Magic In The Storm (42 page)

Heat seared its way through her but before
she could react, Cosmina had taken her arm from Morgan and began
leading her from the room.

“Good night,” Morgan said softly as the door
closed behind her.

I
t was beautiful. It
was even more beautiful and magical than it had been in her
painting.

Morgan just stood staring at the stones
before them, still some distance away. “Can you feel it? Can you
feel the magic?” he asked, his voice quiet with awe.

And to Adriana’s amazement, she could. It
practically hummed with magic. It was the oddest sensation she had
ever experienced. A frission of excitement rolled through her.

Even though it was past nine in the evening,
the sky was just turning a dusky rose. Purple clouds streaked
across the horizon where the sun was slipping away. The power of
the night was on the rise, growing stronger with each passing
minute.

“This is it,” he said, looking around as they
approached the outer circle of stones. He paused just outside.

Adriana could feel his indecisiveness as he
hovered outside of the circle. He turned toward her, uncertainty
wavering in his eyes and face. “What is it, Morgan?” Adriana asked,
reaching out and taking hold of his hand.

“What if this isn’t right? What if I’m not
the one? I am a man. Only women have ever been made high priestess.
Only women have ever inherited this destiny. What if my mother is
right, and this destiny belongs to Kat and not to me.”

His hand grew cold and sweaty in her own, and
for a moment his doubts assailed her too. But then she realized
that it was just him, pushing his feelings into her.

She pushed them right back out again, saying
firmly, “No, Morgan. Your mother was not right. This is your
destiny. It doesn’t matter that you will be the first man to take
on this role, it is yours. You were born to it.” She pushed her own
emotions, her certainty that this was the right thing, into him
giving his hand a squeeze of reassurance.

He relaxed, his hand growing warmer again.
“Yes, you’re right.” He released his breath. “Merlin surely would
have said something to me if I wasn’t the one, right?”

“Merlin?” Now Adriana was confused. Who was
Merlin? Surely he didn’t mean the wizard from the stories of King
Arthur.

But that was exactly whom he meant.

They sat outside the circle and laid out a
blanket to eat the small supper that had been packed for them at
Stoneside, Morgan’s new estate. As they did so, he related to her
the whole story of how he met that famous wizard, and even
recounted for her the prophecy he spoke. Adriana was truly in awe
after that. “I can hardly believe you’ve met the most famous wizard
in history!”

Morgan laughed, “Me neither! I must say, I
have met the most amazing people on this journey to find my
destiny—Nestor, Cosmina, Lord Byron and Mr. Kean, Jack the Lad—” He
paused, “—and you.”

Adriana felt heat rise in her cheeks. Her
mind shifted to his proposal the night before just before the
wolves had attacked them. “And what about that woman?” she asked,
knowing that the heat in her face had faded and been replaced by a
deep cold.

But Morgan smiled and shook his head. “Which
woman?”

“The one Kat said you had been seen kissing,”
she said, looking directly into his eyes even though she didn’t
want to look at him at all, the thought was so painful.

Morgan lost his smile. “I don’t regret
meeting Sarah. She was the one who pointed out an obvious truth to
me. She told me that I loved you, and she was right.” He shifted
himself so that he sat cross legged in front of her. “Adriana, I
won’t lie to you and tell you that I didn’t kiss her. I did. And as
soon as I did, I knew it was wrong. She knew it too because she
immediately asked me who it was that I was in love with. I told her
all about you.” He gave a little laugh. “She was very
understanding. Very kind.”

Adriana didn’t know what to say. She didn’t
exactly know what to feel. She was both hurt that he’d kissed this
other woman, and elated that it meant nothing to him—that it had
only made him realize how much he loved her. She supposed she
should be happy.

He reached out and took her hand. “Adriana, I
love you.”

She just looked into his eyes. Deeply into
his eyes. Yes. It was there. His love for her shone out of him like
a beam of sunshine, and she was warmed by it. “I love you too,
Morgan.”

“You complete me,” he said quietly, as a
flash of lightening arched overhead.

Adriana’s heart lurched, but she knew he was
right. She felt it too.

He raised himself onto his knees in front of
her and gently cupped her face in his hands. Running his thumbs
down her cheeks, he looked deeply into Adriana’s eyes. “Complete
me, Adriana. Love me, and let me love you.”

“Yes, I love you,” she whispered as the
ground began to rumble with thunder. The rich scent of grass and
earth filled Adriana as rain began to fall all around them.

It was odd, only a short time ago the sky had
been clear with just a few clouds skittering overhead, and now rain
pattered down all around them. It didn’t make sense, but then, when
did the weather ever do anything predictable? Adriana laughed as
Morgan looked up, smiling at the clouds, letting the rain wash his
face.

This was right. Her with him, here, at this
time, on this night—amidst the storm.

Gingerly, Morgan ran his hand down her cheek
and then her body. His eyes followed his hand. “You are so
beautiful,” he whispered as his hand flowed lightly over her
breasts.

Adriana felt everything with a heightened
awareness—the way his hand paused ever so slightly as it passed
over the tip of her breast, the heat of it as he gently cupped her
and then slowly moved on, sliding down her abdomen and then lower
to her hips and legs.

And with his open admiration, she felt
beautiful. She felt special and beloved. But she would not allow
this to be a one–way loving, she decided. She would not be shy. She
wanted to show Morgan she felt the very same way he did.

Taking a deep breath, she raised herself up
onto her knees, and then let her hands roam freely over his
body—touching his broad shoulders and running her hands down his
strong arms. She pushed aside his soaking wet coat and running her
hands down his chest, and then she became truly bold and unbuttoned
his waistcoat so she could feel him even more closely through his
shirt. It clung to him as the warm rain soaked through the thin
material. She supposed that he’d healed his wounds with magic,
because he no longer wore any bandages under his shirt.

And he clearly had no problem with her
explorations, quickly divesting himself of both articles of
clothing, and even pulling his shirt off over his head.

His tawny skin hadn’t lost its glow even
after weeks in London. In the cool of the breeze that accompanied
the storm, his nipples stood out tight and small from the strong
muscles of his chest. She ran her fingers over them lightly,
delighting in the soft purring sound he made in response.

Morgan’s lips came down to taste the swell of
Adriana’s breast, and soon he was helping her from her wet,
restraining clothing.

The cold air hit Adriana’s heated body, but
Morgan’s proximity quickly dispelled any chill she might feel.

She arched involuntarily as Morgan began to
suckle at her breast. Shocks of heat rushed through her and tingles
of excitement gathered at her core. Heat pooled there, made even
more luscious when Morgan touched her ever so gently. His fingers
teased her, dipping in and out and around her soft sensitive flesh.
A shudder rushed through her as he wove his magic in and around her
body. It was all she could do not to press herself against him and
rub against his strong, hard body.

But she restrained herself. Consoling herself
by running her hand and then her lips over his chest. She tasted
his sweet skin, suckling at his nipple as he had done to her. But
then she became truly bold. She wanted to taste him, all of
him.

She sat up, and pressed him onto his back,
while she licked and kissed her way down the center of his stomach
and then nipped at the sweet soft skin of his side, carefully
avoiding the places where Cosmina had stitched him together the
previous night. He giggled and his hand pushed her lips away from
his ticklish flesh. She reached out for his breeches and slowly
began to unbutton them, exposing the coarse, soft hair near his
sex.

With a moan he lifted his hips and pushed his
breeches off, revealing his manhood to her. It was long, and hard,
and thick, but his skin was softer than anything she had ever
touched before. Gently, she explored the length of him with her
finger tips, and then spurred on by his moans of delight, she
became even more bold and tasted him. His body spasmed, and she
pulled away, afraid she had hurt him somehow. But he reached out,
and brushed back the tendrils of hair that had fallen into her
face.

“Did I hurt you?” she asked.

“No, oh no. It felt good. Never have I felt
anything so wonderful,” he said, his voice hoarse with passion.

“Oh, good,” she smiled, and then went back to
tasting his sweet saltiness. She ran her tongue along the length of
his shaft, delighting in his moans as her hand followed her tongue
back up to the tip. His hand came around hers, and he showed her
how to stroke him even as she sucked gently at the head of his
manhood.

But he didn’t allow her to continue this
pleasure for very long. Too soon, he was pulling her up to him, and
capturing her lips with his own. He switched positions with her.
Licking and kissing his way down her body, he performed his own
magic on her making her writhe in ecstasy. Never had she felt
anything so good as his tongue flicking in and out and all around
her sensitive flesh. She couldn’t contain her moans as the
intensity within her built. He continued his assault until she
couldn’t bear it anymore and she called out his name when she
thought she would explode with pleasure. He rushed up to her and
cradled her face in his hands. “Did I hurt you?”

“No. Oh no, it felt, oh, Morgan, please!”
Adriana couldn’t help herself, she wanted more. She needed him deep
inside of her.

He gently moved himself on top of her,
supporting most of his weight on his arms and spreading her legs
with his own.

“Become a part of me, Adriana. Let me love
you, let me make love to you,” he whispered into her ear.

He pressed himself up on his arms and looked
down at her with such love in his eyes. “With the two of us
together...”

“As one...” she said, reaching out and
pushing his dripping hair out of his face.

He pressed into her then. Moving slowly, he
pushed himself into her body. The pressure of him was uncomfortable
at first, but he continued to move slowly in and out.

Adriana shifted as pleasure began to replace
the discomfort and Morgan slowly moved himself further inside of
her. He moaned and closed his eyes. Adriana hoped it was with
pleasure.

As he moved himself out once more, he opened
his eyes again, pausing before swiftly pressing himself in to the
hilt before coming to a stop once again. A flash of intense pain
gripped her, but then eased again as he waited patiently for her.
He moved slightly, rubbing himself against her womanhood, and
suddenly she didn’t want him to stay still any longer. She moved
her hips. He followed her lead, pulling himself almost all the way
out before pressing himself deep inside of her once again. Again
and again he did this, quickening his pace each time, sending
shivers of delight through her.

More, more... she wanted... she needed... she
writhed and moaned, pressing him deeper and then, delighting in his
withdrawal only when he would come surging back in again. Faster
and faster, until she could bear it no more and her whole body
shuddered with a passion and release. He, too, began to shudder,
calling out her name as he arched his back and pressed himself as
far into her body as he could. Lightning flashed over head as he
gave a few more quick thrusts, and then laid still.

The rumble of the thunder slowly moved away
and a flash of lightning lit the world beyond Adriana’s closed
eyelids—only it stayed. Adriana opened them to see small sparks of
light swirling around them. The wind swirled around the stones,
weaving between and among them. The rain had stopped. Clouds
flittered across the full moon. Slowly, the sparks died away with
the wind and everything was left in stillness with nothing but the
naked moon hanging over them.

Morgan pushed himself up off of her, where he
had collapsed after his passion. “Adriana,” he began.

But a strong emotion welled up inside of her,
and she couldn’t wait for him to say whatever it was he had to say.
Cradling his face in her hands, she placed her thumbs over his lips
to still them.

“I love you, Morgan. I love you with all my
heart.”

But he was looking at her oddly. “You’re
glowing,” he said.

Adriana blinked. It wasn’t the response she
was expecting. “I’m glowing?”

He smiled, then laughed lightly. “Yes. I mean
it, literally. There is a bright halo of light surrounding
you.”

He backed away from her onto his knees. It
was cold without his warmth. She too sat up and looked at him.
“You’re not glowing, but, but there is definitely something...” It
was as if he was giving off some sort of feeling—an aura, she had
heard Kat call it—which made her feel good. It made her happy. And
in another way, it made her keenly aware that she was in the
presence of a great Vallen.

“I can feel your power. I can feel that you
are powerful,” she said, trying to explain it to him.

“Is it bad?” he asked, frowning with
concern.