A big thankyou also to hbarker & everyone who has been leaving encouraging reviews - feel free to PM me if you want to comment on something but don't like the idea of posting public reviews.

Warning: This chapter continues on from last chapter's sex scene. Skip ahead if it's not for you, or enjoy the ride!

25. Afterglow

(Mikhail POV)

Being connected, being one with her, was almost more than I could handle. The minutes seemed like hours as I gazed up into her eyes and felt our bodies moving as one. My whole body was bombarded with sensation; seeing her brow furrowed in concentration as she adjusted to my size and eased into her rhythm; feeling the smooth silkiness of her skin under my hands and the warm pressure of being encased within her; tasting every part of her I could reach; taking in the scent of her essence mingling with mine; listening with giddy disbelief as her short, sharp gasps steadily crescendoed into whimpers of pleasure then moans of pure, unbridled passion. When the time finally came I gripped her hip tightly in one hand and pulled her down to meet my lips, her strangled cry mixing with my deep groan of pleasure as we pulsed in time together. Even after it was clearly time to pull apart she pressed herself against me, not wanting the moment to end, but eventually she relented and I rolled her over to lie in my arms.

Sonya closed her eyes and I held her until the aftershocks gradually subsided and her breathing evened out once more. As she lay there so peacefully I reached my hand up to move a stray strand of hair from across her face, stoking my thumb across the fine layer of perspiration on her forehead before tracing my fingers down her temple, following the faint trail of scars that ran towards her neck. I couldn't normally see the marks but now that she had allowed herself to be completely vulnerable with me it was like I was seeing her clearly for the first time. The scars might have been disturbing to a stranger but to me they were beautiful – a lace veil that represented a strong woman's struggle to overcome insurmountable darkness by herself.

'I love you, Sonechka,' I whispered, secretly vowing that she would never have to face her troubles alone again.

I thought she had fallen asleep but she shifted position, sliding her foot between my ankles and creeping a hand up to rest on my chest.

'I love you, Misha,' she answered, her eyes still closed.

My night could not have had a better end and I allowed myself to doze off, peaceful in the knowledge that I didn't have to be back on duty for another nine hours.

It was about 11:00pm when a slight movement woke me and I looked up to see Sonya rising from bed. Under the soft lamp-light I caught the silhouette of her narrow waist sloping gently into the round curve of her hips and buttocks, and even though I was exhausted my body craved for her.

'Where are you going, beautiful creature?' I whispered.

She turned back towards me and I got to appreciate her again from yet another angle, her perfect breasts jutting out sharply above the flat plane of her stomach, her tousled hair forming a kind of halo around her head.

'Come with me,' was all she said, extending her hand out, and I followed her like a lamb as she led me into the bathroom.

Sonya took out two fresh towels from the linen cupboard then turned on the shower, adjusting the taps until I could see the steam rising from the wide stream of water and billowing out into the room. She stepped inside and motioned for me to join her, letting the jet of water course over her hair and body before turning her back to me and tilting her face upwards, the droplets running in tiny erratic courses towards her feet.

I took a step closer and settled my hands on her hips, taking in the fresh scent of mandarins and lemongrass as she washed her hair, watching the soapy water run down her back and legs. When she was finished she turned to me, placing her hands on my arms and trading places so I was directly under the shower stream. I looked around, searching for the soap, but Sonya was already prepared. She filled her palms with liquid body-wash and reached out to rub the lather slowly over my chest and shoulders. I allowed her hands to roam over my body, raising my arms as they slid up my ribcage and letting my own fingers run through her wet hair as she reached around to massage the soap into my lower back and buttocks.

How did I find this amazing woman? I thought over and over again, my muscles involuntarily flexing as she worked her way down my legs and eventually returned her hands to my chest. I thought she'd cleaned every square inch of my body until the circular motions of her fingers wandered lower and she reached between my legs, fondling me gently with both of her hands. I felt myself swell under her touch and she looked expectantly into my eyes, caressing me rhythmically until I was hard with the ache of desire.

'Sonechka,' I groaned in pleasure, pulling her to me and kissing her hungrily, pressing myself against her as my hands strayed feverishly over her skin.

She wanted me as much as I wanted her and I felt her shudder as I ran my tongue over her fangs, which had extended in the heat of the moment. The sharp pressure as she bit my bottom lip had me at my absolute limit. Gripping her by the top of her thighs, I lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around me, sliding down until I entered her. I could feel that she was still swollen from our earlier encounter so I moved slowly to begin with, searching for her breasts with my mouth as she leaned back against the tiled wall to deepen our connection. I revelled in each whimper as I brought her closer to the edge and when I couldn't hold back any longer I cried out as I let go, hearing her voice echo mine as I felt her gently pulse around me. My arms were suddenly weak so I let her slip down to stand in front of me and we held one another, letting the warm water flow over us until we were washed clean once more.

Half an hour later I sat at the kitchen table, wrapped in Sonya's plain white bathrobe, while she stood at the counter in her pyjamas putting the finishing touches to our midnight snack. My mind returned to the first time I'd been in this apartment, when I'd sat in this exact spot sneaking glances at Sonya as she swayed to the strains of Ella Fitzgerald. So much had happened since then but when I figured out the maths I couldn't believe it was only a month ago. I'd known Sonya for a grand total of three months yet it felt like we'd known one another for a lifetime.

'I hope you're hungry,' she told me, turning to show off a plate laden high with blini, the traditional Russian crepes folded into triangular parcels and filled with salmon, crème fresh and chives.

'Ravenous', I inhaled deeply and my stomach grumbled in agreement as I followed her into the living room with our coffees.

We sat next to one another, leaning up against the couch with the plate on the floor between us and got stuck into our meal.

'These are delicious, Sonechka. Is it your own recipe?' I asked her, licking my fingers as I polished off yet another blini parcel.

'My mother taught me the recipe but it was passed down to her from my Russian grandmother.'

'Your mother?' I asked curiously. I felt so close to Sonya, and yet I knew so little about her. 'I can't believe we haven't even talked about your family. Will you tell me about them?' I pushed the plate to one side and turned to face her, leaning an elbow on the couch and using my hand to support my head.

'What do you want to know?' she shot back, crossing her legs and cradling her coffee mug in her both hands.

I had so many questions that I didn't know where to start. 'Are you still in contact with your parents? What was your childhood like? Where did you grow up? Do you have any brothers or sisters?' I would have continued but she laughed and cut me off.

'Okay – let me start with the easy ones. I don't have any siblings, but my cousin Emily has been practically a sister to me. She lives in Michigan now so we don't get to catch up often, but whenever we do get together it's like we can always pick up where we left off.' A smile played on her lips as she re-lived the fond memories.

'It was the same with me and my sister,' I returned her smile softly. Somehow, thinking about Catalina didn't hurt so much now I had Sonya in my life. 'And what about your parents? Karp is a Russian name isn't it?'

'Actually, Dad's from the UK. He came over when he was eighteen because his parents got a transfer from the Royal Court west of London. He'd already started horticultural studies at Cambridge University so he took up a position as an apprentice gardener at Court in Pennsylvania, which is where he met my mother.'

'Isn't it amazing how fate brings people together,' I shook my head thoughtfully and Sonya reached over to squeeze my arm before continuing her story.

'Mom was more of a free spirit. At sixteen she dropped out of school and was lucky to get work as a domestic servant because my grandmother was a cook for the Voda family. It was a good thing Dad loved her because she caused him all kinds of trouble!'

I raised my eyebrows questioningly.

'They met in 1969, when a lot of the young Moroi were caught up in the rebellious social undercurrent of the day. Nearly twenty teenagers broke out of Court and took the four hour drive to White Lake, New York to go to Woodstock. Mom convinced Dad to go with her and that's where they fell in love.'

I tried to imagine the political uproar if we allowed twenty students to escape from St. Vladimir's Academy. It would have been a nightmare.

'Guardians eventually tracked the group down and hauled them back to Court, and that's when the problems began. The royals were only given a slap on the wrist but many of the common moroi lost their jobs as punishment. Mom's parents were so ashamed they sent her away from Court. The Voda Prince managed to set her up with some distant cousins – the Torma family – who had a residence on Mt. Baker, east of Seattle. Dad's family fought to keep him at Court but twelve years later he reunited with Mom and they got married in the early 80's.'

'True love won in the end,' I smiled, casually wiping a streak of blini batter from her cheek. Sonya put her coffee mug down and shifted across to snuggle in next to me as I wrapped an arm over her shoulder. I could sit here and listen to this woman talk for hours and I would never get bored.

'I grew up on the Torma estate, and its beautiful grounds and scenery were what first inspired my love for gardening and later led me to discover the great landscape artists. As I got older I boarded at St. Vladimir's during term time but went home every vacation. Sometimes my cousin Emily was allowed to visit but I mostly spent time with Karin Torma who was two years older than me, and my favourite treat was when her family's guardian would take us down to Seattle to go to the beach or see a movie.'

Beach and a movie does sound good, I thought, locking the information away as a plan for a future date before continuing my interrogation.

'So what was it that led you into teaching?' I probed.

'Mom was happy for me to do whatever I wanted but I think Dad always harboured some regrets that they had been forced out of mainstream moroi society. He was the one who encouraged me to go to university and pursue a teaching career as a way to secure an easier life than the one that he and Mom had to go through.'

It made sense that a father would want the best for his daughter, and there were clearly many advantages to living in a large, well-protected vampire community.

'So where are they now?' I asked curiously.

'When they retired they were given some land on the outskirts of the Torma estate as thanks for their long service. I'm so glad they weren't forced to return to Court or some other urban area just to have some protection in their old age – it would have broken their hearts to have to leave their home after so many years. I still go back to visit every couple of months but they rarely come to visit me at school as the long drive is very tiring for Dad in particular.' There was a faint crease between Sonya's eyebrows and I could see that she missed her parents a lot.

I hesitated before asking one final question. 'Do you think they'd like me?'

She smiled and reached up to touch the hand that was draped over her shoulder, coiling her fingers through mine. 'Dad might take a bit of convincing – for the last ten years he's been telling me to find some respectable moroi boy to settle down with, and I'm not sure you are exactly what he had in mind. But Mom will be a rebel till she dies. She will love you…'

Sonya eyed me approvingly.

'…But not as much as I do!' and she tilted her face up to meet my waiting lips.

Author's Note:

A bit more steamy goodness for you to enjoy in this chapter! (Though sometimes the quiet times afterwards can be just as intimate and special.)

The blini conversation might have sounded a bit banal, but the info Sonya gives Mikhail about her family will become crucial in a few chapters' time. Sonya's backstory is all original, with the exception of having Emily as a cousin.