He noted how her ears had grown to points and she had small fangs peeking from between her lips. She wasn’t a blood sucker. Nay, she was something else altogether.
The truth floored William.
“You’re half-caste.” He stared at her with a new perspective. Aye, he’d heard of her type; he’d just never met one. From the rumors about them he’d been told in passing, most had limited powers. The half-castes were paranormals of mixed blood. Most were considered, even amongst the common werewolves, to be more a nuisance than a threat.
Eliza smiled and nodded. “Half fae.” She checked him over. A blush colored her cheeks when her gaze roamed over his naked frame before she snapped her stare to his face. “Are you hurt?”
“Nay.” He tucked a curl behind her ear. Staring at Daniel, William nodded. “Thank you, sir.”
“You’ll have your hands full soon, William. My daughter is coming into her powers.” Daniel looked him over. “Eliza, run to the kitchen and make William a mug of mulled wine.”
“Papa?” Eliza didn’t sound at all certain about leaving them alone.
“Eliza, you are still my daughter.” Daniel slashed his hand through the air. “Do as you are told.”
“Aye, Papa.”
Daniel paced in front of William. He didn’t say aught until Eliza had left the room. “I should have told you earlier what she was, but I’d have preferred the revelation come from my daughter. ‘Tis her right.”
Sensing sincerity in Daniel’s words, William sighed. His limited knowledge on the fae failed him. What he’d learned was the fae were an ancient race who prayed to the Goddess of the Tuatha de Danan. They were powerful wielders of magicke and many of the common races feared crossing their paths. “You knew we’d suit.”
“From the moment I saw you with her,” Daniel admitted. “I also recognized you carried the infection. You are once bitten and twice cursed.” He stopped walking and stared at William. “‘Twas not the match I wished for my eldest, but the binding power is strong between the two of you.” Daniel’s eyes turned hard and his stance became rigid. “I’ll not reject the Goddess’s wisdom or her will.”
Relief flooded through William. “What powers does Eliza possess?”
“That is yet to be determined. She’s young and at the beginning of her maturity. I always knew she had extended life span and rapid healing, but as to the rest…we’ll have to wait and see.” Daniel sighed. “There is nay doubt she’s a lusty wench, but that is the norm amongst fae maids.”
Hmm. That tidbit of information boded well for them because his desire for her knew no bounds.
“All I ask is that you protect her with your life and love her for as long as you are together.”
“I will.” William had the sinking suspicion there was more to the fae than Daniel was telling. What are you hiding? He frowned at the man standing in front of the windows.
“Eliza will explain the fae ways to you.”
The short hairs on the back of William’s neck rose. “Did you read my thoughts?”
“Of course.” A smile crossed Daniel’s lips but dissipated just as quickly. “Know this, William Cope. To infect Eliza with the Wolf’s Bane will kill her.”
The sound of Eliza climbing the stairs brought the conversation to a halt. William propped his elbows on his thighs and contemplated his future with his life mate. The intriguing twist of her being a half-caste in actuality made little difference. It began and ended with her being his life mate.
Still, she had powers. The fact kept creeping into his thoughts. ‘Tis a lot to wrap my brain around, William admitted silently, forgetting whose company he kept. Visions of Eliza being cornered by a coven of vampires forced a growl past his lips. The very notion he couldn’t save her should she be cornered by a blood sucker or perhaps a rogue werewolf infuriated him. Nay!
“I will be watching you, William Cope.” Daniel’s voice sounded in his head. “Fail to protect her even from yourself and I will destroy you.”
Chapter Seven
Dreams are what you make of them.
Lying in his arms was a taste of heaven. Held firmly against his strong frame, Eliza settled her hand over his heart. The steady thrum of the organ mixed with the slow, even rise and fall of his chest to bring a semblance of peace to her existence.
So, this is what being in love is all about.
There was no doubt she loved him. That was the way of her kind. ‘Twas unusual for a fae maid to slowly fall in love with her intended though it had happened in the past. Nay, ‘twas more oft than not that you met your mate, they bedded you and like a crack of cannon fire, you were in love.
Closing her eyes, she breathed in William’s delectable scent. She dreamed of the only place other than London she had ever visited. The Borderlands. From outside the impervious wall of the Veil, closing Avalon off to any and all paranormals, she had basked in the glorious warmth of the bright sun shining down on her.
If only…
* * * *
A giggle broke from her throat as William rolled her over. She gazed at his handsome face as she reveled in the happiness he’d brought to her life. “What would you have of me, my Master?” she asked. His erection poked her in the belly. Tingles tickled her core. “Tell me, my Master.”
He ceased her diatribe by placing his finger over her lips. “Not this time, my love.” Brushing his knuckles down her cheek, he dipped his head until his lips were a scant breath from hers. “This time, there is no Master and slave. There is only us. Together.” He gently kissed her. “Perfect.”
A smile lifted the corners of her lips. “If that is your wish.” She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders.
“What do you wish?” he asked in a husky whisper.
“I have everything I will ever need right here.” I have you. Stretched out on the fertile grass beside the Sea of Serenity in the Borderlands, she listened to the waves lap the shoreline. ‘Twas as if time had stopped for them. There was only this and what they found in a single moment was all they would ever require to survive for eternity.
His lips moved slowly over hers in an undemanding kiss. Her pulse rushed in her ears when he weighed her breast. His thumb flicked teasingly over the tight bud of her nipple, drawing out the bawdy fae side of her. She traced her hands down the roped muscles of his back and across his hip.
Her mortal side had other ideas. It wanted him to love her. To show her the mysteries that rose from the sweeter side of the act.
He licked a hot path down the long length of her neck to kiss the thriving pulse at the base. Gathering her to him, he held her in his strong arms as he slid his lips across her collar bone and downward toward her breast.
Delicious tingles raced the length of her. A cool breeze brushed over her skin. “Ah,” she whispered on a gasp. His tongue lathed her nipple, sucking on the rosy peak, drawing it into his mouth. He gripped her bum hard, holding her to his body. His fingers teased her dark hole.
“Aye. Aye. Aye,” she cried. She quaked with need. Her netherlips grew wet with desire. Squirming, trying to inch his fingers into her dripping hole, she grabbed a handful of his hair. “Please.”
He plunged a finger into her anus in the same instant he thrust two into her pussy. “By the Goddess of the Tuatha de Danan,” she rasped. He stroked his fingers into her.
“So close.” She kissed his chest. She tongued his flat nipple and dropped little pecks to the scar marring his shoulder. “Aye.”
A squeal of displeasure sounded when he righted her in his arms.
Gentle, sweet kisses rained down on her cheeks as he pulled her atop of him. Straddling him, she lowered herself onto his shaft. A mewl of pleasure followed his first thrust.
“Tell me you love me.”
“I love you.” The words were torn from her soul.
“And I you.” He gripped her hips and began to lead her up and down his length. Friction is a wonderful thing.
“Look at me.”
Forcing her eye
lids open, their gazes met and locked. The arrogant smile he wore shook a giggle from her. “What?” She tilted her head to the side. Her fingers clutched his shoulders. He went stock-still beneath her.
“You must have wanted very badly to come here. Very badly indeed.” His grin disintegrated as his hand cracked down on her arse.
“What?!” she screamed. In the back of her mind she realized they were actually in the Borderlands, but just then he’d started to pump upward into her. The sensations of his thick erection filling her to the hilt were incredible. The love she felt for him undeniable.
“To the Borderlands.”
“Ah,” she moaned. Her clit hit the base of his cock just right. The rampant thrusts brought her closer to her climax. “Oh my.”
“Now, Eliza. Come for me now.”
She did. Every muscle she possessed tightened as her climax exploded. “By the Goddess.”
“Aye!” he shouted as his hot seed drenched her core. “Eliza!”
Collapsing on top of him, she gasped for air. Her hands skimmed over his sweat-slick skin. “I could stay here forever.”
Eased off him, he settled her against his side. They lay there, enjoying the golden glow wrought from the fae mating.
His head snapped to the side. He sniffed the air. Amber eyes surveyed their surroundings as he rose to his impressive height.
Without warning she was lifted to her feet. He grabbed her wrist and hauled her along the shoreline.
“Can you teleport us back to your room?”
“Nay. The magicke doesn’t work like that this early in my maturity.” She peeked over her shoulder. A dark cloud rose from the horizon. “’Tis more like the magicke fulfills your heart’s desire.” I really want to go home. I really want to go home. Nothing happened. It didn’t surprise her. She was too young to understand how to manipulate the minor gift the Goddess gave to all fae maids. “What creatures are those?” Her footsteps quickened to keep up with his ground-gobbling gait.
“’Tis a pack of weres. Most likely my scent has drawn them to our location.”
“Oh.” ‘Twas the only thing she could think of to say. Weres? Oh no. She could picture both of them ripped limb from limb.
“Any idea where we are?” he asked as he continued to follow the edge of the sea.
“My father brought Constance and I here when we were young. After…our mother…died.” Forcing her sadness away, she pointed to a shining light illuminating the southeastern shore of the Sea of Serenity. “That is Avalon, home of the Faekind. We are just outside the Strigoi’s realm of Wraith-upon-Avon in the land of Hobgoblins.”
“Point us toward the closest safe harbor.”
Safe harbor? Is there such a place in the Borderlands? The only place she could think of was Avalon. Blood rushed in her ears. Aye, if they were quick, they might be able to make it to the mystic land, but what good did that do? “Avalon, but the Veil is closed. We can’t enter.” She wanted to shout at him to slow down. That she couldn’t keep up. Gaping, she gazed at him as his transformation began. “William.”
“Can you swim?”
“Swim?” Why are you asking me? “Of course I can.” She’d barely had a chance to peek at the freezing cold water before he pitched her off the bank. She came up sputtering. Her teeth chattering, she glared at him when he started laughing at her. “What is so funny?”
“You are.” He guffawed until tears of mirth rolled down his cheeks. “Werewolves? You believed me?”
Furious, she steered her head to the cloud. Through narrowed eyes she watched the enormous black shadow veer to the north. “Then what is it?”
“A flock of pigeons.” His laughter boomed across the sea.
“Argh! Of all the dunderheaded, insane tricks to pull.” She tried to storm out of the icy water but kept slipping on the muddy river bed. Gritting her teeth to keep from giving him a piece of her mind, she finally decided it wasn’t worth falling and potentially cracking her head open. She dove into the water and swam to the bank. “‘Twill be a long time afore I forgive you, William Cope—if ever. Do you hear me?” Fisting her hand around the cat tails growing near the water’s edge, she tried to pull herself out. “Do you?”
“Give me your hand.”
“I will not.” She struggled to make her way an inch up the slippery slope. She’d barely made it to where she was eye level with his toes when she lost her footing. “Damn it.”
“Give me your hand.”
Splashing about, she slapped the water then swiped her wet hair from her face. She glared at the proffered appendage he held out to her. “Oh! Whatever.”
A wicked idea sparked inside her. Placing her fingers in his palm, she gave him a big tug. Frustrated when he remained planted on the bank, she gave him a good glare to tell him she wasn’t pleased with his jest. “Why did you do that to me?” she asked once he’d gotten her out of the water.
“I told you what you needed.” His grin turned wolfish. “A man to tempt your temper and your passion often.”
“Aye, you did. You failed to explain you would make an arse of yourself in the process though.” She scrubbed her hands up and down her arms.
“Come here.” He opened his arms to her.
Her gaze dipped to his hard cock. Men. Without thinking twice about his invitation or how mad she’d been at him for tossing her in the ocean, she walked to him. Curling against him when he hugged her tight, she sighed. All her anger vanished. “Do you have any idea how to get us back to Earth? I don’t relish the thought of traipsing all night to a Common Gate then have to walk through London a sopping mess.” She wasn’t even sure where the closest Common Gate was located.
He chuckled. “When you get cold enough or hungry enough, you’ll wish us home.”
“I pray you’re right.” Her thoughts turned back to the sweet love they’d made on the bank. “Do you mean what you said?” She tilted her gaze to his face. “About loving me?”
* * * *
“What the…?” Sitting bolt upright in bed, Eliza gazed at the familiar furnishings of her bedroom. Looking beside her, she was disappointed to see that William wasn’t lying there. Her father had ordered her from her bedroom. That much she recalled. ‘Twas a dream. All of it. More asleep than awake, she exhaled sharply.
Frustrated with herself, she reclined. Kicking her nightrail down so it covered her shins, she adjusted her pillow. She hugged the goose-down stuffed rectangle and ran her fingers along the lace edging.
Closing her eyes, she tossed and turned, trying without much success to regain slumber. Aspects of the dream kept playing through her mind. Over and over and over again.
An instinct stronger than the first tremors of a fae maid’s lusty nature rolled through her. The silent call told her clearly, “pay attention.”
To what?
She propped her back against the pillows and stared at the dying embers in the hearth. Going over the dream, she couldn’t make hide nor hair of the underlying meaning.
What? she mused. What am I missing?
Was the dream wishful thinking? A vision of how she’d profess her love for William and earn his vow in exchange? Was it a prediction of something completely different? Folding her hands in her blanket-covered lap, she narrowed her eyes on the remnants of the fire.
The only certainty was that the Goddess of the Tuatha de Danan was sending her a message.
Chapter Eight
The long road home.
Friday, February 13, 1814
William watched Eliza carefully. For three days, his betrothed had been distant.
He hadn’t badgered Eliza for an answer as to why she’d grown chilly, but his patience was nearing its limit.
He wasn’t a man to sit on his arse and play paltry parlor games involving upset ladies, coy expressions and coquettishness. Nay, he faced his life head on and damn the consequences.
Seated across from her in the carriage he’d rented, he stretched his long legs out and crossed them at the ankles. For
hours he’d struggled with her silence, her despondence. ‘Twas time to get to the bottom of her melancholy. “Would you care to tell me what has your mind tied in a knot, Eliza?”
“Nothing, William,” she answered quietly. She turned her head to stare out the window at the snowy countryside. Her fingers plucked at her reticule.
“Silence doesn’t become you,” he told her, his voice taking on a hard edge. “And it does not bode well for our future.” He’d already inspected the most common causes for her solemnity. Constance was his biggest concern, but she’d been on her best behavior of late. The period of her life she was entering was a bit terrifying; not for him, but he could see how it might torment a woman such as Eliza. The fae maturity also could deal her a rough ride in the next few months.
It didn’t help that they were also unable to sneak away for a quick tussle. Nay, Daniel was adamant they always be chaperoned, going so far as to order Amy to sleep in Eliza’s room. His mood could only be described as foul as the days wore on. “Tell me.”
She steered her gaze to his face. Nibbling on her lower lip, she bowed her head before returning her full attention to him. “Have you ever felt as if you are about to undertake a journey that will end in ruin?” A single tear traced down her cheek. “I had a dream.”
“And?” His throat grew tight. He felt her internal pain. “Go on.”
“Have you ever been to the Borderlands?” Her brow crinkled into a frown as if she was attempting to solve an insolvable puzzle.
“Aye, shortly after I was infected.” How long has it been since I’ve thought of those days? Too long. “An elf I met told me that if I went to the Borderlands I might secure an antidote for the Wolf’s Bane. By the time I had made my way to the Elf Kingdom ‘twas too late to eradicate the infection.”
He listened to her as she described her dream. Some of what she related he could see himself doing—especially the tossing of her in the water. ‘Twas because Eliza sheltered herself behind a mask of cool calmness. She needed to cut loose, live for this day rather than hide in the shadows and allow the world to pass her by. “What do you think it means?” he asked when she finished.
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