Within the Realm (The Gifted Realm Book 1) Read online

  “Relax, you’ll be fine; just take everything nice and slow, really slow,” he assured him quietly so no one else could hear him.

  Rainer nodded and held Vindico’s eyes with his own. He was extremely appreciative of the vote of confidence and the advice.

  “Have fun!” Vindico called. He smiled before climbing back into Will’s car.

  “We will!” Emily called with a mischievous smirk.

  “Not too much fun,” Will demanded as Rainer and Emily laughed.

  The Beach House

  They made their way to the Mustang. Rainer opened Emily’s door for her and then edged around the car.

  It’s almost four hours from here to the beach house, he reminded himself. Don’t freak out yet, he commanded as he turned the key and glanced around to make certain he could back out safely. His heart hammered and he felt sweat dew on his forehead, despite the coolness of the evening, as he made his way to the street off of the farm.

  With all that had happened to Adeline, they were actually leaving a little earlier than they’d originally planned. As eager as he’d been for this for the past two days, or, hell, for the past fourteen years, he was terrified as he drove to the gas station to fill up before leaving.

  “You want anything to drink, baby?” He gazed at her sweetly before getting out of the car. She smiled and popped open the glove box. Her cinnamon candies were in there. This seemed to delight her.

  “You’re the best,” she gushed, and he began to relax slightly. “Just a Dr. Pepper.” He nodded and extricated himself from the car.

  As he pumped the gas, he stared at the rolling numbers hypnotically. He drew deep breaths and tried not to inhale the fumes from the gasoline.

  This is Emily, he repeated in his head. You and Emily, you’ve been together since you were seven. Nothing could be more natural than being with Emily. He tried to convince himself, but other thoughts intruded in his mantra.

  What if I’m terrible at it? What if she hates it? He panicked and felt all of the blood in his body slither to his feet. What if I hurt her? He felt faint.

  He didn’t know how to do this. The dial on the pump topped off, he pulled the nozzle, and replaced the gas cap. He walked into the gas station and picked up several Dr. Peppers and a few snacks he knew both he and Emily liked. He returned to the car and handed her the drinks.

  “Thank you,” she offered nervously as she unscrewed the cap. “Hungry?” She teased as she glanced in the bag of snacks.

  “I don’t know,” he admitted truthfully as she laughed.

  “Maybe I’m just used to making this trip with Logan.” She nodded and smiled at him adoringly.

  “You ok?” She hushed sweetly. He smiled and felt her flood his body with her intoxicating, soothing energy.

  “Little nervous.”

  “Me too.” She bit her lip. She seemed relieved that he was nervous, as well.

  “Em, if you don’t want to,” he started again.

  “No, Rainer, I want to very much. I guess I just don’t want to disappoint you, and I’m not entirely certain what I’m doing,” she stammered. Her face colored rapidly as she stared out the windows. They sped onto the interstate.

  “You could never disappoint me, Emily, ever!” He willed her to understand what she meant to him, what making love to her meant to him. She nodded and did seem somewhat mollified.

  “I still can’t believe Adeline.” her voice was rough and ragged.

  “I know.” He was unable to believe it himself. “Do you want me to call Logan and check on her?” He wondered if they should have checked on her before they left.

  “No, I kind of think she just needs Logan, you know?”

  He knew precisely what she was talking about.

  They continued to talk just like they always had, until he headed out past Norfolk, just a few miles from the beach. She tensed slightly, and he drew a steadying breath as they pulled onto the bridge over the bay.

  “You ok?” he repeated her question from several hours before.

  She nodded but didn’t say anything. The bridge, he remembered suddenly.

  “Oh, Em, I’m sorry. I should’ve gone the other way.” He felt like an idiot.

  “No,” she shook her head. “That’s like another hour and half out of the way. This is fine.” She clung tightly to his forearm. She drew strength and calm from him. The sensation was heavenly. Emily drawing from him had their evening plans flooding through his mind again.

  It wasn’t fine, and this bridge went on for miles and miles. Rainer decided that talking to her would be the best way to distract her. He certainly couldn’t turn around on the Chesapeake Bridge.

  “So, uh, besides the obvious thing...what do you want to do this week?”

  “Just relax,” she smiled and seemed slightly more relaxed. “I’ve been studying forever. I just want to hang out with you.”

  “That sounds perfect.”

  “Watch the road,” she ordered, and he turned back immediately. Guilt settled harshly in the pit of the stomach. The bridge was nearly empty at the late hour. He edged the car to the center lane.

  “How about I get you off of the bridge a little faster?” She nodded adamantly.

  He cupped his hand, harnessed the engine and the energy in the air, and then threw the car forward with a jolt. She tensed, but then seemed to relax. They were off of the bridge in less than three minutes.

  He slowed the car as they came back to flat land. A few minutes later, they were entering Virginia Beach. She grinned as they passed signs for the lighthouse. She loved the beach house.

  Rainer smiled, and felt much more at ease as he drove the two lane roads that edged closer to the shore and to the Haydenshires’ vacation home.

  It was just after eleven when he pulled up to the house. It stood as it always had every time Rainer had ever been there. The white clapboard house had screened porches and decks that faced the water on three sides. It was not overly fancy, much smaller than the farmhouse, but perfect for them.

  Emily beamed as Rainer opened her door. He popped the trunk, pulled out their luggage, and set it on the nearest porch. Then he returned for the food she’d packed.

  She pulled the key from her purse and opened the back door. They stepped inside. Rainer watched her as a broad smile lit her beautiful face. She moved about the house, turned on the lamps, and uncovered the furniture, as they were the first visitors of the year. She threw back the curtains in the living room, and slid open the glass doors, revealing the mighty Atlantic Ocean.

  Rainer set their luggage near the hallway that led to the bedrooms, and went to join her on the deck.

  He wrapped his arms around her waist, held her to his chest, and cradled her tenderly while she enjoyed the moonlit ocean view. He inhaled the scent of her hair, and he swallowed hard. He wanted her so badly he could taste it. A minute later, she spun in his hands and laid her head on his chest.

  “I love you so much, Em,” he sighed and then kissed the top of her head. He felt her smile against his chest.

  “I love you, too.”

  He could feel her heartbeat reverberate through him.

  She gazed up at him, “I guess we should figure out where to sleep.”

  “We’ll do whatever you want, whenever you want.”

  “I’m ready, Rainer,” she sounded much more confident than he felt.

  He nodded again, swallowed down his fears, and followed her back into the house. He hoisted their bags back into his hands and carried them down the hallway.

  There were five bedrooms in the beach house. Two of them had king-size beds, each with its own bathroom. One room held two double beds. The other rooms, the only ones either of them had ever stayed in before, contained bunks and trundle beds for everyone to fit. The bedroom her parents normally stayed in also contained two cribs for the twins.

  She grimaced slightly and pointed to the other, larger bedroom. Thankful that she didn’t want to use the bed her parents normally slept in, Rainer no
dded and carried their things into the room she’d chosen.

  He set her cosmetics case in the en suite bathroom, and grabbed his shaving kit from his duffle bag and placed it in there, as well. She began putting clean sheets on the bed, and he moved to help her. Rainer watched her closely, to make certain she was sure she wanted to do this now.

  “Why do you keep staring at me?” she asked abashedly.

  “Well, first of all, because you’re stunningly beautiful.” This elicited an eye-roll. “Secondly, because I want to make sure you’re not doing this because you think I want you to.”

  “Rainer,” she shook her head, and moved closer to him after she’d tucked the top sheet under the mattress. “This was my idea, remember? I’m tired of just dreaming about being with you like this, of you getting to hold me all night long. I want to feel it. I want to feel you.” She let her gaze rise slowly to meet his.

  He nodded, and pulled her to him. He wanted to feel it, as well.

  “I can still hold you all night, if that’s all you want to do. I don’t want you to do anything you’re not sure about. I don’t want to hurt you, and I know it's going to.” He felt he should get his full confession out quickly. He wasn’t certain he’d be able to stop once they started. He didn’t know if he had the strength.

  “Rainer,” her voice was low and eager. “I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want you right now.”

  She held out her hand, rolled it in towards her, and formed a cup. She pulled the light from the lamps she’d lit and darkened the room. Suddenly it was only lit by the moonlight that streamed through the sliding glass doors that over looked the ocean.

  Unable to stop himself, he tenderly lifted her chin with his fingers and then brushed a kiss across her lips. She let her eyes close as he moved his head to the other side and kissed her again hesitantly. He added to the intensity, until he was consuming her with greed. As he tasted her and felt her, he shuddered as her energy began to swirl around him.

  “I want you, Em,” he finally gave in to the passion that flowed so readily between them. “I want to see you, all of you. I want to feel you,” he husked and slid his hands down her back, and then up her skirt as he began massaging her backside hungrily. “I want to be inside of you.”

  She trembled. Her body tensed as she nodded. She stepped away from him, and held his gaze as she began unbuttoning her shirt.

  He moaned as he watched her intently. She was exquisite. Her hair hung in loose waves over her pale skin. She shed her shirt, and his breath caught in his throat.

  Her breasts were swollen and spilled over the black satin bra she had them bound in. He panted and moved back to her. He kissed her heatedly, and moved his hands to her back.

  After he popped the clasp of her bra, she moaned loudly. He had to steel himself not to lose it as he dropped her bra on the floor. He took her breasts in his hands. Her nipples were already strained, and pulled taut in throbbing mounds. A deep groan escaped his throat. He moved his hands down her waist, unzipped her skirt, and slipped it down to her feet.

  “You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” He began running his hands up and down her body. He consumed what she was giving up for him. Her body released her energy in heady waves. He could feel it as it flooded through him, like nothing he’d ever felt before. He’d never get enough. She fumbled with his belt, but he gently grabbed her hand.

  “I’ve got it, baby,” he husked, and kissed down her neck and across her collarbone as she panted. “Go get in the bed. I’ll be right there.”

  She nodded, turned, and walked slowly to the bed. He watched her move, the way her hips swayed deliciously. He stared unabashedly at her backside, in the black lace panties she was wearing. His heart hammered; his breath came in quick gasping pants. He pulled off his shirt and stripped down to his boxers.

  He moved to her, and slid hesitantly in beside her. Her breath stuttered in anticipation as she felt the mattress lower under his weight.

  “Rainer,” she hushed, and he stopped immediately. She sounded scared.

  “What’s wrong, baby?” He pulled her to him. “We don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” He wasn’t pushing anything on her. If she wanted to stop, then they would, even if it killed him. She smiled but shook her head.

  “No, I just haven’t set the cast yet,” she swallowed, and he nodded his understanding.

  “Ok, whenever you want to.” He traced his hands down to her waist.

  She was perfect. Her alabaster skin felt like satin under his touch. He’d never seen so much of her, and he longed to see it all.

  “I kind of wanted you to do it with me,” she stammered and looked frightened. He swallowed with a hesitant nod as he pulled his hand away. He tried to draw steadying breaths.

  The cast to keep her from getting pregnant could be performed by anyone. Normally, the Gifted woman performed it on herself. It lasted twenty-four hours, Rainer recalled from his classes at the Academy.

  To allow someone else to summon it for you, or with you, meant that the woman was allowing you to hold the essence of her, quite literally, in your hands. He would have to harness her energy to close her womb, and it was a tremendous show of faith and trust for her to offer. As Rainer considered what she was asking, and what he was about to do to her, it seemed the two should go together.

  To perform the cast with her would be to combine their energies before he ever entered her. He would put a part of his energy in her to help her body close itself off until they were ready for children.

  Thoughts of her pregnant with his child reeled through his mind, and he panted. For her to carry his child, that they’d made together, made his desire to be with her grow exponentially in a matter of seconds. Just envisioning her luscious body round with his baby was overwhelming. He couldn’t believe he’d never thought of it before.

  “You sure, Em?” He studied her closely. She nodded; the gravity of what he was about to do settled around them in the bed.

  “Ok,” he nodded. He was trying to concentrate, which was extremely difficult when he was staring at her like this. She drew a deep breath, and let her eyes close. Holding her hand out, she concentrated and a faint blue, glowing orb formed.

  “Ok,” she urged, without opening her eyes. He had to shut his eyes as well to force himself to feel her energy, not just her body.

  She panted as he took hold of her. He felt resistance for a moment, but then she relaxed and gave herself over to him. He joined his hand to hers.

  Rainer tried desperately to remember everything Garrett and Levi had instructed him on when casting a girl, but found it hard to think of anything at all.

  “Lay back, baby.” He opened his eyes and watched as she reclined on the bed. When she was ready, he moved their hands to her abdomen, and they released the cast together. Rainer remembered, at the last minute, that he should add in his own soothing, calming energies while he performed the cast. He corrected quickly before he pulled his hand away.

  “You ok?” he hushed as he watched over her obsessively.

  “I’m perfect.” Her smile was one of contentment as he slid beside her and let his hands travel over her body again.

  “I want to feel that again, Em. I want to feel all of you.” She nodded as she gave him longing, desperate looks.

  Just take it nice and slow. Vindico’s words came back to him suddenly. He kissed her sweetly, tenderly; he wanted to enjoy each part of her and each and every part of making her his own. She ran her hands down his chest, which set him on fire. He moaned. He felt her hands reach through the slit in his boxers, as she began tracing him so gently that the feeling was ethereal.

  A low guttural growl escaped him.

  “That’s incredible, baby,” he gasped as he fought the urge to ask her for more.

  “Please, Rainer, please touch me.”

  Simply unable to deny her anything at all, he hooked his thumbs in the panties she was wearing and slid them softly down her legs. She was exquisit
e, her body flushed, her lips swollen; the tender auburn curls between her legs wet from her desire. It all made him moan as he glided his fingertips over her.

  He traced her slit, and she writhed. The motion nearly drove him over the edge. He forced himself to concentrate. The air around them shimmered. It was permeated with the two of them together. Their energy spun together, desperate to be joined. It was unlike anything he’d ever seen or felt before.

  “Please,” she begged again and, after taking a moment to steel himself, he slipped two fingers inside of her. She cried out for him as she writhed and pleaded. He could feel her seep into his soul as he entered her body.

  Though he’d certainly done this much before, he began to consider his next moves. She was so tight that he had no idea how she was supposed to take him. He was going to hurt her. The thought terrified him.

  He stroked slowly, and relaxed a little as her body started to give way. She widened ever so slightly for him. Her energy flowed into him as he opened and ripened her rhythmically. He continued to work. He wasn’t going to do anything else until she asked.

  “Rainer, please,” she begged again, and threw her leg over his to push them together. She showed him what she wanted.

  After slipping his boxers off, he moved back to her and watched her lips rub against him. He groaned from the utter ecstasy of seeing them together, of feeling her energy permeate him. He gently guided her body under his and positioned himself to take her.

  “Are you sure you’re ready, Em?” he asked again, with terror evident in his tone.

  “Yes,” she hushed, and he let his energy soothe her as he separated her slightly. As he prayed that this wouldn’t hurt her, he pressed in gently.

  Her muscles clenched around him. She bucked; she could feel him now. He wanted her to have all of him, to replace what she was filling him with. Desperation to go slowly and with extreme tenderness was at an all-out war with the desire to have her wrapped tightly around him. He longed to be fully inside of her, surrounded by her, and to make every inch of her belong to him. He pushed until her body blocked him. He stopped, but she writhed and panted.