Elizabeth Hunter - This Same Earth

He braced himself over her, threading his hands with hers and ducking down to taste her again before he whispered the question he had waited so many years to ask.

“Forever?”

A brilliant smile spread over her face. “Yes.”

He pressed his cheek to hers when he entered her, and the sounds of the city masked their cries as they made love through the night.

Cochamó Valley, Chile

April 2010

“You really are a better rider.”

“Told you.”

He smiled at her flushed cheeks and tousled hair. Only the thought of hiding away in the Cochamó house could have pulled him away from the quiet hotel room where they spent the past week. They had scarcely come up for air. She teased him that it was a good thing he didn’t have to breathe. Giovanni had to agree.

“You should see her with a rifle, Gio,” Gustavo remarked as he led them into the valley. “She’s an excellent shot.”

“I got to be pretty good with a nine millimeter, too!”

Giovanni smiled as she and Gustavo caught up on news. In many ways, Beatrice was more familiar with his friends than he was. He had spent so much time flying around the world the previous five years that he was out of touch with those he cared for most. As he looked at the woman who had captivated him, he let out a contented sigh.

“Gio,” he heard Gustavo say, and he looked over to the burly earth vampire. “Tell me what the current news is. Should Isabel and I be on our guard? Should we alert our families?”

He frowned at the reminder that all was not right in his world. “The last time I talked to the Frenchman, he had tracked the three cargo containers that left the ship, but he had no idea which one Lorenzo was in. The best indications we have say he has gone east. We’ve already sent word to Tenzin, but until we know more-”

“And B’s father? Is there any news of him?”

Giovanni glanced at her. “No.” The flushed, happy look Beatrice had worn fled with the mention of her father and Lorenzo.

He sidled his horse next to hers and reached an arm around her waist. She leaned into him and allowed him to pull her across his lap. He nodded toward Gustavo, tossed him the reins, and watched as the other vampire spurred his horse, leaving them behind. They rode in silence for a few minutes as she leaned her head against his shoulder.

“I’m starting to think he’s really dead.”

“We have no reason to think that, tesoro .”

He helped her swing a leg over and scooted back so she sat comfortably in front of him in the gaucho saddle. He handed her the reins and placed his arms around her waist. They rode in silence over the summer meadows lit by moonlight, past the rushing waterfalls, and through the dense forests on the trail to their house.

She finally spoke again. “What was your happiest time?”

“Ever?”

“Yeah? Did you like it better before electricity and all the modern stuff that trips you up?”

He only chuckled, and she looked over her shoulder.

“What?”

“My happiest time is now, woman. Isn’t that obvious?”

He could see the flush creep onto her cheeks and down her neck. He smiled wider and let his chin rest on her shoulder as his hands trailed up her torso, teasing under her breasts.

“Hey now.” She nudged him. “I’m not sure I’m that good at riding.”

“We could find out. It’s good to challenge yourself.”

“No.” She laughed. “Besides, you can control yourself for another couple hours until we get home.”

“But can you? Remember…” He reached down to tickle the inside of her knee and she squirmed. The horse gave a disapproving whinny.

“Behave!”

“You never should have let me find out where you are ticklish. That was a strategic error, Beatrice.”

“I’ll figure out your weakness one of these days.”

You , he thought, though he remained silent. She was, perhaps, his greatest weakness. They rode quietly for a few more minutes before she spoke again.

“Really, though? Now? With the mortal danger and running everywhere?”

“Well.” He frowned. “I won’t miss that. But you’re with me now. And you are safe.”

She looked over her shoulder and lifted her mouth for a kiss. “I’m happy, too.”

“How long do you want to stay?”

“How long can we?”

He shrugged. “We probably shouldn’t leave Benjamin with Caspar and your grandmother for much longer, or they’ll never agree to babysit again.”

She burst into laughter, and he joined her. He knew she missed the boy, too. They had spoken to Ben that afternoon and he was doing well with the closest thing he had to grandparents, but he did mention that he missed his basketball hoop.

“When all this is over, if it’s ever over-”

“It will be over someday, I promise you.”

“When it’s over, what do you want?”

“To do?”

“Yes.”

He thought for a few moments. “Just to have my life back. With you. Like it was when we first met.”

He felt her sigh in front of him as they crossed the last bridge before they reached the house. “I want that, too. Just working with you and being normal.”

“Oh yes.” He snapped his fingers and tossed a blue flame into the night. It hovered in front of them, lighting the way so she could see as they passed through the overhanging trees. “Very normal.”

She snorted. “You know what I mean.”

Kissing her cheek, he hugged her around the waist as they broke through the last of the trees and into the meadow that surrounded their home.

“I know what you mean.”

Moonlight poured over her bare skin as she moved over him at the edge of the secluded pool. The mist from the waterfall surrounded them, cooling his skin as they made love. She was a vision as she rode him, her head thrown back in the cool night air as the water dripped down her neck. He reared up, letting his fangs scrape the valley between her breasts before he teased her neck, flicking his tongue behind her ear until she moaned.

“Yes,” she panted. “More.”

Giovanni felt her hands run through his damp hair and down his neck as she drew his head toward the pounding pulse in her throat. His tongue traced over her skin as they moved together, and he wrapped one arm around her back to steady her as he tugged her neck to the side, exposing the lush vein.

“Gio,” she whispered. “ Now .”

He emitted a low growl before he sunk his fangs into her, drawing on the rich blood she offered as he felt her tense and shudder around him. She cried into the night as she came, and he grasped the ends of her dark hair as she arched back.

She didn’t stop moving and he hissed when he felt the edge approaching. Her fingers bit into the thick muscle of his shoulders, and he pulled away from her neck to taste her mouth. He moaned into their kiss, then bent to lick the small wounds at her throat before he buried his face in her hair and groaned in release. He didn’t pull away, but stayed linked with her, enjoying the shivers that coursed over their skin as they rocked together under the stars.

“ Tesoro .” He listened with satisfaction to her racing heart. “Remind me to suggest swimming more often.”

“It is your favorite waterfall.”

“Even more so now,” he said with a grin.

They were soaked, and he framed her face with his hands as the water collected on their skin, running down in rivulets as they smiled and laughed together and the moon reflected in the ripples of dark water beside them.

Later, they stretched naked on the wool blanket she had tucked into their saddlebag, and he wrapped his body around her, chasing away the night chill. His hands explored each curve, leisurely studying her unique topography. In five hundred years, he’d had lovers he’d cared for, but none like her. Never before had one woman captured his heart, his body, and his mind as Beatrice had.