by Leilani Love
Hope looked like a beautiful angel waiting for him. Her blonde hair fanned out on the pillow and when he crawled back in bed with her, she rolled over to put her head on his chest. Warrick slid his fingers through her hair as she lay in his arms. There was a part of him that thought he should feel guilty for taking her innocence but the way she screamed and responded to his touch had made him feel…alive.
“Warrick,” he heard her whisper his name, making him pause.
“Yes, Hope?” he asked feeling a little uncertain.
“I think you should move from that room to this room –– our room.”
He kissed the top of her head thinking about her request. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”
Before looking up at him, Hope kissed the top of his chest, right above where his heart beat steadily. “You’re my mate Warrick. I know things didn’t start like they should but I think we should move forward…together.”
Warrick picked up on her nervousness. She was asking him for what he had been imagining for as long as he could remember. But his brother was still out there. He still felt the connection to him. Gabriel would be able to feel that he had finally claimed Hope as his mate. Warrick claiming Hope put her in harm’s way even more than before and marking her might have been both the most wonderful and selfish thing he had ever done in his entire life.
“Hope I…” he started to say and then felt her hand go up and rest on his cheek. Stopping him from continuing, she shook her head.
“Your brother’s our problem. Not yours alone. I’m your mate, a member of your pack, and he’s been hurting our people. He’s not your burden alone.”
As Hope spoke, he felt her fingers find his scar and he tried to pull back but Hope wouldn’t let him. She picked her head up and he bit back a growl. She ran her tongue along his scar before looking up at him and then brushed her lips against his.
“If anything happened to you,” Warrick started to say as she brushed her lips back and forth across his. Every pass of those lips, melted his resolve a little more. “Promise me you’ll leave if there’s a sign of my brother.”
Hope smiled against his lips and she shook her head. “I’m your mate, your better half,” she said as she nibbled on his lips. “You should know I’d never run. Please don’t leave me Warrick. I’ve waited for you my entire life, dreamt of you and missed something I never had. Fight for me – with me.”
Warrick didn’t know what to say. He pulled back just enough to look down at her. The moonlight coming in from the window seemed to glow in her eyes. The hint of her wolf underneath knew that both the animal and the woman needed him to say something. With a sigh he nodded. “Whatever happens, for now we handle it together, as mates.”
The tension he felt coming from her melted away. Even in the dark he could see her smile was dazzling, then she came up and kissed him deeply. He moaned as her soft body pressed into his and he wanted nothing more than to take her again. To kiss every inch of her delicious body. He had dreamt of taking her a hundred times. Each dream more creative than the next, doing things he had never imagined in his youth.
His hand skimmed over her body and he remembered a comment his father had made about how a woman’s body needed a bit of time to heal after their first time. Warrick broke the kiss and smiled when he heard Hope growl in response. “Sleep, it’s been a long day.”
As he spoke, he tucked her body against his. Despite his good intention his cock was rock hard and when she turned in his arms Hope pulled his arm around her, holding him close. When she wiggled, he moaned as his cock nestled between the perfect globes that were her ass. When she moved again he knew the little minx was doing it on purpose and he pulled his hand free to smack her ass. “Behave,” he growled.
Her soft giggle made him smile and he nipped at the back of her neck. When she shuddered he did it again. “You are going to be a handful aren’t you my darling Hope?”
He felt her head tilt and he pictured her thinking about it. “If you’re lucky I’ll be two handfuls.”
Warrick laughed. His hand slid up to her breast and he cupped one, feeling the weight. He heard her soft intake of breath. “I guess I’m very lucky indeed. But for now, I’d like my mate to get some sleep. I know she’s been working very hard for her people and tomorrow she’s going to introduce me to the vampire who I’m going to have to thank for keeping her safe.”
Hope relaxed in his arms and he listened to her breathing. After a bit he finally felt her body relax and her breathing even out. Warrick almost laughed. He wanted nothing more than to take her again but she needed to sleep and he knew he should too. He doubted she had gotten more than three hours a night since they’d moved in together. Most nights he woke her up with his nightmares…or his body reacting to hers after she crawled in bed with him. Surrounded by her scent Warrick finally fell asleep.
He knew this dream was different the moment it started.
The sun was shining and he was standing on the front porch watching himself in the yard. He was smiling as he chased a little girl around the yard. Her happy squeal of delight echoed as he swept her off her feet and tossed her into the air, catching her. As the little girl laughed, two little boys came running out of the house yelling.
The boys ran right through him like he wasn’t even there. He heard laughter coming from the house and turned to see a very pregnant Hope walking outside. Her hand on her belly as she stepped out from the screen door. He reached out to touch her and passed through her like a ghost. He watched her for a moment as she watched the other him in the yard with the three kids. There was a look of love in her eyes as she sat on the porch swing.
After a few minutes Warrick watched the kids run off together and his other self walked up to her on the porch. Placing a hand on her belly he leaned down and gave her a kiss that was both sweet and very arousing.
“This one seems to be ready to come out and play with his sister and cousins,” the other him said while he nibbled on Hope’s lips.
Hope smiled up at him nodding. “I believe you’re right. This one gets all excited every time the kids are making noise.”
Warrick watched as he sat next to her and the way the two held each other tight. There was something intimate in this moment that he felt like he was spying on himself and intruding on their privacy.
As he turned to leave he heard the door open again and this time an older woman came out of the house and was staring straight at him. “Warrick, where are you going?”
Warrick felt a sense of surprise when he realized it was Hope’s mother. Her blonde hair had hints of grey and she had a few lines around her eyes he didn’t remember her having when he’d met her years ago. Not sure what to say or how, out of everyone here only she could see him, so he just shrugged. She smiled at him shaking her head. “You have two choices Warrick. You can fight for this life and be happy or you can run away and let your brother win and make both you and my daughter miserable.”
“What if she gets hurt?” he whispered, not sure why he was even answering her.
She gave him a look of sympathy before looking over at the couple sitting on the porch swing, “You’ve fought to stay alive and protect her from your brother. Being apart from you and thinking you betrayed her was worse than anything your brother could do to her. I’m sorry you had to endure that…and I’m sorry for what is to come. But for the sake of my daughter I hope you’re strong enough to realize that together the two of you are stronger.”
Before he could ask her what she meant she disappeared. He wanted to know what was to come, how to protect her. When he looked back at the couple on the porch he felt his heart ache with the promise of a future with her. Hope looked lovingly up at his dream self and whispered, “I love you Warrick.”
Warrick woke up to the sound of Hope’s steady breathing as she lay across his chest. Her leg was tucked between his and her breast felt perfect pressed against his chest. The memory of her big and pregnant in his dreams made him smile. He wondered
if she might already be pregnant. Shaking his head, he thought to himself that he would like to enjoy some time of just the two of them before they started adding children. He felt greedy and a bit selfish but for now, if they were going to do this, he wanted her to himself. Warrick just needed to get rid of his brother to do that.
Untangling himself from her arms Warrick kissed hope on the forehead pushing back her hair. She looked innocent in her sleep and the light coming in from the window made it look like she had a halo. Warrick smiled thinking that under the halo she was a siren that called to him. Warrick gave her one last look and for a moment debated about waking her up with kisses.
Hope had often been woken up in the middle of the night by his nightmares and he decided to let her enjoy sleeping in. He had some errands to run this morning but they both agreed to be home early to get ready for tonight’s dinner. She was excited to have him meet Lazzaro, the vampire king, who raised had her and Damien.
Warrick went into his room, grabbed a pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt, putting them on before he went downstairs. A nice breakfast in bed would be a perfect way to show Hope he meant to give it a try with her. His dream gave him a flicker of what life could be together. He could still hear her whispering she loved him and he wanted to hear those words on her lips more than anything.
Rummaging in the kitchen Warrick found pancake mix and bacon. He also knew that Hope loved her coffee in the morning and preferred those sweet flavored creamers she kept readily on hand. His dad had often made their mother breakfast in bed and had taught him on Mother’s Day. “Bacon,” he said was always first. He smiled remembering his dad. “You can always remember to cook bacon first because it’s the most important part of breakfast, Son.”
Warrick, in the beginning, had often thought of his parents after their deaths. He wondered why they never saw it coming with his brother. He often wondered why he didn’t see his brother’s jealousy. He never even knew that his brother had met a witch. There was a twin link between the two and he knew his brother was often mad about something but when he asked him about it he would always say it was because of something else. Not able to see it, or maybe he just didn’t want to, Warrick often just shrugged it off. Now he wondered if he could have done something different or was that hate for him, being born second, always just going to be a part of Gabriel?
The bacon done, Warrick started the coffee and made the pancakes. Having preheated the oven to its lowest temperature he put them inside to keep warm as he piled them in a big stack. Warrick decided four big pancakes each with bacon were enough for them both.
A sound from the stairs drew his attention and he turned to see Hope standing there wearing his shirt from last night. There was something sexy about the look. Her hair was tousled from last night’s activity, and he took her all in. He noticed her amber eyes were shining after a good night’s rest and her cheeks were a rosy pink. He almost moaned out loud when he saw she wasn’t wearing a bra and her hard nipples were poking through the material. Hope had long legs and his shirt covered her just enough. He wondered if there was anything else she forgot to put on.
“I was going to bring you breakfast in bed,” Warrick said when Hope glanced at the plates on the counter.
The little smile that was playing on her lips grew until she was beaming at him. “I love pancakes,” she said taking a step toward him.
When she stood before him she put her arms around his neck pulling him down for a kiss. Warrick moaned as he brought his lips to hers. He could kiss her from now to the day he died and he would never get tired of her taste, the way her body molded to his. She was heaven.
“I was worried when I woke up and you weren’t there, but then the smell of bacon called to me and I had to see what you were doing,” she said after breaking the kiss. Warrick felt her hand slide from his back to his neck where her fingers found her mark on him. There was a wave of awareness as she teasingly traced her bite mark.
Warrick felt bad for worrying her and looked at the base of her neck. He could see the frenzy in his bite mark on her skin. Bending his head, Warrick trailed his lips along the side of her neck until he came to his mark on her skin and nipped playfully. Her sharp inhale followed by the tightening of her fingers in his hair made him smile. When he heard her stomach grumble letting him know that his mate was hungry, he chuckled. “Come let’s eat our breakfast before it gets cold. I was about to make you a cup of coffee with some of your fancy creamer.”
Hope pulled back and the smile she gave him made him feel like the biggest hero. Warrick poured them both a cup of coffee. Keeping his black, he watched as she got salted caramel creamer from the fridge and proceeded to turn her black coffee into something that looked closer to chocolate milk. He shook his head and let her carry the coffee cups as he took the plates and they went into the living room.
Hope sat next to him on the couch and he watched as she ate her breakfast. A drop of syrup on her lips brought them to his attention and when her tongue came out and licked it he fought the urge to lean over and kiss her. He wanted to smile as he realized that he let go of his control for her. Now wanted to do all those things that came to him in his dreams. Not sure how she would feel, he shook his head.
“Anything I should know about Lazzaro tonight before I meet him?” he asked, curious about the vampire who raised her.
He could see Hope’s grin as she thought about it. “He likes to push buttons. For some reason flirting with Violca and Aithne, knowing he is pissing off the dragons, amuses him. He really doesn’t mean anything by it. Lazzaro thinks the mating between two people is sacred and would never do anything to compromise that. He just enjoys watching their reactions.”
Warrick shook his head. “So he enjoys poking the… dragon, so to speak.”
Hope laughed, nodding. “He says people are the most sincere when you get them riled up. You can tell what’s important to a man by what he’s willing to defend. Plus, he admires Violca. When he met her for the first time he told me how she wasn’t rattled by him. A witch who doesn’t know how to use her powers was willing to go out on her own and meet with him to protect her family.”
“Lazzaro is used to people being scared of him?” Warrick asked. He knew the reputation of the previous vampire king even as a teenager. His parents had said that he was known for having bouts of rage and killing hundreds in his wake.
“Lazzaro is surrounded by people who would like nothing more than to see him fail. They want to go back to the old ways of feeding off humans. There have been bombings on some of the blood banks and attacks on Lazzaro’s most loyal supporters. They aren’t as afraid of him as his father since he is not as ruthless, but I think they decided to play it safe and not attack him directly, instead looking for his weakness and trying to exploit them.”
Warrick was surprised by the depth of Hope’s knowledge. “You know a lot about what was going on. How did he keep you safe when you guys were kids?” Warrick asked, curious.
“He hid us away with a very well paid nanny and staff that he trusted. He visited when he could. More so when we were really young and I was scared.”
“I only knew his father by reputation. But I’m glad he’s nothing like him and that he raised you. When everything first went down I believed you were killed. When I found out you were alive I wondered how it was you both managed to escape. You were so young.”
Hope gave him a tentative smile then leaned over, brushing his lips with hers while whispering, “You were young too. But we have plenty of time to make up for the life we’ve missed out on so far. Let’s get our revenge on your brother by showing him how happy we can be.”
Warrick smiled against her lips when he felt her move their plates. She kept her lips softly brushing back and forth against his. She straddled his lap and kissed him deeply. Her movement was bolder than she was last night. Her hands slid into his hair and he felt her hold him as her tongue slid into his mouth. Trying to coax his tongue into hers.
With a moan
Warrick gave himself over to the kiss. Sliding his hand up her thighs marveling at how smooth her skin felt, his tongue dueled with hers, tasting the syrup she had just eaten making her taste just that much sweeter.
As his hands made their way up her thighs he grabbed her ass and felt that she was wearing nothing under his shirt. As his hands grabbed her two perfect globes he growled his approval, pulling her close to him. His cock pressing hard against the fly of his jeans.
Her soft gasp against his mouth turned into a moan as she began to move her hips in a delicious way so she was grinding on his cock. When she took over that movement his hands were free to roam as they pleased and they slid from her waist up to her breasts. He broke the kiss to replace his hands with his mouth and taste the nipples that had been teasing him all morning.
Warrick loved the sounds she made as she arched her back. As he pushed her shirt up he heard the door open and Damien’s voice. “I told you we had time to make love one more time this morning.”
Hope made a high-pitched noise he could only call a squeal as she jumped off his lap and ran down the hall to the stairs. Damien walked into the living room chuckling shaking his head as Kassandra smacked him on his arm. “You didn’t have to embarrass her.”
Warrick watched as Damien pulled Kassandra into his arms smiling. “After all the times she interrupted me…”
Kassandra raised an eyebrow stopping him with a look. “Should I ask you about these women that left such a vivid memory that you felt like you owed your sister payback?”
Damien gave Kassandra a boyish grin, pulling her close and whispering, “Just practice for you my love.”
Kassandra rolled her eyes, pushing him away while giving him an apologetic grin. “I’m sorry Warrick. I should have realized why he was so eager for me to get out of bed this morning and visit with you.”
Warrick wasn’t sure what to say. Mostly he was glad that his cock seemed to have deflated when they walked into the room. “If you two don’t mind I am going to go upstairs and check on Hope.”