Dark Awakenings (Danse Macabre Book 2)

by Christina Quinn

  “You look lovely.” He offered me a smile as he slowly sat up and scooted to the headboard.

  “T-thank you.” I returned the smile with a touch of hesitation. I stayed off to the side of the bed, admittedly didn’t know what to do after that look he gave me earlier. Part of me was frightened. Him being alive seemed too good to be true, and now he was acting very un-Aleksi like by calling the meeting. The Aleksi I knew and loved took great pains to not be included in Vampire politics. You’re insufferable, did you know that? He’s doing this for you. What? How? You’re vulnerable if he’s not strong, more so now than ever. You’re not the best at hiding those powers of yours now are you?

  Aleksi licked his lips and sighed. Those electric eyes were now a well of sadness, gone was the anger and rage from before. Here he could open himself, and I was the only one he could really open up with. And you’re being profoundly stupid by not joining him on the bed. Sitting beside him on the soft sheets I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. He pulled his knees up and hugged them to his chest.

  “I don’t know what I expected,” He whispered leaning his cheek against his knees. “I was gone for months, and I’m actually glad on some level that it was Evan who filled the void I left behind. But this morning. Autumn, that was cruel and I think on some level you’re aware that you were being cruel.” His long, lithe body unfolded and he stretched.

  “I didn’t mean to be.” My voice was so silent it barely even registered to my ears.

  “Either you were being cruel, or I was right last year when I said you were using me.” Well, he does have a point. “Regardless, you’re mine, Autumn. Mine alone.” He smirked. “Perhaps you need a reminder.” Ooo, I wonder if he’ll spank us again! Miss Manners practically did a backflip with the heat that suddenly invaded his tone and those ethereal eyes.

  With just a look he sent a shiver down my spine that left my breath to sound in an audible shudder. To quiet myself I bit my bottom lip as he devoured me with his eyes. I could almost see the sex that lurked behind them. I pressed my knees together as he sent that familiar sensation of anticipation spiraling through me. My body already knew it was his, clearly it was my mind that needed the reminder. Part of your mind. He leaned over me, and traced his thumb over my top and bottom lip.

  “These lips are mine,” He growled before roughly kissing me. His tongue practically raped my mouth almost violently as his lips pressed to mine with bruising force. The points of his fangs actually clicked against my teeth as we kissed. No one kissed me like Aleksi did. I might have had resonance with Nikolai, but Aleksi could give me that same feeling with his deep, hungry kisses. He nipped at my bottom lip, drawing the flesh between his teeth and pulling back, leaving it swollen and bright red.

  Next, my throat received similar attention. His hand wrapped around it squeezing teasingly. As he cut off my air, my hips twisted as my skin grew hot to the touch. He knew exactly how to show his dominance over me to make my body explode with sensation. Even as spots started to form in my vision and he nipped teasingly along my throat I could feel my sex growing slick with need. He held his grip on me longer than he ever had before, and when I was just on this side of losing consciousness he let go.

  “Your breath is mine,” He groaned against my neck as his hand traced over my shoulder and he placed whisper soft kisses along the tendon. “This, is mine.” He declared with a feral rumble before he seized my pulse between his front teeth. The bite was hard, but he didn’t break the skin. Still, I arched back on the bed, throwing my head back into the pillow as I cried out and writhed. When he finally released my throat my body was positively on fire. Resonance is nothing compared to this.

  A sexy dark chuckle bubbled up from his throat as he slipped around me and stood. There was no denying that he was enjoying my reaction, those tights bulged delightfully with his growing erection. The tension in that dark stretchy fabric caused that rolled waist band to dip even lower. Once standing he trailed his cool, long, pale fingers over my shoulders and down my arms to my wrists and I moaned. That abrupt sultry sound made a smirk slip across those sensuous lips of his.

  “These are mine too,” he purred as he pulled me to standing and lead me to one of the bed posts. His gaze guided mine to the top of the post and the cuffs that dangled there. Yes, please. Miss Manners’ enthusiasm matched my own as I approached the post and turned to face him, raising my hands above my head. “Good girl.” He groaned in approval as he approached me. Pressing his chest against me, and forcing me back against the post he fastened the soft bright red fabric cuffs around my wrists.

  Smug didn’t begin to describe the look on his face as he stepped back to admire his handy work. His hand actually fell to that massive, confined length in those tights and he stroked himself unabashedly as he took in my prone form. After a moment of giving me a little show he approached me and traced his nails down my arms, and to my sides. A violent shudder ripped through my body and my knees actually gave, coaxing the darkest little chuckle from Aleksi’s lips.

  “See. Mine.” He asserted before he curled his hands around the neckline of that petty vintage sundress. The fabric gave way easily under his vampiric strength, he ripped the dress, and my bra in two; letting the destroyed garments dangle about my body. Those strong hands traced up my sides to cup my breasts, he gently massaged them. “These are mine.” He placed a kiss on the crest of each and then gave them a little squeeze to coax a moan from my lips. “And these are mine too.” He nipped at each of my nipples making me yelp and jump before he closed his mouth over one; suckling hard at the aching, throbbing, needy flesh as I pushed my knees together and wriggled. My hips pressing ever forward, searching for some sort of attention, but he ignored my body’s pleas. No, he kept himself just out of reach as he turned his attention to that other dusky peak. When he finished both of my nipples were so hard they could cut glass and his lips were almost bright red.

  Kisses trailed down my flat stomach to my navel, slow, languid, patient kisses that made me moan with impatient need. His hands closed over my hips holding them in place as he continued his descent down my body.

  “Spread your legs and still your hips.” With that order from his lips I obeyed immediately slid my legs open a little. Crack. He smacked the side of my bottom, causing me yelp as the skin tingled and burned with the imprint of his hand. “No, I said spread them.” I swallowed, he can’t possibly mean… Oh, but you know he does. With a little grunt I grabbed at the chain that held the cuffs to the post and lifted my legs and spread them in a perfect split. My efforts earned an appreciative, “Good girl.” As he gazed down at my spread sex I shivered, as much from his hand sliding over my positively dripping nether lips as from the effort of holding myself up. Without warning he pinched the lips hard making me whimper. “These are mine…and this is mine.” He released my lips and traced a single finger up to my aching clit which he gently circled with the most delicate of touches. It took everything I had to not move my greedy hips to press for more friction, and more attention. So much effort was put into that and holding myself up that there was nothing left to school my response and I moaned in a rather unbecoming, and extraordinarily loud fashion. His other hand pulled those tights down, letting that erroneously large, thick cock of his spring free. Without a word or warning he slipped his entire length into me. “And I can’t forget about this now can I?” He groaned out as I gasped from that sudden sensation of fullness. “Who do you belong to?” He growled out as he thrust into me almost brutally, slamming me back against the bed post.

  “Y-you, M-m-master.” I somehow managed to moan out through my own loud guttural cries as he bottomed out inside of me, making me thrash against him.

  “Say it.” He groaned as his pace slowed.

  “I’m… I-I’m… y-your—” I didn’t get to finish the sentence, my orgasm snuck up on me like a surprise party and I locked my legs around his waist as my body contorted. At first I shut my eyes, but I almost instantly opened them, and our g
azes locked.

  The bond between us was laid bare at that moment, and it was like it was suddenly fresh and new again. I could feel his pleasure and mine, it was sensory overload… for both of us. Reaching a hand up he untied my wrists and we fell to the bed together, just in time for me to feel him twitch and throb inside of me as he came with that little gasp. He pressed his forehead to mine and stilled his hips as I practically milked that massive invader inside of me. I knew what he did without knowing it, there was that familiar muddiness. For a few moments I saw through his eyes—he marked me again. But in that moment as I laid under his collapsed form, I didn’t fucking care. Nothing mattered but the boneless warmth and the tandem throb of our existences.

  “Yours,” I breathed as I snuggled against him.

  “Good, now that we have an agreement,” He purred as he rolled off of me. However, he kept our hips married and his softening length buried inside of me. “Our situation is about to get much worse.”

  Blinking, I furrowed my brows. My brain was still mush, but I was still coherent enough to know I was too out of it for any sort of heavy conversation. He came inside of you again. I pursed my lips at that realization. My eyes raised to his, still I didn’t move away from him. Snow storms in Brazil remember? Kendra remember? Kendra was on fertility drugs, you’re not.

  “How much worse?” Oh, there you go again, winning the genius of the year award.

  “So bad I legitimately fear losing you again.” He kissed my shoulder. “You should know me well enough by now, there is only one person I’d stick my neck out for—you. If we have control of the region and your power becomes known, you’ll be safe. I don’t trust Vlad, not after what he did to me, not after how he helped lead Nikolai to the conclusion of ending me.” He swallowed.

  “But the Sun Cross…Gregory? How can we be safe from them without Vlad?”

  “I can’t solve those problems, I’m only fixing what I can. Charlotte’s the next problem to solve, but we’ll deal with that soon enough.”

  “How?” Sometimes, Autumn I think you’re too stupid to breathe.

  “A very public declaration of our love.”

  “Oh… I’m going to audition for Giselle with Garrett and Evan’s amateur company.”

  “Really?” Aleksi raised a brow and smiled at me, it was a genuine happy smile, one of those rare Aleksi smiles.

  “They wanted me to audition for their Swan Lake but I didn’t think I’d be good enough. I still don’t think I’m good enough, but…” I shrugged.

  “You’re more than good enough. It’s an amateur company and you dance sublimely, but you’re getting too skinny.” He wrinkled his nose and slid his hand to my waist.

  “Is there such a thing?”

  “Mhm, and I think it was about three pounds ago for you.” He teased kissing my forehead. “I love you more than I should.” He placed his hand over my heart. “This is mine too.” He then took my hand and placed it on his chest, I could feel that muscle deep in his chest dancing with the same exact cadence of my own. “And this, this is yours.”

  Before I laid in his arms basking in the afterglow I never knew sex could be a panacea. But as we lay on the bed together it was like nothing and no one else mattered but the two of us. For the first time in the longest time everything felt right, and I think he did too. We held hands and just listened to each other breathe for the longest as we were still joined at the hip.

  “We’re going back to Florence in a few days. Nikolai has Coppelia and I am going to prepare for Ondine. I might even ask Evan if he’ll let me partner with you.”

  “I think I’d look terrible on stage opposite you.” I blushed, and kissed his pale shoulder.

  “No, you’ll be fantastic. I haven’t danced in months. I’m sure my bumbling Albrecht will make your Giselle look completely ethereal.”

  “I doubt you have the capability to be bumbling in ballet, you’ve been perfect since you were a child. Your Grand Jete’s at fifteen were better than most at twenty.” I beamed at him and he blinked at me, those burning blue eyes watching me closely.

  “You had a vision?”

  “When I bound Nikolai to me. I saw Colette as a child, you as a teen, myself as a child and Nikolai when he met you for the first time.”

  “That’s chronological, that’s...” He shook his head and quickly withdrew from me, leaving my body suddenly feeling cold and empty. He stood and pulled up his tights. “If anything really bad happens—even if it happens in Florence—I want you to promise me you’ll come down here to this room and lock that door behind you.” That was abrupt. I blinked at him and tilted my head to the side. “Promise me.”

  “I promise.” I sat up slowly, and watched as he started pacing the room for a handful of moments. He’s keeping something from you.

  13

  REALIZATIONS IN REPOSE

  AUDITIONS WEREN’T QUITE WHAT I ANTICIPATED. HONESTLY, AFTER working with Aleksi for two days I wasn’t certain what I was expecting exactly—I just knew a line that stretched from the wings out and down the hall of the old theatre wasn’t it. This was three days after leaving the mansion in Olympia. He still hadn’t let on to what he was keeping from me. It was clear that those few months had changed him, he actually seemed genuinely glad to see everyone that first day back at class earlier that morning. But as I finally made my way to the front of the line, I could see old Aleksi was back in full swing as he stared at the stage and the woman dancing through the prepared piece. He simply oozed ennui and disapproval as he watched the woman flow through Giselle’s act one variation. When she finished, she hit the ground with an audible grunt and Aleksi rolled his eyes. Garrett and Evan never let on to their displeasure, they both smiled warmly and thanked the woman for her time.

  “Number forty-two,” Garrett called as he placed a little piece of paper at the bottom of the pile in front of him. Evan did the same, but Aleksi tore his in half—clearly number forty-one would not be joining us on stage.

  I froze as I rolled my red Pointe shoe clad toe in the small wooden box of resin off stage, I was number forty-two. With a swallow I stepped onto the stage and felt panic spur my heartbeat into a frenzy. I had never felt as exposed as I did under those bright stage lights. When Aleksi saw me his lips blossomed into a smile and my chin raised. It was odd to actually notice his approval filling me with confidence. I knew it had before, but that was the first moment it really hit home.

  “Your name?” Evan said with a grin, that lovely accent practically caressing its way to my ears.

  “Autumn Darling.” I answered as I raised en Pointe.

  “How many years’ experience do you have dancing?”

  “Nine years.”

  “All ballet?”

  “Yes.” They looked at each other and Evan looked shocked and Garrett whispered something with a little snicker.

  “Whenever you’re ready, Ms. Darling.” Evan beamed at me. With a swallow I smoothed the red tank top I wore and slicked back my bun. I looked at the violinist in the pit and nodded to him.

  The music began and I started dancing. It was so easy to forget the other women in the wings, and the appraising eyes of Garrett, Evan and Aleksi. Even Miss Manners didn’t rear her head until I finished with the most intense two minutes of my life. When I stopped at the left corner of the stage, a few people in the wings clapped as I turned my head to the gathered three trying to keep my chest from heaving. There was no mincing words, I was out of breath. But it was worth it to see the smile on Aleksi’s face.

  “Thank you,” Evan said with a grin, his freckled face positively lit up with pride.

  “Number forty-three,” Garrett called as I watched the three of them set the piece of paper aside effectively dismissing me. Leaving me to exit stage left, trying desperately to keep my composure.

  Out in the hall families were gathered, little children holding their father’s hands, old graying mothers smiling joyously as they embraced their middle aged daughters who gushed about fulfilling t
heir dream of auditioning. Leslie and Colette were waiting for me there, amongst the gathered families. I smiled at my friends and then leaned against the wall untying my bright red Pointe shoes. Leslie dropped my flats on the floor, smiling ear to ear. The two of them looked like the bobbsey twins, but I knew why. They came right from rehearsal, both wore pink tank tops with a heather grey shrug and matching tights. The only difference between their outfits was that Leslie wore crosstrainers and Colette wore black flats.

  “You were astounding! You have such a gift.”—My, aren’t they going to be surprised when you fall flat on your face—“It’s hard to believe you’ve never danced professionally, Autumn. You and Aleksi partnered will be sublime—even if he’s not at his best,” Colette chirped as she pulled me into a hug and held me hostage.

  “Aut, you were amazing. Tristan was right. I mentioned to him that you were nervous, and he said there’s no reason for you to be nervous because you were born to dance. Giselle’s hard to do for me, there’s a lot of emotion there, but—”

  “Your Giselle seemed so light and full of life. Which is very hard to do the first time.” Colette finished for Leslie as she glanced over the gathered crowd for a moment. “It’s kind of sad to be here, we’re at the epicenter of crushed dreams.” Colette’s astute assessment made Leslie uneasy.

  “I was almost one of them.” Leslie’s voice was so small I almost didn’t hear her over the murmur of the gathered crowd.

  “None of that! She’s gone for good now, kind of.” Colette snickered darkly, the sound almost familiar as she smirked at Leslie. “But you were never in danger of being one of these women, you had talent. This is where Charlotte will be in about a year… once the media machine has spat her out. That creature is talentless.”

  A woman wove her way through the crowd to stop in front of Colette. She beamed at the two ballerinas and professed being a fan, and a crowd slowly coalesced around them as they were pressured for autographs and pictures. Questions were fired off and my attention wandered to the old tarnished silver antique clock on the wall. 9:49. I sighed and stretched my neck and feet. I was more than ready for bed, but at the same time I knew I couldn’t sleep. Later Aleksi was going to appear on Midnight with Mara, which meant a two hour plane ride was in our near future. However, I didn’t dwell for very long on my pending television debut. The building around me was far too interesting for that.