****
The banter flowed and the food was exceptional as the group melded together. Marie found herself fascinated by the brothers as they explained their individual gifts. She also found her face hurting from smiling so much as they opened up, telling stories of their past. For all the uniqueness of this world and how special the group was, she honestly felt like she was sitting with her own family. Makiah stole the show a few times as he was passed around the table. Everyone got their chance to hold him and bond with the amazing little bundle that was rapidly capturing the hearts of everyone who laid eyes upon him.
Izzy held him as they began to disperse from the dining hall. “Let us watch him, so you can show Marie around.”
Bain smiled down at Izzy as she snuggled Makiah close to her chest.
Uriah looked to Marie. “You ready for a tour?”
Marie eyed Izzy. “Yeah, that sounds great. Besides, we might lose a hand trying to take him from her.”
Izzy grinned. “Come get him whenever you get back… We can even keep him for the night if you’d like.”
Bain placed his hand on her lower back and began ushering her from the room. “I promise to make her give him back whenever you come for him.”
Izzy pouted as she looked up at Bain. He shook his head and kept pushing her forward.
“That man is going to have to give her a baby someday soon.”
Uriah smiled as they moved down the hall in the opposite direction. “He needs to give her a ring first.”
Marie arched her brow. “That’s a very old fashioned outlook on the subject.”
Uriah shook his head. “No, she just told me earlier that she wants to be married.”
Marie smiled. “Of course she does. She’s a wedding planner, and she loves him… like soul deep. Every woman wants to marry the man she loves. It’s what most little girls dream of, the happily ever after with Prince Charming.”
Uriah chuckled. “Does Bain fit the description of Prince Charming?”
Marie considered the question for a very brief second before laughing as well. “Not by most women’s standards, but he is definitely Izzy’s Prince Charming.”
Uriah pushed open the doors to the hole. “This is our living slash rec room.”
Marie studied the room, moving to the billiards table. She slid her fingers over the cue ball and rolled it across the smooth red felt. “You any good?”
He dipped his chin. “I can hold my own. How about you?”
She winked at him. “I can hold my own as well. We’ll have to play a game one of these days.”
“Whenever you want,” he agreed. She was playing coy, and it was wreaking havoc on his good intentions of showing her around the castle and the grounds.
“What’s out there?” she asked, gesturing to the French doors.
“The back courtyard, garden, and the pool.”
She smiled brightly. “How about a midnight dip?” she asked as she reached back to slide the zipper on her dress down.
Uriah groaned as he rushed at her. Clasping her hand, he stopped it in its downward draw of the small zipper on her beautiful dress. “You want to go skinny dipping?”
She tilted her head. “I can leave my bra and panties on if you’d prefer.”
Uriah flung the doors open, lifted her into his arms, and took flight.
She laughed and kissed his neck. “You could have just said no.”
He shook his head. “Oh, I much prefer the removal of all clothing, but I have a better place in mind for that.”
“Oh, do tell.”
“You’ll soon see.”
Chapter Nineteen
Uriah landed softly at the water’s edge, where he set Marie down and turned her face to the gently rippling water. She made a breathy noise as she leaned back against his chest.
“It’s stunning.” The lake stretched out in front of them, surrounded by large boulders and a thick forest, all of which still had patches of snow. She turned to him. “We can’t go skinny dipping in it though.”
He smiled. “No, not in the lake.”
He laced their fingers and led her towards the trees.
“Uriah, I’m in heels. I can’t go hiking through the woods.”
He swept his arm under her knees and lifted her against his chest. She held on tight to his neck as he moved swiftly through the trees and eventually to a rock-lined pool of steaming water. He gently set her down and smiled. “Is this more like it?”
She looked over to the pool of water. “Most definitely.”
She slipped out of her shoes and reached for his belt. “You’re getting in with me, right?”
He growled and smiled wide, his fangs fully visible to her for the first time. “You naked in a pool of hot water… yes, I am joining you.”
She studied him as she unclasped his belt and pulled his shirt from his waistband. “How did I miss the fangs before?”
“Because unlike vampires, ours sit further back, and we learn at a young age to smile in a way that keeps them hidden.”
She reached up and pressed the pad of her finger to the sharp tip. It easily pierced the flesh with little pain. She pulled her finger back and studied the pooling drop of blood.
“You okay?” he asked, grasping her hand to inspect her finger.
She smiled and nodded. “I’m fine.”
Pulling her hand from his, she went to work on the buttons of his shirt. Her movements seemed trancelike, causing Uriah to grasp her hands. “Marie, look at me.”
She lifted her gaze, her tanzanite orbs locking with his metal irises. “What?”
“Are you okay?”
She nodded.
“You need to talk to me.”
“I don’t want to ruin this moment. It’s too beautiful out here.”
Uriah sighed, lifting her into his arms, and moved to sit at the edge of the hot spring. “The moment isn’t right if you have any reservations. Which you must if you’re worried about ruining the moment, so talk to me.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry. It feels a little surreal and to be honest, for all the talk of me diving in headfirst… I’ve never felt like this.”
Uriah tilted his head to get a better look at her beautiful face. In the moonlight, he was reminded that she was still so very young, and he wondered if he’d been selfish with her. Ultimately, that was his flaw. He was selfish with the women he loved… yep loved. He loved Marie. She came out of nowhere, and he had swept her into this world without even considering what it meant for her.
“You don’t have to do this, Marie. This doesn’t have to be your life, but I won’t take you back until I know for sure that you are safe.”
Her head whipped towards him, her eyes wide. “No, don’t say that. Would you really give me up so easily?”
He groaned. “Easily? No, love, it would be heartbreaking. I guess I just don’t know what you need or want.”
She smiled. “You, and that little boy my sister is fawning over as we speak.”
Uriah furrowed his brows. “Then why do you suddenly seem detached?”
She sighed. “I feel like I’m goin’ crazy. I keep waiting to wake up and find it was all a dream. I never get the perfect guy, and this world is beyond imagination.” She reached up and traced his smooth jaw line. “I’m sorry.”
He cupped her face, and kissed her forehead before leaning back to catch her gaze. “Don’t you dare apologize. There’s a lot to take in, but Marie, you’re not crazy. This world is real and confusing, and while I’m less than perfect, I do love you.”
A small quiet laugh escaped her lips as they tipped into a beautiful smile. “You do?”
He nodded and smiled back. “Very much, in fact.”
“I love you too,” she whispered before capturing his mouth in a deep kiss. Her hands found their way to his shirt. With frenzied movements, she worked the buttons open as he drew her zipper down. She shivered as he pushed the thick straps of her dress off her shoulders. He made quick work of her bra
clasp, and its straps soon followed. Marie slipped her arms free of the material and her fingers found home in his thick, dark hair, as his head dipped to her exposed skin.
Uriah kissed along her collarbone and over the swell of her breast to her peaked nipple. His tongue laved at the hard bud as his mouth closed over her flesh, and he suckled softly. Her head fell back and her eyes closed. Keeping her cradled in his arms, Uriah stood and guided the dress free of her body. She shivered, and he lifted his head to catch her gaze.
“Don’t stop,” she whimpered.
“You’re cold.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Of course it mattered. Uriah kicked his shoes off and pushed his pants down, stepping free of them he moved to the pool of water and slowly immersed them. Marie let out a soft sigh.
“Better?” he asked.
“Perfect,” she said before shifting out of his arms. Her feet found purchase on the smooth floor of the pool and the deep water hit her just above her navel.
She reached for the waistband of his boxers. Hooking her fingers in the material, she pushed them down his thickly muscled thighs. Her delicate fingers grazed over his shaft, and his head fell back as she gently rubbed her thumb over his tip. Uriah groaned, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pushed her against the smooth rock, pinning her between him and the hard back of the hot spring.
He kissed her deeply before pulling back and cupping her face. “You’re beautiful, and I want nothing more than to bury myself deep inside of you, but we have to be careful… Jelena never should have been able to carry my child; the Fae don’t procreate easily. Makiah was born because of my mother’s bloodline.”
She tilted her head, still grasped in his warm hands, and smiled. “Are you telling me that we need condoms? And you don’t have any?”
He looked crestfallen. “Exactly.”
She leaned in and softly bit down on his earlobe before whispering. “It’s a good thing I have us covered.”
He groaned as her lips began a slow trail from his neck, over his smooth jaw, to capture his mouth in another passionate kiss. With only a breath between their lips, she spoke again, “I trust you, Uriah. If you tell me that the birth control is enough, then that’s all I need to hear.”
“It’s enough,” he said as he ripped her panties free of her body, causing her to laugh. Grasping his shoulders, she lifted her legs to lock her ankles under his ass. She caught his gaze and held it as she lowered her body to his. She slid over his hard flesh to cradle him deep inside of her heated sheath.
She let out a breathy sigh as she stilled with him buried to the hilt inside of her. “Oh shit.”
“So damn perfect.” Uriah’s hands pushed her hair back to cup the sides of her face. He tilted her head to take her mouth in a bruising kiss, then trailed his lips over her jaw and down her neck. His hips began a slow, merciless rhythm that had her fingers digging into his shoulders briefly, before she slammed her palms to the rock surface at her back and pushed hard against it. Uriah lifted his head and smiled at her. His hands moved to cup her ass as he backed up and sat on a rock below the water’s surface.
Marie shifted to straddle him, her palms falling flat on the chiseled muscles of his chest and her hips rocking hard against him. Uriah let out a purring growl. His hands searched and caressed every inch of skin before one hand fisted her hair to gently pull her head back and force her body to arch. His mouth descended on her exposed breast.
He suckled, his tongue caressing her soft skin. Again, he could taste her magic as if it were bleeding through her pores. It was sweet like nectar, and Uriah swore he could get drunk off her. Her silky flesh, talented mouth, and the erotic little moans and whimpers she leant into the silent night around them had become as necessary as the air he was breathing. There was no way he could ever let her go. No way he would ever let anything bad touch her. She was going to be the death of him, and he would easily lay down his life for her.
The water rushed and swirled, again responding to the magic she was letting loose. He moved his knuckle to her clit and brushed against her budded pearl.
“Uriah… don’t stop,” she moaned as she dropped her forehead to his shoulder.
His free hand grasped her chin, forcing her to face him. “I won’t stop until you tell me to. Whatever you want, I will give you.”
“You,” she moaned. “I just want you.”
He slammed his lips to hers and devoured her mouth. She captured his tongue and sucked. The move spurred him on, his hips thrusting hard as she came down against him. She ripped her mouth from his and arched her back, screaming into the night as heat bloomed and cascaded over her. Her face flamed, and her vision went briefly black again.
Uriah groaned, his movements jerky as his hands landed on her hips, his fingers biting into her skin, bringing her down hard on his flesh one last time, her walls taking hold and milking him of every last drop of his release.
Uriah lifted his gaze to the dome of water that encompassed them; her magic was holding them safe within the element. He smiled and released her hips to cup her face. “You’ll always have me. I love you, little nymph.” He kissed her lips softly before tipping her face up to the water hovering above them.
She smiled and laughed lightly. “Am I doing that?”
He nodded. Something told him it wasn’t all her magic, but the combination of both of theirs. Uriah recalled Makyle’s comment. “I think we both are.”
“Shouldn’t you know if you’re using your powers?”
“Yes, but Makyle said something about our magic binding. It’s part of being a nymph. I think that,” his gaze lifted again to the water above them, “might be the manifestation of the binding.”
She bit her bottom lip and studied the water briefly before looking back to him. “I wonder what else we’ll be able to create.”
He smiled. “All kinds of things.”
Marie brushed her fingers over his lips. “That’s a good look on you. I like seeing you smile.”
He grasped her fingers and kissed them softly. “It’s because of you.”
Chapter Twenty
Makyle settled into the plush bed that dominated the room Cree had provided for him. It was a weird feeling being away from his own bed. He also wasn’t used to actually needing sleep and yet, the past few restless days had gotten to him. He hadn’t slept at all at Sam’s. Perhaps being away from the Underworld was messing with him. That had to be it; the lack of sleep and distance from his home would explain his behavior over the past couple of days.
He couldn’t wrap his mind around the confusion that was clouding every decision he tried to make. There was so much happening, and all of it seemed less cut and dry—less black and white. There was grey, even in his world.
Makyle smiled as he ran a finger over his lip. It was healed and still he swore he could feel Sam’s lips and teeth upon him. And fuck him, but the thought had his cock springing to attention. He pictured her golden, shimmering doe eyes and all those thick, fiery curls. Makyle shook his head and rolled over, but kept having to adjust in an effort to find a position that wouldn’t make his cock ache even worse. There would be no relief if he just laid there; her beautiful face haunted him every time he closed his eyes.
With a frustrated growl, Makyle rose from the bed and made a beeline for the bathroom, where he started the shower and stripped down. He pulled his hair from its tie and shook out the thick, black locks behind him.
Stepping into the hot spray, he flinched as the water beat down on his hard flesh. Resigned to what it was going to take, he lathered up his palm and grasped his pulsing flesh. His eyes slid closed, and he used the delicate features of Sam’s face to help bring him the relief he desperately needed. With each tug, he focused on different parts of her stunning face, and finally imagined her soft, curvy body flush against him. Her lips caressing and her teeth nipping at his skin as her hand grasped his cock and stroked him. With a guttural moan, Makyle’s veins flamed and he found much-neede
d relief as he spilled his seed in the hot spray of water.
“I’m screwed,” he muttered as he rested his forehead against the warm tile of the shower wall.
****
Samira kicked the covers from her body. The soft cotton of her sheets clung to her heated skin like a sticky web. Her body was flushed, and her breath came in heavy pants as she tried to calm her heart. She’d never had a dream feel so damn real or intense.
“What the hell?” she muttered into the darkness.
Flashes of Makyle’s slick skin bombarded her. His hand sliding down his chiseled chest, past his stomach, to grasp the heavy length between his thick, muscled thighs. His raven hair plastered to his back and his diamond eyes glowing as his deep voice called out her name. She felt warmth pool low in her stomach, and it took all her strength not to slip her own hand down her ribs, past the valley of her stomach, to her now-slick folds. She refused to relieve the ache the dream had created with thoughts of the infuriating and admittedly gorgeous Immortal Ruler…
Samira covered her face with her pillow and screamed, “Son of a bitch!”
What the hell had that asshole done to her? Why was he now invading her world, both awake and dreaming? She had gone years without even thinking of the man who had dropped her here and disappeared. Now, in just over twenty-four hours, he’d invaded her home, threw around demands, occupied her dreams, and had forced his lips upon her. Samira threw her pillow across her room, gently touched her lips, groaned at the tingle she felt, slammed her fist against the mattress, and made her way to the bathroom, where she ran a cold shower.
Standing under the spray of water, she sighed. She’d turned into a basket case because of that man. He should have let her die—that was what she had wanted. She was ready to leave the world of magic behind for the solitude of death. Now she was living in a world that didn’t believe in what she had been, with half the power she had once controlled. She was a shell of what she was… She was really an all-or-nothing kind of girl. Makyle didn’t get that, and he never would. He’d never understand what it meant to lose a defining part of who you were. He was a damn Immortal Ruler, arrogant and lacking the ability to understand or care about what didn’t directly affect him. Sure, he showed concern for the child, but she gathered there was quite a bit to the story that hadn’t been shared.
Immortal Rapture: Immortal Heart Page 11
