Embrace the Magic (The Blood Rose Series Book 2) (11 page)

The corpses were gathered and taken to various morgues.

When the battlefield saw the last bit of debris hauled away, including the grass washed free of blood and any other battle-related detritus, like pieces of burnt clothing and scattered weapons, only then did Ethan finally levitate into the air and begin a slow progression in the direction of the Guildhall and Samantha.

A single thought of Samantha, however, put his heart in high gear. Having taken her blood had changed everything and now that the battle was over, his body seemed lit up and ready just for her.

He took deep breaths because what he needed from her now had nothing to do with a deep draw at her neck. But Goddess help him, how could he ask even more of her?

*** *** ***

Samantha wanted to go home, back to Shreveport.

This was all too much.

She stood in the shadows of the Guildhall, having watched the last of the fae healers, the physicians, and the support volunteers depart the field so that now only Ethan and his Guard remained.

And Ethan moved slowly in her direction.

She felt him coming for her like a slow-moving ocean wave, something she couldn’t stop even if she’d wanted to.

She’d fed Ethan and he’d battled his enemy, maybe even saving the day, or the
night
, so to speak. But this wasn’t her fight or her war. She was human, too, not just fae, not just a blood rose. Why should this be her fate?

Earlier, families with children and the aged had gone home
as soon as a member of the Guard told them it was safe, scattering quickly to either cars in the parking lot or taking off in levitated-flight. Many of the realm-folk could fly, but a good number relied on more traditional forms of transportation. Those who had arrived at the fairgrounds on bicycles arranged to travel in cars with supportive friends and family members.

The grass looked pristine in the glow of her new realm-vision.

What had taken place, once the battle ended, had been accomplished by the local realm-folk by long habit, a story all in itself.

The Invictus had tormented the Nine Realms for centuries and no matter how many wraith-pairs were killed, more arrived to replace each lost unit. Vojalie’s insights into Bergisson’s daily life flowed through her mind, of how hard the community of a million souls strived to live each day as normal as possible despite the constant threat of an unpredictable enemy.

As Ethan drew near, she couldn’t believe how much better he looked. The blue beneath his eyes had vanished and his complexion now had a golden, tanned appearance instead of the chalk she’d witnessed even at the prave.

“You’re better.” She wished he wasn’t, wished her blood hadn’t been good for him, but the evidence of what she was stood right in front of her.

Because of the battle, his long hair had come loose from the woven clasp that held it in place. Curls and strands flowed away from his face and her heart thrummed all over again, getting ready for him if he needed her. He shouldn’t be so beautiful. He should be thin, pale and evil-looking instead of towering over her like a god from mythology.

“You’re alone?” Ethan scowled.

“I sent Vojalie back to your house as soon as the Invictus left. The baby needed her.”

“But there’s no one else here.” He glanced beyond her to the Guildhall.

“I felt secure enough because your Guardsmen are still patrolling.”

“I don’t like that you’re alone. You should have gone with Vojalie.”

Did he have to be so worried for her safety?

Tears filled her eyes and she was ready to launch into all her reasons for why she wanted him, right this minute, to take her back to Shreveport. But he stepped close and took her arm gently in his hand and squeezed. “Thank you.”

Her breath caught and held. “You don’t have to say that, not to me, not for this.”

“Yes, I do. I didn’t have time to tell you before. Thank you for saving my life. In fact, because of what you did, you saved hundreds of lives tonight, not just mine.”

She was taken aback. “Is that what I did?”

He nodded. “I don’t know why, but I wasn’t far from death. I didn’t realize it until you came to me, until I started to feed. I’m stubborn in that way. I don’t always understand the most basic things.”

At the time that she’d crossed the field to him, she’d felt so confident about doing what was needed to be done, just as Vojalie had said she would feel. But why did it all have to be about life-and-death?

“I want you to find someone else.” There she’d said it.

“I know. I can feel it in you, that you’re unhappy about what happened, that you feel trapped, and I’ll do whatever you say because I believe in your right to whatever path you want to follow.

“But I also believe in my heart that you’ve come into my realm for a reason. I think Bergisson needs you but I don’t know in what way. I realize we have this issue between us, or maybe it would be better to say that I have this critical need for you right now, but that doesn’t have to define the future.

“However, just for the time being, I’m asking you to stay, until I can get this all figured out, especially Ry. He’s the threat that most concerns me and that his drive toward you, now that he’s seen what you can do, is probably stronger than ever. Do you understand? Ry was here at the battle. He’s joined the Invictus and he watched you feed me.”

She nodded, but something inside her collapsed, a feeling that her liberty was being eroded. Was this how her mother had felt all those years, maybe enslaved in service to Bergisson because of her inherent fae power, something she’d been born with but never chosen?

His voice was softer now as he rubbed her arm. “Please stay.” Because of her fae abilities, she could sense his desperation. “I haven’t felt well like this in fifty years.”

“Okay, that doesn’t help at all. Are you trying to guilt me into this?”

“No, dear Goddess, no. I’m just trying to explain all the reasons why, if I can find some way to duplicate what you’ve given me, I need to do that.”

“So now you want to duplicate my blood?”

“Look, it’s clear to me that you don’t want to be here. I get it. You are your mother’s daughter. I’m just asking for you to stick around for a few days.”

“What if it turns into weeks or months?”

He seemed startled, like he hadn’t considered that as a possibility, then she understood the flip side of this coin. “Oh, my God, you don’t really want me to stay, either?”

He fell silent and his hand dropped away. His gaze shifted off to the side and his scowl deepened. “I have a duty to perform here in my realm that makes it impossible for me to become involved with any woman. When I first saw you, and felt you connect with my personal frequency, I knew you were going to be a problem.”

“I don’t fit into your plans.” She should have been miffed, instead she felt relieved. “That’s good.”

His gaze shifted back to her. “How is that good?”

“Because now I know we have the same goal, to get me back to Shreveport when all this is over.”

He nodded and then he smiled. “Yes, we have the same goal.”

Samantha took a deep breath, the first one since she’d fed Ethan and watched her blood fire him up like she’d put caffeine straight into his veins. But it was his smile that shifted the direction of the exchange, like a train being rerouted by a simple switch of the tracks.

Ethan had a great smile. He probably knew it as well, but right now all she saw was the reflection of her own sense of relief, that each had stated a simple desire not to engage, and so she could breathe and Ethan could smile.

His gaze caught and held, however, and she felt his personal frequency streaming toward her begging for a connection. The fae part of her received that frequency and her body lit up. His hillside grassy scent thickened in the air and tightened her abdomen. Her lips parted like she needed to say something, but nothing came out.

“Samantha,” he whispered, his voice hoarse and deep.

“If we did this, it changes nothing, right?”

He nodded, brisk hopeful jerks of his head. “Right. Nothing. Just mutual enjoyment, fulfillment of need.”

Her turn to nod. She cleared her throat. “But you need to get back to the patrols.”

“Yes. I’ll be home at dawn.”

Sunrise seemed about a million hours away when what she wanted was right in front of her.

“Ethan?” The Guardsman, Finn, called out, heading in their direction.

Ethan’s nostrils flared and a look of irritation then amusement crossed his face. To her, he said, “I’ll get you home then meet you later?”

“I’ll be waiting.”

Ethan turned to Finn just as he touched down a few feet away. “I have to get Samantha home.”

“Let one of the Guard do it.”

Though she was looking at Ethan’s back, she felt his sudden tension like multiple waves beating at her chest all at once. “No, Finn. I have to do this.”

Samantha stepped around Ethan and inclined her head to Finn. He returned the gesture but he was scowling. He seemed to disapprove, but she wasn’t sure why. He said nothing more, but turned and flew back in the direction of the woodland, his leather coat flapping behind him. “What was that about?”

“What was what?”

“Why didn’t you let one of the other Guardsmen see me home? I mean, maybe Finn felt you would be more valuable here.”

Ethan looked down at her and opened one arm, extending his right booted foot just a little. She knew the drill. As she slid her arm around his neck, she balanced both feet on the top of his foot. Left to herself, she was sure she’d fall, but his arm clamped around her waist like a vise.

He leaned close and straight into her ear, whispered, “Want to know why? Because I’d kill any man for getting this close to you right now. Understand?”

His warm breath and the resonance of his voice filled her ear and sent a series of shivers cascading over her neck and shoulders and down her back. Desire flooded her, so that she could do nothing else but turn toward his mouth and catch his lips with her own.

A growl filled his throat as he drove his tongue inside her mouth. She’d been longing for this kiss, and much more, from the moment she’d first seen him storm into Club Prave. She hadn’t been with a man in so long.

I want you now.
Even his voice in her head filled her with strange, realm vibrations, one after the other, heightening the passion that flowed through her like music.

You’d better just take me home.

But his mouth moved over hers like he had no intention of stopping, his tongue plunging in and out, making all sorts of promises.

She couldn’t help what happened next as she turned into him, sliding her other arm around his neck.

He pulled her hard against him and dipped low to caress her bottom, pressing her hips into what was hard and ready for her. If she’d been in doubt about his size, she felt everything right now, that he would fill her up and then some, which weakened her knees even more, then flooded her mind with new doubts about how easy it would ever be for her to leave Bergisson.

He drew back, his eyes glittering in the dark. “Let’s go.”

She didn’t remember the ride, only that her nose kept sniffing the leather of his uniform and the tangy male scent of his neck. By the time he touched down in front of his house, she’d started sucking on his neck and he’d pulled her against him once more.

*** *** ***

Ethan didn’t know how he was going to separate from Samantha, but Finn’s voice asked telepathic admittance.

He drew back from her about two full inches, unwilling to release her, when Finn pathed,
I followed you just to make sure Ry didn’t have a secondary plan in place. Take her inside. We’ve got this.

Maybe it was the amusement in Finn’s voice, or the trace of masculine sympathy for Ethan’s current plight, but Ethan finally relented.
I’ll check in later.

No. Check in tomorrow evening. I’m telling you, I’ve got this. Your Guard is well-trained, the best in the Nine Realms. We can do without you for one night, you love-starved bastard.

Did anyone ever tell you that you can be a real dick?

Just my wife, at least once a night.

Ethan was still undecided until Samantha found his neck again and once more started to suck just over his vein. Did she know how that made him feel? Maybe. Probably.

Oh, hell. Call me if you need me, no matter how small the problem Got it?

Yes, Mastyr.

Ethan chuckled and ended the pathing call.

He lifted Samantha’s chin and she left his neck with a small smacking sound. He kissed her, then scooped her up in his arms. “I’m taking you to bed. Now.”

Her eyes opened wide. “You sure? Now? What about your men?”

“I just cleared it with Finn.”

She drew in a soft breath. “Well, then.”

Chapter Five

Ethan carried Samantha up both short flights of stairs, through the sitting room and down the long hall in the direction of his suite. Fortunately, Vojalie and her family were settled in one of the south suites off the family room, a good distance from his west-facing bedroom.

He trembled, as much from what was about to happen as by the reality that he’d never wanted a woman in his rooms before the way he wanted her.

She’d drawn close again and had her lips on his neck, tonguing his skin, then sucking. He wanted those same lips down low and doing the same thing.

He shuddered.

She’d feed him again. He knew it without having to really think about it. He could feel her heart pounding heavily, her veins full of what he needed. He wanted to be moving into her slowly this time as he pinned her shoulders to the bed and drank from her, his hips curling with each thrust to keep the whole act perfect and coordinated. He wanted to come with his mouth drinking down her essence.

His personal frequency vibrated heavily now and the part of her that was fae responded so that in the center of his being, another layer of sensation kept him hard, worked up, and on fire.

He shoved open the door to his suite, then kicked it closed behind him.