Beloved Forever Part 17

She gnawed on her lip, confronting the issue she had pushed to the back of her mind. Part of her was skeptical of his claim, yet she had seen him revitalized after feeding from a warrior who didn't remember the incident. Could she drink the blood of others to live?

Despite her moral turmoil, she knew she would allow Nicholas to convert her to a vampire. If he truly was immortal, she wanted to be as well, so they would never be apart. He filled a void in her she hadn't recognized until she met him. Deep in her heart, she knew he spoke the truth about what he was, because she had remembered her other lives, having experienced the dreams. She knew who he was. He was her other half, the missing piece of her soul.

At the edge of the valley, nearly two hours later, she touched his arm and tilted her head so he could hear her. "Can you stop Fury and turn?"

He pulled sharply on the reins, and the ebony stallion whirled around and reared his front legs as he voiced his displeasure. Two firm pats from his master calmed him, and he snuffled as he settled his hooves back on the ground.

Erin stared at the border of her father's land, feeling a sadness she hadn't expected. All her life, she had longed to escape Scotland and the marriage contract to Brouden, her father's most skilled warrior and heir-apparent, since her brother was killed seven years ago.

When Lord Nicholas came to the Highlands two months ago on business for George III, she had taken one look at the regal baron and fallen in love. He had regularly appeared in the visions accompanying her strange headaches for as long as she could remember. In addition to recognizing her lost love, she had also seen a way to escape a bleak future. She made the mistake of confiding in her bubbly younger sister, who was her best friend, but also too impetuous at the tender age of fourteen. She hadn't been able to guard Erin's secret for long before her tongue betrayed it.

Laird McCairn hadn't been pleased to hear of his daughter's affections for the baron. He had tried to kill Nicholas in a fit of rage, and he was further enraged when Nicholas bested him. His subsequent forbiddance of Erin seeing Nicholas had done nothing to separate the lovers.

During their long nights of talking and touching, she hadn't truly realized what it would mean to leave her home. Papa was an austere man, and he wouldn't forgive her betrayal. She would never see her mother or sisters again, would never ride full-tilt across the wilds of the Highlands, hunting rabbits with her bow.

Perhaps her melancholy thoughts clouded her perception, but there seemed to be a dark shadow shading the land they viewed, even in the light cast by the tumescent moon. The valley lay before them, a ma.s.sive wall of towering trees and rich greenery. Was England so inviting? Would it ever feel like home?

"Erin?"

His voice was gentle, and he was asking if she was certain. She could tell by his tone of voice, and theway he stroked her arm. She put her hand on his and nodded. "Let us continue." When he turned the horse, she bit back tears and refused to try to look back. Her future lay with Nicholas, and her past must stay behind her.

It was near dawn when they pa.s.sed Lachlorn's land, into the MacDonalds' territory. Erin knew Laird MacDonald harbored no love for her father, and he wouldn't a.s.sist him by allowing McCairn and his soldiers pa.s.sage across his land if they pursued her. Nor would he hesitate to slit the throat of his enemy's daughter and her new husband if he discovered them trespa.s.sing.

Nicholas had found the secluded glen she had told him about, and they would sleep here for the day.

They would continue their journey across MacDonald land that night, when there was less chance of discovery. He took her hand after lifting her down. "Is this the glen you spoke of, Erin?"

She nodded, nearly too exhausted to speak. "Aye. Agata and I often sneaked here as children. Mother used to have fits, and she would stir up everyone to find us." A sad expression flitted across her face.

"That was before Daniel was murdered on MacDonald land, and the feud began." Her eyes darted around the glen, before settling on a large tree with branches sweeping the ground. It had matured and bent under its own weight during the eight years since she had pa.s.sed this way. "Fury should be hidden there, if you can get him to stay."

Nicholas took the reins and dropped her hand, moving toward the sheltering tree. Before he took the horse into the thick growth, he removed a roll from Fury's back and stroked his muzzle, while staring into his eyes. He whispered something, and the horse's ears twitched. Its eyes looked glazed as it voluntarily walked through the limbs. After Nicholas smoothed down signs of Fury's pa.s.sage, it was a perfect shelter for the horse.

When he returned to her, she bit her lip. "Should you tie him? If he wanders away and is discovered, we will have no way of leaving."

Nicholas shook his head. "I commanded him to stay in the canopy of the tree limbs until I come for him."

She lifted a brow. "You...commanded a horse to stay?"

He nodded, looking amused. "There are many things you find unbelievable now, but will soon accept as commonplace."

She bit back further protests, a.s.sured by the confidence in Nicholas's posture. She felt the first stirrings of nerves as she followed him into the cave. It was dim inside, but she could vaguely see Nicholas as light cast by the rapidly rising sun filtered into the cave. She looked over her shoulder, wondering why she and Agata had loved this place as children. She remembered their games of rescued princess, where they took turns slaying the dragon to save each other. They must have been oblivious to the dangers as children. No wonder Mother had been so worried by their disappearances. If she had ever discovered where they went on their adventures, she probably would have locked them in the highest room of the McCairn keep and never let them out.

"We are alone," he said while spreading the bedroll on the hard ground before he removed a small leather bag.

She couldn't help another look over her shoulder, unable to remember how far the cave extended downthe pa.s.sage behind them. "How can you be certain?"

He tapped a finger against his temple. "I can sense life, or a lack of it. Nothing with a heartbeat is nearby, aside from us and Fury."

She allowed his rea.s.surance to a.s.suage her fears as she crouched on the thin blankets he had unrolled. It was cold in the darkness, making her s.h.i.+ver. She looked at Nicholas, who was removing a silver flask from the bag, along with a loaf of bread and a wedge of cheese. He didn't seem bothered by the cold.

He removed a knife from his bag and sliced a hunk off the bright yellow cheese, then tore the bread in half and extended her share, along with the cheese. "Eat," he urged. "You need your strength for the journey. It is three more days until we reach the border, and another two days' journey to Vallsade Manor from there."

She took the food and bit into the flaky bread, surprised to find it fresh. Her stomach rumbled as she devoured the meager meal, and her mouth was dry when she had finished. She reached for the flask Nicholas had been sipping from, and her eyes widened when his hand came down on hers and squeezed.

She frowned.

"That is not wine, Erin." His voice was soft and smoky. "It is blood."

She s.n.a.t.c.hed her hand away, repulsed by the thought of drinking blood. "Where did it come from?" she whispered.

"I imposed upon a woman to provide sustenance for our journey." His mouth curled into a feral smile. "I took more than bread and cheese she offered in exchange for the silver."

She squeezed her eyes shut. "You killed her?"

He shook his head. "Nay, I merely took enough for a meal this morning. Blood does not last long, and there was no point in draining her since most would waste."

She breathed a sigh of relief. Nicholas had always been honest with her, and she knew he usually killed his victims. As much as she loved him, she didn't know how she could sustain herself with the life of others. She was resolved to never kill, though he had bluntly told her it was almost impossible to overcome the compulsion, especially the first few years following the change.

He leaned forward and took her hand. "Be sure you can share my life, Erin," he said gruffly. "If you cannot, I will return you to your father."

Tears slid down her cheeks. "You would do that?"

He hesitated. "I would try," he finally said. "I would try to do what is best, but I have waited so long to have you with me again." He tightened his hold. "I do not want to lose you this time. I cannot bear to watch you grow old and die when I can prevent it. You must be certain, my beloved."

She bit her lip as her light green eyes explored his. Could she walk away from him, loving him as she did? How would she live with the emptiness in her soul if they parted? Somehow, she would find a way to overcome her revulsion to taking blood. Perhaps the change would a.s.sist her by dulling her conscience with insatiable hunger. "I am certain, my love." She tilted her head and removed the bow that now hung haphazardly in her hair. Erin pushed the hair away to expose her neck. "Take me." He smiled, and his eyes were gentle. "Not yet. We will wait until we arrive at Vallsade Manor." His eyes darkened with pa.s.sion, and he reached for her, pulling her onto his lap. "However, there is another pa.s.sion we can indulge."

She melted into his embrace, eager to belong to him completely. Soon, she would be his wife in every sense of the word. She experienced no hesitation when his mouth slanted over hers. Erin parted her lips to allow his tongue inside her mouth, shyly touching it with her own. Her body tingled with warmth, and a pit of lava burned in her stomach, sending heat spiraling through her body. Her thighs quivered when Nicholas rested his hands on them, antic.i.p.ating him seeking out her p.u.s.s.y.

He stroked the woolen material of her arisaid, fas.h.i.+oned from her clan's tartan, gradually pus.h.i.+ng it up her legs, until her calves were revealed. Erin undid the b.u.t.tons of his damask vest, running her fingers along the smooth satin. When it hung open, she went to work on the s.h.i.+rt, until it was opened to his waist, where the hem disappeared into his trousers. She had touched him like this many times, but never below the waist. He hadn't pushed her to make love before their marriage, although she would have been more than willing.

Her fingers remained steady when she unfastened his trousers and reached inside to stroke his c.o.c.k through his drawers. She met his gaze, wetting her lips when she saw the heat in his eyes. Erin leaned forward, still palming his c.o.c.k, to kiss him, exploring his lips with her tongue, before easing through them to explore his mouth, darting her tongue across his, prior to retreating.

Nicholas's hands trembled slightly when he unfastened the bra.s.s brooch at her breast to let the arisaid fall to her waist. His hands were warm through the thin cotton of her yellow blouse, and she arched her back, offering him more. He dipped his head to suckle one of her nipples through the cotton, abrading the tender peak in a manner that had her close to screaming at the gratifying sensation.

When he lifted his head, he rubbed the wet material against her nipple, further agitating the bud, making Erin bite her lip. Their hideaway was secure enough for the day, but she couldn't scream her pleasure for risk of a MacDonald soldier hearing her. "Stop teasing me."

He grinned at her, letting his hand drop to her belt with sensuous slowness. "Very well, beloved." He made quick work of undoing the belt and tossing it over his shoulder. Without the support of the brooch and belt, the arisaid pooled around her legs, revealing her blouse and petticoat. "What shall I do next?"

She frowned at him. It wasn't like Nicholas to be so playful, especially since he must have realized how she was yearning to complete the lessons she had learned in his arms during their stolen meetings. "Make me your wife."

His grin faded, and he pulled her more snugly onto his lap. "You already are, Erin. You have been since I first laid eyes on you in 1212, at the age of fourteen."

She shook her head. "No, make me your wife in every sense of the word." Erin stroked his face. "I want you in this life, not in some past life I barely remember."

With tender urgency, Nicholas stripped off her blouse and chemise. "Lean forward." Bracing her hands on his shoulders, Erin lifted her bottom into the air to allow him to strip off the petticoat. When she sat on his lap again, her bare b.u.t.tocks rested on the wool of his trousers. A laugh escaped her when she looked down to see she still wore her brogues, and nothing else. With a flip of each ankle, she kicked them off, before clamping her thighs around his waist. "You wear too many clothes, husband." He grunted. "Aye, but I have no wish to part from you to remove them."

"Allow my a.s.sistance." Erin pushed off his vest before tugging his s.h.i.+rt from his opened trousers to undo the last b.u.t.ton and slide it off as well. She nibbled on her tongue, considering the logistics of removing his trousers with him seated and her sitting atop him.

Nicholas took over, sliding her from his lap so he could remove his boots and strip off the trousers and drawers. When he was nude, he beckoned her close again, and she settled back onto his lap. Heat flooded her p.u.s.s.y when his c.o.c.k brushed against it. Sitting on him without the barrier of clothing was much more intimate and invoked a trace of fear. Not of him, but of the unknown that was coming.

She gasped when Nicholas leaned forward, laying her on the ground in one smooth movement. Erin clutched his shoulders as he s.h.i.+fted to kneel between her thighs, and his face nestled against her stomach.

She loosened her grasp and moved one hand to his head, to stroke his short locks. "What are you doing?" she asked, when he kissed her stomach.

"Tasting you." Her stomach quivered under the teasing touch of his lips as he kissed her again, gradually moving lower.

She caught her breath when his tongue swept around her bellyb.u.t.ton, moving south. Releasing his hair, fingernails digging into her hands, she had to rein in the impulse to stop him. Part of her said what he planned couldn't be proper, but the rest of her didn't care. Her p.u.s.s.y convulsed with antic.i.p.ation as his tongue probed the curls s.h.i.+elding it. When his tongue swiped down her slit, she couldn't entirely hold back a cry of shock and pleasure that emerged as a squeak.

"Be calm, love. I will never hurt you." His breath whispered against her slit as he spoke his a.s.surances, inflaming the swollen flesh further.

"I know," she managed to whisper. Her mouth was dry, and her stomach clenched with nervous expectation just as his tongue delved inside her, to taste her c.l.i.t. She dug her nails deeper into her palms to hold back another cry when his appendage swept down her slit to probe her opening. Her body was one quivering ma.s.s, and she couldn't focus on a single thought, too lost in sensation. "Nicholas."

He ignored her crying his name, continuing to lick every inch of her, inciting pleasure beyond anything she had ever imagined. Erin thrust her hips against his face, wanting more of his tongue, as he slipped it inside her. Tears streamed from her eyes, brought on by the frustration of being unable to give voice to her delight.

The convulsions increased in strength, seemingly radiating from her p.u.s.s.y throughout her body. Her thighs clenched around Nicholas's head, and a gasping sob escaped Erin as an o.r.g.a.s.m swept through her. She continued to tremble under the onslaught for several moments, unaware of anything until she felt a small stabbing sensation in her inner thigh.

She rose up to see Nicholas, eyes wide when she saw he was feeding from the vein in her thigh. The pain had faded quickly, replaced by incredible bliss that flooded through her in warm waves. She laid down again, losing herself in the soft sounds of his sucking, the faint copper odor of blood mingled with the mossy smell of the cave and her arousal, and the beating of her heart lulling her into a semi-trance as it slowed.

When he lifted his head a few minutes later, a trickle of her blood marred his chin, but there was littleelse to prove he had been supping from her. Erin held out her arms, too content to speak, and he came to her.

He kissed her lips, merely brus.h.i.+ng his against hers, but Erin lifted a hand to hold him against her while she deepened the kiss. The first taste of her essence, mixed with blood, was unpleasant, but she kept kissing him, sweeping her tongue around his mouth, determined to show she accepted him for what he was. When she finally chose to break the kiss, she said, "Make love to me now, my love."

"It has been too long." His hand slipped between their bodies to guide his c.o.c.k to her p.u.s.s.y, hovering at the entrance. "I do not want to hurt you..."

Erin touched a finger to his lips. "Do not fret." She braced herself for pain when he surged inside her, finding it uncomfortable, but not intolerable. Soon, his thrusts incited more pleasure than pain, and her hips rose to meet each one. Their rhythm was easy to find, as if they had established it long ago. They had lifetimes ago, she reminded herself, before the ability to form coherent thought left her.

Her body geared up for release, shaking with the strength of her impending o.r.g.a.s.m. Nicholas filled her with his satisfaction seconds before another o.r.g.a.s.m overwhelmed her, more intense than the last.

Convulsions swept from deep inside her, radiating outward, contracting her p.u.s.s.y around his c.o.c.k. Erin bit hard on her tongue to restrain a cry, somehow managing to breathe as her world fell apart and reformed in the s.p.a.ce of a few minutes.

Afterward, they lay together in contentment for a long time, with Nicholas careful not to brace his full weight upon her. Erin rested her head on his shoulder, breathing in his scent, and contemplating how complete she was. How had she lived eighteen years without him? Her mind couldn't comprehend how Nicholas had managed to survive six hundred years without her, except for all-too-brief incarnations.

She pulled away to stare into his eyes, as her fingers played with the hair at his temples. "I love you."

"I would die for you," he said with utmost seriousness.

Tears blurred her vision, and she smiled at him. "I want to die for you. Make me yours forever, Nicholas."

He hesitated. "I cannot. The journey-"

She put her finger to his lips and brushed her thumb across one of his fangs. "Do it now. Please."

"Erin-"

She sighed. "You have my permission. I know how important that is to you, after what happened with Emma."

He looked startled. "How did you...?"

"I have dreamed of the past. I know you did not change me again, after the first time. Each time, I was lost to you." She caressed his cheek. "Ensure nothing can take me from you again. Change me," she begged with quiet desperation. She doubted the change would alter the future, but dared to hope.

With a groan, he moved his mouth to her neck. His teeth slid into the skin of her neck, as his c.o.c.k pressed against her thigh. She felt a flash of pain, and then desire surged through her once more. Sheclutched Nicholas's shoulders and pulled him closer. As weakness overcame her, she managed to whisper, "If anything happens to me, promise you will find me again and make me yours."

He pulled away long enough to stare into her eyes, looking haggard. Her blood colored his lips. "I will not lose you again, love."

"We were not meant to live apart. Promise me." Her head spun, and blood trickled down her neck.

He hesitated before nodding. "I will always find you."

"Change me immediately next time. Do not take any chances."

Nicholas shook his head. "Do not speak of this. Nothing will happen to you again, Erin. Soon you will change, and I will not let harm come to you."

She smiled. "Then finish it, my beloved." As his head returned to the bend of her neck, she tried to ignore a twinge of sadness, knowing Nicholas would have to find her again. Shadowy dreams of the future occasionally came to her when she had the headaches. Like the other visions, they had haunted her all her life. Even before Nicholas found her, she had seen the visions. They weren't clear like the others she experienced, but she knew they were just as real. In each of those mental flashes, she was herself, but didn't look like herself at all. She was a different person, although she was also the same on a fundamental level.

Erin held tightly to him as her strength ebbed under the onslaught of his fangs, wis.h.i.+ng she could impart strength with her blood, knowing Nicholas would need it. He would be devastated when he lost her again. If the change didn't sharpen her gift enough to reveal her own fate, she hoped it would blind her third-eye. Her grandmother had been proud Erin was born with the Gift, but Erin was more inclined to agree with her father, who alternated between ignoring and denouncing it. Her flashes of the future were a curse, because nothing she'd ever tried had changed what was supposed to happen.

The time she dreamed her baby brother would drown, she had convinced her mother not to let him from the house. They had watched him constantly, but in the end, the nanny had fallen asleep while bathing him, and he drowned in three inches of water.

When she told her father the MacDonalds would ambush his soldiers when they left McCairn land, kidnapping Daniel, he had ignored her. She had warned Daniel, who had tried to indulge his little sister, but went along with the raiding party anyway. In the end, his blood had flowed into the river.

The future was immutable, so what was the value of receiving brief glimpses of events she couldn't alter?

As Nicholas pressed her mouth to his bare chest, where he had opened the vein near his heart, she tried to concentrate on the present and tell herself the future wasn't set, while drinking deeply of her husband, praying his strength would somehow give her the power to alter the course destiny had set for her.

Emily's neck throbbed when she awoke, so she touched the spot, almost surprised to not find wounds where Nicholas had bitten her. Hers had healed long ago, but those from the dream had been fresh. The rest had been so vivid that she wouldn't have been shocked to find physical manifestations.

How much of the dream could she trust? Had she truly begged Nicholas to change her at their next meeting? Could she believe Erin had been mildly psychic, or was the dream the result of subtlesuggestions imparted by Nicholas? She a.s.sumed he could control her dreams, if he wished. Was he manipulating her again?

With a sigh, she slid from bed. Her head ached, and she was dizzy. She looked down at the crumpled black dress, then at the clock on the nightstand. Although she had slept less than five hours, she didn't think she could fall asleep again.

She went into the bathroom to shower. After she returned to the room and dressed in a short black skirt and red s.h.i.+rt, she sat on the bed, trying to muster the nerve to leave the bedroom. She had to face Nicholas some time, but was frightened. His rage last night had scared her, and the dream had confused her. What if Erin was correct, that they weren't meant to be apart? How could she reconcile her supposed destiny with what had become of her life, what he had made of her life?

Eventually, she made herself leave the bedroom. The door had been unlocked, though she had half-expected him to confine her to the room. She hesitantly entered the living room, which was empty.

She went into the kitchen and froze when she saw Tremont scrubbing the counters. Her skin crawled, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She started to turn, but his voice stopped her.

"The master had a business appointment."

Her eyebrow lifted. "Nicholas had an appointment?"

Tremont put down the sponge and clambered from the stepladder. He made a pathetic figure in the overly long ap.r.o.n, with a cheerful yellow glove on his hand. "Yes, mistress. He shall return by six."