by Sumida, Amy
He broke first, climbing into the tub and holding out a hand to help me in. I let him help me over the wide rim and then waited for him to settle himself down in the tub before I found a spot in front of him, between his legs. He pulled me back against his chest and I closed my eyes, sighing as he began to rub his hands lazily over my skin. The scent of orange blossoms permeated the air.
“I forget how wonderful it feels to be with you,” he mused. “Maybe it's a coping mechanism or maybe just habit but when you're gone, the memory of our time together fades. I think I remember what your skin feels like, the smell of your hair, and how it is to be inside you, but when I have you back, I realize how flawed a memory can be because it never holds up to the reality.”
“I miss you too,” I whispered, “but you're right, reality is always better.”
“For that, I'm grateful. If my memories were more accurate, I wouldn't be able to do my job. I'd abandon it to be with you.”
“As much as I'd love to have you with me, you abandoning your job would not be good,” I grimaced. “Azrael, those children.”
“I know,” his arms tightened around me. “That little girl's soul was so traumatized by her death, I had to use my magic to erase the memory of it. I,” his face nestled into my neck a second before he lifted his head and continued. “Sometimes I hate my job. The things I've seen, you wouldn't look at humans the same if you saw them. There's so much evil in your world.”
“And in yours,” I turned around to face him. “Half the problems of my world are generated by gods.”
“Yes, I know that now,” he kissed me lightly on the forehead. “I know why you fight so hard and I wish I had more time to help you.”
“Your work is just as important,” I straddled him, gripping his shoulders to steady myself. “I don't begrudge you the time you spend helping people cross over into their afterlives. I admire you for persevering, especially after today, after seeing what you have to see. Plus, if it wasn't for you and your job, I wouldn't be here.”
“Not just me,” he grinned, “Odin helped a little.”
“Maybe a little,” I laughed, “but I don't want to talk about Odin right now. This is our time, let's forget our responsibilities and all the horrible things that go with them and just focus on each other for a little while.”
“How about,” he started kissing down my neck, “we relax in here for a little bit and then we go for a midnight flight?”
“Harder for other angels to spy on us in the dark?”
“Especially with my black wings,” he laughed.
“Alright,” I pulled back and stared down at him, “but no sudden drops this time.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
The stars of Shehaquim sparkled overhead and I reached out a hand toward them as I cried out in pleasure. The cold night air didn't bother me at all, it must have been Azrael's body heat keeping me warm. Instead, I was invigorated by the breeze and by the way his hands kneaded my flesh as they held me tight against him. He was behind me, his mouth on my neck, sliding in and out of me as his wings pumped with the same rhythm. It felt primal and magical, the thump of wings on air, the slap of flesh on flesh, and beneath it all, two hearts beating strong.
Heaven was laid out before me, shadowed with the mystery of night. I reached back to Azrael, one hand at his neck and one at his hip, and then he fell back, going horizontal and effectively placing me on top. I laid back against him and enjoyed the roaming of his hands as he continued to control the joining of our bodies. Long, smooth fingers slid between my legs and brought me over the edge, my voice lifting to join the stars.
He followed me shortly after and then took us slowly down to the ground, limbs entwined. He gave me a wicked smile when we landed and pulled me toward the Summer section of the Garden of Eden. I knew what he was after and started to smile back. I could use a good drink.
Sure enough, he led me to the pool of sacred wine and scooped up a glassful with the golden goblet that seemed to just live there. Pulling me down beside him in the grass, he lifted the cup to my lips and let me have the first sip. It was sweet and rich, the taste of berries and honey with the punch of rum. The taste of it coated my tongue and shot through my body like electricity, warming and energizing as it went. I sighed and pulled back to let him take his turn.
He drank, letting his head fall back a moment in ecstasy before putting the cup aside and pulling me beneath him. His wings spread out above me, blacker than the night sky, his diamond eyes the only stars I needed to see.
“I love you,” he whispered against my lips, before he showed me just how rejuvenating the wine of Eden could be.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“You're supposed to take me with you,” Roarke whined, “wherever you may go.”
“Says who?” I smirked at him.
“Says the High King of the Faeries, that's who.”
“The same High King who didn't lift a hand to help me when a goblin attacked me in the middle of his dining room?” My smirk turned into a serious frown. “The High King who really didn't give a shit whether I lived or died until he found out that I was the last female dragon-sidhe? Are we talking about that King? Because if we are, little kitty,” I began to growl, my lioness, wolf, and jaguar all rising beneath the cover of an even greater animal, the dragon. “I owe no allegiance to him and I have no intentions of obeying any order he thinks to give me. You are here under my sufferance alone, because I didn't feel like being the cause of your punishment, but keep it up and I may change my mind.”
“Uh,” he tapped a finger to his upper lip, then swung it out a little in my direction, waving it in a little circle to indicate my nose. “You may want to do something about that.”
“What?” I held a hand over my nose and caught the edge of a smoke cloud. “Oh,” I waved it away.
“I, um,” he stared at me as I snorted out a recalcitrant bit of smoke. “As I'm a guest in your court, I shall of course abide by your rules, Lady Vervain of the House of Fire.”
“I am not of the House of Fire,” I snarled.
“Now your eyes are glowing,” he held up his hands and backed away. “My mother, bless her sweet purring, always said to never run from a dragon but if their eyes started to glow, I should back away most swiftly. So I think I shall listen to Mommy and take my leave of you. Quite swiftly.”
He backed out the door and then I heard his boots making haste down the hallway. I walked over to the mirror over my vanity table and studied my face. My eyes were indeed glowing, no longer flat brown, they were alight with a heart of flame, like staring into the center of a campfire. A glowing ember of an iris.
I lifted a hand and slowly touched the edge of my eye, half expecting it to burn me, but the delicate skin there felt as it always had. I took a deep breath and my heartbeat started to slow. As it did, the heat in my eyes receded, the ember burning out, and I started to feel like myself again. Was this the worst of it or would I begin to lose control, burn my lovers or our home? Burn away my other magics? A trembling began in my belly, shaking its way out to my limbs. If it got any worse, I'd have to ask Arach for help and I was afraid it would come at a price.
“What did you do to the cat?” Trevor came into the room grinning ear to ear.
“I think I may have scared him out of one of his nine lives,” I took a breath as I turned to face him.
“What's happened?” He was immediately at my side, gripping my arm.
“Arach said I'd start showing signs of my new magic,” I glanced at the normal looking mirror. “He said I'd need his help to control it and I think he may be right. I got so angry at Roarke and he barely did anything. I nearly roasted him alive. There was smoke coming out of my nose!” I pointed to the offending nostrils.
“Okay,” he nodded and pulled me over to the couch. “Every new power must be harnessed but these are your powers, this is your magic. You have it in you to control them. The magic would not be given to you if you didn't.”
“Hu
h,” I bit my lip in thought. “That does make sense.”
“Of course it does,” he took my hand. “There was a beginning for everything, including magic. Someone had to learn to control these things all on their own. If they could do it, so can you.”
“Right,” I breathed. “A beginning for everything. It's just that, well there's something else I haven't had the time to tell you. I talked to King Cian and he told me that Sabine was a full blooded dragon-sidhe, a long lost faerie evidently, and so I have the magic of a pure blood.”
“So you're completely fey?” Trevor's jaw dropped open.
“Well not completely,” I frowned.
I had spent a lot of time wondering how human I was after I'd stolen god magic for the first time. I'd finally become a goddess and immortal, but I'd still considered myself human since I'd never been an Atlantean. I'd thought the confusion over what I was, was over but I was wrong.
“Not completely?” Trevor prompted me.
“This body was born human,” I chewed at my lip. “King Cian thinks that's why my fey side hasn't come out before now. He thinks my humanity was suppressing it. Either that or the spell Aednat put on Sabine carried over.”
“Aednat?”
“Sabine's mother,” I shrugged, “my mother. She put a spell on Sabine to make her human, in an effort to protect her from dragon hunters. Unfortunately, she died before she could remove it.”
“But then you went to Faerie,” he grimaced.
“And now my fey magic is coming out,” I nodded. “The problem is, no one's been in my position before. So when I asked what would happen to my other magic if I were to give in to the fey...”
“The High King of Faerie had no fucking idea,” Trevor growled.
“Right,” I sighed. “There's a chance that the dragon could destroy my other magic, so I've decided to try and suppress the dragon as much as possible. I can't take the chance of losing you.”
“Minn Elska,” Trevor smiled, finally giving up on his grim expression. “You won't lose me. I told you, this is you, your magic. You're in control of it, or at least you can be. This is not an alien magic that you stole from another, this is your magic, your true magic. Which means that this dragon inside you, no matter how fierce she may be, is still you... and you would never do anything to hurt us.”
“Huh,” I gave a startled laugh. “You're right. You're absolutely right. Those damn faeries have got me so paranoid, I've become afraid of myself. This is ridiculous.”
“You know, you actually have an edge in this,” he grinned. “You have me and I'm going to help you learn how to control your new beast.”
“Okay, zen master,” I chuckled. “What do I do first?”
“You just answered your own question,” he shot back. “Zen. You have a fiery new magic and you just said it encouraged your anger. So anger seems to stoke your magic. What you need to do to control it, is develop a way to cool yourself down.”
“Maybe meditation?”
“That may work,” he nodded. “There are several anger management techniques such as controlled breathing exercises, and visualization. You could even try the stand-by, count to ten. I think you'd do best with visualization though. You're a witch after all. Use your skills, woman.”
“You're right,” I stood up. “I can do this. Make me angry.”
“What?”
“Say something to make me angry,” I shrugged. “I gotta test this theory out.”
“Oh, okay,” he frowned and paused. “Demeter broke into the Palace while you were gone and cut off Kirill's hair.”
“What?!” My vision went red for a few seconds, my heart rate accelerating, and I felt a warmth start beneath my breastbone. It was immediate and almost catastrophic. I breathed out and smoke curled from my nostrils.
“Good,” Trevor's nervous look belied his words. “Now see yourself in a calm place, you're sitting beside a stream, the breeze is cool on your skin, and I'm kissing your neck.”
“Hmmm,” I smiled, my heartbeat already starting to slow. “I like that, keep going.”
“I reach for the hem of your dress,” he got a wicked look on his face as his body followed his words, “and I pull it slowly over your head.”
“And then?” I leaned in, the heat in my chest moving lower as the smoke dissipated.
“Then I throw off my own clothes,” he paused to do so, “and toss you to the ground.” I flew threw the air and landed on our bed, giggling.
“You've started another fire entirely, Wolf Prince,” I crooked a finger at him, “And you'd better put it out before I burn up.”
“Don't worry,” he laughed, “I come equipped with my own hose.”
“Oh you're naughty,” I laughed.
He was growling, nipping at my body, and then licking the abused flesh. I arched into the pleasure, pulling him closer with my thighs. Liquid heat flowed through me, bringing me close to screaming out a release before he even slid inside me. I gasped and pulled him up, devouring his mouth desperately.
“Now,” I growled and his eyes widened but he obliged me and I groaned as we came together.
“Minn Elska,” he groaned, “you're so hot inside.”
“Am I hurting you?” I pulled back, a moment of sanity invading at the thought.
“No,” he growled, “I like it. Keep going.”
I laughed throatily and pushed him over, straddling him and taking control. His face seemed to flash in and out of my sight, altering, changing into another. I shook my head but kept grinding into him, kept slamming against him hard enough to shake the heavy bed. My hands were at his shoulders, clawing them, and I pulled them away before I could do any damage. I sank my new claws into the palms of my hands instead, to try to gain some control. The pain was like a slap to my face, I took a deep breath and got some control back.
When I looked up again, it wasn't Trevor's face I was staring at but Arach's. He gave me a slow, hot look, his eyes burning as mine had and his sharp teeth biting into his lower lip. The scales at the sides of his face glimmered and spread down his neck, to the pulse at the base of his throat. Against the dark blood of his hair, his throat gleamed in invitation.
“Yes,” he groaned and although it was Trevor's voice, I knew the blood beneath that skin would be Arach's.
I sprang at him, biting hard into his neck and savoring the blood that flowed over my lips. I held it in my mouth, tonguing the flavor, the sweet darkness of it. I shuddered, reaching climax as the knowledge of him hit me, and then feeling Trevor's body find his release as well. I floundered in confusion. Who was I with? Whose blood filled my mouth. I felt myself fall back, hands twisting in the air, trying to find something solid to hold onto. There was nothing, I was free-falling into Arach.
He was so angry but now the anger seemed tempered by hope. His world was all blood and screams, and he enjoyed it, relished every taste, every sound, but he was left wanting. He loved to tear, to cut, and especially to burn. Oh, he loved to burn things; furniture, houses, people, whatever he could set flame too. The fire in him longed to be released and when it was, it was as if he were released. Yet even the flames could not satiate him. There was something missing and finally, he'd found it.
Why did it have to reside in a human? The anger returned. Why would the hope of his people have to lie with one selfish, human girl? A witch calling herself a goddess, a pure blooded dragon-sidhe with the body of a human, a fey tainted by the blood of people who murdered his parents. Maybe it was justice that a human be the one to help return the dragon-sidhe to Faerie. Maybe it was fate.
His blood shifted again, a new taste in my mouth. Bitterness, fear, sorrow. I saw flashes of Arach as a child, stumbling over huge, stone ruins. He fell and scraped his hand but when he cried for his mother, she didn't answer him. No one answered, so he continued on, climbing over the larger debris, until he found them. His parents in partial dragon form as if they'd been caught mid-transformation.
His mother's face was long, the angles exa
ggerated and pointed. Her head was thrown back, her face a rictus of pain. Her wings were broken behind her and her limbs ended in scaly claws, one of them gripping the shaft of a spear protruding from her chest. Her husband was left in a similar manner, his body lying broken over the remains of a large table. The child Arach ran to them, tearing the weapons from their bodies with his little hands and cutting his palms worse.
The memory faded away but the hollow sound of his crying lingered.
“Vervain,” Trevor's face appeared over mine, eyes concerned. “Vervain, can you hear me?”
“Yes,” I gasped and held my hands to my face. I was crying. What the hell was that and how was it even possible? How could I taste the blood of a man an entire realm away from me? Damn faerie magic.
“Are you okay?” Trevor pulled me back up the bed and covered me with a blanket, putting an arm around me. “Why are you crying?”
“I,” I looked over and saw the wound at his throat. “Oh, fuck, did I hurt you?”
“It's nothing,” he shook his head, “a love bite.”
“Trevor,” I breathed. “I don't know what the hell is going on but it has nothing to do with love.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
“Minn Elska,” Trevor whispered. “You don't have to do this right now. You can rest for a bit first.”
“No,” I waved my hand at my altar, already prepared in the center of our bedroom. “I'm ready, I need to get this done as soon as possible. They might already be stalking another child.”
“Alright,” Trevor held up his hands, backed away, and sat down on the bed.
Everything was in place, I just had to add the jacket and say the words that would activate the spell. I picked up the jacket, intending to lay it over the nest of herbs I'd made in a large wooden bowl, but I stopped with it halfway there. I could smell something, some distinct odor coming off the jacket in waves. It was so strong I could practically see it, a fog of hazy yellow.
