Love in the Fortress Read online

  He had to think fast, to get the hell out of there without tangling with Fulton. But how?

  Then he knew what to do, the one thing that would make sense to every vampire in the sparring line, including Fulton.

  “I need to feed,” he shouted. “Now.” Without one more word of explanation, he bolted toward the female slaves’ quarters, those women who serviced the men with sex as well as the vampires from their veins.

  When he was out of eyesight, he slowed but retained his direction. He had to think. How was he to get into the fortress at this hour? Yet getting there seemed more critical than anything else he’d experienced in the past year. He had to get back to Sandra and he had to bond with her. And it had to be now.

  The lay-out of the fortress came to mind. The central entrance, though at a distance from the kitchen, was sheltered by tall hedges surrounding a large, rose garden and an expansive lawn. In that respect it was completely hidden from the army camp.

  He made the decision, because it seemed the only way to get into the fortress with the least amount of eyes on him. He levitated swiftly and as soon as he saw the breach in the hedge that indicated the entrance to the garden, he slipped through, then flew to the carved double doors of the main entrance.

  He pulled them wide and walked in.

  Sandra, I’m in the entrance hall. I need you to come to me now. We’ve got to figure this out.

  I’ll be right there.

  He drew deep breaths. He was filthy from sparring and this part of the fortress was full of marble and silk. Even his boots were dirty.

  He heard running footsteps, light quick swishes on the stone then the marble floor. Sandra was forty feet away when he caught sight of her at the end of the long hall. She began running in earnest, levitating at the end.

  His throat tightened as he headed in her direction, skirting a table with a tall flower arrangement to finally catch her up in his arms. She didn’t seem to care that he was sweaty and once more covered in mud or that all the grime would no doubt end up on her white gown.

  She kissed him as though her life depended on it and he returned the favor.

  Back to my room, Griffin, now. You have to bond with me. You have to.

  I want nothing more.

  She drew back just enough to look at him. Carry me and levitate. If you go fast, we can avoid the next shift of maids who will be heading up here in about two minutes.

  He didn’t need another command. He held her tight against him and flew faster than ever, straight up the servants’ stairs, along the hall and back to her bedroom.

  Once inside, she locked the door again. When he stepped away from her he was appalled. “I got your gown dirty.”

  “I don’t care.”

  He looked at his arms, at the recent sparring bruises, at the still healing cuts, at the streaks of mud, and he didn’t want to think about what he smelled like. “I’m taking a shower.”

  Her smile was crooked. “Then I’ll help.”

  At that, his lips curved. “You can’t fit in there with me. The shower’s barely big enough for me as it is.”

  “I know that. But I can stand nearby and soap things up. Big things.”

  He groaned. They were playing with fire, because if either of them was caught … He wouldn’t think about that.

  Instead, he moved into the bathroom and got rid of his boots, then his leathers. He’d been given a vest to wear and stripped that off next.

  He heard an odd sound coming from Sandra. Turning toward, her, she had her hand to her mouth and her eyes were wide. Her gaze was on his ass.

  He smiled again. He knew the effect a powerful male body had on women. Every damn muscle was a promise of good things to come.

  He didn’t close the curtain, despite that the floor would get wet. He turned the spray on and washed his hair. His whole body was flushed with need so he kept the water on the cold side. Even then, his cock was rigid and refused to settle down. Although it didn’t help when she stripped off her own gown, bra and panties, then drew close and took the soap in her hands.

  She washed his cock with care and a sensual touch that had him groaning. She shook her head at him. No noises. She then stroked him with both hands while she leaned up and kissed him.

  He’d made love to her earlier but his drive toward her was like nothing he’d known before. His whole body became a vibration of energy and need. He felt his mating vibration hum within his chest.

  I need you in bed.

  She let her hands fall away then lifted them to the spray of water. She nodded, then dried her hands and moved slowly toward the door.

  Once there, she stayed put for a moment, her gaze sliding down his body. She put her hands on her breasts and massaged both of them, her lips parting.

  His cock jerked once, letting him know he needed to move things along. He cleaned up as best he could, left the shower and toweled dry. By then she’d moved back to the bed.

  Only this time, she sat at the edge of the mattress, her legs spread and one hand moving slowly in the direction of the thatch of red hair between her legs.

  He was hard as a rock as he moved toward the bed, his hand on his heavy cock, supporting himself as he walked.

  Once he reached her, he pushed her back on the bed, then dropped to his knees. Lifting her legs to settle them on his shoulders, he said, “Allow me.”

  He had to shush the moan that came from her throat.

  The moment he settled his tongue against her sex and her body writhed, he pathed, You taste like rosemary and sage and I can’t get enough.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Sandra lay panting. She’d forgotten how intense sex could be with a man she loved, though the experience with Griffin had definitely been enhanced because she was a blood rose.

  Your tongue, Griffin. So much pleasure.

  Good. Now look at me.

  She lifted up on her elbows and met his gaze. His light blue eyes glinted as he laved her folds and teased her with flicks of his tongue. She gasped at each sensual touch.

  Then he moved lower so that his tongue touched her entrance. Small light gasps left her throat. When he pushed inside, her whole body arched. The pleasure was incredible.

  But to her surprise, suddenly she felt a vibration begin where he licked her. Is that your tongue?

  Oh, yeah. His eyes were at half- mast.

  She’d heard of this but she’d never experienced it before.

  Her body trembled as the vibration increased and Griffin began to thrust at the same time. He went faster and all her need sharpened.

  She put her hand over her mouth. Griffin! Sweet Goddess!

  Want more?

  You’ll make me come.

  Then come. He revved up the vibrations to an even faster frequency which sent her flying over the edge. She groaned against the palm of her hand, her hips jerking up and down. He held her tight with his hands on her buttocks and continued to plunge into her sex until the wave passed.

  Her arms fell wide. She was breathing hard and couldn’t keep her eyes open. That was amazing.

  She felt him rise and slide an arm beneath the center of her back. She opened her eyes, meeting his gaze with a questioning lift of her brows.

  He smiled. “I’m going to move you. I need you in a different position.”

  An excited shiver raced over her entire body.

  ~ ~ ~

  With one arm, Griffin lifted Sandra, sliding her to the center of the bed. Her rosemary and sage scent was doing something to him and he needed to get inside her. His mating vibration pulsed heavily in his chest as well.

  The vibrations he’d used with his tongue had been easily come by because his whole body seemed to pulse in a steady frequency. Above all else, he felt a profound need to please Sandra. He was a mastyr after his blood rose, wanting to be connected to her on every possible level and determined to make her his own so that no other mastyr could get to her.

  As he settled himself between her legs, Griffin stared down at he
r. He felt in this moment as though his entire life came together. He’d always believed in the divine purpose of things, that the Goddess in her wisdom brought forces together to bring about a better world for all Realm-folk.

  For him, finding Sandra in this desolate place had been the divine purpose in his life. He hadn’t had these thoughts at first, but they lived like fire in him now. She believed her own unique purpose was to get a key to the Ruby Fae so she could make her escape. Despite his fear for Sandra, he understood her drive to help Regan since in a similar way he now believed his job was to protect Sandra. Ever since he’d realized she was a blood rose, he’d become fixed on the idea of somehow taking Sandra out of the nightmare she’d lived in for the past thirty years.

  “I love you, Sandra. I think I have from the first moment I looked into your green eyes.” He stroked her hair, pushing some of the strands away from her cheek. He leaned down and kissed the spot, then trailed a bunch more all the way to her ear.

  He French-kissed deep, sliding his tongue into her beautifully pointed ears, then licked to the sensitive tip. When he drew the point into his mouth and sucked gently, her whole body undulated beneath him. At the same time, she grabbed his arm and sunk her nails.

  Everything you to do to me, Griffin … unbelievable.

  For fun, he added a vibration to the suckling, and a squeal left her mouth. He quickly covered her lips with his fingers. But her tongue made an appearance, licking each one until he had to put two of them in her mouth.

  She suckled greedily, the way he wanted her mouth on his cock. She drew back, pushing him onto his back. “I need a taste.”

  He knew what she meant to do and he withheld a moan. As she moved down his body, he felt her hair brushing over his abdomen then her lips and finally her mouth as she took him inside. His jaw trembled and his breathing grew rough.

  She held the base of his cock in her hand. I don’t know if I can add a vibration, but I’m going to try. Being a blood rose seems to have enhanced everything for me. Now let’s see if I can return the favor.

  His entire body went very still when the first vibration rolled through her mouth. He couldn’t breathe. Now he understood why she’d come so quickly. Oh, sweet Goddess, that feels good. Too good.

  She rubbed his abdomen at the same time with both hands, gliding them down his hips and onto his thighs. She kept suckling though very gently and at the same time let the vibration flow over his cock. He wouldn’t be able to handle too much, but she was doing it just right. If she’d sucked in earnest he would have lost it.

  Instead, every touch of her hands, lick of her tongue, and wave of vibration ramped him up but didn’t take him all the way. It was perfect.

  When he felt his balls tighten, however, he pushed her shoulders gently. She released his cock then rolled once more onto her back. “Where were we before we got so beautifully side-tracked?”

  He smiled at her words then moved once more between her legs. The moment she drew her knees up, he pressed his cock against her wetness. His breath caught.

  He slid inside in one long drive that had her hips arching and her mouth opening wide. Cover my mouth with your hand, Griffin. Please.

  He understood why. And the moment he did, she groaned against his palm. It helps, she pathed.

  I know.

  He began to rock into her, savoring the feel of her body writhing beneath his, as well as the way she gripped his cock with her sex. Moving faster, he kissed her cheek at the same time, loving the feel of her groans against his palm.

  Griffin?

  Yes?

  Will you bite me?

  He shuddered with pleasure and almost came. He had to stop for a moment and calm the hell down.

  She panted lightly against his hand but didn’t say anything. He knew she understood. He could sense they were in sync.

  When he began to move his hips again, her tongue teased the palm of his hand. He smiled as he kissed a line down her neck. She angled for him and a soft cry of pleasure left her throat.

  He took his time though, licking above her vein and feeling it rise for him. He was breathing hard now as he tilted his head. With his fangs descended and ready, he struck and her blood flowed.

  He groaned as an elixir, laced with the flavor of rosemary and sage, hit his mouth, his tongue, then trickled like the most beautiful fire down his throat. He formed a seal around the wounds and began to suck. He lost a sense of time and place. All he felt was his cock driving into her once more, her body moving in heavy waves beneath his, and the amplified nature of her blood powering him once more.

  He went faster, a strong dedicated rhythm.

  Griffin. I love you.

  His heart swelled and his mating vibration began to pulse, a demanding frequency that called to her.

  Do you want this, Sandra? To bond with me? Are you sure?

  Absolutely. I love and admire you and I value how you treat me, how you’ve been with me for the last year. I want to bond with you as your blood rose.

  He grunted in response and the moment she opened up her mating vibration, he let his fly. His pulsing frequency swept over hers, teasing her with another layer of pleasure as it swirled back and forth in a rhythm that matched his hips. It’s coming.

  I can feel it. Oh, Griffin. She was gasping now, quick, harsh breaths against his hand.

  He released her neck, swiping his tongue to seal the wounds. He lifted up enough to plant his right forearm beside her to give himself leverage as he thrust into her. But he also wanted to look at her as this enormous thing happened between them.

  Her eyes were wild and shimmered with tears. Her body rolled with his. They were one heavy flow of joined sensation. I bond myself to you, Sandra of Camberlaune Realm. I give myself to you as a husband, to serve and adore you the rest of my life. His mating vibration began to tighten. I love you, Sandra.

  And I offer myself to you, Mastyr Griffin of Camberlaune Realm, to be your blood rose, your bonded mate, your wife. I hold nothing back, but give of myself freely, loving you with all my heart.

  With that, his mating vibration tightened completely, surrounding hers and merging to create one powerful shared vibration.

  Sandra’s eyes widened and a flush flew up her cheeks. She cried out against his hand as ecstasy took hold of her. He drove into her hard, his own body beginning to release. Cover my mouth as well, Sandra.

  She pressed her hand tight to his lips. And as the orgasm began to come he grunted heavily, wanting to roar with the exquisite nature of every sensation, but he held back to protect them both.

  Pleasure flowed from their joined mating vibrations, flooding his abdomen as his cock pulsed with fiery pleasure.

  But this time the orgasm didn’t stop. Instead, just as he was winding down, another series of pulses began to erupt from him.

  At the same time, Sandra screamed against his hand, the pulses of her well pulling on him. He drove fast, wanting to make her pleasure last. Then, without warning, a sudden explosion of ecstasy erupted from their shared mating vibrations. His back arched and he had the devil of a time not roaring out loud.

  And the blood rose bond locked into place.

  He dipped his head back in her direction and met her astonished gaze once more. He slid his fingers off her mouth and she did the same, drawing her palm away from his face. He followed his first impulse and kissed her. She responded in kind, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and kissing him back.

  After a moment, he met her gaze. “I can feel you, what you’re experiencing, everything.”

  “Same here, especially the pleasure you feel with your cock inside me.”

  His lips curved. “And how much you enjoy my cock.”

  Tears formed in her eyes. He kissed her again and again. He didn’t leave her body for a long time, but stayed connected to her. She was his woman now.

  ~ ~ ~

  Sandra slid her hands around Griffin’s neck, beneath his long, damp hair, then caressed his shoulders and arms. Her br
eathing had finally settled down. It seemed so strange to be back in bed with him, and even more bizarre to feel the way their mating vibrations had locked into place.

  She closed her eyes and her fae senses came alive as never before. She felt the future floating around her like scattered images she could pull together to create a whole picture. She knew some of the fae of the Nine Realms had extraordinary powers and were able to experience visions of the future.

  Until this moment, her own gifts had been very limited. Occasionally, she would experience a strong prescience about what was going to happen in a given situation. Yet right now she felt as though she could know things about the immediate future if she extended her fae power and put her mind to it.

  But she didn’t want to know. If she saw herself bonded to an Invictus wraith, she’d fall apart. Or if she saw that her relationship with Griffin had been discovered, she knew Griffin’s execution would follow. Or hers. The burden of knowing would be too much to bear.

  For now, she held the future at arm’s length, savoring each stolen minute she had with Griffin in her bed.

  Time began to drift by. Eventually, Griffin drew out of her, leaving her feeling strangely empty. He once more tucked a cloth between her legs and headed to the bathroom. She turned on her side a hand beneath her cheek. She needed to figure out what to do next, but felt horribly overwhelmed by the knowledge Margetta was planning her wraith-bonding ceremony in only a couple of hours. And she still needed to get the key to the Ruby Fae.

  A knock on the door had her rising swiftly and putting on her robe. “Who is it?”

  “Yvonne.” The housekeeper scratched on the door. “Your absence has everyone talking. And Mastyr Griffin cannot be found.”

  She opened the door and met the troll’s worried gaze. Sandra wanted to know what the troll would see, if Sandra looked any different now that she’d bonded with a mastyr. “I’ve not been myself tonight, so I’ve been resting. As for Mastyr Griffin, he probably went into the forest to hunt for deadfall.” It was a stretch. To her knowledge, Griffin had only served on a couple of the wood-collecting forays.

  Yvonne shook her head. “Fulton’s been threatening to form a search party to look through every room of the fortress. I told him to shove off. He wasn’t too pleased by my attitude, but these stone walls are my domain and the hell I will let him or any other bully invade my kingdom.