Destined for Time (20 page)

At first I didn’t know what he was talking about, but then I
realized I was raising my arm towards Dragon’s outstretched hand as if I was
handing him my gun - which I didn’t even have on me.
What the hell?
That’s
when I felt the pressure on my mind to obey Dragon’s command, but once I knew
what was happening I didn’t have to follow his orders. I could keep him out if
I concentrated hard enough.

“Now open yourself up to me completely,” Dragon instructed. “I
want to see if I can get more than visuals into your head.”

I wasn’t sure how I felt about his request but I did as he
asked.

A second later I was standing on the beach with cool water
washing over my bare feet. As the water rushed back out into the Gulf the sand
was pulled along with it tickling my toes and burying my feet in the soupy mix
of sand and water. Tilting my head back I took a deep breath drawing in the
scent of saltwater as the bright sunlight warmed my upturned face. After a
moment I struggled to see if I could bring myself back to the office, but once
Dragon had a hold of my mind I wasn’t able to push him back out.

The beach dissolved and Dragon sat back in his chair while I
paced away from him needing some space. After a moment I took a deep breath
then turned to face him again. “I guess it’s a good thing you never tried
touching me before.”

Dragon replied. “I was worried that if I tried and failed I
might expose our secrets and the only way to keep them would be to silence you.”

“To kill me you mean.”

He shrugged. “I do what is necessary to protect my people
Angela.”

Rook came over and pulled me into his arms. “Dragon is not a
cold-hearted killer. That’s why he never did anything that might necessitate
taking action against you. Do you think you would know if a vampire was trying
to take over your mind?”

“Now that I know what it feels like, yeah, I think I would.
And as long as I don’t let them in too far I should be able to push them out.”

He kissed the top of my head. “That’s good to know.”

Just then the door opened and in stepped Lucien, only if I
hadn’t been warned ahead of time that he was coming I might not have recognized
him. Lucien was the tech expert for Myths and Legends. I’d met him many times
over the years and sat with him for countless hours reviewing security footage
of various incidents. When he was in the tech room at the resort he wore faded
jeans and T-shirts with tech related one-liners that I never understood.
Tonight, instead of its usual state of disarray, his sandy blonde hair was
brushed back away from his face, he wore designer slacks, and his shirt, which
he wore with the sleeves rolled slightly up and the collar open, had buttons.
He looked like a fashion model straight off the runway.

Lucien noticed my wide-eyed expression and smiled. “I was on
a date when Rook called and asked me to meet him here.”

“I was expecting to see Clark Kent, but then Superman walked
through the door instead,” I replied making Rook and Dragon chuckle as I
grinned back at Lucien.

Lucien laughed then told us, “It’s done. No one will ever
know Angela was accused of murder let alone actually arrested for the crime.
Once we leave here the security cameras will be reset and there will be no
trace of our visit either.”

“Thank you Lucien, I knew we could count on you,” Dragon
said as he stood and we all prepared to leave.

“What are we doing about him?” Rook asked with a dark scowl
towards Quen.

“I’ll send him home and he will forget this night ever
happened,” Dragon answered and I got the sense Quen was going to be very sorry
he gave us a reason to look inside his head. Whatever he’d been up to it was
bad enough that Dragon’s eyes flashed red again and this time I knew I hadn’t
imagined it.

Rook raised an eyebrow, but like me, he let it go.

On the way back to the resort I wondered how they planned to
explain Lieutenant Taggert’s sudden absence from work. No doubt mind control
would be involved during which I was sure they’d also be on the lookout for
anyone else who had been corrupted by vampires. How many of my fellow police
officers were unwilling spies for Travali and Danarius?

When my mind drifted to Jimmy I thought about how quickly
life could change. Just that morning Jimmy had been standing in my kitchen
alive and scheming, trying to worm his way back into my life. Now he was gone,
sacrificed like a pawn simply because he was in the wrong place at the wrong
time. Who else might be taken away from me without warning? Rachel? Rook? I
didn’t think I would survive if I lost either of them.

When I joined the force I had to accept that I would
eventually lose people I cared about, or even my own life in the line of duty.
But this was different. Danger was no longer part of my job; it was part of my
life. If I stayed with Rook it would always be part of my life and by default,
part of Rachel’s as well. Was I willing to accept the risks involved with
living in Rook’s world?

Rook’s arm reached over from where he sat beside me and
wrapped around my shoulders. Burrowing in against his warm body I knew I was in
too deep to ever walk away. The only thing left to do was pray that we all
somehow made it through whatever Danarius had planned alive. So with love in my
heart I prayed for us all, I prayed to God, then I sent another request to the
Goddess Rook puts his faith in. There weren’t any flashes of light or signs
from above, but the sick feeling in my gut eased a bit and I hoped that meant
someone out there was watching over us.

I’d been standing in the doorway to Rachel’s room watching
her sleep since we arrived back at the resort. Rook was meeting with some of
his security personnel a few feet away in the sitting area of the suite. I’d
heard most of what they were discussing, but I couldn’t seem to tear myself
away from the sight of my daughter and the sure knowledge that she was alive
and unharmed.

After a while I heard everyone murmur their goodbyes then
the door shut quietly and a moment later Rook slid his arms around me from
behind. He kissed the top of my head then said, “She’s not going anywhere
tonight. Solomon said she danced all night and was ready to collapse when she
came back here to go to bed.”

“Intellectually I know that’s true, but that doesn’t make it
any easier to walk away. I just feel like she’s safer with me watching over
her.”

“I understand, but right now you need to take care of
yourself. The sun is already rising and you should get some rest before she
wakes up and starts asking questions about Jimmy.”

He took my hand in his and tugged me towards the bedroom.
Once we were inside he closed and locked the door. I turned on the lamp beside
the bed and he shut off the bedroom light.

“I don’t know how she’ll be able to deal with his death so
close to losing Emily,” I told Rook as I removed my shoes and started
undressing.

He sat in a chair and worked on unlacing his boots. “If she
needs help I’m sure Solomon or Serafina will be able to help her through her
grief. They’ve both said they enjoy spending time with her and they’re already
very fond of her.”

I took my pants off and laid them over the back of a chair
on my side of the bed. “Are you sure they don’t mind her hanging around so
much?”

“I’m sure.” Rook stood and pulled his shirt over his head
then dropped it into the chair and moved towards the bed. “Serafina told me
Rachel has been a big help around the office and she also said Solomon is
nearly back to his old self.”

“What do you mean?” My shirt followed my pants.

“Solomon hasn’t been himself since his assistant Renee went
to our European club Supernova. Honestly we were all getting pretty worried
about him, but according to Serafina, spending time with Rachel has helped him
get back on track.”

He dropped his pants to the floor at the same time that I dropped
my bra and panties. Since he hadn’t been wearing any underwear, we were both
nude as we reached for the blankets on opposite sides of the bed.

When I realized what we were doing I stopped in mid-motion
and my eyes flew up to see Rook frozen like I was. After several seconds I
still hadn’t moved so Rook crawled across the bed and sat on his knees in front
of me.

Reaching out to tuck my hair behind my ear he asked, “Are
you okay?”

“I’m not sure,” I told him honestly. “I didn’t even think
about what I was doing, or what you were doing. It just felt like the natural
thing to do.” My eyes were locked with his and I was afraid that if I looked
away I was going to freak out.

“That’s because it was the natural thing to do. We’re lovers
who care about each other. Why wouldn’t we undress and climb into bed together
at the end of a long day?”

I noticed he very carefully did not say we loved each other.

“But we shouldn’t feel this comfortable with each other so
soon in our relationship,” I argued. “We’re behaving as if we’ve been doing
this for years.”

Rook moved closer to me and smoothed his hands up and down
my arms. “I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again - you make your life far
more complicated than it needs to be. A few minutes ago you weren’t thinking,
you were feeling, and what you felt was natural and very uncomplicated. Stop
thinking and feel Angela. When that mind of yours stops working overtime you
know exactly where you belong, and who you belong with.”

Looking into his eyes, watching them fill with silver stars,
I wanted to believe it was that easy. Just let go of all the doubts and worries
that were always plaguing my mind and feel. If only I knew how...

“I don’t know how to stop thinking Rook,” I whispered.

His lips curved into that sensual smile I loved so much and
my body responded with a simmering heat spreading slowly from my core.

“I’ll help you learn,” he whispered back, then his arm
reached over and he turned off the bedside lamp. The room was left in near
darkness with only the early morning sun peeking around the edges of the
curtains.

“Come here,” Rook said as he pulled me up onto the bed. We
laid down on our sides facing each other with the blankets pulled halfway up
our bodies. “Anytime you start to think something should or shouldn’t happen I
want you to ask yourself why. Why shouldn’t we feel this comfortable with each
other? Why should we feel awkward around each other just because our
relationship is new? The answer is; we should only feel uncomfortable or
awkward if that’s how we actually feel, not because that’s how human society
expects us to feel.”

“But...”

“Stop thinking and feel Angela.”

His lips closed over mine and I did exactly what he wanted
me to do. God I loved the way he kissed me, like every kiss might be our last. It
wasn’t just the way his tongue tangled with mine or how soft his lips felt, or
even how arousing it was when he sucked on my tongue. It was the way he focused
on me and only me, as if nothing in this world mattered to him more than I did.

We continued kissing and caressing, our bodies twining
together under the blankets until his hard length was plowing through my
feminine folds, spreading my wetness as he stroked over my swollen clitoris
again and again. The warmth I’d felt before was quickly turning into a
wildfire, its heat powerful, consuming.

When I pulled back to catch my breath his lips went to my
throat then further down to capture my nipple. Oh... That felt so good. “I can’t
take much more of this Rook; I need to feel you inside me.”

He rose up on his arms and looked down into my eyes. “I want
to feel you, so hot and wet. Let me make love to you Angela, like this without
anything between us.”

“What if...”

His lips claimed mine for another searing kiss that curled
my toes and tightened every nerve ending in my body. When he lifted his head
again his swirling silver eyes bore into mine. “No thinking, only feeling
Angela.”

How could I deny him when I saw the same desire, the same
need I felt burning in his eyes.

Reaching down between us I stroked his hard length and his
back arched as a long, low groan escaped him. When I lifted my hips to guide
him into my body he pushed forward filling me with his aroused flesh,
connecting us in a way I scarcely understood.

“Angela...” Rook breathed as he began moving and rolled us
to the side, surrounding me with his strong arms, loving me with his body and
soul.

How many times had I dreamed of his deep voice whispering my
name in the dark?

It sounded even better than I ever imagined.

He said it again followed by light kisses along my neck,
then a nip at my earlobe. All the while he moved inside me with an exquisite
slowness that gave the moment an intimacy I’d never known with a man before.

Wrapping my arms around him I held him close, trying to
merge our bodies into one as his hands smoothed over my bare flesh slowly,
lovingly. Every caress of his rough hands felt like a brand on my soul. My mind
could rebel all it wanted to, but when he touched me like this, my heart knew
the truth. I felt his love for me and knew that it came from deep inside. It
wasn’t just a fleeting thing that might fade in a few years. It was the kind of
love that lasted through the ages, the kind that most people only dreamed
about.

Rook’s lips came back to mine, and I finally let myself feel
everything he was offering me. It was more than the physical sensations
spiraling through my body. It was a promise of love and family, and endless
passion that would only grow with time.

His big hands slid down and gripped my backside, angling my
hips just right to increase the pleasure for both of us. His subtle movements
teased me, had me quivering in his arms when he broke the kiss and looked at me
with wide eyes.

As I watched, Rook’s skin began glowing just like it had on
the beach that night after the bombing. The glow grew brighter, more radiant,
spreading from him to me, filling me with a sense of euphoric wonder. Rook
groaned and rolled me to my back as he came up on his arms above me. His hips
started moving harder, faster as the glow continued to spread. It was too much.
The rush of orgasm poured over me and tore out of my throat with a scream while
I clawed at his back needing to hold on as the sensations ravaged my body.

Rook’s thrusts became frenzied, his face twisting with
ecstasy as he spun out of control. His body pounded into mine, driving his hard
flesh into me over and over, hitting the end of my wet channel with every
demanding thrust. The next time the shattering ecstasy of release filled me,
the power from the River flared, bursting out and washing over us with a
cascade of energy. Rook roared as he buried himself inside me with one last
powerful thrust of his hips. He shuddered above me as he filled me with his hot
seed and I shook with blissful tremors of rapturous pleasure. Just before the
glowing light engulfed me completely it receded, but didn’t quite fade
completely.

Rook rolled to the side and fell flat on his back beside me.
We both laid there trying to control our breathing for several minutes before
our skin was left slick with sweat, but no longer glowing.

“What just happened Rook?” I asked without moving.

“I’m sorry Angela; I didn’t mean to let it go that far. It
just took me by surprise like it did that night on the beach, but it was so
much harder to pull back while I was inside you.”

I rolled to my side and propped myself up on my elbow. He
stared at the ceiling for another moment then finally turned to meet my eyes.

“That didn’t answer my question.”

“I’m sorry Angela,” he said again. “I will never let that
happen again, not until you agree to be my
anai
.”

My brows drew together while he held my gaze, his expression
solemn, remorseful.

“Are you saying you almost made me your
anai
without
my permission?”

He looked away and my heart nearly broke.

“Rook?” I felt tears in my eyes.

“I don’t know what happen.” He turned to face me again as he
explained. “It’s very simple for a time demon to make someone his or her
anai
,
but it usually takes a conscious effort. There are ancient words that must be
spoken, or so I thought. Once the words are spoken the time demon would begin a
time shift, taking his prospective
anai
with him. While they’re in the
ether between times he would merge his soul with hers binding them together
forever.”

“And you would do that to me without even telling me what’s
happening?” I sat up and moved away from him.

Of course he wouldn’t let me get away with that. He came up
on his knees and gripped my upper arms with his hands. “Never. I would never
take that choice from you. I did not speak those words. They whispered through
my mind in a voice that was not my own. Both times I’ve nearly claimed you as
my
anai
it happened the same way. I heard the words in my head, then
almost compulsively repeated them - still in my mind, not out loud - and
somehow triggered the bonding ritual. I did not mean for it to happen either
time, nor can I explain why it’s happening. I’ve never heard of anything like
this, but I promise you, I will never let it go as far as I did tonight ever
again.”

I could see the sincerity in his face and hear it in his
voice. Whatever was happening, it was no more his fault than it was mine. “Is
there anything I could do to stop you from completing the bond if this happened
again?”

Rook shook his head. “Even another time demon would have
difficulty stopping me if I was determined to make her my
anai
.”

“Is that what Danarius meant when he said you weren’t demon
enough to take what you want?”

“Yes. Most time demons wouldn’t worry about getting
permission if they met a conduit. They would make you their
anai
whether
it was what you wanted or not.”

“So if I ran into another time demon he could make me his
anai
and take me away from you?” My voice was a little shrill with that thought.

His silver eyes took on an eerie cast as his face darkened
into a mask that could only be called demonic, his features almost
unrecognizable. It was truly a frightening sight to see and when he spoke, his
harsh, guttural voice added to the effect upgrading him to terrifying. If I
hadn’t trusted Rook implicitly I would have been running for the door
screaming.

“Any time demon who tries to take you from me will die an
agonizing death while wishing he’d never met you.”

He was still gripping my arms but I had to do something to
bring him back from whatever dark edge he was teetering on. Very slowly I
raised my hand and brushed my fingertips down the side of his face. “Come back
to me Rook. No one is going to take me away from you, I won’t let them.”

His grip on my arms loosened and I slipped free as I
smoothed my hands up over his chest, across his shoulders, then down his arms.
Ever so slowly the tension drained out of his body and the darkness shrouding
his face cleared. He took a deep breath and sat back on his heels.

“How about I go clean up, then we’ll lie down together and
get some sleep,” I suggested cautiously.

“I’d like that Angela. I’m sorry if I scared you. The
thought of another time demon bonded to you was just...” He shook his head. “Go
get cleaned up and let me hold you. Let me feel your skin pressed against mine
while we sleep so I know you’re safe.”