.

  As the door closed, Elijah sat up in the bed. She was trying to be honest with him and her own feelings. He sighed as he looked at the charred pants on the floor. His consort with the heart of fire. Elijah got out of the bed and followed her. He would accept her feelings, but he would make sure harm came to either one of them.

  Chapter 22

  Hours later, Gus knocked on the door to Mel’s room. When her sister opened the door, Gus grabbed her hand and pulled her out.

  “Gus?” Mel asked.

  She didn’t stop as they went down the stairs and out of the front door. They made it to the garage before one of the estate guards looked between them and frowned. “Lady Aug… Lady Gus. Lord Elijah gave clearance for one of the cars, but are you sure you don’t want one of us to go with you?” he asked.

  Gus looked at the vampire. It didn’t matter he was probably a couple of decades older than she was. Gus knew she still outclassed him in fighting skill. “Between me and Mel, I’m sure we can handle anything that comes our way,” she said. She smiled as she took the keys to one of the many trucks from him. “But if it makes you feel better, I have a phone with the Tower and Sector Central programmed in it. The moment something happens, everyone will be alerted.”

  The uneasy expression he wore didn’t fade. “Milady, I don’t think you understand what your absence did to the Lord.”

  She touched his arm. “I’ll be careful. I promise.” She didn’t say anything as she felt a heavy weight on her shoulders. Gus motioned for Mel to get into the truck and she did the same. Once she closed the door, Gus rolled her shoulders and stretched her neck.

  “You okay?” Mel asked.

  “Apparently, when you’re a full Fae, you can’t lie. Not even the little phony promise of ‘I’ll be careful’ is immune.”

  Mel frowned. “You lied to him?”

  “No. I just promised I’d be careful. Now I’m feeling the weight of that promise. They said that I’d get used to it, eventually. But for right now, it isn’t something I would recommend.”

  Mel laughed. “But you get magic. So, isn’t it a pretty decent trade?”

  Gus shook her head. “Still debating.” She put the car in reverse and exited the garage. She looked in the rear-view mirror and glanced at the house. “Was he really bad when Tati took me?” she asked.

  Mel leaned b
ack in her seat and folded her hands in her lap. “It was pretty bad. At least that was the impression I got.” She shook her head when Gus glanced at her. “I wasn’t in a pretty good place myself. Dominic had me taken to his apartment in the Towers. But that was after Elijah punched Edmund.”

  “He punched him?”

  Mel nodded. “Yeah, well, Edmund was totally out of line with what he said about you.” She tapped her fingers against the armrest. “If Elijah hadn’t punched him, I would have shot him.”

  “You need to stop shooting everyone,” Gus said. “Elijah said something about you shooting Dominic.”

  “He was being an asshat and deserved it.” Mel played with the tip of her braid and Gus laughed. “It wasn’t like I used live rounds. And the paint came off when he showered. Plus, he was stone when I shot him. He didn’t feel a thing.”

  Gus shook her head. “There are some things I wanted to talk to you about. They have to do with Rhiannon.”

  “I don’t care,” Mel said simply. She released her hair and knees started to bounce petulantly. “She is not someone I ever care to meet.”

  “She was there.” Gus glanced at Mel. “At De Leon’s. She showed up right after I killed him. She’s the reason why half of the guards were already dead.”

  Mel closed her eyes and took a slow deep breath. “Everyone says how I’m the happy one, and you’re the one with the anger problems. You know that, right?”

  Gus drove down the highway. “I wanted you to know. It’s been us for so long because we thought she was dead. Knowing that she came for us should be something that can help put things into perspective.”

  “I knew she was there,” Mel said. She looked at Gus. The unadulterated fury in her gaze was unmistakable. “I saw her when we went into the kitchens for food.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?”

  Mel shook her head. “Because she was the reason why we were there. Period.” Mel wiped her eyes and curled her hands up into fists. “You were in the pits. I was waiting on him and his men. I got to hear all about how he was training the halfling to heed to him the way her mother never would. But it would be so much better when I was a few years older because I looked so much like her. It would be easier to pretend he was fucking her when he got his chance at me.”

  Gus pulled the car over and parked on the side of the barren road. She looked at her sister. “You never told me that.”

  Mel shook her head again. “You had enough on your mind. When he said it, we couldn’t do anything. If I would have said something then, you would have tried to kill him, and both of us would be dead. I played a long game. It benefited us both to wait. I swallowed every sick and vile thing he said and smiled. All the while knowing that he didn’t want us. He wanted her. And you know I can forgive a lot. But not that.”

  Gus reached over and took Mel’s hand. “Tati said that we can stay on this side of the Veil and be her hunters. I would rather you didn’t, but I was going to leave the choice to you.”

  Mel gently squeezed her hand. “I want to travel. I had an idea, but it didn’t include swearing anything to a queen. Or seeing that woman again.”

  Gus nodded. “I’m sure Elijah can set up something that you can do that gives you the opportunity to travel.” She then smiled as she wiped a stray tear from Mel’s face. “And if it’s business, you can do it in style. No more beat-up gas-guzzler.”

  Mel smiled and nodded. “I was thinking about going to the South for a little while. Shawn’s uncle said that he would love to have us back.”

  Gus pulled out onto the road and continued to drive. “Shawn’s uncle?”

  Mel gave her sister a sheepish grin. “Remember Captain Liam? The Glaive that interviewed us in the hospital? You broke his nose.”

  Remembered little after they were taken to the Southern Sector’s hospital. A faint memory teased at her but didn’t come into full picture. “I’m still having a few spots where my memory isn’t clear. What did he do? Try to separate us?”

  Mel nodded. “They wanted to take you to surgery, and I only had some minor cuts and bruises. When they tried to take me away, you fought all comers.”

  Gus sighed. “That sounds like me.”

  Mel laughed lowly. “At least you’re consistent in your reactions.” She leaned her chin on her fist. “But Captain Liam said that he had a nephew up this way. Shawn was just graduating college and wanted to start his own bar. If we ever found our way up there, to look for him and he would find a way to look out for us.”

  “And you kept this from me too?”

  Mel rolled her eyes. “I was tired of looking over my shoulder all the time, Gus. I wanted to find some sort of stable place where both of us could have a life that was more than fighting and running.”

  Gus shook her head as she stopped at a light. “You should have talked to me about it.”

  “You made us move after you realized who April was. I didn’t want to move again.” She shrugged and gestured to the light. “We can go.”

  She started to drive again. “Are there any other secrets I should know since you’re sharing?” Gus looked at Mel.

  “You did your best to protect me,” Mel reasoned. “You fought until you couldn’t fight anymore, and then you took me and ran. We went from the deep south across all the sectors to finally end up north. I wasn’t going to let you protect me when there were just as many dangers out there to you. We’ve always been in this together.”

  Gus drove through the streets and easily found Shawn’s bar. After she parked the truck and turned the car off, she looked at her sister. “A lot’s changed since then, huh?”

  Mel nodded. “I told Elijah if he hurts you, he’d answer to me.” She laughed at the look Gus gave her. “He’s a good change, Gus. Don’t do anything to screw it up.”

  “Ha. Ha.” Gus opened the car door and climbed out. As she looked around the street, she saw a few of the normal club kids stumbling their way down the streets. She frowned as she saw a cloaked figure behind them. “Mel, do you see that?” she asked closing the door.

  Mel looked in the same direction and shook her head. “I just see some kids that don’t know how to hold their liquor.”

  Gus frowned the figure vanished from site. She sniffed the air and frowned. It wasn’t Lilliana, but it was familiar. “I guess my mind’s trying to play tricks on me,” she said.

  Mel nudged her with an elbow. “Let’s go check in with the boys. They’re probably worried about us.” She smiled as she approached the bar. “Last they heard, the Lady of the Sector was injured and had to be taken away for special treatment.”

  Gus’s frown deepened. “That isn’t what the story was.”

  Mel nodded gravely. “People are eating up the news of the mysterious woman with a man’s name that managed to ensnare the cold heart of the Chevalier. Sector Central released a statement saying you were injured, and Lord Elijah was at your side while you convalesced and that was why Master Dominic was here. The Master and Lord were working in tandem to find those responsible for the vicious attacks against the people of our sector, and The Lady Consort Gus will be back on her feet before any of us realize it.”

  Gus felt her eyebrow twitch. “That is such bullshit. Please tell me you’re joking.”

  Mel nearly fell over in a fit of laughter. She reached for the door of the bar and opened it. She looked up at Henry and wrapped him in a hug. “I knew she was going to think I was joking,” she gasped as she moved past him.

  Henry looked at Gus and the partial smile he gave Mel blossomed into a brilliant white smile. “You’re okay,” he said before wrapping her in a tight embrace. “I don’t care if I’m executed. You’re alive. It’s worth it.”

  Gus returned his hug. “They really released that, huh?” she asked.

  Henry nodded. He still hadn’t released her. “That boy you saved and a couple of the guard trainees started coming here. They told us everything.”

  Gus stepped back and patted his shoulders. “I’m fine. T
here’s no need for you to worry about me,” she said with a small smile. Gus looked around the bar and saw that a few of the usual customers where there, along with some faces she had last seen on the training grounds.”

  She backed away from Henry and the trainees all looked at her. Each one jumped to their feet and saluted her. Gus walked over to their table and took in their faces. “Sit down,” she told them. As they each sat down, she nodded. “Relax and count your days. I’m going to start classes twice a week. If any of you show up drunk, you’ll have hell on your hands, okay?”

  “Yes, Lady Consort,” one of the trainees said. She then stood and leaned closer to Gus. “But I think you need to tell that to Gabriel. Lord Elijah was harsh with him. Like, really harsh. We’ve been coming here to make sure he keeps himself out of trouble.”

  Gus looked at the girl with soft blonde hair and blue eyes. “What’s your name?” Gus asked.

  “Noelle.”

  Gus nodded. “Okay Noelle. Thank you for telling me about Gabriel. I’ll talk with him. But like I said. I don’t expect to see any of you here after next week.”

  The trainees at the table all nodded and Gus moved to go to the bar. She looked at her sister and shook her head. “Kids,” she said with a light laugh.

  Mel smirked as she leaned against the bar. “Training this bunch is going to be fun,” she said. Mel then tilted her head towards the back of the bar. “Shawn’s back there working on the books again. Do you want to bother him, or should I?”

  Gus smiled. “Why can’t we both go?” she asked.

  Mel wrapped her arms around one of Gus’s. “You always have the best ideas.”

  Gus looked around the bar and frowned as she realized why something felt off. She stopped walking and looked at Mel. “Who’s supposed to be behind the bar?” she asked.

  Mel looked at the quiet bar and shook her head. “I didn’t hear about anyone else being hired. Just Gabe.”

  Gus went to the back room and opened the door. Her eyes widened as she saw Shawn unconscious on the floor and the door leading out back busted open. She looked at Mel. “Keep things under control here.” She went to Shawn’s side and gently touched the side of his face. He was still breathing. The blow to the side of his head was bleeding badly, but Gus knew the blow looked worse than it was. Shawn groaned softly, and Gus touched the sides of his face. “Shawn, open your eyes,” she told him.