“Elizabeth,” Lindy began, “when I first heard about your plans, I thought you had lost your mind - jumping into something so quickly. But I can see now that I was so wrong. I have never seen you looking happier or more beautiful than you are tonight. I believe you have really found true happiness.” She turned to my new husband.
“Emrys, thank you for loving my sister so completely. She deserves the best, and I believe you can give it to her. Cheers.”
“Thank you Melinda,” Emrys said, nodding his appreciation. “And I can guarantee you that I will make Elizabeth happier than she could ever imagine.” Emrys put his arm around my waist, looked into my eyes, and then gave me a soft, sweet kiss.
Everyone seemed to comment all at once affirming his words with short pithy comments. I heard a few ‘salutes’ and ‘hear-hear’ and even an ‘aw’ or two from the ladies. Emrys then turned to face my friend and her husband.
“Fiona and Rufus, this is also your day,” he said with a warm smile. “Let us not forget our heartfelt congratulations to you both. And Fiona, I sincerely want to thank you for getting my sweet Elizabeth to join you this evening. You have always waited for this life, expecting and planning for its arrival. I will forever be indebted to you for encouraging my wife about the reality of the Ravens.” His hand drew me closer as he heard me imagining things turning out so differently, if not for Fiona’s steadfast beliefs, and a small involuntary shudder shook him.
After a few more toasts and a few more tender embraces, Fiona and Rufus departed in blissful haste. A short time later, Amrita and Larkin went to dance to a gentle melody. Melinda and Gavin walked us to the bottom of the stairway, and after our farewells, they ventured off into one of the side rooms that were filled with sofas and fireplaces, burning candles and smoky aromas. I began to feel excited for her. Maybe all she needed was a little romance to turn her mind to, what I now knew would be, a bright future of endless happiness and love.
Emrys tucked my arm in his, and we started up the steps.
“Well, my dear sweet Elizabeth, my wife. Let us go learn of carnal knowledge, shall we?” he said through a soft chuckle.
“That’s kind of a weird way of putting it, don’t you think? Not too romantic, at all. We’ve only been married now for about an hour, and already you’ve lost the ability to romance me?” I teased him, elbowing his ribs.
“You have not seen anything yet, my little pretty.”
A momentary twinge of jealousy ran through my mind as I thought about his past, and the one question I had never asked him.
“Oh sweet Elizabeth, some things do not have to be experienced fully for the imagination to inspire you. And I,” he said, leaning in toward me, “have a great imagination.”
While he made it sound as though he didn’t have a lot of experience in that area, he hadn’t given me any straight answers either. In all seriousness, I didn’t think I actually wanted to know one way or the other about that part of his past anyway.
Reaching the top of the stairs he leaned in once more and whispered, “I love you, Elizabeth.”
His breath came hot and heavy in my ear, sending chills down my side. He was so good at everything else, and had such a way with words, particularly when he spoke them into my ears that way. If he could make me feel this way just with his words, what was I really in for? Just the thought of it made me reel backwards.
Emrys put his hands on my shoulders to steady me, gazed into my eyes in his most mesmerizing way and said, “You shall see soon enough, but first, I would love to kiss you.”
End of Book One
RAVENSWYND DREAMS
Book Two
By
SHARON RICKLIN JONES
Copyright © 2013 Sharon Ricklin Jones
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission from the author.
Cover Artwork for Ravenswynd Dreams
By Amela M. B. at Madhoshi Arts
For my Mother – who taught me the love of reading -
Barbara Joan Wendorf Secklin
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author’s profound gratitude to…
My awesome editor: Barbara Secklin
My fantastic beta-readers: Laurel Johnson and Lisa McFerren
An enormous thanks to Amy – who, from the beginning, thought that Ravenswynd was more than just one book – it could be a whole series.
I will be forever thankful to my granddaughter Rachael for all her hard work in helping me create the book trailers for the Ravenswynd Series. Her artistic talents are amazing.
And lastly, to my husband - without whose constant support would have made this endeavor nearly impossible.
I love you all.
A special thanks to my wonderful artist, Amela M.B. at Madhoshi Arts
Suddenly, and without any noise or warning, a brutal hand clamped over my mouth - yanking me back hard against the headrest, cranked my head to the side, and pressed a cold, metal object against my neck.
“Don’t make a move, or I’ll slit your throat.” The harsh, raspy demand snarled from the back seat. The abrasive hand over my mouth gripped painfully tighter; the icy metal on my neck pressed hazardously deeper. “This knife is very sharp,” he added. The razor-edge bit into my skin as a warning and seconds later a small, warm trickle of blood slithered all the way down between my breasts. I froze solid, unable to move, scream, or breathe; once again reminded of the glaring truth: becoming a vampire didn’t mean there was nothing to fear anymore.
CHAPTER 1
NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN
When we first entered our suite, the scent of burning wood overwhelmed me. It was so powerful that I nearly choked in response, my senses still so heightened since my transition. But through the smoky aroma, I also detected something sweet, and when we walked toward the bedroom area I spotted a large basket of fresh fruit sitting on one of the tables. There were grapes, strawberries, cherries and mangoes, apples and bananas. Beside this basket another gift-basket sat, containing a bottle of champagne along with a variety of crackers, cheeses, sausages, and chocolates. To the right of the baskets were two beautiful champagne flutes - clear glass with pink roses etched along the sides. Everything looked so welcoming – and romantic. Soft music filled the air, and scented candles burned throughout the room leaving a flickering glow everywhere.
“How lovely,” I said, smiling, turning to my new husband. “Emrys, did you plan all this?”
“Not completely; most of it was my sister’s idea. She said our wedding suite ought to include food and that we may find we need nourishment - later on.” His smile was playful, and I hoped I’d have enough sense to thank Amrita the next time I saw her.
I shivered, feeling quite nervous, but considering what I had put myself through earlier that evening, it seemed ridiculous. After all, I was now an eternal being, a new vampire, and a new member of the Raven society. But, none of these otherworldly things out-weighed the fact that minutes from now I would be consummating my marriage. My nerves were on edge, but I also found myself thrilled with a new excitement. Ever since our first kiss, I’d been awaiting this moment. And yet my sexual naïveté left me feeling shy and immobilized, so I just stood there waiting for Emrys to make the first move.
He casually went to the table, and looking at the champagne label, read it aloud: “Perrier-Jouet. This,” he said, showing me the bottle, “is one of the best.”
He opened the wine carefully, and when he handed me a glass I noticed the roses on the glasses matched those on the bottle. I had never seen anything like this before, and was quite impressed with such a novel idea.
“Elizabeth, my sweet bride – a toast to our love,” he said, holding up his glass. “Let us drink to our eternal happiness. I am so very grateful that the Veinvedia has brought us together. Until I first saw you, I did not believe in love at fi
rst sight and had little faith in the Signatus. And then, when I realized how very much I loved you and wanted you in my life, I never ceased hoping that these things were real and that you would find me to be the one your heart would choose.”
He gazed into my eyes just as he had on our first evening together, piercing my soul, and calling out to my heart to join him. My pulse accelerated immediately and my breath trembled.
“Emrys,” I whispered. “I knew I wanted you the first time we met, even though I had no idea why. My heart chose you long before my brain knew what was happening. Here’s to our eternal happiness.”
We tapped our glasses together and took a small sip. I didn’t know if it was due to my heightened sense of taste, but the champagne was wonderful; light and fruity, and I could even taste hints of berries.
And flowers?
“Mmm, this is lovely!” I said. “And it’s so refreshing.”
It was absolutely delicious, and I took another large sip.
Emrys came nearer, took my hand, and led me to our bed. He set our glasses down on the side table and engulfed me in his warm arms. My heart began to hammer, half nerves, half excitement.
“Elizabeth,” he said, embracing me, “I promise to never hurt you emotionally or physically. Do you trust me?”
I thought that was a strange question to ask.
Wasn’t it obvious that I trusted him?
I had given him my very life already. How could he not know my feelings?
“I just want you to understand that if you need me to stop at any time, I will.”
He held my face between his palms and brought his lips softly to mine. Tiny delicate sparks tickled my lips. I had all but forgotten about the electricity he usually shot through me. I must have been getting used to it, or maybe I gave off the same wattage now that I was turned. He pulled back grinning.
“I told you the sensation would lessen in time, and you now have the same effect on others. I can feel you now - the way you felt me before you transitioned. It is quite pleasant.”
I started to wonder what other feelings we might experience before this night was fully ended. Emrys smiled and kissed me more passionately, and I responded in ways previously unknown to me. All inhibitions aside, all fears of making a mistake, all reasons to wait were finally gone. Suddenly filled with unfamiliar excitement, without batting an eye, I started to unbuckle all the belts of Emrys’ shirtsleeve. And when he loosened his collar wide enough, he impatiently flipped it off over his head and tossed it aside. The sight of his bare chest ignited more desires in me – he was even more sexy than I had imagined! His long dark hair falling over his strong, wide shoulders stood out against his bare skin. Touching his chest, I shivered yet again.
He spun me around and slowly opened my three million tiny buttons - too slow for me now, each button more spine tingling than the last, and finally, stepping out of my ivory dress I flung it to the side. I turned around and we both slipped out of the rest of our clothing. Trembling with excitement, I clung to my new husband, arms wound around his neck. Mouth to mouth, skin to skin, we slowly tumbled into the bed.
Emrys stayed true to his promise. He took his time as we slowly explored every inch of each other, whispering over and over his unending love for me, asking me if I enjoyed this touch or that caress, making sure I was more than ready for him. I don’t recall feeling any real pain, other than a momentary pressure. His rhythm was at first gentle, checking my reactions for hints of distress. A tingling pleasure began to spread through me, replacing the initial discomfort. Within a few moments, a gradual heated urgency caused me to pull him deeper, gasping, digging my nails into the small of his back. He responded by increasing his tempo, no longer worried about hurting me, his surging need echoing mine. And then he groaned breathlessly into my ear, “Yes! You are mine - forever! Yes!”
For those few moments, our hearts beat as one and our souls merged into a soaring harmony. Timelessness surrounded us. Eternity was our symphony. My whole body throbbed with electrified excitement and pleasure. From head to toe, every cell, every nerve ending pulsed in a convulsive crescendo. I never experienced such immense gratification as I had that moment. It was a perfect finale of pure ecstasy.
Even afterwards, swimming in nothing but sweat and satin, Emrys continued to caress me, to whisper words of love to me, and with his touch alone, to bring me to the point of no return, yet again. I wanted to give him the same enjoyment he’d given me, and after a short time of coaxing, we came together again - to his surprised delight, quite evident by his excited and loud expressions of pleasure.
My Emrys: always extremely proper, eloquent, and self-controlled. I knew now I had the ability to bring out the very animal in him that I never knew existed. This thought alone gave me great satisfaction. After my newfound ability was exhausted, we collapsed in a heap, tangled together between a web of satin sheets, and finally, we slept.
* * *
Amrita was right. We both woke up a short time later absolutely starving. The snacks of cheese and crackers really hit the spot. The fruit was ripe and sweet, and went perfectly with the remaining bit of leftover blood in my goblet.
Essence of Emrys!
Smiling to myself, I started wondering how different donor blood will taste in comparison. Emrys just chuckled.
We drank more champagne and talked well into the night, though, to be honest, I had lost all track of time hours before that. As far as I could remember, we had our ceremony around midnight. It was quite awesome - this notion of time not mattering, no rush to go here or there, to worry about schedules. It was so unlike me. But that was the old me. The new me didn’t even care that I was just under a year from getting my degree. I’d have the rest of eternity to study everything and anything I ever desired to learn. And now, I had Emrys to stand beside me. I was sure that if I could see into a mirror, my face would be glowing.
I fed Emrys some red grapes afterwards; persuaded him to lay across the foot of the bed while I sat propped up on the pillows and tossed them one by one into his open mouth. I thought it was quite funny. He wasn’t all that amused, though he played along to see my smile.
After I missed for the tenth time, and grapes littered the floor, he finally sat up and grabbed the bowl out of my hands.
“That is quite enough. I would like to taste some of this food before we throw it all away. And later, when you feel the thirst, you will not think wasting food is all that funny,” he said trying to sound firm. But I caught the twinkle in his eye as he placed the bowl on the table.
I held out my handful of leftovers to him, pretending to pout, but he lurched toward me. His sudden passionate kisses made me forget all about the game and I dropped my fistful of grapes onto the floor. I didn’t think it was possible, but I felt all the same electrified excitement again, and it soon became obvious that he did too.
“Again?” I whispered, noticing his arousal.
“Why not?” he asked, a glimmer of hope filling his eyes.
Before I could respond there was a knock at our door. I flung myself under the covers, and Emrys reluctantly went to the door to see who so rudely interrupted us. My eyes followed his every move as he walked away, wearing nothing but his medallion. His hair covered most of his back, but the muscles in his legs and his hindquarters were quite visible as he strolled off.
What a magnificent view!
Several more erotic impressions about his sexiness went through my mind, and knowing he could hear my thoughts, made it all the funnier. I started to giggle as he arrived at the doorway; he turned his head giving me a sideways glance and an amused grin.
“Yes?” he called out through the closed door.
I couldn’t make out the voice or the words, but I knew something was wrong by the way Emrys turned in a flash, a pained look crossing his face.
“We will be right there!” I heard an alarming edge in his voice, one I had never heard before, and a sudden shudder of fear shot through me.
All my steam
y musings disappeared in an instant as confusion gripped my mind. Emrys flew back toward the bed, opened a drawer and threw a pair of jeans and a t-shirt at me, and as he jumped into his own clothes, he ordered, “Get these on; we must go to our sister!”
As I scrambled into my clothes in a rush, I asked, “Is it Amrita? What happened? Is she ok?”
I could not, for the life of me, imagine what could have happened. After all, she couldn’t get sick. Nothing short of a very sharp object to the neck area would stop her, and then only if her head were completely severed. The actual thought sent another shudder through my body. I ran my fingers through my jumbled hair and slipped into the pair of shoes that Emrys tossed at my feet.
“I am not sure what happened,” he said. “But we must hurry, Elizabeth!” He didn’t make eye contact as he held the door open for me. He took my hand and we rushed into the elevator. Pulling me into his embrace and stroking my hair with his other hand, he whispered, “She will be okay. We can fix this. You shall see.”
I was even more confused and about to ask why he was so evasive. But before I could put my question into words he stopped me.
Putting a finger on my lips and looking earnestly into my eyes, he said, “I promise you – she will be alright.”
My heart dropped in panic when it hit me; perhaps when he’d said, ‘our sister’ he actually meant Melinda! The elevator lurched to a stop and I swallowed hard, trying not to vomit. When the doors opened, I saw that we were now a few floors below our suite. Flames from the candles along the walls still danced, but eerily this time. The familiar hallways loomed before me, turning the panic to sheer terror. This was the floor that housed all the doors with the padlocks on the outside.
The Ravenswynd Series - Boxed Set Page 25
