Take Me (44 page)

Diane stepped back, glanced down at Felicity’s athletic attire and then started laughing. She had a womanly laugh. Felicity tried to think of a time she’d heard it before but couldn’t. “I see now. You look beautiful, Ms. Shaw. Absolutely beautiful. I met your mother. She’s in the front row on the
bruid’s
side of the room. She’s a kind and lovely woman.”

Felicity grimaced. “Really?”

Diane nodded. “Really. Come, it’s time.”

Beth and Diane went ahead of her, scurrying to their seats. Felicity heard the ceremonial drumming start. The beats were to mimic the excitement of the mated ones hearts beating for each other. The tempo stayed slow as she hadn’t started down the path to him yet.

Felicity lifted her chin, took a deep breath, and then went into the hall.

Chapter 29

Felicity entered the hall. All eyes were on her. Every single seat was filled. They stood at her arrival then at once they took to their knees, bowing before her.

Inside the hall red and white tulle draped from the arches in the ceiling,
and the tables were covered in heavy cream linens with red and white tulips on top. It was beautiful; it was perfect. It was how she wanted her mating ceremony to look. This didn’t feel like a ceremony meant for another woman. This had her flair, her and Dom’s color everywhere. It was theirs.

Felicity took a moment to nod at each side of the room acknowledging their acceptance of the mating. Then her eyes shot forward as if drawn to him, Dominic Blackmore, her Dom, her man.

He stood tall on a platform at the end of the hall. He wore a black suit. She could see the quality of the material. His eyes caressed her body as he took in her outfit, then he was shaking his head, a smile covering his lips. She started forward, her steps quick, and a flutter in her heart.

The drum tempo picked up. The entire room thrummed with the sound as it beat against the ears. Shirtless timpani drummers stood painted in ancient symbols of mating and love on either side of the room. She couldn’t get there fast enough. A brilliant smile lifted her face.

He didn’t wait either. Quite unceremoniously, he strode down to meet her partway then lifted her into his arms as his lips claimed hers in front of all. The audience gasped, chuckled, someone hooted—probably Beth.

Dom pulled back,
the look
gleaming in his eyes. She shivered. “Baby,” she said, helplessly.

He wore a cocky smile as he set her back down to her feet. Then he grabbed her hand and led her to the alter. The drumming came to a climax, ringing louder than ever, the tempo increasing. A woman wearing all white stepped forward. She had hair down past her waist; it was champagne colored with silver streaks from age. She still had a beauty to her though time had finally started to show in her face. She opened her arms and heavy, billowing sleeves billowed.

“Arise.”

At once the drums slammed down then stopped. The echo reverberated in the hall then faded in waves. The audience rose and took their seats.

Felicity soaked up every single moment of the ceremony. She recited her vows then Dominic did his, staring deep into her eyes as if trying to convince her soul the words were true. She wanted to tell him it wasn’t necessary. She already loved him more than anything. Then came the part she’d been waiting for like a lingering thought in the pack of her head.

The great priestess lowered her arms and addressed the hall. “Any who dare to challenge the male, Dominic Blackmoore, doth step forward now or forever abstain with cowardice.”

A long minute passed.

Dominic glanced around the crowd, eyes hard and challenging,
daring
someone to try something. He looked like he was ready to tear open his shirt, jump down from the altar, and beat someone to a bloody pulp if they interfered with this ceremony. Felicity hid a smile behind her hand.

“No challenges for the male have been made,” the priestess said. “Any who dare challenge the
bruid
, Felicity Shaw, doth step forward now or forever abstain with cowardice.”

Felicity turned and scanned the audience, her stomach tightening as she sought one face accompanied by fire-red hair. She didn’t have to search long. The hair shone first as the woman stood and then her face came into sight.

Helena Blackmoore, the former
bruid
of Dominic Blackmoore, strode forward in a gown worthy of a queen. The bottom half formed a goblet shape. Her waist looked several sizes too small due to the corset she wore under the fine gown. It gave her a curvy hourglass figure. The material shifted and swayed as she made her way towards the dais. Lace draped off the bottom hem, scratching the floor as she walked. Her hair was held atop her head in an intricate bundle of curls. A diamond-covered tiara held it all together; it sparkled under the lights.

Felicity had known this would happen, but she hadn’t been prepared for this. It was almost too much. Her lips twitched. Dom shot her a questioning look then started to grin. His stupid grin made her smile even bigger. Then the laughter came. There was nothing she could do about it. Here she was wearing clothes ready to fight to keep her man, and Helena came dressed as if she was attending a Renaissance fair.

Helena’s eyes snapped cold fire. “I challenge her.”

The crowd gasped with excitement, but Felicity only smiled. This time she’d been prepared.

“I accept.”

She started to make her way down the platform but Dominic grabbed her arm, pulled her in close. “You got this.”

It wasn’t a question. He believed in her. She told him she loved him and pulled him down for another kiss. She didn’t hurry it either, but kissed him to her heart’s content. When she pulled away she sent him a wink then strode toward her fiery haired nemesis.

Helena’s gaze tracked down Felicity’s body taking in her clothes. When she finished she didn’t smirk so much as glower. She looked positively wicked.

“You look ridiculous,” Helena said.

“Funny, I thought the same thing about you.”

Pretty blue eyes narrowed on her. Felicity shook her head. Just what had Dom seen in this woman aside from a pretty face on a pretty body? There had to have been some redeeming qualities. Felicity and Helena circled each other; one dressed for a fight, the other ready to waltz at a ball.

As Felicity circled Helena she realized she had no idea how to begin a fight. Did she reach in and go for the hair or maybe start with a punch? It didn’t matter though because Helena moved first. Felicity caught the glint of silver on her fingers as Helena lurched at her with the kind of speed that came from a long vampire life; a life much longer than Felicity had lived.

The slap came across Felicity’s face, hard enough to jerk her head to the side. People cried out and gasped but no one could do anything. Felicity’s cheek burned as blood surfaced to the angry area.

The burn felt too intense to come from just a slap though. Felicity cupped her cheek then sought Helena’s ring hand again. Her eyes narrowed at what she saw—silver rings. One on each finger. Helena had made her own vampire form of brass knuckles. She came here to win.

That cheating bitch.

Something hot and very angry came over Felicity as she straightened. Helena’s gaze flicked to the mark she’d left and she grinned like a hyena. Felicity took all that anger boiling inside her and leaped.

She slammed into Helena taking them both to the floor. Helena’s back made a nasty crunching sound as it hit first. Felicity pulled back her arm, made a fist, and let it fly. The complete and utter satisfaction that came with the sound of her fist connecting to the bitch’s face could only be described as elation. Never had anything felt as good as watching Helena’s lip bust open and blood dribble out.

They fought hard. Helena squirmed and pushed, but Felicity locked her legs around the woman’s waist and held on. Helena hissed sending the blood from her lip down her chin as she reached up and grabbed hold of Felicity’s hair. She pulled hard and strands tore. Felicity screamed as she smashed her hand on top of Helena’s to stop it.

Helena brought her other hand forward, the ring hand, and jabbed Felicity in the head. Helena didn’t really have the leverage to put power into the punch, but the rings sure burned like a son of a bitch.

Felicity jerked back and Helena took the opportunity to shove her backward sending her reeling. Felicity landed on her back and Helena leaped on top of her. Her face took a blow, then another as she scrambled to get her arms up between them to block her.

“He’s going to be mine! He’s always been mine.”

Felicity jerked her head left and right, dodging blows. The words did it. They snapped something raw and violent loose inside of her. “You wish.”

Felicity rocked her hips forward then thrust up and slammed her knees into Helena’s back. She went rolling forward, landing awkwardly on her belly, unable to really move or roll with that ridiculous dress she wore. Felicity stood, crossed to her, brought her leg back, and let it slam forward. The kick caught Helena’s stomach and spun her back around. The hoarse cry she let out made her feel a whole lot better.

“Do you concede?”

Helena blinked up at her. Her bloody lip was swelling and the blood had sprayed across her chin and was steadily working its way down her chest.

“Never.”

“Really? I hate to do this.” Felicity pulled back and set loose another fierce kick. This time she flinched and Helena screamed as a rib snapped. “Yeah, please, concede now. This whole...kicking your ass thing sounded great in my head but it’s a little too violent for my tastes.”

Helena struggled to put herself in a sitting position. She grabbed her side, cradling it like a babe. Her eyes glared fiery hatred at Felicity. “I hate you.”

“Concede,” Felicity said.

Wincing and grunting, Helena struggled to stand up. Her hair was askew, her dress wrinkled, and with the blood on her face made her look like she belonged in a horror movie. Felicity stepped forward and swiped her legs out from under her sending her back to the ground.

The woman was persistent, never wanted to give up. Felicity stepped over her, pressed a foot into her ribs and pressed down hard. Helena howled so she let up. “Concede that he’s mine right now and this ends.”

Hands latched onto her ankles but was too weak to throw her off. Felicity put muscle into it until she squealed again in pain.

“All right! All right! I concede.”

Felicity stepped off. The crowd stood and applauded like she’d finished performing some great deed and was getting an encore. She even gave them a little bow. Turning back, she saw Dom and couldn’t help but smile. He looked positively stunned and impressed.

He came forward. “I had no idea you were so ruthless.” The way he said it, so dark and erotic, made her stomach flutter.

“Oh well, I had some time to contemplate it. Plus, I was dressed the part. She wasn’t.”

He pulled her close and at once he was touching her, cupping her in places he had no business touching in public.

“What are you doing?” she asked, pushing him away with a laugh.

“Making sure you aren’t hurt. God that made me hard.”

“H-hard? Here, now?”

He pulled her into his chest, ran his lips down her neck, and arched her into his body. At once she felt the hard length of his erection. “Yes here and now. So passionate, sweets, so beautiful. I want to be inside you right now.”

Her breath caught. “But the priestess still has to finish the ceremony.”

He growled, the sound quite scary though she knew it wasn’t for her. Then he was tugging her back up the platform. To the priestess he ordered, “Finish it.”

The priestess got the crowd under control and then they finished the ceremony. Felicity’s wrist was slit over a golden chalice. Next they did the same to Dom. The scent of his blood reached her senses and her eyes nearly rolled back into her head. Dom’s eyes shot to hers and glowered with
the look
. Her knees nearly quaked in the spot.

He wants me right now
.

A
t the priestess’s order, they each drank from the cup until it was empty. Then the ceremony finished with a final kiss between the new mates. The kiss grew wet as he slid his tongue inside to taste her. They both tasted of each other’s unique essence, of their blood.

His kiss trailed over her jaw to her ear where he whispered. “Now.”

He spun them around and gave her only a few seconds to wave to the crowd before he lifted her into his arms and ran out the back door. The door led to an empty kitchen area. He raced through it, found a staircase, and followed it up to the second floor of the hall. Several rooms lined the hall. He tried one, cursed when he found it locked, and then went for another.

The door opened to an office. The desk was covered in papers. A filing cabinet stood against the wall with a drawer partway open and there was a bookcase next to it packed tight with books.

“Maybe we should wait until—” Her words came to an abrupt stop when she caught
the look
. “Or right now is good.”

She smiled up at him. This was a new feeling for her, being carried in his arms. She definitely put it on her list things she loved about Dominic Blackmoore. She kissed him then kissed her way up the smooth warm line of his jaw to nuzzle his neck. She’d already tasted his blood but her body warmed into hot syrup, ready for more.

“Take me,” she said.

“Always.”

He sat with her on the sofa. It was one of those leather chairs that worked as both a sofa and a lounger. It looked like something she might see in a therapist’s office.

He pulled her into his lap as his lips claimed hers. Their lips meshed and parted to allow tongues to taste and slide. He was hard, his erection digging into her. Her moans filled the air as a fire built in her blood.

“Dominic...”

She pulled back suddenly taken with an urgent need. She spread his jacket, then grabbed his shirt and ripped it open. Buttons flew, thread snapped. She grabbed his zipper, struggled to pull it down as his cock bobbed against the material.