Love Before Blood

Chapter 18

“I’ll be heading out early in the morning,” Azriel said to me as we were getting ready for bed. I had just slipped a black nightgown over my head.

“Just out of curiosity,” I said,” does this have something to do with what you mentioned yesterday?”

“Yes.”

“How long will you be gone?” I asked with a lot of concern in my voice.

“I don’t know, but it shouldn’t take more than a few days,” he said with a small smile.

I didn’t want to stay on the subject, knowing that I would only have the worst thoughts about the situation. I crawled under the cool sheets of the bed, and curled in on myself. I felt him crawl into the bed, his body warm behind me as he somehow wrapped his arms around me. “Are you worried that I won’t be able to come back to you?” he whispered into my ear.

“No,” I stammered as I felt heat slowly rising to my cheeks. “I’ve never seen it, but I’ve heard what you’re capable of.”

He went utterly still behind me. “However, just because I haven’t seen it yet, doesn’t mean that I don’t believe in you.”

“I promise I will come back as soon as it is over.”

I turned towards him and said,” I know it is selfish of me to ask this of you, but I want to be the first person you see when you arrive.”

“It’s not selfish at all,” he softly chuckled, his hot breath tickling my neck. “I will probably be looking for you before I even look for my parents.”

I stroke his face trying to remember every detail I felt with my hand. The idea of not seeing his beautiful face was like another nightmare for me. I have also realized that I haven't had any of those blood-like nightmares whenever we slept together. “What should I say at the meeting? I know everyone is going to be wondering where you are, especially the human, vampire, and werewolf officials.

“About that, my parents already have a plan, all you have to do is stick to it. And you can also just sit next to my mother, unless your mother is going.”

I shook my head as my hand started running through his soft, black hair. “My mother is not allowed, since she is only a concubine with no backing from the noble parties. After all, nobles would never support a former lady-in-waiting or any low-ranking maid. Her family were nobles, and they didn’t want anything to do with her or me after hearing about the affair and her pregnancy.”

I looked into his soft brown eyes, which looked like they were glowing golden. My eyes shifted down toward his lips. How long has it been since I last kissed him?

“If you want to kiss me, Avalon, you’re more than welcome to,” he said.

I immediately took that offer. I don’t know how horrible or good of a kisser I was, but I didn’t care. And it seemed like he didn’t care either. We were both hungry for each other. His lips were so soft and he was so muscular. His calloused hands found their way under my nightgown and began to wander everywhere on my body. I felt sparks wherever he touched and, wanting it to never end, I did everything I could to keep his hand all over me.

Azriel rolled over enough that I could be on top of him. We didn’t take the time to catch our breaths, we just continued kissing and letting our hands wander over each other. I slid a little bit down his body and flinched at the hardness I felt underneath the very clothes that were separating us. I broke the kiss in fear that we were going a little too far.

With the amount of romance novels I have read over the past few months, I already knew where that hardness was coming from. “We don’t need to do anything tonight,” he said in between breaths.

“Perhaps, when you come back,” I said in a tone I didn’t recognize.

Azriel reached up and stroked the side of my face. I leaned into his warmth. “That would only make me want to come back faster,” he said, his breathing slowing down a little bit more. His hand moved down to my shoulder, and in one swift motion, he was now on top of me, with my legs still straddling around his waist. “But for now, the taste of you will suffice.”

The tone of his voice sounded wild and territorial, and I liked it. I looked into his eyes and saw that his eyes were glowing a bright yellow. And there were no words for the bliss that came after.

I don’t know how he left without waking me up. The last thing I remembered last night was Azriel saying goodnight, and I snuggled into his arms.

For the first time, I met our council. The councilmen in the higher positions were vampires and werewolves. Before everyone else showed up, they were staring at me for a very long time. They didn’t even blink. When I decided to look at them, their eyes were glowing with bloodlust. I’ve never seen a vampire or werewolf in real life, but I’ve heard many horror stories about them.

Right on time, Queen Dia and King Storm walked in, and they immediately backed off. Both of them are wearing black with silver swirls. Although they didn’t dress to intimidate, the way they looked around was. “Good morning,” Queen Dia said warmly.

She gestured for me to sit next to her, and I followed without any hesitation.

Prince Peri and Grey came a little later, and they looked a little shocked to see me taking my place right next to their mother. Prince Grey took the seat between me and Prince Peri. I had mixed feelings about Prince Grey sitting next to me. The reaction, or the lack of, actually has made me weary of him, even though I have only seen him at the wedding.

I didn’t want to make eye contact or say anything out of turn, so I just stayed silent and sat still. When Queen Rosario and King Locke entered, everyone began discussing the treaty.

It took all of my energy to not fall asleep as they talked, but I seemed to understand the basics of it. Once the treaty was signed, everyone was dismissed. I immediately went into the garden to join my mother for some tea and snacks. My mother looked so happy looking at all of the rose bushes, and I don’t remember the last time she smiled like that.

The maid attending to my mother told her of my arrival. And she immediately started pouring the tea for me. “Mom, would you like to move with me to the Land of Drakes?” I asked.

“I don’t know how I feel about that,” she replied. “I have nothing to do here, and it would be the same over there.”

“Wasn’t it always your dream to start your own business? You could do that in Land of Drakes, with a fresh start. And I could help you whenever you need it.”

My mother chuckled at the thought. “Sweetie, I don’t think that would be a good idea. Besides, I’m sure those people who are business owners there have been running businesses way longer than I have. I mean no offense, but that would not be a good thing for your reputation.”

“I don’t care about reputation, Mother,” I said,” I only care about your happiness. Besides, we had just signed the treaty.”

“For trade, not for me to wholly step onto their lands to run my own business,” she sighed. I hated whenever she sighed. It’s almost like my world would die a little just hearing her do that. ”I don’t know, Sweetie. Maybe in a little while, okay? When the treaty has gone well.”

“Alright,” I said,” but promise me you won’t forget?”

She smiled again and said,” I promise, now why don’t we eat these biscuits that I’ve made.”

But before I could take a bite out of my biscuit, Queen Rosario and her ladies-in-waiting arrived.