Magicstorm (Heart of a Vampire, Book 4) (18 page)

He moved in and out of her in a rush as he
drank her essence. She rose up to meet each jerk of his hips. With
a piercing cry, she fell into a dark abyss, surrounded only by
sensations of love and pleasure.

He completed her in ways she’d never thought
possible.

When Celeste woke, the sun was up. And
Brandon was gone.

Soreness filled her heart, but she tried to
tell herself it was probably for the best. What future could they
have anyway?

She showered and dressed. After dialing Shana
and making sure her sister was doing all right, she called a cab to
take her to the station, trying not to think of Brandon, or the
pain he’d left behind.

Was he already headed back home? She felt the
deepest need to go home, crawl into her own bed, to shut out the
world while she dealt with the agony inside her heart. She refused
it.

She would survive, even if the pain made it
seem doubtful.

Once at the station, she headed for her
office, shut the door, then sat at her desk, staring blankly at the
paperwork piled on top.

A soft knock came, and Jenny Cameron stuck
her head in. “Captain wants to see you.”

Celeste nodded and went to his office, a
thick, dark fog separating her from the world.

Captain Michaels stood when she entered.
“Congratulations,” he beamed.

“Yeah.”

“The reports have been filed. Not much of a
cover-up, since we have the evidence of this person, Kyle, as well
as witnesses to his crimes.”

She blinked. “What?”

“Wulfgar has taken care of it all. He brought
in the witnesses this morning. Wrapped up everything else for you.
The reports are in the conference room for you to go over. Fix
anything you need to, but keep in mind, any hint of the reality of
the supernatural probably won’t go over well.” Michaels looked at
her, studying her. “Are you all right, Celeste?”

Stunned, reeling from the fact Brandon had
done it all and now there was no need to see her again, she just
nodded. “Better get to work then.”

In a daze, she rose and, ignoring everyone in
the main office, headed for the conference room. She opened the
door, then froze, unable to breathe.

Brandon stood on the far side, staring at the
white board she’d wrote notes on.

Gathering every last shred of her courage,
she walked inside and shut the door.

He turned, his blue eyes unreadable.

“Hi,” she said through her closed throat.

“Hello.”

“I didn’t think you’d be here. I
thought...”

“What did you think?”

“That you left. Went home.”

His face tightened, his gaze burned with
anger. “You believed I’d just walk out?”

She fidgeted, dropping her gaze to the floor.
“You weren’t there when I woke up.”

“I was trying to finish things up for you. I
received a call from my home. My brother is finally recovering from
his problems. In fact, he’s been sent on an assignment, kind of
like I was. I no longer have anywhere I must be.” He hesitated,
then softly said, “I wanted to ask you to take a vacation. You and
Hercules. Come somewhere with me.”

She jerked her head up, staring at his
smile.

“This between us needs more exploration,” he
said, taking a step towards her.

A burning lump crawled up her chest, but the
pain began to recede. Time froze as she stood there, seeing two
choices.

Her life had been lonely. As a cop, she loved
her work. But work had been everything.

This man, and the love she felt for him, was
giving her the option to live more fully. Become part of something
more than herself.

Her decision made, she closed the distance
between them.

His arms opened and she moved into his
embrace, pressing her mouth to his, and kissing him with everything
she felt in her heart.

“I don’t know where this will lead, but I
love you too,” she whispered against his lips.

He groaned, hugging her tighter. “We have all
the time in the world to figure it out, darling.”

And she knew he’d make sure they did.

epilogue

Celeste stretched languidly on the bed,
watching the breeze stir the sheer curtains hanging from the sides.
Through the wall made of glass, the sun rose, shining multi-colored
hues on the ocean lapping at the beach. Hercules lay in front of
one of the windows in a spot of warm sunlight.

She’d never been one to take vacations, but
as she turned in Brandon’s arms, filled with the overwhelming urge
to nibble on him, she realized all that had been missing in her
life.

All that he’d brought her.

And while she could live without it, she knew
now she never wanted to.

“Good morning.” His voice rumbled with
satisfaction.

She kissed him softly, drinking in his scent,
his taste.

“I’ve decided,” she whispered.

“Have you now?”

“I can still be a cop, right?”

“It’ll take time for you to get used to the
changes, control your hunger. But then, yes.”

“You’ll be with me?” she asked, staring into
his drowning blue gaze.

His lips curled into his now familiar grin.
“Always, my love. Always.”

She studied him, hearing the truth in his
words, feeling his love. A thousand-year-old warrior, and only she
could bring him to his knees.

Raising her chin, she bared her neck.

He rolled them, until she lay on her back on
the bed. “You’re certain? There’s no going back.”

“I don’t want to go back,” she assured him.
“I want you.”

His eyes flared and he kissed her, deep and
hard and fast. He pressed his lips to her jaw, licked down her neck
to her speeding pulse.

As his fangs sank into her skin and he drank,
she didn’t feel the cold of approaching death, but the heat of his
love.

And she knew she’d made the right choice.

His, forever.

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed
your time with Niki and Shane as much as I did. If you liked this
book, would you please go to Amazon and leave a review for me?
Reviews are what helps authors sell more books, which in turn means
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about the
author

One of those rare breeds, Amber Kallyn is an
Arizona native who can trace her family's history through six
generations in the state. She lives with her four very active
children. Included in the menagerie are four cats (though there's
always room for more) and a snake.

Amber loves the paranormal, from dragons to
werewolves to vampires. She's currently at work on her next book,
probably running around the house acting out a fight scene with her
collection of swords and daggers. Or maybe, wishing she had claws
to practice the other fight scenes.

A voracious lover of the written word, Amber
found at an early age that she could read fast. Really fast. She
devours novels by the day, novellas by the hour, and is always
looking to get her hands on more.

Titles by Amber
Kallyn

(Paranormal Romance)

Heart of a Vampire

Bloodstorm

Hungerstorm

Darkstorm

Magicstorm

(Erotic Paranormal Romance)

The Dragos Series

Dragos 1: Burned

Dragos 1.5: Mistletoe

Dragos 2: Scorched

Dragos 3: Blazed

Dragos 4: Inflamed

Red’s Wolf (Short story series)

Volume 1: Beginnings

Volume 2: Changes

Volume 3: Obsessions

For free goodies and stories, visit my
website at

www.AmberKallyn.com

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