He no longer cared about his man card. He had willingly handed it right over to her. The only thing he cared about was Serena and keeping her safe. Unfortunately, he thought as he crawled into bed, that also meant that she could never really be his mate. He could never mark her because she already belonged to someone else. Someone she hadn’t even met yet. He had tried to stay away from her at first, but it was not an easy task. Eventually, they had both caved to their desires, and now they were in one hell of a pickle. No one could know. He had to keep their love a secret. When the time came for her to marry that prince, he would let her go and spend the rest of eternity pining for her. But until that day, he planned on spending every possible moment by her side.
CHAPTER THREE
Frankie let her hands drift over the wild daisies in the field she was walking in. She knew almost immediately that she was dreaming, because there were two suns in the sky. It wasn’t unusual for her to dream of this place either. She had dreamed about it at least a dozen times. She headed for the huge boulder that was positioned in the middle of the flower field, as she had done every time before.
In her dreams, she would sit on the massive rock and meditate. Often the answers to whatever was bothering her would come to her in her meditative dream. She knew there was much bothering her as of late, so she did what she had always done before in the dream.
When she reached the boulder, she saw how the moss had grown and was creeping up the side of the rock. There were even little blue flowers growing out of it. She loved how her dream place was always the same, and yet it changed as if it were as real as her home in LA.
Frankie climbed up the rock and sat in the middle, where the stone was flat and just the right size for her. She crossed her legs, tucked her feet underneath, and closed her eyes. She pulled air into her lungs slowly and deliberately. In. Out. In. Out. The steady breathing technique helped her to relax her mind, and she tilted her head back so that she could feel the dual suns’ rays on her face. There was so much going on lately; so many things that required attention. Leigh and the new baby were one. No one really knew what kind of magic, if any, little Toni would have. At just under a month old, the baby seemed as normal as any other baby. The only exception was the golden skin in her hairline. It was the same baby soft as the rest of her skin, but looked like precious metal, especially in the light. She ate like any normal baby. She nursed from her mother at regular intervals, burped and filled her diaper just as regularly. But her parents were anything but normal. Leigh was the last living dragon on Earth, and Rebel was a vampire.
Or at least, he used to be, before they mated. Leigh’s magical blood had changed him. Now he was something in between vampire and dragon. He still had the blood need of a vampire, but he was gifted with many of Leigh’s powers as well. Like resistance to sunlight, eating regular food, and let’s not forget flight.
The family had asked Frankie to do a blessing for the baby, as well as a spell to show her powers. Frankie had agreed to do so, but kept putting it off for one lame reason after another. This brought her to the biggest problem at hand; Frankie hadn’t felt her Goddess since she had been changed into a vampire.
She didn’t regret becoming a vampire. Jacque had turned her to save her life, and without his quick thinking, she would be dead instead of mated to the man she loved more than anything. But Frankie also had great faith in her Goddess and her Wiccan powers. She doubted that her Goddess would abandon her for cheating death. At least, she hoped she wouldn’t.
Frankie couldn’t help but wonder though. She hadn’t been able to pull off even the simplest of spells since waking up to her new life. She hadn’t mentioned it to anyone except Jacque, and that was only because she couldn’t hide anything from him. Even if it weren’t for the strong mental connection they shared, she wouldn’t want to. She had wasted way too much time denying him in the past.
But the rest of the family didn’t need to know. They had their hands full of Gage right now. And that was another of the problems clouding Frankie’s mind. Gage had gone off the deep end from what she could tell. He had completely and totally locked his family out of his head. Every night he left the estate, only to come home just before dawn smelling of some cheap whore. Of course, everyone had their own ideas about what he was up to, but unless he wanted them to know for certain, no one had anything concrete.
As far as mental communication, and mental blocking, Gage was the expert. That was his exceptional gift. Angel had been gifted with diplomacy, charisma, and leadership skills. Sebastian was good at working the public and could plant a suggestion now and then if needed. Antonio had a knack for explosives when he was alive, and Rebel, well, he was damned good at pissing people off. Jacque had a flair for science. He served as a chemist as well as the family doctor. But Gage… His talent was exceptional. He had trained his family to communicate telepathically and trained them how to block their thoughts from others. He taught them to shield themselves from anyone who wished to invade their minds.
This meant he was impenetrable.
If only Frankie could use her witchy powers, as Gage calls it, to help him with what he was going through.
If only Frankie could use her powers, period. She let out a long sigh. This wasn’t working. Hell, she was even stressing in her dreams.
Just as she unfolded her legs and prepared to jump off the boulder, she heard a voice. At least, she thought it was a voice. She cocked her head to the side and listened harder.
“My child,” it said, nothing more than a whisper on the wind.
“I hear you,” Frankie said softly. She smiled. She felt the warmth build in her chest and knew what that feeling was. It was the same feeling she would get when she prayed to the Goddess for guidance.
“My child,” the wind said again.
“I’m here!” Frankie said louder, jumping to her feet on the large rock. “I’m here!” She bounced on her feet like an excited child. The wind picked up and tossed her hair around her face.
And then, only a few short feet away, she saw it. It began as a gentle light, blurry and out of focus.
Frankie slid down the rock and approached it, unafraid. “I’m here,” she continued to say.
As she got closer, the image became clearer. When she was only about two feet from it, the image became clear, and it took Frankie’s breath away.
A woman stood before her. Her hair was golden blonde and hung down to her ankles in deep waves. It reminded Frankie of corn silk. The woman’s eyes were deep sea blue, set under perfectly arched eyebrows that were only a shade darker than her hair. Her lips were full and rose red, high cheek bones, and perfectly white teeth shone when she smiled slightly. She was the same height as Frankie, but seemed so much bigger. She was the most beautiful thing Frankie had ever seen.
“Hello my child,” the woman said again. Frankie realized she had been standing there gawking at her.
“Hel, hello,” she managed to fumble out of her mouth.
“Do not fear me,” the woman said.
“I am not afraid,” Frankie breathed.
“Do you know me?” she asked softly. Frankie nodded like a bobble head doll.
The woman chuckled and it sounded like wind chimes in the breeze. “I am called many things. You know me as your Goddess. Some call me by my given name, but it is much too complicated to pronounce. My friends call me Azerial. So may you.”
“Azerial,” Frankie repeated, still staring at her wide eyed.
“You have come here to this place in search of answers,” Azerial continued. “I have come to grant them to you.” Frankie wanted to know so many things, but at that moment, not one question left her lips. She couldn’t even really form a coherent thought about which to ask first. Her brain was moving a million miles an hour and her consciousness couldn’t keep up. What was going on with Gage? What about Toni? What happened to her powers? Had the goddess forsaken her because she was now a vampire?
“I cannot spell it all out for you,” Azeri
al said with a slight smile. “But of course, we have not forsaken you child.”
“We?” Frankie asked.
“Yes, we. There are many of us. I am the Goddess of Earth. There are also the goddesses of fire, water, time, and space. I speak on behalf of us all.” “Oh,” was all Frankie could manage to say. Never had she imagined there was more than one Goddess. She was going to have to do some research when she woke up from this weird but lovely dream that has left her dumbstruck.
“We have not left you,” Azerial continued, breaking Frankie’s train of thought. “It is, in fact, you who are lost. You have lost the inner connection your soul has with your gifts. You must repair this connection if you are to regain use of your gifts. We are still with you. We believe in you as you have believed in us for so long. Fear is your enemy. Conquer it, and you shall know peace.”
“I don’t understand,” Frankie said.
“You will, when the time comes,” Azerial answered. “As for your family, I cannot explain to you what will be, only that all will work out as it is planned. Everything for a reason and a reason for everything.
You must have faith.”
“Thank you,” Frankie said softly.
“I assure you, gratitude is not necessary. Iron your will for the days coming ahead. Your family needs your strength to build their own. You are more powerful than you know.” Azerial embraced Frankie in her arms and she felt herself melting into her. The goddess smelled of wild flowers and the breeze after a rain. She thought she could stay in her embrace forever, but then the goddess said, “Now, you must wake.”
Frankie jerked upright in her bed. She took a moment to search her surroundings before deciding that she was, in fact, in her room. She had been dreaming. But it had seemed so real!
“What is it, Love?” Jacque rumbled beside her as he sat up as well. “Why are you crying?”
Frankie touched her face and noticed that her cheeks were wet with tears. She smiled and faced her husband and mate. The steel ring in his brow glinted in the dull light of the room and it made her smile.
“I was dreaming.”
“I don’t like dreams that make you cry,” he said, drying her face with his fingers.
“This was a good one, I think,” Frankie told him. She then told him every detail she could remember from the dream, including her conversation with Azerial.
When she was finished, Jacque cocked his head to the side and smiled that crooked grin that Frankie loved so much. “Perhaps, there is hope for you yet, Cherie.”
CHAPTER FOUR
Rakimesh opened his eyes, but did not move. He was certain he heard someone talking to him. He focused his attention on the two women who had graced his bed the night before. They were both still sleeping soundly, tangled up in each other’s limbs. Perhaps one of them had talked in their sleep? He used his Fey powers to sense everyone in his home. He knew he heard a voice and it was not one that was familiar to him. He felt every person in his palace from the cooks to the maids, and the rest of his servants as well. All of his women were in their rooms, and it seemed all was as it should be.
Perhaps he was losing his mind. He had heard a voice before, but it was distant, like a dream. This time, he heard it loud enough to wake him. He pushed the sheets off his legs and carefully stood. He moved gently, so as not to wake his sleeping beauties. He pulled on a pair of soft, white, sleeping pants and paced his room. He ran his hand through his dark hair repeatedly and rubbed his eyes, as if it would clear the fog in his mind.
He had no business hearing voices. He was a prince for god’s sake! He couldn’t discuss this episode with anyone, not even his most trusted advisors; for a prince with mental issues did not remain prince for long.
She will never love you, the voice said again, this time loud and clear. Rakimesh spun around to see where the voice came from. Of course, no one was there. The voice was female and from the sound of it, a young female.
“Who, dammit?” he cursed softly into the air.
Her heart belongs to another, the voice said again. Rakimesh growled in frustration as he paced his bedroom.
“Who are you?” he demanded in nothing more than a whisper. “What do you want from me?” He waited, but the owner of the voice clammed up tight and said nothing more. He knew there would be no more discussion because he felt a small sense of loss, as if the lines of communication were broken.
This was ridiculous. He was a fucking prince. Prince Rakimesh Adeer of Reemlock. He was one of the most respected and feared Fey on the planet! It perturbed him greatly that someone, and obviously it was a ‘someone’, dared to sneak into his mind and try to make him doubt. Hell, he didn’t even know who the she “who would never love him” was! Everybody loved him. He gave them no choice. Anyone who had ever opposed him had been dispatched quickly and without mercy.
So maybe he was a bit of a hot head. He didn’t get where he was in life by playing nice. He liked his battles bloody and his women hot. Boy did he have women. He had a full harem at his disposal any time he wanted. Of course, his women were never forced into his bed. They all came willingly, and he returned their affections by allowing them to live in his palace, without wanting for anything. He supplied them with beautiful clothing, jewels, and just about anything else they wanted.
His army was strong and they followed him without question. They fought for him and died for him, and they did it because not only did he rule with a strong hand, but a fair one. He was never anything but respectful to women and he respected the men in his clan as well. He dealt with rule breakers swiftly and harshly, but it got the point across, and there were rarely occasions to administer punishment anymore.
His clan was a happy one in general, and that was why he was so loved. He cared for the sick and the poor humans that lived near his clan by supplying food, medicines, or money. He not only looked after his own, but those who were nearby as well.
It wasn’t only because he had a heart. He did not want the humans to go looking for things and risk them stumbling onto their home. Their clan lived in the desert, and for the most part nature took care of hiding it from plain sight. He also had a cloaking spell that insured if anyone who wasn’t invited came too close, they would feel the need to walk the other way. They would feel a sense of confusion and change direction. It was an effective spell, but a confused human in the desert was as good as dead. He relished killing when necessary, but he didn’t want any innocent deaths on his hands.
He looked back at his bed once again. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Delia and Catrina were still sleeping soundly. Delia had been in his bed more often lately, and he knew that he preferred her company above the others in his harem. He could not play favorites though, if he were to remain fair to the women. He always allowed them to decide who would share his bed and it had worked out well so far.
He reached down and took a stray bit of her long black hair between his fingers. He loved how it felt when it brushed his thighs when she was on top. He loved the look in her eyes when she came for him. She was a firecracker and she knew it. She never failed to make him beg when they were together. He was going to have to make sure she continued to his bed after his impending marriage. He hoped his new bride would be willing to accept his women and him as they were. But what if she did not? Could he really deny his wife happiness? He didn’t really know anything about her except that she was a princess from an American clan and they had been promised to each other at birth.
He knew that he would be as faithful as his wife required, and he knew he could give up his harem if need be. But his heart sank as he looked into Delia’s sleeping face and thought of giving her up. He would just have to convince his new bride that she was a necessity. No, he would not be giving her up, and his wife would just have to accept that.
CHAPTER FIVE
Serena knew her mother heard her sneaking in early that morning. She went immediately to her room and stripped off her dress that had been dirtied by the forest floor when
she and Gage had been making love. She needed to shower before her mother smelled the sex and sweat on her. It wasn’t that she had to remain a virgin; that wasn’t something the Fey prized. Sex was something they did well and often. What Serena feared was that her mother would know who she had been with.
A sigh escaped her lungs as she thought of Gage. He was perfect in every way; from his tall form and wide shoulders, to his long legs and large feet. He had the most beautiful eyes. They were bluish, a cross between blue and green. The color depended more on his mood than anything. She noticed that when he was angry, they became almost electric blue, and when he was happy, they were a sky blue. When he was turned on, they were nearly green. The fact that they were framed by long, thick lashes only added to their beauty. His face was round and boyish in its appearance, especially when he smiled.
Serena still didn’t understand the pull Gage had on her. She had felt it the very first time she laid eyes on him. He had been injured, unconscious and bleeding to death on the kitchen table in his home. His brother had been furiously stitching a huge gash in his chest together in a desperate attempt to stop the blood loss. Serena saw Gage lying there, helpless and injured, fighting for his life, and she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt. Her family had helped to do this to him and it was because of a lie.
She had lent a hand that day, and a spell to aid in his healing, while Jacque worked his magic. The moment she had touched her fingers to Gage’s forehead, she felt an unmistakable connection to him. She could only describe it as a “zing.” It traveled up her fingers, up her arm, and spread throughout her entire body, filling her with a sense of warmth and belonging. It also filled her with such a powerful desire for him that she had to lean on the edge of the table to help support her body, because it made her knees weak. She had kept the feelings to herself, for more reasons than one. Not only was it a very bad time to recognize those feelings, and there was a war going on, but she already knew about the prince she had been promised to. She had no right to have any kind of feelings for anyone.
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