Kieran brushed another kiss over her forehead. “Darlin’, lots of people get soul mates right. There are many people who express their faith in many different ways. Some believe in a one true god, others in many gods. I believe in fate. It pulled us together and I happen to agree wholeheartedly with her.”
“You believe fate did this?” She tried to keep the smile out of her voice.
“Fate, Mom Earth, the stars, God, or whatever it is that you believe in that moves in this world. You can’t tell me that you don’t believe in anything. Whether it happened now, or years from now, our souls recognized each other. We complete each other and feel pain when we’re apart. Our souls long to be united as one, to complete each other. I believe, if we hadn’t met now, we would have spent a lifetime searching for one another, and never being satisfied until we met.”
His words rang true in her own heart. She felt herself nodding. “Yes. I do feel it. I saw you and it was as if I’d loved you for years.”
As she spoke, Kieran’s lips trailed kisses down her throat. With a growl, he rolled until she was under him once again. His head lowered and he nipped at her nipples through her shirt, making her arch into him. His lips moved on and his fingers caught the waistband of her shorts and pulled them down. His lips worshiped the skin of her legs and then ankles. “You have such delicate, beautiful feet, my love.”
As Kieran set her leg down and moved back up her body, he pushed her legs apart. His breath fanned across her heated flesh a moment before his lips circled her clit. He sucked it into his mouth, making her cry out and grip his hair. Her climax came fast and hard as it tore through her, making her scream out her pleasure.
When the stars faded from her vision, she opened her eyes to see Kieran over her smiling. “I love watching you come. I can spend all day making you writhe in pleasure.”
“This is the most realistic dream I’ve ever had.”
“This isn’t a dream, my love. I am here with you telepathically. I took some stuff Yerel’s mate made that would allow me to use my empathic senses to connect to you.”
“It’s really you?” She reached for him as joy exploded in her heart. It was a dream she hoped would come true, that Kieran and Devon would love her enough to come and find her.
“It is. Now that I have tasted you and I can think straight, I need you to tell me where you are. We’ve been looking for you, but Texas is huge.”
“I’m at my parent’s new ranch out by Paris, Texas. It’s actually closer to Shadetree, but we’ve only been to Paris.”
Kieran grinned. “I am closer to you than I had imagined. I will find you soon, my love. Please stay close to the house. It isn’t safe for you to be out alone. Dylan is here with us to help keep you safe.” His facial expression changed. “Fuck, I’m getting pulled back. I gotta go, love.”
Kieran barely finished his sentence and then he vanished and she was left alone in the field again. She blinked and wondered if that had really just happened.
She glanced down and noticed her shorts were down and her pussy was exposed to the night air. “It was real.” Hope and love flooded her. Kieran loved her and they were close. She pulled her shorts up and returned to the fragrant grass.
She closed her eyes and remembered the feeling of both of them inside of her, moving her up and down in the shower. Devon had not looked at her with lust in his eyes. His expression as he held her was tender and loving. “I love you, too.” She put her hands over her mouth and giggled like the carefree girl she used to be. She knew in that moment she was hopelessly in love with the pair of Vampires. Her eyes widened and she laughed again. She was going to have to explain her two lovers to her parents after all.
Lightning flashed and then thunder crashed. She opened her eyes, glanced up toward the west, and saw lightning flash again. The wind carried the smell of rain, so she picked up her blanket and started to run for the house. Texas thunderstorms could get nasty, even in August.
Just as she reached the first small barn, large droplets of water began to fall. She dove into the dark barn that held the yard equipment and she backed in far enough until the driving rain couldn’t reach her. She watched the lightning crash around the larger barn that was closer to the house. Something moved out in the storm that had Rachel gasping in horror.
Its red glowing eyes roamed the darkness, and it leapt onto one of the trucks parked next to the barn. Its inky, black skin reflected the lightning as it stood to its full height and spread its bat-like wings.
During one of the earth-shattering clashes of thunder, it howled an evil, screeching sound. Its head turned toward her and she shivered as she sensed as well as saw that the creature was staring at her. She panted in terror as its shiny body moved and stepped toward her.
It’s going to kill me. Terror seized her as it leapt from the roof to the ground while keeping its spine-chilling gaze locked on her.
The barn was pitch black, but she knew there was a back door. She’d looked around earlier during the daytime to get a feel for the farm. Biting her lip so she didn’t scream, she ran in the direction she remembered the door had been.
The door was solid when she slammed into it, and she whimpered in terror as she felt around for the latch.
As she fumbled with the lock to open the door, she could hear the creature behind her. Its breath rasping in and out of its mouth sounded like a being from the depths of hell. She even thought she could smell the rotten egg smell of sulfur as it approached her. Her hands shook as she pounded on the door. “Open up, dammit.”
The door flung open and she bolted out of the barn and into the storm. She had no idea which direction she ran. She screamed as she blindly ran in the driving rain. Her lungs burned and her chest ached as she drove herself to run faster. In the months she’d lived with the Lycans, she’d never seen anything like this. She only knew that it meant to kill her.
The thing slammed into her from behind and knocked her to the ground. Searing pain hit her as it clawed or bit her shoulder. She screamed in pain and fear as she managed to turn as she fell. The creature opened its mouth and she saw huge fangs. It bit into her and fire blazed from the wound.
It released her and lifted its head. She watched in horror as the creature’s jaw formed a hideous smile. “Channel,” it spoke in a rasping, vile, sulfur-smelling wheeze. “You’re the one the Master seeks.”
“No,” she screamed. She couldn’t go through this again. She would rather die than go through the horror of being used as a weapon again.
It gripped her arm in its mouth and backed off her. She heard heavy steps and looked to see two more of the terrifying creatures. There are more of them!
One of them approached, but he was different from the demon looking creature. He looked sort of like a small horse. It didn’t appear solid, though, but more like it was made of shadows with glowing red eyes where its head should be.
The more solid demon looking creature seemed to melt and then reform as a man. It looked at the shadowy figure and said, “Kill more of the cattle around the farms. Make sure you make the channel bleed, not too much though. Master will punish us if we kill his prize. Leave enough of her blood that the humans think an animal carried her away after it took down some cattle.”
Her mouth hung open in silent horror and panic. She felt paralyzed with fear as the man with demon eyes stared at her. Drool dripped from his pointed teeth and his forked tongue licked his lips. “I’d love a taste, but Master says to bring her whole.”
She couldn’t breathe. The full weight of her situation pressed in on her. It was as if Satan himself was standing in her barn and talking about sending her back to Mortef. She jerked in the grip of the other demon and felt her flesh burning as it ripped in its sharp teeth. She didn’t care, she would either get away or die trying.
Another snarl split the air, and the creature that held her pinned dropped her. Giant Lycans leapt out of the trees, and she had no doubt they were indeed Lycans, but she didn’t recognize any of the
m. Their coloring and body structure were all completely different from any of the Lycans she’d known.
They attacked the creatures and the demons’ snarls turned to yelps of pain as the wolves tore the creatures to pieces. Several broke away from the fight and ran.
Her brain urged her to get up and run, but she was frozen in place as the wolves finished off the creatures that didn’t get away in time. The largest Lycan, that had black fur, broke away and approached her.
Finally, her muscles obeyed her internal screaming to run and she crab walked backward. The Lycan blurred and she heard the distinct sound of the bones shifting as the Lycan changed from a wolf to a man. A massive man stood before her with black shoulder length hair and piercing dark eyes. He approached her and she jumped to her feet in one move, as the fight-or-flight reflex kicked in. She tripped over a tree root and nearly lost her balance. He steadied her. “Don’t.” She pulled her arm away and fought the urge to look behind her. If she took her eyes off the Lycan, he could attack her.
“Easy,” the Lycan said gently as he held his hand out to her. “Careful, girl. It’s uneven ground with all the tree roots, and you’re hurt enough.”
“You…you.” She couldn’t even bring herself to tell him the obvious, that he was a Lycan.
“Yeah, I was just a wolf. I am actually a Lycan. My name’s Sam Dalton. What’s yours?”
“Rachel,” she blurted out and then wished she had lied. If Marcus was looking for her, other packs may know her name. Then again, maybe it would be okay. There were thousands of women with her name around the country. Surely, that wouldn’t mean anything, right?
“Rachel,” Sam repeated. “It’s going to be okay, I promise. My pack is hunting demons and hellhounds. You won’t remember any of this, though.”
She spun to run, but before she made it a quarter turn, strong arms wrapped around her. Someone had snuck up behind her while Sam distracted her. “No! Let me go!” she screamed as she tried to fight her way free.
“Hold her. I don’t have a lot of time. We need to track down that fucking demon. After I’m done, leave her at the main house.”
“Don’t kill me, please.” She was growing tired as she struggled against the wall of muscle that held her.
“Hush now. You’re all right. Look into my eyes, Rachel.” Sam’s voice was the most soothing voice she’d ever heard, and her eyes lifted to his. She noticed the various colors of browns and black that swirled in the irises of his eyes. They were stunning in their beauty. She could stare at them all day. “Good girl. Now, the storm caught you off guard, and as you hid in the barn, you saw a pack of coyotes attacking the cattle. It scared you and you ran home. It taught you that it’s not safe out here at night, so you’re not going to run around in the middle of the night anymore.”
“Yeah, I shouldn’t be running around at night.” She felt her fear melt away and then she wasn’t sure what she was so scared of. Her eyes grew heavy and they closed despite her attempts to keep them open.
“Chiron, can you close up the gashes on her arm here? I don’t need her waking up and fighting my work to replace her memory.”
Large hands wrapped around her throbbing arm and then she felt a burning heat. She couldn’t help but scream at the pain.
“It’s okay. I know it hurts a bit to repair flesh. You’ll be good as new though.” The strange voice was filled with compassion, and it helped to soothe the pain.
“Thank you for the help, healer.”
Still holding one arm firmly around her. Sam set her down. “Look into my eyes.”
She did as he commanded as if she was a puppet on his string. “Now, you’re going to sleep. When you wake up, you won’t remember any of this.” Her eyes closed as a deep lethargy swept her away.
“I didn’t have time to be careful, so she may forget a few hours before that demon came along. Get her home while we try to hunt down the damn thing.”
“Yes, Alpha,” she heard before she felt herself lifted and then she completely forgot the entire evening.
Chapter Ten
Kieran opened his eyes to the feeling of exhaustion weighing him down. It had been a struggle to find himself once again, and for a few moments, he’d thought he’d lost his body. Relief swamped him when he opened his eyes to see Devon staring at him, and watched him as he blinked a few times to try and get his eyes to focus.
“Did you find her?” Devon asked.
Kieran couldn’t help the smile that split his face. “Yeah, I sure did. She’s sweeter than sweet tea with double the sugar.”
Devon crossed his arms over his chest, ignoring his comment. “Did she tell you where she is?”
“She is close. She said she was at her parents’ new ranch between Paris and Shadetree.”
“I will find out which ranches have sold within the last few months. We have their names, so we should have an address by morning.”
“I can’t believe it worked.” Kieran felt like they’d wasted two days while he was ready to kick Devon’s ass for not allowing him to use the herbs. Yes, they were dangerous. He didn’t care. He just wanted to find her and get her to safety.
“It was a huge risk.” Devon appeared to be reading his mind.
“Stay out of my head, you may try to steal my southern charm.”
“I wasn’t in your head.” He faked a shudder. “I may get stuck with that hick accent of yours.”
Kieran laughed at their old banter. His heart was lighter than it had been since they’d lost their girl. She loved him and he loved her. Tomorrow, darlin’, I’m comin’ for ya and I’m gonna claim you under these southern stars.
Chapter Eleven
The wooden stairs were smooth and cool on Rachel’s bare feet. Her head felt stuffed with cotton like when she drank too much. She stopped for a moment, frowning. Now that she thought about it, she couldn’t remember much from last night. She vaguely remembered going for a walk to do some stargazing, and then the rest was just like screenshots. She vaguely remembered lightning, and then an animal attack with a lot of blood. A coyote, that was it, she’d stumbled onto a coyote attack, and then it was storming. After everything she’d been through, no wonder she blocked it out. Poor cows. Sadness filled her as she thought about the poor cows that didn’t survive last night.
She walked into the kitchen, noticing how sore she was. God, that is weird. I didn’t drink at all, but it feels like I am trying to remember what happened through a nasty hangover.
Opening the dark cabinet door, she pulled out a coffee cup, poured herself a cup of coffee, and headed over to the breakfast nook to sit with her dad.
“Hi, Daddy.” she said cheerfully and then gave him a kiss on the cheek.
“Good morning, pumpkin. How’d you sleep with that big storm last night?”
“Good, I think I had some crazy dreams though. I may have gotten too much sleep. I can’t remember a thing from last night, and I feel hung over.”
Her dad studied her for a moment. “That happens now and then. You did disappear a bit early. Maybe you fell asleep and just slept hard. I do that now and then, and feel like my head’s full of cotton the next day.”
“Yeah, I bet that’s what I did.” Now that the sun was up, and she’d had some coffee, she was even surer what little she did remember from last night was just a dream. Flashes of Kieran’s tongue running over her clit had her crossing her legs. Yeah, definitely a dream.
She could hear Rufus and Gus barking and saw one of them run past with his tail high.
“That was some storm last night. The dogs, cattle, and horses made quite a ruckus during the worst of it.” Her dad shook his head as the dogs ran past them
“I think coyotes were out,” she said as fear made her shiver.
“Don’t know. It was pouring so hard, I couldn’t see a blasted thing. I could have sworn I saw some wild dogs of some kind. They looked like they were there, but not. It may have been coyotes, but they usually hide from storms.”
Rachel’s h
eartbeat started to pound. Why was she so scared? She racked her memory for a reason that she felt so panicked, but her mind was a blank. Sweat broke out over her skin and her face flushed hot. It’s just everything that’s happened lately. That’s it. There’s nothing wrong. Just stop and be happy you’re home.
Footsteps walking up the back porch drew her attention and she saw her brother, Matt, walk in the back door and over to the coffee pot.
“Mornin’.” Matt grabbed a muffin with his coffee and sat down with his phone in his hand.
“Mornin’,” their dad replied without looking up from his paper.
Matt swiped his phone and stared at the screen. “Some storm we had last night.”
He nodded, and took a sip of his coffee and a bite of his own muffin.
“Well, I headed up to Shadetree for some coffee and gossip earlier. I guess there was a bunch of animal attacks last night. Three ranchers are talking about dead cows, and blood everywhere. Some of them are hiring men to guard their herds at night.”
Dean put down his paper. “We’ve had some dead cattle in the past, too. Damn, that really sucks for them. I counted the herd this morning when I took some hay out. We have all of ours. Whatever was attacking them didn’t come here.”
That’s not true. They were here, but something stopped them. She shook her head from her crazy thoughts and calmed herself down as she listened to the mundane conversation between her father and brother. Finally calm, she smiled, missing mornings like these. She knew without asking that her mom was out in the garden reading a book and enjoying the morning sunshine before the Texas heat became too stifling.
A calloused hand covered hers. “You okay, sis?”
She met Matt’s gaze. “Yeah. I just had a weird night, last night, and it kinda scared me. Y’all reminded me of that.”
“This area of Texas has some scary shi—uh— stuff.” He glanced at their dad. “Sorry.”
Vampires' Embrace [Southern Supernatural Alphas] (Siren Publishing Menage Amour) Page 11
