Arianna Rose: The Gathering (Part 3) (24 page)

With infinitesimal
slowness, his kisses travelled lower.  He lifted his head briefly, watching her.  She arched her back, her body begging for more, for his touch, for his hot mouth to take a rosy bud between his lips.  He watched her writhe for a moment and she glanced at him.  His eyes were glazed and desirous as he lowered them to her chest. 

“You’re beautiful,” he murmured.

Her breasts grew heavy under his gaze, her nipples beading as need coiled at her center.  He began kissing them, trailing his tongue around a stiff peak before licking and suckling them.  She moaned and shifted, parting her legs farther and pressing her pelvis to his.  She could feel his excitement and tangled her fingers in his hair as his kisses lowered more.  He placed wet kisses down past her bellybutton then stopped just long enough to unfasten her pants.  She closed her legs as he slid them over her hips and feet and watched as he tossed them to the floor.  He yanked his own pants down and stood in only his boxer-briefs. 

Desmond was an amazing sight, every inch of him solid, hard.  His broad shoulders and tight waist, his brilliant blue eyes and golden hair, every part of him was perfection.  She wanted him
as she’d never wanted another in her life. 

He lowered himself on her, his excitement rubbing pleasurably between her legs.  All that stood between them was the thin fabric of
their undergarments.  She wanted nothing more than to strip him of his last remaining article of clothing, to tear her own from her body and take him inside of her.  But he seemed determined to take his time.  His kisses returned to the peaks and valleys of her breasts, tempting and coaxing ripples of sheer pleasure from her.  She inhaled sharply, relishing in the feel of him, and in his delicious scent.  He smelled of leather and musk and another spicy note that was purely masculine, purely Desmond. 

“I want you,”
she moaned.  And with her words, he hooked his thumbs in the waistband of her underwear and tugged them down her thighs.  He pulled his down as well and stood before her, completely naked, before hovering over her.

“I want you,” she whispered again.

“I love you,” he breathed and she felt him lower his body and enter her.

His hands slid under her hips and with a thrust, he was fully inside her.  The motion was almost her undoing.  She heard herself cry out in ecstasy as shivers raced across her skin.
  She wrapped her arms around his powerful back, kneading his thick muscles as she wrapped her legs around his and lifted her hips.  Every nerve ending in her body screamed for him, aching and throbbing for release.  He gazed at her lovingly as he moved slowly, drawing out and surging back into her.  The feel of him, of being one with him, was so intense, so satiating, she wished it would never end, wished they could stay as they were forever. 

Desmond’s pace increased and Arianna closed her eyes, no longer able to control the swell of bliss that beckoned.  She arched her back and moaned as her body tightened around him
and every part of her shuddered.  Bursts of light flashed in her eyes and she was adrift on a wave of pleasure.  Desmond groaned and his face was a mask of delight before he collapsed atop her. 

“I have lived for
almost a hundred years,” Desmond said breathlessly.  “But I have never felt as alive as I do right now.”

Arianna smiled.  His words
, save for the part about living for nearly a century, echoed her thoughts exactly.

She giggled.  “Well, I can’t say I’ve lived that long, but I know what you mean.  I feel the same way.”

Desmond rolled to his side and lay next to her.  She knew they had pressing matters to discuss, but was loath to begin.  She did not want to ruin what she was feeling, the peace, the happiness, both so pure they were as brilliant as the white light she had seen when she’d teleported.  It was as if she were feeling her true life force. 

“Can we stay here forever, just hide out and forget about what we are?” Desmond asked her and she became convinced he was reading her mind.

“I wish,” she said and meant it.  “Count me in.”

“I don’t want to leave, ever.”

“Me neither,” she agreed.  “But somehow, Desmond, I think whatever it is we’re up against would find us no matter where we went.  Whether we went to the far ends of the Earth, or stayed here, it would always come knocking.  It would always find us.”

She did not know exactly what was expected of her, what the Sola was supposed to do in the face of witches and warlocks like Jess and Josh.  Prophecies foretold of her leading others.  But so far, she’d done what had felt natural to her.  She’d ended Jess and Josh’s deadly existence with Desmond’s help. 
And she knew there were more, more like Scott’s group in Hallowed Hills, those who sought to harm humanity.  Their foulness summoned her and she could practically hear her purpose, her calling, hard and demanding, a voice echoing from everywhere and nowhere simultaneously.  She would never feel continual peace as she felt it now.  Not until her mission was complete and the evil ones fell.

“You feel it, don’t you?”
Desmond asked softly.  “You feel the calling.”

How he knew that was beyond her.  “Yes, but how the hell do you know that?”

“Your energy,” he said offhandedly.

“My energy?” she asked and quirked a brow at him.

“I feel a shift in your energy,” he said simply as if she should just understand what he meant.

“Oh, yeah, right, a shift in my energy.  Sure, who doesn’t understand that?” she said with playful sarcasm.

Desmond laughed a deep, rich laugh.  “Oh Arianna, I do love you so much.”

“And I love you, too.  But what the hell do you mean when you say you feel a shift in my energy?”

He paused a moment and looked as if he were deep in thought.  “It’s hard to explain now that you’re putting me on the spot.”

“Jeez, sorry to put you out,” she elbowed him in the ribs lightly. 

He laughed again.  “All right then, here goes.  When we were together a few minutes ago, I felt like we were one.”

“That’s because we were, genius,” she sassed and he rolled his eyes at her exaggeratedly before a mischievous look flashed in his features.

“We were?” he joked.  “I hadn’t noticed.  Huh, gotta pay closer attention next time.”

“Hey!” she said and tapped his arm with feigned insult.

They both laughed.  “Can I explain now, you know,
without
you heckling me?” he asked lightheartedly.

“Okay,
fine
,” she said and pretended to pout.

He propped himself up on his elbow and kissed her lips quickly.  “Thank
you,” he winked.  “So as I was saying before I was rudely interrupted,” he began and slid her a glance.  “Before when we were intimate, I felt as if we were one, as if, I don’t know, the essence of our beings had united.  But it wasn’t an altogether new feeling.  I’ve always felt that way about you, just not as fully as before.”

He paused as if considering his words.  “I’ve always felt attuned to you, to your energy.  But recently, as your powers have grown,
that feeling has strengthened.”

Arianna was suddenly beset by a frightening thought.  What if Desmond was only attracted to her energy, to her power?  She was the Sola, a leader of
their kind.  What if, within that role, was an attractive force? She wondered. 

“See, I feel it now,” he said and his brows knitted with concern.  “What’s troubling you?”

She felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment and contemplated making up some silly reason for her upset.  But that would not help matters in the least.  Honesty was the only way her relationship with Desmond worked.  In fact, he was the only person she’d ever been able to be completely and utterly honest with. 

“Well, I was just wondering, I mean
, it would make sense if,” she fumbled.  “Oh damn, I’m scared that you only love me because I’m the Sola,” she blurted out. 

The hurt that streaked across his face made her regret saying anything.  “What?”
he asked and his shock was evident.  “Are you kidding me?  I can’t believe you just said that.”  He flopped backward and lay flat on his back.  Arianna propped herself up on her elbow and arched a brow at him.

“You didn’t answer my question,” she prodded.

“I don’t even want to dignify that with a response,” he said tightly and she couldn’t tell whether he was legitimately angry with her or whether he was just exaggerating.

“Come on, answer the question,” she shook him playfully.

“No,” he said and raised both brows as he closed his eyes.

“
No
as in you won’t answer my question or
no
as in you aren’t just attracted to my power?”

“The second one, obviously,” he answered.
  “When I fell in love with you, your powers had not even begun to manifest themselves.  Hell, in the beginning, I didn’t even think you were the Sola.  I thought my father was wrong.”

“Hmm,” Arianna said.  “
When and why exactly did you fall in love with me?”

“I don’t know when exactly.  It happened gradually, over a long period of time.  It wasn’t until we teleported to the meadow together, when you’d been at the nightclub, that I realized how deep that love ran.”

Arianna frowned and swallowed hard against the lump that had gathered in her throat.  Emotion welled there, as well as in her eyes.

“What is it?” Desmond asked concernedly.

“It’s just,” she started.  “It’s just what you said, that’s all.”

He sat up immediately and looked right into her eyes
, his expression serious.  “Oh Arianna,” he said gently and stroked her cheek with the back of his hand.  Her insides fluttered at his touch, at his warmth.  “I didn’t mean to upset you.  Forget what I said.  I love you for your body, your smoking-hot body.  That’s all.  Nothing else,” he smiled broadly and his eyes danced with merriment.

Arianna’s intense emotional moment quickly switched from tears born of heartfelt declarations of love, to tears of laughter.  She
laughed so hard, her face and stomach hurt. 

“Oh my god, Desmond,” she giggled and brushed tears with the back of her hand.  “I never knew powerful warlocks were such goofballs.”

“It’s a well-known fact,” he smiled, satisfied.

“Jeez!  Talk about hamming it up!” she said and laughed as she ruffled his hair playfully.  With his hair mussed, he looked like a model that had tumbled from the pages of a magazine.  Her smile faded as did his.  His eyes
locked on hers and held them for a long while before roaming her nude body lovingly. He shook his head slowly.

“God, you’re beautiful,” he whispered, his gaze filled with yearning.

“There you go again, after the body.  Warlocks are such perverts,” she said and expected him to laugh, but he did not.  His face was serene, peace and love radiating from every feature. 

“While I do love your body, it is your heart and soul I crave,” he said and she felt as if her heart had swelled so that her body could no longer contain it.  “I love you, Arianna Rose, forever.”

He leaned toward her and kissed her gently and her heart no longer needed to be contained by her body.  It no longer belonged to her.  It belonged to Desmond.

Chapter 16

Light poured through windows like liquid gold, adorning everything in its wake.  Desmond had spent much of the night making love to Arianna; an experience he had only ever imagined, and never dreamed would come to pass.  But it had.  And now, he lay on his side facing her.  Her olive skin was kissed by gilded rays as she breathed evenly, each breath a gift from heaven as far as he was concerned.  Lengths of raven hair shimmered in the early-morning glow.  He wanted to wake her, to look upon her eyes, a luscious shade of dark-chocolate so decadent he craved seeing them, but decided against it.  She looked too peaceful to rouse.  Instead, he slipped from the bed.  He wanted to shower and make himself presentable before making breakfast for her.  After all, it was the least he could do for her.  She had suffered for so long now.  Her belief that he had been dead had only added to that suffering.

He glanced around her bedroom in search of his underwear when broken glass caught his attention.  Tiny slivers of pale glass littered her nightstand.  He scanned the room for a wastebasket to sweep it into and found one overflowing with tissues on the other side of the bed.  The sight of it gave him a pang of profound sadness tinged with guilt.  She had cried over his presumed death.  He had caused her pain. 
Not intentionally, of course, but he had been responsible to some degree, even if for no other reason than his family tree. 

Agnon
.  His father’s name chilled him to his core.  The man whose very blood ran in his veins had ordered his death.  It seemed unconscionable.  But it was not.  It had happened.  And he had lived to bear its burden.

Arianna rolled over and what began as a small tick between her brows quickly grew to a full-blown expression of anguish masking her features.  She was having a dream, and likely a bad one.  He wanted to wake her, to protect her from whatever boogeymen haunted her sleep, but knew she needed to rest.  Many challenges awaited them, challenges that would tax her powers as never before.  So he resisted the urge to kiss both her eyelids
until they flutter awake, and reminded himself that her well-being took precedence over all else.