Free Midnight's Jewel (Siren Publishing Classic) by J. Annas Walker Page B

his lost treasure.
    “The bed? Not, ‘Damn, we went to the moon’?” she asked. Sabrina was waiting for the moment Brandon processed what had happened and for him to run screaming from the room. The other children always had, and nothing this odd had happened to any of them.
    “After seeing a raining garden in my bathroom and then the Carrie incident, no, I’m not surprised you took us on a lunar excursion,” he responded. “I am bothered about the bed. I’ll never find another one of those in useable condition.” He shook his head, looking back at the empty space.
    Sabrina glanced at the digital clock sitting on the lonesome nightstand. There were only two hours until dawn. It seemed like they had been gone only a few moments. Sunset had been less than two hours ago. They had lost most of the night.
    The blood on her inner thighs and her pussy was just starting to dry and itch, as if the blood were only a few minutes old. She reached between the sheet folds and touched it. She looked at the fresh smear on her fingers.
    A mixture of emotions ranged their way through her. It was chaos at its finest. She had a sudden realization. Her virginity was gone. There was something so final, so absolute, and so permanent about the loss. A tear welled up unannounced and trickled down her cheek. She looked down at the floor, hoping he would not notice. It was not her intent to hurt his feelings or wound his ego.
    It was too late for apprehension, but a trace lingered. In the moment, it had felt like the right thing to do. She had wanted it more than anything in her life and was still not sorry for giving herself to Brandon. There was no explanation she could put her finger on, but he was meant for her. It was like something preordained. Never had she felt passion flood her skin from meeting a man. Touching her had triggered a deep-seated need. Only he could have satisfied it. It had to be him.
    A trill of fear ran through her. Eleanor would be furious! There was no telling what she would do. She had been so protective, so careful. The only boy allowed to have an ongoing relationship with Sabrina was Clay. Deep down, Sabrina knew Eleanor harbored hopes Clay would be “The One.” She had said yesterday she had hoped Sabrina would make all this unnecessary. Was that what she meant? That Sabrina should have given her heart away to the fairy?
    Until this moment, Sabrina had never considered Eleanor’s motivations behind pairing the two of them up in childhood. Clay was an orphan, like herself. He was a creature of the night and of the moon, like herself. He knew her better than any other being on the planet. A seeping shame began replacing the fear. Clay would be so disappointed. He wanted so much for Sabrina to take the next step. He had made it very clear being her best friend was not enough. He wanted to be her lover. She knew he would always be her brother, but she did not wish to cause him the pain this would inflict.
    Underneath all the apprehension, fear, and shame was still happiness with an edge of triumph. A warm, fuzzy pool drifted near the center of her chest. Some switch had been turned on and could never be turned off in the same way it was before. Sabrina smiled to herself. No matter the extent of Eleanor’s anger or Clay’s disappointment, the deed was done. She had freely given herself to the man of her choice with no regrets. Freely. Free. Freedom. An unseen shackle broke. Her magic flowed, and she knew she was no misfit. She was different but not a mistake. She sniffed and the tears stopped.
    She lifted her face to see him standing only a few feet away as still as a statue. He wore a poker face, for the most part. However, around his eyes was a tension she interpreted as worry. She had no more experience with vampires than she had with men in general. It was her best guess. A twinge tugged at her heart. It bothered her to think he was worried or upset.
    She gave him the same triumphant smile she had given