Morganna's Sacrifice (Vampyre Falls: Blended Species Book 1)

by Adrianna Dane

It was as though a mask dropped over his expression as he watched her. “This, for the most part, is what they did to me. From the moment they took me, they feasted on my blood, thrived on my pain. Pain that never left me. They said it made my blood pump faster, made it thicker and more appealing, and they planned to keep me alive for a long time. It was only with your memory locked inside me that I could tolerate it to any degree. The only thing I wanted was to return to you. But what they did also changed me. I did want to die. But then Daffyd found me, barely alive, and brought me here.”

  “He healed you?”

  “The scars cover my whole body, Morganna. And I’m changed because of it. Daffyd and I…well, we have both known the twisted sadism of Romulus and his followers. He understands something I hope you never know. Without him, you could suffer at my hands simply because I can’t stop myself. I love him because he fills the void they left inside me. He has changed the darkness they created into something I am at least able to tolerate.”

  She trailed her fingers lightly over the ridges of the scars and tears spurted. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she hugged him close, wanting to take away all the pain. “Oh, Keelan, what you’ve suffered. If only I’d known. I would have found you. I never would have stopped until I did. I thought you left because you wanted to. Our kind are not known for their fidelity. I thought you had simply grown bored with our relationship. You’d always spoken of traveling in the human world. I simply thought you didn’t want me dragging you down.”

  He drew her close, his armed wrapped tightly around her. “Never, Morganna. Your memory was the only thing that kept me alive. Your light the only warmth I knew.”

  She lifted her head and his lips captured hers. She wanted to take every bit of the pain away. She wanted to share it with him, to become a part of him once again. And, yes, she would sacrifice everything to stay with him.

  “Come with me. I’ll show you the town. Maybe that will help you to decide.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Keelan was surprised when he’d first realized how organized Vampyre Falls was. Apart from the Vampyre Council of Thirteen, there was a town council as well, which governed the town proper encompassing the numerous species that now lived here. Laws were set down and modified on occasion as the need warranted.

  And there was the liaison established with the human residents of Silver Creek. Many of the species who lived here had often warred amongst themselves, but one of the first rules in order to be offered sanctuary here was no infighting among the residents. Everyone respected another’s properties. The law of no random preying among residents was strictly upheld. In Vampyre Falls cross-species relationships, such as had developed between Daffyd, a vampire, and Keelan, a dark elf, were not forbidden, as it tended to be in their own realms. There was a tolerance in Vampyre Falls that existed nowhere else.

  “This really is an unusual place, isn’t it?” Morganna asked, wide-eyed as Keelan escorted her around the town, allowing her to get used to the layout. “And the laws are strictly upheld?”

  Keelan nodded. He was hopeful that she would want to stay. “Those who are here are tired of hiding, of constantly running, weary of being hunted. This is the only sanctuary of its kind, protected both by the magic of the elements and the magic of the people who live here.”

  “But there is no healer? No doctor to help the sick and injured?”

  “No. There was one a long time ago from what I understand, but he was killed in an avalanche on the other side of the mountain. Sometimes, if there’s an emergency, we go to the human doctor in Silver Creek, but he can only do so much. You are needed here, Morganna. Your special skills will truly be put to good use.”

  “It is beautiful,” she admitted. They walked around the lake and came to a small vacant cottage. “Does anyone live here?”

  “Not now. This house belonged to a shapeshifter who returned to the outside world when he fell in love with a human. It has remained vacant since then.”

  “I won’t live in that dark cavern. If I decide to stay. This place would work. And it has a patch of earth just right for a garden.” She whirled around to look at him. “If I stayed, would you be with me? Or remain with…him, up there?”

  To answer her, he must tread carefully. He didn’t want to hurt her. “I will always be here for you. I am committed to you. But I can’t turn my back on Daffyd. I owe him too much.” He paused. “I need him, too.”

  “I know, he fills a need I can’t.” He could tell that she wanted to understand, she really did. That she didn’t want to be jealous of his relationship with the vampire. But maybe that could only come with time. She had been separated from him for too long to readily accept another person in his life. They weren’t human, and she should understand that liaisons among their own kind were not the same as with humans. Yet, the thought of sharing him with the vampire appeared to come hard for her. Maybe it was because he was vampire that she balked at the liaison.

  “Someday I’ll try to explain. But don’t ask me to do that now. Not yet. Maybe if you choose to share…to be what I am…the understanding will come easier.”

  “All right, Keelan. But no matter what I decide, I can’t live under that vampire’s thumb. I’ll need a place of my own. I can’t administer to these people living up there. I must become attuned to the rhythm of their daily lives in order to be effective.” She stepped away from him and walked inside the cottage. He followed her through the door.

  She stood across the room, highlighted by the amber glow of a setting sun. Her dress was practically transparent, exposing her lush, curvy frame to him, and his cock pushed quickly to full attention. He was drawn across the room by her sensual energy. Sometimes he didn’t think she was even aware of the erotic vibrations that drew men to her. It was that innocence of intent that had inflamed his passions from the beginning.

  “Do you remember that autumn eve when we exchanged pendants?”

  He saw her reach up to clasp the stone nestled between her breasts. “I remember.”

  “Right now, you look like you did that day. I remember thinking no one could love a person more than I loved you at that moment.” He brushed his thumb over his own pendant. “Every day we’ve been separated, you’ve been with me. Your glyphs right next to my heart. They took a piece of my soul, marked me forever, but you have always held my heart, Morganna. All of my soul that remains is yours as well. That will never change.”

  He saw the tears sparkling in her eyes, crystal dew drops tracking down her cheeks, and he strode to her. He kissed every bit of salty moisture away. “Stay with me, my love.” She shuddered within his arms. “If there can be a place for us to find any peace, any happiness together, I think it is here.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Morganna found herself wandering around the bedroom, unable to sleep, thinking about everything Keelan had revealed to her. Who were these vampires who prayed on victims from the Fae realm? Was there a way to stop them? Was there a way to stop Syril?

  And the terrible scars littered all over his body. If only she could heal him. Those reminders alone must weigh on his thoughts. What did the vampire give him that she could not?

  She wished she had her books with her. The spells and recipes, her potions she hadn’t touched in so long. She wanted to help, to find a way to stop Romulus and his followers. Suddenly, she knew she had to go back. Not to stay, but to gather what she would require to help fight the evil Romulus and heal Keelan. She didn’t have a choice.

  But would Keelan understand? Would he try to stop her? If there was one thing she knew about him, if he couldn’t stop her, he would try to go with her. And that was something she couldn’t allow.

  Right now probably few among her people were aware of what had happened. As a faery she could cloak herself in invisibility, allowing her to slip away from the Falls without being seen and stopped. To attempt to replace her more vital belongings would be an endless process and unnecessary. It wouldn’t take her long to gather what she ne
eded from her cottage.

  There was an entrance to her realm at the bottom of the mountain. She had detected the telltale signs alerting her to its presence. Walking over to the desk, she pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. Quickly, she scratched a note and wrote Keelan’s name on the outside. If he came looking for her, at least he would know she planned to return.

  As a vampire Keelan couldn’t enter their land with her. He would be murdered on sight. She had to do this alone. One last trip home.

  She moved quickly and silently. With no time to waste, she hurried along the tunnel, passing near several doorways. She stopped when she heard someone cry out. It sounded like Keelan. Turning, she headed back in the direction of the cry. Silently, she moved to the door and her eyes widened at what she saw.

  It was Daffyd and Keelan. Daffyd had a whip in his hand and Keelan was bound to the wall. Her first instinct was to run to Keelan and free him. But as he turned his face to the side, his expression stopped her from entering the room.

  “Don’t stop, Daffyd. It’s not enough.” She heard the words, but was unable to comprehend the meaning. And then Daffyd wielded the whip, flaying it across Keelan’s naked back. She winced as she heard the loud, echoing snap. She looked at Keelan’s face, expecting to see a drawn look of pain. She was surprised when that wasn’t all she saw. Blended into his expression was a look of sublime ecstasy.

  She wanted to confront them both, but something held her back. This wasn’t the time—not when he was at his most vulnerable. Not when he was like this. She flinched when she heard the crack of the whip again and again as it wound around his body, leaving stripe after stripe of red weals in its wake.

  What had they done to him? Is this why he needed Daffyd? To administer punishment? Was it what he didn’t want her to know? It wasn’t just Daffyd, because she had heard Keelan tell him to continue.

  Daffyd finally dropped the whipped and walked over to the bound man. Every muscle in Keelan’s back was tightly defined, his skin moist with sweat. She couldn’t hear what Daffyd said to him, but watched as he stroked a loving hand over Keelan’s back and down across his reddened buttocks. She saw him reach in front of Keelan and suddenly Keelan shuddered and cried out. At that moment, Morganna’s gaze widened as she saw Daffyd sink his fangs into Keelan’s neck. She fell back from the doorway, realizing that just as Keelan orgasmed, the vampire fed from him.

  Yet she couldn’t tear herself away completely, some fascination held her rooted in place, watching them, realizing that deep inside herself she wanted to join them, even in this savage intimacy. And that feeling frightened her. Her whole body tensed, tightly drawn. Was there some dark side to her nature she’d never been aware of before?

  She wanted to touch Keelan, as Daffyd fed from him. To stroke him, letting him know she was there with him. She wanted—

  She heard Keelan’s long, drawn out sigh and Daffyd stepped back. He whirled around and his black gaze caught and held hers. The span of time seemed to go on forever and then he licked the droplets of her lover’s blood from his lips and placed a possessive hand at the small of Keelan’s back.

  Something in his gaze tried to pull her into the room and she fought it. She wasn’t ready. The air strangled in her chest. Whirling away, she raced down the corridor.

  Reaching the main entrance to the caverns, she realized there was no moon tonight. The night was a black void, with unidentified whispers echoing around her. She couldn’t think about what she had just witnessed, that dark passion that had tried to reach out to enshroud her within its thickly seductive texture. The moonless night should work in her favor. Not all paranormal species could detect the presence of someone with Fae blood. She was counting on that.

  Concentrating, she felt the shimmer enfold her, drawing on her energy. Moving into the night she became one with it, blending into the darkness. She had to hurry before all of her strength disappeared. Maintaining the transparency took a great deal of energy and thus she could only maintain it for so long before weakness overcame her.

  Quickly she glided through the trees and down the meandering paths until she reached flat land. She solidified and waited, weaving slightly, feeling a bit light-headed. It would be a moment before she regained her equilibrium. Breathing deeply, she closed her eyes and leaned against the trunk of an ancient, gnarled tree.

  She felt a bit of her energy returning as she drew renewing energy from the earth. Enough for her to get where she needed to go. Opening her eyes, she focused and saw the glow of an opening into the faerie realm. Moving quickly, steps light, she passed into her world. Her wings materialized almost immediately and she took flight, determined to reach her destination without delay. Her wings would be something she would miss. There were definitely parts of her life in the realm that would be sacrificed. Yet, she felt she had already come to terms with that acceptance. After all, no choice was perfect. It was what she would be required to sacrifice that make her choice easier. In her heart Keelan was worth it.

  Reaching her home near the river, she looked around before crossing the clearing and hurrying inside. Grabbing her old, worn satchel from the hook near the door, the one she had often used for gathering herbs, she pulled down books and jars, stuffing them inside. Ancient texts handed down mother to daughter over the generations of her family could not be left behind. Using more magic, she reduced their size so that everything would fit until she exited back into the human world. She grabbed the bottle of blue enlarging dust and pocketed that separately. She would need that to return things to normal size.

  Looking around, she realized this would be the last time she saw this house, that she would be in this realm. She felt some pang of regret that she might never see her family again. But it was her choice and she was not going to change her mind.

  Whirling toward the door, she stopped in her tracks.

  “Syril.”

  His wily eyes studied her for long moments. “You shouldn’t be here, Morganna.”

  She straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. “I know. You betrayed me. Unlucky for you.”

  He stepped inside. “I would say unlucky for you, you faery vixen. You will not queer this deal for me. I’ve been promised a vial of Romulus’s blood for you.”

  “You can’t make me do what you want any longer. I know what you did to Keelan.”

  He narrowed his gaze. “It makes no difference. That damned dark elf is dead.”

  “How could you do that, Syril? Why?”

  He shrugged as he moved closer to her. She wanted him to admit what he did. She circled away from him. There was a glittering menace in his eyes.

  “Do you have any idea how much I hate your kind? Do you think I’ve always looked like this?” He pointed a bony finger at her. “One of your blood did this to me. I was once tall and strong and more handsome than that dead elf of yours. Every faery at the court was mine for the taking. Until a stupid game of jealousy played by a faery bitch made me into this. I swore I would have my revenge. On all of you. You won’t get away again, Morganna. And I hope you suffer for a long, long time.”

  She reared away from the stench of his hate. He had cloaked it so well over the years, but now it hit her full force. “Keelan never did anything to you, Syril. Why?”

  Suddenly he leaped across the room, something gleamed, stretched between his fists. She sidestepped, but he anticipated her move and was there before her. He sprang up, twisted and the thing in his hands wrapped around her neck, choking her. She grabbed it, meaning to rip it away, but it singed her fingers. There was no space between her flesh and the thin width of metal for her to yank it away. The more she tried, the tighter he twisted.

  Iron.

  “This will simply weaken you for a bit, until my friends get here.”

  Her lungs began to constrict. Syril didn’t know the normal weakness in the vicinity of iron for Fae folk went further with her. With her allergic reaction, it wouldn’t be long before it killed her.

  And then she felt t
he heat of the pendant against her skin. Keelan’s stone reminding her, drawing her back from the brink of defeat. Her hand brushed against the counter and her fingers gripped her favorite green mixing bowl. She swung her arm in an arc, the bowl connected with Syril’s head. His grip loosened, just enough for her to break free, the wire cutting deeper into her skin. The pain didn’t stop her and, in fact, inflamed her will to survive.

  Frantically, she scoured the room as she yanked the iron band from around her neck and it clattered to the stone floor. Her lungs still felt like metal bars bracketed them tightly, but she would not give up. Syril had almost gained his feet, when she caught the glitter of her digging blade lying on the counter to her left. Launching herself toward the counter, she curled her fingers around the familiar enamel handle.

  Syril grabbed her from behind and she knew she had no choice. If she waited any longer she would never get free and she would be dead long before his benefactors arrived if he managed to get that narrow iron band around her neck again. Gripping the blade and using the last of her energy, she thrust back.

  The blade met with some small resistance and she plunged deeper, feeling the tear of muscle, hearing the sucking of flesh and blood, and the scream of rage. Pulling the blade free, she thrust again and again, the blood spurting from the goblin’s wounds burned her skin. Until finally, his grip lessened and the goblin toppled to the floor, dead yellow reptilian eyes glaring up at her.

  She crawled away, gasping for air, her skin burning, her stomach churning at the stench of his spent blood. Her neck hurt and her throat burned. With shaking hands blistered from his blood she grabbed for the satchel, pulled to her feet and ran out the door. She couldn’t get her wings to function and she had little strength left.

  She ran through the woods, branches tearing at her skirt, her face, her arms. She saw the opening, and forced one last burst of energy as she broke free of the realm, running head first into a brick wall.