Sacrifice of the Septimus: Part 1 (Afterlife saga Book 7) (2 page)

“I promise no pink.” I groaned out loud which she took as her answer and like Pip she too hugged me, pulling me close and whispering a thank you in my ear.

“It will be beautiful and you won’t regret it, I promise.”
I wanted to say, I had heard that before and only three minutes ago by someone who could make mischief an Olympic sport! Instead I nodded and whispered back,

“I know.”

“Thank you,” she added before letting me go and instead of running into her husband’s arms like Pip had done, Zagan was suddenly standing next to us and simply asked,

“I take it you broke her like you hoped, my love?” She winked at me as my eyebrows were knitted together frowning at her. Then she turned to him and patted his chest saying,

“Sure did.” I could still hear her chuckling at my growl when she reached the door.

“Dom has finished his business and wants to see you now,” Zagan said smiling down at me, even though I was giving the back of his wife the evil death stare, one that did diddly shit I might add.

“You came in ten minutes ago,” I stated folding my arms across my chest.

“And?”

“And you could have saved me ten minutes ago.” This made him laugh once before bending his head due to our height difference and speaking what I knew was the truth,

“But then I would have missed out on the breathtaking show of my wife’s smile as you made her day in a way no other could. And in turn you gained another happy husband forever in your debt.” He said this as he looked back to Adam who was watching Pip with that secret smile only reserved for someone deeply in love. Then he took my hand, lifted it to his lips and kissed the back of it in gratitude. Of course being me I blushed crimson and as he walked away I was left grinning to myself, feeling good that I had been able to give my friends what they really wanted. 

But now it was time for what I wanted and that would always be the sight of one man…

Dominic Draven.

My Husband in the eyes of the Gods and soon to be in the eyes of Mortals.

So I excused myself quietly from the room to go in search of Draven and break the news to him that he should brace himself for the events to come. My idea of a small quiet wedding had been blown out of those calm waters and catapulted headfirst into a storm called Pip and Sophia. But it would be okay because at the end of the day the same outcome would see the sun setting on a perfect day, no matter what kind of dress I wore or the colour of the flowers on the table. Draven and I would be tied together in every way possible despite what the future held for us all, I would see its end or continuation hand in hand with the man I loved.

That was all I asked.

Okay so preferably I would ask for it
not
to end and we could grow old together…well I definitely would that was for sure, even though Draven was still trying to convince me that my ageing process had slowed down considerably now we were ‘back together’, which was code for having sex again.

I smirked as the thoughts of the last week ran through my head. Draven had been like a man possessed and I was sure we were both trying to make up for lost time in more ways than one. If we weren’t wrapped around each other, all locked limbs and lips then we were in the same room talking about the last nine months and what we’d missed. It was a bit like therapy for us both and was most definitely something we both needed right now. In fact this was the first morning we had been apart in a week. He had walked me into the dining room this morning assuring me he wouldn’t be long in conducting his business and after only being without him for just an hour he was right.

So as I walked back to our room I thought back on everything that had happened over this last week.

I would say the hardest part the week had held for me was seeing my family again for the first time. Thankfully I could rely on Libby getting emotional and therefore giving me the excuse needed to do the same. However, in her mind she had seen me only a month earlier as she believed me travelling off around the world with Draven as he continued running his business empire.

It was a hard thing to wrap my head around that they had not only spoken to her over the phone as me but also imprinted fake memories of seeing me in the time that had passed. How I felt about it all was confusing as I hated the idea as much as I was grateful for it.  I knew it was a necessary evil, considering it would have been worse for my family knowing I was missing for the last nine months. Even so I couldn’t have stopped the water works when first seeing them even if I’d tried. So Libby’s overemotional reactions actually helped on this occasion and so did cake. Both of them combined was enough to convince my sister it was simply a sensitive time of the month and family and chocolate were the only cure.

The hardest part was actually seeing how big Ella had grown, as adding nine months to the one-year-old I knew when I was taken was a big change. Also I noticed the way she looked at me as if she knew I hadn’t been around and when I turned to give Draven a look, the one he gave me back was simply meant as… ‘Don’t ask’. It became obvious that there was something different about my niece but that was quite frankly a conversation that was to be dealt with another day and not one I could cope with just right now. But thankfully she wasn’t even two years old yet so our secret was safe for the moment.

What was nice to see though was how she reacted to Draven and also how Draven reacted to her. I found myself fascinated just watching them, which started to provoke strange feelings from me about my hopes for the future. I couldn’t say I hadn’t thought about having kids myself one day but since meeting Draven I must confess it had been the last thing on my mind. I suppose travelling to Hell and back, being kidnapped on numerous occasions and finding myself in a supernatural war would put the brakes on broodiness for any woman. Not to mention fighting for your own life as well as the man you loved, as that’s enough to force the thoughts of settling down and making babies to the back of anyone’s mind.

Which had me wondering…

Why now?

Thankfully these dangerous thoughts came to an end when I heard a large set of lungs clearing their throat. I looked up to see the worn and weathered face of my dear friend Ragnar staring back down at me. His smile was one that would have been hard to decipher if you didn’t know him as well as I did.

“Deep in thought
,
Lille øjesten?” His deep voice echoed throughout the grand hallway. The ‘Little Apple’ nickname had stuck around and it made me want to smile every time I heard it as I knew it was said as a term of endearment in his culture.

“Aren’t I always?” I answered smiling up at him and thinking my autopilot must have been working overtime as I didn’t actually remember how I got there. He grunted his response which I knew was his version of a laugh as he opened the door he was guarding.

“Many thanks, Big Viking Man!” I said giving him a salute as I walked past and entered the room. I heard the door close behind me and where I was expecting to see Draven the room appeared empty…until I saw her.

“You!” I snarled stepping back into a pair of strong arms banding around me and just as I was about to scream a hand clamped down over my mouth.

I started to panic and my first thought was not again!

My second thought however was my new nightmare in the image of a woman that faced me now…

Layla
.

Chapter 2

Trusting the Shadows of Enemies

My scream was muffled by the strong hand that covered my mouth and it took me a while to hear whose voice that hand belonged to.

“Ssshh, calm yourself sweetheart, it’s not who you think it is.” I frowned in confusion at the vision of the vile creature that had tried to end my life numerous times before and was unmistakably stood in our room.

“Are you calm, Keira?” Draven asked me from behind and after a few deep breaths I nodded. I didn’t understand any of this and was angry that Draven’s version of conducting business had anything to do with this waste of a vessel. So it was no wonder that by the time he released me I’d clenched my fists and flew at the murderous bitch without any warning.

“Keira, no!” I ignored Draven’s demand and took her neck into my hands. I was surprised by her reaction when instead of fighting me she went limp in my hold. Her body fell to the floor, landing on her knees with a crack and I automatically went down with her as there was no chance I was letting the bitch go now!

“Keira stop it! Stop it now! Let her go!” He continued to shout at me and my head snapped round and I shouted back,

“Are you kiddin’ me? She tried to kill me!” I said remembering the icy shards of pain that wracked my body when being pushed to my watery grave only to be saved by Lucius. The memory alone forced my grip to tighten without the mental command. 

“It wasn’t her!” I could hear Draven shouting in the background but I was too far gone to listen. I looked into her heartless eyes as I watched the life slip away from them when something stopped me. I let go immediately and scrabbled back from the girl in shock. It wasn’t the same cold evil soul that I saw in her stare after all. Draven was right…it wasn’t her.

“Who…who is she?” I mumbled in disbelief. Draven ignored me as he helped the traumatised girl off the floor and my will snapped.

“Who is she?” I shouted and finally Draven took notice.

“She is an agent of mine who was working undercover disguised as Layla, trying to get close to those that may have information on Aurora and Jack’s whereabouts.” At this bombshell my mouth dropped. I watched in silence as all words fled me at the sight of Draven helping someone who looked the exact image of the bitch who’d tried to kill me. If I thought that I had seen it all, including my last two trips to Hell, then I was surely mistaken, because this right here was the winner and prom queen of Weird Town!

In fact if it hadn’t been for the brief flash in her eyes I would have bet my life on it being her, which still begged the question, who
exactly
was she? 

“Are you alright, Ranka?” Draven spoke softly to her proving his concern.

“Yes, I am alright my Lord, no real harm done,” she said in a musical tone that was far from Layla’s vindictive demeanour, however for some reason it still grated on me or was it the way Draven was so caring and gentle around her?

“I think it best if I take my leave now,” she said smoothing back her blonde hair into the side plait it was escaping from thanks to my rough treatment.

“No, no that’s no
t
necessary, please stay…”

“No, I think…Ranka is it?” I asked interrupting myself after I was left to get myself off the floor, pissed off at not receiving the same gallant treatment from Draven. 

“It is,” she replied gracing me with a smile as Draven was looking on, one that died as soon as he looked back at me. This was even more annoying because it just ended up looking like the disapproving look I gave her was unjustified. I ignored his own disapproving frown and continued, 

“I think Ranka is right, it’s best she leaves.” I made this sound as stern as I could, telling him all he needed to know on how I felt about this surprise meeting. I then turned my back on the both of them or more importantly Draven’s critical eyes and walked over to the sofa where I sat quietly fuming.

“Very well.” Draven said after an exasperated sigh left his lips.

“Your room is as you left it Ranka, please make yourself comfortable until I call upon you to discuss these matters further.” Hearing this I thought I would swallow my own tongue and it became very hard not to react the way I wanted to…as in throw my hands up in the air, stamp my foot and maybe even throw some old antique at him in some gorgeous diva style fashion…knowing me though my hands would smack my own chin, I would stub my toe and that old antique would be a priceless artefact, one gifted to him by some Shaolin Temple Monk over a thousand years ago!...So I took the safe route and kept my arms crossed over my chest.

“But of course… My Lord.” I watched as she bowed her head in respect or ass kissing devotion, either one, before leaving the room. As soon as the door closed I stood up and we simultaneously turned to face each other and said,

“What was that about?”

“And what was that about!?” I was the only one that shouted it.

“Keira, I understand why you would get upset at seeing her in that form but if you had only listened to me then I would have…”

“Oh what a load of BS!” I shouted interrupting him and his eyes widened for a brief moment in surprise. Then he was the one to fold his arms causing the material on his shirt to tighten in that mouth-watering way that had me wanting to lick my lips…damn him! Oh yeah and then he added that bloody eyebrow raise of his…the Bastard! Now I didn’t know if I wanted to scream at him or run and jump him like a damn cat climbing a tree!

“No, no! You can stop that right now,” I told him turning away just to catch my breath and I heard him mask a laugh with a cough.

“Stop what exactly?”

“You know
exactly
what you are doing…
damn supernatural men and their sexual voodoo!”
I muttered and this time he just laughed out loud no longer caring if I heard.

“Is this another one of those mortal moments we talked about?” I rolled my eyes as I turned back to face him, very much regretting ever having that particular conversation with him.

“No Draven this is just me being pissed off with you and not because I am a girl on my period.” I said this wondering whatever possessed me to explain period mood swings to him in the first place. I decided I needed a drink so turned around once more to fill my glass from the fancy hand blown decanter when I changed my mind suddenly, not quite done with my rant.

“And whilst we are on that subject, FYI for the future, if a girl is on her period one of the worst, and I mean absolute
worst
things a guy can say to her is ‘Are you on your period’!” I informed him sarcastically, this time throwing caution to the wind and dramatically flinging my arms around.

“That makes no sense,” he told me sternly and I took some extra steps towards him and said,

“Yes it does.” To which he took a step closer to me and said,

“None…
whatsoever.”
  He lent closer to me and whispered this last part. At this point I was breathing heavy and my chest was rising causing my own t-shirt to feel tighter. I took another step towards him and decided to continue pushing my point.

“It makes perfect sense…One… Hundred… Percent.” I emphasised each word looking up at him and feeling it get hotter by the second. It was at this moment when he took his final step putting us only inches apart that I knew the argument had been long ago lost to something far more important gained…it was when his eyes flashed purple that I sucked in a sharp breath and his winning words finished me off for good…

“Zero…Fucking…Percent.”
The second the last word left his lips he was on me and in the best way possible. One hand snatched out, gripping me on the back of the neck at the same time the other one entwined in my hair by my ear. Then with a small motion he pulled me to him, tilting my head up so he could take my lips in a possessive kiss. I gasped, opening up to him so he could taste how much I needed him.

Suddenly all other thoughts fled my sex clouded mind the second his lips touched mine and I was lost to him. His hands roamed my body like he was relearning every curve and it was obvious when he reached his favourite parts as his grip would tighten making me groan. It was when he had one hand hitching up my leg pulling me closer to his straining erection that I threw my head back in ecstasy. He took this as a sign of submission and all gentlemanly behaviour evaporated as the beast within surfaced.

I cried out as his kiss on my neck twisted into blissful pain as his extended fangs pierced my skin. There was once a time when I had to encourage Draven to bite me like this but that was definitely a thing of the past. Especially considering the way it made my body convulse in his arms when I felt the first pull of my blood leave my body and slip into his. I don’t know what it was but the erotic feeling was like no other and made me come every time without fail.

His arm banded around my torso tightened so I couldn’t slip away and crumble to the floor like my legs were begging for me to do. His other hand tangled in my loose hair that was thrown back as my body was being arched into him. It was a mixture of feeling safe in the fact he would never let me fall and also feeling captive as though he would never let me go until he had finished feeding from me. Every time the bite of pain would pull at my hair I couldn’t help but moan as he would soothe the raw skin around the wound he had made with his gentle lips. This along with the possessive way he gripped my hair in his fist would be a maddening combination to the senses, one that sank me further into the depths of the world in which he wanted me to stay.

His was wild, brutal and carnal in the way he manipulated my body into needing him, craving him like a desperate woman. The way he made me feel as though nothing else mattered but the feel of my body next to his. Like a precious plaything that he never wanted to give up and one he would not only kill for but also declare war for if needed.  I wasn’t sure where all these feelings were coming from but when he picked me up, ripped away my clothes and entered me, it was no longer the Draven I knew looking back at me…

It was Draven the Warrior King.

I had seen him twice before in my dreams but what was happening now was something far from the images planted by Lucius all that time ago. I looked around in my dizzying state and saw sand coloured stone walls. I saw flickering flames from bronze bowls hanging by chains from above. I could even breathe deep and make out the scent of jasmine as it dripped from my skin, mixing with the scent of incense being burnt in the air. The rougher texture of his hands as if the feel of a blades handle was one he was never without.

It was only after all of these things came to me one by one that I was finally brave enough to look and what I saw took my breath away. It was Draven but not the one I knew. That handsome stern cut beauty I was used to seeing had been replaced by the angry warrior, whose darker tanned skin was one that fought under a harsh beating sun. The black around his eyes spoke of a different time entirely and gave him an exotic deadliness about him, one that had me shuddering. His longer hair was still as black as a starless night and was wild and unkempt, giving him a barbaric appearance, one that combined with his actions had me soon shuddering for a completely different reason.

I screamed as I came, shouting my pleasure up to the Gods of a different time to witness. My inner walls clamped down around the length of him and he threw his head back and growled his own desire. However, this wasn’t quite enough to push him over the edge of his own release yet and he turned us both as I briefly caught sight of furs piled high on the floor. But as he lifted my body up and spun me round something happened…

I was back.

I put my hands out to brace myself and found soft black sheets under my palms and in between my fingers.

“Draven?”
I whispered his name, unsure of what was going on but my worries went unnoticed as he started kissing the back of my neck before taking me again from behind. The feel of his length entering me made me cry out at the same time my hands shot forward, bending my body down for him to continue entering me easily. His large hand ran the length of my spine and like a feline I arched back into his touch.

“My beauty,” he said at the same time holding himself buried deep inside me. I looked back at him snapping my head to one side enough to flick my hair over so that it wouldn’t obscure my view of him. A sigh of relief also went unnoticed as I took in the face I knew so well. One void of facial hair, harsh black eyes or untamed hair that had gone years without seeing the sharp side of a pair of scissors. It was the Draven I knew and loved.

“How I adore looking down at your body beneath my own, writhing in ecstasy and mirroring my own feelings of …
need…”
  He said this last word as he kissed his way up my back, then the next…

“Want…” 
then the next…

“Desire…”
and then the next…

“Love.”
  Until his lips reached my own and once our kiss blossomed into a fiery passion so did his movements, getting wilder and faster as his need to erupt inside me became frenzied. One muscle bound arm held his weight above me as he continued to take me from behind, whereas the other snaked around me, came up in between my breasts and held my neck in his hand. This primal gesture of ownership tipped me over the edge for the last time and combined with a few final thrusts we both came crying out until euphoria took over. We both collapsed onto the bed and I moaned the loss of him inside me making him chuckle.