Page 72 of Sacrifice
Eve moaned as his arms wrapped around her, pulling her into him. She could feel the hard length of his cock pressed into the small of her back. He wanted her, too. His hand slipped beneath her dress and up over her breast, catching her nipple between his fingers.
She gasped at the pleasure of his touch, ripples of sensation washing away from it.
She turned to face him, and her lips sought his. He kissed her hard, and his tongue slipped eagerly into her mouth, thrusting and teasing. He bit at her lips, and she wrapped her hands behind his head, fingers weaving through his hair to pull him in.
He loosened her dress, and it fell to the floor, but the cold air did nothing to cool the heat that burned inside her.
“Come, my queen,” he said, “It’s time to make you mine.” He took her hand and led her to the center of the star. “May I?” heasked and made to unclasp the pendant from around her neck. “To add to the crown?”
She nodded, and he took it to the altar to slide it into place.
“The first thing I want to show you is this,” he said. He checked his watch and adjusted the mirror. A beam of winter sunshine bounced from it to catch the crystal globe hung in a golden filigree cage over the middle of the star.The Eye of Shamash.She recognized it from Lucien’s dressing room. Immediately, the light split it into a kaleidoscope of separate rays that played around the room and danced to hit the dagger hilts, where the light split once again. Every color of the spectrum focused on the center of the star where Eve stood.
The crystal globe turned slowly, and every move threw the beams of light in different directions. Each time a new beam struck her, the air chimed like a bell in her mind. It was beautiful. Magical.
Lucien returned to her side, holding the crown and placed it reverentially onto her head. The vibrations she’d been feeling transformed to make waves that rolled through her body, from the top of her head to the very tips of her fingers and toes. Heat and power. The power of the sun. It made her head spin.
Lucien stepped away to pull the cork from one of the small green bottles, then poured a measure into each of the shining golden cups. All the while, he muttered under his breath. “Solemnis ad te, deus solis, venio.”
He handed one to her, a tremor in his hands. "A toast to us," he said.
“You’re shaking,” Eve said, and Lucien turned his face away as if discovered in a pitiful weakness.
Given all they had endured, she had never doubted Lucien's strength, and now it was clearer than ever that they were more than mere modern-day lovers. She was convinced that their love was timeless, stretching back over generations. She couldn'trecall her past lives; Michaels had been correct about that. How could she? That didn't imply that it wasn’t true.
“To us,” Eve agreed and put the cup to her lips. The wine filled her mouth, sharp and metallic, not at all what she'd expected from Lucien’s usually expensive taste. It sank to her stomach, taking with it a tingle of life that buzzed through her nerves into every extremity. She thought she recognized the tang of blood but dismissed it as foolishness.
The light in the room shifted and changed. Everywhere she looked, transmuting prisms glittered off walls and exhibits, dazzling and otherworldly, and in that moment, all her fears and worries drifted away. Standing almost naked in front of Lucien was the most natural thing in the world.
Lucien stepped closer, taking her hand in his as he spoke. “We are meant to be together, Eve,” he said, his voice full of conviction. “Now is our time.”
Eve smiled and felt the dull thud of her heart as she looked into his eyes. Deep dark eyes that glimmered and swirled with golden light.
He produced the second bottle. “The Egyptians believed the anointing of the body made it a sacred object.” The corners of his lips twitched with mischief. “That it brought it closer to a sacred state.”
Eve felt the heat rise within her as Lucien sank to his knees in front of her, entwining his fingers in the side of her panties to draw them down. His tongue ran along his bottom lip and Eve ached to feel it on her.
“Is that so?” Lucien asked, his gaze rose to meet hers and without breaking eye contact he leaned forward to caress her with his open mouth, to slide his tongue over her and inside. Exquisite and hot, Lucien’s energy coursed into her to mingle with the waves from the sun. Alternately hard and probing, thencurling inside, teasing and light. He drew away and Eve moaned at the denial of his touch.
“Lucien,” she breathed, and he came to his feet.
“Lay down,” he commanded. “I want to smooth the horrors of today away.”
Without question, she dropped to lie on the floor. The kaleidoscope of light emanating from the globe played across her naked body, the golden discs slipping over her. Inexplicably, the light warmed her with an unexpected fire.
“Venus is in alignment, Eve. Your ability to channel power will never be stronger than this,” he said with a wry smile, and Eve smiled back.
He reached across her to drip the anointing oil over her naked breasts. It ran in warm ichor over her nipples, into the dip of her navel and down as if drawing a straight line to the center of her being. In the sparkling web of light, she knew this was their time, and she wanted nothing more than for them to be together.
Lucien leaned over her to press his lips to her forehead, her cheek, her neck, her collarbone. He ran his tongue down her chest and lower still, tasting her in long, slow swirls that made her arch against him.
“You're so beautiful,” he murmured and dripped the scented oil to run over her thighs. A soft, citrusy scent filled their small chapel, the air thick with the smell of oranges. It mingled with her pheromones, the scent of sex and desire, and Lucien let out a low moan.
He shed his own clothes and knelt between her legs, his oiled hands moving in long glides from navel to pussy, stroking and dipping into her.
“So wet and ready,” he said, his voice low and earnest. “I want you, Eve. My beautiful Eve. Let me take you.”
Lucien's fingers circled her clit, the pad of his thumb pressing into the spot that made her body tip and her mind spin. The hiss of his breath through his teeth told her he was waiting for her answer.
