CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

 

"Oh my god, Damarius," were the words Aryiah purred as she tried to catch her breath.

He watched her eyes as they caught sight of his thickness currently being stroked by his own hand, then he gasped as she quickly replaced it with her own. "Here, let me do that." Her tone was so sensual it had him throbbing at her first stroke.

"No, Aryiah, please. You just came back to me, we need to stop and make sure you're okay."

"Damarius, I've never been better." The feral look in her eyes silenced him. When she added her mouth to her busy hand, he immediately lost sight of all right or wrong. The feel of her tongue circling him had his eyes rolling back in his head and his hips rising from the bed.

You saved me, my love. Now let me show you my thanks. The words swept through his mind, catching on two in particular...my love. Fueled by passion and drenched in bliss, Damarius let himself become lost in his mate.

 

* * * * *

 

After hours of making love, Aryiah and Damarius settled into their bed, both completely sated. She relished in the strong feel of him under her as she rested her head on his chest. "It was your touch, Damarius. You are what anchors me to this world. I was so angry, frightened, and confused over seeing Devin that my mind just snapped. With my emotions out of control, Aradia's power overwhelmed me and I couldn't process either of them...my feelings or her magick."

Damarius pulled the silk sheets over them but continued to rub his hand along her back. It felt so reassuring to be in his arms that Aryiah almost felt at peace. Almost.

"What are we going to do about Gage and Devin?" she asked.

"The Goddess' main priority is you, Aryiah. We need to complete your training and make sure something like this doesn't happen again. You have to be able to control Aradia's magick at all times. Even in a horrible, twisted situation like the one with Devin."

She rose up on her elbow and turned to face him. "What happen to Devin? I mean, how did it happen? If Gage was locked up here, how is something like that even possible?"

Damarius smoothed a strand of hair off her shoulder before answering. "I don't know. I assume it's due to one of his enhanced powers. But what I do know is that he plans to use Devin as a way to get to you, and that...we cannot allow."

Not wanting to let her mate down, Aryiah jumped up from the bed. "You're right. We need to start my training immediately. Then, with a boost from Aradia, I'll kick his ass and hopefully save Devin in the process."

The look on Damarius' face as she headed for the bathroom left a sinking feeling in her chest. She knew then there would be no way to save Devin. She was going to have to accept that her friend was truly beyond help.

As Aryiah continued towards the shower she pretended not to see his reaction. She needed some time alone to ease the ache that facing reality had caused. She turned the knobs and let the water run until steam filled the room, then stepped into the enclosure, letting her tears mix with the hot water.

She cried and cried, feeling as if the history between her and Devin was washing down the drain. The person, or thing Devin now was, carried no resemblance to the woman she'd been friends with for the past ten years. That knowledge had slammed into her in the dungeon when she'd been hit full on with Devin's emotions. Devin had been happy about becoming a vampire, and that was something Aryiah would never understand. How could her friend like the idea of killing people and being evil?

She shook her head, unable to process the thought. A surge of frustration was quickly replaced with anger and Aryiah was suddenly motivated to prepare for their next confrontation. Steeling herself against the cold, she wiped her eyes and exited the shower, walking straight into the bedroom. She found Damarius dressed and waiting patiently by the door with a smile on his face.

Holding out his hand he said, "I figured you'd like to go back to your apartment and gather some things, like your clothes and important belongings, before we begin your training."

She smiled at the fact that he must have read her mind and simply replied, "Yes, that would be great."

With a swipe of his hand Damarius clothed her, then wrapped her in his embrace once more. Together, they shaded to her apartment and began to gather her things. It didn't take long to sort through her clothes and throw the chosen items into her suitcase. Next, they headed to the living room, where she started sifting through all her books and pictures.

"What will happen when I complete my rites? I mean, technically I'll be dead, so will people be fed some story and hold a funeral for me or what?"

With a solemn tone Damarius answered, "No, my love. Once you wake as a citizen of Ovialell, everyone who had contact with you in the human world will automatically lose their memories of you. In their eyes, you won't have died, but will simply cease to exist in the folds of history in the first place."

Aryiah dropped the photo album that was currently in her hand. "You mean Rochelle and my ex-husband won't remember me at all? Not even my own mother?"

"No, Aryiah. No one will remember you. You will be wiped from human history so that you can live your eternal life free to move about the realms as the Goddess you truly are."

His words stung but she was happy he didn't try to sugar coat it for her. She gathered her strength, which she now recognized as a spark from Aradia, picked up the picture album, and gently placed it on the coffee table. Taking one last look around her apartment, she sighed and said her mental goodbye to the only life she'd ever known.