Bound in Darkness

by Nicole Edwards

  “Perhaps. But they’ve been going through a little tiff. Now that things appear to be progressing…” Michael turned toward the windows, peered out as the moon shined high in the sky, brightening the world beneath it. “He prompted that feeding. I think he’s uncovering his true nature.”

  “How much longer do we have?”

  Turning back to Obsidian, Michael shrugged. “No idea, honestly. Like I’ve said before, Khari’s never had this issue in the human vessels. But he’s also never been in close proximity to his mate.”

  “I have to tell Penelope.”

  Michael nodded. That much he understood. As for how the female would take it, that was anyone’s guess.

  “I hope you see how fucked up this is.” Obsidian’s tone reflected his disdain for the situation.

  “While I tend to take heat for my decisions, know that I don’t make them lightly. I get that no one understands what prompted me to encapsulate the original vampire in a human vessel, but I assure you, it’s been for his safety.”

  “Did you have to choose my amsouelot’s brother?”

  “Technically, he’s not related.” Michael held up a hand. “But yes, it was calculated. I used that human vessel for a reason.” He waved his arms to encompass their surroundings. “Everything I do is for a reason, Obsidian. I needed Khari to be returned to the vampires, but I also needed him separated for as long as was necessary. It might not be obvious now, but he’s critical to the race’s survival. I was protecting them.”

  “Why?”

  “Because it’s my responsibility to protect the humans, too.”

  “Then why was the original vampire sentenced to elimination in the first place?”

  Ah. He should’ve expected that question. And, technically, he had, only he’d thought it would come from Kaj.

  “Let’s just say Khari’s not your average vampire. When he was created, my father was looking to create a being that would supersede your abilities. As you’ve probably noticed, he used my mold for their creation, but since he’s got drastically more abilities than I, he made some modifications. At the time of Khari’s creation, the world wasn’t ready for that yet. However, I knew one day it would be. So, I tucked him away for a bit.”

  “A bit?” Obsidian snorted. “How long’s it been? Nine thousand years?”

  “Give or take.” He exhaled heavily. “The vampires have proven beneficial over the years, and I knew one day they would require the full abilities of the original. More importantly, he’ll be vital in getting through this shit storm my brother has initiated.”

  “The shadow beasts?”

  “There will come a time when our limits are tested,” he told Obsidian, hating that he had to admit that. He’d always hoped to be one step ahead of Lucifer, and in doing so, he’d underestimated his brother.

  “When?”

  “I honestly wish I knew. But until that time, my objective is to fortify the species created to protect the humans. That’s all I’m capable of doing.”

  Obsidian exhaled heavily. “I’ll talk to Kaj. Figure out the best way to proceed.”

  “I suggest you don’t wait much longer. Khari will survive, of that I have no doubt. I cannot say the same for Oliver Calazans.”

  With that parting shot, Michael vanished himself back to Heaven.

  For now, it was out of his control, and there was nothing he could do but sit back and watch.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Kaj stepped out of the shower, snagged the towel from the bar, and ran it over himself before tossing it into the hamper.

  He stared around the bathroom, really taking it all in for the first time since he’d moved into this room. It reminded him a lot of the nothing-special room he’d maintained at the Seattle camp, back when he’d been leading the Zenith for his father. Simpler times, he figured. Back before he’d been forced into the role as Alpha.

  Shitty job he was doing of it, too. Even he could acknowledge that as he met his own reflective gaze in the mirror above the sink. The only efforts they’d made had been when Mirakel and Blāz had gone to speak to the noble families, assessing their oldest male offspring to see if they were worthy of training to become the elite. They’d gone one step further, bringing the males and females into the training center for assessment.

  Then there was the ongoing investigation into Darko, the male they believed a traitor. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as simple as eliminating him because he was an asshole. They actually needed proof before they could take him down. But take him down they would.

  Aside from that, he’d spent more time attempting to stabilize his life than to provide any sort of rule to the vampires.

  He couldn’t help but think about Oliver, about what was transpiring. The ancient vampire was attempting to surface, clearly sick of being repressed inside a human for centuries. According to Apollo, the vampire wouldn’t remain much longer. He was getting stronger, in large part due to his feelings for Bijou, his need to claim her. And from what the healers had explained, it wouldn’t be long before the human vessel was incinerated from the ever-growing powers of the vampire. They needed to separate the two and they needed to do it soon.

  The question was, what would happen when Khari emerged? When he was no longer bound to the human vessel? Would he move into the role he’d been created for? Taking over the species, casting Kaj aside?

  A month ago, Kaj would’ve said more power to him. Now … well, he was no longer willing to step down unless he knew the race was going to rally. If Kaj was expected to resurrect the male, he damn sure didn’t intend to let him destroy the efforts of Kaj’s father. No, maybe Kaj hadn’t stepped into the role the way he should have, but he was certainly moving in that direction.

  Perhaps Khari would be a better leader.

  It didn’t matter, he decided. He was not stepping down. He would not hand over the reins to another, forgo the rare opportunity presented to him so he could stand at the right hand of the male who would one day mate Kaj’s daughter.

  Sad thing was, although he knew where he belonged, Kaj was still up in the air about so many things. It was as though he was a mix of bubbles in water, moving about, never settling. He needed to settle so he could get to work, focus on what was important. Plus he had his daughter’s well-being to consider.

  Kaj sighed heavily, forced the thoughts from his mind. They would hold until nightfall. At that point, he could address them all.

  Not bothering with clothes, Kaj went to his bedroom, willing the lights off behind him.

  He came up short in the doorway when his eyes landed on the female currently kneeling on his bed. She was naked, her dark hair hanging down over her shoulders, the long strands discreetly hiding her naked breasts.

  All thought fled in that moment. All his worries, his fears disappearing completely. The only thing that mattered was this female.

  He hadn’t expected to see Acadia. Ever since he’d left her back at the mansion a few hours ago, he’d expected to be accompanied by nothing more than the cold chill in his bones that remained whenever he wasn’t in her presence. Sure, she’d told him she had talked to Obsidian, that she wanted to move forward, but she hadn’t mentioned what her immediate plans were. And with so much going on, he’d simply assumed they would continue to take things slow.

  Kaj took a moment to drink in the sight of her. Not only the delicious curves of her naked form, but the image she presented in his bed.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked, hoping it didn’t come across negatively.

  Her amethyst eyes lifted to his face, and a smile formed on her luscious mouth. “I am here to give myself to you. Completely and wholly, I am yours, Kaj. Provided you will have me.”

  His breath lodged in his chest when she bowed before him, the long line of her spine arching as she rested her forehead to the mattress, her arms reaching forward as though for him.

  Mine.

  As he moved toward her, Acadia remained where she was, her face tucked downward. He
could do nothing more than bend over her, his lips gliding over her spine as he covered her with his body. Though they were both naked, it wasn’t necessarily a sexual moment. However, it was uniquely intimate.

  Kaj trailed his hands over her waist, her hips, gripping firmly because he was so overwhelmed by her presence, he wasn’t sure what to do next. He remained just like that for a couple of minutes, inhaling her sweet fragrance, absorbing the warmth of her skin, listening to her breathe. He’d never known true peace before Acadia, and to have it now…

  Forcing himself up, he took her hands in his, then helped her to sit upright. He brought her knuckles to his lips, kissed them one at a time as he met her gaze, held it.

  “If I join you on this bed, I’m going to claim you,” he warned. “There is no going back from this.”

  To his surprise, Acadia took his hand, urging him to accompany her. As he placed one knee on the mattress, she lay before him, her head resting on his pillow, hair spilling out around her. She was so… There were no words in any language that could do her justice. This female was absolute perfection. She was everything.

  Leaning over her, Kaj took her lips, attempting to hold back the urgency he could feel pulsing in his veins. He wanted to slide into the heavenly warmth of her body, to bring them both the ecstasy they often found in one another’s arms.

  Only, he wasn’t ready for it to be over.

  So rather than mount her like the animal he was, Kaj eased onto his side, his lips still fused to hers, his hand beginning a slow exploration over her smooth skin. He started at her neck, drifted down to her chest, dipping between her breasts. He ventured lower, his palm spanning her belly, sliding farther until he reached her cleft. Rather than tease, he reversed his movements, returning to cup her throat as he thrust his tongue inside her mouth, mimicking the movements he would soon make with other parts of his body.

  Heat from the fire merged with the warmth generated by their bodies. When his fingers trailed over her the second time, his mouth followed, pressing kisses as he inhaled her sweet scent. This time he paused to suck her nipples, teasing the nubs with his tongue while Acadia’s fingers ran through his hair. Every so often she would grip him firmly, holding him in place before releasing. He took his cues from her, loving every inch of her.

  When he made his way between her thighs, Kaj repositioned so her legs were draped over his arms, his mouth melding to her hot core. He took his time, pushing her to the brink but never over. He loved those sweet moans, the way her fingernails speared his scalp as she attempted to bring herself to orgasm against his intruding tongue.

  “Kaj…”

  She was right where he wanted her.

  “Don’t move,” he instructed, pushing up onto his knees.

  Time slowed as he admired her. Every beautiful inch. His fingertips swept over her soft, smooth skin. He had no need to memorize her because he had done so long ago.

  Her eyes shifted to his as he lifted her left leg, cradling her foot in his hand. His lips trailed over the delicate arch, up to her ankle, slowly inching higher. He paused, his mouth hovering over the vein that ran to her foot. When their eyes met, he pressed his lips to that spot, stroked her with his tongue.

  “Yours,” she rasped, as though she knew what was coming.

  Without warning, he pierced her with his fangs, drawing from the vein only briefly before sealing the wound. Her eyes widened, her chest rising and falling more rapidly. It wasn’t pain that increased her respiration. Desire. He could practically taste it.

  “That’s just the beginning,” he warned.

  Acadia nodded, a plea in her beautiful eyes. She wanted this, he could sense it.

  Kaj did the same with her other leg, kissing her small foot, working higher, piercing the vein on that side. After sealing that wound, he trailed a path of kisses up her leg, once more toward the juncture of her thighs. This time he paused, placing one soft kiss, then pierced the femoral artery, drinking from her in long pulls. He sealed that wound, then performed the same maneuver on the other side before sealing her flesh with his tongue. It was a necessary ritual, marking her as his, taking from her in every way. With every puncture, he took only small amounts of her blood before sealing the holes while she watched him, her breaths labored, her desire building.

  He performed the same near her breasts, on each of her wrists.

  When he made his way to her neck, he was panting, as was she. His cock was rock hard and desperate to find its way into her. He took his time, sinking his fangs into her jugular, first on the left, then the right. It wasn’t to feed, as that would come later, so it didn’t take long. Good thing because he was beginning to vibrate, his need for her overwhelming him.

  His cock found the slick heat of her as he pumped his hips, sliding through her juices before angling for penetration. Before he slid inside, Kaj met her gaze, held it. “I’m going to claim you, Acadia. There’s no going back from this. You understand that?”

  She nodded, her back arching in invitation. “Claim me, Kaj.”

  The soft rasp of her voice had him pushing his hips forward, filling her, stretching her. He took his time, rocking forward, retreating. And when he was fully seated within her, Kaj took her hands, linked their fingers and pinned her to the bed. He didn’t rush, pleasuring them both for long minutes as he allowed her body to acclimate to the intrusion.

  As the energy shifted between them, Kaj’s hips began thrusting in earnest as he eased his weight onto her. He released her hands, sliding his arms beneath her back so he could balance without suffocating her. And when he was pressed against her from chest to thigh, he drove in hard and fast, as deep as he could go.

  The scent was the first to emerge from his pores, a means of marking her. It would forever be imprinted in her skin, detected only by the males of his race so they knew who she belonged to.

  “Kaj…” Acadia clung to him, her fingernails scoring his back.

  The pain was an aphrodisiac, a reminder of exactly where he was, who he was with. What this moment meant.

  He pushed into her again and again, faster, harder, deeper.

  His fangs tingled with the need to pierce her. When it became too much, he shifted his mouth to her chest, directly over her heart. Kaj met her gaze once more, noticed the slight nod of her head as though she knew exactly what he would do.

  His fangs elongated, more so than they’d ever done before. Unable to hold back, he drove the sharpened points into her flesh, piercing the vein that delivered life blood directly to her heart. But he didn’t drink from her. This time he marked her as his, merging with her as the venom possessed by male vampires shot into her bloodstream. Her body jerked, her sex clutching tightly as a knot formed at the base of his cock, locking him inside her. They were intimately joined in that moment, unable to separate as he came deep within her, claiming her while at the same time marking her as his. Permanently.

  By the time the venom was drained from him and pumped into her, the knot receding to allow movement, Acadia was writhing beneath him, her hands clutching his head, holding him to her as he retracted his fangs, sealed the wounds with a steady swipe of his tongue. Because of the venom that had passed through those punctures, they would be permanent, forever etched in her skin as a reminder to both of them.

  And that was when he took her.

  Kaj shifted up onto his arms, hovering over her as he worked them both toward climax.

  “Kaj!” Acadia’s back bowed, her sex pulsing over his as she came so beautifully.

  Only then did he give himself over to another climax, releasing inside her, filling her, the ultimate marking of his female.

  Satisfied in every way, Kaj rolled, taking Acadia with him without retreating from her body. He draped her over his chest, ran his hands over her hair, and held her there. He was still rock hard, probably would be for a couple of days because the urge to mark her over and over was triggered by the venom.

  “I love you, balisra,” he whispered softly in the langua
ge they were both familiar with, then in his own language he said, “From now until eternity, I shall love only you.”

  “And I you,” Acadia responded in his language.

  The fact that she’d learned it had his heart swelling as well as other parts of him throbbing.

  She moaned softly, her body moving over his. When she lifted her head and met his gaze, he saw she was smiling.

  “Take me, balisra. Make me yours.”

  Acadia did exactly as he requested, making him feel like the most powerful male in the universe.

  Mirakel knew when it happened.

  He’d been sitting on his bed, trying to talk himself out of inviting Briony to his room. Over and over her words played in his head, his body hard and aching, his lips still tingling from being melded to hers during that one far-too-brief kiss they’d shared the last time he’d gone to her. And yes, he had apologized for his reaction, and yes, she had forgiven him. But after that, he hadn’t been sure how to proceed, so he’d kept his distance. Emotionally, at least. Physically … well, that was more difficult than not. He’d still been feeding from her, and while they’d managed to keep things platonic during those instances, Mirakel knew it wasn’t going to last much longer.

  Right now, it seemed fucking impossible thanks to the goings-on taking place beneath this roof. Kaj had mated his female, officially claimed her.

  Perhaps it was because Kaj’s room was not all that far from his own, but Mirakel smelled his marking, sensed the male bonding with the female. There was no energy like with the angels. No, this was subtle, something that would only be picked up by vampires. Males from other species would sense something even if they didn’t know exactly what it meant, but they would be deterred from the female. And while it wasn’t a tsunami of energy, it was equally powerful, igniting the urge to fuck.

  Damn good thing he’d held off on inviting Briony.

  So why was he picking up his phone, pulling up her number, typing out a text?

  Because he was an idiot. One who had no self-control when it came to her.