I took a deep breath. The action relaxed my brain and I stepped forward. The Sisters parted, creating a straight path through the well-trimmed lawn to the center of the group.
When I reached them, Arlea took my hand and kissed the top of it. “Thank you for accepting the role as Protector of the House of Lamidae. We will forever be indebted to you.”
“This is where I belong,” I answered. “I know that now.”
“I have dreamed of you since you were a baby. It has been so many years since a Protector was chosen. We are blessed by your presence, Bailey D’Roth. Welcome to Sanctuary.”
“Thank you.” I didn’t know what else to say. I meant it, but the crowd was making me nervous. I wished they would just get whatever they were going to do over with.
Rose stepped forward and took my hand from Arlea. She turned me so that I was facing east. I could see the midnight blue of the sky starting to fade as morning approached. They better get their shit together soon, or I’d burn to a crisp before they ever started.
“You will see my wings surround you for a moment and then you will feel an influx of energy transferring to you.”
“Your wings?” I squeaked.
She chuckled. “I don’t have to fully shift to activate the spell, but you will see my wings.”
I shivered and nodded.
Rose stepped behind me and laid her hands on my shoulders. She and Arlea began chanting a phrase I couldn’t understand. The words ran together faster and faster. Then I felt it.
A jolt of energy passed through her hands and shocked my body, like touching a metal doorknob after rubbing your feet on the carpet. Then another jolt and another.
I focused on Erick and frowned. A tingle my ass!
The flow of energy increased and I gritted my teeth. The skin on my back heated, not uncomfortably so, but just enough to feel the outline of the tattoo in my mind’s eye.
Her chanting changed and then I saw them.
Her wings.
They were beautiful. Golden feathers with highlights of ivory. Bigger than anything I could’ve imagined. Surely they would reach from one side of this grassy area to the other, if she completely stretched them out, easily forty or fifty feet. Instead, they curled in front of me, blocking my view of the Sisters and the rest of the audience.
Time stood still as the golden color of her wings lightened more and more, until they were too bright to look at. I closed my eyes. She and Arlea stopped chanting and the energy exchange built to a climax. My body shook and I struggled to remain standing. Then it shot through me with one final burst. The overwhelming light, even through my closed eyelids, faded and I slowly opened my eyes.
Her wings were gone. The energy was gone. The heat from my tattoo had left. Instead, I felt the light and warmth from the morning sun shining on my face. More time had passed than I realized.
I held up my hand in the morning sunlight and smiled.
“Thank you,” I said, spinning in place to face Rose and Arlea. “I hope someday I get to see you completely shift, Rose. I know your Lammasu form must be truly spectacular to see.”
“One day, sweetie. One day.” She pointed behind me. “I think someone is waiting for you now.”
I looked over my shoulder and met Erick’s bright gaze. Strength radiated from him toward me like the sun’s rays warmed the earth. His lips parted in a small smile and he whispered a few words in his foreign tongue. The only one I recognized was “min.”
Walking forward, I smiled and nodded. I was his. Whatever he had planned, I knew I was ready.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
ERICK
So small, but so strong. A warrior in every sense of the word. Even my father would have approved, had I met her before I became what I am now.
A vampire.
A Protector for the House of Lamidae.
From the very first time I laid eyes her, I knew she was special. She wanted more than what the world had to offer. Her soul fought for something better, instead of giving in. When she agreed in the bus station to come to Sanctuary, I knew I would never be content again without her at my side and in my bed.
I could not pinpoint one thing exactly that attracted me to her so strongly so quickly, but I’d known without a shadow of a doubt that she was mine. Darius following her had only furthered my possessiveness.
He’d haunted my existence for more than a millennia already and had once again tried to steal the life of the woman I loved. I didn’t heal or turn humans without permission—most didn’t want to be vampires. My wife, Elinor, hadn’t been an exception. Even as she lay dying in my arms from Darius’ blade, she made me promise not to heal her.
Those were the hardest seconds in my very long life, up until the point where Kevin had stabbed Bailey and I had to wait again, either for the second love of my life to leave me or come back as something she might detest.
A vampire.
I’d come to terms with it as the centuries passed. We weren’t the glorified heroes the media played us up to be in the twenty-first century. We were just average men given the ability to learn and grow for as long as we could keep our heads. Some became better men and others became vicious monsters, no different than their human selves—just more powerful.
So far, I’d been surprised by how well Bailey had taken to her new state of being. Most new vampires were obsessed with feeding and couldn’t stand to be in a room full of people. She behaved as if she’d been one of us for decades already. Her hunger was that of a newborn, but her control was beyond her years. I attributed it to the years she’d spent hiding from Kevin. She’d developed an awareness and fortitude most humans her age didn’t have.
I watched her in silence as she wandered the private room of the Castle I’d requested for us to share. A luxurious, wrought iron, four-poster bed lay against the far wall, draped in a rich, red velvet coverlet.
She traced her fingers along the fabric and my skin warmed, imagining her fingers instead caressing my body. Holding myself back was going to be difficult. I wanted nothing more than to take her, body and soul, but she needed more. She needed a way to work through the pain her mind carried from her past.
Her hand traveled up one of the headboard posts and touched the chains hanging down from it. One of my favorite features of the beds in the Castle —used to restrain a sub at any point, heightening the intensity of the experience.
I took a step forward on the plush carpet, not making a sound, but her keen senses realized my movement and she cast a quick glance over her shoulder at me.
“Keep looking,” I said, not wanting her to feel rushed.
She walked away from the bed, going over to the St. Andrew’s cross I’d had Miles move to this room especially for this day. Usually the crosses were only used in the large common areas on the main floor and the more private dungeons on the lower level, but neither brother balked at having the large piece of equipment moved for me. This one, in particular, was constructed on a crank and could be moved from an upright inclined position to horizontal while the sub was bound in place.
I’d decided against having an audience for this. Not only did I not want to share the lush view of her naked body with anyone else just yet, I wanted her to feel comfortable. This scene wasn’t for me. It was for her. Only her.
“You said no restraints,” she whispered, touching the padded leather cuffs attached to each of the four ends of the cross.
“We won’t be using those, kjaere.”
“Oh.” She turned to face me and crossed her arms over her chest defensively.
No. That would never do.
I moved to stand in front of her and lifted her chin, placing a kiss on her soft, sweet lips. Even after the change, she still tasted just as sweet to me—perhaps even more so. Her resistance and defensive body language melted away. Her arms fell loose and she slipped them around my waist.
Her soft breasts pressed against my body and her hips tilted into mine, seeking out my growing erection. She was everyt
hing I wanted.
I couldn’t fuck this up. Losing her was not an option.
I sucked her bottom lip between mine and nipped just enough to pinch. She growled and dug her nails into my back, but I could feel a smile curving over her face. I swept my tongue into her mouth, tasting her sweetness and wanting more. I wanted to taste her from head to foot.
Pulling back, I stepped forward, pushing her flush to the large X-shaped cross. She looked up nervously, her blue eyes flashing. Caribbean blue now. Just like mine. I would miss her soft brown eyes, mixed with flecks of green.
“Take off your shorts, kjaere, fold them, and lay them at your feet. But leave your shirt, bra, and panties.”
She cocked her head at the instructions, but didn’t say anything.
I went to a dresser a few feet away and pulled out several silk scarves from a drawer, holding them up for her to see. She frowned, something I had anticipated, but I was pleased to see her following directions and slipping out of her shorts.
“Those still looks like restraints.” She objected, setting her shoes precisely on top of her folded white denim shorts.
Her voice was firm, but I could hear the undercurrent of fear in her tone. Her hands were trembling and she wouldn’t meet my gaze.
“Bailey, look at me.” I moved to stand in front of her again. I tied the first scarf to the left upper leg of the cross and gestured to it. “Look.”
She turned her head and stared.
“Slide your hand between the scarf and the cross. You are restrained only by yourself.”
She did as I asked, but slid her hand in and out several times, testing the truth of my words. Or, she was worried the scarf would suddenly tighten on its own and bind her against her will. I tied the other three scarves in place and stepped back, waiting for her to comply.
She would.
I knew she would not back down from a scarf.
A few moments later she had slipped both her wrists and ankles beneath the loosely tied scarves and watched me warily, like an animal trying to avoid a trap.
Mentally cursing her bastard of an ex, I smiled encouragingly and stepped closer again, running my hand along her arm, up to her neck, and cupping her face with my palm.
“So beautiful. Are you ready to keep going?”
She took a deep breath and nodded, tension flowing from her body. “I am.”
I tilted her chin up and stared into her deep blue eyes. There was fear, but there was also something else. Something I never thought to see in a woman’s eyes again after losing Elinor. Love. “Are you sure, kjaere?” She’d already said it once, but I wanted to hear it again. Needed to.
“Yes. I am yours. Now and forever.”
“I am honored by your trust. You are mine only because you choose it to be so. Just like you chose to place your hands beneath the scarves.”
Her eyes widened as she contemplated the statement. She opened her mouth to respond but then hesitated for just a second. She wet her bottom lip with her tongue and I watched, enraptured by the seductive movement.
“It wouldn’t matter if I were in cuffs, would it? One word and you would let me down.”
“Everything we do in here is your choice. You must know, I will love and treasure you all of my days. Whether your choice is to move forward now, stop in five minutes, or finish the scene I have planned.”
Her eyes watered and I leaned forward to press a soft kiss to her pink lips before continuing. “Say the word red and everything. Simply. Stops.”
I could see the understanding blooming in her eyes like a flower. She was starting to see the bigger picture. The harmony that dominance and submission could offer to a relationship was unlike anything I’d found in my long lifetime. I wanted nothing more than to share it with her, but only if she made that choice on her own.
“Why red?”
Her question brought me back to the present. I should have been focused totally on her instead of wandering through my mind. “You might beg me to stop in the heat of the moment and not mean it.” I smiled. “Pleasure can be overwhelming.”
Her eyes widened, but she nodded. “Where is the appeal for you? If I can stop everything with one protest, then … why do those women choose to be tortured? I heard that woman scream when he whipped her.”
“Min kjaereste, only a select handful of people are sadists and masochists. The larger population of people in the lifestyle enjoy a modicum of pain meant only to enhance the pleasure of intimacy. As far as the appeal …” I paused, ripping the shirt she was wearing from her body with one fluid downward motion. The fabric fluttered to the ground silently and I looked back at her horrified face. I waited instead of speaking. Either she would react well … or terribly.
“I liked that shirt.” She tried to hide it, but a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
The Dom in me roared to life at the idea that she might really enjoy what we were about to do. I’d prepped myself for the worst. For her to fall apart. To scream and storm out of the room. Anything but smile when I violently tore her shirt from her body.
“I’ll have Calliope make you another.”
“What am I going to tell her happened to it?”
“Tell her I ripped it off of you.” I slid my hands behind her back and unsnapped the hooks of the strapless, white bra she wore. It popped loose and I tossed it to the side, letting her gorgeous, creamy breasts bounce free.
“I can’t tell her that!” She shrieked, embarrassment coloring her face.
I smiled.
So cute. So innocent. So damn beautiful.
Leaning down, I took one nipple into my mouth and sucked and then the other, going back and forth until they were both erect and plump and dark. My cock strained against the jeans I was wearing, but my satisfaction would have to wait several hours.
Shrugging my shoulders, I bent a little further, dropping to my knees, and kissed my way down to her navel. The muscles in her torso fluttered beneath my lips and little kitten-like mewls purred in her throat.
The lacy, black panties were next and tore away from her body like tissue. She protested only slightly before I slid two fingers into her wet vagina, rubbing against the front wall until she moaned even louder than before.
I teased her nipples with my free hand, pinching just hard enough to make her gasp, but pairing it with the teasing to her throbbing nubbin, she barely noticed the pain. Her head lolled forward and her fangs descended.
“Erick,” she growled.
Her voice begged for more and I was more than obliged to provide. “Yes, kjaere?” I dropped the nipple I was torturing and kneaded the soft mound of one breast and then the other. Scissoring my fingers inside her, stretching her tight muscles, I slipped a third finger inside and thrust deep.
She rocked the cross, attempting to reach for me, but the bindings stopped her. Her eyes flew open and locked with mine.
This was a moment of realization for her. Even though the restraints were loose. They were there and she’d forgotten.
Instead of fear, her blue eyes darkened with desire and she leaned forward. I rose to my feet, meeting her lips with mine. The electric tension between us exploded and I growled, pressing her hard against the cross and devouring her mouth. Her sweetness was intoxicating and I wanted nothing more than to lose myself inside her.
I pulled back. There was more. She needed this exercise more than we needed to make love.
Her moan of frustration when I pulled back made my lips curve into a smile. Then I removed my fingers from within her and she arched her hips toward me. Good.
“Erick?”
“I going to add something.”
“Okay,” she answered, her gaze flitting to the dresser, probably wondering what I was going to get.
I moved, swiftly returning to her side with a pair of vinyl coated alligator clamps. They would hold firmly without sliding around, plus the little silver chain between them would tug with every movement, reminding her she was wearing them even after th
e initial pain dulled.
She took one look at the clamps and closed her eyes.
Brave, little warrior.
Taking one nipple in my mouth, I sucked and nipped until it was rock hard and swollen. As I slipped the first clamp into place, I took her other nipple into my mouth. A hiss of air came out of her mouth and she lurched away from me. She whined and threatened my dick with injury under her breath.
“You will do no such thing, kjaere,” I said, my mouth still against her breast. Swirling her left nipple once more I pulled back and slipped the second clamp into place, the chain between them was just taut enough that even the slightest tug would deliver an exquisite sting.
“You are doing so good, my sweet Bailey.”
“Please, take them off,” she whimpered, leaning forward from the cross, her breasts swung back and forth beautifully, the chain catching and sparkling in the light that slipped between the mostly drawn curtains.
“Not just yet, when you are closer, I will.”
She moaned again and closed her eyes. “Closer to what? I already feel like I’m going to come apart the second you touch me again.”
“Good, that’s exactly where I want you. Look at me, Bailey.”
Her darkened blue eyes sprang open and she bared her fangs.
“Concentrate on me, kjaere. Are you going to use your safe word or are you going to let me lick your pretty pussy until you come undone?”
Her fangs disappeared and the hateful glare disappeared into a lustful pout. I sank to my knees in front of her and admired her clean-shaven mound. I parted the folds of her sex, baring her beautiful glistening pussy. The juices of her arousal already slicked the insides of her legs. She was more than ready for me. I leaned forward and licked the inside of one thigh, savoring the sweet taste of her honey.
She rewarded my affections with a loud mewl and a thrust of her hips toward my head. Needy little thing was trying to tell me what to do. I pinched her ass hard, pushing her need to orgasm away for just a little longer.
She flinched and squeaked in surprise.
The overwhelming scent of her did me in and I caved, flicking my tongue across her clit and then thrusting it deep inside her vagina, drinking in her sweetness. I wrapped my arms around her legs and dug my fingers into the curve of her ass, pulling her even closer. Sucking her clit and lapping at her slit drove her toward a huge orgasm. I could feel the contractions rippling through her body as it prepared to implode.
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