“The existence of ghosts, witchcraft, and fairies has been known for a long time.”
Charlie’s own smile vanished. “You’re saying they’re real?”
A slight frown marked her brow. “Why wouldn’t they be?”
“So the Beast of Dartmoor might also be real?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“And someone is framing Ivan for the beast’s killings?” Each word sounded more ridiculous than the next. “This is crazy.”
“And this is the exact reason The Directive need to be brought in for cases like this,” Ivan said. “The regular police force is too dismissive of the possibility of the cause being something supernatural.”
She bristled at his comment, not liking criticism, but he had a point. She’d never have considered that the Beast of Dartmoor might actually be responsible for the deaths. “I still don’t see what connection the beast would have with Ivan.”
Magno’s dark eyes narrowed. “That is what we’re going to have to try to find out.”
“I’m still going to have to go through procedures. I have superiors I have to report to.”
He nodded. “Of course. We’ll be working in a different way to you, anyway. I’m sure we can work side by side without causing each other too much trouble.”
She couldn’t help asking—she was curious about what they’d be doing to find the real killer. “In what ways will you be working?”
“Tracking, mainly. Scent. Our eye for detail. The eyes and noses of vampires and werewolves are far more sensitive than humans’. We can detect things you’re unable to. I’m considering getting a local witch involved, too. There may be magic being used, and if so, having someone like her around would be helpful.”
Charlie couldn’t help herself. She lifted eyebrows in disbelief. “A witch?”
“Yes, a witch. They’re often helpful in these situations.”
Her mind was reeling. She didn’t know what to say, and that wasn’t something that happened often.
“Perhaps you and Ivan should go back to your place?” Magno suggested. “Whoever is responsible for what’s happened may not be aware you’re Ivan’s Bloodmate. If they found out, it could be dangerous for both of you.”
She frowned. “In what way?”
“If they did something to you, The Thirst would take over Ivan, and he may well become the monster they’re trying to make him out to be.”
“I have a job to do. I need to find out who the killer is, too.”
“You have a colleague who can take over, and we’re here now. Your priority should be Ivan. He’s your Bloodmate, and nothing else in this world is more important.”
Her mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. She felt torn. She’d lived for her work, but maybe the ancient vampire was right. Ivan was wrapped up in this case, whether they liked it or not. Maybe by focusing on him, she wouldn’t be abandoning her job, she would just be viewing things from a different angle. Perhaps Ivan could be the one who would lead her to whoever was responsible for the deaths?
“Okay,” she relented. “But I’m still going to be working. There might be questions I can ask of Ivan that will give us a lead. After all, I’ve barely asked you anything about the reasons you’re even down here.” Ivan nodded to tell her he was all right with that. She turned to Stephen, who was still looking bewildered about what was going on. “Are you going to be all right getting the evidence down to the station?”
He nodded, his eyes flicking between the vampires and the tall, blonde werewolf. “Of course.”
“We can help out, if necessary,” Magno confirmed.
“Err ... thanks,” Stephen said, still clearly unsure how he’d ended up working with vampires and werewolves.
Charlie’s vehicle was parked on the side of the road, so they’d be able to drive home. She still wasn’t sure how she felt about leaving the site of the crime—it wasn’t in her nature to abandon work—but she was at least able to convince herself that Ivan was a part of her job, too, in a weird way. But she had to admit, though only to herself, and never out loud, that she was happy to have an excuse to be alone with Ivan again.
They drove back to her flat, and she parked outside of the building. They didn’t get out right away but remained sitting in the car, side by side.
“How are you feeling about all of this?” he asked her.
“Honestly, I’m not sure. My brain feels a bit like it’s suddenly got too big for my head, like all of this knowledge is pressing against the inside of my skull.”
He gave her a half-smile. “Yeah, it’s a lot to take in, I know. I’m sorry I’m putting you through all of this.”
“It’s not really you, is it? It’s whoever is trying to set you up.” She gave a hopeful smile. “Any chance you happen to know who it might be?”
He shrugged. “I have no idea. Maybe someone spotted the signs of The Thirst before I did?”
She frowned. “You mean someone who might have been at the hotel the night you arrived?”
“Possibly.”
“I still have a copy of the guest list. Let’s take another look at it, see if you recognise any of the names.” She thought of something. “In the car park when we first met, didn’t you say you were chasing after an ex-girlfriend?” She couldn’t help the little sting of jealousy she experienced at the thought. It was before they even knew each other existed, but still the idea of Ivan being with another woman twisted her insides. He was a ridiculously hot vampire who was hundreds of years old; of course he’d been with other women. Hell, there had probably been hundreds of them. She pushed the thought out of her head, not wanting to think about it.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“How do you know there’s anything wrong?”
“You’ve gone pale, your palms have started to sweat, and your heartrate has increased again.”
She shook her head and glanced away, feeling stupid and embarrassed. “It’s nothing.” Him being able to pick up on her thoughts by the way her body reacted was nothing short of awkward.
He pressed his fingers against her thigh, and she risked sneaking a peek at him. His eyes instantly locked with hers, and she found herself unable to look away.
“Charlie, we’re Bloodmates, which means we’re destined to be together, no matter what. Nothing you can say to me is going to change that. I know we’ve only known each other a short while, and things haven’t exactly been smooth sailing in that time, but the very molecules that make us who we are know each other. It’s as though our souls and bodies have been waiting for each other. That’s why no one else has ever felt right to us. We were always waiting for the one.”
“I never really believed in the one. I kind of thought everyone had lots of ‘ones’ they could be happy with.”
He chuckled. “Now, that doesn’t sound very romantic.”
“That was just how I thought it worked.”
“And now?” he prompted, his eyebrows lifted.
“I hadn’t taken into account stuff like magic. I guess my feelings have changed on that.”
“So you believe in the one?”
“I believe that when you were talking about an ex just then, it was as though someone had reached into my chest and twisted my heart, which is crazy, because like you said, we’ve only just met, and you’re a vampire, and I’m seriously not the kind of woman who loses her head over—”
His lips on hers silenced her rambling. The kiss made her forget everything else, and she focussed only on the way his lips teased hers open, and his tongue sneaked into her mouth, sending every sense in her body firing.
He broke away but stayed near, so their faces were only inches apart. “That’s because we’re Bloodmates, Charlie. And we’ve got all the time in the world to get to know one another, so I don’t want you to feel rushed.”
She held back a smirk. “After what we did only a few hours ago, I think we already rushed.” She thought of something else. “But what do you mean by ‘we hav
e all the time in the world?’ I mean, I’m human and you’re a vampire. You never age, where my lifetime will be over in a flash to you. You’re not going to want me as some old lady, Bloodmate or not.”
“There are ways around that.”
Her heartrate skipped again, and she knew he’d been able to hear it. “How?”
“I could turn you.”
She widened her eyes. “So I’d be a vampire, like you?”
He nodded. “That’s right.”
“Then I’d be susceptible to this same thing you’ve been fighting ... this ... Thirst.”
“I’m not sure you’d be affected, given that you’re already with your Bloodmate. But honestly, I’m not one hundred percent certain. We’d have to check with The Directive and see if they know more.”
“I don’t know how I feel about that ...”
“There is another way. You can just take a small amount of my blood each month and that would keep you from aging.”
“Seriously?” Her heart lightened at that thought. That would be better than turning into a vampire. While the thought of being powerful and fast and having incredible hearing was exciting, she would worry about the transition, about dying and something going wrong. And she’d hate it if she didn’t have control over herself after she turned and hurt someone. Her life had been dedicated to making sure people stayed safe, and the idea of being the one likely to cause someone else harm didn’t sit right with her.
Ivan leaned in and kissed her quickly on the mouth. “You don’t need to make any decisions right now. It’s not as though you’re going to suddenly age overnight.”
She laughed and relaxed a little inside. “I hope not.”
Chapter 14
Together, they left the car and went back upstairs to Charlie’s flat.
The place was exactly how he’d left it.
Charlie sighed and unzipped the jacket of her police uniform. She shrugged it off and hung it on a hook at the entrance hall. She looked pale, and the sight caused Ivan’s heart to tighten. All of this must be a massive shock to her. Only a matter of days ago, her life was normal, with no hint of vampires and werewolves, and now she was not only dealing with a paranormal case, but she had a vampire as a Bloodmate to deal with.
“Hey,” he said softly, catching her around the waist and pulling her into him. “I just wanted to say thank you.”
She lifted her face to his. “What for?”
“Not losing your head through all of this. I know it’s been a big ask, accepting me and believing I’m innocent, even though all the evidence has been pointing towards me.”
“It was,” she said, “but I agree with Magno that it’s looking more like a setup. Plus, those images on the guy’s camera pointed towards there being an animal of some kind in the area when he died. There’s a lot we can’t explain yet, but it was impossible for you to have killed the other man today. That’s good enough for me to believe the first man was a setup, too. Hopefully, Magno and the others will be able to find out who.”
He lowered his face and planted a kiss on her forehead. “I hope so, too.”
She lifted her face to his and smiled. “Now, you can do better than a kiss on the forehead, can’t you?”
He returned the smile. “I thought you might be tired.”
Her arms wrapped around his waist and squeezed him tighter. “I’m never too tired for that.”
“In which case ...” he said, his grin broadening. He scooped her up and carried her into the bedroom. He threw her to the bed, and she gave a small squeal of combined shock and laughter.
Using his vampire’s speed, he stripped her of her uniform and then removed his clothes as well. She was reclining on the bed, utterly naked, like some kind of Greek goddess.
“Stop staring at me and get down here,” she said.
“I can’t help it. You’re so fucking perfect.”
Her cheeks pinked up prettily at his compliment, and she lifted her hand to him. He took it and climbed onto the bed to join her.
“I don’t think I’ll ever get bored of your skin,” he said, tracing his fingers across her collarbone and down her chest to her breast. He circled her nipple, loving the way it crinkled up in response. “I love how creamy, and soft, and warm you are.”
A smirk tweaked her cheeks. “I guess it wouldn’t be a compliment for me to say I love how hard and cold you are.”
He nudged his growing erection against her hip. “Oh, I don’t know. I think you love how hard I am.”
Her smirk grew into a grin, and she reached for him, her fingers circling his cock. “Okay, I think you might be right.”
He moved his hand lower, skirting across the soft roundness of her belly and down through the small patch of blonde curls at the juncture of her thighs. She parted her legs for his hand, and he slipped between her folds.
“I love how you’re already wet for me,” he murmured.
“I can’t help it,” she gasped as he pushed one finger inside her. “Just being near you turns me on.”
“Yeah? And how about this?” He added a second finger, and her back arched to meet him. “Does this turn you on?”
She nodded, unable to speak.
Ivan’s cock throbbed, desperate for more. Charlie’s fingers were still wrapped around it, but she’d forgotten him for a moment as he fingered her, slicking his fingers through her wet heat, loving how her tight sheath clamped around him.
He lifted to settle himself between her thighs, and she must have remembered her hold on his cock as she pumped him, her small hand slipping up and down his shaft. He removed his fingers from her body, and she tugged him towards her by his dick.
“Fuck me,” she said, looking up to stare into his eyes. “Fuck me hard.”
With a single stroke, he impaled her with his cock, sinking right down to the base. They groaned in unison, and then Ivan set up his pace, slow but forceful. He pulled out, almost so his cock head left her body, and then slammed back in, shoving her up the bed. It must have felt powerful to her, but he was only using a fraction of his strength. To do any more would have shattered her pelvis, and there was no way he would ever want to hurt her.
It was impossible for him to separate himself from his vampire side, however, especially when sex was involved. He was so close to her skin, he could scent her blood pumping through her veins, and the thump of her heartbeat filled his ears.
“You have no idea how much I want to bite you right now,” he gasped.
“Do it,” she said, pressing the back of his head, guiding his mouth towards her throat. “I want you to.”
He lifted his head to look into her eyes. He wanted to make sure she meant it and it wasn’t just something she was saying because she thought it was what he wanted to hear. “Are you sure?”
“Yes! I want to know how it feels. I want to feel you inside from both ways—your cock in my pussy, and your teeth in my neck.”
Hearing her say those things turned him on even more, and he swelled inside her. He gave a nudge of his hips, pushing deeper into her channel, and she groaned in response. Fuck, she felt so sweet wrapped around his cock. He wanted to stay this way forever.
“Just do it, Ivan. Bite me. I want you so bad.”
He didn’t need any more encouraging. He placed his mouth against her skin, her pulse pattering beneath his lips. The scent of her was intoxicating, and his fangs lengthened of their own accord.
Moving slowly, he pressed his fangs gently into her flesh, penetrating her, and then he gave an experimental suck. Drops of her blood touched his tongue, and his whole body sang with pleasure. God, she was exquisite, literally inside and out. He added a little more suction, and Charlie moaned, her fingers laced into the hair on the back of his head, pressing his mouth against her throat, encouraging him. He didn’t want to take too much, not this first time, and make her fear him. That was the last thing he wanted. He sucked a couple of times at the same time as he pumped inside her, and then forced himself to withdraw hi
s fangs. He licked the puncture wound, using his saliva to heal her skin, and he watched the twin holes knot together and become little pink specks. Within an hour or so, they would vanish altogether.
“Christ, Ivan. That was insanely fucking sexy, feeling you inside me like that.”
He was still positioned above her and he ducked down to press his forehead to hers. “I’m still inside you,” he said giving an extra thrust of his hips.
She gasped and playfully thumped him on the shoulder. “You know what I mean. Can we do it again?”
“Yes, but not now. I only took a little, but we’ll have to build up your body’s tolerance to me. Leaving you with blood loss isn’t a good idea.”
“In that case, I’ll look forward to next time.”
He leaned in and growled in her ear. “Oh, I’m not done with you yet.”
Knowing how much it would heighten her arousal, he slipped his hand beneath her bottom. His finger was still slick with the cream from her pussy, and he used it to trace the valley between her buttocks until he reached the tight star he was searching for. Just a little pressure made her gasp, her back bucking.
“Is this okay?” he whispered to her.
“Oh, yes, keep going.”
He slowed his movements inside her as he penetrated her from behind with his finger. She felt different in here, smoother, but just as soft. She clung to his shoulders, gasping for breath. He moved inside her again, slowly at first, but then building momentum.
“Oh God, Ivan. I’m close, I’m so close.”
With her blood coursing around his veins, and his cock and finger embedded deep inside her, Ivan was close, too. His balls were tight and heavy, and he knew he’d come soon.
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