“Thank you Lucien, I knew we could count on you,” Dragon said as he stood and we all prepared to leave.
“What are we doing about him?” Rook asked with a dark scowl towards Quen.
“I’ll send him home and he will forget this night ever happened,” Dragon answered and I got the sense Quen was going to be very sorry he gave us a reason to look inside his head. Whatever he’d been up to it was bad enough that Dragon’s eyes flashed red again and this time I knew I hadn’t imagined it.
Rook raised an eyebrow, but like me, he let it go.
On the way back to the resort I wondered how they planned to explain Lieutenant Taggert’s sudden absence from work. No doubt mind control would be involved during which I was sure they’d also be on the lookout for anyone else who had been corrupted by vampires. How many of my fellow police officers were unwilling spies for Travali and Danarius?
When my mind drifted to Jimmy I thought about how quickly life could change. Just that morning Jimmy had been standing in my kitchen alive and scheming, trying to worm his way back into my life. Now he was gone, sacrificed like a pawn simply because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Who else might be taken away from me without warning? Rachel? Rook? I didn’t think I would survive if I lost either of them.
When I joined the force I had to accept that I would eventually lose people I cared about, or even my own life in the line of duty. But this was different. Danger was no longer part of my job; it was part of my life. If I stayed with Rook it would always be part of my life and by default, part of Rachel’s as well. Was I willing to accept the risks involved with living in Rook’s world?
Rook’s arm reached over from where he sat beside me and wrapped around my shoulders. Burrowing in against his warm body I knew I was in too deep to ever walk away. The only thing left to do was pray that we all somehow made it through whatever Danarius had planned alive. So with love in my heart I prayed for us all, I prayed to God, then I sent another request to the Goddess Rook puts his faith in. There weren’t any flashes of light or signs from above, but the sick feeling in my gut eased a bit and I hoped that meant someone out there was watching over us.
Chapter Twenty
I’d been standing in the doorway to Rachel’s room watching her sleep since we arrived back at the resort. Rook was meeting with some of his security personnel a few feet away in the sitting area of the suite. I’d heard most of what they were discussing, but I couldn’t seem to tear myself away from the sight of my daughter and the sure knowledge that she was alive and unharmed.
After a while I heard everyone murmur their goodbyes then the door shut quietly and a moment later Rook slid his arms around me from behind. He kissed the top of my head then said, “She’s not going anywhere tonight. Solomon said she danced all night and was ready to collapse when she came back here to go to bed.”
“Intellectually I know that’s true, but that doesn’t make it any easier to walk away. I just feel like she’s safer with me watching over her.”
“I understand, but right now you need to take care of yourself. The sun is already rising and you should get some rest before she wakes up and starts asking questions about Jimmy.”
He took my hand in his and tugged me towards the bedroom. Once we were inside he closed and locked the door. I turned on the lamp beside the bed and he shut off the bedroom light.
“I don’t know how she’ll be able to deal with his death so close to losing Emily,” I told Rook as I removed my shoes and started undressing.
He sat in a chair and worked on unlacing his boots. “If she needs help I’m sure Solomon or Serafina will be able to help her through her grief. They’ve both said they enjoy spending time with her and they’re already very fond of her.”
I took my pants off and laid them over the back of a chair on my side of the bed. “Are you sure they don’t mind her hanging around so much?”
“I’m sure.” Rook stood and pulled his shirt over his head then dropped it into the chair and moved towards the bed. “Serafina told me Rachel has been a big help around the office and she also said Solomon is nearly back to his old self.”
“What do you mean?” My shirt followed my pants.
“Solomon hasn’t been himself since his assistant Renee went to our European club Supernova. Honestly we were all getting pretty worried about him, but according to Serafina, spending time with Rachel has helped him get back on track.”
He dropped his pants to the floor at the same time that I dropped my bra and panties. Since he hadn’t been wearing any underwear, we were both nude as we reached for the blankets on opposite sides of the bed.
When I realized what we were doing I stopped in mid-motion and my eyes flew up to see Rook frozen like I was. After several seconds I still hadn’t moved so Rook crawled across the bed and sat on his knees in front of me.
Reaching out to tuck my hair behind my ear he asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m not sure,” I told him honestly. “I didn’t even think about what I was doing, or what you were doing. It just felt like the natural thing to do.” My eyes were locked with his and I was afraid that if I looked away I was going to freak out.
“That’s because it was the natural thing to do. We’re lovers who care about each other. Why wouldn’t we undress and climb into bed together at the end of a long day?”
I noticed he very carefully did not say we loved each other.
“But we shouldn’t feel this comfortable with each other so soon in our relationship,” I argued. “We’re behaving as if we’ve been doing this for years.”
Rook moved closer to me and smoothed his hands up and down my arms. “I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again - you make your life far more complicated than it needs to be. A few minutes ago you weren’t thinking, you were feeling, and what you felt was natural and very uncomplicated. Stop thinking and feel Angela. When that mind of yours stops working overtime you know exactly where you belong, and who you belong with.”
Looking into his eyes, watching them fill with silver stars, I wanted to believe it was that easy. Just let go of all the doubts and worries that were always plaguing my mind and feel. If only I knew how...
“I don’t know how to stop thinking Rook,” I whispered.
His lips curved into that sensual smile I loved so much and my body responded with a simmering heat spreading slowly from my core.
“I’ll help you learn,” he whispered back, then his arm reached over and he turned off the bedside lamp. The room was left in near darkness with only the early morning sun peeking around the edges of the curtains.
“Come here,” Rook said as he pulled me up onto the bed. We laid down on our sides facing each other with the blankets pulled halfway up our bodies. “Anytime you start to think something should or shouldn’t happen I want you to ask yourself why. Why shouldn’t we feel this comfortable with each other? Why should we feel awkward around each other just because our relationship is new? The answer is; we should only feel uncomfortable or awkward if that’s how we actually feel, not because that’s how human society expects us to feel.”
“But...”
“Stop thinking and feel Angela.”
His lips closed over mine and I did exactly what he wanted me to do. God I loved the way he kissed me, like every kiss might be our last. It wasn’t just the way his tongue tangled with mine or how soft his lips felt, or even how arousing it was when he sucked on my tongue. It was the way he focused on me and only me, as if nothing in this world mattered to him more than I did.
We continued kissing and caressing, our bodies twining together under the blankets until his hard length was plowing through my feminine folds, spreading my wetness as he stroked over my swollen clitoris again and again. The warmth I’d felt before was quickly turning into a wildfire, its heat powerful, consuming.
When I pulled back to catch my breath his lips went to my throat then further down to capture my nipple. Oh... That felt so good. “I can’t take m
uch more of this Rook; I need to feel you inside me.”
He rose up on his arms and looked down into my eyes. “I want to feel you, so hot and wet. Let me make love to you Angela, like this without anything between us.”
“What if...”
His lips claimed mine for another searing kiss that curled my toes and tightened every nerve ending in my body. When he lifted his head again his swirling silver eyes bore into mine. “No thinking, only feeling Angela.”
How could I deny him when I saw the same desire, the same need I felt burning in his eyes.
Reaching down between us I stroked his hard length and his back arched as a long, low groan escaped him. When I lifted my hips to guide him into my body he pushed forward filling me with his aroused flesh, connecting us in a way I scarcely understood.
“Angela...” Rook breathed as he began moving and rolled us to the side, surrounding me with his strong arms, loving me with his body and soul.
How many times had I dreamed of his deep voice whispering my name in the dark?
It sounded even better than I ever imagined.
He said it again followed by light kisses along my neck, then a nip at my earlobe. All the while he moved inside me with an exquisite slowness that gave the moment an intimacy I’d never known with a man before.
Wrapping my arms around him I held him close, trying to merge our bodies into one as his hands smoothed over my bare flesh slowly, lovingly. Every caress of his rough hands felt like a brand on my soul. My mind could rebel all it wanted to, but when he touched me like this, my heart knew the truth. I felt his love for me and knew that it came from deep inside. It wasn’t just a fleeting thing that might fade in a few years. It was the kind of love that lasted through the ages, the kind that most people only dreamed about.
Rook’s lips came back to mine, and I finally let myself feel everything he was offering me. It was more than the physical sensations spiraling through my body. It was a promise of love and family, and endless passion that would only grow with time.
His big hands slid down and gripped my backside, angling my hips just right to increase the pleasure for both of us. His subtle movements teased me, had me quivering in his arms when he broke the kiss and looked at me with wide eyes.
As I watched, Rook’s skin began glowing just like it had on the beach that night after the bombing. The glow grew brighter, more radiant, spreading from him to me, filling me with a sense of euphoric wonder. Rook groaned and rolled me to my back as he came up on his arms above me. His hips started moving harder, faster as the glow continued to spread. It was too much. The rush of orgasm poured over me and tore out of my throat with a scream while I clawed at his back needing to hold on as the sensations ravaged my body.
Rook’s thrusts became frenzied, his face twisting with ecstasy as he spun out of control. His body pounded into mine, driving his hard flesh into me over and over, hitting the end of my wet channel with every demanding thrust. The next time the shattering ecstasy of release filled me, the power from the River flared, bursting out and washing over us with a cascade of energy. Rook roared as he buried himself inside me with one last powerful thrust of his hips. He shuddered above me as he filled me with his hot seed and I shook with blissful tremors of rapturous pleasure. Just before the glowing light engulfed me completely it receded, but didn’t quite fade completely.
Rook rolled to the side and fell flat on his back beside me. We both laid there trying to control our breathing for several minutes before our skin was left slick with sweat, but no longer glowing.
“What just happened Rook?” I asked without moving.
“I’m sorry Angela; I didn’t mean to let it go that far. It just took me by surprise like it did that night on the beach, but it was so much harder to pull back while I was inside you.”
I rolled to my side and propped myself up on my elbow. He stared at the ceiling for another moment then finally turned to meet my eyes.
“That didn’t answer my question.”
“I’m sorry Angela,” he said again. “I will never let that happen again, not until you agree to be my anai.”
My brows drew together while he held my gaze, his expression solemn, remorseful.
“Are you saying you almost made me your anai without my permission?”
He looked away and my heart nearly broke.
“Rook?” I felt tears in my eyes.
“I don’t know what happen.” He turned to face me again as he explained. “It’s very simple for a time demon to make someone his or her anai, but it usually takes a conscious effort. There are ancient words that must be spoken, or so I thought. Once the words are spoken the time demon would begin a time shift, taking his prospective anai with him. While they’re in the ether between times he would merge his soul with hers binding them together forever.”
“And you would do that to me without even telling me what’s happening?” I sat up and moved away from him.
Of course he wouldn’t let me get away with that. He came up on his knees and gripped my upper arms with his hands. “Never. I would never take that choice from you. I did not speak those words. They whispered through my mind in a voice that was not my own. Both times I’ve nearly claimed you as my anai it happened the same way. I heard the words in my head, then almost compulsively repeated them - still in my mind, not out loud - and somehow triggered the bonding ritual. I did not mean for it to happen either time, nor can I explain why it’s happening. I’ve never heard of anything like this, but I promise you, I will never let it go as far as I did tonight ever again.”
I could see the sincerity in his face and hear it in his voice. Whatever was happening, it was no more his fault than it was mine. “Is there anything I could do to stop you from completing the bond if this happened again?”
Rook shook his head. “Even another time demon would have difficulty stopping me if I was determined to make her my anai.”
“Is that what Danarius meant when he said you weren’t demon enough to take what you want?”
“Yes. Most time demons wouldn’t worry about getting permission if they met a conduit. They would make you their anai whether it was what you wanted or not.”
“So if I ran into another time demon he could make me his anai and take me away from you?” My voice was a little shrill with that thought.
His silver eyes took on an eerie cast as his face darkened into a mask that could only be called demonic, his features almost unrecognizable. It was truly a frightening sight to see and when he spoke, his harsh, guttural voice added to the effect upgrading him to terrifying. If I hadn’t trusted Rook implicitly I would have been running for the door screaming.
“Any time demon who tries to take you from me will die an agonizing death while wishing he’d never met you.”
He was still gripping my arms but I had to do something to bring him back from whatever dark edge he was teetering on. Very slowly I raised my hand and brushed my fingertips down the side of his face. “Come back to me Rook. No one is going to take me away from you, I won’t let them.”
His grip on my arms loosened and I slipped free as I smoothed my hands up over his chest, across his shoulders, then down his arms. Ever so slowly the tension drained out of his body and the darkness shrouding his face cleared. He took a deep breath and sat back on his heels.
“How about I go clean up, then we’ll lie down together and get some sleep,” I suggested cautiously.
“I’d like that Angela. I’m sorry if I scared you. The thought of another time demon bonded to you was just...” He shook his head. “Go get cleaned up and let me hold you. Let me feel your skin pressed against mine while we sleep so I know you’re safe.”
“I’ll be right back, Rook. It will only be a moment.”
I cleaned up quickly and crawled back in bed with Rook where he held me close and his steady breathing comforted me as my body relaxed, preparing itself for sleep. The idea of bonding my soul to Rook’s was intimidating, but the thought that another t
ime demon could force such a bond on me was worrisome and more than a little frightening.
For just a minute I considered asking Rook to bond with me. I knew he loved me, and he would never mistreat me. Would that be true of any other time demon? Then I realized how unfair that would be to him. He wanted a commitment from me, not out of fear of other time demons, but out of love for him.
Snuggling in closer to his warmth I closed my eyes and hoped that one day soon I would be able to give Rook what he wanted.
Chapter Twenty-One
I woke to the sound of Cher singing If I Could Turn Back Time coming from somewhere on the floor. There was movement on the other side of the bed then Rook answered his phone, “Talk to me.” A few seconds later he said, “I’ll be right down.”
I rolled over to see him sliding his pants over his muscular legs. “I asked Lucien to go over the security recordings for last night while we were at the police station to see if he could find anything out of the ordinary. He called to let me know he found something that he thinks I should see right away. I’m not sure how long this will take but if you get tired of waiting you can join us in the tech room.”
“That was some ringtone,” I commented as I stretched my arms up over my head.
Rook licked his lips while his eyes focused on my exposed breasts for a moment, then he shook himself and grinned. “You should hear the ringtone that plays when you call my phone.”
“I don’t usually have a need to call you when I’m within earshot of your phone,” I reminded him as he sat in the chair and quickly laced up his boots. “But now I’m curious, so someday I’ll have to make sure I call when you’re close by. Anyway, I’m going to stay here and order some breakfast. When Rachel wakes up I’ll have to tell her about her father.”
Rook stood and pulled his shirt over his head then walked over and gave me a quick kiss. “I’ll try not to be too long. Call me if you need anything at all.”
Destined for Time Page 20
