Forget Me When the Sun Goes Down (Forged Bloodlines Book 11) (22 page)

His lips parted in surprise, forming the beginning of a word only to pause a moment later and regroup.  “And by
be with
, you mean...”

I wrestled Bishop onto his back, straddling him easily.  “I mean, you’d better hurry if you want to prove how much you want me before the sun comes up.”

In one smooth movement, he flipped me over, reversing our positions, only instead of straddling me, he came to a rest between my legs.  “That sounds like a challenge to me.”

“Do you think you’re up for it?”

He made a show of looking down to where a part of him was definitely
up
for the challenge.  “What would you say if I said I could prove it to you at least twice before dawn?”

“I’d say that sounds mighty ambitious,” I smiled, sliding my arms up his shoulders. 

“I feel pretty good about our chances,” he boasted, pressing the bulge in his jeans against my core, which clenched in anticipation. 

“That’s mighty big talk for a guy still wearing his pants.” 

“Only one way to fix that,” he grinned. 

Oh, he was fast.  At getting my jeans off and his own, I mean.  I barely had time to blink and we were both lying there in our underwear, him nestled between my thighs again.  “It’s a good start, but we’re still wearing too many clothes to do this right,” I pointed out.

His lips curved into a wicked smile.  “Some things I’d rather do slowly.”

“Well then, by all means, don’t let me stop you,” I smiled, arching my back so he could reach the clasp on my bra behind me. 

“What makes you think I want to start there?” he asked, leaning back.

“Hey, feel free to start with your boxer briefs, whatever floats your boat.”  I wouldn’t say no to another eyeful from him. 

“You first.”  He edged lower, hooking his fingers around the tops of my panties to slide them down, stopping to kiss and lick along the way.  Over my hip, down one leg until he flung them off, and up the inside of the other, tempting and teasing. 

I arched my back again when he made his way back up, but he made no move to take it off of me.  “I like this bra, I’m not done with it yet,” he insisted.  His cool breath teased me through the lace, hardening my nipple through the flimsy fabric.  With exquisite care, he gave the same treatment to the other one, until my breasts ached to be freed.  Only then did he unhook the strap and set the girls loose, immediately closing his mouth over one dusky peak, the sting of his teeth making me gasp for breath.

“Are you trying to make me remember something, or lose my mind?” I groaned, pressing my breast up into his mouth, desperate for more.

“Maybe a little of both,” he replied with a smug smile.

Two could play at that game.  “Maybe it’s my turn to help you with these?”  I reached down to trace the length of him through the fabric of his underwear, enjoying his swift intake of breath.  He went very still as I held him, stroking ever so slowly, enjoying the weight of him in my hand.  My hand dipped inside to touch the velvety smoothness, smiling to myself as he swore in a language I didn’t recognize.

“I’m gonna lose more than my mind if you keep doing that,” he growled, his eyes clenched tight with concentration. 

I pushed the briefs over his firm backside, feeling the muscles bunch and shift beneath my hands as he bucked against my thigh in response.  He kicked them off, settling between my legs with his thick length slick against my belly.

And then the challenge between us turned into something new.  Lost in a sensory swell, we rubbed against each other, hands seeking, mouths clashing.  There was no art to it, no teasing, just the exquisite slide of his body against mine. 

Every touch was a new discovery, learning what made me sigh, what made him moan.  It was like the best parts of a hot one night stand, only with feelings and less awkwardness.  We traded gasps of delight, caught up in a whirlwind of sensation.   

“Mmm, that feels amazing,” I urged him on when he did something particularly pleasing.  “Faster, please... oh... yes, right
there
.”

And he was just as vocal with me, groaning things like, “Don’t stop that,” or once, “Jesus, do that thing with your mouth again.”  It was almost like discovering sex for the first time, everything surprising and new, and so hot, I thought I might go up in flames.

Until it descended into nothing more than a series of gasps and moans, both of us brought to a fever pitch without him even entering me yet.  Only when I trembled and shook on the edge of ecstasy did he sink deep inside me, and he didn’t stop, not even when I came apart with his name on my lips. 

Even then, he didn’t let me catch my breath, but drove into me again and again, desperate to prove how right we were together.  Not until he’d not only proven it to me once, but I quivered on the brink of twice.  Only then did he stop just long enough to look into my eyes. 

“I love you, Anja, and I always will.”  He surged deep then, even as his fangs bit into my throat, the pull of his mouth against my flesh catapulting me into a new world of pleasure.  My teeth sank into his shoulder, muffling my blissful cries as we pulsed together.  The taste of his blood exploded across my tongue, and it was like coming home.  Forget the worries, forget the doubts – I
knew
him, deep in my soul, and Bishop was
mine
. 

We drank from each other until we were both wrung out with pleasure, and he collapsed on top of me, whispering sweet nothings into my hair.  I smiled up at the ceiling, able to understand about half of the flowery words in Italian.

“You were right,” I said, as he propped himself up over me so I could breathe again.

“That we belong together?”

“No, that you could prove it twice before sunup,” I chuckled, looking at the brightening sky through the cracks in the blinds. 

“I can prove it to you again if you like,” he grinned.

“No, we have plenty of time to prove it to each other over and over again.  I feel just how I want to feel right now.”  Lazy, a little sore, and very, very satisfied. 

“Good.” He kissed my forehead and rolled over, bringing me with him in the shelter of his arm so that I rested against his chest.  “Does that mean I don’t have to go sleep in the root cellar?”

“I knew it, you only wanted me for my bed,” I sighed dramatically, my head bobbing as a rumble of laughter went through his chest.  “I guess you can stay, as long as you don’t hog the covers.” 

“Deal.” 

“Oh, I almost forgot something.”  I slipped out of bed, padding over to my bag to rummage through the side pocket.

Bishop watched me with growing curiosity.  “Not that I don’t enjoy the view, but what are you looking for?  Can’t it wait until tonight?”

“Nope, not this.”  Finding what I wanted, I scrambled back into bed beside him, holding my trophy up between two fingers.

“Your ring?”

“The ring you gave me,” I clarified.

He seemed surprised.  “I gave it to you?”

“You did.  Here’s the inscription, see?” I handed it over for him to examine.  “To the stars and back.  You said it was a promise ring.”

“Did I say what I was promising at the time?”

“Something about me holding your heart for as long as I wore the ring, only you said it a lot more poetical at the time.  You also said these are meteor fragments on the sides.  How shiny is that?”

“To the stars and back,” he repeated.  “That’s how much I love you.”  Lost in a memory, he went still for a few moments, before returning to me with a smile.  “Well then, I guess you’d better put this back on your finger.”  I held out my hand, and he slipped it on.  “There, back where it belongs.”

I settled back down on his chest, snuggling into the crook of his arm.  “Just like us.”

His arm wrapped around my back, holding me close.  “Back where we belong.”

I woke up with my head still tucked into the crook of Bishop’s arm, his green eyes open and crinkling with his smile.

“Hey, sleepyhead,” he said in a low, bedroom voice.

My voice sounded more like a croak, super sexy.  “Hi.  Have you been awake for very long?”

“For a little while.” 

Had he been watching me sleep the whole time?  “How come you didn’t get up?”

“There was nowhere else I wanted to be.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that, indulging in a lazy stretch.  “What time is it?”

“I’m not sure. I never set my phone to the local time when we landed in Oslo, but the sun only went down a little while ago.”

“Are the others up?”

“Yeah, I heard them moving around, except for Mason, he’s still conked out.”

That meant it was close to Maeja time.  “I guess we should be getting downstairs.” 

“Yep, we probably should,” he agreed.  “Oh, but there’s one thing I wanted to do first.”

“What’s that?”

He slipped under the sheets, and I squealed as his fingers brushed over my sensitive sides, thinking he wanted to wrestle a bit, but that wasn’t what he had in mind at all.  His cool breath across the top of my mound was the only warning I got before his teeth pierced me
there
, sucking hard, fingers busy.  I went from zero to sixty in two point five seconds, coming so fast and hard I didn’t have a chance to slip in a breath before my body became a live wire, arcing with incredible delight.

“That’s three,” he said, crawling up to lay on his back with a smug look on his face, while I lay there gasping for air. 

“I thought you liked to take it slow?” I managed to get out eventually, my body still twitching with aftershocks.

“I wanted you to have a good start to your night.”

“It worked.” 

“Should I go back to slow now?”

“Yes, slow is good, please.  In fact, maybe don’t move a whole lot yet, I’m still recovering.” 

He only chuckled.  “Only one cure for that.”

The cure turned my bones to water, leaving me feeling weak and exhilarated at the same time, Bishop’s blood coursing through my veins, and counting for another two notches on our new score. 

There was a lot of laughter and teasing as we shared a quick shower, the tight quarters making for a few bumped elbows, but a lot of fun as we cleaned up.  I felt lighter than I had since losing my memory, more at peace, and more sure of myself.  That I was on the path I was supposed to be on.

We came out of the bathroom in time to see Mason stumbling out of his bedroom in his boxers, hair sticking up every which way.  He took one look at us and a sappy smile stretched his face. 

“Aw, and all was right with the world,” he said, clapping us both on the shoulder in passing. 

My brows rose as he disappeared into the bathroom.  “He can tell just by looking at us that we...”

“It probably had more to do with the fact that his room is next to ours, and we weren’t at all quiet last night.  In fact, I’d be surprised if the whole house and possibly the neighbors didn’t know what we were up to.”

I knew I should probably be embarrassed, but I didn’t care.  “Good,” I grinned, reaching up to steal a kiss.  “It’ll save on explanations over the breakfast table.”  His arm encircled me, pulling me closer for a more thorough kiss, and then we went downstairs for a cup of tea and to check on Jakob. 

The sight of him dampened my good mood, he didn’t look well at all.

“Hey, how are you feeling today?” I asked, offering a smile of thanks as Nell set a mug of something hot and spiced before me, some kind of cider.

“Not so good,” he admitted, barely looking up from where he slouched at the table like an old man.  It might’ve been my imagination, but his hair looked dull and lifeless, and the natural glow to his skin had faded to a pale cast. 

“Oh.”  The sheep’s blood must not have been cutting it.  I traded a look with Bishop, who seemed just as concerned.  “Do you need one of us to...?”

Jakob shook his head.  “No, I will be fine enough until I see Maeja.  Then if all goes well I shall be restored.”

“And if it doesn’t?”  I hated to say it out loud.

“Then your blood will not sustain me for long,” he said with a tired smile.  “I thank you for offering though, petal.”  He picked up my hand and kissed the back of it. 

“Have you told Maeja that we’re coming to see her?” Bishop asked, standing beside my chair as there were no others at the small kitchen table. 

“I tell her that you have arrived, there is no keeping this from her.  I did not share that Jakob is among our party.” 

“We’re going to ambush her, huh?”  Why did the idea send my stomach into knots?  “That doesn’t always work out so well on Jerry Springer.” 

“Oh, I don’t know,” Bishop shrugged.  “Telling her is one thing, but letting her see Jakob here, ready to beg for her forgiveness, that’s something else.  It’s much harder to say no to someone in person.”

“That’s true,” I allowed.  “Then we’re ready to go?”

Nell nodded, scrubbing furiously at a spot on her tiled counter.  “Yes, I tell her you are wishing to petition her for a boon this evening.  We can go at any time.”

“Cool beans.” 

Bishop laid a hand on my shoulder, and I smiled up at him, grateful for the steady support.  His face told me everything I needed to know with one look – it’d be okay in the end. 

Jakob noticed the brief exchange, and his eyes filled with resignation.  “If I can not be with her, I’m glad she chose you, Ulrik.  If the curse reactivates, I will do my best to save your life.”

“Thanks,” Bishop nodded.  “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

Somehow I’d put that possibility out of my mind, and my anxiety ratcheted up another level.  “But we’re thinking that won’t happen, right?”

Bishop brushed the hair back over my ear, mustering a tight smile.  “Try not to worry about it, Anja.  If it happens, we’ll deal with it.”

Uh huh, sure.  Because that idea wasn’t as scary as reavers.

Mason clomped down the stairs in his big boots, Hanna’s limp form in his arms.  “Fuck, you guys, it looks like a stripper’s funeral in here.  Why is everyone so damn gloomy?  Tonight’s the night!”

It was hard to resist his optimism, but worry for Bishop kept me from smiling back.

Mason stroked my hair with Hanna’s floppy hand.  “Don’t worry, sis, everything will be peachy keen,” he said in a high falsetto voice.

“Okay, that’s just creepy,” I snorted, unable to keep from smiling as he worked her arms like a life sized puppet.

“That’s me, tall, dark, and creepy,” Mason grinned.  “Are we ready to make some magic happen?”

I tossed back the rest of my cider.  “Let’s do this.” 

* * *

Nelleke led the way to Maeja’s place, taking us south of the village, the entrance hidden by row of ginormous spruce trees.  The hall bore the traditional Viking architecture of sloped oval walls and a thatched roof over huge wooden beams. 

Nell had changed into a more traditional garb, an ankle length dress of blue wool, with a sizeable dagger strapped to her waist.  “Let me enter first, I will tell you when she is ready to receive you.”

My toes wiggled inside my shoes, tapping out the theme to the
Imperial March
from
Star Wars
.  As soon as I caught myself doing it, I tried to change it to something less ominous, but those damn notes kept popping back into my head. 

Nell’s head poked out.  “She is ready.”  It was impossible to gauge her mood from her bland expression.

“Just hang out here for a bit, okay?” I whispered to Jakob, laying my hand on his chest when he would’ve entered.  “Let’s see how she does with our request to heal Hanna first.”  He nodded, taking a seat on an old stump nearby. 

The inside of the hall was largely bare, with several large oil lamps and fat yellow candles providing the light.  A massive wooden throne sat in the rear of the building, ornately carved with runes and knot work.  Perched primly on the edge of the throne sat a woman, apple cheeked and rosy with dark eyes that shone with excitement at our arrival.  Long flaxen hair hung to her waist, the front braided back from her brow and held in place with a circlet of hammered gold.  The perfect picture of eternally youthful beauty.

She greeted us with a benevolent smile.  “Welcome, Anja Evans, daughter of Jakob, son of Thor, son of Odin.  Who have you brought before me?”

“This is Bishop, son of Carys, son of Jakob, etcetera, etcetera,” I waved my hand, not wanting to go through the rest of it.  “And this is my sister, Hanna and her man, Mason.  You remember her from the picture on my phone, right?”

Maeja studied her with vague interest.  “She is dead?” 

“No, she’s undead like us.”

Her face scrunched up with distaste.  “
Vampyr
.”

“Yes, but she’s a good one, like me, like the rest of us.  She’s sweet and kind, and well, she needs your help.”

“You seek my blood?”  She didn’t look the least bit surprised.

“It is my fault she is being like this, Maeja,” Nell said, going down to one knee.  “I cast a spell, and she has not stirred since.”

“What sort of magics were you casting,
datter
?” 

“A powerful magic, but I am making a mistake.” 

“It’s not her fault, she didn’t have all the facts at the time she cast it,” I added, not wanting her to ask too many questions about what the spell was for.  “We humbly request your blood to save her life.”

“Of course,” she smiled smoothly, producing a small vial.  “Take it with my thanks.  I owe you far more than this for your service, shieldmaiden.”

It was on the tip of my tongue to tell her I was pretty sure she had me confused with someone else.  I wasn’t a shieldmaiden.  But I mashed my lips together into a grateful smile, instead snatching up the vial and taking it to Hanna.  “Let’s hope this works,” I murmured, handing it over to Mason.

Mason took the blood and made the sign of the cross before kissing the vial and pouring it into Hanna’s mouth.  “Here you go, kitten, a shot of the good stuff,” he crooned, holding her so the blood wouldn’t spill right out.

At first nothing happened.  The blood stayed in her mouth, and Hanna remained just as still.  But then her throat worked. 

“Ooh, there you go, everyone likes a girl who swallows.” Mason got excited, his smile a mile wide when she opened her eyes and squinted up at him.  “Hello, beautiful.”

She blinked at him, dazed, but not upset.  “Well, hello there,” she said back, the corner of her mouth tilting up into a bemused smile.  “You’re a handsome devil, who might you be?”

“It worked,” Mason sighed, pulling her into a tight hug, which she didn’t seem to mind at all.  “Holy fuck-knuckles, it worked!”

“Should I be worried that I can’t breathe, but it doesn’t seem to bother me?” Hanna called out, her voice muffled by his chest, and Mason eased his hold on her.

“Sorry.”

“You’ll be fine,” I assured her.  “The amnesia’s a temporary side effect.  We’re all just glad to see you awake again.”

“Ah, okay,” Hanna nodded.  “And you are?”

“Your sister, Anja.  You’re Hanna, that’s Mason, this is Bishop and Nell, and that nice lady over there is Maeja.”  I pointed to everyone in turn.  “She’s the one that cured you.”

“Yeah, I’m never gonna remember all of those without nametags.  But thanks, and, ah... nice to meet you all.”

“I am glad you are recovered,” Maeja replied with a regal wave.  She would’ve been right at home on a parade float. 

“Stick with me and I’ll explain everything, kitten,” Mason said, pulling Hanna up to her feet, his arm wrapped around her tiny waist for support.  “How about we go back to Nelly’s house?  I’ll make you a cup of coffee with a side of Skittles, and I’ll tell you the whole story.”

Hanna shot him a flirtatious smile.  “You keep calling me kitten and I’ll go wherever you want me to, big boy.”  With or without her memories, it was easy to see the attraction was still there.

“There she is, that’s the spirit,” Mason grinned, barely managing a wave in my direction.  “Catch you later, sis.”

“I thought she was my sister?” Hanna frowned as they started for the door.

“She is, but seeing as how you’re the love of my life, she’s kind of my sister too.”

“Okay, as long as it’s not a weird incest thing.”

“No, I’m not into sisters like that.”

“Bye,” I called out, but neither one of them acknowledged me, they were both too into each other. 

“See, first, the Earth cooled...” 

The door slammed after them, and I turned my attention back to Maeja.  One down, one to go. 

“I am pleased your sister had been restored,” she said with a benevolent nod  “We will celebrate, yes?  Where is that delectable man you brought with you last time?”