by K. F. Breene
“If you wish. Or would you rather lie down? Get more comfortable?”
“Nope. I would not, no.” I pulled my hair thing from around my wrist and lifted my hands to tie my hair back.
“Please, no.” Darius stood. “It is so rare I get to see your hair falling around your face. Leave it, if you would.”
I pulled the band back around my wrist. I didn’t care where my hair was; I cared where his fangs were.
He stalked toward me slowly, purposefully.
The expected tingles were overshadowed by an unexpected dump of adrenaline. My stomach fluttered, not because of possible sexual relations, but because a lethal predator was sizing me up. My fight-or-flight reflexes roared to life, and very rarely did I choose flight.
“This is probably the wrong way to go about this,” I said in a strong voice, hot with the anticipation of battle. “If you want to actually make it to my neck, that is. I’m not the normal girl you do this with.”
He smiled in a feral way, showing his elongating fangs. “Would you kill me, Reagan?”
“I’m pretty sure we covered that.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“It kind of does, though.” I watched as he slowly walked parallel to me. He was looking for an in. Most predators did this when they were sizing up a food source, and deep in my gut, I didn’t like knowing that someone was higher on the food chain than me. I didn’t like being a source for anything. It felt like a challenge, and everyone knew I went crazy for challenges. Considering the way my fire had lashed out randomly at that poor cat, this might be a very bad idea, both for him and the wellbeing of the hotel.
“I am invigorated like I’ve never been,” he said quietly, his eyes sparkling. I had to strain to hear. “Excited in a way I can’t remember. Anxious. Desperate. I must have you, Reagan.”
“What do you think I’m waiting here for?” I grudgingly angled my head to the right. “Get to it.”
He shook his head slowly and stopped, facing me. Analyzing me. “That wouldn’t be enjoyable for you. Would you rather fight and be overpowered?”
Suddenly he was right in front of me, his hands reaching.
I punched out, startled and unable to help it. My fist connected with his midsection. I grabbed his shirt and yanked, trying to throw him away, but didn’t manage to move him far. His hand nearly got a hold of my neck, and he leaned closer.
A shock of fear coursed through me. I peppered him with punches, pushing down the fire inside me that wanted to blast the whole room. In its place, that cold thing within me swelled, filling my body. Tingling my fingers. I shoved him, trying to get him away.
His body flew backward through the air. Shock smacked into his features. He crashed against the wall before falling to the floor.
I froze. I’d moved stuff before, but it had never felt like that. It had never been so easy, or so powerful.
“There is something you are not telling me,” he said, running a thumb across his lips as he straightened up slowly. He eyed me, still predatory.
I shivered and desperately tried to regain composure. “Yes. It’s about your personality. Trust me, you’re better off living in ignorance.”
He rolled his shoulders. “Could you do that again?”
“I honestly have no idea. I’ve moved rocks—”
“The rocks in your backyard?”
“Yes. I can usually only get the littlest as high as you just flew. But that takes a lot of concentration.”
“That mage yesterday picked you up with a similar power.” He stalked toward me.
“You noticed that, did you?”
“You’re practicing incorrectly.” He stopped a few feet from me. I flinched, ready to punch out again. The guy was making me antsy. “When it comes to fighting, you work best when under pressure.”
“This isn’t about fighting; it’s about trying to figure out this new power. It feels and acts differently than my manipulation of fire.”
“How did you learn to use your fire?”
“I studied. My mother taught me how it should work, and I figured out how it actually worked, which was very different.”
“And how did you figure that out?”
I opened my mouth to answer that I had diligently focused for long periods of time each day, but that wasn’t true at the beginning. Memories crowded in—of cold, crisp mornings when my mom would hurl things at me, willing me to defend myself with my power. If I couldn’t protect myself, I’d get hit, often with wooden objects that hurt a lot, or spells that stung my skin. Of warm, humid nights when I’d walk through the shadows, my night vision doing little to protect me from her sneak attacks. The amount of spells she’d lobbed at me would make normal people cry “child abuse,” but my mom had known exactly what she was doing. She’d guided me through the beginning, helping me learn to shape my abilities. It wasn’t until I understood what burned inside of me that I was turned toward the more diligent, thoughtful approach, refining and manipulating.
I stared at Darius with glistening eyes, the tightness in my chest reminiscent of the pain when I first lost her. Of my sudden plunge into uncertainty. How would I learn this new power without her? I didn’t even know where to start.
“We will do it together,” Darius said softly, as if reading my thoughts. He was doing that a lot lately. “I can help you.”
I nodded, not trusting my voice.
“May I?” he asked, his eyes dipping to my neck.
So many emotions were flying through me at that moment, with him and my mother and the sense of impending doom, that I couldn’t do much more than nod.
His movements were slow, syrupy. He was taking the opposite approach this time, giving me time to adjust. To get used to his closeness so that I (probably) wouldn’t fling him across the room again.
“It is a joy being in your presence, Reagan,” he said quietly, his face now inches from mine. “Relaxing and exhilarating at the same time. I miss you when you aren’t near.”
My eyes fluttered as his sweet breath fell across my face. As the warmth of his body, so near, cocooned me.
His eyes scanned my face before stopping on my lips. I felt his hands settle low on my hips.
“Just blood,” I said in a husky voice I didn’t recognize.
“I am at your mercy,” he said, his lips getting closer. “I have always been at your mercy.”
His scent, spicy and masculine, delighted my senses. The power in his large body, the strength, made my mind buzz from his proximity.
When he bent, I was prepared for his face to dip to the side, and for the sharp pinch of his fangs as they entered my skin. I was prepared to fight the chemical effect of his saliva, as potent as the drug ecstasy. I was even prepared for my heart to thump madly, begging me to relent, to enjoy his perfect body and the rise and fall of each hard, defined muscle.
I was not prepared for his kiss.
When his lips touched mine, a jolt of sweet ecstasy cut through me. The fire within me boiled, and the excitement of battle mixed with the sweet heat of desire. I opened my mouth to him. He filled it in a rush, his tongue swirling around mine in an erotically teasing sort of way.
My moan was soft and deep. Liquid fire dripped through my middle and pooled below. Struggling with myself, I clutched his shirt front to push him off. Instead, I pulled him closer, willingly trapping myself between the hard warmth of him and the unyielding wall behind me.
His kiss increased in urgency, our shared fervency rising. I splayed my fingers across his chest, the logical side of me still urging me to push him away, but desire made me dip my hands lower.
I moaned again as his fingers slid up the curves of my hips and dipped under the fabric of my shirt. His touch sizzled against my skin and then sent a flush of goosebumps across it. The woman in me, that sensual beast who loved the feel of leather and lace against my skin, who was warm-blooded and yearned to show it, gripped the lapels of his jacket and pushed them over his shoulders.
&nb
sp; His hands came away from me as he shed the jacket, but his mouth stayed connected to mine, his taste wild and exciting. His mastery with delicious, teasing, oh-so-sexy kisses was better than anything I’d ever experienced.
This time his hands connected at my shoulders before sliding up to my neck. One stayed there, curving around that vulnerable area, and the other glanced off my chin as his kiss deepened still.
I yanked the ends of his shirt out of his pants and slid my hands along his smooth skin, lost to his touch. To the ferocity of my desire for him. To this moment.
His hold on my neck firmed up and his other hand dropped down to my butt, squeezing my lower half toward him. My core ached, my logic quieted, and my body keyed up, surprising me by wanting this with everything I had.
My breath came in shallow pants as his face slowly moved to the side. The hint of claw from his hand pricked my neck, sending a jolt of fear through me that I was allowing a powerful, primal being at one of the most physically vulnerable places on my body. Adrenaline dumped into my bloodstream, mixing with my raw passion to create such a potent elixir, I groaned and exhaled in sanguine bliss.
His tongue traced a blazing trail down the side of my neck. I angled my face away, giving him room to work. Melting into the moment. His body. Him.
None of this could be credited to—or blamed on—the chemicals of a vampire. He hadn’t bitten me yet. It was because of my connection with Darius. Somewhere along the way, he’d wormed his way into my world, and now that I was letting myself acknowledge that, I realized my desperate attraction had always been there. That the need was natural, and it was based on his personality, the rough as well as the sweet. The arrogant as well as the protector.
It might not be smart, and I would have to let logic back in eventually, but for this moment, I wanted nothing more than to give in to our needs—his need of an intimate connection while getting sustenance, and mine of deep, personal contact.
The scrape of his fangs on my neck made me shiver. His mouth sucked a spot on my neck that I knew was over my artery. I was about to offer my most precious possession to him—my life’s blood.
The pinch made me gasp and clutch his arms, but the following flood of ecstasy ripped the breath from my lungs. I dropped my mouth open in a silent scream, unable to handle such an onslaught of earth-shattering pleasure. It exploded, flash-boiling my body. I groaned, writhing against him, wanting him inside me to take the feeling to the next level.
His face ripped away and he slammed his hands against the wall, one on either side of my face. Paint and plaster trickled down from each point of contact. He bowed, breathing heavily. His whole body flexed. It was a pity it was obscured by clothes.
“Everything…all right?” I asked, out of breath. I was the one that was supposed to pull away, after all. We were swapping roles just now.
He began talking, aiming his words at his feet. And while the sounds were beautiful and flowing, I had no idea what he was saying.
“In English?” I prompted, resting my hands on his shoulders and dropping my head back to rest on the wall. I closed my eyes and let a smile curl my lips. A shudder of delight racked my body as his unique serum continued to course through my bloodstream. “I had no idea vampires got more potent with age. Wow, this feels good. So much better than that other—”
“Don’t mention anyone else,” he said in a ferocious voice. “I am not rational just now. I am completely out of control.”
I grimaced, because that sucked for him, then went back to soaking in the delicious feeling of his bite. I was doing just fine, thank you very much. I saw no reason for him to ruin my high.
“I cannot describe how good you taste, mon amour. Your blood is truly the nectar of the gods. Sweet, spicy, complex. Better than the finest wine in all of France. Better than I could’ve possibly imagined. The smell does not do it justice. There is nothing on this planet that could possibly compare.” He straightened up, his eyes deep and intense. “I am speechless.”
“Clearly not,” I said with a smile, running my hand along his jaw. I traced my thumb across his full bottom lip. “Round two?”
“If you get lightheaded, you will need to push me away,” Darius said seriously, his gaze rooted to mine. He did not move toward me again. “I am having a hard time regaining control. I feel like a brand-new vampire. I am not to be trusted.”
That didn’t sound good. Good thing my logic was still on hiatus.
“Question: do the chemicals in your saliva keep getting more intense, or do they diminish? Or stay constant? I can’t remember with the other—” A flash of rage crossed his features. I didn’t finish the sentence.
“I should be able to control it to give you whatever you desire. The chemicals, as you call them, are to counteract the pain of the bite. For tonight, however…I’m not sure I have control.”
“Fair enough. And your warning is noted. Do you need more blood?”
Hunger like I had never seen before flashed through his eyes. He straightened up and moved in slowly, wrapping a big arm around my waist and jerking me tightly against his big frame. His lips crashed down onto mine, spiraling my desire to new heights.
I ripped at his shirt like a wild thing, popping buttons and tearing it off him. The feel of his bumpy muscle made me moan, smooth and warm and man. I felt his hands under my shirt as his tongue continued to play with mine.
Desperate, crazed, I yanked at his belt. His thumbs hooked in the waistline of my yoga pants. Soft fabric slid down my thighs and pooled at my ankles. A moment later, I was in his arms. He yanked the covers of the bed back and gently laid me on the bed.
Finally getting a clear path to the goods, I worked his belt and pants again, getting them out of the way.
The pinch of his bite was unexpected. The rush of glorious bliss was not. I moaned, spreading myself for him. His fingers danced, so fast it felt like a vibrator, hitting exactly where I needed him, in multiple places, all at the same time. I had no idea how he did it, because that other vampire certainly hadn’t, but I didn’t really care, as long as he kept going.
The world dropped away. All I could feel was his touch and the deep draw of his bite. I soaked in the sensations, tightening up around the pleasure. Feeling it pound within me.
“Don’t stop,” I said with harried breathlessness, meaning both his artfully working hand and the pulling on my vein. “Please don’t stop.”
I rocked into him while clutching at my hair. Loud moans vibrated through my throat. Everything in me contracted. Another wave of his erotic serum surged into me, and a force of pleasure so intense I nearly blacked out pulled me under. My body shook, my teeth chattered, and my entire being fractured. I didn’t know which end was up. If he was still sucking or not. Maybe he was killing me; I didn’t know. All I knew was that the mother of all orgasms had swept me out to a place where there was no gravity. Where nothing existed besides this unbelievable, soul-clenching bliss pounding through every inch of my body.
“Would you—”
“Shhh.” I waved him away. “Give me a minute.”
I shuddered with an aftershock. I knew there was more to come, and we’d get to that, but first I needed a little me time.
A moment later, I opened my eyes to Darius poised above me, his strong arms flexing as he held himself up. A delicious little smile tweaked those shapely, kissable lips. “I was right about your passion, ma cherie. It is all-consuming.”
He lowered and softly kissed my lips, igniting the fire again. Igniting the pull to feel his skin against mine. How had I ever thought I’d be able to resist his temptation?
“I cannot take more blood,” he whispered. “Even though I crave it, you’ll need strength for tomorrow.”
“Okay.” I pulled the back of his neck, making him drop down over me. His delicious body pushed mine into the mattress. I slid my thighs up his sides, giving him access. Wanting him with every fiber of my being.
“I can’t spread diseases or impregna—”
&
nbsp; “I know,” I said. “I’m not supposed to tell you how I know, though, remember?”
A feral growl issued from his throat and he thrust. I cried out with the dull ache of his size, but he immediately rose up so he could slip his hand down between us and massage me while working his way in deeper.
The pain tapered off, and a glorious sensation unfurled inside me. Small balls of fire rose from the candles, hovering in the air around us like fairy lights. The tone had changed between us, now rougher, more intense. His fingers entwined with mine, and he lifted our hands above my head as he dropped down low again, trapping me to the mattress. Dominating me with his size and strength.
Claiming me.
I knew it from his actions. From his frenzied, primal movements, intent on imparting a mark on me that I would never forget.
Strangely, without my meaning to, the fire started dancing within the room, my unspoken accent. I cried out, squeezing him tightly with my thighs. At his mercy. The feelings so right.
A shock wave of pure ecstasy pumped through me. I blasted apart and called out his name. The real mother of all orgasms shook me to the core. He shuddered above me, groaning, and wave after delicious wave of pleasure rolled over me.
In the aftermath, all of the tension seeped out of my muscles. I turned into a puddle of satisfied Reagan on the bed. His hands still held mine, but he didn’t collapse over me like a human man might’ve done. Instead, he feathered me with soft kisses as I basked in the sensations.
“Are you ready for more?” he asked softly into my ear, starting to move again, painfully slowly.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
But he wasn’t. And we started again.
I could only hope that when this was over, I wasn’t completely lost to him.
Chapter Twenty-Four
A vibrating phone clattering against a hard surface woke me. My phone that I’d left in my suite.
I peeled an eye open. The blurry red numbers on the clock showed five something. It was still very much light outside.
The heat of Darius’s nude body was curled around me within the covers of his bed. His strong arms pulled me close, even in sleep, like I was the precious teddy bear of a sleeping child.
