by Amy Sumida
“I will never forgive myself for taking you into darkness with me,” I whispered. Then, in a stronger voice, I went on, “But you must know that I would do the same for you.”
“What?” The word was a breath of sound.
“I've been out of my mind with fear and anger and regret the whole time you were missing. If Odin hadn't been able to find you, I would have torn apart Texas until I had. I would dive into the abyss for you, Viper. Headfirst, no hesitation. Evil is the least of what I would become for you.”
“Vervain,” he whispered in wonder.
“So, if we are both bound so completely—with love and magic—do either of us enslave the other?” I lifted a brow at him. “Or is it another kind of ownership? A bond of equality. The knowledge that you are utterly mine, but I am no less yours. There is no master here, only happily bound equals.”
Viper laughed boisterously and picked me up. He spun me around and halfway through our spin, his lips found mine. Our kiss went rapidly rapturous but the feel of water on our feet drew us out of it.
“Son of a sugar puff!” I cursed as I broke away from him. “We forgot about the bath!”
Viper ran to turn off the spigots and as he did, I tried out my territory magic on the water. What better time than this to figure out if the water obeyed me too. I held out my hands and lifted them. The water on the tiled floor—and a few inches from the tub—lifted with my gesture. Viper paused at the final spigot to gape at my display.
“Babe, turn off the water,” I said absently.
“Oh! Yeah.” Viper cranked the last spigot.
I drew the water together and moved it to hover above an empty spot near the fireplace. It gurgled together into a trembling amorphous bubble, gleaming gold in the light it collected from the fire. After a few seconds of thought, I decided on a sitting area. I connected with the magic of my territory and transformed the water into an art nouveau set of couch, chairs, and side table. The dark wood was carved to match the designs around the bathroom mirrors and the swirling handles on the cabinets while the fabric matched the shade of green featured on the walls. I let go of the magic and grinned smugly at my boyfriend.
“Well done.” He applauded. “I thought we were going to have to spend the day mopping up the bathroom instead of having wild, makeup sex.”
“Nothing should ever get in the way of makeup sex,” I said in a serious tone. “Especially not wild, makeup sex. If the magic didn't work, I would have insisted on the sex first and then the clean-up.”
“Yet another reason why I love you,” he declared and scooped me up.
Viper carried me down the steps, into the full tub, and set me on my feet in the center. He immediately returned to kissing me, his erection urgent and unavoidable between us. I reached for it, but he grabbed my hands and held them behind my back, nestling his shaft against my belly instead. I pressed closer, undulating against him as I moved my kiss down his neck. Taking the corded muscle between my teeth, I nibbled my way to his chest.
“Should we get soapy first?” Viper asked in a teasing tone.
“I said, sex first, then clean-up,” I reminded him before I dropped into the water, freeing myself from his grip and taking him into mine.
Viper's groan came as a hollow echo through the water, but I heard his cry clearly when I slipped him into my mouth. His hands went to the sides of my face, holding me gently as I worked my lips around him. There was something about being down there, connected to him so intimately and yet separated, that made it feel extra erotic. I lavished attention on him for as long as I could, then finally came up for air.
His face was tight with need. Viper grabbed my waist and tossed me upward so he could catch my ass with his eager palms. I reached between us and guided him in just before he brought me down. The sudden feeling of being filled made my whole body clench. Then Viper started thrusting upward, the water churning around us, and I clung tightly to his shoulders. His hands held me firm for his savage slams and the water took most of my weight, allowing me to lean back a little and appreciate the view of wet muscles, intense eyes, and full lips parted to bare slim fangs.
“Can I bite you?” Viper panted.
I pulled myself up, closer to him, and bared my throat in answer.
“Not there.” His eyes flashed neon.
I started to smiled wickedly and nodded.
A few more powerful pumps and then Viper lifted me into his arms to carry me to the edge of the tub. He stood me on the bench that protruded from the tub wall, and I sat down on the rim above it. Leaning back on my forearms, I shimmied my hips forward as Viper knelt on the submerged bench between my thighs. He pushed my knees wider apart, then drew a hand over my sex, fingers parting, then rubbing. My head fell back in pleasure but I lifted it mere seconds later when I felt his mouth replace his fingers.
Viper stared up at me as he sucked and licked, and I held that intense, peridot gaze. His tongue flicked rapidly over the crest of my sex, sending a riot of tingles up my chest. He reached up to massage my breasts and pinch my hardening nipples, his wide palm sliding from one to the other as if it couldn't decide. My breath quickened and my hips moved automatically, seeking that rising pleasure—needing more. A thick finger slid inside me as Viper moved his mouth side-to-side, using those full lips to his best advantage. Warm, wet tongue dragging slowly over me, his groans becoming another source of rapture. Viper's finger pumped faster, his stare brightened, and my body began to tense—on the verge of release.
When my moans began to shift into screams, Viper struck. Slim fangs sank into my tender flesh as his tongue continued to flick and his fingers thrust. The heat of his venom spread across my belly and upper thighs, burning and stinging but in an oddly pleasant way. Combined with the explosion of my climax, it became nirvana. If I hadn't already been a goddess, I would have thought I'd been transported to heaven. I would have thought I'd just found enlightenment.
As it was, I roared loud enough to shake the floor.
“Come for me again!” Viper demanded as he rose from the water like a sea god—rivulets running off his glorious body—and stood on the bench.
As I continued to tremble through ecstasy, he grabbed my thighs to lift my lower body to meet his. I fell back and he dragged me forward. Upper back pressed to the tiles and hips hanging in midair, I felt a thrill of excitement at my vulnerability. Viper slid home and started a pounding so savage that I couldn't hold myself still for it. My body slid and jerked under his primal attack. My limbs shook and breath soughed across my lips. I pressed my hands to the tiles and tried to find traction. Viper finally climbed out of the tub and slid me backward as he lowered me to the floor. I set my feet to the ground and immediately started shoving up to meet his thrusts.
The Star God bent forward—his forearms holding him above me—and started bucking like a wild thing. His face was drawn into a rapturous rictus and his muscles clenched into stone. My hands went to his ass, urging him even deeper, and then my mouth sought his throat. I ran my fangs along his skin and he shivered.
“Vervain,” Viper groaned. “My star.”
“Almost there, baby,” I panted against his flesh.
“Vervain,” his voice strained.
“Now!” I screamed.
Then, as Viper gave one last shove and started to empty into me, I bit him. His moans turned into a roar, and I smiled against his throat as I drank his blood.
My dragon adores blood, especially from her lovers. It's not just the taste, although it was a savory delight. It was also what the blood gave us—a glimpse into the memories it held. Usually, they were the most recent memories but sometimes, they were of important events that had left their mark. In this case, it was both.
As the taste of Viper's blood rolled over my tongue—as he filled my body and his climactic shouts echoed in my ears—I fell into his memories. I felt the burning sting of shame as he stood before me, trying to find his place in my world and life as I cursed at him. I felt his anger for me an
d himself. I saw myself in his eyes and felt the love that consumed him even while he experienced those other emotions. I felt his pain as he traced away and his despair as thoughts of inadequacy and regret rose in his chest. I crawled through the earth with him, fled through those tunnels, and sought relief from those feelings. Viper had needed something to dominate—something to leave his mark upon and show that he was still powerful. He needed to prove to himself and me that he was worthy of respect and love.
But even as my heart cringed under that onslaught, the memories changed. I saw myself again, this time standing naked in so many ways. Standing before him, baring myself completely. Vowing my love in a way that I had never done before. And I felt Viper's deep gratitude to receive that love—his awe and relief that I was his as completely as he was mine. And over that—through it and him, in every cell of his body—was his love for me that had never once faltered. Not through my fury or his retreat. Not even when he was taken unaware and tossed into a freezer. As his body cooled and his brain slowed, his last thoughts weren't only of regret, they were of love.
The memories withdrew and my eyes cleared to find Viper above me, staring down at me adoringly.
“I love you just as much,” I vowed. “Even when I'm angry or scared, that love is still there. It will always be there.”
Viper blinked in surprise then smiled in epiphany. “The blood.”
“The blood,” I confirmed.
“But I've got so much more to show you, my star.”
And he did. Sweet snake gods, he did.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Viper needed a nap after all of his amorous efforts, but I was wide awake. I slipped into some comfy jeans and a T-shirt, then padded downstairs barefoot—a brave and possibly stupid choice in a home with children. But I didn't have far to go. The sound of little voices and laughter led me outside. I walked across our veranda—which looks like a drawbridge—and down the steps, between the enormous dragon statues: one red and one gold. They were a way for me to pay homage to my fey essence and family, there in the God Realm. A way to have Arach and our boys with me.
“Mommy!” Lesya spotted me first.
Her cry alerted her brother, and Vero turned to shout over his shoulder, “Mama!” He'd been on his way to his father but switched direction to head toward me.
“Babies!” I cried back.
Lesya had remained where she was since she had a prime spot atop the miniature castle I'd built for the children. She stood in a tower like a fairy tale princess and waved at me. I waved back before leaning down to scoop up her brother.
“What are you guys doing?” I asked them.
“We're defending the castle from a pack of savage Froekn,” Zariel declared.
The savage Froekn—AKA werewolves—included Zariel's mother, Trevor, and Vero. Vero bared his fangs at me and growled, giving credence to Zariel's declaration.
“Oh, no!” I cried and set him down. “The werewolves are attacking the castle!”
I went running for the safety of the mini castle while Vero chased me—snarling and clawing at the air.
“Lower the drawbridge!” Lesya shrieked.
“Got it!” Zariel shouted back.
The little drawbridge fell onto the grass with a thud. I crawled across it and through the 3-foot-tall gate, into the safety of the castle courtyard. Zariel yanked up the drawbridge in the nick of time. Seconds later, little werewolf paws were scratching at the wood.
“Nice save!” I high-fived Zariel.
“Good to have you vith us, Tima,” Kirill said drolly.
I looked over and found my lion husband crouching near a wall.
“Hey, baby. Where are the others?”
“Odin vent to Asgard to look for book, but Azrael and Re are at pool vith Intare.”
“They didn't want to help defend the castle?”
“Zey aren't lion or volf.” He grinned. “At least, zat vas zeir excuse.”
“Their loss.” I shrugged.
The walls were a little taller than me, but Trevor could see over them. He winked at me before he scooped up Vero and lifted him above the wall.
“Flying Froekn!” Trevor shouted.
The lions, Kirill and I included, launched foam balls at the wolves—especially the flying one. Zariel scrambled up a ladder to toss her missiles over the wall and Lesya seemed to have a limitless stash up in her tower.
“No fair, Uncle Trevor!” Lesya shouted as she tried to beam her giggling brother with a ball.
Vero growled and batted away the balls as his father ducked behind him.
“Are you seriously using our son as a shield?” I called to Trevor.
“I don't have any free hands.” Trevor grinned lopsidedly. “And he's not complaining.”
“I've got this, Daddy!” Vero declared.
Trevor looked as if he couldn't be any prouder. “Yes, you do, Son. Keep it up. Catch some if you can and throw them back.”
“Okay, Daddy!”
“You'd better get in the other tower, Zariel,” I said as I bent to peer through the arrow slits in the walls. “Uncle Kirill and I will hold the courtyard.”
“Okay, Aunty V!” Zariel ran for the child-sized door in the main keep. In a few minutes, she was up in the tower that matched Lesya's, flinging foam balls down on the invaders. She bopped her mom in the nose with one and screamed, “Take that, you foul beast!”
“Hey!” Samantha grimaced and rubbed at her nose. “You're gonna get it, little lioness!” She snatched the ball from the ground and lobbed it back.
We defended the castle for what felt like hours, then a truce was agreed upon so we could have lunch. The scent of grilled meat that wafted over from the pool may have helped speed up negotiations. After our picnic barbecue, my family spread out on the grass near the pool to laze in the sun, full bellies making them sleepy. But I still had something I needed to do. Something I wanted to get done before Viper left the territory again.
“Mommy, where are you going?” Lesya lifted her head from her father's chest and blinked big blue eyes at me.
“I gotta cast a spell for Uncle Viper. It won't take long.”
“Faerie magic?” She asked. If she'd been in lion form, her ears would have perked up.
“No, baby. Witch magic.” I winked at her.
Lesya sat up. “I've never seen witch magic.”
I blinked. Paused. Considered this. When was the last time I'd cast a spell? In the beginning, there had been only Nick—my gray tabby cat who was currently lying in a pile with Trevor and Vero—my witch magic, and me. I didn't know about my faerie essence or goddess potential. All I had were spells that took time and preparation to cast. Oh, yeah, and a pair of Atlantean claw gloves—my weapon of choice for quite awhile. These days, when I dropped my hands, it was to release dragon claws and when I cast magic, it manifested in moments. But there's beauty in human magic too, a uniqueness, even if it stems from the Fey. I hadn't realized that I missed it. And I'd nearly missed an opportunity to share it with my children.
But I wasn't sure if I could pass on my craft to Lesya. I'd given her a god soul—a single soul as opposed to the two souls I'd given Rian and the three Brevyn wound up with. Brevyn and Rian both had human souls so I could probably teach them to cast spells, but Lesya... I doubted it. Odin studies magic, all magic, but even he couldn't cast a human spell. When he needed to find a traitor among his friends, he had bartered for my help. He had watched me work, but his magic was different than mine—limited to certain abilities—and couldn't assist me.
That was the beauty of witch magic: its restrictions were balanced by greater opportunities. Fey magic is limited by elemental alignment and race—like how Fire Fey have fire magic but only Dragon-Sidhe can shift into dragons. When the Fey bred with humans, their magic was passed down but altered. Witches need tools and items from nature to cast spells. They have to connect with Nature through physical pieces of it since they don't have an element inside them. But with that hindrance a
lso came a benefit—the type of spells they could cast weren't as limited.
“I don't think you'll be able to cast spells, sweetheart,” I said gently. “You're a full lioness; there's no human in you. But, if you want, you can watch.”
“I can't make magic?” Lesya asked in disappointment.
“You are magic, Kotyonok,” Kirill said gently. “Witch magic requires tools and herbs and candles but your magic is a part of you. You don't need any of zat to make magic. All you have to do is call it forth.”
“I guess that's better,” Lesya said in a tone that implied otherwise.
“It is,” I insisted. “That's why I don't cast spells often. They take work and time to manifest, but god and faerie magic are instantaneous.”
