Wild Hearts (Blood & Judgment #1) (26 page)

There is a light tap on the door and Draven opens it before I have a chance to call out.

I smile at him and he approaches me cautiously. “I won’t pretend that was fun,” he says. “And I really wish that I had heard all of that from you at some point in the future. But what’s done is done,” he adds briskly, pacing in front of me as I sit on the bed.

“Cahl is right,” he continues. “You need to get over your past and look towards the future. You will not defeat Edric as you are right now.”

Wow, so much for the gentle approach. Jesus. I am not a sympathy seeker, even in my darkest moments, but I didn’t expect this. Not from him.

“Thanks,” I say, coldly. “You can go now.”

“Oh no, you are not pushing me away, Ems. Not now. Not tonight. Err…today,” he says and then with a shocked look up he rushes towards the heavy brocade curtains that I had opened earlier and pulls them closed.

“They stay closed at all times from now on. I am not risking your life with something so trivial,” he barks at me.

“Draven, I have survived two hundred years on my own without you. I have more tricks up my sleeve, than you have sleeves,” I say with a shake of my head.

“Regardless, to lose you now would be the death of me,” he says dramatically.

“You would just miss not getting another shag,” I say lightly, uncomfortable with his declaration.

“No,” he says, shaking his head. “You are dead wrong. When I first saw you at the bottom of the stairs, I knew I wanted you more than anything else. When I learned that you and Jacob had engaged in certain activities, it caught me off guard how pissed off I was that he got to you first. I took it out on you, when I should have just let it go. After I discovered who you were, it all made sense to me, why I felt this connection with you. I know you feel it, Ember.”

“Yes,” I say taking his hand. “I do, Draven. But I’m not good at this. It’s new and confusing.”

“It is to me as well,” he says, cupping my face. “But I think we have both waited long enough to be happy.”

Well, I can’t argue with that. I smile at him as I stifle a yawn and he pushes me back to the bed. “Sleep now, my sweet vampire.”

I nod wearily, my eyes drooping rapidly now that I am in a prone state. “Stay with me,” I mumble.

“Without question,” he says, stroking my hand. “Let it go, Ember, and we will fight him together.”

“Together,” I murmur.

***

I wake up with a start. I glance at the clock and it is late afternoon. I stretch and wiggle on the silk sheets and then I pause. Firstly, I am alone. Then, I lift my arms out from underneath the heavy feather duvet with a groan. I fell asleep on top of the covers, fully dressed. I gingerly lift the covers and peer down at myself and then fling it back with a loud curse.

I am dressed in a slinky, black satin camisole top with matching shorts.

Draven must have undressed me while I was comatose. The fucking pervert. I bet he had a right old look while I was out of it. But after a moment, it makes me smile. I don’t mind if he took in every inch of me while I was asleep. I want him to know my body as well as I do.

I swing my legs around and climb off the sumptuous bed. I find a robe and drag it on as I make my way towards the door to find Draven. I follow my senses and they lead me downstairs. I am curious, as he is supposed to be sleeping, like me. I keep to the shadows, dodging around the sunlight that is still streaming through the many windows in this place. I pause at the bottom of the stairs and then follow the trail of overbearing warlock to the right. I move silently across the thick carpet and come to a stop outside the dining hall.

I hear his voice, a low, urgent whisper and the blood rushes to my face. He is conspiring again behind my back. If he is with Aria, I am going to slaughter the pair of them where they stand!

I am about to push open the door when I hear another man’s voice.

Cahl.

He is talking in the same urgent tone as Draven and now I lose all my anger as the intrigue sets in.

“…weakness,” he says.

“Weakness?” Draven repeats in disbelief.

“That is how I can best describe it,” Cahl says.

My mouth drops open in shock and I lean closer.

“I don’t think I understand,” Draven says. “What you did out there to Edric’s men was pretty impressive. I only wish I’d had the chance to take
him
down.”

“I am still more powerful than you can fathom,” Cahl says. “But, by my own sense, I know something is missing.”

“The sword?” Draven asks.

“Yes,” Cahl answers. “Without it, I am less. My powers will start to wane, the longer I am disconnected from it.”

“I can’t risk giving it back to you. That thing has the ability to kill all of us, even you,” Draven says with regret.

“I am aware,” Cahl says. “But it makes no difference. Once the Jurisdiction learns of my defection, I will lose the ability to wield the sword. They will ensure the disconnection is permanent.”

“Do you think that has already happened?” Draven asks in a serious tone.

“It is possible,” Cahl says.

“What then?” Draven asks.

“I will lose my ability to spend eternity here,” Cahl says.

“You mean you will be mortal here?” Draven asks in surprise.

“Yes,” Cahl says. “I will age and die, like your mother.”

“Shit,” Draven breathes. “Does Aria know?”

“No!” Cahl says, forcefully. “She cannot know. Not yet. Not until you have completed the ritual.”

I hear Draven slap Cahl on the shoulder. “She won’t hear it from me, but you need to tell her. Soon. I get the feeling your poker face is pretty damn bad.”

“Poker face?” Cahl asks.

“It means you are a bad liar,” Draven explains with a chuckle.

“Yes, lies are evil,” he spits out.

“Then you need to figure out a way to tell her.”

“How?” he asks mournfully and my heart goes out to him. “She is just starting to trust me. How am I supposed to shatter that and tell her I will die long before she does?”

“I don’t know,” Draven says. “But you have to tell her, sooner rather than later.”

I bite my lip and debate with myself if Aria should know about this right now. She is like me, keeping her heart closed off to protect herself. If she learns of this after she has fallen in too deep, I don’t like to think of the consequences.

“Ember?” Draven suddenly calls out and my cover is blown.

“Yes,” I say, pushing the door open with a bright smile.

“Everything okay?” he asks as I go to him and wrap my arms around him.

“Just great,” I reply, casting my gaze at Cahl. He looks so full of sorrow as he leaves us that I can’t bear to be the one to bust this can of worms wide open.

I will keep quiet and hope that he tells Aria soon.

Chapter 22

~Ember~

“So, what was that about?” I ask, retaining my air of suspicion in the hopes that Draven actually tells me the truth. I’m not expecting it, though, and rightly so.

“Nothing,” he says. “Just guy talk, you know?” he adds with a shrug.

“No, I don’t know,” I point out and he just smiles that gorgeous, mouthwatering smile at me and it works on my traitorous body. I light up like a bloody Christmas tree and lean in for a deep kiss.

“I am so lucky,” he murmurs against my lips, before he carries on his exploration of my mouth with his tongue. His hands go to my breasts underneath the silky top and he tweaks my nipples hard. I moan into his mouth and wrap my leg around him.

“Now?” he asks with an arched eyebrow.

“Now,” I demand, not giving a damn if anyone walks into the dining room and sees us at it on the table.

“You are such a naughty girl,” he whispers, his words causing me to shiver in his arms.

He pulls down my shorts and they drop in a silken heap to the floor. He’s on me then, pushing me back to the table and nestling himself in between my legs. He fumbles with his pants and I help him out, needing him inside me before I wither up and die.

Shit!
I am falling too deep. Way too deep. I need to have him, all of him, all of the time. I need his very soul to touch whatever is deep inside me, so that we can spend eternity together as we were meant to. I feel it now. I feel it in this very moment as he penetrates me, not only my body, but my heart. He is ‘the one’ that women across the ages have talked about.

Shit. Fuck.

I cry out as he slams into me, the hard wood biting into my flesh. “More!” I scream at him. “More, Draven, I need everything you’ve got!”

“Oh, fuck, baby,” he groans in my ear, screwing me even harder as I beg him. “I can’t get enough of you.” He drags me down the table, skewering me onto his cock so deep I can feel his long strokes hit my womb.

“Yes!” I scream. “Harder!”

“Fuck!” he roars and pulls out of me, spinning me around so quickly I don’t get to feel the disappointment of our bodies splitting back into two separate beings. He lifts my hips and thrusts his cock into me from behind, ramming me forcefully. I keep my balance with my hands on the table, but my elbows are shaking with my desire and I let them give way, so that I am plastered cheek-to-wood against the table. I feel the shudder of my orgasm as it shakes my entire body, clutching at Draven’s cock as if to never let it go.

“Oh, Ems,” he cries, digging his fingers further into my hips, making me yelp. “Fuck, yes.” He rams into me one last time and he is done, shooting his load into me with jerk after jerk of his hips.

I am a vampire. I have unnatural strength and stamina, but right now I am sweating profusely with our efforts, panting like a bitch in heat.

Draven covers my body with his, laying his chest to my back, crushing me into the dining table where the Coven will gather to eat not long from now. It makes me giggle and Draven, knowing my thoughts somehow, laughs too.

“Better get the polish out,” he jokes. “There’s probably your butt print on here somewhere.”

“Along with my tit prints,” I retort. “Get off me.” I wiggle underneath him, but it only serves to rile him up some more.

“Another round? My, my, you are a vampire vixen, aren’t you?” he says, the desire in his voice making him slightly hoarse.

We both turn quickly as we hear a noise by the doorway.

We jump apart as we see a man’s back retreating. I recognize him instantly as Jacob and I cringe. Did he watch this entire show, or just walk in on us now and decide to take the high road and leave? I tie my robe up tightly with a grimace at Draven, whose face has gone so dark it is slightly terrifying.

“You know it meant nothing, right?” I ask him cautiously.

“It makes no difference,” he says shortly. “His dick has still been where it shouldn’t have.”

I bite my lip, intending to take all the blame, I mean it
was
me who jumped him and maybe Draven needs to know that, but I don’t get a chance to. Draven suddenly wipes the darkness from his features and smiles down at me. He takes my hands and says, “We should do this séance now.”

“Oh,” I say, taken aback. “We’re still doing that? I thought Cahl told us everything?” I wrinkle up my brow. I am not into ghost chasing and seeing my mom is just going to creep me out, even though I am still not convinced about Cahl’s story. I know my visions. I have had them for a couple of centuries, not just about this, but about everything. I
trust
them. They are the only thing I have ever trusted. Until now.

“We still need to call on them, we need some insight. This is a big thing we are about to do, Ember. A call to arms against the Jurisdiction. I don’t know about you, but I think we need all the help we can get.”

His serious face makes me feel a bit stupid for questioning him. Of course we bloody need all the help we can get. We are only three and they are many, many, many. A legion of soldiers sworn to fight to the death for their cause. Suddenly, I don’t feel very confident at all about our chances.

Draven must see the doubt pass across my face because he cups it and then kisses me. “We will prevail, my sweet vampire. I know this for a fact.”

“How can you know that?” I whisper to him.

“Because there isn’t a chance in hell that I am going to lose you now that I have found you. Simple as that,” he whispers back and my eyes fill with tears—to my absolute horror!

But Draven doesn’t mock me, or laugh at my weakness. He leans down to kiss my tears away and then he slaps my rear lightly and says, “Go and get Aria, she will want in on this.”

“Okay,” I mumble, still choked up about the depth of Draven’s feelings for me, and conversely, mine for him.

“Oh, and sweetness?” Draven calls after me. I spin around and he adds, “Get dressed. I don’t want you meeting my mom in that sexy negligee.” He bursts out laughing as I glance down at myself in dismay. I hadn’t even thought about it, preoccupied was I with other matters.

“Sure thing,” I say and sashay away with a swing of my hips, just to give him something to look at as I walk away.