Dragan's Redemption Book One of the Manor at Echo Lake Trilogy (34 page)

Turning to the Elder
,
his
voice this time
had an edge
to it
.  “Elder.  Learn from
your student
.  May you continue to learn humility and realize that not everything is as it seems.”

All eyes turned as they watched Dragan walk out of the chapel.

Sebastian’s
voice
,
heavy with emotion
,
spoke
in the empty silence of the room
.  “It has
begun
.”

Dragan
inhaled
deeply as he stepped out of the Chapel. 
No one would
be
expecting
him to make an appearance for several more hours.  All of these years, his mediations
had always taken
two
to three hours
out of his day
.

Looking down at Shadow, he touched the fur as tears filled his eyes.  He loved the wolf and wondered at how it would react when he was gone.  Walking slowly through the woods, he followed the familiar path to the cottage.  His soul felt light as he
walked
, the pouring rain seeming to cleanse him.

Reaching her front door, his hand shook
,
and he closed his fist
,
breathing deeply to steady his nerves before knocking.

Amira opened the door
,
eyes
widening at
seeing Dragan standing before her.  Jumping into his arms, she hugged him tightly.  “Finish up early today, did we?”

“Can I come in?”

Stepping aside, she waved him in.  “Of course
,
silly.  I was just making some tea.”

Dragan turned to Shadow commanding him to stay outside.

Amira looked up questioningly when she saw Shadow obey.

“What are you doing?   Let him come in
,
Dragan.”

Amira called out to the
wolf, Dragan watched Shadow
not move
but look
ed
at him questioningly.

“Fine, let him enter.”

“Come here
,
Shadow!”

Seeing Dragan nod, the wolf
leapt
through the door taking his normal seat in the corner on his bed
,
a bone now protectively held in his strong jaws.

“Why did you ask him to stay outside?” 

“It doesn’t matter.
”
  Grabbing her
hand,
he pulled her towards him
.  Smiling
,
Amira wrapped her arms around his waist hugging him to her tightly.

His body reacted immediately to her scent and touch.  Pulling
back,
he smiled down at her.  “Any plans for this morning?”

Shaking her
head,
she smiled back up at him.  “No
,
n
ot really, too miserable to do anything.”

“I think it is a perfect day to stay in bed.”

Blushing, she felt the quiver of excitement rush through her.

“I thought that you had to go into work today?”

Dragan
hesitated
,
and then
pulling on her hand
,
drew her in the direction of the bedroom.

“I decided to call in.  Life is too short
,
and I wanted to live in the moment.  Isn’t that what you told me when we first met?”

Amira
threw
back her head laughing loudly.

Smiling down at her,
Dragan’s
eyes lit up, knowing in watching her that he had made the right decision.

“Yes.  I guess I did.  I didn’t realize just how much that was going to work to my benefit though.” 
Releasing
his
hand,
she ran to the bedroom ahead of him as he chased after her. 
Tackling
her as they both
dropped to the bed causing it slide slightly
along the floor
.

Rolling her
over
onto her back, he brushed her hair out of her eyes staring down again into the brilliant emerald ones.

“I love you
,
Amira
.
”

“I love you too
,
Dragan!”

Lowering his head, he kissed her gently on the side of her mouth then the other side.  She attempted to move her head to catch his lips, but he evaded her each time.  Bring
ing
her hand up
,
she slipped
her fingers in his hair
, closing her eyes as he trailed his tongue down her throat, hesitating when he felt the steady beat.  Counting each pulse, trying to
gauge
its
rhythm, b
efore
continuing
down to the v in her shirt.   Sliding his hands underneath her
clothes,
he pulled it up gently.

“
You
always wear too many clothes
,
Amira.”

“I will see what I can do about that in the future
,
Dragan.”

She
gasp
ed
as he worked
the fabric
over
her
head as he sucked on
first one nipple then the other.

Amira squirmed on the bed.  His hands seemed to be everywhere at once on her
body
,
and it was several minutes before she even realized that she was completely naked, and he was completely dressed.

Tugging on his
shirt,
she worked at removing his clothes.
  Growling at her, he pulled her hands on top of her head.

“Dragan, let me go
;
I want to touch you.”

“Not yet.  Right now, it is your turn.”

She tried to pull her hands free, but he held them tightly in one hand.  Knowing it was
useless
, she stopped trying
,
but she
felt exposed.

Nipping the side of her breast, his other hand stroked her rib cage moving slowly lower until he reached her center.  Her hips seemed to move of their own
volition
.  Dragan kissed her again on the mouth, pushing his tongue
aggressively
through her lips, sucking on her tongue as he pushed his finger up inside of her
,
moaning at feeling her tighten around him.  Letting go of her hand, he shifted to lie on top of her.  Amira grabbed at his shirt again, this time successful
ly
sliding it up to his shoulders.  Grunting
impatiently
, he sat up on his knees
,
straddling her as he yanked it over her head
before dropping back down on her, pressing his hips hard against her pelvis.  She could feel him throbbing through the fabric of his pants
,
and she wanted nothing more than him
.
Instead,
he continued to thrust his hips against her.  Panting she realized that he was going to make her come just like that.  

Her voice husky and deep
,
s
he started to beg.  “
Please
,
Dragan!”

Ignoring her pleas, he kept thrusting
,
kissing her deeply.  Losing her
breath,
she turned her head to the side, not before he caught her bottom lip, biting down breaking through the skin.  Sucking she tasted her own blood on her tongue, as she felt the first wave take over her.  Looking up, she saw his eyes redden from her blood
,
and her body convulsed.

Dragan jumped
off
the bed, sliding his pants off, before moving on top of her again.  Her body still throbbed as he reached between them, guiding
himself
into her.  Pushing into her now tight body, he moaned trying to keep his head together.  He had to time everything right.  Looking down at her swollen lips, the blood still seeping from
it
, he licked at the wound allowing his
fangs
to drop.  Amira’s heart
leapt
in her chest, remembering what it felt like the last time they made love as he fed off of her.

His hands felt rough against her skin as he squeezed her breast tightly.  Moaning
,
her head moved frantically on the pillow.  She was still on fire.  Dragan knew she was standing on the
precipice
again.  Driving hard against her, the bed slamming against the wall
,
he fought to hold it together
.

“No matter what happens
today
,
Amira, remember I will love you for all time.” 

His words barely registered in her brain as he picked up speed with
a desperate urgency.
  Holding her head to
one
side on the pillow, Dragan
could not
stop his release.  Losing himself in her, he drove his fangs deep in her neck barely registering her scream as he felt the rush of blood entering his mouth.  Blackness hovered over him, and he fought
the urge to
pass out as he continued to drink.

Shadow scratched at the bedroom door
frantically
, barking and howling.  Panic set in
the wolf as
he felt the energy change in the cottage.  Jumping through the open window, he ran hard to the manor searching for the only one that could help.

Aaron heard the howl before seeing
Shadow
.  Tearing down the
stairs,
he was
outside
before
the wolf
reached the front stairs
turning back into the woods
at seeing Aaron,
expecting
the vampire
to follow
.
 
Sensing
the panic in the animal, he
watched
as he was lost within the trees.  Fear spread through him.   Looking to the Chapel, he did not hear his brother in prayer
,
only feeling
a hollow emptiness
from the building
.

“Please, no
,
Dragan.   Please no!”

Picturing the cottage in his mind, he transported himself to the front door
,
reaching it before the wolf.  Ripping open the door, he burst through the cottage and then into the bedroom.
She lay motionless under
his
brother.  Grabbing
Dragan’s
shoulders
,
he tried to
pull
him
off
Amira
, realizing that he couldn’t or
Dragan’s
fangs would rip her neck open.  Watching in
horror,
he could hear his brother counting in his head.  One, two, three…One two, three.

“Dragan, please don’t do this.”

“It is to
o
late brother.  Remember, you promised to take care of her.  One…two…..One….two……One.
  I love you Aaron, please forgive me.
”

Retracting his fangs
,
Dragan rolled
off
her and onto his back.  He felt so strange.  He expected pain not this floating sensation.  Seeing blackness, tears streamed down his face knowing that he would be
banished
to
hell
,
and he was afraid.  So lost in death
’
s grip
,
he did not feel his brother shaking him.  Several
minutes
later, Dragan saw a pinprick of light off in the distance. 
Curiously,
he watched it grow
,
pushing the heavy darkness away.  As it became
brighter,
he saw that a light mist swirled all around him.  Confused
,
he looked at the
three
figures walkin
g toward him.
  They were all talking earnestly
amongst themselves
,
swords drawn clutched in their powerful hands
.  Even though he could not hear their words, he had the sense that they
seemed to be just as confused as
he was
.