Suddenly, it was Alexa’s touch sliding over his body, her scent filling his lungs, her face looking up at him with desire. And in that moment, even though he knew it wasn’t real, Ethan let go, let himself feel Alexa as he covered Layla’s writhing body and thrust himself inside her.
He wasn’t gentle when he pushed into her over and again, but his pace and roughness were exactly what Layla’s infected body craved as she clung to his back, drawing blood from the flesh covering his hard muscles. The smell of the red liquid reignited Layla’s bloodlust, pulling a primal cry from her throat as she sank the sharp points of her fangs into Ethan’s shoulder. He growled out with pleasure; so lost in the sensations washing over him, picturing Alexa and feeling her almost as surely as if she was the one there with him, Ethan reciprocated, piercing the vein at the base of Layla’s neck. Releasing his shoulder, she cried out again, his bite sending a jolt through her body which set off a powerful climax.
The instant her blood hit his tongue, the pretense disintegrated. While he may have been able to squeeze his eyes shut and imagine it was Alexa lying beneath him, blood didn’t lie.
Lucias sighed, watching the exchange while Molly moved up and down on his lap, as satisfied with watching the two taking each other’s blood as he was with feeling Molly’s tight flesh wrapped around him. Though it was not enough to create a genuine blood bond, Ethan and Layla’s exchange was sufficient to create a temporary tie, which he was confident would erase whatever lingering connection he felt to Alexa.
In a blur of motion, Ethan flipped Layla onto her stomach before he pushed inside her again. While the guilt was nearly unbearable and he was screaming inside his mind to stop, to move away from this strange woman, his beast would not relent, pushing harder and deeper with each thrust. Ethan felt as if he had left his own body and was floating above, watching the events in horror and disgust as an orgasm pulsed through his body, finally quieting his beast.
He pulled away from Layla, looking to his master who was too consumed with his own pleasure at the moment to care what Ethan was doing. Lucias hadn’t commanded Ethan beyond sending him to Layla and giving her lease to do with him as she pleased. So overcome with guilt that he felt physically ill, Ethan whispered, “Are you finished with me?”
“Mmmm,” was her only response as she rolled over on the bed. Being so newly infected and in the absence of direct commands from Lucias, Layla’s body and mind were functioning purely on the instinct to satisfy her baser needs. Pleasured sexually and full with enough blood to sustain her for several hours, she had no use for anything but sleep.
Taking her reply as affirmation, Ethan collected his clothes and sped from the room with every ounce of his speed, arriving in the bathroom of his quarters just in time to release the contents of his stomach.
CHAPTER 25 - An Old Friend
I know you can hear me. I’m sorry to do this, but I need your help. Please.
Chloe opened the door and hurriedly ushered Dante inside, certain that many of her family members would be furious if they discovered him there, especially those who had learned of his power.
“I know why you’ve come,” she said quietly.
“Yes, of course you do. I only touched you for a moment yesterday, but some of your power still lingers. I have never been able to sustain borrowed power for this long without great effort,” he said holding his hand out towards a small bottle on the nearby table. Chloe watched as it lifted several inches off the surface before returning to its place in correlation with Dante’s movement.
“I can only move small objects now, and the telepathy faded within a few minutes; but it seems that something about your abilities enhances mine.”
“I saw about your kind in my aunt’s mind. Could you really take all of my power?” Chloe asked, already knowing the answer; a part of her wanting him to do exact that. If she was ordinary, at least as ordinary as a vampire could be, Lucias wouldn’t want her anymore. But she knew that even though he could, Dante wouldn’t risk her life. With a sigh, she addressed the concerns bouncing through Dante’s mind.
“My visions have been limited to two events, one which has already occurred. I don’t believe the other is far off and there was something in it which will please you; Layla will come back to the compound with my father.”
Dante dropped to his knees before her, a wave of relief washing over him as he battled the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. “She’s alive. Layla’s alive, and she’s coming home,” he whispered and closed his eyes.
“Yes; she will come back to you,” Chloe said as she reached out and stroked his hair gently. When her fingertip grazed the top of his scalp, a vision slammed down on her so hard and fast that she stumbled backwards beneath its force.
“What is it? Are you all right?” Dante asked in a panic, instantly on his feet with his arms around Chloe, steadying her as the vision formed.
With the contact, Chloe’s power again began to seep into Dante and the images in her mind began to flash through his.
He watched with fascination as Layla’s beautiful face came into view, so clear and vivid it was as if she was standing before him. Dante could only see the side of her face as she appeared to be transfixed on something off to the left.
“Layla,” he called out, though he knew she couldn’t hear him. Yet somehow, at that precise moment, she turned; facing him as the view moved outwards.
Dante yanked his hands back, releasing Chloe as if her skin burned him. “No, please; God, no,” he whimpered as he closed his eyes and sunk back to his knees.
Though the contact was broken, the vision he shared with Chloe persisted and he was forced to watch helplessly as the glow of Layla’s red eyes stared back at him, her naked body practically writhing on the bed as another man approached her. Before long, the man’s large body completely blocked the view of Layla and the images began to fade entirely as the power he’d absorbed from Chloe dissipated. The man turned ever so slightly, giving Dante the tiniest glimpse of his face; before the view was blocked by the shirt he pulled over his head and the vision disappeared from his mind.
Dante began to shake uncontrollably as a whirl of emotions rushed through his mind, and as much as he knew it would hurt to see what would inevitably pass next between the woman he loved and the stranger in the vision, he opened his eyes and reached for Chloe’s arm.
Reading his intention, Chloe moved away just in time, the only contact with Dante from the soft material of her skirt which grazed his outstretched hand.
“No good will come from you seeing anymore,” she said, choking back her own sadness as the vision ended. “You saw her eyes; you know she is not acting on her own free will. She loves you, despite everything you may have done to stop her.”
“Did you see who the man was?” Dante asked through his teeth.
“She will come back to you; the rest doesn’t matter,” Chloe said matter-of-factly, still struggling to deal with what she had just seen.
Dante opened his mouth to ask something else, but Chloe beat him to it.
“I don’t know how yet, but she will be cured. Please just trust me,” Chloe pleaded as she approached the door.
“My mother is waiting for you; the training helps her and she could use a friend right now. Both of you could. Just be careful to guard your thoughts around her,” Chloe added before she closed her eyes and focused her senses. “It’s safe now; move quickly before someone sees you,” she whispered and opened the door.
Dante’s only response was the breeze left in his wake which kissed her face as he passed by.
✧
Chloe leaned back against the door and lifted her hand, watching as it trembled before her. Now she understood more clearly than ever what her grandmother had meant when she told her what a curse clairvoyance could be.
No matter how old, no child ever wanted to see one of their parents in a position like what she had just witnessed. Beyond that, her mother already knew and, as much as Chloe wanted to go
to her and offer what comfort she could, there was something else she needed to do before it was too late.
Sliding her finger down the digital control panel, Chloe dimmed the lights and took a seat on the edge of her bed. Reaching around behind her neck, she unclasped the silver necklace which had hung over her chest since the witch, Tara, had returned it what seemed like a lifetime ago.
She dangled the delicate silver charm in front of her face, smiling as she closed her eyes and thought of the one who gave it to her when she was still very small.
“I was wondering when you would call on me, child,” Barb said quietly appearing seated on the bed beside her. “I’ve been trying to contact you, but those shields of yours are something, even for someone with the power to reach beyond the grave.”
“Oh, Barb; I don’t know what to do,” Chloe said, her chin trembling as she drew the silver charm to her chest for comfort.
“Hush now, my sweet girl. There’ll be none of that, you hear? You just listen to what’s in that good heart of yours and you’ll be just fine. When the time comes, you’ll know what to do, and just in case, always remember what you mean to us all, even him. Your power isn’t just what you can do; it’s what others will do for you.”
Chloe swiped at her tears, feeling confusion at Barb’s somewhat cryptic words which was unfamiliar. Normally, if she wondered what someone meant, she simply listened in on their thoughts. Apparently, even with telepathy as powerful as Chloe’s, the thoughts of the dead were theirs to keep.
“Now, about your daddy,” Barb continued, “You know he’ll be coming soon and when he does, you need to show your mama how to cure him. They’ll need to renew their blood bond to break the tie to Lucias, and to erase everything else that happened,” she added, her ethereal form suddenly standing before the mirror across the room. “Her blood is the key, but you must wait until the last possible moment to show her. I think you already understand that, seeing how you knew to hide the rest of your vision from her. She loves you too much to let go on her own, so you’re going to have to help her.”
“I’m so scared,” Chloe whispered, lowering her head in shame.
“Sweet girl, you’d be a fool not to be; but you’re stronger than you know. Now, I’m afraid it’s time for me to be going, but I think you should come over here and take a look at just how beautiful you are today.”
Again confused, Chloe flashed across the distance to the mirror. “I’m not sure how—,” she said into the empty room, stopping when she felt the loss of Barb’s warm presence. Even though she knew she was gone, Chloe turned in a circle, scanning the room while holding on to the tiniest sliver of hope that she might be mistaken. Finding that she had been right, Chloe thought of Barb’s last words and returned her eyes to her reflection.
She felt the blood drain from her face as surely as she saw it grow pale in the soft glow of the overhead light. Chloe wondered how she had failed to realize it when she’d chosen the ensemble, but there was no escaping what the pale pink blouse and gray skirt meant. The day of her vision was upon them.
✧
“I was starting to wonder if you had forgotten,” Alexa said, forcing a cheerful tone as Dante closed the door to their makeshift training room. Though she had only had one training session, she already felt stronger; more empowered somehow. At least she had before she’d gone to sleep. Since waking up, she’d spent the bulk of the morning lying on the cold tile of the bathroom floor, sobbing uncontrollably as she was forced to witness her husband, her soul mate, lying with another woman. Once she’d had the first glimpse, her emotions were so out of control it was impossible for her to raise a barrier to block the bond and the horrifying images it carried.
While a part of her wanted to remain there, wallowing in her despair, she fought with every ounce of her willpower to get up and make her way to the room in which she was standing. As much as it hurt, she knew she was too strong to give in to self-pity. Her family needed her; Ethan needed her, and no matter what happened, she would always be there for him.
“Sorry, just had something else I needed to attend to,” Dante said trying to keep his tone light as he reinforced his mental shields. As soon as he entered the room, he sensed Alexa’s unease; but in trying to deal with his own emotional train wreck, he quickly decided against prying into the source.
“Are you ready to begin? We won’t have a lot of time; a group of soldiers is expected to arrive soon and I’m to lead a mission to the human’s farm where we found the car used to abduct Layla,” he explained, turning away as he unzipped his jacket, trying to push back the images of Layla from Chloe’s vision, which flooded his mind at the mention of her name.
“Yes; I’m ready,” Alexa replied before taking a deep breath and preparing her stance.
Dante dropped his jacket to the ground and, in a rush of movement, he was upon her. Alexa moved efficiently, countering each move and blocking his attacks. With each move, her straight lips began to turn up into a cocky smile. When Dante spun around, sweeping her feet, she easily jumped over his leg and countered with a punch that landed in the center of his chest and send him stumbling back.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her hand shooting up to her mouth covering her smile.
“It seems I have been going too easy on you,” Dante replied, a slight grin cracking his expression which had remained stern since his arrival. When he left Chloe’s room, he wouldn’t have believed that anything could dull the pain he was feeling; but somehow, as each minute passed with Alexa, it lessened more and more.
When he attacked again, it was at his full speed, which turned out to be slightly more than Alexa could handle as she found herself caught with one of his arms hooked under her neck and the other laying across her stomach, pinning her body to his.
“Now,” Dante said with a chuckle, “this is probably a good time to work on release moves. If you’re caught from behind, you should—” Dante started, stopping cold as Alexa’s thought about how handsome he was entered his mind. Having been so focused on the training and blocking his mind from her, he’d neglected to rein in his own ability and had unintentionally absorbed her telepathy.
“I should what?” she asked, oblivious to the impact of her innocent thought. It was impossible to ignore how attractive Dante was; besides Ethan, she’d never seen a better looking man and those kinds of looks had an impact. In her case, combined with the focus needed for training, they were providing enough of a distraction to keep her from falling to the ground sobbing every two minutes.
Immediately releasing her, Dante took a small step back. Alexa spun to face him, her face confused until the slightest hint of his arousal tickled her nostrils. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. Her eyes fell to the ground while she struggled to find her bearings. She watched as Dante’s feet inched forward in what felt like slow motion until there was almost no space left between them.
She wasn’t sure why, but she looked up into his dark eyes knowing exactly what would happen when she did. Dante didn’t disappoint, instantly closing what was left of the distance between their mouths as he slid his arms around her waist. Alexa moaned, parting her lips ever so slightly in an invitation he willingly accepted, sliding his tongue skillfully over them before slipping it inside to meet with hers.
Though it only lasted a few moments, that one kiss gave them both something they needed to move forward. They both loved other people and they would continue to love them when it was over, but for that little slice of time, they were free of the pain, of the hurt and regret which had consumed them before. The kiss gave them hope.
They moved back at the same time, breaking the kiss but remaining close as Dante stroked her cheek. No words were needed, their thoughts flowing freely through Alexa’s telepathy, which he would share until they no longer touched.
With a deep sigh, Dante dropped his hand and stepped away. “Thank you, Alexa,” he whispered.
Redemption of Fate (Fate Series Book 2) Page 26
