Page 24 of The Prophecy
Chapter Ten
Raven could see the truth of his words in his eyes, and a wave of longing washed over her. Could it happen? Could there be a life for her beyond this evil place? She wanted that life so much it was a pain piercing her chest. “I want that too,” she said.
He released his breath then and smiled. “But that’s for the future. For now, I want to make love to you, this time for us. Not to stop Sorien, or to prevent a prophecy, but because we want to.” He paused as if unsure whether to go on. “And I want you to feed from me again.”
Raven’s body quickened at his words. Her gums tingled as her fangs sharpened in anticipation. She stared at him hungrily, and he smiled, then slowly leaned back to rest his head against the chair, tempting her with the long line of his throat. She wriggled round so she was kneeling, straddling his lean hips, then leaned forward, inhaling the warm, animal musk of his body and the sweet scent of blood so close to the surface. A pulse thundered beneath his skin and she tasted it with the tip of her tongue. One huge fist came up to wrap in her long hair, tugging her against him. She paused for a brief moment, then sank her fangs deep into his flesh. The blood spurted hot against her tongue, and she swallowed convulsively.
Kael’s hands slid down to cup her backside. He lifted her, spreading her flesh with gentle fingers, impaling her upon the hard length of him while she suckled at his neck. Unlike the first time, this was slow, seductive, each move deliberate, an erotic drag of his flesh against her own, the feel of his strong hands guiding her, pressing her down onto him.
Finally, one appetite sated, she released his throat. She licked the wound then raised her head, staring down into his electric-blue eyes as the pleasure swelled and their climaxes shuddered through them.
“Mine,” he growled.
“And you are mine,” she murmured. She twined her fingers into his golden hair, pulled him toward her. “I think you’ve always been mine.” He frowned, and she continued. “I first saw you when I was fourteen. You came into my dreams and then my waking visions. I knew you would come for me one day. But as I got older it became harder to believe.”
“I’m here now, and we’re going to be together.”
He kissed her, and she sank into the sensation, willing to believe him at last, feeling safe for the first time since she had been captured.
They were disturbed by a faint buzz. Kael frowned then slipped from the chair, lifting her and placing her on the seat. Immediately, she felt bereft, alone, the feeling of safety draining away.
He rummaged through his clothes and came up with the cell phone, a frown flashing across his face. She watched as he listened.
“Who did this?” he growled after a moment, and a black cloud of foreboding filled her mind. Kael listened for a while longer, then dropped the phone onto the desk. He ran a hand through his hair.
“We have to get out of here,” he said.
She got to her feet looking around for her clothes. “What’s happened?”
“We’ve been betrayed. I told you not all the Council were in agreement with our actions. Darius has been imprisoned, along with those in the army loyal to me. For now, the attack has been stopped. We’re on our own.” He stroked her hair. “Don’t worry. We’ll get out of here before Sorien even knows you’re missing.”
He lowered his hand then stepped away, picking up her clothes and tossing them to her. “Get dressed. It can’t be long until nightfall.”
She pulled on her clothes, fighting the fear that tore at her insides.
She wanted to believe him, but she knew it was impossible for them to escape the castle without aid. Besides, she could hear movement in the castle below, a multitude of heavy feet, faint voices raised in panic. A feeling of dread engulfed her, smothering her dreams under a blanket of loss and regret.
“It’s too late,” she said. “They’ve found Grieffen. They know I’m gone, and they’re searching for me.”
She stared into his face; in such a short time he had come to mean everything to her. For a brief moment she’d allowed herself to hope, but she should have remembered how dangerous hope was. She knew the choices—they could die together now, or Kael could escape, and she would die later. Either way she would die. But in the end, there was no real choice. She had resigned herself to death many times, but she couldn’t bear the thought of Kael sharing that death.
“You have to leave me.”
He was silent, and she could feel the panic tightening in her guts. “You’ve done what you needed to do. I accepted my death long ago. I only hated the thought that it would bring victory to Sorien. You’ve saved me from that, and I’m not afraid to die.”
His jaw clenched. “I won’t leave you here to die alone.”
He was resolute, and she groped frantically through her mind for a way to convince him to go. But, as she stared at him, her eyesight wavered, and she experienced the strange flickering at the edges of her brain that always preceded her visions. She wanted to scream,not now,but the vision was already upon her. Her lids fluttered closed and, played out on the screen of her mind, she saw a brief glimpse of the future. And she knew then what she had to do.
Pain tore through her, but she forced herself to open her eyes and smile. A look of disbelief flickered across Kael’s features.
“What have you seen?” he asked.
“I have seen our future.”
“What?”
“I’ve seen our future. I’ve held our baby in my arms. Kael, we will survive this. If you escape, you can come back for me. They won’t kill me yet. They don’t even know of your presence. They won’t know I’m no longer a virgin. I’ll tell them Grieffen got too close, I overpowered him and stole his keys.”
