Belonging (29 page)

Giselle and the detective had yet to find Frankie’s body, and he wasn’t sure they ever would. He’d keep them on it for another couple of days, but after that he had another project for Detective Thatcher. He would track down the pedophile that had assaulted Analise as a teenager. The man who was supposed to be her protector, her mentor, her caregiver, but had resorted to violating a young, vulnerable girl instead.

And then
he
was going to pay Mr. Eric Greenbreier a personal visit. He could easily be the vile monster that so many humans thought vampires were. Just give him a good enough fucking reason…and hurting his mate ranked at the top of the list.

There seemed to be no more sightings of Geoffrey, which both concerned and confused him. He had to have known about the underground of Dragonfly and Damian knew Xavier wouldn’t give up that easily if he were sniffing after Analise. That traitor was lurking around somewhere and he was going to find him. Tomorrow night he and Rom would head back to Dragonfly to see what they could find, leaving Analise in the protection of Devon’s home. Of course, Sebastian and Devlin would stay back to guard her with their lives.

“Hi, babe,” she sang sweetly, walking into the office. She was freshly showered and her intoxicating lavender scent hit his nostrils the second she was right outside the door. Swiveling in his chair so she could step between his legs, he placed his hands possessively on her curvy hips.

“Hello, kitten. You smell unbelievably delicious.” Pulling her down so she straddled his lap, he nuzzled her neck, drinking in her inebriating smell. Vampires couldn’t get drunk or high, but he swore he’d been constantly buzzed since they’d bonded. Everything about her was dizzying. Now he understood why Devon wanted to get away with Kate for a month. He wanted to do nothing but stay locked in a bedroom with Analise day and night, eating, drinking and making love. Screw his responsibilities. She was perpetually on his mind and he was constantly voracious for her.

Already he sensed the changes within her. She was stronger, faster, her tiny teeth sharper. And unbelievably he could visibly see the violet aura that Rom had spoken about. It radiated from her like a bright beacon in the night, protecting fisherman from the rocky shores.

They held each other quietly for several minutes. “I missed you,” he whispered against her neck.

“I was gone all of thirty minutes,” she jibed. He could feel her smile against his cheek. Happiness radiated from her like a moonbeam, bright and strong. His male ego puffed that
he
was the one who had done that…who’d brought her back to life.

“Well, it was thirty minutes too long.” He couldn’t stand to be away from her for thirty seconds, let alone thirty minutes. He was one whipped mofo.

“My lord, the witch has arrived.”

“Give us five minutes.”

He was loath to leave the warmth and comfort of her body only to share her with the witch. “Our guest has arrived, kitten.” He kissed her passionately before reluctantly letting her up.

They’d settled on the couch just as a soft knock sounded at the door. “Come in,” he said. The door slowly opened and Maeve tentatively walked in. If he’d thought Analise was anxious, Maeve radiated nervous energy. If he said
boo
, he was sure she’d either drop dead on the spot or jump and latch onto the ceiling like a big ugly hairy spider. Huh, he ought to just…try…it…out…

“Ouch,” he grunted, rubbing his arm. He looked over at his mate and the daggers coming out of her eyes looked sharp enough to cut off his balls.

“I wasn’t really going to do it.”
He so was.

She sighed heavily, shaking her head in disappointment. Standing, she warmly greeted Maeve, but kept her hands to herself. “Thank you so much for coming, Maeve.”

“My pleasure, dear. I’m happy to be here.” Maeve shifted nervously.

“Would you like to have a seat?” Analise asked.

“Yes, dear.”

They turned back toward the couch, where
he
sat, and the look she gave him was a
move-your-ass-now
look if he’d ever seen one.

“Oh, kitten. You’ll pay for that later. And I look forward to every minute of your punishment.”

“Damian, be nice. Please.”

“I’m doing this only for you, Analise.”

She walked over and surprised him with a sweet kiss. “Thank you,” she whispered.

When he stood, he noticed Maeve watching them with shocked fascination. “I’ll be right outside, kitten.” He placed a soft kiss on her forehead and against his better judgment, left his precious mate alone with her aunt.

See…he
was
growing.

C
hapter
41

Analise

“So, you and Lord Damian…” Maeve hedged after Damian had shut the door. Analise noticed her glancing down at the black bonding mark, which spanned the width of her left thumb. It was so beautiful, so surreal; she could hardly take her eyes off it herself.

Her defensive claws immediately emerged. Family or not, she wouldn’t let anyone look down on her new mate. “Yes,” she retorted. “What of it?”

“Oh, I didn’t mean any offense, Analise, I promise. I’m just surprised. That’s all.” Maeve was clearly lying. Analise was very good at spotting a fake.

“You may be a great witch, Maeve, but you’re a terrible liar,” she snipped. She stood to pace the room, this meeting was going to shit and suddenly she wished she hadn’t agreed to it. She was about to call Damian back when Maeve spoke so softly she almost didn’t hear her.

“Mara, your mother, dated a lord shortly before she disappeared.” Shock almost stopped her heart.

“What?” she choked.
Damian dated her mother?
No, that couldn’t be right.

“It’s true, Analise. We thought he might have something to do with her disappearance as she went to meet him one night and never returned.”

The sound of the door being thrown open startled her, as did the sight of her furious mate. She’d never seen him so livid. His aura was fiery red and the heat emanating from him was uncomfortably hot. She wouldn’t be at all surprised if fireballs started shooting from his eyes.

“What kind of bullshit are you filling Analise’s head with, witch?” If looks could kill, Maeve would be twenty kinds of dead.

Maeve stood up and finally grew some balls. “It’s
not
bullshit. She told me that they were in love, but because of his position he’d wanted to keep their relationship a secret so she wouldn’t be placed in harm's way. But she described you, Lord Damian. To a ‘T’.” And now was probably not the smartest time for her to grow them.

Damian got right in her face and Analise thought he was going to strangle her. For real. He made fists so tight his hands were nearly white. Holy shit, this was bad.

“You listen up, witch, because I’m only going to say this once. Before Analise, my mantra was the only good witch was a dead witch. I have never dated a witch. I have never been in love with a witch until I met my mate. And I sure as hell never
fucked
my mate’s mother. Now…you pack up your little spell book, your dead spiders, and your broomstick and you get the hell out of here before I rip your goddamned head from your shoulders.”

Maeve’s lips drew into a thin line; she squared her shoulders and walked silently out the door.

Damian turned to Analise, grabbing her forcefully by the shoulders, shaking her slightly. “Analise, you have to believe me. I have never even met your mother.”

She did believe him, but something was off. There was something more going on here than met the eye and a feeling that her life was in danger washed over her. Of course, it was in danger…her deranged father was hunting her like an unsuspecting deer. She nodded her head. “I believe you, Damian. I do.”

He hugged her tightly and they stood there clinging to each other in the aftermath of the weirdest encounter she’d ever had. Little did she know that circumstances set in motion years ago had set her on a path from which she could not veer. There were no forks; there was no turning back. There was only the slow, methodical movement ahead into the wide black abyss of the unknown, from which she’d need to use every skill she’d been taught and tap into every ounce of grit she had to survive.

________

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Angry tears filled her eyes and Analise furiously wiped them away.

“You weren’t ready, my dear,” she replied softly. “I was always with you, my child. I gave you the tools you will need to survive the fight ahead of you. That was always my objective.”

“But I needed a mother, not a teacher.” Betrayal cut so deep, she wasn’t sure she would be able to forgive her.

“What is a mother but a teacher with a different title?” she countered. Analise wasn’t a mother, would never be a mother, so she couldn’t argue with her mother’s logic.

“Is it true?” Please say no, please say no. Her mother knew what she was asking.

“Not everything is what it seems, Analise,” she replied sadly.

“What does that mean? Stop talking in circles!” She was frustrated. She needed answers dammit, not more riddles to solve.

Mara held her hands now, rubbing her marked thumb until it felt so warm it was almost uncomfortable. “Be careful, my darling girl. Not everyone is what they seem.”

Analise woke with a start, bolting upright. Her thumb still burned slightly from her mother’s touch. She sat there for a moment contemplating their conversation. While Analise felt betrayed that her mother never revealed her true self during her dreams all these years, she thought Mara might be right. Until she met Damian and was sucked into this bizarre world, she’s not sure she
would
have believed her or accepted the fact she was her mother. And knowing herself, she probably would have pushed Mara away, even in her dreams. She was pretty stubborn like that.

Damian still lay sleeping next to her and she stared, drinking in the sight of his beauty. How did she get so lucky that Fate blessed her with not only the finest male specimen she’d ever laid eyes on, but also someone with the biggest heart she’d ever known? Damian’s love and concern for her was boundless. She remembered her mother’s words during the last dream…
your destiny awaits
. She now knew Mara had been speaking of Damian and Analise had almost foolishly let him slip through her fingers.

After the Maeve debacle, they ate a quick dinner and retired to their room, making love for hours. She was deliciously sore in all the right places. Looking at the clock, she’d only been asleep a couple of hours but already felt refreshed. She lay down quietly so as not to disturb her mate, the conversation with her mother and the events of the past several days playing in mind.

Her mother’s words replayed in her head…
not everyone is what they seem
. Like she didn’t know that already. She was, unfortunately, very intimately familiar with wolves in sheep’s clothing and all that…but she knew her mother meant more than that. It was a warning. Once again, dread washed over her. Something bad was coming. She felt it. She was in grave danger and she knew it had everything to do with her evil father.

After the blood tests had confirmed she was his daughter, Damian finally told her all about him. His history with Lord Devon, the kidnappings, the baby factory…all of it. He’d told her about Xavier kidnapping Kate and that he was now sure Xavier knew Kate was his daughter, as well as Analise.

He’d told her about the rescue of some of the kidnapped women and how her sister—God she would never get used to that—started the women’s shelter that she’d stayed in a few nights ago. He’d even offered to take her there tomorrow and show her around. With her background and education in social work, he’d said maybe she could help out while they were in Milwaukee. If she wanted. She wasn’t sure she was ready for that yet, but she did want to look around and meet some of the girls.

Kate seemed like an amazing woman, and how much of a coincidence was it that her sister was also married to a lord? Analise didn’t believe in coincidences.

While she was excited to have a sister, she was sickened by the fact she shared the same blood and DNA with such a toxic creature. She was a combination of Damian’s two most hated enemies, yet he’d assured her it made no difference to him. She believed him, but it was hard to understand how he didn’t just kick her ass to the curb. There was bound to be more grief and drama in their lives than necessary because of her heritage. Guess what they said about love was true…it really was blind.

“Kitten, stop it,” Damian firmly demanded, sleep causing his gravelly voice to catch. He was so damn sexy. He pulled her closely, tucking her into his side. She threw her legs over his, entwining their bodies closely.

“Your cogs are working so hard, I could hear them in my sleep,” he joked.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured against his sinewy chest. She lightly began tracing his tats, concentrating on the precious ones over his heart.

“If you don’t stop that you’re going to end up tied to this bed, being ravaged by your very hungry mate.” His voice had lowered an octave and she became impossibly wet and horny.

“That doesn’t sound so bad,” she breathed. Her fingers traced a path down to his navel. They didn’t reach their final destination before Damian’s strong grip encircled her wrist. “Hey,” she whined. “Let go.” His hard shaft beckoned to her. She could practically hear it whispering her name.

Instead of releasing her, he brought her hand to his lips, brushing kisses along her knuckles. “Tell me about your dream,” he said between grazes.

“Don’t you want to make love to me?” His rejection stung a little. Damian was game for sex all the time.

He tilted her face toward his and she clearly saw the mutual desire mirrored in his dark eyes. “Analise, I want to make love to you every second of every day, but I also want us to talk with our mouths, not just our bodies.” Soft lips grazed her forehead and she shut her eyes in bliss.

“Open your eyes, kitten,” he said softly. She obeyed, unable to deny him anything. His gaze was full of so much warmth it set her insides ablaze. “Our bodies may be together because that’s what the Fates chose for us, but our hearts…they are our own. Our hearts are one, Analise, because we not only see the intrinsic goodness in each other, but we also accept the bad and the flawed. I love you no matter
where
you come from, understand?” She nodded slightly before he placed a chaste kiss on her lips. “I heard a song the other day that reminded me of us. I think it should be our official song. Chicks like that stuff, right?” He winked with a broad grin.