Rapture (30 page)

“Good to know our sentries are doing a bang-up job,” she reflected
when the Valkyrie passed by with not so much as a glance in their direction.

“I’m not about to complain. At least I was able to reach you.” He
squeezed her hand and pulled her farther away from the village until she was
able to see the moonlight bouncing off the lake’s smooth surface. “There,” he
said. “Just on the other side of the water, that’s where I came through.”

She looked where he pointed, letting him draw her to his body as
his arms wrapped around her. They stood there silently for a time, and she
relished the feel of him as the back of her head rested against his chest.
“When was the last time you fed?”

“You know that answer as much as I do,” he said and chuckled
quietly next to her ear.

No, she hadn’t wanted to hear that he’d starved himself the last
few days, but at the same time, she was glad he hadn’t taken another female’s
vein. She turned toward him, lifting her wrist between them. “Here, you’ll be
hungry.”

His fingers wrapped around her wrist and pushed it back down. “Not
tonight. I don’t want you to ever think that’s all there is between us.”

“I wouldn’t. I don’t.”

“I didn’t find you just so I could drink your blood, Raine. I came
because I am a male in love with the most beautiful, vibrant female I have ever
met. I came because I want you in my life. Now and forever.”

****

She
came back to herself as Navvan sat up and grabbed a piece of bread from the
basket and peered at Raine. “You have not even touched yours yet.”

“Sorry,”
Raine replied, sitting up and stretching. “It’s just so comfortable.”

“Mmm,
I know what you mean.” Navvan bit into her bread, offering her a full grin.

She
picked a piece off her own bread, popping it into her mouth and feeling the
soft texture roll over her tongue. Thunder and lightning struck not far away,
but it was easy to tell that it was striking down in the village. Nothing new
there, with all the Valkyries that lived here, there was a constant barrage of
lightning. She was back in Valhalla, something that she’d dreamed of since the
day she’d left. And here she was, thinking of how she and Ferox had made love
right there by the lake, and over there in that tree, oh, and in the lake a
time or two. They’d pleasured each other more times than she could count right
here in this very clearing. He had come to her every other night for two weeks,
where they had lain under the moonlight, talking of their pasts and their hopes
and dreams. They held each other, and made love—sometimes slow and rhythmic,
other times, fast and hard, but always passionate. It had taken nearly a week
for him to concede to his own thirst, but he’d finally taken from her vein.

In
the following weeks, they hadn’t been able to meet every other night. Her
sisters had grown suspicious, and Ferox’s family had as well. But they had
rendezvoused at least twice in a week’s time. Even as she thought that, the
memory of the night when everything hadn’t gone as planned, flooded her
thoughts.

It had rained all day, the grass slick and wet. She’d brought a
blanket along tonight, hoping to provide warmth to her male if he so needed it.
She hadn’t waited long, but he was later than e’er before. She saw his trench
coat first, the long cloth flapping in the breeze as he stalked through the
trees, his eyes landing on her before he flashed to her side. She gasped as he
brought her to him, gripping her shoulders tightly as he took her mouth. She
pulled away, giving him another quick peck on the lips before she stared up at
him. “Is everything well?”

He shrugged. “It’s been a long day, and I’ve waited to be with you
for far too long.” His hand cupped her nape and then their lips were together
again. He bent her backwards, lying Raine down on the wet grass, and covering
her with the heat of his body. She moaned and giggled as his hands roamed over
her body as his hips thrust against her in rhythm. She gripped his back, urging
him closer to her as he reached a hand under her top and moved the cloth upward
until her breasts were bared to the cold night air. He growled against her
skin, whispering things to her and notching her own excitement up at his tender
words.

She could feel that something was wrong, and it was much more than
a “long day,” as he’d called it. It was as though Ferox had changed somehow, or
maybe that something was bothering him. They’d always been open with each other
before, but there was a distance to him tonight that sent things on a whole new
level. “Ferox,” she said, pushing him up so he was braced above her. “Tell me
what’s wrong.”

His eyes glowed with hunger. He’d been so wrapped up in what he’d
been doing that it took some time before he focused on her. And there was
something very wrong in that gaze.

“Ferox?” She blinked up at him, watching as his face hardened. He
closed his eyes tightly, shaking his head.

His eyes flashed to her, narrowed. “Stop calling me that.”

“What?” No. She searched his eyes and his face, he was Ferox. He
had to be. But no, she hadn’t felt that spark that he invoked in her, that
telltale sign that she was with her vampire. “Damion?”

He fell on her again, his mouth covering hers as she tried to turn
her head side to side; he’d succeeded, but she continued shoving at him as his
hands touched her most intimate areas. She kicked and punched through Damion’s
growls.

“Why him?” he roared. “Why him, and not me?” He rose up off of her
for a split second before his fist collided against her face. It knocked her
head to the ground as heat and pain spread over her entire face. She lifted it
again as his fist barreled toward her once more. “I did everything that he did.
I gave you flowers and kissed your hand. I offered to walk with you at night.
But no, you only want him. But no longer.” He had her wrists, pulling them up
over her head as she tried to overpower him. She failed, and he held both her
wrists in one hand as the other worked at her clothing. All she had left to
fight with were her legs, and she kicked at him as he worked up her skirt.

She squeaked as his hand pressed against her sex, her fighting
more fervent. Desperate. Damion reached for his trousers and loosened them
before his hips rested between her legs. Damn her, she couldn’t break free. She
couldn’t push or kick him off! “No, Damion, stop,” she cried. She didn’t want
another—she only wanted Ferox. She twisted her legs, getting them under him,
and pushed him upward.

“Fucking stop it.” He growled and met her eyes, red gleaming from
them as he lifted his arm and brought it down against her face again and again.

Her eye felt as though it would burst. Wetness spread across her
face, and she looked up at the sky as rain fell. The clouds were dark and angry
above them, lighting every so often within themselves as the lightning bolts
crashed within.

Damion tugged at her legs, lifting her hips to his. She closed her
eyes and willed the lightning to strike.

He wasn’t on her anymore. Raindrops landed all over her body, and
she opened her eyes, finding Damion a few feet away. She rolled onto her
stomach and stood, stumbling toward him. From here, she could see that he still
breathed, and she had the overwhelming urge to kick him. It wasn’t honorable to
kick someone when they were down, so she only let herself do it three times.

“What in the gods’ names…”

Raine turned as Ferox came into the clearing, his eyes wide as he
looked at his brother. “
Damion?
What in the…” And then he saw her face, and
his mouth dropped open. He was by her side in an instant cupping her face.
“What happened?”

She exhaled slowly, looking into Ferox’s eyes and flicking them
down to his brother. She closed her eyes. “I....”

He lightly pressed his fingers to her lips. “Did he do this to you?”

She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to. His eyes flashed
angrily, and he dropped his hands to her shoulder. “Did he?” Ferox looked down
at her clothes, his hands squeezing her shoulders.

“No. He tried.”

He was shaking now, and he dropped his hands to his sides. She
could feel the war going on inside him and wished more than anything that what
had just happened had never been. “I’ll take him back to Vampur. I’ll return
tomorrow. If you never wish to see me again, then don’t come. I’d have you tell
me this eve if that was your wish, but I do not think I could bear to hear it.”

He gripped her hand and squeezed before he stepped toward his
brother and lifted him over his shoulder. Raine watched as he walked around the
lake and disappeared through the portal.

“Well,
we should probably get going. I’ve got a bow to string.”

Raine
blinked her eyes open, startled to see that Navvan still sat beside her. The
picnic basket was mostly empty now, and the sun had risen even higher in the
sky.

“And
you should probably get back down to the dungeon. Those prisoners won’t watch
themselves.”

“What
are they being held for anyway?” Raine asked as she stood up and brushed at her
skirt.

Navvan
shrugged. “Father didn’t say.”

“Hmm.”
She nodded and cleared her throat. “Yes, I should get back.” She lifted the
basket and walked beside Navvan as the two made their way back toward the
village and Odin’s hall.

She
glanced one last time at the clearing before it was hidden from her view. And
as she’d pondered so many years ago, she wondered what she could have done
differently that awful night.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Raine
stood before her father, feeling as though her heart would leap from her chest.
She’d pretended that seeing him every day was business as usual, when in fact,
before her daily update with him that had started four days ago, she hadn’t
seen him in over six centuries. She’d been summoned to his hall only thirty
minutes before.

And
now, she peered at her father, who looked as tall and regal as always, even as he
sat in his oversized throne. “It is going well. The new exercises you suggested
are working wonders for my sisters’ techniques.” She’d only spent two nights in
the dungeon, though those nights had been long and hard. Raine had to ignore
her sisters’ pleas that she remember her normal life, when in fact she
remembered every minute of it. But she couldn’t give up the charade. If she
gave anyone the slightest inkling that Darla had failed, she and her sisters
could be in very serious danger. So when her duty had changed from prisoner
guard to weapons training and exercises, she breathed a sigh of relief. And
though she appreciated the freedom from the dungeons, she was under constant
watch.

“Wonderful,”
he said, looking pleased. As he did each day, he lounged in his chair nibbling
on bits of sweet fruit some of her sisters were tasked with fetching for him.
On the rare occasion, he would get up and pace in front of his throne. Today
though, he seemed in a leisurely nature and just wanted to sit.

In
truth, there was hardly a reason to train any longer. There were no young
Valkyries anymore—no small girls to teach the craft to. There were only
fully-grown Valkyries, most of which were far older than her. They merely
trained to keep their skill and stamina from going to waste, and every once in
a while when one would stumble upon an interesting maneuver, they’d teach it to
the others. But that actually happening wasn’t likely, not since they’d all
spent centuries with each other. “Father, have you heard anything about
Savannah?”

Her
father didn’t like discussing such things, and instantly tensed. “No. She has
not been located.”

“You
don’t suppose that she, uh … left, do you?” She looked pointedly at the mirror
that sat along the wall to the right of Odin’s throne.

“Raine,”
he warned, his voice going low and quiet. “You know that’s forbidden. And only
four of you know of its existence. Unless you’ve been talking?”

“No,”
she answered hastily, shaking her head. “I’ve never mentioned it to anyone,
Father. I just mean that it’s not a secret exactly that there is a portal to
leave Valhalla. What if she found it and left?”

He
did seem to consider that, but shook his head after a moment. “No. I would
know. No Valkyries have ever left Valhalla. Not since your return from the tournament.
Now, why don’t you get some rest? You’re looking worn, Daughter.”

She
smiled and bowed her head. “Thank you, Father. I am feeling a little under the
weather.” She turned away then and left him alone in his hall. Savannah was
still with the Guardians, or at least she hoped she was. It didn’t appear that
she’d returned with others, and she hadn’t dared mention anything to Caleen,
Raven, and Odette about her.

She
shouldered her way through the door and stepped outside. Yep, there they were;
she could hear the quiet footsteps as two Valkyries tailed her. Overall, it was
a rather lovely night outside, with only a few intermittent bolts of lightning
streaking down from the sky. She followed the gravel path, nodding at her
sisters that were out and about, their faces lit by the torches that stood near
the entrance of each home. She offered a “Good evening, Sister,” whenever one
of the Valkyries said it to her, and continued on her path. She certainly
recognized many of their faces, but putting a name to each one was nigh
impossible.