"Yes of course." She snuggled against him, content in the safe harbor of his arms. "I want to sleep."
"She will be fine after a nap," Thomas a.s.sured him.
Valdemar carried her to the bed and placed her down gently. He turned to look at his cousin. Victor"s skin had turned gray and haggard and his breathing was labored. Maybe once Valdemar would have cared to see him in such a state but that was a long time ago and too much had happened for him to feel pity for Victor.
Although Valdemar missed his family, he was glad none of his kin were alive to see what Victor had become.
"You got what you deserved." That was a fact. There was no one in Serawych who would mourn his pa.s.sing. It was sad and it was hard but it was also a fact.
"I cannot die. I am the rightful king." Victor coughed and spluttered the words out.
"You are dying and no kingdom would be safe with the likes of you." Valdemar refused to allow himself to remember the cousin he"d once loved as a boy. That cousin died a very long time ago.
"Save me, cousin."
"You could have saved yourself a long time ago, Victor." Valdemar motioned to the elves. "Get him out of here." He no longer cared what happened to Victor. Once Valdemar had, but that was a long time ago when they were children. Back then he had not seen the ugly, grasping side of Victor and all the attempts he had made to befriend Victor over the years had come to nothing. That he had tried to drag Aureliann into their fight had been the last straw. Victor"s greed had killed their relationship. It was sad but it was the price Victor had chosen to pay.
The elves dragged him out by his clothes, uncaring how roughly they treated him.
Thomas went over to the bed where Aureliann lay. "Well done, my dear."
"I don"t have a tattoo on my a.s.s," she mumbled groggily.
The old man smiled and patted her hand. "I"ll leave her to you, my boy."
Once they were alone, Valdemar got on the bed and lay beside her, cuddling her in his arms. "I was so scared." To have lost Aureliann would have lost him all humanity. She was everything he cherished, loved and believed in. She made him better for knowing her.
"I love you, Val." Aureliann nestled her head against his chest.
Valdemar"s heart swelled. "No crown could compare to that gift."
"How do you feel?" Valdemar"s eyes met hers on opening. "Hungry." Aureliann stretched beside him. Her thighs brushed his and all sorts of thoughts came to her mind.
Valdemar started to sit up. "I"ll go to the kitchen and see what there is to eat."
Aureliann tugged him back toward her. "Not that type of hunger." She ran her hand down his chest.
"You need to rest, lovely."
"I"m not sick or tired." She pulled and pushed at Valdemar until she had managed to roll on top of him.
His sheathed c.o.c.k nestled between her parted thighs. She rubbed her pelvis against him. "I need you, Val darling."
"You"ve had a shock." He grasped her hands in his.
Aureliann snorted in mock contempt. "And you"ll get one now if you deny me, prince." When she looked into his eyes she saw so much love for her that it made her both humble and powerful. It was a forever-"til- death-do-we-part-I"ll-love-you-even-with-scary-PMS kind of love.
"As if I would."
"Smart boy." Aureliann let go of his hands. "Let your hair down." She wanted to feel their bodies tangled in the silky strands.
Valdemar"s hand pulled at the leather tie. "Anything for you, lovely."
Aureliann sighed and shook her head in wonder. Valdemar was beautiful. How did I get so lucky? How was it that this man chose to love me?
He smiled at her look. "What?"
"I was just wondering. Out of all the women in this world and mine, why me?"
"Because I love you." Valdemar"s words were simple and to the point as if there was no other answer he could give.
She smiled at him. "Not only are you gorgeous but you are smart."
"Hey, I have the lady of my dreams on top of me, of course I"m going to say the right thing." Valdemar rocked his body back and forth, up and down, making Aureliann giggle at his actions.
"And you"re terrific entertainment." Now it was time for some of her own. She lifted her shirt off over her head. "Wanna see more, your majesty?" Before, that t.i.tle had always seemed so archaic and wrong. Until now, Aureliann believed no one was any more majestic than anyone else. But that was before this man. Valdemar was everything the t.i.tle implied and he would be king.
"Show me what you"ve got, lovely."
"Only for you." There was an amazing freedom in knowing you could strip for a man and his eyes held nothing but adoration and, of course, l.u.s.t for what was to come. Aureliann undid her bra and tossed it carelessly into the air. It landed haphazardly over the face of a sculpted male bust. The stern features were softened by the jaunty angle of the cream lace covering. "Relative of yours?"
Valdemar looked at her b.r.e.a.s.t.s with a hungry gleam in his eyes. "I"m sure he wouldn"t have minded if he was still alive today." His hands reached out to pull her to him.
Aureliann pushed them away. "Now, now, I have more work to do." She scrambled to her feet. The mattress beneath was thick and plush and it took a moment to steady herself. She stood above him, her legs parted by his body. The bulge in his pants promised an excellent ride. Aureliann worked at the snap of her trousers, wobbling slightly as she removed one leg and then the other from the fabric.
Valdemar was lying back enjoying the show. "Hmm, do you want these off me?" She snapped the elastic band on her knickers back on her flesh.
Aureliann wanted them off her. There was nothing better than hot male flesh as a covering.
"Yes please."
"What"s in it for me?" Aureliann teased as she ran her hand over the mound of her p.u.s.s.y. She smiled when she saw the muscle in his jaw jump at her actions.
"Everything I have is yours. I am yours. I cannot fathom my life but anywhere at your side. You are so much a part of me now that to lose you would be to lose myself. I love and adore you, Aureliann." His words were soft and husky and rich with meaning. "Now drop "em," Valdemar ordered.
She giggled at the desperation at the end of his speech. My love wants me. It was exactly as she felt. There was an overwhelming need to be a part of him. "That was pretty poetic until the end, fella."
"You want me and I"m all yours to do with as you wish. Why hide what we feel?"
As Aureliann pulled her pants down, she could feel his eyes on her p.u.s.s.y. She was wet. He had to have seen that and yet she felt no embarra.s.sment. Valdemar was right. There was no need for pretense with them.
"Ah, my favorite meal of the day," he growled, his voice low with suppressed hunger.
"Want me?" She rotated her hips in a slow figure eight motion. She could see the l.u.s.t in his eyes.
"Aureliann..."
"Yes, Valdemar darling?" The grinding motion of her hips was nothing compared to the motion of his against hers. It was merely a prelude.
"As much as I love this I"m going be in trouble soon, lovely." His hands slid up her legs, urging her down.
She sank to her knees willingly. "I love that I can make you lose control."
"As I do you."
"We are perfect for each other." Aureliann"s hand tugged at his zip. "Who knew my perfect match would be a vampire prince from a two-dollar book on the markdown table?"
Valdemar looked at her in surprise. "Two dollars? Don"t tell Thomas that. He spent a lot of time writing that book. You know how sensitive writers are." Valdemar sighed as her hand caressed his freed c.o.c.k. His hand stroked her upper thighs.
"My, my, you are happy to see me, aren"t you?" His c.o.c.k sprang out eager and ready for any proposition she had. Aureliann ran her hand down the long straining length. "Stay still." She lifted off his lap and rolled toward the drawer that held the condoms.
Valdemar"s eyes were on her body. "I could have done magic."
Aureliann rolled back and climbed on top of him. "I"m counting on that soon." She ripped open the packaging and looked at the rubber inside.
"What?"
"Well, I have only rolled one of these over a banana in s.e.x education cla.s.ses." Her first love and Valdemar had handled the protection things themselves. Aureliann glanced from his c.o.c.k to the condom. How do I get that into this? She stretched the rubber, alarmed at the thinness of it.
"You had s.e.x with a banana?" Valdemar chuckled.
"Pretty funny for a man whose pride and joy I now have captive in my hands." She squeezed his c.o.c.k teasingly.
Valdemar jumped. "You"re not going to hurt something you enjoy so much." That was true. "Are you going to be good little vampire prince?"
"No, I want to be bad with you." His eyes locked with hers.
Aureliann jumped. That look promised so much. "Excellent." She started rolling the rubber up his shaft.
"Do these explode under pressure? What happens then? Is there a warranty you can claim on?"
"Aureliann..."
"Yes?"
"Hurry up." Valdemar groaned and bit his lip.
She smiled. This man was all hers. Yum. "Patience is a virtue, darling."
"Patience does not help either of us. Your p.u.s.s.y is wet against my leg."
"I never said I had to be patient." When the condom was finally in place, she leaned over and kissed him with a fierce hunger. His hand went to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, kneading and teasing the flesh. Aureliann raised herself up so that her nipples were in line with his mouth. She moaned as his mouth latched on to one and sucked.
Eventually she pushed his head away as the need to be filled overcame her. "I need you."
"Then have me."
Aureliann plunged down on his stiff p.e.n.i.s. Valdemar choked and she gasped. "Oh, your majesty." The strong heat of him surged through her veins. She rode him hard, her body grinding back and forth on his, sending shivers of pleasure through her. Only one more thing would make this perfect. "Bite me." Aureliann craved the sweet, hungry pain of his total possession. "Taste me."
Valdemar rolled his body until he covered her completely. He kept up a steady thrusting rhythm inside her as his fangs sank into her flesh.
Aureliann cried out in ecstasy. She was once more totally one with Valdemar and she never wanted it to end. She wrapped her legs around his waist and urged him on. "Faster." Valdemar missed not a beat as he began slamming into her with long, hard strokes. Aureliann smiled as the welcome feeling of excitement gripped her body. Pleasure and pain mingled to become one and she screamed as the o.r.g.a.s.m hit. It was like her whole body was out of control and she did not care because she was safe in Valdemar"s arms.
He removed his fangs and licked her neck as he started to come. Valdemar kissed her hard as he shook and shuddered to his own wild climax. They held on to each other as the aftershocks made them both tremble.
"Will you be my queen?" Valdemar stroked her face gently.
"h.e.l.lo?" Aureliann pushed him back from her. "Were you thinking of asking another?" Her words were full of cynical amus.e.m.e.nt.
He laughed. "Promise me you will never change."
"That is a deal." She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Val."
"What for?"
"Coming to me." Aureliann kissed her prince and dissolved under the vampire"s kiss.
Epilogue.
There was no big, expensive coronation of Valdemar the first. It was so unlike her time where royalty expected and got pomp and circ.u.mstance at great cost to the public. In Serawych, the crown had been handed to Valdemar before a ma.s.sive crowd of people. Aureliann had been quite agog to see how many people turned out to witness the coronation of the new king. Valdemar had accepted the crown and offered his thanks to the people of Serawych for their support. It was as it should be. Simple and honest. People agreed upon a leader then all got on with their lives with no one being deemed any more special than anyone else.
Thomas had tears in his eyes and the elves looked proud not just because of their prince becoming king, but for the fact that they had single-handedly rid Serawych of Victor. At least that was the story they were telling everyone. It was worth many ales and fine women to them.
When Aureliann and Valdemar were alone, he placed the crown on a nearby table in his quarters.
"It was never about the crown." Valdemar took her hands in his.
"I know." That"s what Aureliann loved about him. He cared more about doing the right thing than doing things for himself. "It was about stability for your people. It was about tradition. You"re a good man, Val."
"Because of you, lovely."
"If I had not bought that book..." What would have happened? Aureliann would be back in Brisbane and her mundane life without Valdemar and he would still be searching for what he was missing. What we were both missing until we found each other.
"You were always meant to read that book and bring me to you." Valdemar looked certain of that fact.
"But what if-"