Lost Wanderer Awakened - Book One of the Airendell Chronicles (27 page)

“I know. I love you too.” She is stroking is
face lovingly and says, “Thank you for giving me what I wanted. I
can only imagine how hard it is for you to protect me when I am
always pushing you for more.”

He laughs and says, “Yes it can be rather
difficult.” He kisses her again and says, “But you are certainly
worth it.” He carries her to the bed and lies down with her still
wrapped around his body. “I don’t ever want to let go of you Morna.
I have missed you so much.”

Morna smiles and says “I don’t either, but I
have to move my leg. It will to go to sleep like this.”

“Morna, I smell blood.” He says urgently. “I
hurt you didn’t I?” he demands. He pulls her off of him and quickly
starts to examine her body. Before he can turn her over she says,
“It’s just a scratch. I barely feel it.”

He turns her over and finds the blood.
There’s a small abrasion. It bled quite a little bit, but doesn’t
seem deep. There is blood smeared around the tiny abrasion,
covering a good six inch area. He looks back at the wall. He stands
up and says, “Don’t move!” He examines the wall where he had
propped her up and sees a head of a small finishing nail that is
sticking out of the paneling about an eighth of an inch. “Didn’t
you feel this?”

“No,” Morna giggles “My attention was
otherwise occupied. Luca, I barely feel the scratch now. It’s
nothing, my love.”

She starts to roll over and he says, “Be
still let me get a wash cloth and clean it up.” He comes back with
a damp wash cloth. He is touching the skin around the small scrape,
“Did you weave a healing spell? It’s almost healed.”

“I don’t remember the spells Luca. It’s
nothing, baby.” Morna says in frustration.

“It may be nothing to you, but to me it’s a
siren’s song.” Luca hisses.

Morna sits up and takes the cloth from him
and starts to wipe the blood off her low back. He stops her hand
and leans down to kiss the area around the minor abrasion. “I
desperately want to lick the blood off.”

“Well go ahead, there’s not enough broken
skin to pose any risk to me. Stop denying yourself all the time.”
Morna entreats in frustration.

“I am afraid I would want more and do
something horrible.” Luca whispers.

“You wouldn’t,” She says confidently. She
looks back at him and he is shaking his head no. “Do it Luca. Prove
to yourself that you are not the monster to you think you are. I
could be covered in my blood from head to toe and you would not
hurt me. I know it and you know it.”

“The smell of your blood doesn’t just make me
thirsty Morna, it also wildly excites me sexually. Makes me a beast
in more than one way,” Luca admits reluctantly.

Morna laughs and then says, “By all means,
lick it then.”

“It’s not a joke Morna.” He rasps out
painfully.

“I am sorry Luca. I should have realized that
you are in pain. Let me clean it up if it’s making you miserable.
But if you want to taste it, then do so.” Luca pushes her forward
gently until she is lying face down on the bed. It was her idea but
suddenly she is wondering how bad it will hurt. The venom from his
tongue stings quite a bit when the skin is intact and she wonders
how much it will sting on open skin.

He starts kissing the area around the scrape
and then tentatively licks the dried blood around it. Morna is
surprised when he moans ecstatically. “So good,” he murmurs. He
finally gently licks the scrape, savoring the tiny bit of blood
still oozing from the wound. Morna feels the sting and burn set in
immediately. It is very intense, but not unbearable. Morna moans as
a warm, delicate sizzle spreads through her body. As the tingle
settles in Morna admits to herself that she likes it. She likes it
a lot! Luca starts kneading her ass roughly as he continues to lick
the abrasion. He kisses it again and then says, “It’s already
healed.” Morna thinks that her mate sounds very disappointed.

“See I told you it was nothing,” Morna says
as she rolls over. The look on his face startles her. She has seen
that look before. He had fought off a bandit when they lived in
Wyoming, the outlaw had been thrown against a tree and had received
a deep puncture wound to the fleshy part of his shoulder from a
broken branch. The sight and smell of the blood had nearly drove
Luca to feed on the would-be robber. Luca had controlled his urges
and sent the man on his way, never knowing what a narrow escape he
had. Morna remembers clearly how badly Luca had wanted to feed on
the outlaw’s blood. He has that very same look on his face now.

Morna is crushed because she knows the pain
he is feeling is her fault. His throat must be on fire, and his
instincts must be driving him to feast on her blood. She sits up
and strokes his face. “I am sorry, baby. I should not have pushed
you like that.” She kisses him and breathes a sigh of relief when
he relaxes slightly.

He doesn’t meet her eyes as he takes her into
his arms and kisses her hard and then forces her back onto the bed.
He moves his mouth to her throat and breathes deeply and kisses the
pulse throbbing at the base of her throat. “Still convinced I won’t
hurt you, Morna?” He demands harshly as he roughly parts her legs
with his right hand and buries his shaft deeply in her body. Morna
gasps at the force with which he slams her and reaches for his
face. Her beloved Luca has never exhibited so much violence against
her, ever! She draws his head up so that he’s looking her in her
eyes again.

She smiles when his facial expression softens
slightly and she raises her knees to receive him more fully, and
then wraps her legs around his waist lovingly. “I know you won’t
hurt me, Luca. Let yourself go, baby. It’s going be okay,” she
soothes as she continues to stroke his face and look into his eyes
as her hips eagerly meet his violent thrusts. She can’t help it,
she’s about to climax again. She whispers “I love you Luca.” He
buries his face into her throat again and then reaches behind her
and kneads her ample butt as he continues to drive into her body
with all the force and fury he began with. When Morna’s orgasm
comes it is as violent as the mating had been. Luca has obviously
reached his climax too. He is clutching her body to him tightly and
breathing hard.

His face is still buried against her throat
when he whispers harshly, “I am so sorry, Morna. There was no
excuse for me to use you that way.” He starts to pull away from her
but she wraps her arms and legs around him even tighter, refusing
to let go. He looks into her face again and says, “I love you,
Morna, you don’t deserve to be treated like that. Ever.”

Morna kisses him and says, “If I had asked
you to stop you would have. But I didn’t ask because you needed an
outlet. So I gave it to you, and God help me for being a carnal,
wanton soul, but I reveled in every second of it. We are well
suited, my love.”

Luca kisses her again and says, “I have
always marveled that a woman as gentle, loving and nurturing as you
are could be so fearless during battle and lovemaking. You are
always surprising me.”

Morna blushes in embarrassment and says,
“Yeah, yeah. I am all that and a bag of chips.” Luca looks at her
quizzically and she snorts, “Nothing. It was a silly thing to say.
I am trying to avoid being serious, but listen to me Lucian
Michaels, I too, will always try to be what you need me to be in
the moment. You are my life, you know that.”

“As you are my life.” Luca vows. He draws her
to him even closer and brings her hand to his mouth and kisses it.
He turns his head towards the dresser and sees the time on the
digital clock. “We have enough time for you to take a short nap if
you want.”

Morna sighs and closes her eyes as she
relaxes in her beloved’s arms knowing she is safe and well loved.
Luca quickly and surreptitiously exams her body for injury. He
watches his beloved sleep for about thirty minutes when he hears
her cell phone ringing in her purse in the living room. He gently
removes her arms and legs from around his body and slips out of bed
and goes to check who is calling. It’s Mike and Luca knows she will
want to talk to him so he answers her phone and then wakes her
up.

“Sorry Mike, I forgot to call you this
morning.” She sits up and asks, “Are you getting your treatment
today? … Oh that’s what you are doing right now? Good. Is your
helper with you? … Good. How are you feeling? … I am sorry Mike. ..
Yeah I am going over there in a little bit to meet the delivery
driver, pay bills and stuff. Lucian Michaels is with me… Yeah,
yeah, we finally hooked up. Why does everyone keep asking me that?
… Oh… Okay. Yeah, I know. Oh okay, well call me if I can help with
anything bro. Bye.”

Luca is laughing. “Sorry Morna, I guess my
feelings for you were pretty obvious for a long time. Well obvious
to everyone, except you that is.”

“I guess so,” she says. She wonders how she
could not see it before this week. She had been overwhelmed with
lust for him, and a much, much deeper attraction. How could she not
realize he was equally attracted to her? “Mike was the third person
to say that to me today. Even Seth talked about us.”

Luca chuckles again, “Yes, I heard him.”

Morna gets up and retrieves her clothing from
the floor before heading into the bathroom. When she comes out a
few minutes later, she can’t help but smile because he is already
dressed as well and looks perfectly calm and unruffled. However,
she has seen herself in the mirror, she is still flushed and
obviously well bedded. She smiles happily as she asks, “Are you
ready to go to Mike’s bar?”

“I am just your humble driver today,” he
snickers.

“Very funny.” Morna scoffs as wraps herself
around him, and the lovers just hold each other tightly for a long
while, each lost in their own thoughts.

After they are in the car again. Morna gets
her planner out and starts writing notes in the back section when
suddenly she asks, “Hey, do you know a good therapist that I could
hire to work with the girls. Samantha needs help ASAP. Did you
hear, back at the house I mean?”

“Yes, she’s a confused little girl. She‘s
very fond of you though.”

“I am fond of her too, but I am worried about
her. I would ask you to work with her, but I think you would be too
much a distraction for her. With her proclivity to be too familiar
with any man in the vicinity.” She’d be all over my man like white
on rice.

“Yes, that would be a problem,” he says. “But
I was thinking about inviting Rinda to join us here. You do
remember Rinda?” Morna looks up because she hears something odd in
his voice. A stiffness that wasn’t there before.

“From Airendell? My best friend Rinda?” she
asks with a funny look on her face.

“One and the same. She is living in East
Texas, not too far from here. Last time I spoke to her she was
really missing our kind. I think she would like to join us. I know
she would love to see you. She is a therapist too. She would
probably be willing to help you with your staffing issues at The
Bridge too. What would you think about that?” he asks.

“Sounds good. Rinda would be good for those
girls.” Morna is quiet for a bit as she tries to get a handle on
her memories of Rinda. Finally, she gives up, those memories are
just as fuzzy and out of reach as her memories associated with the
ancient oak tree. Morna sighs, feeling frustrated because she knows
she just isn’t remembering something. Something important.

Luca is looking at her with an odd look on
her face and it’s making her uncomfortable. “What?” she asks
feeling uncertain what that look means.

“I’m just wondering what’s going on with your
memory… how much you remember…”

“Oh baby, I feel like there are a lot of
things I don’t remember. That wood carving in the bedroom back at
house, that ancient oak… I know it’s important, but not why.” She
rubs her face in frustration. And when you talked about Brigid, I
can see her face, I know she’s dear friend. But that’s it. And when
you mentioned Rinda… I don’t know, it’s almost a blank slate.”
Morna leans across the console of the Camry and puts her head on
his shoulder. “Oh baby, feel adrift because I can’t remember
everything.”

Luca strokes the back of her head. “It’s
okay, Morna, it will come. Just relax, sweetheart.” He kisses the
top of her head and breathes deeply of her scent.

“But I don’t always get it back…”

Luca straightens up. He had hoped she
wouldn’t worry about this yet; “Baby, during Rosa and Audrey you
got it all back, and more. You seemed to be getting stronger. Just
relax, sweetheart. Please just relax.”

Morna decides to change the subject; “How
many of our kind are here, in the States I mean?” she asks.

Luca starts the car. He looks at his mate
closely before he answers, and then begins to drive the short
distance from Morna‘s run down little house to The Shack; “Several
of your generation of the Second Order, and all of the First Orders
of your generation. Most of them left Ireland after you died. They
were outraged at the way the Elders treated us, especially you. So
they pretty much all broke away from the Guild, and virtually
severed ties with Airendell, all but the most basic obligations to
the Clan and to kin. Fionn is in California, Brigid in Chicago,
Callum is in Ontario…”

“Those names really don’t mean anything to
me. Well, except for Brigid. I really have so many gaps in my
memory. I know what you mean when you say the Guild, my generation,
Second Order, etc. but I have no real memory of these things, just
knowledge of them. Does that make any sense?” asks Morna.

“What exactly do you remember?” he asks
quietly.

“Not much. I remember finding you in the
glen. You must have been in a trance, otherwise that ancient
vampire couldn’t have gotten the upper hand. Even a trance doesn’t
fully explain how he overpowered you. He had nearly killed you when
I got there. If I had been any later, I can’t bear to think of it.
I remember disposing of him. And trying to keep you alive long
enough for the venom to finish the change.