Seeking Eternity Ch. 06

"Why are the vampires protecting me?" she asked.

Nicholas was the one who answered. "If you want to learn the vampires' intentions, you had better ask them yourself."

It was not answer enough for Raine. "Why would you not tell me?"

"It's not our secret to divulge," Nicholas said.

Raine kept her patience in check. She had known Nicholas so well, and the look in his eyes at the moment indicated his unwillingness to share information. A knot seemed to form in the pit of her stomach as her mind was flooded with memories of another time when that look had come into his eyes.

"Don't worry; it's nothing," he had said all those years ago when she had asked what had been bothering him. "I'll take care of it."

Over and over, in different words, he had assured her that everything was fine. And although her instincts had been screaming that the world was not in order, Raine had let it go. She had trusted Nicholas with all her heart. Next thing she knew, he had been kissing another pair of lips, warming another woman's bed.

The pain that the memory brought made Raine's lips curl in a bitter smile. She had known Nicholas so well, indeed.

She turned her attention to Cassandra. The woman, at least, conjured no painful memories. "Have the wolves stopped clamouring for my blood?"

The woman shook her head. "No. The wolves still want you dead."

"Why are the two of you helping me, then?"

This time, she caught the exchange of glances between the two wolves. Cassandra was hesitant to answer the question, and her eyes darted to Nicholas as if by instinct. It was painfully apparent that Nicholas held some power over Cassandra.

"I will not be kept in the dark where matters that involve the wolves are concerned," Raine snapped, sending daggers with the glare she fixed on the man. "This time, I hope that it is your secret to divulge?"

Nicholas opened his mouth to speak, but Cassandra beat him to it.

"Not his, but mine."

Frowning, Raine turned her attention back to the woman. "Yours?"

She did not miss the slight tremor in Cassandra's voice. "Yes. Mine."

Raine studied Cassandra now, paying attention to details that she had missed earlier when the old woman introduced herself. She had been so conscious of Nicholas's presence that she had not taken the time to actually look at Cassandra. Raine immediately knew that beneath the wrinkles that came with age was the face of a beautiful woman with eyes that seemed to change from grey to blue depending on her moods. Raine could imagine men falling on hands and knees to serve Cassandra in her younger days. With that proud, straight nose and perfect bow lips...

No... Raine felt as if all breath was knocked out of her body when she realized how Cassandra would have looked like in her younger days: she would have been the spitting image of Johanna Reinhart.

"My mother..."

"Johanna," Cassandra said, squeezing Raine's hand. "My only child."

Raine wrenched her hand away, feeling sick as the world seemed to spin around her. The knot in the pit of her stomach turned into an unforgiving ball of pain, freezing her in place when all that she had wanted to do was run. As if sensing what was happening, Nicholas quickly leapt to his feet and was beside her before she fell out of the chair.

A low growl issued forth from deep within her just as pain shot through every nerve in her body. Raine gritted her teeth, conscious enough to know that there must be wolves outside the room - probably more foes than friends. She had to fight the pain if she were to live.

Through the haze, she could see Nicholas hovering over her, concern etched on his handsome features as he held her in his arms. Raine would have smiled if the pain was not crippling. He still did care; she should never have doubted it. But the wolf within her was threatening to tear her apart.

"Help me," she begged, winding her arms around Nicholas's neck, as she sensed another bout of pain looming near. "Please, Nicholas."

*****

Nicholas had never felt more helpless in his life as he held Raine close. He stared at Cassandra, whose face was so pale that she was starting to worry him, too. He felt Raine stiffen as another tide of pain assailed her, yet he could do nothing but hold her against him.

At least, she's not screaming, he thought grimly as he felt Raine's tears on his shoulder. If she were to scream, there would be no way out of the building without bloodshed. Wolves and humans alike would want to know what was going on, and if the wolves charged after Raine, Nicholas would have no choice but to fight. Unfortunately, the conference room was near the top of the building, and he could not turn into a wolf in broad daylight to jump down to safety.

"We need a way out of here," Nicholas told Cassandra. So far, Raine had not been able to turn completely because the other half of her was holding the wolf down. It was the only explanation as to why every threat of transformation was accompanied by pain. But the longer the battle inside her went on, the more acute the pain Raine would be subjected to, and Nicholas did not know how much more she could handle before she cracked. He needed to get her out of here.

Cassandra shook her head. "Our only choice is out of the window or out of the door."

It was as Nicholas thought. If only there is a way to calm her down...

An idea occurred to him - a crazy idea that seemed to become more and more reasonable the longer he mulled it over. It would be quite foolish - it might even be deadly if he was wrong- but it was the only way he thought that he could make Raine's wolf recoil.

Gently, he pushed her off his body, just enough for him to look at her face. Her eyes were filled with so much pain that Nicholas doubted she could see anything at all. "Raine." He cupped the back of her head. "Look at me."

She was clenching her teeth so hard that it hurt Nicholas just to see it. Closing his eyes, he pressed his forehead against hers. "I need you to listen to me, my love. Can you do that?"

Unbelievably, she nodded - the slight movement of her head against his filling Nicholas with so much pride. That's my girl.

"When the pain becomes unbearable," he said quietly, stroking her face, "seek my shoulder and bite down hard."

Expletives erupted from Cassandra's lips before she hissed, "It can kill you, Nicholas!"

Nicholas ignored the older woman, opting instead to look at Raine's face. She was looking back at him with horror in her eyes. How she could understand anything amidst the pain she was feeling was completely beyond him.

"Do it," he whispered. Raine shook her head as tears rolled down her eyes. Nicholas smiled and kissed her forehead before holding her close. He felt her shaking her head against his shoulder, and Nicholas could only glare at Cassandra. If the old woman had not said anything about the possibility of him dying...

"I will be fine," Nicholas said, vehemently hoping that he was right. If he was wrong and he died, he would not want his last words to be complete and utter lies. "You are half-wolf. Your bite shouldn't kill me."

Raine's hold on him tightened, and Nicholas could tell that another wave of pain was threatening to wash over her. But he knew Raine too well: she would not do as he asked if she thought that there was any possibility that it would harm him.

"Do it, my love," Nicholas whispered against her head. "Give me a chance to help you. Trust me this once. I will not leave you again."

If Nicholas ever had any doubts about what she felt for him, Raine's next move erased all that: she sank her fangs into his flesh.

*****

Raine woke up in an unfamiliar room, surrounded by a faint but familiar scent that she thought she could only conjure up from memory. Tears filled her eyes as she savoured the sweet, subdued smell of gardenia coming from the pillow under her head. It had been so long since she had come upon the scent of her mother.

Sitting up, she scanned the room, half-expecting Johanna to walk in with a bright smile on her face. But this room was as unfamiliar to her as the woman who must have brought her here. Once, her mother must have used this room, but the lack of life and laughter in it was testament to Johanna's absence for more than two decades.

Getting out of the bed, Raine noticed a pair of slippers on the floor, but she chose to walk barefoot toward the windows. Throwing them wide open, Raine welcomed the cold night air that touched her face in a soft caress. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

Slowly, her senses sharpened, alerting her that there were four humans in the house, all of them staying in the first floor. There was another strong heartbeat nearby, and Raine only had to catch the cold, clean whiff of the forest before she crossed the room, heading toward the door.

Following the sound of his heartbeat and sniffing for his scent, Raine stopped in front of the door at the end of the hallway. There was no doubt in her mind that Nicholas was in there. The memory of their last moment together before she lost consciousness brought back the coppery taste of his blood in her mouth. Even now, the sheer memory of it made her gag. No wonder she fainted after that.

Testing the knob gingerly, she found that it was unlocked. With extreme care, she pushed the door open, slipped inside the room quietly and locked the door behind her. Nicholas was indeed inside, peacefully sleeping on the bed.

Blanket covered only half of his body, revealing the upper half of his torso. Raine sighed as she looked at the bandage wrapped around his shoulder. There were patches of dried blood on the spot where she had bitten him, and her heart ached to know that she had caused him pain.

Raine reached out to stroke his face but paused before she could touch him, remembering what he had said. You already belong to someone else.

Withdrawing her hand, Raine bit her lower lip. Do I?

She would never deny what she felt for Ashford. The inexplicable attraction, the uncontrollable passion that the vampire evoked in her was unlike anything she had encountered before. She wanted Ashford with every fibre of her being.

But this was Nicholas, and what she felt for him was beyond anything that words could express. She ached for him and longed for him with all her heart, body and soul.

It's unfair, she thought, running her gaze over the face that she so wanted to touch. I have loved you too much.

You still love him too much, a taunting voice inside her head piped in.

Before the dull ache in her heart could develop into something worse, Raine turned her back on Nicholas, heading toward the door.

A hand closed around her wrist, forcing her to stop. Raine looked back, staring into bright blue eyes which spoke the plea that his lips would not. Unable to resist the strong pull that would probably bind her to him forever, she walked back to the bed, sitting down next to him.

Nicholas surprised her by uttering two words that she did not think he ever would. Not again, anyway. "Please stay."

Raine could not help but smile. "Has my bite addled your brains? If that's the case, I'm quite ready for another round."

She was rewarded by a soft chuckle as Nicholas sat up, leaning against the headboard. "I'm not. Your bite hurts like hell."

Nicholas began stroking her wrist with his thumb, and Raine found herself holding her breath. She let the silence envelope them, afraid that clumsy words would break the spell that he was weaving with every slow circle that he traced upon her skin. Electricity seemed to shot up her arm, sending sweet shivers along her spine. Her breaths were becoming more urgent and rapid, and knowing that Nicholas was a wolf, Raine was certain he had noticed the change. A soft blush flooded her cheeks just as Nicholas's eyes settled on hers. The look in his bright blue eyes spoke of both need and desire warring against reason and logic.

Raine definitely did not want reason and logic to prevail. Gathering up her courage and hiding away her heart, she leaned forward to plant a kiss on his lips.

Nicholas's response was immediate. Growling low on his chest, he wound his arms around her and pulled her close. At the same time, he teased her lips open with his tongue, the intrusion as welcome as the gentle caress of her thighs. Raine moaned her appreciation, running her hands over his chest. She answered every stroke of his tongue with a fervour that still fell short of quenching the burning hunger quickly building inside of her.

By the time the kiss ended, both of them were breathless. Nicholas pressed his lips against Raine's temple, his hand still possessively holding her thigh. Raine could sense the battle raging inside him, as if he still wanted to push her away.

"Nicholas," she whispered, taking his face between her hands and forcing him to look her in the eyes. "I need you. I need this. Please don't deny me again."

*****

She doesn't know what she's asking for, Nicholas thought as he looked into Raine's eyes. The desire blatantly displayed in those deep blue depths was answer to his wolf's incessant urge to mate. He knew that she would not stop him if he claimed her. Hell, she might even thank him for it.

Once, he would not have thought twice about taking her; he would have pleased her in every way he possibly could, gratifying himself in return. But he was alpha now, and the fate of his pack weighed heavily on his shoulders. He could not possibly keep Raine for himself and keep her from the Council at the same time.

Perhaps sensing his hesitation, she pressed her body closer, taking his hand to rest it against her wet mound. As if the scent of her arousal was not enough proof of how much she wanted this.

"Don't do this to me, Nicholas," she said softly, her voice catching. "I beg you. Please."

Nicholas gritted his teeth. Beg. It was not a word she used lightly. Raine was a proud woman - a proud slayer. Begging was not her business, and what kind of a scoundrel was he to make her beg?

Damnation. In a heartbeat, he had her against the bed, lying on her back. With a low growl, he relinquished his hold on the wolf, which had been angrily fighting its way out as soon as it caught Raine's scent inside the room. It wanted her - he wanted her - and it was about time that he let go.

He quickly shed the loose pants that he wore, revealing a rock-hard manhood that had been straining against the fabric for as long as she had been there. Raine absentmindedly wet her lips when her eyes fell on it. Nicholas sensed her ever growing desire, and it made him furious: furious with her for driving him to his limits, furious with himself for not possessing enough fortitude to deny her anything.

He grabbed her ankles and pulled her toward him, causing the hem of her shift to ride up and reveal her moisture-covered centre. Now unable to control the wolf, Nicholas drove into her in one hard thrust. He was rewarded with a cry of surprise, quickly replaced by a moan of pleasure as Raine wrapped her legs around him.

Nicholas clenched his jaw as he began pounding in and out of her. For a woman taken without foreplay, she was too wet, too hot around him. The wolf in him growled its pleasure as Raine met every thrust of his hips stroke for stroke. If every movement of her hips and every cry of pleasure from her lips were not enough proof that she was enjoying this, the sweet rush of blood that suffused her upper body as her eyes turned yellow gold should be.

Nicholas pushed Raine's legs closer to her body, allowing himself to penetrate her deeper with every thrust. She was making the most terrific sounds of pleasure as he moved in and out of her, faster and faster, until he felt Raine's muscles tensing. His wolf roared in triumph when she cried out her release, and Nicholas felt a surge of power that only came from knowing that one has conquered what was supposed to be forbidden territory.

*****

Raine fell back on the bed with a satisfied moan, looking up at Nicholas's face. He was still buried deep inside her, and although she had just come back from the peak of pleasure, she was aware that he was yet to find his own release. He was staring at her with amber gold eyes, and the fire in them should have instilled some fear. But it did not.

"On your hands and knees, woman," he growled.

She groaned her disapproval when he pulled out of her, but another part of her felt triumphant as she obeyed his words. He rammed himself back in as soon as she was in position, wrenching a cry from her lips.

Raine could feel Nicholas's fury in the urgency of this coupling, but it only seemed to add fuel to the fire consuming her body. Let him seethe and let him fume, but she would not let him deny her this. She would not let him deny himself this. They needed each other, and damn him for holding back.

Nicholas pulled her body up against his so that Raine was now just kneeling on the bed, still cradling his manhood in her womb. She reached back and grabbed his thighs for support as he continued his furious onslaught into her body. His hands cupped her breasts, pinching the hard, rosy peaks as he planted little wet kisses on the side of her neck.

Raine bit back a cry when Nicholas used one hand to seek the bud of pleasure between her legs. He stroked it deftly, in tune with the back and forth rhythm of his flesh entering her depths. It was too much. As she felt her approaching release, Raine leaned back to rest her head on his shoulder before a guttural cry erupted from her lips as waves and waves of pleasure washed over her.

The movements of her muscles around him must have also triggered Nicholas, who, with a low growl, made to pull out of her. Raine pushed back against him, clenching her muscles tightly around him. Nicholas growled both his pleasure and disapproval as he spent his seeds within her.

Spent and sated, both of them fell onto the bed, with Nicholas still holding Raine against him. She pressed her body even closer so that her back rested against his chest, her backside against his groin. Nicholas made a low growling sound, but he let her wrap his arms tightly around her body.

With a smile on her lips, Raine closed her eyes. She would deal with Nicholas's displeasure another time; for now, she needed sleep.

*****

Cassandra massaged her forehead as she closed another report, silently cursing the terrible timing of it all. The wolves were growing restless as news that Ashford Hayes-Crowe summoned his children started milling around, and now it seemed as if the Council was ready to get involved.

It was never a good sign when the head of a coven summoned his family, and Cassandra wondered why the vampire chose not to disclose the information to her when they met. Then again, all the centuries of peace between wolves and vampires did nothing to alleviate the distrust between them, and Cassandra could not fault Hayes-Crowe for keeping his secrets. Besides, she was guilty of the same thing: hadn't she chosen to meet Raine at The Greyfox so that the vampires would not be able to follow?

Looking at her watch, she cursed once more. She had spent more time in the office than she had intended. What she had wanted to do was to talk to Collbreed about the summons, so that they could talk to the vampires and ask if anything was amiss. Now, however, the matter had turned more complicated.

Cassandra heaved a deep breath as she tossed the report into the drawer, locking it inside. There was nothing else to do with it until she could discuss it with Collbreed. Which was a gaping impossibility as of yet, it seemed: the Ambercrest alpha was currently preoccupied.

Heading to the elevator, Cassandra let her mind drift off to one of her most immediate concerns: her granddaughter. Specifically, her granddaughter fucking the leader of her pack. It was disaster in the making.