Electric pulses of desire zinged through me. My nails dug into the tree trunk, meeting sticky sap. The energy of the tree pulsed against my back, throbbing through me from my breasts to my center to my head, a triangle of pleasure that filled me with undulating power. I swayed, and Emmanuel’s hands held me. Controlled me.
I found his shoulders, sculpted and round, explored his back, pure corded strength. Another moan left my lips as I gripped his butt.
His hand slipped into my panties. "Oh, God.” It came out strangled and starving. He laughed—a rich masculine sound—against my breast as his fingers explored, sending jolts through me so that I shook against the tree.
"Please," I begged, my eyes closed, the forest pulsing around us, the scent of honey rich in the air, energy pushing through my veins. I could hear that song again.
His long, callused fingers slowly and luxuriously teased me. I tried to reach out with my mind, to control his hand, to force his pace, but Emmanuel just laughed gently against my breast before kissing up to my neck. "That won't work on me." His tongue pulled my earlobe between his teeth. "I am more powerful than you, Darling." My name came out on a purr, and I shivered, his power swirling around me. I wanted it inside me.
My remaining clothing pooled at my feet, leaving me naked, pressed against the tree, and desperate.
I fumbled with the buttons of his jeans, but he stopped me. With his influence. My arms raised above my head and held the tree again. "How are you doing that?" I asked.
"It’s what”—he nipped my neck, then my collarbone—“you want.” Each word was punctuated with a flick of his tongue. He was right. But was it him making me want it? "Tell me, Darling. Tell me that you want it."
His hands covered mine, entwining our fingers as he took my mouth again. I was dizzy when he finally pulled away. His eyes, glinting with sparks of purple in the morning light, held mine.
"Tell me that you want to be powerless against me." He held my gaze. “You want me to take control and pleasure you like no other being ever has.” He leaned his body into mine, holding both my hands with one of his, the other gliding over my side as if he was playing an instrument. “Tell me that is what you want."
His weight was more than physical; he pressed against that core at the center of me. And he was powerful. I loved it.
"I do want that," I sighed. "I want all of that."
His eyes darkened to the deepest purples of a storm cloud. He stepped back, and my body arched toward him even as my nails dug into the tree, holding me in place. I whimpered at the loss of contact.
His influence whispered over my bare skin, raising goosebumps and making me absolutely wild for him. "You are perfect." He unbuttoned his jeans, eyes roaming over my body—his gaze felt like a ray of sunlight, warm and nourishing as it glided against my bare skin. My eyes closed, pleasure shaking through me.
I could feel his hunger for me. Just for me. I held power over him even as I stood helpless. Emmanuel could put me where he wanted, take what he wanted. But in that wanting, in his need for me, I held power—it coursed through me as he approached.
Emmanuel ran a hand down my cheek. His other tightened on my thigh and lifted my leg to his bare hip. He closed his eyes and licked his lips, a tremor passing over him. Then his gaze met mine. "I want your eyes," he said. "Do not stop looking at me."
"Yes," I promised, the forest seeming to sway around us. Everything but his face swirled, blurring into diamonds of color, forces of energy, dancing at the sight of us. He ran his thumb along my chin and slowly sank into me.
My eyes tried to close against the pleasure but he stopped. "Look at me," he demanded gently.
I met his gaze, my mouth falling open, breath coming in sharp pants of need. His eyes burned. He held me, controlled me, gathered energy from all around us. Take me before I die.
His breath caught as our desires met. Shockwaves of pleasure built in me. I rocked against the tree, one of his hands tangled in my hair, the other gripping my thigh with bruising strength.
He drove life and vitality into me, forcing me to take it all.
The tree behind me pulsed, and pleasure rippled languidly out, down my legs, over my chest, up my neck, shooting out through my toes in a sudden explosion. An inhuman sound burst out of me.
His eyes held me. His influence started it again, rippling power from my center, traveling that same route. Over and over again, he watched me.
Only me.
My nails dug into the tree. Emmanuel’s eyes became heavy and unfocused as he shuddered. The fingers in my hair pulled painfully, sending new ripples of pleasure through me.
My entire body shook, my eyes squeezing shut against the pain and power as light exploded inside me. The energy that had held us up folded in on itself, and Emmanuel wrapped his arms around me, dropping to his knees, my body cradled by his, our foreheads pressed together, energies completely entwined.
He cursed low as another wave took us. In that moment, there was nothing in the universe but him and me and the light we made.
The sun shimmered through green leaves. They swayed and sang, the sunlight glinting from them. I blinked, trying to get my bearings. Where was I? Right…
I turned onto my side. Emmanuel lay next to me, his head resting on the bicep of one bare arm. I reached out and touched his tan and muscled shoulder, running my fingers lightly along his skin, raising goosebumps but not waking him. Emmanuel’s dark curls fluttered in the breeze.
This world smelled like soil, honey, and greenery. I took in a deep breath, filling my lungs, and letting my eyes close before rolling onto my back again and gazing up into the leaves.
A shadow passed over, like some giant creature flew above us or a cloud flittered across the sun. But I’d seen nothing block the blue sky.
A sound, like giant wings flapping reached me. Sitting up, my hair silky against my shoulders, and tickling my upper back, I searched for the source. Nothing but trees, undergrowth, and the tinkling stream.
I glanced back at Emmanuel, but he was gone. There wasn’t even a depression in the ground where he’d been. Fear made my heart race, and I scrambled to stand. Sticks and pebbles bit at my feet. I pressed my back against the bark of the tree trunk. The plant's life force thudded against me gently.
The air became electrified, my hair rising—not on a wind but as if drawn to something powerful.
My eyes darted around the forest, the sunlight suddenly pale and every shadow menacing.
That flickering darkness, some giant creature overhead, flashed the forest into shadow again.
Something big was close, and getting closer.
I stood naked, body vibrating with tension. What was it? Where did Emanuel go? Laughter, a woman’s high-pitched giggle, reached me. She sounded kind of unhinged—maniacal. Crazy.
“Who are you?” I asked, my voice coming out a croak. I got no answer. “Emmanuel!” Panic pitched my voice higher.
“Hey,” I could hear Emmanuel’s voice, feel his hands on my shoulders, but he wasn’t here! “You’re dreaming, wake up.”
Okay, okay. That makes sense. But why was I still asleep then? Thunder rolled, and a storm bank swirled beyond the trees. That laugh came again. Wake up! Emmanuel’s touch faded as a cool air scented of storm whispered over my skin. A skittering sound jerked my head around—there was someone on the other side of the tree.
With shaking hands I held the trunk, peeking around its girth. Nothing. This was just a dream. I didn’t need to be afraid.
Taking a deep breath, I nodded my head, agreeing with myself. If this is a dream, why aren’t you waking up?
Fingers trailed up my spine and I leapt, turning to face whoever touched me. A thin vine swayed in the growing wind. I huffed out a choked laugh. It echoed, coming back to me in that strange giggle.
Okay, time to wake up!
“Leave her alone,” Emmanuel’s voice resonated just like that giggle.
“Who are you?” My voice stuttered. I grit my teeth and balled m
y fist.
The memory of the nameless man from my dreams drifted across my consciousness. When Megan first disappeared the dreams had started—I never remembered anything but the feeling of being cherished…loved. They were a brief respite from my daily existence. They’d felt as real as regular life…as real as this.
I turned slowly, scanning the forest, noting the storm inching closer, gaining on the sun now.
Something shoved me from behind, and I fell onto my hands and knees. A foot smashed into my stomach spinning me onto my back. I looked up at emptiness. There was no one there.
Pressure on my neck had me grasping at my throat. A foot pressed heavily on my airway. My fingers scrambled at nothing. The edges of my vision blackened under the weight.
Bucking my hips, I twisted, the pressure slipping as I scrambled onto my hands and knees then threw myself forward, grabbing onto the closest tree and pushing off, running full out. Vines pulled at me, thorns scratched my calfs, roots tripped my feet, as if the woods themselves wanted to slow me down.
The first drops of rain chilled my naked skin. Footsteps behind urged me forward. Air shifted in an updraft, and that shadow blocked the light again.
A thud followed by a grunt made me glance over my shoulder. A young tree cracked as if something hit it, exposing the white interior of the trunk. Something roared and thundered so loudly the ground shook. A rush of fire burst across the forest and I stumbled back. A woman screamed, her silhouette exposed in the flames, her arms up to protect herself. Blue ice formed into a ball and dropped to the forest floor, denting the soft ground with its weight.
This is just a dream. Just a dream.
Stinging on my legs, and bruising on my throat begged to differ.
Fingers grabbed at my hair, and I turned swinging behind me, soundly punching a vine in the thorns. Ow.
A warm hand squeezed my hip. I cast my gaze down slowly. Nothing there but the imprint of fingers. A breath on my hair. “Wake up, Darling.”
It was him, the man from my dreams.
I turned and rolled onto my side, in the dirt, knocking into Emmanuel. He wrapped me in his arms. “Darling, you had a bad dream. That’s all, just a bad dream.”
Yeah…just a bad dream.
Chapter Two
At dusk we went to the horses. They munched on green grass in a meadow dotted with wild flowers. The setting sun filled the world with a hazy warmth. I vibrated with the power of the universe. My body felt languid, liquid…perfect. My nightmare all but forgotten—wiped away by Emmanuel’s touch.
A large black gelding with a white star at the center of its forehead whinnied as Emmanuel approached. The horse closed its eyes and leaned into him, butting his head against Emmanuel's chest. "I guess you two know each other," I said.
Emmanuel nodded. "We've been friends for many years. His name is Diamond." Emmanuel gestured to the mount left for me—pure white, with a long, pale mane and eyes that watched my approach with a gentle invitation. "Your horse is named Walamito. She is the daughter of a favorite stallion. Suki might act as though she does not like you, but this is a sign of friendship."
After my dream, we'd spent the rest of the day in each other's arms, sharing a connection that went beyond the realms of imagination. Health and well-being radiated from me—a gift from my lover. The fact that Emmanuel's one-time wife had left me a horse she liked—that symbolized her acceptance of me—I didn’t know what to do with that. I don’t know what to do with any of this.
Emmanuel smiled at me. "Do not be jealous, Darling."
I shook my head. "I'm not jealous. I don't know what I am. We are in a different world, one almost devoid of human life…I should be scared. I should be afraid for the world I left behind. For my own safety. I should be trying to get back home to help. But instead I am content. Truly and totally content."
He raised his eyebrows. "Just content?" A whisper of a smile passed over his lips.
I blushed. How funny, to experience embarrassment after the day we shared. But I still really didn’t know him at all…that wasn’t really true. I knew him, but I didn’t know anything about him. Or him about me, really…
“I’m not explaining myself well. Contentment is…I have not had it since I left my father's house. This is the first time I’ve felt safe and peaceful.” I chewed on my lip, my gaze falling to the lush grass swaying at my ankles. Tell him about yourself. “There has always been a mystery deep inside of myself that I could not solve. Fear, insidious and constant, haunted me. I knew I was different…and dangerous. But here…"
I met his gaze for a moment and then let it wander over the trees. The forest seemed to bend in my direction; the wind that fluttered against my skin and toyed with my hair was warm and welcoming. No wonder I was having nightmares, how could I possibly believe in this much goodness? “Here I feel satisfied, like I belong."
"That is because you are home.” His brown eyes warmed, his curls dancing in the breeze, brushing against his handsome face.
“You said that before. What do you mean? Home?"
"This is the world where you and your father lived."
I scanned the forest again. The trees were tall, like the ones I remember from my childhood, but different. Their bark a lighter color, their leaves a brighter green—these trees were seasonal.
My childhood was filled with evergreens that grew in thick stands, towering over a world that knew only winter. "It does not look like it," I said. But…there was a sense to it, a feeling in the air, in the ground, in the currents that circulated around us, that made me feel at home.
"You were much further north." Emmanuel patted Diamond’s neck. "We are in the same place as Crescent City. You were many thousands of miles from here."
"Is this where I was born?"
"I don’t know.” His voice was low, his eyes on Diamond.
"Did you know my father?"
"No,” he shook his head, meeting my gaze. “Suki did. This is very much her world."
"She is a witch?" I asked.
Emmanuel shrugged. "Something like that. She would never use that word. But Suki is powerful. The most powerful human I've met in all my millennia."
"Millennia," I whispered, the length of time that Emmanuel had wandered the worlds unfurling in my mind. How many millennium?
A small, almost shy smile lit up his face. "Darling, I've been waiting for you my entire existence.”
My breath caught in my throat. "But, in Crescent City, we played together so many times, and you never said anything. I don't understand."
"That fear you talked about—the walls you built—it took me time to see through them, to know that you were the one I was searching for. You were very powerful even then, to block me out like that. I think now, though, you'll agree, it's obvious." He stepped close.
"So, that's not normal for you?" I glanced back to where we…
Emmanuel laughed, and the forest seemed to join him, the wind rustling through the leaves, amused and happy. "No." He pulled a lock of my hair, admiring it for a moment before pushing it behind my ear and cupping my cheek. "That is far from normal for me." His eyes darkened. "And for you, I'm sure." Possession lingered over his words.
I nodded, heat traveling up my neck, reddening my cheeks at the memories of the sounds I'd made, the way I'd begged him, the way he'd controlled my every move, every cell in my being. The way he'd occupied every part of me. "I've never felt anything like that.”
“No,” he agreed, his lips brushing against mine gently. “And you never will with anyone else.” It sounded like a promise he intended to keep. A shiver ran over me, a mixture of desire and fear. I’d handed this stranger the power to destroy me. His eyes narrowed, as if reading my mind, and he stepped even closer, our bodies flush. Both hands held my face, and he looked into my eyes. “We are meant for each other, Darling. Do not deny it.” His words thrummed through me.
How could I deny it when I couldn’t even begin to understand it?
Emmanuel waited out
side the cave with the horses.
My sneakers crunched over sandy dirt. Dimitri and Megan lay side by side, their eyes shut, bodies deathly still at the back of the cave. Their pale skin shone in the darkness like marble.
But statues don’t hunger—and I could feel theirs. It came off them in gentle waves, lapping at the edge of my consciousness. When I kneeled next to Megan, her eyes fluttered. "Darling," she said, her voice quiet, dreamy.
"I'm here.” I took her hand. “Take what you need,” I offered my wrist.
Her eyes shot open.
"No." She pushed away from me. "You need your strength…" Her voice faded as her eyes focused on me. "Darling? You're..."
"Magnificent," Dimitri finished, sitting up, his hair charmingly disheveled. He breathed in, closing his eyes. "The scent of you—it's intoxicating."
"I have enough power to feed you both."
"Just her," Emmanuel said. I turned to see him standing in the cave's entrance, his body silhouetted against the final rays of the sun. "Dimitri is old enough, he can go without your blood for a few days."
I was about to protest, but Dimitri quickly agreed. "I am well," he said. "Megan, you must drink or you will lose control."
"And if you do that where we are going," Emmanuel said, "Suki will kill you."
"Suki is here?” Dimitri asked.
"You know her?" I asked.
Dimitri nodded, running a hand through his hair and taming it. “Yes. I lived in Crescent City for over three centuries. I knew her when she was young, just starting out. Her power is admirable."
"Are you friends?" I asked, a jolt of jealously surprising me.
Dimitri shrugged. "We have no ill will toward each other, but I don't think of her as a friend. I've never trusted a priestess."
"Is that what she is?"
"Witch, priestess…there are lots of words for a human with her power. The forces she controls are tied to the human world. But it is not without sacrifice,” Dimitri explained, his ice blue eyes holding me in his gaze.
Dark Secret Page 2
