The Circle

by Stella Berkley

  “What?” I yanked against my confinement, grunting with the effort. “We can’t do this here! Someone could walk in any second.”

  “Mmm, that they can.” His breath cooled my chin a moment before he nibbled on it. “Exciting, isn’t it?”

  Before I could retort, his hands slipped beneath my skirt and cupped my ass. My breath stalled somewhere in the depths of my throat. His knee wedged between mine and wiggled until I had no choice but to open to him. The sudden exposure to the air and thoughts of him quenching the raging inferno in my abdomen stripped me down to my primal instincts. By a tiny thread, I held on to the order to remain silent, to avoid being left in torment again.

  “You like this, don’t you, Katharine?” His lips brushed mine as he spoke.

  I stared back at his face half in shadow and half in dim light. His words filtered through my horny Neanderthal brain but had no meaning. My brows shifted together. Hips tilted forward, I wrapped my leg around his, suspended by my bound wrists.

  “I can smell your desire. Are you wet for me, lover?” He pulled the hem of my skirt up as he wiggled out of my weak hold and descended to his knees before me. The hunger in his gaze induced a delicious rush through my center. “Open for me.”

  Part of me rebelled against his control over me, but that voice of protest lessened to a whisper as my animal lust pulsed in the forefront. I reveled in my confinement, in the pleasure promised by his dark stare. While my tongue slicked over my lips, I obeyed his command and lifted my knee high before setting my heeled foot down farther away.

  He rubbed the back of his neck, and his lips curved in a naughty smile. Clearly he’d caught a glimpse of my wet, silk-covered slit as I’d intended.

  Devin’s lips played along the front of my thighs, and his fingers tickled behind my knees. It took every ounce of concentration and focus to stop my sighs and moans escaping from the depths where they were born. His kisses fell everywhere but the place I most wanted him, along my sensitive belly—avoiding my markings—on the underside of my breasts, up and down my inner thighs. If I hadn’t been more jazzed up than a teen raver on Ecstasy before he arrived, his touch still would have driven me to the edge of sanity.

  My fingers clenched and relaxed, and my toes curled and cracked as he pulled my panties aside. I thrust my hips forward, hoping to contact his tongue.

  Devin lapped at the crease where my thigh met my crotch. My mouth clamped shut as I stared down at him. After one teasing lick of my swollen lower lips, he sat back and tilted his face up to me. One painful button at a time, he revealed his glorious body. Chest, curved and smooth, abs carved by the gods, the muscular swell of his shoulders—all highlighted perfectly by the small light source from under the door.

  Words pooled in my throat, but instead of speaking them, I thought hard at him. “Please. No more teasing. I need you, Devin. Why haven’t you fucked me yet?” I hadn’t meant to think the last part. My already warm face burned.

  His full lips stretched into a smirk as if I’d done something to please him. “Soon, my love. In the second stage of bonding, I’ll take you all the way to the other side with me.”

  Before I had a chance to consider what that meant, his tongue slid between my nether lips and swirled around my nub. When his fingers opened me wide to his waiting mouth, my head dropped back, and I cried out.

  His oral assault ceased.

  “No, no, no! Please.” I panted and stared down at where he smirked up at me. “I’m sorry. I couldn’t—”

  Heeled footsteps stopped on the other side of the door.

  Oh, fuck!

  Every muscle in my body strained at once as I flailed in my restraints. The room spun in circles and upside down as the door opened. Light spilled over me. When my vision focused, I found myself standing alone in the center of the room, and the leather strap no longer bound my wrists.

  Blinking through the confusion and blinding rectangle of brightness in the doorway, I met Mother’s glare.

  “What are you doing here in the dark?” Her French-tipped nail flicked the switch on the wall.

  “I…uh…” I stared at my wrists, at my clothes that had been smoothed back over my body. Did I only imagine he’d been there? A glance up confirmed I hadn’t imagined his presence—the hook remained, as did the twitching of my clit. A shift of my legs let me know he’d taken my panties. I finally had sympathy for men complaining of blue balls.

  Hands on her hips, Mother strode forward in her gray pencil skirt. “Are you drunk?” She sniffed the air around me.

  My brow creased as my life came into focus for the first time. The intense arousal had not only drawn out my ability to write, it had also peeled away the shell I’d existed in since I’d been a child in Mother’s shadow. Why did I care what she thought of me? She’d never been a good mother. True, she’d kept me fed and clothed via her in-house cook and personal assistant, but never once had she hugged me or told me I’d made her proud. All the years I’d thought she had my best interests in mind, but she’d been using me all along to promote her causes.

  I smoothed fingers through my hair and breathed deeply as if some weight I hadn’t known existed had been removed. “You know what, Mother?” A smile grew on my lips despite the liquid state Devin had left me in. “I don’t give a fuck what you think. I’m done with you and your pathetic little publishing house.” As I strode past her gaping mouth and blazing eyes, I spoke over my shoulder. “I have a new muse, one who won’t tell me pretty lies. Good luck finding another sucker to promote your little dog and pony shows.”

  * * * * *

  For the remainder of the week, my focus centered on the new world I’d created inside my laptop. As I wrote, my condo, along with everything else, ceased to exist. I became my heroine as she explored her own sexual awakening.

  My momentum stalled out that Friday when my hero and heroine were about to graduate from sensual play to full-out sex. I stopped there, unwilling to write any more before I’d experienced Devin inside me for the first time.

  The ache for him—the one centered between my legs and around my heart—had worsened each day. I hadn’t seen him since he’d left me in the copy room the previous Monday, but I sensed him near whenever my fingers wandered too close to my slippery playground.

  Mother had threatened to sue me for breach of contract—even though she’d never thought to have me sign one—and to force me out of my condo because her name happened to be on the rental agreement, but I hadn’t received any legal papers, so I’d put her out of my mind.

  A glance at my watch reminded me I had two hours to get ready for my return to the Circle. Although I wanted to be wholly Devin’s more than I’d ever wanted anything before, the unknown of what might happen sent tingles of fear up my neck and lifted the downy hairs there to dance. Would our first fuck take place before an audience of immortals and their human companions? Was I okay with that?

  I bolted up from my desk, teeth worrying my lower lip. The need that gripped me demanded my compliance. Whatever happened, I’d accept it to be with Devin, even if a distant corner of my mind rattled off questions in whispers. My mental foot came down hard as I headed to the shower.

  Fretting over something I had no control over wouldn’t solve anything, anyway.

  Chapter Eight

  After drying my hair and securing it in a neat twist at the back of my head, I emerged from the bathroom. I’d taken no more than a step into my bedroom when a flash of something caught my eye. A white dress with a plunging neckline hung from my closet door. My heart leapt as I skipped over to it and traced a hand over the fabric. An identifiable material met my touch, soft and thin, but not shiny like silk.

  I dropped the towel from around my waist and slipped the dress over my head. It molded to my body as if made for me. I ran my palms up and down from thighs to breasts, marveling at the way the garment slid over my skin. The furnace in my nether regions heated as I imagined Devin’s hands replacing mine.

  As if summoned, hi
s sudden appearance injected me with a dizzying euphoria a moment before his strong hands slipped around my waist from behind. A sigh escaped me as he tugged me back against his hard body. His swollen cock, barely contained in his pants, pressed against my ass.

  “I’ve missed you, my Katharine.” His mouth nuzzled my throat. ”Mmm, you smell so good.”

  I opened my mouth, but closed it again. I’d vowed to keep my wits about me and not break the rules. “M-may I speak?”

  A snicker vibrated up his throat. “The game has not yet begun, but it pleases me that you asked all the same.” He spun me to face him fast enough my vision blurred. “Once we arrive at the Circle, you must observe the formalities. For now, we are free to be as we are.”

  My shaking fingers slid into the silk of his chestnut hair. I drew him closer and brushed my lips against his, our quickening breaths mingling and cooling my skin. His tongue darted out, and I captured it between my lips, plunged my own into his mouth. He growled as my hand slid down the front of his black suit pants. I gasped at his rock-like state—clearly I wasn’t the only one in need.

  Air rushed past me as the room whirled in a wash of white. My back contacted the bed hard as Devin threw me down and landed on top of me. I raised my knees to cradle him, moaning as the fabric of his pants pressed against my bare lower lips.

  His mouth crushed against mine, and I responded with urgency that bordered on panic. I yanked at the back of his shirt as I thrust my hips against him. Shining white daggers descended from beneath his upper lip. His face lowered until their tips grazed my throat.

  “Yes.” I hissed the word, eager to have him inside me, to drink from me. My eyes widened at the contradicting thoughts crashing through my mind. Did I want him to? How far down had I gone that I wished an immortal would sink his fangs into me? A sensory memory from his bite on my wrist captured every sense and erased my doubt. His growl echoed in my head. The otherworldly perfume of his skin invaded my nostrils. Pleasure traveled the length of my spine and dipped into my sex with hot, sticky needles of warmth.

  “So eager, but we must not indulge here.” He kissed my neck before climbing off the bed and offering me his hand.

  I whimpered at the absence of his weight but took his offered help and stood beside him. “Why are you torturing me?”

  His snicker added to my frustration. “There are customs that must be observed to ensure the validity and strength of our bond.” Devin’s fingertips brushed my collarbone, and I moaned, wanting his hands everywhere. “Now we must go. My sovereign does not take kindly to tardiness.”

  “What will happen tonight?”

  He pressed his lips against my forehead. “Your mind and body will be opened to the Circle and the possibilities within. Together, we will ascend to a higher state of being.”

  When he nudged me toward the door, I moved away from him. My eyes narrowed to slits. “Will you bite me again? Will you….” A shudder stole my air.

  “Do you trust me?” He gave me a dark, serious stare, as if my answer meant more than he could tell me.

  “I…” Did I trust him? I hardly knew the man, but somehow I knew, with every part of my being, that he wouldn’t intentionally hurt me. Even if I hadn’t trusted him, I still wanted everything he offered and more. “Yes.”

  A smile broke across his face, one I could stare at for hours and not tire of. “Good, then submit to me, and I’ll take care of you.”

  My heart swelled at the tenderness in his gaze, in the elegance of his cadence.

  Still wearing a broad smile, Devin took my hand and led me from the room.

  * * * * *

  My fingers worried over the hem of my dress. From the leather seat in the limousine, I stared at the source of my torment—so close, yet out of my reach, as Devin sat across from me, his grin never wavering.

  “Devin,” I thought at him. “Will we be alone…you know…when it happens? Whatever it is.”

  His finger traced the edge of the window next to him, his eyes following their path. If he’d heard me, it didn’t show.

  “Will I have to greet Malachi?” My hands clamped onto the upholstery on either side of my knees. I hated that Devin’s master could affect me the way he did and cause a dark titillation capable of making me lose control if I allowed it. Would his touch affect my marks the way Devin’s did?

  Stifling a shudder, I leaned forward and begged Devin with my eyes for an answer. My mouth opened, but I closed it again. I wanted to reach for him. My hand even made it a few inches toward his knee before I pulled back. He’d asked me if I trusted him, and I did. I only needed to relax and allow him to take care of me as he promised, to lead me toward a sexual awakening I needed like air.

  A new calm eased the tightness across my shoulders and my grip on the seat. I could be patient. I would be patient if he could teach me more, take me deeper into whatever reality he spoke of that waited beyond the climax we would soon share.

  Eyes closed, I concentrated on my heart to slow its rapid pace. My thighs, slick with my arousal, slid against one another as I squirmed under the throbbing heat within. The vibrations from the car only made matters worse, tickling my backside and teasing my aching clit.

  Something touched my cheek. A tiny scream burst from my lips as my eyes flew open to Devin on the seat beside me.

  “Forgive me, I didn’t mean to startle you. You looked so peaceful it pains me to disturb you.”

  After swallowing the giant lump in my throat, I nodded and patted my chest. “Have we arrived?”

  “We have.” He slid two fingers over the top of my hand, flipped it over in a gentle motion, and brought my wrist near his lips. His cool breath fanned across my mark, sending a zing over my stiff nipples and across my belly. “You have impressed me tonight, Katharine, and I don’t impress easily.”

  My brows knitted together. “Why?”

  “I’ve been hard on you, and in the grips of such need and uncertainty, I’m surprised you’re showing such restraint.”

  Intense joy bloomed in my center at his approval. Tingles rose to the surface of my skin.

  He opened the door, took my hand, and we exited the car. His fingers brushed a stray lock of hair from my cheek and tucked it behind my ear. “Tonight you will understand everything, my love. We will be as one. One mind. One soul. One pleasure beyond anything either of us has ever known. I’ve been waiting so long for you.”

  I gasped under his intense stare while it invaded me like a siren’s song. Every part of me screamed out its approval, that I was his and my wait would soon end. Somehow I’d been waiting for him, too, even though I’d never been consciously aware of it.

  His mouth sought mine, lips and tongue locked in a moist embrace. I found a tender promise in that kiss. If we would be together, then I would endure any discomfort. I would wait lifetimes if that’s what it took. In that moment, I finally understood addiction in its rawest, most viral form. Beneath the fear my revelation sparked in my gut. Excitement sent tremors through me in rolling waves.

  “Come, we mustn’t be late.” When Devin released me, he held out his arm. “Our game has now begun. I am your Dom, and you are mine. Do not speak without permission, and obey me no matter what I ask of you.”

  Uncertain if my legs would carry me anywhere, I slipped my shaking hand over the crook of his elbow and concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. Would I wake up and regret meeting him one day? Wind up in rehab because I couldn’t function without Devin’s touch? A frantic giggle slipped out before I could catch it as I imagined how the therapy sessions would go: “Yeah, I’m addicted to sex and blood play with an immortal.” I’d be committed for sure.

  “What’s so amusing?” Devin shot me a glance, his eyes sparkling with it.

  I shrugged, my face growing hotter by the second, and I found something interesting on the cement walkway to look at.

  He leaned closer as he tugged me toward the front doors. “Not all addictions are bad.”

  “Dammi
t!” My hand slapped over my mouth. He’d been listening to my thoughts.

  He whipped me around in front of him and gripped my chin with his fingers. Although the set of his mouth held a warning, his eyes shone with lingering humor. “This is your one warning. Don’t make me flog you before the Circle.” His lips played along my cheek up to my ear until I shivered and squirmed. “But perhaps you might enjoy that.”

  Judging by the endorphins flooding me, I thought I just might.

  Without meeting my wide eyes, he took us the rest of the way to the building and pulled open the glass door. Devin ushered me in first and followed after. Giant glass chandeliers dangling from the ornate ceiling shone a dim amber hue into the cavernous three-story lobby. Circular staircases ascended on both sides, leading to balconies that extended the length of the white room on the second and third floors.

  When I tore my gaze away from the spectacle before me, it dawned on me that we were alone. I glanced at Devin. By the twitching of his jaw, I thought maybe it surprised him, too.

  A set of double doors swung open on the far side of the room. A black cloaked figure emerged and glided toward us, his robe billowing out behind.

  I squeezed Devin’s hand, and he tugged me close to his body, wrapping a protective arm around my shoulders. His bicep flexed and hardened to stone where it pressed against my back. My breath quickened as the immortal drew closer.

  “Sovereign.” Devin offered a subtle nod of his head before focusing on me. “Offer him your wrist, Katharine.”

  Shit. I hesitated a moment before turning my left wrist up to Malachi and clenching my teeth. I told myself to think of drowning kittens and wrinkled old men. I chanted the mantra several times, but my anticipation of getting caught up in an orgasmic dance grew anyway.

  Malachi moved to stand in front of me. His flaming gaze locked onto mine. At my squirming, Malachi chuckled and brushed his fingers over my mark.

  I whimpered and shifted when his mouth replaced his hand, kissing and licking along the black imprint of my bond with Devin. Sparkling fire traveled deep into my body. Pressure grew between my thighs, one I wanted and didn’t at the same time—not from him.