28. Visitors
VISITORS
Irene
Alex kissed my shoulder, neck, and arm, making me giggle.
The bed was a tangle of bedsheets, clothes, and limbs after he’d fed from me and kissed me and touched me and kissed me again.
The sunlight struggled to break through the fog, and the result was a dull glow that would have depressed me on any other day. But today was a celebration of love.
He slid under the bedsheet and closed his lips around my nipple.
His mouth was a shock of heat and wetness that had me sigh.
He’d tongued and sucked my nipples many times in the past hour, and they were tender and swollen from his ministrations, but his kisses never failed to make my skin sizzle with pleasure.
I cried out when he nestled between my legs and kissed me intimately. I’d become quickly addicted to this type of bliss, so intense and special that only a few lashes of his tongue were required to make me spiral into a peak.
Little pulses started between my thighs and spread through me, amplifying the sensation.
“Alex.” I wasn’t sure if I’d whispered or shouted.
He moved under the bedsheet to emerge close to my face. His black hair was deliciously mussed, and the smile of sheer happiness suited him.
“I love it when you say my name like that.”
“Like what?”
“Like I’m the only one.” He fondled my breast, eliciting another sigh from me.
“You are.” I put my hands on his chest and pushed him until he was lying on the bed. “My turn.” I slid down the bedsheet.
“For what—” He let out a noise between a hiss and a shout when I closed my mouth around him.
The freedom of being able to touch him anywhere, anytime was exhilarating. He proved to be rather undisciplined when it came to staying still. As I touched and took him in my mouth, he kept jolting, clenching his fists, and rocking his hips.
But I loved every moment.
His powerful thigh and abdominal muscles contracted.
Deep, growling sounds rumbled out of him.
There was something fascinating in watching a mighty vampire be undone by the stroke of my tongue.
Through our bond, I experienced his raw pleasure, which guided me.
When I was slow, he trembled, and when I used my tongue, he seemed to boil.
When I took him deeply into my mouth, he burst with pleasure.
The sharp, intense jolt of the release sliced through us. We were joined by the same strong sensation that had us both shudder and sag.
He lifted me up, staring at me with a tenderness that made me sigh.
“I want more.” I straddled him, my intention clear.
He tensed for a brief moment, and I slid off him.
“Was it too much?” I stroked his chest, tracing my fingers over every sharp ridge.
“No.” Hands on my waist, he placed me back on his hips. “I want it too.” He ran his hands over my body, stroking, fondling, and driving me mad.
He rubbed me with his thumb, and I was trembling all over again.
I rolled my hips, searching for the right position to take him when the door was flung open, and Darius’s shout shocked my ears.
“Hell’s bells.” He turned around.
I screamed and covered myself.
Alex made a mess with the bedsheets, trying to hide me. “Bloody hell, mate. What happened to knocking?”
Darius glanced over his shoulder. “It died a quick, merciless death the moment Duchess Esmeralda came here.”
“What?” Alex and I said together.
He shielded his vision with a hand. “I suppose a mysterious fog with smoky snakes coming in and out of it must have attracted some attention. May I turn around? Talking to the vase is upsetting.”
Alex rubbed the bridge of his nose. “You can turn around.”
Darius smoothed down his perfectly ironed jacket, as crimson as his cheeks.
“Esmeralda has arrived with a delegation of fairies and is waiting to see you in the drawing room. Be quick, please. I don’t know how long I can entertain her while pretending the floating snakes are cute pets.
” He gave a pat to the vase before leaving the room.
The moment the door was closed, we leapt out of the bed and collected our clothes.
“What are we going to tell her?” I donned my drawers.
He buttoned his trousers, and there was something to be said for a half-naked Alex. “That we have everything under control. That’s what my father told me to say whenever a lady was angry with me.”
I tamed my hair into a chignon and did my best to press my wrinkled shirt. When we were both almost presentable, we left the bedroom.
A chill lingered in the air, and the snakes writhed and floated in the soaring ceiling, but they didn’t dare come close to us.
Golden light radiated from the door to the drawing room. Its warmth and brightness were a relief.
“This is unacceptable!” Esmeralda was sitting on the sofa, surrounded by other bright fairies.
Darius waved his hands, and the pot poured the tea into the cups on its own. “I quite agree, Your Grace.”
Carabosse was present as well, perched on an armchair and with a scrunched-up face.
“Ravenhill. There you are.” Esmeralda glowered.
“The situation is extremely serious. A rogue is at large, and Raven Hall is engulfed by a sickening fog producing snakes that destroy trees and flowers. What happened?” She whipped her head towards Darius as plates of biscuits and sandwiches came flying from the corridor.
“Mr. Strange, would you please stop wasting magic on menial tasks?”
Darius stiffened, and the plates froze midair. “This is no menial task, duchess. The servants are away, and the refreshments are on the other side of the corridor. I can’t possibly carry everything with my hands.” He popped a bonbon into his mouth.
Esmeralda narrowed her gaze. “Ravenhill, tell me everything.”
Cara clasped her hands in her lap.
Alex gave Esmeralda a bow, seemingly calm and composed. He had nothing of the man writhing and groaning between my thighs from a moment ago.
“The fog is my fault,” he said in a steady voice. “An experiment gone wrong.”
Cara stared at him with astonishment. “Ravenhill, what are you doing? You—”
He silenced her with a hand. “Worried about our safety, I asked Darius to conjure a powerful protective spell around the mansion, but I interfered with the spell, and that’s the result.
Rest assured, the servants are unharmed.
I asked them to leave for their safety, and we’re working on getting the situation back to normal. ”
“How?” Esmeralda sounded sceptical. Her aura, a magnificent display of golden and silver light, shrank a little.
“Well…” Alex raised an eyebrow at Darius. “We have everything under control.”
The mage cleared his throat. “A counter-spell. It’s all very complicated and technical. I won’t bother you with the details. Suffice it to say, I’m working on correcting the mistakes we made. Cheese and watercress sandwiches, anyone?” He lifted the plate and offered it around.
“What about the rogue?” Esmeralda refused Darius’s offer.
Alex remained unfathomable. “We have a plan. The rogue is after Rothbart, whom, coincidentally, we want to kill as well. Once the sorcerer is dead, the rogue will come to us.”
Something flickered in Esmeralda’s aura, but it was so quick I wasn’t sure what it was. “We still have to establish whether Rothbart is the same sorcerer who died during the Civil War.”
“Why it’s called civil is beyond me,” Darius said, sipping his tea. “There’s nothing more uncivil than war.”
I chuckled, but Esmeralda didn’t smile.
“What do you think, Carabosse?” she asked. “You were a wraith. You must have met Lord Rothbart. Do you think he’s alive?”
Cara straightened and gazed around like a student who had no idea how to answer her teacher’s question.
“Rothbart worked closely with the Wraith Duke, who was a necromancer, and Koschei was called ‘the deathless’ for a reason, well, until he died, of course. When his head was severed from his neck, he couldn’t—”
Darius cleared his throat loudly, shaking his head. Esmeralda recoiled, and the fairies gasped. Fairies hated violence and gore although they’d made an exception for the hunters—people who slayed supernatural beings.
Cara’s aura flashed with crimson embarrassment. “My point is that Rothbart was many things but not stupid. If there was a secret to exploit to cheat death, he would do it.”
Esmeralda remained frozen for a moment. “Fair point, but Rothbart was killed. I’m sure of that.”
Alex showed the first sign of anger as the corner of his mouth flattened. “He seems to be alive and well. Nevertheless, we’ll kill him and stop the rogue.”
She remained silent for a long time. Her aura was in hot turmoil. The mention of Rothbart had distressed her. “The Fair Court will be involved in the capture of the supposed Rothbart.”
Alex exchanged a glance with Darius. “With due respect, the fairies aren’t warriors. You didn’t take an active part in the Civil War. Koschei and the late Graves led the charge against the wraiths.”
She was flustered. “Well, yes, but I’ll send one of my trusted collaborators as a witness anyway. He’ll make sure no abuse of magic powers happens.”
A muscle in Alex’s jaw contracted. “We’ll share all the details with you as soon as we’re ready to intervene.”
Esmeralda rose. Her Prussian-green gown flowed down her legs, shimmering like a rough sea hit by sunlight. “Very well. And do something about this awful fog. It’s saddening. I’ve never felt so depressed in all my life, which is something.”
Darius stretched out an arm towards the corridor. “Let me accompany you to the door.”
“That won’t be necessary, but please, Mr. Strange, be more responsible with your use of magic.” She walked out of the drawing room, followed by her fairies.
The golden glow died down in the drawing room, and I had to admit I missed it. It’d kept the fog away.
The moment Darius closed the double doors behind her, we all talked together.
“Do you really want the fairies with us?” Darius was astonished if the orange glow in his aura was any indication. “They’ll object to everything we do. Their strategy will be to offer flowers to Rothbart and beg him to come out.”
“I couldn’t refuse,” Alex said.
“Why did you lie about me?” Cara’s tone sounded challenging.
“The duchess isn’t happy about the presence of a former wraith in my court. If I told her you created the fog, she would have asked for your exile. Besides, I started the whole situation.”
Cara’s composure cracked for a second. Her aura flashed ash-grey with confusion. “I don’t understand why you want to help me.”
Alex frowned. “And I don’t understand why you don’t understand.
It’s very simple. I take care of my courtiers.
And I do feel responsible for not having listened to Irene and Darius.
Also, I hope that what happened is going to make you think about your faults too.
I don’t mean to preach to you, but if we want the Dark Court to thrive, we must work together. ”
I was impressed, and so was Cara if the flash of colours in her aura was any indication.
She hung her head. “Certainly, this whole affair was a blow to my ego. But I’m more surprised by your kindness towards me…
” She lifted her head. “From all of you, than by anything else. I’m many things but not ungrateful.
I appreciate what you did for me. I owe you all my life.
” The muscles in her throat worked as she swallowed.
Dark blue sorrow glowed in her aura. “If you’ll excuse me. ”
She left the room, but I caught a glimpse of her tears.
Darius clicked his tongue. “Not even I could have performed such a spell.”
I took Alex’s hand. “I’m so proud of you.”
He gave me a shy smile that brimmed with love.