by Riley, Alexa
“I’m starving.” It comes out in a whimper.
“That’s not how it felt for me. Oh, I wanted to bite my Juliet, but it wasn't starvation.” They all keep staring at me like I’m going crazy. Maybe I am.
“I feel it,” Juliet says softly, stepping out more from behind Kane. She places her hand on his arms and he pulls her into him. “I enjoy biting Kane, too, but I think that hunger I get, like the one you’re talking about, is coming from the baby.” She rests her hand on her stomach. “I thought I’d crave things like ice cream and pickles, silly stuff like that, but no. When a craving hits, it’s for Kane’s blood.”
Her words rain over me. I try to soak in what she’s saying. “But…” I can’t even form words. There is no way I’m pregnant.
“The first time Kane and I made love, he knocked me up.” Juliet’s cheeks pinken as she says it. Kane gives her a smile, something that used to be a rare thing to see, but not since he found Juliet.
I shake my head. “It can’t be.” I don’t even want to hope for something like that. I close my eyes, trying to focus on my body. Bishop finally lets me go. I turn to look at him, searching for guidance.
His hand comes to rest over my stomach. I watch his eyes widen. My heart starts to pound. Then I feel it. Not me. Valen. Anger pounding down, and I know he’s here.
A loud crash sounds and I know it’s the front door. Kane pulls Juliet behind him as a very pissed off Valen comes strolling into the room like he owns the place, as if he didn’t bust down my front door.
“You should get better guards.” His eyes flick to Bishop. “Get your fucking hands off her or I’ll remove them from your body. I don’t care if she is your niece.” I swear a smirk lifts at the corner of Bishop’s mouth.
“You got a little of her blood in you, didn’t you? I wonder what that might do to someone like you.” Bishop studies Valen. “Even stronger now?” He cocks his head to the side, studying Valen, but his hand does drop away from my stomach.
Valen ignores Bishop. “Come here, princess. I feel what you need. Take it.” In a blink I’m on him, my teeth sinking into his neck. As I wrap my body around him, he holds me close to him. I can feel tension leave his body. “I would have been here faster, but I had things to take care of,” he whispers in my ear. I can’t respond because I don’t want to pull my mouth away from him.
“All of you, get out,” I hear Valen say, but all I can focus on is the sweetness of his blood filling me. That hunger dissipates as another grows. The need for him to be inside me blooms by the second.
“Now.” I pull my teeth out his neck to repeat Valen’s order. I want to be alone with him. We need to talk…
“Drink,” Valen orders, placing the head on the back on of my head and pushing me back to his neck. I do.
“I know what she needs. I’ve got her. Get out or you’ll learn how deadly I really am. The only reason I haven't come for any of you after taking her from me is because of her and what you mean to her.” I pull back, licking my lips and looking into his dark eyes.
“No one is taking me from you,” I reassure him. I couldn't bear it. I’m not even sure what I would do if someone tried right now, and I love everyone standing in this room. It hits me hard as I think the words. I do. I love this man.
“Love you, too, princess.” I let out a small gasp that he heard my inner thoughts. He gives me a full-on smile. Everything he feels for me washes over me. I can feel him. Really feel him. I think all of my fears and the change to my body disoriented my senses, but now it’s all coming to me.
“We’ll go for now,” Bishop says, making it clear they will all be back. “There is much to discuss.” With that they all start to leave.
“There was a young girl hiding out watching this place. Human,” Valen tells them as they are about to leave. “I’ve seen her before. She was at the theatre the same night I was. She is spying from the looks of it. Not one of your guards. From what I saw in her bag, she's been watching you all for a while, and I have no idea who she is. She doesn't run in any circle I know.”
“And what did happen to my guards?” Bishops asks. I know some are humans who don’t know what we are, but others are local vampires who work for Bishop.
“I’ve got tranqs for all kinds.” This time he does give one of those cocky smirks. “Might want to go wake them up.”
“The girl?” Erik bites out. Anger is clear in his tone, which is unusual for him and his laidback way. Something flashes in his eyes.
“Cotton candy,” Ezra says absently, his nostrils flaring. His twin nods. They both look on edge.
“I let her be. Spooked her a little, so she left. I don’t hurt innocent people.” The twins both turn to leave without even a word.
“But we aren't people, are we?” Bishop turns to face us again, stopping his retreat.
“I never said all vampires are bad. You assumed that,” he throws back. “But eventually sometimes even the good ones go bad. Crazy. And some people, vampire or not, need to be taken care of.” They stare at each other for a moment before Bishop nods and leaves.
“You want to talk, call me,” Juliet tells me as Kane leads her from the room, leaving Valen and me all alone.
“You broke my door,” I tease as I lean forward and lick the spot where I bit him. He growls. I can feel his cock jerk against me.
“Fuck the door.” He takes my mouth in a deep kiss filled with so much raw passion that I know in this moment this was never a game for him. It was never just a one-night stand. He was staking his claim on me as much as I’d just staked mine on him.
“Not just the door,” I breathe as I pull away from his mouth, and we’re soon heading for my bedroom.
Nine
Valen
I press her against the wall and plant my hands on either side of her. “You have no idea what you’ve woken up inside me,” I say as I run my nose along her jaw. “You talk about when you were changed and how Bishop created you…” My teeth graze her neck and she trembles under my touch. “Did you stop and think that maybe you’re the one that created me?”
Her hands move to my stomach and then lower until her fingers are fumbling with my pants.
“I love you so much, Ravana.” My chest tightens when her hand dips down into my boxer briefs and wraps around my cock. “I don’t care if they are your family, I won’t let anyone get in our way ever again.” It was so hard waiting for the sun to set to go to her. I knew she needed a moment with them and I didn’t want to rain down hell on them all when the sun was out that could end up with her or the people she calls her family getting hurt. As much as I wanted to beat the shit out of them, it would kill me that it would hurt her seeing me do that. But I would if I had to. Luckily it hasn’t come to that.
Her grip tightens as she moves up and down my length. I can’t think straight, but when I feel her lips on my neck everything focuses on that. I want her bite again. I could feel her hunger when I was in my way to her. She’d been in pain and needed me. I hated that, but a darker part of me enjoyed that she needed me so badly. Only me.
“Do it,” I command, and I feel her gently bite down. I hiss when her other hand joins in and she doubles her effort on my cock. Her tongue glides across the bite and I can feel our bodies connect. It’s unreal and so powerful that I have to force myself to stand upright.
She slowly lowers herself to her knees in front of me and pulls out my cock. She tongues the end of it and I growl as I grip her dark hair.
“That’s enough,” I say, pulling her back after only a few licks. I love her mouth, but it’s not what I’m after right now. “Get on all fours,” I order. I know it turns her on when I boss her around during sex. And it fucking turns me on when she does as I say, not because I say so but because she wants to please me.
She does as I ask and I pull my shirt off as I get down on the floor with her. I push her dress up around her waist and then grab the edge of her panties. I slide them down her ass and around her thighs as I kiss across he
r cheeks. Every inch of her is so soft. Softer than anything I’ve ever touched before.
“Spread your knees.”
Again, she does what I tell her, spreading her legs as much as she can with her panties stopping her from going too far. I lean down and kiss the backs of her thighs before I lick my way to her center. Her full ass presses up against my face as my tongue finds her pussy lips. I lick her wet clit and taste her sweetness, gripping her cheeks and pulling her tighter against me. Her hips begin to rock with the motion and soon she’s riding my face. I love how freely she gives herself over to me, and over to the pleasure.
“Valen, I’m dying for you. It’s been too long.”
It’s only been hours, but it feels like weeks. How can I be so desperate for her in such a short time? It’s the bond between us, and now I’ll never be without her again. She’s everything to me and I swear on my life that I’ll keep her safe.
“Just let me taste you first,” I say as I suck on her clit. “I need it, princess.”
She moans as her orgasm bears down on her. I can’t enter her without the taste of her pussy on my lips, and I want her to cum for me. I give her ass a slight spank and she cries out as her thighs tighten. She pushes her pussy against my mouth hard and cums on my tongue.
I moan at the flavor and can’t help but think it’s different this time. Could it be our mated bond that’s making her seem so much sweeter? I close my eyes and drink it in, savoring every drop she gives me.
When she’s done I sit up and grab my cock. I run the hard, thick head up and down her wet slit until the end is shiny with her release. I slowly enter her, letting her feel every hard inch of me. My cock throbs with the need to release, but I force myself to fight it.
I lean forward and blanket my body over hers as I kiss her shoulder and neck. “I won’t be able to stop,” I say as I slowly thrust in and out. “I’m addicted to you, and pulling out is painful.”
She rocks her hips back and grinds against me. I run my hand around her waist and then between us so I can pet her pussy while she moves. Our bodies move like we’ve been doing this for centuries and the bond that we share grows tighter.
“Don’t ever let me go,” she says, and my grip on her strengthens. That will never happen. She is mine.
My teeth nibble down her shoulder and she doesn’t have to tell me what she wants. I can feel it pulse through her as if I’m inside her head. Our connection is powerful and unlike anything we’ve had before. I don’t know why or what has changed, but I’m completely attuned to her every thought and movement.
“You think I’d let you get away?” I sink my teeth into her, and at that exact moment her orgasm rushes through her.
She cries out my name and I can taste her passion. It triggers my own climax as we become one and I can feel our mingled release on my fingers. It’s all-consuming and I’m surrounded by her.
“I love you, Valen,” she says, her voice soft and sweet.
I hate pulling my cock out of her, but I pick her up and carry her in my arms to the bed. I’ve got to learn some self-control and wait until she’s on a proper surface to take her. But I’m too consumed with getting to taste her that I can’t think straight.
I place her in the bed and then slide in next to her. I kiss every inch of her as we rub skin to skin, and I can’t think of a better way to spend eternity.
Ten
Ravana
“You know we’ll have to get out of this bed at some point,” I tell Valen as I nip at his chest, which I’m sprawled across. “Don’t you need food?” I glance up at him. He’s playing with my long hair, wrapping it around his fingers. We’ll always need to feed from each other to live for eternity but he is still human.
He rolls me over. “Oh, what I want to eat is already in this bed.” He kisses me. I wrap myself around him, but I know he has to be hungry.
“You know I’m a really good cook. It’s actually what I used to do before…” I trail off. I always hate saying I died.
“You didn’t die, baby. You became more,” he tells me, reading my thoughts. “Think about it. We might not have ever found each other if you hadn’t, and now not only do we have each other, we have each other for eternity.”
“How do you manage to be cocky and sweet at the same time?” I run my hands up his back into his hair.
“You bring it out in me.” He leans down, brushing his mouth against mine. “And you like it.”
He’s right. I do. When I dated, I would have never gone for a man like him, but he is what I need. Rough around the edges with a touch of sweet that’s only for me. A protector. Even Bishop admitted he was born a slayer, but I think it’s something more than that.
I also know it’s something we need to talk about. Because he does kill my kind, and soon he’s going to find out that our child will be a vampire, too.
“You know I do. Even when I try to hide it.” Something I won’t be doing anymore with him. Before, it was a shield to protect myself. I also thought it was wrong to like the idea of him ordering me around. I didn’t know what to feel about the fact that it turned me on. I can see now that he might be giving orders, but this man would do anything for me in turn, giving me all the control, if I really think about it. He’d never do anything to hurt me.
“Like in the bar?” I nod. “I shouldn’t have done that, but it’s hard to keep my hands off you. To top it off, I wanted everyone in there to know you were mine. All those fucking looking at you. Wanting you. I was staking my claim.”
“I think it upset me because it felt like you were staking your claim, but I was scared it was only for the night.” I glance away from him a moment before admitting my insecurity. “I wanted you so badly and I was mad that it might only be for the night. I hated wanting something that could be taken from me.”
“If anyone should get to be jealous, it’s me.” His words come out in a growl. “You almost kissed another man after only having kissed me hours before. You’re lucky that’s all I did in that bar that night,” he reminds me.
“I’d kinda forgotten about that. I was only trying to see if your kiss was different.” I bite my lip to keep from smiling, enjoying his jealousy a little too much.
“At least I know I’m the only man to ever have you.” Here comes that cocky grin of his. “I can promise you this. There has never been a kiss like the ones we share.” To prove it, he kisses me deep and hard.
It’s so powerful I want to cry. I never want to be without this, and I know we’re going to have a fight ahead of us.
“Princess, it’s going to be fine,” Valen tries to reassure me.
“You getting into my head is going to be hard to get used to,” I admit. I can hear his random thoughts, too.
“I love it, but it still feels like you’re blocking something from me.” He rolls over and sits up, with me straddling him, his back to the headboard. “You know I don’t just kill vampires to kill them, right, princess? I’d never hurt your family.”
“I know.” But that’s not the reason I still have a mental wall up.
“I also want you to know that while I told you I don’t like the idea of anyone hurting a woman it’s different when I think about someone hurting you. You being hurt crosses the lines I’ve drawn for myself to live by. They start to blur.”
His hand goes to my bare stomach, over my scar. “Knowing the man that did this was in jail for his crime would normally be enough for me.” His eyes lock with mine. “It’s not.”
I swear his eyes grow even darker. “He’s a dead man. I can promise you that.” I go to respond but he stops me. “Don’t try and stop me. Please don’t ask me to leave it alone.”
“I trust you to do what you think needs to be done,” I give him. That man is in prison, but I have a feeling something like that won’t stop a man like Valen. It also makes me wonder if he isn’t just a lone slayer.
“You’re right. I do get alerts when vampires are acting badly and when they need to be dealt with. You all aren�
��t as secret as you think you are.”
“You love reading my thoughts, don’t you?” I smile at him. I think about how he told Bishop that some vampires need to be put down because they go mad. But I’d never thought about them needing to be put down because they were evil to their core. If a person was bad before they were turned, I’m sure they’d still be evil after. Only now they’d be more powerful. Harder to find. Harder to kill.
“I want you to know everything about me so you feel safe. Safe enough to let all those walls down because there isn't a thing I wouldn't tell you. If you ask me something, I will always give you the truth.”
I know he’s being honest with me. He has opened himself up to me and let me into his thoughts. I know this man loves me more than anything in the whole world. But the thing that does scare me a little is that his mind has already settled on the idea that we will never have children. He doesn't seem upset about it. In fact, all he wants and cares about is me.
I reach up, touching his face. He leans into my caress. I let my mind open fully and watch as surprise lights up his face. “You’re going to be a father.” I give him the words he already knows. The ones that I’m still trying to wrap my mind around.
“Princess,” he says softly. “I want this. I’m sure you can feel that already.” I can. “But you have no idea what it means to me that I could give you something you’ve wanted so badly. It makes me feel like a fucking king.”
“You’re my king.” I can’t stop the tear that falls. Valen kisses it away. “You did that without even giving me a child, Valen. I’d always thought I’d lost something the day I died. Still angry over it and making the best life I could with the aftermath of what was. But now for the first time I’m happy he took my life. It brought me to you, and I would still have picked that without us being able to have a child. I, too, want to spend eternity with you.”
