Black Magic - An Urban Fantasy Colleciton Read online

  “Tameron here,” River gestured to the vampire beside him. “is a vampire. I didn’t know he or his kind existed until the worlds collided. We didn’t know each other, but we have saved each others lives more than once, without stopping to question each other as to what or who we were. This man showed more acceptance and affection for me than any human, since the rift,” he confessed, turning to offer Tameron a smile.

  Despite what they’d been through during the last few days, he did appreciate the way the vampire had made him feel needed for a short time.

  “Tameron thought that, because of my unique qualities, I was the key to saving this world. But this isn’t a world that needs saving.” River watched a ripple of surprise and shock flutter through the ranks as everyone turned to talk to each other in hushed whispers. He waited until it died down before continuing. “Everything I’ve learned about myself tells me that you look at me and know I’m not from your world. Tameron thinks I’m the key to returning you to your home, but that’s not true either. What is true – what I can tell you without a doubt – is that this world is my home and it can be yours, too.”

  “What if we want to go back to our home?” a voice asked, calling through the crowd.

  “I can only ask for time,” River replied. “I have no special abilities, outside of my werewolf nature. I have no idea if I can return you home or how it would be possible. But I will fight to make this world our home, if that’s what you want?”

  Silence was too much to ask for, but River did see a lot of people turning to discuss his offer. Vanos even turned and gave him a brief nod of his eagle head, as though he approved of his words.

  “What does that mean?” another voice chimed in, from the vampire quarters.

  Taking a deep breath, River turned to Tameron, who had been unusually quiet until now. “Do you trust me to lead these people, your people?” he asked, in a whisper that kept his words between the two of them.

  Those piercing eyes turned to meet his and a slow smile spread onto Tameron’s lips. “I trust that you wanted none of this. And I trust that you would treat these people as family, the way you have treated me. Mostly.”

  He almost laughed at that last word, but nodded his agreement with them instead. Then River turned to face the crowd again and raised his hands, asking for quiet. “This is my plan and I want you to remember that it won’t happen overnight,” he began, letting his eyes rake over the many creatures standing listening to him. Werewolves in their true form, vampires lurking in shadows, Griffins huddled together in various forms, and creatures that he couldn’t even name, mingled between the rest.

  “I want to make this city a safe haven for all creatures, present or future, who come through the rift between worlds,” River stated, having thought long and hard about how he would do this. “Those who can take a full human form, such as myself and Tameron, will form an alliance. A governing body to create laws that don’t alienate any creature or hamper their natural instincts. Votes will be made by everyone involved, to choose those advocates,” he explained.

  “Then, once we have our own laws and rules and have rebuilt this city into somewhere we can live and flourish, the alliance will venture into the rest of the human world and fight for our acceptance.”

  Chaos erupted, with shouts, gasps, growls and sounds he couldn’t name. It was an assault on the senses, but River felt more balanced with Vanos close by, so he blocked it and waited for the crowd to calm down.

  It took nearly ten minutes, then an unsettling hush took over the town square. Everyone was staring at him, but River didn’t know what else to say. His plan had been explained – everything, in a nutshell – because he didn’t know what else he was going to do beyond those plans. That was, in his mind, up to the alliance and everyone’s agreement to form an alliance in the first place.

  Then the strangest thing happened. Vanos transformed from his Griffin form into his human self, still unable to hide his wings. He walked up the three steps to the podium, gloriously naked, until he stopped by River’s side. His mate offered a smile and faced the crowed. “I am River’s true mate,” he announced, his strong voice reverberating around the open area. “I didn’t know this until he revealed that fact to me recently. I tell you this, because I was sent here with my only guidance being to protect him, because he was the key to peace. Not for one world or the other, which I assumed at the time. I believe the prophetess had a higher purpose in mind,” he confessed, reaching his hand to the side in a discreet search for River’s hand.

  He gave it freely, adding his hand to Vanos’ biceps, holding him close and letting everyone see how important it was that they were treated as equals.

  “I believe,” Vanos’ voice boomed across the square, drawing all eyes his way. “that the prophetess knew River’s heart. She knew that he would never allow his birth family, the humans, or the family he was dragged into, the werewolves, be treated unfairly. The prophetess saw the pureness of my mate’s heart and knew that he would fight for us – humans and all creatures – to be equals!”

  The crowd roared their approval of Vano’s words, sending a shiver up River’s spine. He could sense the conviction in Vanos’ words and the trust he had for him. “I love you,” he whispered, leaning his forehead on his strong arm. He couldn’t keep the words to himself anymore. They were too important.

  ***

  “You did an excellent job, River.” Tameron shook his hand, as they stood by the podium. Everyone was already leaving, talking about the meeting and where it might lead. “I really think this will work. With you at the helm, it won’t be long until these brainless beasts get their act together.”

  “You’re so good at diplomacy, Tameron.” River rolled his eyes and tried not to take personal offence at his words. He was one of those ‘beasts’ and was far from brainless. In the same argument, he could say the same about Vanos and the other werewolves, Griffins, serpent creatures and anyone else that was only human part of the time.

  Vanos appeared beside him, still naked and appearing entirely comfortable in his skin. “River, we should return. Shall we stay at your home this evening?” he asked, surprising him with the question.

  They’d packed his entire life, on the agreement that they should move out of his old home and find somewhere more suitable. He’d thought about making the garage his permanent address from now on, since it was larger and they could be both human and their baser natures within its walls. But Vanos also had a point; now that everyone had agreed with their plan, the house was safe for one more night.

  Part of River’s true motives for packing had been in case they needed to make a run for it.

  “Yeah, I’d like that,” he promised. He smiled and clasped Vanos’ hand, before offering Tameron a nod. “If you want to come by to talk about the alliance or anything else, come during the day, maybe the day after tomorrow,” he suggested, wanting some time alone with his mate now that the worst was behind them.

  Vanos took his words as their cue to leave, leading him away from the podium, until River’s sense of decorum beat away at his brain.

  “Look, you can’t go wandering around naked,” he disapproved, stopping in the middle of the street. “I hate the thought of everyone seeing my mate in his skivvies, so can you please put some clothes on?” he asked.

  His Griffin chuckled and instantly appeared clothed, his new shirt cut around his wings, to allow them free movement. “Does this meet your approval?” he asked, reaching up to caress the back of his fingers down River’s cheek.

  The touch lit his nerves on fire and he could only smile in response. With a growing urgency to be mated and finally accept his fate, River grabbed his hand and ran for home.

  CHAPTER 7

  “We are running?” Vanos asked with all the usual innocence he’d come to expect. Despite his confusion, his feet kept pace with River’s, as he turned to glance at his Griffin ma
te. “You are excited,” he noticed.

  “That’s an understatement.” He kept running, dragging Vanos along with him until they were back on his street, running up the path and in the front door. The second it was closed behind them, he pushed Vanos against the living room wall and plastered his lips to his mate’s.

  The kiss became less urgent and more lingering, the longer they were connected. Until, finally, Vanos broke away and grinned. “You wish to mate with me? Why did you not say so? I would have flown you here,” he claimed, with a light in his eyes that was so beautiful River was lost for words.

  He kept forgetting that his mate could fly and that he could have brought them back here in half the time.

  “It doesn’t matter now,” River promised, standing on his tip toes to kiss his mouth. “We’re here and I don’t care about anything else. I’ve waited seven years for you, since I first knew I was fated to have a mate, so I can’t wait any longer. If you love me, you have to prove it. Now!” He was adamant and he wouldn’t accept any delay.

  Vanos laughed at him, but he didn’t care. He could do anything and River would accept it, because he felt more alive now, in Vanos’ arms, and more himself than he’d ever been before.

  Instead of speaking, he plunged forward into an eager kiss and wrapped his arms tightly around Vanos’ neck. With everything he had, River flooded his mate’s senses with how he felt; his want, his need, every ounce of his passion and desperation.

  With a growl, his Griffin caught his waist in gentle hands and lifted him effortlessly off his feet. River wrapped his legs around his waist and locked his ankles. “Vanos,” he whispered, holding on tight as he was carried through the dark house towards the bedroom. “Do you love me? For me and not because we’re mates?” he asked, feeling feverish with need as he kissed along that strong jaw in light, quick kisses. “Because I love you. For you. Because of who you are and because you’re wonderful,” he promised, nipping faintly beneath his earlobe.

  “Stop, if you wish me to make it to the bed.” Vanos growled into his ear.

  River couldn’t help but smile and nip his earlobe. It felt so good to be wrapped around this strong man and know that he was perfectly safe. He was comforted by the knowledge that, regardless of what happened with the alliance and the creatures, Vanos would never leave him. Not now.

  “Your thoughts are so distracting,” his mate said, as he lowered him towards the bed.

  Lips trailed down his neck as Vanos pushed his t-shirt off his shoulder. The collar was tight around his skin, but River didn’t care; the ache matched what he felt in every other part of his body. It was all so intense and overwhelming. He surrendered to the feeling, closing his eyes to the touch of hot breath against skin.

  While nimble fingers tugged at his shirt, River swept his hands under the t-shirt his mate wore, touching every inch of skin he could reach. “Vanos.” He sighed and kissed his jaw, then his cheek. “Hurry up, please.”

  Fingers were so slow and his patience was waning. He’d already waited ten days and couldn’t take any more. River pushed Vanos onto his back, then climbed over him. Pressing his hands into the mattress, while kneeling over his waist, he was careful as he completed his transformation and crouched over his mate as a wolf.

  “You have changed your mind?” Vanos asked, with that adorable confusion.

  River didn’t reply; he turned back to his human form and grinned at the fact that he was now entirely, effortlessly, naked. “Never. But I can’t wait any longer. I need you desperately,” he confessed, running his hands over Vanos’ chest, to push his t-shirt up to his neck. “So I need you to get rid of these and show me how much you love me. I need you to tell me that everything will be okay, because it’s been a really long time since anything has been okay.”

  Vanos smiled and reached up to cup his cheek, running the pad of his thumb across his cheekbone. “I promise to do all of that and more,” he whispered, lifting himself off the mattress to press their lips together. His hand circled around the back of River’s neck, lightly teasing the ends of his hair.

  His mouth was so sweet; tasting of the coffee and bacon they’d eaten before going to the meeting in the square. The velvety touch of Vanos’ tongue making contact with his own was more than welcome after what felt like a lifetime of loneliness. No matter how many men he’d shared fleeting relationships with throughout his life, there had always been a gaping hole in his heart that he’d never really noticed before. Not until Vanos opened his eyes to the mate bond that dwelt deep inside of him, just waiting for the right man to come along.

  River fed on Vanos’ mouth as though he would never get another chance, scared that the alliance and his attempt to create a safe world for them to live in would ruin everything.

  Gasping for breath, Vanos let his lips slide away to his cheek, to whisper; “I will not let them touch us, mate. Never.” Then he spread his wings and encased them within their protective barrier.

  With a firm grasp on his dark hair, River kissed his mouth one more time and forced himself to sit up. Being this close to his mate, he had to breathe freely before he could ask for what he wanted.

  As Vanos partially sat up and kissed his chest, River arched back and felt the flutter of tender wings against his bare skin. As though they were aware of his thoughts, the tips trailed gracefully down his spine, causing the most erotic tingles to spread through his body.

  It was like having the faintest jolt of electricity touch every nerve inside of him. Rich, lingering touches that curled his toes. “Fuck...w-what is that?” he asked, opening his eyes reluctantly, to gaze down at his mate.

  “That is the physical representation of our bond.” Vanos grinned up at him. “Your restraint has taught me to seek out our bond and feel where it resides in me. I knew you wished us to feel, before we succumbed to our mating, so I have felt inside of myself for our true mate bond and manifest it into touch,” he explained, as though it made complete sense.

  It didn’t.

  But, right now, River didn’t give two shits for what made sense. All that mattered was the care and thought Vanos had put into this, preparing for their mating and feelings it would inspire. “You are–” He stopped and laughed in relief. “the sexiest beast I’ve ever seen.”

  Vanos laughed with him, loud and hearty. “I am a beast,” he admitted freely, as though that were ever in question. “but sexy is a new concept. It is, however, a compliment I will accept from you. And only you,” he finished, still looking rather pleased with himself.

  River dug his nails into the well developed muscles of Vanos’ chest, letting his thumbs circle the pretty pink nubs of his nipples. “It’s not a compliment; it’s a fact. Sexy as sin, that’s what you are. Even before I felt the bond, I knew you were one of the most attractive men I’d ever seen.” He smiled to himself and pushed his fingers into hard flesh that rippled with each breath Vanos took.

  “The things you say,” he replied. “drive me crazy.”

  He almost lost his mind, feeling his werewolf rising to the surface as those wings continued to press against his back in a protective shield. The contact was too much to bear, with them so close.

  “I’m so glad you found me,” he confessed, dropping his head to rest on Vanos’ shoulder. He was so overwhelmed that he couldn’t bear it. “I’ve waited for what feels like forever, to find you,” he confessed, feeling breathless. “Mate with me, Vanos. Please?”

  A slow nod gave him the confirmation he wanted. And, since his mate could read his mind, he let his thoughts run through what would come next. In response, Vanos sighed and his body relaxed beneath his hands.

  River bared his wolf teeth and lunged at the pulsing vein in his neck, biting to break the flesh. Warm, delicious blood seeped into his mouth, until he moaned in delight. Beneath him, Vanos cried out with what sounded like surprise.

  Licking the wound, letting his natural we
rewolf abilities heal it, he pulled back and grinned at his mate. Now bound to him forever. “I love you, gorgeous.”

  “I love you too, little mate,” he replied, leaning in to kiss his lips so softly. “May we mate now? In the other way?” he asked, so innocent and eager that he couldn’t help it.

  Untamed laughter bubbled out of River, until he fell over Vanos, completely speechless. A gentle push from his mate’s hands had him slipping onto the bed on his side. There, he curled up in the wings that closed over him, safe in the knowledge that, whatever happened in the future, he wasn’t alone anymore.

  He had his mate...and Vanos would never leave him.

  EPILOGUE

  Six Months Later

  A knock on the wooden door ruined the moment for River, but he absolutely refused to surrender. He was curled up safe in Vanos’ wings, his mate sleeping peacefully beside him offering a rare moment of peace and contentment. The way his senses opened to his mate’s dreams and thoughts gave River a rush that no drug could compare to.

  “Open up, River.” Tameron’s voice was unwelcome.

  He was not interrupting this moment. It had been two weeks since they’d had any privacy to mate and he needed the connection to his mate as much as he needed the recognition of their bond through all the constant kissing and touching.

  Vanos shifted beside him, disturbed by Tameron’s shout.

  “Baby,” River reached out and caressed his fingers over Vanos’ cheek to wake him gently. “Why do I love to watch you sleep and hate to wake you when it should be the other way around?” he asked, with a smile.

  His Griffin woke with a smile. “Because you know that we do not have forever and should enjoy the quiet, peaceful moments when we can. But you also hate to wake me to a world that is not yet perfect,” he replied, still using that sweet, proper way of talking that enchanted him. The fact that Vanos could read his mind, without actually reading it, was another enchantment all of its own.