Atticus groaned when she used her tongue on him. She teased the crown of his impressive erection, licking and sucking until he was ready to come. She felt the tremble in his limbs, but he refused her. He pulled from her mouth with an audible popping sound as she sucked hard to the last second. She was disappointed, but it was forgotten when he reached behind her and released the vines holding her wrists and untangled the dress and bra to let them fall to the ground.
He lifted her to her feet and turned her around to face the tree trunk.
“Hold on, wench. I promised you the lash and the lash you’ll get for being such a disobedient tart.”
“What did I do, captain? I’ll be a good girl. I promise.” She was getting into the fantasy as he pressed her nude body against the rough bark of the palm.
“You gave your virginity to some slobbering deck hand. You gave away what was mine, wench.” He used the vine to smack her bare back. It stung, but it didn’t hurt too bad. Lissa was shocked to feel her arousal, which had faded a little while she pleasured him, return tenfold. “You need to learn your place and how to please me, wench.” Another lash with the ropey vine landed on her backside, stinging the soft flesh and making her hotter.
“From this day forward you will fuck only me. And those I give you to,” he added as an afterthought before the next blow landed on her upper thighs.
“You’ll give me to others, captain?” she couldn’t help but ask.
“Impertinent wench. Do not think to question me. That’s earned you another lash.” And the blow landed in the middle of her back, lighter than the others, but just as exciting. “You won’t question me again, wench. If I tell you to suck my first mate’s cock while I fuck you from behind, you’ll do it and no question. Do you understand?” Another blow landed while he awaited her answer.
She was gasping with excitement by the time she managed to answer. “Aye, captain.”
“And you’ll spread your legs for any man I choose to give you to while I watch, whether it be my first mate or my cabin boy. Do you hear me, wench?”
“Yes!” she shouted when he landed the next blow right over the crease of her ass.
“And you’ll take me up the ass while the cabin boy licks your pussy if I ask it, won’t you, lass?” He used the vine differently this time, bending it in half and riding it up the inside of her thighs, pressing hard against her pussy as she rubbed all over the tree, the vine, anything she could to give satisfaction to the flame burning her alive from the inside out.
“Aye, captain!” She cried out as he pulled the vine away and lifted her by the waist, positioning her on her hands and knees in front of the palm. In less than a minute he was pushing inside her, thrusting deep from behind.
“You’re a feisty wench, love, but I’ll tame you. You’re mine, do you understand?”
“Yes!” She cried out as he pulsed within her, stroking deep and fast and hard, just the way she needed it. She was so close, it would take little to push her over the edge of the most intense arousal she’d ever known.
“Say it, wench! Say you’re mine.” He bit down on her neck from behind, taking her blood and stealing her sanity.
She screamed as she came, hurtling toward the stars in an explosion of passion unlike anything that had come before and took Atticus along with her. She felt the wet spurts of his climax as she twined her mind with his, experiencing his bliss as she shared her own.
“I’m yours.”
They stayed that way, both panting and basking in the glow of a magnificent climax for a long time before Atticus stepped back. He lifted her in his arms and took her over to a chaise lounge off to one side. They lay there together for long minutes, basking in the afterglow of the most glorious love she’d ever made. The wide chaise lounge was soft under her bare body and Atticus was warm against her.
“Were you really a pirate?”
Atticus chuckled in reply. “Until recently, passage by sea was the only way to get from one continent to another. So, yes, I’ve sailed, but it wasn’t a profession or way of life for me. Spending the daylight hours in the hold was often uncomfortable and hard to explain.”
“I hadn’t thought about that. Is it so hard? To live without the sun?”
“Sometimes it’s the most difficult thing in the world. But sometimes…like now, since I found you, I wouldn’t trade my existence for anything. You are my sunshine, Lissa. All else matters not.”
“I love you, Atticus.” She kissed his cheek and rested her head against his chest, closing her eyes, secure in his love. She drifted to sleep dreaming of the life they would have together.
Chapter Five
“How’s the job search going, Kel?” Jena asked over crisp noodles in a local Chinese restaurant. Lissa and her friends were having dinner together, as they had every few weeks since college. The old group had stuck together remarkably well over the years after graduation. Their married friend, Christy, had even managed to make their dinner this month, though she was subdued as usual. Carly, owner of a small but successful software company, sat next to her, picking at appetizers as the conversation focused on Kelly.
“Not good,” Kelly responded, dunking a noodle in duck sauce. “It’s the wrong time of year to get a teaching job. If only that other teacher hadn’t decided at the last minute to come back from maternity leave. The school bent over backwards to accommodate her and hung me out to dry.”
“That stinks,” Carly said as she sipped her iced tea.
“You got a raw deal there,” Jena agreed as the waiter brought their entrees.
“How’s it going at the hospital? Did you get the cut in hours you wanted?” Lissa asked Jena after the waiter had gone.
“We made a compromise. I get more on-call time and less on-duty time, but the hours are still about the same. Killer. I think it’ll be next year before I can really scale back the hospital obligations and pay more attention to my private patients.”
“You know, even when you own your own company, it’s hard to scale back.” Carly sighed as she sat back in her chair and looked at her friends with weary eyes. “I’m thinking of taking a breather from the installations.”
This was big news. Lissa knew all about Carly’s work, designing and installing custom software packages. The job took her all over the country and she’d be away on an installation for weeks at a time. Lissa thought Carly had enjoyed the work and the travel, but she could see the lines of fatigue around her friend’s eyes and the shadows beneath.
“You work too hard, Carly. I think it’s a good thing to delegate some of the work to the people you hired. That’s why you hired them after all.” Jena wasn’t shy with her opinions.
Carly nodded. “I think you’re right, but it isn’t that easy to get out of entanglements. I’ve got one more contract I have to work on myself out in Wyoming. I liked the area when I went to make the proposal. Maybe I’ll stay there for a while and get away from it all.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” Lissa said, though this was the first time Carly had spoken about moving to another part of the country. Still, it didn’t sound like she planned to stay there permanently. An extended vacation would be good for her.
They talked a bit more about their respective occupations, but Lissa kept mostly silent while the others griped. She had to break her news at just the right moment and was worried about how to phrase it, though she’d been rehearsing this scene for days in her mind.
“So what’s new with you, Lis? Any more news on that hunky guy who saved your life?” Carly asked. She’d been filled in on the whole scenario, though she’d been away on a job when Lissa had been in the wreck.
“Actually,” Lissa patted her lips with the napkin and realized her time had come, “I have quite a bit of news on that front. He asked me to move in with him.”
Exclamations sounded from around the table. Some were disbelieving, some excited, but all were surprised. Lissa had been so caught up in Atticus these last days, she hadn’t spared a whole lot of time talking to any of her friends except to reassure them that she was healing well when they called to check on her injuries.
“Well, are you?” Kelly wanted to know.
“This is kind of sudden, isn’t it?” Jena, ever the most levelheaded of the group, seemed suspicious.
“Actually, I’ve been spending a lot of time with him since that first day I got home from the hospital. He’s…um…I’m in love with him and he loves me too. We’re going to get married and I want you all to be bridesmaids.” The words came out in an excited rush.
Squeals of delight drew attention from around the restaurant as her friends jumped from their seats to clobber her with awkward hugs. Jena still seemed skeptical, but congratulated her along with the rest. They talked more about Lissa’s news and the plans she and Atticus had made so far for the wedding.
Lissa was careful to explain that Atticus worked odd hours and would probably be available for a dinner one night soon to meet them all. In fact, she told them, he’d asked her to arrange a dinner party at the vineyard so her friends could see where she would be living.
Atticus and Lissa had discussed the plan at length. While the vineyard was kept private and as secure as possible, Atticus didn’t think letting her friends visit under controlled conditions would be too much of a problem. They agreed to ease her friends into the idea of them as a couple, starting tonight. Atticus would pick her up at the restaurant, taking a few minutes to be formally introduced to the tight-knit group. It was one of many meetings they had planned for the next few weeks during which time the women could learn more about him.
When dinner was nearly over, an hour and a half later, Lissa gave Atticus a little wave. He was in perfect time to pick her up and meet her friends.
“Is that him?” Kelly asked, following the direction of Lissa’s greeting. “Invite him over for dessert. We have to look him over and be sure he’s good enough for you, Lis.” Kelly’s tinkling laughter followed her teasing statement.
Lissa rose, placing her napkin on the table. “I’ll be right back.”
She stopped on her way to ask the waiter to add another chair to their large table, then walked straight into Atticus’s waiting arms. He kissed her with just the right amount of passion and discretion for such a public place, but refused to let her go completely as they walked to the table.
This was the perfect set-up as far as Lissa was concerned. Atticus could join them for an after-dinner drink. He wouldn’t be required to eat anything, yet he’d be seen at a restaurant, which helped maintain his façade of mortality.
“You’re getting good at this covert stuff, my love,”
he said in her mind as they neared the table.
“Every little bit helps, Atticus. I want to help keep you safe and if pretending to be mortal achieves that goal, I’m all for it.”
He bent to kiss her temple with a soft brush of his lips.
“You’re too good to me.”
He pulled out her chair and smiled at the group of women as Lissa made the introductions. Atticus was at his most charming and he easily won over Lissa’s closest friends. Jena, the doctor, was the last to fall under his spell, but fall she did and by the time they’d drunk their after-dinner wine and nibbled on a few fortune cookies, they’d not only agreed to serve as bridesmaids, but Kelly had promised to help Lissa pack her belongings for the big move.
***
Lissa and Kelly had been packing all day at her apartment as it neared dusk. The plants were boxed, as were all the dishes and her mother’s crystal. Everything but the kitchen table and the bigger pieces of furniture, which would be taken out by a moving company later in the week. Atticus had arranged it all. Or rather, his staff had seen to the details once Atticus had introduced her to them at a hastily called dinner meeting last week.
“Any news on the job front?” Lissa asked Kelly as they finished wrapping the last of the knickknacks from her faux mantle.
Kelly sighed, sounding disappointed. “No luck yet. It’s a bad time to be looking for a teaching job. I just hope I can pay my rent until the job market opens up a bit.”
“Kel, you know if you need a loan, all you have to do is ask.”
“Thank, Lis, but the situation isn’t that dire yet. I’ll let you know if it comes to that point, but for now I’m still okay.”
Lissa would have said more, but the doorbell rang. She dropped the newspaper she’d been using to stuff boxes of breakables and went to answer it. She looked through the peephole, but the man waiting in the hall didn’t look familiar. Still, the movers were supposed to send a guy out to measure things today and he hadn’t shown up yet. Maybe this was him, running late.
Deciding that must be it, Lissa opened the door, but before she could even ask the man for identification, he pushed the door inward with a violent shove, sending her flying backwards. Lissa stumbled, just barely able to stay on her feet, though it was a close thing. Kelly came running as Lissa felt a splash of something douse her.
“I’m going to kill you this time, bitch!” The man shouted as he stalked forward, bearing down on her as she backed away in shocked confusion.
Everything became clear as time seemed to slow. Only the stumble had saved her from being hit in the eyes. She had no idea what the clear liquid was, but it didn’t hurt. At least not yet.
“Atticus! Oh God!”
Lissa screamed for him in her mind when Kelly jumped in front of her to face the madman.
“What is it?”
Atticus was there, in her mind, quick as a flash, seeing through her eyes and sharing her thoughts.
“This guy’s crazy, Atticus! He’s threatening—”
“I see him, Lissa. Be careful. He could be a magic-user.”
The man threw a chair aside as he stalked toward the women, as they retreated behind the small dining table in one corner of the apartment.
“What are you doing?” Lissa screamed, hoping someone would hear the commotion inside her apartment and call for help.
“You’re dead, witch. Your kind are not allowed to live.” Insanity looked at her from his wild gaze.
“Stall him, Lissa! I’ll be there as soon as I can. And I’m bringing help. Remember, you’ll have to invite us inside, otherwise we won’t be able to enter.”
“Just hurry!”
“We’re almost there. Just a few more minutes.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about! Get out of my house this instant!”
Lissa’s strong words seemed to slow the man. He stopped in his tracks and looked at her with narrowed eyes.
“You can’t fool me, witch.”
“Why are you calling her that?” Kelly asked. Lissa could see her friend was furious, confused and scared out of her wits. It was a combination she understood because she was feeling much the same thing.
The man looked over at Kelly, pausing for a moment. He traced some kind of pattern in the air in front of Kelly’s face, then stepped away from her. “You’re in the wrong place, girl. With no power of your own you can’t rely on this one to protect you. I’m warded against her kind of evil.”
“Evil? What in the world are you talking about?” Kelly drew the man’s attention again.
“You really don’t know what she is?” The man seemed suspicious as his wild-eyed gaze slid from Kelly to Lissa and back again.
“No, I don’t. Why don’t you tell me?” Kelly was backing away and Lissa saw her friend fumble behind her back for the phone that sat on the credenza.
“Stay where you are, girl.” The man’s hand shot out and Kelly halted as if frozen in her tracks. Lissa felt a hum in the air that disturbed her. It felt cold and slimy, though she’d never experienced anything like it before in her life. It felt evil.
Kelly’s eyes widened as she struggled to move but failed. Lissa was shocked. The man had done something that made Kelly literally freeze in her tracks. All with just a flick of his hand.
“Atticus.”
Her voice was a mere whisper of fright through their shared minds.
“I saw, love. He’s the mage. Try to stay as far away from him as you can, but tread carefully. We’re almost there. Just a few more seconds.”
“Hurry.”
The man turned back to her. “Now you die, witch.” His features were grim, his expression maniacal. Lissa had never been so scared in her entire life.
“I’m not a witch.” She had to stall. Atticus was almost there. She just needed to buy him a few seconds more.
“Then how did you escape my magic. You should have died in the crash, regardless of how hastily I set the spell. When I scented your power on the street, I acted quickly, but that spell never fails. You should have died.”
“But fail it did.” The man whirled toward the open door to the apartment and Lissa knew Atticus waited there with his friend Marc.
“Who are you?” The man sniffed and growled. “Bloodletter.” The word was said like a curse as the man started to make furious motions with his hands. Lissa felt the oily hum grow again to almost deafening proportions.
“Invite us in!”
Atticus shouted in her mind.
“Come in, Atticus! Come in, Marc! Help us!” she cried, sobbing as the hum escalated, driving her to her knees.
In a furious blur of motion, Atticus leapt on the intruder. Lissa couldn’t follow it all. Atticus and Marc both moved too fast for the human eye to follow, but in a matter of moments, the intruder was slumped on the floor, bloody and unconscious.
Atticus dropped him the moment it was safe and reached for her.
“Lissa, my love, are you all right?”
“Atticus.” She sagged against him, burrowing into his strength as she shook in reaction. She’d never seen anything so violent as the fight nor felt anything as malevolent as that man’s magic. It sickened her.
“He splashed her with something.” Kelly’s voice came to her from beyond the comforting circle of Atticus’s strong arms. “You’d better wash it off in case it’s corrosive or worse.”
Atticus drew back, examining her wet clothing. He smiled as he touched, smelled and even tasted the residual wetness on her skin. “It’s Holy Water. Nothing more. Such a thing cannot hurt you. You’re not evil and never could be.” He hugged her close for a moment more, then stepped back, turning them both to face Kelly.
But Kelly’s wide eyes were trained in dawning horror on the intruder and the man who bent over him on the floor. Marc’s lips were bloody as he drew away from the attacker’s wrist. There was no way he could hide what he’d been doing. Marc had fed on the man’s blood and even now, licked his lips as he grinned at them.
“Magic blood is potent, indeed,” Marc said conversationally as he dropped the unconscious man’s arm back to the floor with a soft thud. “I have his essence. He’ll never be able to escape.”
“What are you?” Kelly seemed fascinated and not as distraught as Lissa would have expected. “What are you talking about?”