Born Again (9 page)

Then she settled down on the sofa for a nap.

She dreamed while she slept. She knew it was a dream, not a
premonition and interestingly, she was able to see the faces of the men she was
involved with. Beau was there and of course Aric too.

In her dream, she’d been pledged to the church and the
priest was a werewolf who introduced her to Beau. She became his mate in a
private wolf ceremony, like a marriage, but it was kept hushed. Just like the
wolf community was a secret.

For how could a nun be the equivalent of married, when her
husband was recognized as a devil by the church?

Her family and friends would be burned at the stake, their
ashes spread instead of being allowed a burial.

That was when they met Aric.

Aric Ishee needed money, desperately. An arrangement was
made to woo Serra—everyone in her dream pronounced her name strangely—into
agreeing to become vampire for her immortality, for she refused to become wolf.
Her best friend was a brand-new vampire and if she would become werewolf, she’d
have to give up their lifelong friendship. The two different species did not
usually interact. Unfortunately, Serra fell in love with Aric, too.

Vampires passed for humans at that time. She and Aric
eloped, marrying as humans in a private ceremony.

Beau was furious and she was terrified, afraid of losing his
love, though she’d tried to explain that she still loved him, but never really
knew him. She was given to him as his mate, but he was too busy to appreciate
her, to get to know her. He didn’t seem to realize he should learn about her. He
thought she should be grateful to be his possession.

They fought and the secret was out that Aric, with Beau’s
permission, was supposed to simply woo her into vampirism. She’d become furious
herself and accused Beau of causing her to fall in love with Aric by his
trickery, for who paid another to seduce his brand-new, young mate? Meanwhile Beau
blamed Aric for seducing her for a reason other than the prearranged
changeover.

Between the two of them, they forced her to choose one and
that was when she turned to the sorcerer Tomas Dupree. Tomas had the face of
Mike Johnson.

Mike/Tomas foretold the future in her dream. He predicted
that she would choose one lover and the other would be killed, leaving her in
guilty misery and that Aric would be unmasked as a vampire and slaughtered
before her eyes.

The only way to keep both men alive was to sacrifice
herself.

She waited until the night of a full moon, when she knew Beau
couldn’t keep from turning into a wolf.

Aric couldn’t step on the sacred grounds of the church sanctuary.

She wrote an apology letter to the men she loved and plunged
a dagger into her own belly. The blood spilled, spreading over the floor like
ink, permanent and final. She heard the howls of the wolves in the distance. She
wondered if Aric could smell the scent of her blood as it slowly dripped away.

The pain was nothing compared to the despair in her heart
over the failed relationships with both men.

When darkness finally settled, she knew peace.

Sara awoke suddenly, with tears streaming down her cheeks
and a lump in her throat that cut off her air supply. Gasping, she panicked,
slender fingers reaching up to her throat as if she could relieve the pressure.

It was a horrible dream, brought on by the terrifying events
and stories told by Mike Johnson. But just a dream, she tried to remind
herself. There was nothing real about it.

“Sara, open the door,” called Aric from the balcony.

There were two figures, his and Beau’s, visible through the
sheer curtains of her French doors and Beau rattled the doorknob impatiently.

She never even thought to wipe the tears from her cheeks as
she flung open the doors and threw herself at both large bodies. They held her
as she sobbed and briefly the thought flickered through her brain that they
touched each other in an effort to comfort her.

Her cheek lay on Beau’s chest, turned to face Aric. Aric
comfortingly caressed her back and then wiped at her stray tears with his
thumb.

“What happened? Are you hurt?” Aric asked.

“No, I’m fine.”

“I can smell your despair,” Beau said.

“Just a dream. I relived a…death. I could hear wolves
howling in the distance.”

“Whose death, Sara?” Aric asked, his voice oddly steady.

“I don’t know. I’ve been having a psychic connection to
another redheaded woman, but this was a dream, not an episode. It was just my
own scary terrors, probably from Mike.”

Aric stroked the back of her hair, weaving his fingers
through the soft strands.

“The police were here,” she said.

“What did you say to them?” Aric asked.

“I lied. I told them Mike dropped off the soup and left.”

“You didn’t lie. You just left out the rest of his visit and
the reasoning of how he left,” Aric said.

“I’m a bad, dishonest person,” she mumbled into the front of
Beau’s shirt. The tears flowed again and her sobs sounded piteous.

“Sara,” Beau said urgently. “Pack up. Come stay with me for
a few days and then you can stay with Aric for a few.”

“You don’t even have to pack, sweet,” Aric said. “I have a
wardrobe for you already at my house. You can stay there first and pack some of
those things for your stay with Beau.”

His eyes met Beau’s for affirmation and Beau nodded, just
once.

The idea was appealing. Just lock up the place and go.

She faltered for a moment. Was she ready to give up her
independence?

“Come on,” Aric encouraged. “Just grab your purse. Beau and
I can meet later this evening and get any personal belongings you’ll need. You
don’t have to do a thing.”

“And don’t worry about having to move in with us,” Beau said.
“It’s just a few days. You can return to your apartment then, if you want to.”

“I’ve never done anything so irresponsible,” she said,
hiccupping around her tears.

Beau smiled. “Then try it for once in your life, baby. Grab
your purse and let’s go downstairs.”

Aric’s limo was waiting alongside the curb and the three of
them climbed in for the ride to his house. They entered through the darkened
garage and Sara wondered why she had never noticed that Aric avoided sunlight. Oh,
he was seen in daylight, but if he could, he avoided it.

As they reached the hallway inside that led to the study,
Aric said to Beau, “We’ll get her safely tucked in and you and I will head back
to the apartment to wrap things up.”

Beau nodded and Sara was too much in a dazed shock to be
appreciative of the way they were getting along.

Footsteps sounded from the other end of the house and
Francesca, followed by Raphael, burst in.

“Sara, sweetheart, are you okay?” Francesca asked, her hands
holding Sara’s tearstained face up toward the light for close inspection.

Sara could actually feel her face brighten at the prospect
of Francesca being there to sit with her. “I’m fine now, really. Don’t worry,”
she said as she covered Francesca’s hands with her own.

The faintest growl emanated from Beau and Sara turned to
him. He stared at Francesca with an intensity that was disturbing.

“Beau,” Sara said, dropping Francesca’s hands to put her
hand on his arm. Her touch seemed to reassure him. “This is Francesca and her
significant other, Raphael.”

Beau still stared at Francesca and Sara’s smile faltered. She
wondered if he knew her, or was upset with her, or just plain didn’t like her
friend.

Unperturbed, Francesca held out her hand.

“It is nice to meet you, Mr. Pierson. I’ve heard much about
you.” Sara was surprised that Francesca remembered Beau’s last name from their
earlier conversation.

Slowly, he reached for her hand and shook it and Sara’s
smile was back in full force, relieved. He obviously hadn’t met Francesca
before, it was all in her head.

Aric’s voice was soft, a murmur really. “Beau, shall we be
off? Sara is in good hands with Francesca and Raphael. The sooner we start, the
sooner we can finish.”

Beau tore his eyes from Francesca and nodded. He reached for
Sara, pulling her close to him. He kissed her cheek and then whispered in her
ear. “Call me tomorrow. I love you.”

Sara turned his head enough to kiss him thoroughly. “I will,
Beau. I love you too.”

“I will return shortly, sweet. You’ll be in capable hands,
remember? Anything that happens with Rafe and Francesca is simply to rekindle
old friendship, strengthen old bonds, okay?” Aric said, leaning over to kiss
her forehead and then leaving her with Francesca and Raphael to ponder what he’d
just said.

When the door closed behind the men, Sara looked over at
them with puzzled eyes. She didn’t speak for a long moment and then took a deep
breath.

“Okay, I know you two have lots of answers for all of my
questions, don’t you?”

Francesca looked at Rafe. “Well, she now knows about the
existence of Others,” she said to him.

He nodded, but glided around to step behind Sara and lift a
lock of long hair. He inhaled the fragrance of her shampoo, then leaned into
her ear to whisper, “We will answer your questions, then. What would you like
to know?”

“Did you know me in my previous life?”

He trailed the lightest kiss just behind her earlobe before
answering. “Yes, I knew you back then. I was friends with Aric at the time and
already seeing Francesca. She had just been turned.”

“So you both knew me then?”

Rafe pressed another kiss to the nape of her neck and Sara
caught herself before she moaned. “Francesca was your best friend.” His voice
was growing deeper, more erotic. He wrapped his arms around her, right below
her breasts and she leaned back into him.

“You’re also vampires?”

Francesca was in her line of vision and nodded simply, as
though Sara was really asking a question she didn’t already know the answer to.

“Will you bite me, or are you trying to seduce me?” Sara
asked, more curiosity in her voice than fear. Raphael trailed his tongue down
the curve of her neck, sending shivers of excitement throughout.

“Not if you don’t want it,” Francesca said. “By the way, you
were the only one that called me Chessie back then. I long to hear the nickname
again.”

“Chessie.”

Francesca closed her eyes, as if the name evoked memories
long ago forgotten. The barest smile hit her lips. “Serra, I’ve missed you so.”

Hearing her name pronounced in the heavy, Romanian accent sent
a strange shiver down her spine. She’d dreamed of her name pronounced that way
and she’d heard Beau, even Aric say it that way. They couldn’t all have
Romanian accents, but obviously their accents, wherever they were from, were a
lot thicker in the past.

Raphael stepped into her line of vision, his dark eyes
intense as he pulled the neckline of her t-shirt to the side. He lowered his
head to trail a string of kisses over her bared shoulder.

“Let us take care of you, Sara,” he said, his tone cajoling.
“Aric will be tied up with Beau for quite a while yet. They have a lot to work
out, not only with you but with negotiations between the vampires and
werewolves. Come, join us in our chambers before we die at dawn.”

“But…I love Aric. And Beau.”

Raphael stared into her eyes. “I know. They know. And they
are both willing to let you find out how deeply you also love Chessie and me.
It’ll be much like it was in the past.”

A shiver of anticipation wet her as she clenched her legs
tightly. She willingly followed them down the hallways, hand in hand with Rafe,
watching Francesca’s sexy ass sway.

Finally they reached the darkened bedroom, which Rafe had
decorated earlier with candles scattered about. He moved in to light them,
leaving Sara and Francesca alone.

They drifted toward the bed and Francesca peeled off her own
dress with the slightest movement. She stood proud, high breasts thrusting
outward as if they begged to be caressed. “It’s your turn tonight,” she
whispered. “Let Rafe and me show you how much we love you, have always loved
you.”

Rafael had stepped behind her and was ever so slowly unbuttoning
her blouse, his arms reaching around her giving her a chance to refuse. When
she didn’t, he pressed hot moist kisses along her spine as the material
separated. Francesca reached out and pulled the spaghetti straps down Sara’s
arms, freeing her breasts.

“You are so beautiful,” she whispered, her fangs distended.

Raphael pushed the rest of the dress from her hips and then
knelt behind her. The thong with the tiny string that rode up between her firm
round globes was the utmost temptation and took just one tug with his
superhuman strength to rip the thread.

Her thong floated uselessly to the floor. He reached around
her and slid a finger into her already swollen cleft.

His finger felt so good against that tender flesh. Rafe
played with the slickness that coated her delicate clit.

Her knees buckled and Rafe caught her in his arms. He
carried her to the bed, where he laid her gently on her back, spreading her
legs.

“I have to taste you,” he whispered, his voice rough. “I’ve
been dreaming of it ever since I watched Aric.”

His lips slid down her body and when he got down to her
groin, he looked up at her.

The look was intense and she knew what he was going to do. Like
the first day she’d met him, when he thrust a glimmer of sex over the kiss on
her wrist, he was going to do it again.

This time the kiss would be over her clitoris.

He opened his lips slightly, the mimic of a French kiss and
lowered to her quivering flesh.

Sensation exploded. A white-hot burst of tingling heat
lavished on her sensitive organ and her entire body stiffened in shocked
surprise.

His tongue speared over her slick folds, tasting her as he
moaned. His moan reverberated over her sensitive skin before he flicked his
tongue against her nub, quickly, over and over.

Heat exploded over her clit when he drew it into his mouth,
sucking with slurping sounds.

Sara’s entire body was quivering, her breasts so tight she’d
explode if someone touched them.

“We’re going to love you until you’re too sore to walk,”
Rafe promised.

“I can’t wait any longer,” Sara moaned. “I have to come now.”

“How do you want to come this time?” he asked. “In my mouth?
Or with my cock?”

“Later,” she gasped. “Later I want you to pound me fast and
hard, like I watched you do to Francesca. Right now, I want your cock in my
mouth before I explode.”

“Gladly.” He grinned and thrust his stiffness against her
lips. It was deep purple and swollen hard and heavy as concrete. The wide head
gleamed with tiny droplets of moisture that she licked away. Taste exploded in
her mouth, tangy sweet, leaving her greedy.

Briefly, Sara felt the brush of Francesca’s hair on her
inner thigh as she reached over her and began to kiss and lick Rafe’s muscular
legs.

Sara opened her mouth wide and drew the mushroom-fat head
into her. His eyes rolled back as she sucked fiercely, the wide head barely
fitting into her mouth.

Rafe reached out and pinched her erect nipple gently.

“Ohmigod,” Sara screamed around the cock in her mouth and
then clamped her lips down on him, sucking without mercy.

Rafe groaned and his burgeoning cock spurted relentlessly as
hot cum squirted down her throat. Sara swallowed eagerly, again and again and
tasted the salty-and-sweet cream. Then she cocooned his penis softly within the
warmth of her lips, nestling it comfortingly.

Rafe pulled his still-hard cock from her mouth and collapsed
on the bed next to her. Francesca lay with her head on the inside of Sara’s
thigh, looking up at her wonderingly, with her own fingers still submerged
inside her parted, slick nether lips.

“I still can’t believe we found you again. My best friend,
you’ll be that again soon.”

Sara’s breathing had calmed and she slid down the huge bed
to where Francesca lay.

Tentatively, she reached out and caressed Francesca’s cheek
while she watched her friend’s fingers manipulate her clitoris.

Francesca caught her breath and Sara encouraged her to
continue to find her own pleasure.

“I am that now, Chessie. Just because I don’t remember it,
doesn’t mean I can’t feel it.”

Raphael reached out and used his fingers to replace
Chessie’s, separating her folds, exposing the deep pink of her inner lips.

Francesca’s sex was very swollen and she seemed
hypersensitive, quivering at the slightest touch. Rafe’s tongue snaked out and
tasted her slick clitoris.

It was sweet, with an undefined taste there, like an early
morning rain. Francesca’s taste, a familiar taste to him after so many
pleasurable centuries.

Francesca sucked her breath in and her hand reached down to
caress Sara’s cheek, in return Raphael traced his way farther down the cleft
before him and dipped his tongue into Francesca’s channel.

Her vagina was hot and she clenched her passage around his
tongue, little gripping movements. Sara found satisfaction in watching him
drive Francesca wild.

He clamped his mouth over Francesca’s sex and sucked hard.
Rafe alternately sucked and French-kissed the sexy spot, using the hard,
elongated nub as a tongue.

Francesca erupted, grinding herself against his mouth. Francesca
screamed her own pleasure as her entire nether region shook and quivered and Rafe
stilled his sucking, just allowing the wet warmth of his mouth to comfort
Francesca’s frantically gasping flesh.

Rafe’s incredible cock quivered in anticipation when he felt
Sara unroll a condom onto him.

He then moved behind Sara and he spread her bent legs. Sara
opened them willingly, knowing that with her ass up in the air, it exposed her
fully to his view. She felt the thrill of anticipation.

Rafe rammed his huge cock into her wet flesh in one smooth
move.

“Oh,” she moaned, her pleasure so intense she wondered how
she’d lived so long without it.

And then he began to fuck her, fast deep strokes, just like
she’d begged for. With her body angled that way, he reached deep inside her,
the underside of his cock stroking a spot low inside her belly that tingled. Her
G-spot.

Then Raphael’s cock pushed her over the edge into her own
explosion as his stiff hardness filled her suddenly tight passage. She was in
the throes of her climax when he groaned and reached around to find her clit.

Taking her clitoris between his thumb and forefinger, he
massaged it roughly and sent her into another immediate explosion so intense
she thought she’d die from the sheer pleasure.

She fell to the side, exhausted, when all three orgasms
finally finished and Rafe pulled out of her slowly. Tiny little aftershocks
quivered through her flesh and she felt the condom leave her tightly strung
body as he pulled out and disposed of it.

Rafe grabbed a towel and wiped the women before taking Sara
into his arms and snuggling her into bed with them. He kissed the top of her
head and the last thing he said before Sara fell into an exhausted slumber was,
“Sleep, Sara. I forget you’re human.”

It was a few minutes before dawn when the door opened. Sara
and Francesca were asleep, but Rafe lay awake, both of them still cuddled into
his arms.

He watched Aric approach the bed, taking in the sight of all
three naked figures.

“She had a good time?”

“She’s properly exhausted.” Rafe grinned, his own look worn-out,
too. Yet he’d fought against sleep, waiting for Aric to return.

Aric took the sleeping woman from his arms and kissed her
forehead soothingly when she stirred. Then he carried her to his own bed and
tucked her in.