ICARUS
   © Sherri L King, 2002 
   Chapter One
    
   Morrigan Mederos looked at the large manor house beyond the gate. After several quiet moments she inched the vehicle forward and tried to still the racing of her heart. A strange and niggling fear was prevalent in her mind and heart as she surveyed her surroundings. The house looked like a mausoleum—dark and brooding under its heavy canopy of rowan and oak trees. The atmosphere of the place sent shivers of apprehension down her spine.
   But this was to be her home now, she reminded herself. This large monument of brick, stone, and mortar was to be her haven. As far away from the bustling stress of her former New York lifestyle as she could manage. She’d taken this last step of leaving her public life as a poet and songwriter behind her. Now was not the time to let her fears ruin whatever happiness she might find here.
   There was no turning back now.
   Her new home was nestled in Scotland, far from the incessant demands of her fans and colleagues. Far enough, too, from the dreams that had begun to rob her of her rest…and of her sanity. Although this land was an alien and forbidding one, it held the hope of succor during the storm her life had become.
   It was cold. Morrigan tried to shake the invading chill from her bones but knew it was an effort in futility. The cool September air of Meigle, moist and chilling, could not be warded off with a mere shiver. This land, in the beautiful Valley of Strathmore, was ever damp and chilly this time of year.
   The house was nestled on a plot of land on the outskirts of the village of Meigle—the oldest village in Scotland. It had existed well before the time of Christ. The ancient Picts had lived and worshipped here; their sacred standing stones even now resided in a local museum. King Arthur’s stone, as well as the Macbeth stone, resided in their eternal resting places nearby. This was an ancient and mystical place, perfectly suited for her artist’s temperament.
   It was a magical land.
   Deep in her soul she felt sure that this place could bring her the peace and happiness she sought. A peace from the days spent feeling lonely amidst an ever-growing crowd of people. From the faceless mass of people who wanted nothing from her but what her gifts and talents could bring to them. 
   In recent years she’d forgotten all happiness. She hoped this move would inspire it again. In the years she’d spent climbing to the top of the entertainment industry, she’d forgotten what true joy was. Her life had become an endless drive for critical acclaim. It was something she’d never wanted—not really. 
   She was ready to start anew.
   With sudden hope welling inside of her heart she pulled into the courtyard of her new manor home. All apprehension was brushed aside and forgotten. Coming to an abrupt stop in front of the great oak door of the house, she cut the engine of her car and sighed. Several days before, her moving crew had arrived with what personal belongings she’d decided to keep when she’d moved out of her cold and sterile penthouse. She was more than eager to unpack and looked forward to surrounding herself with familiar comforts.
   For weeks she’d toured the local countryside and acquainted herself with the population and culture of her newly adopted home. Now she was tired of her travels. In fact, it felt to her at times that she’d been traveling all her life—searching for this place from the very beginning.
   Since the decision to move had been made, she’d felt cut adrift, and without purpose. Her busy life had never allowed her much time for relaxation. But now that she had all the time she’d ever need she found herself at a loss. What new direction would her life take now? Were her instincts correct in leading her to believe that something…monumental, lie in wait for her just over the horizon?
   Morrigan was uncertain what the future held for her—but she was more than ready to find out.
   As she stepped out of the car, the cold wind cut into her like a blade. Under her whipping black cloak, her waist-length copper hair was tamed into a fat braid along her back. Her long legs, lush figure, and exotic elfin features had made her an easily recognizable personality among showbiz’s elite. But she wouldn’t have much use for her assets here in her new world. She needed to blend in, not stand out, she thought with a smile.
   Her charcoal gray pantsuit looked expensive and chic, and her matching Italian leather half boots barely made a sound as she walked across the cobblestones. She approached the front door with weak knees. Wind whistling about her, the scent of approaching rain heady in her nostrils, she reached for the iron handle.
   Holding her breath she opened the door of her new home with slow, cautious movements. Risking a peek she looked into the dim foyer beyond and sighed in relief. She smiled and laughed a little to herself at her own foolish behavior. The interior looked the same as it had in the realtor’s pictures. It was full of warm cheer and cozy welcome—all the feelings she associated with a good home.
   It had been an impulsive thing—to buy this house sight unseen but for the realtor’s Polaroids. But she’d been obsessed with it from the first. The realtor’s description had stated that the home and land were situated in Scotland, near various lochs and waterways. A heady compulsion had taken her, driving her to stop at nothing in order to possess the property.
   Shoes softly padding on the floor, she looked through each room of the house. Falling in love with it was easy. It was wonderful, complete with cathedral ceilings, high windows and spacious rooms. Her bedroom housed a lovely king-sized bed canopied by large falls of white gauze and satin. It was her favorite room. Walking to the French doors on the far side of the chamber, she opened them and stepped onto the balcony that lay beyond.
   Dark green rowan branches lay close to the balustrade, giving the balcony a private and enclosed feeling. Morrigan breathed deeply of the crisp, cool air, savoring the surrounding silence. The calm of her new home began to seep into her world-weary bones. It grounded her and made her feel as though she was finally an accepted part of her surroundings.
   With a serenity that had been a stranger to her in recent years, she turned back inside and made ready to unpack. Night was approaching. Hopefully she would have no dreams.
   
   * * * * * 
   Sleep enclosed her like the darkness of a tomb, and the dream came upon her once again. The realism of it consumed her utterly, and she forgot that the dreams weren’t real. Forgot to remember that in her new environment—supposedly free of worries—she was no longer supposed to have these dreams.
   Her therapist had told her the dreams were just byproducts of her stressful lifestyle—that they were fantasies produced by an overworked imagination. But when the dreams conquered her sleeping mind, all rational thought was forgotten. She knew only the reality of what her dreaming mind showed her.
   Running through the dark forest in the night, her virginal white nightgown flew behind her on the wind. Her hair lay unbound along her back and shoulders, the darkness making the copper waves appear as blood spilling over her. Her heart hammered in her breast. Her eyes and cheeks burned from the cruel bite of the wind.
   Still she ran on, ever onward into the black heart of the forest. 
   Hands outstretched in front of her to keep grasping branches from scratching and ensnaring her, she barely noticed how far she fled. Her feet were bare below the fall of the gown, but she didn’t even feel the ground beneath them. In the endless dark her eyes searched frantically. For something. For someone whom she dare not name lest she doubt her very sanity.
   She searched for him. 
   At last, she came upon the dark smooth mirror of a placid loch. Her feet came to a stumbling halt at the shoreline. The water felt cold as it lapped gently at her exposed toes, and she waited there with bated breath. Clouds of mist puffed from her quivering mouth. The heavy silence went on unbroken. 
   She tried to swallow the lump of fear and anticipation in her throat, but found her mouth was far too dry. Suddenly, there before her, a ripple broke the calm of the water’s surface. It was followed by another, and another, until the water splashed against her ankles from the force of the waves. 
   Morrigan gasped and bit her lip, fighting against the urge to flee as a dark head emerged from the heart of the loch. It was followed by the pale and heavily muscled form of a nude man. The man stepped over the water. His feet walked across its surface with barely a ripple as they passed. A small, mysterious smile played about his erotically sculpted lips. The sight sent her heart racing, though with fear or anticipation she couldn’t say. 
   His onyx hair was dry and lay in soft waving curls down his back to his buttocks. Though he’d come from the water, he was completely dry, as if by magic. Standing at six and a half feet in height, he towered over her. His strongly muscled yet graceful body crowded her the closer he came. 
   His skin shone silver in the moonlight, and the only color he seemed to possess blazed from his eyes. His eyes were a deep purple, an impossibly inhuman shade. They burned her from beneath his sinfully heavy lashes, marking her with a possession that was impossible to deny. 
   Morrigan felt a thrill of fear race through her heart, and she turned to flee. With a shock, she discovered that her legs refused to budge. At last the man came to stand before her, and her eyes could not break away from his. His long, beautiful fingers reached for her and she tried to protest but no sound issued forth from her parted lips. 
   The man smiled and traced her cheeks with the tips of his cool fingers. He slowly moved his head down to her, until they were separated only by the space of their breaths. His burning eyes roved over her face with an unconcealed hunger. She was unable to meet the dark passions emanating from his gaze, and she closed her eyes in self-defense. 
   Like the gentle touch of a feather, she felt his thumbs caress her lowered lashes, and they flew open once more. The man closed his eyes, and leaned closer to her, his nostrils flaring as he breathed deeply of her scent. His movements were inhuman, far too full of grace and suppressed power. 
   His head moved about in a circular motion, as if he were rolling it about in the cloud of her scent. She wondered what he smelled upon her for she was wearing no perfume. Once again his dazzling eyes opened, and he caught her gaze for a long moment. The only sound that broke the silence was the haunting rhythm of her erratic heartbeats. 
   “It is you. At last you have come,” he said, and his voice played out like an echo in the night. His accent was lyrical, like a sweet melody that was familiar to her though she could not place it. When his words faded into the darkness, he smiled, and his eyes glowed brighter than ever before. A possessive look filled his face before his features fell into a mask of wicked anticipation. 
   Over his bowed head she caught sight of the translucent wings that sprouted from his back. They were thin and membranous, and hung folded quietly behind him like the fins of a giant fish. Though they were a frightening testament to the man’s inhumanity, they were nonetheless eerily beautiful, like an iridescent rainbow awash down his spine. 
   He was breathtaking. 
   Morrigan could not find her voice, nor could she turn from him. She stayed frozen in place, looking at the most beautiful man she’d ever seen, dreading what he might do next. 
   His hands strayed down her cheeks to her chin, which he tilted upwards, arching her neck until her flowing hair fell well below her buttocks. She closed her eyes to better savor his touch, and his hands strayed lower, across her shoulder and arms until he held her hands in his own. His silken hair brushed across her face as he leaned closer and pressed a cool kiss to her closed eyes. 
   Slowly, his lips warmed against her—borrowing her warmth. They traveled down over her cheeks and nose—as soft as the brush of a butterfly’s wings. His breath was hot and fanned out over her face like a physical caress. Goose pimples broke out over her skin. His lips pressed to hers, softly and then more firmly as she gave no protest. The kiss deepened, and she felt a tiny pain. The sweet coppery taste of blood filled her mouth…and his. 
   Her eyes flew open in a panic. She began to struggle as his tongue lapped hungrily at the blood that welled from the cut in her lip. A ravenous look of hunger and rapture played across his face. His velvet tongue laved over the small wound before he drew her lip into his mouth—suckling and milking the blood from her with devouring kisses. An overwhelming fear took hold of her, and she at last found the strength to move. 
   Panicked and shoving against him, she twisted her head away, fighting his kiss when he followed. She felt as though she were awakening from a sorcerer’s spell. She fought against the urge to cry out, but her struggles went unnoticed by her captor. His strength was overwhelmingly superior to hers. She moaned in a panic against his now burning lips. 
   He continued to feed on her mouth. 
   The man took a firmer hold on her hands as she continued to struggle, locking her arms to her side. Slowly, reluctantly, he pulled away from her lips. His erotic mouth was swollen and stained crimson from her blood. Though the sight should have sickened her, it served to arouse her instead. He seemed suddenly more beautiful and frightening than ever before, and it drew her for reasons she couldn’t understand. 
   Handsome wasn’t a powerful enough word to describe how she saw him now. He was too dangerous, too sinful to be labeled beautiful—though he was that too. The situation was more than dangerous. Morrigan recognized this, but perversely she now wanted not to flee but to draw him closer. She wanted to lose herself within him like a moth to a flame, no matter the cost to her sanity. 
   Sensing her near surrender, the man raised her hands to his lips to press a fervent kiss to her palm. Watching him as closely as she was, Morrigan saw the brilliant flash of his fangs before his lips were buried in her hand. Fright overtook her once more. She almost fainted from the sight. A broken cry escaped her lips like the coo of a dove, and she renewed her struggles to escape him. 
   Her captor wasn’t fazed by her struggles, nor did his hold on her weaken. Her temper slowly flared to life to couple with her fear. She hated feeling so helpless. He didn’t even grunt when she landed a kick to his shin. 
   The combination of her arousal, anger and fear only served to excite him further, which was plain to see as her eyes strayed to his heavy erection. She panted with the force of her efforts, and soon he panted with her but for different reasons. 
   The man moved his head in a reptilian way, swift and graceful, and his mouth worked as if savoring the last flavors of her blood on his tongue. “I have tasted you now, beauty. We shall never again be apart.” His breathing was harsh and his nostrils flared. 
   The look of dark, raw possession that blazed from his inhuman eyes seared through her, branding her as his. A second later she fell into the darkness that came and swallowed her up like the cold maw of a grave. 
   Morrigan shot upright in her bed. 
   Her rapid breaths ravaged her lungs. Her heart thundered in her chest. With shaking hands she turned on the bedside lamp and cast her panicked gaze about the room. Foolish as it sounded she was searching for monsters hidden in the shadows. Her fear in the dream had left a lingering, bitter taste in her mouth. She moaned brokenly as she buried her face into her hands.
   After a few deep, calming breaths, she laughed shakily. In her mind she knew the dreams weren’t real and that her fears were foolish, but her heart was still thundering in her chest. She rose from the bed and padded across the thick rugs covering the cold floor, heading to the bathroom for a drink of water. 
   Fingers fumbling and clumsy, she turned on the light and approached the sink. Catching sight of herself in the vanity she cried out in shock.
   Chapter Two 
   Jewel green eyes stared back from her reflection, dark and haunted with all they had seen. Her usually peaches and cream complexion was pale and translucent in the harsh light. Wild tangled waves made a halo of her hair, which had escaped the tight braid she always wore to bed. 
   She hastily splashed water against her face. Making a cup of her hands she drank greedily, washing away the coppery taste of fear and blood from her dream. Her hands brushed against her lower lip and she winced in pain. Suddenly she fell still and after a few frantic heartbeats she slowly lowered her hands away from her face.
   Her eyes were wide with shock. The look within them approached terror as she studied the inner lining of her lip. Seeing as well as feeling the small cut there, she let loose a high-pitched giggle. The cut was fresh though the bleeding had stopped. For a split second she feared that her dream was real before she laughed again and pushed the thought desperately away. 
   She wasn’t crazy. The dreams, though realistic, were not real. The wound on her lip had likely occurred from biting her lip in her sleep while tossing and turning in the sheets. The memories of her dream, while frightening and consuming, should be forgotten upon waking.
   Clinging to her mantra, she crawled back into bed. Snuggling down into the covers with near desperation, she shuddered from the cold of the night. It was almost an hour before she went back to sleep. She left the light on.
   
   * * * * * 
   Morning arrived, and the rising sun greeted Morrigan as she stood on her balcony. The crisp dawn air made her skin clammy. Sipping on her steaming mug of coffee, she stared dazedly off into the distance. Her last hours of sleep had been restless ones, consumed by yet another dream. If something didn’t change soon she was going to break down completely.
   She was so tired. 
   This last dream had been so real—so much more than a nightmare. It had consumed her utterly, staying with her long after she’d left her bed and sleep behind. This last dream had taken place—not in the woods as so many had in the past—but in the dining room of her new house.
   The man had been seated at the long table in her dining room, eating red berries from a bowl. Their crimson juices stained his mouth, just as her blood had in her earlier dream. His iridescent wings lay like a cape behind the back of his chair. Purple eyes blazed beneath the sweeping, wavy locks of his black hair, looking at her steadily as she stood there in a scarlet velvet gown that fell to the floor. 
   Even in her dreams she had excellent taste in clothing.
   Obeying some unspoken command she walked forward, closer to where her dream man sat waiting. The heavy gown’s long train dragged at her, holding her back like a desperate hand. But as much as she wanted to run, she was compelled to move closer. The man’s lips twisted with a small, dark smile, as if he knew her dilemma.
   He was completely nude, as always. Even struggling as she was against the sensual lure, she was forced to admit how erotic and perfect a male specimen he was. Sexy and dangerous, he lorded over the dining room like a king. Power and control oozed from his every pore, making her feel like a hag in his presence.
   He offered her one of the strangely shaped berries with a graceful flourish. “Taste of their nectar, my beauty,” he said in his haunting, lyrical voice. Rain pelted against the high paned windows, saturating the air with the scent of ozone and ocean. Bright flashes from occasional streaks of lightning illuminated his pale skin so that it was awash in a silver brilliance that blinded her.
   Morrigan felt the overwhelming compulsion that accompanied his command. The last steps that brought her to his side were faltering ones, but she could not resist his powerful lure. With shaking hands she reached out to take the fruit from his strong fingers.
   He pulled back from her and shook his head slightly. With the small movement his dark curls brushed over his wings and they stirred slightly. Offering the fruit once more, his eyes blazed at her with a wicked promise. “Feed from my hand, or not at all,” he commanded. His voice echoed around the room and in the darkest corners of her mind.
   What choice did she have but to obey such a forceful command? She was weary of fighting his pull on her—his will was so much stronger than her own. The fruit certainly looked inviting, and she was very hungry.
   Dipping from the waist in an almost formal gesture, she sank her teeth into the succulent flesh of the berry. Her lips brushed his fingers with an electric jolt. Her vision dimmed and swam drunkenly. The world tilted, taking her with it.
   How much time passed, she didn’t know, but she came to with a dreamy reluctance. She was sitting on his lap, and as he held her steady with one hand she drank greedily from the other as he held it to her lips. Scarlet liquid pooled in her mouth as she drew upon a wound in his wrist. Visions assailed her. Sights of unimaginable wonder flooded her mind as she swallowed each heady draught.
   Her mouth was full of the spicy sweet flavor of his blood, and she drew deeply from him once more before at last coming to her full senses. In desperation she wrenched her body from his embrace, trembling and shaking as she fell to the floor. 
   A wild and tangy bouquet rested on her tongue. This last mouthful of his blood was sweet, rich, and intoxicating. Resisting the urge to swallow the potent elixir, she made to spit it out upon the floor.
   The man moved with a speed she couldn’t follow with her eyes. One moment he sat calmly, the next he crouched before her. His hand laid over her mouth, gentle but immovable, preventing her from expelling his blood. Eyes wild, she struggled to pull away, but he was far too strong and held her firm.
   “No, my beauty, swallow it down. Swallow every last drop and drink it deep. This is my essence—it will bond me to you—and you will not spit it out.”
   Morrigan shook her head against his hand. The blood burned yet tasted sweet in her mouth. His hand held her firm, and the look in his eyes effectively stilled her protests. With a sudden movement he brought her body flush against his. 
   His naked flesh seared her through the dress. He laid her back with a swift movement, and rested atop her. In this new position her struggles disappeared except for the refusal to swallow his blood.
   The delicious feel of his weight anchored her. The other hand that held her rose to close his fingers gently around her nostrils, cutting off her air supply. Moments passed as their wills battled, purple eyes boring into hers. Her vision swam and she began to see spots. When she thrashed against him he merely settled between her legs, giving her proof of how her struggles only served to excite him in the evidence of his erection.
   It was inevitable, with no air to breathe, that she would swallow his blood in a reflexive action. Immediately he allowed her the use of her lungs once more. He tenderly trailed a hand through her hair. His body snuggled down upon her, and he burrowed his lips against her throat in a heated kiss that let her feel the sharp press of his fangs…
   The dream had ended, and Morrigan had once more bolted upright in her bed. Outside her bedroom terrace, a gentle rain beat against the house, and her mouth had been filled with the wild flavor of the dream. She’d bitten her lip again, staining her teeth a crimson she’d immediately brushed away.
   She’d been far too frightened to go back to sleep, preferring instead to wait for dawn with the aide of caffeine. Feeling lost and lonely and deeply frightened of the increasing frequency of her dreams, she’d called a friend in New York. Leaving a message on her answering machine when there was no reply, Morrigan sat back and brooded.
   The sun was high when the phone rang shrilly, breaking the quiet and making Morrigan jump. She raced to reach the phone on her bedside table, heart racing.
   “Hello?”
   “Are you alright, hon? I just got your message—long night out, ya know?”
   “Oh Veronica, I’m so glad to hear your voice. I’m fine now that you’ve called. How’s Ronnie the Actor working out?”
   “Girl, you’re a week behind the times. I’m with Navarre the Designer now. Are you sure you’re all right? You sound odd.”
   “I’m just tired. Traveling has me lagging,” she laughed, and even to her own ears it sounded a little crazy.
   “Sounds like more than the traveling—you sound terrible. No offense, doll, but it’s true.”
   “Well, you know, I’m just having trouble sleeping with all these changes—“
   “You’re not still having those damn nightmares are you? I told you moving and leaving your life behind wouldn’t change that. You just need some strong meds, a weeklong Caribbean cruise, and a lover with lots of stamina.”
   “I don’t want to end up dependent on drugs and sex like half of the people I know.”
   “Like me, you mean,” Veronica’s voice was flat.
   “No! It’s—that’s not what I meant,” she sighed. “It’s just that I want to get through this problem without causing a bunch of other ones. I needed this change, Veronica. I wish you would understand that.”
   “Oh, I understand you felt trapped here. I understand you felt that fame was just too much for you. But Scotland? When you said you wanted to move closer to the water I thought maybe you meant Florida or California—someplace warm and happy. But just look at you—you picked someplace cold and the water there is black and icky, not blue.”
   “I think I’ll like it here. The land is wild and inspiring—just the right place for a poet.”
   “You left all that behind, remember?”
   “I’ll always be a poet, Veronica. Poetry’s in my blood. I just won’t write for money so much as pleasure now.” She smiled at the thought.
   “I think you’re crazy to give up the showbiz life. You can never have too much money, and if you enjoy writing why not get paid for it? You know what I think? I think you’ll be back here in six months—you’re too smart to leave the fame and glory behind you like this.”
   “Well I certainly hope you’re wrong. I’m ready to settle down and live my life for myself. I have more than enough money to live in the lap of luxury until my old age—longer if I’m careful. I never wanted fame and the stress of a high-profile life. I think I’ll be happy here.”
   “Well you certainly seem to have found just as much stress there as you did here. Look at you, in less than three months you’ve moved to a different country, retired from the music biz, and separated yourself from all your friends. But all that did was give you a new environment to worry in—and a lonelier one at that. 
   “You need to come back home, where the surroundings and people are familiar. Your insomnia and nightmares and all that will go away in no time, and then you can get back to business as usual.”
   Had she really thought anyone would understand or sympathize? Now, hearing all the same worn out lectures coming from the mouth of her closest friend, she wasn’t sure why she’d even bothered calling in the first place. She would conquer these nightmares herself and be the stronger for it, it was that simple. It had to be.
   Veronica’s words were still streaming in her ear. “I don’t even know why you’re so freaked out about these dreams in the first place. You can bet that if I dreamed of some drop-dead gorgeous hunk like your dream guy, I’d be all over him like white on rice. The next time you dream of him you should just jump his bones and get it over with. I bet that will turn those dreams from nightmares into fantasies in a heartbeat. Before long you’ll be looking forward to them.”
   “You don’t understand, Veronica. These dreams aren’t like that—this man isn’t like that. He’s dangerous and the things that happen in the dreams are dangerous. When they’re going on all I can think to do is run away.”
   “It’s just a Freudian thing. What does he do? He lives by the water and you run to him. These are probably just mental projections of your insecurities or whatever—I’m sure your therapist went over it with you.”
   “But they’re different now. He’s a vampire now, or…or something. Complete with fangs and wings and hungry appetites. I know it’s screwy but these dreams seem so real I feel like I’ve lost touch with reality every time I wake up.”
   “Then maybe I was more right than you know about needing a young stud. Sounds to me like you’re just horny—and that his fangs represent a penis and his wings represent you spreading your legs and ‘taking flight,’ so to speak.”
   Morrigan laughed despite herself. “That’s the most retarded thing I’ve ever heard you say. I think his erection in every dream represents a penis and the rest are just a bunch of nightmare visions because I’m still suffering from all the same worries.”
   “Listen, girlfriend. I know it may not seem like it, but I just want you to be happy. I can’t understand how you’ll find happiness out there in that cold, craggy country, but I hope that you do. I’ll never understand how you could just walk away from the high-life but I’ll try not to judge you too harshly.”
   “I appreciate that, Veronica, I really do. If it’s any consolation, this wasn’t an easy thing for me to do. But it had to be done or I would have just lost it completely. I couldn’t live in the spotlight any longer. I felt like a specimen under a microscope. It wasn’t healthy for me.”
   “Just remember that if you want to come back, don’t let your pride keep you from it. You’ll always have a place here.”
   Morrigan wondered if Veronica would say the same in six months. The entertainment industry had a very short attention span…it was something she was especially counting on with this move. She’d just never given much thought about how many friends she would lose along the way.
   “Thanks, Veronica. I’ll keep all that in mind, I promise.”
   The two women said their goodbyes. Morrigan knew that it would probably be the last goodbye between them.
   Chapter Three 
   Later that same afternoon as Morrigan finished with the last of her unpacking, she was suddenly consumed with the urge to walk the grounds of her new property. She donned her best hiking boots, rattiest jeans and sweatshirt, before heading out the back door. As she walked through the back yard her copper braid glinted in the sunlight.
   Despite the cool weather, she soon warmed up from her exertions. Her footsteps carried her beyond the yard into the wooded forest beyond. A tiny animal pathway led her deeper into the sheltering trees, though she was careful to keep her home within sight. As unfamiliar as she was with the terrain, she didn’t want to risk getting lost in the dense thicket of trees.
   After several moments of walking, she felt sealed off from the outside world completely. Here the forest coverage had thickened, shielding her from the sunshine. Twilight shadows played all about. It was cooler here away from the sun, and she shivered. 
   The singsong of wild birds and the rustle of ground dwelling animals faded slowly into silence. The only sound that broke through the wood was the muffled footfalls of her feet as she trudged through the underbrush.
   Morrigan looked around at the trees and shrubberies, breathing deeply of the crisp forest air. For the first time in months she began to feel a real sense of calm and peace overtake her. She’d made the right choice in moving here, she decided with a tiny smile. Despite everyone’s warnings to the contrary her coming here was exactly what she needed.
   If ever there was a place to rediscover herself, this was it.
   Whether or not this place would become her true home remained to be seen. But deep down she knew this was the right place at the right time for…whatever it was she was seeking. After only two short days she felt more at ease—happier—than she’d ever felt in her native New York. Whatever compulsion had driven her to come to this foreign land, she was glad of it. She was glad to be here.
   Spotting a moss-covered log, she sat and surveyed her surroundings with an appreciative eye. It was dark here in the heart of the forest, twilight-blue and soothing. A few stray shards of sunlight cut through the thick overhead canopy to reach the woodland floor. It lent a fairy tale quality to the land.
   Morrigan could almost imagine tiny fairies and gnomes traveling through the wood and she chuckled. Surely in all the world this was a place of magic and wonder. It was the perfect place for a creative soul to thrive and prosper. 
   Smells of growing things, rich soils, and moist bark assailed her nostrils, along with the tangy ozone smell of crisp flowing water. Looking around she could see no sign of a stream or loch, though there was probably one very close by. Idly she wondered how far she had strayed from the house, realizing just how long it had been since she’d lost visibility of the backyard.
   Suddenly she grew tense. Nervous now, she hastily made to rise from her perch upon the fallen log.
   Strong, cool hands clamped firmly onto her shoulders. The smell of rain and rushing water was stronger now. Silky, midnight black curls fell over her shoulders as the man behind her leaned down to whisper in her ear. 
   “Don’t go just yet.”
   Morrigan let loose a strangled cry and tried to rise from the log once more. To her dismay the man would not release his hold on her. She was forced to stay seated, and though he was strong enough to hold her still, he was gentle and did not bruise her. 
   Her heart shuddered in her breast and her lips quivered with a giddy fear. “God, I’m going crazy. I’m going crazy,” she rasped. Her harsh breathing seemed to boom in the thick silence around them.
   “Shh, no my beauty, never think so. Try to calm yourself. I can taste your fear and smell it on the wind. I do not wish for you to fear me. Never that.”
   Morrigan wasn’t listening to his words, but the tone of his voice soothed her as nothing else could. His dulcet tones echoed in her mind, sending a deep thrum of calm washing through her body. Soon her heart rate slowed until it was almost normal, and her panicked breaths eased their cadence as she calmed.
   A dreamy languor overtook her, and she involuntarily leaned back against him. Her head fell to the side, resting against his arm at her shoulder. Several moments passed in silence, her eyes lazy and hooded as she came close to dozing off.
   Without breaking contact with her reclining back, the man moved lower to crouch behind her. Her head fell back further to rest upon his shoulder, exposing her neck fully to him. The cool touch of his lips upon her throat didn’t even shock her, she was so completely at ease. Like the softest whispering caress he pressed a kiss against the beat of her pulse, darting his tongue out to taste her.
   Licking and laving her there, his tongue seemed so much hotter than his lips. He seemed to brand her. He growled softly, pressing more firmly against her, letting her feel the points of his teeth. Whatever dark enchantment held her quiet wavered for a moment and she felt a frisson of her earlier fear creep back.
   “Please don’t,” she managed.
   “But I must, beauty. The memory of the taste—the feel and smell of you—has haunted me. The spice and sweetness of you lingers upon my senses. I must taste of you again. No mere memory can last me long enough to sustain my hunger for you.”
   “Don’t,” she choked out as he dipped his head to press another hot kiss against her pulse.
   His words were muffled against her flesh. “Don’t fight this. Feel only the pleasure of it—the rightness of it.” The power of his musical voice ensorcelled her once more. Thankfully it eased the panic that tried to overtake her.
   As he licked her again, a long wet trail along her neck, she felt his teeth trace lightly over her flesh once more. This time she didn’t fear it. Instead, a wave of lust so raw and strong swept through her making her gasp. Heat pooled low in her belly, making her weak against him. A quiet, breathy moan escaped her lips, and she arched her neck more fully to his kiss.
   “Yes,” he breathed. “You feel the heat and strength of our bond, don’t you? I can smell your arousal. It’s such a delicious perfume.” His hands tightened on her convulsively. 
   “You make me want you so much.” He murmured something else, something dark and erotic sounding but she couldn’t make out the words.
   His hands moved down from her shoulders to cup her breasts lovingly, kneading them until they felt swollen and achy. Thumbs teased her nipples to excited points through the thick cotton of her sweatshirt. He rolled her nipples between his thumb and forefingers, the friction of his movements setting her body aflame with awakened desire. 
   Panting softly, she arched her back wantonly, sending her breasts more firmly into his skilled and knowing hands. Her thighs parted of their own accord and immediately his hand cupped the intimate flesh between them. He rubbed her there, putting exquisite pressure upon her swollen clit through the fabric of her jeans and causing her to tremble with need.
   The heated kisses at her neck were demanding and she felt his mouth open wide against her. He sank his fangs deeply into the pulsing vein at her neck, growling low in his throat. There was no pain, only a huge wave of pleasure that threatened to drown her in its intensity. She was thrust straight into the arms of a violent orgasm.
   In the back of her dazed mind she was stunned at her reaction to him. He was drinking her blood and she was reveling in it like a wanton. Exquisite claws of ecstasy raked down her body, causing her to shudder and writhe, but her mind raced to try and regain control of her traitorous emotions. It was useless, she was in thrall to the pleasure he gave her so freely and unreservedly. She was lost.
   The pulsing heat of her ecstasy radiated outward from his deeply embedded fangs. It flooded down through her breasts and straight to her womb. She screamed with her release, rotating her hips against his manipulating hand. He drew deep from her vein, his jaw working against her like a child suckling its mother. The more he drank from her the harder she came.
   With a sudden unexpected movement, he pulled back from her. His tongue swept along the wound as his fangs withdrew from her flesh. That lingering caress caused such a clenching in her womb that her whole body jerked and almost unseated her. The wind was a sudden chill against her neck as he left her, and her orgasm slowly subsided, leaving her weak and spent. She lay boneless against him, shocked at her behavior. But she was too dazed from the pleasure to move away.
   After a last, loving pat to her still tingling vagina, he moved. His hands took a firm hold to keep her upright and he came around to stand before her. His purple eyes gazed deeply into her own for a long heartbeat. Morrigan was the first to look away, as if she could make him disappear by not acknowledging his presence.
   A hand at her chin moved her to face him, and he pressed his lips softly to hers. His lips were no longer cool. They were heated with the warmth of the blood he’d drunk from her. Strangely enough, as this thought surfaced it didn’t alarm her. Rather, it sent a thrill of renewed desire coursing through her. 
   His mouth opened on hers, and she welcomed his tongue within, meeting its strokes with her own. The taste of him was wild and exciting, and the feel of his fangs against her lips made her thighs clench with erotic need. Her hands came up and encircled his neck as she lost herself in the kiss.
   She should have been frightened by the strength of her response to this dream-man. For all she knew she had finally lost hold of the reins to her sanity. This seemed so real. Seeing the physical and very real manifestation of a winged vampire while awake was…insane. But she felt no fear, and no panic—not now. 
   Now, in his arms, she felt only pleasure and acceptance within herself. She gladly gave in to the wondrous feelings that wanted to consume and overwhelm her. Eager and excited, she kissed him with a hunger and fervor to match his own, leaning against his naked flesh.
   Fangs nipped gently at her lips, before he bit down upon his own tongue, drawing blood. He thrust his tongue and his blood into her mouth. His strong hands moved to her head, holding her captive. Their tongues dueled, and her mouth flooded with the sweet warmth of his blood.
   Not stopping to think, not even giving herself time to fear him, she suckled greedily on his tongue. The wetness of his blood smeared their meshed lips as he bled freely into her. She swallowed every precious drop he fed to her.
   She was insatiable.
   Her body was flooded with the taste, smell and feel of him. It intoxicated her, this primal feeding, and her vision swam beneath her closed lids. Her world burned with the purple fire borne from his eyes, and she lost all sense of time and place, giving herself over to his dark desires.
   She came back to herself slowly, moments—maybe hours—later, when he moaned against her mouth with the force of his own orgasm. It was obvious he too found pleasure when she drank his blood. She reached out and felt his semen spill hot and wet over her hand. Stroking his powerful cock as it pulsed in her hand, she was humbled by the raw magic of the moment. His moan of release hummed against her mouth and into her throat as he moved, thrusting in her hand.
   In that moment she felt complete. With her hand awash with his seed and her mouth full of the taste of him, she felt as if she’d come home. She wanted him so badly that she ached, and had he asked it of her she would gladly have given him anything—everything. It was madness.
   He pulled reluctantly from their kiss, nipping her lips before he drew free of her. He cleaned his sperm from her hand with some fallen leaves before he swept his hand through her hair. Dislodging her braid he tangled his fist within the copper waves. Movement was impossible as he held her with his hand and with his eyes. “Morrigan, my beauty, do you know me now?”
   Visions assailed her, and she swam in the deep purple ocean of his gaze. With a sudden, startling clarity she did know him. “Azure,” her voice faltered, hoarse with emotion. “Your name is Azure, but you are called Az by your friends and family.”
   A blinding, fanged smile was her reward, and he pressed a soft kiss to her brow. He gathered her more closely to him, this new embrace a comfort where the others had been arousing. She returned the embrace, in thrall to the magic of the moment. It was a moment of discovery and revelation. How did she know his name? How could she know that he had been searching for her—his mate—for years, and that he’d almost given up hope of ever finding her?
   In those moments it didn’t matter how she knew. It didn’t matter that this was likely a dream, or hallucination. Running her hands lovingly down the silky soft cape of his wings, she sighed and rested against him. She felt so right, so content as he held her. There was no room for fear.
   Az pulled away from her and held her upper arms in a firm yet gentle grip. “You will no longer fear me, Morrigan, my beauty. You will welcome me into your dreams and dread them no more.”
   The reminder of her dreams, spoken aloud like this, made her shy away. He held her firm. “I have not the strength to meet you above water like this, in your waking hours, very often. Your dreams are an easier meeting place for you and I until I am at my full strength. I will visit you there with greater ease now that we have shared blood. We are bonded now, and soon we can be together for all eternity. But for now, I must return to the water.”
   Morrigan felt dazed as he helped her to stand. He pressed a heated kiss to her palm, and with a small gust of wind he disappeared before her very eyes. The abruptness of his departure, coupled with her blood loss, served as her undoing. 
   With a tiny expulsion of air her eyes rolled upwards into the back of her head. She fell to the ground in a dead faint.
   Chapter Four 
   The clock struck midnight and Morrigan jumped in her chair with a startled shriek. In one hand she held an aluminum baseball bat, while with the other she reached for yet another cup of coffee that sat cooling at her side. She huddled in her den before a roaring fire, feet curled up beneath her on the plush recliner as she fought against sleep.
   Sleep was her enemy now.
   In her mind she knew it was beyond foolish to think she could avoid sleep forever, but she fought against it anyway. Her nerves were jumping from the excess of caffeine she’d imbibed, but at this point she didn’t know what else to do—she feared sleeping more than anything now.
   It would probably be wisest for her now if she sought medical help. But she couldn’t risk going to the hospital for treatment right away because the ensuing publicity was sure to ruin any chances she had for peace in her new home. It was too soon after her public retirement to risk drawing attention to herself. The media would have a field day. 
   But she obviously couldn’t cope with her mental state on her own. Especially not after the newest developments of this hysteria. Whatever the causes for her hallucinations, they hadn’t been solved by her recent change in lifestyle. If anything, they had grown much worse.
   Morrigan had no idea what was happening to her anymore. After waking up in the woods at sunset, she had walked home. Strangely enough she’d been calm and at ease. Her mind had been blessedly blank. It hadn’t been until much later that she had discovered the tender bruise at her neck. 
   It was then that reality had come crashing down on her.
   Looking in the mirror she couldn’t deny the evidence of two faintly bruised puncture wounds marring her skin. What on earth was happening to her? The lines between dream and reality were blurring in her mind. Her thoughts were a confused muddle. The wounds on her neck were real—how anything but a set of very sharp fangs caused them she couldn’t say. There were no rational explanations.
   Were the overwhelming, erotic visions of Az real? But that would be impossible—the man wasn’t even human. Obviously. He sported fangs and wings, and he drank blood. Her blood! In addition, there was no way that she’d willingly have drunk his blood. Not unless it was a dream or hallucination. Right?
   Right. 
   Perhaps if she repeated these things over and over in her head, it would make them so…but in the meantime she refused to fall asleep. Az had promised to see her in her dreams. She refused to give him the chance. She had to be careful not to give him an opportunity to consume her so fully again, as he had this afternoon in the forest.
   Bah! Az—she was thinking of him as though he was real and not a figment of her overstressed imagination. He was a fairy tale monster from the dredges of her subconscious, right? A demon or monster, come to torment her with nightmare visions of drinking blood.
   Sure, she’d enjoyed every moment of it. But that was crazy, right? No sane person would find pleasure in such dark visions.
   Why did her body pulse with the remembered pleasure of his embrace? Why could she not stop thinking about his beauty and power? How his voice wrapped around her like cool silken sheets, and how sensual was his kiss. She didn’t know why, and didn’t care to. For now it was enough that she had some small will remaining that was her own. 
   She would fight this dream man’s stranglehold on her body and emotions. Refusing to fall asleep tonight was the safest course that she could see. So she would stay here, huddled before the fire, grasping the only weapon she could find as though it were a lifeline.
   Draining her mug, wincing against the heat of the coffee as it burned her throat, she blinked furiously. It was difficult not to become hypnotized by the golden dance of the flames before her. Her eyes were heavy lidded and burning from lack of rest. It had been days since she’d had any peaceful sleep. The dreams of Az had been haunting her with increasing frequency, and she knew that if she slept now he would already be there waiting for her.
   The thought both frightened and thrilled her. She didn’t understand herself anymore.
   The hours of the night stretched on, and she worked to find things to occupy her weary mind. She switched on the television, tried to write some poetry, and even went so far as to take a cold shower. The shock sent her muscles screaming, but it did wake her up enough that she gained a solid hour of wakefulness without having to fight for it.
   But sleep would not be staved off for very long. Her sleepless nights were catching up to her all at once, and there wasn’t much she could do about it. Her body was trembling with fatigue. She knew it was only a matter of time now.
   As dawn painted the horizon with hues of violet and tangerine, she at last gave in. She fell asleep, sitting upright in her chair as the television droned on to break the silence. Her baseball bat fell unnoticed to the floor, and her head slumped to the side.
   All her dreams left her blessedly alone. Either she was too tired to dream or too comforted by the daylight. It didn’t really matter. She slept peacefully, long into the day.
   
   * * * * * 
   It was almost four o’clock when Morrigan at last awakened. She stretched. Her body was cramped from sitting slumped in the chair for so long. Her neck and spine popped audibly, but despite her aches and pains she felt deliciously well rested. She smiled as she rose from her makeshift bed.
   “No dreams, thank God,” she said aloud to herself. She hoped they were over at last. She hoped she had exorcised them from her subconscious mind with yesterday’s culminating hallucination. Something had to give because she couldn’t keep living like this—in fear of sleep, in fear of dreams.
   Forcefully she pushed her musings aside. Such wonderings would get her nowhere. They would serve only to upset her. Her stomach growled and she went to the kitchen in search of food. Looking through the refrigerator and in her cupboards—both fully stocked by her housekeeping service the day before her arrival—she found to her disgust that nothing appealed to her.
   Nothing looked appetizing though her stomach burned with unappeased hunger, making its discontent known with noisy gurgles. Nausea assailed her when she tried to eat some salted crackers. She feared she might be coming down with a flu bug. With as little rest as she was getting, it would be no wonder if she got sick on top of things.
   In one of her cupboards she spotted a can of tomato soup and realized with surprise that the thought of eating it was quite agreeable to her queasy stomach. She hated plain tomato soup—never ate the stuff unless it was used as an ingredient for something else.
   It was odd.
   Oh well, better the soup than nothing at all. And right now her stomach didn’t want anything but the soup. She went out onto the backyard veranda to consume her bounty of tomato soup and red wine. Surprisingly it was quite palatable and she had no trouble keeping it down. 
   “Well, that wasn’t so bad,” she said to break the silence. Her stomach was full, her mind and body well rested. What more could anyone ask for? With a lighter heart she cleaned up the remnants of her meal and went inside to write.
   All the while she prayed that her waking dream of the day before would not come to intrude on her today.
   Chapter Five 
   Later that same night, Morrigan ran a hot bath for herself in her master bathroom. The huge sunken tub in the center of the large room was made of solid marble and was big enough for four people to recline in easily. It was one of the main reasons she’d so desired to buy the house. She loved the water and enjoyed a relaxing soak in a long hot bath. 
   She added scented bubbles and lit tapers and tea candles all around the rim of the giant tub. With no other light source, the room flickered with dancing shadows cast by the flames. The steaming water sparkled where the bubbles parted to allow a peek at the liquid beneath.
   Removing her floor length robe of blue satin, she stepped into the welcoming bathwater. Her hair was loose and when her body had adjusted to the temperature of the water, she ducked her head below the surface to saturate it. She washed her hair and body until she shone with a rosy glow. 
   Leaning back she let the dance of the candles’ flames lull her. Her eyes grew heavy in the rising steam, and her breathing slowed. It had been so long since she’d been this relaxed. Well, aside from those moments after her orgasm in Az’s arms yesterday. But that had been a dream and this was reality, and she felt totally relaxed for the first time in ages.
   Sleep overtook her swiftly, too quickly for her to fight against it. One moment she was awake—the next she was in her dream state. That quickly the scene changed and she stood nude before the sunken tub. Within it Az reclined lazily, waiting for her.
   The water was full of floating crimson rose petals. So full, in fact, that the water was as dark and thick as blood. The black curls of Az’s hair were like a patch of deep midnight, not even reflecting the glow of the thousands of surrounding candles. 
   His normally pale skin was golden in the light and his muscular chest rose above the waterline. He raised a hand from the depths of the dark water and held it out to her, beckoning her closer.
   “Come and join me, sweet Morrigan. I hunger for your…touch.”
   Without thinking twice, her earlier fears of an encounter with him forgotten, she moved into the aromatic crimson water. She sighed in bliss as the water lapped at her hips and waist. She smiled and took his outstretched hand with her own. His skin was cool and strangely dry despite the water. 
   She’d noticed this about him before. He never seemed to get wet. She was moved to remark on it.
   “You’re never dripping when you come from the water. Not even your hair gets wet.” Even to her own ears her voice was throaty from her rising passions.
   Az smiled, his eyes roving appreciatively over her breasts as they bobbed in the water. His hungry gaze was hot enough to burn her. Instinctively her body reacted to the promise held in his purple gaze.
   He spoke in that beautiful voice she so loved to hear. “My body is different from yours. I have to move swiftly through the water and would be impeded if the water soaked into me—it would weigh me down. So my skin and hair stay dry even when I’m submerged. All of my kind is like this. But your skin,” he drew in a deep breath, “glistens beautifully with the water. It shines like a mirror, or a star. It makes me thirst to sip the water from your flesh.”
   That dark voice washed over and through her. It sent heat pooling low within her belly. Her vagina clenched and flooded with wet, silken warmth that had nothing to do with the water surrounding them. The air trembled with her shuddering breaths. Ripples in the water moved around her breasts, drawing his eyes there once again.
   He reached out and laid a hand upon an already erect nipple. His skin, as always, was a cool contrast against the heat of hers. The sensation only heightened the pleasure of his touch. Her nipple swelled almost painfully and he eased it with a swipe of his thumb.
   “What are you?”
   “Would it ease your fears somewhat if I told you?”
   “You’re not human,” she dodged the question. Her fears were creeping up on her—how could he know?
   “I can smell your fear,” he answered her unspoken question. “Perhaps you’re not ready to know.”
   “I have to know. I’m going crazy and I need some answers.”
   “You’re not going crazy,” he emphasized. “I’ll tell you what I am if it will help to ease your worries. I am not from your world. I’m not a human—though you’ve already guessed that much. I am from a race called Icari. My world is far from here, past many stars and galaxies.”
   “How did you get here?” 
   “Through gateways in the water of our worlds, portals through space. I have come far, through many such portals, to find you.”
   Morrigan swallowed harshly and tried to concentrate more on his words than on the light caresses of his hand upon her breast. His fingers plucked idly at her nipple, as if he was unaware of his actions or their effect upon her. Her body sang with pleasure that radiated from his every touch. It was very hard to keep her mind on the conversation.
   “W-why were you looking for me?”
   “Can you not guess that much? Will you deny even that small admission to yourself and to me?” His voice had grown hard with the last words.
   Looking deeply into his glowing eyes she shied away from the truth she found within them.
   “Yes. You know. You are my mate, my woman.”
   “I don’t believe you.”
   “Yes you do. Lying will not change the truth.”
   “I don’t believe in such things.”
   “You don’t believe in destiny? In love and in passion?” His voice was chiding.
   “You’re not real! You’re a figment of my overstressed imagination, and easily treatable with medication.” She scrunched up her eyes and shook her head back and forth. She wouldn’t—couldn’t let this dream get out of hand.
   “How many times have you said that to yourself? And how many times have you awakened to find proof that these aren’t mere dreams? We were destined for each other. It’s an instinctive bond we both share—though you fight against it now. I’ve come to claim you, as is my right by the laws of Fate.
   “If it’s reassurance you seek, that I can give to you and gladly. I swear that I will pleasure your body, your mind and your soul, in ways you can’t even begin to imagine. I will turn you inside out and make you scream with ecstasy the likes of which you have never known. You have never known joy and happiness the likes of which I can give you.
   “I will keep you safe from harm. I will love and worship you all my days. Whatever you ask for, I will give it and gladly. You know the truth of my words, deep down, even though you stubbornly fight against it.”
   “Why are you saying these things?” she couldn’t help asking. 
   His eyes blazed. “Because I mean them. Because for years I’ve been alone. Now I’ve found you…and I’m not letting you go.” His words echoed darkly in the candlelit room, thrilling and frightening her with their intensity. He bent his head and his breath fanned hotly over her parted lips. 
   “I’m keeping you,” he said, before he swooped down like a bird of prey and claimed her lips in a soul-stirring kiss.
   Morrigan kissed him back with a fervor she hadn’t known she possessed. He dug his hands into the flesh of her hips and drew her closer to him, lifting her and settling her legs astride his own. He pulled the wet heat of her into shocking, sudden contact with his rock-hard shaft.
   She gasped as the muscles of her vagina clenched greedily, setting her already swollen clit to pulsing against the heavy weight of his cock. As he kissed her his fangs scraped her tender lips. She moved against him wantonly. Never before had she felt such a consuming hunger, never felt so wet or ready for sex as she did now.
   Her body was trembling with the force of her desire, and she couldn’t understand it. She knew she should be fighting this, frightened out of her wits—but she wasn’t afraid at all. Not anymore. Reality could come later, but for now she wanted to lose herself in his arms. Admittedly it was what she’d always wanted from the first. 
   Az sent his seeking mouth down to her breast and slurped a straining nipple into his mouth. She moaned aloud at the caress. His mouth was so much hotter than the rest of him, and it scalded her with its dark eroticism. Her vaginal muscles contracted and tingled as his penis brushed against her clit. 
   She wondered how it would feel to orgasm around his cock.
   Freeing her nipple with a wet popping sound, he moved on to the other one, his fangs scraping against her in his ardor. She gasped at the small pain and moaned when he soothed it with his tongue. Her head was thrown back and his arm supported her back as it bowed. They moaned and sighed. They were both lost in the heat of the moment.
   Growling, he turned with her in the water. Pulling her beneath him, he took them both beneath the water. They surfaced, with Morrigan sputtering her surprise, their hair and skin awash with red rose petals. He grinned wickedly, flashing his fangs. With strong hands he lifted her up to lie propped against the rim of the tub. She was splayed out before him, vulnerable, with her back arched and her breasts uplifted for his convenience. She glanced down at him, eyes wide, and watched him as he bathed her body with his lips, teeth and tongue.
   Kissing each breast one last time he trailed his lips downward across her ribs and stomach. He dipped his tongue into the dark hollow of her navel, making her gasp and moan with his ardent attentions. In reward for her abandoned response he gently nipped at her flesh with the tips of his fangs. One solitary drop of blood appeared on her flesh.
   He licked it away with his long, velvet tongue. 
   The image of his blatantly erotic tongue lapping against her flesh sent a pulse of raw lust raging through her body. He moved lower, and lower still, spreading her legs as wide as they would go with the immense breadth of his muscular shoulders. 
   Morrigan was given only a moment’s warning as his blazing eyes met hers, before he dipped his head to lick her glistening, swollen clit. Velvet tongue lapping at her labia, he delved further to the hidden honey within. He moaned against her, the vibrations against her ultra-sensitive folds sending her soaring. Using his lips, teeth, and tongue mercilessly against her, he lapped at her juices. He drank deeply of her passionate response.
   Morrigan threw back her head and arched more firmly against his devouring mouth. She drove her hands into his hair and pulled his face forcefully against her burning pussy, crying out as he zeroed in knowingly upon her clit. When he suckled her there she undulated wildly against him. She came against his mouth with screaming abandon.
   “God, God, I can’t take it. Please…I can’t take anymore,” she cried out brokenly as her orgasm spiraled ever onward, gaining in intensity with each draw of his lips against her clit. Her vaginal muscles clenched like a fist. She pulsed and quivered against his mouth.
   Az thrust a long finger into her, twisting it into a hook to scrape that most magical place within her. Her body convulsed and the contractions of her orgasm renewed in their intensity. It felt as though her body were stretched out upon a rack of pleasure so intense it was close to pain.
   She’d never felt so exquisitely alive.
   Morrigan at last caught her breath and came down from that long, wicked dance in the heavens. She glanced out from beneath heavy lashes and caught sight of Az as he dipped his head to press a burning kiss to her inner thigh. 
   She could actually feel his hunger for her blood as if it were her own. She knew instinctively that he wished to feed from her. She wondered why he didn’t move up over her and drink from her jugular as he had done before. She arched up against him, silently offering all that he desired, throwing herself on the altar of his pleasure.
   Az looked up at her and Morrigan met his eyes steadily. His features were almost swallowed up by the amethyst blaze of his eyes. Never in her life had she seen a more erotic sight than his head there between her widely splayed legs. 
   She felt a renewed pulse of ecstasy radiate out from her core to the rest of her body. Her whole frame shuddered with the force of it. When his eyes strayed back to the flesh of her inner thigh, she knew what he wanted. Surprisingly, she wanted to give him all that he craved. And more.
   “Please,” she begged, shameless. “Feed from me, take all you want.”
   He needed no further urging and struck, sinking his teeth deeply into the flesh of her inner thigh. He drank deep of the hot, rich blood he drew there. Morrigan screamed with the force of another orgasm. It was unbelievable. She lost several moments as he fed there, his mouth drawing upon her voraciously. When she came back to herself she saw him positioning the tip of his thick erection between the lips of her glistening, wet flesh. His curly black hair shielded his face from her view and tickled teasingly against her belly.
   She got a clear glimpse of his cock between the swaying locks of his hair and gasped with excitement. It was dark and engorged with blood, a long thick stalk—too thick for her to grasp her hand around him. The plum shaped head slipped in her wetness as he moved into position, making her gasp with pleasure. 
   The massive head slipped into her slowly. It tightly stretched her flesh as it breached the mouth of her vagina. She was so wet he slid in with ease, and after a brief moment of resistance her body swallowed his cock greedily. He pushed it into her slowly, with ultimate care, as if afraid of hurting her if he moved too quickly.
   Morrigan rose up and brought her lips to his. “I want it rough and hard,” she said into his mouth.
   Her words snapped the last threads of his control and he surged home. The thickness of his shaft invaded her, seating him deep. At last he came to rest with his sac slapping against her buttocks. The great head of his penis rested at the mouth of her womb.
   Az’s head was flung back, and the sight of his pleasure was the most moving thing Morrigan had ever seen. Slowly he moved out of her, his shaft coming almost free of her before surging back into her. Over and over he moved, tirelessly thrusting in and out of her. With every thrust and withdrawal she could feel his length moving through the whole of her body, reaching impossible depths. She’d never felt so invaded by a man before, and she loved it.
   She moved against him, wanting more, and still more. All he had to give.
   “Fuck me harder, Az,” she begged shamelessly.
   “Oh baby, yes,” he said on a hissing growl before pummeling mercilessly into her.
   Their bodies slapped against each other. The force of his thrusts made the water around them churn and splash. The wet sounds only served to inflame them further, and he pounded into her over and over. They splashed water over the rim of the tub, sending rose petals scattering around their straining bodies and across the floor beyond. 
   “God, I’m coming, I’m coming again,” she screamed out in a voice that sounded nothing like her own.
   “Come on, baby, milk me. Take it all,” he said, fucking her so hard that his balls met her ass with an audible sound.
   His words inflamed her, sending her spiraling over the peak of a violent climax the likes of which she’d never experienced. She screamed long and loud, writhing uncontrollably beneath his forcefully thrusting body.
   Az threw back his head and let out a cry that sounded like the scream of a wild jungle cat. It echoed around the room as he burst within her. He bathed her womb in a gushing wave of hot cream. His cock pulsated over and over within her like the throb of a giant heartbeat.
   They collapsed into each other’s arms and lay spent, gasping, for several minutes. All was quiet but for the sound of their breathing. After some time had passed, Az pulled up from her, and looked deeply into her eyes. Concern and worry were written plainly on his face.
   “I didn’t feed you, baby. I’m sorry, forgive my rudeness. I was just too hot to have you and didn’t think about it.”
   “I don’t want to drink your blood, Az.” Even though the memory of the taste of him was enough to make her hunger for more.
   “You must feed, Morrigan, before you weaken from hunger and depravation.”
   “I’m not hungry,” she said and hoped that her stomach didn’t growl and belie her words. “Besides, I can eat food when I get hungry. I don’t need to drink blood to survive.”
   Az sent her a possessive look that thrilled her, even as his next words chilled her to the bone.
   “You do now.”
   Chapter Six 
   “What do you mean?” she asked, knowing her tone had fallen flat in the wake of a sudden rush of fear.
   “You know exactly what I mean.”
   “No, I don’t. Tell me what you meant by that.”
   He sighed. “You have tasted of my blood, and I of yours. We are mates, and with the blood bond you are tied to me in all ways. You need my blood to survive or you’ll grow weak. 
   “Today you must have noticed your distaste for normal food. Even so, I’ll wager you hungered ravenously for sustenance. It was just your body adapting itself to the ways of an Icari. It’s growing used to craving my blood. You can eat other foods, like the apriss fruit or sang-berries, but you need my blood to stay healthy.”
   Morrigan crawled backwards out of the tub to sit nude upon the wet floor. Her heated core rested on the wet, cool tiles. It was a reminder of her abandoned pleasure in his arms, even as her eyes flared wildly with renewed fright. “Apriss fruit, or sang-berries? I ate an entire can of tomato soup, that’s pretty normal food for a human. How do you explain that?”
   “Is this tomato soup red?”
   “Y-yeah,” she stuttered. “So what?”
   “There’s your explanation. You can ingest red foods, the closer to liquid form the better. You will crave only these red foods from now on. My people feed on such things as well. We have many to choose from—such as the apriss or sang-berry—they make up a large part of our diet. We don’t merely live on blood, though that is what makes us the strongest. You’ll grow used to it in time.”
   “I don’t believe you!”
   “Why are you denying this to yourself? You know I am right. Though I can see the knowledge frightens you, you need to come to terms with it soon. I know that you enjoy feeding from me, that you savor the taste of me. You are stronger when my essence fills and sustains you. How can that be a bad thing?”
   “I’m not turning into some kind of alien vampire. I went out in the sun today. I ate solid food and I’m wearing a silver cross around my neck for God’s sake!” Her voice rose higher and higher with her panic.
   Az moved closer to her. Though he rose from the water, no drops of it clung to his skin. “We are not these vampires you so obviously fear, Morrigan. I have already told you our kind are Icari. We’re water dwellers, not vampires. Please be calm.” He reached out to lay a soothing hand upon her knee, but she crab-legged backwards away from him.
   “Don’t touch me!”
   “It’s too late for you to have these fears, Morrigan. Even now my seed is glistening on your flesh, proof enough for both of us that the time for misgivings is passed. You enjoyed my touch. Why fight this one small thing?”
   “Small thing? Small thing? You’re telling me that I need to drink blood to survive and you call that a small thing?” Her voice rose to a shriek.
   “Why are you so frightened? You enjoyed feeding on me. I enjoyed it too. How can you think something so beautiful and right could be bad?”
   “I’m not like you. Wait—why am I even having this conversation? This is just a stupid dream. I just have to take control and wake up and everything will be fine. I have to wake up.” She repeated it like a mantra, pinching the skin of her arms as if the pain would help her awaken.
   “I will not let you leave this dream. Not until you are calmer. We have much to discuss, things you need to come to terms with before this dream ends,” he said.
   Morrigan glared at him. She ignored his words and continued to desperately chant, “Wake up…wake up.”
   “Be calm, my love. We can ease your fears together—“ A strained, panicked look crossed his features. “No! Morrigan, you must quit fighting me. You’re not ready to wake up.”
   His voice faded into nothingness.
   Morrigan’s eyes flew open only to find herself completely submerged beneath the bathwater. For a second she lay there, still beneath the calm surface. Then reality set it. She choked on a mouthful of water and shot upright in the tub.
   “God, what’s wrong with me?” she sobbed. Spitting up large amounts of water, she stumbled from the bathtub, mind in a daze. She could have drowned. There was no telling how long she’d lain there beneath the surface of the water. The water was chilled, and the candles burned low…how long had she been asleep? 
   Naked, she ran to her bedroom in a panic. Already her hair and skin were drying—faster than she could have expected under the circumstances. She donned her clothing without bothering to towel off first. Before putting on a pair of skimpy panties she noticed the telltale fang marks on her inner thigh and sobbed anew.
   It was too much. Was she crazy? Had her mind completely broken…or was Az real? At this particular moment she would almost have preferred being told she was crazy. It was better than having to face the idea of Az turning her into a bloodsucker. It was too much, too fast.
   A warm wetness trickled down her thigh and she glanced at it. A purple, glowing liquid trailed lazily from beneath the silk of her thong. Instinctively she knew it was Az’s semen. She shrieked as her panic reached critical mass and she hurriedly finished dressing. She felt her long hair streaming out behind her as she threw on a pair of running shoes and raced for the door.
   Grabbing her car keys and purse as she fled, she jumped into her car and gunned the engine mercilessly. For a moment she paused, indecisive. What could she possibly accomplish by running away, after all? But staying here meant she would have to face her fear…and Az. 
   That was something she just wasn’t ready to do. Tires squealed as she sped away. It felt as if she were leaving her heart behind. But she was too scared to wonder at it.
   
   * * * * * 
   The pub was dimly lit and full of smoke when Morrigan walked in. Climbing into a shadowed booth, she ordered a Bloody Mary from a passing waitress. She tried to blend in with her surroundings. She wanted to fade into the background so that she wouldn’t be noticed by anyone around her. What she needed was peace and quiet. She needed time to think.
   For well over an hour she’d driven around. Aimlessly and in circles it seemed, until she’d finally made her way into the village proper. Spotting the pub in which she now found herself, her stomach had growled plaintively. It reminded her that she’d eaten very little all day. 
   Her mind had been racing since she’d fled her bath. She didn’t know what to think about her situation. In her mind she’d already given up the illusion that the dreams were…well, dreams. If that made her crazy, then she no longer cared. Too many physical clues had stacked up, one on top of the other, for her to keep ignoring them.
   From the beginning she’d been changing. Months ago, when she’d first dreamt of Az, she’d begun to feel…different. At first it was just her sudden wish to move nearer to the lochs of Scotland. Oh, she’d been planning for over a year to retire from the music business—but the decision to move out of the country had been a sudden one. Back then Az had just been a man reaching out to her from the heart of the water, an indistinct figure that had intrigued and frightened her. Right on the heels of those first dreams she’d seen the house in Meigle and purchased it on a whim.
   She’d wanted to be closer to the water.
   Since then the dreams had grown more consuming. More real. Az had stepped from the loch and claimed her with his kiss. He’d fed on her and she on him—binding them closer together than she could hope to understand at the time. The lines between her waking world and her dreaming world were blurred beyond her comprehension.
   It was no longer feasible for her to ignore the physical signs that followed her into the waking world. Fang marks on her neck and thighs maybe once could have been excused as a scratch or insect bite. But more than that and she’d run out of explanations. 
   And the biggest kicker of all was the moist glow of his semen as it had dripped down her leg. There was no logical explanation for that. None at all, beyond the obvious. That she’d been made love to—deliciously ravished—by an alien being.
   As the past few days were coming to a close she now admitted that her appetites had changed. Dramatically. Never a lover of tomatoes, juice, soup or otherwise—she was now craving them. Just the thought of her ordered Bloody Mary made her mouth water. Thinking of strawberries, cherries, or pomegranates sent her stomach to rumbling. Raw steak or hamburger would have been ambrosia.
   All of these were red foods. Just as Az had predicted, she only seemed to crave the reddest dishes she could think of. The idea of eating anything that wasn’t at least a little pink made her feel green around the gills. The image made her choke against a giggle as she remembered that Az was a water-dweller. She wondered if he had gills and then abruptly lost her mirth.
   Her body was changing into something…other. It was more than evident through her conversations with Az and through her own observations. Having gills to go along with her bloody diet would not make her a happy camper. 
   Whatever Az was, whoever he was, he was real. And he’d claimed her for his own. What that meant for her in the future she couldn’t guess. She was forced to admit that the only person who could answer her questions was the very man she was running from.
   It all went back to Az. She would have to go back and hear him out. Give him a chance to explain everything and calm her fears.
   “May I sit with you?” The deep voice broke over her reverie. It startled her.
   Morrigan looked up…and up. When her eyes met the cloudy gray gaze of the tall man beside her she felt a moment of vertigo before she looked hastily away. Swallowing, she found her voice with some difficulty.
   “It’s a free country, isn’t it?”
   The man laughed. The sound echoed strangely in her ears. An eerie shiver ran down her spine. 
   “Of course it is. You’re an American.”
   “Yes. Yes I am. You don’t sound like you’re from around here either, but I can’t place your accent.”
   “I live in Greece presently, though I’m not from there originally.” He smiled and offered her his hand with a practiced show of good cheer. “I’m Peter Smith.”
   Morrigan shook his hand. The contact of his skin against hers sent a jolt through her. It was a less than pleasant sensation. “Morrigan,” she said, deliberately leaving off her last name. In her experience, far too many people remembered her name. It was difficult for her to just hand it out casually. 
   It didn’t matter, he recognized her anyway.
   “I greatly admire your work, Ms. Mederos.” He sat upon the bench seat opposite her. When he didn’t seem inclined to say more, she breathed a small sigh of relief. She couldn’t handle a rabid fan just now.
   “Thank you,” she said, fleetingly wondering how she could escape his presence. His eyes did strange things to her. They were nearly unpleasant in their intense regard.
   “You look tired, if you don’t mind my saying so. Are you vacationing here or…”
   “Yes, I’m on holiday,” she lied easily. 
   She didn’t know why, but she felt certain that she didn’t want this man to know she was making her stay in Meigle a permanent one. Perhaps he was a reporter, she thought uneasily. That would explain her immediate dislike.
   “It’s a lovely town, full of history. But I’m sure that’s why an artist like yourself would choose to come here. Not much to indulge along the lines of sightseeing and the like, though. The surrounding area is mostly just lochs and farmland.”
   “I like the lochs,” she was moved to protest. “They’re lovely.”
   “But of course you would think so,” he said obscurely. She couldn’t help but feel that he was making a joke at her expense.
   The waitress deposited her drink on the table. She studied the dark ruby color of the liquid and was reminded of Az’s blood. Her stomach growled, loud enough for the man to hear.
   “Are you hungry? Let met buy you some food,” he offered, as he waved for a waitress.
   “No, that’s all right. I’m not really that hungry,” she protested.
   “We both know that’s not true, Morrigan. I can hear your stomach grumbling from over here. What would you like? I hear they have excellent stew here. Or perhaps you would prefer a light sandwich as it’s so late?”
   “No, thank you,” she said hurriedly. “I’m just getting over a stomach flu and celebrating my return to health with my drink. I’m not in the mood to test the local fare just yet. I’ll just grab some crackers when I get back to my…hotel.”
   “Where are you staying? Perhaps I could escort you there if you are feeling under the weather.”
   “No, that’s all right. I think I’m going to go now.” His gray eyes never wavered from hers and she felt an inexplicable urge to flee. He was making her nervous and jumpy, which was something she really didn’t need at the moment.
   “Thank you for your company,” she said as she gathered her purse and made for the door.
   “Until we meet again, Morrigan,” she heard him mutter darkly as she fled the pub.
   She certainly hoped that day never came. He was too creepy.
   Chapter Seven 
   A short while later, Morrigan slowly opened the front door to her home. She felt like a teenager sneaking into her house after missing curfew, but she couldn’t help herself. Tentatively, she laid her keys and purse on a table by the door and tiptoed into her den. She didn’t know what she expected. She’d certainly never seen Az inside of her home outside of her dreaming mind, but she looked for signs of his presence anyway. With dramatic caution she went into each room, quietly searching for him.
   He wasn’t there.
   She was almost disappointed but couldn’t pinpoint why. Wasn’t she supposed to be dreading this confrontation? Well…wasn’t she? Her stomach growled as if in protest to her dark thoughts.
   Morrigan padded softly into her bathroom where the candles she’d left burning had already flickered out. She drained the tub of its chilled water and cleaned up the mess on the floor. Grabbing a brush she went to work the tangles from her long tresses, gritting her teeth when the bristles snagged on the larger knots. Looking into the mirror she saw the deep shadows beneath her eyes. Her skin was paler than normal, translucent and fragile looking in the dim light of her room.
   She winced and saw a brief flash of her teeth reflected back in the glass. Heart sinking, she raised unsteady hands to her lips and felt the ridge of her teeth beyond. Were her incisors longer? Yes, perhaps just a little bit. They certainly felt sharper, more pointed. 
   With a harsh gasp she jerked her hands away. She must be mistaken…she had to be. Her teeth were just fine, no sharper or longer than normal. If she wasn’t careful she would soon imagine herself growing wings just like Az’s.
   With a nervous smile she rotated her shoulders. They seemed as normal as ever. “Just checking,” she said aloud in a shaky voice.
   For a moment longer she sat before the mirror, studying her reflection. Her thoughts were abuzz. Would it be so bad, after all, to quit worrying about the future and just see where it led? How did she feel about Az, her strange alien lover? Did she fear him or desire him or what?
   “I love him,” a tiny voice whispered from the depths of her soul.
   How could she love him? She didn’t even know what he was. Not really. Less than a few hours before she’d been terrified of him. Well, to be more honest, she had been terrified of what he was—what she was apparently turning into as well. Never in her life had she been more confused, or more at odds with her feelings.
   What she did know was that she had felt joy and pleasure in his arms. Never before Az had she felt so cherished, so treasured. So loved. When he held her in his arms, or took her with his fangs and cock, she felt more alive than she ever had with any other lover.
   The orgasms he gave her alone would make Az worth fighting for. She’d felt so alive in the tub as he’d pounded into her. When his hot cum had filled her sex she’d wanted to wring every possible drop he had to give and keep it there inside of her. She’d never wanted to let go. It was madness—it was irrational.
   It was love.
   All this time she’d run from him in her dreams, he’d never once threatened her with harm. He’d always seen to her pleasure, in every way, no matter how she’d screamed and cried at him. Every time she shied away from him in fear, he’d sought only to comfort her. He’d tried kissing away her cares, filling her with ecstasy. Tried to make her understand that she wasn’t losing her mind.
   No one had ever placed her welfare so highly above their own. And what had she done? She’d fled from him like a frightened child, undeserving of his love. Pushing him away with no regard for how he felt, she’d been too self-absorbed to see the gift that was being offered to her.
   She had to find him.
   Leaving her hair loose about her, she whirled from her bedroom and headed for the back door. With a sudden, desperate determination she decided she would look for Az in the only other place she knew to find him outside of her dreams. Her footfalls thudded dully against the ground as she made for the forest beyond her backyard. 
   Into the dark. Into the night.
   Chapter Eight 
   The dark blanket of the night surrounded her. A light mist coated everything in sight, making it hard for her to see where she was going. She threw her hands out in front of her to keep the grasping branches from scratching her face and tangling in her hair. 
   Her eyes darted wildly about, searching the dark mist before her for some sign of the small clearing in which she’d met Az just the day before. Had it only been yesterday? It seemed like years had passed since then. She ran on and on through the forest, her breath leaving her lungs in harsh, sobbing gasps.
   How much time passed she wasn’t sure, but her side began to cramp. Her calves burned. She’d long since left behind the soft glow of the house lights and for a brief moment she feared that she was lost. But still she ran on, looking for Az.
   Morrigan at last came upon the dark, smooth mirror of a small loch where she stumbled to a halt at the water’s edge. She’d never seen this small body of water and knew she was hopelessly lost in the dark forest. Her running shoes grew wet as the water lapped at her toes, which quickly grew numb from the freezing water. It soaked and clung like black ink in the darkness.
   With growing anticipation she stood there, staring. Her breasts trembled, rising and falling with her harsh, rapid pants. Her breath misted on the chill night air, wafting out in silver puffs from her quivering mouth. She sank to her knees by the pond, uncaring of the cold mud and water that quickly soaked through her jeans.
   “Az, where are you?” Her voice echoed out across the water. “Az!”
   There before her, a ripple broke the calm surface of the black pool of water. It was followed by another, and another. The water churned and lapped more forcefully against her knees from the force of the waves. Morrigan thought back to her earlier dreams of Az, when he’d emerged from the dark waters of a loch to stand before her. 
   “Az.” Her heart shuddered within her breast.
   Morrigan gasped and bit her lip as a dark head emerged from the heart of the loch. It was followed by Az’s pale and heavily muscled form. He stepped over the water. His feet walked across its surface with barely a ripple as he passed. A small, mysterious smile played about his erotic lips. His black hair was dry and lay in soft waving curls down his back to his buttocks. He came to stand before her in all his masculine glory.
   “At last you have come to me without coercion. I was beginning to think you never would,” he said and took her hands in his. His skin was cool, as it always was when he first touched her.
   “I’m not going to fight this anymore. I was wrong to be so cruel to you, but I was scared. I’ve never met anyone quite like you before.” She gave a breathless laugh. “I’ve come to…I don’t know. I just had to come and find you. I had to tell you th-that even though I don’t really know how—no, that’s not right.” She waved her hands in agitation over her own ineloquence. “What I mean to say is that…I love you. I don’t know how or why but I do. I really do.”
   His smile was blinding, and his fangs flashed in the moonlight. Two days ago the sight would have sent her screaming in terror, but now it only served to arouse her. He gave a full booming laugh. She jumped in surprise and then laughed along with him.
   In a quick movement he gathered her up in his arms and swung her about in a circle. It would have been the most romantic moment of her life if she weren’t so startled by the speed of it. He laughed once more and slowed. He stopped, still holding her with her feet dangling above the ground. 
   “I have searched for you for years, Morrigan. Never did I think I would actually find you, but my hope kept me going. I’m so glad it did. You’ve made me happy—truly happy. I promise to make you happy too.”
   He kissed her long and hard to seal the vow. She trembled against him, then he pulled back. “I am a cad. You hunger. I can feel your hunger beating at me through our bond.”
   “Y-yes. I am hungry,” she admitted. Her lips trembled, and even as her stomach growled in proof, the words she spoke held more than just one meaning.
   “Then let me sate your hunger.” His voice was low and dark, enchanting her. Enslaving her. “Let me sate you in every way.”
   Chapter Nine 
   She let loose a breathy moan and leaned into his awaiting embrace. Az reached up with one hand, and a long, sharp talon appeared from the tip of one of his fingers. He drew the wicked looking nail in a long line across the thick muscle of his breast just above his nipple. 
   Blood welled from the wound, and his talon retracted back into the skin of his digit. Her eyes followed the path of a single drop of crimson as it trailed down his chest. Her stomach growled loudly in response to her awakened hunger.
   “Drink from me, my mate. Be one with me at last.” He reached out and pulled her head towards the wound.
   It was so easy to cease her fight against the primal hunger that raged within her. She wondered why it had taken her so long. Then she fell upon him ravenously. His blood filled her mouth like a sweet and magical elixir, filling her with strength like she’d never before known. 
   She brought her hands up to his chest and lightly kneaded him with her nails. Mewling like a kitten, she drew deeply of his life-essence. On and on she suckled, satiating the deep hunger within her, until she felt replete at long last.
   Drawing away from him she looked up with heavy lidded eyes. She knew her mouth was stained with his blood. She rose up to kiss him, smearing their lips with the wild, sweet taste of him. They kissed hungrily for several moments, stoking the fires between them. 
   Morrigan could feel the swell of his desire for her lying heavy and hot against her belly. She knew instinctively that he had fought and denied his release when she’d fed from him. Her lips trailed down his neck, lingering on his pulse, nipping gently at it with her teeth. She heard his swift intake of breath at her actions and smiled secretly to herself.
   Moving lower she kissed and licked the already healing wound at his chest, drawing the last traces of blood away with her tongue and lips. Her teeth scraped gently at his nipple, and her tongue swirled around his areola to lave away the pain. She knew from the small moan that escaped his lips that he was enjoying her attentions. Eagerly, she gave the same treatment to his other nipple. 
   Licking a hot, wet path down his chest, Morrigan moved to kneel at his feet. The new position brought her face directly in front of his throbbing erection. Her hands roved over his stomach and thighs before moving to cup him between his legs. His heavy cock was powerful in her hands, raw and untamed.
   Morrigan worshipped there at the altar of his powerful body. Her hands lovingly stroked along the great length and breadth of his cock. Knowingly, she paid special attention to the massive plum shaped head at its tip. A single glistening drop of glowing pre-cum glistened at the opening and she licked it away.
   He tasted sugary, unlike any man she’d ever tasted before. She found herself ravenous for more. Leaning into him, she pressed a suckling kiss to the tip of his shaft. Her tongue darted out as she drew away to look up at him and wondered what he was thinking. What was he feeling?
   Az groaned at the sight of her erotic hunger. He held her hair away from her face with one hand to better see her as she brought her face closer to him once more. He saw her glistening tongue dart out to lick from the base of his shaft to the tip. Then her lips opened wider to draw him deeply within the cave of her mouth. He felt the light scrape of her teeth against him and the swirling motions of her tongue as she suckled upon him. He’d never felt such overwhelming pleasure in all of his life.
   This was his woman—his mate. He’d despaired of ever wooing her to his side willingly. She’d fought him so hard from the very beginning. No matter what had happened he would have waited for her, but his heart soared that his wait was over now. She was his. 
   He gave himself over to the pleasure of her mouth as she drew on him. The tip of his cock brushed the back of her throat and he groaned aloud. The muscles of her throat worked around him. Her tongue caressed his shaft like the heated brush of wet velvet. The pleasure was so intense that he couldn’t help but move against her, fucking her mouth like he longed to fuck her tight cunt.
   Morrigan’s caressing hands felt his balls clench and draw up tightly against his body. She knew his climax was near and renewed her ministrations on his cock. Her head bobbed, moving faster and faster. She felt his fist tighten in her hair as he thrust into her mouth.
   Never had she felt more powerful. His cock was heavy and hot in her mouth, the flesh smoother than satin. She sucked him for all she was worth, taking him so deeply into her throat she should have gagged. The head of his penis pulsed once inside her mouth, a second before his hot cum splashed against the back of her throat.
   She gulped him down hungrily, savoring the sweet taste of his orgasm. Az let out a cry that reverberated throughout the forest. It thrilled her to her toes. He shuddered and thrust helplessly against her still suctioning mouth. She swallowed all he had to give and greedily sucked at the opening of his cock for more.
   Az pulled reluctantly away from her and looked down at her swollen lips. A drop of his sperm glistened upon her lower lip, and he pushed it into her mouth with his forefinger, running the finger against her tongue as she lapped at it, savoring his unique flavor. His cock remained hard, hungry to find another release within her wet and welcoming cunt. He pulled her to her feet to stand before him.
   “Remove your clothes, my beauty. I want you naked and ready for me. Whenever you are with me I want you to be naked.”
   More than eager for him to fulfill the sensual promise that was clearly written in his eyes, she rapidly shucked her clothing. When she stood in nothing but her black silk thong, Az prevented her from removing it.
   “Gods, but I’ve never seen such a tantalizing sight,” he muttered darkly before kneeling at her feet, much the same as she had done before him earlier. 
   Az lifted the strap of her thong away with his sharp teeth, licking and laving the soft curve of her hip as he tugged downward. He teased her through the silk with tiny nips, curving his seeking tongue beneath it. Morrigan gasped and dug her nails into the skin of his broad shoulders. He licked and bit at her sensitive flesh. 
   Moving down he sucked upon the swollen nub of her clit beneath the dark silk, and she arched against him with a strangled cry. He bared her, pulling her thong down away from her soaking femininity. He used his lips, teeth and tongue against her labia mercilessly. 
   At last she stood bare before him, her thong at her ankles. She stepped from the material, bringing her glistening copper curls closer to his face. He groaned and ran his hands up her thighs, making her knees grow weak with the erotic sensation of his touch. She was breathless with anticipation as he slowly lowered his head to her once more. His tongue darted out beyond the seam of his lips to delve into her heated core. 
   “I’ll fall,” she said on a moan. Her fingers dug into the flesh of his muscled shoulders. 
   “I’ll catch you,” he promised. His voice vibrated against her.
   She pulled back slightly to watch as he parted her feminine folds with his fingers. He exposed her swollen and distended clit to the burning intensity of his gaze. The tips of his fingers grazed her pulsing nub of pleasure once, twice, half a dozen times. Morrigan squealed with the torturous pleasure of it and her knees gave out beneath her. 
   As he promised, Az caught her. His show of strength was immense as he lifted her before him and threw her legs about his shoulders. He buried his face between her legs. Hands supported her buttocks as he buried his face in her wet, pink flesh. His seeking tongue scraped against her clit over and over, bringing her closer and closer to peak. 
   As swollen as her clit was in her pleasure it was easy for him to suck her as thoroughly as she’d sucked him. Her clit disappeared into his mouth and his lips and tongue worked her until she was shrieking in ecstasy. A moment later she lost her last shred of self-control and she came in pulsing waves against his lips and tongue.
   “Az,” she cried out into the night. He made slurping sounds as he licked her wet, swollen flesh.
   When the last waves of her orgasm had subsided, Az rose with her in his arms. Morrigan wrapped her legs around him and tried to impale herself upon his massive staff, desperate for the feel of his thick cock filling her. Az chuckled and held her seeking body away from its goal. He kissed her mouth fiercely, his lips still tasting faintly of her essence.
   “Do not rush so, my mate. I will give you all that you desire in due time,” he said in his enchanting voice. 
   “Fuck me, please,” she begged shamelessly, tugging upon his silky hair in her frustration.
   “I’ll fuck you in just a moment if you’ll be patient,” he growled into her ear, clearly inflamed at her words.
   Az set her down upon the forest floor with strong, steady hands. He turned her away from him and brought her hands up to rest against the trunk of an oak tree. Growling low in his throat, he came to stand close behind her. He used his feet to push at hers, spreading her legs wide. 
   His wide palm came to rest against the slight swell of her stomach, bringing her firmly against his burning hot cock. With one swift, harsh move he thrust into her wet pussy from his position behind her. She mewled and cried out, pushing more forcefully against him as he plunged balls deep into her.
   “Do you want it hard and fast, or slow and deep?” he growled into her ear. His magical voice invaded her body in much the same way as his thickly aroused shaft.
   “I don’t care, I want it all,” she cried desperately. Her breath was coming in harsh pants.
   “Then I’ll give it to you. All you can take, baby,” he promised, before he withdrew from her clinging flesh. 
   Az withdrew from her until his erection was almost free of her. Then he thrust back into her with a force that flattened her buttocks against him and lifted her feet from the ground. She cried out with the pleasure that washed over her in drowning waves. 

   From his great height he leaned down and nipped at her shoulder. Then he laved the tiny hurt with his velvet tongue. Her hands dug into the bark of the tree and she thrust back to meet his pummeling cock. Their flesh made wet slapping sounds as he pounded her there against the tree.
   The hand that was splayed upon her stomach moved downward to tangle in the curls between her legs, and his other hand came around to play at her nipples. He pulled upon her nipples and clit, overwhelming her with the pleasure of his expert caresses. Her pussy was stretched tight over his rod, burning deliciously with every deep thrust. She moaned and gasped aloud her pleasure, racing towards the edge of a glorious, shattering climax.
   Suddenly, Az pulled away from her. Her cunt made a wet slurping sound as it greedily strove to keep his cock held prisoner. Az groaned harshly and turned her around to face him.
   “I want you above me,” he whispered into her mouth as he kissed her. “I want you to ride me. Hard. So I can see your breasts bounce and your face go slack with pleasure. I want to see your face when you come around my cock.” He sucked upon her lip before drawing away to lie upon the forest floor. 
   “Won’t you be uncomfortable?” she asked, concerned, even as her womb clenched with thrilling pleasure at his words.
   “My wings will keep me cushioned,” he said. Then his silver wings spread out beneath him. 
   The wings were so beautiful unfurled. At least twelve feet from tip to tip. They lay like gossamer silk beneath him. Morrigan had never seen such an erotic vision as Az splayed out upon the blanket of his iridescent wings. His cock was large and hard, bobbing and glistening in the moonlight, wet from her body. She fell upon him, dizzy with the force of her overwhelming hunger. Already starved for the pleasure of being in his arms.
   Az’s masterful hands guided her legs so that she came astride him, and she reached between them to position his penis. She sank down upon him with a breathy moan. Her wet flesh swallowed him deep within her. They could both feel her flesh pulse around him and he dug his fingers into the flesh of her bottom. He was visibly fighting against losing control. 
   He threw his head back slightly and his glowing eyes were dazed. His mouth parted to reveal long, sharp incisors. She fell upon him to press her lips against his teeth. It sent his cock impossibly deeper into her.
   They kissed and Az guided her movements upon him with hands at her bottom. He moved her over his cock, thrusting his hips with each undulation of her hips against him. His teeth pulled and bit at her lips, drawing a faint trace of blood with his impassioned kisses. He laved the small hurt he inflicted, but she loved the pleasure-pain and pressed her lips harder against his teeth. Both of their mouths were filled with the coppery tang of her blood. 
   Her wild response sent him over the edge of his control. His body pounded fiercely into her, faster and faster. He pulled her forcefully against him as he moved within her, grinding against her clit with every down thrust. Morrigan’s orgasm washed over her, twisting her body upon a rack of unimaginable pleasure. Her vagina tightened around his pummeling flesh, milking him with her pulsating muscles until he too found release. He pumped his hot cum into her depths, roaring his satisfaction into the night. 
   Morrigan collapsed upon him, witless and gasping. Az’s hands came up to tenderly cradle her head for his kiss before they rested limply upon her back. He was unable to move but for his harsh breathing and pounding heart.
   “I’ve never felt so much pleasure in all my life,” he praised her. His voice was deep and ragged.
   “Me neither,” she confessed shakily against his chest. She burrowed against him like a kitten, breathing deep of his deliciously masculine scent.
   “We were made for this—for one another,” he stated.
   “I believe you,” she said, knowing his words were true and heartfelt. She agreed with him. She felt so right in his embrace. She knew it couldn’t have been any other way. Her heart swelled with emotion and she kissed his chest, resting her face against him.
   They lay there quietly on the forest floor for several moments. Az’s wings came around to enfold her more tightly against him. The silky wings protected her exposed skin from the chill night air, keeping her safe and close to him.
   Morrigan sighed with contentment, feeling truly at peace for the first time in she couldn’t remember how long. With her core still wet and pulsing, and Az’s shaft still buried deeply within her, she let her eyes grow heavy. She relaxed fully against him and fell into a light doze.
   Chapter Ten 
   “Well, well, well. What do we have here? A horny Icari and his human slut.” The masculine voice broke over their contentment. 
   Az tensed beneath Morrigan, his wings enfolding her even more tightly against him. His amethyst eyes blazed angrily. “I know that voice,” Az called out darkly, as he made to rise. Morrigan was still held protectively in his arms as he gained his feet.
   “Indeed? I was almost certain you would have forgotten your old childhood friend by now, Azure,” the disembodied voice called from the darkness. 
   “Show yourself Petiyr,” Az demanded in a regal tone that brooked no argument.
   The tall, dark figure of a man emerged from the thicket of trees directly before them. Morrigan gasped as a shaft of silver moonlight illuminated the features of a familiar face.
   “Peter Smith?” she asked in confusion.
   “No my dear, the name is Petiyr. Please do get it right now that you’ve heard it pronounced correctly.”
   “Peter, Petiyr, who gives a flying rat’s ass how you pronounce it? What I want to know is why the hell you are even here?”
   “I followed you of course, my foolish little human. I knew you’d lied to me about staying in a hotel and I wanted to know why. You didn’t go back to a hotel, but to a house. Your house. And even though you seem to be enjoying a bit of recreational activity here with our winged friend, I don’t think you’re merely vacationing either.”
   Az tightened his hold upon her. “How do you know this man, Morrigan?”
   “We met in a pub earlier this evening. He was looking at me strangely and offered to buy me dinner. He made me uncomfortable so I left. I didn’t know he would follow me.”
   “Yes, well, perhaps I was a bit worried about you. But then again, perhaps not. You looked a little peaked tonight, Morrigan. Your skin was pale, and I could clearly see that your gums were drawing away from your incisors. It was a look I had seen before. One I’m very familiar with. In addition, I also smelled the cum of our rutting friend here, pooled between your lovely thighs.” He laughed maniacally when her cheeks flushed with mortification. 
   “I thought you were banished to the far reaches of Icaria, for your perfidy against the women of our homeworld. How came you to be here, Petiyr?” The words coming from Az’s mouth sounded so formal and regal that Morrigan couldn’t help but stare dumbstruck from one man to the other. 
   “Ahh, yes. Your brother, the King, did banish me from the Azrine court for my ravishment of the fair Ilyana. Without a fair trial, I might add. How could he have taken the word of the city’s most infamous whore over the word of his little brother’s best friend? She was asking for my attentions—begging for them. I merely gave her what she so desperately wanted.”
   “You brutalized her. You negated all bonds of friendship between us with your cruel actions. Our males are bound by law to protect all females, be they family, friend or stranger. We are too strong to visit violence upon their delicate forms. Yet you disobeyed our most sacred law by raping and beating Ilyana. You deserved your punishment.”
   Petiyr’s gray eyes blazed, though not near as brightly or ethereally as Az’s. Morrigan struggled to follow their conversation.
   “You’re an Icari, too?” she asked, puzzled.
   Petiyr flashed her a grin from behind tightly clenched teeth. “That I am, Morrigan.”
   “But where are your wings? Where are your fangs? And your eyes have pupils and visible whites, but Az’s don’t. You don’t look anything like him.”
   “Well, aren’t we just full of observations? My wings were cut off as part of the punishment when I was banished from our fair Azrine. It was done to prevent me from swimming back too easily, and to keep me from leaving our homeworld. 
   “But I didn’t much care for my exile on the desert plains of Navbeth. I snuck back towards civilization, abducting the first winged Icari that crossed my path. It was easy. I forced him to take me here, to this gods-forsaken planet. I had been here, once before, with Azure when he’d left on the quest to search for his mate many years ago. I remembered how weak and frail the people here were compared to my kind, and decided I would like being one of the strongest, fastest beings on the planet. Upon our arrival, I killed my transport and disposed of his body. “
   Morrigan tried not to react to the cold dead tone of Petiyr’s voice as he spoke so casually of killing someone. She burrowed back against the firm wall of Az’s chest, gaining comfort in his strength.
   “But what about your teeth and your eyes? I’ve never known an Icari to look so…wasted away.” Az’s beautiful voice broke the small silence.
   “When I first arrived here, everything was fine. Peachy keen, as Morrigan might say.” He flashed her an evil grin, and she fought not to cringe away from the disturbing sight. “I drank the blood of these weak humans, and used my charms to seduce hundreds of women. I grew rich off of the spoils of those whom I killed. 
   “I was careful not to alarm too many people. This planet is notorious for stamping out the existence of beings such as I without a second thought. No matter how strong I was, I would have been no match against a large show of force should I be discovered. So I lived quietly, taking what I wanted from whomever I wanted. It was a perfect existence for me. I was happy as I had never been.
   “But years passed. Ten long years. My body started to change. It seems, old friend, that the atmosphere of this planet is not entirely friendly to our kind with prolonged exposure. My fangs receded into my gum line, and I could not draw them forth – even with pliers, which I foolishly used in my desperation. The glowing brilliance of my eyes faded until they looked more human than Icari. I regressed into something less than an Icari, losing some of my good looks and preternatural senses. I have grown to hate my new prison as much as I hated my old one.”
   “And your strength? Are you still strong enough to match me, Petiyr?”
   “You couldn’t let that question lie unspoken between us, could you Az? I could lie and say that I am still as strong as ever I was, but I will not waste my breath. I could not face you in a fair test of strength. This accursed planet has seen to that.”
   Az moved to set Morrigan behind him, and started forward, but Petiyr stopped him with a laugh. Petiyr’s hand moved and the moonlight glinted upon the barrel of the gun he held.
   “Don’t be foolish, Az. I am not totally unprepared to face you, as you can see.”
   “What do you want with us, Outcast?”
   “Well, I’ll probably fuck this little bitch here before I kill her. Then you can take me back to Icari, and the Azrine court. With you as my hostage, Azure, I’m sure to gain a pardon from your brother, and I will at last be back where I belong.”
   Morrigan put her hands against Az’s wings, applying pressure when he made to move towards Petiyr. His anger washed over her in waves. It was a physically palpable thing on the chill night air. But he didn’t stand a chance against a gun no matter how angry he was. She couldn’t bear the thought of Petiyr hurting Az. 
   She probably should have been more concerned for her own welfare, especially after hearing Petiyr’s plans for her. But she could only think about Az’s safety. She loved him, more than her own life. She didn’t care what happened to her.
   Even though she only knew him through her dreams and recently with her body, she knew instinctively that they were perfect for each other. Knew that they belonged to one another down to their very souls. She loved him and she would do all that she could to keep him safe.
   Even at the risk of her own life.
   Chapter Eleven 
   “Let Morrigan go free, unharmed, and I will do as you ask,” Az grated out.
   “No, I don’t think so, Az. You are not properly cowed yet. There’s no telling what you might do when I am at your mercy in the pools between our worlds. I will fuck her, kill her, and you will get to watch. If she is indeed your mate, as her physical changes do seem to attest, then you will weaken with her death. You will be totally in my power, and therefore less of a threat on our journey.”
   “I will never be weak enough for you to control. If you harm her then I will simply refuse to aid you. If you let her go, I will take you safely back to Icari. I give you my word of honor.”
   Petiyr snorted. “I don’t care about your professed honor. I don’t trust it.”
   “That is simply because you have no honor, Petiyr. I have never broken my word once it is given, this you know. Let her go, and I will do as you wish.”
   There was a long moment of silence as the two men faced each other.
   “No. I’m not leaving without a nice piece of ass to tide me over,” Petiyr said before he rushed him. 
   Unprepared for the attack, Az fell to the ground, dazed under the cruel blow of Petiyr’s gun against his temple. Petiyr turned and fell upon Morrigan, his long tongue rasping out to lick a rough line down her cheek. They both tripped and fell to the ground.
   “You’re a total, fucking lunatic,” Morrigan yelled, struggling against him.
   Petiyr laughed maniacally, his eyes wild as his hands fell upon her exposed breasts with bruising force. His gun flew from his hand when her arm met his wrist with a jarring blow, but he didn’t seem to care. He tried to insinuate himself between her thighs, but her legs were kicking too violently to allow it.
   “Fight me, baby. I love it when whores like you put up a fight. It makes your subjugation so much sweeter.”
   Morrigan gagged when he tried to kiss her. Then she managed to bite down upon his lips, tearing flesh and drawing blood. The taste of his blood was sour and coppery—nothing like Az’s. She spat it back at him when it filled her mouth. Petiyr cried out and pulled back. She scrambled away from him, crawling crablike on her hands and feet backwards into the darkness.
   “You bitch! You’ll pay for that,” he roared, coming forward over her once more. He rose back to hit her with his clenched fist.
   Morrigan’s hand closed over the handle of Petiyr’s fallen gun. With grateful surprise, she grasped at it with desperate fingers. She wasn’t quite quick enough and his fist fell against her cheekbone, making her see stars. Her vision dimmed and swam as Petiyr fell upon her with renewed violence.
   As her attacker fell between her legs, his hand moving to the fastening of his trousers, she recovered slightly from his vicious blow. Her fingers tightened upon her weapon and she swung up to level it at his face.
   “Back off, asshole,” she said in a voice that sounded diamond hard, even to her own still ringing ears. 
   “What the fuck?” Petiyr choked in disbelief as he stared cross-eyed down the barrel of his own gun.
   “Yeah, that’s right. Your would-be victim—little ol’ me—has found your gun. And oh—guess what! I know how to use it, too,” she said as she released the gun’s safety catch with her thumb. 
   She shoved the weapon ruthlessly into his face, butting it against his nose with bruising force. “Now back off, psycho, or I’ll pull this trigger.”
   Petiyr backed off of her slowly. “You couldn’t kill me,” he scoffed. “You don’t have what it takes to end a life.”
   “I’ve just spent several years of my life learning to protect myself from rabid fans and stalkers. I can assure you that after all that time I’m completely fucking ready to shoot your ass. Do you really want to try me?”
   Apparently he didn’t because he continued to back away from her, until she had enough room to move away and gain her feet. She looked down at him with hard eyes, the gun held steadily at his face. Her eyes never strayed from him as she went to check on Az.
   Az’s powerful body stirred when she approached him, and she spared a quick glance at him. Obviously he was a little dazed, and a dark trickle of blood marred his temple and cheek. Beyond that he looked as gorgeous as always.
   “Are you all right?” she asked, careful to keep the gun trained upon Petiyr, who was crouched upon the ground.
   Az chuckled as he dizzily gained his feet. He came beside her and saw the surly, huddled figure of Petiyr as Morrigan held the gun pointed at him. He shook his head and pressed a fleeting kiss against her cheek.
   “I never thought you would be the one to save me, my love,” he said.
   “Never underestimate a woman with a firearm. We’re not all marshmallows and sunshine—we’ve got a dark side a mile wide.”
   Az laughed loudly into the night. Morrigan couldn’t resist smiling at the sound of his good cheer.
   “Gods, you both make me sick,” Petiyr grumbled. His lips curved in an ugly sneer.
   “As for you, Petiyr. You, I will take back to Icari to be tried for your crimes against our people and the people of Earth. Though we haven’t sentenced death to anyone in centuries, I am sure that my brother will see fit to make an exception for you. You are a disgrace to our people, Petiyr. You deserve the ultimate punishment of death.”
   Az’s words appeared to enrage Petiyr anew and he seemed to lose what was left of his self-control. He rushed at Az once again, but this time Az was prepared. In a lightning quick move, before Morrigan even had a chance to pull the trigger of her gun, Az had cuffed Petiyr upon the head with enough force to knock him out cold. Morrigan hadn’t even seen him move.
   “Good grief,” she choked out, staring at Az with wide eyes. Aside from the blood at his temple he didn’t looked fazed at all by his stunning display of speed and strength.
   “Are you all right, my love?” His eyes tenderly roved over her, reminding her that she was still completely naked.
   “I’m fine, just a little bruised is all,” she said breathlessly under his roving eyes. Unbelievably she felt her desire for him stir anew, despite the odd situation in which they found themselves. She wondered if it would always be this way between them.
   “Your face will bruise. Your breasts too, where he hit you. I am sorry I was too weak to help you, Morrigan.” His eyes were dim with shame.
   Morrigan smiled impishly and lowered the gun as he approached her. “Don’t be sorry. It wasn’t your fault that he didn’t fight fair. Besides, I’m a twenty-first century woman. I know how to take care of psycho males with guns,” she laughingly said.
   “Oh really? And can you take care of me?” he asked with a wicked smile. He slipped his arms around her waist, bringing her body into full contact with his own. His staff was already hard and heavy. She couldn’t help but respond by wriggling against him erotically, cuddling his erection.
   Az drew away from her with a serious look in his eyes.
   “Will you think about coming with me back to my home world? I have to leave without you for now. I have to take Petiyr before the court to face my brother’s justice. But I’ll be back in a few short days to talk about it with you if you want.”
   Morrigan thought about it. A new world! The idea was thrilling, even as it was terrifying. “I don’t have any family here, or friends that I would miss if I were to leave,” she said, warming up to the idea of it. Then another thought intruded. “But wait. How can I go with you? I can’t exactly breathe underwater, you know.”
   Eyes serious, he looked over her closely. “You’re already changing, my love. In time you’ll grow to be more like me, and breathing underwater will be the first of those changes. Or so I’m told. We’ll wait as long as necessary for your body to adapt itself before we go to Icaria. Time is of no importance to us now, with your increased longevity.”
   “What do you mean by increased longevity? Wait a minute, just how old are you, Az?”
   “I’m only one hundred and twelve. I am still a young man among my people. You and I have many Earth lifetimes yet to be together.”
   “Good grief! This will take some getting used to. Are you sure you would want to have me around for that long?”
   “You are my mate, destined to be at my side through our life and beyond. I could not live my life without you. I love you.”
   Morrigan’s eyes filled tears. “Oh Az, I love you, too. I don’t know how or why, but I do. More than I’ve ever loved anyone or anything. Of course I’ll go with you to Icaria.” She buried her face in his neck as he held her tightly to him.
   Morrigan was the first to pull away. “Now you’d better go and get psycho-boy here back to your brother, the king. King! Does that make you a prince, Az?” She couldn’t keep the apprehension from her voice. She’d already left one high-profile life behind her. She certainly didn’t relish embarking upon another.
   “Indeed it does, though it is merely an empty title. There’s no real power behind it. Does that displease you, my love?”
   “Good God, no,” she laughed, relieved. “I’ve had enough of fame and glory to last me several lifetimes, thank you. I’m ready to settle down in quiet anonymity for the rest of my days, and that’s no lie.”
   Petiyr chose that moment to groan, and he stirred on the ground at their feet. Az sighed. “I’d better see to him now. Will you be here waiting for me, Morrigan, when I return?”
   “I’ll wait as long as it takes,” she promised.
   She didn’t have very long to wait. Three days later, her love returned to her, and together they entered the waters that would take them to their home.