Rapture (23 page)

The
crowd cheered, and the compere faced her. “You just made me a lot of money.” He
winked.

Out
of breath and sporting a headache, she could only gape at him. Her gaze
searched the arena as the crowd continued to wail their support, until her eyes
finally landed up high, on the council. They each stood, clapping just as
enthusiastically as everyone else, and a small flutter of excitement worked
through her at the first actual sighting of them. Even their winged warriors,
who she had caught sight of previously, clapped along with the council they
guarded.

“Well,
as the first to make it to the final round, you two get to rest. Go back to
your tents and enjoy a lavish dinner that is waiting for you. You’ll be
summoned when the last victor arrives.”

“How
long could that be?” Ferox asked, beating her to it.

“It
could be hours. It could be days.” He shrugged. “It could even be weeks.”

Raine
glanced at her vampire before looking at the compere again. “And how many
are there?”

“Twelve.
There are four winners from each level in the second round.” He gestured toward
another demon who scurried over to them. With a hasty bow, Raine and Ferox were
escorted from the arena, leaving behind a chorus of shouts.

****

“The
stars really are beautiful,” Raine said, risking a glance at Ferox.

He
looked skyward, a smile lighting his face. “They are. And finally you admit
it.”

He’d
teased her during the hours they’d spent walking, joking that she couldn’t find
beauty in anything. Every item he’d pointed out, any potentially beautiful
thing, she’d been able to devise a way it could be used as a weapon. But the
stars … they were radiant, tiny dots lighting the sky, with hints of swirling
clouds high above, and the two moons peeking at them as though watching them
from afar.

They’d
spoken of everything, from childhood to now, their race’s traditions, things
they liked, and things they hated, the fact that he always wore long coats,
most of which were made of hides. It seemed his mother hated his coats, and
that was why he constantly wore them—as a way to tease her. He’d called them
trench coats, though she didn’t understand why anyone would want to wear something
so long while digging trenches.

She’d
learned that he was in line for the vampire crown; his father and mother, the
king and queen of his race. She’d been shocked, of course, but no more than he
had appeared to be when he’d learned she was the daughter of a god.

“How
much longer do you think we have?”

He
shrugged. “I’ve no idea. The others could be battling it out even as we speak
for a chance to win the second round.”

“True.”
Raine looked down at the pebbled ground before them, taking care to step around
a large plant that had lain in their path. “How do you think your cousin
fares?”

“Raider?
Ahh, he’s cunning. He’ll not let another beat him to the finish line.”

In
truth, neither of them knew how their kinsmen fared. He didn’t know about
Raider and Galvan, and she didn’t know about Caleen. There had been only one
other victor so far.

“Are
you excited for the final round to come?” Ferox asked.

“Yes,” she replied. “And no.” He peered at her with a look of
confusion, and she had the briefest regret for saying anything. “I am excited
because I love to battle, if that’s what it will be, but I am not excited
because I don’t know what will happen when it is over.”

Ferox’s hand wrapped around hers, and he gave her a gentle
squeeze. “I know what you mean.”

They
turned around a bend in the foliage, which opened up to a rolling valley of
lush, green grasses. “Wow,” she whispered. “Didn’t see that coming.”

He
smiled, trying to hide a small snicker that had bubbled up from his chest. “Me
neither. Here, why don’t we sit for a while? We’re alone now.”

Still
holding her hand, he pulled her onto the grass, settling them both on the
ground so they could gaze out over the rolling hills. They sat there silently
for a time, watching grasses sway in the slight breeze, and tracking falling
stars in the sky. She couldn’t remember a time she’d been so relaxed—not tensed
for a fight, not worried about attackers.

“I’ve
a gift for you,” Ferox said, breaking the silence.

Raine looked over as he held a present toward her. She blinked at
the box, and then at Ferox, before peering at the box again. She gripped it
with both hands and drew it onto her lap before pulling the lid off. Inside
were the vibrant purple petals of the
alexiolus
flower. The one he’d told her bloomed at night. “Oh, Ferox,” she
whispered, drawing the potted flower from the box. “Thank you.”

He
met her eyes, and she was surprised to see a slight twinkle in his. “I wouldn’t
have had the most beautiful flower go to just anyone. I think its owner’s
beauty should surpass its own. Don’t you think?”

She
swallowed, fighting down the ache that had formed. She wouldn’t cry. She
couldn’t. This was the most thoughtful and wondrous gift anyone had ever
bestowed upon her, and the fact that it had come from a male who meant so much
to her … No. She could not cry. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”

He wasn’t fooled by her façade, if his expression gave any
indication. “It’s just about time, I think.” He turned his attention to the
flower that still sat in her hands, and within a very short time, the first
petal began to curl outward. Then another. And another. Raine dropped her left
hand, letting the
alexiolus
rest
solely on her right. She reached out, tentatively touching Ferox’s hand as the
flower continued to bloom. His fingers wrapped around hers, and they watched on
in silent companionship. The flower sprang free in all its glory as the soft
petals shimmered and glowed.

“Wow,”
Raine whispered, entranced by the
alexiolus
’s beauty. The gentle glow of the flower illuminated Ferox’s face, and
as though he’d felt her eyes on him, he gazed back at her with a smile. She was
entranced, she thought. This beautiful, strong male cared for her more than
she’d ever been cared for before. And even more startling, he held a place in
her heart. Not as a friend, but as so much more.

She
was in his lap without realizing she’d moved. His arms were around her, hers
around him, touching and feeling every muscle in his back and shoulders … and
then his arms. Oh gods, his arms. She wanted to lick every muscle in this
male’s body, just to feel his strength under her tongue.

“Raine,”
he groaned between kisses. His fangs had descended, and she found that familiar
scraping more sensual than ever as his lips traveled down her neck. His hands
gripped her ass, and he hefted her up and then down so that she was lying in
the cool grass. She was losing her mind now, no longer able to decipher what
she was touching, or even where he touched. He was everywhere, covering every
inch of her. “Oh gods, I want you. I need you, Raine.”

“Yes,”
she replied. “Yes. I need you, too.”

Another
groan escaped him, and he gripped her top, ripping it apart. She’d barely
registered a tug, lost as she was and with her wrenching his pants from his
legs.

Once
loosened from his hips, Raine gripped the back of his head and pulled him down
to her, kissing him and licking his fangs in hurried anticipation. Yes, gods
yes. This was incredible. She still didn’t know what had moved her to pounce on
him, and she really didn’t care. She just needed him.

Ferox’s
mouth left hers, and he set to traveling once more, placing licks, kisses, and
nips on her skin. She stared dazedly into the sky as some of the stars
disappeared, clouds covering them from her view. When his lips closed around
her nipple, she arched, shoving more into his mouth. Ah, how she loved it when
he did that. Every nerve in her body lit up, and she felt a gush of fluid
between her legs, which she noted were now bare. Ferox froze, his eyes meeting
hers. “I need you, Caalia. I need to be inside you. Do you need me there, too?”

Yes,
she did. That incessant ache between her legs had returned with a vengeance,
putting the prior aches she felt to shame. “Yes. Gods, yes.” She’d hardly
recognized her own whimper.

His
fingers brushed her sex and her whole body twitched in response. He touched it
again, drawing a slow finger over the tender flesh, all while watching with
fascinated eyes. “You’re so beautiful. There’s not an inch of you that wasn’t
blessed by the gods themselves.”

Her
heart bloomed at his words, and ever so gently, she drew her hand down to the
erection between his legs and squeezed him, sliding her hand up and down the
shaft. He growled low in his throat as his head fell back in bliss. His entire
body shook, though from nervousness or from the sheer strength it took him to
keep it slow, she didn’t know. All she did know was that she liked seeing him
this way.

Ferox
returned his attention to her sex, his fingers flicking languidly, causing her
to twitch and shift, and even to have a few giggles escape her. And then a
single finger slid inside.

“You’ve
never had a male,” he said quietly.

She
shook her head, feeling her own body quake.

“I’ll
need to ready you. It could hurt, Caalia, but I’ll be as gentle as I can.”
Ferox rose up on his knees, positioning his body on hers as his mouth pressed
against her lips.

She
continued to stroke him with one hand as her other roamed over his body,
feeling every inch she could reach. Soon, there was more pressure between her
legs. He’d inserted another finger, was now going deeper. And then a third.
Wider. Deeper. Wetter.

She
moaned at his touch, every push inward with his finger, and every retreat.

“Gods,
you’re wet. You’re dripping before me.”

Raine
peered at him, seeing the awe that covered his entire face. “Is that a good
thing?”

“Oh
yes,” he whispered. “You’ve no idea how much it pleases me so.” He continued
what he was doing for a time, cranking her to a fever pitch, so much so that
she’d nearly missed him saying, “Oh gods, I need to be in you. I can’t do it
slow. I’ll try, though.”

“No,”
she shook her head. “Don’t hold back. Never hold back with me.”

In
an instant, his erection disappeared from her grasp and she felt his fingers
retract from her body. Then something smoother, bigger, and longer took his
fingers’ place. He pushed inside her, and she felt immense pain just as a
single lightning bolt struck ten feet away. Ferox paid it no heed though, lost
as he was. He pulled out, and pushed inward again, battering her, earning moans
and more lightning to arc from the sky. With the third thrust, he’d entered her
completely, his pelvis ramming her. She couldn’t hold it back any longer, and
she let her head fall back against the grass as screams of pleasure wracked
from her.

As
she watched this powerful male, she knew without a doubt that she could never
give this up. Not the wanting and needing of him, not his smiles, not the
scrape of his fangs or the scent of him in full lust, not the feel of his heart
beating as rapidly as her own, or when she felt his own desire spike within
her, and certainly not the love that answered her own in the gleam of his eyes.

Chapter Eighteen

Raine
giggled as Ferox pulled her to him. He’d developed a liking for running his
fingers through her hair, his eyes gleaming with that radiant green she’d grown
fond of seeing. She’d learned rather quickly what her vampire was thinking
whenever his eyes glowed like that. Though her hair wasn’t as long as it had
been the last few days. Ferox had nearly lost his mind when she’d sheared most
of it off with her sword.

“You
shouldn’t be too loud, Caalia,” he whispered. “Anyone could hear you.”

“Nah.
We’re too far away now.” She gave him a look that more than indicated what she
had on her mind. Him. Against a tree. With her riding him.

He
growled and lifted her, and her legs automatically wound around his waist.
They’d been like this for days, spending time in the midst of demons, accepting
congratulations and even posing for drawings with some of the more excited
crowd. The nights, however, had been just for them. She suspected Caleen did
the same. She’d noted a familiar twinkle in her sister’s eye—and that of
Raider’s—that could be chalked up to the same that gleamed in her vampire’s
eyes. She and Ferox had even discovered many advantageous ways of using their
mouths to pleasure each other.

Sex
was wondrous.

Even
now, she let her gaze wander over the male that had taken over her heart,
blushing at the primal expression of need and desire. She wasn’t sure she’d
ever seen him so hungry. “Ferox? When was the last time you … mmm-hmmm?”