Chapter Thirty-One
Keryth
I t took a lot longer than I’d hoped to get out of that warehouse and back home. Tan worked his magic and somehow cleaned all of the blood and gore off of each of us. I was eternally grateful for it because… ew . We’d been… disgusting and starting to get sticky, and I really didn’t want the rest of our family seeing us like that.
Unfortunately, he could do little to save our ripped-up clothing, but Garrick had sent for some new clothes, and the EMTs were nice enough to let us change in the back of their ambulances. So we were as clean as we could get, but I was absolutely getting a shower… but not until I took a very, very long nap first.
Apparently, we’d saved thirty-three fae from being sold, which was a win. And as far as we could tell, we’d apprehended or killed every single Legion of Light member that’d been there. But we weren’t naive enough to think that there weren’t others somewhere else.
Once Anton was feeling better, he planned on interviewing some of the hunters to find any stragglers. We needed to make sure there weren’t any left who could recruit people to their cause.
They also found a ton of artifacts that were illegally being sold. We could only speculate that this was how these hunters discovered the Legion of Light in the first place. That was something else we wanted details on, but that could wait for a little bit.
Garrick wasn’t happy that we’d only been able to take down this one specific stop for the trafficking, and I knew he was determined to shut down the entire operation. I really hoped he found a way because it was horrible and disgusting and no one should have to live through that. I was trying not to think about how close Trayben had been to becoming one of those poor souls. Being tortured wasn’t a good alternative, and I wished it hadn’t happened. I tried not to think about that.
Thank the Mother of All Anton had found us before we were tortured to death or sold to some scumbag.
We walked into the house, and I sighed in relief even as I helped Anton over to the couch in the family room. His heart was fully healed, but he was sore and weak from the injury and subsequent healing. He would need to feed a lot more over the next few days, even with the transfusion they’d done.
Everyone hovered nearby, and when Anton sat back and saw all four of our girls staring at him, he opened his arms.
Zellya didn’t hesitate to jump into his arms, making my viramore grunt in pain, but he valiantly didn’t push her away. Saranor was only a step behind her, and even Gemma and Alsira came over for a quick hug.
“Are you okay?” Saranor asked him, still hugging him tight.
“I’m alright.”
She leaned back with a frown, staring at his face. “You’re really pale.”
He offered a soft smile. “I know, but after I rest and drink some more blood, I’ll be right as rain.”
She stared for another beat before giving him a nod, leaning in for another squeeze, and stepping back. As she gave me a hug, Anton picked Zellya up and set her on his lap.
Trayben came over, and Anton pulled our fledgling into his chest for a long time before Tray hugged me and squeezed in between us.
Oakley gave me a quick hug. “I’m heading out since you guys need some time. But please call me tomorrow.”
“I will. Thank you for staying with the girls.”
“Anytime.”
I sent them a smile, then leaned back to meet Roman’s gaze. “Thanks for being here.”
His lips pulled up in the tiniest of smiles. “It was my pleasure.”
And then the two of them left, leaving only our family here together.
The older vampires piled in, and I didn’t miss that each of them touched Anton’s shoulder or hand or something as they passed by, doing the same to me for some reason. They hadn’t stopped doing that since the warehouse. Everyone clearly needed reassurance.
As everyone settled in, I sighed and pulled my phone out of my pocket when I felt it vibrate. Tan had warned me that Ailin was pissed he hadn’t been called in to help and that he wanted to talk to me directly to make sure I was alright even though Tan had already informed him.
I didn’t feel like talking on the phone, but I also knew if I didn’t answer this right now, Ailin would show up on our doorstep to check on me. My lips twitched at that. It wasn’t a question of whether he’d do it, it was a question of how long it’d take for him to get here.
The Ellwoods had been telling me for months—years, really—that I was a part of their family. I supposed I finally believed it.
So I answered with a, “Hey, Ailin.”
“Hey, kiddo. It’s good to hear your voice. Are you okay?” For some reason, hearing his voice and his wonderful kiddo made my eyes water a little, so I wiped them away.
“I’m fine. I wasn’t hurt at all. Anton was injured, but he’s doin’ better. Tan helped heal him.”
“Yeah, I heard. He’s really doing alright? I can come over and set up a healing bed if you need me to?”
Anton wrapped his arm around me, pulled the phone back, and tapped the speaker button even though he’d obviously already heard him. To Ailin, he said, “I’m fine, Ailin, but I appreciate the offer.”
“No problem. If you guys change your mind, I’m only a phone call away.”
“Thank you,” we said together before exchanging smiles.
We spoke to Ailin for a little while longer before he let us go with the promise of letting him come over tomorrow to see us for himself. I was just glad he was giving us time to sleep first.
We were exhausted, but we still stayed with the rest of the family for over an hour before Phaeron stood, clapped his hands together, and said, “Alright, everyone, we all need to go to bed. I know Tray and the girls slept last night, but the rest of us haven’t slept in over thirty-six hours. Alsira, can you keep an eye on everyone while we take a nap?”
“Of course.” She grinned at the vampire, and I could tell she felt touched that he’d picked her to take charge rather than Trayben.
“Thank you.”
Jed stood, smiling. “When we wake up, we can have a family night. We’ll order some pizza, maybe play a board game or something, then pop lots of popcorn and watch a movie together. We all need to have a relaxing night.”
Phaeron nodded at him and surprised me by pulling his younger brother into a side-hug. That was probably the first time I’d seen him casually show affection, other than at the warehouse.
“I think that’s a great plan.” To everyone else, Phae waved us toward the stairs. “Up you go. Get some sleep.” He even rubbed the top of Tray’s head, messing up his hair and making the teen squawk in indignance.
Phae laughed, and Tray yelled, “Don’t be an asshat.”
That made me laugh, and I pulled my viramore up to his feet. I knew he could walk on his own, but I still pulled his arm over my shoulders, wrapped my arm around his back, and guided him away.
“Good night, guys,” I said to the kids. “We’ll be in Anton’s room if you need us.”
Alsira said, “We’ll be fine, Ker. Go to bed.”
I looked over my shoulder and gave her a mock salute before pulling my viramore along.
As we walked into Anton’s room, I announced, “I’m officially moving in here, so you better be prepared to make some room for my clothes and plants because I’m bringing them all over tomorrow.” I was sick of pretending I wanted my own room. I didn’t. I wanted Anton close. I wanted us to truly share our life together, and that included sleeping in the same room every single night—or day, as it sometimes was.
He stared at me for a beat, then grinned and yanked me into his chest. “You make me so damn happy.”
“Right back atcha, big guy.”
He chuckled and nuzzled the top of my head before kissing my cheek. When I leaned back, his mouth met mine, and I hummed into him but broke the kiss much sooner than I wanted because he was injured and needed sleep.
“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you changed and in bed.”
He nodded and walked over to his dresser. “Do you want to borrow some clothes?”
Hiding a smile, I nodded. “Sure. The walk to my room—” I cleared my throat. “Sorry, to my old room is way too long. I definitely need to use your clothes to save me the trip.”
He grinned at me and threw a pair of sweatpants that I caught. “It’s far too long a trip when I don’t want to be away from you.”
That made me melt. “I don’t want to be away from you either.”
“Good. Then you can borrow a shirt too.” He threw a t-shirt at me.
With a laugh, I caught the thing, set the clean clothes on the bed, and pulled my shirt over my head before I could get too in my head about it. We’d messed around plenty of times, but we hadn’t really stood around naked in front of each other like this.
But I knew Anton had seen, and felt, the scar across my chest before. But he’d never asked me about it. I had a feeling that was about to change.
Anton stared at it for a long moment before he met my gaze. “Will you tell me about that? I first saw it when I cleaned you up after…” I knew he meant after he’d rescued me from that basement and didn’t want to say it, so I nodded.
“I know you did.”
“I didn’t want to ask because we had so much going on and emotions were already high, but… I have to admit that I’m curious.” He sent me a soft smile. “But you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”
“I don’t mind tellin’ you. It’s honestly not that interesting. Back when I was maybe nineteen, we were hurting for money. It was really difficult when Zellya was a baby because diapers and formula are hella expensive, and sometimes I had to… well, you know what I had to do. I pulled tricks. There was a guy who took me out to dinner a couple of times. He got me to trust him enough to go back to a motel with him.”
I shrugged. “Honestly, that was Bel’s number one rule, you know? Never go anywhere with a trick. Never get in their car, never eat or drink anything they offer…” I sighed. “I basically broke all the rules with that guy just because he was nice to me. But… once we were behind closed doors, he was a totally different person. When I told him I was uncomfortable and wanted to leave, he pulled a knife out. He caught me off guard and slashed my chest before I let my magic out. Um, this big bush outside sorta grew its branches really fast and pulled the guy off me, trapping him.”
He stared at me for a long time. “What happened to him?”
I shrugged. “Um, the police took him, but he got off the next day with just a slap on the wrists. Luckily, they couldn’t prove I was there to, uh, get paid, so they didn’t arrest me too.” That would’ve been awful, and I considered myself lucky.
“Did he bother you after that? Does he still bother you? What’s his name?”
That made me grin. “I’m not letting you murder someone, Anton, so I won’t tell you his name. At least not right now. Bel threatened him or somethin’, and the guy never came back to that area. I haven’t seen him since the cops put him in handcuffs.” I shrugged and ran my fingers over the scar. “I know it’s big and ugly, but I try not to pay attention to it, you know?”
He stepped up to me, leaned down, and pressed a kiss to the center of my scar. He glanced at me, then placed another, and another, and another, covering every inch of it with sweet kisses.
“No part of you is ugly, Keryth. Not even your scar.”
I sucked in a breath because I could feel how much he meant it. “That’s… you’re… I… don’t even know what to say to that.”
“Say you’ll get naked with me.”
My eyes widened in surprise.
He smirked and stepped closer to me, grabbed my hips, and lifted me up, urging me to wrap my legs around him.
“Anton! Put me down. You’re hurt.”
He kissed my lips. “I’m fine. I’m tired, but I’m not hurting at all.” He licked a stripe up my neck, humming in delight. “Take off your clothes so I can show you exactly how beautiful you are.”
A groan escaped me, but I tapped his shoulder because I refused to let him hurt himself.
With a sigh, he set me on my feet.
As soon as I caught my balance, I turned us and gently pushed him back until he sat on the bed. “Are you sure you’re okay enough for sex?”
He smiled at my blunt question. I normally wouldn’t ask like that, but I wouldn’t be the cause of pain for him—I couldn’t.
He said, “I’m sure, my darling.”
Nodding, I pushed my pants and boxer briefs down and stepped out of them, then motioned to him. “You better get naked too then.”
His smile turned into a sort of… smolder that made me feel sexy even though I felt my embarrassment flushing my cheeks. He quickly pushed his pants and boxer briefs off, then sat up and reached for me, but I backed up a step.
“No. You need to lay down.”
He looked amused, but he laid back on the bed. “Alright, my darling, but I really am healed and well.”
I nodded. “Uh-huh.” I climbed on top of him without wasting another second. I didn’t want to waste a single moment with my viramore. Not after coming so close to losing him.
His arms wrapped around me, pulling me flush against him and making my already hard cock brush against his. Our lips met in a frantic kiss, and the relief, love, and want I felt for him reflected back to me. We were both feeling raw and vulnerable and so fucking relieved to still be together.
As if a surge of energy hit us, we were suddenly kissing, touching, biting, and licking at each other almost frantically. I couldn’t get enough of him, and he couldn’t get enough of me. I wanted, needed, to assure myself that he was really here. That he wasn’t going anywhere. That our bond was strong and true.
Hands, lips, and tongues were everywhere, and we were both panting and desperate in only a few minutes. Breaking away from his kiss-swollen lips, I leaned over to grab the lube out of the nightstand. He took it from me, popped the lid open, and poured some on his fingers before he reached behind me and found my entrance, not needing to ask what I wanted because he could feel it through our bond.
He captured my mouth again as his fingers pushed inside, and I groaned, leaning into the touch and wishing he would go faster.
His chuckle brought warmth to my chest, even though he was laughing at my impatience. Lucky for him—and me—he quickly added a second, then a third finger.
“I want you,” I murmured, kissing down his neck.
He tilted his head to the side. “You have me, my darling.”
I gave a bite to the spot where his neck and shoulder met. “No, I want you in me. Right now.”
“I’ll not hurt you. You need more preparation.”
With a groan, I gave him another bite, kind of wishing I had fangs so I could take a sip the way he did to me. Then I leaned up, kissed his lips, and met his gaze. “I’m ready, Anton. I need you inside me.”
He could see and feel the honesty. So he didn’t hesitate to pull his fingers out, add lube to his cock, and line himself up. But I sat up and took over, grabbing hold of his cock myself and lowering onto him. We both groaned, and I threw my head back, loving the fullness and craving more. But I went slowly because I knew he’d worry if I hurt myself. And we’d had more than enough worry lately.
When I was finally fully seated, I glanced down at my sexy viramore and couldn’t help but grin. He looked blissed out and completely disheveled. He was normally so put together that seeing his hair a mess and his neck and chest covered in love bites did something to me. They’d be healed soon, but getting to see them for even a few minutes made me feel almost proud.
Because I’d done that to him. I’d turned this ancient vampire, this magical, powerful creature, into someone who looked a mess and was begging for more.
Lifting slowly, I watched his expression carefully, wanting to take it all in and memorize it. He was so beautiful, he always was, but I was the only one who’d ever get to see him like this from now on. He was mine, and I was his, and he was never going to forget it.
When I pushed back down quickly, he cried out, and I couldn’t help but claim his lips again.
He grabbed onto me, clinging almost desperately as I moved up and down on his cock and ran my hands all over his chest, arms, neck, and hair. I wanted to touch every part of him, feel his soft skin under my fingertips. I wanted to grab onto him.
I never wanted to let go.
Both our magics answered our desperation and bliss, shooting out of us in a mess of color that whipped around the room. The magical wind was so powerful that things started flying around us as if we were the eye of the storm and there was a tornado circling us.
Our dancing magics made everything even more intense, and I knew neither of us would be able to hold back much longer.
“Bite me,” I whispered.
He didn’t need to be asked twice. His bite was quick, and when he drew in my blood, I moaned loudly, everything heightening further.
My pleasure was his pleasure, and his was mine. And together, we were nothing but love, affection, lust, and the most intense orgasm I’d ever felt.
We came together, our ecstasy echoing back and forth and making it go on and on and on until my body was so wrung out, I could do nothing but collapse on top of my vampire.
As we began to calm, our magics did as well, but they still swirled around the room lazily. They felt… happy. Sated, much like my own body. It was a strange sensation to feel a part of myself floating around and connecting with Anton. But it was a welcome one.
I wasn’t sure how long we lay there, me on top of Anton, him running his hands over my back, before I whispered, “Thank you for not leaving me.”
He sucked in a breath and wrapped me tighter in his embrace. “I’m sorry I scared you.”
“Not your fault. But, uh, try not to do it again.”
He chuckled. “Trust me, my darling, I plan to live a very long time now that I found you.”
“Good.” I kissed his chest. “Think you have another five thousand years in you?”
“With you by my side, I have more than that. Even that won’t be long enough with you.”
That made me smile. “You’re such a sap.”
He snorted at that. “You like it.”
It was true. “I love you, Anton… my Antiochus.”
“I love you too, my darling. Always.”
“And forever.”