Destiny United (17 page)

He tossed her a condescending smirk. “Don’t tell me my
little fae warrior is scared of a few fish.”

“And snakes.”

With one big step he spanned the distance between them.
His eyes darkened as they flickered across her face. “Believe me,
querida
, with what I have planned for you, I guarantee
you will think of nothing but me.”

Damn if that didn’t make her rapt with curiosity.

When she didn’t respond he pinned her with a
heart-breaking smile. “Come on, little enchantress. Trust me.”

“Enchantress?” she questioned warily. “I have no magic.”

“Ah, but you must have some.” His eyes glowed in the
moonlight. “For you have enchanted me.”

Sexy, tempting vampire
.
Giving him a sideways smile, she eyed him first then slid her gaze to the lake.
Before she could confirm one way or another, he’d scooped her up against his
chest and padded into the trees towards the lake. If she wasn’t caked in dirt
and sweat perhaps she would have put up a fight. Or perhaps not. Marcelo headed
straight towards the water, not slowing down once he reached the short rocky
beach.

“Wait!” she cried. “My clothes!”

He made an abrupt stop and set her down. “Allow me.”

In only seconds he had her undressed and her clothing
strewn on the beach but at least intact. He stripped off his own clothes and
took several steps into the water before looking back.

She hesitated, standing naked and vulnerable on the
moonlit shore, eyeing his not so subtle gentleman's salute. She’d never been
the prudish type, as evidenced by her bar table dancing habit every weekend –
although she’d usually consumed large quantities of alcohol by then. Still, she
wondered if this was a bad idea. Before she had time to change her mind,
Marcelo strolled over, wrapped an arm around her waist and carried her into the
water.

At first, she could only focus on Marcelo’s large –
ahem
,
very
large
– body against hers, but as they waded deeper she felt the first tickle on her
leg. With a girly yelp she clung to Marcelo, wrapping her legs around his waist
and her arms around his neck.

He let out an agonized groan. “Not that I object to this
position,
querida,
but you really must embrace
your fae nature.”

She shook her head. “Not until daylight when I can see
what’s in the water.”

“So you’d rather see the…what did you call them? Creepy
crawlies? You’d rather see them as they swim around you?”

She thought for a moment. “You’re right. That’s no
better.” She tried to climb him even higher. “Just hold me up!”

He chuckled and supported her weight with a large palm
under her backside. She exhaled a relieved breath and the intimacy of the
position finally caught up with her. Aila was pressed up against Marcelo’s
naked body, his hand gripping her bare ass, his gaze locked on her breasts.

What have I gotten myself into?

She felt a tickle on her feet and squealed again, squirming
under his hand.

“You test my control, Aila,” he said, his voice strained.
Feeling something large and hard prodding her ass, she knew exactly what he
meant.

She gasped and tried to wiggle free, only to be reminded
of what lurked beneath the water. She was stuck between a rock and…um…a hard
place.

A chuckle from the vampire relaxed her somewhat. “You can
speak to them, you know. The animals.” He cupped a handful of water and poured
it onto her chest. The water felt wonderful after the hot day.

Relaxing a bit in his arms, she studied his face. He had
such a proud chin with a perfect cleft down the middle. His lips were a pale
lavender, the bottom one just asking to be nibbled. Thick eyebrows shadowed the
coffee brown eyes that were surprisingly expressive.

“As a fae you can command them to come or to go. Do you
want to learn how?”

Though his lips held a certain appeal, she nodded.

“Call to them,” he whispered into her ear sending shivers
down her spine.

She forced herself to speak, though her voice felt husky
and dry. “Call to who?”

“The fish you are afraid of.” His breath was a tickle
against her neck.

Fish? What fish?

 
“Have you forgotten already?” He chuckled softly.
“Then I guess I’m doing my job.” He kissed the spot behind her ear, a soft,
sensual kiss that had her melting into his arms.

She cleared her throat. “Call to them? Like…yo animals?”

He smiled and poured another scoop of water onto her
breast. “No. Call to their spirits. Use the fae voice inside, the one connected
to all living things.” Another handful of water dripped down her other breast.
His gaze was riveted to them as the droplets fell, some frozen onto her skin.
She could feel his eyes on her, like fire against her sensitive, aching
breasts.

She coughed and he jerked his head up. He leaned into her
mouth, his lips swept against hers, barely touching as he spoke. “Close your
eyes.”

She hesitated and clasped around his neck tighter.

“Come on. Close them,” he urged.

She did. His lips grazed the corner of her mouth, moving
softly - a mere whisper across her skin – to her jaw and landing at her ear.
“Imagine your spirit…what it would look like if it was outside your body. A
cloud, a ghost, an animal, what would it be?”

She didn’t answer but she did try to visualize. With his
breath a steady rhythm in her ear, she finally saw it. A light. A white light
in the shape of a woman.

“Do you have it?” he asked.

Goose bumps erupted on her arms. “Yes.”

“Good. Now make it call out to the animals. The ones in
the water. Fish, turtles, snakes. Tell them you’d like peace tonight.”

It seemed ridiculous but, with nothing to lose, she tried
it. She imagined her glowing form calling the animals forth. Suddenly the water
below her began to bubble. Tickles erupted all around her ankles and feet. A
soft rushing sound filled the night air. She was afraid to open her eyes,
afraid of what she would find.

“It’s okay,” Marcelo said. “Open your eyes.”

Reluctantly she peeled them open only to slam them shut
again. Dozens of fish surrounded them, frantically swimming at the surface of
the water. Looking at her. Waiting for her. She bit down hard on her lip to
keep from screaming.

“Hush,” Marcelo said, tightening his arms around her. “No
reason to panic. Simply tell them to go away. To leave us in peace.”

Drawing on courage she didn’t know she possessed, she
calmed her body and drew forth her fae spirit. In a firm voice she told them to
leave. To go to the other side of the lake for the evening. Gradually the
bubbling stopped, the sound of the rushing water faded away. Peeking one eye
open she confirmed they were alone. She had nothing to fear.

“You did it,” he said.

A reluctant grin reached her face. “I did.” She loosened
her vice grip on his neck. “Wow. That was amazing.”

“See? Being fae has its advantages.”

She was about to agree when he ducked down and submerged
them both under water. A second later they broke to the surface. She flung her
hair back from her face and glared into his amused eyes.

“Bastard!” she hissed then splashed him with water.

He laughed out loud, throwing his head back in such a
carefree way that it wiped the irritation right out of her. “I’m sorry,
querida.
I couldn’t resist.” She squirmed out of his
arms and started to swim away in an exaggerated huff, but he grabbed her around
her waist and pulled her back. “Let me make it up to you.”

He pressed his lips against hers, mashing them together
wildly. The water made the kiss slippery and wet, but the awkward messiness of
it had them laughing against each other’s lips.

“Your smile is so beautiful, do you know that? It’s
infectious,” he said, backing away from her kisses even as she whimpered in
protest. “These past few days I’ve been more frustrated and anxious than in my
entire eight hundred years as a vampire.”

She furrowed her brow at the offense but before she could
utter a come-back he continued, “But I’ve also smiled more than I ever have,
including, quite possibly, my human life.”

Her heart melted.

“I can’t remember much of it. Not emotions anyway. I
think I was happy as a human, but Aila, you are more than happiness. You are
pure joy. You radiate life from your every pore.” He held her gaze, masculine
and sincere.

How could she refuse him a smile when he spoke to her
like that? With a beaming grin she stroked her hands along his shoulders -
learning his body, memorizing the feel of his skin under her palms. Her gaze
lowered from his face to his chest, where two perfect pectorals bulged under
his golden skin. Beads of water dotted along them, surrounding his nipples. Not
able to help herself, she bent down and licked one droplet off his chest, then
another. Having a bit of fun with that, she hadn’t noticed him lower her down
his body until she felt something prodding the opening of her sex.

With a startled yelp she tightened her muscles and tried
to draw away, but he held her firmly, a haughty smirk on his
handsome face
. It was obvious what he wanted. It was
obvious he was ready to take it. But she couldn’t have sex with him. He would
hurt her, even if he didn’t mean to. And all kinds of ugly memories would bubble
to the surface. Ones she wasn’t ready to deal with. Knowing he would persuade
her – she felt her defenses weakening already – she needed to get away.

Staring out into the middle of the lake behind him, she
tightened her eyes and said, “Hey, what’s that over there?”

When he swung his head around to look, she managed to kick
away from him and swim into
deeper water
. When he
turned back around, he had a challenging brow raised.

“I can’t believe you fell for that,” she said laughing.
“It’s the oldest one in the book. Maybe even older than you, old man!”

“You’re asking for trouble,” he teased, crooking a
finger. “Come back here.”

Smiling, she swam further away. “No. I want to go for a
swim.” She’d expected him to go after her. He wasn’t the type to be deterred by
a little teasing. Or a lot of teasing. Or a smack in the head with a four-by-four.
But he didn’t follow.

“All right, have it your way.” His shoulders sagged and
she almost swam back to him. Then he added, “For now.” Two words and he became
just a little less in control and a little more dangerous.

Perhaps she shouldn’t be teasing an eight hundred year
old vampire.

“I’m going to go start a fire. But when I get back,” his
eyes narrowed with a hunter’s focus, “be ready for me.”

She watched him leave the water, his muscles carrying his
body with graceful fluidity. Water flung from his hair when he shook it out
like an animal. He yanked on his jeans before walking back the way they came,
barefoot and shirtless.
So sexy
.

Down, girl!
About a
half an hour later she’d all but forgotten the vampire, caught up in swimming
the lake, gleefully enjoying her new strength and speed. She sensed Marcelo’s
presence before she saw him emerge from the trees.

Standing on the shore, he called to her. “Come, Aila.
It’s getting late.”

“No. I like swimming under the stars.”

Even from far across the lake she could see the white of
his teeth as he grinned. “Even so, you need to eat and get some rest. We have a
long hike tomorrow.”

Still in a playful mood, she decided to push his buttons.
What
would
happen if I teased an eight hundred year old vampire?
“If
you want me,” she said in a challenging tone, “you’ll have to come get me.”

“You think I won’t? Word of advice. You shouldn’t toy
with creatures you can’t handle.”

Tapping a finger on her chin, she chided, “I wonder if
the fae are faster swimmers than vampires.” A twitch of his lips told her he
was playing along. “Since we’re better at almost everything else…I’ll bet we’re
faster too.”

“Wicked little temptress,” he muttered, and in a blur he
was naked and diving into the water.

When he broke to the surface his eyes were dark with a
hunter’s intent. His prey? Her! With a squeal she dove under the water,
allowing instinct to take over. She flexed her powerful muscles, swimming into
the dark, deep water until she was sure she’d bested him. She broke to the
surface and dragged in a lungful of air. Strong fingers clutched her ankle.
Kicking back was instinctual, but he held firm. Water rushed over her in the
opposite direction she was going as she was pulled backward then smashed into a
hard body.

An arm wrapped around her waist in an unbreakable hold
while a gentle whisper was at her ear. “To answer your question,
cosita
, vampires do swim faster than fae.”

Then she was hoisted over his shoulder, one large palm
splayed boldly across her ass, as he carried her towards the beach.

“I feel like a war prize being carried off to the
champion’s sex lair,” she said.

“Sex lair, huh? Maybe. If you’re good.” He gave her butt a
playful slap and she laughed.

On the beach, he reached down with ease and grabbed up their
clothes then marched back to their campsite where a fire was already roaring.
He set her down gently on her feet but kept a hand clutching her hip to keep
her in place. Using his t-shirt, he started dabbing it against her body.

“I can dry myself off,” she said, trying to step away.
But his grip on her tightened and kept her still.

“Let me do this for you.” Had his voice dropped an
octave? “I enjoy it.” He got down on one knee and rubbed his t-shirt along her
legs. He looked up at her with what she could only describe as an expression of
awe. Like she was something to be worshipped. Feeling vulnerable she wrapped
her arms around her mid-section.