Darkest Risings (35 page)

“What?”
Ebony sank down onto the coffee table behind her. Her bottom lip began to
tremble.

“Dominic
is not taking it well,” Aiston said.

“Of
course he isn’t,” Avril said. “He’s probably beside himself.” Tears slid down
Avril’s cheeks. “Is it safe to leave this room?”

“For
now,” Aiston answered.

“Is
Dominic back?” Avril hugged Aiston.

“Don’t
know, but I’m sure they will bring Conrad back here to give him a proper send
off.”

“I
need to go see if he’s back. He’ll need someone to talk to.”

“I’ll
take Wilhemina to Aldin, and I’ll see you in a little while in our room?” He
stroked her cheek with his thumb.

“Yes.”
Avril nodded.

“Is
Uriah okay?” The quiet question had come from Lindsey.

“No
one asked, so I thought I would.” She shrugged.

“He’s
good,” Aiston said.

“Let
me take Wilhemina to Aldin. You can see how Ragnor is.” Ebony got up and went
to stand beside Wilhemina.

“I
can find my own way. You don’t have to take me,” Wilhemina replied. Her stomach
was one big knot. Conrad was dead and Ragnor might also soon be if not already,
and she was worried sick over Aldin. She needed to see him with her own two
eyes to assure herself of his well-being.

“I’ll
at least walk with you to the stairs then I can see Lindsey to your room, and
you can go to Aldin.”

“Okay.”

Wilhemina
and Ebony waited for Lindsey then the three headed upstairs. A few minutes
later, she stood outside of Aldin’s door. Her heart thudded anxiously. She wanted
to see him, but was scared about the condition she might find him in.

“
I know you are out there, Wilhemina.”

“Aldin! Are you okay?”

“Why don’t you come in and see? I’m
in the bathtub.”

She
swallowed hard, opened the door, and walked to the bathroom. She gasped when
she saw him and hurried over to the edge of the tub. His usually flawless skin
was dark red and blistered.

“It’s
not so bad now, Wilhemina.” He reached up and stroked her cheek softly with his
fingers.

She
wanted to hug him, kiss him, but was afraid to touch him for fear of hurting
him.

“What
happened?” She fought hard to keep the tears from her eyes. She wanted to be
strong for him.

“Managed
to get a little toasted in a very literal way.”

“You
were burned?” There was no stopping the tears at this point, and she quit
trying.

“Hey,
hey. Don’t cry. I’m okay. I’ll be back to normal before you know it.”

“I’m
sorry about Conrad,” she said.

His
lips pulled tight into a thin line and he nodded. “It’s never easy losing one
of our own.”

“Will
Ragnor be okay?”

“I
don’t know.”

“Is
there anything I can do?”

He
cringed and doubled over before panting.

“What’s
wrong?”

“Nothing.
Sometimes healing is painful when the injuries are extensive.”

“D-do
you need blood?”

“I
could use some, yes, but not from you.” He smiled.

“Why?”

“Because
if you give me your blood freely, it will be the third time, and I would want
to give you some of mine in return.”

“Oh.”
She frowned. “Oh! You’d change me?”

“Yes,
and I don’t think you are ready for that.”

Was
she ready for that? No. Would she ever be ready for that? No. So why wait? She
doubted anyone could prepare one hundred percent for such a life-altering
event. It was one of those things like swimming in cold water.
Take the plunge all at once because if you
stick your toe in first, you’ll never jump.

Was
she ready for the jump? She looked at Aldin, and fear slithered through her,
reminding her of how terrifying the thought of never seeing him again had been.
If he hadn’t returned tonight, a part of her would have died never to be
recovered again. She didn’t want to live without him. She wanted to be with him
forever. Now, witnessing the extent of his injuries, an overwhelming need to
help him smash into her full force.

Many
decisions that were made in the heat of the moment were soon regretted, but
this did not feel like one of those. Choosing to be with Aldin felt right and
she couldn’t imagine regretting a choice that would keep her with the man she
loved for more years than she could have ever hoped for. Even when she’d doubted
the possibility of their relationship working because of what had happened to
Lindsey, she’d known deep in her heart that eventually they would have found
their way back to one another.

He
was her other half. Her soul mate. Simple as that. Until she met him, she
hadn’t believed in love at first sight. Now the proof that soul mates existed,
that love at first sight existed, sat inches from her.

Her
logical brain told her that she should take more time to decide the matter, but
her heart was there once again whispering that no matter how many days, hours,
or years passed, the outcome was inevitable. She would become a part of him,
and he would become a part of her.

“I’m
ready. I love you, Aldin.” She looked him in the eyes when she said it so there
could be no doubt of the sincerity of her statement.

He
closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, the black ink of desire
began blotting out the turquoise. She gently brushed her fingers through his
dark hair and thunder rumbled low, shaking the house with one long growl.

He
said nothing, just stared at her as the black crept further and further over
his eyes. Butterflies danced low in her belly and her nerves began to twitch.
Was he going to deny her?

“It
thunders a lot when I’m around you.” A nervous giggle escaped from her lips.

He
reached up and gently tugged her into the bathtub. She squealed when she
sprawled over him mostly because she was worried about hurting him, and partly
because she was fully clothed.

“It
thunders a lot because you unleash things deep inside me that are hard for me
to control.” He tunneled his fingers in her hair and cupped her nape.

He
pulled her slowly toward him, and she carefully placed one palm on his chest.
Their lips hovered only an inch apart.

“Are
you telling me that you can make it thunder?” she mocked with one brow up.

He
nodded. The sincerity in his eyes made her mouth fall open.

“Wilhemina,
I’ve never been a man to pass up an opportunity when one is presented, and I’m
finding it very hard to”—he flexed his hips so she could feel his hard cock rub
against her ass—”do what is right here.”

“And
what is
right
here?” she whispered.

“Not
taking advantage of you. You have no idea how badly I want to truly make you
mine, but I don’t want you to have regrets later.”

“I won’t
regret having the opportunity to love you forever, Aldin. I’ve made up my mind.
I won’t change it. Whatever you decide to do with that information is your
choice, but the decision stands now and always.”

He
pulled her the rest of the way to his mouth, and his lips came down hungrily on
hers. He tasted of forbidden pleasure and promise. She gasped when he broke the
kiss, aching from the loss of his touch.

“I
love you, Wilhemina. With all of my heart. You must know that you and you alone
hold my soul in your two tiny hands. You are the only one who has the power to
hurt me like no other has.”

“I
don’t want to hurt you. I want to love you.” She frowned and looked down at his
big, hard body. “And I really don’t want to cause you more pain right now.”

“It’s
getting better.”

“I
don’t think looking like a lobster that’s just been boiled alive is an
indication of
better
. Are you really
okay?”

“Yes.
Aiston managed to put the fire out before it kil…um, before it could do
permanent
damage.”

The
breath whooshed from her lungs. He was going to say killed him. She didn’t
realize that he’d been that close to dying. Emotions swamped her and she
swayed.

“Hey,
hey. It’s okay, honey. I’m right here.” He pulled her against his chest and
wrapped his arms around her.

“I
don’t ever want to lose you,” she said against his chest.

“You’re
not going to lose me. I promised I’d come back to you and I did. I will always
come back to you. Now how about if we get out of this tub so I can help you get
those wet clothes off?”

“Are
you sure you’re up for it?” she inquired.

He
flexed his hips again, nudging his erection against her. “I’m pretty sure I’m
up
for it.”

“You
know what I meant.” She smiled.

“Yes,
and the answer is still yes.”

When
he stood and set her on the floor, she barely held back a moan of appreciation.
He was beautiful. Even with his red skin—which was looking better with each
passing minute—he reminded her of one of those perfectly sculptured statues of
a Greek god. She wanted to lick every drop of water sliding over his wet body.

Without
thought, without embarrassment, she reached for the buttons on her top and
slowly undid them one by one. Her skin heated as he watched her expose her bra.
The black engulfed his eyes now, and her core pulsed in response to his obvious
arousal. She’d started to think that she’d never meet a man to settle down with
and now knew why.

Aldin
wasn’t someone to settle down
with.
Instinctively, she was certain nothing would ever
settle down
between them. Maybe over time they might fall into some
type of routine, but the intensity, the fiery passion they shared, would never
dull.

She
let the blouse fall from her shoulders and plop to the floor in a wet heap. He
clenched his fists at his sides before stepping out of the tub.

“Unsnap
your bra for me. Show me your gorgeous breasts, honey.”

The
low rumble of his words sent streaks of pleasure through her. She reached for
the fastening on her bra, flicked it open, and slowly removed it. Her eyes
locked on his thick, hard cock as it twitched, and she licked her lips,
remembering how he’d tasted.

“Not
this time. This time it’s my turn to love you with my mouth.”

She
slowly moved her gaze up over his ripped abs to his wide chest and finally to
his eyes. The desire that burned in the black depths was enough to steal the
breath from her lungs.

“Take
off the skirt now.”

His
fists clenched and unclenched, and she smiled, knowing that he was as aroused
as she was. Feeling bold and beautiful under his stare, she let the inner vixen
out to play. She slowly turned her back to him, unfastened her skirt, and
shimmied her hips as she began to slowly work the wet fabric over her legs. She
let it pool around her feet then stepped out of it and looked over her shoulder
at him.

He
sucked in a sharp breath. “Now the panties.”

She
hooked her fingers under the sides of her panties and bent over—farther than
necessary—to slide them off. When she suddenly found herself plastered against
the wall with Aldin’s hard, damp body pressed against her from behind, all
playfulness was gone, replaced by red-hot lust.

He
nipped her lobe then licked along the outline of her ear. “You get me so
fucking hot.” His warm breath sent shivers through her body.

One
hand slid along her arm, over her hip, around to her stomach then down to rest
on her mound. He slipped a finger over her clit and along her labia. Her body
responded to his touch as it always did. Wetness rushed between her legs and he
groaned when his finger encountered the dewy dampness. She moaned and pushed
her hips back, thankful that the coolness of the wall against her chest that
kept her from going up in flames. He flexed his hips in response, which brought
his cock up hard against her lower back, it’s length taunting,
promising…dominating.

Her
body clenched in anticipation as a buzzing started in her ears, a signal that
every cell, every nerve ending sang a siren’s song for his possession.

“Aldin!”
she cried when he bumped his cock against her again.

He
spun her around, and she let out a squeak of alarm when he effortlessly picked
her up and draped her legs over his shoulders. Her heels dug into his back, and
his strong hands clamped over her thighs as his wicked tongue eased along her
labia then settled over her clit.

She
gripped the tops of his hands covering her thighs to balance herself, although
it was more a reaction than necessity as he was doing a fine job of holding her
secure and steady as he ate at her. His dark hair glistened with water, and the
shock of being neatly set on his shoulders with his face buried against her mound
was but a fleeting moment in the wind once his tongue began a sensual dance
against her clit. She was mesmerized by the way he dipped the strong,
glistening appendage inside her over and over before swirling it around the
bundle of nerves that sent pleasure pulsing through her.