Building From Ashes

  His mate.

  Carwyn sat up straight and slowly pulled his shirt over his head, baring his scarred chest to her. Brigid’s eyes raked over his bare torso, and a possessive gleam lit in them. Carwyn pulled her up to her knees and placed her palm over the faint scar that still marked his skin. He swallowed the lump in his throat before he spoke hoarsely. “Brigid Connor, will you take me as your husband before God? For the rest of our days on this earth, will you love me and remain faithful to me?”

  Her eyes filled with tears when she heard the words. She leaned forward, touching her forehead to his as she said, “Before God, you are my husband. You and no other.”

  Had his heart ever beat like this before? His amnis reached out to hers. Heat against heat that wove them together as surely as their vows. He touched the face of the extraordinary creature who had claimed him, and returned, “Before God, you are my wife. You and no other.”

  Their lips met in a single kiss before he drew away. “Is it enough?” he whispered.

  “Is it enough for you?”

  He nodded. “More than enough.”

  She gave him a crooked grin. “Just make sure you follow through on the horse.”

  Carwyn burst into laughter, and Brigid threw her arms around him, tackling him to the bed, which creaked at the motion.

  “Brigid,” he said as she tore at the buttons on his jeans. “I believe—oh, that’s good—I am going to buy you a new bed for a wedding present.”

  “What—oh!” He nipped at her collar, reached up, and tore the shirt she’d been wearing down the middle with his hands. He tossed it to the side as he stared at her smooth, bare skin. “What’s wrong with this bed?” she asked.

  He quickly rid her of the scrap of lace she called an undergarment before his mouth latched onto her small breast. She gasped, and his eyes closed in rapture. Her skin was silk under his tongue. He lifted his mouth for a moment and smiled. “Sadly, my wife, this bed is not long for this world. And you taste like heaven.”

  “We’ll give it a—yes, more—proper burial, then.” She hooked his pants with her toes and shoved them over his hips.

  “Such a talented—oh, right there—woman you are.” Her body was a revelation. So many sweet curves and corners to explore. It would take years to learn her.

  “I’ll return the compliment. And that’s… impressive.”

  “I’m not going to say ‘I told you so.’ Just let me know if there are any pieces of furniture you’re fond of.” He braced his foot on the end of the bed and heard it give a solid ‘crack’ under the pressure as his body surged toward hers and he ripped the last of her clothing away.

  She pulled him over her. “Wicked…” She let her fangs trail along the edge of his jaw. “Wicked man. Destroying the furniture like that.”

  He stilled, everything coming into focus in that instant. Brigid under him. Bodies pressed together and amnis entwined. Her scent and heat were a drug to his senses, but he stilled. “No, Brigid. Not wicked,” he whispered. “Pure. I was made to love you like this.”

  “Carwyn—”

  He stopped her mouth with his, murmuring sweet words as her body cradled him. “‘You have ravished my heart, my bride, with one look of your eyes…’”

  “I’m… I’m hot,” she whispered. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Shh,” he dipped down to her burning lips. “You would never.”

  The fire that churned beneath her skin was building, almost startling in its intensity. Carwyn could see the air around her shimmer, and suddenly, he knew how to calm her. It was all so clear. He reached out and his amnis wrapped around her as he gently coaxed the heat away, drawing it into his own body as her flesh welcomed his and she cried out. He slid within her, staring into her eyes as they widened in surprise and joy.

  Body. Heart. Soul. Together.

  Brigid smiled and touched his cheek. “And the two will become one.”

  Carwyn rocked in her, leaning down to taste her lips. He whispered, “‘Behold, you are fair, my love… your lips are like a strand of scarlet, and your mouth…’” He pressed another kiss to her lips as she gasped his name. “‘Your mouth is lovely.’”

  His right arm slid under her shoulders as he braced himself and felt the bed crack again. Brigid’s eyes were glazed over as he made love to her, her body a shivering mass of coiled heat, waiting to release. He held her on the edge, slowly and thoroughly acquainting himself with the feel of his body and hers together. He clenched onto every ounce of control he owned so he could savor their union.

  It had been so very long.

  “What are you doing to me?” Her voice was a high keen and she clutched his neck, holding him so tightly he knew he would have brands in the morning. The thought only made him smile in sensual greed. Let her mark him. He eyed the curve of her neck, a thousand years of self-restraint falling away. He bared his fangs, bent down to her skin, and let them scratch slowly up from her collarbone.

  Brigid arched into him, wrapping her legs around his hips. “Yes.”

  He sucked and pulled, willing her vein to swell for his bite. Then, with one final slow thrust, he held her at the peak and bit.

  Her body shuddered and pulled at his as her blood slid down his throat and she sobbed in release. Rich. Thick with the essence of her. Sweeter than any wine. More satisfying than any food. He was heady with it. Carwyn took deep draws before he pulled away, baring his own neck to her so she could strike.

  She rolled them over and he felt one of the legs on the bed give out, the resulting jolt sending a wave of pleasure up his back, making his spine arch just as Brigid bent down and slid sharp fangs into his neck. The combined pleasure of her body and bite rocketed through Carwyn and he could no longer hold back. He roared in release and threw his arms out, gripping the bedposts until they snapped like twigs beneath his fingers as the earth beneath him gave a slow roll.

  Hours later, Brigid lay limp, her cheeks flush with Carwyn’s blood and her own pleasure as he wrapped his arms around her. He held her as his heart slowed its galloping pace. Finally, she let out a soft sigh and relaxed completely. Her body draped over his broad chest as he trailed fingers up and down the delicate ridges of her spine.

  “I love you, wife,” he whispered.

  “I love you, husband.” She nuzzled her face into his neck, tasting his earlobe with her tongue until he groaned and rolled her over. Her eyes widened when she saw the clear intent.

  “Again?”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “A thousand years is a lot to make up for.” He glanced around the room. The bed was already splintered and the table by the bed was knocked over. The lamp lay flickering on the floor and a bookcase lay on its side. He deliberated as his hands and mouth began moving again. “There may be some foundation damage… On second thought, why don’t I just buy you a new house?”

  “You think that’s going to be necessary?”

  “Very.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Dublin

  January 2013

  Brigid stood in the doorway of her small kitchen, surveying the damage. Pots that had hung over the counter were scattered on the ground. Cupboard doors hung open. The bowl of fruit—one of the few human foods that Brigid still enjoyed—was tossed over and the apples rolled over the wood floor, which had obviously buckled in places. She walked over and lit the stove, curious whether it would work. A blue flame popped up and she put on a pot of water to heat two bags of blood.

  She was glad that the damage appeared to be localized. No doubt further… activities would have woken the neighbors, but for the moment her enthusiastic new husband appeared to be distracted.

  Husband.

  She had a husband. Brigid stifled a laugh and tried to wrap her mind around the ridiculous, thrill-inducing thought.

  She reached over to the refrigerator just as she felt the rush of energy snake behind her. A long arm curled around her waist and her neck tilted to the side when she felt him nuzzle in for a quick bite.
Brigid smiled and enjoyed the shiver of pleasure that tickled down her spine as Carwyn’s fangs slid into the soft, tender flesh.

  “You really have quite the appetite, don’t you?” she laughed.

  “Mmhmm.” He only took a few drops, choosing instead to let his mouth linger as he pierced his tongue and sealed the tiny wounds. “You’re delicious.”

  “Well, thank you. You’re not bad, either.”

  She felt a low, satisfied rumble in his chest as the water heated.

  Carwyn asked, “Why don’t you just heat the blood with your hands?”

  “Plastic. Melting. Horrid smell. I learned my lesson early on that one. I haven’t figured out quite how to heat them up slowly yet.”

  “Hmmm.” He seemed to enjoy just feeling her skin. Large hands slipped under the T-shirt she’d put on. His cheek lay against the nape of her neck.

  Brigid smiled. “You’re quite cuddly for an ancient monster of terrible strength, you know.”

  “Quake with fear, my love.” He nibbled on her earlobe. “I’ll be attacking something very soon.”

  She shook her head. “No more quakes for a bit, please. It’s a miracle the house is still standing.”

  “No, it’s not. I went outside and made sure to shore up the foundation and feel around under the house after you got out of bed. No obvious structural damage.”

  “You mean…” She bit her lip. “You rearranged the earth to make sure the house didn’t fall over?”

  He spun her around and his smile was more than a little conceited. “Well, since I was the one causing the earth to move earlier, it only seemed fair.”

  “You’re never going to get tired of that joke, are you?”

  “No. Want to go outside?” He ducked down and sucked at what she was already thinking of as his favorite spot on her neck. “I have ideas.”

  “Well, your ideas should wait until we’ve had something to eat.” She slapped a hand over his mouth as his eyes lit with mischief. “Something other than that! We do have to get sustenance from more than each other, Carwyn.”

  “Not as much, though,” he mumbled through her fingers, nipping at them until she shook her head and turned back to the stove. He righted the chairs in the kitchen and sat down. “We won’t have to drink as much now that we’re exchanging blood.”

  Her heart began to beat faster when she thought of the first moment she had felt it. Carwyn above her. Surrounding her. The cracks in her heart filling with his love. The acceptance. The rightness as his body cleaved her and his fangs pierced her skin. Her blood entered his body as he entered her. Their amnis weaving together until…

  “We’re one,” she whispered. “I never understood what that meant until now.”

  She could see the red rim his eyes. Oh, her sweet man. He had such a huge, strong heart. So full of joy and faith. What had she done to deserve the gift of his love?

  Grace. In that moment, Brigid Connor understood grace.

  “Thank you for being my wife.” He winked at her with shining eyes. “We’re going to have so much fun.”

  She smiled, trying to hold in the laugh, but it didn’t work. She was giggling like a schoolgirl. “We…” She shook her head. “We didn’t really think this through, did we?”

  “What do you mean?”

  She laughed again. “We jumped into it! I mean, you show up one night and by the next—”

  “Be honest, how long have you had feelings for me, woman?”

  That brought her up short. “What? How long?” She tried to think. “Are we counting the embarrassing teenage infatuation?”

  He grinned. “Can we?”

  She rolled her eyes, which only made him laugh again. “No. Okay, not counting that…” She sighed. “Probably since you called me on the drugs in college.”

  His eyebrows raised. “Really?”

  “Yes. I was relieved you found out.” She shook her head. “I tried to be mad—I was mad! But I was relieved, too. And then… then I thought, ‘If I can make it through this, it will impress him.’ I don’t even think I realized what that meant at the time. But then years went by, and the next time I saw you—”

  “At Christmas,” he said. “You’d just started working for Murphy.”

  “And you asked about my hair.” She smiled. “And I fell in love with you a little for remembering that it used to be purple.”

  “How could I forget? You look fantastic in purple. Almost as good as you do in nothing at all.”

  Brigid said, “And you? When did you have feelings for me?”

  “I think around Christmas, as well. But I was relatively clueless. It wasn’t until that second night at the Ha’Penny when I realized I was attracted to you.”

  “I knew you seemed odd that night!” She chuckled. “But surely that wasn’t anything new. You’ve been around for a thousand years, and you’re a man.”

  “Oh, but it was new. Because it wasn’t a fleeting thing. It was you. And you were… you.” He rose and stood behind her again, hugging her to his chest. “So, you see, it’s been something like seven years, Brigid. This is the longest courtship in history.”

  She snorted. “We weren’t courting that whole time. We were… friends. Good friends. And then, we were more.”

  He laughed in her ear. Leaning down, he whispered, “Silly Brigid. Love is friendship. Just with less clothes, which makes it far more brilliant.”

  Carwyn took her out to the garden after they’d fed, the cool earth cradling them and heightening their pleasure as they made love under the stars. Brigid decided she was glad she’d purchased a house with a very high hedge. Finally, they rested, and Carwyn brought a blanket from the living room to shield them as they both lay on the soft grass.

  “Tell me about your friend,” he urged softly.

  She’d told him that Emily had taken the elixir. He was concerned, but she could also see the curiosity in his eyes. Brigid felt his arm wrap around her more securely. “Axel—her boyfriend—gave it to her. I think he was the one who was working with Lorenzo on the heroin before.”

  “I remember that. But you said he didn’t have the smarts for it.”

  “I must have been wrong. Because once Ioan was killed, when Lorenzo’s heroin operation was halted, things settled down. Then, there were the rumors. And right about the time you left for Rome, Elixir started showing up. I think he used the same distribution network. The same clubs and dealers. He gave it to her over a year ago. And I saw him at the same club where she was. He has to be the connection.”

  “It sounds like it was around the same time that Lucien drank from Rada.”

  “Who?”

  He cleared his throat. “Ioan’s friend. The doctor? He had a research assistant—an old lover—who had cancer. She was dying, and Lorenzo showed up in Eastern Europe with a miracle. After she’d been healed, Lucien drank from her. He was elated at first. Thought he had healed Rada and conquered bloodlust all at the same time. Then he started losing time. His mind became hazy.

  “It affected his amnis. Damaged it.”

  “Yes. Most of us—older vampires especially—rebel against the thought. We’ve all become accustomed to thinking of our amnis as this impenetrable shield. Nothing can harm it. It’s what protects our minds. Lets us control the elements. That’s why we have to feed from humans or animals. It’s the energy in their blood. It’s more than just the physical substance; it’s mortal energy we feed on, Brigid.”

  “Almost like it recharges our batteries,” she mused. “That makes sense. And the elixir breaks it. Disrupts the flow of the current, like our wiring becomes twisted.”

  He paused. “That’s a very good way of putting it. Maybe it’s easier for younger vampires who grew up around technology to understand. Was Emily sick when Axel gave her the drug?”

  She shook her head. “No, but she’d just come off drugs. Her health had taken a hit from years of use, and then she went through withdrawal. She said…” Brigid felt her voice grow thick with emotion. “Axel told
her that it would make her healthy and beautiful again. Even though she wasn’t ill, she took it.”

  “Vanity?”

  “Maybe a little. She loved him and she thought the elixir would let her stay with him forever.”

  “Poor thing,” he murmured.

  “Her health was already damaged, but now she can’t seem to digest anything. She’s starving to death, but her body rejects all nutrition.”

  He paused, and Brigid glanced over her shoulder. “It’s exactly the same as what happens to vampires. Those who are affected can’t feed their amnis with blood. And the human body can’t retain the nutrients that it needs, either. The elixir starves both the human body and the vampire mind.”

  “And you haven’t found a way to detect it.”

  She could tell he was frustrated. “Not yet. We haven’t had many humans that we know are infected. We can’t run tests on it. It’s too dangerous. And those humans we do know about are very ill. I tried to get Lucien to share more information about Rada, but it was hard to talk to him after a while. He just kept going on about her scent and how good she smelled.”

  A memory pricked her mind. “How good she smelled?”

  “Yes, he said she smelled… sweet. Sweeter than she had in the past.”

  “Like fruit…” Brigid whispered, and her heart began to race. “She smelled like ripe fruit, didn’t she?”

  Carwyn’s eyes narrowed. “Yes. Like… what was it?” He blinked and he sat up next to her. “Pomegranates. He said she smelled like pomegranates. Did Emily—”

  “That’s it! I remember thinking when I met her last spring that she smelled delicious, but I’d never seen her as a vampire before. I thought it was just her natural scent. But she smelled like fruit. Something distinctive, but I couldn’t quite place it. It was pomegranates, Carwyn. Why…” Her forehead furrowed in confusion. “Why would she smell like pomegranates?”