Vampires in America: The Vignettes, Volume 1

by D. B. Reynolds

  She moaned softly when he reached her breasts, pausing to take each nipple into his mouth, his tongue a torment of sensation as it swirled around each sensitive nub until they were both swollen and eager. She protested weakly when he moved on, leaving her breasts wet with his kisses and aching for more. But Raphael ignored her, turning his attention to her arms, his tongue dipping into the crease of her elbow before sliding down to her wrists. She felt his anger when he found the raw abrasions where the plastic ties had scraped the tender skin just over the strong pulse point of her wrists, his mouth soothing the hurt with gentle kisses. He growled again, with hunger this time, a deep rumble of sound against her belly as his kisses moved downward yet again.

  Cyn gasped his name, “Raphael,” as he shifted between her legs, forcing them apart with the breadth of his shoulders as he licked and kissed his way over each thigh, nibbling her skin with tiny bites. She felt the sting of his teeth, the glide of his fangs, and she shuddered with desire. He lingered at the strong throb of her femoral vein and she thought for certain he would take her blood then, hoped that he would, hoped that he would relieve the unbearable pressure of his sensuous examination.

  “Oh, God,” she whispered as he moved on instead, using his tongue to open her slit, dipping into her sex and rasping over the aching nub of her clit. She fisted her fingers in his short hair, urging him upward. She needed his cock in her body, needed him to cover her with his strength. But what she wanted didn’t matter. Raphael was set on reclaiming every inch of her, marking her as his, though there was no doubt of it. She had been his from the moment he’d first touched her.

  Cyn bit down on a scream when he slid his hands beneath her ass and cupped her cheeks, raising her to his mouth and holding her open to him. His tongue was pure torment as he teased her with it, dipping into her pussy like a small cock, then licking the cream of her arousal with a low humming noise, as if it were the finest delicacy.

  “Raphael, please,” she pleaded, her hands squeezing her own breasts, pinching her nipples, desperate to relieve some of the pressure building from this sensuous torment. Raphael only pressed her thighs wider, his strong fingers spreading the lips of her pussy, baring her completely for his use.

  She did scream then, when his teeth suddenly closed over her clit, when one of his fangs nicked that so sensitive bundle of nerves. Her back came off the bed, arching into a wracking climax that roared through her body. Raphael sucked hard on her clit, then finally lifted his head with a snarl, his eyes gleaming silver as his gaze raked her body.

  “Raphael.” Cyn heard the desperation in her voice, saw the smug satisfaction in his gaze as he rose onto all fours and prowled up the length of her body. His silver gaze trapped hers, holding her motionless, her breaths coming in shallow pants until finally, finally, she felt his hips settle between her thighs, felt the firm push of his cock, hard and thick, as he sank into her, stretching her gloriously wide as her body welcomed him.

  He began fucking her, his hips flexing as he thrust in and out, his kisses devouring her mouth, teeth and tongue and lips, like a starving man who couldn’t get enough. Cyn wrapped her arms around his powerful shoulders, crossed her ankles over his back, holding him tight as he slammed into her over and over again.

  He lifted his head at last, abandoning her mouth with a final lick of his tongue, only to forge a trail of soft kisses on her cheek, along the curve of her jaw before pressing his fangs against her neck. Cyn’s heart raced, every nerve in her body shivering in anticipation of the ultimate kiss of a vampire lord. Her eyes closed as his fangs sank into her neck, his bite like molten silver, racing through her bloodstream, screaming along every muscle and nerve ending with exquisite pain until pain became unbelievable pleasure. Cyn cried out as a shuddering climax rolled over her, as her body locked in the throes of orgasm, her inner muscles clamping around Raphael’s cock until he hissed with pleasure as he continued fucking her, her sheath squeezing him tightly, caressing his cock, urging him to join her in this glorious sensation.

  Raphael growled and fucked her harder, moving faster, going deeper until finally he roared in triumph, filling Cyn with the hot wash of his climax.

  Cyn lay beneath Raphael’s welcome weight, her arms limp around his neck, her heart still thundering as her muscles trembled in the aftermath of her orgasm. She stroked one hand over the nape of his neck and waited. He still hadn’t said a word to her, but she knew he wasn’t angry. He’d been frightened for her, furious at the idea she was in danger and there was nothing he could do about it. The fury of his lovemaking had been a marking of sorts, reasserting his claim on her. Cyn understood his need, just as she’d needed to feel his strength wrapped around her, to know she was safe. Even when she’d been tied up in that filthy, little room, she’d known Raphael would come for her, that her imprisonment wouldn’t last much beyond the setting of the sun. But it was one thing to know he’d come for her, and another entirely to lie like this with the weight of his body pressing down on her, while their hearts resumed a normal rhythm and their lungs remembered how to breathe.

  Raphael lifted his head slightly and kissed her mouth. “Did they hurt you?” he asked finally, unnecessarily. Even without his minute inspection earlier, he’d have known everything they’d done to her. But he needed to hear her say it.

  “No,” she reassured him. “They never touched me.”

  Raphael raised a skeptical eyebrow and brushed his fingers over the significant bump on her head.

  “Well, other than that, I mean. Sarah’s bodyguard—his name is Ed—called in Rajmund’s human guards to take possession of the two kidnappers, by the way. But I figure you know that, or at least there’s a message somewhere waiting to tell you that.”

  “Juro is coordinating with them.”

  “I guess you used your super vampire lord powers to talk to Juro, huh?” She bit his lip playfully.

  “That’s exactly right,” he said dryly. “My super vampire lord powers. Who were these fools who dared take you?

  “Fools is about right. They didn’t even know whom to call to demand ransom.” She gave him a lopsided grin. “Would you have paid if they’d called you?”

  Raphael considered it for an obnoxiously long period of time. “I would miss you, so I suppose I would have paid. Assuming they were reasonable in their demands.”

  Cyn laughed, and he dipped his head and kissed her thoroughly. She felt his cock begin to stir deep inside her, felt her own body respond. He began to move slowly, languorously and Cyn sighed with pleasure.

  “No more shopping trips for you,” Raphael growled.

  “And where will I buy my clothes, my shoes?” Cyn asked, playing along. Not even for Raphael would she stop shopping. She grinned at the idea.

  “I understand there’s a channel called Home Shopping. You can buy your things there.”

  Her grin turned to a look of horror. “You have got to be kidding.”

  “Clothes are clothes, my Cyn. What does it matter?”

  “Oh, please, mister custom tailored suits and three hundred dollar ties. You know perfectly well what the matter is. Besides, Robbie says he’ll just come into the dressing room with me from now on.”

  Raphael’s eyes narrowed. “Perhaps we need to find you a human female for your daylight guard.”

  “I like Robbie. I’m keeping him. And he promises to turn his back when I change.”

  “Perhaps. Do you regret the cancellation of your night of debauchery?”

  “Debauchery? With all those bodyguards hanging around? Besides, I’m feeling pretty debauched right about now.”

  Raphael’s cell phone rang. He reached out a long arm and grabbed it from the table before it rang a second time.

  “Report,” he said tersely. Cyn watched his face as he listened to what she assumed was Juro giving him the details on her and Sarah’s misadventure. Just to make it difficult for him, she let the fingers of one hand trail down his muscular back and over his tight ass. That black gaze shifted
to her and there was so much heat in his stare that she felt her entire body grow warm. His sexy mouth curved into a smug smile, and he began moving inside of her, sliding his cock slowly in and out of her slick sex, while still holding the phone at his ear. Cyn gasped and bit her lip to hold back a moan of desire, even though Juro could probably hear the sheets rustling. Damn vampire hearing.

  “I’ll be down later. Send the report to my computer, but I’ll call Rajmund directly. Is Duncan around?” He bent to kiss away the small hurt to her lip while he listened. “No, I’ll call him. My office in two hours.” He hung up and dropped the phone back onto the table.

  “Two hours?” Cyn repeated innocently. “You have only two hours to debauch me?”

  Raphael’s smile took a sinister turn. “I believe that will be plenty of time, my Cyn.”

  * * * *

  Rajmund woke with a growl, the wave of his anger rolling through his people like an earthquake, waking those who were still sleeping and jerking those into alertness who were just rising from their daytime sleep. No words were needed. They each knew instantly what had happened and leapt into action.

  Raj jumped from the bed. He didn’t bother with clothes, but grabbed up his phone and called the head of his daytime security.

  “Where is she?” he demanded when the man answered. Even as he listened to the reply, his head was turning. Sarah was in the building and on her way up in the elevator. “My office in one hour and I want details,” he snapped and hung up the phone.

  He paused only long enough to drag on a pair of sweatpants, then stormed into the living room just as the doors opened. Sarah was there, her bodyguard Ed a hulking presence behind her, though he didn’t cross into the penthouse. Everyone knew Raj was very particular about who entered that space. The human said something to Sarah. Raj was too focused on his mate to hear the specific words. But whatever it was, Sarah waved and nodded, and then the doors were closed and Sarah was running into his arms.

  He swept her up, holding her tightly, seeing in his mind’s eye every cruelty, every fear the humans had inflicted on her while they’d held her captive. He carried her back to their room, back into the special sleeping vault he’d had constructed for his daytime rest. It was the most secure place in the building and he needed that security now, needed to know Sarah was safe.

  “Did they hurt you?” he asked Sarah. He stripped away her clothing as he spoke, needing to see for himself.

  “I’m fine, Raj, really,” she said soothingly. “Cyn was there and she kept telling me we’d be okay.” She giggled as he pushed her onto her back, sliding her panties down over her hips and feet, tossing them into a corner. “Really, Raj,” she repeated. “I’m okay. Cyn was hurt worse than me, they knocked her on the head.”

  Raj immediately switched his attention to Sarah’s skull, his fingers threading through her beautiful hair, searching for bumps. Sarah finally took hold of his hands and forced him to look at her. “I’m okay,” she said slowly. “They barely touched me. Cyn took the bad guys out and I helped tie them up. We were totally badass.”

  Raj grinned, then stripped away his sweatpants and stretched out beside her, quickly wrapping one hand around her hip and tucking her beneath him. “Badass, huh?” he asked. He kissed her eyes, her mouth and down to her neck, where he lingered to inhale the unique scent of Sarah. His phone rang and he snatched it up.

  “Rajmund,” he answered, and Sarah looked up, knowing there were only a handful of people other than his own staff whose calls he took directly, and he wouldn’t have used his name to answer any of those. “My people are handling it,” Raj was saying. “Emelie will be ready to brief Juro shortly.”

  He listened a bit longer, then hung up and dropped the phone onto the bed.

  “That was Raphael,” he told her, settling himself once again onto the lush curves of her small body. “I’m meeting him and Duncan in two hours.”

  “I should go, too,” Sarah said. “I haven’t seen Emma, yet, and Cyn—”

  Raj kissed her thoroughly, crushing her lips beneath his, sneaking his tongue into her mouth and twining it around hers. When he finished Sarah was breathless, her fingers clenched against his shoulders.

  “The women won’t be there,” he told her, spreading her legs and positioning his cock against her heated core. “And you,” he slid all the way into her with a single powerful thrust, “you will remain here where I know you’re safe. No more girls’ nights out, sweetheart. It’s girls’ night in until I find out what happened today.”

  “But, Raj,” Sarah protested breathlessly as she began flexing her ass, her hips rising up to meet him. “The wedding’s tomorrow, you don’t want to cancel—”

  “Sarah,” he whispered, kissing away the tears of worry in her hazel eyes. “We’re getting married tomorrow. Nothing will interfere with that. I want this wedding over with. I want my Sarah back to normal, I want you in my bed every day and night, not shopping with your crazy girlfriends and getting kidnapped.”

  “That’s not—” she groaned as he lifted her hips, shifting the angle in a way he knew she liked. “That’s not fair,” she breathed out, and he knew that wasn’t what she’d started to say.

  “Fuck fair, sweetheart. You’re mine and I need you safe.”

  Sarah nodded mutely, her eyes closed, her skin flushed. Raj could feel her orgasm approaching, could feel her big nipples against his chest like two pebbles, the shivers of her pussy along the length of his cock as he stroked her, the satiny wet heat of her core as she drew closer and closer to the edge.

  He lowered his mouth to her neck, licking the salty sweat of arousal from her skin, feeling the plump pressure of her jugular, the small muscles of her neck tensing and jumping in anticipation of his bite.

  “Who do you belong to, Sarah,” he whispered against the moist skin of her neck. “Say it, sweetheart.”

  “You, Raj. I belong to you,” she said urgently, her climax growing closer with every syllable.

  “Mine,” he growled and sank his fangs into the juicy ripeness of her vein, the warm flow of her blood flooding his mouth as she bucked beneath him. Her cries of pleasure echoed in his head as he drank his fill, as his shaft grew impossibly hard and he began fucking her in earnest, slamming his cock into her welcoming body as she convulsed in orgasm, her cries turning to screams as the climax rolled over her, his own voice joining hers as he fell over the edge into ecstasy.

  * * * *

  The wedding was going off without a hitch. Which was saying something, Cyn thought, looking around, considering that most of the guests were vampires and included both Raphael and Duncan. Three vampire lords in one room, along with their assorted security types, and then add onto that the vamps whose only purpose was to celebrate the occasion … well, it could have been a nightmare. Vamps didn’t do crowds well. But they were all on their best behavior tonight.

  She stood at the back of the small ballroom and surveyed the crowd while she waited for her cue to begin. Emelie was already on her way, as elegant as a fashion model, doing a slow, graceful glide down the aisle. Behind her, she could hear the wedding planner fussing over Sarah one last time. Cyn scanned the seated crowd and caught sight of Raphael. He looked gorgeous in his tuxedo, but then Raphael looked gorgeous in anything. Still, there was something about her own personal vampire lord in a custom-made tux that made every hormone in Cyn’s body stand up and cheer.

  She grinned at the thought. As if some warning had gone off in his head, Raphael turned and gave her a suspicious look. He’d been so touchy ever since the kidnapping. All you woman, me man. Or maybe that should be me vampire, because he’d been giving off waves of power so strong earlier tonight that even she could feel them. And, of course, Rajmund had reacted by shoving his own power around, and then Duncan had arrived to add his alpha waves to the mix, and Cyn thought it was a wonder anyone had managed to stay on their feet long enough to reach their chairs. Three vampire lords in the same room twenty-four hours after their mates had been th
reatened, abducted and held captive … She doubted anything of the sort had ever happened before.

  But the ax of disaster had never fallen. Sarah’s wedding was just as beautiful as she’d hoped. The small ballroom was a fantasy of fresh flowers and flickering candles. The visiting vampires were handsome and vital the way only vampires could be, their mates and companions beautiful and flushed with the healthy glow that came from sharing a vampire’s blood.

  Cyn heard the wedding planner’s whispered cue and started down the aisle. She and Emelie were the official witnesses. Strictly speaking, Cyn was the maid of honor, and Emelie was Raj’s best man, but Emelie had wanted to wear a beautiful dress, not some mannish tux, and neither one of them had wanted to end up in some traditional nightmare of a bridesmaid dress. So weeks ago the two of them had gone shopping for dresses—proof that she could, in fact, shop in Manhattan without getting kidnapped. Both she and Emelie were tall and slender, and both had the same coloring. So they’d chosen a strapless column of black silk that was understated and elegant. Raphael’s eyes had shot silver sparks when Cyn had dressed earlier, so she knew it looked good. She also knew it wouldn’t last five minutes once they got back to the townhouse after the wedding. Raphael would have her naked and in bed before the silk hit the floor. But that was all right. The dress only needed to last one night.

  She smiled at Emelie as she neared the dais. They both looked great, each carrying a single red rose with trailing ribbons in nice contrast to the black dresses. A beautiful complement to the star of the evening, and that was the bride.

  Of course, it was Raj’s wedding, too, but everyone knew this was all for Sarah, that Raj was only indulging her. That fact didn’t bother Cyn in the slightest. Actually, she thought it was rather sweet that Raj was willing to do this for Sarah. She’d even said as much to Raphael, but he’d just glared at her. Touchy, touchy.

  The music changed. Everyone shifted, and then stood as Sarah appeared in the doorway. And she was breathtaking. Her dress was strapless like Cyn and Emelie’s, but that’s where the similarity ended. Creamy silk and lace, it hugged her bodice and clung to her curves, emphasizing her tiny waist, then skimming her hips before flaring below her knee into a mermaid style, with a discreet and elegant fall into a short train in the back. Her family had long ago ceased to be a part of her life, so she walked herself down the aisle, carrying a single, long-stemmed rose of ivory. Her hair was half piled on top of her head, with the back hanging in long, golden waves down her back. And she was so happy, with a big grin on her face as she walked slowly down the short aisle toward Raj.