Kat corrected, “Not just some random warrior, Ella. He is the Warrior of the Dark, the best that they have against us. Supposedly Lorcan’s opposite in every way.” Ella could tell by the contemplative look on Kat’s face that she was off somewhere. It did not take her long to return, jabbing a single finger into the air to make her point, “Oh! We kind of have a matched pair then, except Lorcan is of the Light and well, Nicholas…isn’t. We should give them nicknames…Jekyll and Hyde, Spidey and Venom?” Kaitriana beamed, looking pleased with herself.
Rolling her eyes, Ella waved off the silliness, “Are you certain you are the Chosen? Maybe you were switched at birth?” At Kat’s outraged gasp, feigned though it was, Ella continued, “We are not giving them nicknames.”
Kaitriana whispered hopefully, “Ren and Stimpy?” When Ella glared, she huffed and hopped right back on track, questioning, “What makes you so certain he is not just toying with you, luring you to the Dark side with his chocolate and those Manilow shoes?
Ella was getting a little incensed, “Manolo shoes and how would you know about the chocolate?”
Kaitriana starred at Ella a minute as though she were nutty and then tapped her own chest, “Hello…Chosen.” Nodding then, she tapped her head, “Visions.” Folding her arms over her chest, Kaitriana sighed, more serious than Ella had ever seen her, “You are a Queen, and you would make quite a trophy. Nicholas is the one that broke your heart, so why do you trust him not to do so again?” Kat’s quick leaps from comical to serious were enough to make one insane.
Ella focused on the last question. Her smile was dazzling, full of love and hope, “I just know, Kat. You have to trust me on this.” Ready to give some back, she countered, “How did you know Lorcan was going to accept you and not turn you over to the Council, being the abomination that you are?”
“Abominate this, Red,” Kat made a face. Kaitriana looked at her in silence another few minutes. She trusted her friend; Ella was one of the brightest people that she knew, quite a savvy Witch. They shared this Queen connection-thing now too, giving her eerie insight into Ella’s thoughts and emotions. Weirdness, but she did not really doubt that Ella knew what she was talking about when it came to Nicholas.
Decision made. Breaking into a smile, she tugged on Ella’s hand and jumped topics, “Come on then, I have piles of stuff outside. Do you realize I had to make three…” Kat held up three fingers to emphasis her point, “…trips here just to bring everything you needed? You are lucky that I like you, otherwise I would have just brought a pair of pliers and tugged old Nicholas’s fangs out while he slept.” Her eyes twinkled with the thought before Ella prodded her towards the door.
The arrangements took the two of them within an hour of sunset. Kat lingered while Ella got herself ready, so that she could again shadow Ella outside. Hugging her friend, she deposited a cell phone into Ella’s palm, “I am on speed dial number one - Queen of Everything - in case anything goes badly and you need me.”
Ella laughed but a quick check indicated it was true, which brought more laughter, “How does Lorcan deal with you?”
Kat smiled, wiggling her bare toes in the grass, “He’s adjusting. In a year or two I will have him completely trained.” Kaitriana winked, but Ella wondered, and not for the first time, if a lot of Kat’s fluff wasn’t cleverly orchestrated. Being a sidekick made it much easier to stay off the radar and keep the Realm oblivious until she was ready to show them just what an astute and powerful Witch she was. Another hug, and Kat shadowed away, arriving back at Laverock just late enough to be subjected to Lorcan’s three thousand and thirty-two questions.
Nicholas rose at dusk, disgruntled to realize the pillow next to him was empty. Assuming Ella was downstairs since their room was quiet and dark, he had a hot shower to wash away the last dregs of sleep before getting dressed. After a mental debate, he decided on dress pants and a tailored shirt. If his witch was up to it, maybe he could entice her into one of those sexy dresses with the offer of dessert at some secluded spot on the coast.
Ambling down the stairs, he was surprised to find most of the lower floor darkened. Anxiety seized him. Calling out, he explored the lower level, alarm creeping in when he shadowed below to check the basement. Returning the next second, Nicholas nearly jerked the heavy oak door from the hinges when he stepped onto the veranda. It was foolish to be drawn outside without cautiously investigating first since it could be a trap laid by an enemy, but he knew Ella could not have circumvented the magical protections without doing serious damage to the door. Panic was negating all reason.
When he yelled her name this time, he caught a slight movement in the periphery. Whirling in that direction, relief flooded him when he saw her seated at the water’s edge, her hand waving him over. The panic left, rage surging in its wake. Nicholas took a deep breath, held it, and then counted to ten - twice - before he shadowed to where she sat. His eyes were black when he knelt and grabbed her shoulders to pull Ella towards him, “What are you doing out here and how the hell did you get out of the house?”
His rapid fire questions and the ferocity of his tone should have unsettled her. Instead, Ella looked at him and shrugged nonchalantly, “I have friends…you have a cell phone…”
Nicholas looked as though he was about to throttle her. His fangs were fully extended when he put his face in hers, “Can I not trust you to behave while I am asleep? Damn it, Ella, this place has to remain hidden from those in the Realm…” His voice trailed off for a second as realization dawned and then returned, booming, “Friends? You mean Light friends? What the bloody hell were you thinking by…”
She clamped her hand over his mouth, cutting him off, “Shut up Nicholas.” His eyes widened over her audacious behavior before annoyance set in. He definitely had the look of a deadly Vampire at that moment, but rather than cower she admonished, “For a warrior, you certainly are not very observant. That is a flaw.” She sounded so primly disappointed in this ‘flaw’ of his that he really did not know if he should laugh or wring her lovely little neck.
Ella removed her hand from his mouth because he was looking very much as if he might bite her and not in the yummy-nice way. Exasperated, she sighed and continued in her imperious tone, “Calm yourself and look around. If you still want to badger me afterwards, you may, though I will be inclined to singe your eyebrows if you do.”
Ella shook free of his hold and punched him hard in the shoulder, flouncing down in a huff. She was miffed, having assumed he would be anxious over her being outside of the house, but not realizing he would be an oblivious idiot. He could have at least noticed what she had done before he worked himself into a lather.
Nicholas stood slowly, surveying the sloping grass at the lake’s edge. He had to refocus himself twice - he was that pissed - before he actually began to register what Ella wanted him to see. There was an arbor at the lake’s shoreline, covered in white roses with flickering
candles evenly spaced from either side and circling the shoreline. Candles also bobbed gently in the water, creating a dramatic backdrop against the deepening dusk. Nicholas glanced down at her sitting form, actually seeing her for the first time. He exhaled slowly, anger dissipating. She was clad in that amazing white gown.
Moving behind her, he knelt back down and enfolded her in the circle of his arms. He dropped his mouth to her ear and whispered, “None of your friends will be coming to participate in this, will they?”
The distaste in his voice brought a smile to her face, but she responded simply, “No.”
Nicholas brushed his lips over the top of her ear then and hugged her closer when she shivered, “Good because they might get embarrassed if I strip you right here as soon as we are done.” Regaining his feet, he tugged her up with him. All playfulness was gone when he turned Ella to face him, “You are certain this is what you want?”
Ella trailed her finger up his shirt, toying with each button, keeping her eyes riveted on his chest, “Now that you mention it, perhaps simply wearin
g this amazing dress for a few hours was good enough...”
He dragged her up against him, catching her chin in his hand, “Really?”
Nicholas could see that her eyes were sparkling as she continued to play with the top button, “Well, I really do adore the dress. It cost you a bloody fortune, you know.”
Nicholas tossed his head back and laughed, “No, I did not know that, but I’ll be careful not to shred my very expensive dress when I tear you out of it later, Ella.” His lips found hers, soft and teasing, and she melted against him.
Ella slipped her arms up around his neck when he released her and pressed her body more firmly to his, nibbling at his bottom lip before she winked and boasted, “I am going to make you mad with lust, Nicholas.”
He laughed at her boast and ran a finger down the column of her neck, toying with the scar there, “You know if you give me your vows Ella, which is what I assume you are up to, you will be my Mate. There is no ending that. You need to be certain because I intend to keep you.”
She nodded and found his hands with her own. Pulling him towards the water’s edge, she whispered back to him over her shoulder, “And I intend to keep you, Nicholas.” She leaned down to the base of the arbor and retrieved a black box. Slipping it into his hand, she explained, “You will have to throttle me later…I rummaged through your things today to find that.”
Nicholas eyed her steadily, a devilish glint in her eye, “Throttle…is that what we are going to call it?” He winked and she blushed. The box contained the coordinating band for her ring.
Ella shifted a bit, hesitant with the next, “Can we get you one? I have probably been spending too much time with the humans, and you will think I am silly, but I like the idea.”
He smiled at her. Even in their short time together, he knew her so well, “You obviously did not look in the box to make certain you had the right thing.”
She was crestfallen, her voice mirroring her distress, “I did not look, I did not want to see what you had chosen before you gave it to me. I just assumed… since it was the same box as my other. I understand, it would have been foolish of you to keep it after we were apart. I just hoped...”
He stepped forward and pressed a lone finger to her lips, “Shhh…Ella, it is the right box. It has my band in it as well. You do not mind that I chose my own, do you?” He saw relief coupled with pleasure flooding her eyes. She was always so expressive with her joy and it warmed his heart. Impatient now that he knew she would be his after tonight, he guided her forward until she was beneath the arbor of roses. The night’s air was sweet with the scent.
Nicholas dropped a kissed her brow and then one more lightly on her lips before removing her band from the ring box. Taking her hand in his own, he murmured, “The Vampire have no formal vows, love. Our bond is a bloodright, shared when I claim you, but I can tell you this. I have lived long enough to know that I will never be perfect…I am the furthest thing from perfect, but I will live my life to make you perfectly happy. I love you with everything that I am, Ella.”
She was radiant when he pushed the band over her finger and her eyes were sparkling, not from magic this time but with a sheen of wetness in candlelight. Nicholas presented her with the open box and Ella removed the hammered white-gold ring from its confines with shaky fingers. She stroked the back of his hand lovingly before grasping it, whispering, “Witch’s vows are forged in the Light…” Trailing off, she was hesitant, uncertain that he would want her to continue with those.
He shook his head at her hesitation, cupping her cheek tenderly, “I want the vows that have meaning for you, Ella, no matter their origin.”
She nodded, relieved, and nuzzled her face against his palm before continuing, “My desire is to be made one with you, Nicholas. I come to you of my own free will, to seek oneness with you. I come with love, wishing to be only yours, in eternity. Because of this I desire to be your Mate and I believe that I serve our Father’s will and am fulfilling that with you tonight. I will love, honor, and obey you as long as we both are alive. I pledge this to you, in all that is the Light, under our Lord God.”
Ella pushed the ring onto his finger, appearing ethereal in the soft glow from the flames flickering in the circle around them. Nicholas closed his hands around hers and gave a light squeeze, returning her smile before pulling her against him. Holding her tightly, after long moments, he used a finger to tilt her chin up. Dropping his lips to hers, he brushed her lips light and easy, twice, before deepening the kiss.
He continued with the slow pace, rubbing his tongue against hers, delving in and out, unmoving except his mouth on hers. Pulling back, his gaze was affectionate when he looked down, “Tonight, I am claiming you. You are my Mate, little witch.” The intensity of his gaze increased as he peered down, “You said obey in your vows. You were reaching a bit, weren’t you?” Before she could answer, he was chuckling, “Or did you lie, Ella?”
Ella finally managed to sputter an adequate response when he took her hand and was walking her towards the house, “I thought it would sound less lovely if I said ‘obey when you aren’t being an arrogant ass.’”
Nicholas roared with laughter, shaking his head, “You and that naughty mouth of yours.” When they reached the steps, he looked her over once more, “The gown is stunning on you.” It really was. Simple in its design, white silk with a sweetheart neckline, fitted beautifully to her hips and then the fullest skirt that fell into exaggerated pleats of silk gleaming with pearls and gems. He followed his assessment with a leer, “I hope it comes off easily.”
She pointed towards her back, indicating the intricate lacing that started at her hips and went all the way up, “Good luck with that, Vamp.”
They reached the doorway and rather than scooping her up sweetly and carrying her over, he bent and tossed her over his shoulder as he had the night they met, taunting, “At least you are not a drunken lush this evening, dear.” It got him the swat of her hands against his back, her laughter bubbling up. Nicholas set her down at the base of the staircase and pointed, “Go on up love, I need to find the scissors.”
Interrupting her outraged protest, Nicholas went on, “I do hope you did not stage this whole scene tonight thinking you would distract me and get out of your last dose of your medicine. I’ll be bringing that up as well.” He swatted her on the butt to get her moving, but called back as he went towards kitchen, “If you take it like a good girl, I’ll forego the scissors, Princess.” Shaking her head at him, Ella tugged up the hem of her gown and hurried up the stairs.
CHAPTER 38
Nicholas followed her a brief time later, though Ella hadn’t realized he had joined her. She was gazing out the window, enjoying the beautiful scene she had created at the lakefront. The sound of Nicholas clearing his throat had her turning towards him. His eyes had a predatory gleam that matched the panther-like grace with which he crossed the room. Her breath caught at his look and her pulse leapt. Her male was a gorgeously created being.
Wordlessly he pressed the cup into her hands. Ella felt scorched all the way down to her soul by his penetrating stare. Nicholas turned her and swept the red waves over her shoulder, dropping an open-mouth kissed against the pulse-point on her neck. It raised a little whimper in her and he lifted his mouth to her ear, “Drink Ella, I want to play with you.”
Ella automatically brought the glass to her lips, totally inelegant when she gulped the medicine. Her wicked mate had begun teasing her by roaming his hands freely over the front of her gown while he nuzzled her neck. She almost choked on the liquid in the next instant when Nicholas issued a harsh curse. He was eyeing the back of her dress, “Are you really that fond of this thing, Ella? I can buy you a hundred more…”
Holding the cup back to him over her shoulder in trade, Ella shrugged, “If I can forego the medicine, you can use the scissors.”
He was already in the process of unlacing, “No deal, Princess.” Jerking at the ribbons, he was muttering more expletives under his breath. Ella
laughed merrily at his distress as she leaned to put the empty glass on the dresser, “Well, it certainly did not take Kat that long to get it tied.”
Nicholas answered with a growl of frustration, vexed further that the other witch had actually been in his home. He gave a hard yank, tearing the satin eyelets from the back of the gown. At her whine of dismay, he ground out, “You can get it repaired. That nasty little witch probably fixed the laces with magic just for spite.”
She gasped and spun on him, holding the now sagging bodice to her chest, “Nicholas, that is not nice.”
He pulled her hands away so the fabric would fall, reminding her, “I am not nice, Ella.” Lifting her free of it, Nicholas set her to the side before heaving the mound of satin to the far end of the room with a snort of disgust. He faced her then, crossing his arms over his chest, “The dress can be mended.” Rather than give her time to argue, he waved a hand to indicate the satin and lace corset and barely-there panties she had on, “You could have just worn this.” He tugged her towards him, “I have waited for too many months to have you naked, writhing and screaming my name again, but this time I will be having you completely.”
The gleam of anticipation in his eyes was irresistible. Ella could not even find enough upset to give him hell over his treatment of her dress. Slipping her arms around his waist, she rubbed her cheek to his chest and challenged, “I do not think I ever screamed your name…not once.”
Laughing he took her hand and led her towards the bed before scooping her up. He murmured against her lips, “I think your memory fails you. First you begged for more and then you screamed so loudly when I had my first taste of you that…” He dropped her without warning onto the center of the bed. Leaning over her, he opened his mouth to continue and Ella smacked her palm over his lips. His gazed fixated on hers while he slid a hand down each leg to push her fancy heels off before sliding slowly back up. Ella pulled her hand back when he flicked his tongue against her palm. Running his fingertips over her thighs in widening circles, he whispered hotly, “I have had months to think about what I am going to do to you tonight, Ella.”
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