The Blackest Night

by Davenport, Fiona

  “Our mother is correct. If there’s ever anything you need and Stephan isn’t available to help, please call upon Athan or me for help,” Kieran agreed.

  Or at least I assumed that was who he was since we hadn’t actually been introduced yet. “Thank you...Kieran?”

  “Where are our manners?” Their mother pointed at her chest. “I’m Stephan’s mother, Aria.”

  The man she’d been standing next to when we came in—whose bright blue eyes were a perfect match for Stephan’s—stepped forward to shake my hand. “I’m their father, Tristan.”

  Athan flashed me a grin. “You already know me.”

  “And I’m the eldest brother, Kieran.” He executed a little bow and winked.

  Stephan pulled me closer into his side. “I highly doubt you’ll ever need to call upon them since I’ll always be here for you, but my brothers’ offer was sincere.”

  “It absolutely was.” Aria clapped her hands and smiled. “Family is everything.”

  It was a sweet sentiment, but not one I’d experienced in my own life when family tended to let me down instead of lending a helping hand when needed. Feeling more out of my element, I glanced up at Stephan. Even though we barely knew each other, he somehow seemed to understand what my look meant. “Speaking of family...since it’s you all, I can be blunt. My consort and I need some time alone please.”

  “Oh, yes. I guess you’re right.” Aria’s happy expression dimmed a little. “It’s just, we missed so much when your older brothers met their consorts, and I’m so excited to finally not miss out on this momentous occasion in one of our son’s lives.”

  “At least we aren’t halfway around the world on a top secret mission for the council,” Tristan murmured as he took his wife’s hand to lead her out of the room with Athan and Kieran following closely behind.

  As soon as the sound of the front door closing echoed through the house, Stephan turned to me. “Now that they’re gone, where were we at?”

  6

  Stephan

  As I pulled Bronwyn into my arms and was about to whisk her back to our bedroom, her stomach growled. I laughed as her cheeks bloomed with a pretty shade of pink. “I’m sorry, angel,” I murmured as I brushed my thumb over the soft blush. “I should have thought to feed you.”

  “Aren’t you hungry, too?” she asked curiously. “Didn’t you say you were rushing to the party? Were you going to eat there...?” She trailed off as her eyes rounded with whatever realization had popped into her head. “Wait...were you going to drink from someone at the party?” she nearly shrieked. But it wasn’t horror that I saw in her deep brown eyes. It was jealousy.

  I threw my head back and laughed heartily while wrapping her in a big hug. “You’re too fucking adorable. And sexy as fuck when you get possessive.”

  “I’m not possessive,” she grumbled into my shirt.

  Laughing again, I let up on my hold and kissed her temple. With one finger, I lifted her chin so I could see her beautiful face. “Too cute.” Then I shook my head in answer to her question. “No, angel. Daywalkers despise the taste of blood directly from the source. We usually stick to bagged blood.”

  Bronwyn’s nose wrinkled just the tiniest bit, and I bit my lip to hide my smile when I realized she was miffed as she stated, “So my blood is revolting to you?”

  I wanted to laugh again, except she seemed genuinely upset by the idea. Dropping my head into the crook of her neck, I inhaled deeply before scraping a fang lightly along her delicate skin and smiling when she shivered. “Your blood is the exception, my sweet mate. My body craves your blood as much as it desires to be buried inside you.”

  Her plump lips parted and formed a little O, and I couldn’t resist stealing a kiss. But before it got out of control, I tore my mouth away, took her hand, and led her to the kitchen.

  Bronwyn gasped when we entered the large, bright room. It was a chef’s dream kitchen—or so I’d been told by the designer when I’d renovated the house after buying it a few years ago. I didn’t cook much, so it hadn’t been a room I paid much attention to. However, I’d let the man have free rein over it, and now, seeing the look of wonder and excitement on Bronwyn’s face as she eagerly looked around, I knew I’d made the right decision.

  “This kitchen...wow,” she breathed. I guided her to a large island in the middle of the room and helped her into one of the chairs, all the while her eyes bounced around, taking everything in.

  “I take it you like to cook?”

  She nodded, but her cheeks dusted with pink once again. “Yes, although I’ve had very little experience. My mother and I used to bake together, and I often helped with dinner. After my parents died, I went into foster care and wasn’t allowed in the kitchen in my foster homes. And the shared kitchen at the boarding house is...well, let’s just say, I wouldn’t trust much that was prepared in there.” She let out a little laugh and shifted as though uncomfortable. “I’d be afraid to do anything in here in case I broke something. I’ve never even been inside a kitchen this fancy.”

  I frowned and had to stamp down the desire to hunt down every person who’d put the sadness in my mate’s tone and tear their throats out. I made sure my voice was pleasant when I responded, “Well, this is your kitchen now. You can use it anytime you want and make whatever changes that please you.”

  Bronwyn’s eyes widened and she glanced around again. “I wouldn’t change a thing. This kitchen was plucked right out of my daydreams.”

  I nodded and smiled. “Good”—I winked—”and I promise, I’ll eat anything you make and love it.”

  She smiled brightly for a minute, then pursed her lips as she tipped her head to the side in a curious gesture. “You eat real food?”

  I laughed and kissed her cheek before strolling over to a tall cabinet with a door made of chestnut, matching the rest of the kitchen. Except it was the door to a large refrigerator instead of a cupboard. “Yes, I live on a diet of both food and blood. It will be the same for you when you’ve made the change.”

  Since I was digging through the mostly empty refrigerator, I didn’t see her expression, but I whipped up at the sound of her gasp, whacking my head on one of the shelves. “Son of a bitch!” I snapped as I rubbed the sore spot and turned to face my consort.

  She hopped off her stool and came running toward me. “Are you okay?” Grabbing my shoulders, she yanked me down so she could inspect the top of my head.

  A feeling of contentment stole over me as my gorgeous, sweet consort fussed over me in our kitchen in our house. This was what my dreams were made of. Now, I just needed to make sure it was permanent. Which meant feeding her as soon as possible so I could get her upstairs and complete the claiming.

  “I’m fine, angel. I have an exceptionally hard head.” Bronwyn giggled, but it was a little strained. When I raised my head, she was watching me warily and had started wringing her hands in front of her.

  “What…um, what did you mean by ‘when you’ve made the change’?”

  That was the moment I realized how foolish I’d been. I’d given Bronwyn some brief explanations before whisking her off to bed, but she probably had a plethora of questions she wanted answers to. “Go sit down, angel. I’ll make you a meal, and you can ask me anything you want to know.”

  She did as I requested, and I went back to gathering ingredients. It turned out that I had all the fixings for pancakes...which wasn’t saying a lot since it was a mix in a box. At least it would sustain her until morning. I’d order us something to eat until the housekeeper managed to stock the kitchen. I doubted we’d be leaving the bedroom much over the next few days—the lust bearing down on me made it clear that my brothers had not been exaggerating. They’d warned me that it would be almost uncontrollable for a while. I could imagine that once I was inside my lovely Bronwyn, I’d never want to leave.

  Shaking away my thoughts as best I could, I grabbed a notepad from a drawer and slid it, with a pen, over to my consort. “Why don’t you make a list for the h
ousekeeper?”

  “Oh, no.” She pushed it back toward me. “I don’t have much to spend, so you should make the list since it’s your money.”

  I slid it over once more, then grabbed her chin and stared into her eyes as I growled, “You are mine. Therefore, what’s mine is yours. This is your home now, angel. Spend our money on whatever will make you happy. Because that is all that I want.”

  Pleasure lit her eyes, but she still didn’t look completely convinced.

  “Please,” I cajoled with a charming grin. “Make me a list.”

  She nodded and bent over the paper as she began writing.

  While I cooked—and I used that term very loosely—I started out by telling her anything I could think of that she might want to know while answering any questions she tossed at me in the process. I was thrilled that she seemed to be taking everything in stride. Although, when she realized she would need blood to survive, she faltered for a moment.

  “Even without the change, if you stop and pay attention to your body for a moment, you’ll realize that the smell and thought of my blood aren’t as repugnant as you’d expect.” She cocked her head to the side and stared at me thoughtfully. After a few beats, her brows rose, and her mouth opened in surprise.

  “I would’ve thought…”

  “It’s because we’re fated mates. And you’ll only ever drink from me, angel,” I informed her as I slid a stack of pancakes onto a plate. “And trust me”—I threw her a wicked smile—”I will enjoy the fuck out of it. Just as I’ll love drinking from you.” I gulped hard and had to change the subject before I spread her out on the island and buried my fangs in her pussy.

  After adding butter and syrup, I set the plate on the island from the opposite side of her and slid it over in front of her. Putting the structure between us wouldn’t keep me from dragging her to bed for long, but it would hopefully be enough to let her eat her meal. Desire was riding me so hard; food was the last thing I was interested in putting in my belly.

  I bent over the counter, resting on my elbows and watched as she put a bite to her mouth, her lips closing around the fork before sliding it out. I was riveted and when a little moan escaped her lips, I nearly nutted in my pants right then.

  When she finally finished—thank fuck—I rasped, “Do you want more?”

  She sighed and shook her head, much to my cock’s utter relief. Then she furrowed her brow as she glanced at the empty space in front of me. “You weren’t hungry?”

  I prowled around the island as I growled, “I’m starving, angel.”

  “But you didn’t eat—”

  I cut her off when I covered her mouth with mine in a deep, hungry kiss. “It’s my turn to eat now, Bronwyn,” I grunted when I came up for air. “But I want my meal in bed.”

  7

  Bronwyn

  My breath caught in my lungs at the sensual promise in his deep tone. The orgasm he’d given me with his mouth earlier had been mind-blowing. Now that we were alone again, I was on board to pick up where we’d left off when we’d been interrupted by his family. My belly was full of delicious pancakes—which probably tasted better because they were made for me by the sexy vampire who wanted to make me come again—and all the questions I could think to ask had been answered. Everything Stephan had told me should have been unbelievable, but I had no problem taking him at his word. Deep down in my gut, I knew I could trust him.

  “Then I guess we should head upstairs,” I suggested as my cheeks filled with heat at the thought of what we were about to do. “I’d hate for you to starve.”

  I held my hand out to him, intending for us to walk upstairs together. But before I knew what had happened, he swept me into his arms, and we were suddenly in the master bedroom. “Whoa, that was unexpected.”

  “Sorry, angel.” Stephan flashed me a sexy grin as he carried me over to the bed. “I know this is all new to you, but it feels as though I’ve known you forever already. Added to how desperately I need you, I forgot for a moment that you’d never teleported before.”

  “I have a feeling it’s going to take me a while to get used to your vampiric gifts.” I bounced a couple times after he dropped me on the bed, making me giggle.

  But my laughter dried up when he crawled up the mattress toward me, his bright blue eyes filled with a hunger that had nothing to do with food and everything to do with me. “It isn’t my inherent powers that I’m planning to use to impress you right now.”

  “Oh, yeah?” I whispered, twining my arms around his neck.

  “Mm-hmm.” His fingers got to work on the buttons lining the front of the shirt he’d loaned to me. “I think you’ll find what I’m going to do to you with my mouth, fingers, and cock to be much more interesting.”

  He quickly stripped me out of my bra and skirt before moving down my body to wedge his shoulders between my thighs. I sucked in a sharp breath at the sensation of his heated breath against my damp flesh, staring into his eyes as his hands slid up the underside of my legs to cup my butt cheeks. His thumb rubbed lazily back and forth over my skin, sending jolts of sensation directly to my core. Then the tip of his tongue traced the crease of my thigh, making me shudder.

  I threaded my fingers through his dark hair and gripped his scalp. “Just in case my screams didn’t give it away already, I was more than impressed with what you did to me with your mouth earlier.”

  “Then hold on tight, angel. Because I’m about to blow your mind.” He flashed me a cocky grin. “I’m dying to have your flavor in my mouth again.”

  “It’s only been an hour or two,” I panted as his tongue circled my clit.

  I whimpered in need when he lifted his head to murmur, “All it took was one taste, and I’m already addicted.”

  He proceeded to get a heck of a lot more than another taste. It felt as though he was devouring me as his tongue, lips, and teeth worked me into a frenzy of need. My back arched in shameless pleasure as he licked up and down before thrusting his tongue inside me. “Oh, yes.”

  He chuckled, and the vibration drove me wild. “You like how I play with your pussy, angel?”

  “Uh-huh.” I squirmed beneath him, so close to the edge that my body felt as though it was about to fly apart.

  “Come on my face, angel,” he coaxed before stabbing his tongue back inside my pussy. I flew apart, and he licked and sucked me through my orgasm. Before I came back down, he slowly worked a finger into me and began to build the pleasure in me again.

  Once he was able to fit a second digit past the knuckles, his tongue started to flick my clit. I was practically riding his face, my hands tugging his hair to spur him on. “I’m so close.”

  “That’s right, angel. Give me another one,” he urged before he nipped above my mound with one of his fangs.

  He curled his fingers inside my pussy, and fireworks burst behind my eyelids. This orgasm was stronger than the last, and I screamed his name. The waves of intense pleasure were still crashing over me when Stephan shifted to cover my body. He’d stripped out of his clothes, and the tip of his dick was notched at my entrance. “Look at me, Bronwyn. I want to see your pretty brown eyes when I take you the first time.”

  My lids drifted open, and my gaze met his as he started to work himself inside my pussy. When his cock bumped against the proof of my innocence, he paused to ask, “Are you ready to take all of me, angel?”

  My answer was simple. “Yes.”

  Keeping his gaze locked on mine, he pulled back before pushing inside me in one full, powerful thrust. I had expected the pain, but it still shocked me. I tensed beneath him, my nails digging into his shoulders as I let out a little whimper. Stephan kissed away my tears and whispered, “I’m so sorry, angel. You were made to take me. It’ll get better soon.”

  When the ache started to ease, I did an experimental wiggle of my hips to see if the movement made it worse. There wasn’t any pain. Instead, a spark of pleasure raced up my spine. “It feels so good already.”

  “Thank fuck becau
se I wasn’t sure how much longer I’d be able to hold still.” He pulled out and pushed back in. “Fuck, your pussy is so tight.”

  “Maybe it’s because you’re so big,” I gasped when his dick stroked against my inner walls.

  “My cock has waited centuries to sink inside your sweet pussy.” The pace of his thrusts picked up. He lowered his head to claim my mouth in a deep kiss, his tongue sweeping inside to tangle with mine. When he lifted his head again, I was breathless. “You were worth more than every single minute. If I knew you were at the end of it all, I’d gladly spend another six hundred and thirty-four years alone.”

  “Aw,” I sniffled, my eyes tearing up for a completely different reason this time. “You’re so sweet.”

  “Sweet?” he echoed, his hand gliding up my neck to fist my hair. “You can’t say that when I’m balls deep inside you, angel. I’ll be forced to show you exactly how not-sweet I can be.”

  “The sweetest,” I teased, getting more than I bargained for when he started to hammer in and out of me. All I could do was hold on tight while he fucked me hard.

  “Such a good girl, taking my dick all the way in your tight pussy.” He bottomed out deep inside me, and my eyes almost crossed at the pleasure. “You feel so perfect wrapped around my cock.”

  I whimpered as he crashed into my body harder, and my legs spread wider to accommodate his thrusts. “Oh, my.”

  “This pussy’s mine.” He pulled on my hair to tilt my head back so he could scrape his teeth against my neck. “Right, angel?”

  “Yes,” I gasped as he circled his hips.

  “I’ve never been happier to be a daywalker than right now, knowing that you’ll be mine forever.” He sucked on my skin hard enough to leave a mark, and I felt the tug of his mouth all the way in my core. “And that I get to sink inside your perfect pussy over and over again for the rest of our lives.”