Embrace the Power: A Paranormal Romance (The Blood Rose Series Book 9) (36 page)

But he was right. They had to make this work somehow. “I’ll do it now.” She whirled through her transformation, but remained in the same position. He’d loosened his grip on her slightly, but now that she was Rosamunde again, he drew her tight against him once more. Vampires liked to have full control when they fed.

It was an odd sensation to have two separate reactions to Stone. Aralynn loved that he was behind her. For a wolf, anything at the back of the neck gave rise to all kinds of reactions and pleasures. Yet as Rosamunde, the spooning embrace felt so warm and comforting that she never wanted to leave.

As he began to lick her neck in long swipes of his tongue, shivers chased up and down her shoulders and back, her sides and even all the way to her toes.

She closed her eyes, savoring everything, his tongue, his body, his arousal, his maleness, the strong virile scent of him. Oh, sweet Goddess, the way he smelled, like a flowing stream over mossy rocks.

She ached now deep between her legs and her mating vibration was leaping around as though not understanding why Stone’s frequency hadn’t joined hers.

I’m going to bite you.
His voice in her head made her gasp. His fangs struck and she cried out.

If she’d thought she was feeling sexual before, the feel of him sucking heavily on her neck had her knees turning to water. She could hardly hold herself upright.

Fortunately, he had an iron grip around her and kept her from falling. His free hand slowly moved to her breasts and began to massage. She wasn’t even sure he was aware of what he was doing.

But it felt so good.

She covered her hand with his and helped him so that soon she was arching her back and pressing her bottom into his erection.

His hips began to rock. She couldn’t help the veil of violet mist that she began to release to create even more privacy. She wasn’t sure if they’d take things all the way, but she wanted to be ready.

You think I’m going to fuck you, Rosamunde?

I don’t know. This feels beyond us both right now.

Like hell.
He suddenly drew back and licked the wounds on her neck, then pulled away from her. He even turned his back on her.

She felt his anger and disgust all over again. Her mist evaporated and a cold sensation began to flow down her body. She didn’t recognize it at first but soon thought it felt like grief again, her friend from childhood, her torment.

She still seemed to be paying for what Margetta had done to her all those centuries ago, meeting her at the edge of the veil of mist in order to force Evelyn into the open. No doubt Margetta had used her fae abilities to mesmerize her and therefore to make it impossible for Evelyn to do anything else but to leave Ferrenden Peace and battle her sister to save Rosamunde’s life.

Now, Stone had shut her down completely because of Margetta’s torturous visions. Would she never be free of her aunt?

She was about to tell Stone that she would return to the castle to await the usual prescience that would define their next mission. But just as she opened her mouth to speak, Vojalie appeared in front of them and she looked frightened. “You both have to return to the castle now. If we’re to save the Nine Realms, you must both be there.”

Stone turned toward Rosamunde and even moved closer to her as he addressed Vojalie. “You’ve had a vision?”

“A definitive one.”

Rosamunde grabbed for Stone’s hand and he didn’t reject it. “What’s the nature of the vision?” She asked.

“Margetta somehow finds the castle and attacks it. You’ve got to be there, both of you, to stop it. And clear the castle as soon as you arrive. I’m returning to Davido at Joseph’s. We’re struggling tonight. For reasons I can’t explain, holding the veil of mist intact is proving extremely difficult.”

Rosamunde felt dizzy. “Then Margetta is getting closer to breaking through to Ferrenden Peace.”

“It appears she is.” As quickly as Vojalie had come, she vanished.

~ ~ ~

Rosamunde, still holding Stone’s hand, looked up at him. “Will you come to the castle with me?”

“Yes. Of course. I trust Vojalie implicitly.”

Rosamunde felt the cutting nature of his words, designed no doubt to remind her of his opinion of her. But she didn’t care about that at all right now. She trusted Vojalie as well and knew that whatever was about to happen in Ferrenden Peace or how Margetta would be able to attack the castle had to be addressed right now.

“Ready?” she asked.

He nodded solemnly. “Let’s go.”

She teleported him to the castle grounds on the southeast side of the royal property.

To Rosamunde’s surprise, Vojalie joined them at nearly the same time then quickly took Rosamunde in her arms. She held her close and pathed,
What happens this night will determine the fate of the Nine Realms. You’ll need to be very brave. Tell me you understand.

Rosamunde drew back. She’d never seen Vojalie this distressed. She didn’t understand either why she couldn’t have said these things to Stone as well.
Of course.

Vojalie pivoted slightly to address Stone. “Davido and I will be at Joseph’s and will do everything we can to keep the veil of mist in one piece. Stone, I ask only one thing of you, to remember that the power of love is much greater than any other force in our world, than any seductive, exalted vibration could ever be. Remember that!”

Stone appeared as though he wanted to answer Vojalie, but the lovely fae woman vanished once more.

Just as Stone had done earlier, Rosamunde turned in a slow circle extending her fae senses in order to see if she could detect any intruders. But the garden felt very safe to her. She immediately pathed with the head of her Castle Guard, and had him start evacuating the castle. Her staff would make use of escape tunnels that led a mile distant to the west.

The royal lands were a noisy place at night as the Nine Realms night birds swooped here and there, fighting for territory and the best nesting sites.

Yet a moment later, a wave of silence suddenly swept over the garden.

Stone pathed,
Rosamunde, what’s happening? Why have the birds stopped chattering?

Rosamunde knew now why Vojalie had come to her and why she’d insisted that Stone be with her. She turned to face him as the first dagger-like strikes of pain pierced her mind.
Stone, this is a Margetta vision.

You mean, like the one you had about Charborne just before my parents were slaughtered.

She nodded solemnly.

Stone glanced down at his feet.
But the earth is rumbling as well. Is that normal?

No.
She shook her head.
I think, in fact, I know this is about you. Margetta has come for you. The vision that will arrive is meant to tempt you.

He glanced around.
Is she here? I thought you told me that with these visions, she could only get here if you communicated during the vision.

No she’s not here and yes, it’s my belief that a single telepathic thought directed anywhere beyond either of us right now will allow her to enter Ferrenden Peace.

She grabbed the sides of her head. Tears rolled down her face as the pain grew in strength. When the elf-lord power hit at the same time cramping her legs, she threw her head back and screamed.

Stone grabbed her and when he did, the elf-lord power began to channel away from her and at least part of what she was suffering dissipated quickly.

Though she was in agony as though her skull was about to explode, she could sense just how much Stone was savoring the elf-lord power.

This was very much about Stone and Vojalie’s words now made sense.

Margetta’s voice suddenly penetrated her mind.
This is your last chance, Rosamunde, the last vision I’ll ever send you. I know of your love for the Mastyr of Tannisford, so it seems only fitting that I destroy what he loves most.

The vision was suddenly on her and in it she watched a series of images as Margetta’s army swept down on Stone’s Communication Center. She watched as bombs exploded and the building collapsed completely. Margetta had never used explosives before, but it appeared she would tonight.

Rosamunde trembled. She heard the screams of the women and the terrified shouts of the men as they failed to evacuate the building.

Through her pain, she lifted her gaze to Stone. What she saw there frightened her beyond words. His eyes were wide and his skin glowed with the elf-lord power. “Stone, you’re seeing the vision.”

He nodded. “All of it.”

Rosamunde squeezed his arms hard. “Don’t do it! Please, don’t contact your people. Can’t you feel that Margetta is focused on us right now, because of the vision? She’s doing this to get a fix on our location.”

He sneered. “You keep forgetting that I’m not like you. I can’t let these people die. I won’t and now I can prove to you how wrong you’ve been all these centuries.”

She tried one last time. “If you contact your center or any of your men, Margetta will come straight here, to us. Then she’ll have the two things she covets above everything else: She’ll have you and she’ll have access at last to the source of the elf-lord power.”

He gripped her arms in return as though locking her in battle. His hair began to writhe as the elf-lord power moved through him stronger than ever.

“You’re a coward, Rosamunde, and now you’re going to see what you’ve really done to the Nine Realms all this time.”

“Stone, please. Don’t do this!”

But Stone only smiled.

Chapter Fourteen

Stone felt … exultant. Victorious. He could now prove how wrong Rosamunde had been all these years then she could live in shame the rest of her life.

He didn’t know what it was, maybe being so close to the castle and to the elf-lord power, but he could feel the heavy vibrations all around him now. He knew then he could become a true conduit.

His muscles flexed and un-flexed. He moved slowly around the garden, savoring the feel of the elf-lord vibrations.

And Rosamunde was right. Margetta was with them; here, yet not here, like a sticky syrup clinging to the onslaught of the terrifying visions.

“It doesn’t matter if she’s intent on coming for me tonight. The only thing that matters is the safety of my people. I’ll battle the Ancient Fae to the death, if I have to.”

“Stone, it’s not that simple. I’m telling you, once she gets in, she’ll attach to the elf-lord power and we’ll lose the Nine Realms. Why won’t you believe me?”

He lifted a hand to her. “Enough! I’m not letting Margetta destroy my Communication Center.”

He closed his eyes and opened his telepathy. At the same moment, he brought Rosamunde into the pathing stream as he contacted Harris.
Get all of our people out of the Com Center. Margetta intends to reduce it to rubble. Harris do you hear me?

But nothing returned and his heart rate doubled.

Harris. Talk to me.

Rosamunde remained silent, but she was trembling and tears flowed down her cheeks.

Harris?

But that’s as far as the communication got because the next moment, a golden light filled the entire garden and suddenly Margetta was right in front of him. Her stench filled the otherwise fragrant space, but she was beautiful in a scarlet velvet gown with her blond hair arranged in immaculate ringlets that hung to her waist.

He drew Rosamunde close to his side and kept moving her backward away from the Ancient Fae.

Once more, he tried to reach Harris.
Are you there? Evacuate the Communication Center. Now!

Margetta’s violet eyes were enormous as she glanced between him and Rosamunde, then downward toward the earth.

Her eyes glittered like diamonds. He felt her begin to draw in the elf-lord power. She spread her arms wide and arched her neck. She gave a cry of sheer ecstasy. “The power of the elf-lords is everything I knew it would be. Isn’t it amazing, Mastyr Stone?”

When the first wave of power passed through her, she drew in a deep breath then focused all her attention on him, extending her arms in his direction. “I knew I could count on you to finally reveal the location of Ferrenden Peace. Rosamunde has been ridiculously stubborn for the past millennium. She was always such a good girl. But you and me, Stone, we’re alike and it’s time to join forces.

“I’ve felt it for several weeks now, who you really are in this world: One of the last two remaining elf-lords and together, we’ll rule the Nine Realms because tonight, you’ll be mine.”

Now that Margetta had attached to the elf-lord power, her golden light began to pulse.
Look at me, Stone. Come to me. Join with me. Taste for yourself what it is to fully be an elf-lord. For I have the power to deliver it to you as my niece never could. Come to me and feel what your father, Kaden, has experienced all his life.

Stone began to move in her direction. In some part of his mind, he knew Margetta was enthralling him, yet he couldn’t stop his feet. Power flowed from her, tasting of both her incredible abilities and what she now streamed from Ferrenden Peace. She was as much a conduit as Rosamunde yet so much more.

“Stone!” When Rosamunde grabbed at him, he pushed her hands away from his arms. Still, she clung to him, yelling things that he couldn’t quite hear. He wanted no part of such a weak woman. She wasn’t a fit mate for an elf-lord.

When she continued to shout at him and grabbed both of his arms hard, he turned and shoved her with all his might. She didn’t just fall backward, she flew into the air, then vanished.

Good riddance. He was done with her for so many reasons.

You did the right thing. My niece was a weight around your neck, holding you back. This is your moment, Stone, and yours alone.
She lifted her arms in a dramatic gesture then moved close enough to touch him lightly on both shoulders.
Let the elf-lord power flow.

The same power that Rosamunde had channeled tripled in strength. This time his back and neck arched and he shouted. What he felt was an extraordinary rush of power, a vibration like none other. Ecstasy flooded his mind and he could see into the future. He sat on a throne much grander than Rosamunde’s, with the beautiful Margetta beside him. She was right; he would rule beside her. Together, they’d conquer the Nine Realms.