Chapter Twelve

"A map?"

Esmae was sprawled out on the covers of the bed, her hands pinning the opposing curling corners of parchment open. It didn't match any of the other maps she'd spent the past few days poring over in her spare time, but then, the ink on this one was scarcely dry. She'd come to be able to recognize the telltale signs of Silas's craft. Her eyes greedily devoured the winding curves and paths.

"Indeed. A map of the Cliffs."

Her lips parted in surprise. A map of the Condemned Cliffs… no, the caves of the Condemned Cliffs. No other living creature would be able to step foot in them and live to tell, let alone mark down the paths. If she hadn't seen a similar map in his collection, then this was likely the only one in existence.

And he'd made it. For her.

"And what will I find if I follow this map?"

Because it wasn't just any map—it was a treasure map. Just the idea of it had her heart fluttering with the promise of adventure. A dotted line revealed a path carved from the maze of tunnels.

Silas grinned, his teeth gleaming. "You'll have to see for yourself."

Her own lips turned up to mirror his expression. She hadn't felt this giddy since she was a child, unaware some things would be forever out of reach. "When can I start?"

"Once you dress."

And with that, the vampire was gone.

Esmae tossed the blankets aside without a care and retrieved her trousers and tunic. The red-and-black locks of hair were quickly tamed into a braid. She had to try to tie her boots twice, because she was so excited she kept trying to get up early.

Frost clenched her heart, but she warded it off with a focused stare at the map. She traced the lines with shaky fingers, centering herself. This was just the distraction she needed.

A tentative chirp came from the corner and she answered with a whistle, calling Dirt over to her. What adventure wasn't made better with companionship? Dirt scurried up her leg and into a pouch she'd fashioned opposite her deck of enchanted cards. She'd secretly hoped Silas would stick around and let her lead them, even if he knew the path, but perhaps he had other plans. Maybe this was a diversion while he searched for his mate.

No. She wouldn't let anything sour this moment.

Orienting herself to the map took a moment. The cavern was so full, finding the right way out wasn't exactly intuitive. But she relished in the challenge. Once she found the right passageway, the hunt was on. Esmae plucked a torch from the main cavern as she moved into the first dark branch.

The caves were far more complex than she'd initially realized. Paths wound in circles at times and doubled back. Without the map, she'd have been utterly lost. Even with it was a slow journey. Perhaps she should have been scared she'd be lost, but… He'd find me. If I was truly lost, he would search for me and find me.

Where did that certainty come from? She hadn't even trusted her own father enough to confide in him about her relationship with Jared, yet in the vampire, she had complete faith. He wouldn't set her on a path she couldn't solve, and if she was in trouble, he'd get to her.

The thought gave her the confidence to continue. Dirt didn't mind the dark, happily chatting about his latest finds now that he'd been granted the privilege of exploring Silas's hoard without risking his life. He was as partial to the fruits as Esmae was. She slipped him dried slices of pears when she needed a moment to concentrate.

The trickle of water sounded at her periphery. Esmae grinned wildly. The stream. Silas had marked it on the map—if she could hear the water, then it was close. She was nearly there.

Sure enough, a moment later, she intersected with it. Her strides grew longer with renewed excitement. Her torch held steady, but the deeper she went, the less it was needed. Not because new fires lit the path, but something else. Could it be?

The cave was lit in blues and greens, cool tones bouncing on the water. She gasped. Luminescent moss appeared on the walls, lighting the entire space. She set her torch down with care and went further, twisting her head from side to side in awe. It was the most glorious thing she'd ever seen. A natural wonder, just like she'd always dreamed she'd discover. The cave walls widened as she followed the stream until she was in a sizable cavern, absolutely covered with moss from the ceiling to the ground.

And there, in the center, was her vampire.

He stood on a blanket at the midpoint of the cavern, right by the stream. A wicker basket was at his feet, which were cased in fine leather boots. He'd dressed with unusual care, a crimson velvet cape tied at his shoulders. The waves of his dark hair were combed back, revealing all the stark planes of his face, the bright red eyes fixed on her in delight as he took in her presence. After a few hours of adventuring, she was no doubt untidy, and she'd spent the barest of moments dressing before starting on her quest. Yet from how he looked at her, she may as well have been wearing the finest silk in the latest styles.

"You're even faster than I imagined," he greeted.

She lifted the parchment like it was a flag of victory. "I had a good map."

The light rippled under each of her steps as her boot hit the moss on her way over to Silas. He hadn't abandoned her to her quest—he'd used the time to set up a picnic.

He'd remembered. All that time ago, when she'd accused him of being like Jared. For some reason, she'd brought up the time she'd made a picnic basket with his favorites after scrimping on her own dinners for weeks and saving up her coin, and he'd gone off with friends without so much as a word.

He was nothing like Jared.

"Why are you crying?" Silas asked with alarm.

I'm crying? She pressed the back of her hands to her eyes, wiping away the tears. "I just… you don't even eat . And you set up a whole picnic down to the wicker basket."

Okay, a wicker basket with gilded reeds and a heavily embroidered cloth, but his extravagant tastes coming out for something so simple was all the more charming.

"But you do," he said, confused. "I've told you, I'd never see you go without. Not food, not anything ."

She kissed him.

She hadn't even realized she was moving until she was on her tiptoes, grabbing the lapels of his cape and dragging him down to crush his lips against hers. For once, she'd taken the vampire off guard. But, oh, if she'd thought she had the upper hand. Silas turned the kiss sinful with a single flick of his tongue, and she savored every second of it.

By the time they parted, she was breathless, her chest heaving slightly. Silas, of course, not needing to breathe, didn't mirror the action, but his carefully combed back waves had returned to their natural wild state. She liked him like this—a little wild.

"You're pleased."

She laughed. " Aren't you observant?"

"I hope you don't kiss everyone who makes you smile like that. Or else I'll have to make sure I'm the only one."

He was already the only one who made her feel this carefree, but she didn't need to tell him that. "Just vampires who kidnap me." Incredible that they'd come so far, she could actually tease him about that.

But Silas didn't laugh with her. His expression turned more serious, brows furrowing. "You can use the map for more than a game, you know."

She frowned. He gently took the parchment from her, spreading it on the ground between them as they sank to their knees.

"It will lead you through the cliffs. Either back home, or to the lands beyond. You can use it any time you wish; I won't take it from you."

What was he saying? "Not with your thrall, I can't."

The vampire shook his head. He'd avoided her gaze for the moment, but now he met it head-on. His eyes glowed as he intoned, "Esmae Mellodi, I release you from all compulsion. You are your own creature once more. "

She blinked in shock, rocking back over her heels. She didn't feel any different, yet her magic tingled, sensing the release of the thrall. "But… our bargain."

"Be bound to me no longer, Esmae. Not unless you wish it. How can I take from the one I wish to give everything to?" He sounded almost lost.

"Everything?" she echoed.

"Everything. Anything, even forever. I would deny you nothing, witch. If you wish to leave, I will give you a map. If you wish to stab me, I will hand you the blade." His expression turned rueful. "There could be nothing more monstrous than keeping an adventurer from the world. No matter my reasons, I will not keep you captive. Never again."

From the picnic basket, he drew a copper blade. The same she had attacked him with, honed and polished into a stronger weapon than it had been in her hands. All her supplies were gone; she had only that which she'd stashed in her trouser pockets before leaving.

For a moment, all she could do was stare. This was so much more than a little game or a bit of flirting. Silas had always been forthright in his words… could he really mean it? Forever for a vampire was an eternity. Anything, even his life? He'd let her kill him, not even knowing it was what was required to save her life.

She'd do nothing of the sort.

"You mean it all. You won't take my blood against my will, won't keep me here. You'd let me turn the river red with your blood… with this blade."

"I'd be glad of it. Because it would hurt less than seeing you wilt under captivity."

She swallowed. It was hard to breathe, let alone think straight. Her pulse raced, and even though Silas had so diligently focused on her face, his gaze dropped just slightly to the pulse point in her neck the way his vampire instincts demanded.

Well, gods blast it all. She liked the vampire. She liked his maps, she liked his wit, she liked his face, and she certainly liked his fangs. Maybe that made her a traitor to the rest of witchkind, but so be it. He'd been a truer friend than any of her brethren.

"You're not owed my blood."

He tore his gaze from her neck.

"But I want you to have it, anyway."

Silas started, then froze. Supernatural stillness, his chest unmoving, his eyes unblinking. "Because you find it pleasurable?"

Esmae nibbled on her lip. "It certainly is. But more than that, I feel… connected to you when you drink from me."

"And you want this? A connection with me?"

She nodded. She did. Just once, she wanted to choose her fate. Even if Silas was fate bound to another, in this moment, he could be hers. When he took her blood, it was just the two of them in the universe, her lifeblood devoured by the undead beast while in its wake he left sensations that left her more alive than ever before, utterly enraptured by him.

At once, he was on her. He cradled her hands between his palms, the two lifted on their knees. He didn't immediately bite her as Esmae had expected. Instead, he kissed her, this time a slow, savoring kiss. A claiming kiss.

The kiss ended and his lips trailed along her jawline, teasing until she was nearly begging for him to reach her neck. He licked her skin, setting her aflame. When at last he bit her, she sighed against his body. Pleasure bloomed in her chest and between her legs as Silas devoured her with slow pulls. But as she'd told him, it was more than the act itself. It was that he was the one drinking her. She was taking care of him, and the air between them sparked.

He pulled away from her neck, licking the last drops of blood with the tenderness of a caress. When she finally saw his eyes, the softness in them stole her breath.

He laid her on the ground, covering her body with his own. Luminescent waves rippled out from behind her back, catching the periphery of her vision. The glow from the cavern ceiling cast Silas in an unnatural glow. It made him all the more alluring.

The picnic was forgotten as Silas's lips returned to hers. On silent agreement, clothes were disposed of. Her tunic, his cape. Trousers were next.

"Violent witch," he growled with approval as she gave a particularly rough tugging of his stubborn shirt.

Esmae didn't waste time responding. She bent her head and gave his nipple an experimental lick. Gods, she wanted to taste every part of him. She blew out a breath and tugged on it again.

The sound Silas made was nothing short of animalistic. "You keep doing that and I'll lose all control."

If he'd meant to caution her, he failed. She continued to suck on his chest, loving the vibrations of his chest. She tried to slip a hand to her center to tend to her wet heat, but he caught her wrist in a steely grip as soon as she reached her entrance.

" Mine ."

The single word was utterly possessive. It should have been frightening. It was intoxicating.

He lifted her wrist to his lips and drew her slick index finger to his lips. He sucked on her wetness. A gasp ripped from her throat. He held her gaze the entire time, eyes burning with desire that mirrored the growing desperation inside her.

"You taste perfect," he rasped when he finally released her hand. "But I'm afraid that's only whetted my appetite. "

In a flash, Silas used his supernatural speed to reposition them on the moss. He rolled onto his back on the moss and drew Esmae on top of him—directly over his mouth.

If she made the mistake of thinking the position would give her power, she was sorely mistaken.

His hands gripped her bare thighs, pinning her against him. He licked her from end to end, tasting her with obvious pleasure.

Gods.

"Silas!" she cried.

He licked again, this time flicking his tongue around her clit and sucking.

She grasped the dark hands of his hair, pulling them so tightly they had to be painful. But Silas didn't react, only became more vigorous.

"It's too much. I'm going to come!"

"You'll take it all," Silas rasped from under her, punctuating his words with another shallow tease. "But you're not coming yet. I'm just getting you ready, love."

Love . The word slammed into her through the haze of lust, but instead of dampening the effect, it did the opposite. Her chest tightened at the affection in the endearment.

"I'm ready," she pleaded.

"I'll be the judge of that."

He returned to his task, and gods, the vampire was ruthless. He brought her to the edge over and over, but each time managed to pull her back. She rocked her hips over him, trying to bring herself off, but she was powerless against him. She'd thought she knew was it was to need. She'd had no idea.

All she could do was moan and beg for him to give her the fullness her body craved and to let her come.

When he finally rumbled, "You're ready," she nearly collapsed in relief.

"Please," she whimpered.

"Don't worry, love. I'll give you what you need." He rolled her off of him and onto the moss where he lined up at her entrance. She wrapped her hand around him, gasping at the size. She lifted her head. She'd felt him before, but she hadn't gotten such a… direct look.

"You're… large," she managed .

Silas's grin was gentle. "That's why I needed to get you ready. Don't be afraid, love. I'll go slow. Even if it kills me."

He pressed against her entrance and on impulse she squeezed her legs as if to stop the intrusion, even though her body wanted it. But Silas allowed no such thing, his hips wedged between hers.

"Relax, Esmae," he ordered.

And even though he wasn't thralling her, she did. She forced her muscles to ease and to focus on her vampire's gaze. He stroked her cheek, even though his muscles were obviously strained. Then, slowly, he nudged forward slightly, filling her more.

"That's it. That's my good witch."

She made herself relax again, and Silas pushed inside again. Then again. Each intrusion threatened to stretch her to the max, but he continued to push in. Sweat beaded at her brow, but her body was adjusting. Finally, he slid to the hilt.

She'd survived it.

Then Silas began to move.

"You look so pretty on my cock, love."

Esmae could do little more than nod.

"You look like you belong there," he said with a groan, thrusting slow, shallow pulses to get her used to the motion before going larger. "Tell me you belong here," he demanded.

"I belong here," she repeated, the words coming out breathless. She'd have said anything to keep him moving.

"Not going to last long the first time," he warned.

But she didn't need long. Not when she was this close. He plunged in and out relentlessly. His touch seared her, bringing her over the edge. Her heart pounded in her chest, her breaths growing shorter and shorter until she couldn't take it anymore. She let out a sharp cry, her orgasm thundering through her body unlike any she'd ever known. He continued to push against her, his own need building.

"Esmae!" Silas came with a shout, her name on his lips.

He loosed his seed inside her, coating her, filling her, claiming her. He bent over her body and claimed her lips with a kiss. The connection between them… More potent than any bite. Beyond any words. She felt utterly tethered to Silas, safe under him and more alive than she'd ever been before. For a moment, time stopped existing. There were no witches and vampires, no curses. Just him, his body hot against hers while she got drunk on his scent.

"That… that was incredible."

Silas's grin was nothing short of pure wickedness. "That was just the first time, witch. I wouldn't count on getting much sleep tonight."

Already, he was hardening once more inside her. And Esmae… she'd come, come hard, but she wasn't even close to sated.

"Good, because I still need more of you." Pleasure turned her tongue loose.

"Is that so? My greedy little witch." He caught her ear and tugged on it. "I'm eager to give you everything you can handle and more."

And so Silas did. He mastered her body, and he let her take her time learning his, too. The way he liked his back clawed while he was inside her, the way she loved to see his reflection in the stream behind her as he mounted her .

They spent an eternity in the cave, claiming each other. It was her choice, and Esmae didn't regret a single moment of it. They curled up in the moss, Silas dragging his discarded cloak over her shoulders when eventually both had been exhausted.

"Are you alright?" Silas asked as Esmae settled against him.

He tucked her into his body, a large forearm braced over her stomach. She realized she had never fit better in anyone's arms. Couldn't possibly feel like she belonged more than she did here, in Silas's arms. She wanted to savor the moment.

"That was better than I could have dreamed," she said softly.

He traced the curve of her hip with light fingers, soothing her. "I'm glad, love. And that was just the beginning. Tonight, I was impatient. Tomorrow, I'll take my time."

She tried not to laugh. "That was your impatient?"

She didn't need to see him to know he was grinning. "I plan to keep you on the edge for a full day when you're recovered. You'll see what I mean then. "

A day? On the precipice of orgasm? She had melted in his arms after minutes. "That would be torture."

"You'd like it," he said confidently, his hand finally settling.

"I would," she agreed.

They laid like that for hours, while Silas told her of what they would do next. The positions and predicaments he would put her in. And when the promise of it began to overwhelm her, he told her other things. How he'd teach her how to chart her own maps without a trace, and how she would show him how to cook to her specifications. Through it all, she listened and nodded along, wanting it desperately.

And then, when at last the vampire's eyes shut, she left.