CHAPTER NINE
Nikolai’s instinct was to go after his mate, to sooth and comfort her in any way she needed, but he didn’t. Kamara required a moment alone, to process the revelations she’d learned, and he needed to speak with his brother.
Even as he spoke with his siblings, though, he checked in on Kamara, scanning her thoughts for anything out of the ordinary, especially the static he’d come to associate with his father’s manipulation. He knew she was upstairs in the library, trying to make sense of it all, but she sounded calm, overwhelmed, but in control.
“Tell me everything,” he demanded. “Whatever I need to know to help her, tell me.”
Jonah considered him for several seconds before turning to their youngest brother. “I think Nik and I need to talk in private.”
Heather nodded at once and jump up from Syrus’ lap. “Come on, handsome. Let’s go raid the kitchen. I smell gumbo.”
“Ah, a female after my own heart.”
Gracefully, Veronica rose as well and swept around the table to extend her hand to Kayse. “We better hurry, or Syrus will have licked the pot clean. You know how he is.”
Kayse chuckled, taking Veronica’s hand and blowing a kiss over her shoulder to her mate as they strode out of the room toward the kitchen.
Once they were alone, Jonah rubbed both hands over his face and sighed. “What I know, I’ve learned along the way after Kayse came into my life. She knows more than me, but talking about it upsets her.”
Nikolai had noticed the marks on her arms, but it wasn’t just the physical scars that haunted his brother’s mate. She’d been hurt, yes, but more than that, she’d been broken, and he didn’t know if she’d ever fully heal from the trauma.
“What happened to her?”
“The same that happened to your mate, except Kayse didn’t have someone like you to rescue her.” His features turned to stone, but he held a world of sorrow in his eyes. “She was taken and imprisoned by Nigel Abraxas. He fed from her, brainwashed her, tormented her, and abused her until she was so damaged, she was no longer of any use to him. Then, he sent her to the slave auctions to be sold like cattle.”
“He knew she was a Seer,” Nikolai surmised.
Jonah nodded once. “How do you think the coven gained power so quickly?”
“This happened before the Purge?”
“Seven years. She was with him for seven years.”
“Brother, I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say.” Fear settled in Nikolai’s heart at the mere thought of Kamara suffering the same fate. “Do you think that’s why our father wants Kamara?”
His father had drained countless humans and turned hundreds of vampires. He’d never shown a modicum of interest in any of his sirelings, certainly not to the degree that he stalked Kamara.
“I think that’s a safe bet.”
“But how did he know? I mean, Kamara didn’t even know until five minutes ago.”
“The magic, however dormant, is in their blood. Haven’t you noticed the difference?”
Nikolai had only fed from Kamara once, and just a small amount, but he felt stronger and more focused than if he’d drained half a dozen blood bags. With no experience in the matter, he’d assumed it was because she was his mate.
Nikolai rubbed his forehead as if he could press away the headache building behind his eyes. “What about the telepathy? Can he see what she sees?”
“I don’t know, but my instincts tell me no. I believe he catches glimpses of her thoughts, then twists and manipulates them.” Jonah sneered. “You know how much he enjoys his little games.”
Nikolai knew better than his brother, but none of that mattered. He just wanted to understand what was happening so he could help Kamara.
“How does he do it? Is it because she’s a psychic, or a Seer, or whatever?”
Jonah shook his head. “I don’t know what causes it, but I believe that is the case. I’ve only heard of it happening with Seers and the like.”
“The only way to break that bond is to kill the sire.” Not that Nikolai was opposed to patricide, not after all Elias had done, but he didn’t know how he’d get close enough to his father to carry out the act.
Jonah grinned at the thought, but shook his head. “As appealing as that sounds, it’s not the only way. Your relationship with your mate is far stronger than any sire bond. If you claim her, complete that connection, it’ll break our father’s hold on her.”
His brother had given him a lot to consider, but his wealth of information begged the question about his source. “How do you know all of this?”
“Like I said, once I found Kayse, I spent years digging into any myth, legend, or history I could find. There are still families in New Orleans that come from long lines of witches. They don’t have their ancestors’ gifts, but they know all the old stories.”
That was a shame, because they could benefit from some real magic right about now. “And some of these stories included Seers being turned into vampires?”
Jonah nodded. “Technically, just one story, but it made me grateful that Kayse had at least been spared that.”
“You said you found her in at a slave auction.” That poor girl. Nikolai’s heart ached for her, but he knew that if anyone could mend her, it would be Jonah. “How did she get free?”
“I bought her.”
Nikolai jerked back. “Excuse me?”
“The auction happens every month at an old junior high school in a town about sixty miles south of Dallas. We drive up there, purchase a couple of prisoners apiece, then bring them here until they’re well enough to travel. After that, we have friends who transport them to a safe house in Kansas City.”
Kansas City. It kept cropping up in conversations from people who should have no clue about the Revenant’s existence in the town. “Noble as your intentions are, that seems kind of reckless, brother.”
“We don’t use our real names, and we never arrive together. There are a dozen guards and this wiry little guy who takes the money. As long as we can pay, no one questions it.”
It scared Nikolai to think of his siblings putting themselves in such danger, but he was also damn proud of them. Like himself, they were no soldiers, but they’d still found a way to help right the wrongs around them. It was an ambitious endeavor, and he wondered just how many humans and shifter owed their lives to his brothers and sister.
“We can’t save them all, of course.” Jonah sighed and rubbed three fingers across his brow. “So, we try to save the ones who need it the most. The very young, the sick, those broken by the coven, and the ones who might not survive another day.”
“I’m proud of you, Jo. All of you.” They may not be able to rescue every human from the auctions, but the ones they could save counted more than his siblings probably realized. “Of course, I don’t want you to put yourself in danger, but I think you’re doing the right thing.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that. I’ve missed you, Nikolai.”
“I’ve missed you, too.” He wanted to ask why his siblings had never tried to find him, especially after the Purge, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know the answer. So, he let it go.
“I should go find Kayse. She’s not as fragile as Syrus makes her out to be, but…”
“You don’t have to explain. I get it.” Realizing it had been a few minutes since he’d checked in on his own mate, Nikolai cleared his mind and searched out Kamara, only to be met with that same cold, empty hiss that made his heart stop. “Shit, it’s happening again.”
“Go,” Jonah urged. “Take all the time you need. You’re safe here.”
Jumping out of his seat, Nikolai sprinted from the dining room, then took the winding staircase two steps at a time to the top landing. He kept running, passing several expensive paintings on the walls of the corridor, to the last room on the right.
He found the door slightly ajar, and the sound of soft mewling and rhythmic thudding drifted out into the hallway. Shoving the door back, he hurried into the library, taking in the mountains shelves overflowing with an assortment of books only in his periphery.
“Kamara?”
Rounding a black, leather sofa, he grimaced at the sight that met him. Kamara sat on the floor between the cushy couch and the glass coffee table, knees bent to her chest, eyes squeezed closed. She rocked back and forth, whimpering and muttering under her breath as she pounded her fist against the side of her head.
Rushing to her, Nikolai dropped to the floor at her side. He caught her wrist, pulling her hand away from her temple, then dragged her into his lap, pressing her back to his chest and locking his arms around her to prevent his mate from hurting herself further.
“I’m here,” he whispered against her ear. “I’m right here. You’re okay. You’re safe.” He kept up a constant flow of words, reassuring her with every breath that he was with her, holding her, and that he wouldn’t let anything harm her. “I’m not going anywhere, cara mia. I’ve got you.”
“No,” she moaned, her chest heaving and her shoulders shaking. “Make it stop. Please make it stop.”
Her wracking cries destroyed him. Other than riding it out, he knew of only one way to take away the pain and stop the voice in her head, but he couldn’t do it. He wouldn’t claim her without her consent, and she was in no fit state to give it right then.
Tossing her head back against his shoulder, she jerked and strained, convulsing in his arms. “Please, Nik. I can’t. I can’t do it. Please, make it go away.”
Her pleas were broken and barely intelligible through her sobs, and her suffering broke something inside of him. His vision blurred as moisture gathered in his eyes, and his heart shattered.
When she started to kick, drumming her feet against the hardwood floor, he wrapped his legs around her thighs, completely encircling her, and held on tight.
“I’m here,” he repeated. “I won’t let go. Just hold on, Kamara. Hold on to me.”
He continued to hold her, afraid of what she might do if he didn’t. He spoke past the growing tightness in his throat, the swelling emotions that threatened to overwhelm him, pausing only to breathe.
Eventually, her struggles ceased, and her breaths evened. She felt cold, and perspiration beaded across her forehead, but her pulse had slowed, and her sobs had faded.
“Thank you,” she murmured. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”
“Don’t. I’ll always be here when you need me.” He rested his cheek atop her head, nuzzling into the soft, virgin hair. “Your hair is growing.” He said it because he knew it would please her. “You asked me how long it would take to grow back. Do you remember.”
“I remember.”
“It’ll grow faster than when you were human. Mine grows about four inches a month.”
“Good,” she sighed. “That’s good to know.”
“It’s getting worse.” This one had scared him. It had lasted much longer than any of the other episodes, and the intensity had escalated tenfold just since the last one. “Can you tell me about it?”
“It started like all the other times. This voice—your dad—telling me I need to come find him, that I belong to him.”
Nikolai growled. “I will kill him.”
Kamara patted his forearm as she sagged against him. “That’s sweet.”
Only she would find his threats of death “sweet.” She amazed him. “What happened after that?”
“I don’t know exactly. It was like this insanely loud, high-pitched screech. Like nails on a chalkboard, only at concert volume.” Readjusting, she tucked her hands under her chin and turned to snuggle into his chest. “It felt like my head was going to explode, and blood would start pouring from my eyes and ears.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Nik, I can’t keep doing this. Not only am I putting everyone else in danger, but this last time…” Trailing off, she pressed even closer to his chest.
“Yes?”
“This last time, I wanted to die. Anything to make it stop.”
“There might be a way.” He had his reservations, but it was the only way he knew how to free her.
“Tell me.” Pushing away, she pulled her legs under her and sat back on her heels facing him. “What is it? I’ll try anything.”
“Jonah says my father can get inside your head because of what you are.”
Kamara wrinkled her nose. “After everything else, I know it’s silly to be weirded out about this magic thing, but I still don’t know how I feel about it.”
“Understandable.” Pinching her chin gently, he pulled her close for a lingering kiss. “Our connection is strong, even stronger than a sire bond.” He hesitated, but he’d already come this far, and he couldn’t turn back now. “If I claimed you, our bond would supersede that of your sire.”
“Do it,” Kamara answered immediately. “I’m ready. Right now. Let’s do it.”
“Hold on a minute.” Her eagerness pleased him, but he had a feeling she’d agreed for all the wrong reasons. “This is forever, Kamara. It’s not like a human marriage where you can just file for divorce when you realize you made a mistake. We’re talking literally until ‘death do us part.’ Are you ready for that?”
“I get it, I do. I understand what you’re saying, and my answer is still the same.”
“Don’t do this just because you’re afraid.” He couldn’t take it if she woke up a week, a month, or a year from now and regretted her decision. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you, and I won’t let you hurt anyone else. We can find another way.”
Kamara laughed, the sound soft and light. “Idiot,” she muttered under her breath. “You don’t get it, do you?”
His brow creased, Nikolai scowled at her. “Apparently not. Why are you laughing at me?”
“Because you’re an idiot,” she answered bluntly. Her smile widened, and she inched closer, taking his hands in hers. “This probably isn’t going to make sense, but I just don’t care anymore.” She squeezed his fingers. “Nikolai Diavolos, I’ve loved you for pretty much my entire life. Do you think I’m going to walk away now that I’ve finally found you?”
He hadn’t had the privilege of dreaming about her for the past two decades, but it didn’t change the fact that he’d been waiting just as long to meet her. From the moment she’d said his name, he’d been lost, drowning in her, soaking up every touch, every word, every look. He needed her like he needed to breathe.
“There’s no guarantee it will work.” Tilting his head back, he pointed to his immature fangs. “We can try, but I just don’t know.”
Kamara frowned. “What’s the difference between a mating bite and a bite to feed?”
“I actually don’t know. Intent maybe? It’s magical and mystical. I don’t make the rules.”
Kamara grinned at his description, but she didn’t know that she could do any better when trying to explain something so mysterious. “Fair enough, but we can still try. If it’s the intent that matters, maybe it will still work. Please, Nik. Try.”
No one had the promise of tomorrow, not before the Purge and certainly not now. Maybe it hadn’t been very long, but she knew her heart, and she knew she didn’t want to waste a single moment with him.
“Be sure.”
She had never been more certain about anything in her life. “I’m am.”
“Forever,” he added, his voice thick and gravelly.
“That’s what I want.”
Nikolai’s mouth crashed down on hers, cutting off anything else she might have said. Hard and searching, his tongue delved between her lips, exploring the depths of her mouth in a kiss that stole her breath and made her head spin. His fingers fumbled with the hem of her tank top, pushing it up her stomach so that he could tease and stroke her sensitive skin.
“I love you,” he panted. “I may not have dreamed of you as you did me, but I’ve waited a long time for you, Kamara.” He captured her lips in another kiss that made her toes curl. “Sei tutto per me. Sei la mia anima gemella.”
She didn’t know what they meant, but his words were beautiful, and she felt the power of them in her heart in a way her mind could never comprehend. Tangling her fingers in his long hair, she pulled him down, licking and nipping at his lips as she took control of the kiss.
“Say it again,” she whispered.
Pulling her shirt off over her head, Nikolai tossed it to the floor behind them, urging her back onto the floor as he bent to skim his mouth up the middle of her belly. “Sei tutto per me. Sei la mia anima gemella.” With gentle, barely-there touches, he nuzzled the swell of her breast, his moist breath fanning over his skin as he repeated the words twice more. “You are everything to me. You are my soulmate.”
Warmth and happiness exploded inside her, filling her heart and spreading to encompass every part of her. She wasn’t good with words, not like her mate. Nikolai was the poet, the philosopher, and if she lived forever, she’d never be able to speak as eloquently as he did. That didn’t mean she felt any less for him. She just didn’t know how to express it.
“I don’t have pretty words,” she whispered, capturing his face between her hands and forcing him to look at her. “I guess I never had much use for them. I just know that I’m better when I’m with you, and there is no one else I’d rather navigate this crazy world with. I love you, Nikolai.”
Smiling, he dipped his head to brush their lips together again. “I think those words were just fine, cara mia. If you speak what is in your heart, I can never be disappointed.”
There was only one thing left to say. Palming the side of his face, she stared into his dark eyes, holding his gaze as the world faded away around them.
“Make me yours.”
It took a few starts and stops, and some clever maneuvering, but eventually, they managed to divest their clothing, throwing the pieces of fabric around the room and letting them fall where they may. Lifting her from the floor as if she weighed no more than a feather, Nikolai moved her to the sofa, nestling her in the center of the cushions and jerking her to the edge. With gentle pressure, he pushed her knees apart, inserting himself between her splayed thighs, and grinned up at her.
Despite her racing pulse and labored breaths, Kamara couldn’t help but stare. He was the most gorgeous creature she’d ever scene. Fuck, he didn’t even look real. His smooth, creamy skin practically glowed in the sunlight that streamed into the library as it stretched taut over his muscular body. She wanted to touch him, to trace the ridges and valleys, to map and explore every inch of his perfectly chiseled body with her hands and mouth.
Long and thick, cascading over his shoulders like a golden waterfall, his hair tickled the insides of her thighs, sending a shiver spiraling up her back. And those eyes. Just like in her dreams, she couldn’t look away. The deep, endless pools of rich brown mesmerized her in a way she’d never known, as if she could peer into them and see right down to his beautiful, giving soul.
She hadn’t known it, but her entire life had been leading her to this moment, and she wanted it more than she had ever wanted anything. They belonged together. Fate, destiny, or an aligning of the cosmos—she didn’t know and she didn’t care. It was new and strange, a connection she’d never guessed could exist, but she wasn’t afraid.
Slinging an arm around her back, Nikolai jerked her forward, kissing her with enough passion to set the room ablaze. His questing tongue tripped her heartbeat into a wild gallop, and sent currents of electricity dancing across her skin. Driven by need and desire, she wound her legs around his waist, locking her ankles at the small of his back and surging forward to take the kiss deeper.
After a moment that stretched into forever, he broke the kiss and pushed her back onto the cushions of the sofa. Filled with needs and desires she’d never felt before, Kamara reached for him, growling when he caught her hands and forced them to her sides.
“Patience, cara mia.” Bending, he nuzzled the top of her cleft, then traced his tongue along the outside of her folds. “I plan to taste every inch of you, and I won’t be rushed.”
Something along the lines of, “Yes, please, thank you,” rolled through her mind, which didn’t seem appropriate. So, she said nothing, nodding instead as her body ignited into a firestorm of yearning.
He’d set out to taste every inch of her, and that was exactly what he did. Kissing a trail of liquid fire across her belly, he paused to scrape his teeth over her hip, making her squirm and writhe against the leather cushions. He teased her with light touches, skimming his fingertips over the tops of her thighs, then shocked her system by capturing her upturned nipple and sucking it into his mouth.
He worried the hard flesh between his teeth, then soothed the burn with his tongue, creating a jumble of sensations that consumed and overwhelmed her. Again and again, he alternated sweeping touches with tiny nips of pleasure-pain that wound her tight and kept her off-balance.
So, when he finally dipped his head between her legs and his tongue along her crease, she could barely breathe. “Please,” she begged. “Nik, please!”
In answer, he pressed the tip of his tongue to her swollen clitoris, ringing the bundle of nerves in quick, hard circles that made her eyes roll back in her head. Moaning and panting, she fisted her hand in his silky locks and pulled hard, guiding his mouth to where she needed it most. If he minded, he didn’t say.
“Nik, please,” she pleaded again, barely recognizing her own voice.
“So impatient,” he muttered, a smile in his voice. “Tell me what you need, cara mia.”
“More.” It didn’t matter what—touches, kisses, whatever. She just needed more of him.
In response, he closed his mouth around her clit, sucking hard as he pushed two, long fingers into her clenching core. He flicked his tongue in light strokes, then intensified the pressure, playing her body like a well-tuned instrument. Each glide of his fingers pushed her higher, throwing her toward the edge of no return, and she gripped his hair tighter as she chased her release.
Rocking, moaning, and growling, she thrusted against his mouth, until a sharp twist of his fingers finally sent her careening over the precipice. Throwing her head back, she cried out, her body quaking as she shattered into a thousand little pieces of ecstasy.
“Fuck,” Nikolai groaned. “The things you do to me.”
He kissed his way up her sweat-dampened body, his fingers still gliding and scissoring inside her, keeping the currents of sexual energy coursing through her. His tongue circled her erect nipple and flicked across the tight bud, spiking her pleasure once again. She trembled from the onslaught of continued sensations, gasping for breath as she rode his fingers, rising and falling over the thick digits.
Slanting his mouth over hers, forcing his tongue between her panting lips, he kissed her long and hard, mimicking the movement of his hand. When his thumb found the bundle of nerves at the apex of her cleft once again, she tensed, her body seizing as she tumbled headlong into another mind-bending orgasm.
Still, the fire raged out of control, the flames licking her skin, unable or unwilling to be quenched. Struggling for breath, she pressed her palm flat against his chest, holding it there for just a moment before sliding it down his toned, sculpted abs to the thick, throbbing erection that jutted rigidly between his thighs.
Taking him in hand, she squeezed hard, moving her fist up and down his pulsing cock. She wanted him with something akin to pain, and she wanted him now.
“Make me yours,” she said again, giving him a firm tug and guiding him to her entrance.
Falling into the cradle of her hips with a deep, rumbling growl that reverberated around the room, Nikolai buried his face into the side of her neck and shuddered. He didn’t want to hurt her, but he didn’t know if he could be gentle. Watching his mate fall apart had been the sexiest thing he’d ever experienced. He’d be content to taste and touch her for the rest of the night, because her pleasure was his pleasure.
With her warm hand wrapped around his aching dick, he couldn’t think. Hell, he could barely breathe. From the moment she’d touched him, all his good intentions and flown out the proverbial window and robbed him of logical thought. He’d been reduced to nothing more than a snarling, groaning creature, driven by instinct and desperate to claim what was his.
Bracing himself with one hand on the back cushion of the sofa, he wrapped his other arm around her waist, angling her hips upward as he sank into her wet heat. Sweet mercy, she was tight. Her inner walls conformed to his length, molding around him like a glove, and once seated, he had to pause, fighting for some semblance of control.
Then, Kamara arched up from the couch, holding on to the back of his neck as she scrapped her fangs down the side of his throat. Molten lava coursed through his veins, and every drop of blood in his body seemed to pool in his aching cock.
“Now,” she demanded.
Nikolai snapped, the thin thread of his control unraveling in a matter of seconds.
There was no slow, easy buildup. No steady increase to the ultimate crescendo. He took her like a beast, driving into her welcoming body with hard, demanding thrusts that rocked them both and slid the couch across the hardwood floor.
“Yes!” Kamara cried, meeting him thrust for thrust, arching against him and dragging her fingernails down his back.
The bite of pain stole what little sense he had left, leaving him guided by pure, primal instinct. She was his. No one would ever touch her. No one would harm her. He’d die to defend her, to keep her by his side.
With that thought in mind, he dropped his head, growling savagely when his fangs exploded from his gums. It was torture, sheer and utter agony, experiencing what should have taken weeks or months, happening almost instantly, but the desire for his mate quickly overrode any pain.
The fire between them blazed hotter. Their thrusts became harder, faster, less coordinated, but more urgent. When Kamara cried out and tensed, her tight pussy convulsing around his cock, he nearly lost his mind.
Chasing his own release, he didn’t realize her intentions until her fangs slid through the skin at the crook of his neck with a quiet pop. Blinding light flashed before his eyes as pure and golden warmth encompassed his entire being. He could literally feel their bond solidifying, could almost see the metaphysical threads that connected them weaving into an unbreakable chord.
With a roar that shook the window panes, he released her waist and fisted his hand in her short tresses, jerking her back and forcing her head to the side. The smooth column of her throat called to him, the vein beneath her skin pulsing like a beacon. Guiding by thousands of years of instinct, he struck, embedding his canines into her supple flesh as he trembled and moaned, flooding her depths with his release.
When the frenzy ebbed and reason returned, Nikolai extracted his fangs and traced his tongue over the mark on his mate’s neck, practically drowning in satisfaction.
“Mine,” he whispered, sliding from Kamara’s body and falling onto the sofa beside her.
Curling against his side and resting her head on his shoulder, she hummed quietly as she drew circles over his chest with her fingertips. “Mine.” Her hand moved to his mouth to trace the seam of his lips. “How?”
“Mysterious, mystical, magical thing,” he muttered. Damn, his brain was still scrambled, and he had no idea what he was saying. “Intent.”
Chuckling, Kamara arched up to kiss his cheek. “I feel different. I think it worked.”
“It worked.” He’d never felt this way. Hell, he didn’t even know it was possible to feel like he did.
With a sexy purr, Kamara climbed into his lap, straddling his thighs, and leaned forward to press their lips together. Her warm, wet pussy pressed against him, awakening his sated cock with renewed interest.
“Maybe we should try again,” she murmured between kisses. “You know, just to be sure.”
He’d never been more sure of anything in his life, but only a fool would pass up such an invitation, and Nikolai Diavolos was no fool.
“Yes, of course,” he answered, gliding his hands over her toned, beautiful body, “but how will we know?”
Kamara nipped at his bottom lip and grinned wickedly. “Intent.”