Blood Moon: Book Three of the Everealm Series Read online

  When he started to lose control over himself, he tried to touch her hips but she shoved his hands away, again. She intended to see this through and she wasn’t going to let him take over.

  He balled his hands into fists and bit his lip. It was taking everything he had not to grab her. He finally settled on gripping his pillow for dear life as she continued to slowly drain the life out of him.

  Exhausted, she fell onto the bed beside him. She opened her eyes and looked over at him and then smiled when she saw how content he looked.

  “We should slow down more often,” he breathed, his eyes still shut. He decided to lay there for another moment. Or forever.

  Bree kissed his cheek then rose and began to get dressed.

  “Now you’re in a hurry to get downstairs?” he asked, rolling onto his side to watch her.

  “I want to dance!” she said, pulling the lacing tighter on her gown.

  “You continue to surprise me.”

  She smiled as she walked back over to the bed and tossed his clothes to him.

  “I’ve been thinking,” she said. “I think we should tell her. After the wedding, I think we should tell Sarita.”

  “I had a feeling you were thinking the same thing I was,” he said, pulling his shirt back over his head. “What will your mother have to say about it?”

  “I don’t care,” Bree replied, calmly. “She didn’t ask our permission before deciding to lie to Sarita. Why should we ask for permission before telling her the truth?”

  “I’m not sure, Bree. I don’t want to do anything that will cause problems between you and your mother when I would give anything to have my own mother here.”

  Bree looked away and frowned. Having lost her father, she now understood a small portion of what Rowan must have gone through when his mother died. Though, she knew his loss had been greater as he was a child at the time.

  Rowan moved to the edge of the bed and took Bree’s hand. She turned back to him.

  “Let’s focus on the wedding, first. For now. We can decide how and when to tell Sarita after,” he said, softly. “Now, help me find my belt!” He jumped down from the bed without any pants on.

  Bree smacked his bare bottom and laughed. Then she started looking around the room. “Wait. Where did I toss your belt?”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “So you have to stay?” Gabby asked, smiling. She was delighted to hear that even though Reeve and Rhea’s annulment was completed during her absence, Rhea would have to stay until the queen’s wedding in the winter.

  “Yes, I will be staying awhile longer,” Rhea said. “But things will be a bit different now. I will be living in the guest chambers, once again.”

  “Do you have to? Can’t you just stay with me?”

  “I’m sorry, Gabby. It wouldn’t be appropriate. Not anymore, at least.”

  “You still have your rings,” Gabby said, lifting Reeve’s hand off of the table and examining it.

  He was sitting across from them with a plate full of food. Since he no longer had to constantly worry about Gabby, he found his appetite was returning.

  “Oh,” he said, looking down at his hand. With how busy his mind had been, he hadn’t noticed until she mentioned it. He had grown so used to seeing the dark green ring that was inked onto his skin that he didn’t realize it shouldn’t be there. “I didn’t know it was still there. I assumed it would go away.”

  Rhea glanced over at his hand. His ring was an exact match to the one on her finger. Unlike Reeve, Rhea noticed right away that the ring had not disappeared. She wondered if there was a way to remove it without having to go back to her mother and plead. Then again, Rhea didn’t intend to inform her mother about the annulment. She didn’t want to give her mother the satisfaction of knowing the marriage had ended. Viola hated all men, anyway. She would immediately place all of the blame on Reeve, who didn’t deserve any of it. In Rhea’s mind, it was best that her mother never found out.

  A young boy approached soon after the music began to play.

  “Hello, Oliver,” Reeve said, sighing. He knew from the moment he saw the boy enter the hall that he would eventually make his way over to their table.

  “Good evening, Sir Reeve,” Oliver replied, giving a deep nod.

  It was customary to bow or curtsy before royalty, for most everyone. Knights occasionally received a formal welcome from commoners. But when a squire or page greeted a knight, they showed their respect with a nod. Reeve was still getting used to receiving the nod. He often times found it more annoying than anything.

  Gabby was beaming like a ray of sunshine. Rhea watched in wonder as Oliver and Gabby said their awkward hellos before he asked her to dance with him. Gabby kept a calm expression as she accepted his offer, but Rhea noticed Gabby’s leg was bouncing under her gown from excitement. It was something Rhea had never seen before.

  Young love.

  Reeve didn’t appear to share her fascination. He grumbled to himself and polished off the last bite of his food. When Rhea giggled, Reeve shot his eyes over at her. She immediately looked away and tried to focus on something else.

  Dagan sat on the other side of the room, watching Sidonie dance with Finn. He felt terrible for what had happened with Adelphie. He hadn’t told anyone, but he planned to spend the next day looking in his grandfather’s books for a potion or spell that could restore memories. He wasn’t sure if there was one or not. Researching was something he had never been particularly good at. For years, he had relied on Cassandra to help him when he needed to learn a new spell. She was always the one he turned to when he needed information. He was still thinking about her when Sidonie came over and sat beside him.

  “Sid, I’ve been thinking about something,” he began.

  “Oh, no. Why do I have a feeling that you are about to say something I will not like?”

  “Because I am.”

  “Dagan… We just got the girls back. The tournament is next week. My sister is safe. Finn is safe and finally back on his feet. Why would you want to ruin a good moment?” She didn’t mean to whine, but it certainly sounded that way.

  “I know. I’ve just been thinking about the amulet.”

  “What about it? It’s gone, now. No reason to worry about it.”

  “Didn’t it strike you as odd that both my father and Mereck wanted the amulet? So badly that they would steal it and kidnap for it?”

  “Well, sure. It is strange that either of them would go through that much trouble for a stone that can change their appearance.”

  “That’s just it. My father said that the amulet can do much more than that. I remember his words from that day in the tower when he gave it to me. He said it can do more than just change someone’s appearance. I’m curious as to exactly what he meant by that.”

  “I won’t lie,” she said, leaning closer to him and dropping her voice to a whisper. “I’ve wondered, as well, if we were missing something. I didn’t say anything in front of Bree because even if the stone could cure all of the ailments in the realm, she still would have given it to Mereck to save Sarita and Gabby. And I would have let her.”

  “I want to know more about it. This Blood Moon Crystal. I want to find out exactly what it can do and why someone would go to such great lengths to get it.”

  “I want to know, as well,” Sidonie said, pulling her hair around and braiding it to the side. “But we’ve been through every text in the tower. We’ve never seen anything that mentions the crystal. At least, not by that name.”

  “No, I don’t believe we will find the answer in my grandfather’s tower.”

  “Then where do you intend to find the answer?” she asked, looking over at him. He didn’t reply, but his face was turning pink. “No, Dagan. No. Absolutely not. No.”

  “She may know something, Sid. She usually does.”

  “No!” Sidonie said, much louder than she intended. “No.”

  “Fine, fine,” he said, giving in to her. “But you do still intend to visit Adelphie
, right?”

  “Yes, while Bree is busy with the tournament.”

  “Good!” he said, pulling her up from the seat and into his arms. He led her to the center of the room and fell into rhythm with the other dancers. “And while we are there, we can visit the Crystal Springs.”

  “Oh, that would be lovely,” Sidonie said. “I’ve wanted to go there ever since Bree mentioned it.”

  “I know.” He spun her around so that her back was to him and whispered in her ear, “And we can make a quick stop in Elmber while we’re in the area.”

  Sidonie began to growl, but Dagan quickly spun her back around and kissed her, deeply. He could feel her soften under his lips. And while her resolve was getting weaker, he was finding a certain part of him was getting harder. Much harder.

  He broke the kiss and whispered, “It’s a little warm in here.”

  “I feel fine,” she replied, then her eyes widened when he pulled her closer to him. She could feel him, stiff under his robes. She should have known. After several days apart, it never took much to make him want her. Tonight, it only took a few kisses. Either way, his need for her was causing the air around them to buzz and the skin on her bare arms to tingle. Any longer and other people may begin to take notice.

  “On second thought… I do believe it is rather warm on this beautiful spring evening.”

  He gave her a look that made her heart begin to pound and took her arm, leading her out into the courtyard. Their hands were on each other the moment they stepped outside. A horse standing nearby made a loud noise which startled them.

  “Maybe we should find a more private area,” Sidonie said, laughing. She took his arm and led him to the west side of the castle and into the gardens.

  Once they knew they were alone, they pounced on each other, letting both their primal needs and their magic take over. The air was practically on fire around them, as was the blood that ran through their veins. Ever since Sidonie gained access to all of her magic, their sex had become much more intense. Much more powerful.

  However, something was different tonight. The need for each other was so strong that Dagan didn’t bother waiting for Sidonie to loosen her corset. He pulled a dagger from under his wizard robes and cut the lacing right off of it. Sidonie didn’t even flinch at the fact that he had just destroyed the corset. Nor did she care when he nearly ripped her skirts right off of her. She was only focused on getting him out of his own clothing. She pulled his buttons off, one by one, tossing them to the ground. Then she shoved his robes down, revealing his smooth chest and solid arms.

  As he untied his belt, she shook her hair out of the braid. For some reason, she couldn’t stand the idea that her hair was tied down. It needed to be loose. It was supposed to be loose. And his trousers were supposed to be off. She needed them to be off and she didn’t want to wait any longer. She dropped to her knees and quickly pulled them down. He started to speak but lost the words when she found him, first with her hands, then with her mouth.

  “Oh, hell,” he whispered, then closed his eyes and moaned as he fell back against the trellis behind him. She was driving him absolutely insane and it was the first time she had ever done it. He had no idea she even knew how. But the surprise was overshadowed by the pure pleasure of her lips on him. He wasn’t sure how he managed to remain standing, then he opened his eyes and saw he was gripping the trellis so tightly that the wood was beginning to splinter. He didn’t care. It could be fixed. Later.

  He looked down but it was dark and he could barely see her. He wanted to see her. He needed to see her. He grabbed her shoulders and held her back. She stopped at once and looked up at him. The moment her eyes met his, something snapped inside him. He had to have her. Now.

  He jumped down on top of her, pinning her to the ground. She was ready and willing when he plunged into her.

  “Yes!” she shouted. “Oh, yes!”

  The magic flowing through her veins was terrifyingly hot and burning, like wildfire. And she loved it. His thrusts were quick and fierce and the air around them was buzzing so fast that it was practically singing to her. It was a good thing that breathing came naturally because her entire body was only focused on him. On his body and his face. His sensual sapphire blue eyes. The moonlight reflected off of his white hair, giving it a silver glow. She couldn’t believe how amazing he looked. She wanted to see more of him.

  Wrapping her legs around his waist, she pushed up onto one of her shoulders and rolled the both of them over with her coming to rest on top of him. She sat up and began to roll her hips. Immediately, he wrapped his hands around her rear and held on. He watched her breasts swaying as she moved and her long, dark brown hair was down. He couldn’t remember when she had taken her hair out of the braid, but he was glad that she had. She looked magnificent. And he was so incredibly in love with her.

  It wasn’t their usual magic that connected them, tonight. It was something else. Something stronger. Something that was taking over their bodies and feeding their aching need for each other.

  She noticed him watching her and bit her lip. He was suddenly reminded of where that mouth had just been, moments before, and he lost part of his control. Holding onto her, he pulled himself up to sitting as she continued to ride him. He wrapped his arms around her and gripped her shoulders from behind. She arched her back, putting her breasts perfectly in front of his face. He buried his head between them and moaned into her chest as he emptied all of his being into her. This was unlike any time before. It lasted longer and felt stronger. He was beginning to wonder if it were too good to be true.

  Sidonie’s body was covered in sweat and the pleasure she felt was so great that she almost wanted to cry. She held onto him while they both tried to steady their breath.

  “Oh… my… heavens…” she breathed. “What… was that?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “It was the power of the moons,” a voice said.

  Dagan and Sidonie both nearly jumped out of their skin when they heard someone speaking. Looking over, they discovered they were not alone, after all. There were two figures standing nearby, watching them.

  “Who are you?” Sidonie asked, then summoned an orb of light in her palm. Now that she could see better, she realized the two figures were both women. And not just any women. They were fairies. And one of them she recognized. “Twila.”

  “In the flesh,” she said, smiling. “Though, I’m pretty sure you two are the ones with more flesh showing at the moment.”

  Suddenly aware of their situation, Sidonie reached down and tried to cover herself. Twila chuckled, picked up Sidonie’s skirts, and tossed them to her. Sidonie and Dagan got dressed, the best they could with ripped clothing and missing buttons. The two fairies stayed where they were and didn’t bother looking away.

  Once their clothes were mostly back on, Dagan finally asked, “What did you mean about the moons?”

  “Oh, you mean the reason the two of you were almost attacking one another? Your magic was so strong that we could sense it before we reached the front gate.”

  “You know what he means, Twila,” Sidonie said, getting irritated. “Explain.”

  “Surely, you’re familiar with the three moons. They’re in the sky every night. You can’t miss them.”

  “Of course, we are. But what do the moons have to do with… what happened?” Sidonie was starting to get embarrassed by her wild behavior. Sex with Dagan was often steamy and amazing, but this was different.

  “The moons are connected to your magic. You know that. When the moons are full, your magic is stronger.”

  “Yes, I understand that.”

  “And when two moons are full at the same time, your magic gets even more intense. It’s especially true for wizards who have found their mate. Like you.”

  “Why haven’t we felt like this before?” Sidonie asked, looking at Dagan. “We’ve been… intimate… many times. Even during full moons.”

  “You haven’t had your full power for very lon
g, though, Sid. We’ve only experienced the first moon being full.” He looked up at the sky. “There are two full moons, tonight.”

  Sidonie followed his gaze up into the night and saw that the smaller two moons were indeed full.

  “I’m afraid I haven’t spent a lot of time learning about the moons. I didn’t realize any of this.”

  “The first moon is full once every month. The first and second moon are both full once every season and all three moons are full once a year,” Dagan said, reciting what his mother had taught him.

  “So, then… What happens to us when all three moons are full?” Sidonie asked, looking back and forth between Dagan and the fairies.

  “You lose complete control, of course,” Twila said, smiling. “I’ve been with a man during the Blood Moon. He wasn’t anything special, of course, but it was still really—“

  “Wait! What did you just say?” Dagan interrupted. “The Blood Moon?”

  “Yes, of course. The one night of the year when all three moons are full. I’ve heard it called many things, but my mother calls it the Blood Moon.”

  “Do you know anything about the Blood Moon Crystal?” he asked, hopeful that they might be able to avoid a trip to visit Cassandra, after all.

  “Crystal? No, I’ve never heard of it. Why?”

  “Oh… never mind,” Dagan replied, frowning. He looked over at Sidonie and could sense that she felt uncomfortable. He wasn’t sure if it was because of the fairies, from their intense bout of lovemaking, or the mention of the Blood Moon, but something was causing it. He stepped closer to her and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. Instinctively, she laid her head on his shoulder.

  “Well, then!” Twila said, beaming. “If the two of you are done here, perhaps you would like to escort us to the castle and introduce us to the queen. We didn’t get to meet her, personally, the last time Ruby and I were here.”