Awakening (24 page)

“
Are you going to kill me?” Celeste questioned, staring at Adam with an anxious expression on her face, thinking that he might pull an
Apocritum
mind-fuck and wipe all trace of her existence from the face of the earth.

“
Do you honestly believe I could?” he asked with a hint of hurt in his voice as he studied her face, her mouth, and she wanted him to kiss her, just once more before he killed her. He raised his hand once more and she almost flinched but she managed to remain motionless. Tracing her eyebrow, the line of her cheek, her full lower lip, he touched her as a lover and not an executioner.

Her eyes
moved over his face, her heart thudding painfully in her chest; she hadn't truly believed he would kill her otherwise she never would have told him. Slowly, she shook her head no and euphoria filled his eyes a moment before he closed them. She tenderly ran her fingers over his closed eyes, her hands trembling in relief and gratitude. His breathing was ragged as he leaned into her caress and she had to kiss him; kissing him was more necessary than taking her next breath. Leaning forward, she softly pressed her lips against his, wanting to drown in his midnight kisses.

He pulled away from her and put his hands on her stomach, "We'll protect the new Queen together."

Swallowing thickly as a tear slid down her cheek, she nodded her head in acknowledgement before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in for another kiss. He groaned as he dragged his hand over the contour of her fuller breast and she had to bite back a moan as he brushed a thumb over the sensitive tip. “And now that I have you in my arms again, I’m never letting you go.”

His heat surrounded her and her body responded accordingly
. "I'm afraid."

“
I know but you have me,” Adam murmured gently, brushing his lips over her temple and breathing in her sweet scent. It had been thirteen days since he was joined with her; thirteen long days of needing her and being denied. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her with all of the devotion he had. Kissing the curve of her neck, he smiled, “Fate doesn’t always give us a choice but together we will triumph.”

“I
just want you to fuck me,” she murmured against his chest, her arms snaking around his waist. Heat raced through her body; she was done thinking, worrying; she simply wanted to feel Adam moving over her, in her. She wanted him to make her forget the huge burden hanging over her.

“
No; I am going to make love to you.” Laying her back on the couch and covering her body with his, he pressed his lips against her throat. He reached between their bodies and tugged at her pants, losing himself in her arms as she unfastened his slacks, pushing them off his thighs. His erection sprung free, proud and thick; her fingers brushed the heated skin and the air hissed out of his mouth at the too gentle touch.

Smiling tenderly up at him, she lifted her hips and he pulled her pants from her body. Settling between her legs, the tip of his penis at the entrance of her body, he looked at her, loving her so much. Brushing her hair back from her forehead, he took her mouth in a hungry, desperate kiss.

Slowly, he pressed into her and her body arched upwards and she thought it had been foolish to avoid him for all of this time. Two weeks had been an eternity to go without this closeness, without his touch. Her fears and uncertainties simply faded away when she was with him and she realized that she had trusted him from the first moment she saw him. Of course he would protect her; why had she ever doubted?

Roughly, he rasped,
“Celeste, I am yours forever.”

When he spoke those words, emotion overfilled Celeste and
her heart lurched in her chest. Wrapping her arms around him, she held him to her, loving him. For that moment, she knew everything was going to be okay; the future was going to be incredible because Adam was with her and she was with him. Nothing else mattered. “Forever, my love.”

*****

Silently, Auberon sat in the corner, grimly watching his brother and the girl. Adam wasn’t even biting her and he was experiencing bliss. What the hell? He should be the one who experienced the bliss of fucking a girl that remained human when bit; he was the one to convince Adam that the Queen, that Mother, was insane and corrupt. Running his thumb over his lower lip, watching the girl’s face, watching Celeste, he decided he had to try her. He had to know what it was that consumed his brother.

A slow smile spread across his lips as he shifted in his seat, trying to ease the burgeoning
erection between his legs. Tonight he would… talk to the girl; find out what she tasted like. Maybe he would even experience the bliss found between her thighs. It would be simple; no one could tell him apart from Adam, not when they were naked. In fact, the only thing that made them different was the style with which they dressed: Adam in his expensive suits, looking rich and powerful; and Auberon in his leather pants and tight shirts, looking sensual, reckless and dangerous. When they wore the same clothes not even their mother knew the difference; how could a mere human?

Besides, she owed it to him. Because of her, the goal he and Adam had spent so many years working tirelessly towards had to change. The birth of a new Queen was a complication that he was going to have
to figure out how to use to their advantage. They were going to have to take Celeste and the child away and train the baby to destroy their bitch of a mother, the Queen. And then they would finally, finally be completely free.

Cashmere slacks always felt strange on his body; they did not caress his legs the way leather did. Auberon shifted uncomfortably, wearing his brother’s clothes, watching his brother’s girl. The sheets were twisted about her slender legs and her thin nightgown was bunched around her thighs, emphasizing the curve of her hips, the indent of her waist. He could make out the swells of her breasts in the dim light, generous and perfect, her pebbled nipples ready for his mouth. Her rich brown hair fanned out across her pillow and her long lashes caressed her cheeks as her closed eyes moved in dream. She was glorious! But it was her lips that nearly undid him; slightly parted, as if inviting a kiss. And Auberon watched, waiting.

The timing was perfect
and it was perhaps the only time he was going to be able to discover what made her so damn irresistible. His brother was a fool to allow her out of his sight for even a moment but Adam had wanted to re-enforce the wards and protective spells around their fortress. He didn't want to take any chance that the Queen would find his precious Celeste. Tempting Celeste.

Auberon had offered his help but Adam wanted to perform the spells in blood, his blood, to ensure their potency; Auberon would have just
gotten in the way. His brother's anal retentiveness to achieve perfection was going to be Auberon's one chance and he would be damned if he didn't have a taste.

Celeste
sighed, turning just enough that her gown shifted, exposing the swell of her left breast. His hand twitched, wanting to touch that soft flesh; suckle that soft flesh. Adam had been a fool to let her out of his sight. And Auberon was a fool to take advantage of it.

A moment of conscience struck him and he froze;
what was he doing? She was his brother’s and Adam had never been so possessive about one of his pets before. There had never been any need because they had always shared everything until now. Auberon wanted to know, to understand, what made this one so damn special. What made this one so unique? Why could he not stop thinking about her even though Adam claimed her as his own? He should leave, forget this madness.

A soft moan froze him in place, his cock hardening even further, straining against the unfamiliar pants. He couldn’t leave until he knew, until he tasted her. Brushing his thumb across his lower lip, he watched her sleep, promising himself that he would only drink a little bit, just a little. With that promise to himself his fangs grew and he felt the blackness fill his eyes, seeing the sensual he
at of her body even in the dark. He was going to give into madness; he had no choice.

*****

Celeste was tossing and turning in her sleep; something was off. Bizarre images of wasps chasing her, wanting to devour her, filled her dreams. She would run and every time she thought she might out-distance the persistent bugs, she would be sucked back, able to feel the tips of their stingers on her flesh. Something loomed in front of her, just beyond her vision but she could feel the menace as it got closer. She didn't want to look but she knew that she didn't have a choice; soon she was going to have to face the darkness that was waiting for her.

But there was
something else there as well, something benevolent and a little desperate. Someone was watching her, guarding her, wanting her.

Adam
.

No, not
Adam; Auberon.

Celeste awoke with a start, the images and feelings fading as her mind returned from the bowels of her dream. Running her hands over her face, trying to clear the remaining fog, she became aware of someone in her room, in the corner. Turning her head
slightly, she made out the form of a man; a god, who was raking his hands through his hair in agitation.

Flipping on her bedside lamp, she could see him clearly as he silently watched her.
He was dressed in a crisp white shirt, a dark tie around his neck. Dark pants encased his powerful legs, the matching jacket tossed across the back of the chair. Strange, Adam was the one who wore suits, not Auberon. “What are you doing here?”

“I needed to see you,” he murmured, his voice low and seductive. His gaze raked
over her body, his eyes deep, dark pools of black liquid and wildness. “It has been too long since I have made love to you.”

Turning onto her side to face him, her lips curled up in a smile at his words. Propping herself up on her elbow, she shook her head with amusement. Did he really believe he could fool her? “Auberon, we have never made love, you and I.”

His head shot up and his startled gaze slammed into hers, the questions and disbelief apparent in his eyes. The bewilderment quickly faded, to be replaced with a wicked smile. He stood and stepped further into the circle of warm light. With an easy smile, he asked, “How do you know I am not Adam?”

She simply looked at him as if he were insane; it was so obvious, how could she not know? Closing her eyes, she could feel his anguish, his misery but she didn’t un
derstand it. With a shrug, she looked at him and said, “I know.”

“You do not know,” he scoffed, moving closer to her bed, the hunger burning in his eyes as his gaze roamed over her body once more. “
You are mistaken; I am Adam.”

“
You're not,” she assured him, watching him as he stalked closer. He was exquisite, but he wasn’t Adam. An edge of desperation clung to him tonight, though Celeste wasn’t afraid. She felt his need, his compulsion, to understand, she just wasn’t sure what he needed to understand. “What are you doing here?”

“I had to make sure you were all right,” he murmured seductively, trailing a finger along her bare arm. “I fear I did not please you this afternoon.”

She tilted her head to the side, wondering what the hell Auberon was talking about. “In what way?”

“On the couch,” he whispered, watching his darker hand against her paler skin. Energy pulsed off her, deep and powerful; wells of fathomless energy not yet revealed. He closed his eyes in ecstasy, moistening his lips with his tongue. “I
was too gentle when you needed a good, hard fuck.”

“You were watching us?” she asked, hearing the hiss of breath as he gasped.
“Auberon? Were you there the entire time? Does Adam kn….”

“What have you done to my brother?” he interrupted, the frustration and
incredulity in his voice as he finally gave up the pretense of being Adam. Of all the people to know the difference, it would have to be her, damning him to this torment of wanting and not having. He sat on the edge of her bed, absently trailing his finger from her knee to her hip. He lifted his head and looked at her face, her hazel eyes watching him, studying him. Understanding him. It was too much, he had to look away. “What have you done to me?”