Awakening (6 page)

Auberon nodded his head.
Look at her, her face is radiant from a mere kiss. I almost pity her.

Perhaps she would enjoy the life of a
Calix
, even if she did not request it. There were definite advantages to being an
Apocritum
instrument: increased strength, speed, elongated lifespan, sex with any number of
Apocritae
. Being able to enjoy the thrill of biting a human without concern of changing them or destroying them. Adam sighed, knowing that the rush of human blood was sweet and much too limited, as those who were bit by an
Apocritum
were either converted or…. He shuddered at the alternative.

Of course, if
he converted her, she would lose that human sweetness as well as her friends and family but she would not even care. She would live in the
Adytum
amongst the other
Calices
, allowed out at night to feed on humans then let back in to be fed on by
Apocritae
; to be pleasured. Granted, human blood via a
Calix
was never as good as directly from the source: it was like heavily watered-down battery acid, a little bit of a kick but never as jolting as the full dose. Unfortunately it was the only way; otherwise there would be too few humans and too many
Calices
.

There was an energy to her that only added to his awareness. She would still be app
ealing enough after conversion….

Before any of them were aware of it, they arrived at the villa.
Adam pointed past Celeste, his mouth next to her ear. “Welcome to my home.”

*****

Forcing herself to look away from his throat, Celeste turned around and her jaw dropped to her lap. It was a large chateau in the midst of a lush vineyard. It had to have been built in the 1700’s, with its grand, majestic architecture reminiscent of the decadence and luxury of the Sun King, not that she knew much about architecture. She just knew she liked his house, from the arched windows to the expansive, well-manicured lawn. The pale gold stone glimmered in the sun, reminding her how little she knew of the man in whose car she now sat, in whose bed she was about to sleep.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, feeling his fingers graze along her jaw line.

“Chateaux Lumier,” he answered with a grin, resting his chin on her shoulder as his hand glided around to her stomach, pulling her closer.

“Light?” she asked, looking at him sideways as his cheek pressed against hers. She wanted to close her eyes and just rub her face against his, let her skin burn with the bristle of his unshaven jaw.

“Yes,” he said without explanation as he turned his head a little, brushing his lips against her skin. Her eyes fluttered shut at the softness of those lips and she realized the burn from smoothness was just as damning as from coarseness. “My home.”

“
It’s beautiful,” she repeated, not having the words to describe how incredible the estate was, ready to melt just as her door was opened and a hand was thrust into the car.

“Mademoiselle,” a deep voice offered, grabbing her hand before she held it out. She flew into the stranger’s arms, putting her hands up to keep from falling.

Celeste’s head tilted back, and back…. Good God, was he really as tall as Adam? How unusual to meet two men of such height, and apparent breadth; he felt as sculpted as Adam. She reached his chin when Adam’s hand wrapped around her elbow and she never bothered to finish her perusal. Her attention immediately flew to Adam as a smile spread across her lips.

Adam
glared at the man over Celeste’s head. Leading her to the door of the mansion, he took a few deep breaths and the tension eased away from his hard body. Upon entering the doorway, they were immediately greeted by the butler. “Francois, go to the cellar and bring up a bottle from the special vault.”

“Sir?” the attractive twenty-something man questioned, apparently surprised the master would
bring such a plain creature back to such a glorious estate. At least she had on her fancy black dress. The servant’s eyes were black, but somehow duller than Adam’s, flatter. They were a strange color considering the man’s pale blond hair, almost as if he were wearing contacts. Even stranger was how they brightened slightly the longer he stood in Adam’s presence.

“Celeste and I w
ould enjoy our meal in the dining room immediately.”

“Will Master Auberon be
join….” Francois’s words were abruptly cut off and he cleared his throat. “Of course not, sir. Will that be all or do I need to make arrangements?”

Cele
ste looked up, a little concerned when the butler’s eyes alit on her briefly before returning to Adam. She saw Adam’s jaw clench but his voice was warm, when he shook his head no and said, “It will not be necessary.”

“Of course,”
Francois nodded nervously. Holding out his arm, he directed the couple to the opulent dining room. Celeste had never seen anything so beautiful in real life. It was large enough to hold several massive banquet tables, though only one ornate dining table sat in the middle of the room. A glorious crystal chandelier hung directly over the lone table, and she could picture it offering its glittering light as darkness consumed the countryside. As it was, large windows allowed the late afternoon light in, flooding the interior with golden radiance.

“It’s magnificent,” she said breathlessly, barely aware of sitting down on the chair
Adam held out for her. She was, however, very aware of him taking his place by her side.  

The
light dinner was rushed and though Celeste knew that the food she ate was exquisite, she didn’t remember what it was or how it tasted. Conversation was kept to a minimum since the sexual energy crackling in the air was only heightened when words were spoken. She couldn’t keep her eyes from drinking in Adam’s devastating profile, his beautiful face. Not soon enough, dinner was over and she lowered her voice, “I’m ready for dessert, Adamanteros.”

Adam
jerkily rose to his feet without hesitation. Holding out her chair, Adam took her hand and helped her to her feet. He pulled her into his arms, molding her form to his, the softness of her curves pressing against the hard planes of his body. Bending his head, he brushed his lips over hers and she could taste the wine they shared over dinner.  His taste was far more intoxicating than any wine and she wanted to drink all of him. With one arm wrapped around her waist, he grabbed a platter of strawberries and freshly whipped cream and asked, “Shall I show you the rest of the house?”

He held her
tight, his black eyes gazing intently into her eyes as she breathed, “Please.”

“Where should we start?” he asked
casually, as if he was in no rush to take her to his bed. But she could feel the rapid rise and fall of his chest with each breath he took; the sexual energy simmered between them. She was practically vibrating with anticipation. “The ballroom?”

“You have a ballroom? Do you have balls as well?” she asked.
When he smiled and simply nodded his head, she lowered her eyes and sighed pitifully, “But I can’t dance.”

“Then I shall have to teach you,” he grinned, spinning her around once before stopping and offering another location to begin their tour. “Perhaps we can start with the library?”

“I love books,” she murmured, drowning in his obsidian eyes. “But I am in the middle of a series and I don’t want to start anything else until I know how this story ends.”

“Then perhaps the study?” he asked, his eyes twinkling as he held her tighter, pressing his erection
against her waist as he continued to blindly guide her without stumbling. As much as she would have loved the grand tour of his mansion at any other time, at that moment she couldn’t bear to have him tease her any longer.

Lowering her lashes coquettishly, she whispered, “Perhaps we could start with your bedroom?”

“Always my favorite room,” he returned, placing a gentle kiss on the corner of her lips. With their fronts pressed together, he began walking so Celeste was forced to continue walking backwards, not knowing which direction they were heading. She didn't care as his lips became more demanding. His warm hand caressed the bared skin of her back, sending pleasurable goose bumps along her spine, throughout her body. With so many new sensations, she stumbled a bit but Adam’s hold on her was steady as he pulled her even more firmly against him.

“We are not moving fast enough,” he growled, grabbing below her bottom and
hoisting her up. She yelped from being momentarily off balance, draping her arms around his neck as he rumbled, “Wrap your legs around my waist.”

Doing as he instructed, the split in the skirt caused the material to fall open and expose her slender
legs. With their bodies so intimately pressed against each other, she could feel the length and heat of his erection against the very center of her being. She had never felt so incredibly delicious and sinful and surprisingly bereft, wanting more. The heat pooling in her belly insisted immediate action be taken but she wasn’t sure what to do. She adjusted her hips and her breath caught in her throat at the unexpected jolt of bliss that coursed through her body as his cock nudged her intimately.

Adam
hissed in pleasure as she gently rocked against him. His tongue darted out, softly moving over her skin. Licking the seam of her soft lips, he demanded entrance and she offered it with a gasp. Feeling his tongue against hers, tasting his dark maleness, she felt the tremors of her body beginning to pull apart at the seams. He smiled against her mouth at her near orgasm and deepened the kiss.

Needing to alleviate the
pleasurably intense suffering, Celeste increased the pressure of her hips rocking against him, rubbing herself against his arousal. Both of his arms wrapped around her and the platter of strawberries and cream crashed to the floor. Neither of them paid it the least bit of attention as Adam pulled her even closer, until her body tightened and she was almost there.

“
Damn, I need to be in you now,” Adam growled. “Hold on tight.”

T
he wind was sucked from her body and blown back in within the same instant. Glancing up at him with a shy smile on her reddened lips, her skirt barely covering her legs, she breathed, “What a rush!”

With a quick glance, she realized that they were no longer in the dining room. Instead, they stood in the middle of a masculine and deeply opulent bedroom. A large, four-poster bed was the centerpiece of the room, draped in yards of lush, midnight purple
and blood red fabric. Before she could ask how they had gotten there so quickly, he tossed her onto the bed and her brain emptied of everything but desire. 

Standing at the foot of
the bed, unbuttoning his shirt, he slowly exposed the brawny, tantalizing flesh of his chest and broad shoulders. He watched her and her eyes widened in delight as his shirt fell open completely, revealing sculpted abs that should only exist in erotic fantasy. Not a single hair marred the perfect golden skin covering his chiseled muscles and she anticipated the moment she could run her fingers over the expanse of flesh.

He
rumbled, “I want you.”

“Then have me,” she whispered, unable to speak any louder as he
slowly climbed onto the bed and crawled over her body until he covered her, heating her. He framed her head with his forearms, holding his body off her so as not to crush her.  

Tentatively, she reached up and placed her hand on the
warm skin over his heart, keeping her eyes on the contrast of pale fingers over golden skin. She could feel his heart pounding rapidly in his chest, matching the pulse along her wrist. Slowly, she raised her eyes until they met his and her breath hitched in her throat; no one had ever looked at her with such raptness before; such naked passion. It was enthralling.

“I need to be in you,” he rasped
again, desire making his voice velvet rough as he bent his head over her. His breath swirled against her skin, moving over her flesh and making her desperate for his embrace.

“Yes,” she whispered, her eyes closing as his mouth moved over her cheek, her jaw. His essence filled her nostrils: clean, powerful, male;
Adamanteros. “God, you smell good.”

He smiled against her cheek about to speak when her hands dragged across his naked ribs
and he sucked in a sharp breath. “You do not know the things that you do to me, Celeste; they are terrifyingly, wonderful things.”

Hearing her name on his lips, in that
wickedly seductive voice of his, nearly drove her to the edge. “Show me.”

He ran his tongue along her jaw line, catching the lobe of her ear in his mouth and sucking it until Celeste’s body shuddered. “I am lacking self-control; I do not think I will be able to be gentle.”

“I don’t care,” she breathed, running her hands over the sinew and strength of his back, dipping her fingers into the waist band of his pants and feeling the muscles tense under her caress. His skin was so hot beneath fingers, so smooth. “I don’t care.”

Sitting back on his heels, he pushed the shirt from his body
; the heat in his eyes burned into her soul. Running his hands along her thighs, he grabbed the waist of her panties and began to drag them from her body. Celeste raised her hips as he did so, the heat trailing from his fingers as they passed over her skin. She needed him in her and watching him remove her clothes only drove the need deeper.