by Jackie Ivie
He grabbed for her hands. Pulled them from him. Gripped one in each of his and rolled. And oh! She was perfect! She moved in concert with him. Plastered in place. Her limbs lithe. Slender. Yet muscled.
And her thighs...
By Odin! She had thighs designed to delve between.
He ripped her pants open further. She wore a garment beneath them. Panties. Red. Silken. He shoved them to one side. His thumb touched her nub and she gasped. Jerked.
What was this? Women could achieve satisfaction?
Ethelstone did it again and got almost the same exact sequence of reactions. So he did it a third time, only this time he began vibrating with his thumb. Faster. Harder. Her heartbeat grew loud enough to hear. Each beat more strident. Heavier. Her breaths came quicker. Small cries started accompanying each one. And then her thighs locked about him. Her body went rigid. She tossed her head back, and sent the sweetest cry into existence. She pulsed against him. The movements harsh, non-rhythmic. Strong.
All kinds of chaos happened. The fireplace even shot sparks outward. Ethelstone was at her entrance. Her hand was the one guiding. Her hips lifted to meet him. She sucked him in, encasing him with wet fire. Surrounded him in coils of paradise. She was so tight. Unbelievably small. He was having trouble fitting. Every inch gave him another shot of pleasure that bordered on pain. He pulled out a bit. Shoved back in. Did it again. Her sheath stretched. Flexed. Each time sending all kinds of stimuli. Waves of it rippled through him as he moved, each time getting closer to filling her.
“Don’t stop, Ethelstone. Oh, baby! Don’t stop!”
Was she mad? Stopping anything would be impossible. He shoved up from her, lifting his chest. Gained leverage. So he could push again. Deeper. Harder.
“It’s been...so long. Oh! Ethelstone. I want! I need!”
Whatever she wanted, he was willing to give. He tightened his chest and arms. Pushed again. And her body finally accepted him. Fully. And, as he watched, she started pulsing against him again, alternately sucking him in and sliding him out of her sheath. Her skin grew ruddy in the firelight’s glow, and she gave another long cry of satiation.
What was this? Women could achieve satisfaction more than once?
The smallest bit of his mind pondered it. The rest of him went berserk. He found himself upright. He didn’t know how. Stephanie was plastered to him, her legs wrapped about him, her arms about his shoulders. His hands gripped her buttocks, heaving her up and down as he pounded into her. Again and again.
The fire swelled. A chorus of warmth reached out and grabbed at him. Her cavern sucked and fondled and pleasured. Satisfaction grew closer. Sweeter. Nearer. He pumped harder.
Faster.
Deeper.
One final push...
And he exploded.
Ethelstone grabbed Stephanie to him and heaved backward, launching a massive groan of seeming agony as he did so. He shook as bliss erupted throughout his entire body. They rose off the floor. Hovered in mid-air. His body went through spasm after spasm of absolute euphoria. Ecstasy. Complete and total wonder.
For the barest fraction of time, he was touching the hallowed halls of Valhalla.
And he knew it.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“Oh Ethelstone...that was—. It was—. It just—. I can’t describe—. Wow. I can’t even finish a sentence here.”
The response was a rumbling noise through his throat where Stephanie had her ear pressed. She’d never felt so wondrously alive. Replete. Happy. Supremely satiated. The scope of it was beyond fathoming. If there was such a thing as an afterglow, she had it.
“I mean—oh. I don’t know what I mean.”
“It was good?” he asked, his voice faltering slightly.
Stephanie huffed. “Oh, please. You are probably one of the best lovers on the planet. I’m sure I’m not the only girl to tell you that. And that means—crap. We should have used protection.”
She lifted her head. Ethelstone’s face was lit by firelight on one side, shadowed on the other. He had his lips in a kissable pout. His eyes narrowed. The man was beyond gorgeous. He was beautiful. Comparing him to a fictional Norse god was probably inadequate. She put her hands beneath her chin in order to study him. The light was even burnishing his hair and scruff of whiskers to a light reddish tone. Stephanie looked him over critically. Wow. There wasn’t an imperfection anywhere. Not even a pock mark.
But then she noticed something really odd.
The firelight was on one side of them, but the flames weren’t in sight. Stephanie peeked over his shoulder. Caught a gasp that could easily have been a squeal. The flames were below them. So was the floor. They were hovering about six feet above the rug-strewn hearth area.
“Um. Ethelstone?” Her voice shook.
“Ja?”
“We’re...floating.”
His lips quirked. “I know.”
“We’re not touching a surface. Any surface.” Her voice got steadier as it rose. He didn’t seem to notice.
“I...lost my head for a bit there.”
“No. You don’t understand. We’re floating. As in...floating!”
“That bothers you?”
“Ethelstone!”
He regarded her for long moments while her heart stalled. Restarted. Gave a slight thump before it found a rhythm again. And there was a weird echo accompanying all of it.
“I am a vampire, Stephanie. I can do all kinds of things.”
“You know what? Right now, I don’t care about the stupid assignment or what you say you are or aren’t. Okay? Just get us down.”
“You are totally safe.”
“Now, Ethelstone.”
He sighed heavily, reached behind him to unfasten her legs, placed them atop his, and then dropped. The landing was loud. The thud nearly drowned out his grunt. It sent a whoosh of air toward the fire that worked like a bellows. Flames immediately leapt up, highlighting the scene.
“Oh. Crap. I didn’t mean like that. Are you hurt?”
He shook his head, rolling it along the rug.
“Come on. That had to have hurt.”
He lifted his head and caught her gaze with his quasar blue one. “I am a vampire, Stephanie, but I was a Viking first.”
She swallowed. She didn’t move her gaze. “So?”
“Pain had no place in our world. It would not be skoruligr.”
“What does that mean?”
“Manly.”
“Oh. Wow. That’s a bit...primeval.”
“You refer to me?”
“Admit you felt pain.”
“But, I do not. Not anymore. I feel nothing but elska.”
“I’m almost afraid to ask. What does that mean?”
“Love.”
His voice dropped an octave as he said it. His quasar blue eyes watched her. Stephanie’s breath caught. That was odd. Uncalled for. And slightly unnerving. She decided to ignore it. The other choice was far too scary. She shifted, lifting onto her forearms atop his chest.
“Oh, boy. This is...not good. Um. Ethelstone? We really need to talk.”
“All right. Akron told me I could answer your questions.”
“All of them?”
“Ja.”
Wow. That sounded like a major gift. If her mind would function, she’d be able to fathom the scope of it. Right now, that felt like work. And she really didn’t want to work.
“You’re honestly going to answer every question I have?”
“You wish honesty, elska? Very well. I shall try. What I experienced was not pain, but it was more than I have dealt with for centuries. It probably should have hurt. Does that help?”
Stephanie smiled tightly. Without mirth. “I mean...about us. And...um. This.”
She glanced down at where they were still connected, and then back up. She blushed furiously and couldn’t meet his gaze. Dang! The view was unbelievable. She had toned abs, tight thighs, a really strong core...but he was champion body builder material. Joined, they looked like
a really sexy ad for a porn flick.
“You mean munuo? Physical love?”
He punctuated his translation with a slight shove of his hips. Steph’s eyes widened. She sucked in her cheeks. Pretended the blush hadn’t gotten worse. Hotter. Probably a lot brighter, too.
“Um. Yes. That’s exactly what I mean. Oh. This is so unlike me.”
“What?”
“Meeting a male and within hours falling into the sack with him. I mean...I’ve never even had a one-night stand.”
“I am glad to hear that.”
“I don’t know what to say. How to act.” She glanced toward him. He was watching her intently. She had to look away again. Watching the fire was a lot safer.
“There is a correct way?”
“We just met, Ethelstone.”
“And I thank Odin for that.”
Stephanie took a deep breath. Looked back at him. Almost managed to meet his gaze again. “Oh, heck, it’s not getting any easier if I procrastinate. I’ll just say it. We didn’t discuss...um, sexual history. Or contraception methods.”
“Contra-what?”
“Pregnancy prevention.”
He grinned, revealing a lot of white teeth. And not one fang. He had such a killer grin. It couldn’t be her fault that her heart felt like it swelled. It probably happened to every girl he smiled at. That thought sobered her, while something did the same to him.
His smile faded.
“Please don’t tell me you’ve got an STD. Okay? That’s all I’m asking here.”
“What is an STD?”
“Oh, come on. Everyone knows—. Brother. Okay. Fine. I’ll explain. It stands for sexually transmitted disease.”
“I am certain I do not have that.”
“You’ve been tested?”
His cheeks went a little ruddy. As if he blushed. But that was impossible. It must be a trick of the light. And it made him even more handsome.
“I have never had munuo.”
“You’ve never—?”
He shook his head. A huge dose of heat surged through Stephanie. It started in her chest and spread outward. Like a wash of absolute joy. She’d never felt anything like it. Tears stung her eyes. She blinked rapidly to clear them. And then the warmth receded to leave her shivering.
“You are cold?”
“I think...I’m in shock, Ethelstone.”
“Truly?”
“You were a virgin? That’s what you’re telling me?”
He nodded.
“Oh. Holy hell. How is that even possible? I mean, you are the most gorgeous thing I’ve ever seen. You are as masculine as men come. Your libido is off the charts. And you’ve been around...what? A thousand years? Plus? Were women blind? Or just crazy?”
“No. They were scarce.”
“All those years?”
“We were born and raised here in Iceland. Trust me. Women were scarce. And very few were pretty.”
“Oh. I see. You were picky.”
“Yes and no. We were young. We had time.”
“How young?”
“Twenty-three.”
“You’re twenty-three?”
“Ja.”
“Wow. I suddenly feel very old.”
“Stephanie, I was turned in the year 992.”
“992? Holy hell, yet again. So...you’re telling me you’re a thousand and forty-ish?”
“Something like that.”
“For some reason, I actually feel much better. Go on. Please. It’s fascinating. Really.”
“If a man wanted a kona, he had to find one from elsewhere. He also needed land to raise a family. Above all, he needed gold. So...we sailed with whatever clan we could in order to gain that.”
“I’m going to guess that a kona is a wife. Yes?”
“Very good. We went on many raids. Attacked and ransacked many villages. Did many bad things. Saw very few women I would consider for a kona. But we thought we had time. We had years of freedom before shackling ourselves.”
“And then what? You took a hit in a battle, maybe?”
“Nothing so skoruligr. Our death would not even allow us into Valhalla. Nor could we fight in the Ragnorok.”
“Ragnorok?”
“The day of destruction that faces us all. That is the day Odin will gather the great Vikings gathered in Valhalla and fight.”
“Wow. You’re getting a crash course on Norse gods with this story, too, Steph. Bonus!” She rested her forehead on him for a moment.
“You talk to yourself?”
She lifted her head again. “Yeah. All the time. Mainly because I am the only one who listens.”
“Not anymore, my elska. Now, you have me. I will listen.”
A weird lump formed in her throat. And her eyes blurred. This was going beyond complicated. The last thing she needed was to have feelings for Ethelstone.
The very last thing.
“Um. So. What happened? I mean...what is an unmanly death? To an Icelandic Viking?”
“We hit an iceberg. The ship sank. It was very foggy. Cold. Athlerod and I climbed atop a bit of the deck and floated. That was probably stupid, but we didn’t want to die.”
“Why was it stupid?”
“Drowning is a quick death. Freezing...is not.”
“What happened?”
“We begged Thor to save us. And he did. He sent Akron.”
“No. Wait. Akron just appeared? In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean?”
“We didn’t see him at first. It was dark. We were shaking. Athlerod was turning bluish to my eyes. I suppose I looked the same to him. Akron appeared out of the mist, almost like a part of it. He’s a large man and he wears a large cape, which makes him look even bigger. We thought it was Odin at first.”
“Are you saying he teleports?”
“I do not know his methods. He can appear wherever he wants to. Anytime he needs to. I do not know how.”
“And he offered you guys eternal life?”
“No. He offered us immortality.”
“What’s the difference?”
“A vampire is a walking corpse. Cold to the touch. They have no pulse. No heartbeat. No need to breathe. They possess very few emotions. Even less conscience. All they really desire is blood.”
“That does not remotely describe you.”
“I know. Because I have been favored by the gods! And found you.”
“This...mating thing...you spoke of earlier...um. You weren’t just talking about making love, were you?” Her voice sounded as unsure as she felt.
“A vampire has one chance to regenerate. Gain back all that life means. Akron told us of it. If we were supremely lucky, one day the being slated as our companion would come into our sphere. And we would be mated.”
“Oh. Hell. Are you saying I was slated – that is the word you used –to be a vampire’s mate? It was like...my destiny? From birth? Wow. Don’t you think there should have been something in my horoscope about that? I mean...some warning? Anything?”
He studied her for a long moment. Shivers accompanied his regard, and they just kept coming. And then he smiled. Her heart did another flip. She had to look away again.
“This is really happening, isn’t it?” she asked the fire.
“Ja.”
“Oh. Ethelstone. That is—. I can’t—. This is—. It’s just—. Scary. All right. It’s downright scary.”
“You are safe with me, elska.”
“Please don’t call me that. Okay? It’s too soon, and...well. I’m supposed to be on an assignment. Gathering evidence for a story. Not making love to...um.”
He caught and held her gaze. Her breath stopped. So did his. Her ears started ringing. And then he lifted an eyebrow.
“...a guy who resembles a Norse god.”
He gave her the killer grin again. And worse. He was growing hard. Stephanie’s eyes widened as she felt it. And then she responded, subconsciously rocking atop him. Oh. This was bad.
And wonderful.
&nbs
p; “You...can go again?” she asked.
“Oh, vif! I cannot keep from wanting you. And this. I have waited so many years! You are perfection itself, my elska. So fine. So...argr.” He ran a hand down her back, starting sparks the entire way. “Before you ask. That means womanly.”
“I sort of...filled in the blank.” Her voice was low-toned. She was amazed it worked.
“Do you have more questions for me?” he asked.
“Oh, baby...I think they’ll wait.”
Stephanie lowered her head and whispered it against his throat. And then did something really insane.
She bit him. Tasted. And was caught in a whorl of wonder as they left the floor again.
CHAPTER NINE
His mate had the cutest backside. Rounded, yet muscled. The skin was a shade whiter than her back just above it and that of her thighs below. And oh! Those thighs. She had such long supple thighs. He was so lucky.
She was perfect for him.
They’d found one of the bed chambers and made a wreck of it. He’d discovered all kinds of ways to give her satisfaction. Answered one of his questions. She could achieve satiation many times. And it gave him great pleasure, as well.
Ethelstone finished hooking his belt as he looked over at her. He wore a fur-trimmed leather tunic again. Fur cuffs. Knee-high fur lined boots. He had a fur cloak for the final layer. Because he’d need it where he was going. He probably should have ignored the cell phone. It hadn’t been loud. But, he didn’t quite dare, even though he guessed it wouldn’t be good. He’d been right. Nigel had called because his brother hadn’t checked in. He was rescinding his last order. The league was alerted. Potential threat of Hunters. Ethelstone needed to check on his twin and report.
He slid his sword into the scabbard. Slipped the leather ring onto the hilt to secure it. When the call had sounded, he’d been careful not to disturb his mate. He’d slid from beneath the coverlet with stealth, but she’d turned while he dressed, exposing the line of her back, and that perfectly formed butt of hers. Slightly lifted. Poised.
