Eclipsed by Midnight (15 page)

Translation, calm the fuck down, Etienne. Patience and fortitude will bear greater fruit. Pulling the blankets up over us, I attempt to get myself under control and slowly allow the warmth to return. As the temperature rises and the fluttering magic returns with my efforts, a strange new satisfaction and sense of fulfillment comes.

My mind drifts and images of holding a tiny creature swathed in soft blankets with brilliant green eyes as magnetic as its mother’s flood me. A yearning like no other takes root and my mind races toward ideals of possible fatherhood before I can get a handle on it. The barrage did not come calmly and collected as I prefer. Another life in my care, another responsibility that will age me beyond my years, another being whose potential death could break me beyond repair. Loving Sasha was hard enough when the desire to ever love anyone had been snuffed out by my fear of losing them long ago. My hermit lifestyle and iron fist in the field had always hinged on that motto. Death is an everyday occurrence in this world, and I had danced with my demons long enough to know how to outsmart them—how to keep them at bay. Part of that tactic was detachment. Sasha had been the most painful, yet necessary transition. She continually broke me down to nothing, made me question every facet of life, myself included.

But in loving her, I found myself once more. There had been pieces of my heart missing since the death of my sister, but Sasha managed to find them and slide them back into place with ease. Cracks manage to continually exist, but her light shines bright, illuminating those. Somehow, in her presence, the blood on my hands doesn’t seem so red, stained, or permanent. My soul doesn’t feel damned beyond hope anymore, in spite of the atrocities these hands have been a part of. Most of it was justified, the rest, perhaps not. Would she still love me and think me suited to stand by her side if she knew the extent of the damage I have manifested? The possibility of her leaving post discovery of such events makes my chest ache and my entire body shudder in agony. That can never happen. This young in her womb deserves much more than the legacy of carnage I have led.

Perhaps that is the primary in this complicated equation of conflicted emotions. My underlying fears of unworthiness attempting to bait me out of my duties… and desires. In truth, I do desire this on some level.

As I settle deeper into the embrace of our bed, my fears subside as my mate’s strong heartbeat lulls me to sleep. For now.

∞

“Lil, you going to sleep all day?” Sasha’s smiling, heart-shaped face comes into my hazy view with the look of total adoration in her eyes as she lightly kisses the tip of my nose. Looks like her spirit is finally settling back in. How on Nannau’s green earth did I ever get so lucky?

“We just fell asleep,” A disgruntled reply rumbles in my chest as I pull her back down under the covers.

“Lil!” she delightfully squeals as my hands take on a mind of their own and roam her deadly curves. Thank the sweet heavens through all of her training she’s maintained her perfectly strong, toned yet curvy physique. A male needs something soft to hold onto. “Babe, it’s midnight already.” She purrs and leans deeper into the planes of my chest, her body instantly livening with my touch.

“Perfect, I’ve got some midnight cravings…” My hips press forward as my fangs descend and lightly scrape down her soft flesh. A sweet moan fills my ears, encouraging me on. Flipping her onto her back, I rush to make a place between her legs. It’s been almost two days since I’ve seated here, and that’s too damn long. She gasps and runs her fingers through my hair as my mouth hungrily finds her heavy breasts.

“Shouldn’t we check on the boys?” she half-heartedly attempts, sagging with a sated sigh under my ministrations. Her eyes close as she slips partially in and out of whatever wavelength her mind has been stuck in since last night.

“All is well, mon amour.” Without another word, I devour her nipple, suckling her deep as one hand snakes around to palm her ass. The head of my dick presses at her soft, heavenly entrance, begging permission, but I keep it at bay. I need to savor every inch of her first.

“Please, Lil, I need you,” Sasha begs and falls into the coital bliss, her mind refusing to fully reattach to the present. She has no idea just how desperate I am to comply, her state doing not a damn thing to deter me.

I moan into her flesh and bring my fingers around to her pussy. Sinking two in deep, I damn near come on the spot at the sensation. She’s so fucking wet. My thumb finds her pearly clit and begins to slowly make her climb as I take my fill of her large breast. Within moments, she’s a writhing, begging mess underneath me.

“Please, Etienne! Please let me come!” she cries out. Sweet tears of frustration threaten her eyes and being the bastard that I am, I yearn for them.

“Not yet, Anu. My sweet, succulent pussy is going to have to wait. I’m feeling greedy.” Moving to her other breast, I attack once more, stimulating her in a variety of ways that have her racing toward climax once more.

“Oh, god. Oh, god!” she screams as she nears, but I stop and pinch her clit, using a bit of nail, the pain just enough to hold her back yet keep her on the precipice. “No!” she hollers in frustration, those tears finally breaking free in a frustrated sob.

Her submission is a thing of beauty. It has been a slow and difficult learning process, but one that has taken our relationship to another level. Sasha is just as controlling as I, yet she has found she rather enjoys the power exchange. And as powerful as she is, the level of faith and trust she has in me to be able to submit damn near knocks me off my feet. It is unbelievable. And for that, I can never let her down. My beautiful, strong, and glorious female deserves nothing but what she wants and more. Leaving her breast, I lift to kiss away the tears from her cheek, rejoicing in their salty presence. My dick gets even harder as I savor them, ready to combust on the spot as my blood pulses. Unable to help it a moment longer, I lean back onto my knees, yanking her wiggling hips with me and sheathing myself in one powerful stroke.

“Etienne!” She screams my name in pure pleasure, swelling my chest and deepening my next thrust. My dirty wife likes it rough, and I am more than happy to oblige her.

From my upright position, I get to bask in her pleasure as she writhes and moans. Her breasts bounce around nicely as she fists the sheets, ready to tear them from the bed. Her growing control over her powers has saved me quite a bit in furniture and bedding replacement lately. The sound of my thousand-thread count, butter-soft sheets ripping as she screams my name once more brings me back around, eliciting a growl of approval from me.

“Fuck, yes!” gasps from my lips as I slam into her again, engorged flesh forcefully invading and stretching more taut flesh. I never said I was opposed to the destruction in the name of passion—destruction I inspire as I manipulate her pleasure. It is beyond poetic and quite the definition of perfection. The heat radiating from her aching, voluptuous body is almost unbearable. Feeling myself close, I reach down between her legs with one hand as the other remains glued to her hip. The wetness greets me in a soft caress like a long-lost lover as my finger glides to her most sensitive spot. As my cock hammers her, my finger brings her back around and she tremors as her fingernails slice through the remaining demolished bedding. Her satin pussy clamps down and damn near strangles my dick, making me quake and fire licks my aching balls.

“Very good, Anu. Come for me,” I demand, lightly rolling her clit between the pads of my fingers, sending her over the edge.

“Fuck me, Etienne!” she screams, the syllables of my name lingering in her raw throat as she comes undone. Her cheeks flush deep as her nipples draw up tight. Her face beautifully contorts as her body violently shakes. With a few more strokes, my own hot release pours into her and my fingers dig into her hips, holding on for dear life, leaving bruises in their wake.

Electricity erupts between us as our rolling climaxes mingle, and I don’t mean metaphorically. The surge rips through the room, shorting out all the sockets and shattering all the lightbulbs in a loud, screeching storm of massacre. Throwing myself over her, I shield her from the power surging through, shattering all glass in its wake and threatening to start a fire as it teases the power outlets in a sizzle of smoke and hisses. Sasha seems to finally catch on, lost in her daze of orgasmic bliss. With a small wave of her hand, the room falls silent. That is, until a hurried fist comes banging on the door.

“My Lord! Are you two all right?” Erik’s panicked voice rings out as his hand begins to turn the door handle but stops, thinking twice.

“Yes, all is well,” I manage as I prop myself up on elbows, attempting not to suffocate my mate with my weight.

“What the fuck was that?” Erik demands, fear still clinging to him.

“Seems like we have some new powers to work with,” I call out, turning back to my love, her green eyes boring into mine with new vigor, many unanswered questions as well as grief flooding her face as she realizes she is very much alive, awake, and in the present suddenly.

Her dream-like stupor has finally fully rescinded. As I rest my forehead on hers, my lips gently take hers. “Welcome back. I was wondering when you’d rejoin me.”

“Oh, goddess!” She forgets her barrier as her mind filters through all the details of the previous night and tears begin to flow down her cheeks. Every felt and unfelt emotion rips through her as if it were happening again for the first time, and subsequently because of her blockade slip up, me.

It is all too much, too much to be held within one person. Falling to the side, I pull her into me as her body and mind is wracked by vividly reliving it all. I try to pull some of the emotional burden from her to ease the encumbrance, but as soon as I do, it is quickly replaced with more. The power now coursing through her brings with it a whole new level of affliction, responsibility as well as danger. And with all of that, thoughts and emotions that are elevated beyond what most are capable of conceiving of. But, as her partner who is a blooded prince of the five families and the next heir in line, I can conceptualize it.

I, too, have gone through my own processes surrounding the burden and possibilities. All I can do is ride the waves with her and attempt to soothe her through it. The house bustles with life above us as we lay in the belly of it in our own world. Time becomes inconsequential as it lapses and we lay there in each other’s embrace. This is the first time since she’s turned that she’s permitted me into her mind this long and allowed me to feel all that she is going through right along with her. The bond we share has always been paramount, but now, it has moved even deeper as this experience takes our intimacy beyond what either of us has ever experienced. Physical pleasure can never bond a pair on this magnitude, only deep-seated intimacy through shared profound experiences can.

Chapter 9

“Do not trust all men, but trust men of worth; the former course is silly, the latter a mark of prudence.” ~Democritus

Etienne

As I stare at the screen in front of me, my brow furrows and my iron jaw ticks.

“My Lord?” The distant voice bounces back across the connection.

“Damien, move over, darling, and let me join the conversation.” Koray comes into view on the video conference and gives me one of his classic expressions, or lack thereof, that tells me I better let it rest.

“You bet—” I begin, but I am quickly cut off.

“No one betrayed you. We didn’t even have to tell you the truth, but Damien has been a wreck about it all. It goes without being said that any information or advice delivered to your mate was well thought through before being vocalized,” Koray warns.

“She could have been killed!” I seethe, spit flying from my lips.

“Is this child’s play without risk in which we are engaging?” Koray warns.

“No.”

“Very well then. Our most important weapon had to be drawn in order to keep the balance tipped in our favor. It was not a mission you could have joined her on. If you had been present, she would not have gained access. Intent was the key.”

“How does that make sense? If intent was the key, then no dark energy should have been able to gain access, which makes the mission a moot point.”

“Pure driven intent, good or bad, can gain access. Her sense of urgency under duress is the only way to trigger her pure intent. She’s always thought clearest under pressure.”

It was true. When there was no pressure, she wavered too much, constantly weighing all the options, over and over and over. But under pressure, she was precise and quick almost to a disturbing degree. It was the only time she allowed instinct to drive.

“Also, if her corresponding half had been present, you two would have been swept up into her hibernating state while she balanced herself. Then who would have protected her resting form? The guardians at work would have only been able to hold off the dark energy for so long.”

Fuck, Koray has only ever been the one who could appeal to my reason and logic under these types of circumstances. “You knew what would happen the moment she absorbed the cup’s power?” I thought no one knew that much. It hadn’t been done before.

“We had our suspicions on all the what-if’s surrounding the entire mess. There were multiple scenarios at play. We hedged our bets on the one that made most sense and that would set everyone up in the right spots should a variety of circumstances unfold. You know Nannau and the gods can be quite unpredictable.”

“Clever old dog,” I grumble and ease back, finally understanding, even if I may not like it.

“How is the lovely priestess fairing now?” Damien asks, concern etched deep in his words as he eagerly dismisses my state.

“She was half drugged for a bit, and then her mind fully awoke, which was tumultuous to say the least. And now, she sleeps more than usual.”

“I can imagine housing all the power that she now does is going to take some getting used to,” Damien chimes before falling into thought, analyzing possibility no doubt.

I grunt in response and avert my eyes, not knowing what else to say.

“When did you plan on telling us?” Koray pins me with an accusatory glare, the one from my youth that he liked to use when he was upset with me.

“Tell you what?” I counter.

“My son, we’ve been close far too long.” He sighs in disappointment, which wounds me. Damien looks expectedly back and forth between us, waiting for clarification, as he did not quite understand.

“There’s nothing else to tell.” I trusted Koray more than any other living thing, but even that wasn’t a full investment.

“After all of these years, you still fall back on terrible habits that do nothing but hinder you senseless.” Koray truly looks hurt.

“Koray, old friend, I trust you with my life and you know that.”

“True, but you don’t fully trust me with the life of your mate. You don’t think I’ve noticed the change in her during these little video calls?”

No, I didn’t fully trust anyone with my mate and how the hell can he tell anything when I couldn’t even tell?

He has been by my side since the day he plucked me from the depths of hell, as well as the backslides I befell over the years. Is he bluffing? Trust is a delicate thing, one earned too rashly by some and easily broken by most. Ego and intent by far delivering the biggest blows to the fragile ideal of trust—all in the name of self-entitlement and gain. Humans and vampires alike were generally simple in that respect. Each a puzzle with a variation of the same pieces, it usually boiled down to what configurations they fell into for that individual. Every once in a while, a few defied those patterns—Koray and Damien to name a few. Ill intent was never the name of their game, nor was personal gain.

Blowing out through pursed lips, I watch the screen in front of me, seeing two males whom I really did trust more than most. “Yes, she is with young,” I confirm his unspoken suspicions, carefully watching their every move as they process. Pure joy and elation beam from the screen, almost blinding me as they laugh through tears of joy and hug each other. It takes a few moments for them to settle down and remember that I am still here. Turning back to the screen, they wipe their eyes a few more times while attempting to give me their full attention.

“That is quite the reaction—one might think I had said that the two of you were to be fathers,” I scoff. Not to mention my reaction was far from that.

“Son, does the joy of new life not fill your soul?” Koray’s concern washes over me and feeds my guilt.

“It is a slow process, and it’s not like she’s thought to converse with me herself on the matter. I discovered it when she was in hibernation and then again when her barrier slipped.”

“A magical young who shows great promise for our kind should be much celebrated. Regardless, that young is a piece of you. Sasha will not divulge anything unless she feels it to be safe. If your take on bearing fruit has been less than favorable, she will not open up to you. She is a mother. She is
the
embodiment of our holy mother; she will stop at nothing to protect that flicker of life.”

“Notwithstanding my apprehension, I am her husband, her mate, the other half of her soul—she should feel inclined to communicate with me on such matters!” Apparently, I am still harboring some anger over the matter.

“May I interject?” Damien speaks up, and Koray nods. “Is it plausible that she may not even know?”

“How would that be possible?” I openly stare, waiting.

“Under extreme amounts of stress, we become disconnected from our bodies. She has only until recently begun to understand hers, much less this world. And, the young is just now making itself known.” Damien’s voice picks up strength as he continues on.

“She has smelled different for a while; the heartbeat is awfully strong for her not to know.” My frown deepens.

“We’ve had our suspicions as well up until you left concerning the alterations we sensed in her, but if this young has any combination of the magic you two possess, it is feasible that it didn’t want to be known until now.”

“That would make some sense, on some level. However, Kataya and Emile already know, and it’s been but not even two weeks since her moon.”

“Promise me this, My Lord, that you will approach her a bit differently with this topic and be open to the possibilities before you damn her.” His genuine concern and need for me to switch gears pleads across the wavelengths.

“Fair enough.” I need to practice a bit more patience anyhow.

“Moving on in business. Cedric notified us that your father is up to his suspicious antics again and thinks your parents will be making a surprise visit there. Your father disappeared on Samhain until early morning the next day. Now, we can’t jump to conclusions, but the timing is quite concerning.”

“For the love of our goddess, I hope they don’t land here right now. Did Dominic get back to you with what they found on the bodies we managed to preserve?” Fear for my new family’s safety slithers into the back of my mind. Running my hands through my loose hair, I rein it in, flexing my control.

“He’s working on it but did show us the amulets when had a video conference. Quite odd, but my love here is digging in the archives deep. Play nice with your parents if they do drop by. We can’t let your father know that we are on to him.” Koray arches his bushy white brow, his dark eyes daring me.

“Now is not a good time. With Sasha and her boys, it is all I can do to keep up with it all. Add those two on top of it and I might blow a fuse.” My breath pushes through my taut lips as my thick fingers massage my temple, the veins throbbing there, threatening to burst under pressure.

“Once that young is born, your never-ending patience will be needed. Think of this as a warm up.” Koray chuckles, brushing my stress overload off as inconsequential. “I hope this means that you will be coming back this way soon so that we can be the favorite uncles.” Damien bounces slightly in his seat at the thought, and Koray grasps his hand and kisses it. Their happiness manages to bring my blood pressure down a sliver.

“It is going to be a while, my friend, but I am glad this piece of delicate news brings you so much happiness. A small token for my years of insolence.” I grin, joyed with the smile I have managed to put on my old friend’s face.

“Small indeed, but it will have to suffice.”

Ending on a good note, I promise to call again soon with updates as soon as Sasha and I talk. Damien is on edge, wanting to know more about Sasha’s condition and body awareness as well as the young showing signs of powers while in utero. It was highly uncommon, yet not entirely unheard of. Typically, we don’t show signs of our potential until later on and no one has been documented as having gained full access to their powers until after transition.

“Yo, boss, now that you’re off the phone, you got a minute?” Erik chimes from behind the closed door to my office. Thankfully, he knew I was done before approaching and would never eavesdrop. That’s a perk of the senses we have. We can use them to our advantage, and for my staff, that advantage would be not getting their heads ripped off by being disrespectful.

Fabulous, judging by his tone and the apprehension floating on his emotional grid, that could only mean he has updates on the bodies, ones he despises being the one to deliver.

“Come in.”

Erik strolls in and takes a seat, leaning way back until the chair groans in protest before cupping his hands behind his blond head. His cocky stance screams that he’s internally attempting to muster his confidence. Years of working together and he continually struggles with his fear at times.

I suppose I should be used to the fear I inspire, but very few cease to have a complete lack of fear in my presence. Edward was the first, the cocky bastard. And now, Sasha. Never once has she shown that telltale sign of pure fear of me. I used to think it was because something must be wrong with the female. While the jury has yet to reach a full verdict on that, I know it is most likely has to do with her love of me. The longer we sit here—me assessing him as he excavates for courage—the more unsettled he becomes.

Blowing out a deep breath, he finally rushes to begin. “Yeah, so, it looks like your father and mother arrived in Denver the morning of Halloween and one of our footmen caught sight of your father teleporting through some weird portal that evening. Then he arrived back through the same route before dawn. The bodies identified were those of a priest and a high-ranking advisor to our court. The female was a witch who no one seems to know much about, only that she is somehow linked to the priest. No word on the amulets used. I’m sorry, boss. It really does appear that your father is the lead on this suicide mission to gain the power of the cup.” Erik held my attention, eye for eye like a true eren, never backing down from the fight.

“Your honesty is appreciated as always. What doesn’t make sense is how he would wield the power or separate the veils to grab it. He’s not gifted.” My fingers thoughtfully trace the intricate, Italian inlay of my desk as my mind races.

“We think that’s where the witch was coming into play. We think she was a descendant of the original coven and she had some scrolls with her. They were found in her robe. Dominic and Solana are sorting them out now, trying to decipher the language they are written in.”

“Have they spoken to Koray and Damien? They might be of better assistance in that.”

“Not sure, will run that by them. We also received a damage report from our man way up the hill. Apparently, Niall took the twins there and things got… rowdy.” On that note, Erik’s classic, cocky tone returns along with his comfort.

“I was wondering how Aiden managed that black eye and Niall a fat lip.” I really didn’t want to know, but it was inevitable. Honestly, I had expected much worse. Young, transitioning males get into a slew of fucked-up situations with their volatile and testosterone-driven state. The females are only bad because of the attention they attract when the change is near.

“Something about one of the twins taking off with some female to get laid, but she wasn’t as available as she led on. Add too many blood orange-spritzers and Aiden’s temper—boom. Anyway, our mutual friend isn’t asking for monetary retribution and handled the situation. The skank, her man, and a few cronies were escorted off the premises. He just thought you would like to know beings that Niall wasn’t going to admit shit.” True, Niall would never disclose any of that without direct threat. I do rather tire of always having to go to that extreme.