Holding Hope Word Doc NC Read online

  Most of the families were on their way to Italy for another Pronouncement. It seemed yet another Sinster sister had found her mate. Seamus, of all people, had claimed Gemma and with a full moon approaching on the Winter Solstice, the Pronouncement was set immediately. Laying low wouldn’t be a problem. Lucas had no plans to leave this cabin or to let anyone in until he’d claimed his mate properly.

  His libido was climbing by the hour, the pheromones Ella was unknowingly putting off setting his blood to boil. How he’d make it to bring her gently into their lifestyle, Lucas wasn’t sure. He returned to the kitchen to continue preparing a light vegetable soup for Ella. When she woke fully, she’d need nourishment. He’d included medicinal herbs into the soup as his mother had instructed him and hoped sooner rather than later, his mate would be up to enjoy it. Then they could talk and, Goddess willing, she’d be ready to be claimed.

  Chapter Two

  A knock at her door woke Ella. It was soft but still the noise startled her. A man appeared who seemed familiar. He was tall, much like the last man who shared her cell. At the thought, Ella began taking inventory. Her instinct of self-protection kicking in, she eyed the man entering the room with skepticism.

  He had dark features, with lashes that framed the bluest eyes Ella had ever seen on a man. They sparkled in the sunlight coming in through the window but there was something haunted in their shadows. His dark hair was short but appeared messy as if he’d been running his hands through it. He was unshaven and his clothes were wrinkled. Ella wondered what was keeping him in such a state of dishevelment. Oddly enough, she found it comforting.

  “Don’t be afraid,” the man spoke, “I’m one of the men who rescued you.”

  “Who are you?”

  “My name is Lucas Santucci. My family owns this cabin and we’ve brought you here to be safe.”

  “To be safe?”

  “Yes, your captors still need to be apprehended.”

  “Are you the police? I mean, h-how did you find me? Who were those people who took me?” Ella worked to keep her voice steady even as she felt her heart rate accelerate. Just thinking back on her captivity terrified her.

  “Let’s take this slowly. I’d like to feed you first. I’ve made soup.”

  “I need to know,” Ella cleared her throat and started again. “I need to know more. Like, where am I?”

  “You are at my family cabin in upstate California. You’re safest here in the United States.” The man, Lucas, ran his fingers through his hair, an obvious habit for him she’d already noted. “Okay. I’m part of a team that enters dangerous situations and contains them. We found you during another recovery operation. While the rest of the team continues the hunt for those who held you captive, I’m to see to your safety and well-being.”

  “Why am I not in a hospital somewhere?”

  Lucas raised his eyebrows and seemed to consider her. “I believe you know why.”

  Ella swallowed back her fear. All her senses told her this man was a Valendite Breed and he obviously knew she was from the Magdalena Circle. She was both concerned and reassured that perhaps she’d now learn more about her heritage.

  “You – You are a Valendite Breed.”

  “Yes,” Lucas answered. “And you are a woman of the Magdalena Circle.”

  “Yes,” Ella nodded.

  “Please come out to enjoy the soup I made. It has the herbs I was told would give you back some strength.”

  Lucas reached for her but Ella shrunk backwards, away from him hands. He stepped back, placed his hands in his pockets and his shoulders curved forward.

  “I won’t hurt you. Your feet haven’t healed completely yet. I can’t imagine you’ll be able to walk on them without it being painful.” Lucas ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “I can’t bear to see you in any more pain.”

  The pain Ella heard in his voice squeezed her somewhere inside and her resistance all but faded. She took in the desperation in his eyes, as if seeing her in pain was equally as painful to him as to her. He appeared almost tormented at the thought and Ella wanted to reassure him. She craved holding him and telling him nothing would hurt either of them again. Then nearly as soon as she had the thought, she pushed it aside. Who was she to reassure anyone?

  “Please. I’d like you to help me up to eat.” Ella pulled aside the blankets and reached for him as she spoke.

  Lucas’s smile was immediate and brilliantly radiant. She might do just about anything to see that again. Her insides warmed, and dare she admit, tingled as she took in this strong man who wanted nothing more than to care for her. She’d never felt such an interest in any man before. Suddenly, she felt a bit shy.

  He slipped his arms under her legs and upper back and cradled her like a child. She instinctively held onto his thick, muscular neck and ducked her head into his chest so as not to be staring at him so closely.

  “You’re as light as a feather. We’ll need to get you fattened up.”

  “I don’t think so. I’ve never been fat in all my life.”

  “Sorry. That wasn’t what I meant. I only wanted to insinuate that you’ve likely lost weight in captivity and I’d like to help you regain some of that strength.” As he finished speaking, he was already depositing her onto a cushioned bench in a window. She brought her legs up and noticed she was dressed only in a long t-shirt, perhaps a man’s shirt.

  “Am I in your shirt?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you change me? Were there not any other women?” She hated to sound prudish but she’d not been with a man and the idea of this incredibly handsome one seeing her nude embarrassed her.

  “There were no women with us. I was careful none of the other men saw you unclothed.”

  “But you saw me,” Ella confirmed. She watched him across the kitchen ladling soup from a large pot.

  “Yes.” Lucas grinned up at her and winked. He actually winked at her and she was now completely flustered when he assured her, “But I didn’t look.”

  “You bathed me.”

  “Yes.”

  “You did that with your eyes closed then?” Ella teased Lucas.

  “If that’s what you need to believe,” Lucas answered. “You have nothing to be worried about. I was a perfect gentleman and you were a sleeping beauty.”

  Ella blushed but couldn’t find any words. Grateful for the distraction, she began eating her soup. She broke a piece of crusty bread off from the piece on her plate and dunked it into the broth. He remained quiet for a while as she ate. With the room silent and the air filled with a static she’d begun to notice right before her capture, Ella tuned into her inner voice. For a reason she didn’t understand, her body tuned into Lucas’s emotions. She actually felt his frustration in needing to know more.

  “Okay. You must have questions for me. Go ahead and ask away. I’ll tell you anything I know.”

  He sighed, ran his fingers through his already-messy hair and looked relieved she offered this open invitation. “Where were you taken from? We never had any report of a missing woman.”

  “There was no one to report me missing. I’d only just discovered I was part of the Magdalena Circle. My parents died when I was a little girl and my mother’s friend raised me. When she died, I found my mother’s diary and started piecing together why I’ve always felt so different. I took off for Italy, the last place my parents lived with me and that’s where I was taken from.”

  “So you never got the answers you were seeking?”

  “No,” Ella shook her head thoughtfully. “I still have so many questions.”

  Lucas took her hand in his. A spark lit on her skin where he touched and she jumped back with a screech. “What was that?”

  Lucas chuckled. “That was your power.”

  “My power?”

  “You have amazing powers as a woman in the Magdalena Circle. You come into most of them once you mate,” Lucas looked awkwardly around the room and cleared his throat. “Once you mate with a Valendite Breed
, your powers emerge.”

  “But I haven’t mated. I haven’t even had sex with anyone. I haven’t even ever felt desire. I thought I was, uhm, well, I was-” By her final words, Ella was yelling as she fought to control her thoughts. Her body was strumming inside with a feeling she couldn’t understand.

  Shocked, she tried to stand but the pain in her feet caused her to fall forward. Lucas caught her smoothly up in his arms and hugged her against his body. Ella allowed herself to absorb his strength. Her body simply melted against his.

  “Ella, I am-“

  “My mate,” Ella cut him off. Everything came into sharp focus. The sensations, the desire, running through her veins and her trust in this man meant something. She stroked his stubbled cheek and watched the bursts of colorful light spark. “You are my mate.”

  “Yes.” Lucas smiled. He actually looked relieved. She had to assume he’d known and was afraid of her reaction. For a moment, Ella knew she should consider this predicament more but for the first time in her entire life, something felt right. She felt as if she belonged somewhere.

  “Ella, there’s more I need to tell you,” Lucas sat on the leather sofa near a large fireplace and held her in his lap. “I needed to give you some blood or you may not have gotten better. Because I’m your mate, that began our blood exchange. I’m sorry for not getting your permiss-”

  Ella placed her finger to his lips to stop him from talking. “No. Don’t apologize. Please. You have no idea. I’ve never felt at home anywhere, ever. I’ve always been different, as if a piece of me was empty or I was hollow inside. Now, for the first time, here with you, I belong. Please don’t apologize for giving me this.”

  “Oh, Ella, my Ella, mi amo, I was certain you were going to be angry with me. I was terrified you’d want to leave me.” Lucas buried his face into her hair and breathed her in while Ella took the moment to hold him just as tightly. Her life was beginning to look up.

  * * * *

  Lucas could smell her arousal. He could nearly taste it on his tongue as he stood outside the partially opened bathroom door. He knocked and waited for Ella to invite him in, assuming when she called for him that she’d be dressed. His assumption was wrong.

  Lucas’s breath caught in his throat when he saw Ella standing in the middle of the room, nude. She was worthy of worship. Despite undressing her when they arrived, seeing her standing before him was a shock. His body took immediate notice as blood flow shifted and his trousers grew tight.

  “I’m sorry. When you said to come in, I assumed you’d be clothed.” Lucas spoke, barely managing to maintain eye contact rather than perusing her body like a hungry man at the feast.

  “Would you prefer me clothed?” Ella’s smiled shyly at him. The delicious dichotomy of her actions and her words –sultry but shy- left him even more uncertain. Was she playing with him? Flirting maybe?

  Lucas licked his dry lips. “I simply prefer you with me.”

  Ella smiled and walked slowly towards him. A mixture of excitement and nervousness battled in her gaze. Lucas knew she was uncertain but also scented her arousal. “I’ve never felt this way before. Now that it’s awakened, I need you, Lucas.”

  “Yes,” Lucas said on a sigh as he opened his arms to accept her. “Ho un debole per te. I am weak for you, so very weak.”

  Cocooned in his arms, she smelled of the lavender from her bath and her skin was as soft as silk from the creams she’d used. He held her tightly to him and savored her faith in him despite what she’d been through. Lucas was all too aware of just how fortunate he was to be holding his mate in his arms.

  “I need you to guide me. This is all new to me,” Ella confided even as she clung to him.

  “I will guide you, mi amo. I will be your guide,” Lucas spoke into her hair in a voice that shook with emotion. Everything in his world came aligned in this moment.

  Picking her up, Lucas carried Ella to his room. He placed her in the middle of his bed and leaned over her to touch his lips to hers before he began running the tips of his fingers along the slight curves of her petite body, a body that had been calling to him since he’d first laid eyes on her.

  She was magnificent and she was all his. She belonged to him. Dear Goddess, he had found his mate. For years, he’d believed this type of happiness –such peace- was beyond him. Now he had someone precious in his arms and he intended to make certain she knew it with every breath he drew.

  Drawing back to take in the beauty of his mate’s body, Lucas was all too aware of Ella’s virginity. He’d never lain with a virgin and hadn’t considered the possibility of this being his mate’s soul sin. To add to this glitch was her limited knowledge of the Valendite Breed. Lucas needed to tread carefully though how he would control himself with the scent of her virginity calling to him was uncertain. She was intoxicating, like the rich chocolate bars he begged for as a small boy.

  Lucas kissed down her body, covering her skin in gentle, light kisses down to her toes and masterfully avoiding the areas he most wanted to savor. He stood to remove his own clothing, simply willing them from his body before lying down next to Ella. He turned her so they could face one another. “You are the most beautiful gift to me. I will honor you and treasure you. Ho un debole per te. I will always care for you.”

  “Lucas, I’m afraid…” Ella’s words ended abruptly as Lucas’s mouth pressed gently against hers. He licked along the seam of her lips and then nibbled until she could feel the sensation in other parts of her body. Lucas indulged in her sweetness as his tongue swept along her teeth and gently persuaded her to return the touch. The divine satisfaction when her tongue moved to touch his caused him to grow larger and more rigid. He heard her gasp and knew she’d felt his cock lengthening. Now she would know exactly how badly he craved her.

  Lucas soothed her racing pulse with soft brushes along the curves of her neck, slowly and gently nibbling at her pulse point. He rolled and pulled her on top of him while still keeping her against him and delivering wet kisses to her neck. The full length of her small body against his much larger one was heaven but better still, Ella sat up with her legs on either side of him and peered down at him.

  “I want to look at you,” she spoke confidently but the blush that stole across her cheeks betrayed her. She was the most precious thing he’d ever held. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Giving himself to her would be no hardship.

  Lucas placed his arms behind his head to keep them from grabbing at her again. “I’m all yours. Take your fill.” He grinned and nearly shot off when his little vixen licked her lips.

  Leaning down, Ella ran her hands along the ridges of his stomach and chest. Her touch so gentle, he ached for more but he refused to take this moment from her. Instead, he relished in the sensations as their skin touched. She was warm against his cool skin, a fire that burned him as he worked to keep himself in check.

  Ella moved her bottom lower down his legs. Without her weight on top of cock, it sprang forward to full attention and Ella gasped, pulling away as if frightened. She looked up into his eyes with her own like large coins. “You’re very large. I mean, I haven’t, you know, I haven’t seen any, uhm, you know, in real life, but this isn’t normal. Right?”

  Lucas was torn between holding back laughter at his mate’s shock and wanting to reach out to comfort the part of her he could tell was frightened. He bit back showing any response and answered as simple as possible. “Valendite Breeds are larger than human men. Women from the Magdalena Circle are made to accommodate us.”

  “Oh.” Ella appeared relieved as she spoke that one simple word and none-too-shyly began to take stock of his body.

  As she leaned over to continue her explorations, her breasts brushed against Lucas over-sensitized flesh. Ella’s body beckoned him as he fought to keep their first encounter slow. He intended to make her first time exactly how she needed it to be. Easing her into his lifestyle was best. Though he understood this on an intellectual level, in the moment all he desi
red was to sink inside her heat. Her next move nearly brought him there.

  Her fingers swirled in his belly button before moving to the patch of hair above his shaft. She brushed the curls and slowly, ever so damn slowly, ran her hand along the full length of his cock. When she reached the head, she wiped away a drop of pre-cum with her finger and brought it to her lips. She sucked it in as she might someday suck his cock and he thought he might lose all control.

  “Holy Goddess, Ella,” Lucas called out as he flipped them to place himself above her. “What did you do, mi amo?”

  “I needed to taste you.”

  “I don’t expect you…” Ella’s lips brushed his, silencing him.

  “I know you don’t expect anything of me. I needed that. I needed to know what you tasted like,” Ella explained.

  “May I see what you taste like?”

  Her eyes flared just before she responded, “Yes.” Ella’s voice was just a whisper but it rang as loudly and clearly as if she’d shouted it. He wondered if she understood to what she’d just agreed. No matter, she’d understand soon enough.

  Lucas leaned in and kissed her. He held nothing of his emotions back. He gave everything within him to her. “I’d like to taste your cream, Ella,” Lucas spoke the words against her lips.

  “Yes.”

  Taking her mouth again, Lucas kissed her in thanksgiving for everything she would give to him. Pulling back, again only enough to speak so that his breath still touched her lips, he asked, “I’d like to taste your blood.”

  “Yes.”

  “You aren’t surprised?”

  “I’m not. What confuses me though is that I feel a connection to you already.”

  Lucas stroked her hair back from her face. “Forgive me. Before I could stop myself, you see, you were in pain, and I needed to… I couldn’t see you hurt and not do something… And then he tried to… I’m so, so sorry, Ella.”