Blood Mates (20 page)

“She’s mine…. She promised me….”

“I know….she loves you.” Lucien nodded. Rhage looked down and ran his fingers across her silky cheek. She was beautiful… she was his. If she died he knew he would die with her. He wouldn’t want to live anymore. If she wasn’t alive there wouldn’t be any reason to live.

“We need to get her home.” Sloane told him. “So we can take care of her.”

Rhage looked at Sloane. “How did you survive it? When your mate died? Why would you have wanted to live without her?” he shook his head. “I can’t breathe without her…..”

“Is she dead?” Sloane snapped getting angry. “Can you hear her heart beating?”

“Barely….” He murmured looking at her again. He cupped her cheek tenderly.

“Then she isn’t dead YET!” he met Rhage’s gaze again. “Are you giving up on her? Then get your ass up! We need to get her home!” Rhage slowly rose to his feet with their help and Ava in his arms. He held her close to him. He laid his cheek against hers.

‘I’m not giving you up… you are my heart….I can’t feel it without you.’

He stood in the doorway watching Rhage hold ava in the bed. He was curled around Ava like a shield. Rhage refused to let go of her when they reached the house. Sloane gave her as much blood through an IV as he could and Rhage opened his wrists a couple more times to force it into her mouth. She hadn’t woke up yet, but Rhage told them her heart was beating stronger now. “We are going to need somewhere else to live now… somewhere no one knows about.” Darius said joining him.

“It’s already being prepared. We will start moving tomorrow evening.” Lucien told him. “Alfred has already gotten the ball rolling. This house is secure until then.”

“How is it possible?” Darius nodded toward Ava.

“I thought Lissette’s child died with them…. “He shook his head. “I don’t know what happened to her. I never even considered the little girl survived so I never looked for her. She must’ve been raised human. The only thing I can come up with is she never mated an immortal and lived a human life.”

“Is that possible?”

“I don’t know…, but how is it possible Ava is a born human blood mate? Bram betrayed me, but I don’t think he was lying about this.  I think he figured it out somehow. She is here and that’s all that matters to me.”

Rhage held her, running his fingers through her hair and kissing her forehead. He wasn’t leaving her until she woke up. He felt her strongly now. He felt her fingers moved on his chest. She had been so still and silent for hours and even though he could feel her heart beating strongly he was still worried.

“Ava….. Talk to me, baby…wake up, ava…” he watched her slowly lick her lips. He held his breath and waited.

‘Rhage…….’ She whispered in his head. It was faint and sounded so far away.

“Open your eyes, baby….look at me.” He caressed her cheek. “I’ve been waiting for you to wake up….don’t make me wait any more. It’s killing me.”

Slowly her eyes fluttered and she blinked many times before she could focus on his face. “You’re smiling…” she whispered. “You hate to smile.”

“I have a lot to smile about, baby… I have you back.”

“I wasn’t worried. I knew you would come for me. You love me…”

Rhage lowered his head to hers and closed his eyes. “You damn right I do…more than anything.”

“I heard you… I wanted and tried to answer, but I couldn’t.” she whispered. “My heart doesn’t beat without you either. I breathe for you.” Rhage pulled her closer to him. He was too choked up to say anything.

They were left alone for a couple of hours before Lucien, Alfred and Sloane came in. Alfred brought in a tray full of food for Ava. He sat the tray down and hugged Ava even though Rhage was still in the bed with her. Alfred smoothed the hair from her face like a loving father would then he kissed her forehead.

“Rhage is right.” Alfred nodded. “You are never leaving the house again.”

“Alfred!” she gasped and Rhage chuckled next to her. She hit him. “Hush!” Rhage lifted her hand from his chest and kissed her fingers. Sloane moved to stand next to the bed when Alfred moved. Ava saw the look on his face. She shook her head and spoke before he could.

“It wasn’t your fault, Sloane. Don’t you dare think it!”

“Rhage trusted me to protect you….”

“And you did until he pinned you to the wall with a sword. You did protect me. I still trust you.” Tears filled her eyes. “I’m sorry he is your brother….” She held her left hand out to Sloane. “You are my family now. I don’t blame you for anything.” Sloane’s head dropped until his chin rested on his chest. He was silent for a few seconds. “Sloane…” she whispered.

Sloane lifted his head and took her hand in his to squeeze it. He had tears in his eyes. Ava smiled.

Lucien stood at the foot of the bed watching her. She did remind him of Lissette. They didn’t look alike physically. Lissette had been a golden blonde and smaller than Ava, but characteristically they were a lot alike. He felt guilty for not searching for his niece all those centuries ago, but he couldn’t change it. Now he had Ava and he wouldn’t change that…Ava turned and looked at him. He saw the smirk.

“And just what are you thinking?”

“Does this mean I can call you Uncle Lucy now?” she grinned from ear to ear. Everyone laughed around her. Rhage nearly fell off the bed laughing. Lucien fought the urge to grin. He loved her humor. She did inherit his warped sense of humor. He forced himself to narrow his eyes on her.

“No!”

“I like it…”

“NO!”

“It’s cute…”

“HELL NO!”

“It has a good ring to it…”

“OH HELL NO!” he tossed over his shoulder as he left the room.

AWeek later they were all settled in the new house Lucien had secured for them. Ava missed the old house, but the new one was nice. She and Alfred were allowed to decorate. She was thrilled and they made sure a few rooms were done in Lucien’s old world style. This new house was well hidden in the side of a mountain and was even more secured that the old one and she couldn’t believe that was possible, but it was.

She walked into the study which was Lucien’s private domain. She was surprised to find him awake so early. It was a couple of hours before the sun set. He was sitting behind his desk going over some papers. He hadn’t been sleeping regularly since the attack and the revelations of a secret faction looking to destroy him and what he stood for. He looked up when she stepped inside.

“You should be sleeping…”

“I will…”

“You’re worried.” Ava said crossing the room toward his desk. She perched on the corner of it.

“Nothing I can’t handle.”

“I know you and the legion will destroy them. They can’t win, Lucien.”

He leaned back in his chair and sighed heavily. “This is going to be a war, Ava, and I know it is going to be ugly.”

“And you will win. You are the king.”

He smiled. “You are good for my ego….”

“I’m your niece…five million times removed, but family sticks together.”

He chuckled. “Yes they do…” he stood up… “I want to show you a sketching.”

“Lissette… my….way too many times to count grandmother…”

“You make me sound old.”

“You are…. You are old as dirt…”

“Not THAT old…” he chuckled walking to the bookshelves. He pulled a simple soft leather bound book down. “My father had it drawn. He had all of us sit for one. I lost the paintings years ago when they were killed, but I did manage to keep the sketches.” Lucien took the book back to her. He opened it to the middle and held it out to her.

“Oh! She is beautiful….” Ava sighed. Then she looked up at Lucien with tears in her eyes. “I know where I come from now….”

Rhage was sleeping, but he knew the second she entered the room. He didn’t let her know that though. He watched her take off her clothes. His mouth watered and his cock got hard in two seconds flat.  She was breathtakingly gorgeous.  Then she stopped right before she took off her panties. Her hands went to her hips and her hair fell down hiding her sweet titties from his view.

“Rhage! How can I slip into bed with you if you aren’t sleeping?” she demanded. He propped his chin in his hand and smiled.

“Baby… I didn’t want to disturb you getting undressed…. I was enjoying the view…”

“I was trying to be sneaky…”

“Naked would be better….”

Ava shook her head as she approached the bed. Rhage pulled her down on top of his chest and kissed her hard. Ava giggled feeling his hard cock pressed against her.

“Are you happy to see me?”

“Baby, I’m always happy to see you and thrilled when you are naked.” He arranged her thighs on each side of his hips as she straddled him. He ran his hands up her thighs and sides until he could tease her hard pebbled nipples with his fingers. Ava sighed…..

“Close your eyes, baby…”

She nodded and closed her eyes. She braced her hands on his belly as she felt his hands move away from her.

“What are you doing?” she asked keeping her eyes closed.

“Shhh… just wait.”  She felt him lift one of her hands and kissed her palm then each of her fingers. “Don’t open your eyes…just listen….” When she nodded he continued. “I love you….I never expected to find a mate. I never even thought about ever having one, but now…. I can’t see a second of my life without you. I’m going to be an ass when it comes to keeping you safe. You aren’t going to like it, but you will get over it because I won’t budge on it. Keeping you safe is more important than anything else… you are everything to me.”

“Rhage….” She whispered. She wanted to cry because he wasn’t a man who talked about his emotions or what he was feeling. He was an all action man. She then felt something slide onto her finger.

“We didn’t do the normal human wedding thing… and I don’t want to miss or skip anything….I want you to have everything.”

Ava opened her eyes and looked down. She couldn’t help, but cry. It was so

Beautiful.  It was a band of twisted of white and yellow gold and between the twists there were diamonds.

“Rhage…..”

“Will you marry me?”

She looked at him through the tears and she nodded. Rhage could feel how happy she was. He would everything he could to keep her happy.  She leaned down and kissed him. “I love you…”

He growled against her lips before he rolled her beneath him. He looked down at her.

“Now can I take your panties off?”

She giggled and then arched an eyebrow at him. “With your fangs?”

“That’s my favorite way to do it, baby…..”