As You Wish Read online

  A Total-E-Bound Publication

  www.total-e-bound.com

  As You Wish

  ISBN #978-0-85715-472-9

  ©Copyright Nichelle Gregory 2011

  Cover Art by Lyn Taylor ©Copyright February 2011

  Edited by Andrea Grimm

  Total-E-Bound Publishing

  This is a work of fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Total-E-Bound Publishing.

  Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Total-E-Bound Publishing. Unauthorised or restricted acts in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.

  The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patents Acts 1988 …as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.

  Published in 2011 by Total-E-Bound Publishing, Think Tank, Ruston Way, Lincoln, LN6 7FL, United Kingdom.

  Warning: This book contains sexually explicit content which is only suitable for mature readers. This story has been rated Total-e-burning.

  AS YOU WISH

  Nichelle Gregory

  Dedication

  Dedicated to my husband, who strives to grant my every wish, I love you!

  Special thanks to Glenn and Gracen for being the best damn beta-readers a gal could have!

  Trademarks Acknowledgement

  The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

  Xanax: Pfizer

  Mini: BMW Group

  Chapter One

  She was running. Her bare feet crushed the dry, cracked earth. A branch scratched her face and knocked her off balance. She pushed her body to move faster. The unforgiving terrain tore at the soles of her feet. Blood seeped from the dozen of cuts caused by tiny sharp rocks.

  He…or it was gaining on her. The gruesome, guttural panting of the creature boomed in her ears. The animal was only a few paces behind her. A taunting laugh filled the night air.

  She stifled a desperate scream. Escape. She had to escape, but it was nearly impossible to see anything in the pitch-black nightscape.

  Up ahead, her mother’s voice guided her towards safety.

  Another hideous howl pierced the eerie silence.

  She was so close. Just a few more feet…

  Karis was jarred awake by her own desperate screams. She sat up, sweaty and shaking. Her heart pounded furiously in her chest. Goose bumps swept over every inch of her skin. Still shuddering, she scanned the room. She was alone, safe at home in her own bed. She glanced at her small alarm clock, dismayed to see it was two-thirty in the morning. She had only slept for a few hours.

  She took several deep breaths and lifted her hand to her face. The skin still throbbed where the branch scratched her.

  “It was just another nightmare,” she whispered.

  With the agitated rhythm of her heartbeat still thudding in her ears, she flipped the switch of her lamp on her nightstand. Nothing was out of place. No one was hiding in the dimly lit corners of her room.

  “You’re losing it, Karis,” she said, hating the quiet serenity of her bedroom. It mocked the icy cold dread wrapping around her.

  Her hands trembled as she reached for a pill and her water bottle. She swallowed down a Xanax and sighed. She hated her weakness, the fear seizing her even now when she knew she was safe.

  Karis swung her legs out of bed and pulled on a silk robe. She shivered as her bare feet touched the cool wood floors. She padded into the bathroom and flipped on the light. Her eyes drifted to her reflection in the mirror and she gasped.

  There was a thin line of blood on her cheek! She reached for a tissue and wiped at the red streak. There was no blood on the tissue and no sign of injury on her face when she looked back in the mirror.

  What the hell was going on?

  She turned on the faucet and splashed water on her cheeks. With a frustrated curse, she shut the water off and roughly patted her face dry. Tears threatened to fall, but she swallowed them down. Her mother was alive somewhere. She had to be.

  Her doctor was convinced the nightmares were caused by the stress of her mother’s disappearance and Karis wanted to believe in the diagnosis, but she sensed the dark dreams were something more. The nightmares were always the same, but now they were increasing in frequency and becoming more vivid. Bedtime had become a battleground. Five months of interrupted sleep and worry was beginning to take a toll on her mentally and physically.

  Her mother’s old cuckoo clock chimed downstairs, reminding her of all the boxes she had in her living room since her mom’s house had foreclosed. Restless and unwilling to climb back into bed, she walked out of the bedroom and headed for the stairs leading to her living room.

  She switched on the light, struggling not to succumb to the tears still filling her eyes. Everything her mom had ever cared about was now in storage or stacked on her living room floor.

  One box marked Rare Finds & Books caught her eye on the coffee table. She walked across the carpet to the box, thinking about her mother who loved travelling the globe to meet other gifted people. She had acquired trinkets and artefacts she believed held some kind of magical powers along with loads of literature about magical realms and physic phenomena from all over the world.

  With the box in her hands, she moved to the couch. She lifted the cardboard flaps and casually shifted through books apparently from Egypt—the last place her mother had visited before disappearing. Her fingers touched something hard and cool and she wrapped her hand around the slender neck of the object. She pulled up, surprised by the weight of the intricately painted, cylindrical-looking bottle.

  She held the piece up in the light, admiring the delicate, hand-painted arching designs of turquoise and maroon swirling around the outside of the smoky black glass. Real gold appeared to be etched around the base and top of the bottle where the lid twisted in an ornate loop that sparkled in the dim lamplight flooding the room.

  Drawn to the uniqueness of the piece, Karis wrapped her hand around the lid and lifted. She yelped and pulled her hand away from the glass as an electric shock coursed through her fingers. Her hand trembled as she smoothed her palm against her bare leg.

  Since when did an electric shock feel pleasurable?

  What the hell was this thing?

  Rubbing her fingertip along the shaft of the cool glass, she gasped as another shock rippled through her, tightening her nipples while a pulse of desire simultaneously zipped down to her core. Bringing her finger to her mouth, she turned the piece carefully in her hands. She studied the details of the artwork and noticed something glittering on the bottom of the bottle.

  She turned the blown glass piece over and leaned in to get a closer look at the markings written in red. Using her other hand, she touched the embossed markings with her index finger. With a shocked curse, she snatched her finger away from the painted surface and brought her hand up for inspection. A crimson rivulet of blood ran down her finger.

  “Just great,” she muttered, getting up to go in the kitchen. After cleansing the wound, she wrapped it in a paper towel and returned to the strange artefact. Taking care not to touch the paint on the bottom, she studied the markings again. “Arabic?”

  Her mother was fluent in over ten different languages and would have instantly recognised the foreign markings. Karis stared at the inscrip
tion and appreciated the painstaking handiwork and the skill required to work on such a small area. She touched the arcing designs and yelped when the whimsical colours appeared to move.

  Quick as lightening, she sat the vessel down on her coffee table and shook her head. Her medication had to be the reason she was seeing things that weren’t there.

  She leant back on the couch and closed her eyes. The tick-tock of the cuckoo clock seemed to echo in her head as another pleasurable zing coursed through her fingers.

  Something was wrong.

  She sat up straight and gasped in shock as she stared at the bottle.

  Medicated or not, the paint on the smoky glass was swirling around.

  “Oh, my God.” She couldn’t take her eyes off the whorls of colours moving fluidly with mesmerising beauty around the bottle. “This isn’t real, this isn’t real,” she repeated softly.

  Just a bad reaction to the meds, she reasoned and moved her fingers towards the swirling colours beckoning to be touched. She had to feel the surface of the bottle. Then she could prove to herself what she was seeing wasn’t really happening.

  Her fingertips connected with the paint and instantly the strange movement ceased but the sensation of pleasure remained, seemingly increasing as she stroked the long neck of the vessel.

  Releasing a pent up breath, Karis exhaled, giving into the calming effect enveloping her body as she continued to rub the colourful moving designs beneath her hand. Her body relaxed with each distracted caress and all of her concerns seemed far, far away.

  You’re going nuts.

  She shook her head. Wait a minute. The bottle was warming up in her grasp!

  “What’s happening?” Karis asked, lifting the glass artefact.

  A tiny pinprick of light now illuminated the inside of the smoky glass.

  Her brain refused to accept what she was seeing. “Time to go to bed,” she whispered, unable to look away from the growing glimmer inside the glass.

  The temperature of the coloured bottle spiked so suddenly, she dropped it and flinched as it hit the carpeted floor with a dull thud.

  Standing, she rubbed her heated hands together before wiping the sweat from her brow. She pulled open her silky robe as beads of sweat rolled down her back.

  What was that strange noise coming from the bottle on the floor?

  She backed up, shivering despite the waves of increasing heat circling the room. The painted bottle spun faster and faster until she couldn’t keep up with it. She considered running from the room for safety, but pure fascination kept her rooted in her spot.

  Brilliant light erupted from within the bottle. The sparkly looped lid burst off and Karis screamed in utter horror as she threw her hands up to shield her face.

  * * * *

  Vander inhaled sharply as the lovely elf straddling his thighs leant down to give him a feather light kiss on his chest. Niri wiggled her hips, while running her tongue along the outline of his collarbone. Her golden wavy curls fell down around their faces like a thick silk curtain.

  “Does this please you?” she asked in a low whisper.

  “You know it does,” Vander answered, suddenly shifting his weight to pull her down next to him. He smiled at her delighted laugh, bending to kiss one pink, puckered nipple. He looked down at her face, admiring her fair beauty as he tangled his fingers through her thick tresses.

  Niri sighed, her aquamarine eyes capturing the light of the candles surrounding the bed. “Vander?”

  He kissed the other nipple, enjoying the elf’s reaction as she arched her back for more. “Yes?”

  “Could you love me?”

  He froze, lifting his dark head from her breasts. “What?”

  Niri held his gaze. “You heard me, Vander. Will you ever let yourself love again?”

  She looked away from him but not before he caught a glimpse of the sadness in her eyes. “Niri…I told you this was all I could give.” He ran one hand down the soft skin of her back. “Isn’t this good?”

  The beautiful elf closed her eyes with a shiver. “You know it is—”

  “I thought you had accepted our relationship the way it is.” He untangled himself from her warm body, annoyed by his feelings of guilt as he moved to the edge of the huge bed. He didn’t want to hurt her but the look on her face told him he already had. How many times had he told her their relationship was one of pleasure, no expectations and no unrealistic commitments? This was precisely the type of conversation he wanted to avoid and now she had thrust it upon him with no warning. “Niri,” he turned to face her, but her eyes were closed.

  A familiar surge of prickly heat coursed through his hands and Vander looked down at the glowing four-inch thick, tungsten carbide bracelets encircling each wrist. “Damn!”

  Niri’s startled gasp was the last sound he heard as he shifted between dimensions.

  * * * *

  With her eyes still closed, Karis kept chanting the mantra, “This isn’t real, this isn’t happening.” If she said it enough times, it would have to be true.

  “Oh, yes, I am real and this is definitely happening.” A deep voice filled the room.

  Her eyes flew open and for the second time in less than twenty-four hours, she screamed.

  A strange man stood in her living room within arm’s reach! He towered above her, standing well over six feet with rich mahogany skin and a thick muscular build. Her gaze dipped to his bare chest and tapered waist. Ripped oblique muscles disappeared beneath the loose white pants riding low on his hips. Heat flooded her cheeks as she tore her eyes from his torso back to his face.

  He held her shocked gaze with the most beautiful hazel eyes she had ever seen. He had the chiselled profile that would inspire fantasies and fantastic works of art. From the crown of his bald head to the soles of his bare feet, his bold features set him apart from the average male. He exuded confidence, evidenced in his relaxed stance and the cool sexy smile directed at her. A stylish goatee encircled his full lips and she couldn’t stop her eyes from travelling over the rest of his rock hard body. She took in every detail from his strong jaw line, thick neck, and the most impressive set of abs on full display. He was sexy as hell, but his sex appeal did nothing to calm her racing heart or the stark realisation she needed to call her doctor now.

  “Oh, my God,” she whispered again, feeling light-headed.

  The gorgeous apparition chuckled, flashing a perfect smile. “Not quite, but I get that a lot.”

  She was losing her mind, hallucinating now.

  “Tell me, how I may serve you?” The rich sound of his voice flowed over her like a warm summer breeze.

  At least she was hallucinating about a hot guy and not the hideous creature in her dreams. She sucked in a breath as the half-naked man approached her and the entire room began to spin.

  “No,” Karis whispered. She took one faltering step backwards and fainted.

  Vander muttered a harsh curse as he caught the unconscious body of his new master in his arms. He placed her gently on the couch, kneeling as he studied her. He was accustomed to being surrounded by beautiful fairies, elves and other females but this woman was striking in other ways.

  Her body was toned and athletic, yet utterly feminine. She was by no means fragile-looking like the fair elf he had just left abruptly in his bed.

  He frowned, thinking of Niri and their unfinished conversation. She was special to him, but he did not love her. He regretted causing her any pain. There was no way he would continue their relationship now that he knew her true feelings. So why did he feel more relief than sadness?

  He touched Karis’s cheek, caressing the smooth, honey brown skin with his finger.

  Niri asked if he would ever love again but he wasn’t looking for love. Pleasure was enough. Experience had taught him the hard way love could not be trusted and it often came with a high price.

  He traced the soft full curve of Karis’s bottom lip, admiring her beauty. She was tall by human standards, but she had curves in all t
he right places—lots of curves, he acknowledged as the flimsy robe fell away to reveal ample breasts under the thin material of her shirt.

  Her soft groans pulled his gaze back to her face as she stirred beneath his touch.

  Her wide eyes had struck him the most, so green and pure.

  She had been drawn to the box containing his vessel because of Nadine’s first wish. He had been waiting for the very moment when he would finally be face to face with—

  Karis.

  He knew her name, able to read her thoughts the moment he stepped into her realm. She wasn’t what he had expected after speaking with her mother. When Nadine summoned him, he knew she understood his kind and the supernatural world, but Karis did not.

  He could sense power radiating from her the moment he had appeared in the room. His gaze swept over the fine bone structure of her face and high cheekbones framed by a few strands of loose hair freed from her ponytail. She appeared genuinely surprised by his appearance and completely unable to handle the surge of energy accompanying his arrival.

  Whether Karis accepted it or not, he was bound to her until he had fulfilled her mother’s remaining two wishes and Karis’s three wishes were complete. One required him to help her tap into her abilities. He knew she had power and now he wondered exactly what hidden talents she possessed.

  He glanced down at her long legs and bare feet, his body reacting to her intriguing mixture of innocence and burgeoning sexuality.

  Nadine’s third wish seemed simple—keep Karis safe. Yet, kneeling before her now, Vander wondered if the biggest threat to the psychic’s daughter might be him.

  Incredibly warm fingers stroked her cheek and gently tucked strands of hair behind her ears. Moaning, Karis shifted closer to the soothing caress tracing the outline of her nose and lips. This was the type of dream she could get used to.