Daric's Mate (10 page)

“Rule well and long, King Daric,” his father answered quietly, his intense eyes focusing lovingly on his son. “Lead without guilt and knowing that I was a broken, weak king who failed my people and my son. All that happened was not under your control. Nothing you could have done would have ended things differently. I walk with your mother just as Nolan walks with his true mate. You have found your true mate here on earth. All was fated before your birth.”

Hannah shivered as the elder king’s eyes moved to her. “Thank you for loving my son. You will make an excellent Queen.”

“I still don’t want to be King,” Daric grumbled.

His father eyes pierced him sharply. “You are King. Your sons will be princes and all will be as it should be. Don’t be so damn stubborn.”

My sons.

Hannah caught the whispered thought as it went through Daric’s mind and his world finally righted itself. She felt his acceptance and his forgiveness all at once, her heart rejoicing that he was finally at peace with his past and his family. Maybe some good would come from this
fallen
attack after all.

“Oh, God. The
fallen
. The backlash.” In all the turmoil of the evening, she had forgotten about the pain that Daric would suffer very shortly.

Daric’s father smiled, the first genuine smile Hannah had seen from him. “There will be no backlash. Your mate wields the Carvillius Sword. It’s one of the benefits of being King. As long as the sword is used to defeat evil, there will be no backlash. It wouldn’t do to have a king out of commission.” His smile grew even broader as he added, “And he has a mating that needs to occur very soon. He’s pushed himself far enough.”

Hannah’s tension dissipated, and she returned the ancient king’s smile with one of her own. “I’ll make certain it does, Your Majesty.”

“I’m no longer king, but I’d be honored to call you daughter,” he answered, his ancient eyes filled with longing.

Hannah looked at her mate, her eyes filled with tears. Daric’s father was asking for forgiveness, for absolution for his actions that had been caused by something out of his control.

He’s here now. He loves you, Daric. I don’t think he ever meant to hurt anyone.
Hannah sent the thoughts to her mate, asking him silently if he forgave his parent.

Her mate’s fierce gaze connected with hers as he answered
. I have a mate and I know now how a vampire can lose his mind quite easily because of her.

Daric shot her an accusing look, a glance of warning that he wasn’t done with the issue of her putting herself in harm’s way.

Hannah stepped forward, pulling her hand from Daric’s as she embraced his father. “Thank you,” she whispered quietly as she hugged the ancient ruler.

“No. Thank
you
, daughter,” he answered as he hugged her tightly, his voice choked with emotion.

A low growl vibrated through the air as Daric stepped forward and pulled her back against him. “Mine,” he grunted, his arms coming possessively around her.

His father released her with a hearty laugh. “If he’s jealous of an ancient spirit, you’d best get the mating done.” He sobered as he added in a booming voice, “All Hail King Daric Carvillius, King of the Vampire Healers. Heed him, serve him and you shall be rewarded with your mate.”

Hannah watched in fascinated awe as one by one, vampire healers appeared, until the streets were filled with healers kneeling before their newly-appointed King.

“Will they find their mates now?” she asked, desperately hoping that Daric’s healers were finally going to be happy.

“They will,” Daric’s father answered confidently. “The damage I did has finally abated. Liam and Regan started the healing and it will continue from this day on.” The ancient king’s voice started to lose its power. “Be happy, my son and daughter.”

“Father!” Daric let go of Hannah long enough to reach for his father, taking the man into his arms for an emotional hug. “No regrets. No guilt. I understand,” Daric told his father in a husky voice.

“I love you, son,” his father answered weakly, clinging to Daric.

“I love you,” Daric said gruffly, his eyes moist as he clung to the dissipating image of his parent until the elderly king had completely faded away.

Tears spilled from Hannah’s eyes as she melted into Daric’s shuddering body. Finally, her vampire healer had found peace.

Daric turned, facing the masses with her cradled at his side, cringing as he saw all of the healers, Adare and the Hale brothers kneeling before him. “Oh, Christ! Get up. I hate that shit.” He eyed his subjects, his eyes intense. “Go back to work. Kissing up to me isn’t going to get you a mate any faster,” he told them in a booming voice that carried his comment to the mass of healers before him.

The healers vanished with a mental command from Daric, leaving only the Hale brothers and Adare before him. The men rose, all of them smirking at Daric.

“You aren’t going to insist that we kneel to our King now?” Liam asked curiously.

“Hell, no. This is a new generation of royalty. No kneeling. No scraping and bowing. It irritates me,” he grumbled. “You’ve all shown your respect for my mate. Now leave us.”

“So being King makes no difference to you?” Nathan asked in a low voice filled with mischief.

Daric’s look was evil as he replied, “Yeah. It means I have a bigger…sword.” He manifested the Carvillius Sword and waved it in the direction of the Hale brothers menacingly. “Now leave before I show you the hard way just how powerful I am.”

Ethan snickered. “He’s got a bad case of the mating compulsion.”

“Can I kiss Hannah good-bye before I go?” Rory asked cheerfully.

Hannah’s lips curled, knowing the brothers were needling Daric. As she felt his body tense, she wasn’t entirely sure that was a good idea at the moment.

“You will go before you leave your mates widowed and alone. Take care of the clean-up with the humans in town before you go home,” Daric boomed, his command so forceful that Hannah stepped back in alarm.

One by one, the Hale brothers and Adare took their leave with a knowing smile, each sending Hannah a playful wink before teleporting away without another word. The brothers might like to tease, but they were far from stupid.

The night was suddenly deadly quiet. Hannah watched Daric as he dissolved the Carvillius Sword and focused his intensity on her.

“You, my dearest mate, will answer for disobeying me about your safety!” he snarled as he stalked her.

She stepped back, the fury in his eyes startling her. Never once, after their first meeting, had she truly feared Daric, and she wasn’t afraid of him now; however, she’d have to be daft not to be cautious about approaching him when he was in this mood. “I wanted to clear my schedule so we could spend the evening together. I planned to be home before dark. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want you to be fucking sorry. I want you to listen to me when I tell you that I won’t tolerate you being stubborn when it comes to your safety. Dammit. I need you to be safe,” he told her harshly, latching onto her arm as he spoke.

Hannah sighed as Daric pulled her into his body, seeing his mind exploding with thoughts of something happening to her, images of what he had seen when he had arrived at her encounter with the
fallen
. His brain was filled with fury, but it was a frenzied rage entirely manifested by his mating instincts and his fear of losing her.

“I’m safe, Daric,” she whispered as he clutched her against his chest so tightly she could barely breathe.

“Damn right you’re safe and you’re going to stay that way. We mate now,” he answered in a blistering tone.

Hannah was nearly panting as she responded to his need to dominate, feeling the effects of the mating instincts grabbing hold of her body, wrapping her in heat. “Now,” she agreed with a moan, eager to follow wherever his testosterone overloaded body led. She had been ready to be his mate ever since he had goaded her into flying down that mountain, encouraging her to be free of her past and to look toward her future.

The two of them vanished, Hannah groaning as Daric’s mouth covered hers roughly, an early warning that his violent mating need had taken control.

Chapter 7

Daric knew he was lost. Somewhere, in the small piece of his rational mind that was left inside his head, he knew that his mating instincts had taken over, wanting to dominate his mate, mark her as his in every way possible, demand her obedience. He was functioning on a visceral level, his instincts would not be denied, and he no longer gave a shit whether he was rational or not.

Mark. Protect. Keep her safe. Make her heed my commands.

He manifested in his bedroom, his mate in his arms, and his desires ruling his body and senses.

Daric stripped Hannah with a mental command, leaving her standing before him nude, her body exposed to his maniacal gaze. His eyes moved over every inch of her body, claiming her with his possessive stare.

Mine. Need to have her moaning, trembling, begging for me, pleading for my cock to be inside her. Only for me.

His hungry gaze landed between her thighs, feeling her arousal, scenting her need. He stripped her pussy bare with his magic, eliminating the short curls, grunting as he saw her bare flesh glistening with moisture, proof of her desire.

If previously he had had a small amount of rational thought, it deserted him at that moment, leaving him with nothing but tortured need that had to be sated before his temporary insanity became permanent.

*****

Hannah’s gut clenched as she looked at Daric’s face, his expression so feral that her heart kicked into overdrive, wondering exactly what he was planning. His thoughts were hard to read, a tangle of conflicted emotions and needs. Much the same as her own.

“You will obey me from now on,” he growled, grasping her arm and pulling her toward the bed.

She went willingly, perplexed as he planted her hands on the wooden post at the corner of the bed, her body bent at the waist.

It wasn’t until she felt the first sting of his hand on her ass that she understood his intentions. He was spanking her, actually punishing her for disobeying him, for putting herself in danger. Yanking to pull away automatically, she found her hands immovable, held to the post by Daric’s magic. As the second smack landed, she moaned, the jolt going straight between her thighs, flooding her pussy. Her whole body submerged with erotic heat as his big fingers delved into her saturated folds from behind, teasing her, before he slapped her ass again.

“Daric, please,” she groaned, her body on fire.

His needs swirled inside her brain, along with her own, swamping her with heat, wanting his domination of her body, needing it.

Hannah writhed with every erotic smack on her ass cheeks, every stroke of his fingers on the sensitive flesh between her legs. Daric alternated, torturing her with her need, while she stayed helplessly in place, his to command.

He kneaded the flesh of her ass, his hands running over the now fiery skin. “Mine,” he uttered mindlessly, his big hands cupping her ass in a gesture of pure possession.

He finally released her, pulling her up to face him. “Undress me,” he demanded.

Hannah shivered at his dominating tone, a voice that would allow no argument. And she didn’t want to argue. She wanted to do whatever he wanted, however he wanted it, her need to please him overwhelming her. Knowing he could make his clothing disappear effortlessly, she recognized his order for what it was…an act of dominance, his need for her to satisfy his pounding desire to control and take.

Dropping to her knees, she wanted nothing more than to liberate that massive cock from his jeans. Her fingers shook as she pulled down the zipper, making her try twice before successfully opening the top button. She tugged down the denim, almost frantic to free the engorged member that was straining against the cotton. Her eyes moved up to Daric’s face, his intense stare drilling into her as their eyes met, submerging her in his raw need, opening her senses to the same desire he was experiencing, elemental and completely, utterly primal.

As she returned her attention to divesting him of his jeans, the material disappeared, Daric obviously having lost patience, leaving his cock large, hot and heavy in front of her face. Licking her lips nervously, the desire to taste him was almost overwhelming.

“Claim my cock with your mouth,” he insisted, threading his hands through her hair to bring her mouth to him.

Daric’s words jolted her into action, the erotic command inundating Hannah with pleasure, leading to the realization that she was taking what was hers, as much as Daric was demanding what belonged to him. She flicked her tongue over the head of his cock, savoring the salty drop of moisture leaking from the tip.

I’m his mate. I do this to him. Only I can pleasure him this way.

She hummed her satisfaction as her lips consumed him, taking as much of his huge phallus into her mouth as she could handle. Sucking sensually, she bobbed up and down on him, hearing him release a tortured groan as his hands guided her faster, deeper. Every lick, every stroke was vigorous, a rough taking of what was hers to take, hers to pleasure. There wasn’t a speck of the silky cock that she didn’t want to possess, didn’t want to make her own with her tongue and mouth.