Blade Heart

  “I’ve had better.”

  She’d play the game. She wouldn’t open her eyes until he said otherwise, yet she was positive the small grin she had come to love curved his lips. He moved his hands to circle her bare neck.

  Shivers ran down her spine, tingling her back from top to bottom. His sleek fingers spurred her desire as he glided them down to her cleavage. And when he grazed her flesh with his nails, she sighed.

  “Am I not gentle enough, Cara? Would you like me to stop?”

  She wouldn’t answer his teasing. She had no intention of losing the game so quickly, and had to purse her lips together.

  With tender strokes, he traced the contours of her bosom. Breaths shortened by his lip-biting erotic touch, she moaned when he cupped her breasts to feel their weight. Water bubbled as his touch vanished and she heard a rubbing sound. He was soaping his hands. Eyes sealed, she tried to control her respiration as well as the twitching of her pussy.

  But she completely lost it when he seized her nipples. Jutting in and out of his slippery fingers, they stiffened like spikes of iron. Mouth half-open to draw in sharp breaths, she arched her back and submitted to his kneading. Her belly twisting from want, she felt like her nipples had become her centre of gravity.

  “Oh, God, this is too much!”

  The tongue of fire gripping her body didn’t cease. As he intensified her craving by using his palms, he announced in a clear voice, “This part of your body is very important. One mustn’t disregard that a good scrub is the remedy to all frustrations.”

  Later she’d get her revenge. For now she rocked in the bath. Within her, embers whooshed to flames, cinders burst alive. The movements of his foamy hands intensified as she uttered unbroken moans. Spun, twirled and rubbed, her nipples seemed to capture the height of her sensations. Muscles locked, she started as he abruptly splashed water onto her breasts to rinse her.

  “There, you’re clean. You can open your eyes.”

  He was doing this on purpose. Fully aware of his impact on her, he revelled in bringing her to the limit of endurance. But when she lifted her lids to look at him, he leaned towards her to veil her eyes with one of his hand.

  “I’m sorry, I seem to have overlooked a place.”

  He touched her clit. She jolted. He tapped the excited spot with the pads of his fingers and the fire within radiated throughout her body.

  “Morgan! Touch me again and I’ll show you.”

  He moved his hand away from her face to hold it in front of her eyes, open palm towards her. His grin deepening, he wriggled his fingers.

  “Watch.”

  Her gaze glued to the limb that had wielded swords and daggers, she grasped the rim of the bath when he plunged his hand into the water. Before she had time to brace herself, he found her throbbing slit and shoved his middle finger inside her. Knees banging against the tub, buttocks jerking, she cried out.

  Swept away by the searing sensation, she couldn’t speak anymore, couldn’t tell him he’d make her come right there and then if he carried on with this immoderate foreplay. But didn’t he know that? As he slowly went in and out of her, she looked at his thick shaft pointing up and ready to break the surface. A new yearning slashed her belly.

  Dying to take the game up to the next level, she tightened her grip on the edge of the bath and pulled herself forward. His finger shot up her pussy and she suppressed an urge to express her harsh pleasure.

  Inches from his chest, she flattened herself against him before stretching to pull out the tub plug. Water whirled and gurgled. As the level began to lower, she went back to her former position. When she pasted a cross expression on her face, he slid his digit out of her to settle it on her nub.

  The simple gesture mellowed her resolve yet she managed to take the bar of soap. Water churned, got swallowed down the drain and his erection rose above the surface, the thick crown pink and swollen. His gaze defied her to touch him while he traced lazy circles around her clitoris. She gasped but stared straight into his eyes while she nudged his hand away.

  “My turn.”

  He shuddered when she seized the base of his erect cock. Foam slicking her skin, she glided the tight circle of her fingers up and down his long sex, barely grazing it. He drew in raspy breaths as she stroked the whole length without hurry.

  He had made her suffer, he’d ache now. Placing her palms around his hard-on, she kneaded his shaft with slow, back-and-forth motions like she was washing her hands. His fists hit the rim of the bath, his features tautened and he let out a raucous sound. He shut his eyes and thrust his chin up.

  His obvious pleasure sent a rush of moistness between her thighs. Drinking in the rapt expression on his face, she rinsed her hands in the last of the water and took hold of him again. This time she whacked him off.

  The muscles of his arms and shoulders bulged out. He sucked in his lower lip as his eyes popped open.

  “I think I’m clean.”

  “Hush.”

  His comment had her pussy shuddering. Slowing her movements a little, she rolled her fingers around the head of his cock and titillated the round crown. He inhaled like a drowning man as he grasped her wrist.

  “Enough!”

  Lapsing into his warrior attitude, he stood up quickly and stepped out of the tub. Still holding her wrist, he pulled her up before sweeping her into his arms. Drops of water landed on the bathroom tiles.

  Carried like a bride on her wedding night, she glanced at his beloved face. The passion in his eyes conveyed all the lewd things he wanted to do to her as he transported her to the bedroom. Without delay he delivered her across the bed.

  Lying flat on her back, she took out the hairpin holding her locks into place and spread her legs wide open. He hissed as he stared at the offered cunt. Body burning with unchecked desire, she slid her hands on both sides of her wet folds and pulled the aroused lips apart.

  “Come on, big boy. I want your cock.”

  He moved so fast the bed didn’t even creak as he threw himself over her. Stiff and urgent, his hard shaft drove into her. She felt like gasping, moaning, crying. On his knees between her splayed thighs, driven by the force of his erection, he hammered her with short, powerful strikes.

  She mewled then. In a matter of seconds, he unleashed all her pent-up emotions, all the wild cravings buried in her heart, all the raging needs he had the means to fulfil. The relentless beat of his dick shattered her whole being—he chased away the doubts, fears and anxieties clouding her mind.

  Laboured breaths matching each of his thrusts, he slid his hands under her shoulders to cradle her closer to him. She knotted her legs around his waist, yearning for more, aching for the feel of his raw flesh. Fingers gripping her skin, he pushed his fiery rod in and out of her flaming body.

  Coming through the window, a greenish glow fell on them. With the bedroom enfolded in darkness, the blue-green light enhanced his ardent features and outlined his straining muscles. Holding on to his perspiring back, she raised her head to ogle his cock penetrating her.

  Air left her lungs when she caught sight of his upper thighs banging against her buttocks. Heat scorched her heart when she saw his shaft glisten with juices, the taut skin soaked in the love she released.

  His hair kissed her face. Close to her ear, he couldn’t stop groaning and she grimaced under the spellbinding pressure of his frantic cock raking her pussy. She throbbed. She wanted to die. His rhythmic plunges shifted to an orgasmic rhapsody and her thighs cramped around his back.

  The pining cry of cats mating for eternity reached her ears. High-pitched, piercing and continuous, the vibrant meowing wept of paradise and hell coupled in a single entity. Rolling without reserve out of her throat to engulf her mouth and free her emotion, the blissful squall belonged to her, but she didn’t recognise it. She couldn’t be this quivering, howling female subjugated to the dominant member diving in and out of her.

  Oh, but she was, and the comings and goings of his engorged dick shattered her. En
slaved by the power of his domination, she hung on to him. His every lunge propelled her to climax as their joining expelled wet, sucking sounds. He locked his hands onto her shoulders, his hoarse grunts reached an acute intensity.

  With a consuming sensation biting her limbs, she threw her head back and fastened her body to his. Bellies smacked, chests heaved against one another, sexes merged. A violent shudder ran through him while he pumped his cock.

  “Cara!”

  He shouted her name as he exploded into her. The force of his release had him shaking all over and his blazing flesh pushed her over the edge. She screamed. Struck by a mind-numbing orgasm, she rocked her head from side to side and lost her grip around his waist. She dropped her legs onto the bed.

  She lifted her hips as the last of his seed gushed forth. His shaft quivered inside her and he ground his pelvis against her clit. The weight of his slackening body bore down on her and he withdrew a little to rub the throbbing spot with his still-hard cock. She let go of his shoulders to grab the bedcovers.

  Although rattled with final shivers, she felt a shifting in her belly. Panting and raving, she opened her eyes to be stricken by his fierce gaze. Between her thighs, a new pulsing escalated as he kneaded her with his tip. Or his fingers. Or the palm of his hand. She couldn’t tell anymore.

  The surge obliterated all consciousness. He stroked, massaged and rubbed until her body stiffened. Clitoris blowing up from an overload of pleasure, she came for the second time.

  Unearthly bliss robbed a moment of her life. When her senses gradually returned, he had found the crook of her neck and was still panting from exertion. Heavy on her, his body kept her warm.

  When her heart showed the first signs of slowing down, she laced her arms around his neck. He squeezed her instantly. As the outside greenish glow continued to filter through the window and invade the bedroom, they kept on holding on to each other, breaths coming out in rasps.

  Relishing the feel of him, she etched it on her memory. She might have lost her past but she would not forget this magical moment. She stroked his back and he rolled to the side to look at her face. He spoke in whispers.

  “I’ve never felt like this.”

  She smiled at the sparkle in his stare. But as his gaze reflected the same colour as the light from outside, he glanced towards the window. His eyes widened and an expression of wonder lit his features.

  “By the Mighty Gods!”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  As soon as they had scrambled off the bed, they went to the window to discover a green laser beam slashing the night. Surrounded with diffuse tinges of red, the display of light formed an arc and illuminated the dark sky. Such an unreal sight made her gasp. “Oh, my God!”

  “What is it?”

  “Northern lights. It’s a natural phenomenon but very rare. I’ve never seen one before and I didn’t think it could happen here.”

  “It’s beautiful.”

  It was. As they gaped at the amazing view, colours brightened and danced, forms moved and changed. First shaped like an arc, the aurora seemed to shift into a green curtain watching over the city.

  The nape of her neck teeming with pinpricks, Cara had the sudden, vivid impression something was looking directly at her. Something invisible, untouchable and soundless that had been biding its moment for a long time. A looming presence, unreal and eternal, that bore the name ‘fate’.

  She blinked, rubbing her arms with skittish fingers. Why would she feel edgy while observing the most wonderful occurrence she had ever witnessed? She did nonetheless, and the eerie awareness spoilt her contemplation.

  Exhaustion crept up her limbs. A silent yawn stretched her cheeks as the apprehensive needles in her stomach started to fade. Walking back to the bed, she glanced at the alarm clock showing nine-fifteen.

  It was still a bit early to go to sleep, but her weary body didn’t agree with her. She curled up on her side to look at Morgan’s tall silhouette lit by greenish shadows while she pulled the covers up to her neck.

  He stayed at the window a moment longer before coming to lie down beside her. Taking her in his arms, he kissed her lips. She sighed, cuddled in his embrace, warmed by his body.

  “Caius said that if I ever got back here the cosmic universe would be ripped apart. Do you think that’s what’s happening? Maybe the northern lights are a sign we’ve done something very wrong and irreversible.”

  “He’s a wizard, not a Mighty God.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He can make mistakes.”

  “But if he didn’t, what then? You won’t be able to return to your world and I’ll mend diddlysquat.”

  Although tiredness had by then rendered her ripe for slumber, Cara’s thoughts wouldn’t let go. Caius’ foreboding still rang clear in her mind and she feared they were stuck in a universe Morgan hadn’t been destined to enter. He might adjust to it in the long run, but he’d never forgive himself for not being able to fight alongside his men, for not saving his people and lands from the hand of tyranny.

  “Cara, the universe isn’t senseless and there’s a meaning to everything. As we didn’t ask to be brought here, I believe the reason will come to us in good time. For now, we need to catch some sleep.”

  He cradled her closer to kiss her lips again. “Whatever happens, I’ll keep you safe. Close your eyes.”

  Lids weighing a ton, she obeyed him. Amazed at his unwavering faith in destiny, she wondered about her own. Had she really pondered this complicated question before waking up in the Four Kingdoms? Swallowed up in the rush of the city, had she ever envisioned a different life for herself? Probably not, yet she wouldn’t leave the…

  * * * *

  Darkness shrouded the sidewalks by Pier Eighty-Three. Inexorably drawing her towards the warehouse, the pull tugged at her. Although reluctance slowed her steps she walked to the metallic door with more confidence. Something felt different this time. Somehow, she knew she wasn’t alone.

  * * * *

  Cara woke up with a start. She lay on her back, Morgan’s hand resting on her belly, his regular breaths creating an aura of peace in the shadowy bedroom. She glanced sideways to read the alarm clock. The red numbers blinked four-fifty-five in the morning. Very early to take a ride.

  But she didn’t have a choice. Arisen from the pit of her stomach, the pull was calling her. Demanding her to get up and come, come, come.

  “Morgan.”

  Despite how softly she had whispered his name, his eyes flew open. She placed tender fingers on his cheek to indicate an absence of immediate danger.

  “We have to go.”

  He jumped out of bed. Still unused to his instinctive warrior reactions, she flinched as a gust of air grazed her naked skin and the warmth of his body disappeared. On his feet, he didn’t question her judgement, just regarded her with an expression of ‘so, what are you waiting for?’

  Without speaking, they donned the city clothes they had found themselves in a few hours earlier and Cara called a cab. When she locked her apartment and hid the spare key under the loose floorboard next door, a shiver took her by surprise. What if this was the last time she left her home?

  Shrugging to dispel the thought, she followed Morgan downstairs. Outside, night had taken control once more. No trace of the gorgeous northern lights could be perceived. Bereft of its former greenish glow and red halo, the black sky sparkled with shiny stars.

  Although the pull gnawed at her, Cara didn’t give the intended location to the driver. First she had to show Morgan one of the beacons her world was made of. Besides, she felt the curious need to retrace her own steps without deviation. If she had to make the same testing journey it had to be done exactly like in her nightmare. Or her memory. After travelling quickly and smoothly along the clear streets, the cab dropped them off in Times Square.

  “This is the heart of New York City.”

  Looking all around him, Morgan seemed both guarded and intrigued. His gaze encompassed the tall and illu
minated structures, light traffic, tired or strangely energetic pedestrians combined with the regular stirring of the predawn hour, and he maintained a pretty composed face. Cara folded her hand around his. He entwined their fingers.

  “Well, what do you think?”

  “Unusual but engaging.”

  She might have got more out of him if the pull hadn’t brutally called her to order. Free hand flying to her stomach, she winced.

  “Ouch! Our time is up. We must go to the place I dreamt of.”

  “Let’s go.”

  She didn’t need directions. The nightmare stamped in her mind, she led him towards Pier Eighty-Three and the pull got stronger with every step. Although apprehension revolved her guts, she could sustain the uneasy feeling. Because he walked beside her. Because his hand didn’t leave hers.

  Once they had turned onto Twelfth Avenue, the warehouse loomed ahead. Grey against dark, cold and ominous, the metallic door appeared to glare. Tightening her grip on his fingers, Cara cocked her head.

  “This is it.”

  Morgan moved to block the way. Their hands parted as he cupped her face to place a tender kiss on her lips. He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and gently caressed her mouth with his thumb.

  “I’m with you. I will not abandon you.”

  Her heart skittered. So close to the dreaded place, his last-minute attentions deeply touched her and gave her courage. Bracing herself for what was to come, she took the last steps to the door. When she seized the handle, the pull vanished. If she’d had doubts about her destination she now knew for sure.

  With Morgan right by her side, Cara pressed the handle down. Like in her nightmare, the door opened and she saw the square, metallic, empty room. They entered it together. In spite of his protective presence, she had a hard time loosening her grip on the only way out. As soon as she let go, the handle would disappear and they’d be trapped in the Antechamber of Death. With a long sigh, she released it.