I cried out because it felt like he was already inside of me. My insides clenched and the muscles of my vagina pulsed at the very thought.
“Do you want it slow and easy?” he purred.
I felt him stroking in and out of my body. I threw back my head, touching my breasts now in an attempt to ease my suffering.
“Or hard and fast.”
I felt him slam into me and I screamed again.
“Or do you just need to come?”
With that question I came so hard that Vincent had to touch me, because if he hadn’t I would have fallen backward into the empty tub. I screamed again as he ripped the crotch out of my panties and thrust inside of me in one swift motion.
“Yes,” I panted. “Fuck me like that.”
He unclasped my bra and tossed it across the room, lowering his head to my breasts. He took one nipple in his mouth and I began to cry out incoherently. The pleasure was just too much. Even as I felt his hands, his real hands on my body, I also felt his voice touching me in all the right places … places he couldn’t possibly reach. He touched everywhere at once, inside and out and I couldn’t stop coming. My muscles tightened so hard around him that I wondered how he continued to move, stroking me to orgasm after orgasm.
He lifted me against him and the next thing I knew my back was against the wall. With every thrust I seemed to move higher up and I wondered if his feet were still touching the floor. I ripped the gold shirt from his body, digging my nails into his shoulders.
Vincent ran his tongue across my throat and I shivered.
“The bite of an incubus is orgasmic,” he whispered against my skin. “Do you think you can take more?”
“Yes. I want it. I want all of you.”
He sank his teeth into my neck. In the same instant I felt pain I also felt pleasure. It coursed through my body with unbelievable fervor, originating from where his lips touched my throat. I could feel him drinking from me and with every pull I held him tighter, pulling him deeper inside of me. Just the thought of his fangs penetrating my neck at the same time he penetrated my body made me come even harder.
He withdrew his fangs and pressed another kiss against my throat.
“I love you, Jewel.”
That’s the last thing I remember before passing out.
* * * *
I awoke to the soft glow of candlelight and the smell of Vincent’s cologne. I could hear the water running and see steam rising over the tub. I was resting on a blanket in the bathroom floor with my head on a pillow.
“I thought it was best to leave you in here, it’s warmer.”
I lifted my head to see Vincent standing in the doorway. He was still wearing his black pants, but he hadn’t bothered to button them. Wow. I was lying on the floor, completely exhausted and he never even took off his pants. I couldn’t wait to touch him again. He was carrying my breakfast tray and my cat Tang was wrapped around his ankles. Until Vincent moved in I hadn’t truly known what it meant when I read in his journal, “cats are my animal to call.”
But now I understood. That meant that if he needed their help, they were there. If he just wanted to look at them, they were there. They had no choice in the matter if that’s how he wanted it to be. He was a master vampire and only masters could have power over beasts of any kind. I just never realized how complete that power was.
As soon as he moved in he decided that the cat would relieve himself outside. “I don’t like cat shit in the house. Even in a litter box in the far corner of the downstairs bathroom.” So, we had a small “kitty door” installed in the kitchen and thanks to Vincent, Tang now went outside to do his business. I had to admit it was nice to not have to remember to change the litter. Still, it was a little creepy sometimes. He didn’t make the cat do anything weird and was by no means cruel. As a matter of fact, he loves animals. It was just strange to me to see my unsociable cat unable to stop himself from being near Vincent.
I watched as the orange cat trotted over and brushed against my face before looking expectantly up at Vincent.
“There are some lizards in the azaleas outside. I know how you like to chase them, or you can sleep by the fire. It’s up to you.”
Vincent spoke to the cat as if he could understand him and maybe he could. Tang started to purr and I heard him purring all the way out through the bedroom door. Apparently he chose the lizards.
“It’s still weird how you two get along,” I said and my voice was weak.
Vincent knelt beside me, sitting the tray on the edge of the tub.
“What can I say, I like pussy.”
I laughed and he helped me to sit up.
“Let me help you into the tub.” His voice was so soft and kind. When he spoke it touched me then in an entirely different way.
I eased my feet into the hot water and slid down in the bubbles.
“You’ll feel better after you eat.”
Vincent moved the tray beside me and started to remove his pants. What a beautiful ass.
“Food first,” he teased.
Reluctantly I turned toward the tray resting on the rim of the tub. He had brought fruit, a few pieces of cheese and a glass of wine. I stuffed a couple of grapes into my mouth as he stepped into the tub.
“Having full out sex with a vampire, any vampire, is a draining experience.” We both laughed at the obvious pun. “But sex with an incubus is different. I didn’t just drink your blood, I fed from your sexual energy. You need to eat or you’ll be even weaker.” He winked. “And we don’t want that.”
We sat there for a few minutes, relaxing before I asked, “How long was I out?”
“Not long.” He smiled and I had that same heart tugging sensation I had when he spoke before. “Tell me, was it what you expected?”
“Better.” I looked to the right at my shredded panties on the floor. “They were designer.”
“Oops.”
“Well worth the sacrifice,” I teased. “But you still owe me a new pair of panties.”
He laughed and moved beside me. I pushed the rest of the snack aside after eating another piece of cheese and took the wine glass in my hand. He reached for me and I leaned against his side, underneath his right arm.
“You know, there’s something I’ve been meaning to thank you for,” he said.
“What’s that?”
“The dedication in your books. Unless you were referring to someone else as ‘V’?”
I smiled and pressed a kiss against his chest. “You’re welcome.” I finished my wine and snuggled closer against his side. In the two months we had lived together there was something I had wondered, but never asked. I’m not sure why, but now seemed like the right time.
“How old are you Vincent?”
He twirled a piece of my long red hair around his finger as he answered, “Four hundred and fifty. But don’t worry, I like younger women.”
I laughed. “Wow. I can’t even imagine all of the history you’ve lived through.”
“It’s not nearly as great as they make most of it sound. It’s easy to glorify the horrors of wars you didn’t live through.”
“But there were good times too, right?”
“The best times,” he said, smiling down at me. “I lived in London most of my human life, but I spent a lot of time in France. I studied medicine there and after I was made vampire I met Luis there.”
Luis was the vampire whom Vincent had turned during his early years in France. They had had a ménage with Luis’ human servant. She was later killed by vampire hunters. They took her during the day when Luis was powerless to save her.
“I read years ago, of course I thought it was fiction … But isn’t a vampire’s life tied to his human servant? How did Luis survive?”
“Barely. That’s the only word I can think of to describe it. Losing Cassandra nearly killed him. For years he could barely survive. He had no appetite, he had to be forced to drink.”
“How long was he like that?”
“Ten years
.”
“And you took care of him?”
“Yes.”
“Do you still keep in touch?”
“The last I heard he was doing well,” Vincent assured me. He placed a kiss against my forehead and I could have sworn I saw tears in his eyes. “It’s sweet of you to care for those you’ve never even met.”
I shrugged. “I can’t help it. I’m soft that way.”
“It is not a weakness,” he said gently.
My mind flipped through details of history from four hundred and fifty years ago.
“So, Elizabeth the first was Queen when you were born. Wow. How old were you when you were turned?”
“Thirty five. So, that still makes me technically age appropriate.”
“Hey, don’t rub it in,” I said, laughing. My thirtieth birthday was coming up in a few months and I couldn’t believe it. “Where did the time go?”
“Wait till you turn three hundred and you can ask that question.”
“I’m serious. I’m still a young woman. I don’t feel old or anything like that. It’s just all so ….”
“Fast.”
“Yes. It’s all so fast.”
Vincent was just about to kiss me when he stopped suddenly in mid motion.
“Someone is outside.”
“How do you know?”
“Tang is in the bushes. We should get out.”
I was still confused as he handed me my bathrobe and a towel. Not a moment later the doorbell rang. We both hurried down the stairs. I’m not sure why but I felt such a sense of urgency. We both sensed it. Something was wrong.
Vincent opened the door in nothing but a black bathrobe and there stood Matthew. It was a nightmare come true.
“Vincent, what are you …?” His words trailed off as he took in our appearances. I pulled the robe tighter around my neck to cover the bite marks. I wasn’t ashamed of what had happened, but I didn’t want to argue or have to explain. Where would I even begin? Oh, yeah he’s a vampire and we’ve been living together. That would go over well.
I couldn’t say it wasn’t what it looked like, because it was exactly what it looked like.
“I’m sorry for interrupting,” Matt said. His voice wasn’t full of as much hostility as I’d expected, which made me dread his next words even more. “There’s been an accident. Brea’s boyfriend has been … shit, I’m not sure if it was an attack or what. He’s in the operating room right now. Brea is down at the hospital.” He looked from me to Vincent. “I thought you might want to know.”
He turned to leave and I caught him by the arm. “Wait, Matt. We’ll come with you.”
“Yes. Give us a minute,” Vincent said.
To his credit, Matt stepped inside without so much as an obscene gesture. I meant to shield his feelings by not telling him about me and Vincent. The look on his face said just how miserably I had failed. But there was no time to talk. Brea was hurting and God only knows what shape James was in.
“I think I’ll have a beer while I wait.”
Matt moved toward the kitchen and I jumped in front of him, perhaps a little too forcefully and said, “No.”
He gave me a questioning look. “I’m not even allowed in your fridge anymore?”
“It’s not that. It’s just that I’m all out of beer.”
Actually, it was because Vincent had bags of blood stored in the freezer. If Matt looked for ice I was screwed. I had been surprised to learn that there was a blood bank close by that supplied vampires. According to Vincent there was one in every major city around the world. But the fewer people who knew about this, the better. Now was not the time I wanted to be having that kind of discussion. Matt wasn’t just my ex-boyfriend, but one of my very best friends. If it wasn’t for Matt and Brea I don’t know what I would have done. They were my family now.
I stood there for a full thirty seconds, begging Matt with my eyes to not push the issue further. Finally, he backed down.
“Alright. I guess I’ll just sit at the foot of the stairs and pet the cat.”
He had just gotten the words out of his mouth when Tang ran up the stairs after Vincent.
“Well, fuck me,” Matt said, and lowered himself to the first step. “Hurry, Brea’s not handling this well.”
By the time I got upstairs Vincent was nearly dressed. He was wearing another pair of black slacks and was looking for his shoes. The shirt he was wearing was a dark midnight blue and it hung completely open, flapping as he moved about the room.
“Have you seen my …?”
“There in the closet, bottom shelf.”
I’m not sure how I knew which shoes he wanted, but I knew I had answered correctly when he said, “Thanks.”
I hurried into a pair of jeans and a pale blue sweater that reached nearly to my knees. It was still cool enough at night to need sleeves, so my turtleneck wouldn’t look odd. It would also hide the bite marks on my throat. I twirled my long hair up into a twist and secured it with a clamp. There was no time to worry about how I looked and no time for my hair to dry. I pulled on a pair of low-heeled black boots and headed for the bedroom door. Vincent was right behind me, pulling on his coat in one deft movement. It looked almost theatrical. Had the circumstances not been so nerve wracking I would have taken more time to admire him.
“Thank you for doing this,” I said softly, “for coming with me.”
“Where else would I be?”
Chapter Twelve
Even though we had dressed quickly, it had taken longer than I meant to and I knew that every second counted when a friend was hurting.
“Sorry. Vincent had trouble finding his shoes.”
It was true and Vincent smiled in way of apology while Matt opened the front door.
“Got your keys?” Matt asked.
“I have them,” Vincent said.
Matt gave me another look that practically shot hellfire before turning back to lock my front door. I had some explaining to do, but not now.
We followed Matt to the hospital in my car. This was mostly so we could leave before dawn and wouldn’t have to wait on a ride. Vincent drove because I was too nervous. Brea had been dating James for over six months now and no matter how much she claimed to be “just fucking” him, I knew she had feelings for him.
When we arrived at the emergency room entrance there was an officer waiting for us. He wasn’t in uniform, but his body language screamed “cop.” Not that that’s a bad thing. It was just obvious.
Matt must have known him, because they greeted each other with a friendly handshake.
“Thanks for staying,” Matt said.
The policeman turned toward me and Vincent. “I’m Andrew Bell. I was the first one on the scene.” He extended his hand in greeting. “I work with James.”
“I’m Jewel and this is Vincent.” He shook the vampire’s hand also.
“Where’s Brea?” I asked.
“We’ve had the waiting room to ourselves so I figured I’d give her a minute. She’s pretty upset and I could tell she didn’t like crying in front of me.”
Since she was most likely falling apart in there by herself, the guys elected me to go in first. It wasn’t that they didn’t care. I understood, because I understood Brea. She took it as a sign of weakness to break down in front of people. If anyone had to see her that way, she’d be most comfortable if it were me.
“We’ll give you a few minutes,” Andrew said.
The sound of my boots hitting the tile echoed down the hall. It was quiet except for a few nurses and doctors talking softly and the sound of the heating unit kicking on. But that was a good thing. It was always a relief to see an emergency room that wasn’t busy. The waiting room was at the end of the hall. When I walked in Brea sniffed loudly and started wiping her eyes with the back of her sleeve. She was wearing a red sweater, blue pajama pants and pink bedroom shoes. She must have gotten the call after going to bed and just snatched on whatever was closest.
“Sorry,” she said, clearing he
r throat. “I’ll be alright.”
I took a seat beside her and put my arm around her shoulders. “It’s okay to be upset, Brea. There’s no shame in having a heart.”
“Oh, my God,” she moaned.
Just like that the floodgates were opened. I had no idea how badly James was hurt, but I had never seen Brea like this before. She cried for what felt like at least fifteen minutes straight while I held her.
Finally she pulled back. “Shit, I need a smoke.” She stood up, wiping her face with shaky hands. Her eyes were swollen and red, but I could see the look of determination on her face. She was done crying, at least for a while.
“You coming or what?”
She picked up her purse and headed toward the door. We passed the guys on our way back up the hall. I wondered what they had been talking about. Vincent didn’t look uncomfortable, so I assumed they hadn’t been talking about our relationship.
“Going for a smoke,” Brea said to Andrew on our way past.
Once we were outside she lit a cigarette and started walking toward her car. She propped on the hood and turned to face me. I wasn’t sure what to say.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” Brea said. She blew a smoke ring into the air and I watched it fade.
“Violence is usually senseless.”
“Not just the violence, but what he said to Andy.” Her face tightened and I knew she was fighting back more tears. “He was conscious when he found him. They were supposed to be meeting at a bar to have a few drinks. Andy’s ex-brother-in-law had just been arrested. Apparently he’s a real son of a bitch and they were going to celebrate.” She stopped and finished her cigarette. I didn’t say anything. I wanted to hear what had happened and I gave her the time she needed to tell it.
“When he didn’t show up Andy decided to give him a call, but he couldn’t get a signal in the bar. He went out into the parking lot and saw James’ car. When he walked over … well, there he was.” She paused again and it hurt to see her fighting such pain. “Whatever happened, happened right there in the parking lot and nobody saw a thing. The place was dead on a weeknight. There were only a few cars and those people were inside when he was attacked.”
Diary of an Incubus Page 9
