My body flushed with a heaving need for him to hurry up but this was always going to be slow. As my mind became delirious and my body began to pant, I could feel his soft breath against my stomach. His hands curved around my thighs and slid down my legs, lifting them free of my pants. When he placed them to the floor again, I noted that my legs were just a little wider apart and it made me whimper.
“Quiet.” He whispered the warning against my upper thigh.
I didn't want to be quiet, I wanted to vocalise loudly that I was in heaven. But then again, I had to remember that my parents weren't that far away. The cold of the glass and the sobering thoughts had brought me out of the delirium for a moment, with one kiss I was back in the bliss of euphoria. I had to say, being trussed up completely naked against a floor to ceiling window that looked out over a sleeping city was probably the hottest thing I had ever done, or at least, been made to do. And the fact that William was buried in between my legs was even hotter. My body shuddered with the swift peaks of the building orgasm. Like the ebb and flow of the tide it would flow into my body with a skin tingling assault and then slip away for a brief moment. My mind was distracted with the inability to see properly and to touch him. I craved to run my fingers through his hair, to watch those humorous eyes look up at me. William continued, determined to keep going until I got there. I whimpered when his fingers slid inside, massaging and toying until I finally let go.
My body was like jelly, nearly collapsing to the floor. All that stopped me was William pressing his body against me and kissing me. The shirt was pulled away from me, he stepped back and looked at me with carnal appreciation.
“So beautiful.” He whispered with a soft smile. “Your body is flushed from the pleasure, the glow that you radiate is incredibly pleasing to the eye. You are a work of art.”
I was flushed alright, but it wasn't from the pleasure. It was lucky that the only light was from the moon, otherwise he would see the searing blush in my cheeks.
“William.” I softly chastised.
He grinned and shrugged, raising one finger to beckon me to him. I complied willing and far too eager for my own good. I fumbled with his jeans, finding my own hurried need to feel the warmth of his entire body against mine.
“Don't think for a second that I have relinquished control.” He whispered dangerously.
When his pants fell to the ground he grasped my wrists and pulled me to his body, lifting them around his neck. His hands washed over my back, pulling me with him as he stepped aside. As he lowered to me, his lips stopped a breaths distance from mine.
“On your knees on the lounge.”
I wanted to voice my complaint at the almost kiss but didn't, sensing the tension that was radiating from him. He was at odds within his own body, his mind couldn't understand what his heart was yearning for and considering that he was naked in my bedroom, the heart was winning. So I did as he ordered and moved to the lounge, kneeling at the edge. William moved behind me, his hands on my shoulders pressing hard into the flesh. I let out a soft moan, his deep pressure was divine. The fingers let go and slid over my back as he lowered to my ear.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes.” I whispered greedily.
As he gently kissed my ear, I knew he was smiling. He took my hands and brought me forward, making me grip the carved wood edge of the lounge. Delicately his fingers trailed back up my arm, over my shoulder and down my spine.
“For now, here.”
He moved behind me and kissed halfway down my spine. My skin was so sensitive, I shuddered with the touch.
“Later, on the bed.”
William kissed me again, a little lower this time. As his hands gripped my hips firmly, I smiled to myself. He will remember me, I don't care what I have to do to make him remember but I will make him remember.
Chapter Seventy-four
I was wrapped up in his arms as we laid on the bed, the warmth of our bodies pressed together was something that I could never get enough of. He still couldn't remember me but he knew that I was important to him. It wasn't exactly the kind of breakthrough that I had hoped for but it was something.
“Tell me one thing.” He whispered as he held me tight. “Tell me why I do not want to feed off young women any more?”
“Because you know that I will kill them if they touch what is mine. Because you promised to be faithful to me in all things, sex, feeding, everything.” I grinned as I sat up and leaned on one arm, trailing my fingers over his chest. “And because I told you that if you were allowed to feed in such a way, then so was I and you did not like that.”
I looked out the window, seeing the world begin to lighten. Our time together had been slow and needful, exactly what I craved after the past few days. But now dawn was approaching and William was still here.
“Are you staying?”
“Your mother isn't exactly impressed with me, I can't say that she would be overjoyed to find me in her daughters bed.”
“She just wants you to get into the memory pool.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. I sighed as I sat up, pulling the sheet around me.
“Okay, so apologising for insulting her people would be helpful too.”
“I can't stay anyway. The masters meeting has been brought forward because of developments.”
He edged his way off the bed and then turned back. His eyes darted to mine, worry flecked through him. “They know who your father is, the lycans are after you so they can hold you to ransom and remove your grandfather from the throne. You must stay here with the protection that your parents offer.”
William leaned over and kissed me softly. “No more of the boy, you are mine.”
“Prove it.” I whispered and held out my wrists. “I want them back.”
He grinned at me, it was so sweet and so overdue I wanted to crumble into his arms. “A vampire claiming an elven princess, what a scandal.”
“Oh knock it off William, do it or get out.”
He shook his head with a grin, pulling my hands out further. As he opened his mouth he frowned. “Have you taken your father's surname or your mothers?”
“I had to take his or I could never take the throne. Not that I want it.”
William nodded a little ruefully, if I were to take the throne in my parents world it would mean that I wouldn't be here. He would have to give up all that he had in this world and come to mine if he wanted to be with me. But it wasn't something that either of us needed to worry about at the moment, my grandfather was still in his prime and my father was still considered extremely young. I was still a child and until I turned twenty-one I was unable to take the throne any way.
“Elders harken to my words, under the laws and regulations inscribed at the dawn of time, I make a claim of this life. I William Lancaster, elder of the Lancaster dynasty claim the half fae, half elf known as Eliria Trimaine, her fate yet to be determined by me alone.”
I narrowed my eyes at him, as the scowl on my face deepened. He huffed with a grin and rolled his eyes.
“Her fate to be set in stone as my lover for eternity. Broken only by death or my release.”
My wrists burned with the gold vines that snaked their way around my wrists, the dragons roared as they came to life. This time it was different, because he had settled the claim, the vines were more vibrant. The lumps that were the vines were more defined, the flowers bloomed in between the weaving vines.
“How long before your memory goes again?”
He shrugged. “I've managed to keep these memories since… you know.”
I nodded sadly, remembering that horrible moment when he was so cold.
“But I do not know how much longer I will keep them.”
“Are you going to get into the memory pool?”
He rolled his eyes with a cheeky grin. “Yes.” He groaned.
“Good.”
His eyes narrowed at me playfully, his lips pursed together in a long thin line but at the end was a slight curl. The piti
ful attempt at trying to be angry at me had failed miserably.
William leaned in and kissed me softly, unable to hide the grin. “You know what this means, right?” He chuckled a little and kissed me softly again. “I will know if you are out with him, I will know if you are in the same room as him. No more of the boy or I promise you his death will be gruesome.”
“Don't be so melodramatic.”
My phone started buzzing like crazy, I leaned over to my bedside table to retrieve it. As I opened the text from Marty, William got off the bed and started to re-dress.
Hey, hope you're awake and I'm not waking you but do you happen to have company by any chance?
“They can feel it when you've made a claim, can't they?”
William nodded as he pulled his shirt over his head.
Yeah, I'm awake. The local vampire decided to drop in unannounced.
OMG, so we did feel it right! Sooo excited.
I grinned, imagining Marty shrieking and clapping her hands excitedly and Nick looking at her like she was some kind of deranged baboon. William had fully dressed, kneeling on the edge of the bed to kiss me again.
“Stay here, it is safe. Do you understand me?”
I nodded, though I didn't want to be trapped in another house again. Sure it was different and not so creepy, it had lots of cool things to do and play with and it had electricity too but it wasn't an easy thing to do. I had a moment of freedom and I liked it, I didn't want to give it up so easily.
“I should be back before Saturday, Marty was talking about some kind of function here.”
“Hmm, I wonder what that might be.”
The door handle moved and someone tried to open the door, William turned and looked at it. I could hear Willa on the other side complaining about it in her own language.
“Did you lock the door?”
“Of course, I didn't want to be interrupted in my interrogation.”
I giggled as I wrapped my arms around him. He pulled the sheet around me and kissed me.
“I'm going to miss you.” I pouted.
“I know but stay put. For some reason I keep thinking that I need to repeat myself to ensure that you understand. I wonder why that might be?”
I fluttered my eyes at him with a playful pout, just as he was leaning down to kiss me the door finally gave way. Willa stumbled into the room readying to do her morning duties. She stopped dead in her tracks as she looked at us. William was fully dressed thankfully but I was wrapped up in the bed sheet.
“Wampiria!” She shrieked and ran out of the room.
Seconds later my mother stumbled into the room with a sword pointing out as she fumbled for the light switch. Her eyes narrowed at us as she straightened her body, lowering the sword.
“What a pleasant surprise Master Lancaster. Maybe next time you might alert us to your presence so that we can warn the staff.”
“My apologies, Alvarie.”
He bowed slightly as caught sight of my father who was standing at the doorway just as unimpressed. Caught in his little girls bedroom and said little girl was naked, wrapped in her bed sheet.
“Your highness.”
“Cut it out William, in the lounge room now please. Five minutes Eliria.”
William followed my father out of the room, followed by my mother who was trying to hide the smug smile as she closed the door.
He might have said five minutes but the second the door was shut I was in the walk in robe, dressing as fast as I could. I found a pair of jeans and a shirt and a pretty little underwear set, just in case this lecture took too long and he decided to sleep here. I slipped along the corridor, hearing my father who was doing most of the talking.
“You can't even remember her William. How can you sit there and tell me that you have feelings for her when you don't know her, you can't remember the past that you had with her? I accept your apology for your ill thought out words but I cannot give my blessings to a relationship that is so volatile. She is so young and knows nothing of this world, have you even thought of her future? What if she wants to travel, how can you give that to her? And what of her future in her home world, would you give up your life here for her to become queen?”
I leaned on the wall and watched the shadows, listening to my father and his loving paternal rant. He sighed, I could see that he was pacing. The shadow moved back and forth, slowly crossing the wood floors.
“Forgive us William, we only want the best for her. You might be the person that can give it to her but in the past few days you certainly haven't proved yourself worthy. Get into that memory pool, remember her and then come back. Show us that she can live a fulfilling life with you and not be trapped in that house while you sleep the daylight away. Is this the William that she fell in love with? It's certainly not the William I know. Maybe you need to find yourself first before you can consider a life with Eliria.”
Silence filled the room, I wondered what William said to that. Or maybe he said nothing, maybe he nodded. Heart breaking? Yep, it sure was.
“Daylight is almost upon us, what do you wish to do?”
“I have to return home for a masters meeting.”
William's voice was soft, almost like he was lost.
I watched as William walked towards the fire place, he was leaving without giving me a second thought. That was a little crushing. I stepped into the light from the lounge room feeling angrier than I have ever felt.
“You're leaving without saying goodbye?”
The three of them turned back to look at me. William's face said it all, he was agreeing with them. That he couldn't give me a fulfilling life or maybe it was that he would never leave this world for mine if I were to become queen.
“How could you? No matter what you are thinking or how you feel, the decent thing to do is to say goodbye. You didn't even wait to find out what I wanted to do with my life. Did any of you think that I might have been happy sleeping the daylight hours away? That maybe I had no intentions to travel or that I don't want to be queen of a world I've never been to. You don't know me, none of you do. Maybe you all need to get to know me before you go deciding what you think is best for me.”
I turned on my heels and stormed my way back to my room, slamming the door shut hard.
William entered the room, hesitation was on his face as he slid along the wall beside the door. The morning sun was slowly creeping over the floor, reminding him that his time walking the land was coming to an end.
“Forgive me Eliria, my mind is not working as well as it should.”
I nodded and turned back to the view. The sun was starting to coat the buildings in a soft golden glow, shimmering against the glass. I thought that there might be occasions where I would miss this kind of a view if I were to live with a vampire but it wasn't as if I couldn't see the sun again.
“The thoughts of what your father said and being preoccupied with the masters meeting and the rising sun...”
“You forgot me.”
“Momentarily, yes.”
I nodded again, shocked that I wasn't crying.
“I uh... have to go. I have delayed my return home and now I will have to pass through limbo to avoid the sun.”
“Okay.” I whispered.
“Tell me we're good.”
I inwardly smiled at his request. What a turn of events, he was the one wanting to make sure everything was okay, usually it was me. He wasn't the menacing vampire that I had met not so long ago, now that the chant was broken and the burden of his life was slowly lifting, he was changing. I turned to him and offered him a soft smile, noticing he was hard against the wall. The slow creep of the sun was nowhere near him yet he feared it so much it was crazy. I guess I could understand why, it was painful for him if it burned his skin and if he was in it for too long it meant death.
“We're good.” I began to walk to him. “Provided you get in that memory pool, okay?”
He nodded happily even though he was quietly freaking out. I sighed thinking that I
should put the poor thing out of his misery.
“Go home you crazy leech. Call me when you remember me.”
William wrapped his arms around me and kissed me softly, so sweet and perfect that it left me breathless.
Chapter Seventy-five
I wandered back to my view after William left, watching the sun slowly creep through the buildings. There was a soft knock on my door, my mother gently opened it with a sympathetic smile.
“May I?”
I shrugged at her, returning my gaze out over the city. It was an amazing view of what I thought was a tired and dirty city, from up here it looked stunning. My mother wandered to the lounge and settled, watching me cautiously.
“Forgive us Eliria, we only want the best for you. Your father wants for William to give you the best. We know he can, we know that what we ask from him is possible. Do you not wish to separate yourself from Carmella in his eyes?”
I nodded as the tears begged for freedom.
“We want for our only child to experience the love that we have for each other, to know that when she lays beside her love that his mind does not wander to another. Have you asked him if he will come to our world if you were to become queen?”
I opened my mouth to tell her yet again that I didn't want it but she stopped me.
“Imagine a set of catastrophic events that remove your grandfather and father, you would have no choice my love. Even though you are not considered an adult to an elf, you would be placed on the throne without being allowed a choice. Will he follow you? Better yet, will he cope with you being a higher power than he is? Some men cannot handle having a woman in power, what if he is like that?”
Deadly Beasts (The Curse of the Rose Book 1) Page 47
