Dark Widow’s Blessing Read online

  “Unless you’re tired, we have all the time we need.”

  “I’m not tired.”

  “Then it would be my pleasure. Is there anything I need to know? I’ve never washed a woman’s hair before.” He ran his fingers through her long tresses.

  “Shampoo twice, but try not to get it all tangled up, or we’ll end up spending half the night combing out the knots. I’d rather be doing other things.” In case her meaning wasn’t clear, Vivian rubbed her bottom against his hard length.

  “Got it.” He groaned. “No knots. What else?”

  “After rinsing the shampoo off, cover it with a generous amount of conditioner and let it sit for several minutes. You have conditioner here, right?”

  “I do. But I don’t know how good it is.”

  Vivian lifted up and turned around, kneeling on the bench between Magnus’s spread thighs. “How about we skip the hair washing?” She wrapped her arms around his neck and opened her eyes.

  Up close, the glow he was emitting reflected from her pale skin and cast a barely-there soft light on his face. It was enough for her to find his lips without banging his forehead.

  “Careful.” His hand shot to the back of her neck, cupping it and holding her a fraction of an inch away from his mouth. “My fangs might scrape you.”

  “Can I see them?”

  “Isn’t it too dark for you?”

  “The glow from your eyes reflects off my skin and casts a tiny bit of light back on your face.”

  He tilted his head, the glow from his eyes moving to a different spot. “Are you sure you’re up for it before the bite? Maybe it’s better to wait for after.”

  “After the bite, they will go back to their regular length. I want to see.” She tapped a finger on his lips. “Open wide for me.”

  It was something she’d said countless times over the years to numerous clients, but given what she was about to see, it sounded like a joke.

  Her breath caught when Magnus parted his lips. His fangs were long, at least an inch and a half. And he was going to sink those monsters into her?

  Vivian shook her head. “I don’t think I can do that. I mean the bite. Those will feel like double daggers stabbing into me. I’m not into pain.”

  He smoothed his hand over her back, his touch gentle. “My saliva contains a mild analgesic, so I can mitigate most of the pain. I’ve bitten many women, and none of them did more than whimper for a second. I don’t think it’s that bad.”

  Vivian really didn’t like the reminder of his prior partners, or that he was more than a couple of centuries old, which meant there had been a lot of them.

  “Grrr, Magnus. Did you have to spoil the mood like that? I don't want to hear about your other conquests when I'm naked in the shower with you and getting all sexed up.”

  It was hard to see his expression in the dark, but his luminous eyes had gotten sad. “I’m sorry. We should’ve talked about it before getting naked.” He put his hands on her waist and turned her around again. “Close your eyes and let me wash you. Don’t think about the fangs. Just enjoy my touch.”

  Easier said than done since his slurred speech was painting a vivid image of those fangs in her head. Unless Magnus’s hands could do magic and make her forget the knife-like long monstrosities, she was not going to relax.

  Rubbing soap on his hands, he cupped her breasts while kissing the spot where her neck met her shoulder. “This is where I’m going to bite you.” He licked the spot, then kissed it again. “You’ll have the best orgasm of your life, I promise.”

  Somehow, what he was doing with his hands made his slurred speech sound sexy. Maybe they were magical after all.

  Vivian let her head drop back, resting it against his shoulder, then turned it sideways. “Kiss me, Magnus.”

  He took her lips gently, applying hardly any pressure at all before slipping his tongue inside her mouth. But even so, she was keenly aware of his fangs.

  Perhaps the best way to overcome fear was to face it.

  Lifting her arm, she wrapped it around his neck and brought him closer to her. “Let me kiss you, Magnus. I know now why you never let me do that before. I’ll be careful.”

  When he retracted his tongue, she followed with hers. Hesitantly seeking entry, she slipped it in between his fangs, hoping the sides weren’t sharp. They shouldn’t be, but then nothing about this was normal.

  Discovering the sides were smooth, Vivian got bold and licked along the length of one. When Magnus groaned, and his shaft twitched under her bottom, she licked along the other one. The effect was the same.

  Apparently, an immortal male’s fangs were an erogenous zone. Who would have thought?

  Fascinating.

  But even though it was obviously immensely pleasurable to him, Magnus wasn’t the kind of man who was happy to be on the receiving end. Cupping the back of her head, he pulled away. “Let me rinse you.”

  Impatient man. “You didn’t do my back yet,” she teased.

  “You can get on your hands and knees right here on the shower floor, and I’ll do your back while I do you, or I can rinse you, towel dry you, and take you to bed. Your choice.”

  Getting on all fours in the shower wasn’t something she’d done before, but perhaps she could give it a try some other time. Enough new sensations coming her way tonight.

  “Take me to bed.”

  “I thought so.”

  It took him less than a minute to get her out of the shower, wrap her in a soft towel, and carry her to bed.

  Gently, Magnus put her down on her back, but Vivian had other ideas. Rolling out of the towel, she got on all fours and looked behind her shoulder. All she could see were his glowing eyes, but that was good enough.

  “I liked your idea, just not on the shower floor.” She wiggled her bottom.

  The other time Vivian had assumed that pose, she’d been comfortable thinking that he couldn’t see her with all her lady parts on full display. Now that she knew that he could, she no longer minded.

  There were no more secrets between them, and baring their souls to each other had required more courage than baring their bodies.

  Besides, in this pose, she wouldn’t see the bite coming.

  Climbing behind her, he cupped her hot center. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t accidentally scrape you while having a taste.”

  A moment later his hot breath fanned over her moist folds. “Spread wider for me.” His hand rested on her left buttock.

  She moved her knees a little further apart.

  “More.”

  Any more than that and she was going to fall on her face.

  As Vivian moved her knees another couple of inches apart, Magnus rewarded her with a soft lick, then probed her opening with his finger, just rimming it for a couple of seconds before pushing it slowly inside her.

  Impatient for more, Vivian moaned.

  How the hell was he able to take his time with her? He’d already been close to the edge in the shower.

  But that was Magnus. Her pleasure always came before his. Except, this time he didn’t bring her to a climax first.

  When he’d gotten her wound up so tight the coil was about to snap free, Magnus removed his fingers and his tongue. She wanted to scream in frustration, but then she heard the nightstand drawer open and close, and then the unmistakable sound of a wrapper being torn.

  A moment later he gripped her hips and plunged into her, filling her up with one powerful thrust and then holding still for a couple of seconds to let her adjust to his girth.

  When she pushed back, he surged forward, then back, again and again, and soon his gentle thrusts turned into powerful pounding, tightening the coil inside her to a breaking point.

  As it sprung free, she yelled out his name, her eyes rolling back in her head.

  Magnus draped himself over her, his big body enveloping hers as he licked the spot where he was going to bite her.

  She tensed for a moment, expecting him to sink those fangs into her neck all
at once, but again, Magnus surprised her. When he broke the skin, it was only with the very tips. It felt as if he’d just scraped her. There was a moment of pain, but it was tolerable, and the venom itself felt cold, not hot.

  Then the euphoria hit, washing away any remnants of pain and inducing another powerful orgasm, and then another.

  Shuddering and twitching from the onslaught of pleasure, Vivian collapsed on the mattress, and when another orgasm rocked her, she felt as if her body was weightless and soaring on a cloud of bliss.

  13

  Ella

  Ella dipped her hand in the water and then cranked the hot water faucet all the way up. The tub was the biggest Jacuzzi she’d ever seen, so big that she suspected Dimitri had had it custom built.

  Or maybe he’d installed an outdoor model indoors.

  Four people could get comfortable in it, and she wondered if Dimitri had entertained several female guests in there at once.

  She couldn’t care less about the hookers he’d most likely had delivered to the estate, or even volunteers. All she cared about was whether he’d used protection. Getting a disease from him would just be the poisoned cherry on top.

  Then again, he wasn’t stupid or ignorant, so she had to assume that he’d been careful.

  When another dip confirmed that the water temperature was just right, Ella shrugged off the bathrobe and climbed into the tub.

  It felt heavenly, an oasis of tranquility in hell.

  Not that her day had been hellish. Far from it. Dimitri had left for Moscow early in the morning, and he wasn’t coming back until tomorrow.

  Ella had spent the day horseback riding with Misha and visiting two more villages. They’d had lunch in the first one, and dinner in the second, which was a tavern that served beer and vodka along with the food. A band had played Russian country music as well as popular stuff, and she’d even gotten to dance with Misha, or rather she’d danced while he stood in place, swaying from foot to foot.

  It had been a good day, and since Dimitri wasn’t coming back until the next evening, she was going to have a wonderful night and most of the day tomorrow as well.

  Looking at the bottle of wine she’d had brought into the bathroom, Ella debated between drinking straight from the bottle or pouring it into a glass. On the one hand, she didn’t like drinking from a bottle, but on the other hand, it would feel very satisfying to treat Dimitri’s super expensive wine with such disregard.

  Any act of rebellion, no matter how small, was so satisfying. If she had a phone, she would’ve taken a selfie while holding the bottle up and then showed it to Dimitri. After all, he encouraged her to develop a taste for wine. He hadn’t specified that she had to use a glass.

  Leaning forward, Ella snatched the bottle and then lay back, resting her head on the inflatable pillow that was part of the tub.

  Since it was still early, it was a good time to open a channel to her mom. They could talk for hours. No one was going to intrude on her while she was soaking in the bathtub.

  Hey, Mom, are you busy?

  Not at all. I’m so relieved to hear your voice in my head. I was starting to worry. What’s going on?

  Nothing much. I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you before. I was either asleep or surrounded by people. Right now, I’m soaking in the bathtub with a bottle of wine, and no one is going to disturb me. We can talk as much as we want.

  Her mother chuckled. I’m not going to pretend that I didn’t hear the word wine mentioned. But under the circumstances, I guess it’s okay. Where is Gorchenco?

  He’s on a business trip to Moscow, and he’s not coming back until tomorrow evening. But I don’t want to talk about him. That’s all we’ve been talking about. I want to talk about you and Parker and what’s going on with you, and especially about the witchy ritual. Did it lift the curse?

  Since we have time, give me a moment to get comfortable. I’ve just brewed some coffee and was about to have my first cup.

  Isn’t it a bit late for your first coffee?

  It’s Sunday. I can sleep in. Besides, I don’t have much to do here. Parker started a homeschooling program, so from time to time I help him with that, and Magnus takes us to the gym, so there is that. Oh, and they have a pool here. We went swimming the other day.

  Sounds like you’re having fun.

  Through the mental connection, a wave of guilt floated toward Ella, preceding her mother’s voice in her head, As much as we can while worrying about you.

  Don’t feel guilty about that, Mom. I had a great day today. I went horseback riding with Misha, my bodyguard, and we visited two villages. It’s not like I’m being tormented every moment of the day. Now tell me about the ritual. Did it work?

  I can’t be sure, but I think so. It felt powerful.

  What did you do? Can you tell me, or is it a secret?

  Her mother chuckled nervously. You won’t believe it, but thirteen ladies, fourteen including me, danced naked in a circle and chanted a prayer to the goddess. We did it for so long that at some point I fainted. When I woke up, I felt like a weight was lifted off my chest. I felt strong, hopeful, and optimistic. It’s probably all in my head, but the lady who organized the whole thing said that maybe my belief in the curse was inviting negative energies. So if I want it gone, I should stop believing in it.

  There was something to that. All the self-help gurus claimed that positive thinking and believing in yourself was crucial to success. And if that was true, then the opposite of that was true as well.

  That sounds reasonable. So how are you going to test it?

  Ella had a feeling she already knew the answer to that. Her mom had a thing for Magnus. The question was whether she had the guts to do anything about it.

  I need to tell you something, Vivian began.

  I knew it! You and Magnus, right?

  We are in love.

  Oh, Mom, I’m so happy for you. And a little envious. Does Parker know?

  Yes, and he’s okay with it. He likes Magnus a lot. When Magnus told him that he wants us to be a family, Parker actually hugged him. He wasn’t like that with my two other boyfriends.

  Ella hadn’t been crazy about them either, but she’d kept her opinion to herself because her mother had been finally dating.

  It wasn’t nice to think ill of the dead, but the contractor guy had been a tightwad who’d rarely taken Vivian out to nice restaurants or shows, and it hadn’t been for lack of means. The accountant had been nice but awkward, and Ella had suspected him of being a mama’s boy. She didn’t know anything about Magnus, but her little brother liked him, and that was good enough for her.

  After what happened with Romeo, I trust Parker’s judgment. If he likes Magnus, then the guy is okay.

  I can’t wait for you to meet him. I’m sure you’re going to like him too.

  Hopefully, it will be sooner than later, Ella said before realizing she’d voiced her thought.

  She’d had no intentions of telling her mom about the latest development. Vivian would flip if she heard that Dimitri wanted to get her daughter pregnant.

  Usually, Ella was good at channeling only what she wanted to say to her mother and keeping the rest locked away. But sometimes slips happened.

  What’s going on? Talk to me, Ella.

  Great, now she had her mom worried. Nothing new, Mom. I just want my life back. That’s all.

  14

  Bridget

  “Thank you so much for coming to see Parker.” Vivian offered Bridget her hand.

  “I feel bad about dragging you out here on a Sunday,” Magnus said. “It’s just that we are eager to find out if Parker is ready to attempt transition.”

  “It’s my pleasure.” Bridget shook Vivian’s offered hand. “It’s natural. And anyway, Dormants are a big deal for us. We are all ready to jump through hoops for you.” She followed Vivian into the tiny apartment.

  Parker pushed to his feet and offered her his sweaty palm. “Hi, Doctor Bridget.”

  “Hello, Parker
.” She smiled at him.

  At twelve and a half, the boy was about her height, which was average for his age, so they were eye to eye.

  “Would you like some coffee?” Vivian asked.

  “Sure.”

  It would give her time to chat a little with Parker before taking him to the clinic for a checkup. The questions and checks she needed to perform would be embarrassing for him, so it was a good idea to get him comfortable with her first.

  “Come sit with me, Parker.” She walked over to the couch. “I want to talk with you a little.”

  Gingerly, he sat on the very edge of the sofa. “Are you going to ask me questions about, you know, puberty stuff?” He glanced nervously at his mother.

  “Later, when we are alone in my clinic. Right now I want to talk to you about the transition and what’s involved. By the way, I wanted to tell you that it was very brave of you to volunteer to go first.”

  Parker sat up a bit straighter, his shoulders no longer slumping forward. “Thank you. But I just thought that this was the best way to go. Mom has to wait until Ella is back, and I’m almost thirteen.”

  “When did Magnus tell you about us?”

  “Yesterday.”

  This was the first time a Dormant this young had been found, and Bridget was curious to learn the differences in reaction between kids and grownups. The clan boys grew up knowing that they were going to transition at thirteen, so it wasn’t a surprise for them and it wasn’t scary.

  Well, not terrifying was more accurate. Getting wrestled down by an older, transitioned boy must’ve been a little scary for most of them. She still remembered Julian’s transition and how nervous he’d been before the ceremony.

  “Did you believe him right away?” Bridget asked.

  “I saw him swim.”

  She arched a brow. “And that convinced you that he’s immortal?”

  “I love superheroes, and Magnus can swim like Aquaman. But that was just half of it. When he showed me his cute little dragon illusion, that was enough for me.” Parker smirked.