by Fawn Lowery
He felt immensely pleased at her words. He looked down at her. She was growing very dear to him. He caressed her cheek, skimming a fingertip lightly across the arc. He would never have believed he was capable of falling in love in his vampire state.
“It pleases me that you are so attuned to me, my dear.” He leaned down and brushed his lips across hers, igniting his senses with the thought of taking her there on the beach with the threat of a storm on the horizon. He raised one hand and cradled her left breast. Her nipple thrust against his palm.
Miriam laughed softly and covered his hand with hers. “Your thoughts of sex arouse me.” She reached a hand to his crotch and covered his cock.
“I would rather fuck you than feed when my blood lust is greatest.” He pushed her top off her shoulders, baring her breasts. With eager hands, he stroked her flesh, rolling her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers. A shuddering sigh left his throat as he lowered his hands to her hips.
Miriam sighed and released the snap on his jeans, then pushed them low on his hips. His cock sprang through the opening. She cradled it in her palm, drawing a shiver of arousal from him.
He lifted her skirt up around her waist, then slid his hand between her legs. She giggled and spread her legs, giving him consent to play with her pussy. He stroked her hair-roughened lips, delved a finger between them and found her clitoris.
She wiggled her hips at his first touch, pushed her crotch against his inquiring fingers.
He rubbed her sensitive nub with his fingers, making her moist and aroused. She closed her hand around his cock and began to move her fist up and down, setting a rhythm that soon enticed him to move his hips back and forth, pushing his cock against her clasped hand.
“Your cock feels good in my hand.”
“Your pussy is hot and inviting. I love to play with it.” He pulled her close, kissed her passionately, then lay her down on the wet sand where they stood. He rammed his cock inside her moist passage and began to thrust.
Miriam giggled and dug her nails into his buttocks. “You are very eager tonight.”
“I want you, Miriam. I want to give you pleasure with my body.” She hugged him close, kissing his cheek as he plunged his cock into her cave. The orgasm shook his insides, shot along his limbs like a hot bolt of lightning, filling his senses with exquisite sensations. He held Miriam tightly and savored every minute tingle the act brought about.
“You give…me much pleasure…Duella. I…am reaching my time. Ooooh! It…is wonderful!”
Duella nuzzled her neck and kissed her mouth while she enjoyed her climax. When at last, she stilled, he rolled to his side and stared up at the black sky. The sound of the water came to his ears. Thoughts of Drucella filled his mind. He groaned and raised one hand to brush across his face. Why must I be tormented with the witch and her strange army of beings?
The amulet rolled off his chest and plopped against the wet sand, drawing his attention.
He glanced down, amazed to see the amber gem clearly through the murky darkness. He picked it up and wiped the grainy sand from its faceted surface. He sat, realization coming to his mind. He stared at the gem, then rolled it around in his hand.
“What is it?” Miriam sat up at his side. “Did the amulet do something?”
He glanced at her, his brow furrowed. “Why would you ask such a thing?”
“It’s plain to me that the amulet is the cause of your problem with the witch. She claims it belongs to her, yet you refuse to give it to her.”
“I cannot remove it from my neck, Miriam. Even if I wanted to give it to her—I am unable to.”
“Then it’s obvious to me that the amulet wishes to remain with you.”
He considered her words for a moment. He held the jewel before her eyes. “It’s only a stone. It has no ability to choose who possesses it.”
She took hold of his shoulders. “It’s a mystery to you, Duella, so how can you be certain it’s only a stone?”
He released a long sigh. “Its power comes from the dark one.”
“It’s a bewitching stone. I have heard of such things. The dark one bestows the object to someone of his choosing, then manifests its powers. You have but to make a request and the stone will fulfill your wish.”
He shook his head. “That doesn’t seem to be the case with this amulet.” He proceeded to tell her how he had taken the amulet off the witch’s neck and placed it on his own immediately after he took her life. Even in the inky blackness, he could see the shock and dismay on her face. “That was many centuries ago. The coven was destroyed, the witches cast into the fire.”
“Yet Drucella lives today.”
“Yes. She is more than a mere witch. She is a Gideon—an evil spirit that can only be destroyed in a single manner. And I don’t know what that manner is.”
Miriam caressed his cheek. “The amulet is a weapon of destruction, Duella.” She got to her feet and gathered her clothes from the sand. She shook out each item and dressed. “The sex brought back my appetite. I’m going to grab a bite.”
Duella sat in the sand and watched her back as she walked toward one of the few remaining beach houses along the shoreline. The amulet lay in his palm. He brought his gaze back to it, his mind trying to understand Miriam’s comments. He rose and pulled on his clothes. He had gotten so caught up in thoughts about the stone that he had let Miriam leave his sight. He had forgotten his promise to keep her close by his side.
He hurried from the edge of the water, catching sight of Miriam as she entered a house through a glass door facing the water. He approached the house and stood near the door, seeing Miriam inside. She approached a figure sleeping in a wide bed and leaned over the form, feeding. He watched and waited, aware that she was still feeling the effects of the stake Drucella had driven through her heart. Her blood loss had been great. He had almost lost her. He gritted his teeth.
Why can’t I figure out the secret of the amulet and destroy that fucking witch? He grasped the amulet in his fist and yanked it from his neck.
Startled that the talisman was dangling loosely in his grasp, he stared at it gleaming brightly on the end of its chain. It swung erratically before his eyes. He stared at it and considered his feelings at having successfully removed it from his neck. He couldn’t say that he felt any different, any less immortal than he was, or any less worried that Drucella was out to end his existence. He ran one hand through his hair.
“Let’s go back to the mansion and—” Miriam paused her words when she saw the amulet swinging from his hand. She swiped a forearm across her lips, wiping away the smears of fresh blood. “You took the amulet from around your neck?”
He nodded, his thought consumed with her earlier words.
The amulet is a weapon.
He closed his fist on the gem. “I have a date with the witch.” He kissed Miriam on the lips. “Return to the mansion. I’ll be along shortly.”
She caught at his sleeve as he started to take to the air. “I’m coming with you.”
Chapter Twenty
Recalling what he learned from the old book in the library, Duella returned to the cemetery. The last time he had encountered Drucella and her army of Gideons, he had done so in the graveyard. Miriam was close at his side. He felt her uncertainty and a strong measure of courage. After Drucella’s vicious attack on her, she was determined to be a part of her destruction. He felt bolstered by her presence, and a bit apprehensive despite her show of courage. He would never forgive himself if anything horrible happened to her. Cautiously, he raised the fist holding the amulet over his head, gazing into the sky.
“Drucella! Show yourself!” He waited for the pinpoint of light to appear in the blackness, as it had previously, revealing an opening to the Gideons’ underground sanctuary. If he were going to destroy the witch and her army, he would have to do so on her hallowed ground.
He issued the summons again, this time with a bit of rage attached. He had grown tired of being on the lookout for the evil crea
ture and her gang of imps. He was ready for a showdown. “I hold the amulet in my hand. Come and get it!”
The earth beneath his feet vibrated, rippling and swaying in a rolling motion that nearly knocked him down. Miriam screamed and clutched his sleeve, trying to gain her footing. The clouds in the sky gathered in a black mass, merging and lowering to the earth. He clutched the amulet and waited, his keen gaze searching the darkness.
A violent tremor shook the earth. A loud clap of thunder rumbled overhead. Raindrops pelted the ground. Duella held his fist aloft and issued the summons for the third time in a loud voice. “Drucella! Show yourself!”
The earth splintered just in front of his feet, rolled upward, pushing the earth into a mound. He clutched the amulet and waited. The hair on the back of his neck stood straight up in warning. He jerked his head to one side, expecting to see the witch or any number of her cohorts.
A light appeared unexpectedly, pale white and shining overhead through the night sky. It drew closer and hovered over the spot where the earth had splintered and formed a tall mound. The light changed from white to amber, then drew closer to Duella. He sensed the witch, and her army. And he sensed Miriam’s fright. His gut knotted all of a sudden.
She appeared all at once, a blurry vision that grew as tall as he. She hovered in the air, as though suspended on a string, staring at him. A fierce look spanned her face as she settled to the ground mere inches from his body.
He sensed the hate she harbored for him. It both mystified and amused him. She stretched out one hand toward him, her gaze locked with his. Her eyes were burning embers set deep in her skull. He held her gaze and displayed the amulet in his grasp for her to see.
Her eyes lit up, making her face glow with a strange amber shine. She licked her lips as though they were parched.
“You are eager to have the talisman.”
She glanced at him, her eyes leaving the gem only for an instant before she returned to stare hungrily at it. “Give it to me.” She reached out her arm, opening her hand. “Lay it in my palm.”
“Tell me why it is so important to you first.”
She hissed at him. “Give me the stone.”
He shook his head. His amusement grew. His courage rose. He cast a quick glance at Miriam. She had inched closer to his side, a smile on her face. He felt her urge for revenge against the witch.
“You are a foolish leech. You suck the life from the mortal. You lay with whores. You foolishly think you can command me.” She sneered. “You are no longer the master of the talisman—even though you hold it in your hand.”
“Reveal its value to you—and I will give it to you.”
Her body shook, the light she stood immersed in quivered, paled, then faded altogether. She stood before him, her body draped in a long dark gown, her face a mask of hate and revenge. She held her chin high, defiantly, as she held his gaze.
Duella felt her reluctance to divulge the secret of the amulet. Her unwillingness only proved his suspicions about the gem and her need of it. He closed his fist, making her grimace. She took a step toward him and raised one hand, as though she were contemplating casting a spell that would send him soaring into oblivion.
Miriam leapt to his side, her teeth bared, her clawed nails extended.
Duella raised a hand, halting Miriam’s defensive move to protect him. His heart surged with the show of concern and the need to aide him, however, Miriam’s abrupt display of protection toward him, only intensified the angry look on Drucella’s snarling face.
“Send the whore away!” Drucella spat, her arm rising higher in threat.
“Perhaps you don’t want the gem after all, Drucella.” Duella lowered the hand clutching the gem to his side.
“The gem is mine!” Her eyes blazed with fury. She stepped closer to Duella. “You do not know what you ask, vampire. You demand to know my secret—but it will do you no good. I am stronger than you.”
Duella nodded his head. “Vampires have very limited powers. We cannot cast spells or vanish into thin air. We cannot stand the daylight. The sun is certain death. But you know all my secrets, Drucella.” He forced a smile, just to rile her temper further. He showed her the jewel lying in his palm. “I know that the power of the gem comes from the dark one.”
Drucella hissed. “The dark one—he is not the only power to possess the stone.” She paused, looking intently at Duella.
Miriam moved at his side and he felt a strange surge of kinship with her. She touched his arm and leaned close to his ear.
“Drucella’s army is closing in fast, my love. Be on guard.” She turned, positioning herself at his back.
The approach of the Gideons made sense to him. Since the dark one had a rival for the possession of the stone. Drucella could only mean that the Gideons had once possessed it. That would explain their eagerness to have it.
“The Gideons used to possess the stone?” If his suspicion was correct, Drucella needed to get her hands on the talisman before the little creatures arrived and fought with her for it.
She held her head high. A look of intense pride shone on her face. “I am queen of the Gideons. They are my people.”
Duella laughed. “They are your slaves.” He closed his fingers around the stone. “Perhaps they want the stone so they can destroy you and free themselves from your tyrannical rule. Perhaps I should hand the gem over to them.”
A flash of rage engulfed her features. She darted her eyes from side to side.
“They come, Duella.”
He heard Miriam’s quiet words and realized that Drucella was terrified of their coming.
She reached out her hand, urging him to place the stone within. “Give me what is rightfully mine, vampire, before I cast you into oblivion!”
The Gideons surrounded them, closing in quickly to crowd against their queen.
Drucella pushed them back, kicking her feet at their short bodies. “Go away! You have no business here.”
“Give us the talisman, vampire. Give it to us so that we can destroy the witch.”
Miriam growled and lashed out, slashing three of the tiny beings as they tried to grasp Duella’s arm. They screamed and bounded through the air. Hitting the ground with audible thuds, they rose up and scurried away.
Others began to push and crowd, eager to have the amulet. Drucella drew closer, her clawing fingers reaching out for the necklace.
Duella’s keen senses were alert to the ruckus, the pushing little beings and their queen inching forward in an attempt to snatch the gem from his fist. He heard the thrashing blows Miriam landed against the beings when they got too close. She was an admirable warrior.
He sensed Drucella’s temper flaring. The Gideon army was scuffling among themselves, each trying to get closer than the other in order to grab the gem. Miriam continued to throw crushing blows at the beings, sending them flying into the air and falling aimlessly to the ground.
Drucella whirled round. The Gideons scattered, rushing back in fear as their queen raised one arm and cast a spell over them. Lightning flared, a clap of thunder sounded overhead. The Gideons screamed and cowered, covering their heads with their hands.
Duella watched the demonstration of power. He was overcome with the urge to squeeze his fist around the amulet. He held the fate of the Gideons in his hand—and Drucella’s future. It was time to destroy them both.
Drucella turned her threatening gaze on him. She strode toward him, a sneer on her face. “Your time is up, vampire. I will beg you no more.”
He felt the amulet crack within his grasp.
Drucella halted her advance on him, her face paled. She raised one arm, ready to cast a spell of death against him.
He squeezed the gem tighter, feeling it splinter into tiny pieces. He raised his arm and threw the fragments into the sky. A shower of sparks rose upward, spraying overhead in a torrent of amber shards.
Drucella screamed and fell to her knees.
The Gideon army clutched their heads and fell on thei
r faces.
The shower of amber shards swirled over their heads, sparked brilliant in the black sky, then began to flame. They sprayed across the Gideon army. The beings screamed and withered, grew smaller as they kicked their legs and clutched their big heads. Their flesh began to disintegrate, burning beneath the shower of sparks.
The bodies disappeared, screaming in outrage as they withered and shrank. Drucella looked on in horror, then turned as though to flee. The sparks rose up from the remains of the Gideons and soared around Drucella. She screamed and covered her head. She yelled curses and tried in vain to cast a spell to stop the sparks. They descended around her, closed in, burned her clothes and seared her body. She screamed and ranted while she tried to fight off the consuming sparks. They penetrated her body, ate at her flesh, tore her limbs away. She collapsed on the ground, a withering heap that dwindled and dwindled until only a wisp of black smoke rose upward, disappearing in the sky.
The sparks rose again, swirled, gathered, hovered, then rose into the sky.
Duella stared at the sparkling dots as they quickly disappeared in the darkness. When they were out of sight, he looked round at the barren ground. There were no remains of the Gideon army or Drucella. He stooped and examined the spot where she had disappeared, withered and consumed by the golden spray.
Miriam clutched at his arm.
He rose and hugged her close. “At last, we are rid of Drucella. She is destroyed.” He didn’t fully understand what he had just witnessed, except that both the Gideon beings and the witch prized the amulet. Either one of the entities could have destroyed the other—had they gained possession of the gem. Luckily, his anger rose at the appropriate time, giving him cause to squeeze the jewel and break it so its powers were released. He combed one hand through his hair. He’d miss the mysterious help the amulet had given him. He looked down at Miriam. “We’re free to start over. The evil spirit has been destroyed forever.”
She smiled at him. “We can sleep without being scared of attack.”
