A Licentious Storm

By Aziza Sphinx

With their Master's control nearly gone, a vengeful ex and a lover scorned, can this couple mend a broken bond or will the world succumb to a licentious storm?

 

Family Secrets creep into Gianina Marcello's life through the one thing she loves most, art. A mysterious painting arrives at her gallery door and for some reason, the two women in the painting appear vaguely familiar.

 

Neimiah Richardson has been given a mission. A mission that can save his life – as well as that of his lovers. That mission: find the missing member of their magical triad. What he doesn't know is that his Vampyre mast has taken the initiative to place their second and their together hoping the void in their triad can be filled before she meets an untimely death.

 

Though the desire between Gianina and Neimiah is undeniable, Neimiah experiences firsthand the wrath of Gianina's psycho ex-boyfriend who is dead set on making sure that if he can't have her, no one can.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penned In Blue, LLC
• Release date: Oct 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781735727707

Aziza Sphinx

Aziza Sphinx is a firm believer that reading and writing go hand and hand. A southerner through and through she loves her peaches and pecans while curling up with a good book. A master of resourcefulness her love of research leads her down paths of discovery that touch every aspect of her writing. Her love of reading ignited her passion for writing leading her to frequently fill page after page with tales of her beloved characters’ adventures. An influence and an adversary she loves to sprinkle facts about her beloved Georgia throughout her fictional worlds. 

Book preview

Prelude to the storm

Smoke-filled room - check. Free flowing liquor - check. Music so loud it obscured every thought racing through his head with the hypnotic cadence of the live band - check. Tired couldn’t begin to explain the aching and emptiness weighing on Neimiah. He downed half of his current shot, the burn of the liquid reminding him that he was still alive, or as close to alive as his bond with his master allowed.

Drowning yourself in bourbon? Really Neimiah? I expected more of you after all these years.

Neimiah cut his eye at the redhead easing in to sit next to him. He’d chosen the booth in the back, tucked away in the corner against the far wall and the bar. A booth shrouded in darkness, the flickering of a soon to burn out bulb casting an eerie glow from time to time before it succumbed to a low pulsing hum. Valencia. Emptying the glass, he carefully placed it on the table. Better than that tasteless vodka you find so enjoyable.

Bad day? She replied with a smirk in her voice.

What tipped you off? He gestured for the bartender to send over another shot. Instead, two glasses and the remainder of the bottle appeared before them, the waitress tipping her head as she placed the items on the table and sauntered away. He noticed the curve of the woman’s hips, the soft roundedness of her behind. The way her waist narrowed accentuated by the pink sequence band breaking the plane of black created by her bodysuit.

The clanking of glass drew his attention away from wicked thoughts, back to his visitor. Valencia had poured him another shot. She tapped his hand away as he reached for the glass. Why pour if you aren’t going to let me drink?

Because you need something stronger. Think your day has been bad so far, you’re wholly unprepared for what I need to tell you. 

He watched as she drew a vial of glowing blue liquid from the folds of flesh between her breast. He remembered their softness under his fingertips, the way her body reacted when his warm breath tickled her skin.

Stop it Neimiah.

Her words slapped him out of the trance, his mouth closing in the process. Had he been drooling? And worst of all, had she been feeling what he was feeling?

Silently, she allowed three drops of the liquid to fall into his drink. Three. A definitive number in their world where the binding of triads signified the beginning, the middle, and the end for those powerful enough to create and sustain the connection. Though only two of their three remained together, his master still maintained the balance in the physical absence of the third of their triad.

"Who gave you access to the Source?" He’d seen the liquid before, in what his master called a Haven. It looked like a giant chalice, large enough to submerge three sizable adults. From what he gathered, eavesdropping on his master and the others of her kind, the Source sustained them in their original realm, the home of their race, the Doridian. When they crossed over through the Devil’s triangle, the ones they found here named them Vampyre.

The who is irrelevant. It is, however, a necessity for you at this juncture. Now drink.

Staring at the three floating blobs of blue in a sea of amber, Neimiah dipped a finger into the liquid swirling the clashing colors together until his drink glowed with a hint of gold. Then he drained the glass in one gulp. To his surprise, no burn followed, or at least not the typical burn that came with whiskey. Instead, a warmth raced through every cell in his body, followed by slow cooling sensation reminiscent of the times he curled up with Inez before she drifted off into slumber.

Better?

With a drunken smile on his lips, Neimiah responded, I don’t think I’ve ever felt this good. He tipped the glass up once more, demanding any drop clinging to the side to fall to his tongue. Assured he’d licked away every morsel, he dropped the glass to the table with a plink.

I’ve heard this stuff works wonders. Valencia twirled the vial around on its chain before tucking it safely away from prying eyes.

Pleased with the euphoria he asked, So why exactly have you tracked me down?

When is the last time you spoke with Inez?

He stiffened at the question. Or maybe it wasn’t the question that caused a sense of dread to fray the edges of his ecstasy but rather her accusing glare. He and his master, Inez, weren’t seeing eye to eye. While she remained content with allowing their third to live out her dreams, he was tired of babysitting their master, blinding bowing to her whims to keep the peace and her sanity.

Lately, Inez showed signs of fatigue. She sequestered herself away from her minions, leaving them to fend for themselves. Most maintained, understanding that while the heavy hand now offered them a level of autonomy, the all-seeing eye hovered above. If they tested the waters too much, Inez would reign them in and make an example of anyone daring to challenge her.

I’ll admit, it has been some time.

Some time as in a couple of weeks? A month or two?

He shrugged. Why is it important?

Oh, my dear Neimiah. A heavy sigh and she continued, I warned them Inez hadn’t properly prepared you.

Neimiah gave Valencia the once over. She was still as beautiful as those nights she’d shared his bed. And while well put together, he observed a weariness in her eyes as she averted her gaze. Prepared me for what? What’s going on Valencia?

She reached into the coordinating bag hung from her arm drawing out a folded piece of parchment. She handed it to Neimiah, their fingers brushing as he eased it from her grasp. You both have been summoned.

Summoned? He hurriedly unfolded the paper, scanning the words on the page, What does all this mean?

It means there is concern that Inez is losing her grasp.

This doesn’t make sense. She’s fine.

Is she? You didn’t answer my question. She’s been without her second and her third. She shot him an accusatory glance. She’s been sating through lust, but it will only sustain her - and you- for so long. You need your third. You need the balance.

What do you think I’ve been doing the last three months? His hand slid across the table knocking the bottle of bourbon on its side. Some of the remaining liquid escaped, forming a shallow pool in the center of the table.

Calm down Neimiah.

Don’t tell me to calm down. So now what? They gonna drag the three of us in and give us the third degree about the rules and protocols of triads. Are we being accused of endangering our entire bloodline because our third chose her world over ours? What? Huh, Valencia? He was in her face now, one hand wrapped around the top of the booth, the other threatening to shatter the glass held tightly in his grasp. What does it mean?

Neimiah felt the stir of power as it snaked its way through the crowd of bodies on the dance floor. He cringed, his eyes tightening as it scraped across his ankles. It hooked into him, clawing its way up until a blanket of calm washed everything away. When he finally opened his eyes, one of Inez’s trusted minions stood before them.

Neimiah stared into Adagio’s eyes, and he saw Inez there. His master – and sometimes – mistress started back at him pleading for the calm she relied on, the peace he offered in place of their third. Tiona was the calm one, but he’d learned to draw that calm from her even when she was miles away. And that’s what he did. Though they tried their best to not to interfere, times like this required intervention. He felt Tiona’s hand stop, relief washing over him as he discovered that she was safe, standing in an open field painting the sunrise. She didn’t fight him as he drew from her, sending the calm through to the one to whom they were bound. The process only took a minute, but he saw her give a quick nod before he severed the connection and fell into darkness.

The sound of water crashing against rock coaxed Neimiah out of slumber. Disoriented, he reached to the right, expecting to tap the lamp on the bedside table. Instead, his hand fell to the side of the bed. He shot up, memories of his conversation with Valencia sending his heart into gallops.

Calm down Neimiah.

Inez?

Yes, my love. I apologize. I did not realize they would send for you.

Where are you?

Safe. As are you. Your escort is coming. I will see you soon.

He felt their connection dissolve, the wall she erected around their link firmer than usual. She was hiding something. Or maybe trying to protect him.

A glint of light escaping beneath close shutters drew his attention. He climbed from the bed walking a slow, deliberate path across the room tapping a toe ahead of him with each step to avoid tripping. Light burst through when he flung the wooden shutters open, the crashing of waves below echoing around the stone walls. Fresh, clean sea air rushed in the beauty of what lay beyond the horizon awe-inspiring. He could stare out this window, painting the dancing colors of the sun again and again.

Neimiah.

He turned, relieved to find Valencia in the doorway. I’m sorry.

She held up a hand, stopping him midsentence. Not necessary. They are waiting for you. Come.

She turned from him, but not before he saw the sadness in her eyes. One question first.

He waited for her to face him. When she didn’t, he closed the distance between them coming to a stop at her side. Is it bad?

I cannot answer that. I am not privy to counsel conversation.

Not even through your master?

Her head fell forward. No.

Interesting. Well then, Neimiah straightened his jacket before gesturing Valencia onward. After you.

As they walked the halls, everything about the place screamed old. The heavy hand-carved frames held paintings every few feet. Neimiah paused at one he’d gifted to Inez the night he’d agreed to the binding. She wore a lace-trimmed crimson dress with a high white collar. The corset clenched her waist her bosom nearly spilling from the low cut of the top, not that she needed the additional help of the contraption. It was the last painting he completed as a mortal, the finishing touches on his life in one world before he committed himself to another.

The place even smelled old though a hint of fresh flowers permeated through the musk, remnants of perfume. Thick floor-length drapes covered the walls, the alternating colors of royal blue, plum, and crimson between velvet lined chairs beside dark wooden side tables. As they entered the longest corridor, they’d come across double doors at the other end of the hallway placed a period on their journey.

Are you coming in? He asked. His fingers traced over the carving of a woman, one hand resting beneath a stomach heavy with child. A brood of tiny faces surrounded her; her other hand stretched to the heavens where a crescent moon hung in the air.

Yes. But I must stay with the others.

He ran a hand over his bald head. He needed a shave. Others?

Yes. When the council convenes, the Ancient Ones bring all triad members. As servants, our role is minimal. We are here serve our masters.

Serve we will.

Her fingers wrapped around his wrist, dragging him away from his destiny. You must understand Neimiah, Inez has put you and Tiona in a precarious position. No others give their non-Doridian links the autonomy granted to you and Tiona.

Meaning?

You all are an anomaly in our world.

Weren’t we an anomaly from the start? Unlike the others, Inez was the first female master with a triad formed with a male and another female.

Yes, but this is different. This is about power distribution, the two feminine to one masculine. And with a female master. She tied her hair back, busying her hands with the task of braiding the tresses before continuing. At any rate, even in triads with one mortal, we are kept close. We are their solidity outside the Doridian world. Here they are strong. They can walk in their light. Our world is different; it is the link through us that offers the stability.

Will I be in danger in there? He gestured towards the door.

I can’t say for sure. The brunt will fall on Inez. She is the master.

That she was. And Tiona?

She too has been summoned.

Neimiah’s eyes widened. Was it possible that Tiona was there? And if so, how long had he been passed out. Is she?

I do not know. Inez was not my charge.

He offered Valencia a weak smile. Thank you.

I’m only doing what my master requires of me.

No Valencia, his hand cradled her cheek, you did what you thought was best. While you they charged you with bringing me in, you could have had me wrangled and dragged in kicking and screaming. Instead, at the very least, you gave me a choice. I appreciate that.

His hand fell away, and he stepped to the side allowing Valencia to precede him into the room. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the unexpected bright lights. Inez tended to keep her humble abodes dim. She said it set the mood. Kept her level. A crowd of men and women lingered at the back of the room. A few Neimiah recognized. They’d occasionally cross paths during binding rituals or when their masters required a journey back to Doridan to recharge from the Source.

Whispers filled the room as he entered, Valencia abandoning him for her place among the seconds and thirds. Alone, he joined his master in the center of the room. The ceilings rose to the heavens the arches cascading down around them giving the effect of standing in the heart of a planet. Before them, five men stood, their expressions blank, eyes in a thousand-mile stare.

Inez intertwined her fingers with his moving in front of him with her back to the Ancient Ones. She acted as a buffer and for once, he questioned her sanity. Her eyes glowed, an indication she’d fed from the Source. In that instant, any thought of her losing control faded. She was as strong as ever and well prepared to defend her position and hear the wisdom of those she too was bound to.

Others poured in, the Doridian easy to identify by their long hair and white eyes. Those who spent most of their time in the mortal world whether Doridian or descendent sported tans with hair in all sorts of colors and styles. Their clothing a variety of possibilities from skin-tight leather to spring maxi dresses. When all movement ceased, Inez dropped his hands and turned to face the Ancient Ones – the elders of the Doridian.

The cacophony of voices melded into one finally spoke. Inez. You have been called before the Ancient Ones to plead your position. Though still covered in the bond, albeit barely, your triad is no longer complete. What say you?

With all due respect, do the Ancient Ones still acknowledge that fate changed the rules in the binding of my triad.

We do.

Inez stood poised her head high as she turned the inquisition against her accusers. And have you all not agreed that the establishment of this triad required a level of trial and error?

You are endangering your bloodline. And in turn, that of the Doridian.

The Ancient Ones were right. Doridian bloodlines ran pure. They were the birthers of their kind, and while Inez carried a unique power allowing her to mask the physical aspects of her position, she was still obligated to return at the designated intervals to reproduce. She’d agreed to the condition, which is why the Ancient Ones granted her permission to live in the mortal world. But it still meant she was required to keep her triad whole and her other powers in check.

I understand your perspective. I am aware of the instability my decision to allow my third to lead a mortal life has caused. We are working on the situation; my second has been attempting to reconnect.

You know where she is. Your duty is to make things whole.

Neimiah stepped back from his master, realization dawning on him. At any time, Inez could have revealed Tiona’s whereabouts. Even earlier, when she’d open the link, they shared he’d seen Tiona. Inez chose to hide the information. His question was why.

We are working through this.

The five figures closed in before one by one moving to their designated positions on the image carved into the floor. When they stopped, Neimiah and Inez stood in the center.

You have five Doridan moons to correct what has been sundered, or your leeway will cease, and your choices stripped away.

The floor shifted, light filling the room so much so that Neimiah had to close his eyes. An overwhelming sense of falling followed by a slowing descent indicated that they’d been torn from one world and thrust into another. His stomach lurched sending him to his knees as he fought not to vomit.

Slow, deep breaths Neimiah.

He shrugged the supposedly comforting hand from his shoulder, concentrating on calming both his stomach and his nerves. If Inez had lied to him about Tiona, what the hell else had she lied to him about? The room settled, the nausea dissipating as time ticked by. Eventually, when he felt confident that his body had realigned with this reality, he opened his eyes and stood.

Neimiah half expected Inez to be hovering over him ready for the line of questions he planned to spew in her direction. Instead, he found her in the basement, her home away from home, the place they called their own in this plane of existence.

She rested on the plush couch, the glow from the Source long faded from her eyes. She’d curled up on her side, her hands wrapped around her midsection. Pain was Neimiah’s first thought as she tightened into a ball before slowly stretching out.

Inez? Teary eyes looked up at him. What did they mean by what has been sundered?

Three distinct knocks on the front door tore his attention away. His heart sank, something within him severed and instantly, he knew who waited for him to answer.

Neimiah stared into his former lover’s eyes and knew their next visitor would be the shadow of death. Seeing Tiona standing there, her fingers wrapped tightly around the door frame in a desperate attempt to remain upright did something to him. She’d left the life with him and their master to pursue her dreams. Her abrupt departure nearly tore their triad apart, but somehow, he and the mistress managed or at least they had been until recently. Inez believed as long as their third lived, they could wait her out.

Tiona stumbled passed him into the quaint little cottage surrounded by mighty magnolia. Neimiah watched her pained pace as she crossed the room to rest her weary body on the loveseat. He turned from her, focusing his attention on the orange glow just above the horizon. Only then did he realize that this was this sunrise Tiona had been painting. He’d forgotten that time ran differently here, that the five moons on Doridan equated to months here.

Neimiah watched Tiona settle her body, his mind fight to believe she’d just that easily walked back into their lives. But what made this moment worse than anything was that she’d chosen to return when she was so close to death. He curled up with her, drawing the blanket over them as he offered what little comfort he could. He felt Inez drift off, the transition between the world taxing for her as it was her power that protected them during the journey he still didn’t understand. And they rested, for it was all any of them had the strength to do.

FOR HOURS NEIMIAH HELD Tiona, drifting in and out of slumber at the slightest sound. While he knew Inez would try to save her, his heart told him it was too late. That Tiona had chosen now to return to them because she no longer desired to live. That’s what he loved about her. She was her own woman, refusing to allow the given circumstances to dictate her life. Of course, Inez, sure of the strength of her own power, never told Tiona that if she died, they might also. And Neimiah never got around to making relaying that knowledge a priority.

Eventually, the first wave of lust crept through the wooden floors of their humble abode. Inez was awake, and she wanted to feed. However, he needed to inform her of the return of their third. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the telepathic link he shared with his master.

I have summoned you. Why have you not come to me?

He shook his head at the distrust in Inez’s voice. Use to getting what she wanted when she wanted it from him; he understood the root of her suspicion. What she didn’t understand, was that all they’d known for the past six decades was about to change.

Neimiah! Do not ignore me!

I’m not ignoring you.

They why have you chosen not to answer my summons?

I think you should come up here. We have a visitor.

Who?

I think it would be best if you come see for yourself.

A moment of silence hung between them. Neimiah listened to Inez’s thoughts as she tried to determine their visitor’s identity. As he waited for her response, he walked a small path behind the couch where their third now sat, and the hand-carved wooden table where he and Inez had spent countless hours discussing life without Tiona.

A cool mist rushed into the room, causing the curtains to billow before they again came to rest on the floor. Neimiah turned to face the hallway leading to the bedrooms and the entrance to the basement. Inez stood in the makeshift doorway, her eyes drawn to the pale, fragile figure curled up on the couch.

Something’s wrong, she said, inching ever closer to her third who appeared to be resting and at peace. She knelt beside Tiona, placing a hand over hers.

She’s not well, Neimiah replied. The swishing of his bare feet across the floor stopped as he hovered over Tiona and his master.

Not just that. Something else is wrong. Panic raced through the room. I can’t feel her in my head anymore.

Me neither, he replied, unable to hide the sorrow and regret in his voice.

Something’s severed the bond between the three of us. Our triad is no longer whole. What has been sundered? We must reform the bond, or she’s going to die. Inez turned worried eyes up at the second of her triad.

When Tiona first left, the dynamics of their triad changed. They discovered that taking the life, pulling nourishment from Neimiah alone, no longer sated her. Not only that, she’d become accustomed to sharing her body with a female counterpart. After weeks of torturing themselves and each other, they finally decided to find another lover. And though the person could never replace Tiona, they’d made the best of whatever came out of the situation.

Bring her downstairs. She must feed.

Inez stood, sashaying her way across the open space in the living room. She headed towards the darkened hallway, disappearing out of sight with each stride.

Neimiah scooped Tiona from the couch, cradling her in his arms, and carried her down the same darkened hallway. He descended the stairs to the basement. When he