by Thawer, Tish
At that thought, he felt a sense of hope and loss at the same time. He really did need Devin to escape his prison, but now, after their intimate experience, that wasn't the only reason he wanted her. Once he'd started thinking about what it would be like to spend an eternity with her, the idea had consumed him.
"Guess I'll just have to wait and see." If she had been turned, he would only be waiting a little while longer until she came to break him out. Because as a new vampire, Devin would immediately be drawn to her Sire's side.
* * * * *
Devin arrived at work in plenty of time. She parked her car, gathered her bag, and strolled towards the employee entrance with a little extra sway in her hips. When the security guard held out a hand to stop her, Devin shot him a dirty look.
"Damn, sorry, Devin. I almost didn't recognize you," he said, as his eyes bugged out of his head.
"It's okay, Scott. I expect I'll get a lot of that tonight," she replied as she eased past him.
She could almost feel his stare on her ass as she walked into the club. Giggling, she gave herself a little spank as she looked back over her shoulder; just in time to see Scott adjusting the bulge in his pants.
Devin headed straight for the employee lounge to put her things in her locker. The three girls present didn't say anything as Devin walked across the room, but they certainly didn't hide their stares.
Devin wasn't friends with any of the girls who worked here, so honestly, she couldn't give a shit about what they thought of her new look. But, being the nice person she was, she didn't want any work-place drama, so to lighten the mood she thought she'd chat up the girls before their shifts began. As she turned to engage them, she was suddenly overwhelmed with the strangest feeling and all thoughts of small talk were quickly forgotten.
Devin watched as Nicole put her hair up in a bun, something she always did before work, but tonight, Devin couldn't stop staring at her neck. It was long and elegant, porcelain smooth, and twitched slightly in time with her heartbeat.
"Wow, Nicole. You have a really beautiful neck," Devin said.
The look Nicole gave her reflected the scoffs she heard from the other girls.
"Thanks, I guess," was Nicole's only response. All three girls cleared out of the room with strange looks on their faces.
Mentally flipping them the bird, she turned towards the mirror to do one final makeup check before clocking in. Startled, she immediately found the reason the girls must've rushed from the room. Her eyes looked completely bloodshot and were a strange shade of reddish-brown, and she literally had a tiny drip of saliva at the side of her mouth. She looked like a ravenous beast.
"What the fuck?" She snatched a tissue to wipe the side of her mouth and grabbed the eye drops from the drawer were they kept the first-aid kit. Maybe she was having some sort of reaction to the extra eyeliner she piled on tonight. Who knows? But right now, she didn't have time to ponder the effects of crappy makeup or she'd be late for her shift.
After checking her eyes again, happy to see them back to normal, she headed for her bar. She wasn't going to let a few stuck-up bitches ruin her night. She felt great, and for some weird reason, the thought of Nicole's neck caused a buzzing sensation in her head. Between that and the thumping music that was making her body sway, she knew she was going to have a good time.
* * * * *
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
Aryiah rose from the couch and rubbed her head, running her fingers through her long dark hair. Damarius had gone to the kitchen to fetch her a glass of water, but as he walked back into the room, the twitch to his jaw and the hard look in his eyes was proof that something was wrong.
"What do you remember, Aryiah? How did you get that forgetting spell, and why have you been purposely reading it before leaving your journeys?"
She took a sip of water and forced herself to relax. She was trying not to get upset at Damarius' accusing tone, but it was definitely rubbing her the wrong way.
"Damarius, I don't know. I remember my trials, all of them, and how I finished them with ease. My magick flowed smoothly during my journeys and at the end of each lesson, it's as if I was forced to read the spell before returning. I don't understand it either."
Aryiah watched as he paced, splitting her gaze between his worried face and the imprint his shoes made in the plush carpet. "What are you thinking?"
"I think I'm going kill that assassin, whether my Goddess approves of it or not."
"What? You know what happened to Gage?"
"Yes. Your spell encased him in an energy ball and sent him to the Goddess' castle in Upper World. That's why Diana pulled me away from you. He's currently in her dungeon, and one of the reasons the Goddess is eager to meet you."
Aryiah jumped up from the couch and joined Damarius in his pacing.
"Why didn't you tell me? How am I going to explain myself when I don't even know what really happened?"
"I'm hoping that once we show the Goddess this forgetting spell, she can pull the memories forward that will help explain exactly what's been going on." He stopped pacing and reached out and took Aryiah's hand.
"Don't worry, my love, I'll be with you the whole time."
Relaxing slightly, Aryiah leaned forward and placed a light kiss on Damarius' lips. "Thank you. That does help. But the idea of not knowing how to explain myself, or what to say in the presence of a Goddess is still a bit disconcerting. So...do you mind if we try to take another journey?" She watched for a reaction, but continued to speak when Damarius made no response. "If you keep hold of the spell, I shouldn't be able to read it again, plus now that I remember everything about my magick we can test out some things while we're there."
Damarius sighed, obviously debating the logic in her request. "Alright. But the minute I sense something strange, I'm guiding you back out."
"Deal." Aryiah quickly reclaimed her position on the couch, and this time she watched as her gorgeous mate transformed into a beautiful wolf right before her eyes. Watching him shade right in front of her had her even more excited to embrace her magick and truly begin her new life.
* * * * *
Damarius watched from the mouth of the cave as Aryiah joined him in Lower World once more.
When she asked to take another journey so soon, he debated whether or not it was a good idea. But with the amount of information she gained from a visit that only lasted minutes, it seemed imperative that they try again in order to gauge the extent of her magick. He'd also been impressed with her bravery of not backing down in light of their discovery.
"Are you remembering still?" he asked.
"Yes. I remember that everything happened so fast. I completed my trials in rapid succession and now have all the magick inside of me. I know how to access it, I just don't understand where it came from."
Damarius stalked forward, feeling the ground shift beneath his large paws. Just as he reached Aryiah's side, he was blinded by a brilliant white light.
Jumping in front of Aryiah and baring his teeth was an automatic response, but when his Goddess stepped out of the light, he relaxed and lowered himself to the ground in a show of complete reverence.
"Rise, Damarius, my great wolf." He rose and stalked to her side, then felt the Goddess place a hand on his head.
He heard Aryiah suck in a shocked breath then watched as she too bowed in a show of respect. "It's you. The woman I saw at the library. You're the Goddess Diana. I recognize you from a picture in a book."
Damarius quickly shifted from his wolf form, meeting his Goddess' gaze with confusion in his eyes.
"Yes, Aryiah. I'm the Goddess Diana. I presented myself to you at the library as a test. But when you left I thought I was wrong about my theory. However, in light of recent events, and because of the fact that I can feel your presence whenever you enter Ovialell, I believe my initial assumption was correct."
Damarius couldn't take it anymore. He blurted out, "What theory? And why didn't you tell me you presented yourself to her before?"
<
br /> He knew questioning her was probably the wrong thing to do, but he couldn't help feeling protective of his mate, whether it was from a vampire assassin or his very own Goddess.
"There are things that even you do not know, my great warrior. But please don't feel slighted, I had to make sure before I shared any of my thoughts with you or anyone in Ovialell. Please bring Aryiah to my castle tonight as planned, and all will be revealed."
* * * * *
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
When Aryiah woke back in her apartment, she didn't need to look at Damarius to see he was extremely frustrated. She could feel the emotion radiating off him like heat from the desert sand.
"Damarius, please calm down. Everything will be alright."
"What, do you know what's going on too? Is leaving me in the dark the way things are going to be now?"
Feeling the intensity of his emotions caused Aryiah to pull her legs up to her chest as she sunk into the couch. After pacing and huffing like a raging bull for a few seconds more, Damarius stopped and looked down at her with sad eyes.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. I can feel that you're just as confused as I am, but hopefully, when we meet with the Goddess tonight, all will be revealed like she said."
Aryiah pushed off the couch, finding her voice again. "I hope so, because I want to know what's happening to me. Why am I so different than any other Witch you've trained? And what the hell is this theory Diana mentioned, and does it have anything to do with Gage trying to kill me?"
Plagued with more questions than answers, she made her way to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. She was quickly working herself into a frantic state, so she tilted the glass to her lips and let the calming liquid flow down her throat, then she closed her eyes and focused on Damarius' voice.
"I have no idea what the Goddess is referring to, as obviously she's chosen not to share her theory with me. But whatever it is, it seems to bring her pleasure, so I hope that it will be happy news for us both."
Aryiah sat the half-empty glass on the counter and walked back to her mate. She put her head on his chest and wrapped her arms around him, hoping it would calm her frayed nerves.
"I hope so, Damarius. Because finding out that I'm mated to a werewolf, getting ready to willingly die, and will be living in a completely different world...I hope it's good news, because if it's not, I'm fucking out of here."
She tried to layer her words with humor, but couldn't quite pull it off since this was truly how she was feeling at the moment. But in reality, she knew as well as he did that there was no turning back from this path. Vampire assassins, forgetting spells, and whatever other hiccups they met along the way, Aryiah knew this was truly where she belonged. All the strange occurrences she'd faced over the years, and the feelings of being something...more, had finally made sense the day Damarius entered her life.
* * * * *
Upon returning to her castle in Upper World, Diana headed straight for her altar. Revealing herself to Aryiah in Lower World only confirmed her suspicions, and now she needed to prepare for her arrival tonight.
"Her power is strong, but she still claims to not know where her magick comes from."
The ancient tome resting on the carved wooden lectern began to pulse under Diana's hands.
Give her the test and she will see, memories of her past will set her free.
Diana absorbed the book's words, then left to prepare for tonight's meeting with a smile on her face.
* * * * *
CHAPTER THIRTY
Devin picked up her overflowing tip jar, straightened her posture, and winked at Nicole before strutting back towards the employee lounge.
She sat on the floor counting out her tips, which was required every night after closing. She couldn't help smiling at the overwhelming success her new look had garnered.
Men had fallen all over themselves all night long, trying to jockey a position up to her bar, while right beside her, Nicole had been open and ready to serve. The dirty looks little Nicki speared her with throughout the evening only encouraged her to shake her ass a little more and smile even wider.
"What the fuck was that all about?" Nicole threw her near empty tip jar onto the counter, then stood hovering with her hands on her hips. "Were you giving away free drinks or what? Cause if you were, Manny will fire you, and I'll watch laughing as he carts your ass out the door."
In a flurry of motion, money went sprawling across the floor, and Nicole let out a muffled scream. Seconds later, she was lying in a pool of blood, her throat ripped open, her eyes nothing more than glazed over pools of death.
Devin was breathing so heavily she was practically panting. She looked up into the mirror and let out a wail that shattered the glass. The shards held an image of a redhead with blood dripping from white pointed fangs.
Devin put a shaky hand to her mouth and felt a sharp sting. Looking at her palm she saw a tiny puncture wound in the middle of her blood soaked hand. Her panic continued to rise as she heard footsteps outside the door. She quickly gathered her money and flew out the back entrance.
Her mind was a whirlwind as she tried to make sense of what just happened. Tears streamed down her face and her body began to shake as shock set in.
Regardless of whether they blamed her for what happened to Nicole or not, the image of herself with blood-coated fangs was enough to realize she'd never step foot in that bar again. So, leaving her car behind, she ran towards her house at a speed that defied all logic. Minutes later, she slammed the front door and sank to the floor. Heaving sobs wracked her body as she let the confusion and fear pull her under.
* * * * *
"What the fuck is happening to me?" was the sentence currently replaying in Gage's head.
He felt it the instant Devin embraced her bloodlust and partook in her first meal of human blood. The questions which plagued him earlier that day were set to rest as he felt the connection of his first sired vampire all the way to his core. Apparently sucking and fucking in the dreamscape did work the same as in the real world after all.
A cocky grin settled on his face as he relaxed onto his bunk. He knew the minute Devin fell asleep it would be the last time she'd do so in her world, because when she woke, she'd be a full citizen of Ovialell. She'd wake within his home in the city of Obsidian, as every new vampire woke in the den of their maker. And with the built in need to locate their Sire, he knew it wouldn't take her long to find him in the Goddess' dungeon since she'd be immediately drawn to his side.
Gage's dick throbbed at the idea of getting out of this cell and completing his mission. With Devin now a vampire, the idea of watching her kill her best friend, the Witch, was a seductive shot of adrenaline. He reached between his legs to adjust himself as he imagined Devin's fangs buried in Aryiah's neck.
* * * * *
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
After trying on her fifth outfit, Aryiah turned to Damarius with a scowl on her face. "Stop laughing at me."
Damarius couldn't contain his snicker. "You looked fine in all of them. I know you're nervous, but for the love of the Fae, just pick one already."
"Hey! You may be used to being in the presence of a Goddess, but I'm not. This is a big deal to me and I don't want to screw it up, or look inappropriate."
With a set jaw and a crease to his brow, Damarius eased off the bed, his muscles flexing under his skin as he wrapped her in his strong arms. His words were reassuring, but it was the depth of his kiss that drove his point home. "There is nothing you could wear that would seem inappropriate, because it's you, Aryiah. You're what's special."
Relaxing into his embrace and enjoying the rise of passion their kiss was causing, Aryiah let go of her fears. He was right. This meeting wasn't about how she looked, but instead, about who she was.
She broke their kiss and looked up into Damarius' love-filled eyes. "Thank you. That's exactly what I needed to hear."
As she spun around in his arms, she looked into the mirror onc
e more and was suddenly overwhelmed at the sight of them together. The image of them as a couple had her heart racing and the lust in his eyes mirrored exactly how she was feeling.
She continued to stare at their reflection as Damarius reached up and slowly slid the blazer off her shoulders. As the material dropped past her arms, she felt his breath on her neck. Tilting her head to give him better access, Aryiah moaned and closed her eyes.
His tongue flicked just under her earlobe as she felt him start to work on the pearl buttons of her silk blouse. She opened her eyes when Damarius' mouth left her neck, and watched as he unbuttoned her shirt, revealing her lace demi bra which barely contained her voluptuous breasts.
The feral look on Damarius' face and the action of his tongue slowly swiping over his lips had her wet in seconds.
Neither spoke as he removed her blouse, the silk causing her skin to break out in goose bumps as it slid down her back.
She closed her eyes again and reveled in the feel of his touch. His fingertips grazed the top of her breasts as he reached across her, his hand coming to rest in her hair. She leaned into him as his other hand slid down her rib cage, across her stomach, and to the hem of her thigh-high pencil skirt.
Instead of unzipping and pushing it down as expected, Damarius grabbed the hem and lifted, working it up slowly with one hand until it was gathered around her waist.
