Midnight Magic, page 128
Jazlynn moved into Stellamaris’s arms and muttered as she wrapped her arms around the delicate Fae. “I really have no clue. It seems logical now that I look at it. You have no children of your own and I am the next in the bloodline of the following generation.” She stepped back from the queen. “I always just thought you would live forever.”
“Ah, the hubris of the young. Jaz, I won’t live forever and I don’t want to. I am going to allow you the freedoms you have always had and to remain serving as a Weapon for another three years. Learn as much as you can, I think it is a chance to see and interact in ways I was never allowed. It will make you a better ruler. After that, you will be officially announced as my heir and will have to begin your formal training in the few things we have put aside.”
A fleeting thought of what those few things could be flitted through her mind before she pushed them away. Jazlynn had enough to worry about without taking on things that didn’t matter now. “Whatever you think is best.”
“Good, now go rest. You do look a little bruised and battered today.”
As Jazlynn closed the door behind her it took all her efforts not to slump against it. What she wouldn’t give to have Katya there to help heal her at that moment. She turned to find Cael waiting to the side, away from the glaring guards. Her emotions were tangled in a confusing mess and she didn’t want to deal with it. She spun to go the other way, but Cael caught up. “Your Highness, may I have a word, please?” he asked loudly.
They stood in the middle of a wide corridor. “What is it?” She stopped and looked at him. Her heart beat faster as he stood too close. She was glad that he remained free, as long as he cooperated with them and served them for the remainder of his life, but she knew that would be better than spending it locked in a cell in Area 52. It had taken her a long time to learn to live without him in her life and it hurt her to spend time with him now and not be with him.
“Can you ever forgive me?”
“If we are going to find out what is going on, we will have to work together, so yes, I forgive you,” she said quietly.
“No, I want you to forgive me because you understand that I know I did the wrong thing. I handled it the wrong way, but my intention was good.”
He was too close, his breath was on her face and she felt the heat in her body rise. He always had that effect on her. It was going to be difficult to work so closely with him to uncover what was happening, but she would do it. "I forgive you," she said the words again, but this time for the first time it wasn't just lip service to get him to shut up, she wanted to forgive him. She wanted to move forward. It was time to heal the open wound in her heart and she couldn't do that without forgiving him. So she did.
“Jaz. I need you to know that there has been no one else and there will be no one else, ever.” His eyes bore into her, showing her that what he spoke was nothing more than simple truth.
She fought to maintain her composure.
“I fucked up in every way and I want to make it up to you.” Cael took a step closer and Jazlynn took a step back.
She shook her head. “I can’t do this.” The words caught in her throat. Jazlynn turned and fled.
She ran out of the side doors and into the manicured gardens. She ran by a large fountain, a duck pond, and many hedges all trimmed to an exact height. Garden beds filled with pretty colored flowers and topiary-shaped bushes in huge pots lined walkways. Eventually, Jazlynn found herself in a small grotto with a stream running by, and wildflowers on the damp ground where the sun rarely filtered through, thanks to the stunning canopy of wisteria that was threaded through a large curved arbor. It was beautiful, but Jazlynn didn’t take in the beauty of her surroundings, instead she sank to the ground and began to cry.
Emotions welled up in her that she had been holding tight to since the moment she had seen Cael in the bar, which felt like a lifetime ago but had only been three days. She remembered him folded in her arms, crying, as he mourned the loss of his Nana. The love she had felt for him, the insistent need to comfort and save him from the pain was almost unbearable.
“Jaz?” his voice was hesitant. He had followed her. “Please, I need to tell you one more thing and then I will leave you alone.” He sat down next to her, conjuring a thick rug for them to sit on rather than the damp earth, and gently reached up and cupped her cheek. “Please, look at me.”
Her eyes stung with tears, but she looked up at his handsome face.
“I did the wrong thing. There is no excuse for what I did. I betrayed your trust and you have every right to make me pay for it forever, but you need to understand how conflicted I was. I didn’t do it easily. You said that I shattered your heart, but you need to understand I shattered mine too.” He ran his thumb along her jaw and up to her cheek to wipe away her tears. “It was an impossible choice between the two women I loved more than my own life.”
Cael leaned in slightly, his lips hovered close to hers, but he didn’t bridge the final gap. Jazlynn knew he was leaving it up to her to decide. As she looked into his pleading eyes she came to a realization that had been sitting at the back of her mind since they had met again and she had seen his regret and came to understand the reality of the situation he was in. Jazlynn moved the few remaining inches and closed the gap between them, her lips touching his softly before pulling back. “Now I know the entire truth, I am not sure I would have done anything differently,” she admitted. “I would have hated it, but I probably would have done it.”
His lips sought hers. His gentleness lasted a few more minutes before his lips demanded Jazlynn’s to open and his tongue entwined with hers. She moaned as she melted against him. Her need rose quickly as the final walls she had built crumbled under his expert touch. They broke apart, panting. “I want you,” she whispered. “But not here, it’s too open.”
His hazel eyes crinkled with mischief. “I have waited four years for this moment, I am not waiting any longer.” And with those words, he raised his hand and gestured skyward.
The wisteria began to creep its way down the opening to the grotto, twining and twisting together to form an impenetrable curtain. It grew dimmer as the sunlight was blocked out. Only small rays managed to seep through the canopy creating a dappled effect. As the final vines settled into place, Cael brought his arm down.
Jazlynn took in his beauty. It was only now that she was willing to admit what he meant to her. “What happens if I had said no? That I told you I never wanted to see you again? That I asked the queen to banish you?”
“I would have respected your wishes. I have caused everyone, but especially you, incredible pain. You are the only one for me and I would have died alone, rather than touch another.” Cael caressed her face. “I love you, and will always love you, even if you continued to despise me.”
“I could never do it. I tried to hate you, but there was something always holding me back.” Jazlynn hesitated for a moment and then reached up to run her hand through his hair. “I never stopped loving you and I hated myself for it, but against my better judgment I never fully let go. She reached up and around the back of her neck to undo the zip of her candy pink dress.
“Hold your hair up, I want to do that. Undressing you is one of my most favorite things to do.” He kissed her before crawling around behind her. Jazlynn gathered her curls in her hand and wound them up into a knot on the top of her head. She heard Cael draw in a sharp breath.
“What?” she asked, concerned at his abrupt stillness.
“I wasn’t sure that you could possibly still truly love me until now,” he whispered, his voice caught at the end.
She turned to kneel before him. “What are you talking about?”
Instead of speaking, Cael undid the cord that held his warlock cloak in place. He took it off and then hauled the black linen shirt over his head to reveal his torso. His arm was covered in a stunning cherry blossom tattoo that started upon his shoulder, and suddenly she understood his gasp. “Where is it?” she asked impatiently, not wanting to study every leaf to find their connection.
Cael turned over his hand to expose his wrist. “Here on my lifeline.”
She lifted his wrist and brought it to her lips. Jazlynn kissed the small symbol that covered his vein. She felt his pulse racing as she held her mouth to it. He tasted wonderful and she wanted more. Now.
Bite by bite she worked her way up his arm, nipping and sucking as she went. Her body burned for him in a way it had never done before. Jazlynn got to his chest and ran her hand along the toned torso. She continued kissing up his neck until she reached his lips, where she licked and teased him for several moments before deepening the kiss.
Her core burned and she moaned as his hand came up to cup her breast. His thumb pressed through the fabric to find her hard nipple. Her heart warred with her need. Jazlynn normally would love to take her time, devour him, and have him lick her into oblivion but at this moment she craved to have him inside her. To feel the connectedness that nothing else brought. She pulled him down as she lay back and held him to her. Her lips never leaving his. Their tongues swirling around each other in their private dance.
Jazlynn moved her hands down between them and undid his trousers and while he pulled them down enough for his hard cock to escape she brought her skirt up for him to gain access to her. Without warning, he reached down and tore her panties from her rather than take them off. Jazlynn thought she might come from the primal display of masculinity.
There was no time for words as he plunged into her. Rocking in and out as he slid deeper and deeper. She arched her back and twined her fingers in his, bringing him down to lay on top of her as she stretched their arms over her head, their hips parting and coming together in a hard and fast rhythm. Jazlynn lifted her legs and wrapped them around his waist, allowing him to go deeper and making his pelvic bone hit her clit. She groaned as her orgasm built.
“I love you,” he told her over and over as he pushed into her, his panting growing and his words getting louder. He kissed her neck and ear lobes before returning to her mouth.
Jazlynn arched her back further as she held onto her sanity. Her body screamed for release but the pleasure kept building. She was at the tipping point when he changed the pace and unclasped one of their hands, bringing his hand down to her hip and holding her in place she so she had to fully rely on him to set the pace. The building orgasm dipped for a moment before it rapidly began to grow. His hand dug into her and Cael broke their kiss so he could rest his forehead on hers and look into her eyes.
Without asking, Jazlynn reached for his mind and connected them in every way possible. Cael, was the only word she spoke in his mind, but his eyes widened and a smile spread across his face.
Jaz. I won’t live without you again.
And with those words echoing in their thoughts they stilled in unison before their bodies shuddered with a mind-blowing orgasm. They held eye contact as they clung to each other and Cael groaned with utter satisfaction. The moment was intense and Jazlynn reached up to twist her hand into his hair and pull his face down to hers. “Gods, I missed that.” She grinned at him.
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“Don’t you think it’s odd that no one is talking about why you were told to steal the crown? There are so many other things that would fetch as much money and would be far easier to sell. I don’t think we are being told the entire story. I will wait for Katya and Calliope to return and we will compare notes, but I get a distinct feeling that this is far more connected than people are seeing or saying.” Jazlynn sat staring blindly at the trickling water of the tiny stream.
Cael’s hand brushed along her shoulder and trailed softly down her spine. “It’s all I’ve thought about for the last four years. ‘Why the crown?’” He pressed his lips gently onto the top of her shoulder and moved her mass of blonde tangled curls out the way. “But at this moment my only concern is making up for lost time.” He wound his hand up into her hair and fisted it, tugging it down to pull her head back and expose her throat. He laid little kisses along her collarbone and up her throat until he reached her lips. “Think about the crown later. At the moment, let me show you how much I love you,” he whispered as he lowered his lips to hers.
Jazlynn surrendered to the moment and her heart to the warlock.
* * *
Thank you for reading!
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Read the next book in the Weapons of the Fae Queen series to find out what happens to the cousins, Katya and Calliope in the Oracle’s Court.
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ABOUT TAYA RUNE
Taya Rune is a writer of romance, a sucker for happy endings and has a knack for asking people uncomfortable questions. She is a member of the Romance Writer's of Australia and has had her work published in different anthologies and publications.
Taya resides in Melbourne with her husband, sons, and dogs. She loves the unpredictable weather, the varied cultures, food, and great stage shows. She can’t wait for the world to open up again - there is always something new to see and experience.
THE BLOOD CHRONICLES: NEW ORLEANS BY JULIE MORGAN
COPYRIGHT
Copyright ©2022 Julie Morgan
THE BLOOD CHRONICLES: NEW ORLEANS
Brandi Holmes, orphaned as a young child, missed out on the one thing in life everyone deserves: love. One fateful night, on the brink of disaster, Brandi is saved by an angel with perfect timing and she leaps for the chance at a fresh start.
* * *
Malik Ibram, Dash Santana, and Bishop Adams lead the covenant of North and South America. They keep all Vampires in their rightful place in the world and maintain control over malicious intent. The trio are a force of nature, until they face the path of Brandi and discover the one thing they cannot control is their longing for the human woman.
* * *
Will an orphaned girl who has nothing be able to accept she is fated for three broody vampires who can give her everything?
CHAPTER 1
The sun had set over New Orleans, ice littered the ground, ice crystals formed over the banks of the Mississippi River, and icicles hung from the Paris Road Bridge. Not exactly the best place for a woman with no home or money to exist. It was close to freezing and the air chilled Brandi Holmes straight to her bones. Having lived on the streets since being released from the orphanage she called home, she had no family, no friends, and there was nowhere she could go, other than homeless shelters.
Brandi hadn’t been able to find any kind of work. Even McDonald’s wouldn’t hire her. Without any identification or an address, she would likely be rejected for anything she applied for. It was unfortunate, but it was as if the universe was hell bent on making sure she suffered. And she did; from colds and the flu, to starving with no money to buy anything.
She hade enough for a candy bar and maybe a ride to the nearest shelter. The thought of the chocolate bar in the pocket of the joke of a winter coat she wore weighed heavy on her. Her rain boots were so worn that holes had formed on the bottom. The ice got into her shoes and her feet were constantly frozen. She was amazed she never developed frostbite. Then again, give it time and Mother Nature would be sure to fuck here there, too.
She thought about the ride. How far would it actually get her? As she looked down at the ground, a glimmer caught her attention. She bent down and dug through the loose ice to find two dollars in quarters. She blinked, amazed at her sudden change in luck, and quickly scooped up the coins.
Should she order a hot meal?
Maybe more candy bars?
Or she could take a ride toward the Paris Road Bridge and take in the site of New Orleans before she stepped off into the freezing waters. Ending her life had been on her mind the last few years. She was twenty-three and had literally nothing to her name.
How was she supposed to survive this world?
She couldn’t and she was ready to move on to whatever lay behind door number three in her next life.
It was a good plan: savor the chocolate, then jump off the bridge.
She turned around and stared at the convenience store. She padded through the frozen ice until she reached the front doors. The electronic doors slid open and the heat from inside wrapped around her body. She closed her eyes, relishing in the heat.
