“Wait, show Mama!” Delinda cries as Remiel picks her up.
“Of course,” he says with delight and places her back down.
I look on curiously as to what she plans on showing me and she stands up straight with her hands together in front of her as if in prayer. In the next second, she scrunches up her face and Shifts to her Dragon form.
“Oh!” I gasp in wonder as before me is a tiny Golden Dragon. Her scales are shimmering in the light and she stretches out her wings before she Shifts back.
I drop to my knees and take her in my arms. “Beautiful,” I say to her with tears in my eyes. She beams back at me with pride and then Remiel gently insists that it is bedtime.
I watch my daughter as she falls asleep, her little rosebud mouth dropping open in slumber. She is the most beautiful thing I have ever come across. It sort of surprises me that she got all of my genes with her light, blonde hair and green eyes. But I am glad she did. Now all I see when I look at her is me. No one else.
“Come,” Remiel whispers. “Leave her to sleep.”
“I don’t want to,” I whisper back. I want to curl up next to her and wait until the fortress is quiet and then make our escape. And I still need to find Dracul and determine how exactly I am going to get out of here.
“She will still be here tomorrow,” Remiel says and I reluctantly take his hand and he leads me out of her room.
He opens the door to the next room and leads me inside. “This is my room,” he says. “Our room,” he amends with a smile.
“Right next door,” I say with approval.
“Of course,” he replies. “You should rest. It is going to take a lot out of you getting used to this climate and time change. Tomorrow you should Shift. It will help you adjust.”
“Okay,” I say and stifle a yawn. I am starting to get a bit tired, but I cannot fall asleep and miss my chance at escape.
Now that we are alone, the sinking pit has returned to my stomach as well and I start to lose my confidence. What if I can’t get out of here? Or what if I nearly make it and then get caught before I can get out? What if Dracul doesn’t help me? I start to panic, and I feel for my ring, but it isn’t there. My hand is bare, and it feels all wrong.
Remiel sees my action and he takes my hand. “I will replace them tomorrow,” he says. “Right now, all I want to do is be with you. I need you.” He bends down to kiss me, and I let him. It soothes V.A. and I feel my confidence start to return just a little. He reaches for the hem of my vest top and he pulls it over my head. He turns me around and runs his hands down my back and I can feel V.A. swooping around as he strokes Her. I have a momentary flash of memory of someone else stroking Her recently. Strong hands, but with a gentle touch that makes me shiver when I think about it. I let out a strangled moan, suddenly desperate for the touch of another.
“After today, you will no longer see To’Kah,” Remiel states.
I look back at him over my shoulder with a frown. Who is he to dictate to me? Of course, after tonight I won’t be seeing Finn ever again anyway. V.A. is just going to have to lump it.
“He is my Guardian,” I murmur just to piss him off, trying to push the small memory I have of Laurentis’s hands on me away.
“You only need your Guardian if you don’t have your true mate,” he murmurs back.
Now that I didn’t know.
“I will be your balance now, my love,” he whispers, kissing my shoulder and then molding himself to my back so that he can cup my breasts.
“So jealous,” I say, unable to help the tease.
He pinches my nipples gently and tuts at me. “Your body is mine now, Aefre. No other man will ever touch you again. You will not need to seek what you desire as I will give you everything you have been looking for.”
Oh my. My knees actually go weak at his words. Too bad it had to come from him. But V.A. is happy and settled now and I let Her take over. I let Aefre sink back and I push V.A. to the surface. It’s just easier.
I turn my head slightly and he captures my mouth in a kiss as he turns me back towards him. His hands go into my hair as he deepens the kiss. He walks me back to the bed and before he lowers me down, he removes the rest of my clothes. I kick off my shoes and start to unbutton his shirt. He takes my hands away with a gentle shake of his head.
“I want to worship you, Aefre. Let me,” he murmurs before he claims my mouth again in an expert kiss that has my insides churning. The icy pleasure takes over and I let him work his way all over my body with his tongue and lips and when he is ready to enter me, he whispers, “I am all you will ever need now. Say it.”
I repeat his words and he sinks into me, saying, “You are all I ever need.”
I listen to his heavy breathing as I lie with my head on his chest. I am struggling to stay awake, but I cannot let myself fall asleep. Remiel made love to me for the longest time and my body is feeling very satisfied and at ease. I know that he feels the same way as he crashed as soon as I curled up around him. It has been a while now and I am anxious to get up and find Dracul.
I stir and wince as he moves in his sleep, but he is out for the count. I think back to all he has said, and this is probably the first time he has slept properly since Delinda was born. I feel a pang of regret for doing this to him, but I push it away and Aefre slams back into place with a solid resolve. I hear a soft knocking on the door, and I summon up a robe to tie tightly around myself. Who on Earth would be knocking on his door at this time of night? I sneak out of bed and crack the door to peek out and I see Dracul standing there looking a bit shifty.
“Can you talk?” he whispers.