by Alicia Rades
“It’s okay,” I told him with a giggle. “I’m fine with just this.”
Liar.
He stared up at me with desire and passion in his eyes. He pushed himself up briefly to place a kiss on my nose. “You’re amazing. You know that? Has anyone ever told you you’re amazing?”
The question was rhetorical, but I answered anyway. “I don’t think so. I mean, besides my parents, but that was in, like, a totally different way. And, I mean, pretty much everyone who called me the Ravenite, but they thought I was some sort of super shifter or something.”
Oh my God. You’re ruining it with your rambling.
“I’ll shut up now,” I said quickly.
Venn laughed. “You’re great.”
The words sent a warm tingle to settle in my chest. I felt light and airy, carefree.
“So, uh…” I threw another glance at the door. “Sondra and Fiona aren’t going to stay out there all night. I want to enjoy every second of alone time I have with you.”
Venn wiggled his eyebrows. “Better get started then.”
I beamed and accepted his invitation. My lips trailed from his mouth and down his jaw, then to his neck and finally to his collarbone. He shivered beneath my touch, and his hands tightened from where they rested on my hips.
I’m such a tease.
Tonight would take me further than I’d ever been with a guy, and I should’ve been terrified. But with Venn—with his kisses and his hands roaming over my backside—I wasn’t scared. I didn’t want to tease him. I wanted to take this further. Not all the way… but further.
I arched my back and pressed my pelvis into his. Slowly, I reached up with shaky fingers and tugged at the tie on my robe. The fabric fell away to expose my bare midriff and my bra. My breasts swelled as he gasped, his hungry eyes drinking me in. His hands moved over the bare skin of my legs and ran all the way up my abdomen until his fingers settled against the fabric on the underside of my bra. My mouth went dry, and my blood pulsed in my ears. What was he waiting for?
He couldn’t wait any longer. He let out a deep growl, and he sprang on me. His arms were around me in an instant, dragging me into him until our lips connected. My mouth parted, letting him in. His tongue danced across mine, and I gladly welcomed the rush it brought. It was like conjuring magic, only a hundred times more powerful. Unlike magic, the tingle didn’t shoot straight through me. It gathered into a ball in my chest, making me feel heavy and light all at the same time.
Venn spun me around, tossing me on my back. He paused a moment as his eyes roamed over me. My chest heaved in heavy breaths as I waited in unbearable anticipation for his next move.
Venn grabbed the sheets from beneath me, and we both climbed under the covers. He bit his lower lip as he hovered above me, straddling me. His gaze flickered down to my breasts. Desire burned in his eyes, reflecting back how I felt.
Now it was my turn to run my hands up his legs. Brazenly, I pushed the fabric of his shorts aside and ran my hands up to the skin at the apex of his thighs. The ends of my fingers just barely grazed him there. He was so ready for me.
“What do you want, Rae?” he whispered.
I thought about it for a moment. The part of my soul connected to him wanted it all. But the Rae part of me—the inexperienced part—begged for merely just a taste. We didn’t have any protection on hand, which was kind of a deal breaker for me. But there was plenty we could do without it.
“I want you to touch me,” I whispered back before wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him closer to me. My chest heaved, and my nipples hardened beneath the fabric of my bra. “And kiss me.”
Venn gladly took my invitation, claiming my mouth as his own once again. My legs wrapped around his middle, pulling him even closer to me, while my hands ran across the exposed skin on his back. His right thumb ran just below my underwire, teasing me.
Do it.
Venn wrapped an arm underneath me and pinched the sides of my bra clasp together. Suddenly, the fabric loosened, and cool air rushed across my exposed breasts. Venn pushed aside the fabric and ran a warm hand across my bare skin, sending fireworks to explode through my chest. My heart pummeled against my rib cage as my fingers tangled in his hair. Sweet, sweet adrenaline coursed through me, igniting every nerve ending in my body in a warm tingle.
“More,” I moaned between his kisses as his hand roamed over my breast.
I hadn’t even realized I’d said anything until his weight lifted off of me and he resituated himself to lie beside me on the bed. His lips stayed on mine, but his hand left my breast and trailed downward, running further beneath the sheets. His fingers stopped at my waistband.
No, don’t stop!
I curled my fingers deeper into his hair and bit his lower lip, letting him know he was welcome. His hands slipped beneath the fabric. I let out a wavered breath. He paused for a moment, until I protested by deepening our kiss and digging my nails into his shoulder. He responded by kissing me back with equal passion. Then he slid his fingers further down my body until he was touching me there. My back arched, and a deep breath passed my lips.
His fingers moved across me in ways I’d never experienced before. The motion sent a fire to build up inside of me, until I was biting his shoulder just to keep the moans from escaping. And then that fire exploded, rushing through me like a blessing from the gods.
Venn pulled the covers up to my chin and wrapped me in his arms. I lay beside him feeling weightless. I couldn’t think straight. He placed a kiss on the back of my neck.
“Good night,” he whispered.
“What about you?” I mumbled.
“Shh…” he replied softly. “Don’t worry about me. We’ll have plenty of other chances.”
Plenty of other chances. I liked the sound of a future together.
I took a deep breath, inhaling his scent and melting into his chest, before I dozed off into a peaceful slumber.
13
I stared into Venn’s eyes—only, the face wasn’t his. Still, I recognized him just the same. My fingers reached out to wrap in his. My skin was darker than normal, but only by a shade or two. His was paler than mine, in stark contrast to his usual midnight-dark skin. He dressed in clothing that didn’t look to fit this century, and we stood in a thick forest where no one else could hear us. Somehow, I knew our home lay just on the other side of the trees.
“I think it’s a good idea,” he said, taking my hands in his. “But we don’t have to do this, Abigail.”
“Yes, we do, Charles,” I countered. I barely recognized my own accent. “It’s the only way to save everyone.”
He dropped my hands and pulled me into an embrace. I leaned into him and rested my head on his shoulder.
“You know what this means, don’t you?” I whispered. “If we do this, we will never stop hunting down the vampires.”
“I know,” he replied, “and I’m okay with that.”
“Our lives will never be the same,” I said.
“No, they won’t,” he agreed, “but our lives already changed months ago when they killed our daughters. No one should have to go through what we went through. We’ll rid the world of vampires if it’s the last thing we do.”
“Get up!”
I startled awake, my heart thumping wildly against my chest. “Jesus Christ, Fiona!”
She bounced on her knees at the foot of the bed, shaking the springs all the way up by my head. Venn rolled away from me and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Cool air that tasted a lot like disappointment rushed between us.
I forced my eyes open and glanced to the digital clock on the nightstand. “It’s five a.m.!”
Fiona climbed off the bed. “I know, but we have to be at the airport in less than an hour. So, chop-chop.”
I sighed and leaned my head back on the pillow as Fiona hurried out of the room, leaving Venn and me alone. My heart was still racing.
“Are you okay?” Venn reached out to touch my shoulder. Although his skin only ma
de contact with my robe, my shoulder heated beneath his touch.
I raked my fingers through my hair and stared blankly up at the ceiling. “Yeah, I’m fine. I just… I think I had a vision.”
Venn propped himself on his elbow, immediately alert. “A vision?”
“A vision, or a memory or something.” My gaze met his. “It was us, Venn. In our past life.”
The worried look on his face vanished. Intrigue replaced it. “Really?”
I nodded. “We were young and living in Europe. It was the mid-1700s. We had three daughters.”
Venn opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off.
“Don’t ask me how I know all the details. I just remember.”
He smiled. “We really had three girls?”
I nodded, but I knew the sadness was written all over my face. Venn’s expression fell.
“They were the reason we started hunting vampires,” I explained. “I mean, when we were Abigail and Charles. The vampires…”
My throat closed up. I knew the girls weren’t my daughters, not in this life, but my heart still broke for them. A muscle fluttered in Venn’s jaw.
I squeezed my eyes closed and shook my head, as if trying to rid myself of the memory. “We were discussing our options. You wanted me—Abigail—to perform the spell, the one that turned you into a shifter. You wanted to save everyone else from the vampires.”
It didn’t surprise me that Charles sounded so much like the Venn I knew.
Venn shifted beside me and pulled me close to his chest. He didn’t say anything as he placed a gentle kiss on my forehead. Warmth spread across my skin, calming me.
I drew away. “That’s all I remember.”
“That’s okay,” Venn said gently. The look in his eyes told me he meant it. “The fact that you remembered anything at all from your previous life is amazing.”
I lifted the corner of my lips into a smile. “Thanks.”
Fiona stuck her head back in the room. “Come on, you guys. Breakfast will be here soon. You don’t want Ryland to eat all your food, do you?”
She left the room again, and Venn and I exchanged an amused glance.
He groaned and rolled away from me, the muscles in his back rippling as he pushed himself up. “She’s right. Ryland eats like a bear.”
I stifled a laugh.
Venn rolled his eyes as he pulled a shirt on over his head. “Don’t laugh at me. That was a cheap joke.”
“What?” I asked innocently as I pushed myself up to sit on the edge of the bed. “I’m not allowed to find you funny?”
Venn pressed his lips together, like he was thinking hard. “I guess, if that’s the kind of humor that entertains you. But in that case, we need to get you out more.”
I crawled across the bed and rose to my knees beside him. My hands tangled in his shirt as I tugged on him, encouraging him to come back to bed with me. “I’d rather stay in.”
Venn caved to my invite and parted his lips. My tongue grazed across his lower lip as his hands roamed my backside. Every nerve in my body came to life.
He drew away and took a deep breath. “Fiona was serious, you know. If we aren’t out there by the time breakfast arrives, we won’t get any.”
I stuck my lower lip out in a mock pout. “Fine, but we need to make up all the cuddles we missed from being woken up so early.”
Venn’s eyes sparkled. “We’ll have plenty of time for that on our flight.”
Reluctantly, I dragged myself out of bed. Venn grabbed his shoes and left the room, closing the door behind him. I tugged at the tie on my robe and let the fabric fall to the floor.
Suddenly, I felt extremely exposed. The hairs on the back of my neck stood as if the air conditioning was blowing directly on me, but the vent was all the way across the room and it hadn’t been turned on all night. I quickly scooped up the robe from the floor and held it close to my chest while I glanced around the room. The door was securely closed, and the curtains were drawn. I could hear everyone else talking out in the main room.
And still, something didn’t feel right—as if someone was watching me.
I shook off the feeling and quickly pulled on my clothes. By the time I’d laced up my boots and tossed my hair into a ponytail with Fiona’s brush and one of the hair ties she’d left lying on the dresser, the anxiety rushing through my veins had waned, but the strangeness of the sensation lingered. I exited the room, running my fingers through my hair, to see that everyone was seated around the dining table with plates of food in front of them. I slid into the chair beside Venn, my eyes darting around the room the whole time.
“You look worried,” Sondra observed as she took a bite of pancake.
“No,” I lied, picking up my fork. “I was just wondering about that protection charm you got from Genevieve.”
Way to be subtle.
“What was it for?” I asked.
“This?” Sondra held up the small black bag from where it hung off her neck.
I took a bite of egg and nodded.
“It’s a blend of herbs that’s supposed to protect us from other magic,” Sondra admitted.
“Does it work?” I asked hopefully. Maybe it was just my imagination getting to me.
“It should.”
“And what if it didn’t work?” I asked. “Matias has the locket. He could be tracking us.”
I hated putting my fears out there in the open, but it was a very real possibility.
“Why would he track us?” Ryland cut in. “He’s unaware we know about The Wise Owl, isn’t he?”
“Well, those guys at Amalia’s didn’t attack us for no reason,” I pointed out.
Ryland opened his mouth to say more, but Sondra cut him off.
“You’re right,” she said. “That’s why we have to get on an early flight and follow Genevieve’s coordinates.”
“Do we know the coordinates yet?” Teagan asked.
“No,” Sondra answered with a shake of her head. “She’ll send the coordinates once we land.”
Teagan’s eyebrows rose. “Where are we going, exactly?”
Sondra swallowed another bite of food. “We won’t know until we get to the airport. The reason Genevieve hasn’t told us where we’re going yet is in case Matias is watching us.”
“And you trust her?” Ryland asked skeptically.
“Yes,” Sondra said. “On this, I do. As long as we make it there before Matias does, everything should work out.”
“Will we make it there before him?” Venn asked, sounding worried.
“I don’t see how he would make it ahead of us,” Sondra replied. “Don’t worry. We’re going to get this thing and destroy it. We’ll figure out the rest from there. Any other questions?” Her eyes scanned the table.
Fiona’s hand shot into the air. “Yeah, um… can I have a window seat?”
The car Genevieve provided was stocked with everything we needed for the plane ride: travel snacks, magazines for entertainment, and our plane tickets. What surprised me, though, was the sight of my I.D. sitting in the folder with the plane tickets.
I gasped and grabbed it, flipping it around in my hands to make sure it was real. How did it get there?
Inside the folder, a yellow sticky note read, I figured you’d need this. The rest of your belongings are at my house for when you return. Genevieve.
Genevieve must’ve gone to my apartment and taken the bag I’d packed before I left. I was relieved to know my stuff was safe, even though it was just my phone, my spell journal, and a few pairs of clothes. At least it meant my sketchy landlord didn’t have his grubby hands on my stuff.
Almost an hour after we arrived at the airport, we boarded a plane to Nashville.
Fiona inhaled a sharp breath when she saw our destination. “Mammoth Caves,” she whispered. “That must be where we’re going.”
She was the first from our group on the plane. She quickly found our row and settled in by the window, staring out it in wonder even though we hadn’t
even left the terminal. I sat beside her in the middle seat. Venn placed his bag in the overhead bin before sliding into the seat beside me.
I eyed Fiona curiously. “Have you ever flown before?”
She couldn’t tear her gaze off the window. “No, I haven’t. If Sondra ever has to travel for business, she always takes Ryland with her.”
I glanced to Ryland, who was trying to find enough leg room to rest his feet. He was far too big for the plane and had to spread his legs so his knees didn’t touch the back of the seat in front of him. I could see why Sondra took him along. He was a full security team shoved into one body.
“And you, Venn?” I asked. He threw a nervous glance at the window. “Have you ever flown before?”
“I—I did once,” he said hesitantly. “When I was a kid, my family flew to California for my cousin’s wedding.”
“Me, too,” I told him. “My family took a vacation to Florida when I was eight. I loved it.”
Fiona leaned over and whispered, “Venn hates it.”
My shocked gaze snapped in his direction. “You’re afraid of flying?”
He nodded, and his hands tightened around his armrests as the plane began to roll away from the terminal. I felt bad for him. I couldn’t imagine being afraid of flying. Granted, when I flew it typically wasn’t in an airplane, and I usually had the wind whipping through my feathers to add to the thrill, but still…
“It’s okay, Venn,” I said lightly as I rested a hand on his. “I live for flying. I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”
A ghost of a smile touched his lips. “Thanks.”
When we reached the runway, his hand tightened around mine. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as we picked up speed. I knew when the plane’s wheels left the ground because my stomach flipped in my abdomen. Venn squeezed my fingers so tightly he could’ve crushed bone.
Beside me, Fiona gasped as the earth dropped out from beneath us. “Oh, wow! It’s so pretty from up here. Venn, look!”
Venn didn’t open his eyes. Ryland muttered something under his breath. I didn’t catch it, but I figured it was some sort of insult. Teagan slugged him in the arm. My gaze darted to Sondra across the aisle, wondering what I should do to help Venn.
