"Eleven months, I was eleven months old. My mother left me there. She said that she couldn"t raise me without help, that my father was a no account liar, and I would be better off with the state."
"No, he wasn"t," Elizabeth said as she sat down hard in one of the chairs. "Matthew was with me when she left you there. Matthew is, was, my son."
"Grandma, what do you mean "your son?" I...isn"t my mom your child? Matthew can"t be your son. You"re confused," Mel said to her grandmother. Sara burst out laughing at the look that pa.s.sed between the two women. If looks alone had any power, Mel would be a pillar of salt about now.
"No, I had two children. I should know that, you insolent child. Matthew was born right after Phillip and I were mated. He was a lovely boy, but not a daughter, so we had your mother. This was before the High Council decided that we should only have daughters and as we lived forever, that only having one child would not over-populate the kingdom. I didn"t think about the consequences at the time, or how it would affect future generations, so I agreed. I"m so sorry everyday that I agreed to such a cruel law. Had I known what it would do to my family, I would never have done it."
"But that doesn"t explain why you were at the shelter. How did you know I was there?" Sara asked.
"Dawn, your mother, had told Matt that she needed money. He was to meet her somewhere with it and she would give him something to hold in trust for it. He didn"t know about you, none of us did, actually. He came to me right before he was to leave to say he was very ill. Something in the human world had made him sick. You see because he wasn"t female, he could be hurt and killed like all other mortals. He didn"t get better. A week after he came to me, he was dead. He told me all about the meeting and the arrangement that he was to bring her money for something she had for him. I went to look for her, to tell her what had happened. I couldn"t leave him...not then. I had her money, but was hoping I could bring her to the castle to live out her days. Matt had loved her so much, you see. I couldn"t find her, but there was a trail, a signature that led me to the shelter. Now, I can only a.s.sume it was you."
"Do you have a tattoo, darling? Not the one Melody gave you, but another?" James asked her.
"Why do you want to know?" Sara asked suspiciously.
"Where is it? I"d like to see it, if you don"t mind." He didn"t answer question, but these people had saved her life. So Sara pulled up the sleeve of her t-shirt.
With her shields down, the tattoo was visible for anyone to see. It was the same as Melody"s but with a set of crossed swords across the base of the tree. It, too, was in full color. James looked at the mark for a long time, and then threw back his head and laughed. He had tears streaming down his cheeks his happiness was so great. It was a good long time before he could talk.
"Mine is different from Mel"s. I have the swords. I never thought about it when Mel touched me to mark me. I"d hidden if for so long...I guess I never thought about it anymore," she explained.
"Yes," Phillip said, "you would. The swords belong to me. I was a member of the Royal Guard when I met Elizabeth. The crest for a member of the Royal Guard back then was a pair of crossed claymores, and nothing else. It looks to me like the combination of the two Royal Crests is what you carry. That would explain your power and your ability to fight. You are my blood, Sara Temple. You are a true immortal. Welcome to the family."
Then Phillip stood before the large vampire and demanded, "Now there is the matter of you, my fine sir. What are your intentions for my granddaughter?"
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN.
"I want you, Sara. I want to be buried deep inside of you soon," Aaron whispered to her.
"Yes, please. But I need a bath. Will you bathe with me, Aaron? Wash me clean for you, get me all wet? Wet for you?" She purred at him.
Aaron growled at her from deep in his throat. He could already smell that she was wet for him, and it had nothing to do with the bath tub. He carried her to his lair, down under the deepest part of the house. When they entered his bedroom, he turned the taps on to the tub, never taking his hands away from the delectable woman in his arms.
"Sara, I want to feel you against me, against my skin. How fast can you get out of these clothes, love?" Suddenly, they were both naked. She had removed both their clothes with a thought. Oh, he could get used to this.
"Me too. I want to taste you, Aaron. I want to bite you, please? I want to taste your blood in my mouth, on my tongue. I want to give you the same pleasure you give me when you drink from me. Tell me how."
He looked down at her. Was she asking to bond with him? Did she know what her bite would do to them as a couple?
"Sara, do you know what you are asking me?"
"Yes, I want to be yours, for eternity. Please, tell me what to do." His c.o.c.k hardened against her belly. He knew he wouldn"t last long.
"Sara, G.o.d, I can"t wait on a bath. It has to be now."
Aaron sat on the edge of the bed and pulled her to his lap, her legs wrapped around him, and so that her chest met his. He needed to be inside of her when she bit him, and this was the perfect position for her to reach his vein, and he, her p.u.s.s.y. He was throbbing with his need for her. He reached between her legs to see if she was wet enough to take him quickly, and she soaked his fingers, drew them into her with the slightest movement. He could feel his release gathering up, ready to explode forth. Before he got any more desperate, he lifted her up and lowered her slowly onto his c.o.c.k.
Inch by inch, she took him in, her heat and cream bathing him. He looked down at them, watched as she took him in, as he entered her. Her p.u.s.s.y widening for him, the tightness and heat overwhelming, nothing had ever felt this good. When he was finally seated inside, he moved up into her deeper.
"G.o.d, Aaron, don"t move, or I"ll come now. Show me. Show me what to do so we can make love. Fast."
"Lick...lick my pulse, feel where it is." When her tongue began its journey down his neck, he thought he"d pa.s.s out from the sensations. She was making him wild with his need to take her. "Oh G.o.d, Sara, that"s it. Bathe it with your tongue. I"m going to...oh baby, please. I"m going to open my vein for you. When I do, I want you to take as much of me as you can. When you put your mouth over me and suck, I"m going to bite you. There will...we need to exchange our blood at the same time we climax for us to be truly bonded. Hurry baby, or I won"t last."
Sara laved her tongue over the fast beating pulse once more and bit sharply into him. He moved her aside gently as he extended a sharp claw at the end of his index finger. With a quick slice, his blood poured forth. This time, when she laid her mouth over the pulse, his blood filled her mouth. When she suckled at the opening, pulling more of him into her, he screamed her name out with his release. He rolled them over, turning them around, and slammed her down on the bed onto her back, pumping into her p.u.s.s.y deeper and harder. He bit her then, rolling her into her own release like a tornado touching down. Every part of his body felt it. When she started to come again, he began pumping his seed into her, harder and harder with every stroke until he emptied himself deep inside her.
Aaron rolled over onto his back, pulling her with him. He was spent, and had used the last of his reserves just doing that simple task. He held her close to his body by the weight of his arm and nothing more. Soon they both were asleep.
After a short three hour nap, they refilled the tub and were now cuddling in the warm water. "You know, now that we"ve mated, you"re a true immortal as well," Sara said. Aaron watched as she lifted her leg high out of the water and ran the sponge down the length. Staring at her, he nearly missed what she was saying. "Will I change into a vampire now?"
"Honestly, I don"t know. It"s hard to say what your body will do, if anything at all. However, I have to tell you, the thought of you having fangs is really s.e.xy sounding."
As she was sitting between his legs, it didn"t take much to show how s.e.xy he thought it was. He was hard every time he was near her and now wasn"t any exception.
"Is that all you can think about is s.e.x?" She groused at him.
Aaron thought about it and grinned, but didn"t put forth too much effort and answered her. "Yes. Of course, but only when you"re around." His smile was pure sin.
"Good save and good answer." She turned around to his body, and straddled his lap. She began to move up and down, back and forth across his erection, riding him. He reached out to lift her breast, pulling her nipple into his mouth, sucking hard.
"Sara, I want to bite you. I want to bite your nipple and nurse from you." She moaned hard and deep at his need.
Sara didn"t answer him with words, but lifted herself up and over him. She reached down and pulled him up, stroking his c.o.c.k once, and fit him into her. She slid herself down onto him, seating herself fully before she began rocking against him again. Leaning forward, she lifted and gave him her breast, moaning loudly when he again pulled her nipple into his warmth. He looked into her eyes, seeing her trust, and bit. She began bucking hard down on him, nearly throwing herself off until he grabbed her hips, grinding her down harder, helping her reach her climax. He drew her essences into him, suckling at her nipple like a babe at the breast. He came with a groan, spewing into her again and again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT.
"Duncan, do you think you and I can manage a few people over tonight? I think maybe ten at the most. I don"t know how to go about it, but Aaron said you could handle anything," Sara asked Duncan the next morning.
Aaron had said no such thing, but she wanted Duncan to like her and it was just a little fib. They were to go to the castle for a ceremony then back here for drinks and whatever Duncan could dream up.
"Why of course, my lady. Anything you"d like. I understand you have found your family."
"Yes, it seems as though I"m the queen"s cousin." Sara grinned at him. "She wants me to work with her in the Royal Court, as her advisor. She"s thousands of years older than me, and she wants my advice. What on earth do I tell her, I ask you? Oh well, but the first thing I did tell her was to abolish that stupid rule about only having one child. Maybe she"ll find a mate again and have hundreds of rug rats for me to play with. I can be the wonderful aunt, don"t you think, Duncan?"
"Yes, my lady. You would be wonderful at anything you set your head to," He said in all seriousness.
She grinned. She so loved the way he butchered the sayings. She seldom corrected him. She wasn"t sure how he would take it yet.
Sara had taken time to dress and arm herself. She was dressed in her full armor, chainmaille and all, as she"d been asked to by Phillip, err, Granddad to do. He said that he"d like to honor her as his granddaughter and as a Royal Guard. He was so excited about it that she couldn"t refuse him.
When she fled the castle four years ago, she had hidden this dress uniform away, thinking never to wear it again. Now here she was, not only dressed again in her first uniform, but waiting to perform a ceremony of sorts.
Sara"s armory was a chainmaille sleeveless vest called a cuira.s.s that fit her like a glove, molding over her back and b.r.e.a.s.t.s, ending at her small waist. Her greaves were made of a superior metal that was made especially for her, protecting her lower legs from vicious kicks and blows aimed to take her feet from under her. Her shoes, the softest material produced in the castle, gripped any surface she stood on. Whether it was wet, dry or icy slick, they held her fast. Her gauntlets were just fingerless gloves, made of leatherlike material that was by far more superior to that of its counterpart, which ended a few inches above her wrist, protecting her hands from any nicks. She carried a flail around her waist, the spiked ball strapped to her leg with a quick release belt to hold it safely against her leg. At her back she wore a war mallet, its head blunt, and its nail sharp. In her hand was her favored weapon, a sword that looked a great deal like a highlander claymore, but a much smaller version to fit her hand and stature.
All her armament had been charmed with magic. Mel had it fashioned for her and she was the one who had given it the extra bit of magic to keep her friend safe. The other blades on her person were hidden from view, but easily accessible to her. She was exactly what she looked like, a beautiful trained killer.
When Sara walked into the throne room later that night, she found Sherman standing on the seat of her throne, prying jewels out of the head board. Mel was nowhere to be found. He"d even put on one of her crowns. It was actually too feminine to be worn by a man. Somehow, though, it suited him perfectly. She hated the man, all that he stood for, and what he had done to her and to those she loved.
"What the h.e.l.l do you think you"re doing?" Sara asked, startling him to have him nearly fall. "You are by far the stupidest man I"ve ever met, do you know that? I"ve always wondered if you need to carry around a timer. I wondered if you needed something to remind you to inhale and exhale so you don"t pa.s.s out. Where"s Mel?"
"My mate? How the h.e.l.l should I know?" he snarled back. "And you know what? I could care less. I"m taking what is owed me. I was so hoping that b.i.t.c.h would come in, but this is so much the better. I can ruin that f.u.c.king vampire and Melody at the same time by your death."
With a small nod of his head, someone came at Sara from behind. She knew he had been there, awaiting Sherman"s signal. She turned and sliced the man in two, her blade catching him off guard. She was sure he"d not known she was aware of him. Before the man fell to the floor, four more came at her.
Sara was incredibly strong, and fast, her speed no match for the men, mere children in their stance and ability to fight, especially someone as talented as she. She worked her way through them in three minutes. When she turned back to the man on the throne, she smirked at him until she noticed that he"d taken Aaron as a captive. He must have entered when she was fighting. d.a.m.n it, where was Mel?
"Sara, dear, I have something of yours," Sherman said in a sing-song voice. "And I plan to kill him slowly. Maybe I"ll stake him in the sun to die. I believe I would enjoy that to the very end."
"You"ll die. I will relish killing you very slowly, you filthy b.a.s.t.a.r.d." Her voice was calm while inside, she was seething with barely suppressed rage.
Sara had been distracted or Sherman would never have gotten as close to Aaron as he had. In those few precious seconds she was defending herself, he"d attacked.
Sherman worked his way to the door to the main hall. He was completely hidden by Aaron who hung limp in his arm. He had a blade at his throat and his arm about his waist. Sara, a blade in each hand, stood before them blocking his exit.
"You"ll not get away from here with him. You have to know that. Even if you were to get out of this room alive, I will hunt you down for the coward you are. And mark my word, you will not go so easily. Let him go now. Or are you so afraid of me, Shermie, that you need to hide behind someone?" She had not one nick on her flawless skin. "So afraid of me that you send others to do what you know you cannot? Like defeat me?"
Sara looked at the man she loved and her heart swelled at the look he gave her. He was smiling. He trusted her.
"I don"t want to hurt you. I don"t know what to do," she whispered to his mind.
"Of course you do, love. You need to kill him. And the sooner the better. I want nothing more than to peel each piece of the s.e.xy armaments from that delicious body of yours, kissing each exposed succulent inch of you as I do." She suddenly realized what he was doing. She felt more relaxed, less terrified.
"I love you, Aaron. So very much."
"I know that. And why wouldn"t you? I"m awesome." She heard his laughter as it raced along her spine.
Maybe if she p.i.s.sed Shermie off enough, she thought, he"d make a mistake and she could overpower him. But her prime objective was to get him away from Aaron.
Sara felt Mel seconds before she came into the room, and when the door crashed with a resounding boom against the tapestry on the wall behind it, she made her move. She lunged at Sherman and took his blade away from him, freeing Aaron in the process.
With a quick flick of her power, she threw Sherman to floor and bound him to it. As she walked toward him, pulling her claymore from its sheath, she stripped him of Mel"s crown and jewels with a bit more magic.
"Oh, Shermie boy, now what do you think?" Sara asked as she stood over the man. "What did you say about staking my mate to the ground? Oh yeah, I can see by the look on your face that you"d no idea about that. Maybe I should let him drain you...no, I"m thinking that might leave a bad taste in his mouth." She put the point of the claymore at his throat and held it there. She didn"t apply enough pressure to draw blood, but she wanted to.
"Sara, honey, I have something I"d like to say to my mate, if you don"t mind? I believe it will make it easier for you to finish what you so desperately need to do," Mel said just behind her. In a voice clear and distinct, she heard Mel say, "Sherman, I denounce you before all that are a.s.sembled before us."
The second the words left Mel"s mouth, not even echoing throughout the cavernous room, Sara rammed the blade home. The force of it nearly severed his head from his body a mere second after Mel stripped him of his immortality through their bond. Before her blade could touch the floor through his neck, blood splattered everywhere, and Sherman disappeared.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE.
"So, is he dead?" Sara looked at Aaron and sighed at his question.
Was he? She didn"t know. He"d been such a huge part of her life until now she wasn"t sure what to believe about him. She knew that her sword should have severed his head, but he"d disappeared.
Sara and Aaron had gone back to his bedroom in the sublevels of the house where they had slept for most of the day. Her armaments lay scattered all over the room, as were his clothes, or at least what was left of them. Aaron and she were now lying on his big bed.
"I really don"t know. Shermie has a great deal of magical resources to fall back on. I can"t feel him, but that could only mean that he"s hiding behind his magic. Black magic is so different than mine."
Sara wanted to believe him dead, but knew that he"d show up again. He hadn"t finished with them yet. Especially Mel. When Mel had taken away his immortality, she"d literally taken away his livelihood.
Sherman was without money, without a home, and injured, so where would he go? Mel had been his mate and his means to money or whatever else he desired, as well as things he just wanted because he could. She could only imagine what he"d do now.
"I think he"s alive," Sara reasoned. "I"m not sure why, but I do. He would have had a backup plan. He was a lot of things, but he wasn"t stupid. I"m sure that he had monies enough to keep him comfortable for a while, but it won"t last. He probably had homes throughout this world and maybe a few on the other side, though I don"t see him showing up there too soon. He"d need to gather his strength, to maybe lay low for a time until he was fit, stronger." She looked over at the man she loved with all her being. "I"ll protect you, no matter what. I"ll keep you safe in my life and in my heart. This household, these people...I don"t know what I"d do without them, without you."
Aaron rolled over to blanket himself across her body; she could feel him hard across her. "I love you, Sara. I never thought to love or be loved in my life. When you stepped up to me that long ago summer evening, I thought I was looking at a beautiful woman. Now I realize how wrong I was. I was looking into the eyes of my life, my future, and my mate. I was looking at the only woman I"d ever love, ever want to love. Sara, will you become my mate in the tradition of my kind?"
Tears streamed down her face as she looked up at him. Her throat closed up around the lump that had settled there. Sara nodded to him.
He reached beyond the bed to the side table and pulled open the drawer to it. Inside there was a bejeweled dagger and a box. Aaron pulled out the dagger and slipped it under the pillow. The box he laid beside her.
"For many centuries our kind had chosen a mate based on their ability to feed from them. There was never a time when we thought to mate with another simply to have the pleasure of being with that one person for all of eternity. Love was never a part of it. I"ve known many men who would shun the idea of taking a mate, especially a human mate." She watched as he opened the box as he spoke. "But none of them had the love or the power of that love to show them what they were missing. I love you, Sara Temple MacMa.n.u.s. I"ll love you until the end of all time and beyond."
Aaron kissed her then, deep and strong. His tongue stroked hers with possessiveness and heat. Sara moaned long and felt his responding groan rumble through his skin.
"Aaron, please. I need you inside of me now." Shifting slightly, he surged his c.o.c.k deep inside of her hard and fast, her wetness making the slide easy. Lifting her legs up, she encircled them tight around his slim hips and using his a.s.s as leverage, lifted herself up to meet his downward thrust.
"Baby, we have...Christ, but you"re hot. Baby, please, we need to complete this." He rocked again and again, sweat beading on his forehead. He finally pushed his weight onto hers, stopping any movement.
"Aaron, no!" Try as she might, she couldn"t make him move again. Aaron nuzzled hard against her throat and she gave it to him. Anything to get him to finish her.
"We have to...Sara, will you drink from me? I"ll...I want to f.u.c.k you. Stop moving, d.a.m.n it." Laughter laced his voice. She smiled and squeezed her thighs tighter around him. His groan of approval made her laugh out loud. "I"ll cut my vein and when you come, I want you to drink from the wound. I"ll bite you at the same time. We have to come at the same time," he admonished her.
"If you"re as close as I am, then it won"t be a problem. Hurry, please hurry." To prove her point, she tightened her muscles around his c.o.c.k again.
He cut into his throat and surged into her hard and fast. His body pumped hard into hers and she welcomed each thrust.
"Now, baby, now!" With a final push, he took her over the edge and she screamed as the most powerful o.r.g.a.s.m ripped through her. As she felt him lick her pulse, she fitted her mouth over his wound and sucked. Stars burst behind her lids at the sensations rioting thought her. When he sank his teeth deep into her, she came again, convulsing and tightening around his c.o.c.k as she came over and over.