by Rose Haven
“What happened?” he asked, squeezing just as hard back. “Where have you been?”
“Dad, I hate to do this, but now that you’re here to be with Rachelle, I need to go. My…boyfriend was also injured in the attack. I need to help him.”
“Attack? Boyfriend? Lizzie, what are you talking about?”
“I love you, Dad. I’ll be right back.”
She kissed his cheek and turned to run back out of the ER. Part of her wanted to stop and ask if…by chance…his wife had turned into a vampire at some point, but that question would have to wait. Now, she needed to find the man who sacrificed himself to save her.
As she ran out of the hospital, a man in a wheelchair watched her with wide-eyes and gaping mouth. She realized that she was probably running at Olympic sprinter speed…maybe faster. She had to be more careful. Well, she would be more careful later. Right now, she had to get to Levi.
She willed herself to only drive ten miles per hour over the speed limit on the way back to the vampire neighborhood at exit 152. If a cop tried to pull her over, she might end up trying to suck his blood. And that probably wouldn’t end well.
She thought she would have to go back to the palace at the end of the lane, but she noticed that Levi’s front door was ajar as she drove past. She stopped at the side of the road and ran across the lawn and through his front door without knocking or announcing herself.
“Levi!” she called.
She had terrible déjà vu from only hours before when she went walked into her house calling for her sister.
“Levi!” she said again.
Then she realized that as a half-dead, she had better ways to find someone. She tried to relax enough to be able to use her senses, and she smelled him. That intoxicating pheromone that turned her brain to a rose-pink haze.
She bounded up the stairs, taking three or four at a time and ran into Levi’s bedroom. She had expected to find him there healthy and whole. After all, he had made it back to his house. He must be okay. She gasped when she saw him.
His pale skin had turned more translucent, much like the older vampire. He looked like he was already a ghost. The large gash in his chest gently oozed blood, much less than a human who had impaled, but still, she could tell that he wasn’t in a good way. Immortal or not, vampires lived on blood, and he seemed to have lost most of his.
She took his hand and used her other hand to gently stroke his pale hair. He tilted his head toward her like it took great effort, and he smiled.
“Eliza,” he said in a struggling voice.
“You’re dying,” she said.
His blinks were far too long. She feared that his eyes would close and never open. In an impulse, she leaned down to kiss him. His lips felt colder than before, and he could barely move them. But if he was going to die, she needed to kiss him one last time.
“What can I do?” she whispered with her lips inches from his.
“Blood,” he said.
Of course. She didn’t even think twice. She put the back of her wrist to his mouth so he could bite. She gasped at the pain, but didn’t flinch. He sucked hungrily and her arm began to tingle as he drained it of blood.
But she knew that the treatment was working. He had closed his eyes in pleasure and relief and held her hand and elbow with a quiet reverence. His skin was regaining a bit of his color. She hadn’t noticed that he had any color at all until he had lost it. He had a pink blush on his cheeks again.
He stopped to let out a moan. The blood must be working, because he had the strength to climb on top of her. Her fingers and toes tingled but now for different reasons. The blood coursed through her body as if it wanted nothing more than to touch Levi’s mouth.
She could also feel the blood pulsing between her legs, wanting him there too, the blood calling him. She felt tight and warm at once and knew she was ready. He pulled down her new skirt and removed her panties so quickly that she heard them tear.
However, Levi had something unexpected in mind. He sunk his teeth into her flesh in the inside of her leg, very high, and very close to the part of her that was throbbing with need. She knew there was a large vein there and he tapped it, groaning again as the blood rushed into his mouth. He moaned as he drank from her and she could feel the vibrations in her flesh.
She was aroused, but also afraid. He had said before that if he drank from her, he wouldn’t be able to control himself. She already felt lightheaded and tingly, which didn’t feel bad. Almost like a gentle buzz from red wine. But what if he just kept going?
The actual sensation of his drinking was very pleasant. There was only a slight pinch and burn at the site of his teeth. And he seemed to call even more blood to her pelvic region, so she continued to throb. She knew that just a brush of her clit would make her crazy.
He drank in a deep, rhythmic pattern, taking long swigs then stopping to breathe. The rhythm reminded her of his thrusting and now she moaned too.
At the sound of her moan, he gently inserted his finger inside her as he continued to drink. It was a delicious tease, just enough to make her need to cry out, but not enough to take her to the brink. He then used his now wet finger to rub her clit and Eliza gasped in pleasure.
Her toes on the leg he drank from had gone numb, but she could still feel every sensation between her legs. She didn’t want to die, but if she had no choice, man, this would be the way to go.
He pushed his finger inside her again, moving in and out in the same pattern as his swallows. She thought that motion wouldn’t be enough to make her come, but she was getting very close. She rubbed her own nipples as he continued to bring her waves of pleasure.
Right when she thought she was about to lose it, he pulled his teeth out of her leg and immediately staunched the blood with his discarded T-shirt. He tilted his head back and breathed deeply. He looked like someone who had just slid into a cold pool of spring water after roaming the desert for days. He looked more human that she had ever seen him. His skin glowed, almost to a normal hue. She thought he had been sexy as a vampire, but he looked even more beautiful brimming with life. Sweat glistened on his tanned chest even his lips were a darker red.
She reached up to run a finger down his abdomen, just enjoying the view.
“I hope this isn’t over,” she said quietly…her voice weaker than she had expected.
With his hand still over her wound, he leaned down close enough that she could feel his now warmer breath on her ear.
“Just give it a minute or two for you to re-gain your blood. Your body does it quickly.”
“Okay,” she whispered. “But don’t make me wait too long.”
While he waited for her to re-gain her strength he kissed her. Everywhere. He kissed her lips one at a time. He kissed her down her collarbone. And on the underside of her breasts. He ran the tip of his tongue right across the top of her bikini line, which made her actually tremble.
He kissed the spot where he had first bit into her wrist, and kissed up her arm, lingering in the inside of her elbow, and then kissing the far side of her breast right under her arm—a spot no man had ever thought to kiss her before.
When he made it back up to her lips he asked, “How do you feel?”
“I want you.”
He smiled. “That’s not what I mean.”
“Well, that’s all I feel right now.”
He laughed quietly and said, “Okay.”
He finally gave her what she wanted and eased himself inside her. He thrust into her gently, as if he was still afraid she might break. She could indeed feel her blood already replenishing. The pleasure seemed to follow the blood as it re-flooded her body. Her stomach, her breasts, even her face seemed warm with pleasure. She thought that he might only need to kiss the tip of her nose and she would cry out.
“Faster,” she said, arching her back eagerly.
He shook his head with a mischievous grin.
“Patience,” he said.
“It feels so good to have you inside me
. I can’t wait.”
He let out a long breath slow breath, like he couldn’t take any more teasing either. He held on to her legs for leverage and continued to thrust into her slowly, but with increasing speed and intensity. He found the perfect pace to match her needs. As he began thrusting more decisively, using his full vampire strength to guide the motion, Eliza knew she had been taken to the perfect breaking point.
When she felt the orgasm coming, she arched her back again, but the orgasm seemed to hover at the top, waiting to crash. Then it fell in a long, slow, plummet of pleasure.
As she came, he moaned so deeply that it vibrated her entire body, adding new dimensions to the already glorious sensation.
He collapsed on top of her, still panting and let his weight go. Perhaps he was still a little weak, but he seemed to just melt on her. She wrapped his arms around his back and felt his previous mangled heart pummel against her breasts.
She lay next to him just enjoying his scent and the sound of his beating heart, and then suddenly realized that she didn’t know how long she has been there. Had she fallen asleep and then awoken? It was dark outside.
She sat up suddenly and the blood rushed to her head.
“Rachelle,” she said. “I can’t do this to her again.”
“How is she?” he asked sleepily.
“Fine when I left her. Just getting stitched up. But now that I know you’re okay, I have to go be with her.”
He squeezed her thigh. “Go on. I think you’ve proved that you can handle yourself out there.”
“What about the Queen. Is she still alive?”
“Probably, but she was injured too. Vivian launched a vicious attack.”
Eliza felt a rush in her stomach like she was at the top of a roller coaster.
“Vivian?” she asked. “That’s another vampire?”
“Yes. And I owe her my life. She is the one who took me out of the palace when I was injured. She’s also the one who attacked the Queen before she could have me killed. To be honest, I’m not sure why she sacrificed herself like that for me.”
No, she sacrificed herself for me. And for Rachelle.
“Why are you smiling like that?” Levi said, reflecting her giant grin. “You look like you were just crowned Miss America.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I’ll tell you later.”
“I hope that later is very soon.”
Eliza leaned down to kiss him one more time, holding her hand behind his head so she could bring him even closer to her lips. She now believed that they had many more kisses to be had, but she still wanted to make each one count.
THE END
Vampire Romance
Bronze and Blood
Secret Blood Gate World Series Book Three
Natalia Hunter
Vampire Romance: Bronze and Blood
Chapter One
Eliza ran her finger from Levi’s belly button to the waistband of his boxer briefs. He glanced over the book he was reading to smile at her. Those eyes always turned her insides to goo. As a vampire, he didn’t have much color in his skin or hair, but his eyes were the color of melted caramel. He shouldn’t expect that he could lie in repose half-naked on his bed and be able to read unbothered. The title of the book was something in Italian. She leaned down to kiss him in the same spot, hoping to distract him from his book.
The skin of his abdomen was slightly cool, but she had grown to love the taste. Being with him was like skinny-dipping in a cool, bubbling spring on a hot Louisiana day. She loved the contrast of his cool, pale skin against her warmer, darker body.
Now that they had been together for four months, she had spent countless hours in conversation with Levi, learning all about his long life. She knew now that he was born in Maryland…back when it was one of the British colonies. But he had lived all over the world--Italy, Russia, Africa. And he had picked up several languages as well.
She had never met anyone so fascinating--although she supposed that wasn’t fair to the other men she had been with. Before Levi, her oldest boyfriend had been on the planet for a mere twenty-five years. Levi has had three hundred years to collect stories, skills, and experiences. She could listen to him for hours…or for as long as she could stand to watch his lips move without kissing him.
Eliza gently tugged on the waist band of his briefs with her teeth, and felt him harden against her chest. His erections always made her feel warm and ready. It was so simple, but she couldn’t think of many things hotter. It meant he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
With her half-dead senses, she didn’t have any trouble hearing a knocking on the front door downstairs, but she chose to ignore the sound, much more interested in the sound of the blood coursing through her boyfriend’s mid-section.
However, Levi sat up and reached for a pair of paints. She pouted at him.
“You’re not supposed to be here,” he said. “I don’t want to give anyone an excuse to come in and look around.”
Half-deads—people who had tasted vampire blood but never died—were not allowed in the vampire world. Technically, they were not supposed to be in the human world either. The vampire Queen had put a kill-on-sight order on Eliza. Fortunately, the Queen has many subjects who weren’t as loyal as they pretended to be. Many of them knew, or at least suspected, that Eliza and Levi were still together, but they didn’t go out of their way to try and lure her out. However, she knew it wasn’t smart to test their tolerance by walking around outside in the vampire world.
“It’s probably nothing,” Levi said, pulling up his jeans. “Just wait here.”
Eliza sighed and wrapped herself in his Italian silk bedsheets. His bed smelled of lavender and sage. It seemed like everything in his house smelled amazing. Although it probably helped that her half-dead senses made every sensation more vibrant. Every touch. Every taste. It was like seeing the world for the first time.
“Eliza,” Levi called from downstairs. “Could you come down here please?”
Eliza hadn’t been expecting that. And she didn’t like the ominous tone of his voice. If the Queen had come to collect her, he wouldn’t give her that up that easily, would he?
Eliza pulled on her own pants and ran her fingers through her hair. She couldn’t understand why she used to be so self-conscious. She used to think her hair was too frizzy, her butt was too big, and her skin wasn’t clear enough. None of that seemed to be an issue anymore. It did help that the vampire blood kept her skin clear and her hair shiny. Even the whites of her eyes were more vibrant. But that wasn’t the real reason why she had more confidence. It was Levi. She had never realized how beautiful she was until she saw herself through his eyes.
Eliza walked down the stairs toward Levi’s voice and she stopped in her tracks half-way down. Eliza’s mother stood in the living room. Well, the creature that used to be Eliza’s mother stood in the living room.
Eliza had seen her—or she thought she had seen her—when the Queen had kidnapped her sister. But it had been so long, and the memory had been so painful and violent, that Eliza had decided that she must have been seeing things. If her mother really did live in the vampire world, why didn’t she come say hello sooner?
Now that Eliza saw her face-to-face with no vampire attacks to distract her, she was one hundred percent sure that this was her mother. This was the women who had abandoned her family over ten years ago.
She smiled at Eliza, but her brow remained furrowed as she did. It was an apologetic look, and Eliza didn’t like it. She didn’t want apologizes. She wanted an explanation. Just the fact that her mother was standing here now and hadn’t aged a day, was a pretty good explanation already, but Eliza needed more.
Eliza pursed her lips, and took the last few steps slowly.
“Is it all right that I let her in?” Levi asked.
“Yeah,” Eliza said, although she was tempted to ask him to throw her out.
“You look so beautiful,” her mother said. “I’m so proud of the young woman you’v
e become.”
“But you don’t really know the young woman I’ve become, do you? I might be a horrible person. You really don’t know for sure.”
“I understand why you’re angry.”
Eliza approached her mother. Yes, she was angry, but that seemed like an overly-simplistic way to describe it. She felt hurt. Abandoned. She felt like she was nine years old again, kneeling by her bed in prayer until her knees ached and her blanket was soaked in tears. Begging God to being her mommy back. She still felt that fear as each day passed, thinking that maybe her prayer would never come true.
“You really are her, aren’t you?” Eliza said. Her mother—Vivian—looked almost the same age as Eliza. She hadn’t aged a day. In fact, she might look younger than she once did. Her dark skin had lightened and her hair was streaked with white, but her face was nearly wrinkle free.
“I’ll give you two a moment,” Levi said.
Eliza grabbed his hand. “You don’t have to leave.”
“Thank you Levi,” Vivian said. “I’d like a moment to speak with my daughter alone.”
“I’ll just be in the other room,” Levi said. He kissed her on the forehead and headed toward the kitchen.
Chapter Two
Eliza looked back at her strange milky, far-too-young, mother, and hugged her arms around herself protectively. Her lower body temperature usually didn’t bother her, but right now she felt like she might not be able to stop shivering.
“May I sit?” Vivian asked.
Eliza shrugged and sat on one of Levi’s vintage couches and glared at her mother while she took a spot across from her.
“I thought I would never be able to speak to you again,” Vivian said, with watery eyes. “I’ve missed you so much.”
