by L.H. Cosway
“Oh. Okay,” I said. “That’s … cool, I guess.”
His grin became amused. “Cool?”
“It’s whatever, you know. Who you do or don’t have sex with is obviously none of my business.” Nonchalance really wasn’t my strong suit.
“Isn’t it?” he asked, his voice tender. “I can hardly be with other women when the one I can’t have refuses to get out of my head.”
“Don’t say stuff like that.”
“Why not?”
“Because! It makes me feel weird. Anyway, I thought you hated my guts for disobeying you last night?” I said defensively. I seriously couldn’t handle him right then, especially not with how delectable he looked and the romantic shit he was spouting. Honestly, it was all I could do to keep from mounting him where he sat.
“I caught a whiff of you leaving the shower, and for some reason, it’s caused me to forget about your bad behaviour. Also, you aren’t wearing a bra, which is distracting me from whatever annoyance I might otherwise be feeling.” His voice was pure gravel.
Embarrassed and turned on, I crossed my arms over my chest. “Obviously, I’m not wearing one. I gave you all my clothes, remember?” Redness crept treacherously across my cheeks.
Ethan’s gaze drifted slowly down my body, lingering on my bare feet before rising again. “Come here,” he whispered.
“No,” I answered weakly.
He smouldered at me. “Lumina mea, come here.”
“That’s a dirty tactic.”
He feigned innocence. “What is?”
“The smouldering, the Romanian pet name.” I made a frustrated hand gesture.
Ethan didn’t say anything then, just held my gaze until my willpower snapped. I took several steps closer until I was standing between his open legs. He made an approving sound in the back of his throat and reached up to place a hand on my lower back. He let it drift down over my bottom before resting on the back of my thigh.
He took advantage of his hold and pulled my leg forward. I leaned my knee on top of his, one leg still standing firmly on the ground, a final vestige of my self-control. He trailed his other hand down my arm, moving to the elastic of the leggings I wore, and without hesitation, he slipped beneath the fabric, tracing his fingers over the skin of my abdomen.
“Will we help each other forget, just for tonight?” he asked softly, his gold eyes meeting mine, and I knew exactly what he was asking. He wanted to forget about the war and death and division, and he must’ve known that I wanted to forget about my precarious position in this world. I wanted to forget that my dad was missing, that I was working undercover for the head of the vampire slayers, and that I was leading Ethan astray just by being here.
The way I felt about him wasn’t fake though. In fact, nothing had ever felt more real than the intensity of his eyes on mine at that moment.
Electricity fizzled between us. No amount of restraint would help me succeed in dragging myself away from him. My body strained toward his, wanting more.
He gently took hold of my wrist, pulling me closer, so that my ear was just above his lips. “I want to watch you die in my bed,” he whispered smoothly, promising me heaven. He wasn’t talking about actually dying. Although the kind of death he spoke about could very well end me. I’d never been more aroused in my life.
“As tempting as that sounds,” I answered hoarsely, holding onto a thin thread of resistance. “Your sister kindly reminded me that she has excellent hearing, and I’m not the kind of girl who enjoys an audience.”
A slow, seductive smile shaped his lips. He pulled me even closer to him now, our mouths almost touching, breaths mingling. “She just left,” he replied, eyes wandering over my lips.
“You’re lying,” I said nervously, because if Delilah really had gone out then I was at the mercy of the sexiest, most beautiful man I’d ever laid eyes on.
He motioned to the window. “Go and see for yourself.” He let me go, and I walked across the room, peering out just in time to see Delilah pulling away in a sleek silver hatchback. A full moon shone in a starless sky, and I wondered if its presence was making me act a little crazy tonight.
A shiver trickled down my spine when I asked, “Isn’t she supposed to stay indoors?” I twisted my head to find him standing directly behind me, feeling his breath on the sensitive skin below my ear.
“She’s gone back to the club to give Lucas a piece of her mind if I had to guess. She’ll be safe there.”
“You mentioned something earlier about taking me home,” I went on. “Or I can call a taxi. Save you the hassle.”
His chest met my back, enclosing me in his embrace as he levelled both of his hands against the window ledge. One hand snuck under my top, his palm spreading out over my stomach.
“Relax. Stay with me a while,” he coaxed, low and intimate.
I breathed heavily, while Ethan stroked my stomach. “This is a bad idea,” I said weakly. “I’m leaving soon. It’s probably better for both of us if we don’t find out what we’re missing.”
“I’m not sure I agree.” He pressed his lips to a particularly sensitive spot below my ear, and I sighed, tingles of pleasure trailing down my back.
I wanted to argue further, but he ran his fingers from my stomach up to my neck, gripping gently. “If I sleep with you, I’ll probably end up developing feelings, and I don’t want to get my heart broken,” I blurted honestly.
At this, Ethan’s arms encircled my waist and tightened around my hips. “If I was lucky enough to win your heart, the last thing I’d do is break it,” he breathed, his lips on my hair.
“I’m not sure I believe you.”
There was a beat of silence as he weighed his words. Then, at last, he spoke, “When you left, something changed in me. I had absolutely no desire to be with anyone else, not even for an emotionless release. Every time I tried, all I could think about was how it felt to touch you, and nothing else seemed to compare.”
I closed my eyes, and a solitary tear leaked out. I hated this entire situation. He might’ve been a vampire and killing might’ve been second nature to him, but if what he said was true then he obviously had real feelings for me.
Before I could formulate a response, Ethan flipped me around, his attention immediately going to the tear crawling down my cheek. He leaned forward, kissing it away. “Don’t be sad. The glow of the moon loves your skin,” he whispered. “It’s almost luminescent. You’re incredibly beautiful to me, Tegan. Let me show you how much.”
Our eyes locked and too many feelings clogged my throat. I didn’t have the first clue how to decipher them. Without a word, he lifted me onto the window ledge and pulled my legs around his waist. He kissed me then, slow and deep, and without breaking the kiss, he lifted me again, this time carrying me over to his bed.
He laid me down on the cool, soft sheets. Towering over me, his eyes roamed my body.
“Take off your top,” he breathed, and I couldn’t resist complying. I reached above my head and pulled it off, baring my breasts to him. Ethan tilted his head, his face a picture of lust.
I reached up to pull his shirt down his arms, before tossing it onto the floor. He leaned down and kissed me again, his mouth soft and attentive. His bare chest pressed against me, and my nipples beaded. Our tongues met, and I sighed into his mouth. He broke the kiss, his head moving down to lavish attention on my breasts. It was all I could do not to moan when he sucked my nipple into his mouth. I gasped when I felt the barest tip of a fang scrape across my needy flesh.
God, this was torture. The most exquisite kind.
I realised I’d spoken out loud when Ethan chuckled, not stopping what he was doing with his mouth.
“Forgive me for taking things slow,” he murmured. “But I need to savour you.”
No complaints here. I moaned when he trailed a hand up my inner thigh before cupping me between my legs. “You’re going to taste so sweet,” he went on as he quickly did away with my leggings. I tugged on his pants needfully,
yearning to connect with him on the deepest level. I barely had a chance to glimpse his erection when his head disappeared between my thighs, his mouth doing devastating things to me.
“Die for me,” he whispered, eyes meeting mine as he brought his lips back to my most intimate place, sucking on my clit. His tongue laved at me, and my head fell back into the pillows. I could already feel my orgasm building, making everything inside of me tense up in anticipation of the release. It had been a while. That was probably why I came so quickly. Practically a hair-trigger. I cried out, pleasure shattering through my body, and then everything went to hell.
Something changed in Ethan. I looked down and saw his eyes had turned completely black, his fangs fully extended. Then he emitted a growl that frightened the life out of me. Oh, my God! He was going to bite me! I shrieked and dove off the bed, scurrying to the far corner of the room. Ethan remained in the same spot. He didn’t chase me, but I could tell that it was taking all of his willpower not to.
“Okay,” I said shakily. “As rude as it is to receive an orgasm and leave without returning the favour, I think I should go.”
On wobbly legs I grabbed my clothes and headed for the door, but just as I gripped the handle two strong arms banded around my waist. Ethan hugged me from behind, his chest pressed flush to my back.
“Don’t go. I’m sorry. That’s never happened before. At least, it hasn’t happened in a very long time.”
“What exactly happened?” I whispered, pulse racing. I wasn’t facing him so I couldn’t tell if his eyes had gone back to their normal colour yet. I seriously hoped they had.
“I lost control. Sometimes, in the heat of passion, the urge to bite takes over. It usually only happens to younger vampires. But when you came I just …”
He sounded so remorseful. I twisted in his arms and found with relief that his eyes were gold. “It’s okay,” I said, stroking a hand down his cheek.
“Normally, it wouldn’t be such a big deal. Drinking blood during sex, well, it can be quite an experience for both parties. But with you …”
“With me that can’t happen,” I finished, heart-clenching. Being with someone like Ethan would always be tricky territory for me.
“I should’ve been more prepared. I didn’t expect to get so carried away.”
“You don’t need to apologise. You controlled yourself. That’s all that matters. I should go though. It’s getting late.”
I made a move for the door, but he pulled me back. “Don’t go yet. Stay. Lie down with me. I promise what happened just now won’t happen again.”
I looked into his pleading gaze and couldn’t say no. “Okay,” I whispered.
Relief claimed his features, and Ethan led me back to his bed, laid me down, and crawled in behind me. He pulled the covers over us, wrapped his arms around me, and pressed a kiss to the hollow of my neck.
I was spooning with Ethan Cristescu.
After him almost losing control and biting me, I must’ve been crazy getting back into bed with him, but something in my gut told me he was telling the truth when he said it wouldn’t happen again. I just hoped my gut was right and the full moon out there wasn’t causing me to make nutty decisions.
14.
I woke up to complete and utter darkness. I sensed it was morning, but there was no daylight. Ethan’s naked body was wrapped around mine, his scent surrounding me. I’d fallen asleep in his bed, his blackout blinds shielding any trace of light from entering the room.
As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I took a moment to gaze at him. It was almost painful how beautiful he was when he slept. His dark blond hair hung over his forehead, and his lips were slightly parted. I remembered his mouth on me last night, making me come, and a sharp bolt of desire shot through me. Then I remembered him almost biting me, and there must’ve been some faulty wires in my brain because the desire didn’t fade. It intensified.
If it wasn’t for my blood, there was a good chance I’d let Ethan bite me. What the hell was wrong with me? A part of me was intrigued and yearned to know what it felt like, but obviously it could never happen.
Obviously.
Finally, I pulled away from him and sat up. He continued sleeping soundly when I kissed his forehead and gently pulled the covers back over him. I put on the leggings and top Delilah loaned me, then searched around for a pen and paper, eventually finding some by his bookshelves. I scribbled down my new number and left it by the bed so that Ethan would have a way of contacting me later when he woke up. As tempting as it would be to spend the entire day under the covers with him, I had a few things that I needed to get done.
Downstairs, I located Ethan’s washer and dryer, where I found my clothes from last night, fresh and clean. I quickly changed into them, left Delilah’s things in the basket, and quietly left the house. There was nothing worse than doing the walk of shame on a cold, frosty morning, but at least there weren’t any neighbours hanging around to see me.
The chill bit at my cheeks while my body still tingled from the memory of Ethan’s touch. It scared me how good he could make me feel and so effortlessly, too. I walked in the direction of the city and stopped at the bank. I’d managed to drop in the other day while I’d been out shopping with Finn and Gabriel to deposit the money Pamphrock had paid me. I asked the teller to deposit a thousand into Nicki’s account. I figured she deserved it since she was the only person who really stuck by me after Matthew died. Especially since I went and disappeared on her. My heart hurt knowing that I was going to have to disappear again very soon.
I sent her a text letting her know about the money, and she immediately replied telling me to take it back, that I was being ridiculous. The transfer was complete though, and I wasn’t taking it back. I also withdrew some cash to go shopping.
I was laden down with bags when I stepped through Finn’s front door. He appeared a moment later, arms folded as he surveyed me.
“Well, would you look who it is. Didn’t take you for a dirty stop out,” he commented, amused.
I walked straight past him, not bothering to explain, and stepped into the kitchen where Rita and Alvie were sitting drinking tea. I unceremoniously dropped the bags onto the table, and Rita’s eyes went wide and interested when she took note of the shop logos.
“I thought I’d get you some new stuff,” I told her, “what with the fire and all. I kind of owe you anyway for all the favours you’ve done for me.”
Rita’s entire face lit up as she jumped from her seat and pulled me into a hug. “How did you know my favourite shops?”
“Intuition, I suppose,” I replied with a smile.
“This is so thoughtful of you.” She began looking in each of the bags. Alvie tried to take a peek, but she swatted his hand away. I chuckled, while Alvie glowered.
When I looked at Finn, I caught him watching me silently as I took off my coat and went to pour myself some tea.
“I had a bit of an eventful night,” I said to him while Rita oohed and aahed over her new clothes.
“Is that why you didn’t come home? I had to go to the trouble of tracking your phone to make sure you weren’t lying in a ditch somewhere.”
My eyebrows shot up. “You tracked my phone? How?”
“I have some computer skills. It’s how I found out where you were living and that you were using the alias, Alexa Caldwell. Anyway, what do you mean by eventful?”
My eyebrows shot up. I hadn’t known Finn was good with computers. Then I exhaled heavily as I recalled what happened last night. “The most important thing you need to know is that Whitfield seems convinced that his victory is already secured. According to the vampires, Pamphrock’s only a day or two away from surrendering.”
Finn sputtered a laugh. “They fucking wish.”
“What’s all this about?” Alvie questioned, eyeing the two of us. I glanced at Finn for permission, and when he nodded, I quickly filled Alvie and Rita in on what I’d been doing for the DOH and about how I’d been trying to find my dad, too
. I then went on to tell Finn everything that had happened last night from the moment I stepped into Crimson, but leaving out the part where Ethan Cristescu went down on me and came very, very close to biting me.
Nobody needed to know about that.
“Oh, and there’s one more thing. I’ve been invited to be Ethan’s date at some big party at Whitfield’s mansion to celebrate his victory over Pamphrock.”
Finn straightened, his eyes narrowing. “And when is that supposed to be taking place?”
“I’m not sure, but soon.”
“Did they say anything else about what they’re planning?”
“No, but you need to think about getting Rebecca away from Whitfield now because I get the sense he’s plotting something big.”
“I’m going to call Pamphrock,” Finn said, frowning as he pulled out his phone and left the room.
I dropped down into the chair beside Rita, who was currently looking at me with shrewd, interested eyes. She cocked her head and sniffed at me. “I can smell magic on you. Strong magic, too.”
“Perhaps it belongs to the witch from last night. I held her while she died.”
Rita’s dark eyes widened. “Yes, that would certainly account for it. Can you describe the people who chased you again? I might recognise them.”
I went into as much detail as I could about the witch with the eye patch, her sister, and the two warlocks who’d been with them, how they appeared from the sewers like mist.
“I’ve definitely never met anyone who matches those descriptions, but Gabriel might’ve. He’s had more experience with the magical families than I have. Most likely, they were cast out for some reason. The magical families are notorious for kicking out members who disagree with their practices.”
“They knew who took my dad, and they said some group was trying to use him for a ritual.” Wait, was that why they were kicked out of their families? They disagreed with the ritual that was being planned? It seemed a likely explanation.
“Sounds a lot like human sacrifice to me,” Alvie said in a quiet voice. “And that kind of magic never accomplishes anything good. We need to get your dad back before they get the chance to perform the ritual.”
