Aris Rising: The Court of Vampires: AN INFINITY DIARIES NOVEL (28 page)

As he caressed her, she pressed her round smooth bottom into his hard member and he groaned. Reaching for his hand, she slid his fingers from inside her. Turning slowly toward him, feeling every cell of his skin against hers, she wrapped her legs around his back drawing him toward her. His eyes were closed, his head thrown back and his perfect mouth tight as he fought his need.

“No, Sarah. No, my love.” Her lips sought his to silence his denial. They disappeared into the kiss, their lips caressing, their tongues tasting. The fragrance of their desire was honey and musk as it wrapped around them. In her dream, he was unable to deny her any longer. He reached his loving hands to lift her to him. She opened her legs as a blossom opens in the sun. He was her solar disk, the center of her existence. Slowly, lovingly, he entered her. Her eyes closed to heighten her physical experience. Her back arched as she strove to devour him, to feast on the powerful maleness of him.

Strong fingers gripped her shoulders as he buried himself again and again in the hot, welcoming darkness inside her body. She groaned with pleasure as her dream Aris made wonderful love to her. Stronger and stronger were his thrusts until they no longer gave her pleasure. She cried out for him to stop, but he was lost in passion. His hands on her shoulders bruised her flesh. His weight on top of her crushed the air from her lungs. Still he consumed her.

She couldn’t draw her breath from the great weight of him and just as the room began to spin, he threw his head back and roared as he found his release. He collapsed on top of her panting into her throat. When he raised his head to look at her, it was not Aris
that had taken her so forcefully in her dream. It was the face of the gypsy, Diego, staring back at her. She began to cry softly as he rose and left her to her solitary bed.

When she woke in the morning, her pillow was still wet with her tears. She watched the dust mites in the sunlight streaming in through her window and longed for her Immortal.

T
he sound of chamber music filled the audience hall. Lighting was soft as was the conversation light. Akira was in attendance, however, her mate, Khansu, was not. He was withdrawing more and more from the governing of the Catacombs coven and spending a great deal of his time in seclusion.

The Council and the commanders were in attendance as were several of the higher courtiers. Aris was speaking with Bartholomew about Spain when he noticed a young woman enter the chamber. What drew his attention wasn’t her lovely face and figure, but the rather enormous white wolf that walked by her side.

“Bartholomew, who is the woman with the wolf? I have never seen a pet below ground.”

“Ah yes, Jane Howard. Her’s is an unusual story.”

“Please tell.” Aris stepped closer, not wanting to miss a word.

“She was brought into the Catacombs by the wolf you see at her side. She was mortally injured and half dead with fear. We never found how Hawke was able to bring her to us, how he knew of the Catacombs, and how he was able to enter.”

“Hawke?” Aris asked, mesmerized by the story being told by the Head Council.

“Hawke is the name she calls the wolf.”

They both turned to watch as the female bowed before Akira then walked away to sit quietly in the dark shadows beneath an archway. The wolf stood vigilantly at her side.

“She is from the time of Elizabeth I. She had been a maid-in-waiting to her Queen. As you can see, she is very fair and attracted the attention of Essex, the Queen’s young lover.”

Watching her, Aris could see Jane Howard had the same coloring as Sarah, blond hair and light eyes. She was smaller than his love, but just as comely.

Bartholomew continued, “Essex was a rogue among the ladies of the court, yet the Queen was so totally besotted with him she turned her eyes away, seeing nothing. Jane remembers little of what happened to her just before she was brought to the Catacombs, but she does remember Essex was involved. She remembers him finding her away from the rest of the riders of the royal hunt. She remembers him approaching her. There, her memories end.

“She was torn and bleeding when brought to us and there was no time for deliberation. We would either change her or let her die. The Council voted immediately to save her and she was changed.

“She is kind and gentle and well loved by all, but she keeps to herself, rarely appearing in court. Her only companion, the wolf.”

Aris continued to stare at Jane Howard. “What an unusual story. Is she grateful for her immortality?”

“She says she is grateful, but there is a deep sorrow within her that keeps her separate from the rest of us. One can see it in her eyes. She seems to find solace only in the company of the white animal.”

“An unusual story to be sure.”

Their attention was called as a fanfare played. Akira stood to speak. As all those in the room rose, Aris looked over his shoulder. The young woman and the white wolf were nowhere to be seen.

T
he deli was relatively empty for a Tuesday morning. Sarah, Gabriela and Colleen sat at Sarah’s usual booth eating a quick bon voyage breakfast.

“Well, it looks like you are going to London after all.” Colleen spoke to Gabriela through a mouth-full of pancakes and syrup.

“Yes, I am. It will only be for a short while, but I will be able to see some of my friends, whom I haven’t seen for some time.”

Sarah knew her vampire friend was thinking of her mate. While Gaby seldom mentioned it, Sarah was aware she missed him very much. “It won’t be long now.” She sipped her last drop of coffee then placed her credit card on the table, signaling the waitress they were ready to leave.

#

Colleen dropped the roommates off at the airport. She smiled as they turned to wave, one tall and dark, her exotic beauty mesmerizing, and the other small and blond, beaming like a light-bulb. They waved back as they disappeared into the building.

“I’m really glad you’re going with me. I know you’ve missed Richard.” Sarah reached into her purse to withdraw her passport.

“Time is different for us but yes, I do miss him. I look forward to
being with him again.”

The two friends went through security quickly, making their way toward the first class lounge. They settled in to people watch, chatting amiably as they waited to board.

Sarah lowered her voice when she spoke. “I heard part of your conversation with Richard this morning. I’ve waited until we had some time to talk to ask you about it. It sounded like he had more information about the Spanish coven.”

“Yes, he and Sebastian have been gathering all that they can about the way they live and what they do to prepare for the confrontation with us. Our spies have recently had much better luck infiltrating their higher ranks. We now know a great deal more about Mariska and De Flores.”

Sarah settled into a comfortable armchair as they leaned closer to one another. Gabriela spoke softly. “As we already knew, De Flores showed up in Spain sometime in the sixteenth century. We have not been able to find the exact time however, it appears it was during the time of Henry VIII or Elizabeth I. He was searching for something or someone. Again, it has been kept a well-hidden secret what the treasure might have been. He was attacked by the same coven that changed Richard and me and lived in obscurity within their ranks for centuries. The Master Keeper of Records has very little information about the Spanish coven, so we know nothing of him before he became king. It is just recently that he has found notoriety among them. Mariska also came to Spain in that same timeframe. She, too, was searching. There is a legend of a wild woman living in the forest who was written about by some of the monks who lived there. We feel it might have been her. She was changed by the same evil vampires that attacked De Flores. It seems that even though they were brought to the coven within a short time of one another, they went for centuries without any acknowledgement of each other. It is just recently that De
Flores has shown interest in her. The two of them together are formidable. They were recluses, unaccustomed to interacting with even those of their own kind. In their chosen isolation, they built a mystique around themselves. Our Council feels it is because of their seclusion, their great beauty and their powerful intellect that it has been quite easy for them to step to the front of the coven and declare themselves rulers.”

“Does Sebastian have any idea why, after all this time, they suddenly have decided to attack the Catacombs?”

“It appears that it is De Flores who has made the decision. He gives no reason to his coven. They simply follow him without thought or question. We have not been able to ascertain his purpose other than to take over our kingdom. The feeding ground of London is much more verdant than that of the Spanish countryside. It seems to be the purpose, yet we are not sure. Remember, De Flores is aware of the Infinity Diaries. Within his hand, they become a weapon of mass destruction.”

“Gabriela, I know the Diaries contain the evolution of every soul that has ever been. I don’t understand that at all. How can past, present and future be written before it happens?”

“Sarah, this is something only the Master Keeper of Records is able to discern. Only those who work on the Diaries are exposed to any of their secrets and only in small bits. No one except the Master knows all.”

“Does the work relate only to mortal lore?”

“No, Sarah, it is all souls in all dimensions.”

“I don’t understand what that means.” Sarah shook her head as if to clear her mind. “It’s just more than my brain can absorb.”

“It is more than any human can ever comprehend, even more than the superior mind of the Immortal is able to perceive. Only the Master is able to penetrate the secrets. We of the Catacombs live outside of your time and space. We see through dimensional
space. We access the infinite with our Immortal minds, yet only the Master is able to fully interpret the Diaries.”

“This Master must be a pretty important guy.”

“Yes. And he is Master for all eternity.”

“How was he chosen? How did the Diaries begin?”

“A long story best left for a future time.”

It was obvious Gaby wasn’t going to discuss the inception of the Diaries so Sarah moved on with her questions. “I remember Richard said the writings weren’t finished.”

“That is true. As long as there is human time, the Diaries will continue to grow.”

Sarah was about to ask another question when a female voice over the loud speaker announced their boarding sequence.

“Come Sarah, let us take our seats. You will find the more you learn about eternity, the more you realize the world you humans inhabit is but a shadow of true reality.” She stood placing her hand under her friend’s elbow and guiding her toward the red carpet of the first class travelers. After all, when you have the secrets of the ages within you, why fly economy?

S
arah stared out the window of her hotel on Threadneedle Street. The evening sky was dark and foreboding as she looked down on the rain spattered pavement below her third story suite. Huge water drops hit the glass and ran in streams down the smooth surface. The topsides of several umbrellas open against the rain resembled a caterpillar inching along under the soft light of the yellow street lamps.

When Gabriela mentioned Richard had booked a reservation at an historical hotel in London, Sarah never imagined anything as opulent as the rooms she occupied.

The enormous sitting room was decorated in soft shades of sage green and white. Carved crown molding a foot thick encircled the twelve foot ceiling. Tall windows lined one wall. Sage green velvet drapes pooled in soft ripples of cloth on the thick oriental carpet. White velvet wing-backed chairs sat facing the fireplace and the fragrance from a huge bouquet of lilies sitting on the table between them filled the room.

“I’m so sorry it’s raining on your first evening in London,” Gabriela spoke as she entered the door. She noticed the dark circles under Sarah’s eyes. Silently, she wondered, “
Is it jet lag or is she
worried about the outcome of Aris’ trial?”

“
Why don’t you rest for a while?” The Immortal turned Sarah to face her sleeping quarters and guided her through the open door. Exhaustion enveloped Sarah as soon as she stepped across the threshold and saw the queen-sized bed drowning in a sea of white down. Stripping off her wrinkled traveling clothes, Sarah slid her tired body beneath the cool soft sheets. She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

Gaby closed the door without making a sound, then returned to the window, standing silently watching the movement of the traffic in the street below.

#

Rain was still falling through the dim dawning light as Sarah’s eyes fluttered open. She felt disoriented as she gazed at the unfamiliar surroundings. Her thoughts, rising from her jet-lagged brain, seemed to surface at half speed. Slowly she recalled the flight into Heathrow, the taxi ride to their hotel. She remembered gazing from her sitting room window at the wet streets and black umbrellas shiny with rain-drops, the sweet scent of the sheets and the feeling of the soft bedclothes against her bare skin as she fell asleep. She yawned, stretching her arms over head.

“How long did I sleep?”
she wondered. Sliding from beneath the covers, she dressed in the fleecy white robe draped across the foot of her bed. When she opened the bedroom door, she was surprised to see Gabriela still in her traveling clothes standing in front of the window, still gazing at the street below.