by Thawer, Tish
The satisfaction of having Gage in his clutches sent a shot adrenaline racing through his veins. The blows the vampire was pounding into his back had no affect as Damarius dug in and yanked him to the ground. Just as he was about to open his jaw and go for the vampire's throat, he heard Gage shout, "Run, Devin! Go back through the portal and return to my home. The Darkling will be in touch."
At Gage's words, Damarius froze. Seeing Devin's panicked expression out of the corner of his eye left him torn between ending the fight with his current prey, or stopping Aryiah's best friend from escaping and making contact with the Darklings. His mind was made up when he watched Devin's muscles tense as she prepared to make her escape.
Damarius lifted his head from Gage's leg and flew towards Devin's back. Sadly, the only thing his teeth snagged on was the hem of her leather pants as she disappeared through the silver liquid of the portal.
He came to an abrupt stop, his nose only inches from the glowing exit, then spun around to face Gage once more. Damarius maintained his position in front of the portal, the anger of losing his prey causing his ghostly form to expand and retract with heavy breaths.
His keen eyes darted to the wound on the vampire's leg left from his earlier bite. It was already starting to heal. Damarius knew Gage would be up and ready to fight again within seconds.
He quickly weighed the idea of going after Devin. But in order to use the portal or shade to Obsidian to begin his search, he'd first have to shift back into his solid form, and that would take time and energy he simply couldn't spare.
"Face it, wolf. You've lost. Devin is mine, and together we will end you and your soon to be Witch."
With Gage's words stinging his ears, Damarius launched himself through the air once more. Gage must have realized fighting him in this state was a waste of effort, because he quickly maneuvered around Damarius' incoming attack and dove through the portal without a backward glance.
As his ethereal paws touched solid ground, Damarius shifted back to his human form. The choice between tracking Gage and Devin or checking on Aryiah tugged at his brain, but it only took seconds for his heart to make up his mind.
* * * * *
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Damarius immediately shaded to his bedroom and found Aryiah wrapped in the blankets on his massive bed. The sight of her tiny frame lost within yards of silk duvet had him racing to her side, as if drowning in the luxurious fabric was another threat he needed to protect her from.
"Aryiah, can you hear me?"
The light breeze that swept across his back announced his Goddess' arrival. "Yes, she can hear you, Damarius. Talk to her. For I believe only you will be able to set her mind at ease."
The gentle touch of Diana's hand on his shoulder reminded him that he too had some news to share. Turning to face her, he gestured towards the door with a nod of his head. Once in the hall, Damarius relayed what had happened with the vampires and watched as Diana's face fell at his mention of the Darklings.
"So I was right. The Darklings have returned and are using their magick to enhance the vampires in their fight against us."
"Yes, Goddess. That does seem to be the case. Do you wish me to track them now? I'm confident it won't take long to locate them."
Diana hesitated, causing him to stiffen while he awaited her response. He was ready to find and kill Gage for what he did to Devin, and by their association, to Aryiah. But again, the thought of leaving his mate had his heart flinching with a twinge of pain.
"No, Damarius. It's Aryiah who needs you now, and to be honest...we need her. No one knows of Aradia's return, so training her to control her magic is now our top priority." With a confident smile she continued, "Let them think they've escaped to continue their plans, for when they learn of our plans...it will be too late for them to react with anything but fear."
Damarius breathed a sigh of relief as he bowed to the Goddess. "Thank you, my lady. I just pray our connection is strong enough for me to reach Aryiah in her comatose state."
"Don't doubt your bond, Damarius. Aryiah loves you, and those feelings will be what pulls her free of her emotional struggles."
The Goddess dissipated in a swirl of silver smoke as her words wrapped around his heart. Aryiah loves you...
Even though she'd seemed to accept their mated bond, Aryiah hadn't yet said the words. Damarius approached his bed once more, hoping the Goddess was right.
He took a seat next to his mate, reached for her hand, and struggled with what to say. He closed his eyes and found comfort in the motion of his thumb tracing tiny circles over the back of her smooth hand. Releasing his fears, he finally let the words simply spill from his lips. "Aryiah, I love you. I know you're struggling, but please come back to me. We can face anything together, but without you...I don't think I can go on."
As the words hit his ears, he rolled his eyes. They sounded so damn cliché, but they couldn't have been truer. He had no idea how he'd be able to go on fulfilling his duties of protecting the Goddess, leading the wolves, and training The Witches without her. He lived thousands of years without one distraction, but could now only focus on his demise if he were to lose his mate.
A slight buzzing sensation penetrated his mind which put a stop to his downward spiral. He reached up, brushing the hair off Aryiah's forehead, and gently traced a line down her cheek with the back of his fingers. He leaned in and placed a kiss in the wake of his touch. Her cheek was warm, and he found himself unable to pull away. He pressed his lips a little more firmly into the hollow of her cheek and closed his eyes.
Please, baby. Wake up for me.
A small twitch of Aryiah's hand snapped his head up and his eyes open. The positive sign was like a shot of heroin through his veins, causing his heart to race and his mind to spin. He immediately retraced his actions, trying to pinpoint exactly what he did to elicit her response. I touched her cheek, then spoke into her mind. Hoping the latter was the key to her recovery, he tried it again.
Aryiah, squeeze my hand if you can hear me.
To his crushing disappointment, the only response to his mental communication was a slight humming inside his head. He immediately tried his second option, running a finger down her cheek, this time expanding his stoke to include the side of her arm. His heart leapt as Aryiah's hand flinched again, tightening ever so slightly inside of his. A sense of hope flooded his chest. He took a deep breath and continued to run his hand up and down her arm, the motion probably more reassuring to him than her.
With excitement fueling him, he continued to rub her arm, switching from one to the other, then moved to her face, laying gentle strokes across her cheeks and brow. But after a short time, his tender care was still only resulting in the small twitch of her hand.
With his head sagging and hopes crushed, he tried speaking to her through their mind bond once again. Please, Aryiah, if you can hear me, tell me what I must do.
The buzzing in his head had him suddenly berating himself. Dammit, why didn't I realize this before?
It was obvious to him now...Aryiah was the source of the noise in his head. She was trying to respond to him through their bonded link.
Baby, can you hear me? he thought, putting his theory to the test.
The slight tingle in his brain had him celebrating. Even if it was a small victory, it was one more step to breaking her out of this frozen state.
Unable to control his excitement, he leaned down and placed a kiss on Aryiah's still lips. Her hand tightened around his and the buzzing in his head grew to a dull roar. A smile spread across his face as a wicked idea suddenly took shape.
In an effort to increase the passion of their connection, Damarius pressed his lips a little more firmly to hers, and wound his hand through the tangles of her hair. Her response was immediate.
Aryiah's entire arm flinched and the noise in his head sounded as if a swarm of bees had somehow permeated his mind. With excitement and desperation motivating him, he angled his body closer to hers.
&
nbsp; Lying with his chest pressed to her side, he could feel the increased depth of her breathing and took it as a good sign. Aryiah, I think the key to releasing you is to stimulate your senses. Bear with me, my love, as I use our intimate connection to pull you back to me.
With a steady hum in his head and tiny movements breaking out all over Aryiah's body, he was confident he was on the right track. Leaning forward, he kissed her again, lingering just as before. Freeing his fingers from her hair, he felt her breath hitch when he rubbed down the side of her neck, his hand coming to rest on her breast.
Unable to refrain from moaning, he let himself enjoy the feeling of his mate as he began exploring her body with his hands and mouth.
A few moments of kissing and caressing was all he needed to know that his plan was going to work. Her movements had increased and he was starting to hear actual words breaking through the white noise in his head. Words like yes, and more.
Unwilling to waste another second, Damarius used his magick to disrobe them both. His eyes wandered over her beautiful form, his increased desire on the verge of driving him insane.
He moved to kneel near her ankles then slid his hands up the inside of her thighs, parting them ever so slightly. He continued to follow the path until he reached her dampened core. The scent of Aryiah's passion had his nostrils flaring and his pants tightening.
Using the side of his hand, he parted her cleft, which made Aryiah's legs move on their own. In his head Damarius heard, Oh yes...mmm...don't stop.
He followed her silent instruction and sank a finger inside her tight center. The arch to Aryiah's back told him that they were almost there. A little more stimulation and she would come back to him fully.
He added another finger and felt her warm folds tighten around him, then gripped his erection with his free hand. He refused to penetrate her until she could actively participate, but damn it...he sure hoped that would be happening very soon.
He stroked his length as he increased the pace of his fingers, adding his thumb to rub tiny circles over her clit at the same time. It only took a few seconds before both he and Aryiah were writhing on the bed. Her increased mobility was a good sign and had him pumping her faster and faster until the moment the orgasm tore through her body, and she jolted upright screaming, "Yes!"
* * * * *
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
"Oh my god, Damarius," were the words Aryiah purred as she tried to catch her breath.
He watched her eyes as they caught sight of his thickness currently being stroked by his own hand, then he gasped as she quickly replaced it with her own. "Here, let me do that." Her tone was so sensual it had him throbbing at her first stroke.
"No, Aryiah, please. You just came back to me, we need to stop and make sure you're okay."
"Damarius, I've never been better." The feral look in her eyes silenced him. When she added her mouth to her busy hand, he immediately lost sight of all right or wrong. The feel of her tongue circling him had his eyes rolling back in his head and his hips rising from the bed.
You saved me, my love. Now let me show you my thanks. The words swept through his mind, catching on two in particular...my love. Fueled by passion and drenched in bliss, Damarius let himself become lost in his mate.
* * * * *
After hours of making love, Aryiah and Damarius settled into their bed, both completely sated. She relished in the strong feel of him under her as she rested her head on his chest. "It was your touch, Damarius. You are what anchors me to this world. I was so angry, frightened, and confused over seeing Devin that my mind just snapped. With my emotions out of control, Aradia's power overwhelmed me and I couldn't process either of them...my feelings or her magick."
Damarius pulled the silk sheets over them but continued to rub his hand along her back. It felt so reassuring to be in his arms that Aryiah almost felt at peace. Almost.
"What are we going to do about Gage and Devin?" she asked.
"The Goddess' main priority is you, Aryiah. We need to complete your training and make sure something like this doesn't happen again. You have to be able to control Aradia's magick at all times. Even in a horrible, twisted situation like the one with Devin."
She rose up on her elbow and turned to face him. "What happen to Devin? I mean, how did it happen? If Gage was locked up here, how is something like that even possible?"
Damarius smoothed a strand of hair off her shoulder before answering. "I don't know. I assume it's due to one of his enhanced powers. But what I do know is that he plans to use Devin as a way to get to you, and that...we cannot allow."
Not wanting to let her mate down, Aryiah jumped up from the bed. "You're right. We need to start my training immediately. Then, with a boost from Aradia, I'll kick his ass and hopefully save Devin in the process."
The look on Damarius' face as she headed for the bathroom left a sinking feeling in her chest. She knew then there would be no way to save Devin. She was going to have to accept that her friend was truly beyond help.
As Aryiah continued towards the shower she pretended not to see his reaction. She needed some time alone to ease the ache that facing reality had caused. She turned the knobs and let the water run until steam filled the room, then stepped into the enclosure, letting her tears mix with the hot water.
She cried and cried, feeling as if the history between her and Devin was washing down the drain. The person, or thing Devin now was, carried no resemblance to the woman she'd been friends with for the past ten years. That knowledge had slammed into her in the dungeon when she'd been hit full on with Devin's emotions. Devin had been happy about becoming a vampire, and that was something Aryiah would never understand. How could her friend like the idea of killing people and being evil?
She shook her head, unable to process the thought. A surge of frustration was quickly replaced with anger and Aryiah was suddenly motivated to prepare for their next confrontation. Steeling herself against the cold, she wiped her eyes and exited the shower, walking straight into the bedroom. She found Damarius dressed and waiting patiently by the door with a smile on his face.
Holding out his hand he said, "I figured you'd like to go back to your apartment and gather some things, like your clothes and important belongings, before we begin your training."
She smiled at the fact that he must have read her mind and simply replied, "Yes, that would be great."
With a swipe of his hand Damarius clothed her, then wrapped her in his embrace once more. Together, they shaded to her apartment and began to gather her things. It didn't take long to sort through her clothes and throw the chosen items into her suitcase. Next, they headed to the living room, where she started sifting through all her books and pictures.
"What will happen when I complete my rites? I mean, technically I'll be dead, so will people be fed some story and hold a funeral for me or what?"
With a solemn tone Damarius answered, "No, my love. Once you wake as a citizen of Ovialell, everyone who had contact with you in the human world will automatically lose their memories of you. In their eyes, you won't have died, but will simply cease to exist in the folds of history in the first place."
Aryiah dropped the photo album that was currently in her hand. "You mean Rochelle and my ex-husband won't remember me at all? Not even my own mother?"
"No, Aryiah. No one will remember you. You will be wiped from human history so that you can live your eternal life free to move about the realms as the Goddess you truly are."
His words stung but she was happy he didn't try to sugar coat it for her. She gathered her strength, which she now recognized as a spark from Aradia, picked up the picture album, and gently placed it on the coffee table. Taking one last look around her apartment, she sighed and said her mental goodbye to the only life she'd ever known.
* * * * *
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
After narrowly escaping Damarius' grasp, Devin came flying out other side of the portal, landing back in the center of Obsidian with a hard thump
. In a flurry of motion that left leaves whirling in the streets, Devin then sped back to Gage's apartment. Much to her relief, Gage joined her shortly after.
"Oh thank god, you escaped." Devin flew into his arms, not thinking twice about wrapping herself around him. She began kissing and licking her way around his neck, her breasts tightening and her fangs extending.
"Wait," came his sharp command.
"Why?" Devin asked as she continued to rub herself against him.
He grabbed her shoulders and forced her to look at him. Gage stared into her eyes. "Because your Sire commanded you to." His tone was full of menace and impatience.
She wiggled out of his grip and walked towards the mattress on the floor. Lowering herself down to the bed, she stretched out to give him a nice view of her ass. "Color me confused, but I thought we were past the small talk. I mean, you did fuck me and turn me into a vampire already."
"Yes, I did. And that was a mistake." He turned his back to her and walked into the small kitchen. She watched as he began pulling out strange bottles filled with small white shards that looked like tiny bones.
She flew off the bed and moved to stand beside the counter, pretending to watch him work, but really...she just wanted to be close to him. "Why would you say that? Changing me was not a mistake, and I'm sure you don't regret sticking it to me through those bars." She licked her fangs, trying to add to her taunt.
He slammed down a glass container, shattering it on the hard stone. "I never wanted to be a Sire! And for me...I have no idea what it means to have made a vampire while in the dreamscape."
