Heart of the Vampire

by Guida, ML

She flicked hair back, exposing her slender neck. “I want you to feed on me.”

  “I can’t.”

  She stepped close and put her hands on his bare chest. She flashed him a mischievous smile then kissed and licked his skin.

  Her warm tongue sent desire flooding through him. “Why did you do that?” He barely got the words out, he was breathing so hard; his body was painfully thick with need. He couldn’t take his eyes off the blood pumping through her veins.

  “Because I wanted to taste a warrior.” She pressed more slow, gentle kisses.

  He ran his fingers through her silky hair. “Ah, Violet. You’re temptin’ me.”

  “I want to do more than tempt you.” She slightly tilted her head. “Now, become the warrior I know you are. Take what you need.”

  He wanted to sink his fangs into her sweet flesh. Would she taste like honey or salt? He hated himself for not being a protector and gave into his desire. “Not like this.” With his resolve failing, he lowered her to the ground. “Are you sure?”

  Fear flickered in her face for a minute, but grim determination and what looked like passion flared in her brown eyes. “Yes.” Her voice was low, and he could feel her trembling.

  “It will only hurt for a minute,” he said. “I can make you forget.”

  “I don’t want to forget.”

  Her desire jumbled his insides. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Why?”

  “Because I want to remember everything about you. If we get separated, these memories will help me survive.”

  He tensed, knowing what could happen to his little nurse. “I won’t leave you. I promise you.”

  She laced her fingers in his braids. “Kiss me first.”

  “With pleasure, my lady.”

  Ignoring the hunger crawling up his throat, Amadi lowered his head and slowly captured her mouth. He massaged her breast then squeezed her nipple, eliciting a feminine whimper. When his tongue played with hers, he indulged in her sweet taste of vanilla. ’Twas like eating a fresh-baked scone. She kissed him hard as if she were afraid, this would be their last kiss. He took command and gave her what she wanted. A kiss of a warrior—hard, demanding, devouring.

  She ran her fingers gently down his back, sending tremors of passion through him. The curse roared to be satisfied. He left her hungry mouth and flicked his tongue over her neck, lapping up her satin skin. Her blood called to him, but he dominated the hunger with his will, compelling it to wait as he kissed her neck, discovering what brought her the tiniest pleasure. His incisors teased her pulse, scraping back and forth, nibbling, caressing, but then his thirst intensified, and he could no longer deny it.

  He pulled away and hesitated in kissing her. Her hair was a tumble of lustrous waves reflecting the torchlight—softer, thicker, more plush than he expected. Her dress pulled tight and her bosoms peaked. If her bodice moved, he swore her budded nipples would escape. He’d never seen a white woman’s naked breast, and he fought the urge to not yank her bodice down to satisfy his lust. The thought of slipping those proud peaks into his mouth and suckling them until Violet uttered soft whimpers of pleasure brought a flash of sweat across his brow.

  “I shouldn’t be doin’ dis. Slaves have been burned alive for ravishin’ white women.”

  She pressed herself against him. “You’re not a slave.” She kissed his chest, and she peered up at him. There was a recklessness in her eyes, daring him to sample what she was offering—a softer glint of shyness, of hesitancy, of vulnerability that slowly ripped away his resolve. “You’re a man. And I’m a woman who wants you desperately.”

  ‘Damn it! We need to stop. ’Tis not right.” His voice shook, but it wasn’t just his voice. His whole body had turned into a quivering codfish. But then so had hers.

  “I’m not afraid.”

  “Are you sure?” He battled to not indulge, to keep his honor, but each time she moved, his resolve weakened. “You’d best get da hell out of here…and you don’t have much time. Da blood lust is getting stronger.”

  Chapter 11

  Violet held onto Amadi’s thick shoulders. He kissed her; his tongue was hot velvet. When she rolled her tongue, she glided over his sharp incisors and tensed.

  “I promise not to hurt you,” he said. He stared down at her with half-hooded eyes that were filled with hunger. She wasn’t sure the hunger lusted for blood or for something else.

  Strength blanketed her, and in his arms, her fear and loneliness disappeared. “’Tis been so long since I’ve felt protected.”

  “Never doubt I will keep you safe.”

  She smiled. “No one has ever wanted to keep me safe. Until now.”

  He caressed her cheek before he kissed her again. “Trust-me” flickered in his eyes. Even if ’twas an illusion. He was a warrior, and he wanted freedom, but that didn’t mean it included her.

  But for now, he was real, and his masculine scent of the salty sea clung to her. ’Twas as if he was kissing her on the Soaring Phoenix. A seduction, an intimacy she’d craved since she’d been trapped in this miserable place. In her entire life, she’d never responded so sexually to a man.

  Amadi’s kiss made her want to be his captive, forever his prisoner. As his lips left hers and gently licked and nibbled her neck, she was swept into a summer breeze of pure feeling, it grew stronger, turning into a whirlwind. Her body burned for his kiss, his touch. He kneaded her breast, and she had the urge to crawl out of her clothes to feel his callous fingers on her naked skin. Was this because he was a vampire or due to the man himself?

  As if to answer her wish, he lowered her to the floor, then he gently pushed down her bodice. Cold air washed over her naked breasts. She shuddered.

  Amadi licked his lips. “My God. I’ve never seen such perfection.”

  Heat rushed from Violet’s cheeks to her toes, and her throat tightened. She didn’t know what to say. No man had looked at her with admiration like Amadi did.

  But the freezing air vanished when his hot mouth captured her nipple. She cradled his head. His braids caressed her burning skin, sending waves of tingles through her nerves. He sucked harder and harder. Desire pulsed through her veins like a raging flood until cream pooled at her inner core.

  He bunched her dress up and slipped his hand over her thighs. Her heart pounded harder and harder. She didn’t know if she’d survive the feelings whirling inside her.

  Amadi stroked her core with his fingers.

  “Amadi!” She cried out, arching her back.

  He paused. “We should stop.”

  “No, Don’t stop,” she panted. “Please, don’t stop.”

  “I’ll do anything to make you shine.” He dragged his finger down her nose. “I want to erase your pain and give you something else to remember.” Wickedness flickered in his mischievous eyes.

  Streams of unnamed feelings spread through her. It was as if she was a smoldering fire, slowly being stroked to a crackling blaze.

  Amadi slipped a finger inside her and built a delightful pressure until she’d succumb to a glowing pleasure of pure joy. He planted hot kisses up to her throat, swirling his tongue on her neck. She tensed, waiting for the pain she knew was coming. His teeth scraped her neck, and slow pressure built against her, followed by a sharp pain. When he sucked on her neck, white-hot fire sizzled through her veins, her body rippling with pleasure, with a need so intense she cried out in ecstasy.

  He immediately ceased. “Violet, did I hurt you?”

  “No,” she whispered. She could see his long thick eyelashes, his luscious lips. “No, I want this. I need this.” The wild beat of her heart matched his. She tentatively reached out her hands and touched his hard stomach.

  He sucked in his breath.

  She hid her smile at making this hardened pirate gasp. When her hands didn’t burst into flames, she grew bolder. She skimmed her fingertips over his ebony skin, then sliding upward, brushed her thumbs over his erect nipples.

  He tilted his head back. “Lass, you’re
playing with fire.” His voice was strained, and his face tensed, a warrior battling to hold onto restraint.

  “I want to get burned,” she purred.

  She slid her hands slowly over the crease of his elbow then higher onto the solid bulge of hard arms. She tried to wrap her hands around his arm, but her hands were too small. She dug her nails into the hard muscle, reveling in this pleasure that she’d been denied for so long. “Please.”

  He cupped her chin, his fingers caressing her skin. “Please what?”

  “Kiss me. Take what you need.”

  Amadi didn’t deny her. His mouth fastened to hers, and the world rocked. Altered. Stalled. She melted. The kiss deepened into fiery heat. ’Twas affectionate, hot, and relentless, all at the same time. Violet exploded into a sizzling fever of lust, her budded nipples pushing against his skin. She liked the smoothness. She wanted more than a kiss, wanted to feel him inside her.

  Her fluttering stomach tumbled into a whirlwind of emotions, and her sensitive skin tingled each time he kissed or caressed her. He was fire to her ice. His smooth touch melted away the tension bunched in her tense muscles. He broke off from her hungry lips and bit her neck. Lightning desire shot through her, and she trembled, not out of fear but with desire.

  She held his head to her neck, not understanding why this was so sizzling. She couldn’t breathe. Her strength diminished in her arms then they turned flaccid and dropped to her sides. Was he killing her with pleasure?

  “Amadi,” she whispered. She wasn’t sure she’d spoken, her voice was so soft. “Please don’t kill me.”

  He jerked his head away from her neck, and she froze at the blood dripping down his chin, his eyes blazing red. “Never. I’m sorry. I took too much.”

  She couldn’t keep her eyes open, and her muscles refused to obey. A noise drew her attention down the dark tunnel. A light moved, and shadows fell on the wall. They were caught. She’d be punished severely. Tortured. She couldn’t live like this anymore. ’Twas too terrible.

  And Amadi, God what Celeste would do to him. “I don’t want to live if I have to return to the Sorcière de Mer. Kill me,” she said.

  “No.” His answer was final.

  She was surprised he lifted her into his arms and cradled her against his broad chest. His heart beat loud and strong while hers had slowed. Was she dying? “You can’t carry me.”

  When he laughed, she thought she’d imagined it.

  He nuzzled her against her throat. “You know nothing of vampires.” His deep rumbling voice left her with questions, but before she could ask what he meant, oblivion blanketed her, and she remembered no more.

  Chapter 12

  Amadi snatched Violet’s black bag lying next to her on the cave’s rugged ground then he blew out the torch. Thanks to his vampire eyes, he could see through the darkness. He wiped the sweat dripping off his forehead. His torn thigh and calf muscles twisted and melded together as if someone had taken a needle and sewed them together. He was mending, thanks to Violet. Each time, he took a step a dull pain throbbed in his knee, but at least he could walk.

  Pain sliced into his bare feet. He winced. “Holy Hell.” Rocks had cut into his flesh. Smeared blood left a trail of breadcrumbs for the bastards to follow, but he didn’t have time to bind his feet.

  He took a deep pained breath and closed his eyes. Why had he taken so much of Violet’s sweet blood? He’d lost control. But it wasn’t just the blood that had fired him. ’Twas her sweet taste of vanilla, her silky skin, her determination to survive.

  The thought of her wish for him to kill her, tensed his muscles, and misery tightened his thick throat. He held her close and whispered into her ear. “You’re a brave woman. I promise to not let Celeste break you.”

  She weighed almost nothing in his arms. . He looked behind him and sucked in his breath. His heart beat against his ribs. A glowing dim light moved closer and closer.

  He picked up his pace and ignored the spasms in his knee, trying to stay ahead of the pursuing light. His raspy breath echoed off the walls and he winced. He stopped at three tunnels. Damn it! Why hadn’t he asked her where the other tunnels lead to?

  He sniffed and inhaled dirt and dampness. “Da Devil! Violet, which one leads to da sea?”

  But her answer was a soft snore.

  Voices grew louder. Dubois’s nasal voice rose higher than the others. “Hurry, you fools. I don’t want to lose those two ingrates. They’ve been more trouble than their worth.” Dubois’ voice sent chills down the back of Amadi’s back.

  Amadi’s beating heart rumbled and blood drummed between his temples. His trembling body begged for rest, but he couldn’t. Freedom was too close. Drawing on his vampire power, he forced his shaky legs to move.

  Hoping he made the right decision of choosing the tunnel that lead to the sea, he barreled straight ahead. His knee gave away and he collapsed. Sharp pain stabbed his knee. He struggled to breathe. Cold air froze the sweat on his back, and he shivered. Pushing his shoulders back, he held Violet tighter and forced himself to stand on his wobbly legs.

  The posse would have to split up to follow him. If it wasn’t for Violet, he could change into a bat and fly through the cave without fear. She moaned in his arms, and he held her close. She was his. He wouldn’t leave her.

  He sagged against the damp wall and sucked down air. He forced himself to move and his quivering muscles relaxed. The middle tunnel’s ground went from rocks and pebbles to smooth dirt. He could take a step without tearing his feet to shreds. For once, something went right, but his feet pulsed with pain, even with the easier path. He needed more blood. If he could get one of his pursuers alone, he’d feast on him, but there was no place to hide.

  Voices were closer, much too close. Drawing on every ounce of remaining strength, he quickened his pace, ignoring the agony in his feet and knee.

  “More blood!” Someone shouted. “They’ve taken the middle tunnel.”

  “The Maîtresse said to take the buck alive.” Dubois’ dreaded voice made Amadi’s gut clench.

  “What about Violet?”

  “She said Violet was mine to punish.” Dubois’s tone frothed with lechery.

  Amadi gritted his teeth. He’d drain the bastard dry if he tried to harm his little nurse. Suddenly, the tunnel ended. What if he couldn’t open the damn door? Baron Samedi was on the door. But he was painted differently. Rather than a smile, he’d had a deep frown and his clothes were torn and moldy.

  Amadi took a deep breath and braced his legs apart. “Baron Samedi.”

  The air got thinner and the walls pressed against him. He held his shoulders tight to try and still the spasms of panic shooting through him.

  Nothing happened. Down the tunnel, the light grew brighter, and an army of shadows moved along the wall.

  An arrow of fear shot through Amadi, stopping his heart and lungs. He drew on his vampire power, but only a slight tingle brushed down the back of his neck. He was drained. God, they were trapped. He’d picked the wrong damn tunnel.

  He laid Violet on the hard ground and pushed on the stone door. He rammed his shoulder, pushing harder and harder. Sweat drenched his shaking body, but only got an explosion of pain for his trouble. He rested and put his hands on his knees gulping for breath.

  He wouldn’t give up. He gritted his teeth and glared at Baron Samedi. He put his head down and plowed against the stubborn door. Using every bit of every he possessed, he pushed and pounded. His muscles strained and sweat stung his eyes, but even with his vampire strength, he couldn’t budge it.

  He stumbled back and dropped his shaking arms. He scrubbed the sweat off his face with his shaking hand. He didn’t have a choice but to turn around to fight. He peeled back his lips to scare his pursuers and went into a lunge pose.

  “Amadi.”

  He glanced down at Violet. She leaned against the cave wall, gasping for breath. Her face was so pale, she looked like she was fighting to stay awake. “Go.” Her voice was so low that if he hadn’t
been a vampire, he wouldn’t of heard it.

  He shook his head. “Da door won’t open. I said Baron Samedi.”

  She closed her eyes. “That’s not Baron Samedi. It’s Baron-Cimetiere. We’re at St. Kitt’s graveyard.”

  “Holy hell.” A large hole burned in his gut. What had he done? He rubbed his forehead, wishing for the nine thousandth time, he was back on the Soaring Phoenix.

  Violet lifted her palm, facing the painted wall. She reminded him of how Hannah used her powers, her palms facing what object she wanted to move. He stood still.

  “Baron-Cimetiere.” Her voice was louder this time.

  The same white line formed into a door around the figure. The door creaked open. Lightning crashed outside and lit up the entrance of the cave. Sweet rain pelted onto Amadi and the glimpse of freedom sent adrenaline pulsing through him.

  “Look! The cemetery door is open!”

  “I see them!”

  Dubois drew his sword. “Seize them, idiots.”

  “I can’t outrun them, Amadi,” she panted—each word was labored and weak.

  Raw determination thundered through Amadi renewing his tired muscles. Taking a deep breaths, Amadi cracked his neck.

  Footsteps ran toward them. Dubois and three other men hurried and fired their pistols.

  Violet motioned with her limp hand. “You better—”

  More pistols fired. Sulfur exploded around them. Suddenly, Violet screamed and fell, clasping her arm.

  Amadi’s heart shattered. He grabbed her before she hit the ground and whisked her out of the tunnel. He stepped out and used his body to shield her as he raced, his legs pumping faster and faster, through the graveyard. Luckily, he didn’t sense any beating hearts. He turned around, and his eyes widened. He’d just exited a mausoleum.

  The moon had dipped lower and cast a white light onto the many headstones. Dawn wasn’t too far away. His pace slowed and his muscles throbbed. Black dots danced in his front of his eyes. His vampire strength was slipping away.

  He needed to hide before he collapsed on the ground. He stumbled toward another mausoleum, twice as big as the last one. The walls crumpled, and the angel in front of it had a broken wing. Panting and shivering, Amadi hid behind the building. An iron door hung crooked, and weeds grew around the base of the mausoleum. Cracked and chipped sad angels stood guard. He couldn’t read the name because most of the letters had faded.