Lost Wanderer Awakened - Book One of the Airendell Chronicles

by Audra Hart

  Luca’s hands clasp her beloved face and he kisses her tenderly. “I am so blessed to have my beloved back in my arms.” He whispers as he pulls back slightly to look into her face.

  Morna drops her hands down to the buttons of his shirt and slowly, confidently undoes each button while he holds her bright emerald gaze with his luminous blue one. His arms are loosely holding her around her waist as she opens the front of his shirt. She places her hands on his icy, hard abdomen moves them slowly upwards until she catches the collar of his shirt and starts to peel it off his body. He turns loose of her waist so that she can remove the shirt, tossing it carelessly to the floor.

  She sighs at the magnificence of him. “Luca, you are as beautiful and perfect as the very first time I laid eyes on you.” She whispers as she kisses his throat, moving down his chest. Her hands lovingly caress his shoulders and strong, hard arms. She shivers in delight as she revels in his perfection. She misses the warmth and suppleness his flesh had before the change but she is still so grateful to have him back in her arms.

  He steps out of his shoes, and kicks them out of their way as she reaches for the waistband of his jeans. She undoes the snap and moves her eager fingers to the tab of the zipper and draws it downward. She pushes the jeans downward and reaches behind and caresses his icy, hard buttocks as she rests her cheek against his chest and sighs contentedly. And then she pushes the jeans down slowly, lowering herself to a kneeling position. She helps him remove the jeans from each leg, and runs her hands slowly, lovingly up his legs to his hips.

  Morna sighs as she moves her cheek up the length of his hard cock, savoring the familiar scent and feel of him. Luca groans loudly and clutches at her shoulders and draws her even closer to him. When she reaches the tip of his erection she turns her face slightly and opens her mouth and takes him very slowly into her mouth.

  A violent tremor rips through his body and he growls a deep, primal sound as he clasps her face between his hands. He physically urges her to stand up. She reluctantly surrenders her hold on him and stands up to meet his troubled gaze. “Morna, please don’t push my self-control too much, too fast,” Luca whispers into her ear. She silently nods her assent, as her hands drop to her sides, and she stands uncertainly before him, not sure what he might consider too much. Her uncertainty turns to self-consciousness, and embarrassment colors her cheeks. She looks away and takes a deep breath trying to stop the tears that are welling up in her eyes.

  Luca scoops her up into his arms and holds her close. He gently lies her on the bed and wipes the moisture from her eyes. “Morna, my beloved, don’t be hurt. I am sorry. I don’t want to restrain your passion, let’s just try to temper it a bit. Remember, I have been longing to make love with you for years, decades, not just months.” She closes her eyes as she nods and swallows hard. Then inhales deeply to bolster herself.

  She tries to remember if she has ever felt this uncertain, this lacking in confidence in his arms. She doesn’t think so, and feels very saddened by this development. In every life time she keeps the dominant personality traits that developed before she remembers who she is. She is sad and frustrated because she’s fairly certain that she wasn’t this timorous in her original incarnation. “Did having an abusive father and being married to Rolan truly have such a crippling effect on my self-confidence?”

  He kisses her lingeringly, caressing her face, her neck, and her shoulders. He covers her with kisses. Slowly the fires are rebuilding in her body. Luca can hear her heart race, and see her rapid breathing. He knows her body is responding, but still she holds back, seeming timid and unsure.

  He cups her breasts through the pretty bra, and uses his thumbs to flick the nipples firmly. She moans softly and arches up to meet him when lowers his mouth to her left breast and manipulates the nipple. He caresses her tummy lingeringly and eventually comes to the snap at the waistband of her jeans. He looks up into her face, seeking the love he always sees in her eyes when they make love. But her eyes are closed. He is uncertain how to proceed, how to draw her out… He moves his mouth back to her lips and kisses her gently. He lovingly kneads her breasts and whispers, “My beloved.”

  She groans and breaks away from the kiss as she wraps her arms around him tightly. She brings her jean clad legs up and wraps around his hips. “I’m sorry Luca. I don’t know what you want from me, but I need you desperately. Now!” Morna whispers fiercely into his ear.

  He pulls back a little and looks at her. She still has her eyes closed, even with her legs wrapped around him, begging him to love her, her eyes are still closed. She never keeps her eyes closed when they make love, she always says she wants to see his love for her. “Forgive me Morna,” he says slowly. “I have made you doubt yourself and our passion. That is truly unforgivable.”

  Her tears start flowing freely now and she tries to move from him, but he won’t turn loose of her. “I am the one who should be asking for forgiveness,” she cries. “I still see you just as my mate. The man I have loved more than life itself for hundreds of years. I don’t see you as a vampire, struggling to maintain control over yourself. I forget that you must constantly guard against harming me, guard against losing control. When I am with you, all I remember is that I love you and you love me. All I remember is that you drive me wild with a passion so strong that I am too weak to rein it in. I am so sorry my darling.” She whispers brokenly. By now she has opened her eyes, and has grasped his face between her hands, and is desperately seeking his understanding. She’s crying unashamedly now. “Please forgive me darling. I really can’t help being such a carnal creature with you.” she whispers in a tiny, sad voice.

  He groans and says, “I am the one who should be begging for forgiveness Morna, not you. Damn, but I am the world’s biggest fool. I have a woman who loves me, adores me, and desires me. A woman who wholeheartedly accepts me as I am, despite the fact that I have become a foul monster. Morna, I am an utter idiot to ask you to hold back one iota. Just forget I ever said such a stupid thing. Please forgive me for hurting you darling.” Their eyes lock and she sees all the centuries of love and trust there. Slowly, some of her former confidence returns. She nods, and gulps back her tears. Luca gets tissues from the bedside table and wipes her eyes gently, then hands more to her so that she can blow her nose.

  She laughs after blowing her nose. “Gee, that’s really sexy, isn’t it?” His only answer is to resume kissing her and to swiftly remove her jeans and panties. His lips move down her neck to her breasts, then to her tummy. She’s breathing hard and grasping his head in her hands, drawing him even closer to her eager body. His hard, icy mouth travels lower, he parts her legs and gently exposes her engorged clitoris. He gently manipulates it with his hard lips, then darts his tongue out quickly to flick it a few times. “Yes! Yes, Luca!” she moans loudly.

  Morna is on fire for her mate. When the slight burn and sting settle in from his icy tongue she is totally undone. “Please Luca!” she gasps breathlessly. He understands her urgent need and rises above her to kiss her again as he gently plunges into her hot wetness. She moans loudly and wraps her legs around his hips as her body contracts around him in a premature orgasm. She laughs nearly hysterically, reveling in the joy she feels at their joining. He holds her close to his body and rolls over so that she is on top and can take the lead.

  She holds his face between her hands and kisses him lingeringly, longing to plunder his mouth with her tongue. She raises her head and looks into his eyes. “Oh Luca, how I have wanted this.” She rises up on her knees so that she can maneuver up and down on his shaft. She caresses his neck, and then his chest as she starts to rock her hips rhythmically. He eagerly meets her thrust for thrust. He sits up to place his hands on her hips to slow her movements slightly as he buries his face between her breasts.

  She reaches behind and unhooks her bra and lets it slide down her arms. He moans loudly as he nuzzles her freed breasts with his ice cold, hard lips. He brings his hands up and kneads the full globes decisively, the
n licks her erect nipples. She moans and clutches his head to her as the delicious burn and tingle feed the wildfires in her blood, and she shivers in delight. She increases her pace as she works up and down on his shaft. Luca thrusts his hips upwards fervently to meet her each time she comes down on him. When they come together, Morna shouts her joy to the heavens. They hold each other and exchange caresses and kisses as sanity slow returns. They hold each other for a long while until Morna becomes restless.

  She slips out of bed, reaches down to pick up her bra and panties, slipping back into them quickly. She retrieves their clothes from the floor, shakes them out to remove any wrinkles, and then drapes them across the back of the chair. She walks into the kitchen to get a coke, drinks half of it straight from the can as she walks back to the bedroom. She picks up her laptop and retrieves her cell phone from her purse, and checks her phone for messages then plops onto the bed beside Luca when she decides that nothing on the phone needs her immediate attention.

  She props up some pillows against the headboard and opens her computer on her lap. She reaches over and kisses him while the lap top powers up. Then she asks, “Hey, where are my pajama pants I was wearing when I came over here? I have a flash drive in the pocket.”

  “Hang on,” he says. “They are still in the hamper. I have not done laundry yet.” He smirks; “I have been distracted by this lovely woman in my bed.” He leans over and plants a kiss on her generous, bare belly.

  Morna giggles and kisses him again. “Stay put,” she says. “I don’t want you waiting on me hand and foot.”

  When she comes back with the flash drive she asks, “Who is the female vampire I smell on your hunting clothes?”

  Luca chuckles, he knew she would smell the female vamp. “Do you remember Vee? She was waiting for me in my hunting range.” he replies.

  “I thought the scent was familiar. What did she want? What has she been up to all these years?” Morna doesn’t look up from checking her email as she asks the question.

  Luca shares the details of the encounter with her. “Wow,” she says quietly, “She is going to get herself killed, isn’t she?”

  “Yes, I am afraid so,” he says thoughtfully. After a few moments of silence he adds, “Did you know she sometimes hunts animals instead of humans? She could easily be one of those yellow eyes she that she is so eager to exact her vendetta against. It’s really such a waste. It makes me sad to know how it is probably going to end.”

  “Yeah, I know she hunts animals,” answers Morna, not looking up from her laptop. “I went out with her once when we lived in Wyoming.”

  “WHAT!?!” he roars in rage, raising up to tower over her so quickly that he inadvertently knocks her computer and phone onto the carpeted floor.

  “Well, you never would take me. I was curious,” she tells him in a small voice.

  “I would never take you for a damned good reason Morna!” he shouts angrily. “You know we turn ourselves over to our instincts to hunt. I might turn on you in that state. I can’t believe Vee didn’t! Damn woman, of all the stupid, reckless…”

  Morna jumps off the bed, and storms into the kitchen. “I am not stupid! Nor reckless! I took precautions, she didn’t even know I was there. I am not an idiot or helpless. You know this!” She’s digging the leftover pasta out the refrigerator when he comes up behind her. She turns to face him, “Excuse me, I would like to sit down and eat.”

  When he doesn’t move, she walks around him, grabs a fork out the drawer. Then takes the aluminum container from Bella’s to the table. She opens it up and pokes at the food with the fork. She is too mad to eat, but too stubborn to put the food away.

  Luca storms off to the bedroom and gets dressed. He makes the bed just to keep himself busy for a minute. Then he retrieves her computer and phone from the floor, then carries them to her at the kitchen table. “Thanks,” she says when he puts them on the table beside her. She still refuses to look up at him because she is so angry with him.

  He didn’t bother putting his shirt on, but he has put his jeans on, leaving the top button undone. Morna smiles because he looks incredibly sexy that way. He sits across the table from her. She can tell that he still so scared and angry at the thought of her recklessness that he cannot even look at her. She finally pushes the pasta away. And says, “I am sorry it scares you to know I did that, I shouldn’t have told you.” she says in a small quiet voice.

  He looks up to meet her eyes, and she gasps at the pain and fear she reads in his eyes. “You shouldn’t have done it!” he grinds out between clenched teeth. “Why Morna?” He demands harshly, his expression is agonized.

  Her anger at his overreaction causes her to move to stand before him as she says, “I have always sought to understand you better. You know that, Luca. That’s why I asked you to mind share that hunt, remember? But I wanted to see what the process looked like, not just your perspective of it. Don’t you understand?” When Luca remains silent, she continues, “Anyway, I wove an iron-lion spell, and a hiding spell. She couldn’t see me, hear me, or smell me. And I was fast enough and strong enough to get away from her if by some freak chance she did become aware of me. You know damn well, when I have my magic back I am in no real danger from any ordinary vampire. Why did you yell at me like I am a stupid, errant child? I am neither stupid nor a child, and you know it as well as I do!”

  By the end of her tirade she is standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. She stomps her foot and tosses her head when she finishes for emphasis. And then she stands there staring at him, waiting for him to answer.

  A full minute goes by and she’s becoming angry again because he hasn’t moved and won’t reply. Finally, she demands, “Well?” And he rolls his eyes in response.

  “Oh Crap!” She waves her hand in front of her and he instantly comes to stand before her. “Sorry,” she whispers in a small voice.

  “Didn’t you realize you were holding me in a binding spell?” he asks gently as he tilts her face up toward his.

  “No, I didn’t. I wouldn’t do that to you. Not on purpose. That’s underhanded. I don’t remember how to weave the spells. I was just wishing you would sit still and shut up to let me get my point across.” Morna admits in a small voice.

  “Amazing,” he murmurs. “Do you realize you have been doing magic for days?”

  “Really?”

  “Really. You must have worked magic the other day when you fell down the stairs. I froze for a split second, but you caught yourself before you hit the floor, face first. I plucked you out of mid-air. You were holding yourself there.”

  And then when I was in the shower the next morning. You had woven a hiding spell then, I saw the shimmer when your concentration wavered. Don’t you remember doing it?”

  “No, I just wished that I could watch you without getting caught,” she admits and blushes. Then says, “I think that maybe I did it with a flat tire last week too. I came out of my house and saw the front passenger side tire was flat. I tossed my junk into the car, and dug out my phone planning to call Triple A when I noticed it really wasn’t flat. But I am certain it had been flat,” she whispers.

  “This is an interesting development,” Luca murmurs thoughtfully.

  “Interesting? It’s dangerous,” She whispers in a frightened voice as she seeks comfort in his arms. She burrows into his strong chest as he wraps his strong, hard arms around her protectively. “If I don’t know I am doing it, I can’t control it. I don’t remember the spells, I don’t remember the lore. I am dangerous like this. How can I do this without my full memory?”

  Luca gently rubs his hand up and down her back and whispers into her ear, “I think you are becoming more powerful. Your magic seems to be coming to you spontaneously.” He leans his forehead against hers. “Morna, I don’t like the idea, but maybe we should take a trip to Ireland soon,” he says without any real enthusiasm for the idea.

  “Why Ireland?” she asks.

  “I think that maybe you need to see Magd
rid, the sooner the better I am thinking. In the meantime, I need to stay close to you. I can spot the magic and help you control it.”

  She burrows her face into the planes of his perfect chest and says, “Yes, I am all for the idea of you staying close to me, but who is Magdrid?” she whispers.

  He uses his icy fingers to tilt her face up so he can gauge her reaction, “Magdrid is your mother, sweetheart,” he says quietly.

  CHAPTER 10 - THE REAL WORLD INTRUDES

  Just then Morna’s cell phone rings. Luca reaches behind him to grab it off the table. He checks the caller ID, “It’s Sharon,” he says. She reaches for the phone with numb fingers. Flips it open and says, “Hey Sharon, can I call you back…”

  Morna is quiet while she listens to Sharon, her face gets an irritated look, and she looks at Luca and mouths ‘planner’ to him, which he quickly hands to her. She flips to Friday and says, “I have an IEP at 9:30 with Mrs. Jones for Andrew J. But that probably won’t take too long. I am doubtful that Mom will even put in an appearance, Jan says she hasn’t come to a meeting in two years. But just in case… we could schedule the testing for any time after noon. I can stay late and finish the paperwork or do it this weekend at home. How does that sound to you?” Morna listens for a few seconds, then says, “Okay Sharon, see you at noon on Friday. Your conference room, right? Good. That’s fine. See you then. Goodbye.”

  Morna is pale and her hands are shaking when she flips the phone closed. Luca leads her to the table and pulls a chair out for her to sit down. “What’s wrong?” he asks.

  She takes a deep breath and says, “We have new student entering our system who needs testing and placement evaluations on Friday. He‘s never been in public schools. It will be pretty involved I think.”