by Tara Nina
“Alessandro, you have got to change,” Rose commanded as she held his head in her blood-covered hands and forced him to focus on her face. “You have got to become the black panther if you are to live.”
“Yes, my love.” His words were gurgled at best, but she understood. Pain riddled his face as he attempted to change, but his body resisted the magic. Not sure if it would work, Rose quickly lay on top of him and shared her inner magic and willed her system to shift. Wrapped around him, she held her mate, taking him into her mind and soul, sharing her energy.
Exhaustion rippled through her veins. Heat rolled over her, but she held on to Alessandro and coaxed his inner beast to emerge. Stars flourished behind her closed lids and severely intense arrows of fire shot to her core as the transformation took place. She shifted to white panther then in the next instant she shifted to human form.
Too tired to move, she snuggled into the silk of his fur and knew it worked. Voices called out around her, but she couldn’t respond. The weight of her head was just too heavy and her eyes refused to open. Though she wanted to move and answer, she couldn’t. A cloak of warmth surrounded them. No, she sighed as she drifted into sleep. She wouldn’t move. It was her turn to protect him.
* * * * *
Several days later…
Alessandro lay beside his mate in their bedchamber inside the castle. He had been awake for hours watching her sleep. The beauty in his bed saved him. He felt her in his soul and sensed her in his thoughts and knew his heart belonged to her. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. An eternal bond mate, something a man such as he should never have known. Gladness filled his soul that he did. Never had he felt so loved and at peace. Rose filled the once-gaping hole in his heart and her scent made his mouth water.
In a slow caress, he brushed the hair from her face. When she lifted her sleepy gaze to his, he knew she altered his path. Never again would the Black Knight control his soul. That belonged to Rose.
“How did you survive? I saw you fall into the fire. The flames, they were huge. You were nowhere to be seen…” He touched her face and halted her rambling.
“I have been to hell and back, Rose. The demon used us both. He set a trap with the one thing he knew I would not resist. You. A shifter. He searched for the perfect bait and set his plan in motion by killing your mother and changing your life. Of this I am grateful for if he had not chosen you, I may never have found you. But I do regret the loss of your mother.” He paused and pressed a kiss to her brow.
“Her death was not your fault,” Rose replied in a reassuring tone as she snuggled against his chest. “The demon set this course but failed to gain what he sought… Your soul.” She felt him smile against her brow and his words whispered inside of her head.
“If you had not helped, I may have lingered in hell, lost between here and there.”
“But—”
He cut her off and she sensed his need to speak. The words spoken in the erotic timbre of his voice were filled with true love and conviction. “The goodness you shared within my soul saved me. When we fell into that fire, darkness and heat surrounded me, but all I saw was your face. I heard you say my name and I knew I could not stay within that place. It is here with you that I belong.”
Alessandro captured her mouth in a tender kiss, which swiftly turned to heated passion. The demon that once held reign over his soul was now defeated. He was no longer a controlled man. A wicked thought entered his mind as his cock hardened. He was still controlled, but by lust for a woman. Not just any woman, his bonded mate held the key to his heart and soul.
Without so much as a knock on the door, Kade entered the room. The sound of Kade clearing his throat interrupted the pair and they broke their kiss. Rose and Alessandro both tugged the blanket up quickly to cover her naked body from his view. Both glared at him as if he’d committed the worst crime punishable by death.
“I see you two have finally wakened,” he said and settled on the foot of the bed. “You had us worried.”
“Yes, you did,” Ilene agreed as she entered, carrying a bucket of hot water, which she emptied into the large basin on the stand beside the bed.
“How long have we been here?” Alessandro asked though he knew from the state of the scabs upon his wounds it must have been a few days.
“We brought you back home three days ago,” Kade said.
“You have slept ever since,” Ilene stated. She lifted the covers before Alessandro grabbed them and examined his wounds. “I see you have practically healed. Good.”
Ilene glanced over at Rose and continued. “Does not hurt that you have got magic in your souls. Never seen a creature heal as well as you do but I am not complaining. Makes my work lighter. But your father…”
Rose stiffened. Poppa! She had not thought of him, only Alessandro. The need to know his condition washed over her as she tried to relay her need to Ilene. Alessandro’s arm tightened around her and he conveyed her question for her.
“Is Rose’s father well?”
“Yes,” Ilene stated then poured a cup of cool water. “He is as well as can be with a broken arm. But he is a stubborn fool. He will not rest until he knows of Rose’s condition.”
She handed the cup to Rose and smiled in a warm motherly fashion that made the tension ease in Rose’s chest. In this woman’s care, she knew in her heart that her father was well. Ilene took the cup when she finished and set it beside the basin.
“Now that you are awake, I will have a bath prepared and food sent to you.” She turned to leave, but stopped at the door, her gaze directed at Rose. “It is nice to have a mistress of the manor.” With a nod and naughty smile, she added just before she disappeared down the hall, “The patter of little feet would be a blessing as well.”
Heat instantly shot up Rose’s neck to pool in her cheeks. Alessandro’s sexy laugh tickled her ear.
“What say you?” he whispered and the warmth of his breath sent chills down her spine. “Shall we fill these halls with children?”
“It is time I take my leave if you are to fill that order.” Kade laughed. He wagged his eyebrows at Rose who turned a deeper shade of red. He caught the pillow tossed at him by Alessandro, stood and tossed it back. In three long strides, he was at the door.
“Thought I would let you know, I received word from Falcone this morning that Joseph delivered the missive to the king. The king sent you this,” Kade stated as he tossed a letter to Alessandro then added, “Lord Lindsey and his men shall be dealt with as soon as the king’s guard catches them.” With that said, Kade pulled the door closed behind him, leaving them alone.
“Falcone?” Rose questioned.
“Yes,” Alessandro replied absently as he fingered the king’s seal on the letter. “Jarrod Falcone is a gifted shifter among my men. It is the great falcon into which he shifts and flies about the sky. His trait comes in handy when you need to spy upon an enemy or send a missive quickly to your troops.”
“You should open it, my love. It may be of grave importance.”
Alessandro broke the seal and opened the letter. In silence he read.
Alessandro,
I sensed your displeasure with my decision to grant you land in the southern region. My choice gave you and your “special warriors” the gift of privacy from the prying eyes of society’s self-appointed righteous beings. Know that you and your men have served me well with your “special talents”. I fear my son the Regent Prince has plans for London with which I do not agree, but have not the strength to prevent.
Though I am privy to your “nature”, know that this information shall follow me to my grave. In truth, I wished that you were my son. You present the strength and intelligence of a leader that I fear George does not. But I ask thee to place aside your disdain for him and protect him in my name as you have me.
King George III
A knot formed in Rose’s chest. The man wished Alessandro was his son. Yet his own son treated him as an open purse, nothing more, and plotted his
death with the Devil. She watched Alessandro’s eyes close as if he struggled to contain his sorrow. She issued a silent prayer for Alessandro and the king as she cupped his chin.
Unconditional love met her gaze when their eyes locked on one another.
“He saw what I see in you. A strong heart and a good soul.” She hoped her words reinforced the meaning she read within the letter. Tossing the parchment to the floor, he turned on his side to face her and trailed his fingertips to toy with the taut nipple hidden beneath the cover.
Thinking he might need to talk about the letter, Rose tried to remain focused but he made it difficult with each roll of his thumb across the sensitive nub of her breast. Her thoughts shifted to his description of Falcone, which explained one of the unfamiliar scents she sampled in the courtyard. But she knew there were many others she needed to learn. His troop was filled with shifters.
A wicked smile upturned her lips when her hip brushed against the hardness of his shaft. Now was not the time to discuss his men. She sighed seductively, wiggled closer to her mate and felt his cock twitch.
It was time to ease the burning need to fuck Alessandro washing over her system. His raw masculine scent enveloped her and increased her growing need. Moisture gathered between her thighs when his fingers traveled down the sensitive skin of her abdomen to nestle in her lower lips, causing her to purr.
Pure heat and hunger burned in his gaze when he captured her mouth in a fevered kiss claiming her as his. The deep growl that resonated from within him as he eased her on her back and positioned himself above her would have scared a normal woman.
But not Rose.
The End
About the Author
Tara Nina is a romantic dreamer whose dreams are now a reality through the publication of her romantic fantasies. She resides in Northern New Jersey along with her husband, two children, two dogs, and a cascade of supportive friends and relatives.
Tara welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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Also by Tara Nina
Arian’s Angel
Curse of the Gargoyle
Devilish Delights
Eyes of Stone
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