by Lia Davis
“No, not that I know of.” She thought about it for a moment and recalled a guy who left and never called again or answered his phone. What if….
Darian’s hands closed around her face. “Stop it.”
“Stop what?”
“Worrying. I can smell fear on you.”
“Is it possible I killed someone and didn’t know it?”
A slow smile stretched across his lips. “No. There is a point of no return. Once you reach it during feeding, you won’t be able to stop. Your host would have died then, and not later. At the very least, I believe your partners would feel sick or weak.”
“You believe?”
He shrugged. “You aren’t strong enough, yet.” He placed the steak in her mouth before she could ask another question. “I presume your past lovers were human. They wouldn’t possess energy strong enough to trigger your demon’s awakening.”
Her demon. She let it go. Getting upset wouldn’t help matters. “Why?”
“Many hybrids live normal lives never knowing anything about their ancestry. For others, the demon wakes and consumes their humanity.”
“But you can help me?”
Nodding he kissed the tip of her nose and her cheek. “Vampires are cousins to the succubi. We can live off life essence instead of depending on blood all the time.”
“Don’t you need blood for nutrition?”
Darian gave her a sideways smirk. “Over the centuries, vampires have learned to adapt to fit in. We eat food and can go outside during the day for short periods of time as long as we’re careful about being in the direct sunlight. If you’re interested, I can show you how to feed on life essence without taking too much.”
“How?” His lips traveled over her cheek to her ear. When he nipped at the lobe, her pulse increased.
Instead of responding to her question, his mouth covered hers in a searing kiss. Closing her eyes, she melted into him and welcomed his tongue. The pull of his life energy enticed her, teased her to draw it in, to take over. His hot, moist lips trailed down her jaw to her throat. Her blood boiled in anticipation. Would he bite? She hoped so. A shiver ran through her when his tongue touched the vein in her neck and his lips closed over it.
“Darian.” She didn’t care if she sounded needy.
She opened her eyes and met his, now glowing. “I want to be inside you when I take your blood.”
She’d like that, very much. Leaning forward, she captured his bottom lip in her teeth and sucked. A deep moan rumbled from his chest, and she smiled. He lifted her, toppling the chairs backward.
Darian laid her on the bed and rose above her, arms braced on either side of her and a wicked grin on his handsome face. She ran her fingers down his torso and tugged at the hem of his shirt. He gripped her hands and pulled them above her head to hold them in one of his.
“Not yet.” He said, brushing his lips over her earlobe.
A flicker of excitement flared inside her. He unbuttoned her blouse and brushed the cotton material aside to reveal her purple bra. When he dropped soft kisses over the lace, she arched into his touch.
She twisted her wrists and squirmed to get free, but he tightened his hold and abandoned her breast. “Let go, Ema. Give control to me.”
Anxiety churned in her gut at the thought. She’d always prided herself on her independence. The idea of handing over the reins to someone else frightened her. But what was the alternative? Even now, her sexual hunger grew beyond anything she’d experienced. That scared her more than letting him take charge.
He pressed his body into hers, rubbing his hard erection over her pussy. Desire flooded her and she let out a soft cry of passion.
“You must let go and trust me.”
She wasn’t sure she could. All her life she’d been made fun of, laughed at, called a freak. He understood that humans weren’t alone in their world. She wasn’t alone anymore.
Drawing in a breath, she buried her fear deep inside and let go. She wanted to trust him. He had, after all, put himself in harm’s way to save her from the real hunters. For one night, she would give her perfect control up and let the sexy-as-hell vamp have his way with her.
“Okay, take me.” She released a nervous laugh.
Darian chuckled, his pupils dilating. He kissed her forehead, nose, cheeks, and continued down her throat to her breast. His fangs skimmed over her skin to the clasp on her bra. The lacey undergarment sprang open and fell to the side. He lapped around her nipple before he took it inside his mouth, gently biting the hard nub. Need rippled down her spine, straight to her sex.
He released her breast and trailed petal-like kisses down her belly to the top of her pants. He peeled her leggings over her hips and down her legs, then repeated the act with her panties. He stood, removed his shirt and jeans.
Dear. God.
If perfection existed, this man was it. Her gaze ran over his body and came to a stop at his hard cock. She beckoned him closer.
He didn’t move and she let out a soft growl. “It’s not nice to tease the succubus.”
A wicked grin spread across his face and he grabbed her ankles and pulled her to the edge of the bed. She gasped at the sudden rush of adrenaline. Her vampire knelt between her legs and nipped at her right ankle. The tickling touch of his teeth and lips moved up her calf to her inner thigh. He lifted his head and met her stare with glowing eyes and smiled with gleaming fangs.
Ema’s heart pounded in her ears and a seductive voice within taunted her to take him. His energy called out to her, and she wanted to answer.
Without taking his gaze from hers, he lowered his head to place a kiss on her mound. When he rubbed her clit, she fisted the sheet to keep from reaching out to him, afraid she would lose the battle with the demon urging her to take him.
“So wet.” The words barely penetrated through the thumping in her ears. She moaned when he parted her lips and ran his tongue from opening to the sensitive nerve. He locked onto her pussy and sucked while he drove two fingers inside. Pleasure coursed along her nerve endings, building to an unbearable bliss.
She was teetering on the edge of erupting when he stopped and climbed up her body to possess her mouth. She drew in his energy, the lifeline the demon craved. Then the power shifted and she lost her hold. He took in her essence in the same way she had his. At first it shocked, even frightened her, but after a few moments the pull slowed. A wave of desire washed away her worries.
Their energies merged and connected unlike anything she’d ever known. His thoughts and pleasures became hers. She’d read that vampires were believed to be a type of sex demon. Now she had proof.
Lifting her hips, she rubbed her sex against the head of his rod in teasing strokes. With her fingers twined in his hair, she wrapped her legs around his thighs, and drew him in. Darian thrust deep inside her. She cried out in bliss.
She took his earlobe in her teeth and gave a gentle tug. With a growl, he increased his pace and with each thrust he went deeper, building tension and pleasure deep inside her until she cried out in release.
She shuddered and he took control. Pleasure soared through her. He licked her neck where it met her shoulder. She moaned and moved against him, contracting her muscles around his cock, wanting to make him come hard.
He increased his thrusts and sank his fangs into her throat; his aura flamed. A brief, sharp sting made her gasp, but pleasure merged with the pain and pushed her over the edge, again.
As another orgasm tore through, he joined her, roaring his release.
Chapter Four
Darian peered down into Ema’s green eyes. Her red hair fanned out across the pillow in unruly ribbons of silks. She was beautiful and all his. The moment he’d spilled his seed inside her with her blood in his veins, the bond started. Her natural rose scent filled his senses, making him want to take her again.
A light tap on the door pulled a growl from him. Ema swatted at him and laughed. “Stop.” Her laugh touched a place inside him he’d thought had died. Wi
th a kiss on her forehead, he got up slipped his jeans on and answered the door.
Dessert.
A young waiter stood on the other side of the door. “Thank you. I’ll take it from here.” He reached in his back pocket for his wallet and tipped the waiter.
“Thank you, sir. Just leave everything outside when you’re finished.”
Darian nodded, pulled the cart inside the room, and closed the door behind him. He froze in mid-step. Ema knelt in front of the fireplace with a sheet wrapped around her. She held up a box. “Empty. How can we have a fire with no matches?”
He squatted beside her. “I have a much more effective way.”
She gave him a disbelieving smirk and sat with her legs folded to the side, her dark red hair ruffled. She was the most beautiful creature he’d ever known.
With his hand held out flat, palm up, he formed a small fireball and then tossed it into the fireplace. The wood ignited in an orange and blue glow.
“Wow! Cool. What else can you do?”
The playfulness in her voice made him smile. He gave her a passionate kiss before he stood to pour their wine. “I have many talents.”
She started to say something, but stopped and stared into the fire. After a few moments she spoke, still watching the flames. “I won’t see you after tonight.”
His heart sank. “Why do you say that?”
She shrugged. “It’s a one-night stand.”
He set their glasses on the floor next to them and took her face in his hands, forcing her to meet his gaze. “This date was scheduled for one night, but I’d like to have another and many more after that.”
A smile lit her face. “I’d like that.”
“Good.” He released her and retrieved a silver serving tray. He’d ordered an array of pastries and large chocolate-covered strawberries. “I didn’t know what you liked.”
“This is perfect.” She picked up a strawberry, and bit into it. A tiny drizzle of juice rolled from the corner of her mouth and down her chin. The urge to lean forward and lick the juice off her nagged at him.
“Why did you decide to have a one-night stand?”
She scrunched up her face up, her cheeks flushed “I don’t have a very exciting life and few friends. Being weird keeps you from having fun. My BFF, Beth, is a witch so it doesn’t faze her.”
“You’re not weird.”
“Says the vampire.”
Her teasing smile tugged on the invisible string that connected them. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulled her into his lap, and kissed her. A hint of the sweet-tart chocolate covered strawberry lingered on her tongue.
He peeled away the sheet to feel her skin against his bare chest. “You’re not weird.” He kissed her collarbone before nipping his way up her throat. “You’re scrumptious.”
She straddled his lap, lifted his chin, and captured his lips. This female drove him over the edge. She was feisty, caring, compassionate, and wild rolled into one beautiful, sensual package.
And she was his.
With his hand fisted in her hair, he lowered her to floor. He broke the kiss to remove his jeans and then settled back between her legs, his cock positioned at her opening. Hunger flashed in her green eyes, alluring and mesmerizing. He dipped his head to her breast, not releasing her stare. His tongue swiped over her nipple and she arched her back in invitation.
With a quick thrust, he filled her. Ema cried out, but it dissolved into a moan. She dug her nails into his forearms. With each stroke, he drove deeper inside her, finally sending both of them into climax.
Darian lay down and drew her to him. She hugged his waist and rested her head on his chest. “You keep that up and you’ll wake my demon. I think she likes you.”
He chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “Good, because I think the three of us could be good together.”
She laughed. “Why did you want a one-night stand?”
“It was a gift from my daughter.” He rolled his eyes. “She’s my girl.” His heart swelled. His unconditional love for Kat kept him going. If it hadn’t been for her, he would have curled up and willed himself to die after Alexis’s death.
“She bought you a one-night stand?”
He nodded. “Katrina signed me up without my knowledge. I’d grown depressed over the years. Nothing excited me anymore.” He felt Ema’s frown against his chest and in her aura. “But I’m happy she did it. And I’m glad I met you.”
“What about the council?”
“They can’t touch you once you register as a half-breed with the demon council. That binds you to live by the law of secrecy like the rest of us.” He’d have to be going before the sun peeked over the mountains. He lifted her chin, so he could look into her eyes. “I meant it when I said you were my mate.”
A frown etched her face. She turned her head and stared at the ceiling. Damn it! He’d scared her away already. He panicked. At this point he’d promise her anything to stay with him. “We don’t have to run off and marry right away. We can move slow, date a while. I want to continue to see you. Finding a second mate is very rare….”
Her finger pressed against his lips, silencing his rambling. “I want that, too.”
He hugged her close. “We’ll figure it out.”
She fell silent and he wondered what she was thinking. After a moment or two soft snores told him she’d fallen asleep. Fatigue settled in with him as well. With a smile and new hope, he drifted off to sleep with his new mate in his arms.
Epilogue
Six months of stolen weekends and the occasional week or two together and Ema had never been happier. She sat in her studio putting the finishing touches on the sculpture for a local clan. The statue captured the dragon king in mid-shift and would be the centerpiece of their den, a symbol of peace and strength. Her clients need not shift into their animal form for her to capture their true nature. Her paranormal sight allowed her to see both sides.
The door flew open to the best surprise she could imagine. A tall, lean muscular man with ice blue eyes illuminated with passion and need stood in her studio doorway.
“Darian, what are you doing here?” Excitement filled her. He was scheduled to be at a board meeting in Europe and she thought she wouldn’t see him for another week.
He stalked toward her. “I can’t take this any longer. Not having you by my side 24/7 is killing me.” He pulled her into a tight hug and crushed his lips to hers before setting her back down. Pulling out a small black velvet box, he dropped to his knees in front of her. Ema’s eyes filled with tears and she began to shake
With trembling hands, she took the box and opened it. The largest chocolate diamond she’d ever seen, circled by smaller white diamonds set in a white gold band.
Darian’s searched her face. He placed the ring on her finger. “I’ve known from the first time I saw you, you were mine. I love you and want to spend the rest of my existence with you. Will you marry me?”
The tears spilled onto her cheeks and her heart thumped in rapid bursts. “Yes.” It was all she could say. Her words stolen by surprise and a happiness she’d never thought she would experience.
He picked her up, kissed her, and carried her off to her bedroom.
~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~
Lia Davis is a mother to two young adults and two very special, equally different kitty cats. She’s a wife to her soul mate, whom of which drives her crazy during editing/revisions. She and her family live in Northeast Florida battling hurricanes and very humid summers. But it’s her home and she loves it!
An accounting major, Lia has always been a dreamer with a very activity imagination. The wheels in her head never stop. She only recently became serious about publishing her work and loves it more than she imagined. Writing is a stress reliever that allows her to go off in her corner of the house and enter into another world she created, leaving the day job where it belongs.
Her favorite things are spending time with family, traveling, reading, writing, chocolate, coffee, nature a
nd hanging out with her kitties.
You can visit Lia at:
www.authorliadavis.com
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Table of Contents
Title page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Epilogue
