by F. E. Heaton
Releasing her neck, he drew back and saw in her eyes that she was shocked by what he'd done. She'd clearly expected him to be gentle. He couldn't be gentle. It didn't work that way. If she was shocked now, he didn't know how she'd react to what he was about to do.
Holding her gaze, he focused on the words. Latin said it best.
"Sub specie aeternitatis, esto perpetua,” he whispered and her eyes went wide, her hand flying to her chest and grasping it as she sucked in pained breaths.
He held her arms, keeping his calm and telling himself that this is what was supposed to happen, only usually you tell the other party before claiming them.
"Reciprocate, Prophecy.” He waited, watching her struggling with the new sensations running through her. The pain would ease if she responded to the claim.
Her mouth opened and closed a few times, and then she swallowed hard.
"In the eyes ... of eternity,” she said and her knees almost buckled. He held her fast, keeping her standing. She swallowed again. Her face blanched. Her voice was a tortured whisper. “Let it be everlasting."
Pain tore through him and the mixture of both their thoughts and feelings sent his head spinning. He wrapped his arms about her as she fell and collapsed with her, holding her close to him. He hadn't expected it to be so painful and confusing. Clearly whoever had written down the process of claiming had romanticised it, neglecting to mention the excruciating pain.
Prophecy shook in his arms, mewling and writhing against him. He knew what she needed, what their claim needed in order to be complete. Guiding her mouth to his neck, he held her there, waiting. She bit down hard, her fingernails digging into his arms. He closed his eyes while she took great gulps of his blood and groaned when she rubbed her body against his, grinding their hips together. His hand slipped to her backside and he pulled her hard against him, trapping his aching erection between them.
Desperate to be close to her, he pulled her up onto the bed, falling onto it with her. Her lips left his neck, roaming downwards over his chest. She left a trail of red where she kissed and his eyes rolled back when she pushed his shoulder, forcing him to lie down.
She devoured his flesh, kissing, licking and biting him at intervals, making his body jerk in response to the pleasure and pain. His claws extended and his teeth elongated as his vampire guise came to the forefront, drawn out of him by the heavy scent of blood and desire permeating the air. He arched his back when she dragged his boxers down over his length, her tongue darting out to lick along it. His fingers buried themselves in her hair when she took him into her mouth, her movements gentle so her fangs wouldn't cut him. Her tongue explored every inch of him and her fingers teased his balls.
"Prophecy,” he whispered, frantic for her attention.
She didn't look at him. Her attention remained with his length and the delicious torture she was putting him through. He raised his hips, hungry to be deep inside her. Her hands grasped his backside, holding him in her mouth as she sucked him hard.
Gripping the edge of the mattress with one hand and the iron headboard with the other, his whole body tensed, balancing on the brink and waiting for the delirious fall he was sprinting towards. He clenched his jaw, his fangs penetrating his lower lip.
Arching his back, he growled at the ceiling.
She moaned when he came, filling her mouth with his seed, and didn't stop suckling until he'd spent his last drop.
Collapsing into the bed, he breathed heavily, trying to gather himself while making the most of the feeling inside of him.
His eyes closed when she kissed down his thighs, drawing his underwear off over his feet.
When he reopened them, she was tossing her bra to one side, her body now gloriously naked. His own responded immediately. The claim begged for true completion, for the strongest bond possible to be placed between them by way of mating.
She eyed his growing length appreciatively and ran her fingers lightly over it, teasing it back into hardness.
Holding his hand out to her, he smiled when she placed hers into it. He drew her towards him and ran his hands down her body when she came to kneel beside him. Palming her breasts, he brushed his thumbs over her taut nipples, watching her face as she moaned. Her brows furrowed in pleasure and her fangs glinted in the warm candlelight when she bit her lip. He kept up his ministrations with one hand while trailing the other down her stomach to her crotch. She sighed out her breath when he slid one finger over her arousal, torturing her pert nub and taking in how slick with desire she was.
Her thighs quivered as his hand delved lower and he eased one finger up inside of her. Her legs spread a little and he smiled at how hungry her eyes were when she opened them. His smile disappeared in a deep moan when she took hold of his erection, gripping it tightly and rubbing it in time with the thrusts his finger made into her.
When he felt her tensing around him, he removed his finger, licking it clean and lowering his other hand to her hip. He guided her towards him and watched intently as she raised her leg to straddle him. All control left him as the claim between them took over. Its grip on him was strong and he could feel the violence growing inside of him.
Prophecy kept her eyes locked with Valentine's. Reaching behind her, she took hold of his erection and guided it into her. She pressed her hands into his stomach and sunk slowly down on its length, relishing the sensation of it filling her up and stretching her. She sat for a moment as their hips met, trying to control herself. There was so much desperate hunger inside of her, and it was impossible to ignore the call of it. It felt as though she'd die if she didn't surrender herself to the need to couple with Valentine.
A claim had been placed between them. She'd read the books and heard the stories. A strong claim required a mating as violent as a war to fully complete the bond.
The moment she began to move, a slow pulsing ache started to beat through her. Her tempo increased at the same time as it. She rode Valentine hard and grabbed his hands when he reached out towards her. The look on his face and the way his hips were rising to meet hers on each thrust told her he felt as desperate as she did. She locked fingers with him, tightly gripping his hands and using the force of him pressing against her to steady herself as she rocked on his length. The pace of the beat inside of her doubled as she moved faster, desperate for a release that she knew wouldn't come. She could feel it inside of her, tantalisingly close but impossible to achieve.
She growled down at Valentine and he flipped her onto her back, slamming into her, one hand holding her leg up while he plundered her body. He sneered, his blue eyes shining in the low light. The sight of his teeth only made her hunger worsen. She dragged him down to her, kissing him fiercely while he thrust into her, long hard strokes that should have been satisfying her rather than torturing her.
Her hips bucked involuntarily, searching for that one thrust that would send her toppling over the edge into bliss. Her body tightened around his length, milking it and clenching it, begging him.
His lips smashed against hers, their fangs clashing and slicing open their lips and tongues. The sweet taste of blood brought a split-second of relief and she kissed him harder, hungry for more.
She felt as though she was going to explode with need. She didn't know how much more she could take of this. No matter what she did, how she moved or how deep and hard Valentine thrust into her, there was no abatement in her desire.
She growled when Valentine pulled back, his chin drenched with their combined blood. The sight of it made her body quiver with release around his length, but it still didn't satisfy the need inside of her. It only made it worse.
Valentine pulled out of her when he felt her orgasm and moved her onto her front. He pulled her hips up and slid easily back into her. His fingernails dug into her thighs and he pulled her roughly towards him with each thrust, smashing their hips together hard. She groaned and tightened around him. Her fingers dug into the blanket as his pace increased, each plunge of his hips getting harder until h
e was sure he was hurting her.
He still couldn't find release. His whole body felt tired, and his desire for her only seemed to be getting worse. Leaning forwards, he teased her swollen nub with his fingers, hoping that another orgasm from her would help him find his own. She moaned and pressed her backside harder against him. He growled at her when she looked over her shoulder, her green eyes showing him how desperately she wanted to cum again.
There was something missing, something that would satisfying this mating.
He raked his claws down her back and she shuddered around him, her cries filling the silence. Bringing his hand up, he continued to slam into her while he licked his fingers clean of blood. The taste of it brought some relief.
Blood.
It wanted blood.
Pulling out of her, he caught hold of her hand and moved to the headboard of the bed. He sat back against it, facing her. His eyes rolled closed when she nestled between his legs and dipped her head to his length before he could stop her. The feeling of her soft mouth around his aching erection soothed him. She teased him, licking around the head of it before wrapping her lips back around it and sucking hard. With a harsh groan, he jerked his hips up and came.
He hardened again almost instantly.
Prophecy looked up at him.
He took hold of her hand and drew her towards him. There was only one way to sate this hunger.
Guiding her onto his length, he stared into her eyes for a moment before beginning to move against her. She placed her hands on his shoulders and began to move with him, her actions slow and steady. Clearing the hair from her neck, he fixed his eyes on it, letting the tension inside him build again.
Prophecy moaned when her abdomen began to ache again and she felt release was near. She moved a little faster, driven on by the smell of blood and the sight of it on Valentine's lips. She was thankful when his hands slid down to her hips, helping her keep up the pace. She was tired and sore, desperate for this mating to be completed.
She frowned when she realised that Valentine was just staring at her neck and then flung her head back when her body began to hum, buzzing with her impending orgasm. It felt frustratingly far away. She wanted to feel it, wanted it to wash over her and carry away all this hurt and need.
Valentine licked his teeth.
She groaned and tilted her head to one side. Instinct told her that he'd figured out what this mating wanted, and she wanted it too. She needed to feel his teeth buried as deep inside her as his length. She needed the dual pleasure pain. There was no feeling on Earth like it.
The moment he moved, she bit down hard on his neck. She sunk her bottom teeth into him at the same time as his penetrated her flesh. Pain rocked her body but she kept moving, kept working towards the release she could feel coming. Drinking deeply, she came the instant the blood hit the back of her throat. Her body quivered and shook against his as he trembled beneath her, his fingers holding her and making her continue. He shot his seed into her, his hips thrusting up and claiming her body as wholly his.
After a few seconds, she realised they'd stopped moving and were just drinking slowly from each other.
She stopped when an odd feeling grew inside of her. It took her a moment to realise that these feelings of love and devotion weren't hers.
They were Valentine's.
She pulled back, forcing him to stop drinking from her, and looked deep into his eyes, trying to see the feelings that she could feel.
He smiled.
She couldn't stop herself from smiling too.
Could he feel everything she was feeling? She wrapped her arms about his neck and cradled him against her, closing her eyes. Her fingers toyed with his hair and a comforting feeling washed through her, soothing her body as he put his arms around her.
He pressed a kiss to her ear.
She sighed into his neck.
Tears filled her eyes when she thought about what they'd shared and the bond that now tied them to each other. It made everything seem so much brighter for a moment, as though their future together was now a definite again, even when she was panicking in the back of her mind. She hadn't forgotten his speech downstairs.
His feelings were overwhelming when combined with her own and she wished they could stay in her mother's house forever. She didn't want to go back to a world where he was her enemy. She didn't want to leave the safety of his arms.
She licked the marks on his neck, sealing them. She'd never bitten someone so hard before. The puncture marks were deep and ragged, dark pits that blood had pooled into. She knew her neck looked just as bad. It was what the vision had been trying to show her. The marks and the way Valentine had spoken without moving his mouth.
She thought about it for a moment and then focused on sending her thoughts to him telepathically.
"We should heal our marks in case Elena or someone sees them,” she said without opening her lips.
He shifted against her.
"You are right. It is best that Elena does not notice them. They will scar, but we have so many that no one will know the difference.” His voice had a tinny quality to it. It echoed around her head a little.
She smiled. “I could get used to this."
Bringing her hand down, she sat back on Valentine's lap and pressed the amulet against her neck. She flinched when she healed it, and was amused that Valentine flinched too. She supposed that pain could be considered a feeling.
Placing the amulet against the left side of his chest, she focused on healing him. He closed his eyes and grit his teeth and she was surprised by the amount of pain he was feeling. It was far more than she'd experienced. She frowned when something caught her eye and dropped her gaze to his chest. Her eyes widened when she saw the faint shimmering blue mark there. The more she used her magic on him, the more it came into focus, taking on an intricate pattern of stars and symbols. The mark over her chest itched when she saw the snake weaving through the star.
Elena.
Her father had said there would be a mark and there was.
She tried to put it to memory in case it would help her but every mark on her body burned and her hand felt as though it was on fire. She snatched it away from Valentine and clutched it, staring at the near-black magic swirling around the amulet and her fingers.
"Something wrong?” Valentine's gentle tones brought her back to the world.
She shook her head, completely forgetting that he could see straight through her now.
"I know something is wrong."
Her gaze shifted to meet his. There was so much concern in his expression and she could feel it inside him too.
"The magic Elena placed on you. It hurt me.” She shook her hands, trying to shift the tingling feeling in them. The magic crackled around her fingers and she looked at them, seeing that it wasn't going anywhere. She gave a panicked look to Valentine. “What colour are my eyes?"
He frowned, confused.
"My eyes,” she said again, desperate to know.
He leaned them both towards the low-burning candle, studying her face for a second before trailing his fingers down her cheek.
"Brown."
Relief swept through her but it was short lived. In the low light, black could easily be mistaken for brown.
"They're not black?"
"Prophecy, what is wrong?” His frown became one of concern.
"When Elena kissed you and cast the spell, I lost it. I think the magic took over. It's stronger now, so strong that it scares me sometimes. My eyes turned black."
He pulled her back into his arms, holding her. She sobbed into his shoulder as the weight of everything that had happened over the past few days finally broke her. Valentine's soft kisses on her shoulder were little comfort when she thought about what was to come. As strong as her magic was getting, she still didn't feel ready to fight Elena, and her heart kept telling her that time was running out. She was so tired.
"Don't leave me,” she said and clung to him.
He l
ay her down on the bed, still holding her tightly.
"I will never leave you,” he whispered, smoothing her hair.
She closed her eyes and moved as close to him as she could get. She wrapped her arms about him, silently pleading with him not to go yet. Dawn was still a few hours off. All she asked for was a little more time with him.
A little more time before going back to the world.
She sighed out her breath and focused on the feeling of Valentine holding her as she succumbed to the lure of sleep.
The last thing she heard was Valentine whispering, “Be strong, my love."
Chapter 23
Prophecy woke with a strange feeling inside of her. It wasn't quite emptiness, but it felt similar. She looked beside her where Valentine should have been. There was a note. Taking hold of it, she didn't cry as she read it. There were only a handful of words, but she knew how much feeling was behind each one and how hard this was for him.
I am sorry I could not stay. The time has come to be strong. I will fight her until the last of my strength has left me. Promise me you will do the same. Follow your heart and do not be scared to make the hard decisions facing you. I will understand. Look to the mountains and your vision. You will know where to find me. Always yours, Valentine.
She smiled and held the note to her chest, staring at the ceiling. He was always telling her how strong she was. Maybe it was time she really started believing him. He thought she could do this and she didn't want to let him down.
She frowned when she sat up. The sun was bright outside. Glowing white spots punctured the tattered curtains. Thankfully no harmful rays entered the room. She glanced down at the stack of spells beside the bed and then stared at them.
They were no longer in the order she'd left them. On top was a destruction spell. She picked it up and glared at it. Valentine must have looked through them and found one suitable for killing him with. She was tempted to screw the piece of paper up into a ball and throw it away, showing him just what she thought of his plan. Instead, she looked at the next spell down. It was the one she'd come across just before Valentine had shown up.
