A Thousand Years (Soulmates Book 1)

by Thomas, Brigitte Ann

  “Eadric wants Deirdre back, not me. Same soul or not, I’m not his dead wife, and I never will be. I can’t bring his old life back.” Lugh thought a moment about slapping the back of her head to knock some sense in her, but refrained. Instead, he took both of her hands in his and looked into her eyes.

  “You’re an idiot.” Anabell was shocked by his bluntness. She tried to pull away from him. He held her tight, forcing her to stay.

  “What?!”

  “You heard me. If you think that he doesn’t care about you, then you’re an idiot. Eadric is laying down there healing wounds that would have killed anyone else – he has those wounds because he was saving you. You, not Deirdre. Being his soul mate just means that your souls recognize each other and desire to be close to each other – but it doesn’t mean you automatically love each other. Eadric has already given up his soul once. He was willing to die to keep you alive, remember that.”

  Lugh was gone a second later. No puff of smoke, no fire, no loud pop. He was just gone.

  7

  Anabell was stunned.

  In the past twenty-four hours, she was almost abducted from a club where she was celebrating her twenty-first birthday, saved by the sexiest man she had ever met, found out that demons exist, watched said sexy man get hit by a car, and then saved his life. After the interaction with Lugh, she could add stood in the presence of a god without being smote to the list.

  Reality smacked her back to herself.

  Eadric was still downstairs in some unknown state of healing, all by himself in the big, cold castle. The interaction with Lugh had delayed her. She had to get down there and check on him.

  She was down the stairs and on her way to the next set of stairs when she ran into a very shirtless Eadric. He hit the floor before she realized that he was there.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said, dropping to her knees on the floor beside him. She was surprised to find him holding onto his stomach and laughing.

  Eadric reached up with his free hand and cupped her cheek.

  “I’m sorry that I didn’t announce myself better,” he said with a soft smile on his face. “This is all my fault, really.” He tried to push himself up. His arms were too weak, and Anabell had to help him up, not that she minded.

  "Where were you heading in such a rush?" Eadric asked as he got his bearings back, guiding her back in the direction she came from.

  Anabell turned her head to hide a blush.

  "I was coming to check on you. It's a little chilly in here and I wanted to make sure that you were okay. I didn't get a good look at the room you were in last night. For all I knew, you were sleeping on hay like an animal down there." Eadric grinned. A wide smile that she felt all the way in her toes. .

  Anabell guided him to the main hall and up the stairs to the bedrooms. He staggered to the last one on the right, just to the side of the room that she had slept in the night before. It was the saddest bedroom she had ever seen.

  Plain gray walls with a thick black curtain over the window. Brown linen blanket covering brown sheets and a flimsy pillow. There was no other furniture in the room. Eadric was going out of his way to keep that room from feeling like home to him anymore.

  It made her heart hurt.

  “Lay down,” Anabell ordered, helping him onto the bed.

  “Yes, máthair.” Eadric closed his eyes the second his head hit the pillow, shifting a little to move his braid out of the way. He took a couple deep breaths to get a handle on the leftover pain.

  Anabell saw the momentarily flash of pain, despite him trying to hide it.

  “Do you need more blood?” He shook his head no, but she could tell that he was lying. She didn’t give him time to protest. She pressed her wrist against his mouth, forcing it open. He could only resist for so long.

  “No!” Eadric groaned. He grabbed her wrist hard and forced her to move it away from him. She was thankful that his eyes were closed so he couldn’t see her wince at his use of force.

  She was going to have to find another way to get him to drink.

  “Can you sit up?” With a little help from her, he carefully maneuvered himself to sitting – his back pressed against the cold wall. There had to be another. Then the idea hit her.

  Grabbing the bottom of her shirt, Anabell pulled it off and threw it to the floor -beside the bed. She would have to entice him to get him to drink. There was only so much he could resist. She would have to use his feelings for her against him if she had to.

  Anabell climbed on the bed and nudged his legs apart with her arm. Eadric cocked an eyebrow at her, but he didn’t speak. He was too busy looking at her soft, milky skin.

  She could see the fatigue in his eyes.

  Straddling his hips, Anabell took his face in her hands. Nerves were racing through her, making her heart beat faster than it had in a very long time. She couldn’t say it out loud, but, in that moment, she knew that she would do anything for him – to keep him alive and happy and… with her.

  With that revelation, her inhibitions melted away. She was going to save him any way she could.

  “Let me take care of you,” she whispered as she brought her lips close to his. She barely caught his nod as she pressed her lips to his, finally letting herself give into to the feelings that had been stirring since the first time she saw him.

  His lips were cold and a little chapped, but Anabell didn’t care. Even halfway healed and thoroughly exhausted, his kiss lit her on fire better than anyone she had kissed before, sending a wave of heat from her head down to the tips of her toes.

  He sank his fingers into her soft curls, holding her face close as she deepened the kiss, gently tasting his mouth with her tongue.

  Anabell could already feel how excited he was pressing against her jean-covered core. There was no denying he wanted her. It wasn’t bringing down his fangs, though, so she had to improvise.

  Mid-kiss, Anabell brought her teeth down hard on her bottom lip, blood blossoming out of the tiny cut there and passing into his mouth as she kissed him harder. The taste of her blood filled her mouth too.

  She felt him try to pull away. There was no way she was going to let him. He was just weak enough for her to overpower him.

  Once enough of her blood had gotten into his mouth, his fangs slid down. She was going to make him drink.

  "You need to get your strength back. Drink, Eadric. Please." Tilting her head to the side, she exposed her neck to him just below his mouth and waited. Nearly half a minute ticked by before she felt him move.

  “Are ye sure about this? I saw the way you flinched back at my house and in the dungeon.” He was still trying to be a gentleman.

  “Stop stalling.” Gathering her hair in her hands, she pulled it all the way to the left so it wouldn’t get in his way. A mouthful of hair didn’t sound too appetizing - not that blood did either.

  "I'll make sure that it doesn't hurt you," Eadric whispered as his lips found the soft curve of her neck. He teased the skin first, kissing and nipping as he explored, driving Anabell mad with anticipation. Her sweet gaps went straight to his already too- stiff cock, draining his control with every little sound.

  For a moment, he thought about distracting her with sex, but he knew she wouldn't forgive him if he didn't drink.

  He couldn’t refuse the gift she was giving him. Putting her life in his hands was not something he was going to take for granted. He took a deep breath – he couldn’t wait any longer.

  Anabell held her breath as she felt him move his head closer. She didn't know how it was going to feel, but she couldn't help being a little terrified. She was willing to try and get over that fear for him.

  She fought not to move when his teeth began to pierce the skin.

  All the worry she had been holding in melted away as the flurry of new sensations overtook her. A jolt of pleasure ran through her, fast and hard, puckering her tender nipples, arching her back, and sending a throbbing heat to her core. Her entire body was being stimulated by his
bite.

  Her bra became itchy, and her pants felt too tight. Her body screamed for her to get the offensive clothes off. She was too afraid to make a move, though, not wanting to make him stop.

  She wiggled in his lap, more aware of his enlarged member than she had been before.

  Eadric, half lost in the blood taking, had to wrap his hands around her hips to keep her from moving. He was already too close to losing it. If she didn’t stop, he might lose it before his pants even had the chance to come off. His first time with her had to be special – getting off like a teenager being petted through his jeans was not the way he wanted to come.

  Anabell tried to pry his hands off. His strength was coming back, so it wasn’t that easy anymore. He held her tight.

  When he had taken as much as he felt comfortable taking, he ran his tongue across the bite marks until they were healed and Anabell was trembling in his arms.

  The arduous look in her eyes seared him down to his soul - or whatever he had where his soul should be - as she slid her hand between them and tried desperately to unbutton his pants and hers. She had successfully undone her own when he grabbed her hand and pulled it up to his chest, holding it there to keep her from trying again.

  "Don't you want me?” Anabell whispered. The pain in her voice made his heart drop. He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed the heel of her hand, maintaining eye contact.

  It eased her doubts a little. Eadric sat there for a moment as he thought of the best way to explain why he stopped her.

  Every second he took felt like a lifetime to Anabell. By the time he was ready to speak, she was ready to pack up and go home. It was obvious. He didn't want to be with her because she was still not his wife - she could never be Deirdre. She was about to climb off him, collect her shirt and leave, when he reached down and grabbed her face in his hands. She had no other choice but to look at him.

  “Stop, Anabell. I’m not trying to push you away. I just want to slow you down for a moment.”

  Moving his hands off her face, Anabell rocked back of his lap a little and crossed her arms over her chest.

  "Why? You want me, don't you?" Eadric nodded with a smile. He brushed a curl that had fallen back behind her ear, letting his fingertips brush over her cheek. Even upset, she was stunning.

  "Of course, Anabell. I just want to make sure that it's what you want, too." Anabell gave him an incredulous look and gestured to her state of undress.

  "I initiated this, Eadric. What more do you want?" Laughing, he leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

  "It's about more than the sex. I know you want me, and trust me; I would love nothing more than to let you finish undressing me. But you need to understand the entire situation before you make up your mind.

  "I've been with one woman - in all my years. Losing Deirdre, then being given a second change with my soul mate was too much to risk spending time with anyone else. I've been waiting hundreds of years to be with you like this, but it's not just sex to me. It will never be." Eadric touched the spot where the curve of her neck met her shoulder, needing the feel of her skin under his desperate fingers.

  Anabell covered his hand with hers and closed her eyes. His hands felt like bliss. She couldn't help imagining his hands on other, more intimate parts of her body.

  "I can't go forward with this if it's only going to be physical for you. I want all of you, forever, not just for a night, or two nights, or two months. It can't be only sex. You will always be my soul mate, the other half what makes me whole. I can't have just half of you, especially not for just one night. It just won’t work.

  "If you agree to this, it's going to be you and me, every day. I won't have it any other way." Anabell slid back off his lap and stepped back onto the floor. She needed some space to think. She had only known Eadric for a little over a day.

  It was a little soon to be making life-changing decisions.

  Granted, she knew more about him than she had any other guy who had walked into and out of her life. It felt fast, but, on the flip side, it had never felt as right with anyone else. There was definitely something there. She felt so much better when he was close to her.

  Taking that jump was terrifying. Was she ready to give the rest of her life to him at twenty-one? There was no changing her mind once she agreed. She could tell him no, then change her mind later, but that’s not what Eadric deserved.

  “How can you want me after you’ve had Deirdre? I’m nothing like her, Eadric. I’m a dumpy, brown dwarf. Not a leggy, thin blonde goddess.” Eadric swung his legs out over the floor and reached out, catching her by one of her belt loops and pulling her over the bed to stand between his legs.

  “You could have three legs, green skin, and be two feet tall, and I would feel the exact same way about you, Anabell. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you with your hair pulled back, wearing that yellow dress and a pair of roller skates, as you rolled down the street, yelling and laughing with your friends. I love you more when I saw you fall, dust yourself back off, and stand up to keep skating with a fractured elbow and a scraped knee. You’re strong and resilient. That’s what I love.” Anabell couldn’t keep the tears from forming in her eyes.

  Anabell remembered that day like it had just happened. It was the summer after her eighteenth birthday and one of the hottest ones they had in a while. A bunch of her friends swung by her house with the intentions of getting her out of her bedroom and into something fun.

  All she had wanted to do was wallow in self-pity and sorrow over her bad breakup.

  That's where her friends came in.

  Dylanne was tired of seeing her cry and mope for months on end, so she ambushed Anabell at her house with six of their friends and eight pairs of rented roller skates and helmets. Dylanne even dove into her closet to pick out a cute outfit for Anabell to wear.

  Anabell was clumsy at best, a danger to her friends at worst, on the skates. A friend on each side, holding her hands, was the only thing that kept her on her feet. Once they thought she was maintaining her balance properly, they let her go without warning.

  She made it about ten feet before she started going too fast, falling forward, and landed hard on her knees and elbows on the asphalt. She knew there was something wrong with her elbow, but she had her friends help her up and she kept going. It was the first time since the breakup that she realized that she could pick herself up and go on with her life.

  They skated until it was dark and the streetlights kicked on. And by the end of that day, Anabell could skate – just not very well.

  She had no idea that he had been watching her that long – or at all. She never even felt a strange presence that day. After seeing Eadric’s need to protect her, she knew that it must have taken him a lot of willpower to keep himself in the shadows when she was hurt. There was no denying he loved her. His faith in her moved her beyond words.

  Maybe she needed to fall again – and this time, trust that he would be there to catch her.

  8

  Not trusting her voice, Anabell grabbed Eadric's hands and helped him to his feet. He gave her a questioning look that she dismissed with the shaking of her head. She walked him out of the room and across the small piece of hall into the master bedroom.

  Eadric turned around, walking backwards into the center of the room. Using their still joined hands, he tugged Anabell forward and wrapped his arm around her hips to pull her in close.

  “Are you sure, Anabell? It’s all or nothing.” She draped her arms around his neck and drew his head down to hers, forehead to forehead.

  “Then I’m all in, Eadric. You’re right. I can’t half do this – I want all of you.”

  For the first time since he brought her to the castle, Eadric took a good look at her. Loose curls tumbled down her shoulders like a waterfall, the darkness of her hair emphasizing the lightness of her skin. Her dark red bra was overflowing with the milky white flesh, teasing him.

  The dark jeans were already unbuttoned and begging for him to t
ear them off her body. The tiny gap there let him know that her panties matched her bra. He could only imagine the lush curve of her backside in the silky material.

  She was absolutely gorgeous.

  Anabell traced the thick rope of muscles on the back of his neck as she worked her fingers down to his back to find the thick braid there. His hair was softer than she thought it would be. Undoing the strip of leather he used to keep it tied, she carefully unwound his hair until she was all the way to the nape of his neck and it fell around his face and shoulders like a shimmery curtain of gold.

  His bright blue eyes stared into hers as she grabbed a small handful his hair and used it to bring his lips to hers. His kiss was heaven on earth.

  Eadric slid his hands down her hips and cupped her ass in his hands and lifted her up until she wrapped her legs around his back, holding onto his shoulders to keep herself balanced. All without breaking the kiss.

  Keeping one hand on her ass, Eadric moved his hand up her back. With one quick motion, he unhooked the bra and dropped it to the floor beside them. He couldn't help but moan at the feeling of her supple breasts pressing against his chest.

  Her nipples puckered from a mixture of cold air and blindingly-hot desire.

  Eadric carried her to the bed and tossed her lightly into the center of the mattress.

  She landed with a little squeal - that went right to his cock. There was no time for her to reclaim her bearings because he grabbed the bottom of her pants legs and gave them a swift jerk - tugging them off her body and making her bounce a little on the sheet.

  He was rewarded with another squeal and the welcoming sight of the tiny scraps of fabric covering her downy curls. Those were definitely going to have to go. Soon.

  Pushing herself up on her elbows, Anabell shook her head at Eadric. She didn’t need to read his thoughts to know what he was thinking.

  "Your turn," she said, pointing at the jeans he was still wearing. She wasn’t losing any more clothes until he was at least as naked as she was.