Merido's Daughter by LJ Maas 12 page

The two spent the better part of the afternoon making love and lying around the house listening to music. Tessa suggested they go out somewhere nice for dinner to get out of the house and enjoy the warm evening. Casey was in the process of laying out her clothes when she placed a low cut, cream colored dress on the closet door, preparing to dress.

They spent the day together, dined together, and eventually showered together, and still Tessa felt like she couldn't get enough of the small blonde. She watched as the young woman moved about the bedroom, clad only in her short terry cloth robe. She admired the sleek, tan legs and was secretly glad her lover was one of those women who felt completely comfortable in a dress or a skirt.

"Dresses show off your legs. You have great legs, by the way." Tessa complimented, lying across the end of the bed, her head in the palm of her hand.

"Short legs, you mean." Casey countered.

"Uh Unh...just right. Damned near perfect."

"You're prejudiced." Casey turned around and said.

"Yep." Tessa grinned.

"I bet you haven't worn a skirt since you were twelve." The small blonde teased.

"I'm just not the type. You'd lose that bet, though. I went to Catholic school in England until I was seventeen. Wool skirts were the standard issue."

"Tell me about it! Same thing on Long Island." Casey smiled in commiseration.

"Come here, love." Tessa smiled as she sat up on the edge of the bed. "You are so beautiful." She said as Casey walked over and slipped her hand in the one Tessa held out in offering.

Casey stood over her and the Karê pulled her close enjoying the way the young woman shivered in pleasure at her touch. Tessa untied the knot at Casey's waist and pulled the robe open slightly, revealing her naked figure. Strong arms wrapped around the slim waist and the dark-haired woman kissed the taut skin across her abdomen. She reached out a pink tongue and slid the tip against the small blonde's skin. Tessa moaned softly.

"God, you taste so good." She murmured, nuzzling the underside of the standing woman's breasts.

Tessa pulled the standing woman down to sit on the edge of the bed next to her. She maneuvered herself to her knees in front of the small blonde, spreading Casey's legs apart. The kneeling woman shrugged out of her own silk robe and pressed her body close until she could feel her lover's wet center against her belly. Another moan and Tessa was kissing Casey as if it were the first time. Tender and soft, she caressed her lover's lips with her tongue before pressing harder, requesting entry. When she moved her kisses around to the blonde's neck, she pulled the cloth robe from the young woman's shoulders with a delicate glide.

"I need to know if you taste this good everywhere." Tessa murmured into her kisses.

"You tell me." Casey responded, hoping the larger woman meant what Casey thought she did.

In all their lovemaking, this was something Tessa hadn't shared with her yet and the young woman was desperate to experience this pleasure with her new lover. Tessa never stopped Casey from going down on her, but she never reciprocated the pleasure. Casey shrugged it off initially. It wouldn't be the first time she'd ever been with a woman who enjoyed the pleasure on herself but refused to perform oral sex. She didn't understand why Tessa waited so long, but the dark-haired woman seemed downright frantic about it now.

Tessa held the small blonde's face in her hands and kissed her for all she was worth. Casey's whimpers of delight struck straight at the large woman's heart and her stomach flipped in anticipation. She nuzzled the warm skin of her lover's neck and let her tongue play enticingly with a sensitive earlobe.

"I want my tongue inside you," the kneeling woman whispered, unsure of how the words would affect her young lover. She smiled when she received the answer she had hoped for.

"Oh yes, Nikki, please." Casey pleaded, guiding the dark head down her abdomen.

A low growl emanated from the depths of Tessa's very being at the first, luscious scent of her lover's arousal as she brought her head down between Casey's legs. The blonde leaned back on one elbow, her other hand pressed atop the raven head between her thighs. Tessa hovered over her lover's glistening sex, waiting for Casey's eyes to meet her own. The moment that the dark green orbs locked onto the blue eyes below that shimmered with lust, Tessa ran her tongue along the entire length of the small blonde's sex.

"Yesss," Casey's hips rose from the bed to follow the source of the delicious pleasure. "Please, Nikki...don't tease me...I need you."

Her lover's impassioned plea drove all thoughts of games or teasing from Tessa's mind. "Do you know how beautiful you are?" The dark-haired woman asked.

Not waiting for an answer, Tessa retraced her tongue's path along outer lips that glistened with sweet moisture. The tip of her tongue gently spread inner folds apart and she lovingly explored each crease and crevice. She avoided the swollen bundle of nerves even though she could hear Casey's frustrated whimpers. She continued her tongue's tender caresses until Casey's whimpers changed to throaty moans and her hips began to thrust against the tongue that slipped inside of her.

"Oh God, please...oh, please, Nikki...don't stop." Casey begged as the dark-haired woman began to concentrate on her swollen clit.

Casey writhed and drove her hips in tune with the strokes from Tessa's tongue; faster and deeper the muscle filled her until Casey knew she wouldn't be able to prolong the pleasure any longer. The small blonde finally allowed herself to give in to the absolute surrender her partner demanded.

"Oh, God, Yes! Nikki...Nikki!" Casey cried out.

Tessa plunged her tongue deeply inside her lover, wanting to feel the convulsive spasms of her release as they rolled throughout her small frame like a never-ending wave. Casey cried out as she exploded in orgasm, her whole body tensing then releasing in jerks and shudders.

Tessa ran her tongue gently through the quivering folds, gathering the sweet nectar her lover's climax had produced. Rising from her knees, she made her way up to the bed, pulling Casey's small figure against her. The blonde delighted in the feel of her lover's arms around her and when she tilted her head and felt Tessa's smooth lips on her own, she could taste her own arousal on the dark-haired woman's lips.

"Thank You," Tessa whispered.

"Shouldn't I be thanking you?" Casey asked in wonder.

"Not this time, baby. I've wanted you that way from the very first moment I met you. I couldn't even explain it to myself. You see, it's not something I usually do."

"Well, you sure picked it up fast." Casey grinned, leaning herself up on one elbow to look down on her lover.

Tessa smiled rather sheepishly and a light blush began working its way up her neck. "I hope you enjoyed it." The Karê seemed genuinely worried about that fact.

"Enjoy wasn't the word. You're serious aren't you? You never do this with other women?" Casey asked in surprise.

"Women do that for me, but I...Well, it's such an intimate act. I've rarely felt enough for anyone to...Casey, sex has never been about anything more than feeling good for me. I used women for what I needed...there was never any emotions involved." Tessa turned her head away in embarrassment. You should have never opened yourself up this way, Niko. She's history for sure now.

"Hey," Casey said softly. "Hey," she repeated, taking Tessa's chin in her hand and turning it toward her. Casey watched as tears uncharacteristically rolled down the high cheekbones. "I know how hard this is for you, Nikki...opening up in front of someone else. I'm not going anywhere, though. I already knew that you weren't about to win any Mother Theresa awards, you don't have to hide your past from me. Those other women...we are talking past right?" Casey finished hesitantly.

Tessa displayed perfect white teeth in a smile meant only for her lover. "Yes, baby...they're all in the past."

"Can I ask you one more thing?" Casey asked.

"Anything, love."

"Can we go eat now because I am really hungry." Casey replied.

Tessa laughed at her lover and pulled her tightly against her own body, kissing her passionately. "By all means, lets get you fed. Besides, you'll need your strength...for later."

Dinner was a fantastically romantic affair, as Tessa seemed to have acquaintances all over Athens. They had a private meal on the rooftop of one of the most elegant restaurants in Greece. They took a long walk down the shop streets, doing nothing more than talking and enjoying one another's company.

Tessa watched her companion ooh and aah over the jewelry displayed in the shop window. Large diamond wedding sets were displayed prominently, but Casey seemed the most impressed with the small delicate pieces. Tessa stood close behind her until the small blonde could feel the taller woman against her back. Tessa spoke in a tone so soft and low only Casey could hear her.

"I'd like to see you wearing one of those for me some day."

Tessa could scarcely believe her own ears. Did I just ask her to marry me?

"All you have to do is ask, love." Casey responded, realizing that time might be a long way off for the two lovers. Oh please, Nikki, ask me someday when you're serious!

Tessa was once again thrown for a loop by the small woman's response. Casey seemed to take everything in stride. Nothing the Káre said; nothing Tessa mentioned as a part of her horrible past, seemed to set this girl back. For perhaps the hundredth time that weekend, Tessa tried to push down the fear that rose like bile in her throat. There will come a time, little one, and then I'll be the cause of your pain.

Tessa reached in quickly and squeezed the small blonde's shoulder. It took a great deal of control not to wrap her arms around the girl right here on the street, but she did have to remember who they were and where they were. Athens may not be Mýkonos, but it was damn close. Too close to take chances in spots where prying eyes might be keeping tabs. So far, nothing they'd done out in public could be misconstrued as anything more than the fact that the two women were perhaps becoming close friends.

Casey felt the contact as the taller woman squeezed her shoulder and she leaned back against her, just slightly in reply. Tessa explained the way they would have to act in public and while Casey hated the idea, she understood. She'd been there before, anyway. It wasn't like it would be any different in the states. The one difference here in Athens was that everyone seemed to know Tessa. Business owners, students, even women on the street, nodded their heads and greeted her using her current title, Karê.

They decided to take a break and sat outside at one of the local tavérnas to enjoy a glass of retsína. The owner led them to the best table without having to be asked.

"Nikki, how does everyone know you here?" Casey asked.

Tessa searched the blonde's eyes and felt another piece of that wall around her soul give way. "Are you sure you really want to know?"

Casey understood the logic in that question. Tessa was really asking her if she wanted to hear about that horrible past she kept referring to.

"Yes, I want to know all of you, Nikki. The good and the bad."

Tessa motioned to the owner to leave the bottle when their drinks were brought around. She wasn't sure where to start. She couldn't tell her lover too much, but she didn't want to lie about who she'd been, about who most people thought she still was. The Karê shook her head, tossing her bangs from her eyes and cleared her throat.

"Athens used to belong to me." She stated simply. "I controlled everything that came in and went out via the docks. The men in the unions were loyal to me, not because they wanted to be, but because they were afraid of me. Everyone paid me to control the city. >From the prostitutes to the police, I ran their entire lives through my own little reign of terror that lasted for nearly ten years. These people are not being polite because they respect me, Casey; they're doing it out of fear. Because they know what I've done...what I could do again."

Tessa watched the deep green eyes as she spoke, searching them for some sign of revulsion...abhorrence, but what she did find, staring out from the viridian depths nearly melted her stoic will. The Karê saw her own pain mirrored in the eyes of her lover. Casey's eyes filled with tears and they radiated a depth of emotion that Tessa hadn't had directed toward her since she was a girl, when her father was alive. It was unconditional love.

"Nikki," Casey said softly, "How did you become that way?"

Tessa thought about how to answer that question. The truth was that on an Easter day, twenty years ago, she had her world pulled out from underneath her. Everything she'd been taught about honor, trust, and integrity became a lie. In the space of a few moments in time, an eleven year old Tessa Nikolaidis found out that only the strong got what they wanted, that wealth and power were the ultimate weapons of destruction, and that there was only one thing that people understood. Fear. How could she tell Casey that she spent the last twenty years becoming the kind of person that existed for only one thing...revenge?

"I guess it started when my father was murdered. I became a little disillusioned after that."

Casey turned a little light-headed and she couldn't take her eyes off the red awning behind Tessa. The Karê watched as the small blonde flinched at some memory, her face taken over by that far off expression.

"Casey, are you okay?" Tessa reached her hand over the table and covered the smaller one resting there. "Your hands are ice cold...Casey?"

The young woman shook her head a little to clear the cobwebs and locked on to the blue eyes in front of her that were filled with concern. The red awning behind where her lover sat seemed to be filling up her entire vision.

"I'm sorry, honey. I'm just getting one of those weird feelings, you know? It seems to be passing." Casey finally lifted her head. Her bright smile eased the dark-haired woman somewhat. "Would you mind if we just went back home?"

Tessa smiled slightly at the sound of that...home. Coming from Casey's lips it had a sound of love and permanence to it. "Yea, I think that's a good idea. Let me settle the bill, will you be okay here for a few minutes?"

Casey nodded. "I'm fine now, really. Pickup a bottle of retsína too."

Tessa rose and with a worried glance at her partner, walked inside the small tavérna.

The small blonde sipped the rest of her wine and pushed the empty glass aside. An older woman in her forties scooped up the glass and set in on tray.

"Efcharistó." Casey smiled, thanking the woman.

"You do not belong with her." The older woman said softly.

"I beg your pardon?" Casey responded.

"The Karê, you don't know the kind of woman she is. The kinds of things she does."

Casey's voice took on a hard edge. "I know exactly what kind of woman she is, thank you. She is trying to forget what happened in her past."

Casey added this last and she wasn't sure why she felt she should explain to this stranger. The woman looked toward the door, watching for Tessa's return.

"You think it is her past that haunts her? Do you call a few days, the past?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you know what happened to the young men who shot at you on Sunday?" The woman looked again at the door and leaned closer to Casey. The blonde's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Yes, I know who you are, Cassandra Meridio."

The woman juggled her tray in one hand and pulled a folded piece of the Ta Nea out of her apron pocket. She held the newspaper clipping out for Casey to see. Cassandra's picture was displayed next to a short feature on the incident in front of the church.

"What happened to them?" Casey asked hesitantly, suddenly afraid of the answer.

"All but one returned, the man who shot the gun. No one has seen him since the day the Karê took him for a car ride here in Athens. It is rumored that his arkheedias were delivered to your father in a sack."

"You're wrong." It was all Casey could think to say, but it came out weakly.

The older woman spied Tessa coming back to the table and she took a rag and pretended to wipe the table clean. "If you're so sure she has changed...ask her what became of George Míkolo." She added quickly before turning away.

Tessa walked back to the table and thought that Casey looked even worse than when she left.

"Come on, let's get you home." The dark-haired woman frowned.

The quick ride back to the estate passed in silence. Casey wanted nothing more than to discount everything the stranger had said. But something nagged at her insides; something that told her Tessa wasn't being completely honest with her. She couldn't put her finger on it, but the thought had fluttered quickly in and out of her conscious mind for days now. She knew that her lover was protecting her from certain aspects of the Karê's dark past, but she wondered if that was the only reason Tessa shut her out sometimes.

Tessa drove with both hands on the wheel, pondering her lover's silence. The Karê bit her lip, cursing herself silently for bringing up her father. It seemed like it would only take the tiniest of things to jog Casey's mind and once again she would be thrown into the horror of that day. Tessa watched her lover's pain at not being able to remember; yet so sure something was wrong. It broke her heart that she couldn't ease the young woman's suffering, but if she revealed everything, wouldn't it only cause Casey more needless pain? You're lying to yourself again, Niko. Is it really Casey's well being that you're worried about or that you know that if you tell her what you're really about, she'll leave you?

The five-minute car ride seemed to last an eternity, for both women.

Tessa sat the cup of hot tea on the end table by the overstuffed double wide chair Casey sat in. "This will warm you up at least." The tall woman said, kneeling in front of the small blonde and rubbing her hands to get some warmth into the freezing limbs.

Casey didn't even look up at the Karê and finally Tessa stood to move away. Casey's hand shot out and took hold of Tessa's long, slender fingers.

"Sit here with me," she said, moving over in the large chair.

Tessa smiled softly and tossed her jacket over the sofa. Casey watched as the Karê also removed her pistol from the small of her back. The tall woman eased her frame into the chair and Casey easily slid into her lap. The contact the younger woman established seemed to calm the dark-haired woman's fears considerably and Tessa wrapped her own warm embrace around her lover.

"Honey, what can I do?" Tessa asked.

Casey's body shook slightly and the Karê realized it wasn't the shiver that occasionally ran across her lover's skin when Tessa touched her. The young woman was actually trembling. Tessa pulled her closer against her own body, thinking that at first it was the memories of that day that caused Casey's condition. Oh, little one, if I tell you why you have these dreams, it will only cause you more pain.

"Talk to me, Casey. Tell me what's wrong."

Casey buried her face against the smooth, dark skin of her lover's neck. She loved the scent of Tessa's skin. The small blonde shook her head back and forth, unable to speak. How can I ask her? It will change everything if I do. If I ask her, then isn't that the same as telling her I don't trust what she's been telling me, and if I don't ask, will I ever be able to trust her completely?

Tessa suddenly felt wet tears on her neck and knew that this was more than just a piece of Casey's old nightmare brought to life.

"Honey, what is it? Are you having second thoughts about us...about being with me?"

Casey nodded her head against Tessa's shoulder as her tears continued. Tessa took in a deep breath and held it momentarily before releasing it. She could feel the hot tears burning the backs of her eyes, but she didn't want to give in to them. She never knew it could happen so fast or that it would hurt this much. She swallowed down the pain that suddenly clutched at her chest and tried to sound sympathetic, although her own heart was breaking.

"It's allright, baby, shh. I'll take you to the hotel; you don't have to stay here tonight, I understand."

"No, that's not what I mean." Casey sobbed as she lifted her head to look into Tessa tear filled azure gaze.

"What, Casey?" Tessa gently brushed away the tears from the young woman's cheeks. "Has someone hurt you...have I done something to hurt you?"

Casey shook her head but still the tears rolled down her cheeks. "I need to ask you something, but I'm afraid of what you'll think of me after you hear what it is."

Tessa tilted the young woman's head up to look into her eyes, brimming with tears. "Is it something about my past?"

Casey nodded.

"Something you've heard that I've done?" Tessa asked knowingly.

"Yes." Casey nodded again.

Tessa pulled the woman close and felt the small blonde tuck her head snugly under the Karê's chin. "Casey, you can ask me anything you need to. I won't ever judge you for that."

"Do you promise your answer will be the truth?"

Tessa's eyes searched the room as if unconsciously seeking a way out. Can I tell the absolute truth? The dark-haired woman felt the small figure in her arms shake with her sobs and Tessa's heart felt like it was being ripped from her chest. She knew right then what the answer to any question her lover asked of her would be. Even if Casey guessed, Tessa would own up and admit the truth simply to ease the young woman's hurt.

"On one condition." Tessa answered softly, pulling Casey's head up to look at her again. "Only if you'll stop crying for me, allright?" Tessa whispered tenderly and kissed the blonde's forehead.

They sat that way for a while until Casey calmed her nerves and stopped the flow of tears. Tessa sat back and ran her fingers through the short blonde hair, holding to her lover tightly with her other arm.

"Nikki," Casey started without raising her head. "I need to know who George Míkolo is."

Casey felt the Karê's whole body tense under her. She said nothing more, waiting for her lover to respond. She felt in her heart that when Tessa gave her word to tell the truth, she would.

Tessa froze at the sound of the young man's name. Where did Casey hear about him? The Karê searched her brain for the few people they'd crossed paths with since dinner. The woman at the tavérna! Now she remembered how the woman had moved away rather quickly when Tessa made her way back to the table and how Casey had looked rather ill. The question was...who was the woman?

"He's the young man who shot at you last weekend." Tessa answered simply.

"Did you kill him?"

"No, love I didn't kill him." Tessa answered softly.

"Did you hurt him?"

"Well, that depends on your definition. I think I scared the holy hell out of him, but no, Casey, I never touched him."

"But, that woman back at the tavérna, she said you cut off his balls and delivered them to my father as proof that you murdered him. Why would she say that?" Casey raised her head now to look into the blue gaze of her lover.

"Because that's what your father asked me to do...that's what I used to do, Casey. I told you the men in Athens feared me, it's because that's the way I handled disloyalty. It was my trademark."

Tessa felt a small shudder run through the young woman's body.

"My father?" Casey whispered, but she seemed to be directing the thought at herself and so, Tessa remained silent. "Why is George Míkolo missing?" Casey asked after digesting the last bit of horror.

Tessa knew she was in deep now. It would all be over because now that she started, she knew she had to confess everything to Casey. Tessa needed to explain who she was and most of all...who Casey's father was.

"I can only tell you that he is alive, but I can't demonstrate that fact right now. If you'll trust me until Monday, I'll prove it to you."

It was the only thing Tessa could say, the only answer she could give. "Do you trust me, Casey?" Tessa asked in a voice so low that it was barely a whisper.

The young woman looked into her lover's face and saw something new there. Tessa's faced looked tired and defeated, as if for the first time the woman was experiencing what it was like to be unsure and afraid. As gently as she knew how, Casey kissed the lips in front of her.

"I'll do more than trust you, my love. I'll believe in you." Casey whispered.

Tessa held the woman to her in a fierce hug and kissed the small blonde's temple.

"You are everything to me, Casey...everything."

Tessa laid her body down alongside the naked figure of her lover and they did nothing more than kiss for a long time. Their lip's caresses were sensual and unhurried, neither woman wanting to rush into the flames, rather they wished to enjoy the smoldering embers of their passion. Tessa began by stroking the smooth skin of Casey's body, from mid-thigh to her waist. Slow and relentless, the dark-haired woman ran her fingers in feather light strokes across her lover's entire body.

Casey was simply amazed at how gentle this lover of hers could be. Looking at Tessa from afar you could only see the hard edge of her demeanor. Her body, cut through with its muscles and sharp angles looked as though it had been chipped from stone. Casey's hands found appearances to be deceiving, however. Tessa's skin was smooth as silk, her lips; warm and inviting, and her touch; so much more tender than anything Casey ever felt before.

Tessa lavished the young woman with more attention than Casey had ever experienced from all her past lovers combined. The dark-haired woman seemed to take her pleasure in pleasing the small blonde, who after hours of delicious torture, was eventually begging for release. Tessa held Casey's body on the edge for what seemed like an eternity, bringing the woman's passion to a peak, then slowly drawing back. Time and time again until the blonde could no longer hold back the tide that was welling up inside her.

When Casey's body shook with the first tremors of orgasm, Tessa simply followed her lover over the precipice. It wasn't enough for the dark-haired woman and once again she slowly built the fire within the young woman, this time encouraging Casey's release. Again and again, Tessa slowly brought her lover to another peak. She wanted to give everything to this woman who had slipped her way past the defenses of her dark heart, just as she wanted everything from her lover. Tessa asked for Casey's complete surrender as she eventually brought her body to a point of delirious exhaustion.

This was all Tessa had left to give, so that Casey would at least have memories of their tender lovemaking. Casey would always be able to look back on one night and know that Tessa had given her everything of herself, everything she had to give. It was nearing dawn and Casey slept soundly in the Karê's arms. Tessa watched the young woman in sleep, running her fingers through the impossibly soft, golden hair. At length, the dark-haired woman slipped from the bed and listened as Casey murmured a protest at the loss in her sleep. Tessa placed a kiss on the small blonde's cheek and the half-smile returned to her sleeping face.

Tessa walked out the sliding doors of the second floor bedroom onto the wooden balcony, followed by the two Dobermans. She sat on the floor of the deck and leaned her back against the house. The dogs padded over and lay pressed up against her. As she leaned her head back and looked up into the gray, early morning sky, the tears began. Tessa did nothing to try and stop them.

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 531