CHAPTER SIX
I paced near the path he’d taken. He did not realize the danger he was in. The woodland fae had spelled this clearing to make the night last longer, but it was dawn in his world. I’d sometimes seen him out in the sun but I understood that he could not remain exposed to its rays for long. Perhaps thirty minutes, no more.
And he had not fed from me, leaving him weakened.
This was my fault. I’d treated him without respect, never imagining he might have genuine, loving feelings toward me. My heart had been shocked to hear him say it wasn’t only lust that drew his gaze to my body. My dream had come true and I had tossed it aside with a stupid remark.
Now it was my duty to protect him, to save him from his foolish mistake. Could I muster up the strength, the courage to use the lines? I was so afraid to try, but now I had no choice, even if it drained me to exhaustion. Even if King Finvarra sensed my presence and called me back to court, perhaps forcing me to take up my old life. Only Sasha mattered.
Before I had a chance to change my mind, I threw myself into the magic of Faerie—the heat, the energy, the music of the ley lines, as familiar to me as my own heartbeat. I stretched out my magical tendrils in the direction Sasha had run, remembering the way his lips had felt on mine, the way his fingers had moved inside me the way he’d given and not taken. Listening for the music of his energy, I focused on only him.
I stumbled into a grove of oak trees, discovering him crawling toward a thick patch of shrubs. I ran to him. “Get up. You must rise, now.”
“I can’t.” His exposed skin was beginning to redden and blister.
“You must. There is a place nearby where you will be safe.”
He struggled to his feet, draping an arm over my shoulder. His skin felt so hot. “How did you…find me?” he said, the hoarseness of his voice the opposite of his usual rich tones.
The answer was surprising, even to me, but also true. “We are connected, heart to heart.”
“My heart’s been…dead for…a long time,” He grunted, the pain getting worse.
“I am not referring to the organ.” I pulled him along a little faster, although my strength was not what it should have been.
“You took the lines?” I nodded. “Get us…home?”
”No. It has weakened me. Why did you not call Garrett? He can tolerate the sun for much longer periods. He and Jacqueline can travel the lines.”
“They are…in France for two weeks.” Sasha was shivering.
“There, you see?” I pointed toward a dark and seemingly damp cave, full of who knew what—hopefully, not a hibernating bear or a nest of snakes. I helped him crawl as far inside as possible, then as he panted on his hands and knees, I ran out to find some dry leafy branches to use as a bed. I spread them out and after a few more trips had him lie down on top of them, hoping he would stay dry. The cave was cold and smelled of rotting plants, but it was a haven nonetheless.
He was trembling with cold, face down on the makeshift bed. To warm him I covered him with my shawl, wrapping it gently around his arms and shoulders. Now that he was out of the sun, his wounds had begun to heal, but he was still so weak. “Sasha, let me feed you.”
“Elle, no…”
“Shh.” I rubbed his neck and kissed his shoulder. “You need blood.”
“My control isn’t what it should be.”
“You won’t hurt me.” I moved away and assisted him in rolling over, both of us wincing when he groaned in pain. “My brave warrior.” I kissed his lips, but when his fangs extended, he pushed me away.
“Too close to the pointy bits.” He was able to laugh, a sure sign of his recovery, albeit not fast enough to suit me. “It was a dumbass move to leave before I asked about the time difference. I’ve heard what can happen with fae magic and I should have thought…”
A stray lock of hair covered one of his eyes. I brushed it to the side so I might see both. “I should have warned you.” I lifted his hand and kissed his palm. “I confess that I have watched you train. At the risk of causing your ego to swell, I know you to be a strong warrior.”
He clutched at his stomach. The healing process was stealing his reserves. “It’s best…if you go to get help,” he said through gritted teeth. “I’ll be fine now that I’m out of the sun.”
I sat up and spoke more assertively. “I see you are in pain. You will stop being stubborn and take my blood. Arguing with me is fruitless.”
He tried to smile, but the pain was too great. “You don’t understand. I may not be able to stop. I’d never hurt you on purpose, but I—“
“Then I will beg you to bite me.” His eyes widened. “You said you would bite a female if she begged you. Is that not true?”
A crease formed between his eyes. “I believe…we were discussing feet.”
“Blood from my wrist will taste better and the bite will be less painful.”
“And you know this, how?” He’d managed to get himself up on his elbows.
I tilted my head in thought. “Garrett drank from my wrist when I offered to share with him. He was weak and in great need. No one has taken blood from my feet so I do not know for certain if it would be less pleasant, but I would imagine it is so.”
Despite his pain, he smiled widely. “Do you know where it tastes the best?” He looked me over from head to…
“You are a rogue with a dirty mind.” But his words made my body sing with heat, imagining his mouth in that intimate, needy spot. I ached for him so. I placed my hand on his chest, where his heart used to beat. “You need the strength my blood will bring you.”
He grasped my hand and held it there. “I need you, Elle, not your magic. I look into your eyes and I’m lost. I’m never happier than when we’re together, even those few times you’ve been angry with me.”
I smiled and placed his hand on my chest. My heart was beating faster than I could ever remember. “I want to share my blood with you. You will not hurt me.”
He winced as another wave of pain swept through him. “I’m dying, yet all I can think about is making love to you, even if it’s the last thing I do.”
“I will not allow it to be the last thing you do. Feed from me, Sasha, and as you drink I will tell you what I wished for at the bonfire.” I would open my heart to the male who’d stolen mine, even if he left me shattered.
“You’re weak too.”
“You must regain your strength. We have not finished.” I slid my hand down his body and squeezed, enjoying the look of pleasure on his face.
He managed a laugh and gave in, accepting my wrist and biting down quickly, each swallow of my rich blood healing the remains of his burns and returning his strength. “Tell me,” he mumbled, his lips brushing my palm before going back to his feeding.
I trembled and I knew he felt it even in my wrist. He lifted his gaze. “I wished to spend the entire night in the arms of the vampire warrior with whom I have fallen in love.” I combed through his blonde hair with my fingers. He closed his eyes and moaned. “I wished to bring him pleasure and heal a small bit of the pain I sometimes see reflected in his eyes.”
Sasha licked my small wound, then pulled me toward him, kissing me firmly on the mouth. When he finished, he grinned, teasing, “I’ll kill that guy whoever he is.” I smacked his stomach and he grunted, pretending to be in pain. “It’s you, silly vampire.”
“But you must know, don’t you? Every minute I spend with you heals me.” He cradled my face between his large hands. “Tell me the truth. Do you really only want one night?”
I crawled closer, relieved his skin had healed and joyful I’d assisted in his recovery. I rested my hand on his chest moving it in a slow circle. Even without a beating heart, he could not be more alive to me than he was at this moment. I kept my eyes turned down, afraid to see his expression when I confessed. “I would ask for a lifetime, but I do not have the right.”
He lifted my chin. “Elle. Hear me, please. You weren’t responsible for what Fionna allowed those males to do to you. You fought against them with every ounce of your energy.”
“I tried, but I was too weak. The things they made me do…” I shuddered and turned away. “I am unfit to stand beside you.”
“Shush. You’re the most perfect female ever created. A lifetime with you won’t be long enough.” He kissed my eyes, my cheeks, my mouth—our passion growing once more.
“Can you look at me and not see…not see…”
“I see my Lady Elle, a warrior who not only survived, but triumphed. I would be honored if you stood beside me, although I like this position even better.” Our next kiss was deeper, more demanding, his tongue dancing with mine in the most delicious way. When he moved away, Sasha’s expression held a note of yearning. “I’ve done horrible things in my past. I still kill when it’s necessary. You may not want to stick around when you hear the details.”
His hand had moved to my ankle, beginning to slowly push up the hem of my gown. He was giving me the time to say no and I had no doubt he would stop if I asked him to. Those other males had laughed when I’d begged. “Death is sometimes required to sustain balance.” I visualized gutting them all, especially Kennet and Fionna.
“When I was in the tsar’s army, I helped to burn villages. The people did not escape. Not even the children.”
His eyes glistened with the guilt he still carried. I cradled his face and he placed his hands over mine, as if he couldn’t bear to release them. “The Sasha I know is honorable and compassionate. This male would no longer follow orders that destroyed innocent lives. We will leave our pasts where they cannot hurt us and look to our future together.” Not able to resist a moment longer, I stood, unfastening my gown and allowing it to pool at my feet. I was naked, displayed for his eyes alone. “May I have my wish?”
“Only if you wish for a lifetime instead of a day.” He drank me in with his eyes, resting on certain places longer than others. My face heated in a way I hadn’t experienced since I was a maiden.
“I freely give myself to you tonight and every night to come.”
I was on my back and underneath him in seconds, his clothes in a pile beside my gown. He clasped my hands, pulling them over my head and holding them there. I’d been restrained with ropes and chains many times by many different males. Torture would usually follow. But Sasha was my love, my heart, and I knew to the depths of my soul he would never hurt me. In fact the inability to move beneath him accentuated my need.
“Lady Elle, you—are—mine. “ He spoke with a fierceness I did not recognize. “No other male will ever touch you or hurt you, because I’ll kill them if they do.” He kissed me to seal his promise, rough and possessive, a marking of his territory. His tongue stroked over mine, his fangs scraping my lips, nibbling and drawing a drop or two of blood. “I can’t wait to taste you everywhere.”
It occurred to me that before we went any farther I should stake my claim as well. “I will kill any female who touches you.”
He shrugged. “I’ll need to feed almost every day. I’ll make sure it isn’t an erotic experience for my donors.”
I rolled suddenly, flipping him over and straddling his hips. “You will feed from only me. I do not weaken as a mere human does.”
“Sometimes I go on assignment and am away from the house for several weeks.”
“Then I will join you. You will teach me to fight with a sword or a knife as you do.”
He laughed at my wild command. “Yes, Lady Elle. I have no doubt you will become my favorite pupil. But there still may be times…”
I narrowed my eyes and kissed him again, marking my own territory with hungry lips. I frowned. “You have not told me what you wished for at the bonfire, even though I kept my word and danced with you until I was dizzy.”
“You’re beautiful when you’re dizzy.” Sasha stroked my face, my shoulder, my breasts. I arched into his hands, cherishing his touch, so different from the touch of any other. His heated expression warmed my belly and I ached for him to join his body to mine.
He laid his hand over my heart, the way I had his. “I wished I could be a male you trusted with your heart and your body. A male worthy of speaking your full name.”
I couldn’t breathe for a moment, the truth of his words almost too much to take in. Sasha wanted my love, my respect, my trust, not knowing he had them already. My last defenses fell, crumbling to dust. “A mate?”
“Your mate.”
I lifted my body and slid down his sex, opening my mind and senses as we became one. When he was fully seated, I explored his chest and shoulders and arms with my hands and mouth.
“Elle…” he whispered reverently as he brushed his thumbs against my already erect nipples. I arched my back as he rose up to put his mouth on me, the lightning shooting from each nipple to my sex, adding more slickness to my wet channel. Sasha’s light blue eyes had glazed over in pleasure, yet he held himself still inside me, weaving his fingers in my hair, forcing my mouth to meet his in a passionate exchange.
When we broke apart we touched forehead to forehead, sharing breaths and heated gazes. “My gentle warrior. I was called Eleandra as a child. It is a name worthy of a lady of Faerie.”
His wide smile warmed my soul. “I love you, Eleandra.”
My smile returned the love of this male who knew my secrets but did not allow them to brand me. “I trust you with my heart, my sould, Sasha Vodinski, and I will love you for all time. I swear this on the longest night of the year, a sacred time for our people.” He flipped me onto my back, taking my hands and stretching them over my head once more. “You wish to take charge, my warrior?” I tried to wiggle beneath him but he had me trapped.
“I’ve waited for ages to have you beneath me. We have all day, and I’m going to take my time.”
“You are certainly a male of infinite patience, but there is just one more thing.”
“Oh?” He ground his hips into mine then stopped again. He was obviously resolved to drive me crazy.
“Next year you will bring a live tree into your home and we will replant it in the forest. Sinlae does not need more compost.”
He grinned. “Anything. It’s your house now, too.”
To have a true home again, a family, was more than I had ever imagined. “Then today I am your slave,” I teased.
I gasped when he bit into my ear lobe, sucking the drops that formed. In retaliation I squeezed my inner muscles so hard he growled and finally began to move, stroking in and out slowly at first, creating a friction that would bring me to orgasm all too soon. He filled me in the most exquisite way.
I moaned and moved my hips in sync with his rhythm, wanting so much to touch him, yet forced to submit. When I reached the edge I opened my body and mind to the release, allowing it to take me into a pleasure so strong I cried out in surprise and elation. He released my hands and moved faster, extending my pleasure and finding his own.
It took several moments to find our words. “You are exquisite, my love,” he whispered, stroking my cheek.
I stretched and purred. “I feel loose limbed and impossibly randy.”
“The first time is just the warm up.”
“Set me on fire.” I leaned closer and bit his shoulder, then grabbed a thick lock of his hair and pulled him closer.
When his fangs extended fully, he moved down my body to find the large vein in my inner thigh. By the time the sun set that evening, I was sore and satisfied and more in love with my warrior than ever. We traveled the lines to his bedroom and slept for many hours wrapped in each other’s arms. I had given up hope of finding such happiness, never imagining a vampire warrior with a troubled soul would bring magic as strong as any fae to rekindle my damaged heart. I’d found a home, a family with Sasha and the Rogues, a reason to live again.
I snuggled closer, hoping he’d awaken soon.