Salvation in Darkness

by Nicole Edwards

  His brain might’ve been a bit slow, but his cock damn sure wasn’t. It rose to the occasion without hesitation, straining against the leather that the bastard was encased in as his eyes scanned all five feet nothing of her, from her high-tipped breasts to the delectable curve of her waist, the delicious flair of her hips. Delicate thighs, adorable knees, small ankles leading to tiny feet. She was exactly what he’d expected a fairy to look like, only more … precious.

  To think she’d offered him sex… If he took her … Mirakel would break her in half with minimal effort.

  Forcing his eyes back to her face, he shook his head and looked away. “I … uh … I’m not sure that’s appropriate.”

  “I don’t understand, sire,” she said softly.

  He flapped a hand in her direction as though encompassing her nakedness.

  Why he was acting like some virginal teenager, Mirakel didn’t know. It wasn’t like he hadn’t been with a female before. He had. Thousands of them in his years on this Earth. However, those encounters had usually involved a dance of some sort. Not once in his life had he ever paid for sex, and he damn sure didn’t intend to start now.

  “Sire? Do I not please you?”

  Hearing the uncertainty in her tone had Mirakel turning around. “You’re quite pleasing,” he assured her, then nodded to her robe. “But I’d prefer you remained clothed if it’s all the same to you.”

  Her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink as she reached down and retrieved her robe. As she slid it on, Mirakel found himself watching until all those smooth, gentle curves had been hidden from view.

  “Where would you like me?” she asked kindly.

  Beneath me, Mirakel thought at the same time he said, “Let’s sit.”

  Not quite a logical decision considering the only piece of furniture in the room was the bed.

  Fucking lovely.

  Mirakel made the mistake of sitting on the mattress first. Briony came to stand before him, waiting patiently for his instruction.

  Because he was too exhausted to put forth the effort to make this easy on either of them, he motioned for her to turn away from him. When she did, he pulled her down onto his lap, which was a huge fucking mistake. The instant her little ass settled on his thighs, his cock swelled, stretching the leather meant to keep him contained.

  Son of a bitch.

  Briony, clearly comfortable with this, leaned back against him, ensuring her hair was off her neck as she angled her head away from him. In anticipation, his fangs descended into his mouth, tingling with the urge to sink into her flesh.

  Not sure where to put his hands, Mirakel wrapped his arms around her. To hold her in place, of course. After all, he was a big male, much bigger than she, so it was as much for her comfort as his.

  Yeah. Uh-huh. Sure it was.

  He leaned in, inhaling her scent, which he couldn’t place but found he liked more than he should.

  As he kept his body in check, Mirakel drew his arms tighter and pierced her vein, drawing her blood into his mouth. At that point, biology should’ve kicked in. Just like the millions of times he’d taken a vein in his lifetime, everything should’ve been hunky-dory.

  So not the case.

  Not by a long fucking shot.

  The instant her blood hit his tongue, his body waged an all-out assault on his mind. Her blood was so rich, unlike anything he’d ever tasted before. As it slid over his tongue and down his throat, Mirakel’s muscles flexed, the power in his body surpassing what he was sure all those well-honed fibers could contain.

  He was so focused on drinking he didn’t realize his arms had shifted or that his hands had settled over her breasts, somehow finding them beneath the thin fabric that had been covering her but was now open down the front. At least he was gentle, he thought as he took stock of the situation, the way his palms were cupping her, his fingers lightly kneading the warm flesh.

  It was as though his body had a mind of its own.

  The soft moans that escaped the diminutive female in his arms weren’t helping either. Nor did her placing her hands over his, holding them to her breasts as he sucked on her vein. His head was buzzing, and he figured it was a combination of her sweet taste, the softness of her skin, and that delicate scent. Never had he encountered a female who had affected him like this. Hell, not even a fraction of this.

  When her hips began to shift, her ass pressing insistently against his erection, Mirakel had to release her breast and curl his arm around her hips to still her movements. As it was, he was rutting against her, his cock straining in an attempt to get to where it needed to be. But he couldn’t fucking stop. He couldn’t break the seal on her neck, and he couldn’t stop the bump and grind of his hips as he held her to him.

  Seconds felt like an eternity, and when his gut finally gave his brain permission to let go, he sealed the punctures on her skin, buried his face in her neck, and gave in to the inevitable.

  “Fuck,” he growled softly against her neck, his cock grinding against her. “Oh, fuck.”

  He came so hard it was a wonder they’d remained on the bed. Mirakel thought for sure he would’ve launched her across the room from the intensity of that explosion.

  No. He was happy to see she remained where she was, perched on his lap, her breaths as labored as his.

  “I’m sorry,” he said softly, adjusting her robe to cover her. “I’m so fucking sorry.”

  “Don’t be.”

  “You should go,” he urged, shifting so that she was forced to get to her feet.

  “Of course, sire.”

  Mirakel couldn’t believe what had just happened. Never had he lost control like that. Not once in his life. Had he been naked … fucking hell, he probably would’ve mounted her like a goddamn animal, taken what didn’t belong to him.

  Realizing she was still there, standing near the door but making no move to leave, Mirakel lifted his head, pinned her with his gaze. “Go. Now.”

  Her amethyst eyes met his briefly and there was a flash of something. Regret, fear? He didn’t fucking know, and he didn’t have it in him to figure it out now.

  “Go!” he barked, fearful if she stayed for one more second he would strip them both and give in to that overwhelming urge.

  Finally she slipped out, the door closing quietly behind her.

  Mirakel stared at the wood for the longest time, trying to figure out if any of that had actually happened or if he’d been dreaming. Based on the strength he felt flooding him, he knew it had been real. He’d fed from her then physically assaulted her. Didn’t matter that she’d offered when she’d come into the room. That wasn’t his style.

  That was… What. The. Fuck?

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Another week under their belt.

  Forty-seven days since Asmia was taken right out from under their noses, and a full week since Winnie had gone back to California, resuming a life she had no clue had been on an entirely different course just a few days prior.

  While they were no closer to locating Asmia, a fact that irked the shit out of Reidar, he felt as though he was back on track, his mind once again settled, not in flux now that the Winnie situation was settled.

  Except, one of their own was still missing, and they couldn’t do a goddamn thing to find her. No matter how hard they tried, every fucking lead led absolutely nowhere. He wasn’t sure why he’d thought all would be right once he had a chance to get his head back in the game. Turned out, he wasn’t a one-man show, and his distraction hadn’t helped the situation, nor had it hurt. Unfortunately.

  Needless to say, tensions were high at the mansion. Between that damn gathenya that had settled like a fog because it was obvious Eclipse and Orianna needed to fucking mate and get it over with, and the loss of one of their own, everyone was getting antsy. Likely worse because no one had the ability to control either.

  Of course, Reidar had never been the sort to deal well with that sort of pressure. Didn’t help that Winnie was gone and, in her absence, ther
e was an ache that had settled within him. He hadn’t thought it possible, but he actually missed her. More accurately, he missed what he’d thought they had. He’d thought she was his amsouelot, but he had been sadly mistaken. The connection they’d shared when he met her … Reidar had been positive she was his other half.

  How could he have been so wrong about her?

  Truth was, Reidar didn’t know the first thing about tethered souls, but he’d undoubtedly jumped the gun on that one. Wishful thinking, that was what it had been. He’d held on to the hope that there was a female slated for him and there was more to his cold, lonely existence than fighting demons. Live and learn, right? Oh, yeah, he had lived, and he had most certainly learned, and he would be damned if he ever let that happen again. Until there was a bright neon sign flashing she’s the one, Reidar was going to stick with sating his baser urges with the Fae and moving on with his life. Much less complicated.

  “Anyone seen Kaj?”

  Reidar pulled his attention away from the computer screen as Obsidian’s heavy footfalls moved closer.

  “Last time I talked to him, we were going over the plans for the tunnels that connected his residence to ours,” Reidar informed him.

  “Was there an issue?”

  Reidar stood, wanting to be on a more even level with the male. “He wanted some additional safeguards in place to ensure no one could get through unless he’d cleared them personally. We’re installing a fingerprint scanner and voice recognition for the locking system. We agreed he would give us the approval and we would put them into the system, ensuring we’re all aware of who has access. So far, he’s only given permission for Mirakel to come and go as necessary.”

  Obsidian nodded. “He’s a good male. I trust him.”

  “Who, Mirakel? Or Kaj?” Reidar joked, knowing he was referring to the vampire Alpha. After just a short conversation with Kaj, Reidar had understood the male’s need to keep Bijou and Acadia safe. Since both females resided here, it made sense he didn’t want just anyone to slip past their defenses.

  “I think I’ll head over there, see where they are with getting settled,” Obsidian said.

  Reidar nodded, glanced down at his computer screen. “Mind if I go with you?”

  Obsidian’s silver eyes settled on his face. “Come on. We’ll walk the tunnels.”

  Clearly he’d sensed that Reidar didn’t need to spend too much time locked in his own head. Didn’t surprise him. Obsidian was astute, not to mention always keeping an eye out for them, though their job was to do that for him.

  “Apollo and Amethyst should be arriving in a couple of days,” Obsidian told him.

  Reidar nodded, falling into step with him. “Penelope’s already working to get everything they’ll need. She’s going off the list Michael provided. And we’ve sectioned off a portion of the underground rooms to use as their medical facility. They’ve requested to have their rooms down here, as well.”

  Obsidian nodded. “God knows we’ve got enough space.”

  That they did. But then that had been the intention when they’d built the new fortress they now resided in. They had been determined they would not outgrow it for quite some time.

  They traversed the winding tunnels beneath the mansion, the gas-powered lamps igniting when the motion sensors detected their presence.

  “You doing all right, Reidar?”

  “As good as can be expected,” he admitted, figuring it probably wasn’t a good idea to tell Obsidian he hated sleeping alone.

  “We’ve been together a long time,” Obsidian stated. “I can usually detect when your brain’s on overload.”

  Reidar kept walking as he gathered his thoughts, then paused, the move drawing Obsidian to a halt.

  “When you met Penelope, was there ever any doubt in your mind that she was your amsouelot? I mean, I get that you knew she was because of the list and all, but … was there ever any doubt?”

  Obsidian’s silver stare scoured his face. “None.”

  Reidar sighed. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”

  “You made the right choice with Winnie.” Obsidian’s voice was laced with sympathy.

  Meeting the male’s eyes, Reidar nodded. “I know. It’s just…”

  “It sucks?” Obsidian chuckled. “It’s not supposed to feel good. Just because she wasn’t slated as your soul’s destiny doesn’t mean you didn’t care about her.”

  “I know.” And he did, but that hadn’t stopped all the what-ifs that continued to plague him. What if he’d treated her differently? What if he’d undergone the lintamair rather than hold out?

  Obsidian cursed under his breath.

  “I swear on my soul, Obsidian, I believed her to be my amsouelot. I’ve never felt that sort of connection with anyone before. But…” Reidar exhaled heavily. “I found myself wanting space from her. Don’t get me wrong, she’s a great female. Kind, sweet, beautiful.”

  “But she’s not your amsouelot.”

  “How will I know who is?” he blurted. “Is there some sort of sign that’ll appear?”

  Obsidian’s big hand settled on his shoulder. “When your soul meets the one who’s destined for you, there’s no question. You simply know.”

  “Fucking hell.” Reidar stabbed the toe of his boot into the soft earth beneath his feet.

  “You need to reset your focus, Reidar. We’ve got a lot going on right now. And I need you now more than ever. With the baby coming, this sitch with Taayin … I have no right to ask more of you, but I need your head to be clear.”

  Reidar stared into Obsidian’s face. “It is.” He shook his head. “It will be. I assure you of that.”

  Obsidian nodded. “Come on. Right now, let’s check out this new Lair Kaj is bragging about. I’m in the mood to give him shit. We’ll start with his choice of decor.”

  Reidar chuckled. “And if it’s nice?”

  “We’ll give him shit anyway.”

  Grateful for some space from his own thoughts, Reidar fell into step with Obsidian, his shoulders feeling a little lighter already.

  Eclipse strolled down the hall, past the war room, beyond the storage areas to the new double doors that had been installed. He pushed the bar on the door, smiling when they swung wide to reveal an expanse of clean white floors, bright white walls.

  The new medical facility was almost complete. Considering Penelope was entering week sixteen of her pregnancy, they’d all been under the gun to get it finished before the baby made an appearance. Based on what he could tell, they were going to meet their goal with a few days to spare.

  He heard the familiar sound of power tools, saw a dozen heads bent over various projects, finishing up before the healers arrived in a couple of days. But it wasn’t the curtained spaces or the fancy equipment that had drawn him down here. While he was happy to see the progress, he was in search of his amsouelot. She’d been spending a significant amount of time down here, helping Penelope to design the space and secure all the necessary medical equipment to make it functional.

  “I’m worried one recovery room won’t be enough.” Penelope’s voice carried from beyond a newly constructed wall.

  “I agree,” Orianna replied. “I think two at the very least.”

  “I’ll talk to Gryffyth,” Penelope said. “Have him modify the blueprint to incorporate another space. What about the training suite?”

  Eclipse stepped up behind Orianna, watching the two females as they stared out at the white tiled flooring laid out before them.

  “Oh, hey.” Penelope’s gaze shifted over her shoulder.

  He offered the female a smile, then planted his hands on Orianna’s shoulders, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  “We’re almost finished, actually,” Penelope said, a grin forming. “In fact, I was about to head upstairs.” Her hand rested on her swollen belly. “Figured I’d grab a snack before the morning meal.”

  “Don’t run off on my account.”


  A knowing grin had Penelope’s fangs flashing. “Why don’t you give him a tour?” she told Orianna.

  “I’ll do that.” Orianna turned to face him. “Although I’m not sure you need one.”

  He stared down into her beautiful face. “I wouldn’t mind a tour.”

  “There’s no privacy down here,” she whispered, clearly picking up on why he’d sought her out.

  “If you look in the right places, there’s always privacy.”

  Taking her hand, Eclipse led her through the medical section to the rooms beyond. In an effort to give the brother and sister healers some private space, they’d turned a good portion of the underground rooms into their private quarters, including two separate bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, and an area for them to kick back and chill. Eclipse had no idea why Apollo and Amethyst wanted their own separate space, but he had agreed with Penelope that they might need time to acclimate to being on Earth. It was quite a change from Heaven.

  “Is that why you came down here?” Orianna asked as he led the way into one of the empty bedrooms.

  “To seduce you?” He pulled her against him, then backed her to the wall. “Absolutely.”

  Granted, it had only been two hours since he’d last had her, but that damn gathenya had its claws in them both. Getting ahead of the heat was the only option at this point, the only thing keeping him even remotely sane.

  Orianna moaned softly, her hands sliding up his chest to his neck. A chill danced down his spine when her fingernails sensually scraped his scalp.

  Ever since the morning he’d come to their room to find her writhing on the bed and he’d had no clue she’d needed him, Eclipse had been keeping his senses tuned to her. He had no idea how he’d managed to get distracted enough to have missed it, but he blamed Michael’s appearance for part of it.

  What had bothered him most was the fact Orianna had honestly believed he had abandoned her. She had needed him, and he hadn’t known, otherwise he would’ve been at her side in an instant. Those tears had broken his heart, reminding him how fragile she was. Not on the outside, of course. Orianna was a strong female, one of the strongest he’d ever met.