Skarlet Kiss

by Elise Whyles

  Bede whirled to stare at the woman stepping from the darkness. Her heart leaped into her throat as hope, faint as it might be, bubbled within her. A crown of rubies and diamonds was braided with gold around her head. Long pale hair curled down the woman’s back to her hips. Wide, gray eyes stared at her, sparkling with unshed tears. From beneath the jewels at her throat a set of wings stretched upward.

  “I am Bede.”

  “I know who you are, Bede. Just as I know where you come from.”

  “I am vampire. What do you—”

  “Know? Daughter to a mad woman who died before her time and left you to the tender mercy of a father who sold you into slavery. Saved by a man I thought to be a demon but who turned out to be a vampire. He stepped from the dark to rescue you...and I.”

  With each word, Bede inched closer, her mind racing to understand even as her heart tripped over itself wildly. “How do you... Oh, my goddess. Una.” Bede pressed a trembling hand to her lips. “Is that you?”

  “Good eve, sister.” Una bowed her head to wipe at the tear trailing down her face.

  “Selene! You have come home.” Bede rushed forward, pulling the younger woman into her embrace. She rocked back and forth, laughter mixing with the hiccupy sobs she could not stop. “You are safe and whole.” Pushing away from Una, she cupped her face. “This is good news, sister. I will have rooms prepared for you. Hema will surely understand you are—”

  “Not staying.” Una took her hand in hers, a soft smile upon her lips. “Just as you found your mate, the other half of your soul, so have I.”

  “Not staying? Of course you are. You are family, I will not allow any to—”

  “No one is forcing me to leave. Your queen has offered me shelter, offered us a place among you, but we are not meant for this world.”

  “What world are you meant for then?” Bede stepped back, anger and frustration curling like smoke through her. “Am I to lose you so quickly after you have returned? What purpose can there be in such trickery?”

  “Ah, sweet Bede, it is not trickery. You do not lose me. If you need me, just call out to me and I will be there for you. Just as your place is with your husband, so is mine. Liam cannot stay here forever. We are not vampire...he is dragon.”

  “You are vampire.”

  “Only in part.” Tears lingered on her sister’s lashes, reflecting the pain within her eyes. “I am both. In saving me, Liam gave a gift of life...a gift of his own flesh. I love him, Bede. More than any king, any faith could understand.”

  “You are my sister.”

  Una reached out to touch her cheek, her fingers warm, soft. “Come with me then. Leave this place, your mate, all you have and we will—”

  “No! I will never leave Gawain. He is part of my soul, my heart. To leave him is—”

  “Impossible.” Una shook her head, a sympathetic smile on her face. “Yet that is what you are asking of me. To leave my heart’s desire for this world. I am not a vampire. I drink only of my husband’s blood, in all other manners I am dragon.”

  Bede swallowed at the growing certainty in her chest as Una glanced out the window. Had she found her sister only to lose her once again? “What?”

  “There is an emissary arriving soon. Liam and I must depart now.”

  “Why?”

  “We are outcasts. Outlaws, if you will. My place is with Liam in the mortal world we have claimed as our own. Believe me, Bede, I will be only so far away as your heart needs.”

  Bede stifled a sob as her sister wrapped her in a tight hug before releasing her.

  “I would not risk you or your child. If we stay, the dragon who comes to talk peace may not be so eager to talk.”

  “You will be close by?” Bede asked.

  “If you need me, look for me on a snowy mountain peak in the mortal realm. Your heart will guide you.” Una slipped from the room, leaving the door ajar.

  “She is wise beyond her years.”

  “She is my sister.” Bede turned to the queen hovering in the doorway. “Beg pardon, I should have departed from your chamber.”

  “There is no need for apology.” The queen stepped back and nodded to the shadow in the doorway.

  Bede turned, her gaze landing on her husband. “Oh, Gawain, she is well!” Bede rushed into his arms, sobs escaping. “My sister has come back to me.”

  “Aye, my love. She has...and she will be welcome here whenever she desires to visit. I swear it.”

  “Thank you.” Bede sobbed into his shoulder, her arms tightening around him.

  “Come, let us rest. Hema and Bruja have both requested us to be present when the dragon gets here...and we’ve had word another demon shall pay us a visit.”

  Bede followed Gawain past the hovering vampire queen, her arm wrapped around her husband’s waist. Suddenly she was tired, more tired than she’d ever felt before, but happy. She had Gawain and her sister back.

  * * * *

  Una inhaled deeply, the cold bite of the wind soothing. She stepped around a large icy covered boulder, a spring in her step. Behind her, she could make out the sound of Liam’s footsteps in the snow, the crunch of the ice beneath his weight. A heavy blanket of white draped down over the opening of the cave, the snow catching the muted light. She shivered with delight—home had never looked better.

  “Mmm, cool, quiet,” Liam rasped against her neck. “Completely out of the way.” His palms slid around her waist to cup her breasts. His thumbs rubbed against her nipples, drawing shards of pleasure through her body.

  She moaned, her pussy throbbing with heat at his touch. She pressed back against him, her ass rubbing against his groin with each slow glide of his thumb. Biting her lip, Una shuddered at the hot, hard shaft pressing into the crack of her ass.

  “Indeed.” Una whimpered, her hands flying back to clutch at his ass. “I hunger for this cock. Want to feel you within me.”

  “Oh, I will be.” Liam growled, his teeth nipping at the tendon in her neck. “I’ll fuck you until you scream for me, little one. Then I’ll take my own pleasure in the wash of your orgasm. Perhaps I’ll use my mouth on you. Taste your nectar before I fuck you. What do you say to that?”

  Una tried to turn, her heart racing. She whimpered when he tightened his grip, holding her in place as he rocked his hips into her ass, the hot throb of his cock teasing her. “Please. My love, you tease me.”

  “I intend to have you screaming for me before long.”

  Liam’s husky promise stirred the embers of her lust. Desperate, her body on fire, Una let go of him, her hands gathering the material of her gown.

  “Uh-huh.” Liam chuckled, his fingers tugging her gown away from her and smoothing it over her hips. “I want to do that.”

  “Then for the love of...” Una gasped when his hand cupped her through her gown. “Oh gods, yes. More. If you stop I may just have to kill you,” she threatened, her hips rolling within his touch. Moisture gathered, the slow tickle of it running down her thighs teased her senses.

  With a low growl, Liam swept her into his arms, his powerful strides carrying them to the cave with ease. Once inside, he dropped her on the pallet he’d slept on before her reawakening.

  Una whined in need as he shed his clothes before kneeling at her feet. She wiggled, her hands ripping at her clothes. The rip of fabric was drowned by the pounding in her head. She uttered a startled shriek when he grabbed her legs, pulling her across the soft furs. His hands shoved at the fabric, bunching it around her waist.

  Her body trembled at the brush of his breath against her core. Whimpering, she arched her back, her hips lifting toward his mouth. With the first touch, she shattered. Stars exploded behind her eyelids as she splintered into a million shards of light. He worked her rapidly, his tongue dipping into her to lap at the evidence of her need. Rough, abrasive, the stubble on his jaw teased along her flank, the extra stimulation overloading her already sensitive skin.

  Thrashing wildly, Una clung to the faint thread of normalcy running thro
ugh her mind. Her body overwhelmed by the relentless pleasure Liam’s touch stirred. Her fingers clenched at the pallet with each slow lick of his tongue. Each nibble on her clit, until she hung on the edge of the abyss.

  “Liam!” Her voice broke on a scream as he slid two fingers deep, scissoring them as he pumped them until she couldn’t stop the fall. Spinning amid the lightning bolts around her, Una crashed into her climax.

  Again and again she was tossed about the waves, her body no longer her own as Liam’s lips and tongue worked her into a frenzy. Trembling, she pushed at his forehead, her legs spread wide, her breath coming in ragged pants.

  “Now?” Liam shifted, his weight pressing down on her as he stared into her eyes.

  Una nodded through the haze of her climax. She could feel her body still trembling, the rhythmic pulse between her legs. Her hand raised to cup his face as he leaned toward her. She moaned at the unfamiliar taste on his lips, his tongue. Slightly tangy, sweet. She shivered at the realization she was tasting herself.

  Catching his tongue between her teeth, she sucked it into her mouth, her tongue licking along it. Una tipped her head back, a soundless scream rising from her throat when he buried himself in her body. Heat flared, spreading from her groin until her world revolved around where they joined. Each slow rock of his hips drew a gasp from her. She barely felt the bite of his fingers in her hips as he thrust hard, fast. Closer and closer he pushed her to the brink of another orgasm.

  Liam’s muffled roar penetrated the fog and she arched against him, the hot splash of his seed like a brand. “Yes, yes. So hot. Yes, my love.” Sobbing with pleasure, Una clung to him, her heart racing in her chest.

  “Love?” Liam drew circles across her throat as they lay tangled on the pallet.

  “Aye?”

  “I haven’t much, but I do love you. I will forever.”

  Una smiled and tugged on his hair. “If’n you be asking me to wed thee...we’re already wed in my heart. I do not need much, so long as you’re by my side.”

  “I will be.” Liam reared over her. “No matter who comes or what strife we have to face, I will be right next to you. I swear this.”

  “Then sleep,” Una whispered. “Sleep next to me, and tomorrow we will decide what lays beyond the horizon. Unlike many, we are of no people and yet we are of two peoples. Together.”

  “Aye.” Liam pressed a kiss to her lips and rolled, pulling her into his arms. “Together, my little one.”

  Una smiled and snuggled into his embrace. There would be war...of that she held no illusions. But she would stand with him against any who dared oppose them, be they Saltar’s, Amuliana’s, or anyone else.

  About Elise Whyles

  A bit of a wild child, Elise grew up surrounded by literature. From classical works to fantasy, she’s had the pleasure of reading it, writing it, and exploring the creative side of writing.

  Fearless in her writing, she creates worlds allowing readers to escape as well as experience relationships a bit less straitlaced and simple. Complexity and layers in her writing ensure she’s always got a trick up her sleeve and the ink never dries.

  Elise’s Website:

  www.elisewhyles.com

  Reader eMail:

  elisewhyles@gmail.com

  About The Forsaken Series

  Book 1: Forsaken Heart by Elise Whyles

  Now Available

  Book 2: Curse of a Dragon’s Claim by Ciara Lake

  Now Available

  Book 3: Forsaken Paradise by Elise Whyles

  Now Available

  Book 4: Forsaken Norse Wind by Ciara Lake

  Now Available

  Book 5: Skarlet Kiss by Elise Whyles

  Now Available

  Book 6: Enchanted Waves by Ciara Lake

  Coming Soon