Kaitriana twisted around before she gave him her answer. Moving to kneel up in front of his chair she remained just out of his reach. Her gaze slowly raked him, and when she finished, her appreciation for the cut of his dark trousers and the black shirt that stretched taught across the muscles of his chest and shoulders was obvious. Kaitriana finally met his silvery eyes, “Because it pleases you and because they are yours.”
Her eyes flickered with her enchanting smile when he crooked a finger, “Come here, Kat.” She gave him a look as though mulling it over which caused him to bid her to him again with that finger. A mischievous smile formed before she rose to cross the few short feet between them. Kaitriana remained still as he took in the splendor of her gown and the image she presented. Lorcan nodded his approval, desire weighing heavy in his eyes as he stretched forward to pull her to him. He slipped both arms around her waist before tugging her down to join him in the chair. Keeping his focus on her upturned face, he pushed her back so that she was half-reclining across his lap and cupped her cheek in his palm, “I have kept you waiting…you must be famished.”
She gave him a negative response with the movement of her head and curled up so that her other cheek found his chest. Melting against him she offered honestly, “No… but I have missed your presence.”
He stroked her hair, gazing away into the fire absently as he questioned, “You did not want to go down to the hall and meet the Coven?”
Kaitriana was still amazed by the easy familiarity she felt with him and apparently he had the same with her. She began tracing circles over the fabric of his shirt, “I do not know your ways enough to attempt to socialize with your kind without fearing a serious misstep and whatever repercussions may come along with it. I would rather not do anything that would bring strife to you or grant anyone the opportunity to speak poorly of you.” She leaned back so that she could see his profile as she continued, “And in truth Milord, I am stilling trying to regain a sense of myself. Given all that has transpired I must do so before I can face endless questions from the masses.”
Understanding the truth in her words, Lorcan tilted her face up to him once more and explained gently, “You worry overmuch, Witchling. There is naught you could do to bring shame to me.” Her relief was in the sweet smile she gave him. He returned one of equal warmth, but then both his face and tone turned firm with resolve, “You will be answering questions from me tonight, all that I ask. You understand this?”
Her gaze was instantly wary and she pressed him, “You will be patient? There is much that is very painful for me and I have never yet spoken to anyone of all that has happened.” At his assent, she gave her own, “Then ask what you will.”
Lorcan tucked her face back to his chest and his hand moved to stroke the silky strands down her back, “Where have you been and why would Myrrdyn let the Realm think you dead?” His arms eased around her as she began the tale of that fated night, two evenings into the Festival of the Moon. He pulled her tightly to him as tears began to fall with the retelling of her parents’ deaths. Kaitriana did not speak of the golden vial, but only to say she was given blood from a container carried by the Darks.
Kaitriana was not yet certain that the blood in that bejeweled piece had been Lorcan’s. She had not been able to reconcile how Rhydach would have come into possession of such and was reluctant to offer Lorcan that information before confirming the facts of her turning. She could tell by the narrowing of his eyes that he assumed Rhydach’s blood had transitioned her and his obvious displeasure was nearly enough to cause her to voice her suspicions on her origin. Kaitriana hurried through the remainder instead, telling of Myrrdyn’s appearance and his confrontation with the Darks.
Lorcan interrupted, “You are speaking now from Myrrdyn’s memories.”
Her disagreement with the statement resulted in a baffled look from him. Her words confirmed, “No, Lorcan, I awakened but a short time later, immediately prior to Myrrdyn’s arrival.”
Lorcan considered strongly that piece; it was significant he was certain. He brooded over what Rhydach may have done to elicit the quickened turning of the witch. That Rhydach had managed to turn a witch at all was disturbing, but to have done so in such an unconventional way did not bode well. If Rhydach now realized that whatever means he had used to turn Kaitriana had actually been successful, he might already be attempting to transition more of the Witch species. Her answer put him on edge, but Lorcan nodded calmly so as not to belie his feelings and alarm her.
Finishing the story, Kaitriana gave the tale of when Myrrdyn had put her in the magically induced sleep, which accounted for her whereabouts the past five centuries. Amazed that her turning happened so long ago but that her final transition occurred just last night, Lorcan remained silent for an extended time, lost in his thoughts regarding the import of all that he now understood. Finally, he dropped his lips to her hair and delivered a light kiss, “You truly were not aware of the passing of time, you have only Myrrdyn’s memories?”
“My awakening felt as though it were still the night of the Festival; the only change was merely that it was not. I am much….older; my magic is more controllable,” she offered him a tremulous smile. Her eyes were still watery with the recounting of the loss of her family. “Tis why I mix the languages of past and present, the reason my words are sometimes confused. I assimilated Myrrdyn’s memories during my sleep, so that there would be no adjustment for me with the changes that have taken place in the world. The difficulty is that I must call on experiences that are not my own and attempt to determine from those how it is proper to act and speak. I have not learned from experience so to speak; I am just remembering experiences. It can be overwhelming.”
Kaitriana noted the tenderness and understanding in his gaze when he stroked his fingertips over her cheeks and brushed the wetness away. She recounted for him the time from when she awoke through the time that she was kneeling at his gates, pointedly omitting that her place of slumber all these years past had been Laverock.
Lorcan shifted her in his lap so that he could gauge her emotions as she spoke of her destruction of the Ancient Dark. He was amazed again by the power within the dainty witch. His fingertips were still grazing her cheek as he leaned closer, “So in all the chaos last night, in all your rage, and even in your immense suffering, you still remembered that all those years ago Myrrdyn told you to come to me?”
Her emphatic nod was his answer, but there was sadness in the depths of blue as she searched his eyes. He saw the tears welling in the corners again and her hands slid up to embrace each side of his face. Her voice was barely audible, as though shamed by confessing a horrible sin, “I believe I would have come to you whether or not that instruction had ever been given Lorcan. The draw I have to you is inexplicable, it defies reason. It has always been in me.”
Sorrow was etched in her features as her gaze broke away, but not before he saw the guilt that had wrapped itself around her, “Because I followed those feelings, my parents gave their lives at the Festival. I nearly gave my own last night because I could not deny the need to come to you. The compulsion was enough to override my own instincts towards survival.”
The magnitude of her admission was great and Lorcan acknowledged to himself that the pull he had to her defied reason as well. Perhaps he had felt haunted these past five hundred years not by her death, but by her actual living presence. He wondered if his instincts had been drawn to the pull of her force. Rather than her death, her actual continued existence being the reason her absence had weighed on him so heavily.
Brushing his lips across her brow, his arms encircled her to pull her tight to his chest, “You are not responsible for what happened to your parents Kaitriana. Cordelia is. The bond that we share need not be explained. It simply exists and there is no shame in it. You are here with me now lass and here you will remain. You will not feel guilt over it.”
There was a touch of amusement in her answer when she looked up at him, “You are ordering me not
to feel badly, not to feel guilt? I suppose you expect me to comply with this command?”
His voice and the set of his features were stern, but there was a gleam in his eye, “I am and I do.”
She shrugged and attempted to look disgusted when she pronounced, “You are a bossy vampire.”
He chuckled before nuzzling his cheek into the softness of her curls. Next he whispered, “I had thought to introduce you to your new home and your Coven this night, Kat, but I find I would rather keep you to myself.” Kaitriana remained silent but the way she curled herself more solidly against him gave answer as to her preference as well.
Rising, Lorcan carried her back to the center of the plush rug and positioned her as she had been before, on her side. Lowering himself, he stretched out behind her. Propped up on one arm, he curled the other around her and presented her with his freshly wounded wrist.
Kaitriana cast a sidelong glance back at him over her shoulder, eyes twinkling, “You do not want to drain me first, Vampire?”
His eyes blackened at her teasing question, causing her to draw a sharp breath, both immediately conscious of of the desire surging between them. He nudged the broken skin firmly against her lips, a dangerous growl against her ear, “Tonight, what I want to do and what I will do are entirely different things, Witch.” Her eyes widened, more over the heated ferocity in his statement than the actual words, and she closed her mouth dutifully over his wrist.
Lorcan exhaled slowly between clenched teeth before moving his lips to her bare shoulder. Grazing sharp points against her smooth skin, he was relieved when she cuddled more firmly into the cradle of him rather than pulling free. Her fingertips entwined tightly with those of his hand from where she fed while she tentatively rubbed sharpened lengths of ivory against the edges of the wound. The little sounds of pleasure emitting from her mouth as she suckled were rousing and Lorcan could not help the need to grind his hips against her backside.
He instructed, with his mouth never leaving her skin, “Go ahead, Kat. Do it slowly.”
Needing no further encouragement, Kaitriana increased the pressure with her mouth, amazed at how easily the points slid into his flesh and how natural the action felt. His groaned echoed hers and as she pushed deeper he rubbed his hips against her again. She felt Lorcan nip at the skin of her shoulder and then his tongue replaced the sharp points as he teased the little scratches he had made there. She responded by licking fervently at his arm and scooting back to settle more tightly against the hard wall of his chest.
Pulling his arm free of her mouth, the palm of his hand settled against her shoulder to push her to lie back on the rug. Black clashed with black as their eyes met. Growling, Lorcan shoved her hair away from her neck and gave her full view of his fangs before he lowered his head purposefully, “I will have to feed you more…later.” His mouth settled over the throbbing pulse at her neck before he drove his fangs deep.
Kaitriana gave a throaty cry of pleasure, her nails dragging at his chest as she arched up from the floor. This bite was so much more than those he had delivered the night before…experiencing one when given as a pleasurable gift was mind-blowing. Her hand curled up into the dark locks at his collar and delivered a sharp tug before pressing down to hold him firmly at her neck. The nails of her other hand yanked the top buttons of his shirt free. She needed to touch him. Venturing into the opening of the material, her fingers splayed over the warmth of his skin.
Lorcan withdrew his bite, but kept his lips firmly planted there so that he could continue to lap at the broken skin. Kaitriana felt as though she was nothing but liquid heat on the inside and her nails curled against the flesh of his chest. She tilted her head to the side to grant him better access.
He heard her breath catch as he began trailing his lips and tongue up the column, then he paused to nibble softly at the line of her jaw. Moving his mouth to hover above hers, his lips pushed at hers as he murmured, “You like that, little Kat?”
Kaitriana only moaned in answer, parting her lips, wanting his kiss. Heavy lids half covered his intense gaze, but she knew with one look he was not done tormenting, would not be fulfilling that want just yet. His eyes kept hers captive when the very tip of his tongue touched the bow of her upper lip. He withdrew and then repeated, only massaging that tiny little spot. The light touch was so erotically charged that Kat could not contain her needy cry.
Sliding back, Lorcan delivered another nip to her jaw before dropping his lips to her collarbone. He licked at her skin there as his hand dropped onto her hip then dragged heavily along the satin covering the length of her side. As his head dipped lower, his fingertips teased over her ribcage. His long shuddering breath washed over her bared skin just before his tongue brushed along the swell of curves high above the tight bodice of her dress.
Gasping, her hand lost its hold at the back of his head and joined the other within the confines of the material of his shirt. Another few buttons tore loose as her hands roamed feverishly over the planes of muscle. Kaitriana arched up to meet him as his tongue began trekking just above the edge of the material.
Lifting his head, his eyes delved into hers as his palm slipped higher to fully cup her breast and began kneading the flesh. Lorcan shifted his position to move over her and coupled that tantalizing caress with the press of his hips down slowly against her, gauging her reaction. Kaitriana whimpered, completely seduced. His searing gaze still held hers captive as his tongue dipped once more to play at her curves just above where his fingertips held her flesh.
Lorcan withdrew his hand and his tongue without warning and shifted back to his earlier position. Displeasure swept across her face a mere second before she issued a disgruntled whine. Her eyes narrowed with her frustration as he cupped the side of her face, murmuring, “Such an innocent little beauty…I will be having your vows, Kat. Soon.”
Her surprise was obvious, as was the longing in her eyes. Kaitriana was still breathless from his loving but she managed her string of questions anyway, “You want my vows? How can you be certain? And even if you are, you are Vampire, why do you want Witch Vows?”
Quirking his brow at her, he said dryly, “Do you imagine this attraction between us will lessen, when it has remained over the five centuries we have been apart?” At her negative response, he hushed against her lips, “Then why would I not seek to make you mine?” She could find no argument for him there.
Lorcan was easily on his feet and pulling her to hers before he gave the remainder of his explanation, “I will mark you and mate you as is the Vampire tradition Kaitriana.”
She interjected in the same surly tone as the night before, “Perhaps…if I allow it.”
He only raised a brow at her taunt and continued on as though she had not interrupted, “You still identify yourself as the Witch species.” His statement did not require an answer but she nodded anyways. At it, he answered, “Then I will be having those vows from you as well before I take you as my mate.”
Lorcan finished with a sternly reprimanding look, knowing full well another ‘if I allow it’ was on its way. Not willing to push her luck, Kaitriana rolled her eyes at him instead.
Grinning over his sassy witch, Lorcan tugged her along in his wake to the edge of the bed. His grin broadened on turning to see that she was still thoroughly disgruntled at his abrupt end to their play. His fingertip tapped the freckles along her nose before he quickly turned her to present her back to him. He wasn’t done toying with the minx, “How much longer do you think I could have resisted you, with your insistent little hands all but tearing my clothes off, Kat? The marks your claws left on my chest might heal by morn, if I am lucky.”
His booming laughter filled the room at her outraged retort while she attempted to turn to see if she had in fact left any injuries. Lorcan merely took her shoulders firmly and positioned her back as he had a moment before. He began easing the zipper of her gown down which caused her to still. His breath touched her ear, “You do need my help with this, don’t you?”
He knew she did not, since she had managed the closure fine without him when she had dressed.
Kaitriana issued no response and remained unmoving. Her toes were curling again and her breath caught in her throat when he delivered a light kiss to her ear. She could not pretend that she was immune to him and the ease with which he could make her forget herself should send her to a panic. She knew instinctively though that he would not take advantage and not let their play go too far without the vows between them. She trusted Lorcan implicitly and with that realization, she released a long, shaky breath.
Lorcan knew he would be taking his time here whether or not it tested his willpower. He was near overcome with the temptation to toss the beauty on his bed and slake his needs. Her velvety soft skin, being revealed inch by inch, was firm across the muscles of her back. It was like unwrapping a present. He took a finger and began tracing lazy patterns as it was bared.
Once he had the zipper undone to her hips, he released it and used both hands to spread the material apart further. Trailing a finger over the divots of her spine, he then touched each of the two little indentions interior to either hipbone. Leaning into her back, he pushed the material downward, into a pool of satin around her calves. Simultaneously he swept her curls aside and placed his lips at the nape of her neck.
Conscious of her shiver, he believed it was from his disrobing of her rather than the cold, Lorcan lifted her feet free of the confines of the dress and pulled her back against him. He needed to cover her quickly. The dark blue satin that clung to her backside and curve of her hips was causing his fangs to ache painfully with his desire to claim her. Even so, tempting himself beyond reason, he turned her and guided her back an arm’s length from him. He would not forego the opportunity to see the perfection of his little witch.
He shook his head in appreciation. She was beautifully formed, all lithe muscle under pale skin. Kat had sweetly feminine curves that were threatening to spill from that strapless creation wrapped around her upper torso. Lorcan skimmed a fingertip to the center of her abdomen and then traced a path up to the hollow of her neck.
Chosen: Book 1 in the Ancients of Light series Page 11
