Destined Hearts

by Castle, Angela

  “So what happened?”

  He took her hand as they walked along the corridors. “Four hundred years passed peaceably under my control. The number of human vampires increased. No vampire was allowed to turn a human without the human knowing the direct consequences of their actions. Any vampire who did not comply with this was executed.”

  Aria gasped.

  “It may sound harsh, but it is extremely necessary. Some of our first fledglings were greedy and wanted to be free of our control; they used humans to chain us during the day.”

  “‘Us’? How many Archalonians were there left?”

  “Seven then. I do not know how many now. At first, they thought they could simply kill us. I watched helpless as Marc, who was once our brilliant science officer, was killed. They cut off his head, but his death saved my life, as every human vampire that was made by him died with him.”

  “Oh, so that’s why they won’t harm you.”

  Ethan gave a bitter laugh. “Locked away and denied blue blood, I soon became the monster that you found. They fed me only what I needed to keep alive.”

  Aria stopped and turned on the steps they had started to climb, looking directly into his eyes. She could see the sadness and anger etched on his face. She felt for what he must have gone through. “So going back

  to where it all started will help you how?”

  “I will find the others, restore order, and take my revenge on those who murdered Marc.”

  Aria reached out to touch his face. He watched her with curious eyes.

  “Sometimes revenge isn’t always the best way; can’t we just go somewhere and live in peace?”

  He caught her hand, raising it to his lips. “Ma beautiful innocent, I wish it was that simple. Until order is restored, there will never be peace, but enough.” He placed his hands on her hips to turn her gently, pushing her up the stairs.

  Upon reaching the top, they came into a comfortable communal area. Mostly men and a few women sat at tables, some on bolted-down lounge chairs watching a large flat screen TV.

  “You have no reason to fear, ma petite. I will always protect you.”

  He had lowered his voice to whisper in her ear. The eyes of the people present moved to them, and Aria smiled.

  A tall gray-haired man with aged wrinkles around his bright, blue eyes strode through the crew lounge to greet them. “Bon monsieur du soir,”

  he said to Ethan before switching to English. “Good evening. Welcome on board the Hav Sang, madame.”

  “Uh, thank you.” Once again, Ethan slipped a possessive arm around her.

  “I’m Captain Paul Ruther,” he addressed Aria before looking back at Ethan. “I hope you and your wife have a pleasant journey with us. If there’s anything else we can do during your stay, please do not hesitate to ask myself or any of the crew.”

  Aria glared up at Ethan but bit her tongue.

  “That is most accommodating of you, Captain. As long as our rest is undisturbed during the daylight, you shall hardly know we are here,”

  Ethan said.

  “We shall be sorely disappointed if we do not see some of you and your lovely wife during the journey. A fresh face on these long trips is always a welcome sight among our crew. Dinner will be served very soon.

  I hope you will approve of our chef. He is a fine French master of his art.”

  “Thank you, Captain. I’m looking forward to it.” Aria gave him what she hoped was a charming smile.

  “Wife!” she whispered in annoyance when the captain had moved away toward the dining room. “Did I sleep through our wedding?” She wanted to smack the cocky grin from his face.

  “I want no doubt left in anyone’s mind as to whom you belong.”

  “Has anyone ever told you how irritating you are?”

  “No, but I have been told how sexy I am.” He raised an eyebrow, flashing a dazzling smile.

  Aria’s irritation melted like ice on a flash pan. Her breath caught.

  Damn the man.

  He laughed and caught her hand, raising the back of it to his lips.

  “If I am captivated by your beauty, then other men will be also. Can you not blame me for staking my claim, ma petite?”

  “I don’t have a wedding ring.” She kept her voice low.

  “No one shall notice; remember what I can do.” His voice was gentle, laced with authority. “Soon you will learn not to doubt me.”

  She opened her mouth to say something in reply, but his gaze became authoritative, making her clamp her lips shut. A tremor ran through her body, and she felt her pussy flood with fresh juices.

  “No more questions until after you have eaten.”

  Aria got the distinct feeling there wouldn’t be much talking after that, either, by Ethan’s hot, hungry gaze.

  Chapter Eleven

  The air whooshed from Aria’s lungs as Ethan slammed her up against a bulkhead. He knew she loved it when he manhandled her roughly; he quite enjoyed playing her aggressor, but never would he ever hurt her. The way she put up the pretence of battling him before surrendering made his blood boil with white-hot desire.

  His cock had ached throughout the tortuously slow dinner.

  Watching her consume her food was highly erotic; the way the fork would slide between her lips, her tongue gliding across her lips, even watching her swallow had him ready to burst.

  He claimed her mouth in a hungry kiss and pushed his tongue past her lips, tasting the flavor of the wine she had drunk. He wanted to drown himself in her flavor. He couldn’t understand why this small woman could affect him so deeply, a craving deeper than the blood lust that had consumed him ever since his change.

  Hoisting her up and rubbing his body against her, using the friction of their clothing in an erotic dance, he heard her groan as she undulated her hips against his straining cock. Without breaking contact with her mouth, he fumbled with the door of their cabin; they had almost made it until he was no longer able to contain himself.

  Her fingers tugged at the tie in his hair, and it fell free. The feel of her hot, little fingers gliding along his scalp made him groan. The door gave, and he stumbled through with her in his arms, slamming it shut with a swift kick, taking steady steps over the sway of the ship before

  tumbling with her onto the bed. He took the brunt of his weight on his side, rolling to pin her beneath him.

  “You taste so sweet. I could spend eternity simply tasting you.” He licked up the side of her neck.

  She shuddered in his arms. As he gently tugged her arms above her head, she took the hint and curled her fingers around the metal bars at the top of the double bed. Then he moved fast to strip her of her clothing before removing his, tossing everything carelessly aside.

  “God, you move fast,” she gasped. Her eyes were wide as saucers before narrowing into a smile of appreciation and lust as her gaze swept over his body, her tongue darting to lick at her lips.

  “Only when it matters.” She had made him smile more than any woman, friend or family, ever had. She was the bright ray of light in his ever-darkened world, the one thing he never wanted to lose.

  “Being naked matters?” She gave him a saucy grin.

  His heart melted a little more. There was nothing he would not do for her, he realized. “Everything I do to you and for you matters, ma petite.

  Do you trust me?”

  Without hesitation, she spoke the words, “I trust you.”

  Taking care not to harm her, he picked up the cuffs and chain he had used on her ankles upon their arrival on board to ensure she could not run from him again. He slid the chain around the headboard to take up the length of the chain. With a soft clink, he shackled her wrists on either side of her head. It allowed her only a little amount of arm movement. Then he reclaimed her lips in a hard, demanding kiss. When he pulled back, they were both panting. He tugged her legs apart, leaving her spread open and vulnerable.

  He skimmed his hands down over her body, enjoying the feel of her soft ski
n under his palms and fingertips, until he reached the tips of her toes, holding back on his berating lust a little while longer. Ethan slowly began to worship her body, tenderly kissing each of her toes and feet. Her sudden squealing pierced the air. Laughter bubbled out, and she kicked at him. A grin split his face.

  “Ticklish here?” Securing her ankle, he ran his tongue under the

  instep.

  She squealed again and squirmed, the chain on the headboard rattling against her frantic tugging. “Yesss…” she hissed between clenched teeth. “Please, Ethan, don’t torture me like that.”

  He stilled, gazing up over her body. “Torture? Only with pleasure, ma petite, but now I know how to make you behave.” His grin was mischievous.

  “Ooh, you are an evil man.” Her tone was husky, laced with humor.

  A thrill ran through him at the fact she had called him a man, not a vampire, not an alien, but a man; this filled him with pride.

  Ethan released her foot to run his tongue up over her calf, under her knee, leaving a trail of wet kisses. His hand searched higher, sliding up under her breasts until he had filled his palms with her full globes.

  Pushing her thighs wide with his shoulders, he closed his eyes, breathing in her musky, aroused scent. Her honey brown curls glistened with her juices, wet and ready for him. The squirming had quickly turned into a slower writhing and soft, little whimpers.

  Dipping his head, he parted her outer labia to study her pretty pink folds. They beckoned him to take his pleasure in, and he did just that by swiping a long lick from the top of her anus and up over her clit. Aria’s body jerked, and she gasped before letting out a low moan. Gently, he flicked his tongue over her clit several times before sliding it down to plunge into the source of her cream. He feasted, delving in deeply into her weeping heat, sucking up her flavor. All the while, she was gasping his name over and over. Her body began to tremble, a sign she was close to climaxing. He pulled back, a frantic, little wail of protest bursting from her lips, and he grinned as her hips jerked up, trying to reach his mouth once again.

  “Greedy little vixen.” Running his tongue around his mouth, taking in her juices, he was close to losing complete control. He snatched up the box of condoms, and little blue packages spilled across the bed. He tore one open and examined it with distaste. Aria stifled a giggle. He glanced up. Her giggle faded as she must have seen the raw fire of desire

  in his eyes. “Humans are an inventive people,” he muttered.

  Ethan wasn’t so sure the flimsy substance the condom was made of would hold his cock. It wasn’t an unpleasant sensation as he placed it at the tip and rolled it down. It was snug against his ridges. It wouldn’t be as good as the raw sensation of nothing between them, but he would respect her wishes until the injection became effective. Right now, he was desperate to be inside Aria’s warm, tight body again, and so he would try even this.

  Rising up over her trembling body, he placed the tip of his covered cock at her entrance, pushing in an inch, holding her gaze. Unable to hold back his moan at the sheer pleasure of her tight walls gripping onto him, glancing down into her beautiful hazel depths, Ethan felt the weight of his responsibility to this beautiful woman. She had given him everything—her body, her trust—yet selfishly, he wanted more—her mind, her heart and soul. He loved her; the revelation was not as surprising as it should have been, the simplicity of how right it was to love this woman.

  Gripping her hips, keeping her legs high against his shoulders, he thrust the rest of the way in. Her back arched, and he leaned down, slanting his mouth over hers to capture her moans and whimpers. He thrust his tongue in, possessing every part of her mouth as his cock possessed every part of her inner body, his fingers curling up around her breasts, thumbing the hard peaks of her nipples. With a shift of his hips, he began to move inside her, each stroke deep and measured. He broke from her mouth and felt her lungs expand, drawing in a deep breath.

  “Whose body is this, Aria?” His voice sounded desperate in his ears. “Say it.”

  “Yours, Ethan.”

  He almost groaned aloud at her words. “Who do you belong to, Aria?”

  “You, only you,” she gasped between his thrusts.

  Finally, she had admitted to whom she belonged. It broke the last of his control. Squeezing her globes tightly, he thrust wildly, pounding into her. He felt her body tremble; her soft whimpers became louder

  groans as he pushed her toward release. She reached the edge and fell, screaming out his name. His thrusting became more frantic, covering her body, his hips working like a piston, slamming into her. The small silver chain rattled as she strained against him, gasping for breath. Three more strokes, and his cock grew with his impending release. White and black shadows flashed behind his eyes. Gripping Aria tightly to him, burying his face in her hair, he groaned her name as he came—hard.

  Slowly, the shuddering subsided, and their breathing calmed.

  Ethan unlocked the cuffs, gently bringing her arms down, raising himself off and withdrawing from her heat. Her arms tingled with pins and needles, so he gently rubbed them to help the circulation.

  “You didn’t bite me,” she said finally, breaking the euphoric silence.

  “I do not always need your blood.” He smiled, the dimple in his chin making her smile. “But you like it, no?”

  Aria felt the heat rise again in her cheeks. “Maybe just a tad. Do all of the blue bloods get orgasms from vampire bites?”

  Ethan chuckled, pulling her up and into his arms, feathering kisses over her face and shoulders, his fingertips tracing down the curve of her spine, slipping around to grip at her hips. “I have taken the blood of other blue bloods, but only you have ever reacted to me like this. It proves to me that we are meant to be together.”

  Aria gasped as he lifted her, tossing her facedown on the bed. He grabbed a pillow to shove it under her hips, raising her ass into the air.

  “Wh-What are you doing?” Her body even tightened in response to his hands smoothing up over her shoulders to push her facedown onto the mattress. Then he glided his hands down over her sides before sweeping them back up like a soft massage. His strong, large hands and callused fingertips felt heavenly on her skin. She was amazed to feel his cock hard again, poking against the soft globes of her ass.

  “Oh, ma petite, I am far from finished with you. The dawn approaches. I wish to spend my last hour pleasuring you.” He pushed her knees wide of the pillow.

  Aria felt a little guilty that he seemed to be doing everything to her

  and she was giving nothing back. The thought of getting her hands on his magnificent body once again had her even more excited, but when she tried to push herself up, Ethan grabbed her wrists, pulling them back to her sides and holding them firm.

  “I want to touch you.” Her breath came in little pants as Ethan licked his way down her spine and spread open the cheeks of her bottom, planting an electrifying, wet kiss into the cleft. She groaned and tensed with his tongue in such an intimate area.

  “Another time. I promise, ma petite. This is for you. Allow me to enjoy the pleasures of your beautiful body.”

  Aria felt like a wanton sex goddess; he made her feel beautiful and desired. His silken tongue slipped down into her pussy then back up to her ass, circling the small pucker, gently pressing in but not penetrating.

  Fresh cream came flooding down to her cunt. She was helpless to do anything but moan and whimper into the mattress. A finger slipped into her, and she moaned and whimpered when he pulled out.

  “So wet for me, Aria.” His husky tone sent shivers down her spine.

  The finger pushed in again as his tongue stabbed harder against her ass.

  Her inner walls clenched around his invading finger as his tongue pushed past the ring of muscles, triggering lightning bolts of pleasure that flashed through her body.

  “Ethan, I…I’ve never,” she gasped, awash with sensations.

  He pulled back. “Shh, relax. You must tr
ust me never to hurt you, or must I restrain you again?”

  Aria shivered in delight at his words.

  Ethan’s husky chuckle told her he, too, was fond of this idea. “No, you will obey, will you not, ma petite? Say it.”

  She did trust him and allowed her body to relax. “Yes, Ethan, I will…”

  Before she could finish, his tongue was back, pushing farther in.

  She relaxed into the sensations. Her body felt weightless. She was unable to focus or speak as his tongue continued to do wickedly delightful things to her ass. His thick fingers plunged in and out of her slickened cunt. His tongue pulled out, replaced by a slickened finger, which pushed straight

  past the tight ring and deep into her ass. At the exact same time, his mouth had fastened onto her clit; he sucked hard, making any discomfort of her ass melt away.

  Aria mewled with the dual sensations pulsing through her. He pumped her ass with his finger while sucking on her clit, adding a second finger to the first, making her ass burn. The pain/pleasure mix was almost too much; her whole body was winding up like that of a tightly coiled spring. “Ooh, gaawwd.” She gulped down lungfuls of air, slamming her eyes shut as it all became too much.

  “Oui, come for me.”

  His words were the last trigger. Aria exploded around his fingers and tongue, light and shadows flashing before her eyes as her body shook.

  He was gone. She was vaguely aware of the sound of foil tearing, and then she was suddenly, completely impaled from behind. Still quaking from the first orgasm, she brought her hands up to fist the bedding, shoving her face into the mattress, screaming, as he rolled her into a second climax with the single thrust of his cock. It was almost too much for her to take; her whole body became a boneless mess of jelly. Every nerve ending zinged with overloaded pleasure. Even her skin became highly sensitized.

  Ethan gripped the base of her neck with one hand. She screamed again at the pressure and intensity as he pushed his finger deep into her ass. He kept a steady thrusting with his cock and added a second finger into her ass, making it burn in a delicious way. She could do nothing but take everything he had to give. More strange words spilled from his lips as the pace of his cock and fingers increased.