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Santiago trembled.  So you re set on going through this.
 I am.
152 Jana Downs
He sighed and leaned into his lover s body.  Then we need to get
ready. Ger s lips pressed against his forehead.  Maddeline, would
you leave us along for about half an hour? I need a shower.
Her reply was instantaneous.  I ll be back then, Sire. He felt the
energy swell and knew she was gone.
 Shower time? Ger asked. He sounded almost teasing. Santiago
needed to feel Ger against him one last time without the possibility of
death looming over the event.
 Please.
Ravyn s Dance 153
Chapter Seventeen
They made love slowly under the warm spray of the showerhead.
Ger had been especially tender with him because Santiago had
seemed to need it. The Ravyn had been desperate for a feel of his
vampire, but he d tempered the impulse so that he could make love
instead of fuck. Still, toward the end , the urge to come together like
they would never come together again had taken over and turned the
sweet moment into an explosive joining that had left them both
gasping. It had been perfect because they d allowed themselves
something they d never allowed before, the culmination of their
coupling finalized by them sharing blood.
Maddy had interrupted their afterglow with a soft knock on the
bathroom door. They d reluctantly parted and dressed before Santiago
had left to go to the Council s meeting chambers. Now Maddeline and
he were sitting outside on a bench waiting for a servant to bring them
the ritual clothing that Ger had to wear to the event. Ger supposed he
should have been feeling anxious or at the very least, nervous, but
he d been surprisingly empty since Santiago had left.
 You re really his Bride, aren t you? Maddy asked, looking at
the painting on the wall ahead of them.  I wasn t sure at first, but you
are, aren t you?
 Yes, Ger answered, crossing his feet at his ankles.
 How long have you known?
 A couple days now. He seemed more nervous about the
relationship than I did, so I was going to wait until we got back to
Haven to tell him. Ger ran his palms over the thighs of his pants. He
was impatient to get this damn robe or whatever and get the hell out
154 Jana Downs
of here. The longer they dragged this out, the more likely he was
going to start to get nervous. Maddy started giggling. Ger turned his
head and looked at her. She had a weird smile on her face.  What?
What did I say? The question only made her laugh harder. She
dissolved into a giggling heap of laughter. Ger pursed in lips in
annoyance. What was her problem?
Finally, she managed to get a hold of herself but she was still
grinning from ear to ear.  You know, that s not how it works in a
vampire-Bride relationship. Most of the time the vampire informs the
Bride of the bond, not the other way around. Out of all the Ravyns,
you re the one I pegged as the bottom. No joke.
 Why? Ger asked crossly.  Because I like to wear beautiful,
decorated underwear? It was sensual, dammit. He liked feeling
sensual and naughty and beautiful. What was wrong with that?
 No. Because you re so quiet and you defer to your brothers
ninety percent of the time. You also have this aura around you that
says that you could be in charge if you had to but you make a better
beta than alpha, a good second-in-command. I always associated that
with being on bottom. But no, you have blown my expectations out of
the water. An alpha male would never work with Santiago. He s too
much of a control freak in everyday life, but in bed he likes to be
controlled. That contradiction has driven many a man crazy over the
years. You suit him so perfectly it is astonishing. You don t get upset
when he bosses people, including you, around. You take it as
something that is just him. Still, when he goes too far, you know
exactly how to make him listen without starting a big fight. I was just
wondering why I didn t see it sooner. She patted his arm.  I m happy
it was you, Ger.
Ger smiled for the first time that evening.  Thank you. He leaned
back against the bench and continued to wait.
* * * *
Ravyn s Dance 155
Ger s anxiety finally spiked when they led him, naked, into the
dining room. He d been surprised to find out the ceremonial robe
they d delivered wasn t for him but for Maddy. Santiago had warned
him about the whole  naked thing, but he d assumed that that
wouldn t be happening until they actually started consummating in
front of the crowd. That thought alone was enough to turn Ger s
stomach. He d been embarrassed by Santiago dancing for him in front
of the Council. How much worse was it going to be after he fucked
his lover in front of them?
The room had been redecorated in low light in tones of purple and
red. A large bed was stationed in the center of the room. The purple
silk sheen created a beckoning piece. Muted lights lined the
 walkway, their black metal spindles offering a convenient path.
They reminded Ger of high-end tiki torches. They must ve been
burning some sort of incense because the smell of lemongrass and
jasmine assaulted his nostrils.
He supposed it was to make the room more intimate and romantic,
but Ger knew that vampires could still see perfectly in this light so
any ideas of cover flew right out the window. His heart was pounding
loud enough that he was sure the entire Council plus the twenty or so
other vampires who had decided to take up residence in the four rows
of chairs to the right of the bed could hear it. The vampires to the
right all wore the same red hooded robes that Maddy had received.
The Council sat to the left on their own in much more comfortable-
looking chairs. They had black, hooded robes on. Their favored
servants stood behind the chair of his or her Councilman. The entire
congregation had the hoods up so that he couldn t see their faces, but
he recognized a few of the servants from his one night at dinner. He
sighed. At least they had their robes up. That was some comfort.
The two male servants that escorted him in led him over to the bed
and motioned for him to hop on. Ger did so, intensely aware of the
fact that everyone was watching his bare ass as he got situated on the
center of the mattress, the mountain of pillows making a comfortable
156 Jana Downs
prop behind him. The servants went on either side of the bed and
drew out a matching pair of leather straps attached to a plastic-
looking, circular ring. Ger tensed. No one had said anything about
restraints being involved. Wait, maybe Santiago had. He didn t
remember. Crap. He forced himself to relax. He trusted Santiago, and
this was part of that trust. If he bucked now, then it was him showing
his distrust all over again.
He took a deep breath and willed the tension out of his limbs. His
years as a warrior had trained him not to be in such a vulnerable
position, so relaxing was no easy feat. They manacled both legs,
spread-eagled, as well as both arms. It wasn t uncomfortable per se,
but he wasn t exactly in the most calming of positions.
Once he was in place, the Council stood. As one they began to
chant softly in a language Ger had never heard before. It reminded the
Ravyn of every horror movie about the occult that he d ever watched
since coming to Earth. This was usually the point in the film where
someone came at the  sacrifice with a large knife. The chanting rose
in a crescendo of sound before going silent. Something in the air
changed.
Ger gasped as his body suddenly filled with a mind-numbing
arousal. His hips swiveled upward on their own accord. Distantly, he [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]