by Tara Sampson
That was all the green light that he needed. He began to move in a slow, erotic rhythm that carried her to a paramount of heights. Time had no meaning. All she could do was feel and boy did she feel. The moment that she crossed over that precipitous edge, she flew. She flew into a cataclysmic galaxy like no other. Her body writhed underneath his but she felt that there was still something she was missing.
Her fangs began to elongate and her mouth was left feeling cotton dry. His scent called to her and when she opened her eyes they zeroed in on the dark vein on his chest.
“Do it, Shelby, take what I offer you,” Leo said, his voice both raw and guttural. He didn’t break his stride, keeping his rhythm slow and steady. “Drink, my sweet.”
She flicked out her tongue, licking over his sweat-drenched skin.
“Now, Shelby,” he growled. “Do it!”
She didn’t hesitate. She opened her mouth and sank her fangs into his chest, moaning the second that his sweet, rich blood began to fill her mouth. It was like liquid ambrosia; going straight to her head and she drank it greedily.
The moment that her fangs punctured his skin, Leo lost it. He opened his mouth and his fangs distended as well. He sank his teeth into the juncture of her neck and simultaneously spilled into her, unable to hold back the growl that rumbled from his chest.
The act of them drawing off of each other was the single most erotic feeling that he had ever experienced. Their blood flowing through each other was as intimate as two of their kind could possible get. He drew off of her very essence and reveled in how heavenly it was. She was like a fine wine; rich, sweet and highly intoxicating.
After several deep swallows, he regrettably forced himself to pull away from her, not wanting to take too much from his little bride and proceeded to swipe his tongue over his bite, closing the two small holes he had made. Their union was now wholly complete. She was officially his for all of eternity.
He worked to steady himself above her and was left gulping in deep breaths while he brought himself back under control. The only problem was that when he was with her, control seemed to be completely out of the question.
She lifted her mouth from his chest and lapped at the tiny pin points that she had made. When Leo was certain that she had her fill, he flipped over onto his back, dragging her with him. He settled her head on his chest and stroked the soft skin at her back.
She didn’t say a word; wasn’t sure that she even needed to. All she was certain of was that something monumental had just happened between them; something bigger than the both of them and something that would forever change their future.
Anissa had said that Leo and her future together were of great importance for humanity to survive. She told her to trust in Leo and to follow her instincts which she had done. She also said that their future was written in the stars but only time would tell if the stars had actually gotten it right.
Chapter 20
Shelby lay on her side and staring intently at Leo’s sleeping form. For the last hour, she had watched him, studying his astute handsome features and was still drinking in every line, every curve that her eyes rested on.
His square-lined jaw jutted out at the perfect angle making him seem regal in appearance. His long, dark lashes curled up, softening his stern face. His blackened, silk hair spilled across his forehead highlighting his creamy complexion and she knew that when he opened his eyes, those eyes that reflected the midnight sky, he could steal her breath with just one look.
Oh yeah, this man was definitely handsome and she was lying there beside him after they had shared some pretty explicit intimate moments.
Her cheeks flushed with heat at the memory. She remembered the way his hands had touched her body, the way his mouth had kissed her all over and the way he filled her had been beyond words. He drove her to the clouds and back with all of the pertinent skill of an accomplished veteran.
Sated and relaxed, they were now back in his chambers, tucked away in his bed. When she first woke, she found herself clad in one of his silk button up shirts and she couldn’t quite recall exactly how they had transported from the sands of the beach to the Egyptian cotton sheets of his bed. And if she was being honest with herself, she didn’t really care. She was just content being with Leo.
“What are you thinking about so hard, my sweet?”
His deep voice melted over her like warmed honey. His knowing eyes popped opened and Leo tilted his head so that he was facing her. Lifting his hand, he lightly caressed her cheek with the back of his hand.
Shelby could only sit there and continue to watch him. It never ceased to amaze her at how tender and gentle he was with her. This giant of a man who always wore this impenetrable façade looked at her with the softest of expressions.
“Talk to me,” he urged in a voice barely above a whisper. He turned his hand around and cupped her cheek. “What’s going on in that head of yours?”
She smiled.
“Can’t you just look and see?”
Leaning forward, he pressed a kiss on the tip of her nose.
“Yes,” he agreed, “I could but-” he paused and leaned back on the pillow, “I want you to tell me. I want to give you your privacy but I want you to be open with me too. Can you do that?”
The corner of her mouth twitched. She was still working to process all of this new stuff that had happened to her over the last week. Things such as the fact that she was now a vampire, the fact that her friend was a supposed witch and then there was that whole deal with the prophecy.
It wasn’t every day that a girl learned that she was supposed to be the one to save humanity. That wasn’t a small change; winning a million dollars would be considered one of those.
“Shelby?” He never once raised his voice to her but the quiet command in his undertone told her that he wouldn’t let this go until she talked to him.
Softly sighing, she flipped over onto her back and stared up at the ceiling.
“Life,” she told him simply, “and how different it all is now.”
“Mmm. Go on.” He lazily dropped his hand from her cheek and settled it on her arm. In slow, soothing motions, he ran his hand up and down her arm, awakening certain feelings in her body that she was unprepared for.
She tried to smile at him, pushing past those delicious feelings that warmed her insides and set her blood ablaze.
“It’s funny how it all works out. I mean…you finding me after that accident, you coming for me on my birthday and then Anissa walking into my life. This whole new other world that I’m being introduced to and then,” she paused to touch the rose pendant around her neck, “the prophecy.”
Leo’s hand abruptly froze on her arm. She could feel the tension projecting off of him in waves. It was so profound that she felt like she was almost drowning in it.
“Leo?” she said cautiously, bringing his eyes to hers. “Is something wrong?”
He closed his eyes for a long second and then opened them; it almost seemed as if his eyes went two shades darker, if that was even possible.
Taken aback by the sudden harshness that marred his face, she touched his chest and let out a breath when he visibly relaxed underneath her timid touch.
“What did I say?” she finally asked him.
Leo forced himself to smile. It was half-ass, he knew that but he didn’t want to let his mounting fear show.
“Sweetheart, you mentioned a prophecy. What prophecy are you talking about?”
She turned away from him, already becoming accustomed to his abrupt change in moods. It was obvious that he had no idea about the prophecy that Anissa had bestowed to her. Keeping her gaze focused on the ceiling, she again thumbed the consecration pendant.
“The one that Anissa told me about.”
She heard his unmistakable growl reverberate in his chest and stiffened.
“What prophecy, Shelby?”
Sucking in a breath, she pushed herself up to a sitting position and slowly turned back to him and gulped.
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“You might want to ask her about it.”
This time he sat up. In one deft movement, he picked Shelby up in his arms as if she weighed no more than a feather and sat her over his lap, straddling him.
“No,” he told her, his hands gripping her waist. “I want you to tell me.” She tried to turn away from him but he grabbed her chin firmly so that she had no choice but to look at him. His grip wasn’t painful but it was intimidating. “What prophecy?” he asked again, his tone not quite matching the intensity that shone in his eyes.
“She said something about me and you, the stars and…” she stopped, blithely waved her hand in the air, “something about saving humanity.”
At first she was met with silence and then yet again, he went with that closing of his eyes. She was quickly coming to realize that he did that when he felt his temper flare and it was a calming mechanism of sorts.
“Leo?” She patiently waited for him to open his eyes and look at her. For a minute there, she wondered if he would ever open his eyes and then he did.
Rest, I’ll be back shortly, he spoke the words in her mind and at the same time, lifted her off of his lap, setting her in the center of his bed.
Saying nothing else, he stood up in all of his naked glory and turned his back on her. By the candlelight of the room, she could see the sinuous muscles constricting in his back with every step that he made.
She was virtually hypnotized by that natural movement and it wasn’t until he made a motion with his hand and he magically clothed himself that she realized he was leaving her—again.
Wait a minute!
“Leo,” she sat up on her knees, desperately trying to understand this man that made her so inexplicably crazy. “Are you just going to leave me here?”
He stopped at the door and she saw his shoulders drop.
“I have things to do little bride. I’ll be back.”
Without offering any further explanation, he just disappeared.
Shelby was caught dumbstruck, staring at the empty space where he had just stood.
This is not happening, she told herself. Foolishly, she assumed that after what they had just shared, that they had already crossed this mole hill. Evidently they hadn’t.
She held no misconceptions that her vampire wasn’t going to go off somewhere, alone, to see about the prophecy Anissa warned her of. No, that was exactly what he planned to do and she refused to just sit around here in his room, twiddling her thumbs while waiting for him to come back her to. If that’s what he thought was going to happen then he was sorely mistaken.
This is the twenty-first century, dammit! She wasn’t helpless and she thought that by her actions, she had already proven that.
Crawling off the bed, she started for the door. She had a few choice words of her own that she wanted to share with Leo. If they were going to make this work then he would have to accept her for who she was.
Feeling her resolve strengthen, she pulled the door open and started to step out into the hall when she came face-to-face with none other than his mother.
“Just the person that I was looking for,” Isabella smiled. She took Shelby by the arm and not too gently pushed her back into the room. She glanced out in the hall, looking to her left then to her right, making sure that no one was around before walking in the room herself and closing the door behind her.
She turned around and faced Shelby, the fake smile dropping from her face.
“I think it’s about time that we had a heart to heart.”
Chapter 21
Leo paced back and forth furiously in his study. Each added step only increased his frustrations.
Prophecy? What in the hell kind of prophecy would involve my bride? He thought peevishly to himself.
It just didn’t make any sense to him. Nothing was adding up; from the recent shifter attacks and now this prophecy? For a girl who led a pretty unassuming life, suddenly it was like everyone had her number and he was not the least bit happy about it either.
She had been so young and so innocent when he found her all those years ago lying there, bleeding and broken by the road. If it hadn’t been for him, she would have certainly died that day. If it had been any other person, he would have walked away but there was something about her that called to him; something so strong that even he, himself couldn’t deny.
He had never thought to question the incident in the past; how it happened or why. It all seemed so cut and dry. She was there, he bound himself to her and from that day forward she belonged to him. He watched out for her until the time came that he could bring her home and now, she was here right where she belonged.
Now that he had reflected back, he realized that he wanted to know what really happened that day. Who would have run a child over so young and then left her there to die? Why was it that he had felt so compelled with her? He wasn’t regretting any of the decisions that he’d made but now that she mentioned a prophecy, Leo was starting to wonder if there was a whole lot more to what happened on that particular hot summer evening that had managed to change both his life and his sweet Shelby’s forever.
Had someone intentionally tried to kill her in order to prevent the prophecy?
Did someone already know what her role would be in the future?
Was that the reason for the Coyote attack? If so, that meant that someone who knew about the prophecy also knew that Shelby was still alive and now she was in even more danger than he had imagined.
Not bothering to hide his annoyance with his servant’s slowness, Leo stopped in front of the desk where he was tapping on the laptop, loudly slapped his palms down on the front of it and all but snarled out, “Have you found anything yet?”
Ric stopped punching the keys on the laptop. He lifted his head and stared up at his master.
“Not yet, sir, but I’m working on it.” Turning back to the screen in front of him, he went back to his tapping.
Leo growled low in his throat and unfurled his body so that he stood up to his full height, towering over both the desk and Ric. An ache began to pound in his temples and no matter how much he massaged at it, it only seemed to worsen. He was supposed to be spending this time with his new bride, exploring her body, teaching her the many pleasures that they could share in her new vampire lifestyle and instead, he was forever downstairs and she was upstairs, separated and alone.
In his mind though, her safety had to come first and foremost. With all of the new developments unraveling as they pertained to her, his beast was riding the edge. He wanted to maim the one who dared to harm his bride. He wanted to snap their neck, drain them of every last drop of their blood and burn their bodies so that there would be nothing left of them but paltry ashes.
Shelby was his everything. She was the light that lit up his blackened soul and he would be damned that after so many years of staying away from her and now finally having her, that he would let anyone take her away from him. She belonged to him and he would do whatever it took to protect her.
Ric looked up from the laptop again. Leo was once again pacing the room like a caged animal.
“Master,” he called out hesitantly and waited for his attention.
At first he didn’t think that Leo had heard him but then he suddenly stopped and his black eyes turned in his direction. Ric knew at that moment that the beast was in more control now than the man. Gulping, he lowered his eyes and spoke softly, knowing that with his sensitive ears, he would still be able to hear him.
“This may take me a few minutes to research. Why don’t you go be with your bride and try to calm your beast? I’ll summon you when I have the information that you’re seeking.”
At first, Leo’s eyes thinned out into tiny slits and it looked as if he was going to refuse but after a long minute, he let out a long suffering sigh and rubbed his hands over his face.
“Maybe,” he started and dropped his hands back to his side, “maybe you’re right,” he agreed, remembering the forlorn look on Shelby’s face when he abr
uptly left her on the bed and walked out of the room. They had just shared one hell of a night of intense passion together and just like that, he walked out on her, leaving her speechless on his bed.
He dropped his head back on his shoulders and groaned up at the ceiling.
“I’m such an ass,” he muttered to no one in particular.
“Master?” Ric paused, waiting for him to retort or say something to refute his rather uncharacteristic comment. He heard exactly what he said but what he didn’t get was why he said it. The Leo he knew and served was ruthlessly relentless and as hard as they come. But this one, this Leo standing in front of him was confusing the hell out of him. He was nothing like his master of late and for what…a measly human that he turned and had some delusional fetish over?
“Nothing.” Leo waved his hand and headed for the door. “Just call me when you have something.” He needed to go to see his Shelby and apologize for running out on her the way that he did. He had only been thinking about what all of this meant to her in the grand scheme of things and if what Anissa had told Shelby was correct then it looked like they were headed for one hell of a bumpy ride.
Ric watched his masters back as he opened the door and walked out, closing it behind him. He thoughtfully stroked his chin for a while and decided that he needed to call Tatiana. Getting rid of the human waste and Leo might not be so hard after all if certain elders found out that she was part of the very prophecy that would hold them back from the one thing they wanted most—free reign over humanity.
He had heard rumors in some circles that certain higher-ups wanted to come out in the public and rule. They wanted to quarantine humans for the weaklings that they were and let the vampires take their kingly positions as they should have at the beginning of time. If they just so happened to catch wind that the star of the one prophecy that could possibly put a stop to their plans was right here under their very noses, well…his problem was solved.
