Dark Longing_A Novel of the Dark Ones

by Aja James

  She wouldn’t. She might not believe it yet, but she wouldn’t lose him again. He would make sure of it.

  A shudder racked through him as his balls tightened on the verge of climax. Gabriel increased the pressure on Inanna’s scalp to signal that he needed her to release him. He wanted to be inside of her in a different way.

  Gently but reluctantly, her mouth let go of his cock and her tongue licked the wounds closed. Her hands squeezed and smoothed their way up his sides, his torso, to wind behind his neck as he grasped her thighs and lifted her, entering her in a long, slow thrust, filling her to the brim.

  She locked her legs around his hips and rode him in counterpoint to the deep, mind-numbing rhythm he set. She stared into his dark chocolate eyes, his pupils dilated with passion, his full lips parted with ecstasy.

  “Mine,” she staked as she held his gaze.

  “Yes,” he answered, increasing the tempo of his undulating hips and contracting buttocks.

  “Forever,” she demanded.

  “Yes,” he groaned, his breath coming faster, a flush traveling from his chest to his throat and flooding his cheeks.

  Her mouth claimed his the same moment his orgasm blazed through him, the jerking of his hard cock inside of her triggering her own euphoric release.

  Long after the waves of passion had subsided, they continued to make love with their lips, tongues, hands.

  The water had not only gone cold but had also reduced to a weak splatter of raindrops rather than the powerful deluge when they’d first turned the shower on.

  Without breaking the seal of their mouths, Gabriel turned off the water, carried her out of the stall, wrapped an extra-large bath towel around her and laid her on the bed, finally covering her body with his own.

  Inanna kept all of her limbs wrapped securely around her Mate and buried her face in the crook of his neck, nuzzling his throat with her nose like an affectionate kitten.

  Gabriel turned them both slightly to the side so that he supported half of his weight and wasn’t too heavy for her. By the way Inanna was pulling at him with those long, lean legs deeper into herself, she seemed to want his full weight upon her.

  He’d soon give in, as he always would with her, but first he had some questions.

  “Happy?”

  “Mmm,” came her drowsy purr.

  He brushed golden locks, already starting to wave as they dried, back from her face and hooked the tendrils behind her ear. His hand then trailed reverently down her collar bone to her breast, behind which her heart beat strongly, steadily.

  As his calloused thumb abraded her nipple with gentle strokes, he asked, “What did the Goddess ask you?” for he knew that she had had her Awakening just as he had. She would not be here with him, whole and vibrant, otherwise.

  He felt her smile against his neck. “She wanted me to choose between the vampire side and the Pure side.”

  “And what was your answer?”

  Inanna sighed and nibbled along his jaw. “I am both Dark and Pure, so I chose both. My mother and father created me. I don’t know what happened, my father never said. But I feel… I believe they loved each other deeply. I do not think I could be here if not. They must have sacrificed much for their love, and if I am the result, I want to honor them both. I do not want to forsake either side.”

  Gabriel nodded. He could empathize. Until you embraced who you really were, you would never truly feel whole and reach your full potential.

  “And you? What did the Goddess ask of you?” she queried in return.

  Gabriel closed his eyes and smiled. Her nibbles had progressed to his cheeks and nose. She was now sprinkling kisses against his eyelids and brows like fairy dust.

  “The same question she asked of you,” he replied.

  She had traveled back down to his mouth and was plucking gently at his lips with her own. “And?”

  He pulled back enough to look into her eyes, those deep blue pools of bottomless love, passion and hope.

  “I chose to be your Mate, whatever it took to make me so,” he said quietly. “I’ll never let you go again.”

  Tears welled in her eyes as she stared back at him. “You made me forget you,” she whispered, her words filled more with anguish than accusation.

  “Yes,” he said regretfully.

  “Why?” the question came on a broken gasp as twin trails of tears ran down her cheeks.

  Gabriel’s heart broke at the sight. He’d rather die a thousand deaths than see her in such pain.

  He swallowed back his own sorrow and tried to explain. “I didn’t know whether we had a future. I…I loved you more than anything, more than everything.”

  He swallowed again as he remembered the last moments of his life as Alad Da-an-nim, the pain of letting her go far greater than the physical pain of his body crushed under the fallen tower.

  “I couldn’t risk hurting you if we fully consummated our feelings, and keeping you by my side while not giving you everything you deserved was selfish and unfair. I thought if I made you forget, you wouldn’t have regrets because of me. You would be free to love again… someone who could give you everything, who would never be of risk to you.”

  Her tears flowed in continuous streams down her face, as if a millennia-old dam was finally obliterated by her accumulated, tumultuous feelings.

  “But none of that mattered to me,” she choked out over a sob. “All I’ve ever wanted or needed was you. I didn’t care if we never consummated our union as long as you could be with me forever. One moment with you is far more precious than a lifetime with anyone else. I died when you did. Inside. I died…”

  He crushed her to him to stop her words. They were tearing him apart.

  “I’m sorry,” he murmured over and over as he held her through the convulsive sobs, hiccups and wails that racked her body from the inside out. As if she were transported back to the moment of his death. As if she were losing him all over again.

  When the tears finally dried and the shudders subsided, Inanna felt like she’d put the past to rest at last. She’d finally had the chance to grieve for the love that she had lost. And now she could focus solely on the present and future.

  Her true love at her side.

  “You owe me millennia of loving,” she dictated, looking into his eyes again. She tried her best to put a challenging glint in her gaze but she didn’t know how effective that was with the red puffiness of her lids almost sealing her eyes shut.

  “Yes,” he said simply, caressing her swollen lips with his thumb.

  She pushed him onto his back, braced herself on her elbows and undulated her hips against his, pulling him deeper, rubbing the head of his penis against her innermost pleasure center.

  “Tell me,” she demanded, riding him faster, harder. “You have never given me the words.”

  He gasped as a fiery climax quickened within him, shooting through his nerve endings like lightning bolts.

  “Ze ki angu,” he vowed huskily, staring into her eyes, spearing into her soul, “I love you.”

  And she loved him back.

  Thoroughly.

  Taking everything he had to offer like a sacrifice at her alter and giving everything she had back to him, enslaved by her love of him.

  Yet, she was also set free. Nothing was impossible now. There were no doubts, no regrets, no shadows.

  There was only light.

  Epilogue

  My daughter is truly Mated.

  She is in love. The kind that never dies, no matter the odds.

  I know.

  I have seen it in her eyes.

  Her happiness is so radiant and bright, it warms the cold, dark places in my heart.

  The sorrow of never having held her as a babe, never watching her blossom into a lovely girl and mature into a full-blooded woman. Powerful and primal.

  The fury against those who took her away, who made it impossible to be with her, nurture her.

  The vengefulness that has spread like poison throughout
my soul, making me want to destroy everything and everyone around me.

  The numbness that counteracts that hate, that makes me feel entombed in flesh and blood and bones, like someone carrying on in the world yet distinctly apart from it.

  Her light is thawing the walls of ice around my heart.

  Whether I want it to or not.

  Her love for her Mate causes me pain to witness, for it reminds me of the way I used to look upon him. As if he were the sun and moon and stars. The past and present and future. Nothing else mattered but him.

  But he betrayed me.

  Empires have fallen because of my stupidity.

  Yet, I cannot help but feel the warmth of her effervescent hope. I cannot help but want to believe in love again. For I feel it for my daughter. And the Dark Goddess willing, I shall feel it for her children.

  I have felt it for my son.

  From the moment he came into the world and I cradled him in my arms.

  It is madness, I know, to dare to dream the impossible.

  They told me he died.

  It was my fault for sending him away. My heart bleeds when I think of him alone in the world, never knowing he had a mother who loves him, never knowing why she let him go. What if he believes I’d forsaken him? Who was there to comfort and hold him?

  It is madness, yet I believe… I feel that my son is still alive.

  And I shall find him.

  Glossary

  Awakening: test of courage and strength of spirit which leads to the subject coming into his/her Gift, a supernatural power, if he/she passes the test.

  Blood-Contract: Contract by which a human Consents to surrender his/her blood (and sometimes soul) to a vampire for a promise in return that the vampire must fulfill. The vampire has the choice to accept or reject the Contract. Upon acceptance, he/she must fulfill the bargain or risk retribution from the unfulfilled human soul in the form of a curse. See also Consent.

  Blooded Mate: the chosen partner for each Dark One. Once the Bond is formed between two Dark Ones, it cannot be broken unless a third party has prior claim of blood or flesh. The third party can elicit a Challenge to one of the Bonded Dark Ones to obtain rights to the other. The Challenge is fought to the death. Save in the case of a successful Challenge, the Bond cannot be broken except through death. Blooded Mates do not need to take the blood and souls of others to survive. However, they must take blood and sex from each other on a regular basis, else they will weaken and eventually go mad and/or die.

  Blood-Slave: a human or Pure One, often the latter because of their power and immortality, whose primary role is to provide blood as sustenance to a vampire master. Usually, a Blood-Slave also surrenders his/her body for carnal pleasures to the vampire master. This obligation continues until the master grants release.

  Cardinal Rule: Sacred Law number three for the Pure Ones, thou shalt not engage in sexual intercourse with someone who is not thy Eternal Mate. See Sacred Laws.

  Challenge: see Blooded Mate.

  Chevalier: a combination of Pure and human warriors who stand as the first line of defense against rising vampire Hordes and human menace.

  The Chosen: six royal guards of the New York-based Vampire Queen, Jade Cicada.

  The Circlet: five royal inner council members of the Pure Queen.

  Consent: a human’s willing agreement to surrender his/her blood (and sometimes soul) to a vampire.

  Cove: base of the New York-based vampire hive, with dominion over the New England territories in the U.S.

  Dark Goddess: supernatural being who is credited with the creation of the Dark Ones. She is a deity to which Dark Ones pray. It is unclear how or whether she is related to the Pure Ones’ Goddess. See also The Goddess.

  Dark Laws: One, thou shalt protect the Universal Balance to which all souls contribute. Two, thou shalt maintain the secrecy of the Race. Three, thou shalt not take an innocent’s blood, life, or soul without Consent.

  Dark One: supernatural being who prefers to live in the night and who gathers energy and prolongs his/her life by feeding off the blood, and sometimes souls, of others. Dark Ones are born, not made. Sometimes confused with the term vampire.

  Decline: condition in which or process of a Pure-Ones’ life force depleting after he/she Falls in love but does not receive equal love in return. The Pure One weakens and his/her body slowly, painfully breaks down over the course of thirty days, leading ultimately to death unless his/her love is returned in equal measure.

  The Dozen: see Royal Zodiac.

  Ecliptic Scrolls: events past, recorded by the Keeper of the Dark Ones.

  The Elite: six royal personal guards of the Pure Queen.

  Eternal Mate: the destined partner to a given Pure soul. Each soul only has one mate across time, across various incarnations of life. Quotation from the Zodiac Scrolls describing the bond: “His body is the Nourishment of life. Her energy is the Sustenance of soul.”

  Gift: supernatural power bestowed upon Pure Ones by the Goddess. Usually an enhanced physical or mental ability such as telekinesis, superhuman strength and telepathy.

  The Goddess: supernatural being who is credited with the creation of the Pure Ones. She is a deity to which Pure Ones devote themselves. She protects the Universal Balance.

  The Great War: circa 2190 B.C., the Pure Ones who had been enslaved by the Dark Ones rebelled against their oppressors en masse. At the end of countless years of bloodshed, the Pure Ones ultimately regained their freedom, and the Dark Ones’ empire lay in ruins with the members of the Royal Hive scattered to the ends of the earth.

  Hive: society of vampires with a matriarch, the Queen, at the head.

  Horde: small groups of vampires with no Queen, typically composed of Rogues who band together for ease of hunting.

  Lost Soul: describing a soul placed in the wrong body, time or space. Lost Souls seek death and destruction at worst, battle with dark emotions and debilitating depression at best. Their existence detracts from the Universal Balance. Releasing them from their current corporeal capsules to rejoin the world at the right time restores the Balance.

  Nourishment: the strength that Mated Dark Ones take from each other’s blood and body through sexual intercourse. Once Mated, they will no longer need others’ blood to survive, only that from each other. Sexual intercourse is required to make the Nourishment sustaining.

  Pure One: supernatural being who is eternally youthful, typically endowed with heightened senses or powers called the Gift. In possession of a pure soul and blessed with more than one chance at life by the Goddess, chosen as one of Her immortal race that defends the Universal Balance.

  Rogue: lone vampire who does not belong to an organized vampire society or Hive.

  The Royal Zodiac: twelve-member collective of the Elite, the Circlet and the Queen of the Pure Ones.

  Sacred Laws (Pure Ones): One, thou shalt protect the purity, innocence and goodness of humankind and the Universal Balance to which all souls contribute. Two, thou shalt maintain the secrecy of the Race. And three, thou shalt not engage in sexual intercourse with someone who is not thy Eternal Mate. Also known as the Cardinal Rule.

  Shield: referred to as the base of the Royal Zodiac, wherever it may be. Not necessarily a physical location.

  True Blood: a vampire born of Dark parents. See also Dark One.

  Universal Balance: underlying order that is essential for the continuation of time. The idea that everything exists in cycles or pairs—good and evil, darkness and light, past and future, right and wrong, male and female, life and death, etc. Disruption to this balance leads to destruction, chaos, and eventually, the implosion of time and space.

  Vampire: supernatural being who prefers to live in the night and who gathers energy and prolongs his/her life by feeding off the blood, and sometimes souls, of others. Contrary to prevalent beliefs (see Pure Healing), vampires are both made and born. Some vampires are Pure Ones who have chosen Darkness rather than death after they break the Cardinal Rule. Some are h
umans turned by other vampires. Some are True Bloods that are born of two vampires, more accurately called Dark Ones.

  Zodiac Prophesies: events yet to come, foretold by the Seer of the Pure Ones through the Orb of Prophesies.

  Zodiac Scrolls: events past, recorded by the Scribe of the Pure Ones.

  Excerpt from Book #3 Dark Desires

  Present day, en route from New York City to Tokyo.

  The guy next to her had cheekbones that could cut glass.

  That was the first thing Ava noticed when she finally got her above-average-sized assets settled in the luxurious first class seat on Japan Airlines.

  Well, okay, the second thing.

  The first thing was his smell.

  Although the word “smell” connoted foul odors, which was not the case at all. Perhaps scent would work better the way Ava was thinking about it.

  Or heck, maybe aroma would be the most appropriate description for the way the volatized chemical compounds he produced from scent glands all over his body, more commonly known as pheromones, made saliva pool in her mouth as if she had just been presented a decadent, dark chocolate fudge wrapped in a crisp white chocolate casing with a graceful swirl of raspberry sauce and an elegant sprinkle of hazelnut on top.

  Presented in the haute-couture artistic fashion of three star Michelin restaurant plates of course.

  It was Ava’s favorite dessert, guaranteed to make her mouth water.

  The raspberry and hazelnut details were her mental attempt to match the impeccable, almost inhuman grace and style of the man sitting in the seat next to her, to the dessert in question.