Blood at Stake (Warriors of the Krieger Book 2) (18 page)

I didn’t care for the type of wedding she
had with Dragus. In my eyes, the
Joining
was for the mated
pair and should be held as a private ceremony. We could always have
a huge human wedding later.

“Because I said so,” she growled. “I can’t
believe you two are not going all out on this wedding.”

“We just want to make it official and get
started on our life together,” I replied, taking a seat next to
her.

“Well, you’re still wearing a dress,” she
said, flipping to a page in the first book. “Something simple…like
this?”

I peeked over her shoulder at the white,
floor length dress made of satin. The back was slit all the way
down to the waist and little tiny bows tied it together to keep it
from gaping open in the back.

“Okay,” I smiled. “I do like that one.”

“See,” she giggled. “We are going to make it
simple and beautiful.”

“Okay,” I smiled, scooping up another
magazine off the coffee table.

“Are you okay? Really?” she asked, placing a
comforting hand on my forearm.

“I’m okay,” I sighed. “I talked with Kale,
and he explained a lot of things to me. It was hard to come to
terms with the fact that Leo’s body was there, but his spirit…his
soul was not. Plus, Ashby has been nothing but perfect since.”

“Good,” she said, a slight blush dusted her
pale cheeks. “He loves you.”

“I know,” I smiled.

The door opened and the man who held my
heart stood on the doorstep, his yellow eyes landing on the two of
us with the wedding books on our laps. “What are you two up
to?”

“Just looking at wedding dresses,” Charity
shrugged.

“Uh huh,” he said, cautiously. “Promise?”
We’d been known to get into trouble when we were together, but here
lately our shenanigans had been few and far between. Now that my
life wasn’t on the line, I’m sure we’d be up to our eyeballs in
mischief before too long.

“Promise,” we replied in unison, making a
crossing sign over our hearts.

Dragus entered shortly after my mate, and
Charity immediately went to his side. He kissed the top of her head
and whispered something in her ear. I saw her relax into his
hold.

“We…um, yeah. We have some things to take
care of at the mansion,” she said, glancing quickly at her
mate.

“And what is that?” I teased.

“You know…stuff,” she replied, glaring at me
for a moment.

“Okay, you go do…stuff,” I laughed,
dismissing them with a wave of my hand. “I’ll look at these
magazines and call you later.”

“You can call her tomorrow,” Ashby said,
pulling me up from my spot on the couch. He kissed the spot below
my ear, and I shivered from his touch.

“Okay, tomorrow,” I sighed, turning around
to see that Dragus and Charity were already gone.

“Did you find a dress?” he asked.

“No,” I replied, wrapping my arms around his
neck. “We were interrupted by warriors and didn’t get a chance to
look through all of the books she brought.”

“I think you can do that later,” he growled,
leaning in to kiss the side of my throat where he usually fed.

“I think later would be a great idea,” I
said, breathlessly.

Ashby took my lips in a heated kiss that
made my toes curl into the thick carpet at my feet. I tugged on the
black
Krieger
shirt that he wore, pulling it over his head.
My lips landed right above his heart, loving the feel of his
muscles as I traced the ridges with my tongue. I flicked his
nipple, grazing it with my fang.

“You drive me crazy,” he moaned, picking me
up and wrapping my legs around his waist. “Are you very fond of
this dress?”

“What?” I asked, looking down at the pale
green sundress I wore. “No. Why?”

A second later, the material ripped under
his large hand. He growled low in his throat when he found that I
was bare underneath. My nails dug into his shoulders as he leaned
me back to take one of my nipples into his mouth, flicking it with
his fang, just as I’d done his only seconds ago.

He slid my body down from his stomach,
rubbing his hardness against my sex. His belt felt cold against my
mound. “Ashby, please.”

“You will never have to beg, my mate,” he
promised, holding me with his beefy arm and using the other hand to
undo his belt. The rasp of his zipper caused wetness to pool
between my legs. He inhaled loudly and smiled naughtily. “Your
scent drives me crazy.”

“Then make love to me, mate,” I whispered.
“Take me to bed and love me until the sun takes our breath
away.”

“Yes, my beautiful mate,” he said, turning
for the bedroom.

We did exactly that. It was hours later that
the pull of death took us under for the day. We were still tangled
together when we took our last breath.

Epilogue

Lydia

Only Charity, Dragus, and our queen,
Elizabeth, were present as we said our vows. The night was warm as
we stood in the beautiful gardens behind the mansion. Although we
were having a private ceremony, the
Krieger
were in full
force watching the grounds for anything out of the ordinary that
would cause us trouble. Charity had ordered the dress with the tiny
bows without my approval, because I was having a hard time deciding
what I wanted to wear for our big day.

“Do you
Krieger
Ashby, take Lady
Lydia Duncan as your mate? To love her, protect her and to lay your
life before hers for the remainder of your days? If you should live
longer than the ground you stand upon this day, do you promise her
your heart?”

“I do,” he smiled.

“Do you Lady Lydia Duncan, take
Krieger
Ashby as your mate? To love him, honor him and
cherish him for the remainder of your days? If you should live
longer than the ground you stand upon this day, do you promise him
your heart?”

“I do,” I smiled, looking into his eyes.

Queen Elizabeth asked for the ancient
goblet. I’d seen one like this before, when Charity and Dragus were
mated. This cup was made of silver with quarter sized rubies inlaid
in a circle around the rim.

She pulled a red sash from her pocket and
asked us to raise our right hands, clasping them in the air. The
sash was tied around our hands, binding them together. She removed
a dagger from her side and held it between our bound wrists. With
one jerk, she sliced the vein, letting our blood drain into the
cup, before the wound sealed closed. Ashby and I took the cup,
still holding it between us as she used the dagger to prick the end
of her finger. “I, Queen Elizabeth, approve this mating and give
you the blessing of eternity together.” Two drops of blood mixed
into the goblet as she untied our wrists.

“The female always takes first as a sign of
respect and love,” she said, handing me the goblet. I drank the
blood, leaving half of it for my mate.

“The
Krieger
takes what is left, but
only after his mate has been fed,” she smiled, handing the goblet
over to Ashby. He drained the cup and handed it back to the
queen.

Out of her pocket, she produced a ruby ring
that was similar to Charity’s. The ring had to have been at least
five carats, and I immediately fell in love with it. “The ruby has
been a sign of love for our kind since the beginning. Blood is the
only thing that gives us life. A mated male gives his bride a ruby
as a sign of his faithfulness and promise to share his blood with
her to keep her sustained for eternity. Ashby, you may place the
ring on her finger.”

He smiled warmly and took the ring from her
hand, turning toward me. “I love you, my mate.” He placed the ring
on my finger and kissed the stone once it rested in place.

“Your mate has given me a ring for you,
Krieger
,” the queen smiled. Ashby’s eyes widened as she
removed the gold band from her robe pocket. Centered was a ruby,
with the same cut as my own, but not as big. “You may place the
band on your mate’s finger, Lady Lydia.”

I slid the band on his ring finger, leaning
over to kiss the stone as he’d done mine. “I love you, my
mate.”

“The mating of a
Krieger
is a special
occasion,” she smirked. “I’d tell everyone, at this point, that
they were to gather to congratulate the couple, but we will skip
that part.” We all laughed.

“By the powers that be, I bless this union,”
she announced. “Ashby, Warrior of the
Krieger
, you may now
kiss your mate, and may your lives be filled with happiness and
love.”

The queen stepped back as Ashby stepped
forward. He cupped my face in his large hands and leaned over so
that we were eye to eye, nose to nose. “I love you,” he whispered
and took my lips with his own.

It may have taken almost four hundred years,
but I’d finally found my mate. He’d protected me and cared for me,
before he ever realized he loved me. For whatever reason the fates
mated us on that first lust-filled night, I’m thankful that they
did, because I finally found love.

“I love you, too…my warrior,” I said, once
he released my lips.

The End…

About Theresa
Hissong:

Theresa is a mother of two and the wife of a
retired Air Force Master Sergeant. After seventeen years traveling
the country, moving from base to base, the family has settled their
roots back in Theresa’s home town of Olive Branch, MS., where she
enjoys her time with old friends and family.

After almost three years of managing a
retail bookstore, Theresa has gone behind the scenes to write
romantic stories with flare. As a romance book junkie, Theresa
daydreams of the perfect love affair and takes those ideas to
paper.

Look for other exciting reads…coming very
soon!