Embrace the Power: A Paranormal Romance (The Blood Rose Series Book 9) (7 page)

Her throat was unbearably tight as she watched the healing process. Kaden explained things along the way, specifically how the poison was slowly infecting Stone’s blood.

When Stone began to writhe and moan, Kaden met her gaze. “He’s beginning to return to consciousness and his abdomen is almost completely healed, but the poison is the problem now and he needs blood. You should feed him soon. That will help more than anything else could at this point to clear the taint from his system.”

Thinking about their earlier kiss, she pressed a hand to her chest. “I-I really shouldn’t do that. He has a number of
doneuses
he calls on to service his blood needs. I can bring one of them in.”

“I’m sorry, my Queen, but it won’t do. We don’t have time and I have reason to believe your blood carries more power than his
doneuses.
Without your offering in the next few minutes, he’ll fall into a lethargy and die. And afterward, I promise you, Margetta will have possession of the Nine Realms. Mastyr Stone is the key to saving our world. And you’re the key to keeping him alive.”

Rosamunde stared at Kaden for a long moment. She felt his sincerity and knew in her heart she’d reached a critical crossroads. Her faeness, despite the fact that she was still in ‘Aralynn’s’ form, told her he was right. And calling her ‘my Queen’ meant he knew exactly who she really was.

She’d sensed it as well from the moment he’d pulled that bus out of harm’s way: If Stone perished, the Nine Realms would be lost. Besides, from the time she’d first arrived at his Communication Center all those weeks ago, she’d known that part of her job was to protect him.

“Is there no other way?”

“No. And you must prepare yourself. Once you share your blood with Mastyr Stone, there will be no going back. Not now. Not ever. And there’s a good chance the vampire will break your heart.”

Chapter Three

Stone’s eyes hurt. A strange light pressed on his eyelids making him wonder if he’d been caught outside during the day.

He tried to lift his arm to block the glow, but couldn’t move any part of his body. He examined his limbs as best he could, but there was so much pain moving through every muscle he possessed, he could barely breathe. Was he chained up or something? Had Margetta captured him after all and now held him prisoner?

He felt nauseous and a second, very specific pain ran through his stomach and into his back. He writhed.

Help me,
he called out. He tried to open his mouth, but couldn’t even manage that. Was anyone nearby?

Be at ease, Stone. I’m here.

His mind began giving shape to new images. He saw Queen Rosamunde, a beauty with long red hair, bending over him and caressing his face. Goddess, she was beautiful. For months now, he’d been attracted to her, even craved her at times. He’d never told anyone how drawn he was to the Queen of Ferrenden Peace. Yet he despised her for her arrogance and her unwillingness to use her considerable power against the Ancient Fae.

He met Rosamunde’s gaze or thought he did. Was he hallucinating?
Why won’t you help the Nine Realms? You have the power necessary to defeat Margetta, but you won’t lift a finger. Why?

You’re wrong. I wish you weren’t, but you are. I don’t have my mother’s ability and I know you’ve never understood. But I truly don’t have enough power to defeat Margetta, not on my own.

He shook his head.
The war will be lost because you must face her. I know it in my bones.
He didn’t know why he was so intractable on the subject, except that he’d felt it from the beginning that she would be the one to vanquish the Ancient Fae.

She moved backward and vanished from sight. He realized he’d only imagined the encounter. Great. Hallucinations it was.

“I’m sorry, Aralynn. You must feed him.” Stone heard the man’s voice, but he didn’t recognize him. Whoever he was, he was right. Stone needed blood from his donors.

He forced his lips apart and finally managed, “Get my
doneuses
.”

“There you see, Aralynn? He’s confirmed what must be done. Feed the mastyr or all is lost.” The man sounded stern now. Even adamant. But why should Aralynn be forced to donate?

A rough, high-pitched voice, though very male, broke in, “She’s selfish, that one.”

“Hush, Joseph. You’re not helping our cause, not when you had every intention of charging Aralynn for my healing powers. Pot and kettle, my good man.”

He blew a raspberry. “Just thinking of my future, is all.”

“You have more money than I do, than even the Queen.”

“But the wench I love, my dearest wife, wants more and more and more. You think I’m greedy? Try dealing with a female forest gremlin. Grabby, that lot.”

“Then why not divorce her?”

Another raspberry. “Like most men, I’m a slave to the needs of my cock. And Little Joseph needs
her.
No other woman will do.”

Stone heard the other man laugh. “I know the feeling well.”

Stone had an impression of size in the one man and a massive amount of power, more than even Stone. But Joseph, by the pitch of his voice, appeared to be the forest gremlin Aralynn had told him about. If only Stone could open his eyes.

Had he imagined Rosamunde?

More things returned to him. Of being at the mine near Charborne with Aralynn, then Margetta’s sudden appearance and her gold wind swirling everywhere. The Ancient Fae aimed her battle energy not at Stone, but at Aralynn. That’s what had happened. He’d moved like lightning to protect Aralynn and had gotten hit in the stomach. He remembered falling and thinking he would die. Then, nothing.

Now here he was. Aralynn must have saved him, though he had no idea how.

But where the hell had she taken him anyway? And who was the powerful man healing his wounds?

“Aralynn, you have to open a vein. The poison is in Mastyr Stone and only your blood can heal him.”

Stone understood. Margetta had delivered a terrible fae potion with her battle energy that now afflicted his entire body. Whatever the nature of the poison, it sent a wave of fire through his bones. He couldn’t prevent the groan that erupted from him.

“Blood…now…
.
”

~ ~ ~

Rosamunde couldn’t put off the inevitable a moment longer, not when Stone was in so much pain. “Fine, but I’ll need some privacy.” She’d heard many stories over the centuries about the seductive nature of blood donation. Given her current desire for Stone and his clear craving for her, she suspected that a lot more than a mere kiss would follow.

Kaden nodded and with Joseph still sitting on his shoulder, she expected the pair to leave together. Instead, when Kaden moved away from the stone slab, Joseph remained levitating right where he was, a wicked glint in his eye.

But Kaden, called to him, “What am I going to do with you? Sweet Goddess!” When Joseph stayed put and even crossed his arms over his chest as though getting ready to watch the show, Kaden added, “Get your butt over here, little man, or I will wring your neck.”

“Fine.” Joseph, who could make more rude noises with his mouth than any realm-person Rosamunde had ever known, let loose with a wet rubbery sound somewhere between a raspberry and a cheek pop. “Have fun.”

Once Joseph reached Kaden, the pair vanished, another sign of Kaden’s essential power. Rosamunde kept wondering if what she suspected was true. Yet the last of the evil elf-lords had died at least two thousand years ago, maybe three.

Turning her attention back to Stone, she saw that his face was pinched in a painful grimace. His legs were now locked in painful cramps, a condition she understood very well. The poison appeared to be working in his body the way the elf-lord power always afflicted her lower limbs.

She wasn’t sure exactly what to do, but she held her wrist to his mouth. “I’m here, Stone. Take what you need.”

She thought she might have to encourage him, rub her skin against his lips or something. Instead, he must have smelled her blood because he grabbed her arm and opened his mouth. In a flash, his fangs appeared and he bit down on her.

A small cry left her throat before she could stop it. The nip didn’t really hurt and was over before it had begun, but the quick bite had taken her by surprise.

He had his lips around the wounds and was sucking hard.

Maybe too hard.

He could collapse the veins if he wasn’t careful. “Easy, Mastyr.”

His eyes shifted to her. He squinted and she saw that the whites were a dark red. Even the irises were discolored from the poison. Instead of the beautiful mossy-green she’d come to know they were almost amber. He barely looked like himself.

She pressed her free hand to his shoulder and let some of her own healing power flow into him. “You’re sucking too hard. Please, ease back a little.”

He breathed hard through his nose as though struggling, then finally gentled the pulls on her wrist.

She glanced at his legs and saw that the painful cramping of his muscles had begun to subside. Her blood must be working fast. She kept her healing power flowing as well.

Stone’s skin was the color of a golden tan. He had a lot of tattoos especially over his broad chest, mostly swirls of knife points. A wavy row of black leaves and thorns went from his right thigh to his ankle.

She let her gaze move all the way to his feet, then took her time on the return trip back up his legs. He had warrior limbs, sculpted with muscle and without hair of any kind. He was beautiful.

Her heart started to pound in her chest and she felt suddenly light-headed. At first, she wondered just how much blood Stone had taken. But she knew from long study that wrist-draws were fairly weak in terms of delivering a large amount of blood, especially for a mastyr vampire.

So, a loss of blood wasn’t what was causing her to feel a little faint.

Had to be Stone, himself.

As her gaze reached the well-defined muscles of his thighs, her breathing grew rough and out of nowhere a ripple of pleasure ran deep between her legs.

Sweet Goddess.

She couldn’t catch her breath. The response was so purely sexual, she couldn’t have mistaken it for anything else. She was grateful his private bits were covered up by the towel, though the lump of them had begun to expand. Again, a donor’s blood on a male vampire had very specific affects. His erect cock was lifting the towel.

Her rational mind had stalled out. She should look away, but she couldn’t help herself.

What was wolf and very physical took over. She could even feel the beginnings of a shift, that delicious sensation of energy racing through her muscles and bones. Her nostrils flared and her lips pulled back.

Aralynn,
his mind called to her.

She met his gaze and growled softly, a low throaty sound that even to her own ears had the quality of an invitation.

His eyes were no longer pinched and their beautiful mossy color had returned. The whites were as they should be.

He stopped suckling and swiped his tongue over the wounds. Her forearm tingled with pleasure as the small cuts healed instantly.

She had a moment’s awareness that her heart felt lighter.

He slowly sat up. His complexion still hadn’t fully recovered. “I need more.”

“I can tell you do.” She could feel his requirements like a vibration in her chest informing her exactly how much she needed to deliver in order to take care of him. She wondered if this was true for his
doneuses
as well. Could they sense his need as she did right now? “Do you want to take from my neck?”

His eyes darkened and his gaze dropped to her throat. “Yes.”

She flipped her hair back so he could get a good look. She could feel her vein pulsing, ready to give him all that he desired.

The problem was, her own needs had formed a demanding symphony in her body and it went a lot farther than just his fangs in her throat. His scent teased her, though she could hardly define it. But it was sensual and smelled fresh, like a quick stream moving over rocks. There were undercurrents of gritty sand and moss and flowing water.

She slowly unbuttoned her green leather vest. “If we’re going to do this, Stone, to get you fully healed, I need something as well, something I’ve wanted for weeks now. And I’m not holding back.”

He lowered his chin and stared at her hard. He dropped his hand to his lap and pulled the towel away, setting it on the slab. Her gaze fell to his arousal. He slid his fist around his cock and began to pump slowly.

A shiver chased over her body and she ached so deep within her well that she could hardly breathe.

She took her time removing her vest. She wore no bra so that his eyes flared the moment her stiff nipples came into view. His fist went faster.

Getting out of her boots and pants was a much less elegant process so she made quick work of it. Having gone commando, she now stood naked in front of him.

He wore a dazed expression and he held his hand very still.

They’d barely done anything and he was on the verge.

She drew close and caressed the hand that held his cock. “You’re a beautiful man in every way.”

He searched her eyes and a pained expression crossed his face. “You don’t have to do any of this, Aralynn. I need you to know that. You’re my battle partner and I want to do right by you. A blood donation would be enough.”

At that, she shook her head. “I need to be with you, Stone. This isn’t pity-sex. Trust me.”

“Are you sure?”

She leaned in to kiss him, then drew back holding his gaze. “I’m doing this because I’ve wanted you from the time you saved those troll kids. It’s as simple as that.” The fae part of her kept sending sharp warnings that she should tell him the truth about who she really was. But right now, her wolf had command and, as Aralynn, she was not letting the moment pass without being with him fully.

He nodded. “I’ve wanted you as well. I’ve had dreams about you. I’ve craved you.” His eyes fell to half-mast and seated as he was now on the side of the marble slab, his hands landed on her hips. He spread his legs wider and drew her close.

She slid her arms around his neck and his lips met hers, but not gently. Instead, it was a strong pressure that had her making warbles and coos in her throat. She wiggled her hips until she was smashed up against him and could feel the solid line of his cock against her abdomen.