Chapter 146

Xander’s hands settled onto her shoulders, pushing the pink lacy gauze from her shoulders, she felt it skim her hips before it pooled at her feet.

He stepped closer, unwrapping the bloodied sheet from her neck, she expected to feel her blood rush down her breasts.

“See polýtima ángelé mou ( my precious angel)? My blood is strong, it healed your wounds.” His forefinger traced where the wound was just a half an hour earlier but his touching didn’t stop there, turning his palm he traced a slow path down her collarbone, over one breast then to its twin.

Ciara suppressed the shudder billowing in her core.

“What are you thinking Meli?” His hand cupped the side of her face. Closing her eyes she sagged her face into his hand, rubbing the side of her face gently in his palm. She refused to meet his gaze, he would read the lie there and that she couldn’t afford.

“Step into the bath.” His husky voice grated her ears.

She sagged into the rose scented water.

“Slow your heart rate, Meli. I wont hurt you. I have to apologise about hurting you earlier. I wasn’t thinking straight...”

“It’s ok.”

“Is that why you’re scared of me? If you don’t give me a reason, I will not hurt you…ever.”

She felt his hand dip into the water next to her hip. Grabbing hold of the sponge he squeezed letting the water cascade over her breasts.

“You’re beautiful Ciara...” his voice drifted off as the sponge plopped into the bath. The back of his hand brushed over a rosy nipple, dipping lower his hand stroked her ribcage...

Ciara sucked in her breath, how was she going to go through this without screaming the roof off?

“Is me touching you so bad Meli? It’s your birthday tomorrow, soon you will beg for my touch, you’ll crave it...”

“Xander...I’m not feeling well. I need to go to bed.”

He jumped to his feet, the snarl sizzling from his mouth jerked her pulse into her throat.

“My patience is running thin Ciara. Get out of the bath and get dressed before I do something I might regret.”

She waited for the slam of the door and the lock of the key before she slinked out of the bathroom.

~~

Jon cursed all the hounds of hell when he slammed the phone shut. Chimala hasn’t answered her phone. Did she go back on her word or was the woman not Ciara? What the hell should he do? Today was Ciara’s birthday and she needed him like never before!

“Jon! Sound check in five!”

“Yeah!” he dropped the phone on the table. After tonight he was going to look for her even if it kills him.

~~

Ciara groaned as she drifted back to consciousness. Was it her stiff muscles or something else that woke her up? The chair was really uncomfortable. The gasp on the bed answered the question for her.

“Chimala?” She knelt next to the bed. The curtains were drawn to keep the pesky sunlight from the pale body lying on the bed.

‘Ciara...” she held her hand towards her, Ciara took hold of the icy fingers, a foreboding rushing through her. “Xander is a dangerous vampire but I guess you know that by now. Don’t let him break your strong will, Jon will find you. He is not the type of guy that will let his girl go. You’re his girl...”, she gasped loudly, fighting for air.

“Shhh..you need your rest..”

Chimala placed the other cold hand on top of Ciara’s, a slight tug played on her lips.

“I have the whole of eternity to rest...I just want you to hang on to your love for Jon...keep him close, he will find you...and Ciara....happy birthday Sweetie.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks as she watched life seeped from the red haired vampire.

Ciara wasn’t sure how long she was sitting there but when Xander’s hand squeezed her shoulder she looked back at the grey skeleton on the bed. Gone was the beautiful woman with the feisty green eyes and firey red hair.

“She’s gone Meli.”

Ciara swung around, pounding his chest she screamed at him.

“It’s your fault! You killed her! You bastard! She didn’t do anything to you!”

He waited until she collapsed in an exhausted heap in his arms.

Stroking her curls, he soothed.

“It was no fault of my own, Agapeemenee. She invaded my home and made a fool out of me. We protect our mates till death. She overstepped the boundaries by disrespecting me, bringing you the blood of your previous mate. She paid for her indiscretion.”

“I’m not yours to protect! Im not your mate Xander...I ha...” she didn’t get any further, his mouth smothered the venomous words. Grabbing her wrist with one hand, he locked it behind her back, the other hand clamped at the back of her head, keeping her face upturned for his brutal kiss.

His eyes flickered dangerously as he stepped back, one wrist was still captured in his cruel touch.

“Happy birthday, Vasílissá mou (my Queen).”

There was a shuffle at the door.

“Master?”

“Xefortó̱sou ti̱n. (Get rid of her.)”

He flicked towards the corpse on the bed, turned and dragged Ciara behind him while the servants stared wide eyed.