Forever Black (Nightwalkers 2) (21 page)

A dream. The thought made her expression brighten. Her fangs
kissed her bottom lip, but didn't pierce them. She yawned then slowly opened
her eyes, scanning the Count's bedroom. Her gaze settled on the mirror in the
far corner, and she moved toward it.

She had a newfound gracefulness to her gait and a black
dress hugged her slender figure. Everything felt different, including Ashleigh.
Her mind wasn't focused on what had happened. She could barely recall the day
before or any of her recent memories. All she could see were her past memories
with the Count. Everything was focused on this incredible happiness and her
previous love for him.

She studied at her reflection and smiled. Her tight dress
accentuated her curvaceous figure. Her large breasts were cradled perfectly and
showed the perfect amount of cleavage. Her skin was much paler than normal, her
olive complexion now the color of soft buttermilk. Not an imperfection could be
found—no love handles, no slightly forming double chin, nothing.

Her lips were painted a bright red that was striking against
her pale skin. Her blue eyes had lightened and now reflected the same yellow
light as the Count's. She looked just like the coveted vampire princess from
her imagination.

"Ah…my beautiful queen has finally graced me with her
eternal presence."

Ashleigh spun when she heard his voice. Her gaze settled on
the Count, who was watching her from the bed. She smiled. It was as if not a
single day had passed since she had seen him in her previous lifetime.
Something had snapped inside her. She had wanted to forget all her pain so
badly and live in a dream world that she had forgotten who she was. Buried it.

"It is unfair to sneak up on a lady, my love."
Ashleigh glanced at the mirror. Her expression twisted slightly as her hands
rested on her stomach. She seemed severely confused as she stared at it.
"I feel…" Her eyes narrowed on her belly as she gently stroked it.
"Like I'm missing something. I can't remember…"

"Our child." The Count appeared behind her. His
arms slowly slipped around her and covered her hands. "Remember, my
love?"

Her words were soft as she tried to remember, "Our
child. My son." She glanced at the diamond wedding band on her finger. The
large gem was set off by deep, red rubies. "But he's…" Her eyes
widened as her breath quickened. "Oh, Drake. He's dead, isn't he?"

"Do not worry, my queen." He smiled at their
reflection. Resting his cheek against hers, he delighted in the soft touch of
her skin. "Our son is alive."

"I had a dream that I lost him…that I—"

"It was only a dream. Everything is fine."

"But it felt so real." She slowly turned around in
his arms. "The pain was unbearable. I can still feel the thickness of my
tears—the sadness. I can't lose another child, Drake." A gentle hand
reached up to his face as Ashleigh caressed his cheek. Her eyes were large and
full of innocence, yet they shined with the yellow light of hell. "Are you
sure he's all right?"

"Yes."

"Promise?" She stared hard into his eyes.

"I promise." He took her hand from his cheek and
held it in both of his. He touched her as if she were a breakable treasure, a
look of awe and love in his eyes.

"Then, a nightmare it ’twas." Her long, butterfly
lashes fluttered as she studied his face. "Tell me again how much you love
me." A sweet smile graced her lips. Her steady hands straightened his tie.

"Such a thing cannot be measured by any means." He
pulled her body closer.

Her movements were all slow and methodic. They were almost
ghostlike as she reached her hands up to his neck. "Please, try."

"As you wish." He gazed into her adoring eyes.
These were the eyes of his tamed princess. "My love for you is deeper than
any rift—vaster than the ocean that disappears into the eternity that lies
beyond horizon."

"I beg you, my prince," she beamed. There was
playfulness to her voice as she pulled on his tie. "Kiss me before I die
of longing."

"A kiss?" He cradled the side of her face as he
stroked it with his thumb.

"All good things…" She moved closer, her lips
barely touching his own. "Begin with a kiss."

"No. Everything begins with you."

Leaning closer, she kissed him. It was a full, loving kiss
that she had never given to him before in this lifetime. He responded by
caressing her back, the fabric of her dress cold and of the softest silk. His
fingers took hold of the zipper and slowly pulled it down.

When she felt his action, she pulled away from him. Her
eyelids were heavy as she stared into his hungry eyes. There was no resistance
anymore. Her hands slowly reached up to her shoulders and took hold of the
straps of her dress.

"Does your grace wish to make love to me?" A sweet
laugh escaped her lips. Her chin lifted gracefully as she turned her head to
the side. Her agile fingers slowly pushed the straps down her shoulders. The
slippery fabric fell the rest of the way, as if her body was shedding it like
molted skin. She now stood in front of him naked.

Slowly, she reached to his jacket. Her hands slid under the
collar and gently pushed it off his shoulders. It fell to the floor behind him.
The Count stood still and was mesmerized by his love. She took off his tie, and
her long, slender fingers slowly unbuttoned his dress shirt.

"Such a tease, you are." He laughed as he stopped
her fingers. He folded them inward and forced her hand into a fist. "Let
me assist you. My queen need not cater so to me."

He slipped off his dress shirt and revealed his bare chest.
He had a muscular frame, his skin the same pale color as Ashleigh's. His agile
fingers worked on unbuckling his belt, the thick leather sliding quickly
through his grasp.

Her eyes slowly wandered to his crotch when she saw the
flash of his boxers. There was a great delay in her actions. Like a crocodile,
she quietly observed her prey before jumping out and devouring it. To her, time
felt like it had slowed. Every second ticked by slower than normal. She watched
him drop his pants, and her eyes fixated on his manhood.

He grinned when he saw where her eyes were aimed. Then, he
kicked off his shoes and his pants. His nakedness was striking, everything
about him sinfully perfect. His stomach and abs were rock hard. That sexy
vee
between his hips and stomach led to the prize he had revealed
to her.

Her hand reached out and grabbed what her eyes were glued
on. Her fingers squeezed tightly around it as they moved up and down the shaft
slowly. She pushed her body up against his. Her tongue made a slow pass over
her top lip as she glanced down at her hand and then up again.

His hand moved to her face, where he cupped her cheek gently
and pulled her in for a kiss. Taking a few deep, slow kisses from her willing
lips, his hips thrust toward her hand.

Gripping his bare shoulder, she slowly pulled away from him.
She licked her lips deliberately. There was a liquid evil in her soft words, a
coldness in them that made him shiver with delight, "Beg me."

"Beg, I will, my love." He squeezed the side of
her face gently, leaning in for one more kiss. "Surround me with your
lips, and sink your fangs into the engorged flesh that begs to delve into the
warmth that only you can give."

"Harder." Her lips filled with a slow, poisonous
smile. Her tongue paused under one of her fangs as she took her hand from his
shoulder.

"Harder?" His breath quickened as he watched her
descend. His hands paused on her shoulders as she knelt on her knees.
"Bestow upon me the kiss—" His words halted when he felt her lips
surround his tip, both her hands wrapping around his shaft. He paused as he
tried to catch his breath. Closing his eyes, his fingers gently rested on the
top of her head. "The—" He tried to speak, but she had stolen his
words.

She gazed up at him. Her fangs scrapped against the delicate
skin teasingly, but didn't break it. His eyes were closed tightly, and his
teeth gritted. Then, she bit down. Her fangs sank into the tender flesh and
drew blood.

His eyes rolled back into his head, and his feet lost their
steady stance, his legs shaking. Her lips wrapped around him tighter. Ashleigh
sucked harder and harder as she tried to draw more blood. She had latched onto
him like a hungry vampire, and the tight, intense sucking motion had him
groaning with pleasure.

Before she was finished drinking from him, he came. His eyes
slowly fluttered open, and he gazed down at her. She was slowing down. The
wound was healing quickly, and the blood was drying up. When it completely
stopped, she released her hold on him and stood.

"How you please me." He watched her lick the blood
from her lips. Some of it had dripped down her chin in a thick trail.
"There is no gift in the world grander than that of your love."

"Drake…" Her breath quickened, her hand reaching
up to his face and studying him curiously. "Why do I feel so…" She
paused as her eyes narrowed on his. Her arms wrapped around his neck tightly,
as if she needed his strength to keep her standing. "So strange?" She
turned her head and laid it on his bare shoulder. "My mind feels
so…unsettled. What have you hidden from me, my love?"

"What you are feeling is the lingering of a bad memory.
I tried to erase it from your mind as you asked but…" He slowly took her
hands from his neck and escorted her over to the bed. "I failed you, my
queen. I'm very sorry."

She studied the carpeting as she sat down. Her eyes searched
the fibers for an answer, but she couldn't find one. "It’s not your fault.
I just wish it would fade completely, like darkness blanketing the sun."

"This will pass. Do not fret so." He motioned for
her to lay down. "Come, let me return your kind gesture with one of my
own." He pulled back the covers to reveal the cold, silk sheets beneath.

She let out a slow sigh then climbed into bed, lying on her
back. Her eyes darted frantically over his handsome face as she ran her fingers
through his whitish blond hair. "I feel so strange. My stomach is turning.
I'm afraid I will be sick. Make it go away, Drake. Bite me and cover this pain
with the darkness only you possess."

He kissed her lips and silenced her. "You do not need
my bite. Consumed by my love, it will pass."

"Maybe you could…" She struggled to remember as a
faint song played in the back of her head. "Sing to me? It might make me
feel better."

"Sing to you?" He regarded her strangely as his
vision narrowed. "I have never sung to you."

"Oh." She stared off to the side. Her eyes burned
into the space in front of her as she tried to sort out the memory. Then, she
turned to him quickly and tried to laugh off the thought. "What a silly
thing for me to ask of you."

"If you wished it, I would."

He crept closer and began kissing her. His lips were a great
distraction from the jumbled thoughts that consumed her mind. When he slipped
inside her, his kisses wandered to her neck. He nipped at her soft flesh, his
blond hair tickling her nose.

She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. Her mind
wandered as her stare burned into the ornate carved tiles above her. He was
making love to her, and though it felt very good, she couldn't concentrate.

With her recovered memories, she knew his every move, as
well as every inch of his body. But still, this man she had devoted herself to
didn't make her feel like she remembered. There wasn't that intense love inside
her that there was before.

He felt her pulling away, so he lifted his head and stopped
to look at her. "Ashleigh." She turned her eyes to him when he called
her name. He smiled. His hand stroked her cheek. "Do you need a kiss to
calm your mind?"

She studied his chest, and her eyes narrowed on his perfect
pecks. She seemed to be looking for something. Her brow lowered as she tried to
remember. "I feel so strange, Drake." She reached up between them and
ran her fingers over his hard chest. Her fingers were trying to reveal what her
eyes couldn't see—the sweeping tattoo on Caleb's chest that her jumbled mind
only saw as angel wings.

"Then, I shall make you feel wonderful." His
finger trailed down her cheek, the action making her eyes turn to him.

"Yes." She smiled, but it was a fragile one. Her
arms hung from his neck. "I would like that."

"As you wish." He bent down and bit her neck. Her
body immediately twisted toward his. He drank from her happily this time
because he knew she would still be his when she awoke from the spell. The curse
of eternity he had placed on her soul in her previous life covered her eyes
once again. All she could remember was being the wife of the Count, and that's
exactly what he wanted.

Chapter Twelve

Walking down the stairs slowly, Ashleigh was cautious. Her
agile feet skimmed over the polished wood as if she was floating. It was the
first time she had left her bedroom, and because her mind was still jumbled,
there was a lot for her to take in. Ashleigh knew something was wrong, but she
couldn't put her finger on it. And she listened to Drake. Every word. Every lie.
Just like he had promised, he had molded a perfect world for her.