by Lynsay Sands
She paused briefly, wondering where the usual anger was. Allie hadn’t spoken of this often. In fact, aside from Bethany’s mom and the police, Stella was the only other person she’d told about her past, but she’d felt rage and anger and grief every time she’d told the story before this. Now she just felt sad as she thought about the family she’d had. They’d been so screwed up.
Shaking her head, Allie said, “I didn’t die. My fever broke, and my father nursed me back to health. We never spoke again about Jilly or my mother, other than his telling me he buried both in a very old little graveyard at the back of the property. It was illegal, but so was refusing to seek medical help for children, so I doubt he cared.” She shrugged. “It took a couple of weeks for me to get my strength back, but once I thought I could manage it, I packed a bag and left. I just walked out of the house and kept walking.”
“Where did you go?” Magnus asked, and she could hear the concern in his voice.
“To Bethany’s family,” Allie said with a faint smile. “She’d given me her new address before they moved and I found it eventually with the help of a farmer who picked me up on the edge of the city and gave me a ride the rest of the way into town and to their house. To say they were shocked to see me would be a bit of an understatement,” she added with amusement. “They were all very nice, but Bethany had changed. The country girl was gone, she was all city now and I could tell she didn’t know what to do with me. There were a house full of teenagers there, some kind of party, and she was just embarrassed by me in my homespun clothes. As for Brandon, he just acted like he didn’t even know me. But Mrs. Wilson sat me down and made me tell her everything. Then she drove me to the police station and made me tell them.”
“Was your father arrested?” Magnus asked.
“He would have been. They mentioned criminal negligent homicide in regards to my sister, and something about burying their bodies on the farm, but I can’t remember what the charge was.” She took a moment to try to remember, but then shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. He wasn’t there when they went out to the farm. But they dug up Jilly and my mother and took them in for autopsies to strengthen the charges against my father. He, however, was long gone,” she added, and then explained, “I saw him in the field as I headed out, and I know he saw me. He stopped working and straightened and just watched me go. I think he probably realized I’d tell someone what had happened and they’d come for him, so he packed up his truck and left.”
“Do you know where he went?” Magnus asked.
“I have no idea, and don’t care,” Allie said with a shrug.
Magnus hesitated, and then asked, “And what about you? What happened to you then?”
“I was put into the system and placed with a foster family. They helped me get a social insurance number and stuff.” She gave a laugh. “I was born at home and my birth was never registered so I had to prove I existed and was a Canadian, but they helped me with that.”
“And school?” he asked.
Allie grimaced, but she’d been honest up to now, so continued with that honesty. “My foster mother took me for testing to see where I should be placed in school. Fortunately, my mother was apparently a good teacher and my homeschooling turned out to be up to snuff. They put me in grade eleven with my peers, but I was a freak and didn’t really fit in.”
“You are not a freak,” he said at once, sounding upset.
Grinning, Allie leaned back and eyed him with disbelief before assuring him, “I am definitely a freak.” When he started to shake his head, she pointed out, “I’m an introvert, a computer geek, the mortal mother of a vampire, and almost half an hour ago I was a virgin at thirty-four. That’s a freak,” she assured him, and then added, “But I’m okay with that. We can’t all be Mrs. Brady. Besides, you guys are vampires, and that makes you all freaks too, so I’m in good company.”
“You just called me a freak,” he said with a combination of amusement and disbelief.
“Yes. I did,” she said unapologetically, and then shifted against him, sending another wave of passion through them both. “What are you going to do about it, mister?”
Magnus’s hands tightened on her hips to keep her from moving, and he growled, “Don’t tempt me. A half hour has not passed yet. Finish telling me about your life.”
Allie met his gaze briefly and then nodded and said bluntly, “I was socially inept and uncomfortable around other people, so I avoided them as much as possible. It gained me a reputation as a weirdo at school, but for the most part the other kids left me alone. I graduated and got a job as a janitor in an office building, working nights. It gave me enough money to live off and some extra to take computer courses at college. I made a few friends there, but not close ones. Mostly I worked, either at my janitorial job or on web design. Eventually my web design business did well enough that I could quit the night job. And then it did well enough that I was able to buy my own home.” She shrugged. “And that’s where I was when I met Stella. Working. Living. Alone.”
They were both silent for a moment, Allie because she had nothing else to say, and Magnus . . . Well, he appeared to be thinking, and some pretty serious thoughts, Allie decided as she took in his solemn expression and faraway gaze. Probably wondering how he had ended up with such a misfit for a life mate, she thought wryly, and then his eyes focused on her again and he said, “Look at your back.”
Allie raised her eyebrows, but then turned her head to peer at their reflection in the mirror again. She knew the scars were gone, had already seen that, and yet the sight of her unmarred back struck her anew. Dear God, there wasn’t even a slight dimple to hint that the scars had ever been there. Her back was as pure and untouched as a newborn baby’s. The thought made her recall Mabel’s words.
Well, this is like a rebirth. You’re going to go through a period of pain and suffering and come out immortal born.
“Immortal born,” she murmured.
“Yes.” Magnus met her gaze in their reflection. “You are immortal born. The nanos have removed the scars from your old life.” She saw his eyes drop to her, and then he caught her chin and turned her face so she would look at him as he said solemnly, “This is a new life for you, Allie. A new beginning. You do not have to carry any of the past with you if you do not want to. You can be Mrs. Brady or a freak as you wish.” He paused briefly, letting that sink in, and then said, “And you are not alone anymore. I am not like the others in your past. I will never harm you as your father did. I will not turn from you like Bethany and her brother. I will not abandon you as your mother and Stella did. You are my life mate, and my life. I will spend however long I live cherishing you, adoring you, and keeping you safe and happy, because your very existence makes me happy.”
Allie was staring at him wide-eyed, his words still rolling through her head, when he suddenly stepped back. Her thoughts immediately scattered as he slid out of her, and she gasped in alarm and tried to pull him back, but he simply caught her hand and tugged her off the dresser, then led her to the bed.
“Magnus,” she groaned unhappily. “Now I’m going to heal and—”
“The half hour is up,” he interrupted gently as he paused next to the bed and turned toward her.
“Oh,” she said with surprise, and then glanced at the bed and back before asking uncertainly, “What are we doing?”
“I’m going to show you some of that cherishing now,” he said, his voice a deep rumble that sent shivers through her as he lowered his head to kiss her.
Allie kissed him back and let her arms creep up around his neck as he began to run his hands over her back and sides. She tried to move closer then, but his hands slid between them, preventing it so that he could caress her breasts, and she eased her hold and moaned into his mouth in response, and then gasped when he tweaked her nipples.
Breaking their kiss then, he nuzzled her ear and murmured, “Put one knee on the bed.”
The request confused her, but she did it, realizing why he’d wanted
her to when his hand slid between her now open legs and found her core.
“Oh,” she gasped, and clutched at his shoulders as he began to caress her, his fingers moving in tantalizing circles that soon had her pressing forward into the caress and moaning with need. When his mouth found hers again, Allie kissed him eagerly, almost desperately, and reached down to cover his hand, urging him on. Even so she was caught by surprise when his finger suddenly shifted and thrust into her in concert with his tongue thrusting into her mouth.
Her cry of pleasure was echoed by his, but both were muffled by the kiss they shared, and then he eased his finger out and broke the kiss. Breathing heavily, he urged her onto the bed, and came down on top of her, but then raised himself up slightly to look at her.
When Allie merely stared back uncertainly, he smiled.
“You are beautiful.”
Flushing, she shook her head, quite sure she probably wasn’t at that moment, but he nodded solemnly.
“You are,” he insisted, shifting onto one arm beside her so that he could run his hand up and down her side as he looked her over. “Your lips are swollen from my kisses, your cheeks flushed, and your eyes are molten silver right now with desire.”
That startled her and her eyes widened. “Really?”
She hadn’t looked at her eyes in the mirror. Not in the bathroom, and not on the dresser. She’d been busy looking at other things and now wondered what her eyes looked like.
“Really,” he assured her. “It tells me you want me as much as I want you.”
Allie felt her face heat up and knew she was blushing, but didn’t deny it.
“But I want to taste you this time if that is all right with you?” His hand drifted down and slid between her legs again, leaving her in no doubt about what he meant.
The very idea of experiencing that left Allie a mass of confusion. She’d read books that suggested it was awesome, but the idea of being open to him that way— Her thoughts died abruptly as he suddenly shifted away, moving down her body and urging her legs apart so that he could rest between them.
Allie clenched her hands, and bit her lip as he positioned himself, but then he raised his head to meet her gaze and her heart stopped when she saw that his eyes were glowing pure silver.
Magnus stayed like that briefly, though she felt his fingers glide over her, spreading her for him, and then he lowered his head and she felt the first rasp of his tongue over her heated flesh.
Allie cried out, her eyes slamming shut and her body jerking. And then she tangled her fingers in the sheet and held on for dear life, her hips lifting off the bed and moving to his rhythm as he finally drove them both over the edge they’d danced so close to repeatedly this past half hour.
The explosion when it came was much more powerful than Allie could have imagined, sending her almost into a seizure that left lights exploding behind her eyes and her whole body shaking before darkness swept in to claim her.
Allie woke up to find herself cuddled against Magnus’s side, her head resting on his chest and his hand moving soothingly up and down her arm. For a moment, she just lay still, enjoying the caress, but then she sighed, and said, “Sorry.”
Magnus’s hand stilled at once and then he asked, “For what?”
“I fainted again,” she pointed out with a grimace. “I guess my blood levels are still a little low. Dani said they would be.”
She felt him relax and his hand started to slide up and down her arm again.
“Yes, you fainted,” Magnus agreed, and she could hear the smile in his voice. “But that was not a result of your blood levels. It is because we are life mates. I lost consciousness too.”
Allie pushed herself up on one arm to stare at him with disbelief. “What?”
“For life mates, the shared experience of lovemaking is so overwhelming that both members usually lose consciousness on completion,” he explained, and then added, “At least, for the first year or so.”
She considered that briefly, and then asked, “Why only for a year or so? Does it get boring after that or something?”
“No,” he assured her. “It is just that it takes that long for our bodies to adjust to the intensity of the experience.”
“Oh.” Allie nodded. She could see that. It had been pretty intense, she thought, recalling his glowing eyes staring up at her as he— Blinking, she rolled away from him, nearly tumbling off the bed before she caught herself and gained her feet.
“What is it?” Magnus asked with concern, and she heard the rustle of the sheets as he followed.
She didn’t answer, but hurried to the dresser to look at herself in the large mirror over it.
“Damn,” Allie breathed as she saw herself.
Her hair was a tumbled mass of waves around her face, that sexy just-rolled-out-of-bed look that no application of hairspray and curling iron had ever managed to achieve for her, and the blond streaks in her light brown hair were more obvious for some reason. She shifted her attention to her face then, noting the complete lack of anything resembling acne scars, which she used to have a few of. Now her skin was completely unblemished and the pores were so tiny they were nonexistent.
Her eyes were different too. The hazel was now greener, the brown having been pushed to the outer edge so that it acted almost like eyeliner for the iris. She didn’t see any silver, though, Allie noted with disappointment.
“Is something wrong?” Magnus asked, appearing behind her in the mirror.
Allie smiled wryly, and admitted, “I wanted to see the silver in my eyes, but they aren’t silver anymore.”
He looked surprised, but then slid his arms around her waist and drew her back against his chest. Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, he said, “We can bring the silver out if you like.”
Allie peered at their reflection, her gaze sliding over his wide shoulders, and the muscled arms wrapped around her under breasts that were fuller and perkier than they used to be, and she nodded. “Let’s make them glow.”
Magnus chuckled, but caught her hands when she reached back to touch him. “I will make them glow. You watch. I would not wish you to miss it again.”
Releasing her hands then, he glided his own up her arms and then around to cover her breasts. Her hands moved up to cover his when he began to knead the tender flesh, urging her more firmly against his chest. She watched their reflection, finding the sight of his body framing hers and his hands on her incredibly erotic. But then he bent to kiss her neck and her head tilted to the side, her eyes closing as she shivered and moaned at the combined caresses.
“Open your eyes,” Magnus whispered, and nipped at her neck.
Groaning, Allie forced her eyes open, her breath becoming a shallow pant as she watched him tug and tweak at her nipples, sending wave after wave of pleasure through her.
Moaning his name, she pressed her bottom back into him, squirming against the growing hardness there, and then watched with mounting anticipation when one of his hands dropped away from a breast to slide down her stomach and glide between her legs.
Allie gasped and arched against him, her breasts thrusting out and bottom pressing more firmly back into him as he added this new caress.
“God,” Magnus growled by her ear as he caressed her. “You are so hot and wet. I want to be inside you.”
“Yes,” Allie gasped, grinding herself back into him. “Please.”
Magnus hesitated, but then stopped caressing her to catch her by the hips and lift her until she was on her tiptoes, although he was taking most of her weight. His back forced her to bend forward slightly over the dresser, and she felt his erection bump against her, and then he shifted and it began to slide in. He entered her so slowly Allie thought she might gnash her teeth. She wanted to push back into him, but his hands at her hips prevented that and she couldn’t do anything to speed up the process.
“No pain,” Magnus breathed with relief by her ear when he was finally all the way in.
Only then did Allie understand why
he had been going so carefully. He’d wanted to be sure the half hour of waiting with him inside her had worked, and her hymen hadn’t healed back to its original status. The man had been looking out for her, and she hadn’t even thought of it. He was— Allie’s thoughts died as his hands shifted, one sliding under her stomach to hold her up at the height he needed, while the other slid between her legs again. Now he was lodged inside her, filling her to capacity, but he was staying still and caressing her instead. Hands clenching on the dresser top, Allie gasped and squirmed on him, her inner muscles clenching and adding to the excitement for both of them until she couldn’t take it anymore.
“Magnus, please,” she gasped, reaching back to claw at his leg and behind, anything she could reach to make him move. “I want—”
“Look at your eyes,” he growled, caressing her more firmly.
Allie glanced at the mirror. Silver had poured in to mingle with the green and brown of her eyes. But it wasn’t solid silver as his had been last night, and then Magnus began to move, withdrawing partway and thrusting back into her even as he continued to caress her. Allie cried out and bucked against him, her gaze never leaving the mirror. She watched the silver flood her eyes, was amazed at how alien she looked, and then Allie didn’t care anymore and lowered her head as she concentrated on meeting him thrust for thrust, helping him drive them toward that high precipice and the sweet oblivion that waited beyond it.
Sixteen
Allie woke up on top of Magnus. She didn’t realize it at first. She opened her eyes, confused as to where she was when she found herself staring at the front of a drawer. Turning her head, she followed it up to another and another and then spotted the top edge of the mirror above it. That was when she realized she was lying in front of the dresser.
With that mystery solved, Allie immediately became aware that she was lying on something not flat and really quite uncomfortable. Grimacing, she rolled to the side and immediately slid off of her previous perch onto the hardwood floor. Shifting to her knees, she turned to look at what she’d been lying on, eyes widening when she found herself staring at an unconscious Magnus. She’d been lying on top of him.