by Rose , Renee
“Polignano a Mare,” I say the town’s name with the proper musical accent.
“Italy?” Aurelia gasps.
“Italy,” I confirm and beckon. “Come, bella mia.”
Aurelia clings to my hand, letting me lead her down to the restaurant. The glowing rooms are carved right into the cliff. My captive fae’s eyes are round with wonder as we enter the restaurant cave. We’re promptly seated at a cozy table right up against the iron railing. The wind tugs at Aurelia’s hair.
“This is wonderful,” she mouths. But when the waiters appear, her eyes drop to the white tablecloth.
I order in Italian. As soon as the waiters retreat, I take her hand. “Why are you nervous?”
Her gaze shoots to mine in surprise, and then she flushes. “I don’t know.” She shrugs. “I don’t really go to fancy restaurants, so I get nervous about eating with the right fork and stuff.”
I laugh. “Come on. It’s a restaurant not a court of law. You’re the customer. Everyone here,” I say, circling a finger in the air, “works for you. Got it?”
She smiles and relaxes. She looks at me from under her lashes. “It’s a little disconcerting to have you sensing my emotions.”
I wink. “I have all kinds of powers over you, little girl. That’s why vampires are higher on the food chain.”
She wrinkles her nose, and I lean closer. “Careful, slave. Even though we’re in public, I won’t hesitate to punish you.”
She knows I’m kidding. “Char-leee.”
I give her my crocodile grin.
The sommelier pays our table a visit. Normally, I would banter about the perfect bottles to order with dinner, but tonight I keep it short.
Aurelia looks at her wine glass, nibbling her lip. I sense the undercurrent of anxiety rise again.
“Aurelia.”
“Hmm?”
“Look at me.”
She lifts her eyes, her brow wrinkling in concern.
“Tonight is for you. You’re going to stop over-thinking things and enjoy yourself.”
“But--”
I raise a hand. “You belong here. With me.” As soon as I say it, I know it’s true. She belongs with me.
Aurelia gulps and nods.
Still in dom mode, I lift my chin towards her wine glass. “Take a sip. Good girl.”
She does as she’s told and relaxes as she looks out over the water.
I marvel at her innocence, nerved up over a fancy dinner. The same woman who didn’t hesitate to defend herself against me with a sharpened stake. She has heart. So different from me. She lives with great courage and compassion, giving herself to the children at her work, giving herself to me. Demanding I give more of myself to her.
“You keep looking at me like that...” she says, peeking up through her long lashes.
“Like what?”
She looks shyly down at her napkin in her lap. “Like you think I’m beautiful.”
I smile. “So beautiful it makes me ache.”
I toast her with the wine il cameriere brings to our table. We dine on frutto del mare, risotto with locally made cheese and lobster, fish so fresh it was swimming in the sea two hours ago. With every bite, Aurelia’s eyelashes flutter. She forgets to be nervous and moans like she’s orgasming.
Halfway through the meal, I set down my fork. I sip my wine and feast on the sight and sounds of her pleasure.
Dessert is a lemon and cream concoction that melts in your mouth. I’ve had it before, but never stolen from a sweet mortal’s lips. I grasp the back of Aurelia’s neck and have a taste. Her tongue darts against mine, and I’m tempted to trace us back to my bed and spend the rest of the night painting her with parfait al limone, so I can lick and suck it off.
When I draw back, Aurelia’s eyes are heavy. Her lips are swollen from the fierceness of my kiss.
“Come,” I say as soon as I’ve dealt with the bill, and lead her from the table. We walk back up the path. Once we’re around the corner, I tug her close and sip at her sweetness again. My fangs are razor sharp, so I’m careful not to slice her.
When I’m done, I hitch her up against me and trace. We appear in my bedroom, but only for a moment, so I can grab a heavy fur robe.
“Charlie?” she asks as I tuck her into it.
“Hush, lovely.”
She bites her lips but obeys. Once she’s swathed in the warm fur, I hold her close and trace again.
We reappear in a dark, cold corner of the world. Aurelia stumbles, but I steady her.
“Where are we now?” The chill hits her, and she shivers a little.
“Iceland.”
She peeps out of the cleft in the rock where we’re tucked in, hiding against the wind. We’re on another cliff, but this one overlooks a vast snowy plain.
I tuck her against me, making sure the robe is tight around her.
“Look up,” I whisper into her ear.
She does and gasps. Overhead, swirls of bright green and blue shimmer in the air. The entire sky is lit up with the eerie glow.
“The Northern Lights,” she cries. “Charlie, this is incredible.” She tries to turn, but I won’t let her. “Keep looking. We won’t stay long.” The fur won’t warm her feet.
I keep my cheek against hers, my body pressed around hers to help ward off the chill.
“I can’t believe this,” she whispers like she’s in church. I understand. The lights are achingly lovely. Stained glass windows in a cathedral look like a child’s clumsy paint-by-number effort compared to this living masterpiece dancing on the canvas of the night. “It’s so beautiful.”
“The second most beautiful sight in the world.”
“Second?”
“The first is you and your magic.”
She shakes her head, but I’m not lying.
We watch the lights fare for another minute, then Aurelia starts to shift on her feet, trying to stay warm.
“Ten more seconds,” I warn her.
She stills her fidgeting. “I’m okay,” she says, but her teeth chatter.
“Enough. It’s too cold.” In a blink, we’re back in my bedroom.
“Worth it.”
I lay her out on my bed, unwrapping her from the heavy fur. I undo her shoes and rub her freezing toes, checking her over.
Her cheeks are flushed, but her eyes sparkle. “That was amazing. A night to die for.”
Her feet are fine. I can’t stay away from her any longer. I climb over her body, letting my weight settle on her. She’ll warm up faster.
“There are perks to serving a vampire.”
“I’m not sure the perks outweigh the annoying work conditions,” she says, but she’s laughing.
“I’ll show you annoying,” I retort. Not a stunning display of wit, but the fluttering pulse in her neck has me distracted. I lick and suck the skin of her neck until she’s restless under me. Then I start kissing my way down her body. I slip her breasts out of the corset, the better to kiss and torment them.
“Charlie,” she moans and tugs me up to face her. At first, I think she wants me to kiss her again, but she turns her head and bares her neck. “Do it.”
“No.” But I’m panting, my fangs aching.
“Charlie, please. I want this.”
With a shudder, I succumb. I scrape my fangs over her pulse, and she stills for the bite. What she doesn’t expect are my hands wrenching at her jeans and my trousers. I set my cock at her wet entrance and thrust inside. Then and only then, I sink my fangs into her skin.
Her cries fill my ears. I draw her hot, rich blood into my body as I pump my cock into her.
And I experience something more beautiful than the Northern Lights or Aurelia’s smile when she blows a heart shaped bubble my way.
Aurelia, opening her body to mine. Giving me her blood. Climaxing on my cock. It’s everything. It’s all I want and all I’ll ever need.
She’s all I’ll ever need.
“Aurelia,” I whisper against her neck. “My own.”
“Charlie.”
My fangs throb, and I pierce her skin again, but not before I tell her, “You belong to me.”
She thinks I’m dangerous. But she’s the one who could so easily destroy me. Because tonight we gave ourselves fully to each other, and now I want forever.
Chapter 13
Aurelia
I continue working on pulling out the spell every time Charlie sleeps. I try dreaming as Anka again, but the Parisian madame doesn’t surface. By the end of a week of effort, I resolve to try the one thing I’ve been avoiding—attempting to be Anka.
I sit cross-legged at the foot of her bed, watching Charlie sleep. His dark hair stands out as if he ran his fingers through it, tousled in that sexy casual look he embodies so well.
I close my eyes and try to place myself in the dream again, experiencing the emotions of lost love, of fury.
I will never take pleasure with another woman, so long as you live.
My eyes fly open. Perhaps that’s the loophole. Perhaps, to break the spell, he needed to have sex with her. With Anka.
The thought terrifies me. Could I somehow become Anka while making love to Charlie? And if so, would he notice?
I look over and start.
Charlie’s eyes are open, and he lies watching me. “What are you doing, love?” he asks softly.
I draw a breath. The closer I stick to the truth, the better, especially considering the way he reads my feelings. “I want to try something.”
He waits for me to go on.
“I want to try to pull the curse while we’re making love.”
He nods. “Okay.”
“I may not seem like myself—will you just go on, no matter what happens?”
He leans up on his elbows. “What does that mean?”
“I guess I mean…” I hesitate. “You’re an extremely attentive lover. But maybe this time you could sort of ignore me, so I can do my thing?”
He laughs. “I see. I will not pay you any attention at all.” He crawls over to me. He seizes my arms with vampire speed and throws me onto my back, climbing over me. “But I am allowed to get you ready for my plunder.” He yanks down my pants.
I lift my butt to let him pull them off, already warming at the way he handles me so easily, his vampire strength a turn-on.
He pulls my shirt over my head and unsnaps my bra, tossing it to the floor. “Spread your knees for me,” he orders.
I draw my knees up, opening for him.
He settles between my legs, gripping a thigh in each hand as he bends his head and licks into me. He swirls his tongue around my clit, sucks the sensitive nub.
I gasp, my body jerking and coming alive as he plays it like a musical instrument.
He penetrates me with his tongue, nips at my labia with his teeth, teases and tortures me into a frenzy.
“Please, Charlie,” I gasp, tugging his hair with my fingers. “If you don’t stop, I’ll lose all my concentration. You have to stop.”
He lifts his head and grins. “All right, love.” Lifting himself over me, he releases his cock from his boxer briefs. “Okay, so I’ll just do my thing, and you’ll do yours, is that the plan?” he asks with a wink.
I blink, finding it difficult to recall what they were doing after my near-orgasm. “Oh. Yeah,” I croak. But just then he plows into me. I arch in pleasure, forgetting my purpose once more.
“Get busy, fairy,” he murmurs to remind me, his expression soft with affection.
My heart twists. I don’t want to lose him—he’s become my whole world in such a short time. I squeeze my eyes closed and bring myself to the dream in which I, as Anka, was making love to Charlie—no, I called him Charles. I try to become Anka. Search in her own consciousness for the memories I might have.
A flicker of something comes in—I see the boudoir again, the floor strewn with the items flung from the dressing table. I experience the rage.
Then, I—as Aurelia —reach out to my past life self.
Anka, Charles is here. He came back to you.
The rage grows, thrashing about in my chest.
Punish him. He hurt me. He will do it again.
No—forgive him. You have punished him enough.
No!
The depth of Anka’s blackness scares me, and I pull back. But then, I realize, it’s that very intensity I need. That was the power behind the curse, as frightening as the darkness may be. I remember one of the books discussed connecting with spirit guides or one’s higher self. Presumably, if I have a higher self, it governs Anka as well.
Before I can explore that thought, Charlie brings me back to reality, pulling out. “There’s very little appeal for me in this.”
I open my eyes, wincing. “I’m sorry.”
He gives me his usual smirk. “Turn over, so I don’t have to see how much you are not enjoying this.”
I roll to my belly, looking over my shoulder. “I’m really sorry.”
“Hush.” He kisses my temple. “I love you for doing this.”
I turn my face into the sheets, not wanting him to see the effect of his words on me. He didn’t say I love you, period. He said I love you for doing this. Not the same thing. Conditional. He loves me in this one instance. And I’m supposed to be concentrating on removing the curse right now.
He enters me from behind, the sweet sensation of being filled by him makes me moan.
I follow the directions in the book, summoning my higher self and imagining it like a ball of light surrounding me.
Charlie hisses.
I whip my head to look over my shoulder.
“I’m okay. Go on. It’s just a little hot.”
Well, at least I know something happened.
Please help me release this spell, I entreat the ball of light.
Instantly, Anka appears in my consciousness, the anger closing my chest. And yet I sense at the same time, the higher self beaming light into me, thinning the density of the darkness.
Do you wish to feel this way? my higher self asks Anka.
But he—
Do you wish to feel this way?
No, I scream in my head.
No, Anka answers at last.
Release it, our higher self urges.
Something loosens in my chest. I draw a shaky breath.
Charlie pulls out of me again.
I roll over, feeling horrible. “I know this is awful.”
He shrugs. “I wouldn’t call it awful,” he says although I can tell by his expression he’s running out of patience.
“Let me suck your cock?”
He shrugs. “Be my guest.” He settles beside me.
I crawl over him, taking him into my mouth, tasting the tang of my own juices as I swirl my tongue around the head of his dick. I close my eyes and return to the boudoir. Anka takes over, working his cock with an expertise I never dreamed of.
Charlie groans with pleasure and a sense of satisfaction rises—not just mine but Anka’s too.
Let it go.
I sense Anka waver, torn between feeling good and the power of the blackness, caught between pleasure and pain. I try to stay in the background, knowing this is Anka’s choice not mine.
Anka seems to flitter between good and evil, as if testing each one.
Something overcomes my past life self. Tears begin to stream down my face, but they aren’t out of suffering. More like relief. Anka takes Charlie’s cock deep in her throat in a shocking move I didn’t know was physically possible.
I suck hard. And then I realize Anka made her decision. She’s drawing the curse out of him.
Charlie rolls his hips, making little grunts of pain. Or is it passion?
All at once something terrible—something black and heavy—flies out into my mouth. I fall back with a sickening thud.
Charlie cries out in pain, his body convulsing with the power of it.
Send it to the light, I hear, and I begin to cough, the darkness pouring out of my mouth in bursts of bruise-colored shapeless forms
. They swirl up toward the light, dark plumes of smoke floating up and away.
Trembling, moving with an urgency to see things through to the finish, I return my attention to Charlie’s cock, licking from balls to tip, flicking my tongue around the head. A drop of pre-cum emerges. My heart leaps, and this time the tears are mine. Charlie’s healed—Anka released him from her vengeance!
My lover’s head jerks up, and he props himself on his elbows, staring in shock, as if he doesn’t dare believe it.
“Yes,” I whisper, lifting my mouth from his member. “Yes,” I repeat, fresh tears coursing down my cheeks. “Come for me, Charlie.”
As I take him into my mouth, I experience an incredible surge of power—not the dark evil power of before but a light, joy, joyful one.
* * *
Charlie
Cum moves down my shaft in surges. The sharp pain that normally blocks it from leaving my throbbing length is gone. It felt as though the very head of my cock was being wrenched from my body, but now I experience an incredible rushing sensation, as if the pathway opened.
“Come for me, Charlie.” Aurelia’s face glistens with tears, a golden light surrounding her body.
My muscles jerk. I stare as she engulfs my cock in her hot, wet mouth, sucking it, making love to it.
The cum surges forward again.
“Aurelia,” I choke.
She takes me deeper and makes a humming sound, and the added vibration is like a love song to my cock.
“Aurelia,” I try again to warn her, but it’s too late. I ejaculate with an explosion of pleasure, lifting my hips into the air, shouting with surprised ecstasy.
I come and come, the pleasure rocking my body off the bed.
Aurelia pulls off and takes my seed across her tits, her face glowing, her mouth stretching in a wide smile.
I reach for her, pulling her down on top of me, nuzzling for the vein at her neck.
“Forgive me, Charles.” It’s Aurelia’s voice, but the words come out in French.
What the fuck?
My body convulses in shock. What. The actual. Fuck?
A hundred year’s worth of rage surges forth toward the woman who ruined me.
I spring to sit, lifting a palm to strike her face. But even if I was sure she was Anka, I couldn’t slap her.
