Dark Song

by Feehan, Christine

  Shift back to your form, Elisabeta. That was definitely a command.

  She obeyed without thinking. She hadn’t been wearing clothes so she didn’t have to worry about what she needed to put on, she simply took her normal form, fitting back into her own body easily.

  Ferro caught her to him, hugging her tight. “You shifted and flew for the first time, Elisabeta. You did amazing.” He sounded as happy as she felt. “I’m so proud of you.”

  He caught her chin between his thumb and finger to tip her head up to his as he brought his down so he could kiss her. Once his lips touched hers, it felt as though he’d lit a match and she’d caught fire. Flames licked over her skin, poured down her throat to rush through her veins, spread to her breasts and gather low. The burn deep inside her was hot, wild and out of control that fast.

  She ran her palms up his chest and dared to link her fingers behind his neck so she could lean fully into him. Suddenly, she wanted his mouth between her legs where she was hot and damp and that burn was so terrible it bordered on brutal. She felt the slickness growing as she kissed Ferro back, giving him everything she was, promising him whatever he wanted with just her mouth, with her body, the aching in her breasts and the tight, hard nipples pressing into the hard, defined muscles of his chest.

  He lifted his head, his eyes that beautiful silvery-blue she loved so much, his hand sweeping down her back to shape her buttocks, possession in the way he touched her. His gaze drifted over her face for some time as if waiting. His expression didn’t change. He looked at her as if she were the most wonderful, beautiful woman in the world and he adored her. One hand cupped the side of her face, the pad of his thumb sliding over her lower lip.

  “Are you tired? Do you think you can try again? This time in the forest? It is different there. In the trees you have to maneuver through the limbs.”

  It was all Elisabeta could do not to pull his thumb into her mouth or slide one hand down his belly to caress his very hard cock as it lay against her body, thick and hot. She wanted to fly, but she wanted to be with him intimately. He hadn’t taken his thumb from her lower lip but continued to brush little caresses back and forth, mesmerizing her.

  Ferro had told her to ask for what she wanted or needed. The burning inside her increased with every stroke of his thumb. She opened her mouth and drew his thumb deep. His cock jerked against her stomach. Immediately she brought her hand under his heavy sac to cup the weight and fondle the velvet balls with her fingers.

  I am not in the least tired, päläfertiilam, she said softly, her mind to his. An invitation. She drew his thumb deep, sucked hard, curled her tongue around the heavy digit. I do want to continue the lesson, but there is a much more burning need you must attend to.

  What would that be, sívamet?

  Elisabeta had known all along what he had been waiting for. His eyes were more silvery than blue now, almost liquid silver, burning into hers, robbing her of her ability to breathe. The need between her legs had grown until she felt wild with it, unable to keep still, her hips rocking subtly, thighs rubbing together in an effort to alleviate the near-brutal ache.

  I need your mouth between my legs, Ferro. Please. I burn and need you to make it better. I can barely think and it grows worse with each passing moment.

  Ferro’s eyes grew warm. Then hot. Her stomach fluttered. Then her sex. Very gently he removed his thumb and waved his hand toward the ground to cover it with a soft mat. There was a large rise that went across the mat.

  “We will try something different this time. Just a little different, to see if you like it. Lie on your stomach with your hips over the mound.”

  Elisabeta immediately went to the mat, positioning herself as he had requested. She found that when her hips were over the mound, her buttocks were pushed high.

  “Spread your legs very wide for me.”

  Her heart beat wildly. He stood behind her where she couldn’t see him, but she could tell by his voice exactly where he was. From his position, he would be able to see how slick she was, that she was telling him the truth about her very urgent needs. She obeyed him, eagerly, opening her legs wide. At once the cool night air slid over her hot entrance, adding to the stimulation.

  “You’re so beautiful, Elisabeta.”

  He was much closer. On the mat with her. He’d moved so silently she hadn’t heard him. His hand went to the nape of her neck, making her jump. Very gently he ran his palm down her spine to the curve of her buttocks. She felt his breath at her entrance and her entire body shook. Then something sharp, like the tiny points of needles, rolled lightly along the inside of her thigh, bringing every nerve ending leaping to the surface. She started to turn her head to see what he was doing.

  “Stay facing forward. Take a breath and relax your body. Turn yourself over to me.”

  That was a direct command. Elisabeta did exactly what he said. Already his fingers brushed over her hungry clit. Her wet lips and slick entrance. Just little touches. His breath, so warm. His hand massaging her left cheek. The feeling of the rolling pinpricks just a little harder over the left cheek and then his hand came down in a gentle swat that sent every nerve ending spiraling out of control. His hand was back, rubbing and massaging, spreading heat, his tongue lapping at her entrance as she spilled hot liquid into his mouth, crying out, hips bucking so that he had to hold her down.

  He lifted his head. “Hold still for me, Elisabeta.”

  “It is very difficult.” She tried to lie quietly, afraid he would stop.

  “Your body tells me you like what I am doing.”

  “Yes, it feels shocking, but so good I can barely keep still. I will try, Ferro. I promise.”

  He went back to rubbing her cheeks, his shoulders wedged between her legs. “You are being very good for me. I love to see you like this. Dripping for me. Needy. Hungry for my body. For what I can give to you. I love to make you feel good, just as I know you enjoy making me feel good.”

  She closed her eyes, gasping as his mouth closed over her, tongue stabbing deep, curling inside her, drawing out hot liquid and then retreating to circle her clit. Blood pounded. Hammered. She was acutely aware of sharp little needles rolling gently over her wet lips and then her clit, making her cry out and buck her hips. His mouth covered her clit, sucked strongly, his tongue flicking, and then his finger penetrated so that her sheath closed around it, dragging at him, desperate to have him inside her.

  “Ferro.” She breathed his name.

  “This is where I belong, piŋe sarnanak, right here, deep inside your body. Right now I am craving the taste of you, so hungry. As much as I want to show you all the different ways I can draw out your pleasure, I need to devour you.”

  Ferro held her body and simply turned her over, catching her bottom in his hands so that her legs went over his shoulders. He lifted her soaked entrance to his mouth and proceeded to eat her as if she were the finest meal he’d ever had and he was starving.

  She couldn’t stop the cries escaping. It seemed impossible to drag enough air into her lungs. The assault on her senses was massive, coming from every direction, until her entire body was in a full-blown raging firestorm. She writhed under his relentless mouth, his tongue and teeth, the flick of his fingers and the brush of his thumb. Flames licked at her body, roared through her mind. It was beautiful and savage, merciless and perfect.

  His palm went to her belly, fingers splayed wide to press deep, holding her in place while his mouth ravaged her. Deep inside, the coiling wound tighter and tighter until she thought she might die if the spring didn’t release. He didn’t let up, devouring her more. The growling, hungry sounds he made were sexy, adding to the sensual experience, feeding her own urgent need of him. The desperation for him was growing in her. She wasn’t certain what “more” she wanted of him, but she wanted a great deal more.

  The burning inside her grew hotter. His mouth was an instrument of the most exquisite torture. She didn’t know if she could stand much more. She whispered his name, her han
ds finding his shoulders, digging her fingernails deep to anchor herself in the real world when she felt she might be in danger of flying apart, flying too high. It felt too good and she was afraid of losing herself. Of losing him. Of this. Things could be too perfect. She hadn’t had good or perfect.

  Let go, sívamet. Let yourself fly. That is what this rising is all about. We are flying in all sorts of wonderful ways. Relax and I will catch you.

  She was learning that Ferro’s word was golden. He would catch her. He would be there for her. Her rock. Her sword. Her shield. Whatever she needed him to be. The inferno burned wild and she had no choice, it was either have complete belief in him or go insane. She let go and let the firestorm take her. The blaze raced through her, out of control, sweeping through her body, an ever-widening conflagration that shook her to her core.

  She felt as if she spiraled completely out of control, ripples building into wild waves of pleasure, taking hold of her body, burning through to leave her in ashes only to start all over again. She was dimly aware of Ferro lifting his head, wiping his face on her thighs and then pulling her shivering body into his arms, holding her until she calmed.

  She buried her face in his neck, stunned that she could feel so wonderful and yet so completely out of control. Little aftershocks rocked her, over and over, until gradually her body quieted, leaving her feeling somewhat sated and yet still feeling as if she might be missing out on something big.

  She lifted her head to look at him. “Thank you, Ferro.”

  “I am very proud of you for asking me for what you wanted, Elisabeta. It gives me great pleasure to see you like that. There is so much more, but we will save those lessons for another rising. The anticipation always makes the reward greater, as we both have discovered.”

  She smiled up at him. “I am willing to do whatever you wish.” She secretly thought continuing along the lines they had just gone might be perfect.

  “We are working on flying, and shifting is very important for a number of reasons.” He brushed kisses over her eyes and along her nose and then released her.

  Elisabeta rolled over onto her stomach again and laid her head on her hands, closing her eyes to savor the feeling of belonging to such a man. He gave her so many new experiences, all of them good. Every time he touched her, he brought her pleasure. Even now, he rubbed her bottom gently, massaging her, keeping the heat moving so exquisitely through her body.

  “I feel so lucky to have you for my lifemate, Ferro,” she said. “All those centuries I felt lost and alone, guarding your soul, but it truly was worth every single moment because you are worth everything the vampire put me through and much more.”

  Beside her, he went utterly still. His hand ceased moving. He was in her mind and she was aware he would know she meant what she said. Guarding Ferro’s soul had not been easy, and she didn’t want Ferro to know the terrible tolls Sergey had forced her to pay time and again throughout the centuries, but she had held out against him. She would never give up her lifemate’s soul. Never. That had been her line in the sand, so to speak. If Sergey wanted her alive, he would have to come to terms with that. There were times her defiance drove the vampire mad, and he had made her pay dearly.

  She should have known Ferro wouldn’t leave it alone. He had been careful not to search too far into her memories, as she hadn’t into his. Now, however, she felt him move through her mind. She shook her head, starting to sit up, but he placed his palm very gently between her shoulder blades and held her down on the mat.

  “Please do not. It is not necessary for you to see.” She spoke in a low tone. He would see so much—too much. So many times she had traded lives for what she would not give the vampire. Several times she had taken her own life, only to have the vampire bring her back. He would see that. Ferro had been so strong, refusing to meet the dawn even when he had gone past the point of hearing whispers of temptation—when there was nothing left but being a danger to the very people he had protected.

  “What the entire cost to you was? I think it is more than necessary, hän ku vigyáz sielamet.” His voice was very gentle. He kept his hand on her back, a connection between them as he moved through her mind.

  He’d called her the guardian of his soul. She had been that. She had fiercely guarded his soul because that was all she had. It was the one thing Sergey couldn’t take from her. Not even the memory of having to protect it and what it meant to a Carpathian woman.

  “Ferro.” She whispered her protest again, tears burning behind her eyes. She didn’t want him to see her cowardice. Her failures. Her many humiliations. After the perfection of the rising with him, for him to see her in such a terrible light, she couldn’t bear it. She wanted to run and hide herself away.

  His hand moved up her back very gently to the nape of her neck, where his fingers began the familiar slow, gentle massage. It felt good and she wanted to press herself into those strong fingers like a cat, but she also wanted to bury her face on the furred mat and cry her heart out.

  Elisabeta. Be calm. You always think the worst of yourself in spite of me telling you how I feel about you. You saved my life and the lives of so many. Had I turned vampire, which I would have if Sergey had gotten to my soul, I would have killed many before I would have been destroyed, if indeed I could have been destroyed.

  As always, his voice was steady and calm. Ferro started at the beginning of her captivity, not at the end. He knew Sergey would try when she was young and terrified to get what he wanted from her. She could barely remember those days, yet she could vividly recall the horrific punishments he meted out when she refused to hand over her lifemate’s soul.

  Elisabeta, there is no need for you to experience these memories again. I want you to lie still and think of flying. Re-create the female owl in your mind. Every feather. Her ears. Her beak. Her tail. I especially want you to hear the notes of her song so you can sing the duet with her male. Any vampire listening must believe the female is truly a bird. That is a command. Do you understand me?

  She closed her eyes, tears leaking out. His voice was so gentle, as only Ferro’s could be. He would spare her those ugly memories. She hadn’t looked at them in centuries. The earliest ones were the worst—before Sergey had learned to fear she would really kill herself and he couldn’t bring her back. She had chosen that option only out of sheer desperation, unable to think of any other choice when the vampire threatened the lives of children or entire villages to get to her lifemate’s soul.

  She had endured the torment all those centuries for Ferro—her lifemate. He had been the reason she had continued. She’d feared for him. Feared what it would do to him if she was gone from the world. She’d sensed him somewhere, still alive, still hunting, still holding on. As long as he could, she had vowed she would. And yet there had been so many moments of weakness . . . She was so ashamed.

  Ferro surrounded her with warmth. Wrapped her in the intensity of the emotion she had come to realize was love for her. His love for her.

  You will feel such shame of me if you persist in looking into my memories.

  I will love and admire you more. Do as I command of you, little songbird. Give me time to look upon the crimes this vampire committed against my beloved. It is necessary for a man such as me. I have waited for you to tell me, but realized it would be impossible for you to do so. I am not asking you, sívamet; I am telling you. This is something I need and must have.

  It was impossible for Elisabeta not to obey. She had been conditioned by centuries of obedience, but he had called her his heart in that voice that could turn her inside out. She kept her eyes closed and turned her mind to studying the little female screech owl, focusing her attention on the small details she might miss if she ever became distracted.

  She hadn’t thought about how a vampire might hear her calling back to her mate and realize her notes weren’t exact. It would be a small detail, such as a single wrong note, that would give her away and, in doing so, her lifemate. The things he was teaching her
weren’t just for fun; they could well be the difference between life and death.

  Ferro’s owl’s call was beautiful. He showed her the muted trill of the male’s hoo, hoo, hoo that sped up at the end but always maintained a continuous pitch. Sometimes he sang to his female a different song, one of double trills, a much more rapid burst. He had a soft croon when greeting and an excited bark. During mating season, their duet included a trembling note, a rapid tremolo call from the male, answered by a short tremolo from the female. The two owls sang a duet together and she practiced her part in her mind over and over for every season.

  Ferro had a beautiful voice and often sang to her when she was upset. She loved their song. He added verses to it each rising, soothing her when she was so afraid. Now, his male owl sang to her female with that beautiful wild call, soothing and calm to his lady the way Ferro was to her. He was such a rock, an anchor in the worst storm. He didn’t make her feel as if it was only that she belonged to him; he made her feel as if he belonged to her, that it was mutual.

  The male owl was that same rock to his female. They protected each other and their nest fiercely, even against humans, creatures much larger than they. She studied every aspect of the owl’s life that she could find in Ferro’s mind. She had been in the female owl and she drew on what she had found there as well.

  Elisabeta had no real idea how much time had passed when Ferro suddenly yanked her into his arms, startling her with his aggression. He held her to him, nearly crushing her, his palm pressing the back of her head tight into him, so her ear was over his wildly beating heart.

  “Elisabeta. Beloved. What you suffered to protect me.”

  She tilted her face up to look at him. Bloodred tears dripped from his eyes and her heart nearly stopped. She couldn’t take his sorrow. At once she swamped him with soothing harmony, surrounded him with love, with everything she was, giving him all that she knew how to give. She wrapped her arms around him and held him just as tightly, closing her eyes and breathing for both of them, willing his heart to find the slower, steady beat of hers.