Of the two, she had no doubt which could be trusted.
Ethan issued another string of orders, which sent most of the Guard away, leaving two behind. The remaining Guardsmen rose into the air and made slow sweeps over the roof of her house and the perimeter of her front, side, and back yards.
Ethan once more approached the screen door, but he wore a scowl that brought his straight thick eyebrows resting just above his smoky gray-brown eyes. “You’re not going to want to hear this, Samantha, but I’d like you to come to Bergisson with me. Tonight. To stay in my house.” He held up both hands. “Nothing funny, but Mastyr Ry has made his position clear and right now you won’t be safe in Shreveport. Will you come with?”
Samantha stared at him, eyes wide, unable to blink. Now she was supposed to uproot herself and move into his house?
She wondered if this night could get any crazier or if maybe she’d just imagined everything. She needed to know more about what was happening to her. “Step back.”
He obeyed.
She pushed the screen door open and moving onto the front porch, grabbed his arm, squeezing tight. A vibration ripped through her. “What is that? What am I feeling? I need to understand some things here.”
“My personal frequency. We’re a world of vibrations and frequencies.”
The vibrations ebbed and flowed, almost like a conversation. Then she realized some of the vibrations emanated from her. The whole experience felt wonderful, extraordinary and completely unnerving.
Ethan winced and groaned. “Oh, God, you smell like heaven, the sweetest fruit and wine together.”
His eyes were shut as he licked his lips.
She couldn’t be imagining this sensation, a feeling of consecutive waves passing through her, tightening her abdomen and once more causing her heart to thud and her blood to flow thickly in her veins.
“And you smell like rich earthy grasses, something that grows wild on a hillside.” Her nostrils flared as he opened his eyes. “And you’re real, aren’t you?”
“I am.” His deep baritone voice enhanced the vibrations. She released his arm, a necessary act. She was feeling too much.
She shuddered as she drew back.
Turning away from him, she let the screen door slam shut. “You want me to stay in your home in Bergisson? You, the ruler of that realm?” She thought it was akin to being offered a stay at the governor’s mansion.
But at that, Ethan smiled, showing all his big beautiful teeth. “I don’t bite, except on request.”
“Now you’re going to flirt with me?”
“Only if it takes some of the sting out of the moment. Seriously, Samantha. Ry means business.”
“I can see that he does, but this is all so new, so bizarre, too much to take in.”
“You’re right. Of course.” He frowned again, something he did a lot. “Let me put it this way. Until we get this thing sorted with Ry, you’ll be safer in Bergisson than here and since it appears you’ve just discovered tonight that you have fae blood, I can try to make contact with Merhaine and bring Vojalie to stay at my house as well. She’s a very wise woman and our most powerful fae. She’ll be able to answer every question.”
Some of the tension left her body. “I have to admit, that sounds much better.”
He leaned forward. “She’ll be able to tell you everything about who you are, even about Andrea, things I wouldn’t know or have access to. She might even be able to show you around the Fae Guildhall, one of the most revered, historical buildings and organizations in our realm.”
A Fae Guildhall.
“How long do you think I’d be staying?”
“I have no way of knowing, but at least until I can secure your safety. If that means hunting Ry down and putting him in prison, then that’s what I’ll do.”
Samantha released a long, deep breath. “Could Ry bind me by force permanently if he wanted to?”
“He could wear you down, yes.” Ethan ground his jaw. “But I sure as hell won’t let him get that close.”
Of all the men she’d ever known, she was pretty sure Ethan could make good on his words. “Let me just pack a few things.”
The tension rushed out of him like a wind that passed through the screen, the sensation was that strong. “Thank you. Take all the time you need.”
*** *** ***
One of the Guardsmen held Samantha’s suitcase as Ethan showed her how to balance herself on his right foot for the flight home. He felt her nervousness as she slid her arm around his neck, arranging her grip carefully beneath the mass of his long, thick hair.
He held her tightly against him so that she could perch both of her much smaller feet on his right boot.
“We good?” he asked, his gaze sweeping the sky overhead. He didn’t think he could bear to meet her gaze in such close proximity. As it was, his control hung by a thread.
“Yes.” She even nodded and he could feel her heart beating powerfully in her chest, working to provide what he needed.
His mouth watered. Sweet Goddess did his mouth water. Her raspberry-wine scent was thick in his nose and he could smell her blood, like an elixir from heaven.
And if that wasn’t enough, her body pressed against him had ignited his personal frequency and desire for her flowed once more. He’d never been more grateful for the leather coat and snug battle leathers that right now hid one major sin.
He forced himself to breathe. “I’m going to launch now, but I have you.” He drew her tight against him.
“Do your worst.”
He liked that she showed so much courage. She’d had to process a lifetime of change in only one night.
To his Guard, he called out, “Back to Bergisson.”
The men gave a shout as they launched into the air. He followed behind in case Ry chose to attack.
He’d already warned her that if the sight of trees coming at her freaked her out, to just turn into him and close her eyes.
To the woman’s credit, however, she faced forward, as much as she could with his arm like a vise around her.
“This is amazing.”
“You aren’t afraid?”
“Not yet, but give me time.”
He smiled.
At the checkpoint, he nodded to the Guardsmen who inclined their heads in response. He pressed on, flying swiftly through the oak forest that bordered the southern lands of his realm with the northern Shreveport regions. If he continued north, his realm would open onto an expansive valley where at least a third of his population lived in the major city of Cameron.
He shifted course, however, heading east toward the wooded hills that held his main property. On the outskirts of his land was the Guard House, a home base for his troops as well as a training facility.
He heard Samantha gasp softly as he crested yet another oak laden hill, then descended toward his modern, primary residence that housed a huge, crystal embedded, glass conservatory. Large oaks on the hill behind and throughout the grounds shaded the house.
The hour was late for a human, past one in the morning, and the woods dark. “Are you able to see everything, Samantha, even though it’s night?”
“Yes, there’s a soft glow everywhere, as though the earth is lit up, like it’s early evening, with the sun barely set. How is that possible?”
“That’s realm vision so that those of us fated to remain indoors during the day can have the company of all realm-folk without massive amounts of candles or lamps. You’ll find that at least half our people have a degree of sensitivity to sunlight.”
“Your home is beautiful. The lines and materials are modern, yet you’ve used wood in big arching curves to soften the effect. The balance is perfect.”
“You speak like an artist.”
“I am. I design jewelry.”
“Ah.” As he touched down a few yards from the front door, he released her slowly. “Check your balance.”
She stepped off his foot. How reluctant he was to remove his hand from her waist, to have
her arm slide from his neck. Breaking the physical connection almost hurt.
She turned to look up at him, blinking, her lips parted. “That was so strange. The disconnection, I mean.” She touched his chest, clearly without thinking, and his vibration rose to meet her as though greeting an old, familiar friend.
Her hand rested between his pecs. He didn’t say a word. He didn’t move. He didn’t think he could. He just wanted her touching him.
His desire for her sharpened almost painfully and again he was grateful for the coat to hide what had become very stiff and full of intention. Goddess, he was a mess.
His Guard hovered in the air at least twenty feet away. He lifted his right arm slowly, raising his palm to keep them in place. He didn’t want to break this moment with Samantha. He understood that she needed to experience his frequency right now, to take in the enormity of what a connection to a mastyr vampire would be like, to add to her understanding about the nature of what it was to be a blood rose.
He could feel how easily he could seduce her right now, to travel through his frequency to hers and to work her up sexually. It would take so little. Did she know that? Did she understand how much effort it took for him to restrain himself?
Slowly, she lifted her gaze to his. “You’re trembling,” she whispered.
He nodded, just a brief jerk of his head. “It might be best if you took your hand away now. I won’t be able to hold back much longer because I’m tempted on every level. Do you understand? The need for blood and the need for sex often come together.”
She frowned slightly as she stared at her hand, but she didn’t pull back.
He wondered why she hesitated, but if she didn’t do it soon, he swore he wouldn’t be able to answer for his conduct.
Chapter Three
Samantha knew she needed to withdraw her hand, but she didn’t want to. She felt his vibration on the tips of her fingers and she felt his call on her in every pulse of his frequency; to come to him, to lie down with him, to let him take her. His vibration had tapped into something deep inside her and she loved the way it felt, especially the intense sexual component.
But this last thought, that she wanted to climb into bed with Ethan, finally brought her to her senses.
She half-slid, half-pulled her hand away from the soft leather of his coat and the stiffer band of his cross-strap. But for a long moment, she looked into his eyes and let the experience flow through her, of who he was in his world, of his frequency, of the sheer size of him.
A breeze blew down from the surrounding hills and she shivered suddenly, which put him in motion. “Let’s get you inside. The night’s cold for half-humans.”
She chuckled at his word choice.
Half-human.
Oh, God, half-fae.
Was this truly who she was now? Who she always had been, but didn’t know herself to be?
He turned to the vampire holding her suitcase thirty feet above and held out his arms. He meant to catch it.
Samantha wanted to protest: the bag was heavy and the vampire in the air was so far away. Gravity and acceleration combined would add force to the weight of the suitcase.
But before she could say anything, the man above dropped the case, Ethan caught it easily, then slung it over his left shoulder.
Vampires were strong.
Her heart fluttered in her chest.
He called out to his men, ordering them to the Guard House and to check in with Finn. The entire vampire escort turned east and flew farther down the hill. He explained that he had a large, nearby training camp for his Guard, which also had a rec room and a bar for the warriors to let off steam.
Bergisson Realm.
Vampires in levitated flight.
Glowing night vision.
And a huge modern house that belonged to the ruler of the realm, all steel, wood, and glass.
Once inside the house, he swept his arm to the left. “The main living areas are at this end, including the kitchen, so if you need anything to eat, day or night, please help yourself. I have staff that comes in around four in the morning, when I usually return from my patrols, so don’t be surprised if you hear them, but they leave a few hours later when I head for bed.
“A cleaning crew arrives late afternoon because that’s when I’m usually emerging from my cave. I’ll let them know that I have a guest in residence so you won’t be disturbed.”
He waved his arm to the right, encompassing a short but broad staircase. “The bedrooms and a second living area are this way. You’ll have a suite to yourself, of course, with a sliding glass door to the conservatory that you can open and close at will.”
Samantha could see that the house was built to the contours of the land since another short staircase led down toward the living room and a massive stone fireplace.
At the far end of the room, a set of three stairs led upward once more, to a dining area with a huge table and large upholstered chairs. The kitchen was hidden from view by a long, brick wall.
The furniture, in subdued browns, blacks and grays, all seemed oversized, but then Ethan, as well as the Guardsmen she’d seen, were all big men.
Beyond the glass windows, she saw extensive landscaping with shrubs, lawn, flowerbeds all leading to the hillside and a short stone wall with wide, seating pavers on top. The oaks past the wall, had been left in a natural state of long grasses and shrubs left to grow wild.
With her case in hand, he gestured for her to ascend the stairs to the right.
At the first landing, rooms off to either side clearly belonged to Ethan’s job as a mastyr. One held a desk, a computer with two screens, filing cabinets, stacks of papers and folders. The room to her right looked more like a library but had a massive table in the center onto which an old map was laid out and weighed down with beautiful split-geodes, their colorful crystals winking beneath a soft overhead light.
“You have lights on.”
“By habit. My vampire vision is perfect at night, but we have several species in the Nine Realms who struggle if some lighting isn’t available.”
“Then it’s a courtesy.”
“No. A necessity. I think there’s a difference.”
‘Splitting-hairs’ came to mind.
Another short flight of stairs led to a second sitting area with another stone fireplace, smaller than the one in the living room but still impressive in size.
He tossed his arm in a quick side motion. “There are several bedroom suites here in the south wing, but I’ll want you closer to my rooms for safety.” He then gestured forward. “Beyond the living area is the suite you’ll be staying in as well as my rooms.” He guided her past a grouping of couches and chairs. “And here to the right is the conservatory. I thought you might like to see it. Most of the fae I know really enjoy this space.”
He directed her to a large arched doorway opposite the fireplace.
She stood at the entrance and gasped for the breadth and height of the room, the welcome fresh air that came from hundreds of plants and trees, and the beauty of the crystal roof that peaked at least sixty feet in the air, maybe higher.
“This is huge.”
“It is.”
Then she felt something, a kind of singing vibration from the room, which drew her a few steps inside. “What is that?”
“What is what?”
“I’m feeling another kind of vibration from this room.”
“You are?” He sounded surprised.
She turned and met his gaze. “Don’t you feel that? Hear that?”
He seemed taken aback as he narrowed his gaze and once more glanced around the massive room. “I don’t feel anything, just the air circulating.”
“It’s not your air conditioning. I’m sure of that. I’m hearing a kind of music.”
“Some fae, when they get near crystals, can hear melodies of a kind, but it’s very rare. Now that I think about it, Vojalie said she loves this room, maybe that’s why.”
“But she never mentioned a si
nging quality?”
“No, but then she’d have no reason to say anything if she experienced a fae reaction, which reminds me that I need to bring her here.”
“You look troubled.”
“I alluded to it earlier, but we’ve been having some kind of breakdown realm-to-realm in recent weeks. Sometimes it’ll clear up then close again, like someone has shut a door.”
“And that’s not normal?”
“No, not at all.”
“What do you think it is?”
He turned to her. “To say anything else right now would be irresponsible on my part. Let’s just say that I’ll do my best to get Vojalie here. I know she’ll want to meet you and talk to you and she’ll be the best person to introduce you to our world.”
Samantha nodded and turned away from the door. The sensation of leaving the conservatory, however, felt like fingers drifting off her arms slowly and reluctantly. For whatever reason, she didn’t want to leave.
When he showed her to her guest suite, she was bowled over by the sheer size of the space. He moved into the room and turned the light on for her, though he winced a little as he looked away.
She could have put two of her bedrooms in this one room and the bed itself had to be king-sized.
She released a deep sigh. For all the weirdness of the night, the one thing she felt right now, besides a sudden overwhelming fatigue, was that she felt safe. “Thank you, Ethan. You didn’t have to do any of this for me.”
He settled her bag on the upholstered bench at the foot of the bed. But he looked so surprised, with his brows high on his forehead and his lips parted, that she said, “What?”
“Of course I did. You’re my guest. But I think I know what you mean.” He sighed. “And I’m grateful you came with me, when you didn’t have to.”
“Oh, yes, I did. Ry is one sick nutcake.”
At that he laughed, showing his beautiful smile and all those big white teeth of his. He was a gorgeous man, prettier than he ought to be, and he smelled wonderful, those rich hillside grasses again.
“Well, at least we agree on that.” He held her gaze tight to his and there it was all over again, a need for him so profound it was like having the wind knocked out of her, but she held steady.