Fueled by Lust: Severus (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Celeste Prater

  “Severus?”

  “Yes?”

  “You don’t have to say it, you know.”

  “Say what, sweetness?”

  “That you love me.”

  Severus’s muscles tightened and he started to turn, but she stopped him.

  “No. Don’t turn around, yet. It’s easier if you stay just like that. I meant it when I said it. I’ve never said it to anyone, except Lina. You don’t have to love me back. No. Don’t move. Just hear me out. I tried not to love you. I really did. You can do so much better than me. But, you kept hanging in there. No matter what crap I brought to your life, you didn’t budge. I thought it happened when you risked your fool neck for me, but I know now when it really happened. It was the damn chicken. You know, that day in the kitchen when your face turned red and you thought I was going to harp on you about the sesame seeds? That was when it happened. I was a goner. I know that women have a tendency to confuse sex with love, but that was just icing on the cake for me. Just because we slept together doesn’t mean you have to say you love me back. It’s okay.”

  “Cassie?”

  “Uh…yeah?”

  “Shut up.” Severus grinned when he heard her swallow hard. He didn’t give her a chance to respond. “Can I turn around now?”

  “Um…yeah. Sure.”

  Severus turned and grabbed her up by the waist and pinned her against the car. Their eyes were level. Hers were wide, but not frightened. “I’ve loved you since the day you poked your head out of your door, you damned, silly female. I didn’t know it then, but I do now. Every instinct in my body was screaming that you were my mate. I kissed your wrist that day, remember?”

  Cassie nodded and chewed on her lower lip. Damn, she was beautiful, he thought.

  “I wasn’t wearing my necklace then. I had thrown it into a box and thought I would be safe from ever having to go through the pain of not finding a mate or discovering she belonged to another. I didn’t want to be like my father and suffer an agony that makes all others pale in comparison. If I had no mate, then I could not suffer a loss. I was fooling myself and lost valuable time with you. Well, that stops right now. I will not waste another day without telling you how much I love you and that I cannot survive without you. You are my heart and I breathe only because you exist. And if you ever say that you are not good enough for me, again, I will turn you over my knee and spank your ass. I am not worthy of you. Get that in your head.” He paused and frowned when he saw her eyes glittering with unshed tears. “I’m sorry, baby. Did I say something wrong?”

  Cassie squeezed her eyelids shut and shook her head vigorously from side to side. When she opened them, he lost his breath. He recognized that look. He saw it in Lina’s eyes every time she gazed upon Drusus. Cassie really did love him. She tried to talk, shook her head, and tried again.

  “I love you so much, Severus. I think I’m going to die from it. I can’t breathe.”

  Severus threw his head back and laughed. This laugh was different from any other he had ever released. Anguish, heartache, pain, misunderstanding, and fear peeled away from his skin like old paint. He wanted to shout his thanks to the gods for hearing his silent pleas. They had gifted him with her and he was thankful. He looked back into her golden eyes and bent close to her mouth. “Then I will breathe for you, baby. Give me that mouth.”

  Cassie grabbed him by the ears and smashed her lips onto his. He sucked her tongue into his mouth and savored her sweet taste. He drank her love down with every caress of soft flesh and whimpered moan. Eventually, their lips parted and they just stared into each other’s eyes, savoring the moment and the meaning.

  Severus closed his eyes and pressed his forehead against hers. “I want to take you right here and now, but we have to go.” Reluctantly, he released her and stepped back. He held his palm out and smiled. “Come, sweetness. Let me show you my world.”

  * * * *

  Cassie looked up at the sheer wall of rock and then back at Lina. “Don’t tell me we have to climb up that thing. If so, I’m going to make a nice campfire and park it here while you guys take your little vacation without me.”

  Lina laughed and shoved her on the shoulder. “No, silly. See that outcropping over there? Yeah, that one with the big boulder that looks like it’s about to roll off the top of the other one. That’s the entrance. We’re here.”

  “Finally!” Cassie plopped down on the ground and leaned against her pack. She smiled up at Severus when he handed her a bottle of water and sat down next to her.

  Severus patted her on the thigh. “We’ll take a little break before we pass through. You okay, baby?”

  Cassie drank half the water and screwed the cap back on. “I’ll live. I just thought I was in shape, but that hike just about killed me.” Cassie looked over to Lina who was happily draped across Drusus as he rubbed her neck. “You guys have to find a better way to get here. No wonder you don’t go home very often. Lina tells me the trail leading back from the other vortex is worse. Why don’t you use a helicopter or something?”

  Drusus nodded his head and glanced over to Severus. “She’s right, and that’s a subject I was planning to bring up with my father. We need to build an underground tunnel for each location. I’ve already drawn a few diagrams that might work. We’d need a secured facility nearby. From there, we drill two tunnels with transport capability to and from the vortex. It would also allow for permanent sentries to guard the gates. We build comfortable accommodations for the guards and add in monitoring and communication equipment.” He turned and looked at her. “We thought of helicopters before, but determined that would bring too much attention with the military. As the amount of warriors traveling here increases, we would begin to look like an airport and that’s the last thing we need.”

  Cassie nodded her head. “Yeah. I didn’t think about that. Hey! Make sure to figure out how you’re going to pull off that big dig without anyone noticing.” She laughed and pointed to Lina. “I know. They can do that thing you saw in your favorite movie, The Shawshank Redemption. Make a hole in your pocket and whistle innocently while you dump the dirt down your pant legs. You’d have a tunnel ready in about…hmmm…fifty years?” Cassie immediately felt like an ass when she saw Severus and Drusus looking at each other and each had a similar frown. “I’m sorry, guys. I was just joking. It’s a great idea. Just ignore me.”

  Drusus quickly looked up, the stern expression gone. “No. It’s not what you think. You are exactly right. It’s a great consideration and should be noted. Good thinking, Cassie. Never hesitate with your ideas.”

  Lina started laughing. “Better watch out, Cassie. Drusus is going to put you in charge now. You can wear a construction hat and stick a pencil behind your ear.”

  Cassie threw a clump of dirt at Lina. “Yeah. And I’d make you my bitch. You’d have to get me coffee in the morning and call me master.”

  Lina giggled-snorted and threw her empty water bottle back, narrowly missing Cassie’s ear. “Like hell I would! I’m pulling rank. I’ll make a decree that all workers have to wear lime-green coveralls since I know you hate that color. You’d be a pasty foreman with a freaking pencil behind your ear.”

  Cassie’s brilliant comeback was cut short when Drusus rolled Lina up over his shoulder and slapped her on the ass. “Quick, Severus. Grab your female before she starts making me laugh. I won’t be able to move for a week.” Lina’s laughter trailed behind Drusus as he headed to the vortex entrance.

  Severus was grinning like an idiot and holding out his hand. “You want a ride on my shoulder or are you coming along like a good little girl?”

  Cassie rolled her eyes and took his hand.

  * * * *

  Whoa! This was a little too freaky by any standard. Cassie followed Severus through a narrow tunnel. He obviously had excellent night vision or he’d taken the path so many times, he knew it by heart. Even with the candle lantern Severus held aloft, she could barely see. She’d asked him why he wasn’t carrying a flashlight
and received her answer when hers went out five feet into the tunnel. He’d said the vortex seemed to suck the life out of batteries. The further they went, the queasier her stomach got. Either she was working herself up to a panic attack, or something unearthly was just around the corner. She was banking on the latter.

  Sure enough, when her fingers began to tingle and her hair started rising on the back of her neck, she knew they’d reached the vortex. She walked cautiously around the corner and was surprised at the dim glow that allowed her to see into the room. She couldn’t see a light source, but it was definitely lighter than the tunnel. It shocked her that she was in what looked to be an ancient ruin. Marbled columns stood on each side of the doorway and at each corner of the enclosure, their finish scarred and jagged with age. Green vegetation had worked its way into the cracks and cascaded to the dirt floor. Severus helped her step over the vines so she wouldn’t trip. She had expected jagged rock walls matching the tunnel, but the boulders had been carved out to form a sizeable room. The scarification appeared old. This wasn’t something that had been recently constructed. The further she moved into the room, the more her stomach swirled.

  “Okay. Tell me this is the worst of it.”

  Lina glanced over and shook her head. “I’m not even going to lie. You’re about to take one freaky ride that even Six Flags would kill to own. At least you’re not bound and gagged on your first trip.”

  Cassie shot her a sympathetic look and Lina grinned. “Don’t worry about it. I’m over it. I’m sort of looking forward to it this time.”

  Cassie pointed back to the tunnel. “I’m curious. You said that the travelers stumbled across the vortex. It’s not like it’s out in the open. I don’t understand.”

  Severus touched her on the arm. “That was a very long time ago. The mountains shifted and enclosed the vortex opening. There were many cave-ins, too. At one point, there was a span of two hundred years when the Insedi couldn’t return home if they left Insedivertus. There were no tools powerful enough to remove the massive rocks burying the site. It was only upon the creation of our lasers that we were able to return and work our way back in. Many Insedi died trying to free the vortex opening. Thankfully, the area was still uncivilized or we would have been under great scrutiny. The Insedi were hesitant to travel away from the home world after that.

  Cassie shook her head. “This is amazing, and a little sad.” She glanced back to Drusus. “Okay. I’ve stalled long enough. What’s next?”

  Drusus smiled. “Avelina and I will go through first. I’m sure my father is waiting impatiently to greet us.” He reached out and clasped Lina’s hand. “Come to me, sweetness. I want to feel you in my arms as we travel.”

  Lina snuggled up to Drusus’s side. “If it’s anything like what you did to me in the living room, I’m game.”

  Drusus laughed and pulled her forward. He shot a glance over his shoulder. “See you on the other side.” He and Lina stepped into what looked like a shadow that wasn’t really a shadow. Whatever it was, their bodies involuntarily bent forward, elongated, and arrowed into the middle of the shape until there was nothing left of them. She couldn’t find the right words to describe it. She sensed the vortex, but couldn’t get her eyes to settle on any defined parameters. When her eyes tried to focus on an edge, the structure moved to another location then returned as soon as her gaze shifted. She gave up trying and reached out for Severus’s hand. “Okay. It’s now, or never.”

  Severus smiled and moved her closer to the entrance. He wrapped his arm around her waist and started walking forward. “Don’t be afraid, baby. I’ve got you.”

  Chapter 30

  “Wait!” Cassie looked up at Severus and winced. “Can I just stick my hand in first?”

  Severus laughed and stepped back. “Of course.”

  Cassie tentatively moved her hand toward the wormhole and gasped as she watched her fingers morph the same way Drusus and Lina had done earlier. Her skin began to stretch and pull outward. She didn’t feel any pain, just a subtle vibration against her skin. She felt like she was standing in front of a fun house mirror as she watched her digits twist and swirl. She snatched her hand back and rubbed her fingers. “They’re cold.” She peered back into the hole and squinted. “I can’t see anything. This is too weird.” Stepping back, she closed her eyes and reached for Severus. “Okay, just pull me in and get this over with.” She felt his arms wrap around her body before he urged her forward.

  Cassie would have gasped, but she had no form. She was pure sensation. There were no eyes to open, no legs to kick, and no bones to break. Her structure was nothing more than a soupy swirl of awareness. “Beam me up, Scotty” flashed across her thoughts and she giggled across her molecules. She sensed Severus as a powerful force surrounding her. Even though she couldn’t see him or speak with him, she was comforted by his presence. If she’d had skin, she would have called his interaction a sensual caress. He moved languidly through her essence and she welcomed him. Opening her mind to the onslaught of sensation, she felt encouragement to test her boundaries and respond back. She willed her spirit to reach out and engage. She was instantly catapulted back to the day in the elevator when she had “fallen” into Severus’s body. It was the same responsiveness and the equivalent awe that encompassed what she could only term as her soul. All too soon, she felt heavy and lethargic. Her body began to reform and her lungs woke to the fact that she should breath. As she heard a loud gasp, she felt strong arms wrap around her body and press flesh against flesh. She felt sorrow and even anger that her body was returning. Her stomach dropped out like she was riding a rollercoaster. She gritted her teeth and clutched the body now holding her firmly to its chest. Her body tumbled and flipped and she grunted when she landed on a slab of hard muscles. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked. Severus was lying on his back with her firmly planted on top of him. He was smiling.

  “Hi, mellis. How did you enjoy the ride?”

  Cassie dropped her forehead to his chest and groaned. “I was okay until I had to come out.” When she heard a husky chuckle that didn’t belong to Severus, she turned toward the sound and stared at a pair of black boots planted inches from her nose. Moving her eyes upward, she blinked at an exact duplicate of Drusus. She knew it wasn’t him because this version was wearing a dark-blue tunic and formfitting, black trousers. This had to be Drusus’s father, Lucien. She couldn’t seem to find her voice. She’d never met an emperor before.

  “Severus, I am a little disappointed in your landing. You are usually more adept on reentry.”

  Severus rolled to his knees and stood, effortlessly pulling Cassie up beside him. He performed a quick bow and placed his fist over his heart. “My emperor. It is an honor to be in your presence, once again.”

  Cassie made a quick sweep of her surroundings and smiled when she spotted Lina grinning back at her. Drusus had an amused look on his face. Cassie realized they’d landed in a tent-like structure. It looked new and was a beautiful shade of green. There were cushioned seats scattered about. She was thankful for the soft brown mat beneath her feet. She would have felt horrible if Severus had injured himself from her tumble out of the vortex. She quickly glanced back up when Drusus’s father moved closer and clapped Severus on the shoulder.

  “Good to see you, too, Legati. No need to be formal. I am here to simply greet my son and his entourage.”

  Severus gave him a quick smile and dropped his hand to grab hers. “This is Cassie Wells. She is my mate.”

  Lucien’s eyebrows rose and he turned to Cassie. She felt her face flush and had difficulty maintaining eye contact. Drusus was intimidating as hell, but he was child’s play compared to this man.

  Lucien took her hand from Severus and placed a light kiss to the back before returning it to a grinning Severus. “It is very nice to meet you, Cassie. I am most pleased to learn that you have tamed our Legati. You must be an exceptional woman.”

  His genuine smile relieved some of her tension and she remembered
her manners. “Thank you. It’s nice to meet you, too. I look forward to seeing your amazing world. Lina says it’s very beautiful.”

  Lucien glanced at Severus then to Drusus. “You must take the time to show these lovely females around first thing tomorrow.” His eyes softened when he looked at Lina. “I’m glad you are here under different circumstances, Avelina. You will only know joy on this visit.”

  Lina grinned. “I’m looking forward to it. Thank you.”

  The emperor looked up at the vortex and frowned. “I was expecting to see Cato. Will he be joining us later?”

  Drusus shook his head. “He was, but he called me late last night. He said there was an urgent matter needing his attention. We did bring the statistical report you requested. It should be sufficient for the council. If they have any questions, they can ask me.”

  Lucien nodded. “Very good. However, Labrax will be disappointed at the lost opportunity to visit with his son. I fear he will threaten to go to Earth in order to speak with his wayward progeny.”

  Drusus snorted. “That would be an interesting sight. Labrax is not known for his lack of temerity. Save me, Father, from having to post multiple warriors to watch his every move. Give him but a few hours in an Austin drinking establishment and we would have the Earth military upon our heads.”

  Lucien smiled knowingly and gave a nod of agreement. He turned and started walking to the door of the tent, his words trailing behind him. “Come. You must all be exhausted. We’ll retire to the palace. Severus, Saturio is looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. He travels from Messinio in great haste. Your father misses you greatly. He will be ecstatic to learn you have mated.”

  Cassie swallowed hard. Crap! I hope he likes me. She followed Severus out the door, completely forgetting she had effectively traveled billions of miles away from Earth. Her thoughts of making an impression on Severus’s father were shoved to the side at the sight before her.