Chapter 20 #2
I hadn’t. “That’s good.” The canvas she was working on showed nightfall over the mountains in the distance. She’d captured the light perfectly, somehow instilling a glow through her use of the oil paint. “That’s good, too. It looks like you can step right inside.”
Her cheeks colored. “Thank you. No one’s ever... um, yeah. Anyway, thanks, I appreciate it.”
Cassia picked up a rag and started cleaning one of her brushes. “Once you’re finished, I have something I want to show you,” I said.
She scoffed. “I’m never finished.”
“Then stop now. Put some leggings or pants on.”
While I was changing, I heard her shuffling around, the soft clicking of brushes being bunched together, and the crisp sound of papers being gathered. My suit came off and I dressed in leather pants, tall boots, and a heavy tunic.
“Jesus Christ, you’re hot,” she muttered, entering the closet with me.
“Why do you sound disappointed?”
She sighed as she grabbed her clothes from the shelf. “I’m not. Trust me, I’m not.”
She glanced up at me, and I gave her a quick smile when I wrapped my hand around her neck. Then I leaned down and scraped my fangs along her neck, just enough to break the skin and watch her blood bead.
And then I ran my tongue along the scratch, feeling myself swell against the all too tight confines of my pants as I reveled in her flavor and the increasingly sweet scent emanating from her groin.
She panted and squeezed my waist when I released her. “Good thing I’m getting changed.”
“Wear boots,” I told her as she made her way to the ensuite.
She replied from behind the closed door. “Why?”
“We’re heading to the forest.”
She squealed and came out dressed and ready much faster than I expected—for her. “Really?” She ran past me and came back again, her feet clad in sturdy boots.
“Really.”
* * *
There was no way she’d be able to keep up with me, not even after feeding her my blood, so I carried her. I set her down close to the river and made sure we would have plenty of time to walk through the woods so that she could enjoy herself as much as possible.
Cassia marveled over the trees, running up to one and dragging her finger over the bark.
“These are huge! I never went there but they look like pictures of those trees in California. I always wanted to see them, but I never went. You could build a house inside one of these things.” She laughed. “It’d really be a tree house.”
I chuckled. “People do make houses inside these trees sometimes.”
Her eyes grew wide. “Really?” She shook her head. “I have to stop saying that, you’re gonna get sick of me acting like a crazy person.”
“I could never get sick of you.”
Her gaze tilted down and then back up again. “That’s good.
Taking her hand in mine, I led her through the grass and to the water. The glass-like surface of the stream gently waved as the flow headed north, winding its way around the rocks and tree trunks scattered along its border.
Cassia dropped my hand and hurried to the water’s edge. “Look, the water is so clear.”
She squatted in the dirt and grass and trailed her finger through the stream. She glanced at me quickly. “Obviously, you know that.”
It was fascinating, seeing the wonders of my Realm through her eyes—and amusing. The only water I’d seen in the Third was a bay that should have qualified as raw sewage. Watching Cassia, I realized how jaded I’d become.
“I do,” I answered. “But it is precious watching it through your eyes.”
Her brows furrowed quickly and then she stood and wandered a little farther.
Her aura spread around her, as if she were personally the bearer of aurora borealis.
It sparkled golden like her hair when the sun streamed through the windows while she painted.
It shimmered a soft rose pink, like the delicate space between her legs.
My fangs ached to sink into her creamy neck while she flitted about, inspecting plants and flowers, before she was drawn back to the banks of the stream.
She sucked in a breath as a fish leaped to catch a dragonfly and then her eyes widened as she watched it wrestle with the enormous bug. “Oh my God,” she mumbled. “I thought that was a bird. And the fish—it was blue?”
Waving my hand toward the water, I compelled more to come. Soon a school of blue and red fish swam along with the current, passing us by. “You made those fish come, didn’t you.” I nodded. “Fish whisperer,” she said before giggling.
“It’s not whispering, not really. I?—”
“It's a joke,” she interrupted me. “Like the people who can talk to horses to calm them down. Instead of horses, you get fish.”
There was no way I was going to ask for an explanation.
She turned her big blue eyes up at me. “Do people have pets here?”
“You’re not my pet.”
Her hand slid down her face. “Like cats and dogs. Fish. Birds.”
Oh . “No. They tend to get eaten. Would you like one?” Cassia grinned. “I’ll get you whatever you want,” I foolishly told her.
“You will?” She asked. I nodded. “Okay, I need to think about that. Probably a cat.” Her face lit up while she thought about all the possibilities.
Was she going to snuggle the fucking thing all night? An uneasy feeling squirmed in the pit of my stomach. I would have to be very careful when I dismissed the animal from our bed every evening or I’d have to get her a new one every day.
Cassia’s eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t eat it on me, would you?”
My head tilted to the side and slightly forward while I slowly licked my lips and stared at her. The look of horror on her face made it all worth it.
“Lukas!” She slapped my chest. “No!”
Seizing her hand, I tugged her to me and kissed her deeply while I tried to hold back my laughter. Finally, she freed herself and I grinned at her.
“You’re a terrible person, did you know that?” She tried to sound serious but didn’t do a very good job. My smile transformed into a smirk.
“I still have the stiletto,” she warned.
We stayed close to the edge of the water as we walked, talking about this and that.
It was a nice break from my regular duties, and I enjoyed her company very much.
She was sharp, witty, and more adventurous than I expected when I pushed her down into a bed of purple flowers and shoved her leggings down to her ankles.
But then again, I went straight for her sweet spot, sucking it into my mouth and lightly scraping her folds with my teeth.
Her thighs squeezed my head while she gripped my hair so hard my scalp burned.
The ecstasy was beyond what I ever could have dreamed of and hearing her sweet cries echo through the forest was all the music I needed.
Knowing she was mine and that no one else had the privilege of tasting her would comfort me for eternity.
When I pushed inside and her tight walls hugged me close, I didn’t last long. The heat spread through me and I gave in to the bliss, dragging her right over the edge with me as she cried my name.
“Jesus. Fuck.” Cassia gasped against my neck. “What if someone heard us?”
I helped her up and she leaned down to grab her pants. “If someone is rude enough to mention it, they’ll never speak again.”
Cassia giggled. “So dramatic.”
“I won’t let anybody embarrass you.”
“I know.” She patted me on the back.
After we were cleaned up and fully dressed, I took her hand. “I have something to show you.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Something else? What?”
“You’ll see,” I replied.
There was a barely discernible path through the trees. If one didn’t know what to look for, the specific area would be easily missed. It was a place where certain, unique flowers grew that attracted other things.
Breaks in the foliage overhead allowed beams of sun to warm the rich earth and provided enough illumination to see where the foliage was lightly crumpled, leading the way.
Once we reached a small clearing, I bent my knee and placed my palm on the dirt, injecting a deep rush of energy into the organic material. I watched as my power rippled outward, like a rock thrown into a still pond and then I stood.
“What did you just do?” Cassia asked, stepping closer to me.
A breeze stirred my hair, and the snap of sticks breaking underfoot sounded in the distance. Soon, the noise was near enough for Cassia to hear, and she laid her hand against my arm.
The moment the beast appeared between the trees, I heard Cassia’s sharp intake of breath.
“Hold perfectly still,” I ordered her. Fingers gripped my arm, and I could hear her pulse racing. Not so much in fear as in wonderment.
The large, coal black animal raised its head and shook its mane before it trotted to the left and stomped its hooves. The obsidian horn centered on its head shone pearlescent in the sunlight, and its shiny black eyes watched us carefully.
Cassia’s shoulder brushed my arm. “It’s a unicorn,” she whispered under her breath.
“Indeed,” I replied, watching it as closely as it watched us.
The beast was oversized, compared to a horse, a deadly and fantastical display of strength and speed containing untold magic. Many of them were killed for the power their horns contained. The animal had every reason to distrust us.
“Will it come closer?” She asked.
“Maybe. They don’t trust people. Many of them have been killed for their magic. They’ll never be safe.”
I felt her sadness flickering around her. “That’s awful.” She was quiet for a moment. “Can they be domest?—”
“No.” My lips pressed together.
“I knew you were going to say that.”
My gaze left the animal she wanted for a house pet, and I widened my eyes at her before glancing back at the nearing animal. Slowly, it was approaching. My back stiffened, ready to move quickly if necessary.
The unicorn dipped its head, its tail fluttering in the light breeze. The sun shone off its shiny hair, shedding tiny rainbows like glitter across its coat.
“I keep thinking, ‘I need to go home, I need to go home.’ It echoes in the back of my mind,” Cassia whispered softly, not taking her eyes away from the magical creature. “But I am home, aren’t I?”
Sprinkles of warmth coursed around my heart, and I laid my hand on top of hers. “You are. I think your beautiful art told you that you are,” I replied.
To me, she was becoming increasingly more magical than the legendary animal that was now only twenty feet away from us. My heart had never been this full.
Cassia’s hand dropped from my arm and the beating organ in my chest followed as she stepped towards the unicorn.
Any sudden movement I made could frighten it into a rage.
As slowly as I could, I slid my hand to the holster at my waist. Grabbing the sword that I’d strapped to my back right before we headed out would have been seen as a sign of aggression, so I’d start with a smaller weapon.
With every step she took away from me, my vision narrowed. Her steps were slow and sure, and I could hear the pounding of her heart. Her aura remained consistent—which was good. The animal would have to see that she meant no harm.
Before I could take another breath, she was directly in front of it. The unicorn’s nostrils flared as it sniffed the air around her. Then it stretched its neck, and she slowly lifted her hand, palm upward.
If a vampire could have a heart attack, this would have been my big moment.
Against all reason, the creature nuzzled her hand. She glanced over her shoulder, eyes shining, and beaming the biggest smile I’d ever seen on her face.
The deadly horn was way over her head, but still in optimal positioning to tear my bride-to-be away from me.
There were things I could do to save her, and fate knew I’d search every Realm should she be killed in this one, but my many years also knew something else.
Fate had an unfortunate way of sending people to unreachable Realms, and unicorn magic was not in anyone’s favor.
There were multiple reasons so many of them died and would continue to.
“Lukas, come here. This one’s friendly.” Her excited whisper caused the animal to shake its head.
The hilt of my dagger was firmly in hand, though still sheathed. “I don’t think it wants me to. Can you please come back over here?”
“You have a knife in your hand—can you blame it?” She rolled her eyes and turned back to the unicorn as it whinnied. “You’re a sweetheart, aren’t you?”
Now she was talking to the devilish beast.
“Can we bring it home? Forget a cat. No one would mess with me if I had a unicorn by my side.”
My hand dragged down my face. “No, Cassia. We aren't bringing it home.” The unicorn leaned in even more, making the most of her strokes along the side of its face.
For fuck’s sake .
Her disappointment drifted towards me, but I wasn’t going to change my mind.
Suddenly, the animal kicked out its hind legs, and then turned, rearing up and swinging its head around. “Cassia!” I yelled at her.
She whirled around in panic as the horse screeched and I ran to her.
Then she fell.