Awakening (25 page)

“I haven’t done anything to you, Auberon,” she murmured, her heart breaking for him as she took in his chiseled profile. The
soft light gleamed off his fangs, lending danger to his already lethal predator looks. Her finger tips brushed against his hand and he turned his head back, meeting her eyes once again. Despair and self-loathing swirled in their black depths and she wanted to weep for him.

“Yes, you have,” he breathed, his voice deepening, his determination hardening as he pushed her onto
her back, ignoring the surprise widening her eyes. He crawled over her, covering her body with his. Holding himself above her, he settled his legs between her slender thighs and looked down at her. He yearned to touch her, take her; he was just going to take a little. “I want to experience what happens when he drinks from you.”

“Auberon,” she breathed, as waves of longing poured off of his skin. Her fingers brushed over his lips and
she could feel his desire burning through his control. His erection pressed against her and she knew that he was close to the breaking point. Perhaps she could give him a taste of what he wanted, a nibble. It shouldn’t hurt; it never did with Adam.

“Please, Celeste,” he begged harshly, bending his head until his teeth were grazing her skin, his breath hot against her cool neck, his
desperation breaking her heart. She realized he was naked and she stiffened below him, uncomfortable with his erection twitching against her thigh. Where did his clothes go? “Please.”

Squeezing her eyes closed, wanting to alleviate Auberon’s suffering, unable to deny his request, she tilted her head back and whispered, “Just a
sip.”

Pain arced outwards as his fangs pierced her skin.
Swallowing against the agony, she closed her eyes until the sharp ache subsided and the familiar pleasure returned. Through the rushing blood in her head, she heard Auberon groan his rapture; she hadn’t realized how intoxicating it was to be drained of blood. This was the first time she had been bitten without being aroused first and she found herself wanting to offer him everything short of sex. His body rocked against hers and he was taking too much; she was losing sensation in her body and she was falling closer to the darkness. What if he accidentally killed her?

Pressing her hands against his solid shoulders, their solid breadth as wide as
Adam’s, their strength as impressive, she pushed but he didn’t budge. Unable to move him, her fingers curved into him, holding onto consciousness as he drained her and gave nothing in return. Her eyes fluttered as strange sensations began spiraling through her body, racing through her veins, invading her muscles. Brilliant colors exploded behind her eyes and she was positive she was going to die. “Auberon.”

*****

A groan of relief passed his lips when he had sunk his teeth into the tender flesh of her throat. The blood had burst into his mouth, filling him with warmth, with drugging ecstasy. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced, sweet and sultry; the essence of Celeste. His body tightened in almost painful pleasure and his erection strained against her, wanting to be buried in her heat. Fighting every instinct in his body to take her, his curled his hands around her upper arms, forcing his attention to the blood and not the desire that burned his body.

She breathed his name and h
is grip on her arms tightened but he was unable to let her go. Her blood began to spread out through his body, affecting his memory, his awareness. He had tasted this before, though it was nowhere near as powerful, as rich, as succulent. As he tried to place the sensation, he rubbed his cock against her thigh, the smooth skin alleviating some of the relentless lust that speared him. He was barely aware of the fact that her body had gone limp beneath him. Concentrating, he searched his mind; what was the memory?

Gloria!

He was reclining on the pillows, a beautiful Calix giving him the watered-down blood he desired; giving him her body as they both desired. There were a few other Apocritae there, taking what they wanted from the Calices eager to please. Just as he finished, the door opened and his gaze was drawn to the entrance.

It was
Adam and walking behind him was a woman, a new Calix. Her shining black eyes danced with laughter but there was also a strange hint of sadness, of loss, of sacrifice. Adam’s expression was grim, rigid, as he led her to the Adytum, her new home. She smiled up at Adam, dazzling, but he did not seem to notice; instead his jaw was set and he refused to look at her. With a shrug, she ran a hand through her short, brown hair as she studied her new surroundings. “Can I please offer my services?”

“Not to me,”
Adam murmured, his hand at the small of her back as he led her into the harem-like room, the other Calices glancing up with interest as Adam entered their inner sanctum, hoping that he would accept their blood, their bodies.

The newcomer's
eyes were enormous orbs in her face as she saw the writhing bodies, the decadence. With a small smile, she scanned the room until her eyes landed on his and the smile widened. She clapped her hands in delight, not taking her eyes from Auberon as she murmured, “You have a twin.”

Adam
looked up and met his eyes; Auberon could see the self-loathing in them. Without regard to his nudity, he lifted the Calix off of him and walked over to his brother and the newest Calix. Her eyes roamed over his body, the appreciation apparent in her gaze, her smile. Wrapping an arm around his, she looked up at Adam with large, pleading eyes, “Can I please your twin?”

Adam
closed his eyes briefly and swallowed, the muscles in his neck clearly defined with the movement. He gave the woman a brief nod, “If Auberon wishes it.”

“Do you?” she asked hopefully, gazing up at him with
the lust of a Calix.

Watching
Adam, he nodded, “But first I need to speak to my brother.”

Adam
shook his head, “I do not wish to speak, Auberon. I cannot.”

With a frown at his brother’s odd behavior,
Auberon looked down at the woman wondering why she was upsetting to Adam. Leaning down, he closed his eyes and breathed her in. The fresh Calix smell, the last bit of humanity seeped out of her skin, beneath that was the scent of… afterbirth. His eyes shot open and he looked at Adam, “The child?”

Adam
simply shrugged and left the room, painfully uncomfortable with what he had just done. Auberon wanted to go after him but the woman clung to his arm. Seizing the opportunity, he needed to talk to her before all of her memories became clouded, lost, to the haze of pleasure; to the transformation of being a Calix. It was surprising that her humanity had lasted as long as it had already; there wasn’t much time. “Tell me of the child.”

“She’s safe,” the woman answered
, a sly smile curving her lips. “She was the one who…. Never mind." Pulling his arm, she began to lead him to another pile of pillows, as the gauzy material hanging from the ceiling fluttered about them. “Come, I wish to enjoy my new body.”

“What is your name?” Auberon asked, knowing the memories were too weak to withstand the lure of sex. Afterwards
, if there was any humanity left, he would ask her;.

“Gloria,” she smiled, laying down and pulling him down on top of her, offering her body in return for oblivion.

“Gloria,” he murmured against Celeste’s neck, his fangs receding. In the years since that night, Gloria had become one of his favorite
Calices
, retaining a little more sweetness than the others; never completely surrendering her humanity. It was right there; everything made sense. The mother held on to the hope of seeing Celeste, always keeping a part of herself back. It should have been impossible for her to do so but somehow, someway….

Slowly, languidly, his eyes opened, meeting Celeste’s hazel eyes as she stared up at him. He
noticed they were the same shape as Gloria’s and he wondered if Gloria had had beautiful hazel eyes before becoming a
Calix
. Their faces were identical, as was the color of their hair. Why didn’t he realize sooner that the girl was the child from twenty-three years ago? What was it the mother said, or started to say? She was the one who…. His lips curled up into a wry smile, impressed. The new Queen found a way to make her way into the world; her patience was astounding. The plan itself was genius: call out to an
Apocritum
to convert a pregnant woman on the verge of birth and then wait until the right moment.

Celeste was merely a pawn: t
he new Queen had created the perfect vessel to hold her until she could make her way into the world. He smiled, already impressed with the new Queen. If she could accomplish so much as an egg in an infant, how much more powerful was she going to be in twenty years when she was an adult? The little Goddess was right; it was going to be soon.

Celeste
watched him with weary eyes before she hoarsely asked, “Did you say something?”

“No,” he said, the smile broadening to include his eyes as his
cock abruptly tightened and orgasm exploded throughout his body. Hot liquid surged through his dick, pulsing outwards and burning his stomach. Flailing backwards, he sat on his knees, staring down at the clear moisture. Cautiously, he ran his fingers over it, feeling it stick to his skin. “What the hell?”

“See?” Celeste asked softly, Forcing her heavy eyes open, she looked at him, meeting his confused gaze, “I don’t change; you do.
The child protects me….”

He gasped as her irises sw
irled with power, green, gold, and blue twirling around her black pupils. Yet, even as she closed her eyes, he could feel the change within himself; he could feel the burn of a million needles trying to repair what was lost. It was just a start; it would take years to replace what was stolen but the work had begun. He rubbed his fingers together, the slippery moisture shining in the faint light. Looking down at the beautiful girl, he whispered, “Are you sure?”

“
Mmm-hmm,” she murmured, a slow smile spreading on her pale lips.

Studying the fluid a little more closely,
he frowned. What was that line?
A mother’s love, a final gift from beyond the grave
.  Oh, fuck! Did Celeste have to die for her child, for the new Queen?

He looked at her and
started to panic. She was so pale, her flesh cool to the touch and her lips nearly white. He had taken too much! Shit! Leaning over her, he felt her breath against his cheek; she was utterly drained. Had he killed her? “Oh, baby, are you all right?”

“Yes,” she whispered, the sound barely reaching beyond her lips, though her strength was already returning. It was a strange feeling, of exhaustion and energy. “I could use some water, though; then my body can replace the blood in no time.”

He chuckled softly at her words, relief flooding him. Quickly, quietly, he went into the bathroom for her water. And as she drank, he climbed back into the bed, wrapping his body around her, holding her. After a long while, her color began returning to normal, he asked, “Are you truly okay?”

“
Mmm,” she murmured, nodding her head against his shoulder. With her eyes closed, Auberon’s smell filled her senses. It was so similar to Adam’s, almost exactly the same. But the compelling hint of danger was stronger in Auberon. His skin was hot, as smooth as Adam’s. “Auberon, are you naked?”

Auberon actually felt himself blush, something he didn’t ever recall doing before. Willing a pair of flannel pants on, he hurriedly answered, “No.”

She laughed softly at that, snuggling closer to the warm body. She was so lethargic; her body felt so heavy and Auberon provided wonderful heat and the feeling of safety, in spite of the danger that surrounded him. He was better than a teddy bear. Unfortunately, she wasn’t tired; her thoughts were buzzing at a thousand miles an hour, yet nothing was coherent. There was fear and apprehension, but also incredible joy. And love.

She tilted her head back and smiled up at him, “I’m glad you guys are in my life and though it’s so good to be home, I can’t remember why I didn’t want to stay with
Adam.”

Crooking his lips into a sexy half-smile, he lightly caressed her cheek with his finger
tip, “Then perhaps it was a good thing that I was not the one standing in the Louvre that day otherwise we would still be in Paris.”

She laughed softly, absently smoothing her hand over the hard muscles of his chest and unwittingly sending tendrils of lust straight to his groin. “If I didn’t stay for
Adam, I doubt I would have stayed for you either.”

“You wound me, baby,” he said lightly, purposefully keeping the pain from his voice even as the words cut to the bone. He couldn’t let her know how much she had affected him, how much he worshipped her.

Feeling pathetic, he got drunk on the feel of her in his arms, against his body. He breathed in her sweet, intoxicating scent, wanting to memorize every detail. He wanted the moment to last forever, to pretend that she was his, if only for the night. In that instant, he knew he would do anything to keep her safe. He would do everything in his power to make sure Celeste survived the birth of her child but he also knew that he had to take her to the
Adytum
to meet the mother that died to give her child life.