Blood & Winter

Chapter 24 : A Change is Coming

            Slamming the door behind me, I began throwing anything in my grasp and sight around the bathroom. Bottles of soaps, and oils, and perfumes shattered into the walls. When there was nothing left to throw I slid down to the floor and began to sob uncontrollably. This couldn’t be happening. It was too much for me. What in the hell had I gotten myself into?
        I heard the door open and turned to scream at whoever was coming in, until I saw that it was Michael, and I tried to compose myself. His eyes were full of sorrow as he walked towards me. He held out his hand and helped me up off the floor. He led me over to the toilet and motioned for me sit down. I did what he asked even though my whole body was still shaking in rage.
      “Cassandra, you must listen to me.” Something in his voice made me snap out of my tantrum and I wiped the tears off my face and looked up at him. He leaned down to me and his voice was barely even a whisper. “You must listen, and listen carefully. I am telling you something almost no one knows. If August knew, he would have you out of here, tonight. I, we, cannot win this war without you. You are the key. I knew you were coming, and that is why I have left hiding. It was seen that you would arrive. I knew about you long ago, as I knew about my brother’s plans. There is more to your talent than anyone knows.” That caught my full attention.
       “What? I thought no one knew enough about pullers!” I was on my feet and trying to control the trembling I could feel building in my body.
         “Shh, Cassandra, be quiet!” His voice was firm, and his face showed much age and wisdom. I breathed in deeply, and brought myself under control. I sat back down and looked at him, waiting for him to go on. He looked down at me, searching my face for a sign of losing control, and when he saw I had gathered myself as much as I possibly he could, he continued.
      “Pullers don’t only pull people to them, but they pull events as well. The outcome of this war could be riding on you. If you get it into your head that we will lose, that is exactly what will happen. I’m not saying that if you think we will win, everything will run smoothly. But we will win. And Castiel knows that. He knows about you. He too has a seeker, and has seen your coming. And he wants you. He knows that if we have you he has no chance, and it only infuriates him more. Everyone who is here now and who will be arriving in the next few days is meant to be here, has been pulled by you, to be here. Rauel and Emily are down in the dungeons. His turning has already begun. He wanted your blessing, and I understand why you didn’t want to give it to him. But it was meant to happen, you must accept that. With great power comes great responsibility.”
         “Rauel is where?” I leapt up and flew past Michael, past August who was lying face down on the bed, sobbing. I felt my heart ache at his pain, and regretted my harsh threat to annul the marriage. I knew I could never do that. I loved him too much, but I was furious with him at the moment.
        I flew past the people lingering in the hallway, and past Ian and Alex who couldn’t even look at me. I followed the sound of the heart beat that was pounding in an unhealthy, abnormal rate, and I knew I was going in the right direction. I burst through the dungeon and saw Emily kneeling besides Rauel, holding him against her firmly. He was thrashing in her arms; his eyes wide open in pain.
        I rushed to them both and glared at Emily. She looked at me with such desperate apology, that I knew I would forgive her for this. I knew her heart was in the right place, but I was not happy about it. I knelt down besides her and took Rauel’s hand it my own. It was so hot that I gasped.
       I couldn’t tell how many hours passed. My stomach turned with despair as I realized that this is what August had had to watch happen to me while I changed. Rauel screamed and thrashed for hours. Emily and I took turns holding him so he wouldn’t feel alone.
     Eventually the thrashing and screaming slightly lessened, and I was able to look at Emily in the eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but I just held up my hand and shook my head. I would talk to her about this, but not now. I was tired, and thirsty and just wanted to help Rauel through this as much as I could.
       I stayed by his side until I felt my eyes drooping, and I was fighting to stay awake. Emily remained wide awake, and aware, never releasing Rauel from her hold. I looked at her before I rose, and nodded. I left the dungeons with a heavy heart. What had I done to him? He was my best friend. I never should have invited him here. I don’t care what they said about the “pull”. This was my fault.
       As I left my throat burned with thirst, and I realized that since the wedding I had not drank anything. I walked up, and out of the dungeons, and was shocked to see at least three hundred more vampires sitting in the ballroom, on the stairs, in the dining room.
    As I passed them they whispered to each other, and exchanged looks of what I tried to dent to myself was, awe.  I decided that all I wanted to do was get something to drink and go to sleep. So I walked past the vampires gathered in the dining room, grabbed a jug of blood of one of the tables, and flew up the stairs. I had not seen August among the crowd so I assumed he was either out with Michael, or waiting for me in the room.
      The hall leading up to our bedroom was empty, dark, and quiet. I stopped outside our door, and took a deep breath before opening it. I owed him an apology. I had been far too harsh before, and I had hurt him deeply. I had felt his pain inside me as though it was my own. I was still angry with him for not taking my side, but I knew that he had meant well, as he always had. I pushed open the door and gasped.
      The room was full of lit candles. Rose petals were strewn across the floor, the bed, across every surface of the room. I searched the room for August and finally rest my eyes upon him, standing with his back to me by a window. I knew he had heard me come in, and I was sure he had felt my anxiety as well.
       I walked to August and wrapped my arms around him resting my head against his back. He slid his arms over mine, and slowly turned towards me. I felt his emotions run wild, and looked up at him. Our eye’s met, and when I saw the look of love and adoration in his eyes, all the anger I felt towards him for not standing by me, melted away. Of course he felt them do so as well, and he smiled broadly at me. I stood on my toes and took his face in my hands and kissed him softly.
      We had made love several times since we had been married but never in the comfort of our own bed. And because of the situation, we both knew we would not be going on a honeymoon, not now, and probably not for a while.
        His kissing became heated, and fervent, and his hands tangled themselves in my hair, crushing our mouths together. Somehow we fumbled our way over to the bed, while ripping off the clothes that felt like weights on our bodies. We fell to the bed clinging to one another.
     “Cassandra, I’m...” I cut him off, shaking my head.
     “Not now, after…” I just wanted to feel him next to me, inside of me. After everything that had happened, the wedding, the meeting with Michael, finding out, I, of all people, had a talent, all I wanted to do was connect with him.
      “No love, listen to me, please.” He lay on top of me and took my face in his hands. Our eyes locked and I felt my heart leap in my chest. “Please, no matter what happens, don’t ever leave me. I couldn’t bare it. When you told me hours ago you would leave I felt like I wanted to die. I love you more than I ever thought was possible to love someone. You’re my life Cassandra, my everything. I would do anything for you. We will get through this and we will go where nothing and no one can harm you.” His face was full of sorrow and it broke my heart.
I lifted my face to his and kissed him. I loved him in a way that hurt. The thought of living one moment without him, made me sick.  I couldn’t go another moment without feeling him, I wanted him inside me. Not in a way that was full of lust, but full of desire, and longing. I felt empty, and wanted him to fill the emptiness that threatened to swallow me.
     He felt my longing and smiled at me, smiled at me in a way I had never seen him smile before. He leaned down and kissed my neck. I felt the slight prick of his teeth sink into my neck, and moaned. He brought his lips to mine and kissed me. I tasted the blood on my lips and my senses went wild. I dug my nails into his back and pulled him closer to me.
  
*****Hot scene ahead*****

  He pushed me down onto the bed and gazed at me. I could feel his eyes taking in every part of me. He hovered over me, hands splayed open besides my head. He brushed a lingering strand of hair away from my face, and nestled himself into my neck, breathing me in.
      He began running his tongue over the spot he had bitten, placing soft kisses down my neck, across my collar bone. His fingers ran over my arms and my body, leaving trails of fire behind them. I felt as though I was crumbling into dust.
     I moaned in anticipation, painfully understanding that he was going to take his time. I lay back, letting him move around my body, touching and kissing every inch of me.
       He seemed to memorizing every inch of me. My body burned with need for him. He placed light kisses on  my inner thighs. His tongue flickered exquisitely close to my screaming core.
        As soon as his mouth closed down on that sweet spot, I was lost. My hands gripped his hair, my legs wrapped around his shoulders, pulling him closer to me. I felt him smile against me, as he slipped a finger inside making my eyes roll back in pleasure.
        I pulled him up to me, roughly by his hair, causing him to growl at me. It was primal, and full of lust. He slammed his lips to mine, and I tasted myself on his lips.
        August slipped his hands beneath my knees spreading me apart. As he slowly slipped into me, he whispered to me, never breaking eye contact.
      "You.  Belong.  To. Me." A wave of heat ran through me. As he picked up the pace, the room spun around me. Every stroke was pushing me higher and higher.  I had to control myself not to scream out in raw ecstasy.
        And when I felt my inner core on the verge of exploding, I no longer cared who heard me. I let go. The walls shook from the roar that erupted from me, and then immediately from August. 
      Our passion combined; set us both on levels of emotion that neither of us had ever experienced. We made love for hours. Reaching peaks again and again. Until we lay breathless, on a bed that was half broken. Leaning slightly to the side, its head board shattered, and its sheets left in tattered shreds.    
       As we lay clinging to one another, the sun rose through the window, casting a red and orange glow across the walls. I was at total ease. I felt loved. Cherished. Safe.
     And it was then, I realized that everything I had been through in my life was just the road that had led me to August. As hard as I knew everything that was to come in the following days was going to be, I knew, deep in my heart, that we would get through this.
     Maybe Michael was right. If I could will the outcome of everything, things would work out to our advantage. I didn’t want to think about the lives that I was sure would be lost as I lay in Augusts’ arms.
       We finally fell asleep, after August has drawn the curtains, cutting off the daylight, and with a flick of his hand, extinguishing all the candles. We slept entwined in one another.
     And were woken hours later to a screaming outside our door.