A Paranormal Easter: 14 Paranormal & Fantasy Romance Novellas

by Tiffany Carby

  Ashlyn raised her hips, pushing against him. “I’m ready, Vichter.” Her eyes were so large, so trusting, so full of need. He could drown in her eyes. He could drown in her.

  Holding her hips, Vichter slowly pushed forward. She was so tight, he had to grit his teeth to control himself. He watched her face carefully, ever mindful he could hurt her.

  Pushing forward more, another inch, he sucked in a breath. She reacted hardly at all, except to wiggle under his hold.

  “Ashlyn, sweetheart,” he closed his eyes and put his forehead against hers, “slow down. You are so tight. I’ll hurt you if I go any faster.”

  “I need more, Vichter. I want all of you. Now.” She seemed frustrated, like he was not doing it the way she wanted. He could usually read women better than this. He let go of her hips and grabbed her hands, lacing their fingers together tightly. He wanted her to have the freedom she craved.

  With one thrust of her hips, she took all but about two inches of him and froze, breathing hard. “It’s okay. Just give me a second.” She squeezed his hands. “I’m sorry it’s so awkward. I didn’t know … Well, I don’t have much experience, and I thought …”

  Vichter stayed still a moment, letting her get used to him, his eyes closed as he concentrated on not moving, even though he wanted to bury himself completely. She was so hot against him, like molten fire. He kissed her, slowly caressing her mouth with his lips, the corners, the bottom lip, gentle licks and sucks to distract her from any discomfort. When they were both calmer, he realized what she was telling him.

  “Ash, are you … have you ever been with a man?”

  Silent and blushing with embarrassment, she turned her head to the side. “I’m not doing it right, am I?”

  Vichter nearly fell apart. He didn’t know what to say or do. He started to pull back, to get off of her, but she clung to him.

  “No! Please, Vichter, just teach me. I can do better! I want this.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me, Ash?”

  “Because of this. Because I knew you wouldn’t want me if you knew.” She started to push at him.

  “Shhh … Ash, I’m not going anywhere. Listen, all I mean is that your first time should be special.”

  “You are special, Vichter.”

  “We’re in the back yard, Ash. You don’t lose your virginity in the grass. That’s a location you save for at least your third or fourth time.”

  Ash stared at him and started to laugh, her giggle causing him to move within her, which turned the laugh into a gasp. “I really want this, Vichter. I feel like I’m on fire. I need … something. If you get up now, I might die right here. When I said it had never felt like this …” She blushed and looked away. “Well, I’ve … pleasured myself. And this … I feel like it almost hurts. Not the sex. The stopping. And I don’t know what to do about it. You have to help me.” She looked back at him with a pleading look he could not refuse.

  Feathering kisses along the side of her face, he pushed in small movements until he was deep inside her, all the way. “Oh my God, you are so amazing. You feel amazing, Ash.”

  Ashlyn laughed with a soft breath across his cheek. She ran her fingers through his hair as he rose above her. Vichter moved slowly while kissing her cheeks, her collarbone, her neck. He wanted to worship every inch of this woman, this gift.

  He knew he’d never be able to finish her the first time without help, so he reached between them, using the tips of his fingers to rub circles on her clit, keeping a specific rhythm. With the first gentle touch, she whimpered, then began to pant, her body arching into his touch.

  She was so responsive. There was no doubt she wanted this, that she was close to the edge. Her body was stretched tight like a bow, and her eyes were closed, holding her breath for prolonged periods and mewling through it.

  “Let go, Ash, relax for a second.” As soon as he felt her muscles give, he pinched hard on her clit, sending her into climax, her sheath squeezing him. He pumped twice more and came hard while she was still having aftershocks of her own.

  Vichter pulled out slowly, knowing she would be sore. He kissed her. Her eyes still closed, limp on the grass, and that small smile on her face … it was everything. He sat up and stared at her.

  “Oh my God!” Ashlyn propped herself up on her elbows. “I didn’t even think of condoms. Oh my God, what if?”

  “Relax. We’re not genetically capable of making a child.”

  “Oh.” She was silent a long minute. “That’s good, I guess. Man, I can’t believe I’d forget that. I swore I’d never be that stupid.” She sat up and started to get dressed. He let her finish and dressed himself, but when she made to stand up to leave, he pulled her back down into his lap.

  “You should have told me you were a virgin, love.”

  “Love? I give you my virginity so now you love me?”

  “That’s not what I meant. It’s a term of endearment. It sounded right. Sweetheart, dear, beautiful … none of those cover it for me. But we are at least lovers now, so I can call you love if I want to.”

  “I knew you’d be like this.”

  “Like what?”

  “Either you wouldn’t have sex with me at all, or you’d make more of it than it is. I decided I wanted you to be my first. That’s all there is to it. And it was wonderful, everything I could have wanted. I doubt many other women could brag they had two orgasms their first time.” She kissed his cheek and stood. “You coming?” Ashlyn reached back her hand and he took it.

  Obviously, she wasn’t ready for a serious talk about the future. Whether she was ready or not, it was coming. Vichter wasn’t leaving her without her.

  9

  Ashlyn

  Vichter followed her back into the house, his hand in hers. She didn’t want to let go, afraid he would disappear if she did.

  Ashlyn thought being with him in every way would give her some closure, make her feel like she’d given her best to the situation. She didn’t regret one moment of time she’d shared with him, but now she was more scared than ever, and she didn’t really know what to do with herself.

  Gone were her bravado and confidence. Suddenly, it was hard to look at Vichter, to see him smiling at her like that. Every time she looked at him, it made her chest tighten.

  She had to find a way to let him go. Even if she fell apart afterward, he had to think she was okay. She would not tie him down by clinging to him and crying love.

  Was this love? This painful ache that made her nauseous? Ashlyn didn’t like feeling like this. She’d never relied on anyone for her own happiness, and she didn’t like the thought of anyone relying on her either.

  “Are you okay, Ash? You haven’t said anything. I’m starting to worry a little.” He’d left her alone to her thoughts for a while, and she was thankful, but she knew it wouldn’t last.

  “Yeah, I’m just thinking.” She wasn’t really. Ashlyn’s brain was not driving her now. It was pure willpower that was keeping her standing and moving. She’d never had any alcohol, but she thought this might be what being drunk felt like—sick, dizzy, out-of-control.

  Vichter sat her down on the sofa. He disappeared into the kitchen, and she could hear him banging around in there.

  “You need some help?”

  “Nah, I think I got it.” He came out with a coffee cup, a tea bag dangling from the rim. “Here, drink this.” The smell of Darjeeling tea filled the living room, and Ashlyn sighed. It was a luxury she rarely allowed herself, but it was welcome. She’d received the small box of tea as a Christmas present from the church for helping decorate the chapel, and it was almost empty. She didn’t complain, though, afraid that would open the conversation. She kept her mouth firmly shut, managing a small smile when he looked back at her.

  “I know you’re confused right now. And I’m not going to press you to talk. But there are a couple of things I have to say, if that’s okay.” Vichter paced the length of the room but didn’t take his eyes off of her.

  Ashlyn nodded, s
ipping the tea, though it was still too hot. It made her lips burn, which kind of helped wake her from this weird trance.

  “I’m not upset, Vichter. I don’t have any regrets. But you know I don’t have much experience. Not just with sex but with anyone. I’ve never had a boyfriend or been in a relationship. I just hadn’t gotten around to that part of my life. So all of this is new. This … afterward part. I don’t think I like it much.”

  “The afterward can be the best part if you do it right. But I’m at a loss too, and I feel it … like something’s missing or …”

  “Or over.” She didn’t mean to say that, it just came out. And there it was, the huge elephant in the room. That was better than trying to dance around it, which was just making her exhausted and emotional.

  “Look, Ash, today changed everything. You know that. I know that. Do I know what it means? Do I have a plan? No. But know this. I’m not going to just up and leave in the middle of the night tonight. We have time. We have time to talk and get to know each other.”

  Ashlyn leaned her head on the back of the couch, staring at the ceiling, unable to keep it up and unable to face Vichter.

  For the first time, she didn’t have anything to hide, but that didn’t prevent her from wanting to hide. From him. From his stained-glass eyes that seemed to see through her. From the inevitable pain.

  “We need to lay things out there, Ash. We can’t make decisions about us when we don’t even know who we are. We need to know where we stand, what we want, all the important stuff.”

  Ashlyn was silent for a moment, then sighed into her arm. She picked up her cup and drank the last of the tea. She wanted to take a walk, put some distance between them for a minute so she could think. They hadn’t gotten far on their earlier walk.

  But when she raised her head and made to stand, she burst out laughing.

  Vichter was in the middle of getting undressed in the center of the living room. He’d left a messy pile of clothes, as if he had stripped as fast as he could while she wasn’t looking. And he was blushing at getting caught, staring at her like a deer in headlights, his hands still tugging at his last sock.

  “We’re gonna talk, Ash, so don’t run. We’re gonna chat while we cuddle. Because that’s part of the afterward that is awesome. C’mere.” He held out his hand to her.

  “I thought you said you couldn’t read minds!”

  “I can’t, but I’m getting good at reading you, Ms. Scaredy Cat. So stop with the weirdness. It’s giving me a complex.”

  He was right. She wasn’t sure she’d survive the night, but he deserved at least that, right?

  When Vichter picked her up in his arms and she felt his innate warmth, she gave up the fight.

  10

  Vichter

  Vichter held Ashlyn against his chest, the room cast in darkness. He could hear her breathing, and occasionally she would move a little, shifting in their cocoon of covers, so he knew she wasn’t asleep.

  It was hard to hold her soft body to his—to smell her scent of honeysuckle and that damn bubblegum that was bound to drive him insane—without having a physical reaction. He was positive she could feel him twitching and moving against her backside.

  After some breakthrough conversation tonight, they were both lost in their own thoughts, and he wanted to make sure Ashlyn was comfortable, safe, and happy. He didn’t want her to think all he wanted from her was her body, so he didn’t seduce her, but God knows he wanted to.

  She’d known from the very beginning what he was, and she had still accepted him, had been attracted to him, and had given herself to him. Vichter had no idea what she could be thinking. He had never told a human what he was. He knew about faerie blood giving humans special sight, but it was so uncommon, and usually there was some lore behind it. If he’d ever been spotted before, no one had ever let him know about it.

  He was completely convinced that what he felt for Ashlyn was not a passing fling. Yes, it had only been a few days, but he just knew. There was no way he was leaving her here. And she’d been through a lot and was used to taking care of herself. She wasn’t just going to fall into his arms and allow him to fly her off into the sunset.

  Vichter was running out of time. He had to change back to dragon form so he could incubate the egg properly, and more importantly, get it back to the Dynast, where it belonged. If he stayed much more than twenty-four extra hours, the Dynast would send an army—a dragon army. Maybe he could try to send word ahead, magically. It was beyond his meager powers, but if he could do it, it would buy him some time with Ashlyn.

  He’d have his work cut out for him, but if any dragon could make a slip of a woman fall in love with him in a day, it was Vichter. He was loyal, determined, and he liked to think he was at least passing-handsome. And he’d give it everything he had, just like he did everything else.

  Watching her sleep, Vichter was unable to find any rest for himself. He wanted her so badly he was breaking all the rules and shirking his duty. And for what? He could not figure out where this was going. If he left without her, it would kill him.

  The fact she knew what he was and accepted him was beyond his understanding. But after sex, she seemed to be holding him at arm’s length. Was she scared of him? Did he say or do something wrong? Was it the sex itself that bothered her? Had she lost her attraction for him because they seemed to move so fast? To Vichter, it wasn’t fast enough, but for a twenty-three-year-old woman, with her entire life ahead of her, it probably felt like a whirlwind of epic proportions.

  She was innocent, but he hadn’t hurt her. Maybe she was just scared of the future like he was. Maybe she thought if she pushed him away, it wouldn’t hurt as much when he left. After all, he’d never told her he wasn’t leaving without her. But before he did that, Vichter wanted some reassurance she felt the same desperate need he did.

  He ran his fingers through her hair, both scared and hopeful that he might wake her. One of the few times he didn’t see the stress of life on her face was when she fell asleep—but before the nightmares came. He would do anything to make her bad memories and nightmares go away. To see her carefree and happy. He could give her so much—money, a home, a family. A place to belong. Love.

  Vichter wasn’t one to take love lightly—the giving or the taking. He didn’t play games with emotions. He’d had his share of women companions, some closer than others, but none of them were in love with him, and he had never been in love himself. This was completely different. Ashlyn was the opposite of the kind of woman he’d always imagined as his mate. But there was no denying she was perfect for him, and everything he did want, whether he knew it before he met her or not.

  She stirred at his touch, turning toward him and rubbing her face against his chest. The sensation of the innocent caress shot straight to his groin. He froze, uncomfortable now. Suddenly, it was difficult to breathe. Staring at her, he watched her breathe and sigh.

  Why was she fighting it? She reacted to him, to his touch, his advances. It was difficult to keep his hands off of her.

  Soon he would have to leave, and he wasn’t leaving without her. This was no way to live, with no real ties. There was no reason for her to stay, to be pulling away from him. He hadn’t put any real pressure on her. Maybe he should.

  Ashlyn snuggled closer, sliding down to use his stomach as a pillow. He readjusted his erection as she resettled herself.

  Her legs were curled around his now, wallowing like a cat in the sun. He wouldn’t be surprised if she started purring. The moue of her full lips made her face look peaceful. He wanted to turn that playful pout into a circle of shock and need. Vichter sat up and ran his fingers up her spine, starting at her waistband and running up her tank with just enough pressure to make sure she felt him. Her back went from a curve to a bow, arching, seeking his questing fingers and touch, and he was rewarded with a gasp. Her sleepy eyes met his, and she froze, grasping his stomach with her arm.

  For a moment, Vichter was terrified she would run from him aga
in, but Ashlyn’s eyes were telling him what he wanted to know. They went from confusion, to surprise, to resolve, to heat. She’d finally given up the fight. He wondered what had changed, but he wouldn’t break the spell by asking. Ashlyn shifted herself to hands and knees, and he leaned back to make room for her to raise herself. Her face was still out of kissing range, but she looked determined. Vichter was satisfied when she started toward him, climbing him and entangling herself in his arms. He accepted her offer, pulling her to his mouth with both fists in her soft hair and growling before he closed his lips over hers and drank deep.

  Finding the hem of her shirt, he lifted it slowly and ran his fingers up her sides, breaking the kiss only to remove the shirt.

  Burying his face in her neck, Vichter covered her breasts with his hands, gentle caresses that made her push harder into his palms. His tongue played along the seam of her neck and shoulder, eliciting little moans of her pleasure.

  Moving her hands from his face into his hair, Ashlyn pulled his mouth down to join his hands on her breasts. Her nipples puckered into hard, sensitive knots. She was very sensitive, so he was gentle but relentless, soft with his hands but nibbling and pulling with teeth and lips. In a short amount of time, Ashlyn’s squirms told him she was reaching for something she didn’t know how to find.

  But Vichter did.

  Rolling her beneath him, he made quick work of removing a pair of silky red panties he wished he had more time to explore. But Ash was beyond that point, her impatience written on her face.

  Vichter removed his clothes, keeping her on the edge with a dark, hungry look. Ash took control. As soon as he was naked, she pulled him down and under her, straddling him.

  “Ash, you’re not ready for that. You’re still sore from earlier, right? This will be harder for you.” He tried to lift her, but she slapped his hands away.