Immortal Echoes (Haunting Echoes Book 2)

by Caethes Faron

  Permission granted, he took hold of his virgin cock, gripping it at the base as it threatened to thwart his plans to come wrapped deep inside her. The memory of her body tightening around him was enough to send him over the edge if he wasn’t careful. While he had made love to her many times before, this mortal body had never been with a woman. For the first time in his life, he questioned the wisdom of that decision.

  “Michael, I need you in me.” Amaia moaned and squirmed beneath him, doing nothing to help his predicament.

  “Give me a minute. If you want me in you, you’re going to need to be quiet for a second, and lie still.” Michael looked into her eyes. She bit her lip, and a wolfish hunger overcame her eyes, even as a spark of mischief glinted in them. She knew. She always knew.

  Her body stilled, and he took a few calming breaths and then eased himself inside her. The memory did the act no justice. The human mind wasn’t capable of conjuring up how wonderful the sensation felt. He’d never been with her when she was human, so he had no idea what that would have been like. As a vampire, she was the greatest lover he had ever known. She maintained her natural cool, letting him have her without pretending to be mortal. The absence of heat around him would have been strange if it didn’t remind him of exactly who he made love to.

  Amaia moaned as every last centimeter of him entered her. Her delicate fingers ran through his hair and then gripped his scalp, her immense strength held in check. She’d never hurt him, even though it would be easy to do, even by accident. Michael rolled his hips in a gentle rhythm, hoping it would help prolong the night. His lips sought Amaia’s. His tongue plundered her mouth, seeking an even deeper connection. Her hips matched his rhythm. Her nails dug into his back, pulling him to her. Even as he entered her fully with every thrust, he still wasn’t deep enough. Their skin touched without so much as a millimeter of air between them, and he still wasn’t close enough to her. It would never be enough. He put his weight on his knees and curled one arm around her back, pressing her silky skin to him. The other hand kneaded one of her perfect breasts that he knew Amaia, for some absurd reason, thought were too small.

  Amaia’s legs wrapped around his waist, the pressure of her calves welcome on his back. She curled around every part of him, and he still wanted more of her. He was losing his virginity to a woman he had made love to in numerous lifetimes. The strangeness of both sensations at once intensified the experience, and he could no longer restrain himself. His gentle, rolling rhythm gave way to frantic thrusting. As soon as he let go of that little bit of control, something inside him snapped. A lifetime of waiting, of uncertainty, of celibacy, of dreaming, all led to this moment. He wanted her. He needed her. She had stayed away too long.

  He broke from her mouth, panting for air, envying her ability to live without breathing. In the back of his mind, he registered the grip of her legs, the tilt of her hips, and knew that she took the initiative for her own pleasure. The guilt at his selfishness barely came to fruition before it was overcome with urgent need. He’d make it up to her.

  Harder, faster, closer, deeper. Those were the only thoughts Michael could form. Silky skin was all he felt. Amaia’s moans were all he heard. She smelled of earth, tasted like rain, and looked like his personal angel.

  “Michael.” Those perfect lips formed his name, and it was all over. Michael’s entire body tensed as he came. Waves of pleasure crashed over him, threatening to drown him in ecstasy. For a brief moment, he soared to the heavens and shuddered as he came back to earth because the angel he sought wasn’t amongst the stars. She lay beneath him with a silly grin on her face, the kind of grin she never would have worn with a client. It called to him, and he obliged, kissing her in relief. She was real. It hadn’t been a dream.

  With his last bit of strength, he held her and rolled over. Her body fit perfectly on top of his. Although his strength couldn’t match hers, his broad shoulders, thick chest, and large hands that could encircle her wrists all gave him the illusion that if he just held on to her, she would be his forever. Her hair tumbled forward, hiding her face. The dim firelight danced across the glossy auburn strands. He reached up and tucked them behind her ear, revealing the face he had dreamed of since childhood, marveling that it was only centimeters above his own.

  “That was amazing,” Amaia said. “You do know that wasn’t the last time we’re going to do it? You looked like you thought I might leave at any moment. I can still feel you.”

  “Did I hurt you?” the thought hadn’t crossed his mind. She had appeared to enjoy it. Besides, he was used to seeing her as strong, invincible, immortal.

  “Don’t be silly.” Michael relaxed. He didn’t want her to ever fear his touch. “I honestly don’t think you could hurt me if you tried. It was just different.”

  “I needed you.”

  “You have me.”

  “Forever.”

  “Yes, you have me forever. I meant it before.”

  Michael didn’t know how to respond. They both knew it wasn’t true, not the way things currently stood. He had spent twenty years without her, and in a few more years, he would spend another twenty without her unless something changed.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Don’t, Michael.”

  “What?”

  “Don’t start thinking about tomorrow. Not yet. Not when tonight is so perfect.”

  “And what will you think of when I finally succumb to sleep?”

  “I’ll be thinking about how happy I am, how lucky I am that you’ve somehow decided that it’s worth being with me despite all that entails.”

  He held her to him, not knowing what to say. He felt the same. Lucky. Except their luck couldn’t hold forever. “I love you, Amaia.”

  Sometimes, he wished he had the same time to think that she did when he slept. When he was awake, they were always together. They had to be. If a vampire were to appear, they needed to be ready to leave immediately. They couldn’t afford to wait for Amaia to find him. Consequently, he never had time to be alone with his thoughts after they were reunited. Not that he would ever complain. It was preferable to the alternative. However, he longed to watch her sleep, to simply look at her, unguarded, and be able to let his thoughts run without expectation.

  “I know you do. Go to sleep, Michael. I’ll be here when you wake.” She nestled her head on his chest, and Michael obeyed. For the first time in twenty years, he slept right where he wanted to be.

  Chapter 3

  Amaia could listen to the steady rhythm of Michael’s heartbeat forever. She’d only risen during the night to extinguish the candles and stoke the fire. She preferred the cold, but Michael would need the heat her body couldn’t give him. His heart provided a gentle backdrop to her thoughts. A part of her felt as if she’d been lying on his chest forever, his warm skin beneath her hands. She lazily toyed with the hair on his torso. She’d grown accustomed to his scent which, for some reason, didn’t change much between lives, and it didn’t revolt her the way the stench of most humans did.

  Even though she couldn’t sleep, she rested for the first time in over twenty years. Time had lost all meaning as she waited for her date with Michael. While she’d waited, it seemed that time stretched on into eternity, but now, cuddled close to him, it felt as if they had never been apart. While his appearance differed from his previous lives as it always did, he was still the same Michael she had fallen in love with.

  Many questions still faced them, but Amaia was confident that all would be well. The familiar peace that eluded her in Michael’s absence enveloped her. She would need to write Meg, let her know everything was going to be all right. Her best friend would share in her joy. Part of Amaia thought it would be wise to write her letter now, while Michael slept, but she was too content to move. Besides, the sun would rise soon, and he would wake. She wanted to be nestled close to him when he did.

  Plenty of thoughts fought for her attention. How would they live out this lif
e? How would they manage it when he inevitably died again? What role could she play in his next life before he attained an appropriate age to resume their relationship as lovers? The threat from Zenas had abated somewhat according to Meg, but it hadn’t disappeared. He had merely forgotten about Amaia, become preoccupied with something else, but he would eventually focus his attentions back on her. They would need to remain safe and vigilant while still enjoying their time together. So many thoughts, yet none of them took hold long enough to worry her. The steady rise and fall of Michael’s chest, the puff of air as he exhaled, the scratch of his neatly-trimmed beard against her forehead, the syrupy warmth of his aura, these were the things that held her attention.

  She noticed the alertness in his energy before she registered the change in his breath. Michael stirred beneath her.

  “Good morning. You stayed.” Michael caressed her head where it rested on his shoulder. Even the weight of his hand somehow made her feel loved.

  “I promised I would.” Amaia couldn’t fault Michael for his slight surprise. She had been disappearing from his life for more than a century.

  “I know, but I didn’t think you would take it so literally.”

  Of course. Michael wouldn’t have doubted her word, even after all this time. His faith in her was unnerving and gave her a weight of responsibility she’d rather not feel. “Well, I did get up to blow out all the candles and keep the fire going.”

  Michael chuckled, the sound vibrating through his chest. Once the sound dissipated, they lay together in silence. The drapes were thrown back from the windows, allowing the blue light of morning to drift in as the sun rose higher over the horizon. Michael’s hand stroked Amaia’s back. The light pressure of his fingers left thrills in its wake. The warmth of his body comforted her, providing a security she’d never found anywhere else. His hand stopped, and he held her closer.

  “What were you thinking about all night?” Michael asked.

  “Lots of things. You, mainly. Wondering how it works for you. It must be so strange being a child and knowing about me and what awaits you.” There were so many things to talk about now that the urgency of their passions had abated.

  “It’s not as strange as you might think. It’s actually quite comforting. You’re a constant presence in my life. There’s never a time when I’m not aware of you, but my awareness fits my age. I dream of you often. In my mind, when I’m a child, you’re an angel watching over me.”

  Amaia snorted and lifted her head to look into his eyes. “Me? An angel?” Michael’s continued religiosity disturbed her, but learning to live with it was easier than learning to live without him.

  “It’s not far off. You’ve always watched over me, kept me safe, and you’re immortal.”

  “An angel who likes killing people, Michael.” While she didn’t kill any longer, it didn’t serve either of them to pretend she didn’t love it as all vampires did. However, she had the unique ability to sustain herself on the energies of mortals. No other vampire had such talents in manipulating human auras. Even if one did, no vampire would even attempt to live without blood. It was madness, yet she had forsaken not only killing, but drinking blood as well out of respect for Michael. She couldn’t afford to leave behind the scent of her venom when she was being hunted, so if she couldn’t kill and dispose of the bodies, then she couldn’t feed. Even so, he couldn’t pretend she was anything other than she was. If he did, she feared he’d abandon her once he remembered her true nature.

  “An avenging angel then.”

  Amaia smiled and then giggled. She rather liked that picture of herself and could imagine Michael holding it in his mind. Besides, she’d killed for Michael before, so the avenging part wasn’t without merit.

  “One of the earliest forms you take in my life is as a sort of imaginary friend. I confide all my secrets in you and we run off to play.”

  “I wish I could hear those secrets.”

  “You could if you watched me as a child.”

  Amaia grimaced. “It’s not as easy for me. You’re my lover. When I’ve looked at you as a child, it’s been cute, and I’ll always enjoy seeing you, but it’s hard knowing I can’t talk to you. The things I wish to say to you aren’t for the ears of a child. My feelings for you aren’t appropriate for a child. But I meant what I said last night. I won’t leave you again. I’ll watch from the shadows, but I’ll always be there in your next life.”

  A shadow descended in Michael’s eyes. His continual deaths and reincarnations presented difficulties for both of them. She’d overcome any discomfort in watching Michael as a child for his sake, but there was nothing else she could do to make it easier for him. If she thought befriending him as a child would help, she’d do it, but children made her uncomfortable, and she could see it causing problems. The only way to stop the cycle was to turn Michael into a vampire, but Amaia wouldn’t turn him into something he hated. He loved her despite her being a vampire, just as she loved him despite him being a human. In his eyes, she saw the desire for life to be different for them, but no satisfactory solution had presented itself. They’d both feel a sense of longing for a majority of the time.

  “As years pass, my memories of you mature and develop at much the same speed as my body. In my mind, you take my virginity every time. And this time you actually took it.” Michael smirked.

  Amaia pulled back. “Please tell me you had sex with someone during all those years we were apart.”

  “Are there times we’ve made love that I don’t know about?”

  “I’m serious, Michael. You shouldn’t feel obligated to abstain.”

  “I don’t. I simply don’t want anyone else.”

  “You had plenty of sex with other people in our first life together.”

  “Never after I met you. It’s more enjoyable by myself with images of you in my mind than it could ever be with someone else. You consume my life. I count down the days until I get to see you. How could I possibly be with someone else? The poor girl would constantly be trying to get my attention. What would I tell her? That I’m only with her as a way to pass the next six hundred and forty-three days until I get to see the woman I really love? That’s hardly fair to her. Besides, you’re still my wife. If you want me to have sex earlier, you should come to me earlier.”

  “But the whole point of waiting until you were twenty was to give you a real chance to see if you could find happiness elsewhere.”

  “I know. And you’re foolish if you think I could ever find happiness in the arms of another woman.”

  “Even so, you could pay for satisfaction.”

  “No.”

  “You’ve done it before.”

  “The last time I paid for company, the woman I paid ended up killing me and then haunting me through the centuries. You might say I’ve been a little shy of paying for company since then.” His teasing smile chased away any sting his words might have carried.

  “That only happens with the really good ones. You’re not at risk unless you seek out the best of the best.” Amaia met his smile with one of her own then sobered. “I’m not proud of what I did, Michael. I wish I could go back in time and change it. I never meant to kill you.”

  “I know, Amaia.”

  “How?”

  “Because I know you. Your eyes were wild that night. You weren’t there. At that moment, you were nothing but instinct. I understand.”

  “No, you don’t, but I appreciate the effort just the same. It’s unlike anything a mortal could possibly experience. There’s no instinct that comes close, not sex, not eating. Even the urge to breathe can barely touch it.”

  “But you don’t kill or drink blood anymore.”

  “Because you asked me to quit. I didn’t even let myself feed while I waited for you because I don’t know if I could give it up again.” Amaia saw the conflict in Michael’s eyes. She knew he hated the thought of her denying herself only slightly less than he hated the thought of her killing. Perhaps if she could have just fed, he
would have been all right with it, but she couldn’t risk being tracked by the scent of her venom on her victims. If she was going to feed on human blood, it had to be to the death so she could dispose of the bodies.

  “How much longer until you need to feed again?”

  “I’ll be fine for the day. I made sure to take enough energy from the mortals on my way here last night.”

  “I wish you’d take some of my energy.” Michael rubbed her arm where it rested on his chest, as if he could force her to accept the energy he offered.

  “I inadvertently take enough from you when we have sex. We’ve been over this, Michael. Please, it just makes it harder on me when you ask.” Amaia remembered a time when fear played no part in her existence as a vampire. Now it confronted her from every direction. She worried that if she took too much of his energy, or took it consciously, that it would bind them even closer. If they managed to bond as mates, then the bond would be to the death for Amaia. Vampires never outlived their mates for long, as if the deceased took their life forces to the grave with them. Staring into the darkness of an eternity without their mate was enough to drive vampires to madness. They all sought death as quickly as possible.

  Of course, it was all just theory. Amaia’s situation with Michael was unique as far as she knew. However, the thought of him dying again and Amaia following, leaving him alone for his continuous cycle of reincarnation, chilled her so greatly that she didn’t dare risk it. She already flirted with trouble enough by making love to him, but it hadn’t ended in disaster when they’d fucked in previous lives, so she hoped the same would hold true this time.

  Michael squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry. I won’t mention it again.”

  “Thank you. It’s really not a problem. I need something to do while you’re sleeping anyway. I might as well go feed.”