M&L03 - SS (5 page)

I looked up to find Rachel
staring at me with tears in her eyes.

“You thought I was her didn’t
you?”

I scrubbed my hands over my
face and growled, “What are you doing here Rachel? I told you it wasn’t a good
idea for you to be here.”

The storm was still in full
swing and she shoved one hand into her hair trying to get it out of her face
while her other hand pulled her dress back down into place. “I saw you from the
window in my apartment. You were glowing Solomon. I could actually see the
magic swirling in the air around you. I wanted to get closer, to know if I
could feel the magic too. I didn’t mean to let you see me, but then I could
tell something was wrong with you and I wanted to help.”

I took a deep breath and
closed my eyes counting to ten. When I opened them again I asked, “Do you have
any idea how much danger you were in? I nearly fell into bloodlust Rachel. I
could have killed you without even realizing what I’d done until it was too
late.”

“You wouldn’t hurt me
Solomon,” she insisted and something in me snapped.

Surging to my feet, I grabbed
her upper arms and slammed her against the pillar behind her - not too hard,
but hard enough to get her attention. I held her in place with her feet six
inches off the ground as my fangs came down and I let the vampire come out to
play. “Take a good look Rachel because this is who I am, this is what I keep
leashed under that teenage face you find so attractive. Don’t ever think for a
second that I’m not capable of hurting you, because deep down, I’m a monster
just like everyone else here at Myths and Legends.”

Releasing her arms, I stepped
back and she crumpled to the ground crying.

I ran my hands through my
hair and realized my pants were still hanging wide open. After I had everything
back in place I said, “Look Rachel, I’m sorry...” I crouched down in front of
her but when I reached out, she jerked away from me so I sat back on my heels.
I had no idea what else to say and I was barely hanging on with the battle of
wills going on inside my head. My human side was in control for the moment but
the fox was trying to claw his way out of me because the vampire just wanted me
to fuck Rachel again - now.

A loud crash drew my
attention and I rushed over just in time to watch as the churning water dragged
one of our bridges into the Gulf. Dammit, I needed to concentrate on the ward.
I looked back to tell Rachel to get back inside but she was already gone.
Shaking my head, I threw everything I had into strengthening the ward and
protecting our home. Worrying about Rachel and setting things right between us
would
just have to wait until later.

~ Renee ~

I crept slowly through the
house hoping Solomon wouldn’t be here waiting to ambush me. If it were up to
me,
I
wouldn’t even be here. I’d dream about a new location every night
just to keep him from finding me - or hell, I just wouldn’t dream at all. But that
damn fox inside of me had other ideas though. She actually wanted Solomon to
find us here and in the real world. If only I could get her to understand why
we couldn’t let that happen.

Finding no sign of Solomon on
the ground floor, I went upstairs to the bedroom. At least there, I’d have a
little privacy. You never knew who might be lurking in the back yard waiting to
get a peepshow through the glass wall.

To my surprise, I found Solomon
tucked into my bed sleeping like the dead. Now that was just strange. Why would
he be dreaming about sleeping in my bed? Taking a closer look, I realized that
he looked utterly exhausted. There were dark circles under his sunken eyes and
his sandy blonde hair looked like he’d gone to bed with it wet. Even his skin
looked paler than usual, almost sickly. I’d only seen him look this rough a
handful of times and it was always after he used an extraordinary amount of
magic.

What have you been up to
Solomon?

 I was about to leave when
his eyes blinked open and he said, “Don’t go, please, just stay the night with
me Renee.”

He looked so lost that it
broke my heart. Oh Solomon, what am I going to do with you? It would be better
for both of us if we just made a clean break, but seeing the desperation in his
eyes, I couldn’t leave. I stripped down to my T-shirt and panties and climbed
in bed beside him. When he pulled me close and wrapped his arm around my waist,
I realized he didn’t have any clothes on.

I must have tensed because he
whispered, “Don’t worry Renee; I just want to hold you. Besides, I’m completely
spent. I don’t think I could have sex if I wanted to, not even dream sex.”

I relaxed a little pressing
my back against his chest and asked, “What have you been doing that’s taken so
much out of you?”

He kissed the top of my head.
“We had a hurricane.”

Well that explained a lot.
Moments later, he was sleeping again and I wondered how long he’d be out. The
last hurricane wiped him out for three days, but that was before the curse
ended. Maybe now that his fox was awake he’d recover faster.

After a while, I closed my
eyes, basking in his warmth, letting the steady rhythm of his breaths lull me
to sleep. It seemed odd to be going to sleep when I knew this was only a dream
and my body was already asleep, but when I thought about it, I hadn’t felt
truly rested for months. Every night I’d sat here in this house hyperaware of
everything around me while I waited for Solomon to find his way inside.
Somehow, the stress I’d felt here must have taken its toll on my body making me
feel drained in the morning rather than refreshed.

Lying here now with Solomon
wrapped around me, I was finally able to relax for the first time since
realizing he was my mate. Was I doing the right thing by staying away from him?

I shook my head. This wasn’t
about me or my feelings. This was about him, and what would make him happy in
the long run.

Yet none of that meant I
couldn’t allow myself this one night of peaceful sleep in the arms of the only
man I would ever love.

My eyes popped open when I
heard Solomon murmur a hopeless plea beside me. “No... Please don’t make me...”

Sitting up, I realized we
were still in the dream together but Solomon’s condition had deteriorated
dramatically.

Vampirism was caused by a
virus. A virus that if left unchecked, would continue multiplying until the
infected body resembled a mind demon - the beings from which the virus
originated. Mind demons were gaunt, hairless creatures with leathery skin that
lacked the ability to eat solid foods and burned to ash in sunlight. They were
also sociopathic killers who were addicted to blood and enjoyed torture and
mayhem.

The only way to keep the
virus from multiplying was to drink blood infused with the life force of a
living being. The blood had to be fresh and come directly from the source
because a being’s life force dies almost immediately after leaving its body.

Many vampires forgo fresh
blood and allow the virus to multiply because it makes them stronger and increases
their psychic abilities. As a result, they slowly lose their humanity and
become just as evil as the ancient mind demons once were. For that reason,
nightshifters are always very careful about feeding and never intentionally
forgo fresh blood.

Looking at Solomon now, I
knew that he needed to feed, and that his weakened state was most likely caused
by over exerting himself while he was fighting the hurricane. What I didn’t
understand was why he seemed to be refusing to feed.

I gently brushed his hair
away from his eyes and whispered, “Solomon, you need to drink now.”

His eyes cracked open and
instead of their usual light brown color, bright gold stared back at me. “I
can’t betray you again, I won’t do it Renee.”

Betray me again? I had no
idea what he was talking about but I knew he needed to drink - now. He was
trembling and a light sheen of sweat covered his face and upper body. “My blood
wouldn’t be enough to help you Solomon, I’m infected with the virus too.”

He closed his eyes and shook
his head. If he was still here, then his body was still asleep, even though I
suspected someone was trying to get him to drink. The fact that he wasn’t
waking up was not a good sign.

“Solomon, I want you to drink
from me now,” I said lying down in front of him and wrapping my leg over his
hip.

He opened his eyes again and
looked into mine. I tipped my head to the side giving him better access, but
instead of taking what I was offering he said, “I won’t be able to hold back
Renee, I’m not strong enough right now.”

“It’s just a dream Solomon,”
I whispered knowing what was about to happen but not being able to worry about
the consequences when I knew how badly he needed to drink. 

“We both know this is not
just a dream.” His voice was rough, his body tense.

“Yes Solomon, but I still
want you to drink from me now.”

I reached out and pulled his
head into the crook of my neck. He inhaled deeply, taking in my scent as his
hand slid up the back of my thigh to my ass where he gripped tightly and pulled
me closer until his hard flesh pressed against my satin covered center. How
would I ever be able to walk away from him after this?

His fangs grazed my neck and
I shivered. “Be sure Renee.”

I closed my eyes. “I’m sure
Solomon.”

His fangs pierced my skin
with a growl and fire raced through my veins making me instantly wet and needy.
He rolled me to my back and thrust himself against my damp panties while he
drank from me with strong pulls of his mouth. My legs clamped around his waist
and my hips rocked with his as my fingers clawed at his back. I needed more.
His bite was making me wild with desire, drowning me in sensation, taking away
all the reasons we shouldn’t be doing this.

Suddenly my panties were gone
and his thick arousal was sliding over my slick, needy flesh. Yes! I tried to
angle my hips so that he’d slide inside and when that didn’t work, I reached
down to guide him with my hand.

Just when I had the tip of
his erection poised at the entrance to my body, he sealed the puncture marks in
my neck and lifted his head. Looking me right in the eyes he said, “I can’t do
this, not here, not like this.” Then he was gone.

I screamed a sound of pure
need and frustration that seemed to go on forever. How could he do this to me?
I’d always known he didn’t really want me, not like this anyway, but never in a
million years had I thought he could be this cruel.

Eventually I rolled to my
side sobbing into my pillow and willed my body to wake up. I’d never be able to
face Solomon after this. Whatever it took, I knew I had to get out of here
before he found a way to get through that portal, even if that meant taking
Dimitri up on his offer to leave town with him.

~ Solomon ~

I came awake with my fangs buried
in someone’s throat and my dick about to sink inside her wet center.

 Withdrawing my fangs, I
sealed the wounds left behind then rolled to the side and landed on my back.

A moment later Lacey, a sex
demon who worked at Mystique, appeared above me with her bottom lip pushed out
in a pout. “Aren’t you going to finish what we started?”

“No, I’m not,” I snapped. She
sat back on her heels and I asked, “What are you doing here Lacey?”

She shrugged her slender
shoulder making her long brunette hair fall over her naked breast. “Dragon said
you needed to feed and that you were too far gone to do it on your own. I
volunteered to take care of you.”

Shit. Taking a deep breath, I
scrubbed my hands over my face. “I’m sorry I snapped at you Lacey, and thank
you for feeding me, but I need you to go now.”

“Alright, but if you change
your mind I’ll be around,” she offered as she climbed off the bed to get
dressed.

Once she was gone, I looked
around and had no idea where I was or how I got here. Heavy brocade curtains,
elegant furnishings, dark masculine color scheme - a hotel room maybe? What was
the last thing I remembered? The watchtower and the hurricane, and then...
Nothing else came to mind.

There was a knock at the door
then it opened and Dragon stood in the doorway. He was always such an imposing
figure, easily the same height and size as Doyle but with dark hair and a
neatly trimmed beard. “I’m glad to see you’re doing better.”

“Thank you for looking out
for me.”

“There’s something we need to
talk about once you’re dressed,” he said, his face serious.

“I’ll be quick,” I responded
and he turned to leave but stopped when I asked, “My Lord?”

“Yes, Solomon?”

“Where are we?”

He grinned. “One of the
suites above Supernova.”

I shot out of bed heading for
the bathroom and heard him chuckling as he closed the door behind him.

Once I was finished showering
and brushing my teeth I found the bag I’d packed the night before the
hurricane, threw on some clothes then went in search of Dragon.

I found him and Rook waiting
patiently in the living room and took a seat across from them in one of the
overstuffed armchairs.

“How long was I out?” I asked
before we got started with anything else.

“Only about eighteen hours,”
Dragon replied.

“Wow, hurricanes normally
knock me out for days.”

He shrugged. “Our animals are
very strong. If you had fed before your strength waned too much you might not
have passed out at all.”

“I’ll remember that for next
time. How did I get here? The last time I tried, I couldn’t go through the portal.”

Rook was sitting very quietly
while Dragon answered my questions. He wasn’t glaring or scowling, but he
seemed to radiate disapproval making it painfully obvious he knew something
happened between Rachel and me.

“Doyle told us about Renee
and the trouble you were having with the portal. When he said you only remained
in your dream because you were passed out drunk, Rook suggested we take you
through the portal while you were still nearly comatose from exhaustion.”

I met Rook’s black gaze.
“Thank you, I’m not sure I ever would have found a way through that portal.”

Rook inclined his head and
asked, “Will you tell us what happened with Rachel? She’s still very upset but
she won’t tell us why.”

I flopped back against the
chair running my hands through my damp hair and told them everything that
happened on the watchtower.

“I should have known it was
her,” I said blowing out a frustrated breath.

“If you were even half as
gone as you were when we found you up there, then I don’t think there was any
way you could have known,” Rook said shaking his head. “I’ll talk to Angela and
see if she can help Rachel work through this.”

“I’d like to speak to Rachel
myself when she’s ready.”

“I’ll let her know,” Rook
promised and stood to leave. Dragon followed suit and I walked them to the
door.

With a fatherly pat on my
shoulder, Dragon told me, “Next time we’ll have someone watching your back. I
agreed to let you go up there alone because you thought the added magic from
the animals would be enough to keep you on your feet. I don’t think either of
us considered the fact that you were trying to save half the state instead of
just our little plot of land. You did a good job by the way; only minimal
damage is being reported statewide.”

Well at least that was
something.

I bowed with my hand fisted
over my heart. “Thank you My Lord.” Dragon returned the gesture then he and
Rook left.

Once they were gone, I
checked the time. Supernova had already been open for several hours, and it was
likely to be jam-packed with the tournament starting tomorrow night. Not
wasting another moment I threw on some shoes, grabbed my phone and headed
downstairs
to see if I could find Renee.