Rise of the Fae

by Rebekah R. Ganiere

  “I’m not worried about you. I’ve seen you bounce back. You use men the way most people use tissue. But Neeman... He’s different. He’s been through a lot and I don’t want to see him get hurt. I don’t know how he’ll handle it.”

  “You do realize that it was you who told him to help me out the other night, right? You’re the one who asked him to crawl into bed with me.”

  “I realize that. But you were hurting and needed help. This is different. This is toying with someone’s emotions, Selene.”

  He was serious. She’d never seen him be protective of anyone but her before. And this time he was protecting Neeman from her. What must he think of her? “You really do think I have no feelings, don’t you?”

  “Selene—”

  Her inner demon growled.

  “No just stop, Mason. I get it. You have a life here. Family. And that’s great. I’m super happy for you. You finally have what we’ve always wanted. Both of us, together. You found it without me, and that’s fine. I promise to behave while I’m here and at the earliest convenience I will leave you to your new family and make my own way, but please, whatever you do, don’t treat me like I don’t care. I know you see me as the annoying younger sister who you always had to get out of trouble, but I’m not that girl anymore. I can take care of myself.”

  Mason ran his hands through his hair. “I’m sorry, Selene. I don’t mean to be like this, but you don’t understand the strain, the pressure Danika is under. And what Danika is under, I’m under. This isn’t the way I expected my life to turn out, but this is who I am now and I have to protect it.”

  She nodded. “I get it.” Oh how she wished her mother had felt the same way when the fae elders had come to their house to take her away. How would it be to have someone love you so much they were willing to risk everything they had, just to make sure you were safe? She’d thought that’s how it would be with Mason, coming back.

  A chasm opened wide inside her. And now she was here, back on the Earth and she was as alone as she’d been in the fae world.

  “It’s just you and me girl. Always has been. Always will be.”

  * * * *

  Selene ate and then lay down again. When the myriad of cars pulled up outside she walked to the window. Vampires of every shape and size poured into Coven House. Mason had told her they would talk after visiting time was over. Apparently, Danika wanted to wait till Neeman returned.

  She pulled a pale blue sweater over her cami and jeans and walked barefoot to the upper landing. Vampires and humans milled about the foyer. From her vantage point, she watched the informal cocktail party. Some humans were outgoing, talkative and friendly. Others watched everything without speaking unless spoken to.

  The Vampires and vampyr held cards, presumably with information about different humans. It was like watching businessmen exchange information with a new client. But they weren’t clients, they were people, humans, and these were their lives.

  “Hello.”

  Selene turned to find a tall, black-haired Vampire with a stubbly goatee and sexy, messy hair standing nearby.

  “Interesting party, isn’t it?” His voice was smooth as velvet and his bright hazel eyes were alight with interest. He held a bottle of Savor synthetic blood.

  “Party? Is that what this is? I thought it was human prostitution.”

  He chuckled and his smile shot through her. “I guess you could look at it that way.”

  She turned completely to face him. “And I suppose you don’t have a human?”

  “Not yet.” He stepped forward and his musky cologne floated to her. “But maybe if I found the right one, I could be persuaded.”

  He was handsome and sexy in a dangerous bad boy way. “Isn’t that why you’re here? To find a human?”

  “I came to see what the crop looked like this time.”

  He stepped closer to her and reached out, pulling on a lock of her hair. “I’ve not see a human with hair the color of mine in a long time.”

  “I got lucky.” She pushed her hair behind her ear, out of his reach. Now that he had moved closer, an unsettling vibe emanated from him, setting off her inner alarm.

  “We need to get away from this one.”

  “I’ll be more than happy to brush it for you, daily.” His smile showed brilliant pearly white straight teeth, but his eyes spoke of more sinister ideas.

  Selene swallowed. “Oh, I’m sorry. I think you misunderstood, I’m not a hum—” His handsome face loomed ever closer. “For sale,” she added. “I’m...I’m not for sale.”

  “Aren’t you?” He ran a firm hand down her arm.

  “No. No, I’m not.” She shied away from his unflinching gaze.

  “You know I find that everything is for sale for the right price.”

  Selene slid sideways toward the staircase. A feeling of unease settled over her.

  “Let me have him. Let him try to brush my hair.”

  “And what do you think my price would be?” She smiled in an effort to ease the tension in her body.

  “For you? I’d pay just about anything.” He set the bottle of Savor on a table in the hall and followed her step for step as she eased down the landing and closer to the stairs. Like a predator, he tracked her every movement. He smiled again and his fangs dropped into his mouth.

  Her heart galloped like the hoofbeats of a horse. How did she get herself into this situation? She’d promised Mason to stay out of trouble.

  “And what exactly would you want me for?” She plastered a fake smile on her lips.

  “Anything you wanted to do for me. Blood donor, lover, mate.” His intense eyes bored into her.

  She laughed and her gaze darted to the people below. No one paid attention to her. She could scream for help and a dozen or more men would be up the stairs in a moment. But she’d promised Mason to be good and not make a scene.

  “Mate? For a Vampire? But I’m just a human.”

  “That could be changed.” He snaked a finger down the side of her throat and a chill made the hairs on her neck prickle. “Just one bite and you could be a vampyr, worthy of being my mate.”

  She backed into the pillar at the edge of the staircase. There was no way to get around it unless she deliberately turned and fled.

  “And what if I didn’t want to become a vampyr? What if I am happy being what I am?”

  He loomed closer and planted a hand on the edge of the pillar, pinning her next to the banister. He traced her cheek.

  “Then I’d be inclined to change your mind.” He leaned in close to her ear. “I could teach you things that would take you to the heights of ecstasy. I’d teach you pleasures, such that you’d never want to leave the bedroom.”

  Panic skittered over her as his gleaming fangs drew closer. Memories of being tied to the altar made a fine sheen of sweat bloom all over her skin. Trapped, alone, scared. She needed to get out of there. Get away.

  He was inches from her neck. “You smell so amazing. I’ve been trying this whole time to keep my fangs off of you. You don’t mind if I taste you, do you?”

  “I mind.” Neeman rounded the pillar, grabbed the Vampire by the arm, pinned it behind his back, and shoved him into the wall.

  “Oooh! Loverboy to the rescue again.”

  “Neeman, don’t,” she cried.

  “Get off,” the Vampire said.

  Neeman leaned in close and pressed the Vampire’s elbow upward, making the Vampire cry out.

  “What the hell do you think you are doing, Douglas?” Neeman demanded.

  Douglas grunted and tried to twist away. “She’s a slave, I only wanted to taste her,” he said, his voice trembling with restraint.

  Selene rushed to Neeman and pulled on his arm. She didn’t want a scene.

  “Let him go,” she whispered harshly. She looked around to make sure they hadn’t drawn any attention, but they were so far back on the landing no one could see them.

  Neeman flipp
ed Douglas around and held him against the wall by his throat. “She’s mine and don’t let me ever catch you so much as looking at her again.”

  Douglas’ eyes widened. “She never said anything. I thought she was for sale.”

  Neeman pulled Douglas close. “These humans are free. They aren’t for sale. They aren’t here to be pawns in your sick little games. Not anymore. So I suggest you take your worthless hide out of this house and not return.”

  “Only Lord Danika can banish me like that,” he squeaked through his pinched airway.

  Neeman’s grip tightened on Douglas’ throat. The look of danger in his eyes told Selene he was close to snapping.

  “Neeman.” She placed her hand on his arm and tried to keep her voice level. “Let him go.”

  Neeman’s gaze flickered to her face for a moment.

  “Please,” she pleaded. “He’s sorry. Aren’t you sorry?” She looked at Douglas.

  He nodded once.

  “See. It was a misunderstanding.”

  “What’s going on here?” Danika ascended the stairs.

  Selene blanched and moved away.

  “Neeman, let go of Douglas, this instant,” Danika demanded.

  Neeman looked at Danika and let go. The Vampire’s feet hit the ground and he sucked in several large breaths.

  “Does one of you want to tell me what the hell is going on here?” She planted her hands on her hips.

  “I was just interested in this female.” Douglas pointed in Selene’s direction. “And Neeman came charging in like a bullheaded tracker and accused me of accosting her.”

  “Neeman?” Danika asked. “Is this true?”

  Neeman grabbed Selene’s hand. “She’s mine,” he said through gritted teeth.

  Danika’s eyes widened ever so slightly.

  “I see. Douglas it seems you were mistaken about this female. I suggest that you move downstairs to look at other available females as this one is with Neeman already.”

  Douglas’ eyes narrowed and his lips pulled back into a sneer. He licked his lips and stood, brushing himself off. Without a word, he nodded and headed for the stairs.

  “Oh, and Douglas,” Danika said.

  He turned.

  “Don’t you ever come upstairs in my home again.”

  Douglas inclined his head and then ambled down the stairs. Danika turned and eyed Selene. Selene moved closer to Neeman and grabbed his arm.

  “If you have decided to make this one yours, Neeman, I suggest you mark her quickly so others will stay away. I don’t need to tell you how tempting her blood is to everyone around us. If you don’t, I can’t guarantee things like this won’t happen again.”

  Neeman nodded. “I understand.”

  Danika nodded. “Good. Were you able to retrieve Evan?”

  “William took her down to Doc’s office.”

  She stared between Neeman and Selene for a moment as if she wanted to say something. Instead, she headed downstairs.

  When Neeman turned his gaze upon Selene, his eyes were fiery. Again.

  Chapter 16

  Neeman scowled as he pulled Selene up to the room. He couldn’t leave her alone for even a minute without her getting into trouble. But finding Douglas, of all Vampires, about to bite into her had just about made him lose all sense of reason.

  He threw open the door to the room, pulling her inside. She backed away from him into the couch.

  “I didn’t do anything.” She stared at him, her arms wrapped around herself.

  His anger pulsed through him.

  “He... he was standing behind me when I came down from the room and started talking to me and then...” She looked around and her gaze met his again.

  Neeman had no doubt that Douglas had been a frequent visitor of the blood club they had raided and burned down several months back. Now, Douglas would need to find new participants in the games he liked to play.

  “He backed me against the pole and asked me for a taste. I panicked. It was like when I was back with the fae and they had me in the woods and... and...” A tear slid from her eye.

  Neeman crossed to her in one large stride and wiped the tear from her cheek. Her shining green eyes stared up at him. Every muscle in his body cried out for her.

  He leaned in and kissed her soft on the mouth. She gasped and he looked down at her. “You’re mine,” he growled.

  He swooped down again and kissed her. She returned his kiss with equal fervor. He grabbed the hem of her sweater and ripped it over her head while she pulled his t-shirt off and then kissed his chest, running her warm hands over his stomach. His skin goose bumped at her touch and his arousal strained against his fatigues.

  He grabbed her by the back of the head and pulled her mouth up to his and their tongues entwined. Unclasping her bra and flinging it to the floor, she then undid the zipper of his pants. Every piece of him was alight and ready to feel her. He cupped her recently freed breasts and she gasped. His arousal pulsed and tingled as she pushed down his pants and then wrapped her fingers around it.

  His skin grew tighter as she stroked him. Tingling began in his thighs and worked its way up to his core. The familiar sensations of pleasure made his head fog and his body slack. Pressure built in his groin as her nimble fingers worked faster and harder over him. At the last moment, he stopped her. This wasn’t it. Wasn’t how he wanted it, wanted her.

  He hefted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist before he carried her into the bedroom, her soft body pressing against his as she kissed down the side of his neck.

  He laid her on the bed and stripped her of her pants and underwear. Starting at her toes, he kissed his way up her foot and leg to her thighs. She reached down and locked her fingers in his hair, pulling him to up to her mouth. He pressed against her warmth and broke their kiss, sliding his tongue down her neck. Her nails dug into his shoulder blades making his arousal ratchet even higher. He liked it rough, but this wasn’t the time. He needed to go slow. To make her his.

  He licked his way down her torso, paying special attention to each breast, eliciting moans of delight from her. He slid his hand to her most sensitive spot and rolled his thumb over it. She spasmed and arched at his touch.

  He smiled, knowing just what to do.

  * * * *

  Selene splayed on the bed, exposed and in a state of utter bliss. Neeman’s expert hands and mouth molded her body like putty. He kneaded and suckled her to the heights of excitement.

  “Take him.” Her inner demon begged. “Make him yours. Make him ours.”

  She was torn between wanting to boost her magick, and surrendering to the pleasures of his touch.

  She grabbed his neck and pulled his mouth to hers, taking control of the situation. The magick. She needed the magick.

  He broke the kiss and looked deep into her eyes.

  “No.” His voice was firm. He kissed her again and slid his fingers inside her, making her arch against him. “You are mine. Not the other way around.”

  Her brain fuzzed over as he brought her closer and closer to that edge of pleasure she’d dreamed of crossing for so many years.

  “Say it.” He kissed down her neck.

  She grabbed onto his powerful shoulders, trying to make her voice work.

  “Don’t. Don’t give in. Take him.”

  “Say it.” He trailed kisses down her chest and nipped at her breasts.

  She’d never surrendered to a man before. Doing so now would give him a hold over her she wasn’t sure she’d ever break.

  He stopped moving. She tried to focus but her body hummed with a thundering need and all she could think of was release. He brought both hands up and cradled her face. Looming above her, he stroked her hair. His eyes were full of so much compassion, she didn’t know if she could take it.

  He kissed her in a long, languorous kiss and then he broke away. The thrumming slowed and she got farther away from that bridge.

  “S
ay it.” His bright blue eyes stared at her and she broke inside.

  “I’m yours,” she whispered. He smiled and kissed her hard, entering her at the same time. She grabbed onto his hips as he thrust deep inside. She moaned at the feeling of complete surrender. He shifted his hips on top of hers and slid down. The sensation sent shockwaves through her. She kissed him harder and again he thrust. A warm glow started in her breasts and rolled up to just below her collarbone. It was something she’d never experienced before.

  “Harder,” she panted. Neeman obliged and Selene found herself once again on the precipice of breaking apart. She willed her body to obey. Trying so hard to find release.

  “Stop,” he said. He ran his hand over her cheek. “I’m in control, relax.”

  She didn’t want to relax.

  “I... I’ve never reached climax before,” she said.

  His gaze softened. “Like I said. Relax. Let me take you there.”

  She nodded and relaxed her muscles. He withdrew from her and kissed his way down her stomach, running his fingers down her legs. He bent her knees and pulled her to the edge of the bed while he knelt on the floor.

  His tongue flicked out and swirled her most intimate crevices. She grabbed his blond hair. Nothing in her life had prepared her for the soft sensations that now coursed through her.

  “Neeman,” she gasped.

  He hooked his hands around her thighs and brought her closer. Minutes felt like hours at the pleasure he awakened in her. She pressed herself against him, wanting more and more.

  “I need you,” she said pulling his hair and lifting him from the floor. He crawled next to her, lay on his back, and set her on top of him.

  “Go slow,” he said.

  She nodded, trying to keep her brain focusing. As she slid down on him, she shuddered. He grabbed her hips and spread her thighs wide. Rocking back and forth, she reveled in the feel of their joined bodies.

  She’d never made love to someone and concentrated so completely on her own body. Earthquakes of pleasure built inside her as her speed increased and a shiver tickled up her spine. The inside of her thighs tingled as need built in her core. Every rock of her hips pulled her closer and closer to the edge. Warmth just below her collarbone built once more to a heat that was almost too much to bear and sent tendrils of pleasure down her breasts.