Dark Secrets

by Madeline Pryce

  I leaned forward and sucked her earlobe between my teeth. “You want something, babe?”

  “You are such an asshole.” Her words were fierce and affectionate. “Damn it, Micah. I need you.”

  “Not yet.” I held on to her hip and thrust into her pussy, creating a slow, smooth, assault that took every ounce of my willpower to maintain. It was as if I had all the time in the world. With each careful thrust, I memorized the curves of her body and set out to prove she was mine.

  Julian—the manipulative prick—would know exactly to whom she belonged.

  Ella let out a throaty little whimper. It was such a soft, vulnerable sound. The bed’s springs groaned under my slow movements, adding to my desire. It wasn’t enough just to feel Ella melting around me. The noises we made, the smell of her arousal, all combined to fill me with raw desire.

  With each carefully controlled stroke, I brought her closer to the edge. I sped up, the demands of my body taking over. Patience was for pussies. I dug my fingers into the soft flesh at her hips and plunged.

  Fuck, yes.

  I guided her body against mine with each thrust, creating a symphony of slapping skin and moans. The bed creaked louder. Ella clawed at the sheets and bowed her back, her restless need to come twining through me.

  She gasped. “I need…”

  I knew exactly what she needed and decided to give it to her. I slid my hand over her stomach, down, down, down, through the thatch of dark curls between her legs and pinched the hard nub of her clit. With each thrust, I massaged until her body tightened and she came alive beneath me. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Her inner muscles spasmed, milking me, demanding I come with her.

  “Yes!” she screamed.

  My control snapped and a vibrating noise rolled from the back of my throat.

  I grabbed the long strands of hair spilling down her back and twisted them around my hand. I pulled her head back, stringing her tight.

  “Now you’re ready.”

  I took her hard and fast, a frantic claiming that opened the bond between us. I filled her with my possession, my need, directing everything that I was inside her so she’d understand how much I loved her. How much I needed her. Why she needed to come back to me tonight.

  Quicker still, my hips slapped against her ass and the sound of wet flesh coming together had my balls tightening. I drew Ella up off her knees until her back was to my chest.

  “Dress. Off. Now.”

  Without hesitation, Ella drew it over her head and threw the expensive gown to the floor as if it were trash. Good. Maybe she’d let me burn it. I cupped her throat with one hand, holding her to me. With my other hand, I cupped her breast. Beneath my palm, her heart raced.

  A long, low groan left me when I pushed inside her at the new angle, slow at first, then faster. Within minutes, I was drilling into her with the intensity of a man possessed. She owned me. Body. Mind. Soul.

  Ella gripped my forearm, nails digging into skin as she held on. “Fuck. Harder. Harder. God, yes! Micah.”

  Both the stinging pain of her nails and her words spurred me on. I cupped her cheek and turned her head, finding her lips with mine. Our tongues danced, matching the furious rhythm our bodies created. Her fangs lengthened, slicing my tongue. I welcomed the sting. Ella moaned, suckling the wound.

  Each time I pounded into her, I saw stars. Our bodies slapped together. I thrust harder and harder.

  “I’ve never felt anything as good as this.” I pulled from her mouth so I could lick her throat. Her skin was salty and delicious.

  Ella was too far gone to do much more than whimper. I clamped my teeth around the flesh where her shoulder met her neck but I didn’t bite down hard enough to mark her. Not yet.

  I caught her nipple between thumb and forefinger, pinching the nub. Ella cried out as her pussy contracted. My thrusts went wild and her screams of pleasure grew louder.

  “Fuck, that’s it,” I growled and gave into desire.

  The second Ella went over the edge, I followed her into the abyss. I came deep inside, the rush of hot liquid making her slicker. Instead of slaking my hunger, I only wanted more. Needed more.

  I pulled from her core and turned her around to face me. I cupped her cheek, found her lips with mine and guided her back against the bed. My cock throbbed even though I’d just come.

  “I’m not done with you.”

  I stroked a hand between her breasts and down her stomach as I pulled back to admire her. Damn. She still wore her heels. It was sexy as fuck. When her legs fell open, it exposed her pussy. My seed leaked from her slit, trailing lower.

  I traced the path with my finger, spreading the wetness over the puckered star of her anus, and coated the rosette. Ella’s eyes rolled back and she sucked in a sharp breath I took as a sound of excitement. I pressed a single finger inside her ass, my digit slick with semen.

  “Micah,” Ella moaned.

  My name, the way she breathed it and pushed against my hand, begging for me, told me she wanted this almost as much as I did. I drew my finger in and out until the tight ring of muscles relaxed. I added a second, stretching her, preparing her. Ella gripped the sheets. Her back bowed, hips thrusting up to meet my questing touch.

  I withdrew my fingers and reached beside her to open the drawer by the bed where I knew we’d stashed a bottle of lube. I first coated my cock and then teased her anus with the gel, massaging her, making sure she was slick. I braced an arm next to her head and leaned over her.

  “Look at me.”

  She opened her eyes as I pushed inside her ass, careful not to hurt her despite the raging need I had to ravish. Fuck, she was so damn tight. I pressed my lips to hers and entered her all the way, the lubricant helping to ease my penetration. Ella whimpered—a sexy sound of both pleasure and pain. She gripped the back of my head and held me close. Her lower muscles clenched around the invasion and I gave her a moment to get used to me.

  I pulled back slowly and my cock pulsed at the dragging sensation. Our tongues dueled. Our breaths sped. I thrust, gaining speed and force when she relaxed against me.

  I grabbed her thigh, curling it around my waist, and took her faster. I broke our kiss and sat back, angled my hips up and watched while I fucked her ass—a place no other man had been except me. With my other hand, I rubbed her clit. The immediate way she responded to my touch filled me with pride.

  “So good. Harder,” she gasped.

  I complied and pushed into her with renewed vigor. Fuck. I was going to come again.

  “Drink, Ella,” I ordered and offered her my throat, leaning over her.

  She cupped the back of my head and licked my jugular in a way that had my balls pulsing. Ella teased the points of her fangs against my flesh. She sucked on her favorite spot, teasing the blood closer as I took her body from one high to the next. Pleasure spiraled, tightening my muscles and threatening to overtake me.

  “Do it, Ella.”

  She struck hard and quick. A guttural sound ripped from my throat and the initial pain quickly faded to a high that was unrivaled. Ella moaned and drank deep, pulling my blood into her.

  I shuddered, my brutal claiming reaching its peak. Ella climaxed, pulsing around me. I pulled out of her ass at the last second, grabbed my dick and stroked. The rush of endorphins had me spinning out of control. I came on her stomach, each pulsing jet of come extending my orgasm.

  Ella leaned forward and licked the wound at my throat, her tongue a soft, wet soothing I nuzzled into as I panted. Hands pressed to the bed on either side of her head, I kept our bodies apart. I dipped my forehead to hers, my hair damp, my heart beating out of control.

  “Come back to me,” I whispered.

  “Always.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  The second I stepped outside of the house to meet Julian, a gust of frosty wind swept over me, reminding me that I hadn’t grabbed a coat. I gasped at the sharp shift in temperature. The places Micah had so recently touched stung at the shocking contrast. Ice invaded—chill
ing me to the core. My teeth chattered and each breath I exhaled visibly puffed out.

  Gray clouds morphed across the sky, stealing the moonlight and blanketing the night in darkness. Leaves from the surrounding trees trembled with the impending storm. Another sweeping gust swept through and kicked up loose snow from the ground to create a gyrating white cyclone.

  Death and violence scented the air. The shadow inside me pulsed, roused by the threat of mayhem. My stomach churned. The nausea I couldn’t seem to shake moved up my throat. Puking might be a real possibility. I drew in a breath of icy air and tucked my chin down, focusing on placing one foot in front of the other.

  Eiven brushed by me, knocking my shoulder as he went, and nearly sent me sprawling to the ground. Fucking heels. You’d think being gifted with agility and speed would be the cure-all for the treachery of women’s footwear. Apparently not. I jerked my head up and glared at his back. He strode over the ground with sure, graceful steps. Show off.

  “If I fall on my ass and injure myself, doesn’t that break your little ‘protect the queen’ code?”

  Another patch of snow, another wobble. Of course, the wolf glanced over his shoulder at that exact moment. The hostile gleam in his eyes, the lines bracketing his mouth and the “fuck you” he radiated were a clear indication he was still pissed.

  “My job is to protect you from external threats. If you slip on the ice and break your neck,” he lifted his palms in a so-be-it gesture, “well that’s just a happy accident.”

  “Ass,” I muttered.

  Curls blew in front of my face and I pushed them away. A few feet in front of me, Julian leaned against a long, sleek limo, the glow of its red taillights making me think of Rudolph the Reindeer. Tension radiated from my sire, filling the space between us with an almost palpable energy. His agitation was visible in the tight line of his jaw, in the cold disapproving way he followed my every step. If I wasn’t mistaken, he too was hoping I’d have a happy accident.

  The bond between us was a black hole, almost as if it didn’t exist. There was no static. No buzz. A void. I swallowed back my apprehension and managed to keep upright.

  At my approach, a man I’d never seen before stepped out from around the other side of the vehicle and opened the rear door with a flourish. He inclined his head, a quick dip before lifting to meet my gaze. The splattering of freckles combined with his round face, mussed reddish-brown hair and pressed suit made him seem so…harmless. But there was something there, some spark that warned me.

  Vampire. He’s one of yours…

  I closed my eyes, drew in a breath and tasted the lingering scent of Micah on my skin. I pushed my senses out farther and focused on the low-level hum the chauffeur radiated. I followed the vibe until the faint murmur of whispers reached me. A rush of addictive adrenaline hit me, beckoned me to keep searching.

  “Get in the car.” Julian’s clipped words had my eyes snapping open.

  I tore my gaze from the now wide-eyed driver to glower at Julian. My anger rose on a swift tide, eclipsing everything else. I crossed my arms over my chest. Where I gripped my biceps, heat built and eased my goose bumps.

  “Who the fuck peed in your Wheaties?”

  He clenched his jaw and regarded me with the full weight of his stare. “Some decorum would be nice. Do you think you could manage that for one night?”

  I curled my lip. “Not having to attend this stupid party would be nicer.”

  The bond between us flared too quickly for me to throw up my shields. Julian’s anger slapped me across the face and filled me with heat. His thoughts slammed into mine and I heard myself through his memories, my cries of pleasure drifting through the house. He’d been waiting in the foyer for me.

  Gods, yes. Micah. Harder. Harder. So good.

  I didn’t just hear it, I saw it, experienced the sensations of Micah pushing into me, claiming me. Pleasure swam through me, speeding my breaths. The bedsprings creaked, a steady noise that punctuated each heady thrust of Micah’s cock.

  I swallowed at the realization Micah and I hadn’t exactly been alone. On accident, or maybe on purpose, knowing him, Julian had helped himself to an X-rated peep show.

  I narrowed my eyes, refusing to show my disgust. Despite the wind and the cold, I dropped my hands to my side and lifted my chin.

  “My house. My bedroom. I can do whatever I want, no one invited you inside.”

  Julian curled his lip at me, exposing is fangs. He crossed the distance between us in a flash, vanishing and then reappearing when he was inches from me.

  “Get in the car, Ella.”

  My name was a harsh, rough word from his mouth. The bond between us, a link I tried and failed to close down, flared red hot. I could feel him lurking inside my head, searching for the means to control me, to force me into submission.

  I slammed up my shields, cutting him off.

  I cupped his shoulder, drawing closer to him. His nostrils flared and I wondered if he was inhaling eau de Micah. A petty type of pleasure filled me. I tightened my grip, sinking nails into his skin until I heard the hitch in his breath. When I spoke, my voice was colder than the arctic blast sneaking under my dress. “If you don’t like what you see, maybe you should stay the fuck out of my head.”

  I shoved him away and slid into the back of the limo, scooting to the far side of the vehicle. Leather creaked and I looked to the sound as first Eiven, then two of his wolves took the bench seat across from me.

  Hostility radiated from the packmaster, filling the confined space with enough suppressed energy to set off a nuclear bomb. Asshole. I lifted an eyebrow at him, silently inviting his commentary. The wolves beside him shifted their gazes—just as hateful as Eiven’s—to me. No one said a single word.

  Fan-fucking-tastic. This party thing was a great idea.

  Julian entered last and sat as far from me as possible. The door shut behind him, sealing me in with three pissed-off werewolves and a testy vampire, all of whom acted as if I were shit on the bottom of their shoe. It was nice to know I still made friends everywhere I went.

  The hour-long ride to wherever it was we were going was almost completely devoid of sound. No radio. No hum of tires. I couldn’t hear the cars zipping by us. Julian had soundproofed the interior. Did all rich people do this? I thought of my sister, trapped in the backseat of a limo with Cash Vladimir, a master vampire who’d intended to rape her before turning her into the next queen.

  News in the underworld had spread quickly about my familial line stemming from Lizbeth’s. If I’d become a queen because of my genetics, then it stood to reason so would my sister—if she was turned.

  I lost myself to the rhythm of the wolves’ heartbeats—to visions of violence and bloodshed. If I was serious about this queen business, I needed to prove it. The best way to protect my sister, to keep humankind safe, was to step up and embrace my inner vampire. Could I do that and still be me?

  Tonight was my chance—assuming no one cut my head off first.

  The trees thickened the farther north we traveled. Snow lined the narrow, curving road and weighed down branches, painting a greeting-card-worthy picture. Too bad I hated snow—I was more of a rain type of girl. I looked away from the window and closed my eyes as exhaustion slammed into me. The warmth from the car thawed my bones and I drifted silently into dreamland, moderately sure Eiven wouldn’t let Julian molest me in my sleep.

  The limo rolling to a stop jerked me awake. The door opened and Julian slid out, followed by the wolves, before I could even blink the sleep away. I took a deep breath and tried to prepare myself. One night. Just a few hours. Then I’d go back to Micah. He’d kiss me, touch me, make me go all girly and soft.

  I could do this.

  I exited the car, my heels sinking into the layer of fresh snow blanketing the ground. Heavy flakes rained from the sky in a blur. My breathing sped, quickening my heartbeat. Through the swirling fog, I took in the beautiful stone-and-wood mansion.

  My heart stopped. Dread e
ngulfed. I knew this place—intimately.

  I turned my head and glared at Julian with all the fury of a woman scorned. Was this some kind of a prank? Was I being punked?

  “You’re shitting me, right?” I asked and wondered how quickly I could get the knife I’d strapped to my thigh out and into his eyeball.

  “Problem?” Eiven asked, pausing in his sweep of the perimeter to look at us with a bored expression on his face.

  “You bet your sweet ass there’s a problem.” I jerked a thumb in the direction of the place Julian had not only popped my cherry, but later, had turned me into a vampire. “Not going in there.”

  The trees surrounding the multi-level structure were just as I remembered them. Tall, looming and majestic. Large, oblong windows glowed with light that silhouetted the people—vampires—moving within. Three stone chimneys of various heights jutted from the rooftop and piped curling smoke into the air.

  “We agreed, min askling, that you would accompany me to three functions, two without your mongrel. This would be one of those times.”

  Julian had negotiated the terms when I’d been on my deathbed two months ago—I’d just been trying to stay alive. I clenched my fists at my side in an effort to keep from punching him in the face. There was a smug tilt to his mouth that I really wanted to rearrange.

  Eiven smirked at me. His words, spoken in a low, rolling timber hit my ears as both of his wolves flanked him. “So on top of everything else, you’re a liar?”

  I blew out a white cloud of breath and fought to regain control of my anger. My heart thundered. A house was just a house. The quicker I went in and faced my demons, the sooner I could leave.

  “I’m not a liar. And since we’re talking, check your attitude. I didn’t get your men killed. Put the blame where it belongs, with the man you stabbed between the eyes. He’s dead. They’re dead. Anyone, at any given time, is seconds from death. Even you. Get over it.”

  I walked away from the men, sensing the Fenrirs’ approval and Julian’s annoyance. With each step, my heels clicked across the symmetrically broken slabs of concrete leading toward a single mahogany front door. I pushed on the old-fashioned brass door lever and strode inside.