It was as Sophia once more regained her seat above him that she breathlessly told him, “I want you to drink from me.”
Kane stilled, his smile frozen on his face as his eyes widened. Never would he have thought she’d make such a generous offer. His gaze flicked to the pulsebeat at her throat and he licked his suddenly dry lips. It had been ages since he’d taken nourishment directly from the vein. Bagged blood was safer, easier, and while the taste wasn’t the best, it did its job. Her suggestion, however, as surprising as it had been, made him react like a starving man being offered a steak dinner. His mouth was practically watering at the thought and his fangs had already elongated in anticipation.
Leaning forward, she tipped her head enticingly to the side and stroked her fingers down her throat in a teasing invitation. “I can feel your hunger, Kane.”
His hand lifted to her nape without him realizing he had even moved. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he whispered.
She leaned even closer, the hardened peaks of her nipples rubbing against his chest. His erection throbbed, and he was in danger of coming just thinking about drinking from her.
Sophia’s fingers stroked his jaw through his beard. “Please, Kane. I want this. I want you.”
He slid his nose along her neck, breathing her in, his tongue flicking out to taste her and he heard her breath hitch, felt her hot, wet core settle firmly against the ridge of his erection and he swallowed hard. “I’ll be as gentle as I can,” he promised before he sunk his teeth into her throat.
Kane’s eyes widened at the taste of her, so hot, so sweet, before his eyelids closed in rapture. He’d never tasted anything so divine in his life. His grip on her neck tightened, his hips bucked upward, and Sophia’s moan of pleasure was music to his ears.
He didn’t remember entering her, but her wet heat was suddenly gloving him in a tight fist and her nails were digging into his shoulders. Was he hurting her? The thought had him pulling free from her throat in a worried rush so that he could see her face. What he witnessed was not pain, not fear, but the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. Sophia’s eyes were closed, her cheeks flushed and her mouth slightly open. Her tongue flicked out to lick her lips as the first throbs of orgasm overtook her and had her calling his name. Her inner muscles pulsed around him, milking him, and with the sight of his mark of possession on her flesh, Kane hugged Sophia closer and roared out his own release.
She was his. He never wanted to let go.
Chapter Nineteen
“Tell me about you,” Kane said, suddenly seeming wide awake while Sophia felt like she could happily sleep for a week she was so relaxed.
“Tell me everything. What’s your favorite condiment? What toothpaste do you prefer? Everything.”
Stifling a yawn behind her hand, she thought about his request. The nice thing about Kane was, he already knew she was a dragon, was fully aware of the supernatural world so she didn’t have to pretend or think about the answer for overly long. She could tell him everything. That freedom was rather lovely.
“I prefer mustard to ketchup,” she said with a teasing grin, “I’m not too picky about my toothpaste as long as it’s mint,” and then nervously she confessed, “And I’m older than I look.”
Kane nodded, seeming not at all surprised by the admission. “I thought as much. When Morgan first met your brother, she had Jamie look into him and while his identity was crafted by a master, she knew it was fake. Since he was a cop, we kind of assumed he wasn’t running from the law but had assumed a new identity due to age.”
“Travis has been a soldier in the military, a cop, now a Hunter, he’s always been the hero, protecting the innocent while I’ve pretty much been a career student.” She let out a self-deprecating laugh and shook her head. “While my brother never had a doubt, I’ve rather flitted around from one thing to another trying to find something that would stick. I’ve majored in early education, only to discover that when a dragon’s patience is tested, it’s best not to be around a large group of children,” she finished wryly. “Next was nursing,” she shuddered, “the smell of sickness is way worse when you have a heightened sense of smell. Then I tried my hand at business and then zoology…” she trailed off with a frown as she realized how she must sound to Kane. Sophia St. John, forever drifting through life without purpose, achieving nothing.
Clearing her throat, she tried for cheerful nonchalance as she told him, “I just haven’t yet found my true calling.”
“What’s your ideal job? I mean, what do you really enjoy doing?”
Burying her head in his shoulder, she groaned, “You’ll laugh.”
She felt his hand cup the back of her head and his lips on the top of her hair. “I would never.”
Her voice muffled, she confessed, “I like shopping, and planning parties, I like to dress up.” She released another groan. “God, that sounds so shallow.”
“Not at all. People hire party planners and wedding planners all the time.”
His fingers combed through her hair and Sophia nearly purred it felt so good.
“In Born society, the wives thrive on planning fetes that are talked about for years to come. It’s almost a competition to see who can plan the best masquerade ball or the most extravagant luncheon.”
Sophia held her breath. Was he insinuating that she’d make the ideal bride for one of the Born – specifically him? Or was she letting her silly hopes twist what she heard? She wanted to ask him, just blurt it out, but she was afraid of the answer, afraid he’d look at her with shock, appalled that she’d jumped to such a conclusion when he was probably just trying to bolster her spirits with words of encouragement.
The moment was lost as Kane sighed and murmured, “I wish we could stay like this for the rest of the night but I have a feeling your brother would come and torch the place if I don’t get you back to him soon.”
He was probably right, so they both grudgingly dragged themselves out of bed to get dressed, a process that took longer than it should have since Kane kept grabbing her and cuddling her, dropping little kisses on her cheeks, behind her ears, and on either side of her throat.
His fingers skated down the mark he’d left on her. “Did I hurt you?”
“No,” she told him firmly. “I loved it.”
Kane’s answer was a broad grin that lit up his face, a face that despite his having fed from her still looked a bit battered thanks to her headbutt to the nose. The inner corners of his eyes were slightly purple, while the bridge of his nose was a deeper shade of that same color dotted with red.
Wincing at the sight, she cupped his face in her hands and told him sincerely, “I’m sorry I headbutted you.”
He waved off her concern, “You didn’t do it on purpose. I should have known better than to sneak up on a dragon,” he added with a chuckle. “Besides, this is nothing compared to what your brother will do to me when he sees those marks I’ve left on you.”
“I’ll wear a scarf.”
Kane looked dubious. “I would think that would just draw his eyes even more.”
Sophia shrugged. “A turtleneck then. It is technically winter after all.”
As it turned out, Travis wouldn’t even notice, too distracted by other matters to question why his sister, who had recently been wearing what most people would deem warm weather clothing, had suddenly decided to don a high-neck sweater.
Sophia was supposed to be meeting her brother, Morgan, and Jamie at the temporary shooting range this morning, but when she emerged from the house, it became apparent that something was going on. A group had gathered, and judging by the dark looks on their faces, whatever they were discussing was not good.
Heading in that direction to see if she could be of some assistance, she saw Jamie break off from the crowd and head in Sophia’s direction to intercept her. As soon as they were close enough, Sophia asked, “What’s going on?”
Jamie frowned and glanced back at the group that consisted of the vampire’s mate, Archer, the alpha
’s second in command, Jeremiah, Travis, Morgan, and a few other people Sophia had seen around but hadn’t actually met. “One of the pack is missing.”
“Who?”
“Nicky,” Jamie answered with a shake of her head. “She’s young, and has a history of taking off for days at a time, but she always texts or calls her parents to let them know she’s okay.”
“I take it she hasn’t?”
“No.” The blonde vampire sighed. “Archer’s first thought was to question Kane since he and Nicky had had a thing going not too long ago.”
Sophia growled, she couldn’t hold it back, the sudden surge of jealousy washing over her in a wave. Kane was hers, her dragon whispered.
She felt Jamie’s hand on her arm in a reassuring pat. “That was finished before you woke up, before Kane met you.”
Sophia nodded, the reassurance helping to take the edge off. Taking a few deep breaths, she brought herself back under control and was able to focus once more.
“And I reminded them that Nicky couldn’t be with Kane since you spent almost the entire night with him.”
Damn right she had.
And then Jamie added with a chuckle, “That reminder, of course, got your brother all fired up, but anyway, I thought I’d go see a friend of mine. She might be able to help. Want to come?”
Grateful for the distraction, Sophia readily agreed and Jamie began walking toward the water instead of the circle of cabins or the area where the pack vehicles were parked. “We’re going by boat?”
“Yup,” and then with a sly grin over her shoulder, “During the trip, you can give me all the juicy details of what’s going on with you and Kane. I’m dying to know.”
“I broke his nose,” Sophia blurted, still feeling guilty over the incident despite Kane’s assurances that he was fine and that he didn’t blame her for what was clearly an accident. That he, in fact, blamed himself.
That had Jamie stumbling to an abrupt halt and turning with a wide-eyed look of disbelief. “No!” and then with a look of affront, “What did he do? Was he a dick? Do I need to help you beat on him some more?”
Sophia shook her head. “I dozed off in the tub and didn’t realize he was there when I woke up.”
“Oh, my God,” Jamie gasped between hoots of merriment. “Though I suppose a punch to the nose is better than a dragon in his tub.”
“I headbutted him, actually.”
That only rejuvenated Jamie’s laughter, to the point where she was bent over with it, eyes closed, tears leaking down cheeks that had turned an alarming shade of red. The vampire was laughing so hard, she’d passed the point of sound. Her mouth was open, but nothing came out until she gasped in a much-needed breath.
“It was an accident,” Sophia added sheepishly.
Jamie waved her hand in front of her face, too overcome with mirth to speak. It was several moments before she managed to gasp out, “Poor Kane. He was probably trying to be all sexy too,” she said with another round of laughter. “What a mood killer. I wish I’d been there to see his face.”
Luckily, it hadn’t turned out to be too much of a mood killer, nor had it affected Kane’s performance in the least. In fact, Sophia couldn’t wait for a repeat performance – well, minus the injury this time – and if she had her way, that would be tonight.
Kane had his meeting with Archer Langley and Destin Jourdain, but they’d agreed to meet after at a place close by that had an open mic night. “You’ll hear some of the best jazz,” he’d excitedly told her on the ride home. Personally, Sophia hadn’t cared where they went, would have been perfectly happy if he’d suggested she meet him at his house again, but the thought of an actual date had thrilled her to the core.
Just the thought of seeing Kane again had her heart pounding with anticipation and her thighs clenching with need. Clearing her throat and hoping for a distraction, Sophia asked, “So who are we going to see?”
Jamie wiggled her eyebrows. “The swamp witch.”
Sophia suddenly had images of a haggard crone covered in green slime and moss rising from the depths of the swamp.
The look on her face must have conveyed those thoughts because Jamie suddenly cackled with glee. “No worries, Nedra is going to love you,” and then with a wink, “She has a thing for reptiles.”
Chapter Twenty
While Nedra herself didn’t rise out of the swamp, her house did. The place was built right smack in the middle, the only way to get to it, by boat. It was also a cramped space, a veritable rabbit warren of little rooms that made Sophia’s dragon a bit claustrophobic under those low ceilings.
Jamie obviously had more than a mere acquaintance with the woman since she’d just walked right into the house without knocking. Of this mysterious Nedra, there was currently no sign, so Sophia took a moment to look around.
The kitchen table seemed to be a catchall for open books, potted plants, seedling trays, and mason jars with assorted twigs, roots, rocks, and powders. The assortment didn’t end there, however, but had also spread to the countertops and even on top of the stove.
“Nedra?” Jamie called out.
Their answer was a loud disgruntled sigh that seemed to be coming from just down the hall and then a heavy southern accent declaring, “Child, if you’re here to check my progress on that immortality potion, rushing me will get you nowhere. If it was easy, everyone would do it.”
Immortality potion? What a strange thing for a vampire, who was already technically immortal, to be searching for, but before Sophia could ask about it, a woman, who Sophia assumed was Nedra, made an appearance.
Her skin was a soft brown, wrinkled with age, a pair of half-glasses perched on the end of her nose as she looked from Jamie to Sophia with curiosity. The woman was also potentially colorblind considering the ensemble she was currently wearing. A vivid orange turban completely covered any hair the woman might have on her head, a purple cardigan with deep pockets on the front was worn over a red top that was tucked into the high elastic waist of a pair of yellow polyester pants. The combination of colors was startling and had Sophia blinking rapidly.
“Who’s this?” Nedra demanded, her eyes narrowing into a squint before she tipped her head back to peer at Sophia through her glasses.
“Nedra, this is Sophia.”
The old woman’s eyes widened with delight. “The dragon?” She stepped closer, her head bobbing as she looked Sophia up and down. “No longer sleeping I see,” she observed quietly before drawling, “Well, isn’t this a treat.”
“It’s nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“Oh, honey, the pleasure is mine. Do you know how rare you are?”
Sophia shifted her weight uncomfortably, feeling rather like a bug under a microscope as Nedra continued to look her over in fascination. “Child, if you ever shed a scale, chip a claw, or lose a tooth in your primal form, you keep old Nedra in mind, won’t you?” Rubbing her hands together, the woman turned toward the table and the multitude of open books upon it. “Do you know the spells I could do with just a tiny pinch of dragon DNA?”
Jamie cleared her throat. “Actually, Nedra, we came to ask your help. One of the pack is missing and we hoped you might be able to do a locator spell.”
Suddenly, Nedra was all business. “I’ll need something of theirs, something personal.”
Jamie nodded and fished a ring out of her pocket. “I thought you might. I brought this.”
Handing the ring over to Nedra, the woman held it in her fist, eyes closed for a moment as a low humming came from her throat before she gave a sharp nod and stated, “This will work. Come along.”
Sophia and Jamie followed the woman down a narrow hallway and into a room that had probably been intended to be a spare bedroom but was currently empty of all but some loaded shelves on the walls and a badly scarred table in the center of the room cluttered with more books, little ceramic pots, and what looked like a brass plate with black streaks that might be scorch marks.
Clearing a space on the t
able, Nedra went to a shelf and pulled down a rolled piece of paper that turned out to be a map. Weighting the edges, the old woman set the ring in the middle before she bustled back to the shelf to grab a blue vial that contained some sort of black powder that had no scent Sophia could discern and poured it onto the map.
As Sophia watched with keen interest, Nedra closed her eyes and drew in several deep breaths. Next came a low, rhythmic chanting in a language Sophia didn’t recognize and the old woman’s hands moved over the map as if she was conducting a symphony.
Power suddenly crackled in the room and raised the hairs on Sophia’s arms as if she was standing in the middle of a lightning storm. With wide eyes, she watched that black powder begin to move, crawling across the map like it was alive.
The sight was incredibly cool as the powder coalesced at one particular point before it exploded into a wide starburst pattern.
Nedra grunted. “Well, that was disappointing.”
Disappointing? How could that have been disappointing? Sophia had just witnessed magic!
“What’s wrong?” Jamie asked.
“This should have provided an exact location. Instead, all I can tell you is the missing pack member is somewhere by the river.”
“That’s a big area,” Jamie said with a frown as she looked down at the map. “Why didn’t it work? Was it the ring? Should I try to find something else of hers?”
“No child,” Nedra said kindly, with a pat to Jamie’s arm. “This is magical intervention,” she added with a sneer of disgust. “I’m being blocked.”
Jamie’s face mottled with angry color. “I bet it’s that witch, Evangeline.”
That had Nedra stiffening. “Evangeline? She’s loose? Why wasn’t I told?”
“Well, I don’t know if it’s Evangeline for sure,” Jamie quickly clarified. “Jourdain couldn’t confirm that the witch that helped those vampires capture me, and then later messed with Kane’s memories is the same witch he’s been looking for, but my gut’s telling me they’re one and the same.”
A Hunter Found: A Paranormal Vampire Romance (Hired Hunters Series Book 3) Page 11
