Awakening (9 page)

He felt her hands over his, pulling them away from his face. Hesitantly, he opened his eyes and looked down at her, catching his breath as she looked up at him with that radiant smile on her lips. “Celeste?”

“It’s okay; I,” she grinned sheepishly, glancing down at his chest for a moment before returning to look at his face. Shrugging a delicate shoulder, she continued, “I enjoy it; it’s awfully erotic, isn’t it? But how…. Never mind, I don’t want to know. Right now I am just really thirsty.”

His heart stilled in his chest as he stared down at this amazing girl. Shrugging her shoulders once more, she turned away from him and grabbed the dress, sliding it over her head as she talked, “We can either spend the day together or, if you have other plans, you can take me back to the host….”

“We’ll spend the day together,” he said quickly as her words began to sink in. There was no way he was ever going to let her go, not if he could continue to feed from her and not destroy her. God, she was a marvel and the rush of euphoria was something he had never experienced in all of the
Calices
he had created throughout his existence.

Smoothing the dress over her body, she turned and faced him, an impish grin on her face, “You’ve ruined me for anyone
else; I fear that after I leave I’ll never have sex again.”

“Good,” he replied to the first part of her statement. Then his brows furrowed together as he became aware of her desire to leave him.

She raised an eyebrow at his statement, her smile turning into a smirk, “Good?”

“I want you to remain with me,” he said autocratically
, expecting her to acquiesce without any resistance.

“Oh, I would love to,” she sighed, a dreamy expression on her face. He began to smile but she placed her hand on his chest and shook her head from side to side, a forlorn expression crossing her face. “Unfortunately, we’re all leaving tomorrow and as much as it pains me to admit, I doubt our paths will ever cross again.”

No!
He wanted to scream as he gazed down at her, the resolution on her face. He was going to have to change her mind. “But you gave me your virginity.”

“Ah, you noticed that,” she smiled
slightly, her eyes sparkling mischievously. “I hadn’t planned on losing it to, well, to a complete stranger.” She smiled up at him, “An incredibly sexy complete stranger; but there’s something about you.”

Her eyes drifted over his naked form and his cock came immediately to attention. A blush crept across her cheeks as she raised her eyes to face hi
m once more. Licking her lips, she murmured, “I simply wanted you with every part of my being; hell, I still want you.”

“Then stay with me,” he
compelled, infusing his voice with desire as he reached up and grabbed a strand of her hair. Pulling it towards his mouth, he breathed in her scent before kissing the dark locks. Lowering his voice, he purred, “Let me show you Paris.”

The heartrending smile returned to her lips as she reached up and tenderly cupped his cheek, the
soft flesh pressing against his skin. “I would love nothing more than to do that but I start my new job on Tuesday and I have to return. Besides, the girls are probably at each other’s throats by now and….”

Seeing the desire still burning in her eyes, feeling the desire coursing through his body, he bent his head and captured her lips. If words weren’t going to convince her, he was going to have to use other methods. Without hurrying, he grabbed the material of her dress and gathered it up to her thighs, baring her flesh. As her mouth opened beneath his, he lifted her up and impaled her on his thick erection before she even realized what was happening. Her moan made him smile as he sucked her tongue into his mouth, tasting her sweetness.

Wrapping her legs around his waist, she clutched his shoulders. He held her tightly, never intending to let her go…. “Oh, God; Adamanteros!”

*****

Auberon’s head swam with contingency plans as he walked the corridor to his brother’s room, giving Adam time to do what needed to be done. He had to figure out a way of killing the
Thraell
if Adam was unable to do so. Shaking his head, Auberon knew that he probably should have taken care of the problem last night. His brother had been in no shape to take the thing’s life, not when it so closely resembled the girl. If Adam had been thinking straight he would have made her a
Calix
without doubt and without regret; she was a human and that was their reward for getting involved with an
Apocritum
. But the girl – Celeste – had been unique and from the start she had had the strongest hold on his brother. Auberon was almost glad she was gone.

Lost in his musings, he bumped into someone. As she stumbled backwards, his hands shot out and grabbed her around the arms, steadying her.
Figuring it was one of the
Calix
cleaning maids, he grinned and looked down, meeting the vibrant eyes of the girl who had been lying on Adam’s bed. His eyes widened in shock as he saw the bite marks on her neck, confirming that she was, in fact, the same girl. “Good God you are alive.”

The girl
stared up at him and blinked her large, hazel eyes in confusion. After a moment, a delicate line formed between her brows as she frowned, “And you look exactly like Adamanteros.”

“We are twins,” he said
mindlessly, still staring at her, examining her face for any indication that she was
Thraell
, or at the very least
Calix
. There were no fangs, her eyes, her hazel eyes, still sparkled with life. True, her lips were a little ashen but fluids would take care of that. His eyes remained on her lips as she spoke and he had the sudden and inexplicable urge to taste her.

“Why does it surprise you that I’m alive?” she asked, her brows knitted together in confusion.
He found her utterly adorable.

Slowly,
a smile curved his lips as he leaned against the wall and looked down at her. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, he inhaled deeply, drinking in her scent. There wasn't even the slightest hint of the
Calix
taint; she was still very much human. Opening his eyes, he looked over the girl’s features once more, looking for any indication that she was perhaps a new breed of
Calix
, which would be amazing and unlikely.
Apocritae
bit humans and changed them, there was no other option. Yet Adam had bit this human and she was just as
human
as she was before, with that tempting sweetness just beneath the surface.

Takin
g another deep breath, he was startled to realize that there
was
something different about her, something that called to him and demanded his submission, which was ridiculous. He did not submit to anyone, least of all a puny human. Yet for all of his protests he could not tear his eyes away from her….

He felt his cock hardening and he made no effort to conceal the
effect she was having on him. “My brother has quite the… stamina.”

Blushing, she lowered
her lashes slightly and smiled, “Yes, I know.”

“Then you must understand my shock,”
he continued smoothly, his voice low and alluring. She was completely unaware of the raging erection pressing against the front of his leather pants. Annoyed that she didn't react at all, he reached between his legs and adjusted the damn thing, frowning when she didn’t even blink. Needing her to acknowledge him, he put his hands on her shoulders, pleased when she looked up at him with curiosity in her hazel eyes. “I am amazed that you were able to walk out of his bedroom; that you are able to walk at all.”

Her eyes sparkled with laughter as
she asked, “Then I should be flattered?”

“
Definitely,” he nodded, sliding his hands down her arms until he held her hands in his. As he bent his knees so his eyes would meet hers at her level, he repeated, “Most definitely.”

He brought her hands up to her lips, about to kiss the flesh of the girl who managed to survive, but
she was wrenched away. Standing to his full height, he grinned as he saw the possessive expression on his brother’s face as Adam wrapped his arm around Celeste’s waist, tucking her under his arm and holding her to his side. With an unrepentant grin, he crooned, “Good morning, Adam. Please introduce me to your friend.”

“
This is my brother Auberon,” Adam said, squeezing her a little tighter. “Auberon, Celeste.”

The girl held
out her delicate hand, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Auberon felt his brother’s possessiveness without needing to see the taut line of his jaw and that made Auberon all the more anxious to fee
d from her. But before he was able to take her hand, she turned and lifted the once offered hand, cupping Adam’s cheek with it, unintentionally snubbing Auberon to be with Adam. He wasn’t sure whether he should be offended or jealous. Her voice was soft, comforting, as she murmured, “Darling, if you hold me any tighter, you will steal what’s left of my breath.”

Auberon studied his brother’s face, the emotions warring on the normally impassive man, and the jealousy he felt morphed into amusement that his staid, uptight brother was losing it over a mere girl, a human. Laughing, he rubbed the odd pain around his sternum and asked,
“I trust you will be spending the day together?”

“Yes,” Celeste smiled beautifully, her eyes still on his brother’s face. Auberon felt a twinge of something that felt suspiciously close to envy as he watched her expression.

What the hell happened? Did you feed her and forget?
Auberon asked silently, unable to tear his gaze from the smooth lines of her throat, the steady beat of her pulse.

No, I did
not
feed her,
Adam replied, his claim on the girl screaming from his every pore.
You already know that. Stop looking at her.

Auberon’s head shot up as he met his brother’s black glare and he smiled effortlessly.
She is definitely not Thraell and I see no signs of Calix in her either and yet her scent is still that of a human; most peculiar.

I agree,
Adam returned, taking a breath and glancing down at the girl as bemusement furrowed her adorable brow. With a smile, Adam asked, “What is it, sweetheart?”

“It’s the oddest thing
really,” she began, glancing between the two of them, her hazel eyes sparkling with human intelligence. But then she deliberately wiped her expression clean as she shook her head and smiled, “It’s nothing; I’m just thirsty.”

Taking Celeste’s hand in his,
Adam brought it up to his mouth and kissed her delicate fingers. “Then you shall drink the nectar of the gods.”

Celeste laughed as she glanced away from
Adam and looked at Auberon, and he felt the power of that gaze in his gut. And lower. “Will you be joining us?”

“I have some business to take care of,” he replied
, smiling at the girl to tweak his brother a little.
There has been no damage, there is no cause for alarm
, Auberon thought easily.
She is simply an anomaly that we must keep and study, Adam. There is no need to tell the Council and there is definitely no need to inform Mother
.

Adam
nodded his head in agreement.
I will keep her and study her. She is mine, Auberon.

Auberon made a face and started to stride away, his gait loose as he pretended his brother's words did not hurt.
Walking past the wretched couple, Auberon turned around to take one more look at the bite marks on her neck. Good God, there was a third marking on the curve of her neck near her shoulder! He stumbled, knocking over an expensive vase and sending it crashing to the hard wood floor. Adam’s head turned sharply as Auberon awkwardly set himself to rights, hoping the girl did not notice his clumsiness.
You might want to do something about those marks, brother.

Nodding his head
, acknowledging the warning, Adam continued down the hall with the enigma that was Celeste tucked up against his side.

*****

“He’s very handsome,” Celeste said with a grin, looking up at Adam as he watched his brother disappear down another corridor.

Adam
’s head snapped around, his black eyes meeting hers as he growled, “He’s arrogant.”

Tilting her head to the side
in wonder; his speech sounded slightly different, less formal somehow. Shaking the thought away, she smiled at him and murmured, “As are you; I find I like it; it… suits you. But that doesn’t make either one of you less attractive, though.”

He scowled, “Are you attracted to him?”

She laughed outright, her stomach aching as her body tightened and shook. Reaching up, she ran her hand along his jaw line, “He looks exactly like you, Adamanteros, but he’s not you. I am drawn to
you
, just you.”

“Oh,” he frowned a moment longer before his expression softened and his gaze warmed.
Pressing his hand over hers, he turned his head and kissed her palm, keeping his eyes locked with hers, “Then come and we’ll get you something to eat and drink.”