Arianna Rose: The Gates of Hell (Part 5) (29 page)

He began kissing her other breast, and when he’d finished, he continued down her stomach, leaving a trail of wet kisses.

A quiver of pleasure wound about inside her when the stubble of his chin grazed the sensitive flesh between her thighs and she thought she might die from the overload of sexual desire.  Then, before she could prepare herself, his mouth was there, his tongue slipped down her seam, teasing and tantalizing in long strokes until he centered on the button of flesh pleated within.  He took the eager nub of flesh into his mouth and sucked as he swirled his tongue over it.  Arianna squirmed against him, crying out as she urged him to relieve the aching need.  He continued, his tongue stroking and gliding over the tiny bundle of glistening nerves until they coiled with delicious tension.

“Oh, oh!” Arianna cried out as mind crippling nirvana gripped every part of her, clenching her abdomen and filling her brain with bursts of light.

Panting as he kissed her stomach, she said, “I want you,
now
.”

Not needing further prompting, Desmond moved up her body like a jungle cat, animalistic hunger gleaming in his eyes.  He no longer resembled an angel.  He was a warrior, a hunter, and she was his prey. 

Her breathing hitched as she used her feet to kick off his shorts and boxers simultaneously, freeing his hard, velvety shaft.  She gripped it and he hissed as she placed it at her entrance, wet and waiting. 

Pure bliss wrapped around her mind and body when she accepted his full length. 

Tremors traveled Desmond’s body.  His breathing was hard and heavy as he pumped into her slowly at first, then harder and harder, her slick heat rushing around him as he filled her.  Reaching, she gripped his back, scraping her nails down it and watching as his nipples pebbled at her rough touch. 

She gasped and closed her eyes, white busts of light dancing behind her lids as a frenzied explosion of fire filled her.  Pleasure spiraled down her center.  She arched her back, relishing in the blossoming flames. 

“Arianna,” he groaned, and she knew he was close. 

Her breathing was short and shallow, her body so close to shattering into a glittering burst of ecstasy. 

“Arianna,” he rumbled and sent her over the edge of elation.  Muscles contracted, crescendos were reached.  Arianna closed her eyes and delighted in the responsiveness of her body as Desmond collapsed atop her, his body consumed by the tide of his own climax.

Lying next to her with his head on the pillow and a dreamy look in his eyes, Desmond said, “I love you so much.”

She smiled and nuzzled the side of his neck, feeling more whole and complete that she’d ever felt before.  “And I love you.”

Several moments passed and they held each other.  Arianna thought Desmond had dozed and was about to s
lip out of bed and shower when the low roll of his voice caught her off-guard. 

“Arianna, I have a question I’ve been meaning to ask you,” he said and raised his head. 

“Okay, shoot,” she replied lazily. 

He scooted and reached for the nightstand closest to him and grabbed a small, black box
.  He slipped his shorts on then walked around to her side of the bed.  Dropping on one knee, he opened the box.  Inside was a band of gold with a single diamond at its center. 

“Arianna, I have loved you since the day I met you.  You are my heart, my soul, my everything. 
My heart cannot beat without you,” he said and her heart stuttered, emotion blurring her vision.  “I would like nothing more than for you to be my wife, to start a family and begin the rest of our lives together, as one.”  His voice trembled.  “Arianna Rose, will you marry me?” he asked her, his eyes, pools of tropical water, shined with unshed tears. 

Covering her mouth with both hands, Arianna sat upright, not caring that her exposed body was bared, tears streaming down her cheeks.  “Yes!  Yes I will!” she cried.  “Oh Desmond!”

Swiping tears from the corners of his eyes, Desmond pulled the ring from the velvet slot and slid it onto her left ring finger then wrapped his arms around her.  In his tight embrace, Arianna felt true peace for the first time in as long as she could remember.   She didn’t know what the future held, if more problems would arise and more battles would need to be fought.  All she knew was that right now, the darkness was gone, and the yawning pit of grief and loneliness had been filled.  Desmond was with her.  She was whole.  Frothy wisps of comfort and hope caressed her, and she realized her destiny had changed.  She, the Sola, would no longer walk alone. 

This is the final installment of the Arianna Rose series.  It has been our privilege and pleasure to create this body of work.  We would like to take this opportunity to personally thank each reader who has joined us on our Arianna Rose journey.  We appreciate all who have taken pleasure in our books and stayed the course.  We only hope that you’ve enjoyed reading about the characters we’ve created as much as we’ve enjoyed creating them and writing about them!  Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts.  Your kind reviews on sales channels, as well as thoughtful comments made on our website and Facebook page, have touched us.  We are grateful for them.  Thank you so much!

Sincerely,

Jenny and Chris Martucci

Jennifer and Christopher Martucci hoped that their life plan had changed radically in early 2010.  To date, the jury is still out.  But late one night, in January of 2010, the stay-at-home mom of three girls under the age of six had just picked up the last doll from the playroom floor and placed it in a bin when her husband startled her by declaring, “We should write a book,
together
!”  Wearied from a day of shuttling the children to and from school, preschool and Daisy Scouts, laundry, cooking and cleaning, Jennifer simply stared blankly at her husband of fifteen years.  After all, the idea of writing a book had been an individual dream each of them had possessed for much of their young adult lives.  Both had written separately in their teens and early twenties, but without much success.  They would write a dozen chapters here and there only to find that either the plot would fall apart, or characters would lose their zest, or the story would just fall flat.  Christopher had always preferred penning science-fiction stories filled with monsters and diabolical villains, while Jennifer had favored venting personal experiences or writing about romance.  Inevitably though, frustration and day-to-day life had placed writing on the back burner and for several years, each had pursued alternate (paying) careers.  But the dream had never died.  And Christopher suggested that their dream ought to be removed from the back burner for further examination.  When he proposed that they author a book together on that cold January night, Jennifer was hesitant to reject the idea outright.  His proposal sparked a discussion, and the discussion lasted deep into the night.  By morning, the idea for the Dark Creations series was born.

The Dark Creations series, as well as the Arianna Rose series and the Planet Urth series, are works that were written while Jennifer and Christopher continued about with their daily activities and raised their young children.  They changed diapers, potty trained and went to story time at the local library between chapter outlines and served as room parents while fleshing out each section.  Life simply continued. 

As the storyline continues to evolve, so too does the Martucci collaboration.  Lunches are still packed, noses are still wiped and time remains a rare and precious commodity in their household, but it is the sound of happy chaos that is the true background music of their writing.  They hope that all enjoy reading their work as much as they enjoyed writing it.

The Dark Creations Series
(A YA paranormal romance series)

Dark Creations: Gabriel Rising (Part 1)

Dark Creations: Gabriel Rising (Part 2)

Dark Creations: Gabriel Rising (Part 1&2)

Dark Creations: Resurrection (Part 3)

Dark Creations: The Hunted (Part 4)

Dark Creations: Hell on Earth (Part 5)

Dark Creations: Dark Ending (Part 6)

Coming Soon:

Planet Urth: The Underground City (Book 3)

The Arianna Rose Series
(A paranormal romance series)

Arianna Rose (Part 1)

Arianna Rose: The Awakening (Part 2)

Arianna Rose: The Gathering (Part 3)

Arianna Rose: The Arrival (Part 4)

Arianna Rose: The Gates of Hell (Part 5)

The Planet Urth series
(A YA science-fiction/futuristic series)

Planet Urth: (Book 1)

Planet Urth: The Savage Lands (Book 2)

Thank You So Much For Reading Our Book!

We deeply appreciate your readership and would love to hear from you!

For information about upcoming releases (or just to say hi!) please visit our website at
http://darkcreationssaga.com
or at
http://on.fb.me/1dlUUF5
To sign up for our mailing list and receive information about upcoming release and special promos, please visit
http://eepurl.com/Jp7yz

Thank you again for reading!

Love,

Jennifer and Christopher Martucci

Oh, One Last Thing Before You G
o…

When you turn the page, you may be given the opportunity to express your thoughts on Facebook and Twitter automatically.  If you enjoyed our book, would you take a second to click that button and let your friends know about it?

If they get something out of the book, they’ll be grateful to you, and we will be, too!

Thank you so much!

Love,

Jenny and Chris

Chapter 1

Wind howls
through the trees and rushes in the cracks of the cave, whistling shrilly.  I bolt upright, startled.  In the bleary moments just after waking from a deep sleep, I worry that they’ve found us.  When my eyes adjust, I see that we are alone and our defenses have not been breached. 

I sigh and feel the panic begin to leak from my body as my eyes sweep the familiar surroundings.  The sun has not risen yet.  Eerie, iridescent light trickles in with streams of air that carry the sweet, pungent zing of ozone.  Sharp and fresh, the scent fills the cave. 
I wonder if my sister, June, smells it.  It is one of her favorite scents, the way the atmosphere smells before it rains.  But she is still asleep, her small body curled in a ball beside me.  I am tempted to wake her.  She does not like to miss any opportunity for joy, as joy is a rarity in our world.  But she looks too serene to disturb.  With her eyes closed and her features relaxed, she looks her age: eight years old.  Her brow is not creased in concern.  Her eyes are not narrowed as they usually are.  Her face is smooth, innocent.  She looks at peace.  But I know that when she finally wakes, favorite scents or no favorite scents, peace will seep from her.  Daylight will appear to age her.  It always does. 

I watch her for several moments.  The familiar ache begins in my chest and quickly tightens my throat.  I swallow hard, gulping in vain against the lump of dread stuck there.  I don’t know why I bother.  It never moves.  I doubt it will ever leave. 

Thunder rumbles and shakes the cave’s stone walls.  Rain patters at first then drums loudly, the shriek of the wind accompanying it.  A violent storm is underway.  Still, June remains asleep, unbothered and unaware of it.  I almost envy her. 

Her eyelids flutter and a small smile tilts the corners of her mouth upward.  She must be having a pleasant dream.  I have forgotten what pleasant dreams are.  My dreams are never pleasant.  They are usually
filled with dreadful images, and running, always running, without a destination in sight.  The veil between nightmares and reality is thin.  Some days, I have trouble distinguishing between the two.  I would have ended it all long ago were it not for June.

June is my reason to live, the
only
reason I still live.  She is my purpose.  I exist to keep her safe, for she needs protection from many things in this world.  It has been eight years since I’ve seen another human being that wasn’t my father or my sister, June.  I’m convinced we are the last human beings on what was once called
planet Earth
.  I would never tell June that.  I tell her every day that I believe someone will find us, that we will one day feel safe instead of scared all the time.  But I know that is not true.