Revolution (Risen Series Bk2)

Sexual Content Warning

I stared at the weapons laid out on the bed next to my open suitcase. Atanas had packed neatly and efficiently hours ago, his suitcase sat by the bedroom door. I couldn't decide what to pack. I'd flung in a few pairs of jeans and tops, one pair of boots and a spare jacket but after that, I was stumped.

Kincaid had managed to get us a private plane by pulling the strings he kept close to his chest. I'd asked him what exactly it was he did, how he had so many connections but he'd just smirked and tapped his nose. Luckily it meant we didn't have to fear being arrested by human police at an airport for carrying various swords and knives with us.

My fingers slid down to touch the holster strapped to my thigh where my dagger rested securely. I'd never left Scotland before. Hel, I'd never been further south than Edinburgh. Travelling to an entirely new country was daunting, especially as we didn't know what lay ahead of us.

Shadow meowed loudly, winding his way around my legs. Sighing, I bent down to pick him up, cuddling him to my chest.

"I have a bad feeling about this," I quoted quietly to him, chuckling as he merely purred and rubbed his head into my shoulder.

I hated that I had to leave him behind too but war was no place for a kitten, no matter how fierce he was. Atanas would enjoy sleeping in a bed without him between us, I was sure. Placing him next to my suitcase, I watched as he sniffed the contents. What else did one take when heading into the unknown?

"Trying to decide what lingerie to bring?"

I rolled my eyes at my mate, turning to give him a scathing look. "I doubt it'll matter what underwear I have on. You're not going to be seeing much of it."

Atanas tutted, moving towards me with predatory eyes. Just that look had my skin heating but I tried not to react.

"You must always make time to love in war, Shylah." His voice dropped low and I greedily inhaled the scent of his desire. He was intoxicating.

"Then I suppose I could wear none at all. . .to save time," I replied, smirking when his blue eyes darkened further. I sobered up, slumping a little with guilt. "Really, Atanas. People are dead. We have more important things to be thinking about."

His hands slid to my hips, tugging me flush against him so I was forced to tilt my head up to see him. Leaning down, he nipped my throat and soothed the sting with his tongue before murmuring, "You are important."

I couldn't help but moan, already forgetting what my argument had been. Atanas continued to nip and suck, leaving me squirming as my arousal grew. My fingers tangled in his shirt, my head falling to one side to give him better access. Still he didn't relent, his hands staying firmly in place.

"What are you doing?" I breathed out.

He lifted his head, stroking his fingers over the red marks that now covered my skin. "Reminding you who you belong to."

Like I could forget. My eyes narrowed slightly, the independent side of myself feeling indignant.

"And do you belong to me?" I asked, my fangs pricking my bottom lip. Instincts were raging, demanding I claim what was mine. I could see my wants reflected in his expression but we really didn't have time, at least not until we were alone on a plane for a few hours. As if he read my thoughts, he smirked and swiftly spanked my ass.

"Get packing, Libertas Mea," he ordered, nodding towards the pile of clothes on the floor. "Make sure you put all that away or the little monster will probably shit on it."

I whacked his chest, glaring. "Shadow is better trained than that. Besides, I'm going to ask Kincaid or Zena to look after him while we're away."

"Lucky them. . ."

I gave him another look and he held his hands up in surrender before glaring at the kitten. Shadow hissed, his fur on end before he quickly darted under the bed. Atanas looked smug and I rolled my eyes, going back to packing.

Atanas grabbed his suitcase and waited for me to finish. I hoisted the bag of weapons over my shoulder, feeling a little like Van Helsing as they clinked together. He chuckled, giving the bag a look before leading me downstairs.

From the slight tinge of red in the small portion of the sky I could see out of the window, it looked like the sun had only just gone down. Knowing it was so early in the evening almost had me yawning.

Kincaid, Zena and Lachlan were clustered together at the bottom of the stairs. Our leaving party. Everyone else would still be fast asleep. Atanas grabbed the bag from my shoulder and the suitcase too, and went to put them in the boot if the car that waited outside. He swung the front door open and I caught sight of Una as she stepped out of the car

Turning to the others, I gave them an awkward smile. I'd never had to say goodbye to people like this before. Punching Kincaid's arm, I felt suddenly silly as he grinned.

"Looks after Shadow for me. That means feeding him and clearing his litter tray," I said, giving him a look. "And don't let him get outside."

He chuckled and bowed his head. "I will keep your cat alive, my Queen."

I smiled, hoping he would keep his word. That was as much a goodbye I could muster and he didn't seem to mind. We knew the other cared.

Zena came up to give me an awkward hug that I returned. She still feared I was upset with her and I hoped she'd realise soon that I'd forgiven both her and Una for their trap.

"Keep Atanas safe," she joked lightly and Lachlan chuckled from behind her.

"I'll do my best," I replied, grinning. Of course it would probably be Atanas keeping me under a close eye. I was a loose canon. "Hopefully we won't be away for long."

Lachlan didn't look to convinced as he tucked his mate into his side but he bowed his head. "We will see each other soon."

But would our next meeting be here, at home or would it be when we called on our allies to fight. I still hoped there was away to defeat Airell without an all out war.

Una huffed by the door and drew me out of my thoughts. She was obviously growing impatient with our goodbyes. She'd agreed to drive us to the airport but she wanted to return quicky. The witches here were all under her protection now.

I headed her way, trying to keep my expression neutral. She glanced at me briefly with those emerald eyes then sniffed. I didn't let her mood get to me. I watched Atanas share a few quiet words with Kincaid who puffed up. Until we came back, Kincaid was in charge, though he'd still report to Atanas.

Una sighed again, jingling her keys in her hand and I grit my teeth.

"Will you stop," I hissed. "You're putting me on edge."

"You should be on edge. I don't like this plan," she retorted, grim faced.

I studied her sceptically. She'd said nothing about her disagreement with our tactics before and I knew she wasn't one to keep quiet if she felt something was wrong. Una was straightforward with her words.

"Why?"

"Because I feel like we're walking into a trap. I feel like we're missing a piece of the puzzle." She looked unsettled then shook her head and turned towards the door. "I'll wait in the car."

I watched her leave with a small frown. Without even realising, my hand slid once more to the holster strapped around my thigh where my dagger rested, hidden by the floaty bohemian top I wore. Una's words had dampened the excitement I'd been feeling about seeing Anna again. I was even happy about seeing Padraig too.

Stepping outside, I sucked in a deep breath of fresh night air. The stars were out, flickering in colours of bright white and silver. My fingers itched for a cigarette while I waited but I had none on me. Come to think of it, I hadn't craved one since we'd moved here. Until now.

A hand on my back and Atanas appeared next to me. "Ready to go?"

"I'd better be," I mused as we walked to the car.

He opened the back door for me, bowing his head ever so slightly and I couldn't help but smile as I slid into the seat. Atanas sat up front with Una who looked a little more relaxed now. She pulled away from the house, the gravel crunching beneath the tires.

Atanas and Una shared small conversation, discussing what she planned to do with the witches. I tried to calm my jittery nerves and focus on anything else but the fact we were doing to be flying through the air soon. I rubbed my sweaty palms on my jeans, pausing as the lit up sight of Edinburgh castle came into sight. A small smile stretched my lips. I'd never visited. Perhaps I could convince Atanas to take me when this was all over.

I relaxed back in the leather seat, happy to watch the world go by. Laughing youths stood outside pubs and clubs, uncaring and oblivious to the dangers that lurked. Once I would have turned my nose up at them all in disgust that his jealousy. Now I simply felt a need to make sure these humans got a chance to keep living like this. Ignorant to what happened in the shadows.

When we pulled out of the city on the busy carriageway, my stomach flipped. While I didn't mind the quiet country roads, the rush of vehicles zooming past unsettled me. I didn't miss that Atanas grabbed the aptly named 'oh shit' handle above the window. And he always complained about my driving, Una's was worse than mine tonight, almost as if she was rushing.

I was glad when she pulled off onto a quieter road and headed out towards the rolling fields. Another mile or so and the ground flattened out. There was a tower with a flashing red light in top and I recognised the layout of an airport.

"Here we are," Una murmured, taking one last corner before stopping.

I stared in awe at the gleaming white plane that sat on the tarmac. I'd never seen one up close before and even Atanas stared with wide eyes. It was private, I noted. No other passengers lingered and there was no security to walk through. That answered the question of how to get the bag of weapons onboard. There was nobody to stop us.

Una whistled. "Travelling like true royalty."

"We are true royalty," Atanas pointed out smugly.

So he knew about this. I shook my head, wondering why I expected anything less. But once more I was lead to a question nobody would answer; what exactly was it Kincaid did that meant he could secure private planes and hotels. I shook my head in wonder.

A man and woman dressed in neat, blue uniforms walked over to the car and I got out to meet them. The woman smiled brightly but I could see the judgment in her gaze as she looked me over. I didn't doubt that I looked a little less stylish and beautiful than her usual clientele. When Atanas stepped out, her smile grew and I rolled my eyes. My mate, of course, looked the part.

"My name is Maddie, I'm your hostess for this flight and if there's anything I can do to make the journey more comfortable, please let me know," she purred.

I was pleased when Atanas wrapped an arm securely around my waist and her smile faltered just a bit.

"My wife and I would appreciate privacy during our flight, thank you."

For some reason I got a flicker of joy at him referring to me as his wife. The woman pursed her red painted lips before giving that fake smile again. She motioned for us to get on before going to the boot of the car to help the man carry our luggage onto the plane.

Una chuckled from where she leaned against the car door. "I never thought I'd see the day you turned away a pretty woman, Atanas. How times have changed."

I bristled, feeling unnecessarily jealous. Atanas was mine now, only mine. But I couldn't be upset about things he'd done before he met me and I already knew he had more than a few notches on his bedpost. Una being one of them, I had no doubt.

"Keep safe, Una," Atanas called over, ignoring what she'd said.

"I'll be fine. You're the ones that need to be careful. Remember the world has changed Atanas," Una warned before sending us a mock salute.

She got back in the car without a proper goodbye, giving us a nod through the mirror. I gave a small wave, watching her speed off. Atanas kept his arm around my waist and lead me up the stairs onto the plane as our luggage was put away.

I was taken aback by the design inside. I'd imagined rows of cramped seats but not this. The seats were huge, plush leather and everything looked sleek and modern. There was a bar at the back, massive TV screens, and I nearly sighed in frustration at the crystal ash tray on one of the tables.

We sat across from each other, both of us still looking around. I could hear the beating hearts of the pilots in the cockpit and the voices of those readying the plane for take off outside. It didn't matter how comfy the chairs were, my nerves were now beginning to get the best of me.

Fumbling with the seatbelt, I tried to calm my own racing heart. I was firm in my belief that if we were meant to fly, we'd have wings, but I didn't voice that when Kincaid had talked of booking our planes. I could have tried to convince them it would be easier to get a train but that would have taken far too long.

"Are you scared?" Atanas asked, trying to keep a straight face but I could feel his amusement through the bond.

Sitting straight, I gripped the armrests. "I'm not scared. I'm. . .wary."

"I've seen you jumps off buildings and fight ancient vampires but it's the aeroplane that frightens you?" he teased

"I'm not frightened," I snapped. "If we come hurling out of the sky at whatever speed, remember you made fun of me when you shit yourself."

Atanas snorted, blue eyes shimmering brightly. The door was slammed shut and I jumped, only making him laugh more. He reached out for my hand and squeezed, giving me a comforting smile. "I promise this plane isn't going to plummet out of the sky and I most definitely will not be shutting myself."

I nodded, my anxiety only rising as the plane started to roll down the track. I held his hand tighter, nails digging in. He didn't complain that I was probably hurting him. My chest constricted as we began to take off and I was unable to breath properly again until we were high in the sky, the rattling of the plane quieting down as it levelled out.

We were flying. Actually flying. And didn't find it exciting in the least. I swallowed the lump in my throat, annoyed that Atanas didn't seem worried in the slightest.

"You know. . ." He began, a smirk curling at his lips as I peered at him. "We won't be disturbed. There are ways to keep you distracted."

My eyebrow quirked up, even as the heated look in his eyes had my thighs pressing together. At first I wanted to tell him to fuck off and ask why he seemed so horny today. But perhaps a distraction would be good. . . I knew what he was suggesting but I wanted to play the game. It exhilarated me to think I'd be a member of the mile high club. Anna would be jealous.

"What do you say, Libertas Mea?" he pressed, his fingers stroking over the back of my hand that clenched his so tight still. He shifted his hips and I didn't miss the way his jeans bulged. Inhaling slowly, the spice of his arousal invaded my senses.

"I don't know what you could mean, my king," I said innocently, unaware that my grip had loosened on his hand.

He leaned back, spreading his legs slowly. I watched in curiosity and he tugged my hand hard enough that I slid to the edge of my seat, my breathing hitching.

Reaching out for my other hand too, his voice dropped low. "On your knees, Libertas Mea."

Hesitating uncertainly for a moment, my gaze scanned his face. The hunger I found settled the last of my nerves. Who didn't want to be craved like he craved me? I did as he ordered, sliding carefully onto my knees so I was settled between his legs. My hands rested on his knees, my breathing soft and quick with anticipation. I bit my lip as his hands lowered to his jeans, popping the button open. Suddenly being thousands of feet in the air and having two humans in the next room didn't bother me.

Shifting closer, my stomach twisted slightly. This was new territory although I wasn't naive enough not to know what he wanted me to do. His gaze was focussed on me as he pulled himself free of the confines of his jeans and I looked up at him through my lashes. He paused, as if waiting for my permission to continue. I was grateful that he never pushed me but I had no reservations about the things he wished me to try now. He'd introduced me to a world of pleasure and I wanted all I could get from it.

I slid my hands up his thighs, feeling the roughness of his jeans. Taking him in my hand, I stroked him slowly, a little uncertainly. He growled, the sound coming deep from his chest and his head fell back against the seat. I loved that I could make him feel this way. Feeling braver, I dared to lean in to taste.

I took him into my mouth and his whole body tensed with a sharp inhale. No encouragement was needed now. Sliding one hand under his shirt to feel the bunch of his muscles, a moan of my own slipped out.

His fingers tangled tightly in my hair, sending a burst of heat that settled at my core. My thighs pressed together in an attempt to ease the ache as my mouth stroked over his length. He guided my movements, his low groans spurring me on.

"Fuck," he rasped, his hips jerking up.

I bobbed my head faster, eager to hear him cry out, to have him come undone with my touch alone. The pace of his heart quickened, his breathing growing ragged and I was ready when he finally let go. His fingers tightened sharply in my hair but the sting only caused a flare of pleasure in me. Satisfaction filled me as I sat back and hooded dark blue eyes gazed down at me as I licked my lips.

Atanas panted softly, slumped in his seat and I could help but let my fingers trail over his thighs. With a growl, he pulled me into his lap and kissed me possessively. I kissed him back, pressing myself as close as possible. The knowledge that he could probably taste himself on my lips made me squirm. Fangs nipped my lip, the sting followed by his tongue.

I shifted to straddle him, feeling far too hot. His hands slid under my shirt, following the curve of my waist before he fumbled with my bra strap. I found myself desperately against him, moaning when I felt him harden once more. His lips trailed down my jaw and He scraped his fangs over my shoulder, just where his mark rested on my skin. I shivered, an ache building as frustration built. I wanted more.

My head fell to the side, giving him better access as my nails raked over his skin. He continued to tease, tugging roughly at the button of my jeans and I lifted up to help him tug them down. They got tossed on the chair I'd vacated. The heat of his length pressing against my thigh and his fingers pressing against my nub left me his to do with as he pleased.

I tugged at his hair with a needy moan, craving the feel of his fangs at my throat, the feel of him sinking into me. A double sting and I cried out, my whole body shuddering as liquid heat ran through my veins. His arm tightened around my waist, keeping my body pressed flush against his. The tip of him found my wet entrance and he slammed into me with a possessive growl, stealing the ability to so much as form a thought.

We moved together. Both of us were lost to the pleasure we doing in eachother. I rolled my hips, my breathing catching when Atanas brought his palm down on my ass, hard enough that I knew it would leave a mark.

Atanas slid his fangs from me, his lips quickly finding mine. Our kiss was heated, hungry, and my movements became rougher with the build of my release. Something inside me seemed to tighten and tense before exploding out. My scream of ecstasy was muffled by Atanas' hand over my mouth, the only thing that reminded me there were other on board.

As my body trembled, my walls clenching around Atanas, I meant in to kiss him again. He groaned against my lips, his fingers digging into my hip as he filled me. I collapsed against his chest, my skin sensitive to the fingers that trailed up my spine.

"We still have at least another hour," I said breathlessly.

Atanas chuckled, spanking my ass once more. I grinned. This was a sexcapade Kincaid definitely wouldn't approve of.