"I need you, Linnea. Forever. Do you want to be mine for all time?" Tremain's thoughts assailed her with blankets of pleasure. It hit all the points in her brain, and she exploded. Her muscles clenched around his fingers as she quaked underneath him.
"Yes,” she groaned.
Never in a million years had she thought someone this fine would want to be with her. She always thought beauties like Maili got all the hot guys, but she had one of her own now. Tremain had changed since she had first met him. Gone was the arrogant ass who had shoved her out of Maili's apartment. What remained was the most loving and caring man she had every met whom she needed to fuck her.
"Now, Tremain. Please."
"What do you want, beloved? Tell me.” He whispered against her neck as he sucked on a pressure point above her vein.
Her legs wrapped around his waist as she opened herself fully to him. She needed his firm cock buried inside of her. “Fuck me. Hard."
"As my lady commands."
Tremain lifted his head and stared into her eyes. She met his gaze and saw something looming in his dark gaze. There was something else he was pondering.
"What is it?"
"Nothing that can't wait until later. God Lin, you're so beautiful. I want you even more than I did upstairs."
She blushed at his words, but reached up and took control of his lips as he slid deep inside of her. Once he was inside her waiting pussy, his hands worked down and grabbed her hips so their rhythms were in sync. At his first hard thrust, Linnea cried out as Tremain touched the opening of her womb, then pulled all the way out and plunged back in. She couldn't control her voice at this point. She was never one to moan or cry out during sex, but each time he entered her, a low groan escaped her lips. His mind wrapped tighter, if that were possible, around hers. She let all her guards down and closed her eyes, letting him control their movements. His lips were on hers. Her hands were wrapped around his neck, helping her stay steady as she worked with him. Pleasure assuaged her brain as her breathing quickened into pants. Her legs ached from holding onto Tremain so tight. His tongue worked its way into her mouth. At the last possible minute, she felt his thumb massaging her clit. Sweat broke out on her body as she pressed herself against him tighter trying to merge her body with his.
"I love you, Linnea. Come for me."
"Tremain!" His rapid finger movements and his hard thrusts pushed her over the edge. She cried out as an orgasmic wave overtook her. It rode to the corners of her mind and through their bond. She felt him push against her one more time and spill himself deep inside her. His kisses became as light as his thrusts while his fingers played with her hair. Finally, he pulled away from her and slid under the covers to keep her warm. It was a long time before they spoke. Linnea's mind was still linked to his, but she had let her thoughts drift.
One day she was going to be old like Henrietta. Her soul would reincarnate and she would have to find Tremain all over again. Would he wait for her? Would she be able to find him again? Would he still want her even if she came back in another body? The thought of death and the future scared her now her life had calmed down. She still had to hone her powers. Still had to put food on the table and pay her bills. How could she do that with a man who could shift into a Raven and fly away whenever he wanted? He could go to exotic places and leave her behind without a thought.
His arms wrapped around her, pulling her tightly to him. It was a welcome comfort, but her mind was still troubled. Her shoulder tingled where his lips had pressed against her flesh. The echo of their lovemaking still shook her body. It would have been easy to slip into the after lovemaking haze, but her mind was racing. She focused her eyes on the moon, which was full and peeking inside her window. Just one month ago she had met Tremain. Now he had stolen her heart. She couldn't think of her life without him. Her powers had awakened. Her best friend turned out to be using her. She had met the Angel of Death and a death goddess within that time. And no matter what, this moment, lying in bed with her newfound lover, was the best thing of them all. She didn't want it to end. How could she lose one more perfect thing in her life? She couldn't. She would die before she let him leave her.
"Linnea.” Tremain whispered against her. His hands cupped her breasts and his cock was getting hard as it rested against her backside.
"I won't leave you ever. I promise."
"But I'll grow old and die. You're forever. I—” Linnea turned over and stared at her lover.
"Linnea, you can be forever as well. There's something I didn't tell you. You heard Morrigain. I can never be human again, not completely anyway, but I am allowed a mate."
She felt her brows wrinkle as she took in what he said. “What do you mean?"
She held her breath. He wasn't a vampire so how could he give her an eternity?
His fingers traced her cheek and brushed a stray hair out of her face. “I have the power to give you feathers, the ability to fold the shadows and move between the worlds. I'm not cursed to follow the moon cycles anymore. I can come and go as I please. I can have a mate to spend forever with. I want it to be you. I never thought I would get a second chance at life. After losing Beatrice, I shut down my heart and froze my soul in a cage of my own making. I thought love was silly, fruitless. But then I met you. You risked your life and your soul for me. I love you, my beloved."
Linnea shut her eyes at the term of endearment. He wanted her forever. Their minds were linked so she knew he was not telling her a lie. Everything else seemed trivial in that moment. She knew he would be with her forever. “But how do you really know?"
He put a finger to her lips. She felt foolish asking him the question. All the evidence was before her, but there was still some part of her that doubted. It was the insecure part of her she had forever. “I know because you share the same soul as I do. You make my heart beat. Please, don't leave me alone in the dark. Don't leave me to forever."
Linnea saw the truth in his eyes and felt it in her mind. Besides, his smile said it all. Her body responded to him as no other. His mind knew her secret places and she wanted to discover everything else about him. There were still parts inside Tremain that were locked off, but she could have forever to have them. She understood now he was the reason her power had awakened. She needed it in order to save him. And by saving him, she had saved herself. There was no need to tell him her answer. The witch saw it in her lover's face as joy broke through on his handsome features.
He took her hand and kissed it. Already she felt the power stirring within him. His lips met her mouth. As they did, she felt the cool power of the moon thread through the top of her head and out of her feet. It seemed she was alight with it. His kiss became more frenzied as his hands traveled along her spine. As his fingers moved over her flesh, it seemed each ripple was painful as it was pleasurable. His fingers finally stopped moving over her back, but he didn't stop kissing her. His hands entwined with hers. Suddenly, the cool power turned to fire. She broke the kiss and arched her back as the pain gripped her. A high-pitched scream escaped her lips. Tremain didn't let her go as she squeezed his fingers. The fire started in the pit of her stomach and spread outward. It was a slow burn. Once it reached her throat, a large croak instead of a scream came out. She tried to move her hands to her throat, but Tremain held her.
"Hold on, Linnea. It's almost over."
She nodded as tears leaked out of her eyes and onto the pillow. The power touched her soul. She felt it fuse with her anatomy. This time when she screamed, it was with her normal voice. The moon was beaming on her full blast. She could feel it, see it in her mind. For once in her life, she wasn't happy to see the spotlight shining on her. Finally, the power ebbed. As it did, she felt something bubble on her flesh. She couldn't worry about it right now. Darkness was creeping on her vision as her body was shutting down. The transformation had been too much for her consciousness to hold onto and it needed time to process.
"Tremain—"
"Shh. Sleep, love. I'll be here when you wake.
"
Epilogue
Linnea stood in front of the stage door in the back alley of the Wang Theater. She checked her watch and saw she was late again. “Shit,” she muttered.
Joshua was going to say something to her. She had gotten a call a week ago about the theater and the police investigation had been concluded. They were now ready to go back to doing the Wizard of Oz and she needed to be back at work. Derrik has been killed along with Jason. Maili was missing. The police determined she must have been responsible for their deaths. The witch had been questioned because she was Maili's best friend, but she told the cops she had no idea where she was. They had gotten into a fight and that was before Maili had run off.
Her hands wrapped around the door handle, and she was about to go in when she heard a caw above her. Her dark eyes trained up to see the largest raven she had ever seen perched on the lip of the tallest building across the street.
"Late again?"
She narrowed her eyes and put her hand on her hip as she stared at the blue-black bird across the way. From her distance, she made out every single feather in the bird including the silver one in its tail. "I wouldn't be late if someone hadn't gotten me so distracted."
"Hey, don't look at me! I told you to wing over here, but you wanted to give it the old human heave-ho."
Linnea heard Tremain chuckle in her mind. She shook her head and stuck out her tongue at him. It was true. He had told her to use her newfound wings, but she was still not completely comfortable with her new shape. She was trying to be human, but there was another part of her that was not human. It was an alien feeling Tremain said she would get used to once she had slipped among the shadows long enough. It didn't matter how long it took, she had forever now to get used to it. She absently ran her hand over the back of her shoulder where she felt the raised brand like Tremain's with the triple ravens in it. It signified she was like the others. Well, she was not suppressed like the Warriors and did not have a charge to look after. The only one she answered to was herself and maybe the council. Betha had no say over her. That was a good thing because she did not know if she could deal with the queen now.
"There you are! Late again!"
Linnea looked back at the door and saw Joshua staring at her with his hands crossed over his chest. For a moment, she felt like shrinking back into herself, but she was not that woman anymore. She was something else. This time she met his eyes and stared right back at him.
"Go fuck yourself, Joshua!"
Linnea pushed past the conductor gripping her flute case. As she did, out of the corner of her eye she saw black wings and talons aimed for her boss's head. She laughed as the door closed and a large caw came from the back alley.
"Stupid goddamn bird.” The door shut cutting Joshua off.
In her mind, she heard Tremain laughing. It brought a smile to her lips as she crossed the stage. The house lights were coming up, and the sections were already warming up. As she slid into her seat, she thought today was definitely a good day to go over the rainbow.
About the Author
Crymsyn Hart's worlds are filled with luscious vampires, gorgeous gods, quirky witches, and brooding shifters.
Crymsyn is a crafty witch and psychic who, for many years, worked in Boston while attending Emerson College. She graduated with a degree in creative writing. When she gets bored, she sneaks away to local cemeteries and coffee shops to find peace and quiet. Graveyards might be a great place for the dead, but she still has to listen to their chattering. It can get annoying when all you want to do is write, but she can tell you quite a ghost story. Crymsyn shares her life with a small zoo including a playful puppy and her hubby Mark.
If you come after dark, you're more than likely to find her snuggled up with a gory horror movie or a bloody vampire movie.
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Visit www.amirapress.com for information on additional titles by this and other authors.
A Conspiracy of Ravens: A Raven Saga Book 1 Page 22
