Seeds of Sorrow (Immortal Realms Book 1)

Draven could see the surprise in her eyes as he agreed so readily to the idea of her changing the long-standing process by which they greeted and sorted arriving revenants. Was he that much of a disagreeable tyrant that she should assume he would say no? Perhaps he had not yet dispelled all the Lucem-fueled rumors that were whispered about him.

“Truly. Why should you not? You are the one most closely linked to the lives which they have just vacated. I have long since forgotten what it was like to walk alive in the sun.” Draven looked away as he saw something filter into Eden’s gaze. He did not wish to see pity there, if that was the emotion coming to her eyes.

“Thank you. I will take this task seriously, I vow it. And do you proud.”

Draven stood, deciding that what peace he was seeking in the steaming waters of his tub had now flitted away, and he might as well be about the rest of his day. Turning unabashedly toward Eden, he found her eyes locked on his water-slick form, a light in their depths that stirred the heat within his own body.

There was a blush spreading over her cheeks and down her throat. From across the room, he could hear the quickened pace of her heartbeat, and his own body responded, beginning to stir.

Draven heard Eden’s breath hitch, and without hesitation found himself saying, “You were training with the troops this morning . . . Did you have time to bathe?”

Eden swallowed. A question bloomed within her gaze. “No, not yet.”

Draven extended his hand out toward her. “Then come. Join me.”

The red in Eden’s cheeks deepened, but not from embarrassment, surely. Not when they’d been twined together in the lake, and close to so much more in her bed. Her eyes, which had risen to meet his gaze, dropped suddenly and landed on his member. Uncertainty flickered in her gaze, and as Draven waited, he wondered if he’d perhaps overstepped his boundaries.

Without a word, Eden lifted her gaze again. While there was an air of timidness about her, which Draven could only guess was due to her inexperience, there was also a glint of determination.

Draven watched as Eden quickly disrobed, an impressive act considering the layers Loriah had a habit of clothing her in. Each piece of fabric that was shed revealed another flash of pale, luminescent skin that intrigued and beguiled him.

“Come,” he said softly.

Eden crossed the floor without hesitation, her hand rising to slip into his own. He could feel the subtle tremble as his fingers closed around hers. Draven offered her a gentle squeeze, then helped her into the tub.

A surprised hiss escaped her as she stepped into the water to stand before him. “Oh, that feels good,” she murmured.

“Mmm . . . I like my water hot.” Draven lifted his hands to pull the pins from her hair, letting them drop to the floor. When her hair tumbled free, he fanned his fingers through the heavy length, watching as Eden’s eyes fluttered closed at his ministrations.

Draven leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her slightly parted lips, allowing his tongue to open them further. She tasted of honey and sunshine, the closest he would come to either ever again.

Eden, overcoming whatever hesitation she’d held before, leaned against his form, her hands resting against his waist. She murmured low in her throat, a sound of appreciation. Draven, encouraged by this, wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her more snuggly against him. His desire for her mounted, and he felt his hardening length press against her warm flesh.

He did not think there would be any stopping them this time.

Draven broke the kiss, peppering light ones over her cheeks and forehead. Eden sighed happily, her lids remaining shut. Draven smoothed a hand down the length of her back to curve around her buttocks, cupping the flesh lightly as he held her against him.

“Let’s get you washed, shall we?”

Eden’s eyes fluttered open, a soft smolder of desire in their depths. “I’d like that.”

Smiling gently, Draven edged back, and prompted her to sit down. Once she had settled in the water, he did so as well, his legs spread wide on either side of her. Eden sat facing him, her feet tucked beneath his thighs.

Reaching over the tub, Draven picked up the forgotten pitcher. Filling it with water, he leaned forward. “Tip your head back.”

Once Eden had obeyed, Draven carefully poured the bathwater over her beautiful red locks, his free hand protecting her eyes from the droplets. It required not only a second but a third pitcher to ensure that the thick tresses were thoroughly drenched. Eden’s eyes stayed on his features the entire time.

Setting aside the pitcher, Draven unstopped the vial filled with the fragrant soap he used for his own hair. He poured the liquid into his palm and set the vial aside. Gently, Draven began working the soap through Eden’s hair.

“You needn’t do this,” she whispered, her skin red from both the heat of the water and from whatever emotions coursed through her.

“I’ve denied you your lady’s maid. The least I can do is assist, is it not?” Draven said, a smirk lighting upon his lips.

“I suppose so,” she agreed. Smiling back at him, Eden then shut her eyes and leaned into the action, seeming to decide to enjoy the moment.

Once he had thoroughly washed her hair and offered a light massage to her scalp, Draven began to rinse the red tresses free of suds, the bathwater filling with bubbles. The fresh scent of lavender and mint was welcomed by his nose, along with the natural scent of Eden, flushed with life and desire before him.

“Thank you,” she whispered when he was finished.

“You are welcome.” Settling back against the end of the tub, Draven allowed his arms to rest on the rim.

Eden reached for the bar of soap that sat on the top of the tub, and wetting it, washed herself. Draven found his eyes following every dip and glide of her hand over the soft curves of her body. Each teasing brush of her fingertips over a sensitive area brought a growl, just to the surface without spilling out. He wanted his hands on her. His fingers teasing her flesh to a quivering mess beneath him.

When the bar of soap dipped below the surface of the water, Draven could no longer contain his growl, and their eyes locked in understanding. Eden was moving toward him at the same time as his hands shot out to grasp her about the waist and pull her into his lap, seating her properly atop him.

Draven was now fully hard, his length trapped beneath the spread of her thighs, aching to feel her wet heat accept him. He pulled her flush against his chest, claiming her mouth in a hungry kiss that stole away any chance for words, the glide of his tongue over hers tugging whimpers from Eden instead.

Drawing away from the kiss, Draven moved his lips along her jaw, and throat, nipping and suckling gently on the flesh so readily at his disposal. Eden’s head fell back, exposing the full length of it to his exploration. His hands dropped from her waist to her hips, angling her so that as he shifted his own, the breadth of his phallus pressed between her folds, finding the hidden pearl nestled there.

Rocking himself against her, Draven felt the shudder of pleasure that swept through Eden’s body and took delight in the gasp that escaped her lips. Draven, himself, groaned against her throat, the glide of her only increasing his own hunger to feel her properly envelope him.

Eden’s hands were in his hair, tugging against the short strands as they found purchase, her hips moving of their own accord, seeking the stimulation of his firmness. Draven moaned, his fangs dropping in response to his need; lust for body and blood wrapped so sweetly together.

“Draven . . .” Eden breathed his name on a sigh.

Hearing it, Draven pressed a hand to her lower back and arched her over the water so that his head could drop and claim a nipple between his lips. Eden made a sound of pleasure as he did so, which only fueled him. Allowing his tongue to glide over the hardening peak, his hand dropped below the water to the valley between her thighs.

His fingers found her clit, rolling over it, much to the delight of her body. The hungry press of her hips urged him to continue, and he did so gladly.

Trapping her nipple between his teeth lightly, he tormented it with the flick and swipe of his tongue, while his fingers rolled and pressed the little nub of pleasure between her thighs. Draven listened intently, as Eden’s breathing increased, her heart tripped erratically, and her body was left trembling and grinding into his touch.

When she was there, on the precipice, he ceased his actions, wringing a ragged wail of protest and frustration from Eden’s throat.

Her eyes opened for the first time in a while, head lifting as she looked at him questioningly. “Why?”

Draven’s only response was to claim her lips for himself once more. His hands swept beneath her thighs, crushing her against him so that he could hoist her up on his hips as he stood. Water streamed from them, leaving a puddle across the floor as he climbed from the tub and carried her to the door.

His lips did not leave hers as he carried her swiftly down the hall toward her chambers, a trail of water and chattering goblins left in their wake.

Eden’s arms wound around his neck, clinging to him as fiercely as did her legs.

Throwing open her bedchamber door, Draven carried her into the room and quickly slammed the door shut behind them with his foot. There would be no disrupting them this time.

With swift strides, Draven moved to her bed and laid Eden down along its length. He took but a moment to gaze on her flushed features: lips swollen, lids drooping, eyes begging for him to continue.

Settling himself between her thighs, Draven’s hands rested on either side of her shoulders, holding himself up. “You said that you wished to make use of the time we had.” His voice was husky, throat tight with desire.

“Yes. Please, Draven.”

He sealed her words with another kiss, moaning as her hands reached for him, exploring the breadth of his shoulders and down along his back.

Draven kissed back down her throat, making his way over her lightly freckled chest to tease between the valley of her breasts. Her warm scent flooded his senses, increasing his craving for not only the pleasure of her body but the taste of her blood. He wanted to consummate the bond between them. To not only have the light presence of Eden in the back of his mind but for her to feel the connection as well.

He kissed lower, over her slender torso, nipping teasingly at her navel before traveling farther. His own body shifted backward on the bed as lips brushed over the curve of one hip, then his fangs lightly grazed the other. Above him, Eden’s breath hitched, and when he looked up at her, he found her eyes on him.

“Y-you . . .” She swallowed, halting her words as she struggled to catch her breath. “Drink from me.”

Draven looked at her in shock. “What?” he whispered.

Eden’s hand rose to cup his cheek, the pad of her thumb parting his lips to scrape along the sharp tip of one fang. The action made him shudder, his eyes closing for a moment.

“I know they’re linked.” Even in her inexperience, she had come to understand this about him. That hunger and lust were one and the same for a vampire. “I trust you, Draven.”

He groaned at her words, a searing, glorious pain shooting through his heart as his hand grasped her wrist and he turned his head to kiss it. She had no idea what those words meant to him, coming from someone as pure as her.

“I’ll feel your pleasure if I do,” he explained, voice raspy with emotion. “It’ll connect us more greatly because you’ve already had my blood.” Draven looked into her eyes, making sure that even in the midst of her lust, she understood. “And should you drink more of mine, you would begin to feel my emotions.”

Eden nodded. “Drink from me. Please.”

“Thank you,” he said, rather than trying to explain exactly what this meant to him. But his eyes remained locked on hers, and he hoped that Eden could read it there within their depths.

Draven dipped his head then, nuzzling against her tender inner thigh. He released a harsh breath, his desire and hunger now an overwhelming presence inside him. His tongue scraped lightly over the vein there in her thigh, and with as much gentleness as he could muster, Draven bit lightly into her skin.

Eden’s breath hitched, an indrawn hiss of pain through her teeth, before the subtle venom of his bite spread pleasure through her form. Draven could tell when it flooded her, for she gasped a surprised, “Oh.” Her fingers sunk into his hair, pulling his lips more tightly against her.

Draven was in his own world of bliss as the first drops of Eden’s blood hit his tongue. It dazzled and sang along his taste buds, tasting like bright rays of sunlight and fresh spring flowers. Her blood was the essence of pure life, sparking memories of warmth and bliss. Draven groaned, his lips fastening onto her thigh as he drew a mouthful from her, losing himself, for just a moment, to the flavor of heaven washing over him.

It was intoxicating. Awakening every cell within his body, washing over him with pure energy. Draven felt as if he could fly, run from one end of Andhera to the other without stopping, and rut the night away.

He could not, however, allow himself to become carried away. And so, after that first delighted swallow, he swept his tongue over the wound, encouraging healing. Licking at his lips, Draven nuzzled against the mound between her thighs.

“By the moon . . . you are delicious,” he rasped, and then his tongue swept between her folds with another moan of pleasure.

Eden’s knees drew up a fraction as Draven began a gentle assault on the little bead of pleasure between her thighs. His tongue lapped over it, encouraged by the gasps of delight issued from Eden with mounting frequency.

Draven lifted his eyes to watch her as he sunk two fingers into her silken depths, feeling her body instinctively tighten around him. He groaned, delighting in the heated wetness he found there. She was so very ready for him.

With a gentle coaxing, Draven’s fingers stroked Eden, pulling further moans from her mouth. Each one he received only increased his own desire and spurred on his actions.

Nipping the bud between his lips, Draven growled in appreciation as Eden’s hips rocked against his mouth in response, her fingers tightening on the bedding. Soft whimpers of pleasure slipped from her, and Draven felt himself desperate to hear her cries of completion once more. To taste her as she released.

His fingers pulled from her so that his tongue could replace them, his thumb rolling over her clit instead. Eden’s response was instant, her hips arching more desperately into him. Draven’s thumb rolled in quick pulses over the bead, and when her cries rang out, his tongue was there to tease the last of her pleasure out of her.

When he lifted his head, Eden had an arm over her eyes, soft pants issuing from her chest. Draven kissed his way back up her body, settling his hips between her thighs once his lips found hers again.

“That was . . . that was . . . ” Eden sought for words.

“Just the beginning,” Draven responded, and silenced any further discussion with a hungry kiss, letting her know he had not yet had his fill of her.