Forbidden Alliance: A Werewolf's Tale (Forbidden Alliance Trilogy)

by Ayusso, Danae

  Somehow the mortality issue will work out…we will figure it out together. Thankfully we do not have to deal with it at the moment. The naked woman under me is my only concern at the moment, and showing her just how much I love her and cannot be happy without her love is my only concern for now…possibly for always.

  Jay Dee had truly bewitched me.

  That wasn’t what I was planning on doing for my birthday, or any time soon for that matter, but it was…worth the wait.

  Feeling Tanis’ velvety hands caressing my body, his mouth exploring every inch of me was….it was beyond Heaven.

  My parents were going to kill me when they found out, that I was pretty damn sure about. They might disown me while they were at it. Jarvis would be disappointed and might attack Tanis if the opportunity presented itself, but at that moment I didn’t care. I could deal with all that and the drama later. Hearing my name murmured from Tanis’ beautiful lips, hearing him say I love you while we had sex…

  It was worth it and then some.

  I didn’t know what in the hell I was supposed to be doing, or how to do it exactly, but Tanis never complained or laughed. He was tender, gentle, and treated me as if I were delicate glass…that was slightly annoying at first, until he pushed onward, and then I was grateful for his delicateness; it hurt like hell at first, and he apologized and looked as if he was going to start crying when I gasped in pain. Once the pain subsided, it returned to being that sensual and beautiful moment shared between immortal lovers for the first time.

  Never did I imagine that I could be so hopelessly in love with someone. Love was such a simple thing, and it truly was effortless, but what it did to my body, mind, soul, and senses was beyond anything I could have ever imagined possible.

  I had honestly never felt that happy in my entire life.

  It took eighteen years and a vampire to make me feel accepted, wanted, and loved. In all of my years, I would have never thought that it was possible that someone could make me feel this way.

  The realization was rather amusing and it made me laugh.

  “What is so amusing?” Tanis asked and caressed his fingers up and down the length of my back, his eyes moving over my face many times, looking at it as if it had changed in the past two hours.

  I smiled and hugged his pillow tighter. “Nothing really,” I admitted and stroked the back of my finger against his arm. “These have been five of the longest, shortest, most psychotic, enjoyable, and love filled days of my life. I know that I haven’t been graced with as many days as you yet, but these past five have been the greatest of my life.”

  Softly he chuckled and a smile filled his handsome face. “I could not have agreed more.” He looked over at the clock. “Duckie, you look knackered. Why do you not take a nap before we head out? I would like to give you your birthday present.”

  “Damn it, Tanis. I told you no presents,” I groaned.

  Of course he laughed. “That you did. However, you did not specifically say that Jarvis and I could not get you gifts together. Thus, if I use one of his arguments, I did not do anything wrong because you did not specifically say we could not get you gifts together, and you specifically stated no gift.”

  Sonuvabitch! Tanis is the one Jarvis went out with? Damn it. I didn’t see that one coming, not in a million years.

  I yawned, too tired to fight, too tired to argue with him, too tired to try to come up with a half-ass argument as to why he shouldn’t spend his hard earned money on me.

  Now that we’re in a relationship, at least that’s what I translate exchanging I love yous and having sex, taking my virginity, and professing that I’ve loved him before I was born, as being, I should just accept that the few people in my life who love me are going to do what they want regardless of what I tell them. Besides, it wasn’t like they were off killing people together to avenge me for some reason; they went shopping. At the very worst, they bought something frivolous like a MP3 or something like that.

  “Thanks,” I said and yawned again. “Damn I’m tired. Wake me in a few...” my words trailed off and my eyes closed...

  …the unmistakable stench of blood and death hung stagnant in the air. The fires from the village burning in the distance was a haunting reminder of the three thousand lives that were lost, including Queen Aesa’s husband, King Olaf. Only seven guards survived; the queen’s private royal guards.

  “Your highness,” one of them bowed, “we cannot afford to stay here any longer than needed. The Aslak army is headed this way.”

  Aesa’s breathing was labored and the stabbing in her stomach was unlike anything she had ever experienced before. “I can’t…” she started to say before she screamed out in agonizing pain, holding her stomach as she doubled over, dropping to her knees. “The child comes tonight!” she panted.

  In a remote cave, lit only by a small fire, Aesa gave birth to a daughter. The child bore the symbol of her people on the inside of her wrist: a faint white outline of a Val Knot. Aesa took her necklace off and secured it around the child’s neck, and summoning her last bit of strength, she blessed her child with the crown; she rubbed her thumb against the inside of the child’s wrist and the faint white Val Knot disappeared.

  “Take my daughter and flee. You are her only hope, my dearest friend. Keep her safe until they can be united.”

  The amber-eyed vampire nodded once, taking the tiny, fair-haired child into his arms. “Aesa, I will keep her safe. I pledge it on my life.”

  Aesa’s eyes rolled back in her head and her breathing became deathly shallow. “I know, Toran,” she whispered. “Keep my precious Kaia safe.”

  Toran nodded once and ignored the sting in his eyes as he disappeared into the darkness of night, and Aesa’s breathing stopped as the Aslak army approached the cave…

  ...My eyes snapped open. “Herregud! Hva inn i helvete var det? Hva søren var det? Hvor er jeg?” I choked.

  Wait, what in the hell was that?

  Tanis was at my side in an instant. “Hva er galt?” he asked.

  “Huh? What did you just say?” I asked and sat up, pulling the covers up around me.

  “Duckie, are you well? You were speaking Norwegian.” Softly he caressed the hair off of my cheek and tucked it behind my ear.

  I shrugged and shook my head at the same time.

  Norwegian? I’ve never even heard Norwegian before. Maybe I’m crazy after all.

  “Hmmm,” he said. “You truly are a strange bird,” he whispered. “The sun will be down in an hour so mum will be able to leave the house then. Would you care to get ready so we are not horribly late?”

  Unfortunately, he was already dressed: jeans, white dress shirt with black tie and black dinner jacket. If he weren’t dressed, I’d have to entertain playing with him all over again.

  The vampire truly awoken a insatiable beast within me.

  “I really have to go?” I pouted and continued undressing him with my eyes.

  “Yes, and stop mentally undressing me,” he scolded, well aware of what I was doing.

  I rolled my eyes and huffed, causing him to laugh.

  “Abby brought your bag in,” he said. “I peeked and was pleasantly surprised. However, your overly ambitious shopping companions purchased a few items in your behalf when disappeared to the arcade.”

  I groaned; it couldn’t be good.

  Tanis laughed with a face-consuming smile. “If I may be so bold to ask, I would fancy a private showing…later tonight perhaps?”

  I smacked him in the chest.

  “Shut up. I take it they got me underwear?” I mumbled, making a face.

  “Yes. French silk and lace knickers that will masterfully present your delicate bits…” his words trailed of and he bit his bottom before adjusting himself. “Suddenly, staying in is sounding more agreeable by the second.”

  He is going to kill my self-restraint.

  “No, my parents would be even more disappointed in me than they’re already going to be when they find out I lost my
virginity. Am I’m going to need help getting into the underwear?” I asked.

  “No...maybe, would you like to find out?” he teased.

  Goddamn he’s super sexy when he does that.

  After a quick shower, by myself, I changed in the bathroom. I put on one of the underwear sets and pulled the simple, white cotton dress I got at the mall over my head. The underwear weren’t as bad as I thought they were going to be; lace and silk with corset details without being a corset, and thankfully they weren’t sheer. The white underwear set wasn’t the best for a dress but they covered nearly everything, leaving the bottom half of my cheeks hanging out. As long as Tanis thought I was attractive, that was all that mattered to me, and while he caressed and explored my body earlier, he told me many times just how breathtakingly beautiful I was to him.

  I was pretty damn sure that he was just trying to get laid…thinking like that was easier to accept and believe then the truth of his words.

  I really did have some self-worth and self-esteem issues that I needed to work on.

  Tanis was silently pouting on the bed still because I wouldn’t let him watch me dress, so he absently thumbed through a magazine, trying to make a silent stand, when I exited the bathroom.

  “Would you do me the honors of joining me for dinner in Seattle tomorrow?” he asked, making a face at something he was looking at on the glossy pages.

  “If it tickles your fancy,” I said in the worst British accent ever heard, and he chuckled, shaking his head. “I need to grab some shoes from my house before we hit up the party.”

  Tanis looked up and dropped the magazine to the floor. His eyes worked over my body many times before a smile filled his face. “If I would not have seen you naked, I would swear that you could simply not get any more beautiful. Why do not you wear dresses more often?” he asked, his head tilting to the side—his brother does that as well; it must have been an Ashton thing.

  “I’m sorry, did you just meet me?”

  “I did not,” he said with a smirk. “I have know you for five wonderful days.”

  Smug prick.

  I pushed him back on the bed. “Remind me again where I work?” I said.

  “Easily resolved,” Tanis pointed out. “Just say the word and you will never have to work another day in your life.”

  Damn it, I walked into that one.

  “No. How about this, remind me again how overly girlie I am?” I countered, knowing he wouldn’t find an argument which he couldn’t attempt to resolve by throwing money at it.

  “Point made,” he reluctantly admitted.

  I crawled up on top of him and he sighed contently.

  Teasingly, I traced the tip of my tongue over his lips. Eagerly his lips parted, but I pulled back, pulling the tip of my tongue up the underside of his tongue when he tried to deepen the kiss.

  “Tease,” he complained and his hands slid up under my dress. “I dare say, Duckie, I think the knickers, or lack thereof, are an exceptionally exquisite choice this evening.” He grabbed my ass and rolled us over, pinning me to the bed. His eyes moved over my face before he sighed. “Bloody hell. If we do not join the others we shall not, and I will admit, I would be hard pressed to give you back.”

  Quickly he kissed me, teasing my tongue with his, and all too soon he pulled away, causing me to whimper and pout.

  “And you call me a tease, butt-munch,” I mumbled.

  “Butt-munch?” Tanis tried to say with a straight face and ended up roaring with laughter. “I do not recall being called a butt-munch before.”

  “Keep it up and I’ll infuse your overly formal seventeenth-century vocabulary with a whole plethora of modern public school verbiage,” I warned and he pulled me to my feet.

  Tanis laughed even harder and slapped my ass when I headed towards the door.

  “Keep it up,” I warned him.

  “Or you will do what?” he asked, sounding uninterested.

  “Two can play that game,” I warned and hiked up the back of my dress, rolled my hips as I walked. Teasingly, I moaned and knotted a hand in my hair.

  “Me Duckie,” he whispered, appearing behind me and wrapped his my hand around mine.

  “And only yours,” I reminded him, pulling down the neck of his collar some and eyed the teeth marks at the base of his neck on the right. I smiled, reveling in the mark which would stay on him for all eternity: Tanis Ashton was marked as mine and only mine.

  “You truly are naughty,” he whispered.

  “You have no idea,” I informed as seductively as possible and buttoned the top button of his dress shirt and straightened out his tie for him.

  Downstairs, Sabirella waited with Abigail. They both looked amazing, overly fancy for a bonfire party, but amazing nonetheless. Standing next to them, I felt very plain, regardless of what Tanis said. I was a one and a half, a two at most, compared to his mom and cousin; they were tens, possibly even elevens.

  Sabirella wore a beautiful vivid azure-blue sari with black and gold accents; against her dark skin and light eyes, the contrast was breathtaking. Abigail opted for one of the new designer dresses got at the mall: red, tight, low cut, and super short.

  “How are you feeling, Sweetheart?” Sabirella asked and smiled warmly at me.

  “Fine, thank you. Nothing a nap couldn’t fix. You look lovely,” I said; it was hard not to smile back at her, and somehow even her fang-filled smile was breathtakingly beautiful.

  “Nap?” Romeo laughed from the living room so Steffen punched him in the arm, warning him to mind his tongue.

  Tanis rolled his eyes, and I blushed.

  Sabirella rolled her eyes, a delicate snort escaping her small nose. “Never mind my son, he is merely jealous. Am I overdressed?” she asked, changing the subject.

  “Yes,” I blurted out and her face dropped. “As is Abby, and your sons, and, well, everyone who doesn’t really belong there...myself included,” I mumbled the latter.

  Abigail groaned, making a face. “What’s in store for us tonight?” she reluctantly asked, eying her shoes that she obviously didn’t want to ruin.

  Nervous, I slid the Jerusalem cross pendant back and forth on its chain and it pulled Sabirella’s attention and she gasped, her eyes widening, going between my face and pendant.

  Suddenly she was in front of me and cupped my face between her hands and looked at me curiously. “By the Gods and stars,” she whispered and tears streaked down her cheeks. “I knew it.”

  “Mum, is something the matter?” Tanis asked, his voice flooded with concern.

  “Did I do something wrong?” I whispered.

  Sabirella shook her head. “You did nothing wrong at all, Sweetheart. You look simply...you are beyond words.” Tenderly she kissed my forehead before caressing Tanis’ cheek. “I knew...destined to be...” she whispered.

  Abigail, sensing something that I was oblivious too, raised her hand. “Mom’s an emotional creature, always has been, so back to me now. Am I going to ruin my shoes?” she asked with a huff and Sabirella nodded and stepped back to compose herself.

  “Will she?” Steffen called out. “I won’t get laid for a year if she ruins those damn shoes.”

  “I...I don’t think so,” I offered with a shrug. “There’ll be a big bonfire, and lots of food, not that you guys eat or anything. Um…music and dancing on a dance floor, not in the dirt. There’s a local band made up of some of the elders and they’ll be playing classic rock and blues. Once everyone gets all liquored up, they’ll start their pissing contests...not literal pissing. The boys call it ‘Werewolf Games’. One will challenge another in something stupid like a foot race, or wrestling, or something else completely ridiculous just to prove who has the bigger penis.”

  They laughed, obviously the awkwardly emotional moment had passed and was not that unusual.

  “It sounds interesting,” Abigail said, forcing a smile. “Will there be women there?”

  “There better be!” Romeo called out. “Little Romeo needs some lov
ing!”

  I made a face and shivered. “They’ll be bitches there but they typically don’t challenge each other, so no mud wrestling, sorry. They’re usually dressed up like Res trash beauty queens and phasing would ruin their makeup or tear their Wal-Mart garbs.”

  Tanis wrapped his arms around me and laughed. “This will prove to be a night to tell the others about. Rayland will surely miss out on the festivities. I cannot believe Dad agreed to this,” he said, shaking his head before kissing the back of my head when I elbowed him in the stomach. “We will head out since I still need to give Miss Jay Dee her birthday presents.”

  “I thought you already gave it to her good, Little Brother,” d’Artagnan called out as he exited the kitchen.

  Tanis snarled at him.

  “Temper, temper, Little Brother. Save it for the puppies who’ll be sniffing up your lovely lady’s skirt all night.”

  Sabirella vanished, reappearing in front of d’Artagnan, and her long, slender hand wrapped around his throat. She picked him off of his feet and slammed him into the wall, her usually beautiful face contorting in rage. “You will mind your tongue, Son, when speaking of Aes...your brother’s companion. This is my house, thus you will respect my rules. I will not think twice about ripping your head from your body, Son. Do I make myself clear?” she snarled.

  Tanis purred in perverse pleasure with a smug smile on his face while Romeo and Steffen laughed hysterically from the living room.

  “Yes, ma’am,” d’Artagnan choked.

  “Good. Now apologize,” Sabirella hissed and dropped him, disappeared then she suddenly reappeared next to me. “d’Artagnan has something he would like to say to you, Sweetheart,” she warmly informed me.

  “Sorry,” he snarled and sulked back into the kitchen.

  “Not a problem,” I said with a chuckle. “Next time I’ll just let your mom kick your ass for me.”