I’m not going to survive. Fear skittered through her mind as her body coiled tighter and tighter. He was so sexy, hot beyond her imagining, and there was no possible way she could keep up.
Hold on to me. His voice was rough with stark lust.
Dax lifted his head, possession in his glittering eyes. Her stomach spasmed as he wedged himself between her thighs, lifting her hips, positioning himself at her entrance. She could feel him tight against her, so hot and thick, velvet over steel. A small sobbing plea escaped. She couldn’t wait another moment.
His fingers gripped her hips as he slowly, inch by slow inch, began to enter her. He threw his head back, his face a mask of raw pleasure.
“Ainamet andam. I give you my body.”
Dax fought for control. She was scorching, wrapping him in fire, so tight he wasn’t certain he would fit. Very reluctantly, her tight muscles gave ground, allowing his invasion, a slow, exquisite submission.
“Sívamet kuuluak kaik että a ted.” He bit out the words while sensations poured over him and into him. He held himself still when his body demanded he pound into her, but she needed a moment to adjust. “I take into my keeping the same that is yours.”
He meant every word. Binding ritual or not, the words meant more to him than ties between them. She would be his treasure, cherished, protected and loved above all else. Her heart was his. Her soul. And her body, this beautiful instrument of a pleasure he had never conceived existed. He set his teeth as he pushed deeper, feeling her muscles reluctantly unfolding like the petals of the flowers surrounding him until he was lodged against her thin barrier.
He wanted to give her such pleasure she would never regret her choice. He shifted, blanketing her, the movement causing her to gasp and writhe under him, her muscles gripping him with a fiery passion. He stroked a caress over the swell of her breast. Again her sheath tightened, nearly strangling him with pleasure.
She was saving his soul with her decision, no matter what he’d told her. He might never turn vampire, but her gift was even more important to him because she chose him. She followed him into an unknown world, one of danger when she was apprehensive and fearful. She had put her faith in him, trusting him when he’d been in danger of losing faith in himself and the world he’d fought so hard to maintain. She had no idea what she meant to him, but he would never let her down, and her pleasure was just as important to him as her safety.
Riley’s hands found Dax’s biceps, feeling the coiled strength there. His hard flesh filled her, stretched her. The slightest movement he made sent streaks of fire racing over her skin and lightning arcing through her body. His lips traced a path over her breast, drawing the creamy, aching mound into the heat of his mouth, suckling strongly, his tongue lashing, and his teeth grazing her nipple. The sensation drove her crazy, pushing her need past desperation.
“Dax, more. I need more.” He had to stop the coiling pressure building, always building with no relief.
He raised his head for one moment, those multifaceted eyes glowing fiercely with a thousand flames. He opened his mouth to reveal the long, sharp teeth. Her breath caught in her lungs. The teeth sank deep, right along the swell of her breast, while his hips surged forward, breaching her thin barrier. Pain lashed through her body to give way instantly to near ecstasy.
Riley’s body bowed, the soles of her feet finding the mattress for leverage as she rose to meet the thrust of his hips. Her fists doubled in his hair, holding him to her, while her blood flowed into him, locking them together in the way of his species. He was everywhere, in her body, her mind, wrapping himself in her heart, while the scent of him invaded every one of her senses.
As merged as closely as they were, she could taste herself, feel the explosion of pleasure in him as her blood filled his cells and organs. His already large erection grew even thicker, stretching her more. Fire streaked through him, her feminine sheath wrapping him in a strangling, velvet soft, fiery grip, milking and squeezing, as he thrust deep and hard with each stroke, bringing both of them closer to that free fall.
Sensations tore through her, the combination of his pleasure with hers pushing her higher still. Heat seared her, scorched her. The tension just stretched out more and more, with no end in sight. She clutched his shoulders, nails digging into his flesh as she tossed wildly beneath him.
Dax reluctantly lifted his head, watching her blood seep from the two pinpricks over her breast and trickle down the creamy slope to her taut nipple. Her chest rose and fell as he followed that enticing trail, his body slamming harshly into hers again and again as he indulged himself. Finally, he closed the small wounds with his tongue.
“Ainaak olenszal sívambin.” He uttered the words in a roughened, husky tone, stilling, refusing to give either of them relief. He was close to growling, the pleasure in his body one he’d never conceived of. “Your life will be cherished by me for all my time.”
She was nearly mindless, tightening her muscles to grip him. Through the connection of their minds, she knew he was on the very edge of his control.
He slipped his arm beneath her head, his eyes all fire now, burning over her like a brand. “Be still.”
She panted, her hips unable to obey, her muscles clamping around him, desperate for release, her head tossing wildly. She couldn’t be still, no matter what he said. She strained upward, but he kept her immobile as he lifted one hand to his chest. With one diamond-hard nail, he opened a thin line along the heavy muscle over his heart.
“Take what I offer, sivamet. Come closer into my world.”
Her eyes widened. She stared at him in shock. Still, and it shouldn’t have been, he looked so erotic, hot and sexy, there in that open field of flowers, with his hard body and ruby red drops of blood summoning her. She nearly shook her head, but she was mesmerized by the sight.
“Please,” she whispered. Her body was on fire. She needed release, but she wasn’t certain the plea was for him to take her over the edge. The temptation of tasting him was a dark whisper she was finding hard to ignore. The idea of drinking his blood should have been repugnant, not erotic, but her mouth could already taste him. His scent was everywhere, and her body was hot and needy.
“You have to make the choice on your own, Riley,” he said implacably. “This is the way to bring you closer to my world, and you have to know it’s truly what you want.” Cradling her head in the crook of one arm, he gathered her hips with the other and thrust deep.
Riley could feel his thick, hot shaft like a steel brand spreading fire through her. She knew flames burned in him. She could see the glow beneath his skin, in his eyes, the scorching heat of his body. Every inch of his hard flesh as it buried deep in her sheath spread those flames into her. She caught fire and burned. There was no end in sight. She moved, and he stopped.
A sob escaped. She needed him. Wanted him.
You hunger for me.
A bead of blood trickled over the muscle of his chest to the edge of his flat, hard nipple. Her gaze followed it, her tongue sliding over her lip. He wouldn’t let her hide from the truth. Deep in her veins she could feel a throb, every bit as strong as the terrible ache in her body. She remembered the taste of him in the flower and that intoxicating scent of his, amplified a thousand times by the field of flowers surrounding her. She couldn’t deny what he whispered was true, but human inhibitions held her back.
I feel your hunger beating at me.
His voice was seduction, let alone that harsh, jackhammer stroke he drove into her and once again stilled. Desperate, before she could think what she was doing, she licked at that thin trail of crimson with her tongue. His taste burst through her like champagne. She followed the trail back to the source, her mouth latching on, tongue dipping and stroking.
His groan was a rough, sexy sound. He threw his head back, whispering to her, helping her now that she�
��d made the decision. The essence of his life poured into her, filling her, restructuring, nurturing.
“Te élidet ainaak pide minan. Your life will be placed above my own for all time,” Dax bit out between clenched teeth. His body shuddered with the effort to hold back. His skin gleamed red and gold, scales showing beneath.
Riley stared up at his face. Lines of sheer lust etched deep, sending spirals of arousal spinning deep. The taste of him hit her hard, an aphrodisiac that added to the firestorm in her body. She would never get enough of him, not his taste and not his body.
Enough, sivamet. You cannot take too much at once. Just enough for an exchange.
She heard his words as if from a great distance. Her blood roared in her ears. She wasn’t certain what he meant, but she couldn’t stop. Dax was forced to gently insert his hand between her mouth and his chest.
“Te avio päläfertiilam.” He caught her hips in both hands, sliding her closer, pushing her legs over his shoulders. “You are my lifemate.”
With a small sob she fell back, her gaze locked with his. Her body was threatening to explode, so tight she was afraid she’d shatter into pieces. That movement of his body had his shaft stroking and caressing deep inside her. Brushstrokes of white-hot fire. She was so close to that edge, yet she couldn’t tumble over.
“Dax.” She cried out his name, reaching for him, her mind hazy, needing him to take her over the cliff with him. “Please. I can’t . . .” She didn’t know what she needed from him, only that she was burning from the inside out.
Dax surged forward, a steel spike of living flesh, burying himself over and over. Deep. So deep. She swore she felt him piercing through her stomach. Over and over. So hard. He pistoned into her, driving deeper still until she was certain he found his way into her soul. There was no pause, no moment to catch her breath, just that relentless pounding at her body.
Riley dug her nails into his arms, her head tossed mindlessly, her lungs burned for air. Deep in her mind, she heard herself scream. Her mouth was open, but no sound actually emerged. Her body clamped down hard on his. The orgasm ripped through her, shattered her, melting bones and muscles, burning cells and tissue in an explosion of shocking pleasure. She felt Dax erupting much like a fiery volcano, pulse after hot pulse while her body seemed to shatter into a million pieces.
Dax slumped over her, breathing raggedly, his heart pounding so hard she could hear it. She couldn’t move, her body still alive with pleasure, but leaden, her arms so heavy she couldn’t find the strength to move her hands into that thick pelt of hair she loved touching.
Dax turned his head into her neck. Ainaak sívamet jutta oleny. The whisper filled her mind. “You are bound to me for all eternity.”
Another shock wave of pleasure washed through her. She shuddered, her body climaxing again and again. She could feel something different inside. She was . . . more. Evolving. Tied to him. She never wanted to let him go. It seemed as if there were millions of tiny threads weaving them together.
Dax brushed kisses over her eyes. “Ainaak terád vigyázak. You are always in my care.”
Her body shuddering, Riley forced herself to find the energy to lift her hand to his face. His impossibly long lashes were wet. She touched the tips gently.
He turned his head to catch her fingers in his mouth, sucking gently before releasing her. “The binding ritual is our version of marriage, only more permanent. It binds your soul to mine. Perhaps I should have waited until you really have more of a concept of what you’re getting into. It’s no excuse, but I don’t want to be alone again, Riley.”
“Neither do I,” she assured, blinking back tears. “I want this. No matter what happens, Dax, I choose to be with you. You warned me there would be no going back. I’m prepared for that.”
He rolled over, taking her with him, so that she sprawled across his chest. Riley buried her face in the junction between his neck and shoulder, exhausted. She was certain when she was alone, she would be aghast at the enormity of her decision, but she clung to him, one hand in his hair while the other smoothed over his chest.
Dax wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. “Are you going to sleep?”
“Yes. You can gather the flowers for Gary and Jubal,” she said. “I’m not moving for the rest of the night.”
Dax laughed softly and brushed a kiss on top of her head. “As you wish, my lady.”
14
Riley woke just before sunset. How she knew it was only minutes away, she wasn’t certain, but there was no doubt in her mind exactly when the sun would sink from the sky. She thought the continual drone of the insects might have woken her, the sound seemed so amplified in her head she clapped her hands over her ears. Birds flitted overhead in the trees, the squawking and chattering much louder than normal as they prepared for a long night of predators hunting them. Everything was so much louder, including several of the men’s snoring.
Her hand hurt, and when she lifted it to inspect it, it was quite swollen. A spider, or some insect had clearly bitten her and she had an allergic reaction. She couldn’t remember having allergies to bites, but in the rain forest, she knew the insects could carry all sorts of venom. She would have to do something about it. Her first aid kit was in her backpack.
Annoyed, she sat up in her hammock and surveyed the campground. Her body was deliciously sore in places she hadn’t known she had. Her heart was pounding a little bit too hard at the enormity of what she’d done—giving herself to Dax. She wasn’t irritated with anyone but herself.
She had to be honest, she’d practically thrown herself at him. He’d even tried to talk her out of it. In truth, counting actual days, she’d barely met him, but she felt as if she knew him better than she’d known anyone in her life. Sharing his mind, she learned so much about him.
Riley bit down hard on her thumb, scraping her teeth back and forth along the nail, trying to reconcile her staid little life with her behavior in the rain forest. Was she going to go all stupid and regret such an amazing, incredible, hot first time? It wasn’t as if she was in high school. She was a college professor for heaven’s sake. If she wanted to have sex with the hottest vampire hunter in the rain forest, she certainly didn’t have to be ashamed of it.
Was she ashamed? Hell no. She would never regret giving herself to him, but it hadn’t been just her body. With a little sigh she shoved long tendrils of hair that had worked their way out of her braid away from her face. She blushed at the memory of Dax pulling out the thick weave, at the memory of his hands in her hair. He had been the one to braid it again, right after he’d collected the flowers for Gary. She’d remained sprawled out naked on the bed, too exhausted to move. Again she felt the color rising into her face.
If it had been just sex she’d had with Dax, she wouldn’t be so nervous. She’d given him her heart and soul. Basically she’d jumped off a cliff and had no idea if there was a safety net. He’d shatter her if he didn’t feel the same way about her that she felt about him. And there it was. The entire problem. He professed to feel the same way, and last night, she’d been in his mind and had been so certain, but today, she could hardly bear being away from him.
The separation clawed at her. She found she couldn’t turn her mind away from him. She felt as if she were holding her breath, waiting for his arrival. She detested that the women in her family were so close to their mates that they wanted to be with them every moment. She had made herself into an independent woman, well educated, able to take care of herself. She spent time with friends and truly enjoyed their company. She wasn’t dependent on a man for fun, or for her livelihood. Her ancestors had all died within weeks of their husbands—even her own mother.
Riley had been so determined she would never be the same way and yet . . . she was obsessed with Dax. She needed to see him. She rubbed her hands over her face again, trying to think cl
early, to assess the situation. There was no going back and if she could, she knew she wouldn’t. She was in love with him, more than in love. The moment his mind had shared hers, she was lost. There was no being alone ever again. She had only to reach for him and he was there. His devotion to her was easy to read. Dax didn’t attempt to hide his need or his admiration of her. For him, there truly was only Riley.
She pulled the first aid kit from her pack and picked through it until she found the allergy cream. So why was she upset? She had no real idea of what she was getting into and she always, always, had a plan. Her mind just worked that way. She needed stability. A goal. She didn’t fling herself headfirst off a cliff and have no idea how she was going to land. She didn’t give herself to a man. No, not a man—a Carpathian who considered humans a food source. Ever since she’d set foot in the rain forest, things had been out of control.
She smeared the cream over her swollen hand, sighing as the wind shifted, slightly teasing her face, telling her she wasn’t alone. “Weston,” she greeted without turning her head. Carefully she put everything back in the first aid kit and stowed the kit in her backpack. “I thought we had an agreement. You were going to stay away from my sleeping area. I like privacy.”
“I wanted to talk to you, before the others got up.”
Riley sighed and turned her boots upside down to make certain nothing had crawled into them in the middle of the night. She had to admit Don Weston sounded conciliatory, but still, she braced herself, grateful she had the gun Jubal had given her. She even went as far as to feel for it where it was hidden in her sleeping bag on the hammock. “Sure, what is it?”
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