Courted by the Vampire

by Sandra Sookoo

  Well done, Hannah. I do not detect him any longer, but I will stand guard for a few moments to be sure.

  “Thank you.” For the moment, at least, she was alive, and Edwin was safe.

  Exhausted by her mental exertion, she drifted into a dreamless sleep, content with the knowledge he was her telepathic silent sentinel.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “How are you feeling, spatzi?” Hannah stretched and opened her eyes. A jolt of pleasure stabbed through him as he gazed into the green depths. “Have you lost the will to complain?”

  A smile parted her lips. “I feel extremely well, as if I’d been away on a vacation of sorts and had days of rejuvenating sleep.” She touched his cheek. “It’s good to be back.”

  Edwin shifted positions to kneel before her. Relief washed over him like a gentle summer rain. “I thought I lost you. You were out for close to sixteen hours.” He brought her hand to his lips, kissing her fingers. “It now nears half past ten in the evening. I remained in your mind for a good portion of that time. Andre did not come back.”

  With a deep breath, she maneuvered into a sitting position. “Thank you for saving my life. I don’t know what else to say that would even come close to my gratitude.” She glanced up, apparently distracted.

  He followed her gaze. Stars twinkled overhead in the soft velvety darkness. “Did you really think I could just let you die without a fight?” He focused on her inviting curves. “I have much of my time invested in you. Besides, there is unfinished business between us.”

  A deep blush stained her cheeks. “But I thought my mind collapse was caused by our, uh, when we…” She stumbled to an embarrassed halt as he pulled her into a kneeling position. “I mean, that’s what we were engaged in when I was attacked the first time.”

  He tapped into her mind. Tightly packed swirls of tan and gray flickered through her consciousness. She was nervous. That knowledge brought with it unaccustomed laughter. For all her heated glances and subtle hints at intimacy, Hannah felt uncomfortable. “The exchange of physical affection between us would not have called Andre into your mind. It just happened at a very inopportune time when you were otherwise occupied. As you become more confident with your ability, you can leave the mental shields in place even as you do other things.” He grabbed her hand and stood, stooping slightly, bringing her with him. “I want to show you something.” He tugged her outside.

  Her steps faltered. “What’s this?”

  Spread on a clear patch of ground near the entrance of the tree was a snowy white blanket. A pile of fruit rested in the middle with a couple of water bottles nearby.

  Her eyes registered confusion first then delight. “What…?”

  “I am inviting you to dinner.” The corners of his mouth lifted in a tiny smile. Uncertainty clenched cold fingers around his heart. What if she refuses? “I realize we are temporarily waylaid in the forest but while you were recuperating, I found the fruit and water in your bag. I hope you do not mind.” He folded himself onto the blanket, pulling her down beside him.

  “I brought the food for the both of us.” She scrubbed at the moisture on her cheeks. “This is very nice. Thank you.”

  Her happiness radiated into his mind as the palest lavender. “The blanket is from Horace’s camp. I did not think he would miss it.” He peeled an orange then handed her the segments, one at a time. “I had a chance to do some exploring while you were asleep. I tried to relocate Horace, but they have moved on.” He swallowed hard then leaned close to lick a drop of juice from her chin.

  “Thanks. Where are we?”

  He held the flood of desire building within him in check. He did not wish to frighten her away. “Deep in the forest, miles from where Horace’s camp was. It will take one day, two at the most, to return to the lakeshore.”

  Hannah shook her head. “I don’t want to return to the lakeshore. We need to locate someone named Corinne the Wise.” She wiped her fingers on her jeans, leaving wet streaks behind. “Apparently, she’ll know where Duncan is being held. I need to tell you…”

  He cocked his head to one side, but held her gaze. What is it? You wish to say more but are unsure of yourself.

  Emotions flitted across her face like a slide show—incredulity, doubt, resolution. And finally love. She blinked. How can this be?

  These things happen. He grinned and peeled another piece of fruit. He had been in her mind for many hours, and had seen the emotions she just now discovered.

  “No.” She shook her head more vehemently. It’s too soon. I’ve only known you for a week.

  Yes, but we have been in each other’s company all day and all night for each of those days. It is enough time for such feelings to grow. He chewed on an orange segment, content to let her digest the revelation. She felt love for him.

  The knowledge made his chest tighten with strong emotion. Warmth filled his being at the thought of returning that feeling but he also knew it would be dangerous to get involved, both physically and emotionally. It could harm them both. It could compromise their mission. He glanced at her, and his heart constricted. Perhaps feeling such a thing for another person was Nature’s way of letting a human know they were alive, needed. Loved.

  He did not pursue the issue. In time, he would sort it out for himself. For now, it was enough he knew what she felt. Edwin gathered the remaining orange peel into a tidy pile. “Tell me about the Goddess of the Earth. You have a rather vivid memory of her. I am curious to know when you met her.” He sliced an apple with his knife then handed a few pieces to her. The mere brush of her fingers against his caused tremors of need to dance through his nerve endings.

  “To put it bluntly, I died. When I asked for your help, it was because I got a second chance at life. Andre had controlled my mind and overloaded my brain functions until I had a stroke.” She took a deep, shuddering breath, and then continued. “When I left this life, I joined the Earth Mother. Did you know she lives in a sort of nether world? It’s sort of a resting place between lives. She gave me the choice to either move on or return to this life.”

  “Obviously, you chose to return. My question is why.” He popped a piece of fruit into his mouth, savoring the sweet crunch. “I know you did not come back because you enjoy spending so much time in the forest.” His voice was quiet, curious, but polite. He would not hurry the story along.

  She made a strangled sound in her throat. “No, I don’t like being out here very much. I’ve never been a camper. My idea of enjoying nature is through an air-conditioned window.” Nervous laughter escaped, and she stood, only wobbling a bit.

  “Why did you come back, spatzi?” Edwin rose to stand behind her, his lips to her ear. “Why? You could have had a better life, a less complicated life.” He needed to hear the explanation in her own words.

  “Would I like a less complicated life? Not really. I’ve gotten used to the problems of this one. I don’t want to have to re-learn a new set.”

  “Hannah.”

  “Okay.” She spun around to face him. “I came back to save your life. Danu showed me what would happen to you if I wasn’t around, constantly badgering you every day. She showed me you would have forfeited your life and allowed your vampire genes to take over. You would have become a monster, the very thing you’re fighting so hard against.”

  “I would have resisted as long as I could.” He gripped her waist, his gaze on her perfect lips. “I have been told I am quite stubborn.”

  Her laugh sounded forced. “I refuse to give up on you. Whether you want to believe it or not, you’re a good person. Besides, we have a job to finish, unless you want Andre to take over the Eight Realms and continue to kidnap your friends?” Whatever the Eight Realms are.

  It is a long explanation. I will tell you another time. The warmth from earlier erupted into flames of desire the longer he touched her. “You are right, Andre needs to be stopped.” He crushed her in his arms, holding her close. “Thank you for believing in me. You will never know how much I appreci
ate that. My grandfather would be so proud.”

  She sighed into his shoulder. “You still need to reveal what that grandfather of yours told you about me.”

  Edwin pressed his lips to hers with gentle care. “That story will wait for another time as well. Tonight, I have plans of a different sort.” He released her to grab the extra fruit and the blanket, and then he tugged her into the tree. He barely had time to situate the brush and twigs across the “door” before she threw herself into his arms. Bemused, he allowed her to extricate him from his vest and tunic. His earlier assessments of her were wrong. Hannah hid a fierce side of her personality and it fascinated him.

  “Geez, Edwin, if I knew how great you looked without a shirt, I would have made up some reason for you to strip earlier.” She ran her hands over his chest, tangled her fingers in the coarse black hair that peppered his skin.

  You’re the hottest man I’ve seen outside of Hollywood, but at least I get to touch you.

  He chuckled. She would never curb her compulsion to blurt out her thoughts. “It is just a chest. Every man has one.” He downplayed her comment, but he let her look for as long as she wanted. It gave him great pleasure to do so. When she walked her fingers down his torso to play with the waistband of his pants, his benevolence snapped. “Patience, spatzi. Lovemaking is an art.”

  A petulant frown marred her expression. “You know how I hate going slow.”

  He untied the cord at her waist then drew the dress over her head, letting it fall to the ground in a heap. “There are certain circumstances where instant gratification is not a desirable trait.”

  Heat infused his bones when she freed him from the loose drawstring pants. She placed a kiss on his hip. He swallowed a groan. His muscles tightened when she caressed his thighs with the briefest of touches. Edwin attempted to regulate his breathing, but he was lost. He brushed his fingers over her cheeks, but she batted him away. When she caressed his buttocks, all the while pressing light kisses into his abdomen, he groaned aloud, only because she chose to giggle when his erection strained against his jockey shorts.

  “I warned you two days ago not to play with fire.” He pulled her into a standing position, desperate to possess her lips.

  She smiled against his mouth. “In this case I don’t mind being burned.” She traced his lips with her tongue and the rest of the wall that kept his feelings at bay cracked. “Show me why the Forest Witch gets so hot and bothered when she sees you.” She rubbed her hips against his. “Show me that man.”

  “You will not be sorry.” He chuckled as he knocked her legs out from under her, cushioning her fall to the ground with his arms.

  “That’s a good start, bounty hunter.”

  “This is only the beginning.” He leaned away from her in order to slip out of the binding jockeys. Two seconds later, he joined her on the blanket, his mouth dry in anticipation. “You have beautiful curves. Never feel inferior to other women. You have nothing to envy them for.” His hands moved on her body as if she was made from the most valuable silk and he could not get enough. He felt her shudder, and then he pressed his lips to her forehead. “You are quite bewitching.”

  She arched her back as he proceeded to cover every inch of her body with kisses. Gently, he slipped the sexy black panties from her hips, trailing kisses down her legs while he went. He fumbled with the hooks on her bra, but she brushed his fingers away to make short work of it herself.

  “You’ll need to work on that skill.”

  “I’ll show you skill, minx.” He closed his mouth on a hardened nipple, teasing it with his tongue. He grinned when her breath came in small pants.

  “Edwin.” His name floated on a sigh.

  He ignored her cry since he was nowhere near close to inviting her surrender. She clutched his shoulders when he teased her sensitive folds with his fingers. He wanted to give her the pleasure she gave him.

  “Edwin, please.” She nipped at his chest, a finger tangled in the hair there.

  He continued to tease her cleft, drawing out her very essence. The first tiny ripples of her bliss began as she tightened around his fingers. “Please what, Hannah? Please do this?” He kneaded her breasts, molding them to his palms. He wanted to own her body, to bring her to the brink of insanity with his lips.

  She pressed herself into him. It was his turn to gasp as she stroked the hard length of his shaft. She tormented and caressed, taunting with her fingers, warning him that she would merely share control. He swallowed, nearly at the brink, but he willed himself to wait. He claimed her lips, savoring the silky softness of her body as he deepened the kiss in an effort to taste all of her.

  Orange clouds of her misgivings suddenly shot into his mind. She pressed her palms against his chest. What if we don’t fit together? What if you’re too big? What if I’m too small?

  Edwin brushed wisps of hair from her forehead. He licked a path down the column of her throat, laving each nipple with his tongue. He blew on the wetness until she lay gasping beneath him. We will fit. Stop thinking and enjoy.

  For one agonizing second, he wasn’t sure she’d let him finish. Then, she sighed and relaxed against him to press a tiny kiss to his chest. His heart contracted with joy.

  “Now.” He pushed into her, burying himself in her warmth. For the first time in his existence, sex with a woman became something more than just a physical act. He and Hannah were one, joined until he did not know where he ended and she began. Repeatedly, he thrust into her, harder and faster, until all reason left, replaced by genuine happiness. It flowed through him as if he was made of water, and she the pitcher.

  It made all the difference.

  As his release blended with hers, golden sparks and ice blue butterflies filled his mind. Hannah shared a powerful connection with him that went beyond the co-mingling of their supernatural abilities. He enjoyed her mind’s images and was satisfied when they dance through his. He pressed kisses to her damp forehead and collapsed alongside her, his breathing ragged.

  “You are mine, spatzi. We belong together.” He drew her close, content with his lot in life for the first time in many years.

  *****

  Terror and darkness surrounded her as flames licked hungrily at the bonfire. The heat of the fire warmed her side. Frantically, she tugged on the chains that bound her to the wall. Her eyes watered from the smoke filling the room.

  To her left Edwin lay crumpled on the ground. A pool of blood slowly spread beneath his battered body. It reflected the fire. To her right the giant bonfire raged, the flames grew larger as shadowy figures continually fed it with logs.

  Evil laughter echoed through the room. The whole pile of logs shifted until it was under her feet. She screamed and tried frantically to free herself. The hem of her dress caught fire, the flames greedily consuming her body, her skin blistered with the heat, intense pain seared through her…

  Hannah awoke the next morning with a start. Confused and disoriented from the dream, she blinked and came face to face with the furry body of a squirrel. It sat squarely on her stomach, as it examined her with beady black eyes.

  Uttering a strangled sort of squawk, she wrapped the blanket around herself. She scrambled over Edwin’s sleeping form to put his body between the intrusive rodent and her. “Shoo! Get out of here!” She fluttered a hand at the beast. It continued to stare with its cold black gaze.

  Edwin grumbled and focused sleep-bleary eyes on her. “What are you doing? If you didn’t want to have a conversation with the animal, why did you bring it in here?” Amusement wove through his voice to flood her mind with glorious watermelon color. “Why are you talking with the animal anyway?”

  She smacked his naked arm, supremely satisfied at his grunt of pain. “I didn’t invite it in! It probably came in through the hole at the top of the tree. The only thing I want now is for it to be out!” She glared at the squirrel, and emitted a squeak of alarm when it advanced a couple of steps. “Do something! It’s coming!”

  He rolled his eyes
. “It is just a squirrel. It is not a mountain lion.”

  Her heart slammed into her ribcage. “Are there mountain lions out here?” She hastily got to her feet when the squirrel zig-zagged to the left on its little black feet, its nose wiggling. “Don’t let it get me!”

  “Never, in my whole career as a bounty hunter, have I been commissioned to capture a small rodent.” Edwin grumbled as he gathered bits of his clothing from the ground.

  Hannah peeked over the top of the blanket as he skimmed his jockey shorts over powerful hips. His drawstring pants followed shortly afterward, hiding his legs from view. She raked her gaze over the sculpted lines of his back. His dusky skin still showed a few scratches where she’d gotten a bit rambunctious last night. She sighed with remembered satisfaction. “Thanks for catching the squirrel.” She giggled when Edwin threw her a look full of exasperation. Yes, his sense of humor is coming along very nicely indeed.

  Soon I can call him Snookums without any problem at all.

  Not in this lifetime. That matter is closed.

  She practically vaulted across the small space when the squirrel moved a fraction of an inch. “Hurry!”

  “One moment.” His sigh was long-suffering as he parted the branches that served as the door and encouraged the rodent from the tree. “Mission accomplished.” He replaced the branches then approached her. “Ordinarily, I would collect my fee upon the completion of my task, but in this case I can make an exception.” He lifted an eyebrow and reached for the blanket.

  Hannah clutched at the covering. She ignored the way her body executed a meltdown as he nibbled her neck. “How very kind of you.”

  “Come, Hannah. The squirrel interrupted our sleep. You have completely worn me out after last night’s escapades. I am not a young man any longer.” He drew her down onto the ground, and wrapped his arms around her, spooning them together under the soft blanket.