Chapter 45

“Come on, kitten, stay with us.”

I opened my eyes and squinted against the light as Chase shook me not so gently. The first thing I saw was his relieved face as I struggled to sit up. “What the hell happened?”

“You passed out,” he said in a hushed way as his eyes roamed all over me, “let’s not do that again.”

“Why are you always the first face I see?” I hissed out a breath, “When I come around?” He grinned at me, then it dawned on me that he was way too close, Troy would be going all ape man again if he didn’t let me go. “Troy…”

“Quinton and Rafael are seeing to him.” He pulled me up slowly until I was almost sitting, my head spun faster than that stupid spinning thing at the park kids torture each other on.

Heaving out a breath, I rubbed a hand over my face. “Seeing to him?”

He nodded and motioned with his head as he sat me up completely.

My stomach lurched and then the thunder hit my brain. I was not going to battle it out with a mage ever again, this was worse than a hangover. Turning slowly, I looked in the direction he had pointed out. Quinton and Rafael were kneeling over Troy. Everything came back to me in a rush, Troy jumping between Marcus and I. He would have been hit with whatever the spell was trying to do to me, only Troy wasn’t immune to the magician’s power.

Struggling to get to my feet, I gave up and crawled toward Troy. If it hadn’t been for Chase keeping my face off the asphalt I would have landed on it more than once in my attempt to get to him. Rafael moved aside and helped Chase balance me as I tried to lift my hand to touch Troy.

His chest was cold and barely moving as he lay there with his eyes closed. “Is he alright?” I wobbled again and Chase steadied me once more.

The look on Quinton’s face told me how serious it was. “Troy,” I whispered unable to speak any louder with the pounding in my head. He didn’t respond.

Panic flooded into me, what had he done? Why would he put himself in Marcus’s path? “Troy?” I tried louder, leaning close to his face.

His eyelids fluttered a few times and I knew he heard me. Swallowing the nausea down, I reached to touch his face. “Troy, come on. I need you to open your eyes.” I was suddenly so dizzy I almost collapsed on top of him. Chase pulled me up again. “Help me,” I gasped when a wave of pain stabbed through me.

Chase looked at me for a long silent moment and then sighed. “I can’t, kitten. Mated to one brother and blood bonded to another would most likely land all three of us into our own personal hell.” Nodding to Rafael, he leaned me into the younger man’s arms and turned to glower at his twin lying there motionless. “Come on, brother. You have a mate that needs you,” he spoke beside his head, “you can’t leave her like this.”

Troy’s eyes opened to slits. He moved them around, visibly fighting to keep them open. My heart hiccupped as he looked at me. Troy turned to Chase. “Help her.”

Chase shook his head. “That’s for you to do now.”

Troy’s eyes drifted shut. “Too weak,” he swallowed. “Take her home, brother.”

Quinton growled a sound of annoyance. “That’s for you to do, Troy. Open your damn eyes and look after your mate.”

I wanted to tell them both I was fine, but I really wasn’t. The dizziness was getting worse, add the tears that were threatening just seeing Troy in this condition and I was a mess.

“Need to feed,” Troy mumbled.

Quinton and Arius moved around to grasp their large sibling by the arms and between them they propped him up against their bodies and held him upright.

Victor knelt down beside me. A look passed between him and Chase and then Chase nodded and turned to look at me.

Without a word, he grasped my chin lightly and held my eyes with his. Even though my head was swimming I understood what he intended and nodded my head as best I could.

Shifting me in his arms, Rafael leaned toward Troy’s body. Chase helped to guide me into a better position. I felt weak and useless as he lowered me across his chest.

Leaning over Troy, Chase said clearly. “Thank me or hate me, brother, but I won’t see either of you suffer any longer.” Lifting Troy’s head, he glanced at me. “Feed, brother king and live to rule tomorrow.”

I could feel Troy’s ragged breath at the side of my throat as Victor knelt down and sliced into his king’s muscled shoulder. I glanced at him and saw a gentle acceptance in his eyes. Placing my lips around the wound, I suckled gently as the same moment Troy’s fangs bit into my neck.

Through the fog, I expected the same energy to warm me that had before, but instead heat rushed into me with such intensity I stopped and gasped. A hand gently held my head in place so I wouldn’t move away completely.

When Troy moved beneath me, I realized it was his hand and he was coming around. Suddenly no one was touching us or holding us up, Troy’s other arm wrapped around me and he rolled us both to lie on our sides, keeping me tight against his body.

I felt his tongue slide over the bite and was going to lift my own head away, but his large hand stopped me, so I continued for a few more moments.

When he moved his hand away, I looked up to see his red eyes completely open and filled with a look of love. A look I’d never seen before. “We’ll discuss your stupid stunt later,” he said softly against my mouth.

I only nodded and held on as he turned and lifted us both to our feet. My head was feeling a little fluffy still, but other than that I felt wonderful, inside and out. Troy held me for a few more seconds and then with a kiss to my forehead he stepped back and looked around at the men watching us. “What happened?”

Chase snorted. “Before you went all hero and jumped into the stream of magic or after?”

Troy sent his twin an exasperated look. “Both.”

Chase looked at the spot we had just been on. “Well you know the after part…” He nodded to where Marcus had been standing, “he left something behind.”

Running a hand down my arm gently, Troy moved over to where the magician had been. Glancing over his shoulder, he sent us an odd look. “Can the witches trace him using this?”

Leaving me standing there, my brain still lagging to catch up, I looked around the compound. Only a few guards remained behind, they were cleaning up weapons and washing down the bloodier areas. Turning back, I did a quick assessment of the boys and all seemed to be whole and well enough. Wandering over, I pushed my way between them to see what Marcus had left behind. My stomach lurched when I saw it was his foot. Troy’s sword lay beside it so it wasn’t hard to figure out how it was separated from its owner.

“He’ll be easier to track down now,” Quinton offered trying not to smirk.

Troy went over and picked up my raptor and his sword. He motioned to the bloody foot and then looked at Michael. “Take it back and see if the witches can use it for any good.”

Michael paled as he looked down at it, but he still nodded and went over to it.

Not wanting to watch him pick it up, I turned away and stood looking around the compound again. I felt Troy come up behind me and put the raptor in its case. “I can’t believe we lost him.”

He moved around and looked down at me, his hazel eyes filled with something entirely different then what I was talking about. “We’ll get him.” Reaching out, he ran his hand down over my markings again. “I didn’t know they were…”

I put my hand over his mouth and shook my head. “I was coherent enough, well more than you, to understand what was happening.”

Kissing my hand, he pulled it away from his mouth and held it in his. “Thank you.”

My heart lunged inside, almost hitting my ribs just from his simple touch. “For what?”

“Saving me. I couldn’t move and when I tried after seeing you…” His eyes filled with pain as they moved over me. “Are you alright?”

I nodded, leaning into him, just wanting to feel him closer. “Yes. I can’t say I was doing much better than you before your blood.” I ran my finger over the pendant on his chest. “So, we’re really connected now permanently?”

“Yes, you’re very much stuck with me now,” he lifted my chin with his finger and searched my eyes. “Can you live with that?”

The vulnerability in his eyes made my chest ache. “I think I can. You on the other hand may live to regret it. I’ve been told I’m a bit of a bitch at times. Think you can handle that?”

Troy chuckled. “I know I can.” With a soothing motion, he ran the back of his hand up and down my tattooed arm. “And yes, we’re connected permanently. Can you feel it?”

“I feel your presence inside me. It’s like when you kiss me, I feel complete. Is that what I should feel?”

His eyes lit up. “Exactly that.” Lowering his head, he brushed his lips across mine, lingering long enough that I wanted more.

“Can we go home now?” I asked making sure my lips brushed up against his.

“Yes.” Grasping the back of my head, he kissed me roughly, enclosing me in his arms.

“I realize you’ve just sealed the deal, brother king, but the honeymoon will have to wait. We have prisoners to interrogate.” Chase said beside us.

Troy lifted his lips from mine and straightened up but continued to look at me, his eyes were turning from hazel to red as he did. “I don’t think I’m going to make it to the cells right now.” He gave me a smoldering look.

My arm started to tingle but then it moved through my entire body, a sensation that took me from wanting him to needing him. Now. I sucked in a breath and began to run my hands over his bare chest.

“Troy, you can’t be serious.” Chase cleared his throat. “I know you’re standing there with your newly mated woman, but we have…”

“Not now, Chase,” I said breathlessly when Troy opened his mouth, baring his fangs. Reaching up I ran my finger over the sharp point and smiled up at him.

“Huh.” Chase sighed. “Fangs do it for you then.” His boots echoed on the pavement.

Biting my finger gently, Troy took my hand away from his mouth. “We need to leave. Now.” I nodded.

A familiar vibration moved through me and in an instant we were standing in Troy’s bedroom. Reaching up, I undid the buckle that held his sword to his back, the metal hit the floor with a loud clang. His hands were freeing me of my own harness, I paused for a split second wondering where my Sais were but the burning need began to move through me so they were quickly forgotten.

With impatient hands, he pulled the leather armor from my body and flung it to the floor, my tank top followed quickly. I was trying to get his jeans undone when his mouth closed around an aching nipple and I groaned, my knees almost folding as another wave of lust flooded me.

Grasping his head, I held on so he wouldn’t stop. “Will it always be like this?” I whispered trying to breath.

Nipping me gently with his sharp teeth, then he straightened and pulled me into his body. “Hot and needy?”

I nodded, the rasping of his voice going straight to my core and robbing me of the power of speech.

Ripping the button from my pants, he had them pooled at my feet faster than I could blink. I kicked out of my boots and stepped out of them almost as fast. When he lifted me up, I wrapped my legs around his waist.

He started walking us to the bathroom, his teeth blazing a trail up my throat as he went. “No. After four or five times, I can probably slow down enough to savor you slowly.”

I groaned as he sucked on my neck. “Only four or five?”

Grasping my hair, he pulled my head back so he could move his mouth up the column of my throat. “Mmm, at least.”

****

My entire body was numb in the most pleasing way. I couldn’t feel my feet or arms, and I’d never felt as amazing as I did right now. I looked over at the sweat-soaked man beside me lying sprawled on his back. Running my hand down over the bite marks on his chest, I wanted to purr with satisfaction. “I believe that was seven,” I whispered, resting my cheek against his rib cage.

He chuckled. “Math was never my strong point.” Rolling, he pulled me into his long body, fitting me tight against him. He licked the sweat from my throat leisurely for a few moments. “Are you very sore? I’m sorry I’m so rough with you. I just can’t seem to help it.”

He nipped my throat with sharp teeth, causing a quack of pleasure to move through me. “I’ll let you know when the feeling returns.”

Leaning back, he grinned at me. “You know I have healing properties in my saliva, I could ease your discomfort…”

Placing my hand over his lips, I smiled at him. “I fell for that on round four, or was it five? I’ll just lay here and enjoy the ache for now.”

“If you’re sure.” Pulling my head, he cradled me against his chest, his hand gently stroking down my back.

“Troy?” I inhaled the male scent of him.

“Mmm.”

Tipping my head back, I studied the hazel eyes moving over my face with complete adoration shining from them. “I’m not sure I want to have twins. I mean I’m all for the living a long time, I just don’t think I want twins.”

He chuckled. “We could get lucky and that will fall to Chase and his mate.”

I sighed and rested my head over his heartbeat. “I guess we’ll find out in about two hundred and forty years then.”

Rolling me onto my back, his weight pushing me into the bed, he smiled down at me suggestively. “I can think of a few things to do to pass the time until then.”

The exhaustion was forgotten, the hunt for Marcus pushed aside and all that mattered was the man whose lips moved over my own with aching tenderness. We’d get Marcus, later…

Much, much later.

Someone pounding on the door startled both of us. “Troy! Daxx! You need to get out here. Now!” Raf’s voice was more urgent than I’d ever heard. Before we could cover up the door flew open. “It’s Crissy. We have to go.”

The Alterealm Series continues with book 2, The Seer