by I. T. Lucas
Not to mention the small detail of the taboo.
But Michael, well…
She kept seeing his smiling eyes admiring her in that sweet boyish way of his. He hadn’t leered like some guys or tried to front some macho bullshit to impress her. The boy was man enough to admit that he really liked her. Straight out. No bull. And how sexy was that.
In the end, she hadn’t done anything with the guy in the club. Couldn’t. After some heavy necking that had done nothing for her, she had thralled him and sent him on his way.
Except now, sitting in the car, she debated the wisdom of that move. Still needy and antsy, the backseat activity not helping, she seriously contemplated waking Michael up.
It was such a bad idea, though.
Unless she had some feelings for the kid, it wouldn’t be fair to him. He wasn’t one of her kind, and with his mortal sensibilities about sex, she would in all likelihood crush his young, vulnerable ego.
Oh, he would love to have her any way he could get her—of that she had no doubt. But how would he feel the morning after when he’d realize he was just a one-night stand? Still having to face her day after day?
No, unless she planned on being exclusive with him, at least until it was determined that he wouldn’t turn and they sent him away clueless, she couldn’t do it to him.
But wait… what if he really was a Dormant? If she had a relationship with him prior to his turning, then most likely he would remain hers to keep.
Sweet.
Smiling like the cat that ate the canary, Kri wondered how come it hadn’t occurred to her before. She was in a unique position to call dibs on the first potential near-immortal male not of her clan.
What a coup.
And yet, as she had no frame of reference for a long-term relationship, she had a hard time imagining what it could be like having a man of her own.
Feeling a little out of sorts, Kri leaned back in her seat and gazed out the window again. But passing the deserted streets of downtown LA, the familiar sight of the occasional homeless vagabond disturbed her for some reason tonight.
Curled sleeping on a street bench, with a shopping cart containing all of his or her earthly belongings within reach, these homeless were completely alone in the world.
With no roots and no one to take care of them in their time of need, they were adrift in a sea of indifferent humanity. Abandoned.
If one died tonight, there would be no one to mourn the loss.
Their misfortune made her feel both guilty and lucky for having a large family at her back. If she ever lost her mind and didn’t know who or where she was, there would always be someone to make sure she was alright and take responsibility for her.
Her kind wasn’t susceptive to mortal diseases, but that immunity didn’t extend to some afflictions of the mind, and there were a few cases of insanity among them.
Some had been the result of post-traumatic stress disorder, others due to God knows what.
Her own mother suffered from a mild case of obsessive compulsive disorder, compelled to keep everything in her house in precise groups of three.
It wasn’t a big deal to just go with it and oblige her, but the hysterics when someone forgot and moved things out of their groupings were trying.
Yeah, it was good to be part of a clan; to belong to a community that gave a damn. But how much better would having a mate of her own be?
Someone she could come back to at the end of the day, share her nights with, her thoughts, her memories.
Well, putting it this way, a roommate could provide similar companionship. But the benefits of having one were not worth the compromises she’d have to make.
And in any case, it wasn’t the same as someone sharing her bed. Permanently.
All of a sudden she craved it, which was strange because she’d never given it much thought before. But now she longed for a partner with surprising intensity.
And the one she wanted, was Michael. With his cute smile and his big shoulders and sincere face.
Except, he was so damn young.
CHAPTER 43: SYSSI
Syssi cracked one eye open, not sure what had woken her up. It was either the sound of running water coming from the adjacent bathroom or the sun rays filtering through the parted curtains and shining brightly on her face.
Squinting against the glare, she looked around the unfamiliar bedroom, and it took her a moment until she remembered where she was. Or why…
With the cobwebs of sleep clearing, what had happened last night still seemed like a surreal dream or a drug-induced hallucination.
Yet, she knew it had been neither.
As out of it as she’d been while the whole thing happened, the memory of that bite and the things Kian had told her were too vivid to be a dream. And he’d brought her here last night—to his bedroom.
Well, at least he wasn’t a mobster, she chuckled. And he claimed he wasn’t a vampire… Though, considering the fangs and the biting, she still had her doubts,…
Funny, that this was what was troubling her in light of the bigger picture she was starting to put together from all the bits and pieces he had told her.
The tale was pretty fantastic, but it was hard to argue with the sharp, pointy evidence of Kian’s fangs. Apparently, some kind of immortal beings were living hidden among mortals, secretly helping humanity and manipulating global affairs with no one any the wiser. Except, it seemed a faction of them wasn’t on board for the humanitarian effort and posed a serious threat to Kian’s family.
She was only guessing that other immortals and not humans were the powerful enemies Kian’s family was hiding from. But it made more sense than the scenario favored by fiction of some secret order devoted to the elimination of supernatural creatures.
Oh, well, whatever the full story was, the fang thing was strange and scary.
But oh, boy… was it hot.
The way Kian had made her feel, she didn’t care if he was a vampire or something else. He was welcome to bite her anytime.
Surrounded by his scent, she snuggled in Kian’s incredibly soft bedding, luxuriating at the way it felt on her bare skin…
Bare skin? Syssi realized she was completely naked beneath the duvet.
But for the life of her, she couldn’t remember if she had undressed herself or had it been Kian who had taken everything off? Probably Kian… because she would have left her underwear on…
Unless it was wet…
Which it probably was.
Whatever.
Stretching her toes, Syssi felt happy. Which implied that she must be either out of her mind or still affected by the venom.
In light of the bombshell Kian had dropped at her feet, she should’ve been alarmed, disbelieving, panicking, running for her life; as any normal person would. Instead, all she felt was good.
No way would she let any negative thoughts intrude on her feelings of serenity and wellbeing. She felt healthy, strong, sexy… and pampered.
Kian’s bedroom was fit for a king… or a queen… The king-sized bed sat on a raised platform, facing a fireplace with a large screen television hanging above it and a pair of overstuffed bookcases flanking it.
She couldn’t see the titles from this far, but judging by their messy and uncoordinated arrangement, the books seemed like they got a lot of actual use.
Kian must’ve spent most of his time in here reading, unless he liked watching TV from bed, because instead of facing the screen, the sitting area was oriented toward the wall of sliding glass doors and the terrace beyond.
Syssi loved it. If it were hers, she would’ve never left this room. She could see herself spending a lot of lazy afternoons here; sitting in one of the comfy chairs, reading a book and drinking a latte as the curtains fluttered in the breeze that blew in through the open patio doors.
Or, she could be lounging lazily in this heavenly bed, preferably with Kian in it…
Naked…
Or almost naked…
Walking in
with only a towel wrapped around his hips, and his hair dripping droplets of water down his sculpted chest, Kian took her breath away. There was no doubt in her mind that she would never get tired of seeing him like this, and that each and every time she did, she would be awed anew by his perfection.
Now that she knew what he was, her first impression of him made perfect sense. She was right to think that no mere mortal could look so good because Kian wasn’t human. And neither was Amanda.
Oh, boy! Did she have questions for him.
“Good morning, sunshine,” he greeted her, smiling a big toothy smile—one she realized she had never seen on him before. Still, even though his fangs were clearly visible now, they were nothing compared to the scary things he flashed her in the mirror last night and could easily pass for slightly larger than normal canines.
Did they elongate in response to the triggers he had mentioned? Retracting when of no further use?
“We need to talk,” she said, thinking that from here on out, these words that were dreaded by males everywhere would hold a whole new meaning for her.
“I know, and I promise we will. But first… we have some unfinished business from last night…” Growling, Kian let the towel drop as he advanced on her, looking like a mighty jungle cat ready to pounce on his prey.
The effect of seeing his powerful, naked body moving sinuously toward her was like flipping a switch, igniting a lust so powerful that it had her body trembling with need.
Yeah, talking can definitely wait.
Suddenly, the comforter felt scratchy and too warm on her naked, over-sensitized skin, and she threw it off. Framing her aching breasts with her hands, she arched her hips—offering herself.
CHAPTER 44: KIAN
“So fucking beautiful…” Crawling on the bed to straddle Syssi, Kian felt feral. And yet, looking down at her flushed body, the few neurons still functioning in his blood-deprived brain managed to process the fact that her level of arousal was alarming.
Syssi’s normally pink nipples were red and turgid, and as she spread her knees to welcome him in between them, he found her already wet and swollen. Urging him on, she rolled her hips and cupped her breasts as a needy moan left her parted lips.
Was it even possible for the addiction to take hold only after two bites? He hoped this wasn’t the case, and that her wildness could be attributed to plain old lust.
But regardless of the impetus, her explicit carnality effectively slammed down all of his buttons, driving reason and his good intentions away.
Mindless with lust, he was all animal as he drove into her, burying himself to the hilt in one powerful thrust.
Syssi climaxed instantly. And as her convulsing inner muscles gripped him tightly, Kian groaned, straining against the pressure building up in his shaft.
It was too soon.
Slowing down, he was able to hold off for no more than a few strokes before need overpowered his resolve, and he began pounding into her mercilessly, going fast and hard, grunting and groaning like the beast he was.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, a thought was trying to filter through and warn him that he might be hurting her. But its voice was drowned by the turmoil of the blood boiling in his veins.
Growing impossibly hard, he was on the brink of the inevitable eruption, when Syssi turned her head—submitting her exposed neck for his bite.
That was it for him. With the iron links of his self-imposed manacles not so much snapping as crumbling to dust, he bared his fangs and bit her, pumping her full of his venom along with his seed.
Syssi went over again. With her sheath gripping onto him on the inside and her arms holding on tight, she kept his chest pressed against hers as their bodies shook from the exertion and the force of their climax.
Long moments passed with them entwined in each other, dazed in a mindless stupor, unable to move, or talk, or even think coherently.
Eventually, when some semblance of reason returned, Kian felt like scum. He had no doubt some form of addiction had already taken root, and not only in Syssi.
He had never experienced sex like that before, not even close. And looking back at almost two thousand years of it, he could think of only one logical explanation. The one he dreaded most.
“I’m so sorry, baby,” he whispered into Syssi’s neck, thinking she was still out.
“What the heck for?”
He heard her barely audible whisper as her hand started a lazy trek up and down his back.
“You make me so wild, cats in heat have nothing on me.” She chuckled. “Or you…” she added, nuzzling his neck. “Do you turn all your women into mindless sex maniacs? Or is it just me?” she whispered, blowing hot air in his ear.
Did he imagine it? Or was she attempting to hide her possessiveness and jealousy by pretending to tease? Not that he minded, he kind of liked that she did. And it had nothing to do with satisfaction over the shoe being on the other foot. Nothing at all…
“I’m not sure who made whom more wild. Though I doubt that having the dubious honor of being the only one I’ve ever ratted on like a crazed animal was good for you. I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
“No, you didn’t hurt me, you sweet boy. I wanted you exactly like that; mindless with passion, crazed… I’m happy you were just as out of control as I was. I would be dying of shame at my own sluttishness otherwise.” Syssi kissed his neck, running her hands over his sweat-slicked body. “I think you need another shower, lover-boy.” A smirk curled her lips. “We can have one together…”
Later, when the joined shower didn’t evolve into another mindless carnal attack, Kian reevaluated his earlier conviction that the addiction was responsible for their crazed sex.
They both seemed comfortably satiated, enjoying some lazy caressing and kissing but not taking it any further than that.
And what a relief that was.
“Oh, damn, I have nothing to wear. All my things are at Amanda’s, and I’m afraid the dress I was wearing last night is ruined.” Syssi frowned. Sitting on the bed wrapped in a bath towel, she looked at the dress in her hands. “Could you send it to be dry cleaned? I can’t return it to Amanda in this condition.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of the incriminating evidence.” He chuckled and stepped out from inside his closet with one of his T-shirts. “You can use this in the meantime.”
Wearing his plain white shirt, Syssi looked absolutely adorable and sexy as hell—the thing reaching below her knees and providing a semi-decent cover to her otherwise naked body.
The semi being the operative word.
With her sweet ass clearly visible through the thin fabric, he kept glancing behind her and ogling it as they walked into the kitchen, holding hands.
“Good morning!” Okidu beamed at them and immediately got busy serving them breakfast.
Once he was done, Kian shooed him away, knowing Syssi would prefer their conversation to be private.
Sitting at the kitchen counter and drinking her coffee, Syssi kept quiet until Okidu left. Then, with her cheeks growing red, she giggled before slanting a quick glance at Kian. “I don’t know what came over me. I’ve never been so out of control before… wouldn’t have believed I even had it in me.” She lowered her eyes, focusing on the mug she was holding. “Do you think it had something to do with your venom? Did any of the other women react to it like this?”
And here it was again, that jealous note in her tone…
“It might have been the venom. Though I must admit, your reaction was surprising. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it. Most intense sexual experience I ever had. And if you’re embarrassed by it, please don’t be. I don’t think you can top my coming in my pants… twice… That never happened to me with anyone but you either.” Kian chuckled nervously. “It seems we’re having lots of firsts together, don’t you think?”
“I guess… it’s just that my experience is very limited. I had only one lover before you. We were together for four years. He and I… we
never got that intense. It was kind of lackluster… And since we broke up two years ago, there wasn’t anyone I wanted to be with … before you, that is.”
Syssi sighed, playing with her mug and looking into her coffee as if the right things to say could be found inside. “I thought I wasn’t into the whole thing, the sex thing I mean, couldn’t understand what all the hubbub was about. And then you show up. And I burn for you, go wild for you… I never imagined it could be like that.” She slanted a tentative glance at him.
Kian pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly. “Your ex was a moron or gay. His inadequacy, or his confused sexual orientation, influenced the way you thought of yourself because you had nothing to compare it to. Believe me, you’re the hottest, most passionate, perfect woman I have ever known. And coming from me it says a lot… I’ve been around the block… way more times than I care to admit.” Tilting up her chin with his finger, he looked into her beautiful eyes. “You believe me, right?” he said in a tone that brooked no argument.
“So, what are you saying? That you’re old? Or that you’re a slut?” Syssi chuckled, teasing. Still, she looked pleased, her eyes glowing from his compliments.
“Both.” He smiled back and kissed her cute little nose. “You got yourself a dirty, dirty old man.”
“How old is old? And how dirty?”
Kian took a deep breath, not looking forward to her reaction to what he was about to tell her. “I’m almost two thousand years old, and since reaching puberty, I’ve been with a different woman almost every night. I’m not proud of it. In fact, I resent my physiology. My kind is driven by a very strong sex drive, probably as a way to counteract our extremely low fertility rate… So yeah, I’ve been a major slut. I hope that doesn’t disgust you…” He searched her eyes, hoping she’d understand and accept.
Syssi was quiet for a moment, mulling over that ditty. “You’re two thousand years old, you’re serious?”
“In four years I’ll be… yeah.” If that was the only part that bothered her, he was good.
Well, maybe…
