Micah's Calling Read online

  All the King's Men

  Novella Supplement to Rise of the Fallen

  Micah's Calling

  AKM Micah's Calling

  Published by Phoenix Press

  Copyright 2012 by Donya Lynne

  For sales information please contact Donya Lynne

  on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/DonyaLynne

  or by email: [email protected]

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher or author. Requests for permission to copy part of this work for use in an educational environment may be directed to the author.

  This book is a work of fiction. References to historical events, real people, or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or persons or locales, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Art: Reese Dante http://www.reesedante.com

  CONTENTS

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Preface

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  About the Author

  Books by Donya Lynne

  Connect with Donya Lynne

  Dedication

  To you. You helped me through my own dark time, and now I will help you through the rest of yours. You deserve happiness.

  Acknowledgements

  Once again, my first acknowledgement goes to my readers. Thank you for sharing Micah's journey with me. He and I were lost souls together at one time, and it was the readers who helped bring us both back as his story began to unfold on Facebook.

  Thanks once again to Laura, my editor, and to Reese, my cover artist. The two of you make my books better than I could make them by myself. Your hard work is much appreciated.

  Thank you to my assistant, Carla, for putting up with my "moments" and for helping to keep the word going about my books, and to Jowanna for all your wonderful information and help. A special thanks to my street team, Micah's Army, as well. Thank you for keeping the fires lit.

  And to everyone else who has helped along the way, there are too many of you to list, but you have my gratitude, as well.

  Much love to you all. Enjoy the book.

  Preface

  Dear Reader,

  Before you read Micah's Calling, I should warn you that if you haven't already read Rise of the Fallen (and, to some extent, Heart of the Warrior), you will not get as much out of this book as you would if you had. Micah's Calling is a true supplement to the series, expanding on the storylines presented in the first two books of the AKM series, but particularly on Rise of the Fallen.

  With that said, when I wrote Rise of the Fallen, I knew there was more story to tell at the end but that it didn't fit in with the story presented in Rise of the Fallen. ROTF, as I call it, was about Micah's rise from his own inner hell and his victory over his self-created demons. For me to have ventured into what occurred after ROTF's conclusion would have come off as awkward in that book, because what happened next was a completely separate story. Working the rest of Micah's and Sam's story into subsequent novels in the series wasn't an option, either, because doing so would have lessened the significance of what happened between them while intruding on other characters' stories. The only solution was to write a novella. This way, the relationship between Micah and Sam is given the importance it deserves, the rest of their story is told, the rest of the series is enhanced, and all the remaining stories can focus on their main characters without Micah intruding more than he already does (because Micah has his nose in everything, anyway).

  For fans of Traceon, of which I know there are many, you will be glad to know that he plays a significant role in this novella. The dynamic between Trace and Micah, as well as the relationship between them and Sam, becomes clearer. Many readers have speculated that there's more going on there, and they're right. Now it's time to get a better understanding of just what that is. Micah's Calling provides the deeper inside look that readers have been craving.

  For those who have read Rise of the Fallen (and I hope that's all of you), this novella picks up about a week before the end of that book, and continues past the final scene. You will recognize one of the scenes early on in Micah's Calling, since it appeared in Rise of the Fallen at the end of the book, but I have rewritten it here from opposing points of view.

  I hope you enjoy this supplement to the AKM series.

  Happy Reading!

  Donya Lynne

  CHAPTER ONE

  Micah Black stepped out of the bathroom, toweling himself off from his shower, and looked at the lithe female sprawled on his bed. She was beautiful, with pristine, near-alabaster skin so fair she looked porcelain…except for the two reddened bumps displayed on her shoulder where he had bitten her. Again.

  She was his. She belonged to him. Fate had deemed it so, and Micah took the responsibility of having a mate to heart. He would cherish this female, watch over her, tend to her needs, protect her, feed from her, and be utterly helpless to resist her if she needed him. That was the way of a mated male vampire.

  Micah sat on the edge of the bed and stared down at Samantha — Sam — then brushed back her short, stylish tufts of blond hair. He liked her hair short. It showed off her slender neck and gave him an unobstructed path to her vein when he needed a fix of her blood.

  Now that she had his blood in her system, she reproduced her own blood much faster than when she had been human, which meant he could drink from her more often. And that was a good thing, because during the past few days of mating, he had exercised that right many times.

  But now Sam needed rest. Micah had used her body thoroughly during the past several hours. And once she had slept, he would feed her so she kept her strength up. As harsh as the calling was on male vampires, it was just as harsh, if not worse, on their mates. It was Micah's responsibility to take care of Sam during this crucial time.

  He slipped on a pair of flannel pants and quietly left the bedroom.

  Micah watched TV for a while then went to the kitchen to prepare food for both himself and Sam. After pulling out a mix of raw vegetables, cheese, and cold cuts, he grabbed a cutting board and a Chef's knife and got to work.

  He might have been standing at the kitchen counter in his eighteenth-floor luxury apartment, cutting vegetables and cheese into bite-size pieces, but his thoughts were anything but culinary. He wore a secret smile as his mind traipsed along the memories of what he and Sam had been doing to each other in the days since he had brought her home from the AKM facility where he worked as an enforcer. With his calling finally unfurling to full strength, demanding he impart his highly fertile seed into her at regular intervals, he had become quite the expert on her body. And what a body it was, and not just because she was now a stronger, immortal version of what she had been before.

  As if he had become a master sensuist in the past four days, his mind played over how she affected his senses. She was smooth and sleek, with supple muscles from long hours of dancing. And every time he touched her, she quivered ever-so-slightly, but enough to let him know that he excited her as much as she excited him. Her sultry voice was a song that needed to be made into a s
oundtrack that played inside his head over and over so he could associate everything he did with her voice. Her taste and scent should be bottled as aphrodisiacs of nectar and perfume custom-made only for him. And the sight of her naked body was far too fetching and exquisite for even the Louvre to display.

  But as much as he loved her physical affectations, it was her mind that excited him the most. From their first meeting three weeks ago, when he had awakened in her tiny studio apartment after nearly dying at the hands of the dreck, Apostle, Sam hadn't let him intimidate her. She had taken tit-for-tat to the level of art with him, sassing him at every turn, and that was something no one had done to Micah for centuries.

  Sam. His spunky, feisty mate. She was a marvel, and even now he didn't feel worthy of her special beauty.

  Suddenly, his twelve-inch Bowie knife shot around the front of him toward his throat as a warm body pressed against his back. Sam's arm darted around his waist to hold him securely as the blade came to rest just over his Adam's apple.

  "What are you thinking about in here all by yourself?" Sam's sexy voice danced provocatively to his ears.

  Micah's eyes flicked to the cutting board of food he had been preparing for her, a grin curving the corners of his mouth.

  "You." A gentle purr pulsed in his chest.

  "You're purring, so I guess you're having good thoughts?"

  Male vampires purred when aroused. And her knife action definitely had him aroused. As if he needed any help in that department. The calling had been driving him into her body relentlessly for days, and she had kept right up with him, her own body responding to the heat of his.

  "Very good thoughts." He grinned as the knife pressed in harder. "You trying to draw blood, love?"

  Her lips found his bare back and kissed a trail up his spine. "Mmm, no. Just letting you know who's boss."

  Even with her new, immortal body, Micah could easily take her, but when it came to his heart, she was the boss. She ruled his heart as well as his soul. As her mate, he would do anything she asked. The biological lock she had on him would never allow him to defy her.

  "Feeling cocky, are you?" Micah's body quaked from her lips on his bare skin.

  "Absolutely." Her free hand skimmed down to the waist of his flannel pants and dipped down to wrap around his erection. "Seems you are, too."

  He groaned and stiffened as she gave him a gentle stroke. "Yes, I'm very cocky tonight."

  She kept the Bowie knife at his throat and her tongue heated a slow trail up his spine.

  "Push your pants down for me, Micah." She sounded like a vixen, and Micah suddenly wanted to take her to his house and show her his special room in his basement.

  Micah had a feeling she would fit in very well in his dungeon. His enjoyment of BDSM, particularly domination, had faded years ago, so he had stopped practicing, but now that he had met her, he could feel himself wanting to don the dominant persona again. He wondered how she would look chained to his Titan spanking bench, her ass rosy from his hand or one of his riding crops.

  The blade at his throat pushed in. "Do I have to tell you twice?"

  Damn! She was good. He would definitely take her to his house. Tonight. But first, he did as he was told and pushed down his pants, freeing his erection for her.

  Her nipples pressed firmly against his back as she pushed forward and got a good grip on the stiff column between his legs.

  "Tell me more about this…calling thing." She nibbled the back of his shoulder and smoothed her palm up and down his shaft.

  He had mentioned the calling to her earlier, but they hadn't talked about it much. Just enough to let her know it was why he was so sexed up right now.

  He dropped his head back. The knife lost contact with his throat, but that was okay. The effect was still delicious enough to sizzle his toes.

  "The calling is what a male vampire goes through when he mates." He closed his eyes and turned his face toward hers as she licked his shoulder.

  Stroke-stroke.

  "How does it work?" she said.

  If Micah hadn't been so turned on, he would have laughed. It wasn't like the calling was a machine that you could turn on and off. It was a living entity that consumed a male, right down to his balls. Especially his balls.

  "The purpose of the calling is to propagate the species." He reached his hands back and found her bare hips. "When a male's mating instinct fires as mine has with you, the calling kicks in and makes him want to have sex." He paused and his voice lowered. "A lot."

  "A lot, hmm?" Sam's voice sounded drowsy with lust, likely in response to the hormonal heat he was throwing out.

  "Uh-huh. A lot." He swatted her hand away from his throat and broke free from her grasp long enough to spin around and take her by surprise. In a flash, she was in his arms. He pressed his erection against her lower stomach.

  She gasped as he claimed the side of her throat with a nip of his teeth, and as he slid his nose up her jaw and kissed her earlobe, she shivered. With a dark chuckle that made her shudder again, he continued with his explanation.

  "I'm at my most sexually potent – my most fertile – during my calling, Mrs. Black."

  Sam tsked. "Do you see a ring on my finger, Mr. Black? I don't think so."

  He swiped his tongue over the tender spot just below her ear. "It doesn't matter." His voice was a low drawl of sensuality and possessive confidence. "Ring or no ring, you're mine."

  "No one owns me." Her fingertips danced down the backs of his arms as she laid her head back. Apparently, she had abandoned the Bowie knife, likely to the kitchen counter behind him, because she wasn't holding it, anymore.

  Micah cupped her breast briefly before slipping his palm into the middle of her chest. Gently, he pushed her back and glided his hand up her sternum to her throat as she bent like a sinewy reed, exposing her slim, nubile body to his gaze, which lit like blue fire from his navy irises.

  "Mmm, I do believe this body belongs to me," he said appreciatively, drawing his hand back down between her breasts, pressing his palm firmly against her.

  Sam grinned and pulled herself back up until her mouth hovered only millimeters from his. Her green eyes sparkled with aroused humor as she met his gaze. "Until I have a ring, Mr. Black, you may call me Sam or Miss Garrett. I may no longer be human, but I still want the ring."

  Touché.

  "I don't like the name Garrett," he said, meeting her stare.

  Garrett was the name she had inherited from her ex-husband, Steve, the second asshole Micah had saved Sam from a week ago.

  Apostle, a dreck Micah had petitioned to end his misery after Jackson split, had been the first.

  Unaware that Micah had asked for the beat down Apostle and his crew had been giving him when she had saved Micah's life in that parking garage two weeks ago, Sam had unknowingly declared war on Apostle when she shot him. Micah had tried to protect her, knowing Apostle would come after her, but that mother fucking dreck had managed to track her down and bite her, nearly killing her with his venom. Micah had been forced to give Sam his own venom and transform her into an immortal to save her life.

  As if her experience with Apostle hadn't been enough, her abusive ex, Steve, had shown up to try and reclaim her. Over Micah's dead body! Steve had picked the wrong guy to fuck with.

  Micah absently wondered if Steve had experienced the effects of the mental suggestions he had implanted in the asshole's head while erasing all memory of Samantha. For six more years, ol' Steve-aroony could count on getting action only from his hand, because if a woman tried to do the honors, limp dick would be the best way to describe what happened to his manly parts. And laughing in public would prove to be quite embarrassing. But that's the shit you got when you stomped on a mated vampire's territory.

  "If you don't like my last name, you know how to change it." Sam flashed her ring finger and smiled oh-so-innocently.

  "You tempt me, female." Micah licked her mouth, grinding his hips against her.

  The calling wa
s rising within him again, urging him to plant more seeds in an attempt to create a new life in Sam's womb. A new life he doubted would take root after all she had been through, what with her body being newly immortal after his venom had warred violently with Apostle's to save her, wreaking havoc on her organs. But just because her body was too new with immortality to hold a child didn't make his hunger for her lessen.

  Grabbing her under her arms, he lifted her, and she easily swung her legs up and around him without hesitation. She wanted him just as badly.

  "We'll continue this conversation later," he said as he turned around, moved his Bowie knife aside, and set her on the counter. "Lie back."

  "So bossy." Her eyes glinted with lust.

  "Oh, you have no idea how bossy I can be. Not yet, anyway." He yanked her toward him as she lay back on the counter, letting his mind briefly wander to his dungeon. Would she let him boss her around down there? He hoped so.

  Within seconds, he was inside her, pushing and pulling her on the counter to meet each of his eager thrusts. The calling didn't allow for much in the way of long and luxurious fucking. The calling pushed a male to quickness, sharpening his sensations to a needlepoint of lusty need that made him come fast and often.

  For nearly one week, he and Sam had lived inside each other's bodies like this. The first couple of days home, they had made love almost non-stop. Micah hadn't even bothered to count how many times they had made love, but it had been a lot. Well, fucked is more the word for what they had done. Despite love being at the heart of every urgent coupling, it was hard to refer to rough, physical, body-bruising sex as making love. With the goal of creating new life, Micah's calling had been too powerful to resist. Even when his conscience wanted to let Sam sleep, his body refused to obey, and when the ache to mate became a small war between pain and agony within his body, he had been forced to take her.