She could feel in his thoughts, despite his detached presentation of the story, that he had loved this woman.
“Have you turned others?” she asked.
His green eyes flashed tumultuously. “My sister.”
“Veronica?” Tessa guessed.
He gave a curt nod.
“Who is after her?” She asked, sipping her wine. She was almost finished with her second glass. She felt contentedly warm, and the desire for the creature before grew as her inhibitions lowered.
His perfect lips pressed together. She’d reached her twenty questions limit. She put her wine glass down and stood up. He watched her warily. She produced a sly smile and snaked her way towards him until she stood above him.
“I won’t tell anyone your secrets if you won’t tell anyone mine,” she said, sincerity sneaking into her words.
His lips were suddenly crushing her own, and he pulled her down on top of him. She returned his kiss greedily, a clashing of teeth and tongue. She straddled his lap. He ripped through her tank top and bra as if they were made of paper. His hard, cold hands grasped her breasts, and she sucked in a sharp breath at the sensation, but then his warm mouth closed over her nipple, and she melted into the pleasure of his expert sucking and nibbling. She let her fingers grip his earth-toned hair, and she arched her back so she could rock against the erection beneath his jeans. He responded to her grinding movement by gripping her ass and picking her up in a movement too swift for a human man. She wrapped her legs around him and allowed him to carry her to the bed. He laid her down, gently, but when she reached for his belt he growled and pinned her arms above her head.
“Don’t move,” he instructed with a tone she had to obey.
She bit her lip, struggling against her desire to undress him and see him and feel him. He watched her, clearly enjoying the control. He removed the rest of her clothes and stood for a delicious moment, admiring her petite body. Then he unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a pale torso, toned and lean and narrow. He unzipped his pants but did not remove them. Instead, he knelt in front of the bed and pulled her toward his parted lips. She felt anticipation tighten her.
“Oh god,” she said.
“No Gods here. Now stop talking,” he ordered, then silenced her with his tongue. Her back arched immediately, rising from the pleasure. He flicked and sucked and then, to her great pleasure, slipped two cold fingers inside of her. This sent her crashing into an orgasm so fierce, she failed to remain quiet. She cried out in pleasure, and he let her.
Then he was on top of her, completely and suddenly nude, and she could not help but break the rules and move her hands over him, exploring and pulling him closer. He very deliberately stilled her hands and forcibly moved them to their place above her head once again. Then, ever so slowly, he bent his head to her neck. Fear rippled through her body, teasing her pleasure immeasurably. But she heard very clearly in his mind, trust me.
He kissed the flesh above her collar bone and then moved to the peak of her shoulder. She felt the tiniest sharp pain as if he had pricked her with a needle. He drew back and watched the blood from his small bite pool and dribble toward her breast. Before it could hit the white comforter, he used his tongue to follow the trail back up her shoulder. He closed his lips around the tiny opening in her flesh. He sucked, but with the utmost control. She let him taste, barely allowing herself to breathe.
And then she felt just the tip of him. She groaned. He slowly entered her, but not all the way. She shuddered.
“Beg me,” he said.
“Please,” she whispered. And that was enough. He thrust hard into her. She moved to touch him, and when he did not instruct her to stop, she let her nails claw greedily over his back, pulling him closer still. He thrust into her again, and again, and again. His rhythm was so precise that she could feel herself build immediately. She shuddered and curled further around him. She came so hard, she could not even draw breath. He withdrew himself and forcibly turned her over so that her belly rested on the bed and her ass was in the air. He entered her from behind with no respite, but she did not want one. She would let his creature love her for eternity.
Once behind her, he thrust into her once, twice, three times before coming, producing a guttural growl of pleasure that reminded her of an animal. But he had claimed to be no such thing.
#
When she woke, she did not open her eyes immediately. Her ear was pressed against his bare chest, but she realized she could not hear a heartbeat. It sent a shiver down her spine but not of fear. She knew that she lay on a powerful creature, and it gave her great pleasure.
When she was a girl, she’d felt a similar sense of power in herself. But the more her powers grew and the more she learned of the thoughts of those around her, the more that power had been warped into something ugly and insecure. She’d become jaded, distrustful, and bitter. People, as it turned out, were terrible beings. But she’d stumbled upon an entire world of other powerful entities. Kristian and his sister certainly couldn't be the only ones. She now saw the potential for more than a cursed life, running away from the iniquities of people. She could seek answers she hadn’t even known to ask.
“You’re awake,” Kristian observed. He fiddled with her hair as he stared at the ceiling. The feeling was bliss.
“What time is it?” she asked. The sun dappled the foot of the bed, and she could hear the faintest sounds of the street below.
“Early,” he said.
She didn’t move to get up. She felt strangely content in the arms of a vampire.
Suddenly, the front door of his apartment burst open as a woman entered, her expression intense and urgent. She had long hair similar in color to Kristian, a long face with defined cheekbones and the same emerald-colored eyes framed by long eyelashes and sculpted brows. She wore an immaculate white jacket, leather boots, and dark jeans that accentuated her long legs and slender form. She had a bag swung over her shoulder and her phone in hand.
“Kristian, they are coming,” she said. “We need to leave. Now.”
Kristian moved out from under Tessa with gentle control, but once free of her, he dressed so quickly her human eyes could not follow his progress, only the disappearing of clothes off the floor.
“When?” he asked, voice tight. Tessa could discern the only panic in his thoughts.
“Veronica, I presume?” Tessa’s mumbled, making sure to cover herself with a sheet.
Veronica gave the tiniest of nods, barely acknowledging Tessa’s words.
“We have less than a day,” she said. “Ally has been trailing them. She stated that they boarded a plane from Paris to Asheville. She believes their flight arrives tomorrow.”
Veronica’s eyes flickered to Tessa again who now dressed as quickly as she could. Kristian had already moved on to packing a small duffle bag. She made no comment.
“Have you–“ he started, but she raised a hand to cut him off.
“I have booked two tickets for New York,” she said. “We can figure out where to go from there.”
Kristian finally paused. He looked at Tessa. Tessa looked back.
“There’s someone after you. They intend to kill you,” Tessa read in his thoughts.
“You told her?” Veronica seethed.
“She can read minds,” Kristian said. Veronica’s eyes went wide.
“We have not seen those powers since–“ She stopped herself and gave Kristian a meaningful look. Tessa had felt the tiniest flicker of jealousy from Veronica’s thoughts before she said, “We must take her with us.”
Tessa looked to Kristian. He looked relieved with his sister’s assessment of the situation.
“Look, I–“ Tessa started, but Kristian interrupted. He was suddenly standing in front of her, kissing her desperately. She returned the kiss, despite her confusion.
“Come with us,” he said. “I want you to, and we need your ability.”
She produced a choked nervous laugh. “Why?”
“Our kind used t
o have such powers available to them, but we lost all those with abilities in the slaughter. If you become one of us, you can create more like you,” Veronica said, navigating her phone. “I’m booking you a ticket.”
“Woah, become one of you?!” Tessa said, panic edging into her voice.
“Listen,” Kristian said, gripping her arms earnestly. “I will explain everything in time. And no matter what, you will have a choice. But we are in danger here, and we must leave immediately. Please, come with us.”
Tessa hesitated only a moment. She didn’t want to feel cursed anymore. She wanted answers, and these two could give them to her. Besides, that was one hell of a kiss.
“I need to stop by my car. I’m going to need some things,” she said. Kristian kissed her fiercely again. She produced a stupid grin. What had she gotten herself into?
“I already booked your ticket,” Veronica said. “Now, let’s go.”
#
Kristian and Veronica were quiet for most of the trip to the airport. Tessa sat in the passenger seat beside him as he drove, with Veronica in the back. His car was a black sedan, something expensive and European which Tessa couldn’t even name. The seats were butter colored leather, fresh and smooth to the touch. It occurred to her she was surrounded and that in this small space, there would have been little chance of her getting away. Kristian kept his eyes on the road, his face completely void of an expression. She caught the wave of his thoughts and followed them easily. Veronica’s thoughts were actually deafening. Irritated, Tessa turned and stared at her.
“Really, if you have so many questions why don’t you ask me?” Tessa said.
Veronica crossed her arms. She was really a lovely woman—but the hardness of her expression made her less so. She was not, however, entirely unfeeling. The worry Veronica had for her brother proved it.
“I was just wondering who you are, and why you’re here,” Veronica replied. “I usually agree with my brother’s sense of intuition, but I can’t help but wonder. It seems convenient you should run into us now.”
“Veronica,” Kristian growled. “Don’t start.”
“No, let her ask whatever she wants,” Tessa said. “Once she’s got an answer I don’t have to hear the same thing circling around in her head. Kristian happened to me by accident. I minded my own business. I don’t even live in this town. I was only passing through so I could work at the street fair. I can assure you I’m not involved with these people who are hunting you. I assume that’s what The Calder are?”
Veronica sat straighter in her seat. “I told you, Sister,” Kristian murmured.
“The Calder are a very ancient group of witches. We’re not talking about humans who practice religions associated with the dark arts. These are a different race, but they look human. For centuries, they’ve hunted us. I suppose you could call them our apex predator. They are to us what we once were to humans.”
“Why did your kind stop killing humans?” Tessa asked.
“I don’t know I’d say our kind has stopped completely,” Veronica said with a grin. “Other than the fact it’s barbaric, it’s not so easy as it used to be to cover up multiple murders. Not with the advent of cell phones in every pocket. Only the worst of our people would resort to hunting humans in that way. You’ll find some of us rather enjoy a small taste. Just a bite and a few drops of blood from a human. It has the effect of creating a bond with us. And it’s pleasurable to both parties. But ripping someone’s throat out and just drinking them whole? Not very likely. A dangerous pursuit these days. Certain diseases can be passed from humans to vampires, which is another reason most of us depend on upon blood banks.”
“Vampires can catch diseases?”
“The worst ones, like Ebola and HIV,” she replied. “They won’t kill us, but they could make immortality unpleasant.”
Tessa glanced at Kristian. “A small taste. So that’s what you were doing.”
If he were human, Tessa was sure he would have blushed. Instead, his brows knitted together. He pursed his lips. “Most humans would not have remembered,” he muttered.
“Well, since we have already established I am a freak among humans,” Tessa said.
“You really are, aren’t you?” Veronica giggled. It was almost musical the way she laughed, a cold thrill too perfect to be human.
“So, you thought the Calder sent me?” Tessa asked.
“They have been known to plant their people in places one wouldn’t expect them,” Kristian said. Veronica nodded in agreement.
“I guess that explains why you were such a jackass.”
“I apologize for that again,” Kristian said. “We’re here,” he said a few moments later. He pulled the car into the airport parking lot. “Let’s go.”
#
The flight took three hours. By the time they touched down in Los Angeles, Tessa was exhausted. She’d only slept a handful of hours the night before, and not much the night before that. Tessa suffered from insomnia on a regular basis. It was especially difficult to get sleep in densely populated areas. Even though she learned to reduce the stream of fleeting thoughts into a sort of buzz when she needed to, there were always her own thoughts and dreams to be dealt with. Her dreams were often filled with the people and things of her past. Dark memories were transformed into monstrous images at night.
In those few hours after she made love with Kristian, she had slept well. She couldn’t figure out if it were that she was comforted by how he touched her or if there was some extraordinary influence he worked on her. She was looking forward to testing her theory out further.
After the flight, the drive out to Kristian’s home was another long slog; two hours in traffic. They arrived at the beach house just before sunrise.
“Can you travel in the daylight?” Tessa asked as they entered the house.
“We can, with the help of some very expensive drugs,” he replied coolly. “Otherwise, no.”
“We made sure to take our dosages before we left,” Veronica replied sarcastically. “Couldn’t risk blowing up in balls of flame in case the plane was delayed.”
Tessa stared at Veronica. It wasn’t often she found someone nearly as sarcastic as she was. Of course, when she did it would have to be some undead chick. This is going to be fucking impressive.
Kristian took Tessa’s hand, pulling her across the threshold and into the house. He wanted to separate the two of them. Veronica disappeared somewhere literally- she was gone before Tessa could even see which direction he went.
“There are six bedrooms in this house,” Kristian murmured. “I keep my private suite in the basement, while Veronica keeps her rooms on the second floor. The third floor holds the guest rooms.”
“Do you have many guests?” Tessa asked.
“Occasionally. We have friends who are scattered about, and sometimes we’re lucky enough to have a few of them visit. No one else is here right now.”
“And where will I sleep?” Tessa asked.
“Come. I’ll show you,” he said.
Tessa had seen houses like this one in magazines, but she had never been inside of one. The ceilings were twenty feet high, with fans whirring softly above. The living room held a brick fireplace which took up an entire wall. The furniture was simple; a plush L-shaped corner group in dark red and chunky, matching leather chairs in black. The mahogany wood floors shined. She noticed an Oriental rug but only caught a glimpse of the colors in it.
Kristian took her through the kitchen; the style was what she’d heard referred to as French countryside. A white and gray marble island divided the stove, sink, and fridge from the seating area, a table surrounded with built in seating which could probably accommodate eight people. There were print pillows tossed onto the seats. The whole room was in white and shades of pale green and gold, so immaculate she couldn’t imagine anyone actually eating there.
“Let me guess,” Tessa said. “Veronica decorated this room.”
Kristian made a small, dismissive sound. Tess
a realized with some amusement he’d sucked his teeth. “She has no idea about such things. I designed this house myself.”
Tessa thought about saying something snarky. The first thought that came to her mind was that immortality gave him plenty time for such pursuits. But she thought better of it. “It’s lovely,” she said.
Tessa smiled. She registered his pleasure from her small compliment. It made her happy to know this. With some horror, she wondered why his happiness should mean so much. She usually didn’t care what anybody thought.
Towards the back of the kitchen, just behind the pantry, was a small door. Kristian touched a panel along the wall, which revealed a keypad. He punched in a number, and with a gentle whir, the door opened.
The stairs descended into darkness. Tessa kept close behind Kristian. At the bottom of the stairs, he clicked on a light.
The room was huge. It must have spanned the entire square footage of the house. It was in fact, an entire apartment.
There was a kitchen almost as large as the one upstairs. A living room, a small den and a bathroom. Beyond that, a bedroom.
Tessa had not seen anything quite like that bed before. It looked custom made. The black lacquer platform beneath it gave the bed the illusion that it floated. The headboard, made of black iron, was twisted into the shape of flowers. The purple comforter was satin.
“I hope you will feel comfortable staying here with me,” Kristian said. His voice was barely above a whisper. He was nervous and awaiting her answer.
“Of course,” Tessa replied.
He moved. She was aware of the displacement of air, and then he was close. Cupping her face in his hands, he brought her to him for a kiss. He took his time about it, pulling her tongue into his mouth. Tessa shivered, unable to prevent a moan from escaping her lips as he kissed her neck. He cupped her breast in his hand, squeezing her.
Paranormal Romance: Kiss Of A Vampire Page 2
