by Khloe Wren
~ * ~
Sharon forced her lungs to work. Barret's touch all but scalded her skin as he held her face in his palms. She stared into his eyes, irises that matched her own and everything else began to fade away. Before she completely lost her ability to think, she needed to sort some things out.
"How far from Melbourne are we?"
Her voice was low and husky with her arousal, but she focused on keeping her mind on track. Getting Darcy back was the most important thing.
"We're at our home on the banks of the Yarra River, love. Only around fifteen miles upstream from the city."
Sharon swallowed past the lump in her throat, the one that increased with each word Barret spoke in his smooth voice. She chose to ignore the 'our home' part.
"What time is it?"
"Dawn has just broken, so around seven."
"Will you take me to the city?"
"I don't fare well in sunlight, love. But we can discuss going out later. I need you, Sharon."
Before she could respond, Barret lowered his lips to hers and took her mouth in a passion-filled kiss, the likes of which she'd never experienced before. Her mind lost all hope of control. Allowing her instincts to take over, she moaned as his velvety tongue danced with hers. She threaded her fingers into his thick dark hair and lightly scraped her nails over his scalp. Sharon loved how his whole body shuddered in response.
"That feels so good."
His hands left her face, dropping to her shoulders, where he pushed her jacket down. Moving her arms back, she removed it completely. Wasting no time, Barret had her shirt over her head and her bra undone by the time her jacket hit the floor beside the bed. With his cool fingers sliding up her spine, she arched into him. His mouth took a nipple deep inside and she felt the scrape of his fangs on her sensitive flesh. She let her head fall back as her body trembled in his grip.
A low growl penetrated the room half a second before she found herself with her back against the smooth satin sheets. Using his vampiric speed, he had her pants stripped from her in moments. Panting and naked on the lush red bedding, she looked up at Barret, feeling more than a little vulnerable. His opinion mattered, she didn't know why, but she was sure his rejection would cause something inside of her to shrivel up and die.
"You are so beautiful, love."
His words soothed her worries a little. He liked what he saw. Butterflies were going crazy in her stomach and her arms and legs quivered with anticipation. He was eyeing her like she was the last steak at a buffet. What the hell was he going to do to her? In complete contrast to his earlier speed, he gripped her ankles and moved her legs wide. Then he slowly lowered himself to lie between her thighs.
"I have to take a taste, Sharon. You smell so good."
She felt his warm breath a moment before he took her into his mouth. A gasp tore from her throat as sparks flew through her system and set off an orgasm. Never had she climaxed so fast or hard. Barret moaned low as he lapped at her core. Each swipe of his tongue had her arching off the bed. As she felt her lower belly tighten, she pushed in against his mouth before pulling away. She was so sensitive but she wanted more. Her body and mind were torn between escaping the exquisite torment and begging for more.
Barret kept at her until she climaxed twice more. As she limply lay there, he moved from the bed and through hooded eyes she watched him peel off his jeans to reveal his full glory to her. He was magnificent. If her brain wasn't so foggy from her multiple orgasms, she'd probably be scared of his size. He was a lot bigger than any man she'd had before. She watched as he prowled up the mattress until he was over the top of her. He lowered his pelvis toward hers, and as the blunt head of his erection pressed against her core, she whimpered. He stopped moving and lowered his mouth to her ear. He nipped the lobe before he whispered.
"Mate me, Sharon. Say you'll be mine. Let me claim you."
Sharon's mind was a blur of arousal as she tried to arch into him, to force him to take her without her giving him an answer, but he wouldn't budge. She moaned as she again tried to press up against him.
"Just answer my question, love. One word and I'll give you everything you desire."
In the back of her mind she had a vague thought she shouldn't be making important decisions while between sheets, but her instincts were screaming at her to agree and her body was well and truly on board with the plan too.
"Yes, Barret. Take me, make me yours."
She finished speaking on a gasp as he slid deep within her body. Once he was fully sheathed inside her, a shudder ran through him and into her. The vibration went through her like a flash flood. She whimpered and he lifted himself up and took her mouth as he began moving within her. Her body lit up from within. She wrapped her legs around Barret's hips pulling him in deeper. Her arms wound around his neck, her fingers digging into his hair. As her nails scraped against his skin, he shuddered once more as his eyes closed. His head dropped forward, and she moved her head to the side to give him room to nuzzle into her neck.
Her whole body jerked as she felt his fangs slide into her throat, there was no pain but sparks of intense arousal as he pierced her skin. Her eyes rolled back as a massive climax steam rolled through her. Her body tightened as she felt him take pulls of her blood. He lifted slightly, licking her neck before he moved to kiss her again. She tasted the metallic tang of blood and pulled from the kiss in confusion.
In awe, she watched his mouth as he lifted from her. With his lips parted he pressed his tongue against a fang, piercing it. Blood pooled on the wet flesh and before she could process what was happening, he covered her mouth with his and thrust his bleeding tongue deep within her. His blood flowed down her throat like a wild fire. She released his head and gripped the sheets as she screamed. Her whole body felt like it was being electrified. Barret roared out her name, and she felt his seed fill her womb, his warmth bathing her insides. As her body began to relax, dark spots began to dance in front of her eyes.
"My Sharon, my Bride. Forever."
As she sank into a deep sleep, she felt a level of contentment she'd never even known existed.
~ * ~
Barret couldn't wipe the grin from his face. As he stroked a finger lightly over his bite mark on Sharon's neck, his heart swelled. He'd claimed his Eternal Bride. His life was now complete. A slight twinge of guilt at having coerced her into accepting his claim with sex hovered in his mind, but it had been necessary to bind her to him before she went looking for Darcy. He frowned as he watched her sleep. How could he stop her from leaving during the day? He knew she'd need to sleep for an hour or so after the claiming, and he might be able to distract her with sex again when she did wake up. But that wouldn't last all day. She was used to sleeping at night and being active during the day, and her body clock wouldn't allow her to sleep the entire day with him. He was certain if she woke and he was sleeping, she would sneak out and go to the hospital to attempt to collect Darcy on her own.
He sighed. He was pretty sure the hospital would have the police waiting for Sharon, or Social Services at the very least. No one was going to buy her story about being scared of him. He'd also take a guess that Darcy would no longer be at the hospital. A happy and healthy baby would be with Child Services by now. Hospitals didn't have enough beds for the sick, let alone spare beds for babysitting healthy children.
"What am I going to do with you?"
His eyes began to close as he watched her, tiredness sucking him toward sleep. As he drifted off, he recalled she had been unconscious when he brought her down to his lair. She didn't know the way out. He took comfort in the fact she'd be contained within its walls until he woke. There was no doubt he'd have her anger and fury to deal with when he woke.
A loud beeping brought him out of his deep sleep. Taking in the room, he was unsurprised to discover he was alone in his bed. As he fully returned to consciousness, he realized the noise was his main alarm. Someone had opened his lair's entrance. With supernatural speed, he flew toward the door. A ro
ar tore from his throat as he came to a stop before the open steel door. A crack of sunlight cut through the room and he quickly closed the door to seal out the deadly rays. A moment later, he stood in his security room going over all his cameras. She couldn't have gotten far. As he saw her creep out the front door, he buzzed the intercom to speak with his maid. She would not be able to physically stop Sharon from leaving, but she could hopefully talk her into returning downstairs to discuss with him what she was doing. Then he could stop her.
"Madison, I need you to go out the front immediately and do whatever you can to get Sharon, the woman who just left, to come back inside. Tell her I need her to tell me what she's going to do before she leaves. Go now, she's just left."
"Yes, sir."
He cut the connection and watched the grainy black and white image of Madison rushing from the front door. The outside camera showed Madison running away from the house and out of view. He held his breath waiting for her to return—hopefully with Sharon by her side. Blood rushed from his head as Madison, alone, tore up the path and back through the entrance like the hounds of hell were chasing her. The front door slammed and Madison flicked the bolt before pressing her back against the timber and seemed to take a number of deep breaths. Fear slammed into him as he picked up the intercom and dialed upstairs. He didn't take his eyes from the screen as Madison stumbled down the hall to the intercom.
"Tell me what happened."
"Oh bloody hell. She got snatched! I'd just caught up with her and was assuring her you'd let her go if she'd just come back and talk to you about it first. I don't think she really believed me that you'd let her go out again, but she was starting to walk back toward the house. Then this white panel-van skids up to the sidewalk and a hooded man jumped out. He grabbed Sharon. I couldn't do anything to stop it! I ran as the van took off. Oh hell, Barret. I've never been so scared! Do you want me to call the police? Do you know who took her?"
He fell into the chair behind him as his heart stuttered with agony.
"That hooded man was a Noble, Madison. Don't call the police. The Nobles have convinced society they take women to protect them from us. I don't think the police fully believe them but they've taken a stance of not helping either the Nobles or the Vampires when it comes to Eternal Brides. I don't suppose you remember the number plate on the van?"
"I'm sorry, Barret. I mean, sir. I didn't get a good enough look at it to remember what the number was. What do you want me to do?"
He sighed heavily as he rubbed his eyes. "There isn't anything you can do, Madison. I'll have to start looking for her tonight. Please continue with your day as you normally do."
He hung up with numb fingers. On autopilot he made his way back to bed to get the rest his body would need for the search he would start at nightfall. He slid between sheets that held his Sharon's sweet berry scent and roared out in pain. He'd had his precious Bride for less than a day and those bastards had taken her from him. He'd never heard of any Vampire who had been able to free his Bride, but he would try. Because if he failed to find her, they would both be dead within the month.
Chapter Three
Sharon held her breath until she felt Barret's front door snick shut behind her. Her nerves were fried. It had taken forever to try each door in Barret's underground home before finding one that revealed daylight. It was nearly ten already so she was going to be at least a few hours late to the hospital. She needed to hurry before they put Darcy into foster care—hopefully they hadn't already.
As she made her way toward the roadway, she shook her head. She shouldn't have let Barret seduce her like that. There would have been plenty of time for her to get back into the city, if she'd just left as soon as she'd woken up. But she simply couldn't resist him. Barret was her ideal man, err, Vampire. True, she only knew a little about him, but what she did know, she really liked. She'd needed at least a little taste of him before she left. What she got was one hell of a lot more, but it had been so wonderful.
Barret had said he wanted her forever, but who knows if he was being honest? Maybe after she got Darcy back she'd head into the library and see if she could find some information about Vampires and Eternal Brides. Surely someone would have done some research and published it at some point.
"Sharon. Wait!"
A female voice called from behind her. Sharon stopped and turned, eyeing the woman warily.
"Don't come any closer. Who are you?"
The woman stopped a few feet from her before she spoke again.
"My name is Madison. I work for Barret. He asked me to come out here to request you return to him."
"I'll be back later. After I get my daughter."
"He said to tell you he doesn't intend to stop you from leaving her. He just wants to talk to you about it before you go."
Sharon took in the woman before her. Could she trust her? Could she trust Barret? She wasn't sure. Her instincts were telling her she could, and she really would like to find a future with Barret. She took a tentative step back toward the house when she heard a motor rev loudly and tires squealing.
"What on earth?"
She froze in shock when a white panel-van skidded up against the curb next to her. The rear door flew open to allow a hooded man to step free. Before she could release a scream, she was being pulled into the dark interior of the vehicle as it sped down the road. Her heart thumped in her chest while pure terror coursed through her veins. She had a thick arm around her middle pinning her arms against her sides and a hand clamped over her mouth. She was in the lap of the hooded man. And it was definitely a man. She could feel his arousal against her bottom. Tears pricked her eyes as he moved his hips slightly on a groan. He planned on raping her. She just knew it. A sob caught in her throat. If only I'd stayed inside with Barret!
In a smooth move, the man used his grip on her jaw to tilt her head to the side.
"Well, would you look at that. You've been bitten, darl'. I'm so glad you gave into him and got yourself claimed. Finally, I have a Bride of my own."
Sharon frowned as she tried to make sense of what he was going on about. Obviously this guy knew about Vampires and what she was to one. Was he a Noble? She tried to speak behind his hand but the sound was muffled to the point it made no sense.
"I'll release your mouth, but if you scream I'll have to knock you out. Understand?"
With a jerk, she nodded and the flesh against her lips slid away. She shivered in disgust as the fingers trailed over her jaw, down her neck and over her breasts. She barely held down the bile that was trying to escape as his hand came to rest on her upper thigh. Needing to distract herself, she focused back on gathering information. If she wanted to escape, she needed to know everything she could about the situation.
"Who are you?"
"I am an Elder Noble."
He spoke the words with such confidence and authority, like those five words explained everything. To Sharon, they explained nothing.
"A what?"
She felt him stiffen behind her as he gasped in apparent shock
"You've never heard of Nobles? How can an Eternal Bride not know about us?"
Against her will, more tears left her eyes. All she knew about Nobles, was that she should avoid them.
"I only learned what an Eternal Bride was about five hours ago. Please let me go. I don't know anything about all this. You've got the wrong person."
"Five hours? And he claimed you already?" His low chuckle was pure sleaze-ball. "Oh, doll-face, we're not ever letting you go. We know exactly who you are, apparently better than you know yourself."
Fear had her chin trembling as she spoke. "What do you want from me?"
"Enough. I'll not answer any more of your inquiries."
Sharon still had so many questions, but this man's vague non-answers were increasing her confusion, so she didn't bother trying to break the silence that now prevailed inside the van.
The longer they drove, the more panicked she became. Where the hell were they taking h
er? The longer she sat confined to his lap, the surer she was that she wasn't getting out of this in one piece. She closed her eyes and remembered Barret's face and his touch. The memories she had from their short time together, along with her need to return to her Darcy, were the only things that were going to keep her sane while she suffered through whatever these 'Nobles' wanted to do to her. She suspected their intentions were anything but noble. But perhaps they would loosen their hold on her in time and she could make a break for it. Oh how she wished she'd learned some form of martial arts, equipping herself to be able to defend herself. She hoped Barret hadn't been so careless, that he could find her and had the skills needed to set her free.
Please, Barret, come for me.
~ * ~
Toki was thankful he wore his hooded cloak. It hid his grin. He'd just collected Simon, the Lower Level Noble who'd reported to him this morning to discuss how they were going to capture the Tourmaline pair when he'd seen a woman leave the Vampire's home. Simon confirmed it was woman the Vampire had brought home with him.
There'd been no way to know if she'd been claimed, but they couldn't let such an opportunity pass. Thankfully, this little Tourmaline bride had been claimed and would be all his. To top it off, she was blonde just like he wanted and her scent was of ripe berries. He swiveled his hips to ease the pressure off his erection. As it rubbed against her lush ass, her whole body stiffened. He chuckled low. She was going to fight his possession of her, of that he was sure. But in the end, he would win. She was now his. Well, so long as they managed to capture her Vampire. If they couldn't, both she and her Vampire would die. At least she wasn't unclaimed. If that had been the case, Toki would have been forbidden to touch her. He lowered his nose into her neck and inhaled her scent. They couldn't fail in capturing the Tourmaline Vampire. He wouldn't allow it to be any other way.
"I think we're going to have to keep you very well hidden and otherwise occupied over the next few days, doll-face. We need your vamp weak so we can capture him, and we can't have you trying to escape now can we?"
