Dark Awakening

by T. A. Grey

  But Rome wasn't a monster. While she didn't know that for certain, a part of her wanted to take a chance. Damn it all, she didn't know what to do. Her nipples were crying out to be pinched, her skin was sensitized to even the softest of touches, and her core throbbed like a rapid pulse between her legs. She was so hot and wet.

  God she wanted him. Like a dying plant needed water, like a woman needed a man.

  Her mind made up, she dialed the one man she trusted, the one man who was safe, and that man definitely wasn't Rome Kategan.

  She could hear the breathless excitement in his voice at her request. His voice wasn't deep like Rome's but it was nice. He promised to be there in thirty minutes and hung up. Alison made another call to the sentry guard. Sarina told her that if she needed anything to let them know, so she called to tell them to allow her male visitor when he arrived.

  She grabbed her bottle of champagne by the neck and took a long gulp. The tangy bubbles sizzled on her tongue and left a pleasantly sweet and crisp taste in her mouth. For a moment, she considered putting clothes on for when he arrived, but her skin was too sensitive. Each touch felt like it was supercharged a thousand times stronger than usual. She couldn't even bear the touch of the couch against her.

  She paced in front of the fireplace. She'd planned on lighting it and sitting by the fire with a book all night. That was until her breeding cycle roared to life. She chewed on her bottom lip and ran a hand through her hair, probably messing up her bangs in the process. A dark feeling was eating at her like a parasite. She recognized it as guilt.

  "God, I can't believe this," she muttered. She actually felt guilty over calling John. It wasn't like Rome was anything to her; in fact, she'd learned her lesson about gorgeous men. He was bad news. But then why did she feel like she wanted to go hide in the closet and not come out when John came to the door?

  Her core throbbed, warning her of its emptiness, threatening her with its steady pulse to fill it or else. Already the painful stomach cramp started. If she didn't have sex soon she'd been in real pain. Masturbating only staved off the pleasure so much. God, just thinking about how Sarina had dealt with this without a man for so many years was horrible. Her father was monster for doing such a thing.

  Just then, there was a knock at her door. Alison flew to it and flung it open. John's jaw dropped at seeing her flush, naked body. Her chest was heaving, her legs spread, and the scent of her sex filled the air like smoke. He closed his jaw and she looked down his body to see his erection pushing through his khaki pants. A part of her pulled her back a little and told her no, but the animal inside her, the lykaen told her to rip off his pants and sit on his cock. She couldn't help it, the animal was out of the cage, and she leaped at him with a growl.

  He caught her around the waist as she wrapped her arms and legs around him. He groaned as her mouth found his. His lips were thinner, his body not as strong, not as tall, didn't smell as good or feel right, but she didn't care. She was going to have him.

  He stumbled back with her until the porch railing stopped him. Her tongue was in his mouth and her hands scratching over his back. She pulled back to tell him to pull out his cock, but she was interrupted. Well, interrupted was a tame word for what happened.

  She was wrenched away by a strong grip, and in the next blink, she saw Rome slamming his fist into John's face.

  "No! Stop it!" she yelled and pushed Rome away. He didn't look at her, just panted, and stared down at John who was having trouble keeping his eyes open. "What do you think you're doing?"

  "He was touching you." He jerked her up against his body and his pupils darkened and dilated as he looked at her. Then he took a deep shuddering breath. "You're breeding." He growled and her body wept at the sound.

  "Y-yes," she whispered. Suddenly she felt like a deer caught in headlights. She was utterly captivated by him. His scent, his body, his voice, all of them pulled her towards him as if they were two polarized magnets, irresistibly drawn together.

  "Tell John he's leaving and not to come back around here again." His hands grabbed her naked hips and brought her flush against his body. She moaned at the feel of all his hard strength and whimpered at the unmistakable hardness of his cock.

  Somehow she tore her gaze away to see John come to a stand, his legs a little unsteady. "I'm so sorry, John. Please go." He looked at her, his lips in a flat line then looked at Rome with a wounded expression before turning to leave. Alison wanted to cry out to him, she felt so awful for everything, but she couldn't because Rome picked her up and was taking her into the house. Oh my God, she thought her mind buzzing. I'm going to have sex with Rome Kategan.

  Chapter 6

  Rome couldn't think straight over the roar of blood in his ears. His cock was harder than it'd been in his life.

  He'd received a call from the guards that Alison was having a visitor over, a male visitor. Rome had watched curiously, and more than a little angry, as the thin man knocked on Alison's door. But after he saw her launch herself at him completely naked, he knew two things. One, that he was going to kill this man and two, something was wrong. The shy, modest Alison would not fling herself naked at a man in public without reason.

  That's the reason he gave himself for marching over to her cabin and planting his fist into the thin man's face. The scent of her breeding heat hit him like a punch to the gut, had his heart knocking against his ribs with a hard staccato rhythm. She smelled ripe and fresh like pure woman and honey. God, he'd never smelled anything so good.

  He didn't feel like he was all there in his head. He felt overcome with lust and desire, feelings he'd already harbored in abundance for her. Looking down at the wiggling vixen in his arms, Rome knew he was going to take her good and hard.

  Something stopped him though from just shoving in her like he wanted to, like she wanted to judge by her soft, needy eyes. "Alison, tell me you want me. Tell me you want this." He hated that he sounded like he was begging, but damn he couldn't help it. She wrapped her arms tighter around his neck, the movement lifting her closer to his lips.

  "I've only wanted you."

  Her soft words hit him like a sledgehammer to the head. His cock throbbed painfully and his sac drew up tight to his body. Before he realized what he was doing, he was kissing her. It was all tongues, lips, and breaths mixing together struggling for dominance. He put her down on the rug before the unlit fireplace and followed her down. He pulled back from her lips to look down at her naked body.

  "Beautiful." His guttural complement sent a shudder through her body. Her head fell back, exposing the long line of her throat and he followed the path with his mouth pressing hot kisses there then sucking the skin when she gasped. His hands found her breasts and squeezed.

  Good God, they were large and full, filling his big hands. He wanted to go slowly, learn her body, and let her learn his, but she would have none of that. He didn't know whether it was her breeding cycle or if this eagerness was usual for her, but her hands found the button and zipper of his pants and undid both of them.

  She pulled out his cock and squeezed the hard steel making him groan and curse harshly. Grabbing her wrists in his hand, he planted her arms above her head. She looked like a virgin sacrifice and he wanted nothing more than to take her ripe offering.

  "Slow," he said.

  Her hooded eyes met his and she shook her head no. "Hard, fast, now." He was ready to tell her no, when suddenly she wrapped her arms around him and with surprising strength rolled them over until he was on his back and she was on top.

  "Just wait," he growled.

  She didn't.

  She lifted her lips, nudged his cock to the hot throbbing heat of her sex, and sunk home. Moaning wildly, she lifted and sank further and further until she fit as much of him into her as she could.

  Rome stopped complaining, stopped thinking altogether. His hand and mouth found her breasts, sucked, and squeezed as her tight flesh gripped and massaged his cock like a wet fist. She was so passionate above him, like a
sexual goddess straddling his cock, finding a rhythm that had her panting, and crying out.

  He pinched her nipple and lifted his hips higher, driving his cock deeper into her and she froze above him, her mouth open in a silent scream as her body broke into hard, trembling shudders. Her climax was the sexiest thing he'd ever seen. Her eyes were wide open with shock as is she was experience her first orgasm, her chest was flushed red with excitement, and her sex gripped him repeatedly, stroking his own orgasm from him.

  He grabbed her hips in his strong hands and lifted her so he could plunge into her quivering core. The fading strokes of her orgasm pulled at him, squeezed him, until he grunted, slammed in one last time and came harder than he'd ever come before. She moaned and wiggled above him as his come soothed her throbbing womb.

  Alison collapsed on top of Rome and fought to catch her breath against the rise and fall of his big chest. She felt like a doll resting on his chest. A wave of calm, warm, security wrapped over her like a blanket. She settled into that warmth with a smile.

  Warm hands trailed down the naked expanse of her back and up into her hair. It felt so good to be touched again, touched like she mattered, like she was wanted.

  She had been touched like that once before. Alison jerked away, stumbled to a stand on unsteady knees. Rome smiled lazily at her like a naughty god wanting to be punished for his wicked ways.

  Alison swallowed hard, squeezing her eyes shut at the layers of hard muscle contouring his arms, chest, and legs. Not again. Cold fear flowed through her veins like icy water.

  "Get out," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. She managed to open her eyes again with a strength she didn't actually feel. Rome's smile was gone, the happy crinkle at his eyes gone, and in its place was a cold mask of indifference or maybe anger. She couldn't tell which, but she hated even more that she had made him lose that smile. Why did she have to be so fucked up? If only her choices in life had been different and then she met Rome, maybe she would be different.

  But she wasn't. "Please get out."

  Rome stood, his jaw tight, and jerked on his clothes. When he finished he spoke. "You shouldn't be alone during your breeding cycle. I will take care of you with no obligations, Alison." As he spoke he crossed to her, for each step he took, she retreated until finally he had her backed up against the wall.

  He reached out and ran his hand over her cheek and into her hair. He stared into her eyes with a soft glow that spoke of understanding, knowing, caring.

  "I know you don't know me, but I am a good male. I can protect you, if you let me." Alison shivered at his words and wondered if he meant to protect her from more than her breeding cycle.

  Was he offering long-term protection? Did he care for her? Did he feel this magnetic pull like she did? A part of her yearned to cave in to his words and let his strong arms close around her and protect her. But she knew better than that, had lived the harshness of a cruel man. A man she'd trusted, a man she'd loved.

  "I can't, I'm sorry. Please just go." She hated the way her voice broke over the words. She closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to see his face. She grew colder as he moved away from her. A slight trembling began in her stomach and threatened to spread but she clamped down hard and fought it.

  She heard the door open, but couldn't look at him. "If you need me at all, if you change your mind, come find me. I can't stay away from a beautiful woman." The door shut softly behind him.

  "Then go find another one." Alison thought she heard him say no, but wasn't sure. The door shut softly behind him.

  She expected to feel relief, delirious satisfaction even. She was safe now. But she didn't. Instead she felt hollow like an empty shell. Alone and cold like a dying star surrounded by a vast darkness of nothing. But for a while she'd felt warmer than she had in years. And so very alive.

  Going to the coffee table, she grabbed the unfinished bottle of champagne and down the last of it. The sweet liquid though did nothing to make her feel better.

  It didn't miraculously change her life or send her back in time to make a different decision. Instead she collapsed against the hallway, stumbled down the hall to her bedroom, and fell onto the bed.

  * * *

  "You don't listen well, bitch."

  "I'm sorry, I will do better next time. I swear, please don't hurt me, Prince Conlin." The female trembled, hiding her face in the floor below her, but the scent of her musky arousal floated in the air like incense.

  "Don't use my name, whore. You're not worthy to speak of me." He grabbed her hair in a fist and lifted her face to smack her hard on the cheek. The reddened skin hardened his cock better than any woman's hand could. He tightened his hand in her hair until her eyes watered in pain, and then he held her in that position and felt his cock grow longer. "You failed me once. Do you know what will happen if you do it again?"

  He brought his other hand up to squeeze her slender throat. It would be so easy for him to squeeze the life out of her. When her watery eyes lifted to his, she realized it too. Real fear now replaced her fake struggles. She tried to jerk her hair out of his hand, but he held on tight and laughed, his lips curling cruelly. His cock was throbbing now, a hard rod jutting from his hips. He brought the tip to her lips, but she clamped them tight.

  He squeezed her throat in warning. "Do it. Bite me and you'll never regret another thing in your life." Tears spilled down her cheeks as her mouth opened. He pushed in the wet heat of her and growled. Her lips pressed loosely over his, her tongue lax, but he didn't care. That's what made his chest pump faster and his hips thrust harder. He hit the back of her throat and she gagged, so he did it again. "Don't bite me," he gritted through clenched teeth. His hand tightened reflexively on her throat as his come boiled in his balls, readying to explode. He twisted her hair tighter and watched her wince.

  Only then did he come.

  "Alison," he groaned, closing his eyes and seeing her face, her dark hair, and glasses. It was her mouth he came in and not the blonde.

  Pulling his wet, soft dick out, he bent down low to the female. "I look forward to you fucking up again, Sandra. It will be so much worse next time." He jerked the woman up and kissed her on her tear stained lips.

  Chapter 7

  Alison awoke to a fiery burn throbbing deep within her sex. Her nipples were hard, puckered peaks and her core was pulsing with wet heat. The cotton comforter below her scratched her highly sensitized skin as if it were sandpaper, yet it didn't hurt her, instead she rubbed her back against it like a cat begging for attention.

  Her hands cupped her breasts, squeezing the flesh and pulling the hard nipples, but it only served to fuel the sexual fire burning inside her. One man, one image popped up inside her mind only to keep returning each time she tried to shove him out. Rome with his taunting smile and beckoning eyes.

  Leave me alone, she wanted to shout, but she moaned instead as her fingers sunk deep inside her. But her fingers weren't thick enough, weren't long enough to give her what she needed. Weren’t him. She tried to think rationally, tried to organize her thoughts but she might as well try meditating her breeding cycle away. Yeah right.

  She tore her fingers from her body and stood like a woman about to pounce. It was the middle of the night and there was only one thing she wanted. With each step down the hallway she told herself why this was a very terrible idea: you can't trust him, he might hurt you, you don't want this, you really do want this, and he’s the sexiest man you've ever seen.

  Her fingers curled around the doorknob before she realized she was naked. Running back to her room, she grabbed her red satin nightgown. She moaned at the liquid feeling of it as it brushed over her nipples and stomach. She cupped her breasts and massaged the plump flesh until she reached the front door.

  She didn't know if she was making the right choice or not, but she was taking a chance. She flung open the door and marched across the yard, steely determination in her stride.

  The cold wood floor beneath her feet helped to calm her b
urning ardor for a moment. She raised her fist to knock and hesitated. Even over the roar of unsatisfied hunger in her head she questioned whether this was the right choice or not. Taking a deep breath, Alison knocked. Once she started, she couldn't stop. She knocked faster and harder until finally the door swung open to a disheveled Rome.

  He looked absolutely delicious. He wore nothing except a pair of soft looking sleep pants that hung low on his tight waist. Squinting at the face on his pajama pants, she shook her head in disbelief. "Is that Jacob on your pants. Jacob from Twilight?"

  His eyes stopped their slow perusal of her nightgown to toss her a wide grin. "Sure is. These were a gift from Vera. She has a thing for Edward herself."

  "Right, of course." She was going to say something, she didn't know what, but lost all train of thought as he grabbed on to the top of the doorframe and leaned forward. Her mouth went dry like the desert as the muscles in his arms and chest tightened and flexed to perfection. She licked her lips as her eyes traced over his tanned skin.

  She wanted to remember his body always, for the nights when she was alone in her bed. His nipples were flat and sexy, a darker shade than his tan skin. His hair rested loosely around his shoulders. She loved the light shades of wheat and how they mixed with the darker color brown at his roots.

  "I suppose you didn't come here for tea."

  She shook her head no, and suddenly had an urge too strong to ignore—like an itch that wouldn't go away. Her eyes dropped down, past his belly button and the thin layer of light hair there, and she moaned at the obvious erection he had.

  "As you can tell, I would not object to easing your body. I can smell your heat." His voice went low and his eyes shuttered as if in pain. "God, you smell good, like warm honey and pure woman rolled into one sexy package." He gave her a look of raw honestly and possession.

  She walked up to him and slung her arms around his neck like a courtesan. He sucked in his breath as she pressed her body against his and her beast purred in response. His hard muscles touched her in all the right ways. She was only missing one thing now.