“Only mine.” He pulled her into his arms. “And after the ceremony, I will only be able to stand your blood.”
“So we’ll keep each other alive.” Sophie’s doctor mind kicked into gear.
“Yes.”
“And if one of us dies?”
“The other will follow shortly.”
“So I will not only become your undead wife, but your weakness.”
Giovanni held her tighter. “It’s a big commitment.”
“Life altering.” She said her thought out loud. “Will I still be a witch?” Sophie didn’t know why that was important to her, but it was. She needed to be able to carry on her family’s work. She knew she was the end of her family line. She’d never have children as a vampire’s lover. It was something she already accepted.
Giovanni nodded. “You’ll still be you in all your glorious, vibrant, remarkable ways. You’ll even need to eat normal food to keep your blood supply fresh.” He looked her directly in the eyes. “I know you’ll need time to decide, but please wear the ring to dinner tonight.”
“No.” Sophie shook her head and Giovanni’s face fell. “No, I don’t need time to decide. My answer is yes. It was always yes, Giovanni Mancuso.” She kissed him and he fell backward pulling her with him. They tumbled out of each other’s arms while still connected at the lips.
“Are you sure?” he asked, all his hope hung on her answer.
“Yes.”
His emotions exploded as though a dam broke in his mind with that one word. He growled and took her in his arms. “Mine.”
“Yes.” And she sealed her promise with a kiss.
They were overcome with passion. He needed to claim her, to possess her. Blinded by desire he ripped the dress off of her, and then the camisole and slip. He only stopped when she was fully naked in front of him. He took a moment to admire every curve of her tanned body.
“I had planned on wearing that tonight.” She giggled as she pointed at the shredded mess of clothes on the floor beside them.
He ignored her, picked her up in his arms and gently tossed her on the soft kingsize mattress. Then he removed his grey shirt and unbuttoned his dark jeans. “I’ll buy you a new one.” He grinned as his pants and shoes fell to the ground leaving him naked in front of her. She took the moment to admire all his hard planes and solid body mass. She could spend eternity just getting to know every inch of his glorious body. “Finished?” he waited patiently for her invite.
She smiled and crooked her finger toward him. It was all the motivation he needed. He took her with so much possessive passion she thought she’d break into a thousand pieces.
The urgency between them reached new heights and they worked to please each other with touches, kisses and movement. When he broke the skin on her neck with his teeth they both exploded. Lost in the thralls of passion, they slowly fell back to earth, and he pulled her tighter against him. “All mine.” He smiled, fully satisfied and happy.
“Yes, always and forever.”
He rolled her on top of him and stared intensely in her eyes. “For eternity.”
“Eternity.” She echoed. Her heart soared as she laid her head on his strong cold chest. It always amazed her how his skin was cold to her touch, but ignited a ferocious warmth in her body. “What about your father?”
“He’ll come around.” Gio kissed the top of her head. “He has no choice.”
“No choice?” Gregor entered the bedroom without knocking.
Sophie grabbed the sheets and wrapped them around her body. It didn’t help. She still felt naked.
“Father! What in Hades are you doing?”
“You were late for dinner so I figured I’d bring dinner up here.” Gregor grinned. He knew he knocked them off balance. It was Gregor’s style. Never predictable. Gio was happy to see his father back to normal, but didn’t appreciate his crass nature in front of Sophie.
The house hands brought dinner trays and a table into the room while Gio threw on his jeans. He was unabashed by his nudity, but with his body who wouldn’t be? “Your theatrics are unnecessary.” Gio picked up Sophie’s sheet-clad body and brought her to the closet. “Throw on anything, darling. Daddy dearest wants to make a scene and we’ll not let him win.” He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and closed the door.
Sophie let out a breath she was holding along with the anger that was boiling in her blood. With shaky hands she grabbed a pair of jeans and t-shirt. She dressed quickly and let the anger gain momentum. How dare he break into their room like that? Who acts like that?
She ran her hands through her bed hair and threw the door open. She was sure she looked ridiculous, but the half grin on Gio’s face gave her the confidence she needed to join them at the table. “Dinner looks fantastic!” she plastered on a fake smile. “Thank you for the remarkable room service, Gregor.”
Gregor let out a deep belly laugh. “She is a spunky one, Gio. You chose well. Has she agreed to become a member of our family?”
“In a sense. She’s to be my mate, not a vampire.”
“We don’t mix species in this family, son.”
“Well, maybe it’s time we did.” Giovanni passed Sophie the sweet potatoes. “Eat up, my dear. You need sustenance after our passionate moments.”
Sophie hid the blush that crept up her cheeks by digging into the food.
“Your brothers Johnny and Nicky…”
“And now me, we have all chosen woman outside the vampire race. Perhaps we’re tired of inbreeding.” Giovanni took a drink of the red liquid Sophie assumed was blood and sat up taller in his seat.
“Don’t be ridiculous! Inbreeding is not something a vampire worries about.” Gregor snapped his dark eyes getting dangerous.
“Sophie is my true mate, father. She’s agreed to make the bond commitment. Why can’t you be happy for me?”
“Because we don’t mix races. She is a witch, a healing witch to make matters worse. She does not belong on the dark side.”
“And we don’t, either. Have you not paid attention to anything I’ve done to bring our family into the twenty-first century, father?”
“I’m aware of your petty projects. But that is all they are. Pet projects that will amount to nothing. You can’t kill the predator in a vampire.” Gregor zeroed his eyes on Sophie. “You can’t cage the demon that resides in your soul.”
Sophie put her fork down. “But he has.” She defended him.
“Sophie…”
“No, Gio, if I’m going to be your mate you need to accept that I won’t tolerate anyone making you feel inadequate. Your strides in making vampires a better race are admirable, and if your father can’t see that then he doesn’t deserve your love…or mine.”
Giovanni reached across the table and laced her fingers with his. “Father, if you force me to choose, I’ll choose her. I’m not like Nicky or Johnny. I won’t cave. She is a gift to me from the gods and I intend to cherish her for eternity. If you can’t accept that, I’ll leave. If you can, there is room in my heart for both of you.”
Gregor stood up and slammed his fist in the wall. Anger rolled off him in waves. Now Sophie knew where Gio got his anger from. Gio stood protectively in front of Sophie. “I mean it, father.”
“And you’re okay with the fact that your family line, your healing power ends with you?” Gregor asked bitterly.
“The heart wants what the heart wants.” Sophie replied. And perhaps it doesn’t have to end with me. Mother had siblings out there and any one of them could carry the healing power in their bloodlines.
“Then you leave me no choice.” He headed toward the door as they waited for him to continue. “Welcome to the family, Sophie Waters.”
The End
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Author’s biography:
Jami M. Brumfield has had a passion for the paranormal, supernatural, and mythological worlds for most of her life. She believes there is a kernel of tr
uth in every story and loves playing detective to discover what that hidden truth is. She’s been writing most of her life. She started with poems and short stories, then graduated to journalism working for online websites like Examiner.com. It was only a natural progression that her love of writing and her passion for the unknown would combine. Her books blend the paranormal and urban fantasy worlds together to make entertaining stories which she hopes you enjoy.
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Here’s a sneak peek of book two in the Mystery Springs Series “The Consort’s Fairy King” (coming the end of 2014)
~The sun filtering through the window stabbed Marissa in the eyes forcing her from the happy dream she was enjoying. As consciousness spiraled toward her waking mind she heard a plea for help. It was a voice she didn’t recognize. One that trembled with fear, and Marissa wondered if it was a lasting impression of a dream or if it was someone reaching out to her for help.
She tried desperately to reach out and connect with the new consciousness that was reaching out to her but whoever or whatever it was remained just out of reach. It was the story of her life, always just out of reach.
“Wake up, wake up sleepy head.”
That nauseating voice she did recognize. It was Miss Velvetine, the Head Mistress of the School of Fae. Marissa had been there for a week, and had trouble adjusting to the new time frames she was expected to adhere to. In the Fae world, they played during the day, soaking up the energy from the sun and slept at night. In the vampire world, she had lived at night and slept during the day; her energy then came from the elixir Giovanni gave her. When she offered to act as an informant to the council on Brick she didn’t think everything through very well.
“Go away!” She fussed and buried herself deeper under the fluffy pillows and blankets.
“I’m sorry, dear.” Miss Velvetine chided as she zapped Marissa with a few electric jolts.
Marissa jumped out of bed and glared at Velvetine. She wasn’t sorry in the least! Marissa thought as Velvetine gave her a wickedly innocent smile. Her white hair was up in a bun that Marissa would expect from women two centuries past. Her skin was paler than Marissa’s which was strange since the fairy was out in the sun more than the rest of them. She wore a pale green business suit dress and six inch high heels. Electricity was still sparking between her perfectly manicured pale green nails.
“Are we awake, dear?”
Marissa tried to flatten her frizzy blonde hair and offered a weak smile. “Sure, I’m awake.” She grumbled.
“Good girl. Hurry and get dressed. Brick would like a word with you.”
“Really? Why?” Marissa asked as she began to pick out clothes for the meeting.
“You requested guard duty, did you not?”
“Yes.” Marissa had requested guard duty so she could keep a closer eye on the king.
“Your personality profile passed you onto the next stage.” Velvetine’s irritating sing-song voice bashed against Marissa’s skull. By the Gods, she hated this place!
With great care, Marissa was able to level her voice to decent decibels. “Wow that was fast.” She’d only taken the test two days ago.
“Yes, you showed the desire to do whatever it took to protect the ones you love. Now, Brick wants to know if you can love him.”
Marissa frowned. “I barely know him.”
“I suppose that will change rather quickly if you get the assignment. Stop frowning, get dressed, and hurry up.” Velvetine clapped her hands together and Marissa fought the urge to smack the headmistress. Gio better appreciate everything she’s doing to keep the peace.
Marissa picked out a soft blue dress that matched her eyes, knee high black boots, and white and blue stripped stockings for her attire. It made her look like a wicked little Bo Peep, and was definitely something she wouldn’t have worm as Gio’s consort. She missed her short dresses and the wild nightlife. She added smoky eyes and red lipstick to finish off the look. She fluffed her now un-frizzed blonde hair and smiled. “How do I look?”
“Like every other fairy in the kingdom. Let’s go.” Velvetine pulled Marissa out the door, through multiple corridors, and down a darkened hall. She didn’t know what to expect, but when she was tossed in a bedroom and the door was locked behind her she knew it wasn’t that.
“Hello?” her voice was barely above a whisper as she tiptoed deeper into the room. Her senses were on high alert and when the male presence that was hiding behind her jumped out and wrapped his arms around her waist she reacted with an elbow jab to his face. The satisfying crack of cartilage told her she made her mark. She used the heel of her boot and stamped on his barefoot which caused a yelp. She slipped out of his grasp, spun around kicking his feet out from underneath him. She couldn’t help the smile that lifted her lips when the large body thumped against the floor. When she jumped up she slipped the belt from her waist which was actually a golden whip and got ready to strike.
“Stop!” Brick’s voice came from the man lying on the floor in pain.
“Oh, crap!” She rushed to his side and helped him off the floor. She couldn’t believe she’d just beat up the fairy king. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was you.” She pushed him into the elegant leather chair behind him and rushed into the bathroom to wet a towel. Just my luck! Gio always told me to look before I strike.
She rushed back to his side and pressed the wet clothe against his bleeding nose. “Are you okay?”
He laughed and then groaned at the pain it caused. “I don’t think so. I believe you broke my nose, little filly.”
Marissa looked down, ashamed. “You may be right. But I know a great healer and she owes me a favor. She’ll come over as soon as I call her.” Marissa fumbled for her cell phone.
“I know Sophie Waters, too. No need to bother her with something so insignificant. I’ll go to a regular doctor.” He closed her cell phone. Their hands touched and electricity shot through her. She’d never felt that kind of power from another supernatural and it unnerved her. She pulled her hand back and smiled timidly. “You have some impressive moves.”
“Thank you, I’ve been training for many years. My consort, er…um Giovanni insisted I knew how to protect myself. It’s a dangerous world out there.”
Brick nodded. “That it is.” He got up and grabbed some ice from the bucket by the bed and Marissa noticed he was wearing nothing but a pair of jeans. He was solid muscle with tribal tattoos all over his chest and back. As he walked across the room she had a fantastic view of his shapely behind. “I must admit, I didn’t think you’d stand up to the first test.” He tossed a look backward and grinned when he caught her looking. “Remind me to thank him for ensuring you could defend yourself.”
“I thought the personality test was the first test?”
He grinned and grimaced all at once. “Okay, second test.” He pointed toward his wardrobe chest. “Do you mind grabbing a shirt out of the chest for me, I think I’ll need to go to the doctor.”
“Oh, um, yes, sure.” She took the few strides toward the closet and pulled out a deep blue t-shirt that matched his sapphire eyes. Then she passed him the shirt.
“You have good taste.” He sat down against the oak dresser after his failed attempts of putting on the shirt and holding the ice to his nose. “Do you mind giving me a hand?”
“Okay.” She slipped between his legs and helped him maneuver his arms into the shirt sleeves while maintaining pressure on his nose. She’d be a liar if she didn’t admit being close to him was awesome. He smelled of vanilla ice cream and pine and his body was a mass of strong chorded muscles. She allowed herself the gentlest of caresses against his ripped back as she pulled the shirt down. They both shuddered at the contact. When their eyes met she knew she was in tr
ouble. Suddenly her reconnaissance mission just got far more difficult than she could ever have imagined.
If you enjoy a little mystery with your paranormal desires check out this excerpt of my upcoming series due for release at the end of 2014.
~She felt the pressure of fabric landing on her face, it was the first hint she needed to rouse from her sleep. Moving the clothes off her head was a mistake as the sun slashed through Stormy’s closed eyelids and forced her eyes to open in a reflexive act. A pair of boots were tossed next to her, biting into her side and kicking up dirt around her naked body. She jumped up, snarling and ready to fight.
“Jeez, Stormy, get up on the wrong side of the forest this morning?” Ashley giggled from a safe distance as she readjusted her fifties- styled cat glasses and kicked dust off her worn-down, brown boots.
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