Chapter Three - Communing
Arwe woke to the sun shining in her eyes. She stretched lazily and ran a hand over the empty space next to her, inhaling deeply. Godric's enticing smell still lingered on the sheets and she allowed it to surround and soothe her for a few moments before getting up.
Wrapping a silk robe around her nude body, she walked into the kitchen to prepare a tea.
Smiling to herself, she was in the middle of filling the teapot when she felt a sudden prod in her magic, almost like a psychic punch. Nearly dropping the pot into the sink, she braced herself against the counter and rolled her eyes with irritation. The new presence in her energy was impatient, demanding.
Sighing, Arwe abandoned her tea and went into the living room to settle on the floor, sitting cross-legged. After a moment of consideration, she shifted over to the sunbeam filtering in, tilting her face into its warmth. She closed her eyes.
The living room fell away around her and she found herself standing in a sun-lit meadow on a hill. In the distance were the gleaming, gold-capped towers of Maldes, the capital city of Malinor.
It was an odd feeling, though one as natural to her as breathing - she could simultaneously feel her body sitting in a sunbeam on the living room floor and also the Malinor breeze on her face.
Before her, with arms crossed, stood her sister.
"Era," she greeted warily. Her sister's earlier impatient prodding indicated this wouldn't necessarily be a pleasant meeting.
She was a tall, lithe woman with the same dark hair as hers, though Era's was pulled back into the traditional Madar hairstyle of intricately interwoven braids. Her angular face was currently pinched with displeasure.
"Thank you for communing on such short notice, Arwe," she said in lieu of greeting. Arwe rolled her eyes.
"No need to be so formal, little sister. You nearly knocked me over with your summons, I could hardly ignore you."
Era pursed her lips, clearly choosing to ignore Arwe's tone.
"I have spoken with Mae," she announced. Arwe nodded, having guessed this was what this impromptu meeting was about.
"And what did she tell you?"
"That you asked her about Loreth and had many questions pertaining to vampires and blood bonds and... other things."
Era's voice was flat, expression unreadable. Arwe had been an adolescent, barely a couple hundred years old, when Era was born. She'd taught her to walk, to wield her magic, had sang her to sleep during stormy nights. She could read her little sister like a book, and she could see now that her sibling was simmering with barely disguised hurt.
"Yes, I communed with Mae to seek her knowledge and advice," Arwe responded carefully. She decided to be honest and get to the heart of the issue.
"I've met someone. A vampire."
Era's eyes had lit up with a sort of triumphant gleam and she now pointed a finger at her.
"I knew it! Mae refused to confirm it, but I had my suspicions. A vampire! Arwe, are you mad!"
Arwe waved her hand and a bench appeared on the side of the hill, facing Maldes. She gestured to her sister to join her as she sat down.
Era sat somewhat stiffly, an expectant look on her face. Arwe could see the vulnerability beneath the mask.
"Sweet sister," she began warmly, taking one of her hands. "I can see you're hurt that I spoke to Mae first. I needed her guidance, but I never meant to exclude you and would have told you in due time."
Era scoffed, pulling her hand away. "I don't care about that. I am just worried about what you're getting yourself into."
"And what is that?"
Era eyes bugged out of her head and she practically sputtered.
"Arwe… you left Malinor to go gallivanting around Earth to what, plant petunias? Bake bread in your little cabin? You had a highly respectable position in the Council and you threw it all away to live like a human. And now you're romancing a… a… creature that drinks blood! That kills to live!"
"Are you finished?" Arwe's voice was dangerously soft.
Era seemed to deflate at her older sister's tone and bowed her head.
"You may not agree with my choices, but you will not speak to me with such disrespect. I am your elder and you will treat me as such."
Era shrank in on herself, though there was still a stubborn look in her eye.
"I apologize, sister. I am merely concerned for you."
"What's this? My dear sisters communing without me?" boomed a cheerful voice from behind them. Arwe closed her eyes briefly, praying to Orsa for patience.
Striding across the hill with his long dark hair blowing in the wind like a storybook prince was their younger brother. There was a roguish grin on his face.
"Sen, if we'd wanted to commune with you, you'd have been invited," Era said primly.
Sen rolled his eyes and dropped easily onto the bench between his sisters, throwing his long arms around them.
"And miss out on Arwe's scandalous vampire drama?" he grinned. Arwe groaned and rubbed her temples.
"Does everyone know? Can a Madar share anything without it spreading like a wildfire?"
"No," he replied cheerfully.
"I was just telling Arwe that starting a relationship with a vampire would be ill-advised," Era said with a sniff.
"Oh, is that what you were doing? It seemed more like you were taking the opportunity to shame me for living like a human in my little cabin."
Sen turned wide eyes to Era. She avoided his gaze, jaw clenched.
"Era, that's uncalled for. Arwe is free to live the life she wants. Even if it's on Earth." Arwe rolled her eyes at the last part.
"I'm just saying—" Era started, frustrated. "Vampires are dangerous!"
Sen nodded thoughtfully and looked at Arwe. The look in her brother's golden eyes was gentle.
"This vampire. Do you love him?" he asked. His previous mischief was replaced with an open, sweet earnestness. Affection swelled within her and she took his hand. After a moment, she took Era's, too.
"My magic reached out to him. Broke my cloaking spell, even. When we touched…" she paused, remembering the way her magic had sung.
"It was like I'd known him all my life."
She looked from her brother to her sister, her lower lip trembling. Two sets of golden eyes looked back at her in wonder.
"A magic bond," Sen marveled. His voice was awed.
Even Era seemed taken aback. She swallowed thickly and squeezed her sister's hand.
"I didn't know that, Arwe. I'm sorry for speaking so harshly."
"I forgive you, my love. I know it's because you care."
Arwe sent a playful little spark of magic through their clasped hands and the three giggled, breaking the tension of the moment.
"So when do we get to meet this undead beau of yours? What's his name again?" Sen asked with a smirk. Arwe chuckled, bumping his shoulder with her own.
"I never told you his name. It's Godric. And I am still figuring things out - Orsa, give a Madar some time to breathe!"
"When will you tell Ele?" Era asked quietly.
Arwe's playful expression melted away and she shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
"I don't need his permission, Era. I will tell him when I tell him." Arwe realized how defensive she sounded.
Era sighed heavily.
"You speak of respect for your elders. He is the High Counsellor and our eldest brother. I know you didn't part on the best of terms, but you mustn't keep him in the dark." For once, Era's tone was gentle.
"I know. Of course I will tell him."
The three sat in silence on the bench, gazing out at the city in the distance. Tiny figures walked busily up and down the winding tower staircases and they could see carts and vendors setting up in the square for the weekly market. Arwe clenched her teeth, feeling a familiar mixture of longing and repulsion as she looked at her old home.
"How is he?" she asked eventually, so softly her siblings strained to hear.
Era shrugged and bit her lip - a habit she'd picked up from her sister long ago.
"He's busy," she said. "And… sad. He misses you."
Arwe felt her stomach drop and squeezed her eyes shut.
Sen bumped her with his shoulder.
"Don't you worry about him, sister. He's as surly as ever, but I keep him on his toes." The mischievous twinkle was back in his eye, but there was something sad in his smile.
Arwe gathered her siblings to her and wrapped them in her magic, sending them her love through their connection. She felt Era and Sen's energies coil around hers warmly, two beloved little balls of light. She remembered when those lights first burst into existence, shining from their tiny newborn bodies. Her eyes burned.
"Don't worry about me either, my loves. Everything will be ok."
And with that, she opened her eyes and saw again her living room. Her cheeks were wet with tears.
... ... ...
It was late by the time Arwe had finished communing with her siblings. She took the quickest of showers, Blinking directly into her bathtub. Before the water stream had even fully shut off, she'd already Blinked into her closet, not bothering with a towel. She stood, dripping wet, considering what to wear.
She'd decided on a more inconspicuous outfit for the night, considering she'd be hiking through the woods and could potentially be seen by wayward humans. Blinking only worked well when you knew exactly where you wanted to end up, otherwise a Madar might risk ending up halfway in a tree - inconvenient, painful and embarrassing.
Pulling on dark jeans and an oversized knitted sweater, she ran her fingers through her hair, drying it magically. As epically wondrous as magical feats could be, she was thankful for the banal but useful spells she'd learned as a girl.
Godric had left a note on her kitchen table with coordinates and a long key code.
My dearest Arwe,
Please use this code to enter my home, you'll find a keypad hidden behind the third brick from the top on the left side of the main door.
Know I am dreaming of you today, my love.
Yours,
Godric
Arwe had clutched the note to her chest, smiling so widely her face hurt. She felt young.
She slipped on her boots and headed out into the woods as the setting sun painted the sky a dusky pink. She didn't follow a beaten path and instead walked through the trees, unknowingly following the same path Godric had a week ago.
She thought of her earlier meeting with Era and Sen and the ghosts of the unspoken past that had whispered through their conversation. There were wounds in her family that ran deep, layers of painful history that they gingerly tiptoed around. It weighed on her chest like lead.
She sighed and walked on.
By the time she arrived, night had fallen and the woods were bathed in shadow.
Godric's cabin was extremely well hidden even without the help of magic, blending seamlessly into its environment.
It was sunken into the ground, surrounded by strategically placed vegetation. The roof was blanketed with moss and if she hadn't been looking for it, she would have missed it entirely.
"Brilliant," she said to herself, impressed.
As she descended the steps to the front door, it swung open before her. Godric stood in the doorway, so still he could've been made of stone. Her heart thudded in her chest and she wondered if he could hear it, even from the distance.
She came to a stop in front of him, raking her eyes over his form. He was wearing a light, loose outfit like the day before, but in a midnight blue that complemented his pale skin.
"I'm sorry I'm late," she said, feeling breathless.
Godric was regarding her intensely, looking her over with care. He seemed tense.
"I thought something had happened," he said quietly. She took a step towards him, reaching for his hand. He grasped hers and entwined their fingers. Her magic hummed.
"I'm sorry." She reached out her other hand and placed it gently on his cheek. He nuzzled into it, inhaling.
"I had an unexpected family reunion," she said.
Godric raised an eyebrow. Arwe suddenly felt self conscious.
"My siblings can be rather… nosy. I couldn't ignore their prodding."
"Do they know you're sneaking around the woods at night with a vampire?" His tone was light, but she couldn't quite read the look in his eyes.
"You know I spoke with Mae. I'd asked her for discretion but… let's just say my sister can be as effective at extracting information as a torturer, all with the power of her personality," she said drily. She glanced at Godric, unsure about his feelings on the situation.
"It's only my cousin, sister and youngest brother that know. It's truly impossible to keep anything from them, but they are trustworthy," she reassured. She realized with a flicker of shame that her family was a topic she'd been somewhat willfully avoiding with Godric. She sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"I'd like to know more about your family," he said softly, surprising her. She smiled at him and kissed his knuckles.
"I will tell you everything. But for now, do you have tea?"
He chuckled and stepped aside to allow her access into the cabin.
Stepping inside, she was welcomed by the intoxicating smell of her lover. She was pleasantly surprised to see that the space was modern, with touches of traditional craftsmanship in the wooden doorway arches and furnished with minimal, clean Scandinavian design. There were no windows and the only light source was from the massive stone fireplace in front of which sat a low, half circular sofa.
Godric was still standing by the entrance, watching her take in his space. She realized she might be the first person to ever see it, barring Eric, possibly.
"It suits you. Elegant, comfortable and very, very private."
He chuckled and reached for her hand, and together they walked to the kitchen. She was vaguely surprised he even had one, though she supposed he had to store his blood somewhere.
His kitchen was small, clean and rather basic, with a large fridge and a sink. There was an electric camping double burner on the counter and a brand new looking teapot. She raised an eyebrow at him and pointed at it.
He grinned. "I got it for you."
Arwe was touched. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek as he busied himself with filling the teapot. She noticed he took out two mugs and smiled to herself, pleased.
"You said you met with your siblings. Did you travel to Malinor?" he asked as he set the teapot onto the burner. He leaned back against the counter with crossed arms and hooked one ankle over the other - his posture made him look almost human.
Arwe looked around herself and didn't see anywhere to sit, so she hopped onto the counter.
"In a sense," she said. "You remember that Orsa's light connects all Madar? It allows us to visit each other through psychic projections. We call it communing."
Godric looked thoughtful.
"So you can mentally speak to each other?"
"It's more than that. I can appear fully as myself in a psychic environment, experience touch, smell, all other sensations."
His eyebrow twitched and there was a wicked gleam in his eye.
"Does that mean you can make love?"
Arwe sputtered, heat rising to her cheeks.
"Well… yes, I suppose one could." She knew for a fact one could. She blushed harder.
Godric laughed loudly and cupped her hot face in his hands, stepping between her legs. His skin was cool.
"My bashful little banshee," he said with affection. Arwe rolled her eyes, but didn't pull away. She placed her hands on top of his.
"You seem to bring that out in me. I thought living with two brothers for thousands of years would have cured me of all shame," she said drily. "Can you communicate through your blood bond with Eric?"
"Yes. It's not as complex as your… communing, you called it? But we can sense each other's emotions, send images or push feelings at each other." He paused, eyes turning bitter. "The bond can also be blocked. I admit I have been closing my end of the bond with Eric more frequently than ever in the last few decades. I know it has pained him immeasurably."
Godric's hands had dropped from her face and now lay limply in her lap. She took them and sent a warm rush of energy through his fingers. He exhaled heavily and leaned his forehead against hers.
"When you run away, you leave all the good behind with the bad," she said softly. He glanced up into her eyes and she saw the pain in them, the weight of his long life and many regrets.
"I did run away," he spat. "Godric the Great, head of his ancient bloodline… ran like a coward."
Arwe flinched. His words touched on a nerve and his bitter words rang with familiarity. She regularly accused her reflection of something similar.
"Godric," she said firmly. She gripped his chin in her hand and waited for him to look up at her.
"We all make mistakes. We run, we hide. Sometimes it's because everything is too much to bear, or because it feels like the world would be better off without us. But sometimes what we really need is a break."
The kettle started singing. She flicked her fingers impatiently and it was pushed off the burner, the high-pitched whistle immediately winding down. Godric still seemed listless in her arms, and she lowered her head to chase his gaze.
"Sounds to me like you needed one. Eric is not gone, and he has not stopped loving you, nor you him. Now you can start mending what was hurt between you. It is time to live again. I will help you, and be by your side. Always."
Godric had straightened as she spoke. His eyes were stormy, intense. Without a word he leaned in and kissed her deeply.
Arwe kissed him back with passion, twining her arms around his neck. She poured all her feeling into him, running her hands over his shoulder blades and the back of his neck. His hands reached up to cradle the sides of her head, fingers burying in her hair.
"You are a wonder," he whispered against her lips, dragging his mouth down to her throat.
Arwe sighed, throwing her head back to give him more access. Her legs wrapped around his tight waist and pulled him closer, wanting to feel his hardness against her aching core. She felt a growl vibrate through his chest as he ground against her.
His hands had snaked under her sweater to cup her breasts and his adept fingers rolled her nipples until she moaned. She nipped his earlobe and kissed down his neck, wanting to feel his skin under her mouth.
Godric blurred with motion and she suddenly found her boots pulled off her feet, his fingers at the zipper of her jeans.
"I want to worship you," he said, his voice husky. He was watching her with eyes glazed with lust, his fangs gleaming wetly. She nodded wordlessly, unable to speak.
Faster than she could process, he'd pulled her jeans and panties off and then leaned down to kiss the inside of her knee, placing her other leg over his shoulder.
Seeing him below her and between her legs nearly made her come right then and there. She'd made a noise somewhere between an exhale and a moan, and he breathed a laugh against her thigh and pulled her closer to the edge of the counter. He breathed in the scent of her cunt and if she hadn't been nearly crazed with lust, she'd have blushed.
"You smell delicious, like nothing on Earth…" he murmured before closing the infinitesimal distance between his mouth and her core. At the feel of his tongue on her clit, she moaned and braced herself against the wall with one hand, the other reaching down to tangle in his hair. The mugs Godric had left on the counter were vibrating from her lust-charged magic, and as he inserted a finger inside of her, one of them cracked right down the middle.
He licked and sucked at her, finding a rhythm that she liked with his tongue and fingers until she could feel that delicious tension start to coil within her.
"Orsa," she gasped, eyes closed and head thrown back in abandon. She looked down and saw he was looking up at her as he ate her out, and seeing his smoldering green eyes and lips wet with her arousal made her come so hard she saw stars. The mugs exploded in a cloud of dust and shards of porcelain.
As she trembled with the aftershocks of her orgasm, Godric stood and held her to his chest. She rested her forehead against his sternum and panted. She looked up at him and laughed breathily, lightly tracing her hands over the tent in his slacks.
"You're still fully clothed," she marveled, and he smirked at her before lifting her in his arms and carrying her back into the living room.
"Not for long," he promised.
He laid her down on the plush fur rug in front of his fireplace and sat back on his ankles, unbuttoning his shirt. Arwe pulled her sweater and bra over her head and leaned back on her elbows to watch him, loving the way the firelight at times both accentuated and softened his angles.
"Godric, if there is anything precious and breakable here, you should put it away," she said suddenly, not wanting to unintentionally explode a keepsake or heirloom with her runaway magic.
"You are the most precious thing here," he responded, shrugging his shirt off and slipping off his slacks. She hungrily took in his body, realizing the first time they'd made love, she'd been too lost in sensation to fully appreciate him.
Though he was slight, he was broad shouldered with a tight, narrow waist and subtly defined muscles indicative of an active lifestyle during his human life. His tattoo collar stood out in stark relief against his pale skin and it accentuated his lovely clavicles. Wavy runic bands encircled his bicep, and she wanted to explore every line with her tongue.
In one languid move that was almost feline, Godric pounced on her and nudged her legs apart to rest between them. He lightly grasped her throat, his finger stroking her jaw. She leaned down and pulled his thumb into her mouth, swirling her tongue around it, never breaking eye contact. His eyes darkened and he growled lowly, pulling his thumb out of her mouth and slanting his mouth hungrily over hers.
Never breaking the kiss, Arwe rolled them over so she was straddling him and felt deliriously aroused knowing what was to come. Sitting up, she gazed down at him and slowly sank onto his cock. The feeling of him filling her made them both moan, and for a moment they simply existed in this state of connection before Arwe started to roll her hips.
"My banshee, you feel delicious," he was murmuring, hands on her hips as she rode him.
She rested her hands against his pecs and adjusted her angle, sending him a pulse of magic through her cunt. He cried out and looked at her with wide eyes, mouth agape. They'd paused.
"Was that ok?" she asked, concerned. He nodded and grinned, squeezing her hips with his hands.
"Can you do it again?"
She laughed breathlessly and started her rhythm anew, this time focusing her magic through her sex. She saw Godric's eyes roll back into his head and he started thrusting into her harder and faster, making her keen in pleasure. She felt herself start to fall over the edge and she pushed a final spark of magic into his cock. Godric bellowed and arched his back, biting into his wrist. She followed him right after and came so hard she lost herself in the stars behind her eyes.
When she floated back down into herself, she was laying limply on Godric's chest, breathing hard.
Rolling off him, she curled onto her side to face him and pillowed her head with an arm. He lay on his back, a dazed look on his face. He turned his head towards her and there was something almost goofy in his smile.
"You never mentioned banshee sex magic," he grinned. Arwe giggled, feeling both girlish and powerful for putting such a blissed out look on her lover's face.
"I thought a demonstration would be best," she quipped.
Godric curled an arm around her and she snuggled into him, resting her cheek on his chest. For a long time, they simply rested in each others arms, wrapped in a quiet peace as the fire crackled behind them.
"We need to go to Shreveport, my love," she said quietly, eyes still closed.
When Godric didn't respond, she looked up at his face. He was looking at the ceiling with a distant look on his eyes, lips set in a strained almost-grimace. He sighed and glanced down at her.
"Yes. I need to go back and fix things. It's been too long away from my child."
"What happened?" she asked gently.
Godric again didn't reply right away and instead gently extracted himself from her arms. He leaned against the couch, sitting on the floor facing her. She propped her head in her hand and looked at him patiently.
"It's as long a history as it is complicated," he started, voice heavy. "I never enjoyed living in the New World, though Eric and I were undeniably excited by the new possibilities when we first arrived. It was too new, too disorderly - none of the Old World's vampire power structures had yet made claims, and it was a frenzied free-for-all. Eventually things started to settle, largely thanks to The Authority." His voice had gone hard.
Arwe had sat up while he talked and wrapped herself in a blanket from the couch. She must've looked comical with her hair in wild disarray and cocooned in the giant blanket because Godric's dark expression flickered with amused fondness for the briefest of moments.
"What is The Authority?" she asked.
"A mistake," he snarled. "A collection of high-handed and inconceivably arrogant, power hungry vampires that use order and law as a means to exact their own agendas. One of my greatest regrets is that I contributed to its creation in a misguided notion of bringing stability to the vampire world."
His rage and bitterness fed the dark aura of power around him. It made her break out in goosebumps and the hair raise on the back of her neck.
Carefully, gently, as if soothing a dangerous animal, she reached out with her magic and wrapped him in its warm embrace. His dark energy subsided and eventually she felt it relax.
"So you argued with this… Authority? Is this why you left?" she asked.
"That's an oversimplification. It wasn't a single argument. It was centuries of conspiracies, power plays, betrayals… it started to eat at me - the pointlessness of it all, the viciousness, the lack of perspective. I did everything I could to survive and protect my family. But what finally sent me over the edge was the Authority's plan of bringing forth the Great Revelation."
Arwe's brow furrowed, thinking the term had a strangely familiar ring to it. Not being able to place it, she let the feeling float away from her, forgotten.
"I have a feeling it'll shock me, whatever this Great Revelation is," she said nervously. Godric was scowling again, though his aura remained steady.
"It shocked me when they first proposed it. The audacity of it was astounding. The Great Revelation proposed to introduce vampires to 'mainstream' society, essentially come out of secrecy and live openly amongst humans."
Arwe felt her stomach drop. She bowed her head and rubbed her eyes with a trembling hand.
"Arwe?" Godric asked, concerned. He was clearly surprised by the intensity of her reaction.
"Sorry," she choked out. "It's just… such an idea was also proposed by a Madar, long ago."
He seemed taken aback and was looking at her shrewdly. Understanding dawned on his face.
"This is why your people were at war?" he asked. Arwe nodded slowly, looking away.
"The very idea of it was… unbelievable. For millennia, we Madar have lived in near total isolation and been fiercely protective of our way of life. To challenge that goes against everything we are taught from our youngest years. But… there were some, especially those that had traveled to other realms, that believed we were stagnating, even growing weak by not mingling with other species, exchanging resources and developing new technology."
"What did you think?" His tone was neutral, but she could see intense interest in his eyes.
"I thought it was too complicated a topic to simply agree or disagree," she said somewhat hotly, ancient arguments coming too easily to her lips. "I thought it was imperative that we always honor and protect our spiritual practices, that we be sensible in how we approached other worlds and other beings. But I also saw my people's real frustration - Madar who were forbidden from bringing their Earthling loved ones to Malinor, forced to live in the shadows outside our realm because of our secrecy laws, brilliant Madar innovation destroyed and forgotten in the name of protecting tradition…"
Godric was watching her, listening intently. He nodded slightly.
"I can understand your perspective. I'd like to learn more about your history."
"Perhaps our histories are not so different?" she wondered.
"I can already guess at some parallels, but we differ in a fundamental way - vampires kill and eat humans. Even if the synthetic blood research The Authority is bankrolling is successful, vampires will always prey on humans, regardless of the propaganda they'll churn out. It would be utter chaos to live openly among them, and I believe it will eventually lead to our species' destruction."
"What about the fact you share a world with humans? It cannot be easy to always hide in shadow."
"For some vampires it would surely be a great relief not to hide any more. But the majority - and I mean most - are in shadow because, Arwe, we are predators. Humans are prey, a food source - everything in our nature is designed to hunt and to kill. We are frightening," he said with passion. "And humans kill what frightens them."
"So it's about protecting vampires, or humans?"
"Both! Perhaps such an idea would have worked if humans didn't currently have nuclear warheads and limitless resources channelled into high-tech weaponry. And though I no longer kill to eat, most vampires do not possess such restraint."
"Is there anything you can do to stop it?" she asked. Godric ran a hand over his face and signed.
"No. It's an idea, no longer a singular person or group. Those are harder to kill. It has already been set into motion."
Arwe reached over and grabbed his hand, giving him a hard look.
"Then accept it. All you can do now is navigate it as best you can. If you are right about the dangers of the Great Revelation, then you need to protect your family. We need to protect them."
Godric cupped her face tenderly and kissed her forehead. He swiped a tear that had slipped down her cheek and furrowed his brow in concern.
"I failed to protect my family, Godric," she whispered brokenly. "I will not fail again. You are my family now, and so is Eric."
"My love," he murmured and gathered her in his arms, wrapping the blanket around them both. She was shaking with emotion and her magic had started to crackle in the air around them.
"I love you," she gasped, holding him fiercely. "The minute my magic touched yours, I knew you were mine."
"And you are mine," he growled into her neck, kissing her skin. His fangs were grazing her pulse point and she felt the crazy urge to push into them, to have him take her blood and bond with her forever.
She shifted in his lap and sank down onto him again, needing to feel him inside her.
He moaned into her mouth and her magic roared to life, blowing the blanket off of them and twisting it wildly in the air. He suddenly lifted them onto the couch with vamp speed and nestled on top of her, thrusting into her with abandon and hoarsely whispering words of devotion against her throat. Arwe came hard with tears slipping into her hair, followed closely by her lover.
He gathered her in his arms and rocked her, kissing her hair.
"My fierce lioness. Everything will be well. I love you. Sleep now, I'll be here when you wake."
With these sweet whispered words and his soothing scent all around her, Arwe drifted into sleep.
