The Timekeeper (12 page)

“Please follow me, Lady.” I tracked the man down the corridor at quickened pace. I didn’t want to be found in this place. I assumed by the speed at which my escort walked, Dexter had told him as much. He led me into a dark room, with nothing but a fire and a few sparse candles for light. He stooped again and closed the door behind him, leaving me in the darkness.

As my eyes wandered to the fireplace I couldn’t help but notice an amazingly beautiful man sitting in an armchair near it. His features half hidden in the gloom of the room, even in the murk he remained stunning. I smiled to myself
.
Dexter wouldn’t make a move towards me until pleasantries had been exchanged, always formal.

It allowed me several moments to look at him. Mahogany hair he’d pulled in a low ponytail that ran the length of his back, red-rimmed brown eyes framed by heavy lids and long black lashes, perfect alabaster skin laid over a fine nose, perfectly kissable lips, a strong chin and high cheekbones. Everything a noble should look like.

“Dexter, it’s been entirely too long. Suppose you stand up to greet an old friend. Your manners have become slack with age.” A deep, musical chuckle floated from across the room. The man slowly unfolded himself from the chair, I could tell in the firelight he hadn’t aged a day, but his stiff movements told me he was aging nonetheless.

There was no doubt in my mind the dampness of Portlandia City had taken its toll on his joints. When he finally reached me he bowed and took my hand, placing a kiss on the back of it like a true gentleman. I pulled my hood down, looking him in the eyes, and a smile still playing on my lips.

“Ah, Princess Azriella, you haven’t changed at all. I’ve never been concerned with manners around you, Lady. I know this isn’t a social call, although I’m sure you’re going to allow me the pleasantries of one.” I nodded as he stood before me
.

I knew every line of his handsome face like the back of my hand. He was so familiar, I felt at peace with him at once. We’d done this dance since the beginning of our time together. Proper greetings, then business conducted in between fondling and frenzied kisses.

I remembered, at that moment, everything about this man’s body. Zev wasn’t the only one who had participated in extramarital affaires, although mine were acceptable. Some habits I would never give up, and Dexter had always been my favorite. Had my father approved, I would’ve married him instead of Zev, or even Azul.

Azazel didn’t care for the mixing of Demon and Vampire bloodlines, two noble races shouldn’t mingle, he said. They are perfect the way they are he informed me
.
Azazel refused to listen to our argument
;
the integration of the blood only made the two races stronger and we loved each other. This, of course, was when I still cared about what my father thought about my love life.

My hands went to his face. My lips were drawn to his like a moth to a flame. His arms wrapped around me, finding their way into my cloak
.
I let myself melt into his body
,
and yet I couldn’t get close enough to him. My Dexter, the reason I hadn’t wanted Azul to come with me. He could’ve been aware of my relationship with Dexter
,
but he wouldn’t approve of it.

I didn’t hide my affairs from him, I never had to, but I didn’t think my husband needed to be apart of every facet of my life. Azul agreed with me. I loved him dearly, but I refused to give up my freedom
.
Nor would I give up this Vampire.

Dexter broke the kiss and gazed into my eyes, stroking my hair and looking me over like I was a tall drink of water in the barren desert.

“What are you doing here, Az? I won’t do this with you anymore. Every time you leave me, you break my heart
.
I can’t bear the thought of you going back to the Dragon you chose to marry instead of me. You stay gone for too long and the instance I start to lose hope, you pop up on my doorstep like you had never disappeared.” I ran my fingers along his jaw.

I didn’t want to leave him, but I had to. I wouldn’t fight with him about my marriage to Azul
.
I just wanted him happy.

“You were married when I chose Azul, you and your wife came to our wedding. What did you expect me to do? Should I have waited for you to become available again? For a day that might never have come to pass? How was I supposed to foresee her death? Did I know you wouldn’t remarry and forget all about me?”

I hadn’t wanted to bring this up, but he didn’t leave me much choice. Why did we have to do this whenever we found each other, it only wasted the small amount of time that we had together
.

“I loved her, but not like I love you. You were unavailable at the time and Azazel detested the idea of our union. If you told me you planned to defy your father anyway, I would’ve waited until the end of the world for you, Azriella. I tried to forget about you, I prayed to gods and goddesses alike to take you from my memory, but they did me no favors. I worship you too much to ever let you go.” I kissed him again and he didn’t stop himself from embracing me.

The touch of his lips against mine got me though the times when I believed I was alone. He’d never turn me away
,
and I’d always come running back to him.

It only seemed like seconds, but it was closer to minutes. I didn’t want to leave, but I had to return to my husband. I broke the kiss.

“I don’t have a lot of time. I promised I’d be back in an hour. Azul will break down the doors if I’m a minute late. I need a couple of favors, and I needed to see you. I wanted your body against mine, even if just for a moment. You’re not the only one who suffers when I leave.” I was breathless with longing. He was breathing heavily with lust. He didn’t let go of me, and I couldn’t bear the thought
.

“I’d do anything for you, Princess. You’ll always have my heart. If Azul dies prematurely, I’ll have won you all over again.” I grinned at him
.
He kissed me behind my ear.

“What do you need me to do? I would move the heavens if you asked.” I moved my head to better expose my neck. His teeth nudged the vein in my throat
.
I wanted nothing more than to feel them sink deep into my flesh. His bite was my favorite drug.

“I need you to reassure the Vampire Clans in the mortal world that we are working on correcting the situation with their territories being intruded on.” A low moan escaped me as Dexter moved his lips down to my chest, nuzzling his face in my breasts.

“Consider it done, love. What else?” He mumbled against my skin, teeth scraping, and my desire climbed.  His razor sharp fang cut the laces on my bodice, allowing him better access to the newly exposed skin and I gasped. I couldn’t think, not with the sensations coursing through my body.

“I need to you to deal with Zev for me.” I whispered breathlessly. Dexter stopped immediately and looked me in the eye, ending our intimate moment.

“You can’t be serious. You’ve blocked me from dealing with him for centuries, and now you are asking me to? What’s changed, Azriella?” I laid my head against his chest, inhaling his spicy scent of musk and roses, he didn’t deny me the comfort I sought.

“What’s he done to you now?” I could hear the protective anger in his voice
.
He would do whatever it took to make me happy.

“He’s stalking me again. He begs me to renew our relationship, to make amends. He wants forgiveness, Aldaren. I won’t give him any. I can’t carry on knowing he’s still breathing. At any moment he can pop back into my life whenever he chooses.”

His arms tightened around me with the use of his true name, something only I called him. His hand went to my chin and he forced me to look him in the eye again.

“Will you have me killed one day, Azriella? When I threaten your way of life with your current husband? Will knowing I love you, that I still breathe for you make you want me dead as well?” I shook my head frantically.

“I couldn’t live with the knowledge that you did not.” He kissed me deeply, pouring every bit of love and pain into his lips. I gave the passion right back to him. After a moment, he broke the kiss, moving his mouth to my ear.

“I’ll do this for you, Azriella. One act I can take extreme pleasure in. Shall we seal the deal, my darling?” The way of the Vampires and Demons, a blood offering was required. He needed my blood for a multitude of reasons no one was going to take the time to list. I tipped my head to the side to expose my neck as completely as possible.

A wave of pleasure rolled though me as his teeth broke my skin. One hand moved to my bare breast, the other wrapped around me to hold me close and support me from falling. Ten minutes of heaven would have to last me for a while. Who knew when I was going to get back to him?

Later on, before he opened the door to his chamber, he kissed me like he would never find me again, my blood still on his lips. I’d put myself back together and covered my face with my cloak.

“Please don’t be gone so long, Az. I can’t keep doing this.” I nodded, exposed to the same emptiness in my heart. We gazed into each other’s eyes until my time ran too short to stay any longer. He led me out of his chambers and walked me to the main entrance, bowing deeply.

“I will take care of everything, Princess, fear not.” I smiled sadly. I didn’t want to leave him, and the sentiment was mutual. As he closed the door behind me, the voice of the young man from earlier followed me.

“Ambassador, who was that woman? I heard you call her Princess.” I caught Dexter’s deep chuckle and I longed to be back in the room with him, to witness the lovely yet pained smile I knew played on his wondrous lips.

“Someone you’ll never want to cross, young Mr. Meldin. She’ll rip your heart out and give you the world at the same time. She was never here, nor will you ever make mention of her ever, Tuscan, not to anyone. She’s a protected person, and she risks an immense deal coming here. I, for one, would be greatly injured if something happened to her. That’s the Demon-Djinn Princess Azriella Carnadine of the Deep Desert. Come Mr. Tuscan Meldin, we’ve things to do.”

The young man gasped with the mention of my name, and I faded back into my body. My heart broke in ways I couldn’t begin to explain.

When I rolled out of bed the next morning, I still longed for my Vampire lover’s touch, the taste of blood on my lips, and a prayer that the hangover
-
like aftermath from no sleep would leave me soon. I hated dealing with this abomination of a situation, not just the yearning, but the damn hangover too
.
I could live with the dragging, drugged state. The sensation might past. The pining would not.

As the Demon-Djinn Princess I was expected to keep many lovers, the King frowned upon the fact that I
only
had two husbands, one of whom I spoke to by choice. I couldn’t take the fighting between more potential suitors and my already existing spouses. Dating wasn’t worth the brain damage and the emotional distress
.
Traditions and royal requirements be damned, I’m not participating
.

Azazel on the other hand had three wives
.
My mother, Cassandra, would rather be in the field of Assassins than ruling a kingdom. She loved the Demon King, but royalty just didn’t do anything for her. Most people assumed she’d died, since she was never seen at the Palace Belt ta `Demm. She liked it this way, so I kept her secret.

She came home once in a while to see him. I had witnessed the toll her absence took on him
.
His heart broke every time she left. I knew the feeling well. When I’d been younger, with more rebelliousness than sense, I refused to admit Azazel and I were so similar. My rose-colored glasses had been ripped off my face and stepped on with age and experience.

I prepared myself for work, showering and dressing, forcing myself into a beautiful state. I didn’t feel gorgeous, I felt terrible. As I looked in the mirror at my mortal appearance, I wondered what Dexter would think of me. This lifetime I was born of Asian or Middle Eastern descent, petite with perfect olive skin and almond shaped eyes.

I had large breasts, especially for a woman of my size, and long black hair highlighted with brown and blond. My body stayed tight. I dressed provocatively, always making sure I was combat ready, with the added bonus of showing off my figure
.
Primary color, black. Prime fabric, leather. It was my life, and I tried to enjoy it
.

Darius walked up behind me while I stared into the mirror. He had already gotten out of bed when I’d woken, dressed and disappeared into his office. This was the first time I’d seen him all morning. Our eyes met in the reflection and a slight smile crossed my face. He moved his muscular body against mine, placing his hands on my hips
.
I leaned into him, making sure to push my rump into him.

I’d come home on time last night
,
and managed to pull my emotional state together enough to act like nothing had happened. I didn’t want to hurt Darius more than I already I did. Until he asked me the question I had hoped I would never hear out of his mouth
,
I came to the realization he was aware of everything, I started to second-guess all of the pains I’d taken to protect him
.