Chapter 23
Bran cursed as he pulled into his driveway. Robert, Tremaine, and Preston arrived on the porch at the same time. Evangeline wanted a few hours without an interruption.
Robert immediately asked, “How are Genevieve and Neil adapting to Silvertail Ridge?”
“Quite well, thankfully. Thanks for coming,” Evangeline answered as a wave of nerves assailed her. She wasn’t ready to deal with everything, but putting it off for long wasn’t an option.
Bran hurried to the door.
Evangeline followed on his heels and offered a smile.
Preston directed his attention to Evangeline. “We have some news.”
“That’s probably good. And I have an idea of what we need to do, but we need some guidance, possibly help from you three.”
Robert took a seat and Tremaine joined him on a loveseat. Preston took a chair.
Running his hands down his lapels, Robert explained, “Ceridwen tells me you will certainly need our help. She also said you may gain any ability you witness. Like my translocation.”
Bran pulled her onto the couch.
She met Robert’s gaze. “What? Hopping from place to place? That’s just mages, right?”
Tremaine tipped his head back and forth. “Not always. That’s neither here nor there. Until you learn how to translocate, it’s not the safest thing to do. You can wind up rematerializing in the middle of something solid.”
“Gruesome way to go,” Preston offered.
“I can imagine,” she whispered, breathless.
“But if you are gaining abilities, you may acquire mine to know where you’re going to reappear and avoid trouble.”
“Is that what you do?” Preston asked.
He lifted a shoulder. “That’s what Ceridwen says, and I suppose it’s true because I can see how a room will look when I move to the new location, even before arriving, even when things change.”
“Interesting,” Evangeline muttered. “Look, can we get down to what you guys learned from Ceridwen, and maybe you will have an idea about the dream I had last night—and yes, it was more than just a dream. She pulled me into the dream with her, and we think we know where we need to go but aren’t sure where to find it.”
“What?” Preston asked. “What are you talking about?”
Evangeline sighed. “Last night, Merova pulled me into a dream. We wound up at a lighthouse—one I’ve dreamed about for ages. And if the theory is that I am somehow related to the Fae, then it stands to reason that the lighthouse is somehow important to her, and I’ve always been drawn to it in dreams. Does that mean we were always linked?”
Tremaine’s head cocked. “It’s a possibility. Though I don’t know a lot about Merova, what kind of Fae she is, or where she came from.”
Bran interrupted, “But the theory is some Fae or something came to mate with witches to make us more, right?”
“Our various magic was altered through time with various mating patterns. Different Fae and humans mixed to create each type. Some other beings as well.”
Evangeline’s head cocked. Were none of them full mage? Was that possible? The Magister? His lieutenant? And okay, she could totally guess Tremaine had some druid or shaman because something about him seemed animalistic at times. Just a sliver of it. Like a shaman she used to know, who tamped down his animal side as much as possible.
Shaking her head, she brought them back to the topic at hand. “What did you learn?”
He sighed. “Well, not much, other than Zariha will follow Merova wherever she goes. No matter how far that is, Zariha will stop at nothing to find her and destroy her to free him from the bond he created.”
“Mate bond?” she asked.
“No, something more sinister,” Preston answered.
They discussed details that went on for some time. Then Evangeline described the lighthouse and asked if they knew a way to find it.
Preston nodded. “I’ll find it. Why do you need to know?”
“That’s where she went.” She explained her dream and the following need to help.
Tremaine leaned forward. “One of them must die. Maybe both. Are you going to be okay with that outcome?”
She agreed a hundred percent. “He attacked Bran. I have every intention of killing the monster.”
Preston chuckled. “Go, girl! Get’em good.”
Bran’s hand wrapped around her hip as he pulled her closer. “I’ll help.”
She turned, her eyes burning. “I will protect what’s mine.”
A soft growl ripped from his chest. “God damn, I love hearing you claim me.” He crushed her against his chest.
There were more words, and Bran nodded at them, but she had tuned everyone out but her mate and his big, muscular body.
Preston cleared his throat. “We’ll get going, and we’ll let you know when we find the lighthouse.”
“Hey,” Evangeline said, “would it help to hop into my head and see the lighthouse?”
Preston lifted a shoulder and looked at Robert.
Robert nodded. “If you’re willing, that will make things go faster.”
Both Preston and Robert closed in and touched her temples. She closed her eyes and focused on the lighthouse. Both men entered her head. She felt them flanking her as she stared at the lighthouse from the shore. The town was small but beautiful. She had explored it many times in dreams.
“We’ll find it,” Preston assured.
Then they were out of her head, and she opened her eyes.
Tremaine dipped his head. “We’ll talk soon.” They left the house, leaving Bran and Evangeline alone.
Bran flipped the locks and stalked back to her. “Need you so fucking bad.”
“Need you more.”
She sank to her knees, wanting to taste him as she ripped open his pants and yanked them down his hips. His heavy cock sprang free. She wrapped one hand around his base while her other hand landed on his thigh as she leaned up and licked his tip before taking him into her mouth.
His taste was rich, powerful, all male.
This connection was stronger than anything she’d ever felt. Nothing compared. Not even what she felt for Jasper. That was a ghost of this.
“Shit, Eva, come back here so I can sink deep inside you.”
She stared up at him in challenge as she swallowed his length, taking him into her throat before slowly pulling up and sliding back down. His hand landed on the back of the chair, and she could just imagine his knees weak.
She shoved him onto the coffee table and stood, whipping the dress over her head and sliding the panties down. She straddled his hips and his hands locked around her waist, pulling her, so he slid into her like he was meant to be a part of her.
He washed away the memories, the old longing to have what she lost. Bran replaced the sliver of good she saw in Jasper. Bran was everything she needed, wanted, craved. She rolled her hips and he hissed in pleasure, his cock jerking.
“Fuck,” he groaned, then sat up, lifting her as he moved, and dropped her on the couch while he pushed into her deep and hard. He filled her, pleasure rocketing through her body.
Big, so damned big. His muscles, his body, his thick, long cock. Never had she seen a more gorgeous man. And maybe she was biased, but she had pushed the desire away for so long, everything she craved about him washed over her, making the need too great to comprehend.
Finally, she knew what a real mate was. What the hell had she shared with Jasper? Whatever she had with Jasper wasn’t anywhere near as strong as what she had with Bran.
She clawed at his chest, his sides, as her hips moved with his, taking him deeper. And she knew, beyond a doubt, he would value her, worship her, make a life with her. He would ask her opinion, ensure her safety, protect her with his own life.
But that worked both ways. She had every intention of doing the same for him. No matter what. He didn’t see her as a weak woman. He saw her as an equal. But then, from what she understood, that was how his family worked. Hers had been completely different. Her father was the king, his wife a servant. No, worse. A slave.
He forced her to help him on his quest for artifacts. Mom betrayed him and someone he was working with. The other man took her life and her father did nothing.
The words were torn from her mouth. “I love you, Bran. I always have,” she whispered, tears springing to her eyes as his gaze locked on hers.
God, he was beautiful.
His eyes were hooded, passion aflame, but she saw his true emotion. Love stared back. “Love you so damned much.”
Their mouths collided. The kiss spiraled out of control as Bran pumped faster.
And still, she wanted to prove something. She planted her foot on the back of the couch and pushed, rolling them to the floor. He landed with a thud and a barked laugh. Evangeline rose up, circling her hips in an up and down motion that rocked him through her entire core.
Shivers traveled through her as she climbed toward release.
“Got to come, shit,” he panted, caressing up her thigh to rub her clit.
She threw her head back as ecstasy crashed over her. She let out a roar of pleasure that shook the entire house.
His release followed. Her whole body shuddered, and she collapsed on his massive, solid chest.
Smiling, he rolled to his side, panting as he kissed her softly, holding her tight, between the coffee table and the couch.
Nothing had ever felt so damned amazing as when the two of them came together. Evangeline trailed fingers over Bran’s chest and placed a kiss at his collarbone.
He was mostly dressed. She still wore the bra and nothing else.
The phone rang, and she groaned. “Should probably get that, huh?”
“If you must,” he murmured.
She slipped from his embrace and hurried to the phone. “Hello?”
“Hey, you might want to come over,” Savon said. “I, uh…well, shit. You need to see this. But I don’t know what to make of it.”
“See what?” Evangeline asked.
“My painting? Something more.” Savon sighed. “Please, come over. Nate is freaking out about it. I’m not sure it needs that kind of crazy, but come, see for yourself.”
“We’ll be there.” She hung up and moved to the downstairs bathroom where she turned on the water.
Bran followed her in and wrapped one arm around her waist while he plucked the rag out of her hand. He flipped on the water, wet the cloth, and squeezed some of the moisture out before caressing her dripping sex.
She moaned as he cleaned her, ensuring she came again. “What are you doing to me?”
“Making you feel good,” he murmured. “Cleaning you. What’s the plan?”
“Going to your sister’s.” She lifted a shoulder. “Good thing we brought clothes back. I should change.”
“Hurry,” he murmured.